~Chapter 27~

Marcus

Concealing my powers of fire had always been tricky, but in moments like this while I'm in a palace made entirely of ice, I had to especially be on my guard. This whole palace had me on edge and as I read the incantation from the book, I felt as if something ignited inside of me. I wondered if Elsa felt that same thing or at least something similar. Maybe it was different for her being the fifth spirit, or was it even harder? Once this weapon was formed, Elsa and I couldn't even touch it, quite the mysterious thing. When Anna said it wasn't heavy, I wondered if the whole thing was a fluke and we had failed. Though one look at the finished weapon with Elsa's hilt made of ice, I just knew it was no coincidence. The beast was making a ruckus overhead and I'm surprised Elsa's ice palace was still standing with all the shaking and pounding against the mountainside.

"We need to get up there quickly." I directed as I glanced over at Elsa who still seemed off after the encounter with the blade, "You okay?"

She nodded quickly putting on her brave face with me. I hated it when she did that because I knew she wasn't being real with me.

"Let's go." Elsa urged.

Anna charged on ahead toward the hidden passage as I grabbed Elsa's arm.

"Marcus, what are you-"

"Don't push yourself, you hear me?"

"I'm fine." She nodded.

I wasn't convinced, but she quickly kissed my cheek before following after Anna. As we began the ascent up the stairs into the mountain, the creature roared a terrible roar again that brought down Elsa's ice palace. Shattering it to pieces.

A mere couple of yards away from the passage into the mountain, Elsa and I had to leap for the entrance with the ice weakening beneath our shoes. Though with my wife's quick thinking, she just blasted a small platform of ice below us as we ran to join Anna.

"Quick thinking," I told Elsa.

"Comes with the territory," Elsa replied, pinching the bridge of her nose.

Anna looked us over nervously.

"You guys alright?"

"Never better." I shrugged.

"The path ahead is a bit dark," Anna muttered, "Wonder if this thing can act like a torch." She said glancing down at the weapon. These circumstances were mysterious and I felt weird being even remotely close to the thing.

"I got us covered." I nodded as I sent a fireball up through my palm holding it there. It lit up the vicinity perfectly.

"Stay on alert, we know what waits for us up top." Elsa said, nervously.

I grabbed my wife's hand giving it a gentle squeeze.

"We'll be fine. I'm going to get through to my uncle and appeal to him, not Kuva."

"And if you can't?" Elsa said, raising a curious brow.

I inhaled a steady breath making my way forward through the passage lighting the way.

"Then I have to do what's right for Arendelle." I muttered, "I already was used to being the last descendant of the Kalde kingdom."

"Hopefully it won't come to that." Elsa said, grabbing my shoulder.

"It might." I said putting my hand on top of hers.

Anna followed behind us though keeping her distance as that weapon really affected Elsa and I. The path seemed to zig-zag a bunch and seemed like we were walking for over a mile, but I wasn't certain. Though finally daylight broke through an opening as we rounded a wide corner. Back outside and the peak was just overhead. The magma creature was perched overhead making a ruckus, but below, James was waiting for us. He looked very different from the last time we saw him. His eyes were a bright shade of crimson and his body was emanating an unnatural glow of power.

"You're either brave or very foolish to follow me up here, nephew." James growled, glaring at me. I swallowed as my hands began to emit an intense fire.

"You're no family of mine. I know what you are." I spat.

"Must this all end in violence?"

"This ends now!"

I quickly began blasting him with fire. Elsa joined trying to freeze his feet in place just trying to stop him from moving or at least slow him down. She managed to pin him, but it didn't last as he broke free from her ice in a matter of seconds.

"I hit him with so much power, how did he break free so easily?" She whispered to me.

"It's okay," I nodded in response, "We'll bring him down."

With James being distracted by Elsa and I, it gave Anna a chance to try and surprise attack from behind. She began climbing the small overhang of the cliff just overhead of where James was standing. How she managed to climb with an injury to her leg, I'll never know. Though no matter, I knew she could handle herself, but I still got distracted from watching her every move. Though she tried to dive bomb James from the cliff overhead, he was too quick and Anna missed. Anna hit the ground with a thud, but she got up relatively unfazed by the impact. She still held the obsidian weapon not letting it go for anything.

"Pathetic," James muttered.

The creature of magma roared overhead looking down upon us from its perch at the tip of the mountain summit. I wasn't sure if the weapon would work twice. Elsa and I were blasting magic at a seemingly impenetrable wall. James didn't flinch with any move we made and that was disheartening. Elsa and I paused for just a few seconds to catch our breath and James laughed mockingly.

"Is that it? That's all the fifth spirit and a descendant from Kalde can do?"

"Enough!" I shouted.

I swung my arm around to smack his face with a fiery right hook, but James sneered, catching my hand before it smashed into his face.

"You're weak, nephew!"

"What do you want?" I shouted.

He squeezed my hand and the pressure made me cry out in pain.

"Marcus!" Elsa cried and charged, blasting James with ice again, but he put up a barrier that she bounced off harshly hitting the ground with a thud in a speedy roll. James inhaled calmly as he gradually added pressure against my hand. If he pushed any further, my hand would be completely crushed.

"What do I want? I want a world devoid of light and of magic. After being sealed away for hundreds of years, my revenge fell against Kalde first, but that wasn't enough. I craved more and after awakening Vasuli, the creature of magma and fire from the volcano, my plans for destruction were shortly realized. It doesn't stop here. Once this place is covered in ash, I will fly across the ocean and seize other lands as well."

"But to what end?" I muttered, gritting my teeth in pain.

"A world reborn from the ashes of darkness." James grinned.

He was mad and I could see the unhinged look in his eyes. It made my skin crawl. Kuva was using my uncle, bending him to his will. Was James even fighting or was Kuva in complete control? I used my other hand to try to blow his face with heat, but instead released my one hand and threw me to the ground with tremendous strength. I rolled next to Elsa and she helped me sit up and we quickly rose to our feet not standing down.

Though in our distraction, I looked around and Anna was missing. Elsa didn't even realize either as we both spun around ignoring James for a few seconds until I spotted her climbing up the hill and up toward the summit. Either James didn't notice or wasn't threatened by it. With the weapon in her hand, she charged forward. I admired her courage as she intended to take on that beast of magma alone. Though not for long because Elsa and I would work together to end James quickly-somehow.