REDEMPTION

27. GONE.

Shawn was skeptical. What had occurred in his household until this moment had been a blur. The last thing he remembered was Ralph saying something.

“Ralph!” he involuntary shouted.

As he wanted to rush out to look for him, he realized his hand was clutching at a cloth desperately. On looking, he found out Ralph lying right next to him. He sighed. Whether he intended to or not, he smiled knowing he was safe. Shawn looked around and realized he wherever he was was quite dark. He could not make out anything significant.

Because he had night vision, he was able to see Ralph. But that was just as far as his abilities could take him. That wasn’t right. His night vision could see through anything and everything. So he could not understand what was wrong, unless…

“Mom, are you there?” he yelled. He had a premonition about this and it wasn’t a good one. “Answer me!” If his guess was right then if they do not get out of there, then they would die. And he would be the first one. Ralph was out of commission, if he dared use his abilities in his state, he could get them out, however, he would die soon after. That was not an option he was willing to take. His mother was the only one that could get them out.

In his panicked state, Shawn did not realize that someone was missing. Someone he loved and cared for even though he had figured out she wasn’t their own. He had learned to love her. And also hate her but that did not mean he would not protect her. How he did not realize this was a mystery. Perhaps he had not realized it just yet. Or maybe he just ignored. Whichever it was, was yet to be found out.

He looked around searching for something, anything that could help them get out of there. He never once let go of Ralph as he did this. And he continued yelling. He hoped that his mother could here him and come to there rescue. He already had a rough idea of what was going on and who was behind this. That was also the reason he did not call out to him.

Just how far he was willing to go to achieve his own means was still unclear. Yet, how important his family was to him was very clear. They could not even measure up to the wealth he had acquired or his authority. In short, they were nothing to him. To him, they were just for show. A show he had to put on so that no one could suspect him or doubt him. This allowed him to do as he wished behind everyone’s back.

For a while it was not clear what or when he was going to dispose of his family. This seemed like it. But if Shawn and Ralph were here, where was mom… and… and… what was her name again? That’s when he realized something was amiss. He knew her. He was sure he knew her. She was part of their family but he could not remember her. The effects of being in here was taking a toll on him, soon he was going to forget everything and everyone. Then his abilities would be forcefully extracted from his body after being exposed to devil’s snare.

He would then slowly but surely, die. Ralph would soon follow but his death would be less painful. Ralph murmured something before he woke up. His eyes fluttered momentarily before they gave a faint glow. Whether he did this on purpose or didn’t didn’t matter. It seemed like his body knew how to use his abilities and it would respond to his lack of experience at the moment.

Shawn helped Ralph into a sorting position. The hand that had held onto his shirt was still there. The conjured a small weapon laced with light magic that was intense enough to cause body damage or an eternal wound to his free hand. He then thrusted it, aiming right for his chest. Shawn made sure that he had avoided any major body parts that could cause instant death or more harm than good.

Just as the dagger was about to reach Ralph’s skin, a small barrier was erected to protect him from the attack. The barrier was so strong that it shattered the dagger on impact.

“Good.” Shawn said.

Now that Shawn had confirmed that Ralph’s body would protect him, he calmed down a bit and began thinking of a way out of this. Ralph on the other hand looked around. He was not at all bothered by Shawn’s action just now. Deep down he could feel that Shawn sis not want to hurt him at all. With that in mind, Ralph decided to keep himself busy.

Wherever they were was dark. It was not a room but at the same time it was. It felt like they were floating in space but their location was surely home. He felt around and his skin almost fled when he looked at what they were sitting on. Nothing. He could feel something solid beneath them but nothing was there!

Shawn looked exhausted and he reached out to touch him. However, black and white lightning emerged from there bodies and shocked them. Their abilities were preventing them from being together. They were safe so long as one didn’t not touch the other. That should have been the case but Ralph reminisced that when he woke up, Shawn’s hand was holding him firmly. What could have changed between now and then?

The two brothers sat crossed legged, a short distance between each other each with their own thought in mind. Shawn was trying to figure out a way out and what was the real plan behind this occurrence. He knew the mastermind. But proving he was the one, was easier said than done. Ralph was trying to figure out why he could not get close enough to help his brother and what was keeping his mother and sister so long. Did they not notice that they were missing?

Shawn thought back to before this had happened. His mind was hazy. He could not recall it correctly. He turned to Ralph.

“Do you remember what we were up to before this?”

Ralph looked at him and nodded. He then narrated what had happened. After he had mentioned the cause of their little sister’s snooze spell, Shawn had also added that he had once seen a book about this in father’s study. This was one of the rooms he prohibited anyone from entering. His own wife let alone his kids were given this rule. However, after some time, Shawn had the privilege of accessing the room. He was told, however, that certain shelves were off limits. This did not prevent him from digging into them. He was a smart boy and he knew how to get away with little things such as this.

Shawn took Ralph to the library on their mother’s request. She stayed behind to be on the lookout in case their father got home from wherever he was. Shawn opened the doors to the library and led Ralph in. He went straight to the forbidden shelves and took out a book that was very old. It’s covers had been replaced with new ones just to deceive on lookers. The pages, however, were very old. The content seemed important enough for their father to go through all this trouble.

They began reading and found a chapter on the last trigger. The powers they possessed and the names and races of all the triggers before them. But just as they were about to dig deeper into the book, the door knob turned and they both froze. Their father entered with a furious look on his face. He looked scary. This face was one Shawn could not recognize. It took him a while to realize that it was his father who had walked in.

Claus’ eyes landed on them and the book they were holding was landed in his hands. He turned a few pages of the book and the look in his eyes grew more terrifying. He looked at his sons. A wicked smile plastered itself on his face. The boys tried to run but something held them in place. Shawn had tried using his ability to block his attack but he fell right into it.

Angered by this Shawn absent mindedly yelled for an explanation and that’s when things went south.

“You were just pawns in my plan. But now, you are of no use to me.” He said. Shawn was sure this was not the father they knew. Something was off. Pawns? And a plan? What plan was it?

“Where’s mother?” Ralph asked.

“Fulfilling her part of the plan.”

After that Ralph could not recall what happened. He then woke up here. Shawn had listened without interrupting him. Now he finally understood the circumstances that led to this dilemma. Yet a question still bothered him. Who was that man?

“Boys, can you here me?”

“Mom!” they both yelled.

“Thank goodness your alive.”

“Mo..”

“I don’t have much time. Listen closely. In three minutes I will let you out of there. I need you to head to a small town out of the capital and find a young maiden named Achlysa. Take care of her. And guide her if you must. She will lead you to Audrey. And whatever you do, don’t let him find you. Once he does then it is all over. I love you… trust her and be careful. They are always watching. Remember… her hair is whi…te.”

It was silent again. That was all she said and the connection with their mother was lost. They could no longer feel her. When they were trapped in here, they could still feel her. But now, she was gone. Did this mean what they thought it did?