Reimagia Chapter 11: The Final Clue, a sofia the first fanfic

Reimagia

Summary: Now a graduate of Ever Realm Academy, Sofia accepts Cedric's invitation to train in a secret realm called Reimagia, which is home to some of the most powerful sorcerers on earth. However, there's a dark force lurking in the realm, destroying conjurors one by one, all while offering cryptic clues to his identity. If Cedric and Sofia can't solve the mystery, they'll be next.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sofia the First or any characters affiliated with the show. However, I do own the Kingdom of Reimagia and many new OCs mentioned in the story.

A/N: Another puzzle coming up, guys! Sofia's going to help you out with this one, though, because to be fair, it's a little more challenging. You'll see what I mean. You will learn the identity of the villain in this chapter, and we'll see who was right or close. Next chapter is the last, and the showdown as depicted on the cover photo. Hope you enjoy! Let's go!

Warning: Um… This chapter gets extremely dark toward the end, so I just wanted to give you all a heads up. This is the penultimate chapter though, so it was bound to happen. People will get hurt, and some will not make it. Just thought I'd let you know. 😐 Also, I've written an ending note to explain a few things. 😊

Chapter 11: The Final Clue

Cedric and Sofia had returned to the Diamond Dormitory after a lengthy training session. It was early evening, so they both took time to properly clean up and dress for bed. While Sofia was brushing out her hair in the powder room, Cedric was making supper for them right down the hallway.

After a few minutes, Sofia put her brush back into the cabinet and decided to leave her hair down for a while, especially since she'd been prone to headaches recently, and she figured lack of tension from her typical ponytail and braid might help. Of course, she knew that was probably just an excuse her mind came up with rather than focusing on the whole villain-using-negative-magic thing, but still…

She walked down the hallway and into their small kitchen, smiling as she saw Cedric finish stirring some vegetables and quail in a pan over the fire. "It smells wonderful in here…"

"Just wait until you actually get to eat this," Cedric returned before using his wand to douse the flame from the stove. He spooned a portion of food into each of the two bowls he'd set aside and passed her one, along with a fork. "See if you like this. I call it 'Quail and Veggies.'"

"I'm sure it's delicious, but I think you need to work on your presentation names." She laughed as she sat down on one of the stools next to the cabinet. "Maybe when we get back, before he retires, Chef Andre can teach you about that."

"I doubt it." He rolled his eyes. "He's too preoccupied with his precious recipes to worry about me. Anyway." He grabbed his own bowl and fork and sat beside his friend as she started to eat. "So, are you feeling any more prepared now that we've done some training?" He took a bite of his own food.

"Much," she responded, stirring the quail and vegetables together. "I just hope I don't have to use those skills any time soon." She blinked as she heard a knock on the door upstairs. "I wonder who that could be…" She took a few more bites of her food before following Cedric upstairs, where he opened the door to find a young man standing there.

"May we help you?" the sorcerer inquired.

"I'm sorry to bother you both, but Sir Leignton has requested your presence at The Galley…now, if you please."

The two friends exchanged glances before Cedric used his wand to alter his pajamas into his usual outfit. He changed Sofia's pajamas into a variation of one of her old outfits: a purple shirtdress that reached just at her knees and tied in the back with a loosened maroon bow, the familiar white flower patterns from her childhood appearing around the hem of her dress. She also wore dark pink tights beneath the dress, accompanied by some purple Protector-esque boots.

After quickly observing her outfit, she grinned toward Cedric. "Talk about nostalgia…"

He nodded, smiling. "Tell me about it." He glanced back toward the young man. "Let's go."

A steady sound of concerned murmuring was all they could hear when Cedric and Sofia entered the meeting room at The Galley. Sir Leignton and the advisors were gathered around something lying in the center of the table, and they were all talking over each other.

Sofia quickly hurried over and tapped the leader on the shoulder. "Sir Leignton?"

The old man gasped before calming himself when he saw his current visitors. "Princess Sofia… Cedric. Thank goodness you're here."

Cedric couldn't help thinking how drastically different the man sounded now, compared with his angered tone a few days ago.

"We've received another cryptic message, and this one…"

"This makes no sense," Lord Palazzo told the Enchancians as they gathered around the table.

"Of course it doesn't, you fool," Lord Cadigan scoffed. "What villainous creature is going to say, 'Oh, that message is too hard for them; I'll be kind and make it a wee bit easier for them to understand?' Hmm?"

"I could do without your sarcasm today, Cadigan," the other advisor remarked.

Sofia sighed in annoyance and held out her hands, getting their attention. "Just…show us the message."

Lord Hemslor tugged it away from the main advisor and passed it over to the princess, who blinked in astonishment upon receiving it.

Cedric glanced at the message on it and groaned. "Oh, fantastic… Someone has discovered the alphabet."

On the crumpled piece of parchment, the following message was displayed:

MXYQDOLNUAKOXNBRZPLEXHGHLABVQMMEIGZBIABCUPHKNNJJRSOKLBOULNMQWWUIUEWGHLSSBCBNVVXCREGHXHLABENABHKCUPDJOKJRSLBHBCBNVVXCEUWQWLNMURXOYDLQNRCBCVBVNXIOHBXZLHNZZIERLGJGPORILWHXLIHGJOKEWORIRXLKWVOABELWKJHKKREFHGLNFIWKGORQZOBREBPROPRHGLKXIWAFPLEZGWIJLOIWESHBKEOIOIWRGHSBNLGORWSHOIHOXKLRANTOAMXIANMILAHBLIDIRHDBPOSBBIDRXHGLLIOPQKHRGORIOHXKEEOIRKIOONHD

"Okay, we can do this," Sofia murmured as she sat down in a chair toward the end of the table, Cedric sitting next to her. "Quill?"

Lord Palazzo tossed one to her, smiling as she caught it. "Impresses me every time, Princess."

She returned the smile before studying the message. She skimmed every line, observed every letter: consonant and vowel. She looked at the message horizontally, vertically, and even upside down. Eventually, after several minutes, she gasped. "Mr. Cedric…"

He leaned over, watching as she trailed her finger along the first line of letters.

"Do you notice anything strange about this?"

He gave her a prying look. "Sofia, everything about this is strange."

"No, look." She pointed out the first letter. "M. And then after that a host of random letters."

"How do you know they're random?"

"Because there's a pattern here…" She continued to the next cluster of letters and found the next specific letter she was looking for. "A…L…" Her eyes widened. "I bet, by the time I'm done looking at this section, 'Malvino' will be spelled."

"So he was the culprit after all?" Sir Leignton asked in alarm. "We let a guilty man go free?"

"I didn't say that," she retorted, growing annoyed with the leader's clear inability to pay attention. "Let's not jump to conclusions." She gestured toward the message. "I've figured out the pattern. Every ninth letter holds a key to the message. Watch." She began underlining every ninth letter as she went. She heard the leader and advisors scurry up behind her to pay attention. Had this not been such a serious moment, she would have found it hilarious that a bunch of supposed society leaders were hanging on a teenager's every word to solve a puzzle.

By the time she was finished, the puzzle looked more pronounced.

Sofia's heart was beating a bit faster as she finished penning the letters she'd underlined on the parchment. "Oh…" She quickly scribed the hidden message.

MALVINO IS RED HERRING. LOOK FOR FLESH AND BLOOD.

"Flesh and blood?" Lord Cadigan asked, alarmed. "As in…a relation?" He stared at the leader. "This message was originally addressed to you, Sir Leignton."

The old man was astounded. "And therefore, one of my children…must be…" He trailed off, realizing that, if this was indeed true, one of his own children also was responsible for the death of his wife, not to mention all the others around Reimagia—even children. And that weighed heavily on his heart, which had sped up in apprehension.

Hironko panted as he slammed the doors to the meeting room open, hurrying up to the group. "D-Dad! I saw…" He paused and panted harder, trying to catch his breath.

"Hironko?" Sir Leignton approached his son cautiously, especially after the recent revelation. "What is it, son?"

Calming down, the blonde said, "I saw Malvino meeting up with Axima. He was crying to her and telling her that he didn't commit all the crimes that he was accused and acquitted of."

Cedric frowned before looking toward Sofia, who shrugged.

"And then…" He shivered a bit, shaking his head. "She had this…weird smile on her face after he leaned on her, hugging her. Like she was happy that he was in pain or something…"

The advisors were startled to hear this, but Sir Leignton just pressed, "Go on."

"And… I saw her pull a dagger from her boot."

"Did… Did she kill him?" That was probably the hardest thing for a father to ask about his own daughter, but he knew it had to be asked.

Hironko paused, shrugging. "I assume that was her aim… She was acting really weird before, sneaking down to the alcove to meet him, and then that? I came here to warn you, even though she's my sister." He closed his eyes. "Axima must be…" He opened his eyes again. "She must be the one who's killed all those sorcerers, Dad…"

"So you don't know if anything happened to Malvino?" Sofia clarified, receiving a denying shake of the head from Hironko, who then began rubbing his head and left eye in apparent discomfort. She winced in pain as her hands began hurting again, and she turned quickly to Cedric, who realized what was happening. She leaned forward and whispered, "I have a bad feeling…"

He nodded and placed his hands over hers just as Axima walked into the room.

"Where have you been?" Sir Leignton demanded probably a little too forcefully as he faced his daughter.

The blonde girl blinked in confusion. "I was just visiting a friend…"

"WHO?"

Axima frowned at all the pointed stares aimed her way. She finally declared, "Malvino…"

Horrified that Hironko might indeed have witnessed the start of what he'd indicated, the leader asked, "Is he still alive?" Seeing the look of surprise on his daughter's face, he scowled. "Answer me, girl!"

"W-Well, I'd hope so… After everything that's been going on, I was concerned for his safety. Even though he had originally been accused of the crimes, he was still my friend. Since he was acquitted, I knew he'd be an easy target and could possibly be next to go, so I wanted to help him out, since he has so little magic left to defend himself." She glared at her father, who stepped back in mild embarrassment at being chastised by his daughter. "I gave him my dagger so that he could at least try to protect himself if someone came after him. While it's not magical, it's something, and I'd rather not see someone else die…especially someone I care about." As if on cue, a very-much-alive Malvino walked into the room, albeit a bit cautiously, and ambled over to the blonde girl, who smiled at him. He whispered something to her, and she nodded as he left. "See? He's fine. But he said he's going to get some rest for now." She frowned at her father. "He'd rather not be around certain people right now, and I can't say I blame him."

Sofia pondered over her words, considering everything she said. She stood, with Cedric following her in concern, and she looked at her hands, which were still hurting. Deciding to try something, she walked toward Axima. As she did, she noticed a mild change. 'They're hurting less near her,' she thought to herself, realization dawning on her as she recalled the message she'd uncovered. FLESH AND BLOOD. If it wasn't Axima… She gasped and whirled toward Hironko, who was still steadily rubbing at his left eye. "You!" She was horrified as the blonde stopped his actions and looked directly at her, his normal burgundy eyes now a bloody shade of red, the pupils hardly visible anymore. "It was you! All this time!"

Sir Leignton was shocked at this revelation. "My son? There's no way Hironko could do something like this…"

"You're right," Hironko acknowledged, his voice altering from his normal tone to a very dark, dangerous one as a sick grin made its way across his face. "Hironko could never do such terrible things… But Kinoroh could."

In an instant, the image of Hironko was literally torn to shreds as a new being stood before them. The evildoer was the same height as his host, but he possessed light gray skin with slicked-back black hair similar to Malvino's. Those red eyes were prominent, and like Malvino, he had a dark magic mark over his left eye. However, his was intentional, unlike Malvino's. He was dressed in dark clothing with a long dark cape fastened together at his neck with a blood ruby. To everyone's surprise, the wicked being thrust his hand forward and, using his magic, carved his name into a screaming Axima's arm, the blood pouring down from her fresh wounds and gathering into an alarmingly red puddle at her feet. Based on the symbols and markings on his hands, Cedric came to a startling conclusion.

"He not only can create dark magic," he informed the group. "He can create cult magic."

"Mr. Cedric, look," Sofia whispered in fear, watching as something she hoped she'd never see again appeared.

Surrounding Kinoroh, the evil spirit, was the dark entity from Lieslendo Caves. It seemed to be clinging to the gray-skinned spirit, as if trying to become one with him.

"That's the Daemno," Lord Palazzo realized as he saw the entity surrounding Kinoroh. "The Supreme Evil Being…"

"And Kinoroh," Lord Cadigan groaned in realization. "Why didn't we see it before? 'Kinoroh' means 'evildoer spirit' in Reimagian. Hironko's name had all the same letters…"

"That poor boy was ill-fated from birth," Lord Hemslor lamented.

"What have you done with my son?!" Sir Leignton demanded, raising his hand toward the spirit.

"Hironko was just a puppet," Kinoroh declared, his dark voice now coated in eerie whispers and echoes, which made him seem all the more demonic. "I've been with your son for quite some time…feeding off his energy and magic, and using him to kill all your precious conjurors… For why would anyone ever suspect the golden child?" He smirked. "The one destined to be the future leader of Reimagia after dear old dad?"

"Give him back!"

The entity laughed darkly. "There's nothing left of your son to offer you…" Seeing the man's eyes widen in alarm, he smirked. "Goodbye, 'Father.'" With a wave of his hand, he destroyed the leader in front of everyone, sending Axima into a state of shock, amplified by her blood loss, and causing her to pass out.

"We must go!" Lord Palazzo insisted to the advisors, quickly scooping a passed-out Axima into his arms, as he and the others fled from the meeting room.

Kinoroh laughed in amusement before using his magic to shut and seal the doors as he turned his gaze to Sofia, who'd dropped into a defensive stance. "You," he mocked, repeating her earlier words. "It was you. You brought my true nature to their attention, with your…uncanny knack for solving problems that aren't any of your concern." He smirked. "And here I'd gotten away with it for so long." He shrugged carelessly as Cedric grasped the princess's shoulders, trying to guide her away. "I guess I'll just have to kill you too."

With a sharp wave of his hand, Kinoroh destroyed not only the meeting room, but also the entirety of The Galley, leaving it as nothing but debris. With no castle left, Cedric and Sofia could see the ocean directly before them as the evil being was absorbed into the air. The clouds darkened instantly, shadowing the realm, as the waves along the shore roughly beat against each other, the whitecaps increasing in size and intensity. Lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the dark clouds for brief periods of time. With the new change came the strong winds, which knocked the two friends around and made it difficult for them to stand on their own two feet.

From the darkening clouds, Kinoroh reemerged, looking more menacing than ever as he grinned toward the princess. In his hands, he formed a ball of purple magic, electricity crackling within it. "This won't hurt a bit, Princess."

Sofia glared at him and withdrew her wand. "That's Princess Sofia of Enchancia, Protector of the Ever Realm to you. And I won't go down without a fight!"

Kinoroh smirked in amusement as he noticed Cedric behind her, determination on his face as he seemed to be trying to guard her as best as he could. "We'll see about that…"

To be continued…

Next Chapter: Power of the Heart

Ending note: I wanted to wait until the big revelation in here to tell you all my inspiration for the villain's identity. There is a certain movie that Johnny Depp starred in a number of years ago based on the tale of Jack the Ripper. The identity of the villain in there inspired the whole Kinoroh thing in here. I've got to say, I've definitely enjoyed watching people going back and forth on who the villain could be. Some of you were on the right track at different points. I quote Mr. Shortman92 from his review for chapter 4: "I'm starting to think he (Malvino) might not be a villain, simply because it would be too easy to blame the weird guy, with the dark magic mark. But, literally anyone could be a suspect, even the brother and sister." So, you were on the right track! Everyone who said it couldn't be Malvino, you were right. Absolutely correct. Malvino was always meant to be a red herring. So those of you who mentioned that (NerdsinaTree specifically, TWICE), great job. 😉 I always said, "Things aren't always what they seem." In my stories, NEVER look for the obvious, because a lot of times it's not going to be in-your-face obvious. Always pay attention to the background. Suspect everyone, even kids (*cough* Simon the Silent). 😊 And with that, the last chapter is coming soon…later tonight most likely. Keep an eye out!