Arcane Order's Adopted Son

CHAPTER TWENTY: GONE

I sat up in bed. I walked into Nari's room. She was fast asleep. Her sheets were pulled over her, and she lay on a pillow made from the head of a mushroom. I went to Phoenix's room. With every breath she took in and out, the walls let out an iridescent blue glow. I went to the kitchen and saw Skrael asleep on the couch, snoring quietly. There was a light drizzle outside. Without waking him up, I picked him up and placed him in his room. It was amazing how despite how snarky and sometimes creepy Skrael could be, he slept so peacefully. Bellroc was in her room, I knew that.

I felt bad and evil. I was going against the Order's wishes—my mother's wishes. She specifically told me to keep them safe and had entrusted them to me, and I was doing the exact opposite. But maybe they'd be safer with the Guardians of Arcadia. If I thought about it a different way, I was simply taking stress off of Bell's shoulders. I walked down the hallway and opened the door. The Genesis Seals floated around. I stared at them. I sighed and looked back at the Order's bedrooms.

"This is for the best," I whispered.

I took the Genesis Seals and tucked them under my arm and then fled into the night.

KREL POV:

"Where is Douxie?" Jim asked.

"Don't be so impatient, this must be tough for him," Zoe said.

Suddenly Douxie teleported in front of him.

"Ah, yes! You have the Seals?"

"Yep," he said sadly, holding up the enchanted items and handing them to Jim. "So what are we doing?"

"What we have to do," Claire said, putting a hand on Douxie's shoulder.

Jim stretched out his arms and dropped the Genesis Seals into the water. There, they sank to the bottom and slowly disappeared into the pitch black ocean.

"Gone?" Toby asked.

"Gone," Jim said.

I put a hand on Douxie's shoulder. He stayed when all the Guardians of Arcadia walked off. Zoe and Archie stayed, too.

"I can't believe I did this," He said.

"How close were you? You and Bellroc?" Zoe asked.

"She entrusted them into my care, and I turned against her just like that."

"You know, I do miss Phoenix's music," Archie said, probably trying to get his hopes up. "Is she still singing?"

"I haven't heard her, but then again, a song is the last thing anybody should care about right now."

"Why? What's going on?" Zoe asked.

"Aridam."

"Who's Aridam?"

"He's some ancient wizard that the Order fought a long while ago, and like a long, long time ago, like before the age of Camelot."

"And what happened to him?" I asked.

"They couldn't kill him. Skrael said he was too powerful. But the Order thinks he'll rise again. Everything is just going mad. Skrael and Bellroc are furious with each other, and just to add onto it, Bell is getting weaker."

"W-weaker? What's happening to her?" Archie said, landing next to Douxie.

"She's using all her magic. I'm afraid that she might not have enough strength to face Aridam. She's the most powerful out of all of us, and if Bell is sick—"

"Merlin, help us," Zoe said.