DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN BLACK CAULDRON OR ITS CHARACTERS. THEY BELONG TO DISNEY AND THE ORIGINAL OWNERS THAT THEY BOWORROWED IT FROM.

Weeks have gone by and we completely laid out our plans extremely carefully. Cyrus and I decided that I would put in microphones in the offices, hallways, the basement, and the bathrooms and put micro-cams in the offices, hallways and basement. We will also be able to get into the company's computer system and snoop around. I will go in and get started while doing my job at the same time till we find the opportunity to strike. After work Cyrus will go over the data and see when we can strike. When the opportunity comes we'll take it while we got the chance to do it. In the meantime; I've been learning more spells and getting ready for graduation. I may hate the graduation gowns, but I hate staying in high school longer than necessary. We finally made it to the end of the graduation ceremony and we tossed our caps into the air like they do in the movies. After the graduation; everyone came to Morva for the graduation party. I never had a party before or been to one so this will be interesting. The party is tomorrow though and I am extremely nervous. As a prodigy; I wasn't very popular with the kids that I went to school with. I always stayed home studying and working and I don't regret it. Now would be the time that my guests be coming to the house and getting this party started. I even selected some great music to dance to. We have to talk to a certain someone first…

"Observe the party," Taren said uncertain.

"Yeah that way we can take you a party in the future and you can interact with other people outside the necklace," Cyrus explained.

"Not only that, but that way you can see how much has changed since your time. What do you say, Taren?"

"What do I got to lose."

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The party is in full swing; people are having fun, Cyrus makes an awesome DJ, and Ordu's spells to keep people out of the swamps and the witch chamber is fully functional. So far I'm having a great time and Taren is asking a lot of questions that makes me want to laugh. Before the party got started though I cast my own protection spell on the perimeter of the property, so the hollow-eyed, walking skeleton doesn't get in. Things were going great till I heard a girl screaming from my room. Cyrus heard it too and we ran inside and what we saw something made me want to be sick. One of the least popular girl in school, Clarissa Dogwood, was nearly raped by the star and captain of the football team, Jeremy Celslor. Cyrus dragged him out of the room and I ran to Clarissa to make sure she was okay.

"Hey, you're okay. You're okay. Can you tell me your name?"

"Clarissa Dogwood, but I prefer to be called Rissa."

"Nice to meet you, Rissa. I'm Scarlett. Do you want me to call someone; your mom and dad maybe?"

She shook her head no and said, "I'm a foster kid, so I don't have any parents and my foster parents kicked me out as soon as I turned eighteen."

Okay now that's horrible. I had at least somewhere to go and then it hit me; "Hey Rissa, why don't you live here with me and Ordu till you get back on your feet and find a place of your own."

She thought about it for a minute and said, "Why not. It's not like I have anywhere else to go, right?"

We started laughing and it reminded me of the love struck witch. God do I miss her. Life goes on though. I started making new friends, graduated from high school, going to start a job, and try to keep the world safe from the Horned King. My life is so not normal and I don't think it ever will.

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Perdain Industries is what I pictured it; a tall twenty story building with a security system that can rival a bank's. Metal detectors at the entrances, security cams all over the corners of each room. Then again when you are dealing with people's DNA; the security would have to be extra tight. Poor Taren is having a panic attack just by being in here, Cyrus is ready to bolt when trouble is coming our way, and me; I was casting enough spells to keep evil away for the rest of the summer and then some. In the lobby was and a black haired woman a few years older than me. "Good morning, . Lovely day today huh?"

"Indeed it is. Scarlet, this is Dr. Jasmine Cree. She is our top forensics scientists and my wife. Jazz, this is our new intern Scarlet King."

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Scarlet. I hope we can expect great things from you."

"Oh don't worry, Ma'am. I will do my absolute best at all times."

"Alrighty then. Jazz, I'll let get back to work and Scarlet, you'll follow me."

I said goodbye to Jazz and followed Mr. Cree to an office that was dark. As soon as I got in though I felt a familiar magic. "Sir, this is our new intern, Scarlet King. Scarlet, this is Mr. King. He's the owner and C.E.O of Perdain Industries as you well know. He doesn't speak though because his voice scare a lot of people."

"I understand, Mr. Cree and Mr. King. I have a hobby that frightens most people."

"Now Mr. King has already had an assignment for you to do. It's just a paternity test for a custody case. You will know whom the child we are testing their D.N.A against. Mr. King would like this done at the end of the week."

"Of course, Mr. Cree! I won't let you down."

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I left the office and headed down to the lab to get started on the testing. I ran into Cyrus on my way there. "I just got a case for me to do. Did you get everything that we needed for home?"

"Yep," answered Cyrus. "Got cams all over the place including having a tracker on Mr. Cree. I even put a Trojan virus on in the system. As soon as Mr. Cree or Mr. King logs in; we'll know what is in his desktop and everything."

"Great! Well, here's the lab. Better get started on this before he gets suspicious. See ya at home, Cyrus."

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The entire day I ran DNA tests for custody battles and not any murders. I was glad to be home and get to watching the cam recordings and help Cyrus get into Creeper's or the walking Horned Skeleton's hard drive. Rissa was helping Ordu with dinner. So far with the surveillance nothing, but there has been activity on the Creeper's hard drive. Unfortunately, it was nothing, but porn sites that the wife doesn't know about. Horn Head hadn't logged into his computer yet.

"So how is Taren doing," asked Cyrus. "I would have been bored if I was stuck in that old necklace all day."

"He heard you, Cyrus, and he said that he is doing fine and he is not getting bored cause he was watching Ordu cast a massive protection spell on the property with Rissa today."

"I never thought that Rissa would be doing magic. Is a protection spell the first piece of magic that a witch first learns?"

"No the first thing that has a witch does is to learn to mediate so that way a witch can cast a spell with concentration. After that is learning the elements which is Earth, Fire, Air, Water, and the Spirit. We learn every spell that has to do with the elements and based on their personalities they would start with the element that fits them personally. Like for example, Rissa. She has a calm and healing kind of personality so her element would be Earth. The protection spells that she cast was an Earth kind of spell."

"Did you master every elemental spell yet, Scarlett?"

"Not yet. I still have to learn the last spirit kind of spell and it is a major one for me."

"Your last spell is to get a spirit that has been trapped on this plane for far too long, child. You are not ready for that one yet. The second spell you will learn is to fuse with your spirit partner. That is one of the most challenging one that a witch could do. Are you recording this, Cyrus?"

"Yep! Hey Rissa, is dinner ready or do we need to wait?"

"You will have to wait, Techno Boy. Dinner will in the oven for another hour. While we wait though let's pay attention to this. This might be my lesson to learn along the way."

"Alright! Bring out Taren, Scarlett."

"By the powers of the Earth, Air, Water, Fire, and Spirit, I command that the spirit of Taren to come out of the necklace."

The spell activated and there was a bright glow all around the room and then the light died down and there was Taren in the clothes that he was in he separated from his body.

"Good evening everyone! Ordu."

"Taren. I never thought that you would be a spirit partner to a witch in training. I have something that belonged to your grandfather before the Horned King came and killed him."

"Which is what, Ordu," asked Cyrus.

Ordu made some hand movements then a sword appeared out of thin air. It was a beautiful sword. It had a gold handle with a couple of rubies on both sides and a metal blade so white it looked like ice and there was some ancient magic infused with it.

"This sword has been passed in your family for generations. It is said that only a fair and brave ruler could wield it. And that is because my mother made it so."

"Your mother put a spell on the sword so that no one that is an unfair coward could wield it. That is brilliant! Are you okay, Taren," I asked.

"I am. It's just I never knew my family except for Dolbin and he was like a father that I never. My mother died in childbirth and that is all I ever knew."

"Maybe after we get you back your body we can summon the spirits of your parents and grandparents and get some answers."

"Summoning spirits is a very dangerous task that only the strong willed could handle. Never do it on your own, child," commanded Ordu.

I said, "Yes ma'am."

Taren tried touching it back he phased through it. I went over to him and the sword and picked it up and then I had a vision.

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I was in the spirit realm and the only reason I knew that is because I just saw a kid that committed suicide off her balcony window just phased through me. I looked around me there was a group of people that was dressed similar to Taren. I walked over and said, "Excuse me, but could someone tell me why I am here?"

They looked at each and parted to reveal an old man in royal garments, a lady in a long dress, an old man in peasant's clothes, a man dressed like a knight, and the love-struck witch. The royal-looking old man said, "You are here, child because we want to send a message to my grandson, Taren."

"What kind of message because I'm sorry but messing around in the spirit realm too long can have bad consequences."

The lady in the long dress said, "We will not keep you. We want you to tell Taren that any questions that he may have is in a book that's the old Tover Castle hidden in the tallest tower."

"Why is it all the way up there to begin with?"

Peasant-clothed man said, "It has not only answers to Taren's past but the way to find the Black Cauldron."

"The Black Cauldron!? That is one of the most dangerous weapon that has ever been created."

The knight said, "We do know of this. The evil king that was thrown in there was Taren's great-great grandfather. We want you to find it and destroy it. Destroy it and you are one step closer to beating the Horned King."

"So all me and my friends have to do is destroy a cauldron and the could be able to beat the Horned walking skeleton for good?"

The love-struck witch then said, "You will also have to beat the evil witch known as Teale, my dear."

"Who's Teale and why do I need to beat her and whatever else first before I can beat your murderer?"

"Teale was an evil witch that fell in love with Taren's father, but he didn't love her. She grew jealous and put a curse on him to become to the Horned King. We sealed her away where she would never harm anyone again. The Horned King got worse. He treated his subjects like dirt beneath his shoes. I knew I was pregnant and I did not want Taren growing up like that. So I ran away to my uncle Dolbin here and I gave birth there. But I knew I had to return and so I did. When I got back; he was waiting for me in the throne room. He felt I betrayed him and I was killed right in there. He hired a goblin known as Creeper and it was Creeper that gave me a proper burial. My father was already killed by him when he would not reveal where I was. My brother here was killed in battle to avenge our father. Ordu's and Ordi lost their sister when she trying to protect Taren's body a couple of centuries after separating his soul. And well you know what happened to Ordi," said Long Dress.

"That is awful and Taren's father is the Horned King?! How do we break his curse? Taren would not want anything to do with him after what he did to him."

"We know what he did but that was the monster not him," said Dolbin.

"Alright, this is a lot to take in, so I am going to go now."

"Before you go tell Taren that I, his mother, Princess Stella of Perdain…"

"I, his uncle, Sir Derek of Perdain…"

"I, his grandfather, King Theobald of Perdain…"

"I, his great uncle, Prince Dolbin of Perdain…"

"I, Ordi, protector of the prince of Perdain…"

"And I, Ordo, also protector of the prince of Perdain would also want you to tell him that he is still loved by all of his family even beyond the grave."

"I will everyone and I also have a message to Ordo and Ordi from Ordu that she still loves you both and that she misses you and that includes me Ordi."

She smiled and I was back out of the vision.

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I opened my eyes and everyone was looking at me. I smiled and let a tear drop then I said, "Taren, Ordu, I got a message from you guys from the other side."

"You got a message from the Spirit Realm? Child, thousands of witches have tried what makes you think that you succeeded?"

"Because I got a message from Dolbin, Theobald, Stella, Derek, Ordi, and Ordo to deliver. Cyrus, I hope you are filming this?"

"You bet I am."

"They all said that the Walking, Hollow-Eyed, Horned, Skeleton is actually a man that was cursed because of an evil jealous witch that loved him."

"If she loved him then why did she curse him," asked Taren.

"She figured if she can't have him then transfigure him to look horrible enough that your mother would walk away from him. Stella and the others saw what she had done and sealed her away where she couldn't do any harm."

"I remember that! It took me and my sisters to seal her away, but it can only be broken if the son of the Horned King was killed."

"Separating him from his body pretty much got him close to dead," said Rissa.

"Yeah and they also said that after beating her we have to face some other foes from the past."

"Great like that's not going to set us back," said Cyrus sarcastically.

"It's the only chance that we got. When we beat her we can get back to looking in the building for Taren's body."

"We won't have to wait that long," said Cyrus.

"And why not," said Rissa.

"Because I was able to get into Horned Murderer's hard drive. According to this; he is keeping your body in the basement inside a vault that has two different types of security outside it."

"Like what," asked Taren.

"Like motion detectors on the floor for the first part and the second part is the way to get in the vault which would require a hand print of the Horned King's and the number code to get in. Unfortunately, it is the kind of vault that can't let any hacker override the handprint scanner."

Now that was disappointing. I was hoping to just waltz right in and get Taren's body back. The bad guys do not make it easy for the good guys. Oh well, life should never be this easy right.

"Alright here's the plan: Cyrus and I will keep working at Perdain Industries till we are able to get past the system, Ordu I want you to keep training Rissa till she gets to my level cause I don't want her to stay here when we could use here out there in the field, Rissa I want to research what kind of spell the evil jealous bitch used on the Horn Bone, and Taren I want you to stay inside the necklace unless we need you to come out. Everyone got it?"

Everyone was in agreement and we went to our own dreamland. Before Taren went back in I said, "Taren, I need to tell you a couple of more things before you go back."

"What is it?"

"For one your mom, your uncles, your grandfather, and your protectors said that they still loved you and that your mom did not die of child birth and that they loved you so much that I broke their heart to separate you from your body. And that your mom was killed by the Horned King who happens to be your father."

"So I was basically lied to for sixteen years by Dolbin who happens to be my great uncle, my mother didn't die from child birth but was murdered by the Horned King who happens to be my father. The same father who raped me the same night that he took me from Dolbin and killed Henwen and also cursed me!"

"They said it the curse that made him do all those things not him. I am extremely sorry, Taren. I wish it wouldn't be so, but we have to move on in order to get better. If you want to talk though I will right here for you."

Then Taren did something that he has never done before. He kissed me! Grant it he was a spirit and he was cold to the touch, but it made my insides feel so warm. We parted ways for the night, but we could not stop thinking about what just transpired a few minutes ago.

Hey everyone! Sorry it took me so long to write this chapter. not only did I have writers block but I am also back in school got a new job and basically life being life.