"Kyaah!"
"Sharon, are you alright?" asked Oz after Sharon had slipped on some slippery ground. "Yes, I'm sorry," she apologized to everyone. Alexis was glad she hadn't worn a long dress and had decided on brown boots, a brown skirt, a purple turtleneck and a long purple coat.
"Thank you very much," thanked Sharon as Gilbert offered his hand to the Rainsworth daughter. "Maybe you should have waited for us at the village," suggested Gilbert. Sharon looked up at him as she got up, "No, I've decided to come with you! I'm really sorry Mr. Gruner, Mr. Bridgeton, please lead the way."
The group was walking through the forest towards a mansion to find a man that would help them. According to Duke Barma, Jack Vessalius' body was used to seal Glen Baskerville's soul. Five seals were placed upon reliable sorcerers who used various methods to seal Glen's soul with a piece of Jack's body. Duke Barma had told Oz and the others about this and sent him to find the sorcerer he had tracked down with two of his subordinates to lead them to the sorcerer.
Alexis kept in step with Sharon in case she slipped again. Sharon had put up quite a fight to come along and help. She had wanted to help Break and concluded that she couldn't do it by just standing by his side doing nothing. "Are you sure you'll be alright, Sharon?" she asked the girl. "Not to worry, a little slip isn't enough to stop me," answered Sharon. She stepped bolder down the path to prove her point. Alexis smiled.
She looked ahead to where Mr. Gruner and Mr. Bridgeton were leading. A certain memory popped into Alexis' head, the memory of her and Mr. Bridgeton at the costume shop and what the shop owner had assumed about them on St. Bridget's day. Her cheeks started to flush and she wondered if he still remembered. 'Of course he remembers, it wasn't that long ago,' Alexis scolded herself.
"Alexis, are you alright?"
She looked next to her to see Gilbert. "Oh, yes, I'm fine. I was just thinking."
"Are you sure? Your face is flushed," he added. The fact that Gilbert noticed made her blush more. She glanced away, "Don't worry. Really, it's nothing." Gilbert chuckled at seeing her nervous, it was cute.
The group walked on for quite some time until they finally arrived to their destination. "Oz-sama, we've arrived," announced Mr. Gruner.
Everyone looked at what was ahead. A dark, dreary, ivy covered house hidden amongst tall trees that blocked out much of the sun. "Wow," said Oz, "it looks like a haunted house from a fairytale."
Sharon looked at Mr. Gruner. "Earlier you said the two who went in before never came back."
"Exactly," he answered, "they were both Pandora contractors. We received no message from them, so we can only assume the worst." Alexis' eyes widened for a second but soon forgot about her shock and started thinking seriously about the safety of the others. She touched her gun strapped to her leg.
"Gil, can you use Raven's power freely?" asked Oz. "Well, it all depends on the strain it would put on you," he answered as he took a leaf out of Oz's hair, "Now that the hand of the incuse has moved, I know that using it for a moment like I did before you would hardly notice. But I'm still worried at the idea of releasing all of the B-Rabbit's power." Oz thought of what Gilbert had just said. "I see… then let's leave the seal as it is. For some reason I think I'll feel safer that way too."
"Oz-sama, I have Eques, so don't even think about waiting outside alone~" commented Sharon. Oz froze in place. "She found me out…" he sighed.
Alexis couldn't help but laugh a little at what had just happened. She felt eyes on her for a second when she uttered a soft laugh, and when she looked back she was facing their escorts. "Is everything alright, Miss Alexis?" asked Mr. Gruner. The woman glanced quickly at the quiet Mr. Bridgeton. "Yes, everything is fine." She looked back to Oz and the others thinking, 'Was Mr. Bridgeton blushing a little just now?'
SCREECH!
The front door opened slowly. "Oh, are they inviting us inside?" Alice thought aloud, "They've got guts! I'll break the nose of that so-called sorcerer!" She stormed toward the doors. "Alice!" called out Oz chasing after her.
The group cautiously walked inside. As soon as everyone was inside the door slammed shut. "I do not like this," Alexis said to no one in particular. Alice looked down a hallway off to the side, noting something. They started to head down the hallway to the door at the end.
WHAM!
Gilbert and Mr. Gruner crashed the doors open, guns at hand. Oz, Alice and the rest followed with Alexis and Mr. Bridgeton taking up the rear with guns at hand as well.
The room appeared empty.
"There's something strange about this room," observed Alice. "Yes…" added Oz, "There's something weird…"
They heard footsteps approaching.
"So what now, are you friends of those little birds who ventured in here a few days ago?" A woman appeared from behind one of the many hanging curtains of the room.
"Yes," answered Mr. Bridgeton, "do you know where they are?"
The woman looked at the group expressionless. "I have already returned them to the woods …Yes, you must be the wolves chasing those two little birds," She shifted around as if she was grasping something tighter, "This is a problem… What shall I do? What shall I do?" From behind her the woman pulled out a saw of some sorts asking, "How do you cook a wolf best?"
Gilbert stepped in front of Oz. "Oz, step back!" he cried out as he pointed his gun at the woman. The woman was suddenly next to Gilbert instead of in front of him, succeeding at slashing him and wounding his arm. Everyone stood at the ready for the woman's next attack. "Damn it, how did she reach Gilbert so quickly," Alexis huffed under her breath.
"There is only one person who can approach this mansion and not be slain by my hand," stated the woman as she hid in the shadows of the room, "This is what Rytas-sama ordered me to do."
She appeared behind Sharon and headed right for the girl. Sharon called for her chain, "Eques!" but it did not come. "Sharon!" cried Alexis and Gilbert. They aimed there guns at the woman but before either of them could pull the trigger the woman was already at Sharon aiming her saw at the caramel-haired girl. Sharon looked baffled as to why she could not summon her chain as the saw wielding woman threw her weapon down at her.
SLASH!
Alexis stared, frightened, as the droplets of blood splattered. The blood covered the floor around the Rainsworth daughter.
Sharon looked up to see that Mr. Gruner had shielded her from the burning kiss of the blade. As the woman retracted and prepared for another maneuver, Mr. Gruner collapsed from the wound inflicted to his shoulder. "Mr. Gruner!" Sharon went to the man's side. Everyone looked around trying to pinpoint the woman's position.
"Eques! Eques, why?" Sharon thought aloud. "Hahaha, it's useless," taunted the woman, "No matter how many times you call him, your chain will not come." Her figure was still only a flitting shadow to the group. "Damn, she's all over the place! What's going on!?" shouted Gilbert.
Alexis saw the perfect opening right then. She aimed her gun, pulled the trigger and…
CRASH!
"A mirror?!" exclaimed Oz. The bullet from Alexis' gun was seen lodged in the wall behind a shattered mirror.
"I didn't think you'd discover it like this, but, no matter," the woman taunted again, "that is only a small problem." She flipped into the air aiming for Gilbert once again, but he countered by crossing his two guns together to take the blow. "Those two little birds that came here some time ago discovered it as well," she started again, "At first they were all high and mighty, but as soon as they realized their chains wouldn't come to their rescue they started to tremble like a leaf." She came up to Sharon, who was still by Mr. Gruner's side. "I guess the same goes for you, doesn't it? You are convinced that your chain's power is your own. Without the power of your chain you are just a weak little girl."
"Get away from her!" shouted Alexis as she shot at the woman only to have her dodge the bullets. This game was getting frustrating.
"Hey, sea-weed head!" called Alice, "Release my power! I'll defeat her with one blow!" Alice looked at Oz shocked at seeing him on his knees breathing heavily, obviously in pain, "Oz?" He placed his hand on the floor, for support at first, but felt something; like a presence. "I see," he finally said, "it is beneath us."
Confused about what Oz had just said, Gilbert looked over at him realizing that the woman had switched victims again. This time it was Oz. "Oz!" The woman swung at the Vessalius heir with no one around close enough to protect him.
SNAP
The saw broke in half somehow, everyone stood surprised. The woman was suddenly hurled away from Oz. When she tried to rise Oz stepped on her dress making her fall back down. "Ah… enough…" Oz groaned from pain, "this ringing in my ears is so loud… it's irritating. Tell me, how can I make it stop?" The woman looked at the blonde boy scared, "Why can you use that power? Who are you?"
"Oh," continued Oz, his eyes changed, "will it stop if I destroy you?" Oz had in his hands the same scythe he had wielded in Sablier, about to strike. Alexis froze at seeing those cold, life-less eyes on her friends again. She felt as if she couldn't do anything.
"Stop it, Oz!" cried out Gilbert.
Oz swung.
The scythe never made contact with the woman. The blade was stopped mere inches from her neck. Oz had been stopped by Alice, her arms around his waist. "Alice?" Oz called still in a daze. "Oz, she is my prey," Alice looked up, "you are my servant. You can't just do as you please." He stared at her until he finally snapped out of his dazed state. The scythe disappeared, "Yes, you're right. I'm sorry, Alice."
"That's enough, Marie."
The woman named Marie turned around. "Rytas-sama," she seemed surprised to see an old man in a wheelchair behind her. "Please forgive our rudeness," he apologized, "That which you are looking for is downstairs."
Rytas lead them down a flight of stairs to a lower level with Marie's help, since he didn't have the strength to do it himself anymore. Alexis, Gilbert and the two escorts were still wary as they went down the spiraling staircase and had their guns at the ready. At the base of the stairs they immediately saw what appeared to be a tall stone wrapped in chains.
"Ugh…" groaned Oz as he held his head. "Does it pain you?" asked Rytas, "It's said that this sealing stone can suppress the power of chains. Even if you are a contractor, it must be hard to carry B-rabbit's power within you."
Oz looked at the old man. "Do you know about me?"
Rytas moved closer to the sealing stone. "No, I don't. We only know that we should only give this seal to the one who holds B-Rabbit's power." Oz stared not knowing what to think. Rytas continued, "My mother told me so many times what Jack Vessalius said to her… shortly after he died from the wound inflicted to his chest."
"And then… the Barma house used his body to make this seal?" asked Sharon.
"Exactly."
Oz walked up to the sealing stone and placed his hand on it and whispered under his breath, "Jack…" Alexis saw him quickly take his hand away and looked next to him expecting to see something. But there was nothing.
After a few more moments of silence Rytas spoke again. "It's just as I heard, you have the appearance of a child but in your eyes I can see the power of that man, Jack Vessalius, my mother told me about."
"Rytas-san," Oz finally said, "I may carry Jack within me and I may look like him, but, don't get the wrong idea, my name is Oz."
Rytas looked at the boy. "You are quite right, please accept my apologies."
"Well then what now?" asked Gilbert as they met up back in the foyer, "We found the seal but there's no way we can take it with us."
"We're going to have to acquire assistance if we want to move it," said Alexis, "but who knows when we can get that help."
Mr. Gruner and Mr. Bridgeton exchanged words before Mr. Gruner turned to Gilbert and Alexis. "Gilbert-sama, Miss Alexis, you should head back to the village with Mr. Bridgeton and contact Duke Barma. I will remain here just in case."
"Alright," agreed Gilbert.
"Oz-sama," called Rytas, "please take this, we are not allowed to tell you much but you will find some information that may point to the path you should follow." The old man handed Oz a box. As Oz took it he asked, "What are you going to do now?"
"Well, I'm an old man. I suppose I will just spend the rest of my days in peace," he answered, "but Marie, she was abandoned in the woods by the villagers when she was still a child, since then she has devoted her life to my care. Now that I have accomplished my duty, I want this girl, who has seen only gray skies her entire life, to see the beautiful blue sky." Marie smiled kindly at his words.
Oz and the others started to leave. "Rytas-san, Miss Marie, thank you for your assistance and please take care," said Alexis as a good-bye. "My dear, I was only doing my duty," smiled Rytas.
"Hey, Alexis, hurry up I'm getting hungry!" complained Alice as she waited at the door with everyone else who then got an earful from Gilbert for being rude.
They had just left the house's property when Oz started to stumble. "Oz, are you okay?" Gilbert asked as Oz grabbed his coat to steady himself. "Yes… I'm just… a little tired."