HELLO MY FRIENDS! I hope that each of you is having a beautiful day! I wanted to point out a few things today because this story has now officially hit a few records/writing landmarks for me.
Okay, first of all, holy hell I've been writing this story for a while. This is officially my longest-running story with expected 60-ish chapters, well over 150,000 words, and over 50 follows and favorites on fanfiction.
This is flipping major for me mates! I usually only stick to one-year projects but damn the amount of time I put into this.
Also, I wanted to point out that this is officially my first story in a long time to reach over 13,000 views on fanfiction. I honestly never thought anyone would enjoy my writing this much and it warms my heart when I see comments and everything on this. To thank you, to everyone that stuck through all the months and going on years that went into writing this. From the bottom of my heart, I know I wouldn't be writing as much as I am if it weren't for you guys.
So thank you, and I hope you enjoy this next installment! Cheers, mates!
I strummed my guitar a couple of times as I tried to tune the strings. Tightening and loosening the knobs as I should, my brain couldn't help but adventure off into how the last few days have been.
First, we ended up getting tied up with a crime ring going on in the sewers of Arcadia, then, I keep getting worse with my sickness, and now I have to find a way to get rid of these damned nightmares without Jim or Blinky or Toby realizing exactly what I'm doing.
I sighed a little to myself as I strummed the guitar once more. The slightly sour coming from the strings being my only true answer to my thoughts.
Right. Had the same feeling too, buddy.
I continued tuning the guitar for a moment as my brain went on thinking for itself.
At least I could prove to the boys that I can still handle my own still. But honestly? Can I really keep this going? Each day I feel worse and worse. Each day is a struggle to wake up to. I feel more drained now than I ever did before and it's not even after an event or a test or something along those lines. It's after waking up of all things.
I looked over toward Darci and Mary who were setting up their own instruments as I rose to my feet.
But I gotta keep moving. Gotta keep up appearances. Gotta keep my grades solid. I've got friends to keep and a world to save. If I stop now, who says I will be there to help them all?
Even then,
I strummed my guitar this time to hear a beautiful tune from the strings in reply.
I'm Claire Maria Nuñez. The words "Give up" are not in my vocabulary.
"You ladies ready for our first group rehearsal?" I smiled toward Darci and Mary as they readied up with their respective instruments. Mary with her bass and Darci with her drums.
"Hell yeah! Let's do this!" Mary raised a fist to the air for a second before walking up to her respective mic. "Count us off when you're able, Darc!" I nodded my head toward Darci before taking my spot at the opposite mic.
"Alright! One! Two! One, two, three!" Instantly, all three of us started jamming along with our respective parts. We were a little out of sync but I respected as such from our first real band practice. Our tones were clashing and our rhythms were off, but at least we could actually play. It was rather fun though. Losing myself to the music. Not caring for a little bit for the first time in what felt like years.
"Claire?" I felt myself sway a little as I heard Mary call out to me from my left.
But it all just had to come crashing down.
"Claire?!" I felt my eye shut randomly as everything went black. My body going limp suddenly as I heard myself fall to the floor with a loud thud.
Just as it always seems to.
Darc: Claire passed out at band practice. She's even got this weird bloody nose, but it's all black. We're getting worried for her, but she's refusing to talk to us about it. Mind having a word with her?
I stared at the message as it glared back at me with just the same amount of intensity as I had anxiety within my system.
I knew she was getting worse. I should have known better than to let her just jump into the swing of things.
I typed back a quick sure and how is Claire right now before going to my contacts list and tapping on Claire's icon without a second thought.
She needs to tell me the truth of what's going on. She needs to let me know how is she actually feeling. I can't help her if she won't let me and it's quite obvious she is not handling it well on her own.
I heard the other line click for a second before Claire's weak voice come through to me like a broken melody.
"Listen, whatever Darci said, I'm fine." I sighed a little as I already knew she was trying to downplay the situation despite the fact she literally just fainted while playing guitar of all things.
"Claire." I tried my best to keep my voice calm despite the fact that I was more worried than anything.
"It wasn't even that bad of a nose bleed, really. Cleared up in a matter of minutes." I swallowed hard as I tried my best not to let my voice break.
"Claire."
"I have a feeling it's all because of how dry my sinuses are at the moment. That and the lack of sleep due to the sinus issues."
"Claire. Please." I stressed the word 'Please' in particular as I tried my best to keep my emotions in line. "Don't try to cover this up. Alright? You fainted. You can't just ignore that, Claire." I heard her sigh a little bit on the other line before taking a moment for herself.
"It's-." She let out a heavy breath for a second before ruffling with something on the other end. "It's a bit complicated to explain." I felt a confused look take over my face as I leaned back in my computer chair.
"What do you mean? What's complicated about it?"
"I-." Claire seemed to hesitate for a moment before continuing once more. "I've been having dreams."
"What kind of dreams?" I stood up from my chair as I instantly felt the urge to head over to her house instead. "Wait, how about this? I'll be at your house in ten. I'll climb up to your window and I'll knock three times, alright? Then we can talk this over in person."
"Yeah." Claire sounded relieved in this idea as her voice sounded a bit more like normal than it has. "Probably best. Gives me a little bit of time to figure out a way to explain it, anyway." I chuckled a little at her response as I grabbed my keys off my desk and my jacket from my bed.
"Well, you have ten minutes. I bet you can come up with something within that time frame. You've always been the clever one out of the two of us anyway."
"You say that now, Jim. After hearing this though, you might think differently." I stopped for a second as I reached out to grab my bedroom door's handle.
"What do you mean? I don't think anything could change what I think of your intelligence."
"Claire, remember when I said I didn't think anything could change what I thought earlier?"
"Yep. I know." Claire sighed as she leaned against the wall behind her as I sat before her on her bed. "I'm stupid and I'm sorry." I couldn't help but chuckle for a moment as I shook my head at her.
"Stupid is not the best way to put it, Claire."
"Thanks, Jim." Sarcasm dripped from her voice as she crossed her arms over her chest. "Definitely feel the love here."
"I mean that with all the love, Claire." I smiled toward her as I felt a blush creep up on my cheeks. "But if this is true, we need to compare what's going on with what we have from the prophecy. Maybe something in that can tell us what's going on."
"I kind of, already did?" I gave Claire a confused look in reply. "Something about what's going on here is meant to happen. That I'm tied to whoever it was that originally wielded the staff. I've been trying to do more research and everything, but it's not helping very much." Claire sighed a little as she took my hands into hers so she could toy with them idly. "Everything I find about this Morgana La Fey lady is only the stories of Arthur and that's not quite helpful when you and I both know those have been twisted all to hell on the human perspective." I nodded my head as I understood exactly what she was going through at that moment.
Trying to google the words "shapeshifting amulet" led me to absolutely nothing when I first found the crystal.
"We could start poking around Blinky's books. Maybe they have something in there that might be useful. Always say it's about prepping for the next battle or something." Claire nodded her head in reply before giving a soft yawn before sniffling a little. I couldn't help but chuckle in reply as I intertwined our fingers. "Tired?"
"Just a little." Claire gave me a sheepish smile as she sniffled once more. "Kinda hard to sleep very well when all you feel is pressure in your damn face." I slipped my hands out of hers with a chuckle as I went to lay down on her bed.
"How about I help a little?" I opened my arms to her with a smile as she gave me a soft one in reply.
"What happens if I get you sick from all of this? I have no clue if it's contagious or not."
"It's magical. I doubt I can catch it." She seemed to think over it for a second before throwing caution to the wind and laying putting herself into my arms. Her arms looping around me with ease as she snuggled up into my neck. I smiled like a fool as I felt her let out a soft sigh against my skin. "Comfy?" She just hummed in reply as I wrapped my arms around her.
"A little too much, actually." I smiled as I nuzzled the top of her head with my chin.
"Well get some sleep, alright? I'll be gone as soon as I wake up though so your parents don't flip." I heard Claire give a tired laugh as her arms tightened around me.
"Probably best," Claire spoke in a sleepy tone as she gave another yawn. "Good night, Jim."
"Good night, Claire." I moved so I could kiss the top of her head for a second before laying back down and closing my eyes slowly.
Little did I know though, that as I fell asleep, it would be the one night Claire didn't have a dream.
But it was the beginning of something so much more for her.
"So Claire's sickness is related to the staff?" I nodded along to Toby's question as I continued flipping pages in the book Blinky had given me to read through. "How do we help her then? Does the prophecy say anything about us being able to aid her?"
"I have no fucking clue." I sighed as I ran a free hand through my hair. "Every time I look, she keeps getting worse, and I was able to help her sleep last night, but even then, I don't think the sleep is even helping her. It's like she's being drained from the inside out. It's like it's eating at her. Literally eating at her and I can do nothing to stop it."
"And there's nothing in the prophecy?"
"Besides the fact that it's saying stuff about an exorcism on the powers of darkness? Nope. Nothing. Not at fucking all." I sighed as I closed the book I was read and leaned heavily against the counter of Blinky's library. "That's all it keeps talking about. An exorcism. The true beginning of the war to end all wars. The awakening of the two witches. One of mortality, the other of monsters. It doesn't say who, it doesn't say when just that someone gets possessed and that we need to fix it." Toby gave me a curious look as he seemed to have gears turning within his head.
"Do you think Claire being sick all of a sudden have anything to do with-." Toby stopped for a second as if he didn't want to say what he was thinking. As if he spoke his words aloud, that they might come true. "Do you think she might have to do with the exorcism?"
"Claire? Possessed? What would make her possessed?"
"Well in those older demon horror movies, it all starts with sickness, then dreams, and then they'll feel all good and dandy one day. But that's the moment before all hell breaks fucking loose. She might not have scratches and shit like a normal possession, but it's something to look into." Toby stopped for a moment as he rubbed at the bottom of his chin. "Wasn't there something that we read that changelings know a lot about possession? Like that was how they originally created changelings or something? Maybe we can talk to Nomura about it. Get some help from the one you saved. It'll be like a debt payment thing like Draal had with you."
"I guess. It's worth a shot. Whatever helps Claire at this point." I put Blinky's book down on the counter before pushing away from it. "Let's just hope we're not too late to the party. Last I heard from Nomura, she was trying to keep a low profile. Something about knowing the Janus Order and Gunmar will be tying up loose ends. One of the said loose ends being her."
"Then let's find ourselves a changeling, huh? If not, we can always blue ball Strickler." I glared at Toby as a bitter taste filled my mouth.
"After what he did to my mother? He's lucky I haven't killed him myself."
"Exactly. We could always use that to our advantage if we can't find Nomura." I moved past the island counter to join Toby's side as we started making our way to the surface together. A single place in mind with every step we took.
"Nomura first. Strickler if fate decides to fool with us."
"Deal, Jimbo." Toby gave me a wide smile before a determined look took over his face. "Now let's get down to business, huh? We got a friend to save." I nodded along as my mouth ran dry. An excerpt from the prophecy running through my head as we made our way into the heart of Troll Market.
The witch of mortality and the Mother of Monster will become one. In power and in life. Dark magic will become the mortal's chosen weapon, but this is where fate may longer gift the young Eclipse. Because in darkness, it is hard to strive, and if one does not act quickly, loved ones can be lost.
So with time against ye, may you act swift and just. One false move and the Eclipse may lose one of their strongest ties to their emotions. The one that truly dances between the dark and the light.
I swallowed hard as I reached up and grasped the crystal that was hanging around my neck. It was burning to the touch, but it was comforting with all the thoughts swelling in my mind. Yet as we finally reached the staircase leading to the surface, only one seemed to make itself clear.
Hopefully, we're not too late in general.