(A/n: Thanks for the offer, but I'm gonna have to pass. Trigger Warning: made-up suicide)
Chapter 21: Dreadful Encounters- Pt.2 (Final)
Craig, Stripe, Leon, and Clyde
Craig does not like his current predicament. Seeing Mrs. Donovan wielding a kitchen knife, threatening to use it as a weapon against him and her own son is not only incredibly scary, but also surreal. Mrs. Donovan is the nicest person Craig has ever known next to his parents, it...doesn't look right for her to appear this menacing. Her eyes are a dead giveaway that she's not herself, although instead of wanting to turn Craig and Clyde over to the Dark Master's side, she wants to kill them. It is solely up to Craig to protect the both of them since Clyde is hypnotized and restrained by chains, but he's not sure what to do. What can he do to snap his friend out of Mrs. Donovan's hypnosis? He doesn't want to hurt her, rather he can't because he doesn't know any other spells except Chains of Light.
Mrs. Donovan smiles. "Now then, time to die," she declares sweetly. She charges at Craig ready to do him a lot of harm. Craig didn't even blink, yet he couldn't keep up with her speed, closing the gap between them in a millisecond. She moved as if she was a ghost that decided to make her presence known to him. Her grin broadening minaciously, Mrs. Donovan prepares to stab him in the head.
The boy looks up at the knife with enlarging eyes, the blade reflecting in his pupils. Tears come to surface as he imagines his life ending in the most brutal way possible.
"Master Craig!" Stripe casts a barrier around Craig.
Mrs. Donovan grunts in startled anger when her knife makes contact with the white barrier, producing a shrill sound as if the barrier was made out of glass. She failed to damage it. She jumps back more than a few feet, and looks at her arm, which is shaking uncontrollably. She's barely able to maintain her grip on the knife. Grimace crosses her facial features. "Curse this mortal body for being weak. Looks like killing these children will be difficult," the entity inside her head thinks angrily.
Craig drops to his knees, his head still facing upwards. The tears have yet to fall despite him being paralyzed in fear. Everything has gone silent in his ears, even his own pounding heartbeat.
Inside of a plain white subspace that's slowly dimming in color, Stripe is nervously looking at his host through a large circular viewscreen that's carved into the domain high before him. He can sense Craig's powers becoming unstable, which is a scenario that has happened once before. "I have to snap him back to his senses, and fast." He keeps his protection spell around Craig for his safety, just in case the possessed woman decides to take this opportunity to attack him again. Stripe wordlessly changes the scene to Clyde's mother, feeling slight relief when he sees her struggling with her arm, giving him some time to calm Craig's emotions. "Master Craig, everything is going to be okay! You aren't going to die!" But just like before, nothing he said got through to the boy. Stripe grits his teeth. "Damn it, what else can I do?" He murmurs to himself. He thinks hard for an alternative solution, but a sense of foreboding puts a stop to his thoughts. His eyes expand with horror, and the scene switches back to Craig but with a wider view of the area. "Master Craig, please get a hold of yourself! If you keep this up, you'll-" A loud crash of thunder silences him. Neither the dark clouds nor the rain have changed. He suddenly experiences a feeling that leaves him puzzled. He soon becomes aware of someone's presence.
"Oi," a male says from behind him.
He spins around, shocked at first, but the familiarity of the tall man's magical attributes puts him a bit at ease. "So, you're Clyde's Inner Guardian."
"Yeah, the name's Leon. Since Clyde's outta commission, I came here to help you out."
Stripe furrows his eyebrows, skeptical. "Help me how?" He's been forewarned about the Dark and Mixed Inner Guardians, and although all three types coexist, his Lord warned him of the Dark and Mixed Inner Guardians' cunning and conniving natures. He is not to trust them until they prove their reliability.
Leon heaves a sigh at Stripe's cynical mien. "Relax, kid. We're allies here, so there's no need to be on-edge." Stripe's expression doesn't change. Seems this guy's leader didn't inform their spirits of the Light Inner Guardians' distrust towards them. "Well anyway, have you heard of an ability called 'Power Link'?"
One of Stripe's eyebrows raises. "I haven't."
Leon sighs again. "I shouldn't be surprised since it's a forbidden ability, and I know Light Inner Guardians are too 'pure' to know about it."
Stripe doesn't like the way he described him and his fellow Light spirits, but he refrains retorting back. Now is not the time to start an argument. "It's forbidden to use?"
Leon nods. "Yeah. Dark, Light, and Mixed Inner Guardians can initiate 'Power Link', but they have to know of the consequences. It allows the Inner Guardian to take control of their host's body, combining both of their powers. But the thing is, the Inner Guardian must have permission to access their host's body. If they're denied, then they have to respect their host's decision, but if the Inner Guardian does it anyway, then it's called a 'Forced Power Link'. The Inner Guardian will have complete control of their host's body, and there is no time limit either compared to 'Power Link', which lasts fooor..." Leon falls silent. He closes his eyes while crossing his arms, pensive. After some seconds, he opens his eyes and resumes speaking. "I think about an hour or somethin', I dunno precisely." He shakes his head. "So basically, the Inner Guardian can remain in control for as long as they want in 'Forced Power Link'. So, you wanna do it?"
Stripe mulls over his answer. He now understands why his Lord and his seniors never told him and the other Inner Guardians about 'Power Link' nor 'Forced Power Link'. The spirits of the Light Realm do not condone any abilities that can cause harm to humans. But if Stripe initiates the ability without Craig's consent, then... "I-if I use the ability, it'll be a 'Forced Power Link' though."
"Whether it's forced or not won't change the outcome," Leon says. "And since you're a Light Inner Guardian, it won't be too bad." Stripe isn't convinced. "Look, right now is the only chance we've got. It's risky, but worth it."
Stripe lightly bites his bottom lip, pondering if he should do the prohibited technique. "I-it's the only thing that I can do to prevent any destruction from occurring, but..." "What will happen after either Links?" He asks.
Leon presses his lips into a line. "I don't know. I think it depends, like how long the linkage lasts, for example. But like I said, it's risky but worth a shot."
Suddenly, a pained scream causes both males to look towards the viewscreen. But Stripe notices that his domain has darkened to a borderline black color. He and Leon see Craig, who has splatters of blood on his face and chullo, holding a kitchen knife covered in the red fluid. It appears that the rain had stopped a little while ago. A crazed smile spreads across Craig's lips, but what astounds Stripe the most are his eyes. Instead of his right eye being silver, his left one is also silver. Below him on the ground is Betsy, a stab wound in the middle of her chest. A large amount of blood has surrounded her body underneath, and is seeping into her dress. Blood is also trailing down to her chin from her agape mouth. She is still alive, but just barely.
Craig's smile changes to a pout. He tilts his head slightly to the side in an innocent manner. "Aww, you're still alive." His demented smile comes back. "I can fix that." He shoves the blade into the wound, more blood painting his face from the woman's mouth and chest.
Betsy gasps heavily for air, but she starts to smile. Her lips struggle to stay that way as she utters, "I-I'll...get you...f-for this..." Then her head slumps to the side, her smile dropping and her eyes still open—open and lifeless. Her original eye color swiftly returns.
Craig leaves the knife in her chest, and stands up straight with a laugh. It's like he finds Betsy's last words humorous, but only for a short moment. He heaves a disappointed sigh. "Well, that didn't last long. I wonder who's next..." Humming, he searches around in hopes of another target, grinning when his eyes land on Clyde. Craig's mind is too far gone to realize that he's targeting his only friend. He takes threatening steps towards the brunette, the hypnosis he was subjected to wearing off. A dark glow emanates around Craig's hands, and the white chains binding Clyde's wrists and ankles disintegrate into miniscule snowflakes.
"H-how did he destroy my barrier?" Stripe thinks, confounded. He was so engrossed in learning about 'Power Link' and 'Forced Power Link' that he didn't notice its destruction.
"What the hell?! Isn't that kid a Light user?" Leon thinks, taken aback by the black auras. He snaps his attention back to Craig's Inner Guardian. "Do it now before he kills Clyde!" Without hearing the younger spirit's say in the matter, Leon returns to his own domain.
Stripe eyes his host in stunned horror. This kind of behavior isn't what he expected. At all. But then again, he wasn't prepared to deal with Craig's powers going haywire a second time. Not this soon. So...the results of that are Craig's eyes turning silver, and him using Dark magic...Stripe frowns with tears welling up in his eyes. "I've failed you, Master Craig..." The noirette is now standing face to face with Clyde, smiling to a point where he gives off the impression of a serial killer.
"Do it now before he kills Clyde!"
Stripe shuts his eyes. "I...have no other choice. I can't let Master Craig bear the burden of killing his friend...He's already killed the boy's mother..." A single teardrop escapes from underneath his eyelid, trailing down his cheek, then dripping to the floor with a very vague plopping sound. He doesn't know how to go about initiating the dangerous ability, but for some reason, his mind knows what to say. So he opens his eyes, and says with great guilt, "Master Craig...forgive me, but please...allow me to take over." A colorless light envelopes his vision. The background is still dark grey. The heat of the radiance is comforting. Stripe closes his eyes again, and his body shrinks into a white medium-sized orb. It stays afloat, and begins to brighten.
Back on earth, just when Craig is about to launch a projectile spell at Clyde, he stiffens. Bewildered, he watches the aura from his outstretched hand fade away, feeling the same thing happening to his other hand. "What the-ngh!" A sharp twinge inside his head pains him. He steps away from Clyde, clenching one eye shut while gripping his hair with both hands. He continues to feel the acute throbbing until his vision fades.
Stripe manages to prevent Craig's body from falling to the ground by stabilizing his balance. The near black clouds brighten to a grey color, and a light shower comes trickling down.
"Thank Gods the kid decided to do it," Leon says, relieved.
Clyde blinks three times, the aftereffects of the hypnosis leaving him befuddled. "W-what...happened?" He hears Leon snort inside his head, startling him.
"Just Be Glad You're Still Alive Right Now After All The Crap That Just happened. First, Your Mom-"
"My mom?!" Clyde frantically looks around for her, spotting her immediately on the ground behind a motionless Craig a few feet away, his head angled down and his eyes halfway closed. Clyde is hit with a flood of emotions at the sight of his mother lying in a big pool of her own blood, the kitchen knife embedded into her chest. "M...mom...?" His legs start to move on their own. He advances towards his mother as if he's in another trance. He walks faster as soon as he passes by Craig, whose lips press into a tight line. The moment Clyde steps into the blood, tears burst from his eyes and he collapses onto his knees beside his mother, not caring that the blood is staining his pajama pants.
"I'm Sorry, Kid, But She's Gone," Leon says solemnly.
Numbly, Clyde reaches for the knife. He slowly pulls it out, causing fresh blood to ooze out of the deep wound. He ignores the squishing sounds as he proceeds to take the weapon out. Once it's out, he drops it into the blood. He whimpers when his mother doesn't react. "...M-mom?" He utters again almost quietly, hoping his voice would bring his mother back to life. When nothing happens, he breaks down crying.
Frowning, Leon looks away from the viewscreen while closing his eyes. Nothing hurts more than seeing a child cry.
"I'm so sorry..."
The apology almost went unheard, but Clyde's wailing does not stop. The grief he's feeling is too strong for him to get over so quickly. Leon and Stripe allow Clyde to cry his heart out in peaceful quietude.
.
.
.
Seven or so minutes pass when Clyde calms down. He rubs his eyes with his hands, sniffling.
"Are You Okay?" Leon asks.
Clyde shakes his head, lowering his hands to his lap. He observes his mother's face, eyes dried of tears. He wants to know what happened. How did a knife end up in his mother's chest? How or what made him blackout? He reaches over and gently slides his mother's eyes closed. He whimpers again, then stands up facing Craig. "Craig...what happened?"
"That's Not Craig. It's His Inner Guardian," Leon says, although he doesn't know his name. "I Was Gonna Tell You What Happened, But You Didn't Let Me."
Stripe raises his head, black eyes looking into bloodshot, lavender-colored ones. The blood on the noirette's face smears down his skin thanks to the moderate rainfall. "I'm so sorry, Clyde. I'm sorry," Stripe says again, sounding immensely ashamed and grief-stricken.
Clyde narrows his eyes, not happy with his response. "I Know You're Upset And You Want Answers, But We Need To Get A Move On."
"Did you do it?" Clyde asks, ignoring Leon. He doesn't get an answer. "Did you kill my mom?"
Stripe tenses. "No, I...no...Your mother...killed herself in order to protect you and Master Craig." He couldn't tell Clyde the truth, and he really hopes Leon doesn't tell him either.
Clyde makes a face, a combination of incredulity and shock. "She...she did?" He turns around to look at his mother, and frowns.
"The Full Story Is That Your Mom Put You Under A Hypnosis, Or Rather The Entity Possessing Her Did. Craig Stopped You From Going To Her By Placing Chains Around Your Wrists And Ankles, Then He And His Inner Guardian Tried Everything They Could To Free You From The Spell. But Mrs. Donovan Was Too Strong For Craig To Face With His Magic Alone, And She Was About To Kill Him. His Inner Guardian Took Over His Body, Ready To Fend Her Off, But She Stopped Herself. Instead...She Took Her Own Life," Leon says, backing up Stripe's lie with some truths and lies of his own, as well as omitting some things. If he was to tell Clyde what all really happened, well, Clyde would abhor Craig.
Clyde is speechless. It's not entirely unfathomable that his mother would make such a sacrifice, oddly enough. She would always put others before herself, relatives and friends knew this. But to go so far as to kill herself for her son and his friend...Clyde's anger quickly ebbs at the acknowledgment. Sorrow is all he feels now.
"You May Have Lost A Loved One, But You Still Have More. Don't Ever Forget That, Alright?" Clyde wants to smile, to show that he appreciates Leon's reassurance, but he doesn't. He doesn't say anything either, not in the mood to talk again. So he just nods his head. He won't ever forget, and neither will he forget what his mother did for him and Craig. "Now Let's Go Save Bebe."
Clyde nods again, feeling tired—both mentally and physically. He faces Craig-no, Craig's Inner Guardian, who forces a small smile. "I'll transport us there," the spirit says. Craig's and Clyde's bodies begin to glow in a white light with blue highlights, then they're gone as if they were sucked into a different universe.
Seconds after their departure, Betsy's body starts to dissolve. Bit by bit, parts of her body turn into black particles that drift up into the air. The process doesn't stop until her body is no more, leaving behind the pool of blood and the kitchen knife.
Wendy and Elena (Ten or so minutes earlier)
"How nice of you to come in uninvited, Wendy."
Wendy was frozen where she stood, unable to look away from the two pairs of dark green eyes glowing from presumably in the living room. The voice just now confirmed that they're Mrs. Stevens. Wendy began to wonder where Mr. Stevens was. Had he been corrupted as well or...killed?
"Wendy, You Mustn't Lose Focus."
Wendy blinked at Elena's stern tone of voice. She's right. Even though Wendy was concerned about Mr. Stevens, she needed to worry about herself for now. She's here to save Bebe with her Inner Guardian's help, and hopefully they could do the same thing for her mother.
The sound of footsteps made Wendy tense with a fright. Trembling, she took some steps back, hitting the door behind her. She watched Mrs. Stevens close in on her in accumulating fear.
The woman giggled. "No need to be so scared, child," she cooed not-so-tenderly. "As long as you behave, no harm will come to you." She stopped, now towering over Wendy. She extended a hand towards the girl, but a white barrier stopped her. Startled for a moment, Mrs. Stevens retracted her arm with a glare. "What?" Wendy gaped at the magical object, amazed. She places a timid hand against it. How weird. It's a solid but it feels as if she's touching air. "Tch, so you have an Inner Guardian." Wendy flinched at the anger in Mrs. Stevens' tone, seeing her scowling through the barrier. But then she smirked. "Let's see how strong they are."
Mrs. Stevens slammed her palm against the barrier. Magic in the form of thick, black gas sprouted from her palm, and began to swallow the entire barrier. Wendy whimpered, very afraid.
"N-Not Good. She's Trying To Take Down My Barrier," Elena said, the virulent Dark magic taking a toll on her energy. "I Won't Be Able To Maintain It Any Longer."
"Oh no...W-what should I do?!" Wendy asked. She gasped when the barrier turned completely black, then screamed when it disappeared, the smoke vanishing along with it.
"How weak," Mrs. Stevens said contemptuously. "I guess it was to be expected since your host is a child."
Wendy frowned, feeling a pang of conscience for being a liability. She wished she could've done something to prevent Elena's barrier from being destroyed. "You're Not At Fault, Wendy," Elena said, her energy gradually returning. "A Host's Age Does Not Determine An Inner Guardian's Strength."
Wendy managed a small smile, but screamed when her right hand was roughly seized by Mrs. Stevens. She immediately tried to loosen the woman's grip by twisting her hand about.
"Wendy!" Elena shouted.
"Do not struggle, it's futile," Mrs. Stevens said coldly.
"N-no, let me go!" Wendy demanded.
"Bebe, come he-ah!" Mrs. Stevens quickly released Wendy. She took two steps back, holding her hand in the other as she glared at Wendy. There's a yellow light shining through the girl's right sleeve near her wrist. "What the hell? Did she shock me or was it her Inner Guardian?" Mrs. Stevens thought, curious.
"Mother?" She looked towards the monotone voice. Bebe was standing next to her. "Are you alright?"
"Hmph, I'm fine." Mrs. Stevens glared back at Wendy, who was folding back her sleeve. The small but bright illumination lit up her surroundings like a lamp. Her bracelet was giving off the light, and her surprised face gave away her cluelessness as to how she brought forth the luminescence. "Let's wait for that light to disappear first." Bebe nodded.
Wendy was being warmed not by the golden light, but from within. She'd felt this before.
"Great Job, Wendy."
"Eh?" Wendy blinked. "What did I do?"
"Although It Was Done Subconsciously, You Used Magic That Forced Bebe's Mother To Retreat," Elena explained. "But Please Keep Your Guard Firm. Bebe And Her Mother Will Not Stop Trying To Corrupt You."
Wendy smiled and nodded her head, heeding Elena's advice. She paid attention to Bebe and Mrs. Stevens, her rising confidence keeping her from quailing at the aberrant state of their eyes.
An amused glint flickered in Mrs. Stevens' eyes. "Oh? Feeling courageous because you're being protected again, huh?"
Closing her right hand into a fist and hovering it near her chest, Wendy gave her a determined look. "I will save you and Bebe."
Mrs. Stevens almost laughed. "How sweet, but that light won't be there forever. Once it's gone, you and your Inner Guardian will serve the Master alongside us." She giggled evilly.
Wendy tensed nervously. Mrs. Stevens was probably right. Wendy still didn't know how she's using magic, so the light could go out at any moment.
"We Must Act Quickly," Elena said. "I Have A Plan, However We Won't Be Able To Free Bebe's Mother For The Dark Magic Has Completely Tainted Her Mind."
Wendy frowned, sad that they couldn't include Mrs. Stevens in whatever Elena had planned. "Okay..."
"I'm Sorry. I Would Like To Save Bebe's Mother As Well, But Time Won't Allow Us To." Wendy nodded her head in understanding. "Since Bebe's Inner Guardian Is Still Trying To Reach Her, We Must Help Them. That Way, Both The Other Inner Guardian And I Will Be Able To Dispel The Dark Magic Manipulating Bebe."
Mrs. Stevens grew impatient. "Tch, looks like we're going to have to take the risk. Bebe, you know what to do."
Bebe nodded and began to approach Wendy. Her slow strides unsettled Wendy.
"Don't Worry," Elena said. "As Long As The Light Continues To Shine, It Will Remain As Your Shield. It's Only Consuming Little Of Your Magical Energy."
Now that Elena mentioned it, Wendy did feel her energy being drained all this time, however not to a point where it's making her lethargic. She gasped, though, when she saw a purple glimmer from under Bebe's pajama shirt sleeve. Since it's originating from her right wrist, Wendy assumed she's wearing her bracelet, and the thought made her happy. Even though their friendship needed some mending, Bebe still treasured her bracelet just as much as Wendy did.
"Her Inner Guardian Is Struggling Internally In Her Bracelet," Elena said. "Wendy, Grab Bebe's Right Hand With Your Right One, And I'll Do The Rest From There."
Wendy obliged with a nod. Once Bebe was close, she followed Elena's instructions, and was shocked at how easy it was. Bebe and Mrs. Stevens expressed the same emotion, they didn't expect Wendy to take the initiative. From Bebe's hand, the dense, black smoke was only briefly visible before it's completely quashed by the yellow light from Wendy's bracelet. The purple light was still faint from Bebe's bracelet, and it wasn't because of her sleeve covering it—the Dark magic wasn't letting up.
"I'm Going To Put A Barrier Around You Two To Prevent Bebe's Mother From Interfering, Then Go Into Bebe's Bracelet. Don't Let Go Of Her Hand." Wendy's eyes returned to normal size and she nodded again, looking into Bebe's eyes that are still wide.
Mrs. Stevens snapped out of her surprised state with an angered growl. She rushed over to them. "What the hell are you-" She's cut off by a large white barrier enclosing around the girls, this one lacking transparency. With another growl, Mrs. Stevens attempted to demolish the barrier again with Dark magic, but a strike of yellow static pushed her back. She cried out as she fell to the floor on her side. Groaning, she began to push herself up a little, her arms shaking. She scowled weakly at the opaque barrier. "Damn you, Inner Guardian..."
Within the barrier, Wendy held onto Bebe's hand securely down in front of them. The golden light left Wendy's bracelet, then drifted over to Bebe's bracelet.
"We'll save you, just hang on," Wendy promised.
Once the yellow light descended into the purple glow, the radiant aura quickly petered out and Elena opened her eyes. She surveyed the inside of the wristlet. The open space was vast and pitch-black. Seemed Bebe's Inner Guardian managed to create a subspace, but that was it. Elena soon spotted something dazzling in the distance. She lifted up her dress, then broke into a jog towards the grey light. It didn't take her long to reach it, slowing down as she carefully observed the sporadic fluctuations. It looked like an orb made of electricity. She stopped before it and extended a hand. It's a bit bigger than her hand. "So the Dark magic reduced you to this," she said with a frown. She channeled some magic into her hand, bringing forth a soft white aura, then she reached into the orb, the heat of her magic granting her safe entry. Her eyebrows knitted together as she reached further in. It's only until her forearm was all the way in it that she felt something graze the tip of her fingers.
"Huh?" Asked a woman's voice from inside the electrical ball of light. "Oh...a familiar aura..." She spoke softly with a British accent.
"So you're a kindred spirit," Elena said, smiling kindheartedly. "I'm here to save you." She took her arm out and hovered both palms over the erratic light. She closed her eyes, once again transferring a sufficient amount of magical energy down to her hands. The auras summoned a translucent blue barrier around the Inner Guardian's nonphysical form. Elena furrowed her eyebrows again as she began to concentrate, using no words to go about the strength consuming spell. The woman confined in both circular objects kept respectfully quiet.
After the passing of a few minutes, the barrier darkened and altered into a dark grey color. Elena's eyes flew open with a short gasp, but she kept her hands in place, watching the static slowly calm itself until it ceased completely. A second later, the ball of light started growing and expanding, then outlining into the shape of a female.
"What? How is this possible? I wasn't finished yet," Elena thought. She closed her hands into fists, dispelling her barrier. Lowering her arms, she took a step back.
Soon, the glow vanished, and the female began to appear in her physical form. Her height was close to Elena's, her wavy, grey hair was neck-length, and her eyes that were opening were an olive-green color. She wore a two-piece dress with checkerboard patterns on both the crop top and long skirt, and a pair of black knee-high boots. In her ears were a pair of ruby cluster stud earrings. She stretched, releasing a content sigh, then gave Elena a warm smile. "Thanks, I owe ya one," she said. The expansive background began to brighten in the colors sliver and purple, swirling around each other in leisure motions. An invisible sharp item drew a big viewscreen shaped like a heart off to the side, but it didn't display anything. "My name is Emerald Vermilion. I really thought I was never gonna get outta that form. Damned Being of Darkness."
Elena gave the woman a small smile. "There's no need to thank me, I was just helping a fellow Inner Guardian. I'm Elena Edgewood, also how were you able to speed up my spell inside my barrier?"
Emerald cocked an eyebrow. "I...honestly have no idea. I don't think I even did anything."
Elena frowned, puzzled. "That's rather strange. Actually, something about Emerald has changed because of that. She used to be Light, but now..." She shook her head, deciding to think about it another time. "I see. Well let's dispel the corruption now."
Emerald shook her head. "I'll handle that myself. You probably spent a lot of your energy trying to get the Darkness out of me."
Elena wanted to tell her that she had plenty of magical energy left, but she refrained from doing so. Bebe was her host after all, so it was only fair that Emerald freed Bebe herself. She seemed self-assured that she could do it alone. "If you insist. I wish you the best of luck." Elena's body shrunk and transformed into a yellow spark.
"Thank you again," Emerald said with a nod. The bright particle shot high into the air until she couldn't see it anymore.
Outside of Bebe's bracelet, Wendy felt great relief when she saw the yellow glow returning to her own bracelet. Bebe's dark green eyes flickered between that and indigo purple. Wendy pursed her lips, and applied light pressure onto her best friend's hand.
"Did we do it?" She asked Elena, trying not to get her hopes up in case they were far from succeeding.
"Almost. It's Up To Her Inner Guardian Now," Elena responded, having not a single doubt Emerald would fail. "You Can Let Go Of Her Hand."
Wendy shook her head. "I'm not letting go until I know for sure."
"Okay Then, But It Shouldn't Be Too Long," Elena said, soon sensing some presences close by. "...There Are Two Inner Guardians Outside Of This House. One Is Mixed And The Other One Is Light, But...Hmm, Never Mind. I Believe They're Here To Save Bebe As Well."
Wendy has mixed feelings about what Elena just told her, and is about to question her until she notices Bebe's true eye color coming out victorious. Her pupils return as well. Wendy smiles with tears of joy brimming in her eyes.
Bebe blinks rapidly with a groan, startled when she sees Wendy. "W-Wendy?! What are you..." Her question slurs and her body falls forward. Wendy unclasps her hand from Bebe's to catch her.
"Bebe?! Are you okay?!" Wendy asks while gently laying her down on the barrier, panicking even more when she doesn't get a reply. She sits on her knees. The glow from Bebe's bracelet is gone.
"No Need To Worry, She's Just Unconscious," Elena says, reassuring her host. "Being Subjected To Dark Magic Can Be Very Taxing On The Mind, That Is If They're Ever Freed From It."
Wendy relaxes and wipes the tears from her eyes. But they quickly resurface when she realizes that Bebe is no longer corrupted, and it's all thanks to Elena. Without her aid...No. Wendy dares not envision a future where Bebe is still a pawn to the Dark Master and the darkness. She's just glad to have her best friend back. She smiles softly at Bebe's sleeping face. "Thank you so much, Elena."
"I Was Just Merely Appeasing To Your Request." Wendy hears a faint swooshing sound. "It Appears The Hosts' Of The Two Inner Guardians Are Now Inside, But I'm Not Letting Down My Barrier. I'm Going To Transport You And Bebe To My Realm."
Wendy doesn't question her Inner Guardian's decision. She hasn't forgotten about the Being of Darkness terrorizing this town, and since Elena hasn't updated her on whether it's been defeated or not, she can only assume that it's still alive. She hopes Stan, Kyle, and Mrs. Marsh are alive as well.
"Bebe...a-are you okay?" Asks a timorous voice.
It takes a moment for Wendy to recognize the voice. "Wait, was that..." "Clyde? Is that you?" She asks aloud.
"Yeah. What are you doing in there, Wendy? Is Bebe okay?"
Wendy turns her body around, only able to see Clyde's and another child's silhouettes. Something about Clyde's tone of voice just now resonated with the sadness lingering in Wendy's heart. He sounded as if he just lost someone too. "Yeah, it's me, and it's...kind of a long story. Bebe's in here too, but she's asleep." But then she remembers Bebe's mother. "Oh, you guys should be careful. Mrs. Stevens is corrupted."
"We know," an unfamiliar voice replies. "She's unconscious right now. Both you and your Inner Guardian did a good job saving Bebe. Clyde and I shall take our leave now."
Wendy yearns to know who the other boy is. The way he spoke was too mature. "Thanks, but...who are you?"
"I am Craig's Inner Guardian." Wendy appears shocked. Inner Guardians can appear on earth? "Until we meet again. Please remain safe."
Wendy watches the two boys' indistinct figures whizz from her sight. "We're Leaving As Well," Elena announces. Her barrier shines before vanishing in a blinding white light.
.
.
.
A giggle breaks the silence, soon turning into loud laughter. Mrs. Stevens opens her eyes, still laying on her side, and gets up. She stops on all fours as she continues laughing like a madwoman. "I'm going to make them regret leaving me alive. Oh, I'll make sure of it." Her crazed smile drops when she notices she's not alone. Soft footsteps approach her, then stop. "I-impossible..." Mrs. Stevens slowly turns her head, gaping up at the person, the lens of their glasses glinting without any light. She hurries onto her feet, glaring nervously at the male. He's wearing a white dress shirt that has a bloodstain near his abdomen, brown trousers, and black dress shoes. "H-how the hell are you still alive?! I'm positive I killed you!"
The man chuckles, pushing his spectacles up to the bridge of his nose with a finger. One of his eyes appears visible while the other remains hidden behind the gleam, but it's too dark to discern the eye's real color. "As if a wound like this," he gestures to the injury that used to be in his stomach with a finger. "Would kill me." Mrs. Stevens grits her teeth angrily. "I guess I have to thank my wife for hanging on to the last bit of sanity she had left before succumbing to a pathetic parasite like you."
"You son a bitch! I'll kill you this time!" Mrs. Stevens charges at the man with a cry of rage, but a hand grabs her by the throat in a strong hold.
"Hmm, I think I can free her," the man said. Mrs. Stevens starts clawing at his hand, desperate for air, but he doesn't let her go. In fact, he shows no discomfort at the woman's nails peeling his skin, leaving them red and almost bloody. "But if I'm too late, I'll just have to kill both you and my wife."
Aware that he's not going to release her, Mrs. Stevens grabs his wrist with one hand. "Y-you...w-would you really kill the person...y-you love?" The man becomes silent and inexpressive. Mrs. Stevens smirks at his silence. "Heh, stupid human." Dark magic in a different color and form exudes from her hand, wrapping up and around his arm like a snake. "Never forget your place. I may be a creation of a Being of Darkness, but I'm still far superior to your feeble kind! Now die!" A light green glow overpowers and negates her magic with ease. Her eyes go big in shock. "W-what?!"
"I'm sorry, honey. I was going to give your body a painless death, but...that's not going to happen now."
Fear rattles the entity's core. "W-what are you-" Mrs. Stevens' screams of agony resound throughout the house.