-Oliver-
I felt sorry for Arch. I could feel how eager he was to talk to Jack. I wished there was a way for me to convince Jack that he had nothing to fear. Arch wouldn't hurt him on purpose, he was too sweet to do so. But... Jack wasn't in the right state of mind, and the infestation was making things worse.
"I know you want to talk to him, but I have a theory," I told Arch as we were walking towards the Hall. "That infestation in him... I believe the shadows are able to manipulate him to a certain degree. He nearly refused my treatment just now, and I know he wants them gone, so why would he not want me to get rid of them?"
Arch stopped and let out a worried whine and then turned into a human.
"They can manipulate him?" he repeated, looking back.
"As long as I can keep their numbers down, he should be fine. And like I said, your arrival did good."
He turned his attention to me. "He should be fine?"
"He was doing better already. He tried to come to see you in the Hall, but–"
"Yeah, I know, my parents told him to leave," he grunted angrily. "I can't believe they did that..."
"Everyone is scared right now," I told him quietly. "I believe that's what our enemy wants. The shadows feed on negative emotions, and what could be a better way to win a war than to make your enemy turn against each other?"
He glanced at me, and after a moment, his anger started fading. I smiled at him.
"We need to understand your parents. They want what is best for you."
"They believe Black Thorns might betray us. That they're here to attack us from within," he spoke quietly. "They don't trust Jack."
"Fear," I said sternly. "We should not give in to it. And I think you should tell them that. Jack was ready to give his life for you, and they know it, but I think you should remind them."
He nodded slowly.
"Come. Let's go find the others," I said, taking a step toward the town, waiting for him to follow me.
He did, but not right away.
I could feel Jaden somewhere close to the Hall when we started walking. After we reached the main street, I spotted him in the middle of the street leading up to the Hall with Tilly and Natalie. His back was turned on me, but I still could see him suddenly smelling the air, trying to catch the scent – whatever it was. He turned around, still sniffing around until he spotted me.
When I realized it was my scent he'd searched for, I smiled. And I was impressed since we were quite far away from him. He took a few steps toward me and smiled as well. Just seeing me made him happy... I really wished we could be just normal teenagers doing normal teenager stuff. I wanted to give him my full attention. I wanted to spend time with him...
I wanted to learn everything about him. There was still so much to learn...
"Hi," I said quietly after stopping right in front of him.
He pulled me into a tight hug and took a deep breath. "How did it go?" he asked when I pulled back, his hand still resting on my arm.
I shrugged and sighed. "Jack's souls are weaker now, but Arch came to the rescue."
I tried to give Arch a smile as well, but he was busy peering over his shoulder.
"You should be resting," Jaden told him, letting go of my arm to grab Arch's. "Hey? Are you listening?"
"Hmm?" Arch turned to look at him. "Yeah, sure."
"Sure?"
"Whatever you want," he mumbled absentmindedly, turning to look away again – toward Jack.
"I said you should be resting," Jaden repeated, stepping in front of him.
"I'm fine," Arch muttered.
"Are you really?" Jaden asked.
Arch peered at Jaden's arm, his torn jacket. "I'm sorry I attacked you..."
"That's not what I'm worried about. You got pulled into a nightmare. Selene told us everything that happened."
"A nightmare, huh..." Arch muttered, but didn't look like he cared much.
"Are you sure you're all right?" Jaden asked with a frown.
"He's just worried over Jack," I said quietly.
"I feel so... Powerless," Arch sighed, finally giving his attention to us. "I understand he needs more time and space, but... I just want to talk to him. I want to understand."
We were all silent for a moment, but then Jaden sighed.
"I can see you're worried, but how do you actually feel about him?" he asked.
"I... I don't know, that's why I want to talk to him," Arch said, sounding frustrated.
"That's kind of selfish, isn't it?" Jaden said slowly, and Arch squinted his eyes at him, so he continued, "You need answers, I get it, but he's fighting for his life. One small wrong reaction from you could destroy his spirits."
"I know, that's why I'm staying away from him," Arch said, now sounding a little bit angry. "I know I need to wait until he's better."
"Arch..." Jaden sighed, shaking his head. "Don't go to him. At all. Just forget him, all right?"
"Jaden?" I frowned at him, resting my hand on his arm. "His presence stopped Jack's spirits from crumbling. If Arch stops trying to see him now–"
"Then Jack still has a chance," Jaden said, interrupting me. But he was still staring at Arch. "You will kill him if you go see him."
"Thanks, brother," Arch hissed at him.
"How do you feel about him?" Jaden asked again.
"I already told you! I don't know!"
"How do you feel about him?"
"I don't know!"
"How do you feel about Jack Thorn?" Jaden asked for the third time, crossing arms over his chest.
Arch stared at him for a moment, then looked away, rubbing his chin in frustration. He didn't reply to Jaden.
"He already gave his life for you and by some goddamn miracle he's still alive. He doesn't need your questions. If you want answers, you need to figure them out on your own," Jaden said quite harshly. "But don't go to him with your questions. He doesn't owe you anything. No answers, nothing."
I could feel Arch's anger as he glared at his best friend without saying a word. I felt like saying something, but then Jaden continued speaking with a kinder tone.
"You understand what I'm trying to say, right?"
Arch looked away from him and didn't reply to him at first. I could feel his spirits calming down, and eventually, he sighed.
"I do..."
"Good. If you don't consider him as a possible mate, then what's the point? He is weak, and no matter how careful you'll be with your words so you don't break his spirit, it will kill him anyway if you reject him. That hope is the only thing keeping him alive, but if you stay away from him, he might find another reason to live; to keep fighting. That is his only chance," Jaden spoke.
Arch didn't reply to him. He kept his eyes on the ground. I could feel his sadness. I could feel so much in him. Jaden breathed out and placed his hand on Arch's shoulder.
"Besides, does it matter that he didn't say anything? Whatever you want to ask him, does it really matter?" he asked.
"I guess not..." Arch murmured.
"Exactly. You're thirsty for knowledge, but this is one of those times when you shouldn't use your head," Jaden said quietly. "I know you'll make the right call if you don't let your head get in the way. And you need to make the right call since his life depends on it."
Arch nodded slowly. "I... Sorry, I need some time alone..." he muttered.
"Sure," Jaden sighed. "Just follow your heart, you hear me?"
"Yeah..." Arch said, turning his back on us.
We watched in silence when he started walking, soon disappearing behind the buildings. When I couldn't see him anymore, I turned to look at Jaden.
"I know what you're going to say," Jaden said, glancing at me. "You think I was being too harsh."
"Maybe," I said, since I was unable to lie to him. "Jack might not survive it if Arch stops trying."
"He won't survive if Arch keeps trying for the wrong reasons," Jaden replied.
"Do you think he can consider Jack as his mate?"
"Who knows," Jaden shrugged. "But now he'll try to figure it out and not hide behind his questions."
"I hope you're right," I mumbled, and turned to look at the Hall. "There's something I need to do."
"What is it?" Jaden asked.
I just smiled at him. I knew he'd try to stop me if I told him what I was about to do, so I turned into a spirit.
'I'll be right back,' I told him and started flying towards the Hall.
"Oliver!" Jaden tried to yell after me, but I didn't stop.
'Are you sure this is a good idea?' Cedric asked as he appeared next to me.
'I need to talk to him – in private.'
Him. Anthony.
A short moment later, I stepped down onto a stone floor in a small room below the Hall. I turned back to human after making sure I was alone. I could feel the guards behind the door in front of me, but they hadn't noticed my arrival. Then I turned around to face the sturdy cell where my uncle was kept in.
"I was wondering when you'd pay me a visit," the man said with a mean smirk. "Is this how you treat your relatives?"
"Having fun without our powers?" I asked, trying not to let my anger get a hold of me. Just seeing him stirred my inner peace.
At least the flicker of anger I saw in his eyes made me feel better.
"I see you're enjoying your new powers," he said calmly. "I can't wait to see them consume you."
"You're awfully confident about that," I said, crossing my arms.
"No mortal can control it. Even Hades himself couldn't control it," he snorted.
"And yet you called him your king," I said slowly, studying his expression carefully.
"Oh, Hades is no king of mine," Anthony snorted. "Well, technically."
"The corrupted side of him is?" I guessed.
"It's more than corruption. I'm impressed that you've managed to contain it this long. But soon, you will crumble, and the shadows will consume you."
"Lovely," I said, rolling my eyes. "Enough with the small talk. Something happened today, and I have a feeling you know what it was."
"Hmm, I need you to elaborate," he said.
"Our Diviner was attacked through a connection he had with the Shadow Realm. You planted that connection in him when you pulled him through it."
"Ah!" Anthony smirked, clapping his hands. "I was wondering if they went through with that plan. That is such good news."
"Why did they do it? What did they need to hide?"
"Do I look like a snitch?" he snorted.
"Do I look like I can't torture you to death?" I asked.
"Do it," he said, stepping right next to the bars. "Use that power of yours and make me talk!"
'Don't do it,' Cedric muttered.
I stared at my uncle. I didn't want to admit it, but I wanted to make him suffer. The need was whispering in my ears, telling me how good it would make me feel to watch him wither in pain. It would be so easy...
"Come on! Show me what you got!"
'The dark side of the Echo will get a better hold on you if you do it,' Cedric warned me.
It was so tempting... But Cedric was most likely right.
Instead of torturing him, I stared at him, trying to think what his words could mean. Something about what he'd said bothered me, and it only took a moment to understand what it was.
"It was your plan..." I muttered, rubbing my chin. "So either getting the Echo wasn't the only thing you needed, or then you had a backup plan in case you failed to get it."
"If you torture me, you'd get your answers," Anthony said.
"What could be so important that you couldn't take the risk of Arch having a vision about it?" I continued, ignoring him. "Whatever it was, the entire Shadow Realm got disturbed."
"So you're... trying to bore me to talk? Is that it?"
"Your people went into the Shadow Realm?" I guessed, keeping a close eye on his expression, but that didn't change. "To get something?"
"Wrong," he snorted, but I felt a tiny disturbance in him.
"To get someone?" I asked, stepping closer to the bars.
"I already told you I'm not telling you anything," he snapped at me. Quite hastily.
"Hmm..." I breathed out and stepped away from the bars.
I had already considered the option that they had summoned a shadow, so this wasn't technically a big breakthrough.
"Who did you summon?" I asked.
"We didn't summon anyone! You have no idea what you're talking about!"
"I'm not stupid, Uncle. I already know I'm right, so you can save your breath. Who did you summon?"
He glared at me in anger, confirming my theory. Then he regained his composure. "You're not getting anything out of me."
"Okay," I shrugged. "Since you needed to take out Arch while you did it, I'm assuming it was someone old and powerful. Maybe a god? Cedric, can gods turn into shadows?"
'I've heard of a few,' he nodded.
"So, you summoned a god? We've got gods too," I shrugged.
He snorted in amusement. I studied his spirit closely, and he really was amused. That was a clue. Not a god. Something else. Something that definitely was bad for us, even with the gods on our side. What could be more powerful than a god?
Nothing? But then again, gods didn't have much power outside Spirit Realm...
"So not a god," I muttered, and Anthony's expression changed again. "What is more powerful than a god?" I asked Cedric.
'In the living realm?'
"Yes."
He was silent for a moment, and then said with a dark voice, 'A guardian.'
Anthony glared at us, keeping his mouth shut this time.
"A guardian shadow?" I muttered.
'Henry was one. There were plenty of guardians in the battle.'
"Hmm..."
I watched my uncle for a moment, feeling underwhelmed. All this hassle for a guardian?
"All this hassle for a guardian..." I repeated out loud, feeling like I should see something... "Why would you need to hide something like that?"
Since Anthony had glued his lips shut, I turned to look at Cedric. "Is there a reason why they didn't want us to know about it? Something we could use to our advantage?"
Cedric was silent for a moment, then shrugged. 'Not really.'
I sighed in frustration, rubbing my temples as I tried to connect the dots. I ransacked my brain to find the solution, feeling like the answer was right in front of me.
Something gained my attention. "The Shadow Realm was disturbed... That means whatever they summoned, it was very powerful..."
'We established that already,' Cedric noted.
"But who can summon something so powerful?" I asked. "Guardian shadows are mean motherfuckers and bow to no one. So, who could summon a being like that and live to tell the tale?"
Cedric shrugged again, and we both turned to look at Anthony. He was still glaring at us.
"You didn't want us to find out who we're up against," I said, but it was obvious.
I was disappointed. I'd hoped to find out a big secret that could give us the upper hand in this war. This was so useless... If only I had the guts to use my powers... I could make him talk. I could make him spill all his little secrets...
"We're getting nowhere," I sighed and turned to face the door.
"Not so smart after all, huh?" Anthony laughed. "You haven't got a clue!"
Haven't got a clue...? I stopped and frowned. He seemed awfully victorious... I turned back to face him and studied his spirit one more time. His confidence was crumbling under my gaze, and I could tell he feared he'd said too much. Haven't got a clue. Why did that bother me so much?
An idea occurred to me.
"It had nothing to do with the guardian and the person who summoned him?" I spoke out loud.
His entire body tensed up.
"The summoning was just a decoy to make us focus on it," I guessed. "What did you do?"
He grinned at me, but didn't say anything.
"What did you do?!"
He started laughing, looking like he'd gone crazy all of a sudden.
"That's enough."
I turned to look at Selene, who appeared next to me. She glared down at Anthony and grabbed my hand. Suddenly, we were standing outside, in front of the main doors of the Hall.
"I couldn't find anything," I said angrily. "I should've used my–"
I snapped my mouth shut. I could feel my anger disturbing the Echo in me.
"You did enough. Let us take it from here," Selene said quietly.
"I didn't do anything. I couldn't make him talk!"
"Oliver," she said sternly. "What they want is you to lose to the Echo. They need you to let its corruption consume you. You should stay away from them because they will do whatever it takes to drive you mad with anger. The second you give in to it, this war is lost."
'She's right,' Cedric said quietly.
I took a few deep breaths, but it wasn't helping much.
"Oliver!"
I turned around to see Jaden running toward us. Seeing him calmed me down, and when he stopped in front of me and pulled me into a tight hug, I was finally able to let go of my anger.
"Please stop doing that," he muttered in my ear.
"Yeah, I probably should..." I murmured back, hugging him tightly as I tried to find my inner balance. For a short moment, I was scared of myself. If Selene hadn't interrupted me...
Anthony would be dead.