Thank you guys so much for reading this story! A special shout out to all my reviewers! I've read and reread the comments you guys have left, and each and every one makes me so happy! It took me a minute to get back to this, but to thank you guys I'll be wrapping up and finishing the story soon! Hope everyone is staying safe during this quarantine!
Raiden melted back into the shadows, shooting his brothers a quick text. It had been a gamble to use this plan to lure the boys. He'd suggested using the girls as the sacrifices instead, but the threat to their health quickly shut down that plan. And now that the real targets were here, there was no need to deviate from the original plan.
"Looks like Reed was right. No matter what lifetime, those girls will always be their weakness."
"Blossom, are you okay?" Blossom waved away her friends' concern as she sat on a nearby bench. After they finished their food, they'd walked along the boardwalk. For some reason, Blossom began feeling feverish as the night had gone on. Bubbles had felt her forehead when Blossom started complaining about dizziness, hissing shortly after.
"You're burning up!" Her eyes practically glowed as her temperature increased. She had tried to be brave about it, but Buttercup suggested they go home. Not wanting to spoil her friends' night, Blossom offered to walk back alone. Buttercup and Bubbles were against it, but Blossom convinced them to let her go.
Now here she was, walking back to the beach house. It was soon in sight. She breathed a sigh of relief when she found it unlocked, her mind too foggy to question why that was so. She didn't notice the shadow moving from her line of sight. She didn't hear the whispered plea to just go to her room. She made her way to the kitchen first, chugging a few glasses of ice cold water to combat her fever. She came back to the main hallway, passing a door that was slightly ajar. She paused outside of it, not remembering having seen it on the tour the boys had given them this afternoon.
"Huh. So we have a basement?" She pushed the door open further, her hand blindly searching for a light switch at the top of the stairs. When she found it, she descended, not noticing the wide eyes watching her. She stopped at the bottom, her curious gaze sweeping around her.
"What in the world..." She took in the three stone slabs underneath three glowing orbs. But it was the flaming red one that caught her attention. It seemed to call to her. Almost mechanically, she walked toward it, reaching her hands out to touch it. It glowed brighter at her advance, enveloping her in a warm auburn light when she took it into her hands. Her hair fluttered in the sudden breeze as images shot rapid fire through her mind's eye. Battles. Bloodshed. War. Sorrow. Pain. Love. Longing. Fear. All these emotions and more pulsed through her soul, ending when she was forced to relive ending her and her friends' lives as she performed the rebirth spell. Her closed eyes leaked tears as her memories and powers were unlocked once again.
Brick... Her now glowing pink eyes opened in understanding as she finally put all the pieces together. The reason Bubbles heard voices in her head. Buttercup's strange dreams. Why she felt so drawn to Brick. Why Boomer had felt so comfortable and familiar to her. And the reason Reed had managed to charm her in the first place. No doubt he and his brothers had used their own magic to worm their way into their lives. And if the sacrificial slabs were any indication, they weren't satisfied with losing the first time. She carefully placed the pulsing orb back in its stand. It was a fragment of the Goddess who gave her her own powers, though she wasn't sure how Reed had managed to mix both the God and Goddess. She needed to get to the bottom of this. Things were too different from their last life.
Before she could turn to leave, the back of her neck was suddenly hit. Blossom dropped like dead weight as the person hit her pressure point with deadly precision. Reed stood above her, tsk'ing.
"You always do have to ruin my surprises don't you?" He gently caressed her face before picking her up. He hadn't wanted to resort to this, but desperate times called for desperate measures. She had no doubt regained her powers, and he couldn't have that. She was the only one able to perform the complex rebirth spell. He wouldn't lose her to that barbarian again.
Instead of leaving the basement, he turned right, venturing further inside. He stopped at one of the glass tubes in the center of a grand room. Gently, he placed her inside, closing the top as he pulled back. His angel lay at the bottom of the tube, a mask over her face to help her breathe. It would keep her in suspended animation long enough for him to finish their plan. Then, finally, they could be together.
He turned on the machines, watching as her eyes snapped open as light green liquid began filling the tube. She pounded on the glass, eyes wide in panic. He turned away from her, reminding himself that it was necessary. He and his brothers were the true rulers of this world. He had said so after all. Brick and his brothers had been a mistake, an error in their creator's calculations. He would win the world and her, so he couldn't let his weakness for her overshadow what he had been born to do. So he turned away from her, ignoring the strangled cries that were abruptly cut short as the liquid finished filling the tank.
He emerged from the basement, locking the door behind him and placing the enchantment back over it. He had been careless, but he wouldn't make that same mistake twice. His phone rang, Riley's arrogant smirk filling his screen.
"What?"
"We'll need to move up the timeline. Brick's on his way to the house." Reed hung up, cursing his luck. She must've called for him when her powers returned. He ran a hand down her face. No matter, Brick wouldn't put Blossom's life in danger. And Reed knew just how to exploit such weakness.
