So, this was an emotional chapter for me because I really got to explore Artemis in this chapter. It get's a little dark, but there are a lot of reveals as well as some serious teen angst, (it's also a work count of 5,153 words and I'm only 5000 away from hitting 100K!)
You'll also be getting some deep conversation near the end as well as a small hint of what's to come in the finale if you pay close enough attention to the words.
TRIGGER WARNING: Child abuse (Slapping, imprisonment, shackles, use of force/coercion) read at your own risk.
Cassandra and the ghost girl walked through the Great tree's Scroll chamber, "I told you, this is all that's left of the great tree. The incantations were destroyed."
'Those incantations were our only hope of unlocking the power of the Moonstone. Aside from the Demanitus scroll, but that was destroyed millennia ago."
"Did you say the Demanitus scroll?" the girl turned with an inquisitive look, "Huh, looks like our next stop is Corona."
"Artemis!" He had spotted her at the edge of the tree line, just outside of New Old Corona, but as soon as he called out to her, she took off. No one had seen her since the red rocks a few weeks back and Rapunzel and Eugene had expressed their concerns. He had made it his mission to find her.
"Come back!"
"Go away!" She made a sharp turn, sprinting off in another direction before launching herself into one of the trees to avoid capture, "Y-Y-You can't k-keep running away! People are worried!" he called up to her from the base of the tree.
"Liar! I can't go back there…" Varian started the climb upwards, kind of wishing now he'd done more exercise than science so he had some muscle. Once he finally reached the branch she was secluded on, he sat down.
"What do you want, Varian?" his expression softened at her tone, she sounded so sad, like the weeks following her mother's death.
"Hey…talk to me." He forced her to look at him by placing his hand under her chin, "Why do you care so much? Shouldn't you be down there with the normal people?" her tone was spiteful, laced with venom and just overall cold.
"Wha—"
"You saw the way they looked at me, the way your father looked at me, Varian…I don't belong there. I don't belong anywhere. Not anymore."
"What are you—What are you saying?" Varian gave her a confused look, "You belong somewhere that's safe, Varian. You deserve someone normal, someone that's not me."
"Wh-What?" before he could fully grasp the situation Artemis slid from the tree branch and took off, leaving him heartbroken in the trees.
"The results are in, who will win first prize for best metal? Will it be…steel, for it's for its durability, and thermal conductivity, or iron!? For it's lustrous shine and high melting point?!" the young Alchemist gave himself a drum roll as Rudiger dropped a marshmallow into a vial of Warm cocoa,
"Ah, Yes. Thank you, Rudiger, this is…perfect." He laughed like a mad scientist as he took a drink, "Warm cocoa will really hit the spot. Thanks bud." Since Artemis ditched him in the forest he had been pretty down, so Varian had decided to distract himself with his favorite Hobby,
"Hi, Varian." Startled, he spit his cocoa onto Rudiger's furry face, "Oh, Uh, hi, Hi! I, uh…I wasn't, uh, expecting you…so soon. I mean we did agree I'd need at least five weeks of solitude to decipher this thing so that I had some—some privacy."
"Varian, don't be embarrassed.
"Hey, goggles, Have you seen the kid?" Varian's shoulders drooped, "She, uh, she took off after the incident in the square a couple weeks ago. I found her a couple days ago in the forest, but…"
"But what, Varian?"
"She kind of broke up with me then she ran off."
"She…broke up with you? that doesn't sound like Artemis. And what do you mean after what happened in the square?"
"Well, I was talking to my dad about what we accomplished in the Demanitus chamber and Feldspar came up to thank me for saving Corona, I might have accidentally let it slip that Artemis can control the rocks and things got…out of hand. Who would have thought that her biggest fear would be revealed after we took care of the red rocks."
"Wait, All of Corona knows about her power?"
"Yeah, and it's my fault. And now she's gone, Rapunzel." There was puff of purple smoke that interrupted their conversation,
"Ah! I'm getting older by the second
"Hey, do-don- please, be careful, that stuff is very delicate."
"Oh thank goodness, you have the scroll."
"I do! Oh, I do, and it took a while but I composed this key to translate the text in its entirety." Rapunzel got closer to inspect the glyphs Varian had scribbled on the wall,
"Varian, you're a genius. What's it say?" Motioning with his finger he began to explain the scroll, "This is the healing incantation, this is the Decay incantation, and this…" he started to get excited, "Is a third incantation. It would allow whoever possesses the moonstone to wield complete control over the black rocks."
"That's why Cassandra want's the scroll."
"Yes, yes, but there's more! It says here that there are four incantations, not three. But I can't seem to find it anywhere on this scroll."
"Uh, guys, you might wanna stop talking about the secret's of the scroll." Lance pointed to the stairs where Cassandra now stood, alongside another familiar face.
"Don't stop on our account."
"Artemis!" Rapunzel held the teen back, but as he got a closer look at the blonde next to Cass something seemed off, "Don't get any closer. Hide the scroll. We cannot let her get her hands on that incantation."
"But the scroll is worthless without the translation key."
"Well, then it sounds like I need two things." Cass drew her sword, "Get that scroll out of here, blondie. I've got this." Eugene charged Cassandra with his blade drawn, Artemis tugged on her restraints as Eugene's sword shattered, "Her armor is made of the ro—Ah!" Cassandra kicked him back down the stairs, giving the blonde next to her a dark look,
"Try anything funny and I'll kill you where you stand." The blue haired woman made short work of cutting part of the Demanitus machine down, sending it towards her opponents. Ignoring the woman's threat Artemis summoned her own rocks to knock the rolling orb into the pit, she immediately felt a sharp sting in her cheek.
"What did I tell you?" Cass used her own rocks to immobilize Artemis while she went after the scroll,
"Give me that scroll, Rapunzel."
"Cass, let's just…talk."
"Oh sure, let's have another chat about how my mother chose you over me."
"Cass, Gothel took me and held me against my will, it wasn't my decision. You know that."
"Well, was it your decision to push her out a window?" Rapunzel shoved Cass off of her, "You weren't there, you have no idea."
"Then why don't you make me understand?" Rudiger jumped at Cass' face, the scroll in his mouth as he scampered away, "Get off!" it became a quick game of keep away, Cass managed to get the scroll away from Pascal but Rapunzel snatched it back.
"Look at me, you know me, Cassandra. I have always supported you. Whatever this anger is, come on let's face it together. Cass, somewhere inside you know this isn't right, just come back home with us. We can figured this out." Cassandra looked scared,
"No, I wasn't" the blue ghost girl she was seeing vanished and Cass felt her anger double as Rapunzel walked towards her,
"Who are you talking to? Cass, I'm not gonna fight you."
"Don't wanna fight? Don't fight." She used her blade to knock the base of the Demanitus machine loose, "No, stop!" Artemis watched halfheartedly, yet still hopeful her friends and brother would be okay, thankfully max had managed to get them back on solid ground,
Rapunzel caught the machine before it could do any real damage, giving them time to avoid being crushed,
"Hey, Varian." Cass brought her blade down, slicing his hiding place in half, "If you wanna read that scroll you are gonna need my translation key…Hah!" he threw a luminescent green liquid onto the writings, "And, now that I've destroyed it, you will never know what the scroll says because the only translation in earthly existence, is locked safely away, up here." He indicated to his brain, "Boom!"
"Is that a fact?"
"Oh-ho, yeah." He gasped, realizing what he'd just done, "I should not have said that out loud."
"Then I guess you're coming with me, but it won't be all bad, you and your little girlfriend will finally get some alone time."
"Stop…struggling." Artemis tugged at her shackles, "Never. What do you even need with me anyways? You have the scroll and Varian. I'm useless to you now."
"Oh no, you have plenty of uses, Artemis."
"So this is your plan, running away?" Artemis watched the translucent girl provoke the blue haired woman, "No one is running!"
"One would think that now that you have the power of the black rocks, you wouldn't feel the need to hide."
"I don't hide from anything."
"I don't need to remind you that defeat is not an option and when Rapunzel comes for you, you must be prepared to protect what is rightfully yours. What you need is…"
"A strong hold. And I know just where to build one."
Cass secured Artemis to one of the many black rocks in the area before forcing Varian awake,
"Huh…ugh…Ah! Where are we?!"
"I need that third incantation, Varian."
"Never."
"I knew you'd say that, that's why I went through your little bag of trick and I kidnapped your precious Artemis, though, she certainly made it easy. Funny how this seems to be all your fault." She held up one of the many vials from his pack, "I found something in here that might change your mind." She walked towards him, "Recognize this?"
He looked at the truth serum he had recreated from Xavier's potion, "Ha, no." he paused, "Gah, yes. It's a truth serum of my own design that compels the drinker to tell the truth and answer any question asked! But I never drank that."
"Lucky for me, you sleep with your mouth open. So, let me ask you, what's the third incantation?"
"I, Uh…" he struggled, trying to keep his mouth shut but he gave in in the end, "Crescent high above, evolving as you go, raise what lies beneath, and let the darkness grow." Cass smiled, almost grateful that he had been so easy to convince.
Walking towards the empty space where Rapunzel's tower once stood, Cass began to recite the new Incantation,
"Crescent high above—" she stopped, "No…I think you're precious little girlfriend should do it."
"But you don't know if she can use the incantations! Or what might happen if she does." Cass unchained the blonde from her post, "Get to it." Artemis looked to Varian, he looked terrified, was he really worried, or was it just nuance? She felt another sting rise in her cheek,
"You heard me!"
"C-Crescent high above… evolving as you go. Raise what lies beneath, a-and let the darkness grow." She stumbled through the spell, but nothing happened, "Again!"
"Crescent high above, evolving as you go, raise what lies beneath, and let the darkness grow." Artemis' eyes were consumed by glowing blue light "Bend it to my will, Consume the sunlight's glow, rise into the sky and let the darkness grow." Varian watched with fear as Artemis' feet left the ground as she continued the incantation, Cass looked both amazed and yet…afraid?
"Let darkness grow…" A sardonic smirk replaced the brief look of fear as Artemis toppled to the ground in a heap,
"Home sweet home."
"And then what?" Varian looked at Cassandra like she'd lost her mind, "who is she talking to?" he muttered, Cass had entrusted Varian the task of Carrying Artemis up the many flights of stairs in her newly built tower, but she had also kept a firm grasp on his arm so he didn't try and run.
"Look, I know none of this is your fault, or hers…and I don't want to hurt either of you. so when Rapunzel comes for you, don't try anything foolish."
"Cassandra, you're angry, I get it. Believe me, I know what it's like, but you are making a mistake." Varian gingerly propped Artemis up against one of the many rocks poking out from the floor,
"The path of hate is a dangerous track; you take one step and it's hard to turn back. It pulls you along and though it seems wrong it feels right. don't you see this path you're on leaves a permanent mark, it feels good at first then it slowly turns dark. With each passing day you're further away from the light."
Cass ignored him, walking away, But Varian wasn't going to give up, so he followed her,
"Suddenly, you lose your way and lose the thread, lose your cool then lose your head. Every loss is harder to excuse. Then you'll see your lose your faith and lose your soul, till you lose complete control and realize that there's nothing left to lose. Nothing left to lose." Varian grabbed Cassandra's wrist, stopping her,
"Cass, trust me, becoming the villain isn't the answer." She rounded on him in anger, ripping her wrist from his grasp,
"Is that what you think I am?!"
"The path I'm on is a path paved in black, I'm taking that road and I'm not looking back. Each twist and each turn lead's straight where I'm yearning to go." Slowly the rocks began to raise Cass up into the air,
Yes it's true my path is dark but I see where it ends, my rivals will fall as my power ascends, despise me that's fine, I'm taking what's mine even so." Once she was finally high enough, she pulled rocks from the surround walls, walking along them as she accosted the young Alchemist below her,
"Not like you. you lost your nerve, you lost a game, but you and I we're not the same, I'm not lost, this fate was mine to choose." She made quick work of getting back down to the ground, using the rocks to move along the fortress,
"So I chose to lose my doubts and lose my chains, lose each weakness that remains. Now that I have nothing left to lose. Nothing left to lose." Varian grabbed her arm again, stopping her from destroying a painting of Rapunzel, "You have so much to hold on to." Cass slashed at him with a rock extended from her armor, Varian dodged out of the way, just in time, back away,
"I only want, my rightful dues." She blasted him back with another cluster of rocks,
"Listen please, you've lost your grip and lost your mind!"
"I'm not gonna lose!"
"All's not lost, don't be so blind!"
"I refuse"
"Cut your losses, drop the IOU'S!"
"I refuse!" Cass stormed away from him, tugging at her hair, "Ooh, choose."
"I lose no tears and lose no sleep, what I want I'll take and keep."
"It's time for you to choose!"
"You can't stop—"
"The turning of the screws!" Varian found himself trapped in a cage alongside Artemis, he'd been so wrapped up in trying to convince Cass, he'd gone in a complete circle, and now she was in danger, again…and it was all his fault,
"You'll stay in that cage until this is done, and just incase you think of escaping." Cass sent the cage out the window behind them, leaving the two teens suspended in midair. Varian kept Artemis close as the rock slid out of the fortress.
"Don't worry…I'm gonna find a way out of this, for both of us."
When Artemis finally came too, she glanced around in a daze before realization sank in she was in a cage of rocks dangling hundred, if not thousands, of feet in the air.
"Wha…where…How?! Why are we dangling precariously close to the edge of certain death?!" she scrambled to get as far away from the ledge as possible, which, to be fair was maybe a foot, a foot and a half if she was lucky.
"Well, After you passed out, Cass and I had a bit of an argument and now we're here. Yeah, that pretty much sums it up." He reached for the Demanitus scroll in his bag,
"What are you doing? That scroll is useless now that Cassandra has the final incantation." Artemis tugged her knees up to her chest as Varian unraveled the parchment,
"Use the sun, to see the sun."
"What?"
"This…dream. There was a girl who shoed up in my dream, just before you woke up. She told me I had to use the sun to see the sun." She laughed as he lowered his goggles, "I don't think that's going to help you use the sun." He narrowed his eyes, "Okay, then humor me. What do you think it means, princess?" She narrowed her eyes at his sarcasm."
"I'd rethink that tone, Varian. We're only in this mess, because of you."
"Because of—How do you figure that this is my fault?"
"Two words. Truth Serum. And I was only caught because you told your dad about my ability to control the rocks, and then, to make matters worse, you chased me down in the forest that day and practically pushed me right into Cassandra's hands. You should have just left me alone." Varian narrowed his eyes in response,
"Yeah? Well, maybe if you weren't so sensitive about things, I wouldn't have had to chase you!"
"Sensitive?! Well, maybe if you weren't so ignorant, and self-absorbed, you'd realize that the answer you're looking for is right in front of your stupid face!" she snatched the goggles off his face and used the lenses to reflect light onto the back of the scroll.
"Ignorant and self—Wha?" he stopped as some words began to appear. "Sunlight, the words are hidden, and it needs a beam of sunlight to reveal the incantation! Demanitus you genius!"
"Pascal. Pascal, come out buddy."
"Blondie, I found the kids."
"Don't worry you two, we're gonna get you out of there!"
"Not now, I found the last incantation it was—"
"we found the last incantation."
"Yeah, yeah, Whatever, we found the last incantation. It was hidden with a photo reactive ink. Obvious, right?"
"Yeah…super obvious."
"the problem is I need a concentrated beam of sunlight to see it, I mean, I tried using my goggles but they're too scratched up, I need something else, like a, uh, uh, a prism or a glass."
Rapunzel fished around in her bag, "Or…a crystal?"
"Is that a—"
"Yeah."
"For me? You were going to ask me? I mean, I was going to ask you. All this time and you still find ways to surprise me." The tower shook and Eugene scrambled to catch the ring, "Uh, she must know we're here. Okay, get the ring to Varian and Artemis, I'm gonna go find Pascal." Eugene stopped her, given her an affectionate look, "Be careful."
Eugene began his slow trek across the rock path, careful of his steps as he got closer, inch by inch. Artemis panicked as he lost his footing,
"Eugene!"
"Man, I really hate birthdays."
"It's your birthday? But wasn't your birthday a few months ago?"
"My real birthday, and Focus, how can you be so calm about being in mortal danger?"
"Sure, I was a bit panicked when I woke up out here, but we're dangling a LONG way from the ground and I don't know, I guess I've just accepted this is how I'm going to die."
"You're not going to die." Eugene called back
"Hurry, the sun is setting. Eugene, come on!"
'I'm going as fast as I can, kid. Without dying." As he finally closed the gap, Eugene tried to pass the ring to Varian but it slipped out of his grasp, "First memory, now Balance? Age! Why do we have to age?"
"Relax, Spaz. He got the ring." Artemis replied nonchalantly, "Okay, when this is over, we're gonna have another one of those family conversations, what is going on with you?"
"Why do you care?" Varian grabbed the scroll again and got to work, "It's working."
"Way to go, kid."
"Hey, Genius, the scrolls on fire."
"Ah, no, no, no, no, no!" he quickly grabbed a blank piece of parchment and scribbled the incantation down as the scroll burned away,
"I got it!"
"I certainly hope so, because that thing was not easy to come by. Now, can you figure out a way tog et through these bars and then how do you get back into the building. Because I've got nothing." The Rock suddenly began moving inwards,
"Bad, this is bad. Uh, oh.
"Eugene?" Brown eyes stared at the teens in front of him, reaching a hand through the bars, "Stay close." The tower wall opened up and they were once again inside.
"Welcome back, Boys and girl. Let me help you out." Cass trapped Eugene in a rock prison of his own, "You won't fight me—" she strolled up to Eugene, "But will you fight, for him?" she forced his head to look towards Rapunzel,
"Cass, leave him alone."
"I just realized, I forgot to give you my birthday present, Eugene."
"Don't give in to her, don't do anything she says." Varian reached into his pocket, "Rapunzel, I have the final incantation, you have to use it!" Pascal snatched it from him, unrolling it so Rapunzel could read,
"Final incantation, what is he talking about?"
"Crescent high above, evolving as you go," Cass stepped towards Rapunzel, the black rocks moving rapidly along with her,
"Rapunzel! Use it…"
"Power of the sun, gift me with your light. Shine into the dark restore our fading sight." Artemis felt her head begin to swim again, "Rise into the dawn, blazing star so bright." A brilliant white light flowed in shockwaves out of the tower
"Impossible!" Artemis' scelera's glowed with both blue and gold light, as the incantations were recited.
"What the—?" Varian tried to snap her out of it
"Burn away the strife, let my hope ignite. Let hope ignite!" The cage surrounding the teens vanished, as if it had never existed to begin with,
"Let him go, Cassandra." Rapounzel floated towards her former friend, intent of finishing this,
"I don't follow your orders, anymore!" Cassandra threw more and more rocks towards Rapunzel, but they stopped,
"You may not follow Orders from the sun drop, but you will follow mine." The clusters of rocks vanished as quickly as they had come, both young women looked at the teen between them,
"Get out of my way, Artemis." The blonde merely smiled, "No, perhaps it is you who should get out of my way, you insignificant, knock-off. You have something that belongs to me and I want it back!" Cassandra responded by throwing more and more rocks at the teen, but with a mere snap of the girl's fingers, they vanished into nothing.
"What's going on?"
"I-I don't know, the Scroll never mentioned anything about this, there wasn't even anything in the Pre-Corona archives."
Once she was close enough, Artemis reached towards Cassandra, and blasted her, breaking a shard off the moonstone,
"Eugene!"
"Varian!" the blast sent Varian flying out one side of the tower and Cassandra out the other, Rapunzel collapsed into a head of hair and exhaustion on the floor and Artemis picked up the shard of the moonstone she had broken from the Opal.
"Kid?" Artemis turned to look at him, "Ah, the brother. You've taken good care of my host, you and that boy."
"Uh, what? Kid if this is some sort of joke." She tilted her head, "This is no joke, your sister is special, she plays host to a power not many can hope to understand, but all will reveal itself, in time."
"All will…what are you talking about?"
"She is not yet complete, and if she is not complete then she cannot do what she was born to accomplish, you must find a way to unite the Sun drop and Moonstone, so they are whole again."
"Unite the sun drop and the moonstone?" he cast a worried look to Rapunzel, "She will be fine, she does not rely on the Sun drop for survival. One more thing, before I leave, Make sure they make up, despite her resentment, she still cares for the boy." Eugene looked back at the floating girl in front of him just as she was about to hit the ground,
"Never a dull moment with you two around." He smiled fondly, "Eugene, Pascal, Artemis!"
"Rapunzel!" He carefully laid his sister down on the floor "I know this is an emotional moment for you but I just gotta say, That. was. awesome!"
A knock sounded on her door, "Come in."
"Can we talk?" The familiar sound of Varian's voice reached her ears, "not like I can send you away, even if I did, you wouldn't leave." He rubbed the back of his neck as he climbed into the spot next her, "I was scared, today." When he got no response, he continued on, "I was scared that I would lose the one thing I love most in the world, other than Alchemy, of course." He chucked, trying ti lighten the mood, Artemis pulled the blanket up over her head, "I didn't mean to let it slip about your powers, Artemis, I just figured people knew, I mean, what you can do is—It's amazing. And what you did in the tower against Cassandra, I've never seen anything like that and I've been around Rapunzel, the girl with the magical hair."
"Are you going somewhere with this, or are you just being pretentious again?" he thought he heard her voice crack,
"Why do you do that?" He narrowed his eyes and ripped the blanket off of her, "Why do you keep trying to push me away?" upon closer inspection he saw tears,
"You're crying…"
"Because, pushing you away is easier than seeing you get hurt because of me! But you don't get it and you keep pushing and breaking down the walls. Varian, I don't…I can't lose anyone else and it's easier if I don't have anyone to lose! You saw what happened after you chased me down."
"Artemis—I…I didn't—"
"No, and because of me you got caught, she drugged you with a truth serum and got exactly what she wanted. She got the third incantation."
"But I don't understand why you were so angry when we were trapped in that cage."
"I thought that if I made you angry at me, you'd distance yourself from me and be safe."
"So you did it because…"
"I did it because I love you!" she pulled her knees up to her chest, "But love…it never seems to work out for me. My birth father gave me away, my adoptive father abandoned me and then attacked me while we were on the road, both of my mothers are dead…and today…I almost lost you and my brother."
"You love me?" She scoffed, "It figures, you would look for the silver lining."
"I think I get it now, and I was in the same situation while you and the others were on the road. It was easier to pretend I was angry rather than hurting. I thought that if I could get what I wanted and free my father, things could go back to normal, and despite everything working out in the end, things took time. Large wounds take time to heal." He fished something out of his pocket,
"I was going to do this on your birthday, but I chickened out. I-It's not a proposal, by any means, I've seen how that's worked out for Eugene, but it is a promise."
"I thought you didn't do promises." She gave him a sly look as she wiped a stray tear away, "I'm coming to terms with them."
"The jeweler told me they're called Promise rings, the point is to make a pact, basically." He grabbed her hand,
"Artemis, I promise to stay by your side, through whatever you're going through, and if time's get rough and you feel like you need a shoulder or a helping hand, I'll be the one who gives it to you. whatever you need." He handed her the other ring and she stared down at it, hesitantly,
"Varian, I promise—I promise to also stay by your side, through the good and the bad and through every mistake. I…" She paused again, trying to find the right words, "I want to learn about the world alongside you, I want to keep having adventures, and if—" She stopped
"If?" Varian looked at her as she struggled with her words again, "If you'll have me…I'd like to be your girlfriend again." A grin a mile wide, spread across his face, leaning in, he gave her a tender kiss.
As he pulled away he could see her cheeks flush that soft shade of pink he liked, "Does that answer your question, M'lady?"
"It does." She smiled back sheepishly, trying to hide her face in the blankets.
