Out of Sight

Summary: *sequel to "Umbra Inferno" and carried over from "Against the Clock"* Sofia's started feeling uneasy again a few months after encountering the malevolent force behind the Umbra Inferno. She relays her fears to Cedric, who believes he's determined a way to vanquish the evil chasing after her once and for all.

Disclaimer: I only own the OCs in this story.

A/N: Okay, I blame watching a bunch of dark historical documentaries and horror/thriller/suspense movies for this final part of my little chain of stories. If you're unaware, the story line is as follows: "Guardian Sorcerer," "Umbra Inferno," "Against the Clock," and finally "Out of Sight." Granted, ATC merely had a link mentioned at the end of the story, but it still fits in with the puzzle, so to speak. Just as a bit of a heads up, this story is going to be a long one-shot, so I felt it necessary to warn you ahead of time. Lol. I'll divide up sections as best as I can, but there won't be chapters for this one since it's a continuous story. Anyway! I hope you enjoy, and I hope you all don't see little floating red eyeballs in the darkness after this. :D Enjoy!

Note: My original item (OI, I suppose, lol) the GuardoRing will appear in here. Cedric made it for Sofia for her birthday in my story "Dream Team," and its purpose is to create a shield to protect her and/or call on Cedric via his wand if she's in danger. Just wanted to let you know in case you're unfamiliar with it! 😊Also, the "ancient language" mentioned toward the end of the story is fake; I used a generator to come up with it. Lol! Don't even attempt to pronounce it. You'll get tongue-tied! Hahaha.

*Story*

"Agh! You've not heard the last of me, Princess Sofia! No meager piece of jewelry can destroy what was never created!"

Thump-thump

"I'm curious if you two are even an actual threat."

Cedric, who could instantly tell that the curse had been lifted, quickly jumped to his feet and held the wand out toward the man. "Why don't we find out right now?"

Sylvester chuckled. "Maybe next time. I have plans for you two, after all." With that, he vanished.

Thump-thump

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

Sofia gasped as she sat up in bed, her heart beating erratically, and her breathing labored. She quickly lit the lamp by her bed and shone it around the room, the light from the flickering candle as well as the lightning from the outside storm revealing more of the area. Seeing nothing, she sighed in relief before shoving the covers back and sliding out of bed.

She walked over to her vanity and set the lamp down on the table. The light from the candle illuminated her face, pale with fear and uncertainty. She lowered her head and gently clasped the amulet, which seemed to warm to her touch. "I won't let this defeat me," she promised herself. She glanced up and stared into the mirror. "You're stronger than this, Sofia. You've beaten bad guys in the past, and you can do it again."

"Can you?"

Goosebumps lined the back of the girl's neck and her arms as the ragged whisper seemed to come from everywhere and nowhere at once. Her blue eyes widened in shock as she watched the reflection of the mirror. There, in the top center, an apparent pair of too-familiar red eyes opened from the darkness itself and glared wickedly at her. Had the eyes belonged to an actual face, she was sure she'd see the terrifying white of sharp teeth curling into a hateful grin.

Sofia gasped and quickly whirled, the lamp clutched in her hand as she extended her arm, trying her best to light the area. "Nothing," she whispered to herself as she realized the room was actually empty. "It was… It was nothing." Despite the reassurance, she felt her lip tremble, the heart-stopping events from earlier finally crashing down on her. "Why is this happening to me?" she asked in a weakened voice, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. "What did I do? I thought… I thought this was over."

Sniffling, she stood from the stool and wiped her eyes and cheeks. "Maybe I should talk to Mom." …But… Miranda and Roland didn't know the full extent of their daughter's activities and her role as a Protector. They were unaware of the very real danger she'd faced more often than she cared to admit. And if she told them now, they'd likely never let her out of their sight again. She sighed. "I can't tell them…" She couldn't tell James; he wouldn't get it. And while Amber was a pretty good confidant and knew a good bit about her involvement with these types of adventures, she also had a habit of trying to tag along. And she wouldn't put her sister in danger—not again. That's the last thing she'd want.

So now, she had a choice. She could face this on her own, or—

"Going somewhere, Princess?"

Sofia gasped sharply and looked around again, the flicker of the candlelight dancing wildly in the lamp as she turned abruptly in different directions. Then again… She frowned and grabbed her purple robe, tying it around herself before sliding her feet into her slippers and moving quickly toward the door, her feet carrying her as fast as she could go. She flinched as the thunder outside crashed angrily, lightning accompanying the crashes and casting shadows about the empty halls. It was an eerie sight. Too eerie… Sofia whimpered and ran faster.

Cedric groaned and sat up as he heard wild knocking on the door to his workshop. Sighing, he stood and slid his usual purple robe over his dark gray pajama set before ambling out of his bedroom and into the workshop. Using his wand, he lit a few candles to give the space some light before pulling the door open. "May I help-?" He gasped as he felt arms encircling him while a doused lamp clattered to the floor. He looked down and asked, "Sofia?" He frowned as he heard a sob rip through his apprentice, and his hands instantly dropped to her shoulders as he shuffled her back and knelt to her height. "My dear, what is the matter?"

Sofia's crying hardly slowed, but she did attempt to answer him. "V-Voice, Mr. C-Ce-Cedric… R-Red eyes… N-Nightmare…"

The sorcerer sighed heavily as she threw her arms around him for another hug, and his reaction was instant this time. He hugged her back. He didn't have too hard of a time deciphering her words. It was fairly obvious to him now what was going on. He'd been wondering when they'd see or hear from the evil entity that had plagued the princess's mind and health months ago, and now it looked like he had his answer.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Cedric," Sofia sniffled as she rested her head against his shoulder. "Y-You're the only one I could come to, because…" She sighed as she felt him gently caressing her back to calm her down. "You're the only one who knows…"

"And for that, I'm truly sorry." He smiled apologetically toward her as she released her hold of him and stood before him, looking like a lost soul. He reached up and gently wiped her tears away. "It would be so much easier if you were able to share this with your family rather than me, and I know you agree."

"It's not that," she corrected before sighing. "I just wish I didn't have to put all this on you. It's a lot for one person to take on."

Cedric nodded. "I know. Just look at you, Sofia… Look what this is doing to you." He frowned as he finished drying her tears. "You don't deserve this."

"Neither do you." She shook her head a few times before sighing heavily. "I'm so tired, but I'm afraid to go to sleep. The evil could try to overtake me or plague my mind with things to confuse me, or—"

"I've got an idea." Cedric stood and offered his hand to his baffled apprentice. "Just trust me."

Sofia nodded. "Always, Mr. Cedric…" She followed him out of the tower.

While a great majority of the castle was dark for the evening, the friends were able to locate a rather cozy common room complete with a large fireplace, the logs fresh and ready for use. The room itself was a deep mahogany color, the walls lined with portraits reminiscent of Enchancian years gone by. The floor was a shiny wooden texture, unlike much of the marble floors most rooms tended to promote. Several arm chairs and a sofa or two were situated near the large window and close to the center of the room, and small coffee tables lay before each. Cedric used his wand and created a fire to combat the chill in the room and the gloomy weather outside. He then conjured a large blanket before sitting down in the middle of the sofa closest to the fire and gesturing vaguely toward Sofia, who took the hint and sat down next to him, sharing the blanket with her friend.

"So this was your idea," she mumbled tiredly before yawning and shaking her head.

"Mm. I knew you wouldn't want to return to your room right now, and the tower tends to be a bit chilly at night, so this seemed like a happy medium. You've got your fire, your blanket, enough lighting to feel comfortable but not disrupt sleep…"

"And you," she concluded with a sleepy smile. "I've got you, Mr. Cedric…"

He smiled thoughtfully before conjuring some fluffy pillows to line the corner of the sofa, just to the left of Sofia. "Get some rest, Sofia."

With little strength to argue otherwise, she nodded and lay down against the pillows he'd provided, the blanket tugged up to her chin as the crackle and warmth of the fire lulled her into a deep sleep.

Cedric watched the princess for a few moments, just to make sure she was actually sleeping, before standing and tucking the rest of the blanket around his exhausted apprentice. He used his wand's lighting ability to survey the rest of the room, seeking out any signs of danger or deceit. To his relief (and possibly to his confusion), there were no glowing red eyes, no shadowy figures reaching out of the darkness, no shapeshifting forces of evil, or anything like that. He really hoped that what Sofia had seen or experienced had merely been a dream, but…he knew better.

Sighing, he walked back over to the sofa and sat down on the opposite end, conjuring another blanket for himself and draping it over himself. He cast one last glance toward his apprentice and smiled softly, seeing that she was in a state of content sleep. With that in mind, he relaxed against the pillows on his own side of the sofa and fell into his own pattern of sleep.

Meanwhile, in a deep void elsewhere, menacing and piercing red eyes glared at the swirling image before him. Furio growled deeply at the sight of the two sleeping friends, their minds free from fear and worry for once. "This simply won't do," he murmured with an evil chuckle.

"And what is it you plan to do with them?" another voice asked, Sylvester appearing next to the bodiless source of evil.

"Far worse than last time, I assure you. I almost had that princess, and then her wretched amulet interfered."

"Why go after someone so useless though?" Sylvester scoffed. "The sorcerer actually is magical, having had his source of magic passed down through his bloodline. The wand and other items are just vessels for his magic."

"You're stupid."

The old man's head immediately jerked to his side, his deep red eyes glaring at the figure. "Excuse me, but I believe you're mistaken. Do you truly believe that child is more powerful than the sorcerer?"

"I don't merely believe it. I know it." Dark gnarled hands stretched from the wicked figure and waved across the image of the sleeping friends, changing the visual to snapshots of Sofia's past. "A sacred amulet with power to cause chaos or kindness, an Enchantlet with tangible and intangible abilities (including communication), the ring the sorcerer crafted for her to not only guard her but summon him if need be… On top of that, the amulet chose her—or rather, the princess inside, also rather powerful, chose her—to wear it. She's defeated and/or redeemed people in the past merely by utilizing her wit and charm, and the sorcerer is no exception. He fell prey to the desire for power and the need to prove himself, and it got him nowhere except locked in a dungeon. The princess is the one who spoke on his behalf and changed him. So yes, I believe she is far more powerful than the sorcerer." His own red eyes bore into the man beside him. "She's still young, but in time she will grow to harness even more power, and she will possess potent light magic that could undo the very existence of corruption." While he couldn't smirk, Sylvester could almost swear that he saw one as the dark entity said, "And I can't have that. The girl must go."

"How do you plan to do that?" Sylvester folded his arms. "You've attempted to deal with her in the past, and it didn't end up so well."

Furio glared at the wicked wizard. "I wouldn't be gloating if I were you, Sylvester. If memory serves me correctly, you're the one who sought me out after you failed to eliminate either of those pests. So don't get high and mighty on me. It serves no purpose considering whose presence you're in." He raked his withered hands over the collage of Sofia's past, returning the visual to the currently sleeping friends. "I have a plan that will destroy both of them for good. After all, as you've likely seen, the princess is always gushing about their being a—blah—'team.' So be it. They succeed together, so they can perish together, for all I care." With his right hand, he clenched his fingers into a fist and chuckled darkly as Cedric squirmed uncomfortably in his sleep. He did the same thing with his left hand and laughed harder as Sofia copied his actions. "This will be easier than I thought." He relinquished his hold on both Enchancian inhabitants, who seemed to sigh in relief in their sleep. He glared toward Sylvester again. "I have a job for you."

A loud clap of thunder outside startled Sofia into alertness. She managed to get her breathing under control as her hands rested over her heart. "It's just thunder," she told herself quietly so as not to disturb her sleeping mentor. She looked toward the sorcerer in question and smiled. It was nice to see him calm and relaxed, his own blanket tucked under his chin and a pleasant smile on his face.

She jumped as she heard what sounded like inaudible whispers, sometimes far away and sometimes close enough to cause chills down her spine. She twisted in different directions, trying to locate the sound. Her lip trembled as the whispering died down and finally faded into silence again, masked only by the rain and thunder outside. "Mm…"

"Sofia?" Cedric asked as he blinked a few times before staring sleepily at her. He freed his left arm and reached out toward the shaking girl, his ungloved hand gently touching her shoulder. "What's the matter?"

"Mr. Cedric," Sofia gasped before pushing her blanket away and crawling over toward her friend, curling up next to him as he wrapped his arm around her securely. "I keep hearing these weird sounds…"

"Well, it is storming outside," he reasoned tiredly, obviously only half awake for the conversation. "There's likely to be a strange sound or two."

"Not like that… I mean whispering." She frowned. "Like…right behind me, just out of sight but close enough to…" With the trailed off thought, she shivered.

"Nothing will harm you, Sofia. I promise." He reached out and pulled her blanket back over her before sitting up against the sofa corner, propped up against the pillows. "Have you slept any better?"

"Yeah," she admitted with a nod before resting her head against the sofa. "Until the thunder woke me up." She sighed and looked toward him. "I don't know if I can get back to sleep."

"Well," he chuckled as she rested her head against his shoulder, "I suppose I could tell you a story…"

A smile made its way to the princess's face as she nodded. "That would be nice."

"Right then." He gently patted her arm as he thought about his potential content. "Hmm, I think I've got it. Once upon a time…"

Needless to say, the steady rhythm of their breathing and the quiet timbre of his voice lulled Sofia back into a peaceful rest before she even realized it. Cedric smiled and carefully guided her back to the other side of the sofa, wrapping her in the blanket once more. He then lay down against his set of pillows before gazing into the blazing fire.

"I wish I could tell you there is no danger, Sofia," he muttered quietly, "but I'd be lying. I sense it myself. It's near…" He frowned as another clap of thunder and flash of lightning occurred outside. His eyes fell upon his apprentice with a fond glance, noting that the princess didn't stir this time. "But I'll protect you with my life should that danger draw nearer. I promise you."

"Good to know," Sylvester mumbled quietly to himself from behind a pillar as he watched the two friends. It seemed his whispering had unnerved the girl, which is exactly what Furio wanted. "Because it just might cost your life if you hope to save this girl…" He smirked and vanished.

Early the next morning, Sofia stirred and yawned, pushing the blanket away from her. She frowned as she heard the light crackling of the fire before her. "Where am I?" she murmured softly before shaking her head. Oh, right. She turned toward the other side of the sofa and smiled upon seeing Cedric still sleeping, his breathing even and the covers tugged comfortably around him. She scooted over and shook her friend's arm, causing him to jolt awake. She laughed lightly. "Sorry if I scared you."

He mumbled something incoherent before responding, "Y-You didn't scare me, my dear." He lifted his hand up to his mouth and yawned. "Did you sleep well?"

"Much better. Thank you for taking care of me last night."

He chuckled. "I told you that I'm here if you need me." He blushed in embarrassment as his stomach suddenly rumbled, breaking the relative silence of the room. "…I guess I'm hungry."

Sofia giggled and grabbed his hand, standing and tugging him off the sofa. "Let's go get breakfast then!" Without much protest from the sorcerer, she led him away to the kitchen.

Once they'd headed out, the devious red eyes opened from the dark corner of the room and glared at the friends' retreating forms before shutting much more quickly than usual.

Later on that morning, the sorcerer and princess parted ways for a while to get ready for the day. While Cedric dressed in his usual clothing, Sofia felt the need to dress in her Protector outfit. She couldn't quite explain it, but she had a feeling she would have to utilize her Protector skills today in some way, shape, or form, and very soon. After tying her hair into a ponytail, she glanced at herself in the mirror. "Hmm…" She looked down at her Enchantlet, caressing it carefully, before turning her attention to her GuardoRing. While it hadn't been activated lately, she knew first-hand how extremely useful it was. Should she need it…

But enough about that right now. She needed to meet with Cedric to find out if he could make any sense of her very vivid nightmares recently. She knew full well that these were no normal nightmares. There were very real evil entities, and they were playing with her, taunting her with their powerful capabilities. It was obvious that she wasn't in control this time, and that scared her beyond belief.

Sofia hurried along the familiar path to the sorcerer's workshop. With her family otherwise preoccupied today (her parents in meetings and her siblings visiting with friends), she was left to her own devices. She ascended the familiar staircase in record time and was surprised when she saw the workshop door open before her. "Mr. Cedric?" she asked as she saw him beckoning her forward, which propelled her onward toward him. "What's going on?"

Cedric shut the door behind her and led her toward his work table. "You and I both know that nightmare of yours was no ordinary bad dream." He frowned as she nodded slowly and lowered her head in what appeared to be resignation. "Don't appear so glum, Sofia. It's just an observation, and we're going to deal with the problem effectively."

"I don't want to hear things like that, Mr. Cedric," she sighed. "Like, 'Oh, there's a problem and we'll handle it.' I want to hear that you and I will be okay after all of this is over." She clasped her amulet for security. "That these nightmares will stop, and we'll be done with Sylvester and Furio… That n-nothing will happen to us or to our family and friends…" She looked up toward him with worried eyes, seeing his own softening in understanding. "That this mess will be forgotten, and we can go on and live our lives as normally as possible."

Cedric held one arm out and allowed the girl to walk forward, leaning against him as he offered her a side hug. "Sofia… Even you have said it before. We live in an enchanted kingdom where magic is typical and things that we can't explain happen all the time." He chuckled softly. "Our lives will never be normal. But…they will be better once we defeat this evil."

She sighed and nodded as he helped her onto one of the stools to sit. "So, what do you have in mind then?"

"I contacted my father while you were gone and explained a bit about the troubles we have been facing, and he directed me toward an ancient manuscript he's kept hidden in this tower for purposes such as these. Apparently, we are not the first to have to deal with evil forces in Enchancia… Actually, I've not located the manuscript yet, but he indicated that there is a very powerful spell written in it that can defeat any evil source."

She frowned. "Did he ask you how you got involved in all of this?"

Cedric just shook his head. "I think, by now, he realizes that you and I have a habit of encountering some ne're-do-wells… I'm pretty certain he's gotten to the point where he just says something like, 'Oh, very well, Cedric. Just keep your eyes open and the princess safe, and make sure you visit your mother next week.'"

Sofia laughed. "Honestly, I think a trip to see your parents might be a good thing after you finish helping me with this."

"I've already been made to promise I'll go, so there's no getting out of it now." He chuckled. "Now, Father said to locate this hidden manuscript, we would need to…" He glanced down at the instructions written on some parchment. "'…Seek the book red as a rose, fourth in line in one of the top rows. The spell against evil will set you free on page one-hundred-ninety-three." He frowned. "He couldn't just say, 'Look on the top shelf for a really red book and you'll find the spell. No…'"

"Okay," Sofia began as she looked around the workshop. "But which bookcase though?"

"That's something we'll have to figure out." He gestured toward one of the bookcases. "You start over there, and I'll go upstairs and check. Oh, here." He enchanted the stool she was on, causing it to hover up from the ground. "Do be careful, Sofia."

She smiled. "I'll take flying furniture over glowing red eyes and evil whispers any day, Mr. Cedric."

With that said, they began their search. Cedric searched the top cases of books while Sofia stayed down below.

"Can you recite that clue again, Mr. Cedric?" Sofia asked a bit later as she hovered before her own bookcase.

"Something about… Um… A book red as a rose in a top row…uh… Oh, fourth in line!" He frowned as he realized the 'fourth in line' with his rows were not red. "Um… The evil spell thingy is on page…uh…"

"Page 193," Sofia recalled as she grinned up at him.

"Right! Right…" He went back to looking.

Sofia observed the top shelves before her. The second from the top actually did have a red book that was fourth in line, but who's to say that they hadn't been shuffled around during the transition from Goodwyn to Cedric being the royal sorcerer? Still, she had to try. She reached out and grabbed the book, pulling it toward her. She coughed and dusted off the cover before gasping at its title. "When Evil Arose…" She looked up toward her mentor, who was still searching. "Mr. Cedric, come see! I think I found it!"

Without questioning her, the sorcerer clambered onto his ladder and practically slid down to the base floor, walking over and standing next to the princess as she remained seated on the floating stool. "When Evil Arose… Very clever. I've not seen this book before."

"It was covered in dust when I pulled it out." She opened the book and began leafing through the pages. "We just need to see what's on that one-hundred-ninety-third page." Growing impatient, she huffed and opened the very back of the book. She frowned. "It stops on page 192!"

Cedric tapped his chin before pulling his wand from his sleeve. "Or does it?" With a few murmured words and a tap to the back of the book, an actual manuscript appeared out of nowhere.

"Okay, you have got to teach me that spell," Sofia gushed as he withdrew the manuscript from the book. She set When Evil Arose aside and looked on with Cedric.

After reading over the information determining what needed to be done to defeat an actual evil entity, Sofia frowned before looking up at Cedric. "This… Is this even possible, Mr. Cedric?"

"It is in the manuscript," he acknowledged with a shrug. "My father didn't say it would be easy. He just said it could be done."

"But that looks really complex. I don't even know what half of those words mean."

He sighed. "I do. It's an ancient language that used to be passed down verbally from magical family to magical family. I admit I studied it quite often, though I was often encouraged not to." He pocketed the manuscript before casting his eyes downward as Sofia observed him carefully. "The ancient language is now used only by the darkest of wizards and warlocks—and beings not of this realm. Greylock and I actually stumbled across a text of the same language when we attended Hexley Hall, and we read more about it in the restricted area."

"Why did your library even have a restricted area?" she asked, flabbergasted. "Don't they know how kids work? You tell them something is off-limits. What's the first thing they do? Try to get to it."

"Heh… True. Suffice it to say, I learned the language and what it entailed. If used appropriately, it's not nearly as dangerous. If used for wicked reasons, then… Well…" He shrugged. "You'd have another Furio on your hands."

"Ugh, it's bad enough we have to deal with this Furio. I don't want another one." She absently began playing with her cape before sighing. "So, we've got the secret to defeating him. But now what do we do?"

Cedric used his wand to lower her stool to the ground again before helping her up to her feet. "Now…? We wait."

"No need for that," a dark, gravelly voice insisted as the two friends turned toward the door, where the shadowy figure of Furio was hovering before them. A wicked laugh escaped from the darkness as Cedric quickly grabbed Sofia to his side to keep her safe. "Oh, isn't this charming? The sorcerer thinks he can save his princess just by clinging tightly to her. It's nice that you two fell right into my trap."

"What trap?" Sofia demanded before feeling herself magically restrained. "Hey!" She looked behind her as she was lifted into the air. "Sylvester?!"

The white-haired man cackled.

"A wicked wizard working with pure evil," Cedric snipped. "Why am I not surprised?" He held his wand out toward Sylvester first. "Let her go!"

"I don't think so," the old man laughed. "We needed a proper hostage anyway, as well as a bargaining chip."

The sorcerer glared at him, turned his glare toward Furio, and then glanced back at the older man. "What do you mean?"

"Oh, come now, Cedric. You've been given warnings these last several months. You knew of the Umbra Inferno before when your darling princess was trapped in the cave and then when she became ill as a result of Furio's interference."

"Furio wanted Sofia," Cedric clarified with a deep scowl. "He said so himself, several times. He wants her powers, and I'm not willing to let that happen."

"Perhaps Furio wants Princess Sofia, true." Sylvester smirked. "But I have come for you, sorcerer." He grabbed Sofia and placed his wand toward her throat. "And if you don't want anything to happen to her, you'll do as I say."

"No, Mr. Cedric," Sofia pleaded as she struggled against the man's grip. "Don't listen to him! We can defeat him!"

"This is not the plan, Sylvester," Furio growled. "Whatever vendetta you have against the sorcerer is something you can handle on your own time. The real issue here is the princess."

Sylvester snarled and released the girl, storming over to the evil being. "And what about your promise to me?!"

Furio laughed wickedly. "You're counting on an evil presence to honor a promise?"

Cedric used their bickering to his advantage and rushed over to his apprentice, magically releasing her from her captivity and quickly catching her before she fell to the ground. He hugged her to himself before whispering something to her, to which she nodded. He then gently placed her on the floor, smiling as she stood aside for the time being. "If you two are quite done arguing," he began as he aimed his wand toward both of them, getting their attention, "I think it's time for you to go for good."

Sylvester glared at him. "That's what you think!" He lifted his cane but grunted as Furio blasted him once with some powerful energy, knocking him off to the side. "H-Hey!"

"Say goodbye to your beloved princess!" the entity snarled as he reached out with one long, withered, horrifying hand toward Sofia, who stood open and helpless against the sudden turn of events.

The princess's eyes widened as from the hand erupted a blast of dark magic more powerful than any she'd ever seen. She looked back toward Cedric with a chilling, almost peaceful and accepting, look. "Mr. Cedric…"

Cedric began to hurry toward her, but he stopped and shielded his eyes as the magic blast exploded and produced a blinding effect. "S-Sofia!" Not able to withstand much more of the negative flareup, he lost consciousness and collapsed.

Sometime later, though how much longer he couldn't be certain, Cedric awoke in a painfully white room, complete with white curtains and sheets, which happened to be draped over him. He frowned with a small mumble. Was he in a bed?

He looked over toward his right as he felt a gentle hand carefully brushing his cheek and combing through his bangs. "M-Mummy?" he asked, his voice sounding rather dry as he realized how parched he was. He attempted to swallow but found it difficult, and he was grateful as his mother sat him up a bit and grabbed a glass of water before guiding it to his lips, urging him to drink. After doing so, he sighed in a bit of relief before lying against the pillows again.

"How are you feeling, Ceddy?" she asked kindly, though he could tell there was a bit of stress underlying her tone.

"I feel…sort of sluggish, but all right, I suppose." He frowned as the older sorceress's hand gently began stroking his hair again. "The last thing I remember was…" Memories came flooding back to him, and he narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, his brown eyes seeking out the woman's sorrowful blue ones. "Mother…"

She took in a sharp breath as she waited for the inevitable question.

"…What happened to Sofia?"

Winifred shook her head before removing her hand from her son's hair. "You need some more rest, Cedric."

"Mother, where is Sofia?" he demanded as he sat up, a rush of adrenaline kicking in.

"Cedric—"

"Tell me!"

"She died, Cedric!" the sorceress responded sharply, her lip trembling and her hands shaking as she fixated him with a glower. "Is that what you wanted to hear?! The princess is gone!"

"N-No… No, it can't be." He tried to rationalize things, replaying vivid scenes in his mind from the encounter with Furio and Sylvester. The last thing he remembered… Those eyes… His apprentice's eyes stared at him with a sense of calm yet… And then the flash, and he could recall no more. Realization dawned on him as a sob wracked through him, tears pouring down his cheeks as he turned and buried his face into his pillow. He hadn't even realized that he'd been injured (evidenced by the bandages and gauze wrapped or attached to different sections of his chest and arms), but he didn't care. Nothing mattered anymore. Sofia was… "Sofia," Cedric cried, his pillow now soaked with his own tears. "I told her I'd save her, Mummy… I promised nothing would happen to her!"

"You can't promise that," Winifred responded in a melancholy tone, one that didn't match her normal voice at all.

Cedric noticed the distinct change and fisted some of the pillow into his hands. "She's my best friend."

"Don't be foolish, Cedric. There's no such thing as friendship."

The sorcerer scowled and quickly sat up, glaring at the woman…before realizing Winifred was no longer there. Instead, a smirking and triumphant-looking Sylvester stood in her place, his arms folded and stance boastful. "You!"

"Dreaming of your demise so soon, sorcerer?" the old man teased before snapping his fingers, causing the same blinding light from earlier to descend upon both of them.

Cedric gasped sharply as his eyes flew open, and he was both shocked and relieved to find a pink shielded orb surround him and… "Sofia!" It had been a dream—a nightmare… A short one, but a prominent and impactful one nonetheless.

Sofia glanced back at her friend sitting up from his position on the floor and sighed with a tearful laugh. "Mr. Cedric, you're okay!" She looked down at her hand, where the GuardoRing was glowing intensely, letting off a pink hue. "My ring activated when that blast came at us and—" She gasped when she felt herself scooped into a near-crushing hug. Concerned, she returned her mentor's hug uncertainly. "Mr. Cedric… What's wrong?"

"I thought I was going to lose you," he whispered desperately before laughing in glee. "I dreamt you were… You're all right…"

The princess smiled and looked up at him. "All thanks to you, Mr. Cedric." She held up her hand with the GuardoRing. "You saved me…again." She giggled as he placed his hands on either side of her face and gave her probably the most endearing and meaningful look she'd ever received. She placed her hands over his and smirked. "Let's show these guys what happens when you mess with Cedric and Sofia."

He returned her smirk and nodded, releasing her as she handed him his wand. "Indeed."

Sylvester groaned in slight pain before standing up and glaring at Furio. "Shove me down again and see what happens!"

Furio huffed once before sending another negative blast the conjuror's way, knocking him over yet again. "Wish granted. You failed in your quest, Sylvester. You're no threat to anyone, and you're useless to me. Begone!" With one last blast, he eliminated the stunned wizard for good. He then turned his attention to the two standing bravely before him and chuckled in amusement. "It's adorable how you two really think you're a match for Furio."

"We are a match for you," Sofia retaliated. "Unlike you, we fight for good and peace in our world, and we work together."

"Spare me the heroic speech, Princess." Furio lifted his hand once again, charging another dark magic blast. "You may have that cute pink shield surrounding you now, but all shields can be broken. Even you two should know that."

"And in this case, I'll do it myself," Cedric stated as he reached for Sofia's hand and tapped her GuardoRing twice, causing the shield to disappear from around them and leaving them standing out in the open with nothing to protect them now.

"Mr. Cedric…" She blinked as he smiled mysteriously toward her and guided her behind him for protection. She clung to his robe as he faced the entity once more.

Furio hummed thoughtfully. "You can still manage to surprise me, sorcerer. What a brave—yet foolish—action you've just committed. Very well. I suppose if I want to get to the princess, I'll have to go through you first?" He laughed. "So be it!"

Cedric raised his wand and gripped it with both hands. And with a focus unlike Sofia had ever seen, he began chanting the ancient, lost language.

Ehnjahnjahnaun koornu xinojahn ehn aungarn dewalapniq koornu jahnziohi.

Xinoaun rey xinoriih ehnjahn dewa xinojahnziohi.

Riihbirel koornu sent riih uohxino dewa dewaiw.

Uoh koornu riihdewa riih koornu jahnlapniqxino dewa.

Jahnriihxino koornu elxino riih uohehn ehn xinomaruxino.

Dewajahn maruaunriihxino, dewaxino ehngarn xino.

Xino'rey dewamaru riih dewabirel ehn riih,

Dewaiw jahn ehn: ehnjahn xinojahn reyxino.

(Vanquish the evil and bring back the light.

Deliver us from this dark plight.

Open the door to peace at last.

Seal the portal of the wicked mass.

Close the eyes of death and despair.

Magic interposed, make things fair.

Ne're again to darken our world,

Cast it out: this evil unfurled.)

Furio growled and yelled in fury as his very existence began to vanish. "CURSE YOU!" The darkness of his being vanished first, and those red eyes that terrorized Sofia so often were the only things remaining before they, too, were swept away by the ancient spell, never again to darken the world.

Cedric sighed in relief before collapsing to the floor, his energy spent. He smiled weakly as Sofia dropped next to him and quickly began checking to see if he was all right. "I'm fine, Sofia…"

She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him, laughing in release as he returned the hug. "I never thought I'd say this, but thank you so much for reading restricted spells when you were younger."

The sorcerer chuckled. "You're quite welcome."

"So, we're done with Sylvester and Furio, right?" she asked cautiously as she looked up at him. "They're gone for good?"

"Yes, Sofia. Furio destroyed Sylvester, and we destroyed Furio."

She smiled. "That's a relief…" She laughed breathlessly. "So, if we can handle them—"

"We can handle anyone," he finished as she went back to hugging him.

"That's what you fools think," a perturbed voice challenged from elsewhere. Simon the Silent stood before a large glass ball that had once belonged to his grandfather. "I'll make you pay for what happened to my grandfather." He glared back at Ethelbert and Lord Tolvin, who had stood off to the side observing the young boy. "Now that my grandfather is gone, it's up to me to carry on his mission of taking down Cedric the Sensational. You two will do as I command."

"And why is that?" Lord Tolvin challenged as he folded his arms.

"Yeah, why should we listen to a pipsqueak like you?" Ethelbert agreed with a sneer.

Simon glared at them both. "Because your very lives depend on it."

The end (and a new short series called The Silent Series will pick up later this year, starting with the story called "Simon Says")