Chapter 21: Overflow
Having all gathered together in the old manor, the rest of the family made their way back downstairs. While they were gone, Seth freshened up in the bathroom, then changed into a clean set of clothes that he had brought over with him the previous night.
When Seth came down the stairs, he saw that Bracken had now joined the rest of his family, all of whom were waiting for him in the manor's entry hall.
"Bracken," said Seth, "when did you get here?"
"Just now," replied the unicorn prince.
"Allow us to explain," said Raxtus. "I was briefed on your current situation just after I had been woken up. Now that morning had come, Dale and I came here to check on you. But the moment we reached the boundary surrounding the old manor, I noticed something was amiss. It was gone! The protective magic upheld by the treaty that should be protecting this house was completely gone!"
"In other words, any creature on this preserve could've entered the grounds surrounding this manor," noted Grandpa. "The same thing likely would've happened had you been staying back at the main house with the rest of us. Fortunately, I don't have reason to believe that any creatures actually crossed the border, as they're already so used to a barrier protecting this place, that they never attempted to do so even after it went down."
"But why did Geminus' barrier fail?" asked Ingrid.
"I don't know," replied Geminus, shaking her head. "I didn't realize that it wouldn't be powerful enough!"
"That's precisely why I was summoned here," said Bracken.
"Raxtus nodded. "The moment I noticed that the barrier was gone, I rushed back to the house to tell the others. Before going back though, we told Passion, Larissa and Goldenrod to travel to the Fairy Kingdom and alert Bracken."
"Bracken," said Seth, "what are you going to do?"
"I'm going to examine you again," replied Bracken. "Just by being near you, I can sense that the darkness within your body has increased since yesterday. And as long as we're all here, I might as well do it now."
"Can we have breakfast first? I'm kinda hungry."
"We can eat when we get back to the house," said Grandma.
"This'll only take a moment," said Bracken. "Please bear with me and take a seat."
Seth sighed, then walked over to a plush sofa that was positioned in front of a wall, where he sat down.
"Are you sure you can do this alone?" asked Kendra.
"I'm sure I'll manage," replied Bracken. "Okay. Here goes."
Standing before Seth, Bracken extended his arms. A rainbow-colored beam of energy shot out of each of Bracken's hands and towards Seth. However, before the beams could so much as make contact with Seth, they instead ricocheted away from the shadow charmer's body.
"Hey, easy with that!" exclaimed Ingrid, as a beam shot right past her face.
"It's harmless to someone like you, Ingrid," said Geminus. "But why it happened... That's not good at all."
"The beams aren't even touching me," said Seth, as Bracken ceased his energy exertion and lowered his hands.
"This is bad," said Bracken, who was wearing a blank look on his face. "This is VERY bad."
Bracken stepped away from Seth, cautiously backing away from him, until he sat down on a chair against the opposite wall of the entry hall.
"How bad is it?" asked Kendra. "Why are you so worked up?"
"The darkness within Seth has grown substantially since yesterday."
"We know that," said Ingrid.
"That's exactly the problem," said Bracken. "The darkness appears to be growing stronger and stronger."
"What are you getting at?" asked Seth. How strong is it going to get?"
"I don't know. Right now its gotten to the point where, just while you were sleeping, it was powerful enough to dispel the barrier protecting this old manor. And from what I understand, when you were back at the main house, it didn't have any affect on the barrier, even though it was strong enough to cause members of your family to turn rogue."
"Imagine if you had stayed at the house," said Grandpa. "Not only would it have affected the rest of us again, but possibly Ingrid as well, even if she was with Kendra."
"I could've succumbed to it too," said Warren.
"Not to mention the barrier would've fallen there as well," said Grandma.
"It could've even affected the magic protecting the dungeon," said Grandpa. "Good lord, could you imagine the chaos that would've ensued had such a thing happened?"
"It's a good thing you didn't end up sleeping in the dungeon, then," said Mr. Sorenson.
"Bracken," said Seth. "How bad is this darkness going to get?"
"I can't really tell," replied Bracken. "But I do know that it's continuously growing, with no sign of slowing down. And I don't believe that light energy, at least the amount I can provide, is powerful enough to counter it."
"You're saying that the darkness within Seth could just keep getting stronger and stronger?" asked Mrs. Sorenson.
Bracken, who looked as though he had just seen a ghost, nodded. "Seth still has control over his mind, thankfully. But that can only go so far. If the darkness gets too strong, then it can, and will take over his body completely."
"What'll that mean?" asked Ingrid.
"Seth will lose his moral conscious. He will lose his heart and soul. He will become a being of darkness. Seth will no longer see us as his friends and family."
"No!" exclaimed Seth. "I won't let it!"
Bracken shook his head. "I'm sorry, Seth. But I'm not going to sugarcoat the truth here. The darkness within you, like it or not, is growing stronger, and I don't know of any way whatsoever to stop it. And even if, no... when your morality crosses the line, it will still keep expanding. The range of its influence will only keep growing and growing."
"Then what am I supposed to do?" asked Seth. "Move to a deserted island? I'd still be a lost cause!"
"Even if you were to relocate to a deserted island, it still wouldn't stop the darkness from expanding. At the rate its going, the darkness would only expand across the water, harming all the marine life it comes across, and ultimately reach the mainland. And it would still keep going."
"Forget an island," said Kendra. "You'd need your own planet!"
"That's the problem," said Bracken. "If the darkness within Seth keeps on growing the way it has been so far, it could encompass the entire planet. Nowhere on Earth, or eventually, even the known universe, would be safe."
"What about the Fairy Kingdom?" asked Ingrid. "If we can't stop the darkness, could we at least seek refuge there? It's in another dimension."
"The darkness could still penetrate the dimensional barrier. Which would be entirely possible once this entire dimension is overflowing with darkness."
"What are we supposed to do?" asked Ingrid.
"We stop Murdred," said Seth, as he made a glowering look on his face. "NOW! I don't care what it takes!"
"Stopping Murdred isn't going to stop Seth's darkness from spreading," said Bracken.
"The Singing Sisters! If we rescue them, maybe they can discover a way to help me!"
"Seth, just breaching Murdred's castle is trying to bite off more than we can chew," said Warren. "If we had been able to do that in the fist place, we wouldn't be in this mess."
"Is there anyone we can go to for help besides the Singing Sisters?" asked Ingrid.
"Agad," said Grandpa, raising a hand. "I can't guarantee that he will be able to help with this predicament. However, he's still the most magically-inclined individual whom we can trust. If he is unable to provide any insight, I don't know who else can."
Seth took in a deep breath. "I hope he can help me. But, what are we supposed to do if he can't?"
"We'll think of something," replied Grandma.
"But... what if you can't?"
"I'm afraid that I don't have an answer for that question," replied Bracken, shaking his head in disappointment. "But, at this point, you might as well bank your luck on visiting Agad."
"Let's go back to the house," said Grandpa. "I'll contact the Larsens at Living Mirage, explain the situation to them, and let them know that you'll be coming by to see Agad."
Everyone made their way out of the manor and into the surrounding yard, where Skyfrost and Firesquall had been waiting around.
"Seth!" exclaimed Skyfrost. "Is it true? Is the darkness within you... getting worse?"
"It is," replied Bracken, as Raxtus and Geminus returned to their dragon forms.
"But... why?" asked Firesquall.
"We'll explain everything to you boys in a moment," said Raxtus. "Right now, we just need to get everyone back to the main house."
"Seth, you can't really be turning dark, can you?" asked Skyfrost, as the shadow charmer climbed up onto the blue wyvern's back.
"I don't feel dark, but there's too much evidence that says otherwise," replied Seth.
Once everyone had gotten on a dragon, all of whom were carrying at least two passengers, the group flew back towards the main house and landed in the yard. The humans and Bracken then got off the dragons and went back into the house.
"I'm just gonna get a few things together," said Warren, as Seth sat down on the couch. "Then we'll be off."
Seth stared blankly at the ceiling, paying zero mind to anyone else who tried to grab his attention. He didn't know what would transpire upon meeting up with Agad. He was a powerful wizard, sure. But, for all his talent, Agad was by no means a master of dark magic.
"Ready to go, Seth?" asked Warren, who was standing by the entrance to the living room, with his bag slung over one shoulder. Bracken was also standing next to him.
"I guess," said Seth, as he sighed, got up from the couch and walked over to where Bracken and Warren were.
"Who else is going?" asked Ingrid.
"Just Seth, Warren and myself," replied Bracken. "No offense, but this is visit is strictly for enquiry purposes only."
"I hope you'll be okay, Seth," said Ingrid, as the rest of her family all nodded in compliance.
"We should be fine," said Warren. "Even if Agad is unable to help us, I don't anticipate any danger. However, I have armed myself as a precaution."
"Good luck, Seth," said Kendra. "Hopefully, there's a solution to all of this."
"Hopefully," said Seth. "That's all everyone's been saying. It doesn't ensure anything."
Warren sighed, as he twisted the Translocator and held it out before Seth and Bracken. "Come on, Seth. Let's get going. At least you'll get to see your other grandparents!"
Once Seth and Bracken had each placed a hand on the Translocator, Warren twisted the artifact again. Suddenly, Seth found himself being hurled through space, as his body was instantly hurled halfway around the world.
Seth opened his eyes, and discovered that he was now standing in a large, open room, akin to the entry hall of a castle. This was it. He, Bracken and Warren had traveled back to Living Mirage. Although he had seen his maternal grandparents a few times since, the last time he had business here was when he went to visit the Sphinx.
"Seth Sorenson!" shouted a voice from one end of the room. Seth and his allies turned their heads to see both Grandpa and Grandma Larsen standing in front of the entrance to a hallway.
"Grandpa Hank!" exclaimed Seth. "Grandma Gloria!"
Seth proceeded to dash over to his maternal grandparents, then gave each of them a hug.
"It's nice to see you again," said Grandma Larsen. "Although I wish it could've been under... more favorable circumstances."
"Your Grandpa Stan explained everything to us just now," said Grandpa Larsen.
Warren and Bracken joined up with Seth's grandparents, and they proceeded to greet each other.
"Well, there's no time to waste," said Grandma Larsen. "We'd offer you something to eat, but we understand the pressure you're under."
"Come to think of it, I haven't even had breakfast!" exclaimed Seth.
"Of course," said Grandpa Larsen. "The timezone difference!"
"Come with me," said Grandma Larsen. "I'll take you to Agad's chamber. And while you're with him, we'll whip up something for you to eat."
"Munch on this for now," said Bracken, as he snapped his fingers, causing three glossy gala apples to magically appear in his hands. He then offered an apple each to Seth and Warren.
"Thanks," said Seth, as he accepted the apple and took a bite out of it. It was scrumptious.
"I'll take you to Agad," said Grandma Larsen. "Hank will be in the kitchen getting some breakfast together for you three."
Seth followed Grandma Larsen down a hallway, while the others went down another route. After turning around a corner and walking down another hallway, Grandma Larsen stopped in front of a door and knocked on it.
"Enter," came Agad's voice through the door.
Grandma opened the door, revealing the room that lay on the other side. Not much bigger than Grandpa's study back at Fablehaven, the quaint study consisted of bookshelves lining the side walls, as well as two couches with a coffee table between them. A large, silver mobile that resembled a gyroscope of some sort, hung from the ceiling. At at far end of the room was a large desk, which Agad was currently seated at.
"Ah, Seth," said Agad, as he got up from his seat and walked over to the group. "How have you been these past few months?"
"Well, I was doing pretty good," replied Seth. "At least until recently."
"So I've heard. Bracken, Warren have you two been keeping well?"
"More or less," said Warren, as he took bite out of his apple. "Though I do miss Clover's company."
Bracken nodded in acknowledgement.
"Very well," said Agad. "But let's get down to business. From what Hank has told me, the situation sounds quite dire."
"We're just going by what Stan said," exclaimed Grandma Larsen. "Even with Seth here in front of us, we're unable to sense just how powerful the darkness within him actually is."
"I believe that a proper inspection is in order," said Agad. "Seth, would you mind taking a seat on a couch over there?"
"Okay," said Seth, as he walked over to one of the couches and sat down. As the others walked over towards him, Seth took one final bite from his apple, then held up the chewed-up core, looking for somewhere he could place it.
"I'll take care of that," said Bracken, as he snapped his fingers, causing Seth's apple to vanish just as suddenly as it had appeared.
"Let's do this," said Agad, as he sat down on the couch opposite Seth. He raised his hands up into the air, palms facing out towards Seth. The wizard then closed his eyes, allowing a blend of white and purple sparks to flow out from his hands, which encompassed Seth's entire body.
"These things tingle!" grumbled Seth.
"Please do not move," muttered Agad, who appeared to be focusing, and remained completely still.
Seth did not enjoy keeping still while the sparkles circulated around his body. It almost felt like they were tickling him, and there was nothing he could do to get away from them.
Finally, after what seemed like an excruciatingly long time, but was only about a minute long in actuallty, the sparkles that were flowing from Agad's hands disappeared. Agad then opened his eyes and lowered his hands.
"Well," said Seth, "how is it?"
A frown materialized on Agad's face. "Well, it's quite apparent that some external force of pure darkness had been embedded within the fabric of your soul."
"I know that! Is there any possible way to remove it?"
"I don't believe so," said Agad. "You see, the external darkness has been intertwined with your shadow charmer nature. From what I can tell, it is physically impossible to separate it from you."
"Come on!" exclaimed Seth. "There's gotta be a cure or something!"
"There's no cure that I'm aware of. I'm sorry."
"Why not?" asked Grandma Larsen. "Is there no way to vanquish the darkness within Seth?"
"Of course there's a way," replied Agad. "Only problem is, it would destroy Seth in the process."
"Look, you don't understand! " exclaimed Seth. "The darkness within me is growing stronger and stronger by the moment!"
"I'm aware of that. And from what I comprehend, not only is there no way to eliminate it, but there's also no way to restrain it from growing any more."
"What are you saying?"
"There's no solution to all of this," replied Agad. "As long are you're alive, the darkness within you is only going to keep expanding and getting worse. And if we try to counter it, we'll only end up hurting you, Seth."
"You're saying, I have to die in order to fix everything?"
"Seth, no!" gasped Warren.
"I'm not proposing that we terminate your life, Seth," said Agad. "However, from what I've been able to theorize, it's the only idea I'm aware of that would eliminate this expanding darkness and retract it back to its source."
"Surely there must be another solution!" cried Grandma Larsen.
"I'm sorry," said Agad. "But even with all the power and knowledge that I possess, I know for a fact that the only way to stop this darkness is to destroy it at its source. However, I never would've imagined that said source would ultimately be someone whom I would consider an ally."
"Well, if you can't help us," said Bracken. "Who... can?"
At that moment, an idea popped up in Seth's head. "The Sphinx. He's a shadow charmer. Just like me. Please, if anyone can help me now, he can."