It's consuming.
The toxic air surrounds Chad, voices pounding in his head.
His hands are gripping the scepter, power is sizzling through his veins, searing his hand. His arms are on fire, but he can't let go.
He knows Audrey can feel it too, trying not to let her face contort into one of pain, keeping still as green magic swirls around them.
It hisses and snarls, they are not Maleficent, they are not its true welder. It snaps and burns and he almost loses his grip.
Worthless little boy.
He yanks his hand back, seeing it red and swollen and nearly screams, she glares and he gently reaches back, pushing past the scepter's defense to get it to work for them.
Worthless little boy, I wonder what everyone would think of you now? Would your father finally be proud? Would he finally snap out of his delusions?
No, he thought bitterly.
You're right.
He pulls away, grabbing and running his hands through his hair that he can't stand but his father won't let him cut it (look at how much of a dirty mess you are, nothing compared to a prince) breathing heavily. "I can't...I can't..." he tries to form the words on his tongue, collapsing onto the ground. His eyes blink away the tears that form, voices nagging in his head as the thick green fog swirls around him.
Worthless, they chant, worthless useless disgusting jerk whiny annoying pathetic idiot insufferable—
She lets go of the scepter as if it burned her (it must have) and drops to him, broken eyes gently locking with his. Makeup is dissolving, showing the blue-and-purple staining her face.
He can't breathe anymore, everything is stuck in his throat as he blinks and blinks, desperately not letting the tears show.
"I can't... I can't do this..." he curled up defensively, the whispers echoing around him and the scepter pulses, thumping like a beating heart and he just wants to get away from it.
Audrey's hand grips his tightly, fingernails digging into his skin. "We have to." It's the scepter speaking, Chad doesn't know why or how, but it just is. It was just taunting him seconds ago, perhaps there is no method to its madness.
A stuck up spoiled brat, that's all you'll ever be. Use me and no one will ever call you again.
It's swallowing him up, darkness tangling around him like a web that he never saw, rolling him into a perfectly delectable treat for the spider that is black magic.
He numbly grabs Audrey's hand, standing up as wave after wave of magic shocks through his body.
It twists around him, slowing down and—comforting?
He feels at ease, nothing hurts. Not the scars on his skin that he is ashamed of, not the bruises on his face delivered to him, not the internal tiredness and emptiness and want to just stop.
He wants—needs—to feel that, to make things better and get better and be happy like he's supposed to be. The scepter pulses again, and another wave of comfort warms him. He needs that.
Chad's fingers gingerly reach for it, gracing it and immediately feeling relief as his hand no longer burns at the touch.
He loves the power singing through his veins, the taste of the destruction he could cause. He feels okay now. His worries are at ease, he's not going to be sweeped under the rug, he'll be better and maybe then his father will see him.
A gleeful joy rises in him. Chad can tell Audrey is thinking the same about her grandmother, and how she and that blasted fairy took everything, everything away.
He picks up the scepter, green mist swirling around him and changing him. Clothes shrouded in shadows and a blood-red cape, poisonous crown laid atop his head. Fit for a king, the manical voice sing-songs ever so happily, he couldn't agree more.
His eyes have turned the most venomous shade of green, reflecting Audrey's, a slow smile appearing on his lips.
The new king and queen make their way to the castle, ripping apart anything standing in their path. Audrey held the scepter in her hands, Chad not far behind. He could already hear the screams. How lovely. Maybe they wouldn't hide everything under cover anymore, not give those false smiles and bubbly laughs that were so fake but no one could tell.
Everyone else failed, for they had been caught in the web of lies and sugarcoating that was Auradon. When you got past that was when you would win.
It was time for Auradon to pay.