Arcane Order's Adopted Son

CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: A THREAT

BELLROC POV:

Hisirdoux, Aja, Claire, and AAARRRGGHH were held up in the air and gripped tightly as if being suffocated.

"You want me to let them go? I will. I will let them go on one condition. We'll have to trade. One demigod per person. Make the trade, and they go free. Do nothing...well...I'm gonna have to kill them."

"Why, Aridam, why?" I said.

"WHY?! You're asking me why?! Oh, my sweet Bellroc, you're too late to ask why."

"It's not too late. It's never too late to do anything." I tried to stand up, but my legs gave out as I felt more of my magic drain, and I hit the ground.

"Bell!" Skrael said. He reached out for me, but Aridam noticed and engulfed his arm in a bright orange glow by pointing the sword at him.

"Calm yourself, or I'll make that frost of your spread faster."

"What frost?" Phoenix asked.

Aridam removed his sword. Skrael didn't answer Phoenix's question.

"What frost?!"

"He didn't tell you?" Aridam said.

"Aridam, get out of their business! What you want is me, I know!" I said. I tried to stand up, but everytime I moved, more magic began to rush out like a broken faucet.

Aridam laughed.

"Bellroc, you're weak. Don't waste the little strength you have left trying to protect your "family". You don't have a family. You never did have a family, nor will you ever have one. You're pathetic and incompetent. You can't keep a son. You can't keep a brother. You can't keep your minions. You can't even keep a lover." I looked up at him and bit my lip as hard as I could to keep myself from crying in front of everyone, especially him. "And everytime something happens it's all your fault. You think that obsessing over something will protect them, well...you're WRONG! Loving something only makes you lose them faster. It only makes things more painful."

I laughed awkwardly, now knowing what he was really here for.

"You don't hate life, Aridam," I said. "You never have." I gripped the arm of the couch and pushed myself up.

"Stay down!" He shouted.

"Yeah, all that: 'I hate everything and everyone' is a lie. I'll tell you what that is. Because I know what you are and what you aren't! You love me, don't you? You've always loved me, but your way of saying it is incredibly ridiculous just like you! I'll tell you what you are, Aridam. You're a pathetic wizard who's trying to get a girlfriend by murdering their family. And what you aren't? You are not my lover. And you are never going to get me. So back. AWAY. FROM. MY SON!!!"

Aridam lowered to the ground. He dropped his sword. All three of his big, bright, orange eyes focused on me and only me.

"You filthy, feministic creature!" He shouted, grabbing Douxie by the neck.

"No!" Nari shouted. She reached to use her magic, but Aridam slammed her down.

I couldn't handle; I just couldn't. I leaped towards Aridam, but he grabbed me instead.

DOUXIE POV:

Bellroc threw me out of the way of Aridam's sword, and I crashed to the ground. Aridam balled his clawed hand into a fist causing an orange color to encircle her. When she turned around, her eyes were pure orange.

"No, Mom!" I screamed, trying to run towards her. Blinky grabbed my arms and pulled me back. "No, no, let me go! Let me go to my...mother!" I tried to bypass his stone grip, but I was unable to. "Aridam, let her go!" I screamed as loud as possible at him to let her go, but I was unable to. I tired my own voice out and only made myself tired. "Please..." I sobbed.

Aridam didn't yield. He blasted the people he'd been locking up into the wall. Shadows began leaking from Aridam. They turned into tiny people and entered the rest of the Arcane Order's noses, ears, and mouths. Phoenix's eyes turned black, so did Skrael's, and Nari's. They convulsed a little before their arms fell limp in front of them like a zombie. They floated over to Ardiam who stood in between all four of the possessed Arcane Order.

"Do it..." he snarled.

"Four will rise. Four will form. Unite and be one. The worlds are reborn!"

"No, no, no!" Jim shouted.

"This is what I was afraid of," Blinky said.

"I didn't believe it would happen," Claire said weakly.

"What are we standing around here for?" Aja said.

"A force field would've formed by-"

Toby ran, charging, towards the Order, but I was right. A force field knocked him back.

"Four will rise. Four will form. Unite and be one. The worlds are reborn!"

Veins of colored magic streamed from the Seals. We didn't have to pause to look at a light show. We had to focus on the Order and Aridam. Aridam raised his sword into the sky just as the Arcane Order's eyes glowed with their signature elemental color of magic and beams of magic shot from their mouths towards Aridam's swords. A hole was bored into the ground as a vortex surrounded them and pulled them and Aridam into the hole.

"No, no, no!" I shouted, trying to run after her, but I couldn't. It was no use. The Arcane Order was gone.

"I can't believe it," Jim said.

"Can't believe what?" Claire said.

"That all this time we thought the Arcane Order was the most evil force out there. We were wrong. We were so, so wrong."