Finally, I've gotten another chapter done. Again, sorry for not updating in a while. Very busy this week, but the four day weekend should prove useful to me. Wow, it's getting cold here. It's suposed to get into the thirtes tonight! Next I suppose there'll be snow. *looks out window* Crap, it's snowing. JK :) the snow will be here soon though.

Chapter 26: Trapped Within

"Leo." My mouth whispered, tears choking my voice as I contiuned to say his name over and over. Me and Elliot were downstairs, and I sat on the couch, letting my sorrow flow. "Leo."

"Dammit." Elliot hissed from nearby. "What do those people want with him?"

"Leo."

"Enough with your crying already." He said with a sigh, glancing over at me.

"But, Elliot," I whimpered in response. "they took him. If only I could have realized it sooner, then...he might still be here!"

"Carrie-"

"Why?"

"I told you to stop crying!" He suddenly shouted. I looked up at Elliot, who stood in front of me, his expression clearly reading anger and annoyance. "I'm worried about Leo too, but I'm not sitting here crying my eyes out like you are, am I?" He then took my arm, and pulled me upwards. "I do know one thing. I'm not gonna rest until we find him and get him back. And if those bastards dare hurt him, then I'll kill them myself!"

"Elliot." His courage was just filled with awe, and I was frozen in place by his words.

"Leo may be my servant, but he's also my best friend!"

Those words were amazing. I may be his descendent, having hints of his personality, but I could never posses the amount of bravery he has. No where even close to that.

Even with our thin liniage, me and Elliot are two sperate people.

I was able to wipe away the tears and force a smile onto my face. "Thank you...Ellliot."

"That's right. Don't cry anymore." He said to me. "We'll think of something!"

"Y-yeah!" I exclaimed, blinking away the last few tears. "You're right!"

Having Elliot around, I guess you could say I've come to enjoy him being here. It wasn't like I loved him, because that was reserved for Leo and no other, but I had started to adore Elliot as if he was my brother. I honestly felt like he was, even though I've only known him for about a week or so. If he hadn't been her to offer his own brand of comfort, I might still be crying.

He had a point bwhind his words too, we had to formulate some way of getting Leo back.

As I glanced behind him, my eyes caught sight of something lying near the woodstove. "Hey, Elliot, look there."

He turned to see what I was talking about as I walked over and picked it up. It was a large white envolope, a red seal inmprinted on it.

"A letter?" Elliot asked, confused.

"Maybe. But what exactly is inside is the question."

I opened it and took out the letter, knowing Elliot was glancing over my shoulder as I read it.

To Miss Carrie and Mister Elliot.

He holds Jabberwock, right? The most powerful of the five is what they seek. In hopes to draw out the others, they await paintently for the time to come. I know, your friend has been taken, hasn't he? A dangerous power resides within him, and, since he is still young, Jabberwock's power will work faster on wearing down his fragile body; it will corode him from the inside out.

That's when they think they'll be able to retrive it from him. Listen, they seek two things; the Chain, Jabberwock, and the fragment inside him. What concerns me, is that they won't entirely get the fragment, and that the outcome will ether be the incuse completing the revolution, or the influx of power will kill him.

Right now, he is with them, trapped inside his own body while another controls him. His emotions are fueled by his darker and psychotic side, while he is controled by the person who dwells in the frgament.

You must hurry, for on the night of the darkest day so long ago, at a place of water, sand and ruins, they will try. You must hurry though, because he doesn't have much time left. You must hurry to save him.

-Icarus

I silently read the letter over again in my mind, then reading the name at the bottom.

"Icarus? Who's Icarus?" I asked aloud.

"Carrie?" I turned around to face Elliot, an unreadable expresion across his face and his voice in a lower tone. "What does that letter mean?"

'Eh?' Just what was he getting at, when things were perfectly clear?

"Can't you see?" I exclaimed. "This letter is hinting at some important information that could possibly revealing the Baskervilles intentions and why they want Leo."

"No, Carrie." His voice grew tense. "I mean about Leo."

"Oh, right. Well, I think I know where to find him." I was already starting to formulate an idea, knowing a place that wasn't far from here. "You see, there's a beach near some cliffs not too far away. I think that's where they've taken him!"

"Are you sure of that?"

"Yup." I said plainly, walking over to a chair and grabbing my sweater jacket off of it and putting it on. "Like you said Elliot, we're definetly gonna get Leo back. So let's go!"

"Are you awake, Glen-sama?" She asked the boy who was now just starting to wake up. He shut his eyes once more, but then opened them again.

"A little light headed, but awake." He said, stretching his arms.

"Good." She replied, nodding her head in response.

"It's been quite a while since I could talk like this."

"But what about that time you were faced down with Carrie and her Chain?" Heather asked carefully.

He turned his head to her. "Hmm? You know about that incident?"

"Yeah. Mark told us, having secretly witnessed it."

The boy let out a chuckle. "You know, Heather, you're just like your mother."

"I know that, Glen-sama." She stood from the couch where they were sitting. "I guess I am like my mother, Lottie."

"Ah, yes. Dear Charlotte. And you are the secret child she bared."

"Yes." She replied solemnly. "I was cast into the Abyss and went through the same time lapse as the boy whose body is in your possession. I was adopted among another Baskerville, although Dan never acknowledged me as a sister because I was adopted, even if I was a Baskerville."

"Quite a regrettable history." Suddenly, he felt a faint throbbing in his head.

"Would you like something to eat?" She asked, then noticing the boy rubbing his head. "Is something wrong?"

"Nothing." He answered. "It's probably that boy, Leo, trying to fight back."

"Why does he even try? He knows it's hopeless." Her eyes then faintly grew wide. "But, wait, he's contracted to Jabberwock, and-"

"Calm down, Heather." He reassured her, holding up his hand to keep her from speaking. "I know that this power is wildling away at his body, but I won't feel it. It will be directed at him, and he'll feel that pain instead."

"Yes, but that day is fast approaching, and with that incuse as far as it is, it only gives us even more reason to get you out of him quicker."

He nodded. "Ether way, he is finished."

"Yes, Glen-sama." With that, she went into the kitchen of the apartment (she shares it with Dan and Mark.) to prepare some food.

The boy leaned back on the couch, quietly chuckling to himself. This boy's body was no longer 'Leo', it was 'Glen'.

I was shivering as I lay in the blackness, wakening up once again. I could still feel wet tears on my cheeks, meaning I must have been crying in my sleep. Ah, that's right. I'm concious and aware of everything around me, but I'm not in control of my body, someone else is useing it.

Sitting up, I couldn't help but cough, my chest feeling heavy. I hadn't felt like this when I first woke here, but I now felt like I was being weighed down by something. I tried to stand, but I was unable to, seeing as how I fell back down. This cold that surrounded me and made me tremble, was it just the atmosphere, or was my own body doing this? There was no way to tell, really, but I had started to feel extremely weak from the moment I had woken up.

There was nothing in this darkness, but then, I heard a noise...a small click.

In the next second, a savage scream escaped my throat. In the darkness, I lay there withering in pain. To describe it simply, I felt like I couldn't breathe, and every time I moved, I felt like I was being stabbed with a thousand needles. That pain in my head came back again, once again scattering my thoughts. I rolled over, now clutching my stomach instead, a feeling of something melting like acid flooding me along with the nausea that came with it.

"Corrosion." A voice whispered. "You are already feeling it then."

I couldn't move my head in the direction of the voice, but I was able to answer it. "W-who's there?"

"This affliction, it is speeding up, tearing away at you."

Something came into my field of vision, a pair of bare feet. Slowly, but painfully, I made my head look at this person. They had a blank face, almost like Echo's, but this person's eyes were still full of emotion, even if their face was void of it.

This person who stood in front of me, it was a boy about my age, dressed in a plain shirt and paints, and his silver eyes matched his barely visible black hair.

Carrie seemed tense as we made our way down a dusty old road that she said lead to the beach. Due to a letter Carrie had found after those damn Baskervilles had taken Leo, it had hinted to their possible location, which Carrie suggested was a nearby beach. She was walking a head of me, leaving me behind her while I tried to sort out my thoughts.

Speaking of letters, what it had said was still bombarding me with multiple questions. It had obviously been talking about Leo, but it also said that he had a Chain called Jabberwock? Last time I knew, he didn't have a Chain. It also talked about a fragment inside him, which also concerned me. When I had asked Carrie about this, she had just blown off my question and changed the subject.

There was something I haven't told her yet, but how many secrets was she hiding?

The letter clearly stated that Leo was in danger, yet, she held a straight face at knowing that. Did she even care that he might die?

I've had it with this silence. One way or another, I'm getting the truth out of her.

"Carrie." I called to her.

"Yes, Elliot?" She voice answered back.

"Do you even care about those things concerning Leo?" I saw her stop dead in her tracks. "You love him, but, would you even care if he died?"

I had stopped walking as well, waiting for her answer. Now standing next to her, I caught a glance at her face, and traces of sadness crossed her face.

"Elliot, I..." She was having trouble finding the words. "I do love Leo, and, if he died...I don't know what I would do. That's why I want to find him. I don't want to lose him, Elliot."

"I'm pretty sure he would feel the same." Then I remembered, that morning four days ago. He had kept repeating her name over and over, calling for her. I had kept it hidden from her, and if she knows, maybe she'll reveal to me what's she's hiding. "The reason why, you ask? Four days ago, about a half hour after you left, I found Leo suffering from a nightmare. He kept tossing and turning under the covers and he called out your name a number of times. It was quite pitiful, because he sounded like something was hurting him and he wanted you there to make things better."

"Huh? But he's never told me about a-"

"I know. But I knew and didn't bother telling you." I interrupted. "Whether you believe me or not, I'm telling the truth. Something then was bothering Leo, and he was desperately calling for you. So, I can say with certainty, that if you were taken instead of him, he would definitely come for you."

She blinked, but then nodded. "Yeah, I guess he would. Actually, I may not look like but I am very worried."

"Shut up. I'm not finished yet." I had thought for sure that she would tell me the things she hides if I had told her this. Looks like I have to come right out and say it. "I've told you this secret that I've kept, but I want to know what you're hiding from me. The things about Leo that you tried to cover up."

Her eyes widened and she gave me a confused look. "What are you talking about?"

"I mean what that letter says about Leo. They're true, aren't they?"

She tried to say something, but then let out a sigh, her eyes closing and turning her face away from me. "I'm sorry, Elliot.. In all this confusion, I never thought once to tell you."

"Then tell me now." I demanded, reaching out to grab her arm as she tried to walk away from me. "I want to know these things, because I care about Leo too. We both share that thread."

She looked at me with guilty eyes, and as I glanced into those identical blue eyes, I could tell, she would now open up to me.

"Yes, Elliot." She answered, her voice soft. "All those things are true."

"Then explain, and honestly, got it?"

She nodded and took a breath of air before explaining. "I was hoping he would of told you, but I guess it has to be me instead. Yes, he does have a Chain, and it is Jabberwock. He must of contracted it soon after you died. After that day, he turned on his friends, and he attacked Oz Vessalius with that Chain, trying to send him back to the Abyss. The worst part about that is...well, the contract is...illegal."

"H-he made an illegal contract w-with a Chain?" I stuttered, unable to believe this, but her words were true, I knew that much.

"There is something else too, about the fragment." She continued, but she looked a bit more upset. "It is of Glen Baskerville...because he was the 'container' for his soul."

I felt my heart skip a beat. 'What? What is she saying?'

"At the time when he attacked Oz with the Chain, by then he had gone insane. And I've seen that here in this time too. One day, when we went to Pandora, he had disappeared, and when I found him, he summoned Jabberwock. Looking into his eyes, I could see an endless black, and at that point, that fragment woke up and took over Leo. I had no choice but to summon my Chain."

I raised an eyebrow in surprise, because she's actually seen his eyes. Wait, forget that. She's never mentioned anything about a Chain for herself. "What Chain?"

She looked me straight in the eyes. "Raven."

Add that to the list of surprises I've received today. "Raven?" I exclaimed in shock. "But how?"

"Apparently, from what my sister had told me, my story is similar to you and that horrible Chain that you destroyed. I contracted it two years ago, but I don't remember at all what had happened, but it did choose me as it's next contractor. Mine is a legal contract, in case you're wondering."

For a moment, I stared at her, trying to take in all this information, but I was able to speak a second later. "So, this is what the letter meant."

She nodded and pulled her arm free of my grasp. "Look, we can sort this out later, but right now, I just want to find Leo and get him back, before it's too late."

"Right, but thanks for telling me anyway." I said as she started to walk along. "I believe all of it."

She glanced back at me. "And I believe what you said too."

Wind gusted over the sand as me and Elliot walked out onto the beach. Out on the water, the tide appeared to be going out, and the sun shined down on the waves lapping against the shoreline.

"You think they're here?" Elliot asked. "I don't see anything."

"I'm sure this is it." I answered. "There is sand and water here after all."

"But there's no ruins."

"Yeah, but, maybe they're by the cliffs." I said, trying to reassure myself of this.

"Carrie, there isn't any ruins here. There's nothing." Elliot kept insisting.

"Elliot, I'm sure I read that letter right. It said a place of sand, water, and ruins."

I had started walking off toward the water, walking along the point where the water met the land. I looked along the shoreline, out towards the cliffs.

"Carrie, what if you're wrong?" His voice made me stop, the water softly hitting my shoes. I turned back to him, his face expressionless.

"I...I only..." There was no use in denying it any longer, Elliot was right; the Baskervilles weren't here. Feeling dread and sadness start to well up inside me, I collapsed onto my knees. I shut my eyes tightly, my hands trembling.

'It hurts. What is this feeling?' Tears once again came to my eyes, but I didn't even notice the arms that wrapped around me.

"Carrie." It was Elliot who had taken me in an embrace. "I've told you not to cry."

"Elliot," I whimpered. "my heart hurts. It hurts so much."

"I know, but you're okay." He said soothingly. "There's still a chance, and you can't give up ether. Maybe there's some other meaning to those words."

I opened my eyes and looked up at him. "That's it! We've misinterpreted it!"

"Then it must be another place?"

"Yes, of course!" I exclaimed as we stood up. "All we have to do is look into it more carefully!"

"Carrie?" He asked suddenly. "You're scared for Leo right now, aren't you."

I looked at him, then nodded. "Terrified."

The raven haired boy stood before me, looking down at me as I lay here, pain still pulsing through my body.

"That day is near?" He questioned. "I hate that, but my pity is directed at you."

"What day?" I managed to say. "What are you talking about?"

"That day that took place 300 years ago, it draws near. I hate it so much, Leo."

My eyes widened. "How...do you know my name?"

He sighed. "Dear Leo, I know simply because I've been with you your whole life."

"W-what?" I exclaimed in shock. "How- no, I don't believe you."

"But this is the truth." He insisted, sitting on his knees in front of me. "May I help you up?"

"How can you prove that?" I demanded as he helped me sit up.

"Because I remember that day, after Elliot died and Vincent cut your hair. You threw something at a mirror and then you caused harm to yourself with a forlorn piece of the shattered glass."

I couldn't help but to scurry back slightly from him when he said this. No one knew about that incident except Vincent, who had bandaged my arm after seeing what I did.

"I...I still don't believe you!"

"Then look at this." He grabbed my arm and forcefully pulled up on the sleeve, and there I saw it, a faint scar on my arm. "This scar is proof of what you did, and I can clearly recall that day. You cried endless tears and let your dark emotions get the better of you."

He pulled the sleeve back down, and I only had one question. "Who are you?"

He stood back up, facing away from me. "I can't tell you right now, but I have to say this." He turned back to face me. "If you don't hurry and fight back against Glen, by the time they try to retrieve the fragment, your body will be so weak from the corrosion, there will be a slim chance that you will survive. Most likely, you won't. You have to hurry, to save your love and your master as well."

He was starting to walk away, and I didn't want him to leave yet. "Wait! You can't just leave me!"

"Leo, you have the will to fight back, so use that to your advantage."

"No! Come back!" I tried to stand up on my feet to follow him, but a jolt run through me and I fell down once more. I looked up to get one more look at that mysterious boy, but there was nothing in front of me. He was gone.

"Who...are you?" I panted as I lay there, not being able to keep my eyes open any longer.

However, if he says that I have the will to fight back, then I will fight.

This is my body, and it doesn't belong to Glen.

I turned another page, looking at yet another map. Upon returning home, Carrie went to something called a 'laptop' and started researching places that fit the description. Meanwhile, I had found a book of maps in her library and was currently looking through that.

This is what we had been doing all through into the afternoon, and still nothing. The longer this search went on, the less time Leo had left, since the power of his Chain and the fragment were eating away at him rapidly.

It was now 3:30 and my eyes were growing tired from constantly scanning over the maps looking for some kind of clue. I found myself dozing off from time to time, and I was trying my best to stay awake.

"Come on, stay awake." I mumbled to myself.

"Elliot!" Carrie exclaimed, suddenly bursting through the door. "Elliot, I found it!"

"You found the location of the Baskervilles?" I asked her.

"Yeah! I was looking at the letter and then the envelope that it came in, and I found a dagger inside the envelope." She explained. "It's blade was made of diamond, and I started to wonder if that tied to the location in some way. What I found is that there was an old abandoned gravel pit where a complex was built to harvest granite and junk, but it was built on top of the place were a diamond was found."

"Are you sure of the location this time? I mean, it's still missing one component."

She nodded. "Sand can mean other things too. But, Elliot, there is a pool of water that sits near the complex. So all three of the marks are there, and I'm certain that this is the location!"

"Good." I said through gritted teeth. "Now we can give those Baskervilles what they deserve!"

"I want to head out right away actually." She said as I put the book down. "The town that it's in, well outskirts of town, it'll take nearly a day to get there."

"Then what are we waiting for!" I exclaimed, standing up.

"Well, If you help me pack some things first, we can be on our way in about five to ten minutes."

I stuffed my phone back into my bag, having left a message for Sasha explaining our ordeal and what we were doing. She'd probably call sometime later and yell at me, but that didn't matter.

Right now, what did matter was getting to the city Aroila so we could find the granite complex. Aroila was another town like ours, so a mode of transportation wouldn't be too difficult. My mind kept drifting back to Leo, wondering how he was right now, hoping that he was alright.

Once we got onto an access road, via the carriage, something hit me; the reason of why we needed to hurry.

"Hey, Elliot." I said calmly.

"Yeah?" Te asked from next to me. "If you're gonna make me drive this carriage, then-"

"No, it's not that." My hands tightened on the reins "You do realize we're heading straight for a battle, right?"

He was silent for a moment, then his hand slid down to his sword, which he always had with him. "I figured that."

"And do you know what tomorrow is?"

"No. I have no clue at all."

My eyes closed, but I opened them again. "The 300th anniversary of the Tragedy of Sablier."

Silence passed between us both, but it was Elliot who broke it. "Of course."

As we continued on, there was a storm of emotions in my heart, conviction trying to sway me. I was indeed heading for a battle, and what I feared, is that I might be too late.

I wanted so desperately to save Leo, and I didn't want him to die.

To Miss Carrie

This is meant for you and only you, because only you can accomplish it, and I imagine reading this will be hard enough as it is for you.

There is not much time before the clock strikes midnight tomorrow, and it will be then when his life will be hanging on by a thread. If he is to survive, the fragment must be removed, and Jabberwock sealed. I'm sure you think that it's impossible, however, there is a way to do this, but it may be hard on you.

Inside this envelope, along with this letter is a dagger, it's blade made of pure diamond and laced with the components of ancient symbols and spells needed to fulfill your goal. But, here is the part that will be hard on you.

With this blade, you must stab it through the incuse on his chest, straight into his heart.

Yes, I know, it seems brutal, but, if you then activate and channel your hidden power into him using Raven, then the fragment will be forced out of him and you can seal Jabberwock. Also, if you have a blood sealing mirror on you at the time (I've also included one of those.), the contract will reset and channel into the mirror. Time this right, and after you remove the blade, the wound will heal, and he will be saved.

My best wishes to both of you.

-Icarus

Almost done. In case you're wondering, the last part is a letter Carrie received before she told Elliot of the Baskerville's location. And she has good reasons not to tell Elliot. The next chapter will be the battle that they're all expecting, and Carrie's gonna have to face her own true love in this fight. Sadly, there are only 4 more chapters, and I'll try to make the next one really long (I'm bad at battle scenes to begin with.) it might take a while though, so be patient.

Feel free to leave a reveiw.