Chapter 17: Zen's Fall Final
As time passed on, Zen continued to get stronger with each passing day. Not only did he grow in power, but also in physical change, he was now closer to the height of Yen Sid. Day by day Zen excelled in his abilities, but he began to grow tired of learning the same thing. However, lately Zen found himself learning more on his own due to the fact that Yen Sid would get a call from elsewhere. There were times when Zen would inquire about his trips, but Yen Sid would brush him off. This left Zen in a state of frustration, thinking that his own master barely cares about him.
It was almost ten-o-clock, Zen was making his way to meet with Yen Sid, but he was stopped by one of the servants.
"Excuse me young apprentice, but I have a message from master Yen Sid." the servant said.
"He wanted me to tell you that he will not be able to meet for lessons today due to some important matters that had come up. He also wanted me to give you this note for study materials."
After letting out a frustrated sigh, Zen took the note and went back to his room. Sitting at his desk, he sank his head into his hand.
"Almost every time." he mumbled.
"Why has he been so busy lately and being so secretive? Does he not trust me?"
As Zen started reading the books, his mind began to wander to the other night where he met the strange old man. His eyes then moved to the amulet that had been on his desk for a long time. Picking up the object in his hand, he turned it over observing it from all sides. He admired the jewel and crafting then set it back down.
"The man must have been crazy, or some kind of merchant trying to sell me something."
Zen placed the amulet back on the desk, stood up, then sat on his bed. As he was sitting there thinking he felt the room get slightly cooler. Feeling a little cold, he stood up and grabbed a few candles
"If only there was a way to excel better in my magic, and be guided by someone I can relate to." said Zen as he proceeded to light the candles.
"I agree, you do deserve better."
Zen turned around at hearing the mysterious voice.
"Who said that?" he asked.
"Just a friend who wants to help."
Zen's looked around the entire room until he saw the glowing amulet on the desk.
"Did you just talk?" Zen asked.
"Maybe I am, but are you listening?" said the voice within the amulet.
"Of course I am, but why haven't you talked to me before?" Zen asked.
"Because young apprentice, I can only communicate when your needs are dire." replied the voice.
"So you can actually help me?" asked Zen.
"I can teach you many things, young apprentice, things even your master won't teach you. All you have to do is trust me."
Zen had to think for a moment before answering.
"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked.
"You don't, but I'm your best chance at knowing the truth and discovering so much more
Zen was tired of being left in the dark all this time by his master, and with a heavy sigh he complied with the voice.
"Very well, I trust you," said Zen.
Deep within a forest on the far side of the kingdom away from prying eyes, there was an old cabin hidden deep within the trees. While on the outside the cabin looked worn down, the inside was well kept and fairly tiedy. At the center of the room was a long marble table and at that table sat six cloaked figures.
"It's been months Damond!" voice a frustrated Avera.
"Impatient as always Avera." said one of the unknown cloaked figures.
"Mind your tongue Jairon!" shouted Avera.
"A thief such as yourself should know your place."
Jairon glared back at her.
"My place will always be above a spoiled wretch like you."
Avera was about to retort but was cut off by one of the others.
"ENOUGH, BOTH OF YOU!" boomed Drayden, the largest of the group.
"I'm sick of the bickering between you two! And especially your constant whining Avera!"
"You're a bit of a loud yourself Drayden." said Kenna.
The room broke out into a massive argument. Damond rubbed his face in annoyance then stood up.
"SILENCE!"
The room immediately became quiet when Damond raised his voice.
"Now listen, the master at this very moment is playing his part, we must also play our part in the grand plan," said Damond.
"Each of us were found at our weakest, cast out, abandoned, cheated out of what we wanted. But then he found us, brought us together, gave us a purpose and a promise of a true paradise. He even gave us these powerful medallions as proof of his word."
Everyone took a moment to remember the past and what they went through to get where they are now.
"Now, we owe the master our loyalty and cooperation. We will not question him at all." said Damond.
"Are we clear?"
"Yes," the others answered in unison.
"Very well, now back to the task at hand." said Damond as he sat back in his chair.
"Regis, how are preparations for the ritual?"
"It is underway, but I still need a few more items then we wait." said Regis.
"Understood, Avera and Jairon, you will assist in retrieving the items for Regis," said Damond.
"It wouldn't hurt to snag a few shines for myself." said Jairon as he flipped a gold coin between his fingers.
"You will keep your mind on the task at hand." ordered Damond.
Jairon scoffed much to Avera's amusement.
"What of the Wizard?'' asked Damond.
"My men have been keeping him on his toes constantly," said Drayden. with a smirk.
"And my illusions have been keeping the towns in a state of fear." added Kenna.
"Excellent," said Damond as he rubbed his hands together.
"Soon everything will come into place, and our master's plan will come to fruition. The young apprentice is the final key we need to secure our ultimate goal."
"But what if the boy isn't cooperative?" asked Kenna.
"Don't worry about that, our master will see to it that the boy joins us." Damond replied.
"Now, all of you will proceed as planned, the time for our master's arrival will be upon us soon.
And so the Dark Court went their separate ways in preparation for what's to come.
It wasn't until late that Yen Sid had returned to the castle. As he walked to the dinning hall the servants had just placed trays of hot food on the table.
"Yen, you are just in time!" said Walt Disney as he waved Yen over.
"Good evening," said Yen as he pulled up a chair.
"Have you seen Zen at all today?"
"I'm afraid not, things have been quite busy for me lately I'm afraid." replied Walt.
"What about you Yen, how is Zen's performance doing?"
Yen Sid paused for a moment.
"I've also been busy with some tasks lately, but I'm sure he's doing well." replied Yen.
Walt stopped eating and gave Yen a look of disapproval.
"Listen Yen, I appreciate you looking into all this, but I don't want it to draw you away from your duty as a master."
Yen sighed.
"I know, I'm trying my best to spend more time with him, but the longer this cult remains out there, the more the kingdom is in danger."
"Just try to make time for Zen, please."
Yen just gave a slow nod.
"Well, I just sent a servant to fetch him for dinner so he should be here shortly," said Walt.
After taking a few bites of their food, Walt brought the conversation back up.
"While we're on the topic, have you found out anything new?" he asked.
"Unfortunately no, all these recent incidents seem so random."
"Maybe it's a diversion from what they're really planning." Walt proposed.
"Perhaps." replied Yen .
"However, even if that was the case, there is still nowhere to find them."
"I'll investigate more tomorr…"
"I'll take care of it, Yen." Walt interrupted.
"Spend the day with Zen, make sure he's doing well on his magic. I'll see over the investigation for a while."
Yen was about to say something but disregarded it.
"I understand."
A few seconds later, Zen had entered the room and took a seat at the table.
"Ah Zen, good to see you." greeted Walt.
"Hello sir, hello master." said Zen.
"Evening young apprentice." replied Yen.
A few minutes later, Walt started up a new conversation.
"So how have your spells been coming along Zen?"
"Quite alright sir, I'm learning a lot, but I've been having trouble with this one spell for a week." Zen replied.
"Have you been reading and practicing the material that I've left you?" ased Yen.
"I've tried, but I still can't perfect it." said Zen.
Yen let out a frustrated sigh.
"Zen I expected you to be caught up with all of this by now."
A frown crossed Zen's face.
"I'm sorry, maybe if my master was around more often to guide me then I would have finished everything sooner."
Yen looked at Zen with a cross look on his face.
"Now see here apprentice, you should know that you need to be more committed to your studies as a wizard." said Yen.
"If you want me to become a better wizard, then why are you keeping things from me? Nearly everyday for the past 2-3 months you've been running out on me.
At Zen's words, Yen stood up from his chair with a crossed look. He was just about to rempermend Zen but was stopped, but was stopped by Walt.
"Settle down, both of you. Let's not have any arguments at the table please."
"Sorry sir." both Yen and Zen said as they sat back down.
The meal continued on in silence, at some point Walt wanted to start up another conversation, but decided not to.
As soon as dinner was finished, the servant started to bring out some apple pie with whipped cream and a cherry on top. Walt took in the sight of the gorgeous looking dessert and smiled.
"This wouldn't happen to be your special recipe Ethel?"
Ethel smiled with pride.
"Passed down through generations from my great great grandma," said Ethel.
"Well it's still quite delicious, she would be proud of you." said Walt.
Ethel couldn't help but blush at the complement.
As Zen was eating his heping of pie, he started hearing the voice again.
"Zen, it is time for us to meet once again."
Zen stood up from his seat.
"Thank you for the meal, but I have something to take care of." said Zen.
"Are you sure it can't wait? You haven't finished your pie yet." said Walt.
"Sorry, but I really need to go. Have a good evening!" said Zen as he excused himself.
Walt saw the disappointed look on Ethel's face as she stared at the half eaten pie.
"Pass his plate here, I'll finish it."
Ethel immediately cheered up and passed the plate to Walt who began to eat it.
Zen walked down the hall to his room quietly. Before entering, he looked up and down the corridor to make sure no one was nearby. Once he was sure the coast was clear, he entered the room and locked it behind him. Zen walked up to the desk and picked up the amulet curiously.
"How did you do that?" asked Zen.
"How come I'm the only one that can hear you?"
"Because I was meant just for your use only."
"Meant for me? How?"
"Trust me apprentice, your questions will all be answered in time."
Zen sighed.
"Something else is bothering you apprentice, I could sense it from afar."
"It's nothing, '' said Zen quietly.
"If you share it with me, then you'll feel a lot better."
After a moment, Zen decided to voice his problems.
"It's just that my master has me learning the same spells over and over for a long time, he's almost always away when I need him." said Zen in frustration.
"Believe me I know how you feel"
"You do?" asked Zen.
"Yes, I too know what it's like to have someone hold me back and abandon me when I need them."
"Really?"
"Absolutely, it was my brother, fellow apprentice: Yen Sid. And a close friend: Walt Disney."
Zen's eyes widened in surprise.
"Y...You know my master and Mr. Walt Disney!?"
"I do, as a matter of fact, they're the reason I'm like this."
"They turned you into an amulet?"
"Not exactly, I was or am, imprisoned deep beneath this very castle. This amulet is the only way for us to talk to one another."
"Why were you imprisoned?"
"Because I wanted to explore new ways to form magic, expand beyond the boundaries that us wizards have been confined to, I almost reached that point. However, Walt tried to stop my experiments because he believed they were too dangerous. I made many discoveries and even began to form a new type of magic in secret. I believed that once I proved myself Walt would gradually let me continue, but alas, Yen Sid, my own brother and fellow wizard turned against me and exposed me to Walt Disney. I tried to reason with them, but they heard none of it, and Walt imprisoned me in the Vault deep in the catacombs of the castle."
Zen listened in pure astonishment at the story that was shared to him.
"Why would they do this?"
"I still wonder this myself, perhaps they envied my abilities, or saw me as a threat to their power."
"I just can't believe this, Mr. Walt has been such a nice caring man." Zen said in disappointment.
"Many people can put on a mask for many years, and it takes one simple act for the person to show their true nature."
"Perhaps I can help you, I can talk to my master, Mr. Walt an.."
"I'm afraid they won't listen, and if they knew I was talking to you, they would make sure I was never heard from again."
"Maybe if I was able to free you, we can both talk to them."
"Perhaps, but even then who knows how they will feel."
"Is there any way I can help you?"
"There may be one way."
"Really?"
"Yes, there is a special collection of books that I was using that was stashed away by some place hidden where only Walt knows."
"How do I find this book?"
"Don't worry, I have friends in high places who can help you."
"But I thought I was the only one who could hear you?"
"You are the only one I can communicate with through this amulet."
Zen was still trying to wrap his head around all this information.
"When you say friends, do you mean like the old man I met the other night?"
"Exactly."
"I will arrange for you to meet my associates tomorrow night under the cover of darkness.
"Alright then."
"And young apprentice"
"Yes?"
"Once things are set in motion, there will be no way to reverse them for me or for you. Are you ready to make the sacrifices that are necessary for our goal to be reached?"
"I understand."
The next day was a rare one, Yen Sid was actually there to teach Zen. Making his way to the library, Zen was surprised to be greeted by Yen Sid.
"You're late," said Yen Sid.
Zen wanted to argue, but decided not to.
"Sorry." Zen apologized.
"Let's proceed then," said Yen Sid.
The day went on as just a minor review for Zen, covering everything he has practiced for the last few months. There were times when Zen would try to approach Yen about something but was constantly given the cold shoulder. To Zen, it was like he didn't want to be there. Of course he did start learning a few new things, but it wasn't much. Zen decided to just get through the day and be ready for tonight.
It was that evening and Zen told one of the servants that he was just going for a walk so he wouldn't look too suspicious. He made his way to the hedge maze out in the gardens where he was sure no one would follow. He had traversed the maze many times and knew it inside-out. At the center of the maze was a small patch of flowers with a bench right next to it. Zen sat down and waited patiently for his opposed visitor. A thin fog started to fill the maze, then out of the mist appeared two figures, A tall man with a strong build and a hood over his head, the other who was shorter and walked with a limp with a staff for support. Zen immediately recognized the shorter figure as the old man from the one night he first received the amulet.
"Hello!" Zen waved over.
"Good to see you again, young apprentice." Greeted Regis.
"I never did tell you my name, it's Regis, and this is my associate, Damond." Regis ushered to the taller man.
"We are here to help you with your preparation," said Damond.
"Preparation?" asked Zen.
"Yes young apprentice, our mutual friend has arranged for us to share a special magic spell to help you find the book that will aid you," said Regis.
"Wait, you guys are wizards?" asked Zen.
"Not exactly, but we are capable of producing a type of magic," said Damond.
"So how do I learn this spell?" asked Zen.
"Damond?" Regis ushered to his companion.
Damond then pulled a small glowing green potion bottle from his cloak and handed it to Regis. Regis opened the bottle and poured a little of the contents onto a handkerchief. Regis motioned Zen to stick out both his palms to him, then he rubbed a little of the potion onto each hand.
"What is this?" asked Zen.
"A special kind of potion that has been laced with magic. It was made to help boost the effects of any spell.
"Wow." said Zen in wonder.
"Now then," said Regis as he just finished dabbing the potion in his own hands.
"Pay close attention."
Regis closed his eyes and made various motions with his hands. He then opened his eyes and they glowed a bright green.
"VISARO LOCKEEMOSE!"
A strange symbol appeared right in front of him, then it dissipated into light and was gone.
Zen watched the special with wide eyes and his jaw hanging.
"Now apprentice, it is your turn. Repeat the same motions and words as I did." instructed Regis.
Zen took in a deep breath and proceeded to conjure the spell.
Closing his eyes and mimicking the motions, he said the words "VISARO LOCKEEMOSE!" loudly and the symbol appeared again then dissipated into late.
"Is that it?" he asked.
"It is done," said Regis.
"This spell will allow you to see any object you mean to obtain. The spell lasts for a day, but with the aid of a potion, it should last you two days."
"You see young apprentice, since neither me or Damond are Wizards, it is alot harder for us to produce magic. However, since Damond is a potion maker, he helps us perform certain spells."
"So I should be able to find the book with this spell?" asked Zen.
"Yes." answered Damond.
"It is late, we must return to the others Regis," said Damond.
"Indeed we must. Farewell young apprentice, until we meet again." said Regis.
As the two men left, the fog began to dissipate. Zen then had a question he wanted to ask.
"Wait! Who are the "Others"?" Zen asked, but the men were already gone.
Zen made his way back inside the castle with a sigh.
Today was Zen's day to rest, no lessons or tasks for him to do for the whole day. However, Zen had no intention of goofing off because he made plans to find the mysterious book. Mr. Walt wouldn't be here today so this was the perfect chance.
"Okay, how does this spell work?" said Zen.
"Maybe I just need to concentrate harder."
Zen shut his eyes tight and put four fingers to the side of his forehead. After a few seconds, Zen opened his eyes again but saw nothing.
"Ugh! Why won't this work!?" Zen groaned in frustration.
"Maybe that spell was a dud or something. I mean what is it supposed to just pop into my head or something?"
Then right on que, an image appeared in his head, it showed what looked like a book shelf and on it was the book that Zen was looking for.
"I guess so," said Zen in surprise.
"So let's see, so it looks like it's in Mr. Walt's study on a shell behind the left bookcase. But how am I going to get to it?"
Zen sat on his bed and tried to come up with a plan, then a lightbulb went off in his head.
"Of course, Ethel is the only other person who has a key to the study. Mr. Walt has trusted her for years to clean there. I just need to get the master key from her, and I know just how to do it."
With his plan in mind, Zen set off to find Ethel.
It was almost twelve noon lunch time and Zen knew that Ethel would be in the kitchen getting the food ready. Zen made his way in.
"Hello Ethel!" said Zen.
"Oh, hello young master." Ethel greeted.
Zen smelled the scent of Ethel's pie in the air and knew he was right. Ethel almost always makes a pie around this time.
"Hey Ethel, I was wondering if I may have a piece of that special pie that you just made," said Zen.
Ethel turned to Zen with a raised eyebrow.
"Really? I recall you didn't care for my pie the other night."
"I apologize for that, I wasn't really feeling well so I had to miss out, but I could smell the pie from the kitchen and I thought maybe I should have some," said Zen.
Ethel gave Zen a serious look while he tried not to sweat, but then her face lit up with a big grin.
"Mr Walt isn't going to be here today so I couldn't let my special pie get cold."
Zen breathed a small sigh of relief.
"Let me just get my special slicing knife."
While Ethel had her back turned, Zen gently tipped over a bucket of soapy water onto the kitchen floor right behind her. Ethel turned around with her slicer in hand and took one step to the table, but then she slipped and landed on her backside on the tile floor. Zen quickly went behind Ethel to help her up. As he helped her off the floor he carefully took the key to Walt's study.
"Ethel are you alright!?" Zen acted in fake surprise.
"I'm alright, I ought to give the cleaning staff a piece of my mind!" said Ethel in frustration.
Zen helped Ethel clean up the spilt water, then Ethel cut Zen a piece of pie and handed it to him on a plate.
"I hope you enjoy it!" said Ethel with a smile.
"Oh I will thank you." said Zen as he took a bite.
"This is delicious! You always outdone yourself every time." said Zen.
"Thank you!" said Ethel as she blushed.
"I will be relaxing in the garden meadow. come fetch me if you need anything." said Ethel with a yawn.
"I sure will." said Zen as he held the study's key behind his back.
Once he was sure Ethel was out of sight, he breathed.
"Just hope she doesn't check her keys,"
Zen finished up his pie eating up almost every last crumb. He wasn't lying when he said it was delicious.
Zen made his way to Mr. Walts study room, making sure nobody was around to be suspicious.
"Better be quick about this before someone walks by." he said to himself
Taking one last look around the room, he quickly put the key in the lock and turned the door knob. Once inside, he quickly and quietly closed the door behind him.
"Okay, now for the bookcase."
Concentration, he brought the image up in his mind.
"Behind that one." he said to himself as he approached the left bookcase.
Spitting in his hands and rubbing them together, he proceeded to try and push the bookcase out of the way, but it didn't budge.
"Of course it wouldn't be that easy." Zen said to himself.
"Or maybe.."
Zen tried to see if there was a trigger lock by pulling down the books. It wasn't until he got to the very last book on the last shelf at the bottom did the bookcase finally move. (There were alot of books) With the bookcase out of the way, Zen finally saw the book that he needed.
"There's more than one book and all of them look nearly identical."
Zen looked to the clock and saw that it was almost time for the servants to return to work.
"I better just grab one and go, Ethel will be waking up soon and she'll find out the key is missing."
Zen took a random book from the stone shelf and made sure the bookcase was back where it was back in order without any suspicion. Taking one last look around the room, he quietly closed the study's door and locked it.
After quickly returning the key to a sleeping Ethel, Zen got back to his room and locked the door
"Almost thought I wouldn't be able to pull it off." Zen said to himself.
Zen went to his desk and placed the book next to the amulet.
"Okay so how does this work?" asked Zen.
"The magic and spells you will learn will be far beyond what you are used to. The process could go from months to years."
"Months to a few years!?" said Zen in surprise.
"These things take time, young apprentice, but with my guidance, you will be stronger than ever."
Zen took a moment to think about it.
"Remember, this will be between you and me, no one must know."
"I understand," said Zen.
As time went on Zen continued with his lessons with Yen Sid, growing from a young boy to that of a young man. Meanwhile, he was secretly learning other magics under the teachings of the person who spoke through the amulet, as well as occasionally meeting with the other members of the Dark Court. Yen Sid became none the wiser of Zen's other activities. He was impressed with how fast Zen was mastering spells, unknown the reason was the additional magic power he received from his continued swiping of the hidden books in Walt's study. Zen had secretly had a duplicate key made so as to not draw any suspicion from Ethel.
Zen didn't know it at the time, but he was slowly falling under the same corruption as Wildroth had a long ago, and that made him easier to manipulate. Meanwhile, Wildroth's Dark court were making plans of their own.
"The time draws near my brothers and sisters." said Damond to his fellow court members.
"Are you sure this will work?" asked Kenna.
"It had better." said Avera.
"Everything has gone according to plan," said Regis.
"Soon the way will be clear for us to free our master from his prison, and usher in a new age for all of us."
"Perhaps we could storm the castle and find the vault ourselves, my men and I.."
"We will do nothing of the sort!" shouted Damond as he cut off Drayden.
"We cannot draw attention to ourselves otherwise we will be caught by Walt Disney."
"But are you sure the young apprentice will help us willingly?" asked Jairon.
"He will, after all he owes us his loyalty for all we've given him," said Damond.
Back at the castle, Zen was getting ready to finally move to the next level of magic after so long. Zen showed high confidence in his abilities and was ready to excel to higher places. Late that evening, Zen was in his room getting his uniform ready for the next day. Walt was going to be away for a few days, but promised to be there tomorrow late afternoon for Zens ceremony.
"Finally, after all this time I'll get to learn new things.
"If you were to ask me, I'd say you are far beyond doing these mere parlor tricks young apprentice, you deserve a lot more than this."
"You're probably right, but it's still something." said Zen.
As Zen continued to get ready, Yen Sid was in the library doing research. He had made very little progress with finding out the plans of the Dark Court, so he was trying to find a different angle.
"I have gone through almost every book in this library, and I'm still no closer to stopping them." Yen said in frustration.
"A few items were stolen, a couple of raids here and there, but nothing that connects. It all doesn't seem to make sense unless…unless."
A lightbulb went off in his head.
"It was all a distraction from what is really going on. What if their real goal is to free their master?"
Yen started to pace back and forth.
"They would need to find the vault as well as secure the service of a powerful wizard. But who would be willing to help them?"
"The only well known wizard in the land is me. Well there is Zen as well, but he can't be involved…Or could he? How would he even know?"
Yen tried to reason with himself to not paint Zen as a suspect.
"I'm sure he's innocent, and to prove it I'll have his room looked over."
It was around eight o'clock when there was a knock on Zen's door. Zen quickly hid the book and amulet then went to answer the door., Zen was greeted with the face of a servant.
"I hate to bother you young master, but master Yen Sid has requested your presence in the library."
"Strange, why see me at this hour?" asked Zen.
"He didn't say, just told me to fetch you right away," said the servant.
Zen shrugged his shoulders and left the room. Once he was down the hall, and out of sight Ethel appeared around the corner.
"Has he gone?" asked Ethel.
"It seems so maam." replied the servant.
"Good, now return to your tasks so as not to draw any suspicion," said Ethel.
"Ma'am. If I may ask, is something wrong?" asked the servant,
"Nothing is for certain yet, this must be kept quiet, understood?" said Ethel in a stern tone.
"Um..Yes, understood." said the servant as he walked away.
Once the coast was clear, Ethel quickly and quietly unlocked the door and snuck inside. Ethel had cleaned Zen room thousands of times before, but this time she was actually looking for something. She was always mindful not to snoop around when cleaning. She looked around the room to see if there were any good places to hide something without notice. From the covereds to the draws she looked everywhere.
"Maybe he is innocent," said Ethel.
"But I need to be absolutely sure."
Meanwhile, Zen had just arrived at the library to see his master.
"You wanted to see me?" he asked.
"Indeed I did young apprentice. Have a seat."
Zen took the chair across from Yen.
"So what is the reason for this meeting?"
"I just wanted to talk with you about how you are doing and all the progress you've made over the past few years," said Yen.
"I mean, while you were slow at first you quickly started mastering spells on the first attempt, even better than I have."
Zen shrugged "I guess it's just luck."
"I don't believe in luck apprentices." said Yen sternly.
"However, I do believe in opportunity, opportunity that can sway a person to take a shortcut to get what they want."
"Are you accusing me of something?" asked Zen in a slightly defensive tone.
"I'm merely saying that you've learned awfully fast for an apprentice of your abilities."
"I don't have time for this!" said Zen as he stood up.
"Stay seated young apprentice." said Yen in a serious tone.
Zen immediately sat done quickly.
"If there was something going on you would tell me right?" asked Yen.
"Everything is fine," said Zen.
"There is absolutely nothing goin-"
"Excuse me sir." said Ethel who was in the doorway..
"I need to talk to you."
Yen stood up and went to Ethel, giving Zen a look that told him not to move.
While Yen was talking to Ethel, Zen sat there slightly worried.
"He suspects me, it's only a matter of time before he finds out." Zen thought to himself.
"Just as soon as I get back to my room, I'll-"
"Apprentice!" shouted a Yen in a judging tone.
"Would you be so kind as to explain what these are?" asked Yen as he held up the amulet and magic book and set them on the desk."
Zen gulped but made an attempt to explain himself.
"The amulet was a gift from a friend, and I just found the book and thought I could learn something from it."
"Oh? So I guess you also just happen to have a duplicate of Ethel's key to Walt's personal study." said Yen as he placed the key on the table.
Zen finally realized that there was no way around this, so he decided to defend himself.
"Alright fine the books were shared to me by a friend, and the amulet I received from another friend."
"How did you know of the existence of these books, as well as know where they were hidden?" asked Yen.
"Walt himself is the only one who knows where they were hidden, who told you about them?"
"I told you, a friend told me!" shouted Zen.
"What did this so-called friend look like?" Yen asked.
"I can't really say, It was dark out." Zen lied.
Yen Sid wasn't fooled in the slightest by the deception.
"Apprentice, you are not telling me everything, and you continue to challenge my authority," said Yen sternly.
"Sneaking around, stealing books, trespassing into Walt's personal study, taking advantage of the ones who trust you. I thought you would be better than…him."
Sudden realization crossed Yen's face.
"Listen closely to me Zen, whoever you've been talking to is not someone you should associate with. This person is only trying to manipulate you into getting what they want."
Zen's frustration grew into fury.
"What do you expect!? You're almost never there when I need you. Atleast, this person actually cares about my abilities and I've learned more from him than I have from you!"
"ENOUGH!" shouted Yen.
"Until you come to reason and tell me everything, you will be confined to your room, and on top of that, I'm revoking your learning experience!"
Zen stood there with his mouth wide open in disbelief. He wanted to protest, but he couldn't find the words. He slowly walked to the doorway without looking at anyone.
Yen motioned for a few of the guards who were nearby.
"Make sure Zen goes to his room, he is not permitted to leave unless I say otherwise."
The guards nodded, then proceeded to follow Zen.
Yen rubbed his temples in frustration.
"Hopefully he'll come to his senses soon."
As Yen Sid walked back out into the hall, he saw Ethel weeping on a bench with a couple of servants sitting next to her trying to provide comfort. Yen walked up to them and waved the other servants off.
"Please forgive me sir, It was my fault for not being careful." said Ethel as she avoided eye contact with Yen Sid.
"Ethel, what is done is done, Zen has deceived us all for quite some time. And no, we have no intention of letting you go." said Yen.
At those words, Ethel raised her head, eyes still full of tears.
"Thank you very much sir," sniffled Ethel as she blew her nose into her handkerchief.
Yen returned to his own room to try and solve the situation. While tonight's events filled in some of the blanks, there were still plenty of unanswered questions.
Zen slammed the door to his room in rage, he then proceeded to go on a rampage in his own room, throwing things at the wall, ripping up papers, knocking over a table, etc. After a while Zen calmed down and just sat against the wall with his knees to his chest.
"I hate him." Zen muttered.
As he sat quietly for a while there was a piece of paper that was thrown through the window and landed right in front of him. Zen raised his head, saw the paper, and picked it up.
Unfolding the paper Zen read the words "THE GARDEN, TOMORROW AT NOON"
Zen looked at the note in confusion, but nevertheless put it in his back pocket. He wasn't sure what it meant but at the moment, he would rather be any place else.
Meanwhile, The Dark Court were making their own final arrangements. They have been preparing for quite some time for the arrival of their master, all they needed was a wizard powerful enough to remove the seal on the vault.
"It is almost hard to believe that the moment is near for us to finally meet our master," said Drayden as he sharpened his axe.
"Our time and loyalty will finally pay off," said Kenna.
"After being trapped in there for so long, I tend to wonder what he looks like now." said Jairon as he flipped a gold coin in his fingers.
"What gloden prizes he'll reward me with."
"I look forward to listening to all the secrets he may have for us to consider." added Regis
Suddenly, Damond appeared out of nowhere startling Avera.
"There has been a slight change of plans," he announced.
"Change of plans?" asked Regis.
"Yes, we will have to move the ritual to tomorrow around noon." said Regis.
There was a loud series of protests and objects until Damond raised his hand and quiet everyone.
"Now listen, due to recent complications, we need to perform the ritual as soon as possible," said Damond.
"But didn't you say that the boy needed more training and wasn't ready yet?" asked Kenna
"And what do you mean by complications?" asked Drayden.
"It appears that the wizard has found out about Zen's involvement with us."
"WHAT!?" shouted the other court members in surprise.
"I knew we couldn't trust that apprentice!" shouted Avera.
"Surely he's now told him everything about us," said Kenna.
"Perhaps we should depart while we still can." advised Jairon.
"Quiet! All of you!" shouted Damond.
There was a short silence, then Damond spoke.
"Despite how the situation looks, I believe Zen is still with us. I've kept a close eye on the boy for a while now and even though he was forced to reveal some of his secrets, he still held his tongue about us."
"Indeed, the apprentice would have told the wizard all about us a long time ago if he didn't trust us." said Regis.
"So you believe the apprentice is still willing to help us?" asked Jairon.
"It is a gamble, but one that weighs greatly in our favor." said Damond.
"He is the only wizard who would help us willingly."
"Are you sure he is even ready? Are you sure we're even ready?" asked Kenna.
"We have no other option, we must be ready for tomorrow." said Damond.
"How do you know he won't turn us in?" asked a skeptical Avera.
"As I said before, it is a gamble we'll have to take," said Damond.
"Everyone, make your final preparations, tomorrow is a day that will change everything."
The next morning, Zen was still in his room sulking. The servants had brought him food, but he still refused to eat. He was supposed to graduate to the next level, but was denied by his master.
"It's not fair," he said to himself.
After a few more minutes of feeling sorry for himself, Zen recalled the paper that was given to him last night. Remembering the words that were on it, he then realized that his acquaintances wanted to see him in the garden at noon. Looking at the clock, he noticed that it was almost twelve. He needed to find a way out of this. After a minute, a lightbulb went off in his head. Zen went to the door and opened it.
"Excuse, but I need to use the chamber," said Zen.
The guards looked at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Don't you have one in your room?" asked the first guard.
"I do, but it is fairly full," replied Zen.
"Perhaps I'll alert one of the servants to-"
"I need to go now!" Protested Zen.
"Fine,'' groaned the second guard.
"Let;s get this over with." said the first guard.
The two guards escorted Zen to one of the public chamber rooms.
"Okay apprentice, we'll be right outside, make sure you hurry up." said the first guard.
"Of course!" said Zen with a fake smile.
Once Zen stepped inside, he saw a much bigger window for him to crawl out, the reason for this was because the windows in his room were a bit smaller than his size, and also due to the fact that it was much higher up. Sticking his head out the window, he looked out to see a small tree that he could use to climb down to the lower balcony and then drop down to the bushes further down. Taking one more look back to make sure no one was watching, Zen reached out and started climbing down.
While Zen was making his own way to the garden, The Dark Court had just arrived nearby. Making sure their carriages and horses were out of sight, they proceeded to plan their approach.
"Jairon, go on ahead and let me know how many guards stand between us and the garden." instructed Damond.
Jairon huffed then leapt into the cover of the trees. As a master thief, Jairon hated taking orders, but he knew that it would be unwise to not follow the plan.
"How are we supposed to get to the garden? Surely Yen Sid has doubled the guards since our last visit." said Drayden.
"I concur, they probably know our identities," said Avera.
"While that may be true, we still have somewhat of an upperhand." said Damond.
"What do you mean?" asked Kenna.
"They may know of our titles, but not of our faces." Damond pointed out.
"That is true." Regis agreed.
"But how will that help us?" asked Avera.
"Come close and I will explain the plan," said Damond.
Jairon soon returned with information regarding the guards whereabouts.
"There are several guards patrolling certain areas of the garden," he said.
"However, if you enter from the west and east side, there will be less to deal with."
"Thank you, go on ahead and meet us at the location, we will be there shortly," said Damond.
Jairon nodded and returned to the shadows.
"How come he gets to leave without us?" said Avera in annoyance.
"My dear, he is a master thief, with his abilities he won't be easily spotted and risk being captured." said Regis.
Avera just huffed.
"Now then, let us proceed. I believe it's cloudy enough for some fog." said Damond.
While Jairon went on ahead, the rest of the court took the two entrances. The first group of guards were just patrolling the lane when a blanket of fog rolled in. While the fog wasn't very thick, it wasn't easy to see anything.
"Gee, it sure did cloud up all of a sudden." said one of the guards.
"Yeah, it was sunny not that long ago," said another.
As they went on with their patrol, they heard a groaning sound from a few steps away.
"Look!" said a guard.
"There's an old man over there who has fallen."
The group of guards quickly rushed over to help the man.
"Sir, are you alright?"
"I was hit by a large man from behind." said Regis as he stood up.
"What did he look like?" asked one of the guards.
"He looked exactly like him," said Regis.
Before the guards had time to react, two large hands came and smashed their heads together, making them fall to the ground unconscious.
"I prefer to look my opponents in the eye before I dispatch them," said Drayden.
"I understand, but we cannot risk drawing attention to ourselves," said Regis.
"We're almost there, it's just this way."
Drayden scoffed and followed behind.
Meanwhile, on the other side, Damond, Avera, and Kenna were making their own way inward. Another pair of guards were making their way around the bend when they heard a slight whistle.
"Oh boys?" called a voice.
The guards turned their heads to see a beautiful woman standing by the fountain with flowers in her hand. The guard's eyes widened and they let out a wolf whistle. Straightening themselves out they made their way to the woman."
"May I be of assistance?" they both said in unison.
"Believe I may have misplaced my handkerchief." Avera said innocently.
"Don't worry ma'am, I'll find it!" the guards said as they glared at each other.
While they started crawling around looking, Avera dropped the supposed handkerchief on the ground behind her. When the guards saw it, they both pounced on it at the same time.
"I saw it first!" said the first guard.
"Well I grabbed it first!" the other fired back.
They then proceeded to argue back-and-forth much to Avera's amusement. However, the show eventually had to come to an end.
"Oh, you boys found it!" Avera said delightly.
"Here you go ma'am!" they said while handing her a corner.
"Thank you so much." she said with a smile.
"Here, have a flower!"
"Why thank you ma'am!" they said as they each took a flower.
After a couple of seconds of sniffing the flower, both guardes suddenly collapsed to the ground sleeping. Damond appeared out of a few hedges and admired the work.
"I see the sleeping potion worked well."
"Yeah, but it cost me a valuable handkerchief." Avera complained.
Another guard was a short distance away, and had seen the whole thing. He was about to call the rest of the guards, but for some reason he couldn't move a muscle.
"You are very exhausted," said Kenna.
"At this very moment you will fall asleep and forget everything you have just seen."
With that Kenna snapped her fingers and the guard plumped to the ground asleep. She then walked over to her compions with a smirk on her face.
"I prefer to use my own abilities, then silly potions."
"Show off." muttered Avera.
"But I did find your spectacle entertaining." Kenna added.
"Come you two, it's nearly twelve noon." ushered Damond.
At the center of the maze, Jairon was there sitting on a bench. Seeing his allies approach, he pulled out a watch that he had just stolen and looked at the time.
"Took you long enough." he said with a snarky tone.
"Sorry, but not all of us a peasant thief." Avera replied with an equal snarkiness.
Before the two could get into another argument, Zen appeared out of some bushes.
"Good to see you my boy, glad you made it." said Regis.
"We don't have much time. The guards probably know now of my disappearance." warned Zen.
"Indeed, we must move quickly," said Damond.
"Zen, do you still remember where the entrance is?"
"Yes, it's just this way." said Zen as he led them to it.
After a while, the guards that were waiting for Zen to finish were getting impatient.
"Ugh! What's taking so long!? said one of the guards.
"Are you finished in there yet!?"
There was no answer, just a long silence.
"Hello?"
Still no answer.
"We should probably check," said the other guard.
Using their spears, they jimmied the lock and opened the door, only they found no one inside, but the window was wide open.
"Uh oh," they said in unison.
Yen Sid was in his office looking over some papers when there was a knock at the door.
"Come in," he said with an irritated tone.
The two guards from earlier walked in with a nervous look on their faces.
"Well? Spit it out." said Yen impatiently.
"You see about the apprentice sir." said the first guard with a nervous grin.
"He sort of escaped." the other one finished.
"What!?" said Yen with a mix of surprise and frustration
"Well you see, it was like this we-"
But Yen heard none of it, pushing past the guards and muttering the word "Fools." as he left.
In Zen's room, Yen inspected everything until he saw the note that was meant for Zen on the bed. Picking it up and reading it, his eyes widened and he rushed out of the room.
"Sound the alarm and get every available guard to the gardens immediately!"
While the guards were mobilizing, Zen and his acquaintances had found the entrance to the catacombs.
"Now apprentice, perform the spell motions and the wall should move," said Damond.
"How will you know if it will work?" asked Zen.
"Our master revealed to us many secrets and spells, but once again, since we are not wizards, we cannot produce much magic." Damond exclaimed.
"However, you Zen have become much more powerful with all your training, and can wield much stronger magic."
Zen thought about this for a second, but made up his mind.
"Okay, here goes nothing."
Concentrating as best as he could, he performed the motions. To his fortune, the stone wall began to slide out of the way. Zen's eyes widened at the spectacle.
"I can't believe it worked," he said.
"You should, you are much stronger in ways that even rival your master." said Regis.
Just then, the sound of a horn went off, followed by marching boots.
"We should get moving, the guards will be here any second." warned Kenna.
"Agreed. Everyone into the catacombs, quickly now."
Once everyone was inside, the wall closed back up. The catacombs were pitch black, Regis reached for his enchanted lantern and looked for a to lanterns light, Jairon had found a torch laying against the wall and lit it. The group made their way down the slope of stairs deeper into the inner chambers.
"You had the opportunity to expose us and turn us in, but you didn't. Why?" asked Avera.
"Because I owe you all a great deal, I wouldn't have learned so much without your aid as well as the voice behind the amulet," said Zen.
"You were wise to choose us, otherwise there would be consequences." said Drayden as he was elbowed in the side by Jairon.
After a few moments, they finally came to the giant door that had the letters that represented disney.
"This is it, right through this door lies the seal to the vault." said Damond in astonishment.
"Once our master is free, he will set everything the way it should be."
Zen placed his palm on the door and it opened slowly. The room sensed there presents and began to lighten the area.
"Alright everyone, the time is now, take your positions around the seal." instructed Damond.
"And Zen, take your place at the center."
Zen looked down at the ground with a concerned look on his face.
"Even with all that I have learned, I'm not sure it will be enough," said Zen.
"Which is why this was made just for you," said Damond as he handed Zen an object that was wrapped in a dark cloth.
Zen unraveled the silk to reveal a long metallic like black staff with a green gem at the top. Zen admire it from all angles.
"Made from precious ore created from the powers of our master," said Regis.
"The staff was made especially to channel magic for it's master's will," said Jairon.
"But how will I know how to open the seal?" Zen asked.
"Once we start, our power will all run through you, and then once you reach complete focus, the words will come to you boy." said Drayden.
"It will seem like too much to handle at first, but you'll quickly get used to the power," said Kenna.
"And it is not a toy!" added Avera.
Zen had to take a moment to ease himself. This was a major point for him, he will finally meet the voice behind the amulet, and the master of the Dark Court.
"Okay, I'm ready."
"Let the summoning ritual commence!" said Damond.
Yen Sid and the rest of the guards arrived at the garden and saw all the unciancos guards on the ground.
"Wake them up, then follow me!" shouted Yen
As the guards began to wake up the others, Yen went to the stone wall that hid the entrance. Investigating the area, he noticed that the surrounding area had been disturbed, and that the entrance had been moved. Dark magic clouds began to gather above the castle and expand across the sky.
"I knew it! He must have learned it from one of the books!"
The rest of the guards finally joined Yen Sid at the wall entrance as he opened it.
"Stand guard here, and don't let anyone in or out!" Yen ordered.
"YES SIR!" they all said at attention.
Yen proceeds through the entrance and down the stairs of the catacombs to see if he could stop Zen and the court before it's too late.
As the ritual began, one by one the inner powers of each member of the Dark Court began to transfer to Zen and his magic staff. Zen could feel the power being channeled to him making stronger. As he started to gain focus, he saw various words appear in his head and he repeated the incantation spell out loud putting him in a state of magic trance. Markings and magic started appearing on Zen's face and his eyes glowed an ominous bright green, then one by one different symbols began to match the glow of his eyes. The rest of the group were also in a trance, but a few noticed the symbols taking shape within the seal. Damond was the first to notice.
"It's working, are master is almost free, just a little more magic and-"
"STOP THIS IMMEDIATELY!" came a loud commanding voice.
Everyone's concentration broke, and the trance was lost. The floor symbols lost their glow and disappeared. Everyone turned in the direction to see Yen Sid with his wizard hat and wand in hand sparkling with magic.
"WE WERE SO CLOSE! YOU'LL REGRET INTERFERING WITH US OLD WIZARD!" shouted Drayden.
"ENOUGH! HEAR ME DARK COURT OF WILDROTH, FOR YOUR RAIN OF TERROR ENDS HEAR! YOUR MASTER SHALL NOT RISE AGAIN THIS DAY!" said Yen still in his commanding tone.
"On the contrary Yen Sid, we still have our ace card." said Damond as he motioned to Zen.
"Zen, you know this is wrong, these infidels are trying to lead you astray all for their own gain. They care nothing of what happens to you after." said Yen.
"Zen remember it was us who gave you power and respect as a true wizard." said Damond.
"Yen Sid would never share such power or knowledge with you. He wants to keep you weak so you will be easier to keep in line." added Jairon.
"Zen, everything I've done has been for the benefit of your future and the kingdom's." said Yen.
"You need to trust me."
"He'll have you locked up for defying him," said Avera.
Zen was overwhelmed by the back and forth that was going on. He finally couldn't take it anymore.
"QUIET!" Zen's voice boomed causing the room to shake.
Everyone stopped for a moment and looked at Zen.
"You always pushed me aside, and were never there when I needed guides, and you still blamed me for my performance. There was once a time when I looked up to you, but you still looked down on me." said Zen.
"Listen, I understand Zen, I know that I have neglected you for a long time, and from now on I'll be a better master to you." said Yen.
"I'm just asking you to trust me this time." Yen asked while offering his hand.
Zen took one step toward Yen, but the power in him let out a pulse that caused him to stagger, the staff in his hand landed on the ground close by. The staff was glowing with immense power. Yen made a move for it, but was noticed by Zen. Since the staff was now linked to him, Zen was able to bring the
"It was a trick, all you wanted was to take my staff!" Zen said in fury.
"Zen, that was not my intention."
"ENOUGH! I WILL NO LONGER ANSWER TO YOU OR WALT DISNEY'S LIES. I WILL FORCE YOU TO COWER BEFORE MY POWER! EVEN IF I HAVE TO BREAK YOU!"boomed Zen.
Before Yen could react, a bolt of magic was hurled at him and sent him back flying into one of the pillars of the room. Zen was done however, with all the power he now had surging inside him, he sent another series of strikes at was ready this time, countering with his own magic. Their magic sent waves of power throughout the room and shook the foundation of the castle. The clouds above the castle began to thunder, causing the townspeople to worry.
Still weak from loss of their power, the Dark Court trembled before the constant rumbling and oncoming debris.
"Perhaps it is time for us to take our leave." advised Kenna.
"Agreed. Everyone, we must make our escape or risk being buried!" said Damond.
The court made their retreat back through the catacombs away from the battle.
The ceiling collapsed, making a large hole in the castle floor above. Yen saw an opportunity to gain an advantage and levitated himself upward. However, Zen was close behind as he used a portion of the fallen floor as a platform to carry himself up top. Yen Sid staggered onto the marble floor as his levitation spell wore off. He saw Ethel helping a servant who had a piece of the wall fall on his leg.
"Get everyone out of the castle and as far away as you can!" shouted Yen.
Ethel nodded as she finally freed the injured maid. Zen appeared shortly, still full of fury. He continued to blast Yen with a barrage of magic fire. Yen was able to deflect the attack, but it was sent hurling into another wall which caused it to crack and catch fire. Some of the guards arrived to help, but Yen waved for them to back off before they got hurt.
While Zen and Yen continued with their battle, the Dark Court were making their escape back out to the gardens. Unfortunately for them, they were greeted by a small battalion of guards.
"Hold it right there!" shouted one of the guards.
"You are all under arrest!" said another.
The group looked at one another and nodded in agreement. Damond slowly raised both his hands in the air, in his right hand he held a vial with a strange blue liquid, his left hand made a signal to his associates. Damond dropped the vial to the ground and it cracked open making a huge smoke screen. The guards were blinded by the smoke and began coffing. The court sneaked away unnoticed, and made it to the horses and carriages.
"Great. Now what do we do?" said Avera.
"For now, let us retreat back to the cabin until events have passed." said Damond as the road away from the storm.
Yen and Zen's battle raged on across the castle, going from corridor to courtyard. With every strike, another piece of the building fell. While Yen was fairly watching most of Zen's spells, others were much harder for him to avoid collision. Yen was outmatched, and at this rate, he would collapse from exhaustion. Zen however was full of energy and showed no signs of weariness or relent.
The two engaged in a beam battle of magic, but Zen's power overcame Yen causing him to stagger backwards. Taking cover behind a broken wall, he tried to assess the situation.
"With Zen having this much magic flowing inside him, he is nearly impossible to defeat head on." Yen thought to himself.
"I'll have to try and outsmart him."
Yen looked around at the fallen debri and then at the hole in the ground that was above the vault. A plan began to form in the wizard's mind.
"With my depleted body, I'll only be able to perform one major spell. I have no other choice. I'll have to use THAT spell, no matter how much it may cost or hurt. I must cast it, it is the only way to stop this madness."
"Where are you!?" shouted Zen.
Yen stepped out from his covering spot, dusted himself off, and looked Zen dead straight in the eye.
"Right here Zen." he said, not breaking his glare.
"This is your last chance Zen, stop this now and come to your senses or there will be severe consequences."
Zen unfazed moved closer to where he was at least 5 feet away from Yen.
"Never." he answered in a low dark voice.
Zen let out another burst of magic, sending debri everywhere and disorienting him. Yen moved as quickly as possible to the hole that was over the vault and sat on his knees before it. Gaining as much concentration and magic that he could conjure, Yen began to perform the spell to open the seal of the vault. Zen recovered from the slight daze then floated in Yen's direction, right over the hole where Yen wanted him
"It's over, surrender now!" demanded Zen.
"You're right young apprentice, it is over." Yen answered.
"But only for you."
Yen used some of his remaining magic to conjure a speare of lighting and fire and launch it at Zen, but he moved to the side to avoid the projectile. Zen smirked at the opposed failed attack, unaware of Yen's intentions.
"You missed." said Zen.
However, the speare went up and hit the broken ceiling above him, causing a piece of it to slowly fall.
"On the contrary, I believe my aim was right on target." said Yen with a smirk of his own.
Before Zen could react debris fell right onto him causing him to lose his balance and fall right through the hole.
"I hope this works," Yen said to himself.
Yen started to make motions in the air with his hands and cite the enchantment. Zen stumbled onto the vault's seal and slowly stood up, the fall could've seriously injured him if not for the magic flowing in his body. However, the impact still hurt him. He sent an angry glare at Yen.
Yen was doing everything he could to speed up the spell, but he was still drained of energy. The same symbols that were on the seal of the vault began to appear before Yen with a glowing green, Then the ones on the vault began to match the color.
Zen noticed this and his eyes widened, summening as much magic as he could, he tried to levitate up, but then benthe him a glowing green portal opened up pulling him in. Zen was holding on for his life to keep from being sucked in, but the magic slowly left his body leaving him powerless.
Yen stood at the edge of the hole and looked down at his once apprentice with a mixed look of anger , disappointment, and sadness. Zen however, returned a look of pure hatred and fury.
"YOU'RE GONNA REGRET THIS!" he shouted.
"I already do," said Yen.
Zen lost his grip, and was sucked right down into the vault. With the last of his magic, Yen closed the portal, sealing the fate of his now former apprentice. Another tear escaped his eye as he realized he lost his apprentice.
"Forgive me." he muttered as he collapsed onto the floor and fell unconscious.
Walt Disney's car was slowly making its way down the street. While Walt sat in the backseat, he saw people running and shouting in fear. Confused by what was going on, he asked his driver if he knew.
"Harold, do you know what all the commotion is about?"
Harold didn't answer, for he was in shock at the sight before him.
"Harold, what are you looking a-"
Walt's words were caught in his throat when he saw what his driver was staring at, his eyes grew as big as saucer plates and his jaw was wide open.
"Sir we're- Sir?"
The driver looked to see that Walt had left the backseat of the car and rushed on ahead to the castle that was now mostly in ruins. He ran past injured servants, guards, and others in order to get to the head of the crowd. He noticed Ethel attending to some of the injured and called over to her.
"Ethel, over here!"
Ethel heard her name being called and stood up to see Walt running up to her.
"Ethel are you all right!?" Asked Walt in worry.
"I'm fine sir, just a couple of minor bruises, but some of the servants were badly injured." she answered
"Did everyone make it out alright?" he asked.
"All the staff and guards have been accounted for as far as I know," said Ethel.
Walt breathed a sigh of relief.
"What about Yen and Zen?"
"They were the last ones in there, I don't know if they made it out." she answered with a worried tone.
"We'll talk more later, for now make sure everyone is tended to." said Walt as he walked off.
"I will!" Ethel answered back.
Walt made his way through the crowd to where a line of guards stood keeping the people from getting close.
"Let me through, I need to see if Yen and Zen are okay!"
"Sir, I advise you not to get too close, the area is unstable, we're already looking for them." said one of the guards.
"I don't care about the danger!" Walt said.
"Let me through, so I can find them!"
The guard quickly obliged, not wanting to raise Walt's temper.
Walt walked through the debri and wreckage of the castle with worry.
"How did this happen? I should've been here, I could've prevented this." he thought out loud.
After a few minutes of looking, he saw a piece of a blue robe and rushed to it. Examining the cloth, he started to find more pieces of it close by.
"He has to be around here somewhere," he said.
Then he heard a low groan, out of nowhere. Trying to pinpoint the source, he saw a hand sticking out of one of the piles of rubble.
"Yen!"
Yen let out a gasp as he shot up from the bed. He looked around his surroundings to find that he was in a small room, but it wasn't like the one that was in the castle. He had bandages all along his left arm, a cloth wrapped around his forehead, and his right arm was in a sling. Yen was still feeling slightly dizzy, but then the door opened, startling him.
"Yen old friend, glad to see that you are finally awake! I hope I didn't disturb you, did I?" said Walt as he and a nurse stepped in the room.
"N…No sir." Yen replied as he tried to stand up.
A sharp pain went through his back causing him to wince and sit back.
"Don't get up, Yen. Take it easy, you've been asleep for at least four days," said Walt as he took a seat next to the bed.
Yen let out a sad sigh.
"Walt, there is something I need to tell you."
"No need, the servants and the guards filled me in on almost everything." he said.
There was a long silence until it was broken by Walt.
"I think it's time we had a talk."
"I understand sir," said Yen.
"This was my fault, I should've looked out for Zen. It was foolish of me to not see this corruption right under very my nose and allow him being swayed by evil forces."
"While you do need to take some of the blame, it's not all your fault." said Walt.
"As a matter-of-fact, I am responsible as well."
"How do you figure?" asked Yen.
"I should've just gotten rid of the books permanently. I thought I could use them to do something good, but all they've done is bring destruction to this kingdom. Maybe this was all a mistake, maybe I should've just relied on you to handle the kingdom."
"I know we're going through hard times, but we shouldn't give up just yet." said Yen as he put a hand on Walt's shoulder.
"I don't know Yen, I fear that we'll just be repeating events all over again." said Walt.
"I promise this time I will be a better master and look out for the next apprentice that comes under my wing." swore Yen.
Walt took a few minutes to think about it, then he made up his mind.
"Alright, we'll try again and hope whomever we choose will be perfect." said Walt.
Yen's eyes were drawn to a book that was on the table.
"What's that book there?"
"Oh that's Mickey, he's a character that many people, especially the kids love. He was supposed to be used temporarily, but overtime he grew on me. I think Mickey has a lot of potential to become something great." said Walt.
Yen tapped his finger on his chin.
"Hey, why don't you become his master?" suggested Walt.
"Really, why I."
"He'll be perfect as your apprentice!" said Walt with a smile.
"I don't know," Yen scratched the back of his head.
"He's a mer mouse."
"Does that really matter?" asked Walt.
"But If you think it will be too hard of a task for you then I understand." said Walt as he looked away with a smirk on his face.
Yen furrowed his brow and crossed an arm over his chest
"I beg your pardon sir, but I'm perfectly capable of teaching-"
"Great! Then you will become his teacher!" Walt said with a cheeky grin.
Yen pinched his nose when he realized he fell for Walt's trick.
"However, I believe it would be better to wait a while before we begin to train him. He should grow naturally with people, and not have this put on his shoulders." said Walt.
"That's understandable." added Yen
"What should we do about the books and the vault?"
"The truth can't be hidden forever, and I fear that the sins of the past will return. I will strengthen the seal's effect and it should grow stronger overtime, but I feel that won't be enough in the long run." said Walt.
"For now I believe it would be wise to leave this place and start anew somewhere else. The further we move the better."
"Where did you have in mind?" asked Yen.
"There's a place across the land that has a beautiful green landscape and crystal sea. That place will be our new home." said Walt as he gazed out the window.
"What about the books?" asked Yen.
"I've decided to rewrite them into my new book," said Walt.
"When we set ourselves into the new kingdom, we will begin life anew for all people."
"A new book of magic?" asked Yen.
"Why yes, but not only for magic, but also for the many different stories that will follow us." said Walt.
"When the time is right, the book shall reveal its secrets to Mickey, and he'll know what to do."
Walt placed a hand on Yen's shoulder.
"Yen dear friend, I'm counting on you to guide him to be a great sorcerer and also a good leader for the Magic Kingdom."
Yen eased himself off the bed with all his strength and raised his right hand to show he was serious.
"I pledge myself to make him the best Sorcerer's apprentice he'll ever be," he proclaimed.
"Great! We just lost our greatest asset, that old wizard and Walt Disney now knows about our plan, and we've lost a great portion of our power!" shouted Avera in anger.
"What are we going to do now!?"
The Dark court had retreated back to the old cabin in order to avoid capture.
"The only thing we can do now is flee to another part of the kingdom, away from the eyes of Disney and Yen Sid." said Kenna.
"I dread what they'll do to us if we are captured."
"Preposterous! We should stand our ground and fight!" shouted Drayden as he slammed his fist on the table.
"Otherwise, we are no better than cowards!"
"Don't be a bigger fool than you already are!" said Jairon.
"I never wanted to be part of this so-called "Dark Court." anyway. I've been loyal for all this time, but it has cost me nearly all of my coin."
Regis shook his head.
"You should've invested more in your mind than mier riches."
"I've heard enough of you and your rabblings old fool!" said Avera in annoyance.
"SILENCE, ALL OF YOU!" shouted Damond.
The room went quiet immediately.
"Listen, all is not lost just yet, events have been put in motion for the foreseeable future."
"But how do you know?" asked Kenna.
"Using my skill as an alchemist, I created several small crystal towers that can weaken the seal just enough so a small amount of magic can leak through. With all of Zen's magic, he should be able to reach across the land and find someone powerful who can open the seal. Only a powerful wizard or witch can learn the incantation and that individual would have to have a great multitude of magily aid to complete it." said Damond.
"But what must we do now?" asked Jairon.
"Everything else must proceed naturally without our interference," said Damond.
"For now we must lay low and wait as long as we must, but with our medallions, our aging will remain slower so that we will not fall prey to time itself."
"Besides, as long as Walt Disney is still in the picture, there won't be an opportunity any time soon." added Regis.
Avera let out a huff.
"I'm tired of this constant waiting. However, I will remain loyal to the cause only for now."
"The same goes for me as well." added Drayden as the others agreed with him.
"Fear not my brothers and sisters of this Dark court." said Damond in a loud voice.
"For our final victory will be within reach when the time comes!"
Walt sat at his desk and began writing his new book. While he was writing, he looked over at the magic books that had corrupted the two people that were close to him. Taking all the books in his hand, he tore them from the binders and put them all into one page. He took that page and put it in the back of the new book. He was suddenly struck with an inspiration, opening to the front page, he wrote a few words on the inside of the cover. Looking over the words he sighed happily and read them out loud.
"Mickey, I know you'll make me proud!"
-Your friend, Walt Disney.
END OF CHAPTER 17
A/N
FINALLY! I was having such a hard time with this chapter. This was supposed to all be wrapped up in just a few pages, but I ended up with WAY over what I wanted. Plz let me know about any real grammatical errors with this chapter, I pushed it out in a hurry, and it was so long I didn't really feel like checking everything since I felt confident that I got most of them good. I know the whole student "betrays the master" thing isn't a new concept, but hey if it fits it fits. Finally, we'll be able to move on from this history, and back to the main story.
Anyway, I owe you guys an explanation of my long absence. My last semester of last year was the last one I needed for my associate's degree at my college so I need all my powers of concentration on my homework, thankfully I was able to pass all of them with good grades. I kept setting goals of when I wanted to have this chapter finished, like Thanksgiving or Christmas, but alas it didn't work out for me.
Another serious note was that my father had to go to the ER because something bad was growing in his intestines I think which was followed by weeks of chemotherapy, sleep studies, and other tests which were very stressful. After he had his surgery, he was in the hospital for almost four weeks. While my mother was permitted to enter I had to stay at home due to the covid surge, but thankfully he was released on Saturday and is now home with us. However, he still needs to slowly recover and see people, but I'm just glad he's with us.
One last thing. Thank you all very much for your patients, and I will try my best to do more updates frequently. I still need to look for a job now that I'm out of school, but I'll still be writing for you. I'm currently setting up the groundwork for my massive trilogy, it will even have a Fandom wiki and some artwork from my Deviantart. I'm still looking for help with getting some things set up for that. Please PM me if you're wondering about that.
Thanks for reading, and once again continue to let me know about errors, and feed me suggestions, (PM) or tell me what you think in the review. Until next time my friends!