The mermen around me are stuck in a moment of shock.
"What have you done?" I seethe at not-George.
He smiles wickedly. His voice is scraggly and sharp, but in the undertones you can still hear his real voice. "I merely got rid of the neuscience that is Wilbur Soot. He kept getting in my way."
I shiver when he speaks. Sapnap swims in front of me like a shield. "Dream, you've gotta go."
"What? No. What are you talking about?"
Plato has a hold of my wrist before I can react. "He needs to stay."
Sapnap widens his eyes. "He can't get hurt--"
"He needs to save George," Plato interrupts.
My eyes move to where the Seer was as Plato and Sapnap bicker. He is now casting dark magic in the direction of the other elders. Harold gets hit and falls backward clutching at his arm which looks like it's burning. Bubbles sizzle around the wound. Keller is nowhere to be seen. My hand stings where it has been cut.
I jerk my hand from Plato's grip.
"How do I save George?" I yell at him.
Plato looks at me, eyes wide. "You have to destroy the Seer."
I look back over at the Seer as he uses George's body to attack the old mermen.
"But they are the same right now."
Plato places a sharp rock in my hand and curls my fingers around it. "You must finish the ritual." He points at George's body. "Do you see how his fingers have turned black. That is because the Seer has to use dark magic to keep a hold of George's body. His hand has healed over because of this. If you can help George regain some sense of himself for long enough to reopen the wound and seal your souls with a kiss, you should be able to rid the Seer from his body."
My adrenaline courses through my veins. "But what happens when the Seer leaves his body. Will he just possess someone else?"
Plato nods his head. "That's what this rock is for. You have to stab this through him the moment he leaves George's body."
My fingers clench the rock. Harold yells out in pain. I look up and watch as Merlin is flung towards us, slamming into Sapnap and I. We fall towards the ocean floor rapidly. The rock in my hand is knocked away from me and falls out of sight.
I grunt as I swim away from Merlin. Sapnap is pulling Merlin into his arms asking if he is alright. A black mark across his stomach argues otherwise. I search frantically for the rock. The ocean floor feels so far away. I bolt towards the ground, but stop quickly when I hear my name.
"Oh Dream!" The Seer's voice echo's through the cave. I look up and see George's hand wrapped around Karl's neck. He is too far away for me to do anything, and I can't do anything without that rock.
Karl whimpers as I slowly twist to fully look at them. "Stop what you're doing or I will kill your friend."
I clench my teeth. "George... I know you're in there. You have to take control."
The Seer laughs loudly making Karl flinch.
"Karl!" Sapnap yells. The Seer is quick and he shoots a tendril of black towards Sapnap. He smashes into the ground along with Merlin.
"George isn't here anymore Dream. You can't change the prophecy, you have to accept the ultimate power. The mermen haven't done anything for you. You don't have to help them, you just have to destroy them."
"Please George. You're stronger than you think. You have to take control."
The Seer's eyes go dark. "You can't change your fate Dream. This is beyond you. You have no power here and neither does George."
"George. You have to be strong. For me. Get him out of your head."
"Why are you trying to save the merfolk?" The Seer yells. "They have done nothing for you!"
My voice waivers. I look down at where Sapnap lay on the ocean floor. The rock next to his ear gleams. The ceremonial rock.
I look back up at George's face masked in darkness. Karl stares at me wide eyed.
"I can't do this without you George. Be strong. Take control."
His eyes flicker, the black sliding in and out.
"Yes, George. You can do it!"
The Seer yells, but then his voice cuts out. George's eyes return to normal and he quickly releases Karl. The moment I see he is in control I swim towards the ocean floor and scoop up the rock next to Sapnap. George is already swimming towards me when I turn around.
"Dream!"
"George. Stay right there."
My tail swishes through the water quickly as I reach out to George. I grab his wrist and look at his hand. The scar on his palm is red where it healed over and I quickly slice it open again. Our palms unite and I pull him in. Our lips meet and it feels like the whole ocean has turned warm. I can feel our heartbeats sync up as I press into him. My palm burns where George's hand presses into mine. I pull him in close with my arm, too scared to pull away. But when I pull away and look into his eyes, it feels like I understand him so much more.
The sound around me returns.
"Dream!"
I look up and see a black mist descending upon us. I pull George into my chest and guard his head with my arms. The mist collapses on top of us, but disperses just as quickly. George moves his head away from me and peeks up at me. I look around frantically, making sure we are safe.
I breathe a sigh of relief when it feels like everything is quiet. My eyes meet George's. He is looking up at me in awe. My heart flutters.
"Dream," Sapnap calls out to me. I look towards the sound of his voice. He is holding Merlin and Karl is looking at Harold. "They're hurt."
George and I swim towards the ocean floor.
Merlin coughs violently when we reach his side.
"What happened?" I ask frantically.
Merlin struggles to speak, clutching his ribs. I look at his chest and see an open wound he is trying to cover with his arm. I gently pull his arm away to look at it. He has a long tear across his ribs seeping blood. Black tendrils move up his chest from the wound just under his skin.
"I-" Merlin tries to speak. "I tried to stop him... he poisoned me."
"Poisoned?" I glance at Sapnap. "Is there something you can do with that? Like, maybe make some potion or something."
Sapnap furrows his eyebrows. "What?"
"Don't you have a book with like potions in it? You used some one George and I didn't you?"
"Oh! You're right." He shifts Merlin so he can lay on the seafloor. "Let me grab my book. I'll be right back!"
He swims away quickly. I turn to look at Harold. He looks even more beat up than Merlin. I make eye contact with George. He looks concerned and when he turns away I shiver. I instinctively swim over to him and wrap an arm around his shoulders. My heart is racing as if I am terrified. Karl notices us and tilts his head in confusion.
"You guys okay?" He moves closer to us, but I back away without thinking. He stops short. "Dream?"
I look into his wide eyes. George is shaking in my arms like he is terrified of Karl. I look down at him at the same time he looks up at me. He hands are shaking.
"We need to calm down," I whisper taking a deep breath in. George follows my actions. I slowly let go of him.
Merlin coughs, catching our attention. "You two are bonded... your emotions mirror one another and build upon each other."
"Is that why I'm shaking?" George questions, gripping my arm and pulling me closer to him. My brain lights on fire with his touch.
"Yes-" Merlin coughs again. "If one of you is afraid, the other will feel the effects of fear. I can see that Dream's natural instinct is to protect you George. You must be able to control yourselves."
I catch movement out of the corner of my eye and I turn to see Sapnap entering the cave, Plato and Gerald are swimming behind him, much slower.
Sapnap holds up his book. "I know how we can help them!"
I shake the thoughts from my head. "Okay, Sapnap. Let's do it."
Hello everyone. I'm not dead! I tried to give you a longer chapter for taking so long, but then it took me longer so here I am finally. The story is almost over! Next couple of chapters are going to be really good though so stay tuned. Have a great day!
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