Wes's Perspective
"Thank you for taking me on this tour, ma'am," Wes said, still in Ben's body. They'd finally arrived in the Corridor of Challenges. The statues of villains and their related minions and artifacts were everywhere. Along the wall of one hall, he stopped in front of the statues of his aunt and mother. Evanora, beautiful and pale, stood with a sinister expression. Her green-gemmed necklace was at her throat. Theodora, green-skinned and hook-nosed, stood with a smirk that Wes often found himself wearing on his own face. The statue wore the black robes and awful conical hat he was familiar with, along with a replica of the exact same ring that sat on his own hand at the moment-with an illusion to hide it from the sight of others.
"It's been a pleasure, your majesty." The director of the museum paused, holding a tablet in her hand. "Do you find the wicked witches interesting?"
"I was wondering about their magical jewels. Are those ones authentic?"
She stood next to him, hesitant to look directly at the statues. "The amulet worn by Evanora's statue is real, but the ring worn by Theodora's is a replica. There was a confrontation between them and their sister Glinda, who had sided with the Wizard of Oz. Glinda was able to recover the amulet, but Theodora escaped with her ring before being caught and sent to the Isle. It was never found."
Wes chuckled. "Interesting. We're so fortunate that good prevailed." He turned to the museum director. "I'm parched. Where would I find a drink?"
"I'll get something for you, your majesty. What would you like?"
"Water is fine," Wes said. When the director left him alone, he considered the statues. It looked like he could reach right over and grab the amulet, but that had to be too easy. He circled his eye with his thumb and index finger. "Revlio myisticä." Golden light flooded his vision through that eye as he made out the traces of magic surrounding the statues. It was definitely a forcefield enchanted with an alarm. "Hmm." Wes removed his hand from his eye as he heard the director approach again.
"Here you are, your majesty." She handed the glass of water to Wes.
"Do you come from a family capable of wielding magic, director?" Wes asked.
She looked taken aback for a moment before she answered. "No, your majesty, I don't."
"Perfect." Wes let go of the glass of water, but it didn't fall to the ground. It stayed suspended in the air as he approached her. "That'll make this easier." Wes looked into her eyes and said, "infloodio."
The director's eyes glowed green as she stared with a blank expression.
"Sorry I don't have time for something more sophisticated," Wes said. "Remove the barrier from the wicked witches' statues." The director used her tablet, clicking through screens and using her thumbprint to disable the barriers. Wes reached up and grabbed the amulet from the statue, pocketing it quickly. "Conjuro," he chanted. In a flash of green light, an identical replica of the amulet appeared on the statue's neck. He turned from the statue and headed out of the hall. "Come along, ma'am, the spell won't last for much longer. Oh, and put the barrier back up."
Wes retraced the steps of their tour all the way back to the Hall of Helpers. He rushed past the warthogs, dwarves, horses, and fairies. His magic didn't shine brightest with mind control spells-especially one cast hastily without any ingredients or tools to help enforce it. There was no telling how quickly it would fade away. And here, in the museum, without Vivianne guarding him. He'd be captured in minutes.
He finally reached Glinda's statue. His aunt's smile was bright and her wand was held high over her blonde head. Tiny little plastic bubbles were hanging from the ceiling surrounding her. Wes ordered the director to take down the barrier so he could grab the wand, creating a copy with a spell, and replace the authentic one with the forgery. The director put the barrier back up when asked. "Erase any record of you messing with the barriers."
While she completed her task, Wes slid the wand into his sleeve and uttered a binding spell to keep it from slipping away. He noticed the director take a step away from him and he studied her. Her eyes were losing their green glow and there was fear on her face. "Who-" she started.
"Eludio." Wes tapped her head and her eyes went foggy. When she finally focused on him, she looked confused.
"I'm sorry, I can't quite remember what I was saying."
"Don't worry," Wes said, smiling kindly. "I was just telling you how grateful I am for the tour. It went just as planned, you've been very helpful."
Wes's Perspective
That night, Wes was back at his old cave-or, at least, outside of it. He was still in Ben's body, but being near the cave and in the light of a full moon made him feel himself again. Especially now that he held a brush, marking his hands with enchanted ink he'd brewed after returning from the museum. Magic runes were all over the skin of his hands, arms, face, and neck. They were even scrawled on the dirt floor of the forest with cursed chalk he'd poured onto the ground. After finishing the last rune, he handed the brush over to Vivianne.
Taking his place in the center of the circle of runes, Wes touched the ring on his finger. It hummed, glowing a sinister red as crimson flames roared to life in a circle of runes. The familiar feeling of burning power in his stomach settled over him. Wes touched the amulet at his neck and wicked green light shone from it, a buzzing feeling forming in his brain. Green electricity crackled in a second circle of runes as they glowed green, flitting along the ground. When Wes picked up the wand from the ground, it didn't respond immediately.
Wes gripped the wand, focusing intently. The magic within the wand resisted. It was all goodness and light, while his own magic was fueled by his own hatred and anger. With some coaxing, he was able to draw magic from the wand. Surely it wasn't as powerful as the ring or amulet, which thrived on the negative emotions Wes had to offer. But it would do. The wand glimmered with beautiful white light and mist flew from a circle of runes that glowed white. The wand's power felt annoying. It created a strange sense of lightness in his heart, amplifying every beat until it hummed in his ears
His mind roared with the power of the three talismans of his family. When Wes began the spell, he closed his eyes, "Conjuro phantozra atris flammas." Fire surrounded the circle of runes and Wes began hovering from the ground as magic swirled around him. "Conjuro phantozra atris aquim," bubbles filled the air around Wes and it took an extreme amount of effort not to be distracted by Vivianne's giggle. "Conjuro phantozra atris tempus," mist and wind surrounded Wes. "Conjuro phantozra atris inducto," Thunder boomed and lightning crackled along the ground.
Wes concentrated, saying, "castè te destinūm," His eyes rolled to the back of his head and he saw the capital city of Auradon without actually being there. "Conjuro phantozra atris flammas zik aquim zik tempus zik inducto. Castè te destinūm san rampo zik destro." Wes continued chanting the spell, smiling as he saw the effects of his spell unfold.
Chad's Perspective
When the ground shook, it nearly sent Chad and Audrey to the ground. One second, they were outside a restaurant waiting for the valet to bring his car-the sickest convertible in the world, if he did say so himself. The next second, they were buckling on their feet like baby deer. Chad reached out to steady Audrey, but he wasn't quite balanced himself yet. It wasn't his fault that they wound up on the concrete.
"Are you kidding me, Chad?" Audrey exclaimed when she fell to the ground. When Chad looked at her, she was glaring at him. "This dress has a mini skirt, I could've scraped my..." She looked over Chad's shoulder and her jaw dropped.
"If it makes you feel better, you still look smokin'," Chad said. Audrey was cast in orange-ish light and it really made her eyes glow like honey. She usually only looked like that in the sun. "Speaking of smoking, I think they're burning food in there," Chad nodded his head toward the restaurant.
Audrey rolled her eyes, turning Chad's head so he could see across the street-where his back was previously facing. A row of buildings had caught fire behind him, people pouring out of them in coughing fits. What was truly strange, though, were the weird, ethereal beings swirling around the flames. They were bright red, made of pure flame, and vaguely humanoid. If it weren't for their flaming bodies, they'd look almost like angels...without wings...or clouds to lay on...or halos. But maybe the light from their flames counted as halos.
"What is that?" Chad wondered aloud.
Audrey grabbed Chad's arm and pulled him away from the restaurant-also on fire now, apparently. One of the wingless, halo-less angels had hopped to the restaurant and set flames wherever it touched as it pranced along the ground weightlessly. "We have to get out of here," Audrey pulled his arm harder and he had to jog a bit to keep up. "I just bet this was Mal. As if going all psycho at the school wasn't enough, she pulls this. I am so calling the Royal Emergency Hot-"
Audrey and Chad held their hands over their heads when green sparks of electricity flew from the air. A power line had snapped, spraying electricity in its wake. It wasn't close enough to harm them, but it was certainly close enough to frighten them. Especially when a green being of electricity flew from the power lines, jumping between street lamps like stepping stones. Everywhere it traveled the streetlights lost power, plunging everything into darkness. Save for the flaming buildings that illuminated the street with an eerie, orange, glow.
Audrey reached for her phone to call the Royal Emergency Hotline, but her phone must've been affected. The screen was staticky and no buttons worked when she pressed them. "Are you kidding me?" Audrey exclaimed again. "I am-
Chad pushed Audrey to the ground as an entire car flew in their direction. His car, actually. The baby blue convertible was abandoned in the street one moment and flew toward them the next, narrowly missing the two AKs as Chad and Audrey hit the ground. When Chad looked up, he saw nearly invisible beings flying through the air. If it weren't for the faint, white glow they emitted they'd be impossible to see. Chad tried to rise to his feet, but a strong wind filled the street. The flaming buildings grew brighter when the wind fueled them.
Still on the ground trying to stand, Chad didn't notice how close he was to the storm drain. And he, especially, didn't notice the water pooling around his arm until it solidified into a hand. When he felt a sharp grip on his writs, he looked over to see a being made of water solidifying. As it became solid, it began to pull him into the street. As he was dragged toward the storm drain, Chad started screaming and kicking. Not just because he was wearing a really nice vest that was extremely expensive. Also because it was terrifying.
Chad was so busy screaming and kicking that he didn't notice the grip on his wrist disappear until he felt something metal tap his forehead. He opened his eyes to find Audrey standing over him with one hand wrapped around a telephone pole for stability in the wind. The other hand held a piece of the exhaust from his ruined car, which she'd use to slice the watery arm off the creature that was dragging him away to...wherever it was taking him. Audrey reached out with the exhaust pipe and Chad grabbed it, pulling hard as he fought against the wind to get to his feet.
He and Audrey were terrified. Creatures of fire, wind, lightning, and water were everywhere now. The water creatures were dragging people to storm drains, sewer grates, and manholes. The lighting creatures were bouncing from one electric object to another, showering sparks down and frying circuitry. And the orange glow coming from Auradon City's Uptown area showed what the fire creatures were doing.
Grabbing onto each other, Chad and Audrey braced themselves to let go of the telephone pole and run. But then...everything just stopped.
Vivianne's Perspective
Everything just stopped. One second, Wes was floating in the air in the middle of his rings of sigils. Fire, lightning, wind, mist, and bubbles surrounded him and his eyes were rolled back so only the whites were visible. The ring, necklace, and wand glowed with blinding light as the face Wes wore grinned, eyes seeing something the cat familiar obviously didn't.
Then, the lightshow faded. Wes fell to the ground with his eyes closed, all signs of magic gone entirely. Vivianne gave him a second, knowing how particular he was about having his circle broken. "Wes?" She tried again, "Wes?" When he didn't respond, she rushed to his side. She could hear his heartbeat and she could hear him breathing. She touched his forehead and hissed as she pulled her hand back. He was burning so hot it was like he was a living fire. Unconsciousness and extreme levels of heat were Wes's main signs of spell fatigue.
Vivianne sighed, "You really never learn, do you?" She picked him up carefully, slinging him over her shoulder and ignoring how scalding his skin was. "For my sake," she said to his unconscious face, "I hope you caused enough chaos to make it worth all that drawing. For your sake, I hope you wake up before they start looking for the king."