A/N: Thank you, Heart of the Demons for the review. You can check out the cover for the last chapter on my instagram at @jrgmf3 (shameless plug).
Chapter XI: The Stone of Threbe
The sun peeked through the curtains in Cornelia's bedroom as she reluctantly stirred from her sleep. She had always been more of a night owl, preferring to stay up late reading fashion magazines. However, she knew that school was essential, and her education couldn't be sacrificed. With a deep yawn, she stretched her limbs and sat up in bed, rubbing the sleep from her eyes.
Cornelia's room was a reflection of her personality – sophisticated, stylish, and impeccably organized. She prided herself on maintaining a clean and orderly space. On the wall next to her bed hung a beautifully-framed photograph of her with the other members of W.I.T.C.H. – Will, Irma, Taranee, and Hay Lin. Their friendship had grown stronger since they became Guardians, and she cherished the connection they shared.
Slipping out of bed, Cornelia walked over to her full-length mirror and assessed her appearance. Her long, blond hair was a mess of tangles and knots. With a sigh, she grabbed her hairbrush and began the arduous task of smoothing out her locks. As she brushed her hair, she thought about the adventures they had experienced together as Guardians, fighting evil and protecting the universe from harm. While it wasn't an easy task, she wouldn't trade her powers for anything. She had grown fond of the earth and nature in general.
After taming her hair, Cornelia headed to the bathroom to freshen up. She splashed cold water on her face and brushed her teeth, taking note of the dark circles that had formed under her eyes from late-night Guardian duties.
Back in her room, Cornelia opened her closet, revealing a collection of fashionable clothing. She carefully selected her signature long skirt and blouse. As she dressed, she thought about the day ahead and wondered if they would have any battles or missions to attend to. She hoped not, as she had a history project due that she still needed to finish.
Once dressed, Cornelia made her way downstairs to the kitchen. She greeted her mother and father, who were already sipping coffee and reading the morning newspaper. They exchanged pleasantries, and her mother reminded her to eat breakfast before school, emphasizing the importance of a good meal to start the day. Cornelia grabbed a bowl of her favorite cereal and poured herself a glass of orange juice.
She ate mechanically, her thoughts focused on the cute guy that courted her the day before. Then the image of Caleb came into her mind and she immediately felt embarrassed. She didn't understand why. She and Caleb were just friends, well sort of coworkers. There wasn't anything between them. Yet still she felt as if thinking of another guy was disrespectful to Caleb.
After finishing her breakfast, Cornelia glanced at the clock and realized she was running late. She hastily grabbed her school bag and shouted a quick goodbye to her parents before racing out of the house. As she jogged toward school, she couldn't help but think about how her life had changed since becoming a Guardian. It was a delicate balance, juggling her regular life as a teenager with her newfound powers and responsibilities. Some days were more challenging than others, but she knew that she and the rest of W.I.T.C.H. were capable of overcoming any obstacles that came their way.
Arriving at school, Cornelia met up with the other members of W.I.T.C.H.
"Hey, don't forget, guys, practice today by the river," said Will.
"Before we have practice, I need your help," said Hay Lin.
"With your hair, make-up and fashion sense?" asked Cornelia. "I thought you would never ask."
"Blunk's travelling around in a garbage dumpster stinking up the neighbourhood and my mom and dad have the health inspector coming. So we need to give him a bath."
"He's willing to take a bath?" asked Taranee.
"Well, no," Hay Lin responded.
"Okay, we'll do it before practice," said Will.
Cornelia sighed. "Why can't we have regular problems? Like are my shoes so retro they're not cool, just plain old? No. We have to give a sponge bath to a barf toad."
The girls were standing in the alleyway, crinkling their noses at the stench emanating from the dumpster. Taranee wrinkled her nose, furrowing her brow in disgust. She held her bucket of water with one hand and covered her nose with the other. Meanwhile, Blunk was waist-deep in the trash, grunting and muttering to himself as he rummaged through the garbage.
"Smells bad," Taranee complained.
"I'll say," Hay Lin added. "Blunk bad."
"Dunk the Blunk!" Will yelled, and the girls nodded in agreement. They ran towards Blunk, pushing the dumpster out of the way. The smell intensified as they drew closer, but they were determined to clean him up.
Without a word, they started throwing water on him, using their brooms to scrub away the grime and filth. Soap suds filled the air, and the girls worked tirelessly to rid Blunk of his dirt and debris.
After several minutes of scrubbing, the bubbles cleared, revealing Blunk, who was wearing some kind of wet suit.
"Is that a wet suit?" asked Will, staring at the strange outfit in disbelief.
Blunk looked down at himself and chuckled. "Old trash-bag suit," he said. "Keeps Blunk away from water."
A loud noise could be heard in the distance. It sounded like a garbage truck approaching. The girls looked at each other, realizing that they had to act fast before they lost Blunk.
With a deep breath, Blunk took a running start and leaped into the air, aiming for the dumpster on the back of the truck. His fingers barely grazed the edge, and he almost fell to the ground. But with a quick twist of his body, he managed to grab onto the side and pull himself up. The garbage truck started moving, and Blunk was inside the garbage compartment.
"He's heading for the river," said Will.
"We'll never catch him," said Hay Lin.
"Not in human form," Will replied. "Okay, this is only supposed to be used for fighting evil, but that smell is as close to evil as I wanna get. Guardians Unite!"
The Guardians united their powers and flew after the garbage truck. They followed it to the riverbank, where they found Blunk sitting in a garbage can.
"Bath time," Hay Lin said. She used her power over air to lift Blunk out of the can, but he tried to fight back, flailing his arms and legs in the air. Hay Lin struggled to keep him in one place.
"I wash, you dry," said Irma to Cornelia.
"Oh, why waste our powers?" asked Cornelia. "Let's just throw him in the river." And that was exactly what Hay Lin did. She picked up Blunk and, with a flick of her wrist, tossed him into the river.
"Okay, when he swims to shore, then we'll give him a proper scrubbing," said Will.
Unfortunately for the girls, Blunk was not ready to give up just yet. As he swam towards the shore, he spotted a garbage boat and decided to hop on board. The girls could only watch as the boat steered away, taking Blunk with it. But they weren't ready to give up just yet. Flying right above the boat, Will said, "We can still swoop down and give him a good scrubbing." The girls knew they had to act fast if they were going to catch Blunk before he made his escape.
Will turned around and saw an old man with a butterfly net looking at them with binoculars. He seemed harmless, but they couldn't take any chances. "We've got company," Will warned the others. "Wings in!" The girls quickly and gracefully plummeted to the ground.
They watched as the butterfly collector rubbed his eyes and moved on to another section of the river. "Great. Now we're muddy," Cornelia complained. "And trust me, muddy is never in."
"I vote we don't give the butterfly collector the biggest discovery of his life," Irma said, cleaning her wings. She had a point. The man had already interrupted their mission, and they didn't want to risk him discovering their secret.
"I guess," said Will, still scanning the area for any signs of Blunk. "Let's just forget Blunk for now. Sorry, Hay Lin."
"Hand out nose plugs?" Irma offered.
Suddenly, the clouds above them began to swirl and churn. A green lightning bolt shot out of the sky, crackling and sizzling. The girls looked up in awe and wonder, unsure of what was happening.
Will took out the Heart of Kandrakar, "Change back!" she yelled. But to their surprise, nothing happened. The girls were still stuck in their winged form, and they couldn't understand why.
"You might wanna check the batteries in the old Heart of Kandrakar. We didn't change back," Irma said.
"Hm, okay. Let's just try to fly away before that guy sees us," said Will. "Ready?" The girls jumped and tried to move their wings, but to no avail. They were grounded, unable to fly.
"We're stuck," Cornelia said, trying to keep the panic out of her voice. "We've lost our powers."
"We have to figure out what's going on," Will said, determined. The girls huddled together, brainstorming ideas and trying to come up with a solution. Time was running out, and they couldn't afford to waste a second.
The girls went to the Silver Dragon restaurant, their wings tightly pressed to their backs, trying to look as inconspicuous as possible. The sound of their wings rustling against their clothes made them feel uneasy as they walked through the busy streets. Passersby gave them strange looks, but the girls tried their best to ignore them and keep moving forward. They reached the backdoor and knocked. "Just a minute!" Yan Lin's voice echoed. After a minute she opened the door.
"Girls, I told you never to appear in public in Guardian form," Yan Lin said, alarmed.
"Mrs Lin, we can't change back," said Will.
"Oh, dear. Quickly, inside!" The girls went inside. Yan Lin gave them long scarlet cloaks and hot tea.
"I tried ten times," said Will. "Nothing. And none of us has any powers at all."
"Thanks for the tea, Mrs Lin," said Irma.
"It takes the chill off my wings," said Taranee.
"Shh," Yan Lin warned. "The only wings he knows about are on the chicken," she said, pointing at a nearby chef who was cooking a chinese specialty.
"Can't you help us change back?" asked Will.
"Yeah, don't you have a spell or a cream or a roll-on or something?" asked Irma. Yan Lin remained silent, lost in thought.
"Hmm. You've lost your powers, and we know Phobos is searching for his sister," she finally said. "There is a story of a long-lost stone. Back when Meridian was a peaceful, happy place, a young girl, Weira, heir to the throne, wandered from her parents and was lost. Weira's parents were frantic and beseeched the Mage for help.
The Mage used the Heart Of Kandrakar to create a locator stone, a seven-pointed star. A star that will summon for them one person who was lost. Once she finds it, it will render powerless anything or anyone that might prevent her returning home. But if activated, the star could never be destroyed and might one day serve their enemies. Weira's father decided that it was worth the risk.
Weira was drawn to the star. It guided her safely back to her family. Her father threw the star into the volcano of Threbe, hoping to destroy it. If Phobos found it, this explains the loss of your powers. The Guardians are trying to prevent his sister's return home."
"How long will we be like this?" asked Hay Lin.
"It could be an hour," Yan Lin said. The girls relaxed. "Or it could be forever."
"You mean the really long forever?" asked Cornelia.
"Yes," Yan Lin responded. "Worse than that, I'm afraid, is the possibility that, with the star's help, Phobos has finally found the one he is seeking."
The W.I.T.C.H. girls, Yan Lin and Caleb were at the Silver Dragon basement. Caleb stood behind a map of Meridian, which showed the three primary continents: Azaro to the west, Valtorin to the northeast, and Thalassar to the southeast. The map also included depictions of the oceans. Aequorium was located between Azaro and Valtorin, while Lumphirion was situated at the north pole. Ophirion, on the other hand, was the ocean at the south pole.
"So you came to me for help," said Caleb "That was smart, real smart."
"Now, only if you were smart," Cornelia retorted. "Real smart."
"Hey, you lovebirds, knock it off," Will said. "We need all the help we can get."
Caleb gave a sly smile. "So there I was, mining a project at Threbe," said Caleb, pointing at a place on Thalassar. "I remember cause I saved the beautiful daughter of the Threbian Lord. I was surrounded by a three-headed Triferocamus."
"Focus," said Cornelia.
"Right," Caleb replied. "Lurdens were digging in the shafts below the old volcano. I thought Phobos was digging for Threbite. It's a fuel. But there was always the legend."
"They could be powerless until the star passes to a new owner," said Yan Lin.
"That's just great," said Will. "Who wants to date a 95-pound moth?"
"Maybe older boys will like me like this," Cornelia said. Suddenly, a horrible smell filled the air. "Smells like something died."
"No," said Hay Lin. "Smells like something died, came back to life, fell in a vat of old cheese and then died again. Blunk's back." The girls got out of the basement, and opened the Silver Dragon back door. Blunk was standing at the doorstep holding a trash can lid as a shield.
"Big bad thing," Blunk said "Important!"
"What?" asked Taranee. "You stole a truckload of that stuff that collects between people's toes?"
"For news, trade. No Blunk bath."
"All right, okay. No bath yet," said Will. "What's so important?"
Blunk led the W.I.T.C.H. girls plus Caleb to the outskirts of Heatherfield, on top of a clif.
"This is a wild Blunk chase," said Caleb. "He's scamming you so he can stay filthy." Just as the words escaped Caleb's mouth the girls saw a giant carnivorous plant with 3 heads, wrapped around a railroad track, devouring anything solid.
"What is that?" asked Will, bewildered.
"Blunk know!"
"What is it?" asked Irma.
"Big, hungry plant," Blunk responded. Suddenly, the air filled with the sound of a train whistle.
As they turned their heads, they saw a train moving in the distance and realized that it had only about five minutes before it collided with the carnivorous plant that was wrapped around the railroad track. The track itself was located on the edge of a cliff, and the plant was situated right at the beginning of that cliff. Realizing the gravity of the situation, the girls, along with Caleb and Blunk, quickly got off their own cliff and headed to the base of the railroad cliff where the metal scaffolding that supported the railroad was located.
"We have to do something," Caleb said.
"Like what?" asked Irma.
"I feel awful," said Hay Lin. "A few hours ago we had our powers and we were using them-"
"To wash a large rodent," Cornelia continued.
"People do incredible things every day who don't have special powers," Caleb said. He started climbing the scaffolding. He reached the top where the incredibly thick roots of the plant were situated. "If we cut it at the base, maybe the other end will wither. Throw me one of those." He pointed to some nearby shovels on the ground. Will took one and threw it to Caleb, who caught it.
The girls plus Blunk each took a shovel and began to climb the scaffolding cautiously, assessing every step before making it. The metal was hot to the touch, and their palms were beginning to sweat, but they knew that they needed to be fast if they wanted to save the train and its passengers. Caleb had already reached the top of the scaffolding, his fingers grasping onto the metal as he began to cut the roots with his shovel. The girls climbed up to join him, each one cutting the same root, which had the thickness of a barrel.
Suddenly, one of the plant's heads swooped down towards Caleb, its jaws gaping open. Caleb quickly ducked and stumbled back, nearly falling off the scaffolding. He managed to catch himself just in time, his heart racing as he looked up to see the plant's head receding back into the main body. The group of heroes continued to work together, focusing on cutting the roots as fast as they could.
As they were cutting, one of the plant's heads lunged towards Blunk. The head clamped down on him, but then quickly spat him out, making a disgusted noise. Blunk landed on the ground with a thud, but was otherwise unharmed.
"Looks like being dirty has its advantages," Irma quipped, trying to lighten the tense mood.
The girls continued to work together, cutting the roots with determination, while keeping an eye out for the carnivorous plant's heads that kept trying to attack them. Taranee was gripping her shovel incredibly tight. Suddenly, it caught fire. Taranee dropped the shovel, shocked. She opened her palm and a fireball shot right out of it. "We got our powers back!" she shouted.
Taranee let go of the scaffolding. Her wings immediately came back to life, fluttering at high speeds. The rest of the Guardians followed suit. Cornelia used her power over earth to lift a giant boulder from the ground. She shoved that directly up one of the plant heads' mouth.
"Plants are 95% water," said Irma. She focused all of her energy on the plant, drawing out all of the water from its massive frame.
As she drained the water from the plant, the others watched in awe as it began to wither and shrink. After a minute of relentless concentration, the plant began to unravel from the scaffolding and slowly fell to the ground with a resounding thud.
But their victory was short-lived, as the plant firmly embedded its roots in the ground. Taranee looked around at her teammates and let out a sigh. "Looks like cutting the roots isn't going to work," she said, resigned.
Suddenly, Hay Lin had an idea. "What if we try burning the roots?" she suggested.
Caleb nodded in agreement. "It's worth a shot," he said.
Taranee summoned her flames and set the base of the roots on fire. The flames quickly spread, engulfing the roots and the plant began to scream and writhe in agony. The group watched in amazement as the once-mighty carnivorous plant was reduced to nothing more than ashes and charred debris. With a sense of satisfaction, they looked at each other and exchanged a collective high-five. Another job well done.
Caleb's voice echoed in the air, "The tracks!" He pointed towards the railway tracks that were still in a state of disarray. The girls rushed towards the tracks and noticed that it had gaps and breaks.
"Can you weld them?" Will asked Taranee. Taranee was hesitant at first, but then she nodded with confidence. She rubbed her palms together to generate heat and flew down to the tracks to weld them. The heat from Taranee's hands was enough to weld the metal together, and soon the gaps were fixed.
As Taranee worked, the train's whistle echoed through the valley. The girls looked up and saw the train approaching at breakneck speed. Taranee worked faster, but she was so engrossed in her task that she didn't notice the train getting closer. Just as the train was about to collide with her, Will swooped in and caught her just in time. The train passed over the welded tracks without any problems, and the group heaved a sigh of relief.
The girls, with Caleb in tow, flew back to the Silver Dragon restaurant. As they flew, the cool night air whipped past them, and the stars twinkled above like scattered diamonds. Caleb was relieved to have survived the wild plant chase, and the girls were glad to have saved the train from disaster and to have their powers back.
As they landed on the rooftop of the restaurant, they were greeted by the gentle clinking of the wind chimes. Hay Lin, the energetic and bubbly one, skipped over to the edge of the roof to admire the view of the city. "It's so pretty up here," she exclaimed, breathing in the fresh night air. "I could stay here forever!"
Will called out to the rest of the girls, "Alright, let's head inside!" They made their way down the staircase to the restaurant's main entrance. They the transformed and went inside. There they were greeted by the mouth-watering aroma of sizzling stir-fries and simmering soups. The Silver Dragon restaurant was dimly lit, with red and gold lanterns casting a warm glow throughout the room.
The girls made their way to their usual table, nestled in a cozy corner of the restaurant. They chatted and laughed, recounting the day's events.
"It's great to be back to normal," Taranee said.
"Define 'normal'," said Cornelia. She opened a fortune cookie. "That which once smelled like an onion will soon smell like a rose. Huh?"
The girls looked outside a window and saw Blunk driving a dumpster. He wasn't looking ahead an ended up going into a car wash. The girls watched in awe as the fortune cookie came true.
"Okay, we will never take our powers for granted again," said Will with a smile. Yan Lin came to the table, a concerned look on her face.
"If your powers are back, the Star of Threbe has done its work. Phobos has the person he seeks."
Rick Hoffman had just closed up his bookshop for the day. He was looking forward to spending the rest of the night with his books, alone. He was surrounded by shelves of ancient and new volumes. There was a cozy armchair and a reading lamp beside it that he had set up just for himself. It was his favorite spot to unwind after a long day.
As he sat down to immerse himself in his book, he heard a faint knocking sound coming from the back of the store. He frowned, wondering if he had forgotten to lock the door. He got up from his chair and walked towards the sound. He passed the mythology section, and there it was again. He slowly walked towards the back of the store, where he kept his rare book collection.
He heard it again, and this time it was louder. He followed the sound until he reached a pile of books stacked haphazardly on top of each other. It was unusual, as Rick had strict rules on how books should be placed. He slowly approached the pile and carefully pulled out the top book. As he did, the pile shifted, revealing a small cat.
The cat was small and thin, with scruffy fur and a collar that looked too tight. Rick wondered how the animal had gotten in there. He picked it up and decided to get it out of the store.
He got back to his reading spot when the door of the bookshop opened. It was a young girl, about 13 years old, with long blonde hair that was kept in two braids. She was wearing a purple blouse and a purple skirt. In her hand was what looked like a star that you would put on a Christmas tree. Exept it had 7 points and it glew emerald green. It had a string attached to it.
"May I help you?" asked Rick.
"I... I think I stole this jewel from your window display," said the girl.
"Oh, it's not a jewel," Rick replied. "It's practically worthless."
"I don't know why I took it," said the girl. "It's not like me. Here." She handed out the star. "It's yours."
"No!" Rick yelled. "You should have kept it," he said, in a more calm tone.
"It kinda freaks me out," said the girl. "I've spent the entire afternoon walking around Heatherfield. The only thing that I thought of was getting home. When I snapped out of it I realised that I was nowhere near my house. Luckily, I found my way back. I'm sorry that I stole that jewel."
"Don't apologize," said Rick. "It's water under the bridge."
"It's Rick, right?" asked the girl.
"Yes. Well, Cedric, actually," he responded.
"I like that better. I'm Elyon Brown." She went to nearby box. "Are those school yearbooks?" she asked.
"Yes," Cedric replied. "I beleve so... I'm afraid I'm rather disorganized. I could certainly use someone like you to help me part time."
"Really? That will be great," said Elyon, excited. "When can I start?"
"Tomorrow, after school," Cedric replied.
"See you then," said Elyon. And with that she left the store. Cedric smiled to himself. He took out a Sheffield yearbook and opened it to a bookmarked page. It had pictures of girls from 8th grade. He looked around and found the girl that had just left the store.
"This human disguise does come in handy," he said. "The sister of Phobos. Elyon Brown."
So you may have noticed the absence of Phobos in my project. This is intentional as I wanted to make him be the endgame. In the show he is a typical villain, with evil monologues and convoluted schemes. And while that's entertaining, I wanted to give him more of an ominous presence. So, I used a technique that I learned in school called the technique of the parallel mirrors. It means constructing a character based on how others see them. You constantly hear about Phobos, of his schemes, but you never actually see him.
It gives him this power in the reader's mind. This unstoppable force that you can never get the edge on. You can thwart his schemes but he'll always come up with something else.
I originally planned to do the same with Cedric but then I realized that the story wouldn't make sense. Too much of the original plot would be lost and possibly never explained. From this point forward, it's essential that the audience knows Cedric's earth identity, and his plans, though only the basic stuff. There will still be a mystery element as to what the ultimate goal is.
Next is the final chapter in this arc Chapter XII: The Princess Revealed