The light of this spirit filled the room. Fear struck through Varian. He watched in complete shock as Cass grabbed something near her, flying herself in front of him.
"Who are you?" She held the metal rod towards the glowing figure. Who stood unmoved by her fiery strength. He looked at us, confused, "Surely one of you knows who I am."
Varian's eyes instantly shone as he recalled the descriptions of him in his books. From his eye patch to his muscular build. Could this be?
"O my gosh, your Demanitus!" Varian scrabbled ahead of Cassandra. Who gave him a confused look of disbelief.
"I have so many questions for you. How are you alive? How long have you been here? How did you get here? Are you a ghost?-" Varian reached out to touch him to see if he was honest before his hand was twisted back.
"Kid, slow down for a second. You can't just go touching people randomly. Plus, this could be some sort of trick!" She pushed Varian back behind her.
"I assure you, Cassandra, that I mean you know harm-"
"How do you know my name!" Cass exclaimed, holding the pole higher.
He seemed unthreatened by it. "The question is, who doesn't know your name." He gave her a small smile, receiving a gentle snicker from Varia,n causing Cassandra to glare between them, annoyed and angry.
"Do you know who I am?" Varian said with a bright bucktooth smile, motioning to himself.
"Of course, the little Alchemist who tried to take over Corona because his father got encased with the scents of an unfortunate material revolving around the sunstone. Yes, I am quite aware." A blush of embarrassment bubbled inside him as he sought the words to explain himself, though he decided it would be best to move one.
"So, are you dead?" Varian responded, coming close to Demanitus's floating form.
"Varian!" Cass said, shocked, roughly nudging him. Varian shrugged, bringing his hand over his bruised shoulder. "What? I was just asking."
"Well," He coughed, regaining their attention, "I guess I'm kind of a ghost. But I'm not dead...not yet, anyway. I'm still trapped in Vigor...though he's dying, and I fear I will be gone from this world soon." He didn't seem hurt by the comment but seemed saddened, having mentioned his friend was suffering. "Which is why I'd like to ask-"
"So, is this like some sort of projection used with your mind." Varian's mind suddenly kindled, interrupting Demnatisi's speech.
"Yes, precisely." He added.
"How di-"
"So why are you here exactly?" Cassie exclaimed before Varian could answer another question. He turned up annoyed at her, with her doing the same.
"I have a request that is very important to me. My lifelong desire has been to be reunited with the sundrop and the moonstone, which I have spent my entire life researching and risking my life for. I would like my resting place to be within them. That's why I'm willing to help you with the inscriptions." He pointed to the scroll Varian was holding.
Varian lifted the scroll to him before his hand was met with Cassie's. My insides turn to jello for a moment at the sudden touch.
"Give us a moment, please." Cassie dragged Varina by his collar, pulling him behind a wall of unevenly piled books. She abruptly let go, pulling him to the floor, feeling the presence of dust wash over him. Varina looked up to see fear and panic glistening in her eyes. She whispered," Kid, I know this is your role model, but how do we know he's telling the truth? Maybe this is what the Saporians want us to do."
Varian stood up to answer her question. "Cassie, we have to. We can't just leave Corona in danger. And he's the only one I know who can decipher this perfectly. I've tried. It's all jumbled; I can't think straight...I need help."
"How can we possibly trust him. He could be bluffing, leading us into a trap." She growled. Varian ignored her outburst. "He wouldn't do that...he has always worked for the betterment of Corona."
"You can't just-" Varian broke off her plea as his voice rose over hers, stopping her in her tracks.
Varian lay on the floor, his body torn and disheveled. She stared at him closely for the first time through their journey, taking his presence. His once all-black apron was now stained with different colored chemicals, and his hair was sticking out roughly behind his goggles. His eyes were pleading with Cassandra, who looked at him in a mixture of pity and understanding before quickly shaking it off.
"Can you trust me, Cassie?" he asked desperately. "I trusted you with barely a word. Why can't you do the same for me? He's the only way I can help my Dad. Please, I can't lose him or anyone else again."
Cassandra gazed at Varian's tattered form, her eyes moving between his pleading eyes and his destroyed surroundings. She could feel the weight of the situation settling heavily on her shoulders. Finally, Cassandra let out a deep sigh. "Fine," she exclaimed, annoyed. "But I'm only doing this for you." She dropped the metal rod down with a clatter, showing her defeat.
***
Cassandra observed from afar as Demanitus and Varian shared their pearls of wisdom. She realized she wouldn't be much help in their discussion, as she often struggled with comprehending even a single syllable of their conversation. It was like they were speaking an entirely different language.
Cassandra's thoughts rolled back from their discussion into her own, hoping for some easy ability to do so.
I hope that Raps and Eugean are all right. As much as I didn't want to come back to Corna, I knew I had to, And I wasn't going to leave Raps in her desperate need of help.
Why would they simply give themselves up for the Saporians? It was probably Eugene's idea to keep Raps safe after all; they haven't been able to get out of trouble since they first got engaged. As far as I'm concerned, they never had a proper honeymoon.
I just want Raps to be happy and safe...was that so hard to ask?
Cassandra's ears perked up as she listened to the Alchemist and the ghostly apparition. Varian's laughter made her chuckle softly as he erupted in squeals until she felt a gentle coat brush against her arm.
"Hm?"
Ruddiger looked up at her. The racooon's eyes are wide, watching to see what she would do. To his and the author's surprise, Cassandra petted the greedy thing, causing him to purr with delight.
'No one cares about me. The only time anyone cares is when I do something destructive or serve in a way that is deemed useful.'
Her eyes suddenly stared directly at his fur, as she tried her best to shake off the memory; she imagined Owl nuzzling her cheek in comfort; even though everything, he had remained loyally at her side...she quickly hoped through her busy mind that he was indeed alright.
'Hello, Cassandra.'
Cassandra's attention shifted from Ruddiger to Varian. As Demanitus whispered in his ear, Varian's eyes brightened and moved towards Cass, causing her to look away. A smile appeared on her lips as she noticed that he seemed different...happier.
"THE PRISONER'S HAVE ESCAPED!!!" A sudden sound of alarm echoed below them. Ruddiger jolted at the voice and retreated up Varian's arm, hiding behind his messy black strands.
As soon as the loud yell echoed through the air, several voices were heard in pursuit. Among them, Juniper's voice stood out, "Find them!"
Cassandra hurried over to the group. Varian quickly stashed the scroll in his pocket. At the same time, Demanitus pointed at a rugged bag, urging him to fill it as he began packing their translations and the scroll.
"Do you have the translation?"
"Yes," Varian said, still continuing to stuff the bag. Cassandra impatiently tapped her foot, constantly looking around, expecting the separatist to find them any second. He pulled the bag over him, tightening the strap. Varian moved to Cassandra, preparing to leave.
"A caution of warning." The soldier and the Alchemist turned towards the spirit's wary voice. "Be wary of the dangers on this quest. Don't trust all you see or...the fate of Corona will be written in your blood." Demantius's face looked saddened and fearful. Panic flooded Varian until a soft, comforting touch landed on his shoulder. Varian looked up and saw Cassandra, who gave him a wistful smile. Assuring him that he could do this. They both turned back up at Demanitus.
"Thank you, for your help...and I wish to still help you on your journey if that's alright?" Varian nodded in agreement. A small smile spread on his glowing face. Demanitus traced toward Cassandra, and a glint of joy could be seen in his eyes.
A sudden and intense light beam hit him as Cassandra called out Varian's name. When the light eventually faded away, his silhouette vanished into the darkness. Cassandra was left alone, with only Varian's vial of light visible in the darkness. At that moment, she felt a web of confusion spreading over her heart, but she quickly shook it off as she heard the sound of footsteps approaching.
"Let's go." They both said in unison.
Cassandra followed Varian's light as he walked towards what she assumed was another giant stack of books. "There's a pair of doors on the other side." He began pushing over small piles with his free hand, and she followed suit. They pushed back most of them, taking a doorknob and opening it to reveal a lighted hallway. They dashed through it, arriving at the end, which led back to the dark throne room. The sound of the mob caught Cassandra's attention, and she turned to search for another way to escape. Varian grabbed her arm as she searched, pushing her against the wall, sending her heart hammering as a small group of Saporians passed by. Once the sound was out of reach, they sprinted down the dark stairs towards the main doors. They were so close to freedom that they could almost taste it. However, their progress was halted as they met with Andrew, Lady Caine, and his band of misfits.
He looked at us with anger. "Do you really want to do this?" He looked at them, expecting defeat. But sadly, that day wasn't today.
"Yes!" Cassandra prominently raised her arms as she grabbed Varian's hand, rushing them back up the black staircase. She pulled Varian behind, hoping to move faster. They reached the top, and to her surprise and a bit of panic, another group was waiting for them. She turned back, her expression souring seeing Andrew walking up the stairs slowly, his right hand holding his soon-to-be's.
"Will always be one step ahead." The group slowly came closer, surrounding them in a circle. Cassandra pulled Varian back as their backs touched the dark-tinted window behind them.
"Did you really think you were going to escape? Oh, flame...you can never escape your destiny." He pulled out a blade.
"Face it, you have nowhere to go."
An instant idea came to Cassandra's head. It was crazy and risky, but it was their only shot to escape. Cassandra moved her lips to Varians' ear, causing him to jolt, turning up to her like she were mad. His eyes widened, but he soon nodded hesitantly.
Cassandra moved towards Andrew, pulling up her hands. It seemed, "Finally cooperation; you know I would have never expected that from you," Cassandra moved from behind him, grabbing a candle scone from the wall. Lady Caine laughed. "Oh, still playing with candlesticks."
Andrew moved before Caine.
"Be still, my love; allow me to have my fun." The duchess crossed her arms over her chest, a pout on her lips. "What will you do, stab us with that?" The whole room filled with laughter.
Cassandra shrugged, looking down at his sword. "No." She quickly moved the light fixture around his sword, spinning the handle towards her as she brought the blade to his neck. She turned her head back, "Varian, break the glass," encouraging Varian to hit the window. They blocked their eyes from view, hearing the instant it shattered to the floor and a gust of wind escaping. Varian dropped his vial to the ground, reaching for Cassandra's hand, the room instantly covered in florescent blue hugging.
"Cassandra, you can't escape your destiny...we are intertwined. Met to be met again and again." She could hear the gentle smirk in his voice.
Cassandra's voice broke from her as she pulled away, clinging his sword at his feet, "Love is true inner wealth, right. I think you'll be just fine without me...my Love." She said mockingly, as Varina pulled her towards the now open window as he held the loose wall sconce.
"You can drop that, Varian>' Cassandra said with a grin, causing him to instantly drop as his stomach rose over his middle.
"You, ready?" She exclaimed, gripping his hand tighter.
"As long as you're with me, I think I'll be just finnnnne!!!" With that, they both took their leap of faith.
Andrew's expression turned sour as he watched his companions vanish behind the curtain of blue, leaving behind the faint echoes of a high-pitched scream. Disappointed by their sudden departure, he shook his head in frustration. However, his mood quickly shifted, and he broke into a broad grin, chuckling at something he found amusing. "Ah, she's jealous," he muttered, "It's alright though. I'm a patient man, and they'll be back for her sake."
He snapped his fingers, and the sound echoed through the room. From somewhere in the shadow of blue, a man stepped forward awkwardly. Andrew's face hardened as he addressed the man with an order on his lips. "Release the traitor's father. I have some questions for him."