No One's POV:
"And here is where you'll be staying." Tabitha says to Walter with a proud smile on her precious face. Accompanying her were Max and Raven. "I hope the three of you are comfortable here. I am so happy to see you again, Walter, and to know that you are raising two beautiful children. Later, I will be able to help you out if you ever get any blood cravings. Let me know if you need any help."
"Oh, don't worry, your majesty, but I will make sure to let you know about that." Walter says through an aching head. "You've already done so much for me and my kids, and I can't thank you enough."
Tabitha couldn't help but smile a little bit more after his comment. "Please, just call me Tabitha. Just know that if you need help with anything, like your new powers, then don't hesitate to ask for help."
Walter nods. "Thank you." He enters his new room and prepares himself for a well deserved nap.
Both Pika and Cubo were already sleeping in their new rooms. The small children were pooped out and were sent to their own rooms by Amity and Pearl who were with Dollop and Zania. Cubo had a little trouble slithering at first, yet after Tabitha demonstrated an easy way to move, he eventually go the hang of it. Pika on the other hand was already flapping her wings and flying a few inches off the ground.
Earlier, Cole had sent her a message that he and the boys were on their way to their apartment. He had also said that Hunter was taking two secret agents, that had followed Walter into the Dimenscape, into the dungeon of the castle. So far Tabitha hadn't seen both her husband and her brother in-law in a while, but she wasn't worried.
They were alright.
But what about her?
Raven, Max, and the Queen stood there in silence for a bit before turning away from the room, and quietly walking away. The three of them make their way down the hall silently as mice in a crowded kitchen; not saying a single word.
Max wanted to speak but couldn't form any words to say. He was still distraught about how his mother reacted to the strange knife that Loki attained in the hours before. There was so many things that she had kept from him. From everyone. But to know that she, somehow, didn't even trust Cole enough to tell him about a simple weapon was baffling.
Raven, too, was feeling left out of her sister's story. She had soon found out about the situation after the large family instantaneously returned from their forest trip. She knew that Tabitha had many secrets but this seemed... different. But not in a good way.
The handmaiden soon left to attend to her duties, leaving both Prince and Queen alone. The two hadn't spoken since the incident, and they both couldn't stand long silences.
"So... did you finish your homework?" Tabitha begins, thinking it the best conversation starter. Max immediately nods in response. "That's good... good. Are you okay? You seem quiet."
Her son scoffs at this. "I could say the same thing about you. I know that you're hiding something from me." His bright spring green eyes sparked with intimidation. "You're hiding something from all of us."
Tabitha couldn't help but silently gasp, quickly moving away from her son. She swiftly makes her way down the hall, through a door leading to a bridge high above the castle grounds. Max instantly follows her onto the autumn decorated passage, trying his best to keep up with his mother.
"Mom! Stop hiding things!" The prince exclaims, teleporting in front of her with a distressed expression. "You shouldn't be hiding anything this important from us."
Tabitha quickly dodges him and proceeds to scurry away from the small adolescent. "I'm sorry, Max, I just can't tell you. You wouldn't understand." She tells him. "Please stop."
However, this only causes him to keep going. The young prince follows his mother all the way to the disclosed Portal Room in the North Wing where every single gateway to another world was kept. There were levels and levels of portal door on every side of the circular room.
Max was confused with why his mother had run here but said nothing about it. He just wanted to know what was going on with her.
"Why do you always have to so many secrets?" Max asks her from behind as he floats over to her. "Please mom. Just a few years ago you entrusted me with the fate of our entire kingdom. How could one little secret be any different?"
The Queen stood in place after his question with a look of longing on her face. A familiar feeling had returned back to her that she hadn't felt in many years. A longing to just leave everything and everyone behind. She just wanted to get out of there and rid herself of that stupid blade.
But Max was right. Tabitha trusted him to lead their kingdom into a raging war against a possessed Cole. A little secret about a mysterious blade was nothing compared to that.
Yet not to Tabitha.
"Max, there are things I keep to myself for a reason-"
"Then tell me!" He exclaims with pleading eyes while dropping to the floor. "I deserve to know...! Dad deserves to know."
Upon mentioning Cole, Tabitha was hit with an immense amount of guilt. She realizes what her son had said was true. Cole, of all people, deserved to know the most about her reaction when seeing the mysterious blade. With a sigh, the Queen eventually gives up on staying silent and decides to speak again. She takes a leisured gaze around the large room, trying to fight the urge not to run away again. Max silently waits in front of the frightened woman with expecting eyes, waiting for her to speak.
Tabitha sighs once more. "I... don't know if I'm ready to tell you the whole story, but I will tell you about that knife." She informs him, reaching her hand out in his direction for him to take. He does and she pulls him over to her. "When I was younger, the first time I passed away, I was transported to the In Between."
Max quickly looks up at the Queen in shock. "The same place Dad was sent to after you defeated him?!" He asks with wide eyes.
She nods her head with a sad smile, gently rubbing his head in the process. "Yes. That knife is called The Blade of Fate. It will transport anyone to The In Between where Phillippio will choose their fate. They had lost it when fighting Perilia and thought that it would've been that way forever, until I did."
Tabitha continues to explain her findings while holding the small teen close to her in the empty Portal Room. However, she didn't tell him the whole truth. That was for when she was fully ready, but for now he and the others were going to have to wait.
The two let go each other and inspect the magical room that they were in, waiting for something to happen.
"Is that all?" Max questions softly, leaning his head onto her chest as she pats his matted, black hair. "Am I able to tell the others?"
Tabitha exhales and nods her head. "Yes you can. But promise me that you won't pry into this subject again, please."
"I promise."
"Thank you, sweetheart." She smiled kindly before letting him go. "Now lets get out of here. You father should be on his way back here, and you still have History homework to finish, young man."
"What?!" Max yelps. "I said that I already did it!"
His mother scoffs at her son's reaction. "Don't act like I didn't know that you were lying just so you can info out me. I know you too well. I went pass your room and saw the assignment still on you desk."
Max could only stare at her in a baffled state which Tabitha laughs at. She has him walk in front of her as the two of the them make their way out of the Portal Room and to his. As they do so, both Queen and Prince find a dishevelled Hunter racing towards them in a state of worry.
"Hunter!" Both of them hurry over to the straggling soldier.
Tabitha carefully holds him up straight. "Hunter are you okay? What happened to you!" She frightfully asks her companion.
"The agents." Hunter tells them in between breaths. "They managed to escape and I was just chasing them but they vanished. I've been looking all over the castle for them. I have my men searching the perimeter as we speak."
Max worriedly looks around the hall, searching for something. "Where's Artemis?"
The soldier pants heavily before answering. "She's with Hiro. I called him in for a favor when I got Leo's text earlier about the agents. Tadashi is going to bring her back later today."
The exhausted guard reluctantly stands up on his own and takes more long breaths to relax himself. Tabitha suggested if there was anything she could do to help, yet Hunter only shook his head in disapproval.
"No. You and Cole need to focus on keeping the citizens collected and satisfied for both the Halloween Festival, and the anniversary." Hunter states in a firm voice towards the Queen. "You and the rest of the royal family need to set a good example for the people of your country. Am I correct?"
The leading vampire didn't know how to respond to his question, yet she eventually obliges to his request. The three of them decide to head back to the throne room, hoping that the agents would be caught soon.
"Oh! Max, you still have homework to do." Tabitha reminds her son with a smirk. "Go and do it."
"Aww man." The young prince whines. He slowly creeps his way away from his room.
However, Tabitha grabs the hood of his sweatshirt and pulls the mischievous teen back, pushing him in the direction of his bedroom. He continues to leisurely walk his way down.
"March, mister!" Tabitha commands.
A low groan came from the prince as he proceeded to stroll down the long castle hall.
___________________________________
???'s POV:
As I slowly fill a vial with a red liquid using a syringe, the sound of the doorbell could be heard. I calmly place the items down before heading out of my lab and towards the front door of my apartment home. I open the door to find two scruffy looking humans panting, obviously out of breath from their long trek from wherever they came.
I quickly glance at them up and down before letting them inside. They reluctantly came indoors, wiping their feet before entering my humble abode. The two of them follow me into the living and through a door leading to my basement where my lab was.
"I believe the two of you found your way here through the message I sent you." I say in a respectful tone. "I've let dear old Spencer know that you're okay. You just went through some... difficulties."
"Thank you, sir." The male spy thanks me. "We would've arrived sooner if we hadn't been caught by King Cole and his friends. But we eventually managed to escape, thanks to you, of course."
I chuckle softly at this while I continue with what I had previously been working on before the two agents arrived. They were silent as I added more red liquid to four more vials. To my left was a large machine where I was going to put one of the vials in.
"What are going to do with all this equipment?" Laika asks me in her thick Russian accent, taking a step towards me. "Anything to do with said plan?"
I proceed with my experiment instead of answering the questions being thrown at me. As I pour the liquid into it's last vial, I cautiously take a small chest where a dangerous substance was inside. Before I open it I put on safety gloves and then swiftly open the box. Next, I took a wad of a black goo and fill tiny amounts of it into each of the five vials, causing the red liquid to darken and bubble viciously. I then take the gloves off and hurry it over to the large machine at the back of the room, slipping one of the vials into a tiny slot.
"Whatcha doing with that?" Clint asks me with a suspicious gaze. "Is that the experiment you told the boss about?"
"Indeed," the clicking of my keyboard could be heard as I typed in codes for my machine to turn on and collect the data need for this plan to work. "If this works then get ready for some fun."
Both of the agents look to each other and then back to me in confusion.
"Spencer wants to invade now, not after you enjoyed yourself." Laika reminds me with a warning glare. "Now get this machine working and stick with plan!"
From the shadows, a dagger shoots inches pass the female agent and into a wooden post. The startled spies stand their ground, awaiting the possible threat. The silhouette of a woman with her arm out in front could be seen by everyone who was in the basement.
A brief scoff came from the girl as she eventually made her way into the light. Her long brunette hair was tied in a puffy ponytail, and a vixen mask covered her face. The armor she had on was dark as the night sky, and sharp like the teeth of a Great White Shark. Many stakes and small, sharp weapons hung along the sashes and belts strapped to her body.
"Hello dearest." I welcome the woman with open arms. She returns to me with a warm embrace, finally removing her mask. "How was the trip?"
"Uneventful." She replies after letting go of me. "Nothing to report except..." she hesitates. "Hawkmoth won't be joining us. He has given up on his mission and decided to give up. Like the lowly coward that he is."
I shake my head. "No need. I already had something planned for if or if not he was to join us." I let her know with a knowing smirk. Facing the confused guests, I introduce them to my partner. "Clint. Laika. This is my wife, Lila Rossi. She has been helping me with the objective for the pass couple years. After she came back to life, I invited her to my apartment and well... we fell in love."
"Does Spencer know about her?" Clint inquires.
"Of course he does. He found her intriguing and a well trusted ally." I inform them, pulling my wife close to me by her waist. She was taller than me by an inch or two because of her footwear, but that didn't bother me. "Besides that, she's one of the best warriors I have seen fight and even managed to assassinate the Queen! Now I say we drop the matter of 'if she's in or not', and let me continue my work."
Lila gently rubs the back of my head. "Did you get it?"
I nod.
"Ooh, yes! I'm so proud of you my mockingbird!" She exclaims while hugging me once more. "Need me to do anything?"
I gently get out of her grip and head over to my computer containing many screens on the wall. "Just stand there and look pretty, my dear. Be prepared to defend yourself."
A few moments pass as I type in the rest of the code. The whirring and rumbling of my invention alerts the four of us it's progress. This last for a few minute before the dinging of a bell rings and the machine calms down. The front part of my invention slowly opens in which steam flies out, filling it with a hazy fog.
"Did it work?" I question myself aloud, walking over to the opening.
However, a small and familiar voice fills the air, shocking me out my skin.
"What's going on?" It firmly growls as the fog sifts away, revealing the figure speaking.
It was the King and Queen's advisor. But with a little bit of something special.
"Where am I?" They snarl furiously. "Who are you!?"
Baffled at my accomplishment, my heart does a flip for joy upon finding out my invention worked, although I kept a calm demeanor to speak to my experiment. The others were unsure of what to do so they let me handle the situation.
"Don't worry, sir." I chuckle sinisterly at the clone. "We'll tell you everything but for now... you're right where you want to be."