Chapter 21: Three family secrets
Later that early-evening, Shaggy and Scooby arrived home with the close call at school still fresh in their minds.
As they entered their house, the first thing they noticed is that no lights were on. That was not unusual, as the sun was still up and there was no reason for their parents to have the lights on.
However, something felt off when they entered the house and closed the door behind them. The air was unusually still, and the duo exchanged glances before Shaggy called out, "Mom? Dad?"
When no response came, Shaggy called, "Maggie?"
The duo walked down the hallway and looked around, hoping to find their family. It was while they were walking towards the door leading to the stairs to the basement that they saw Maggie.
"Ah, Maggie!" Shaggy said as they spotted his sister. "Where's everybody?"
Maggie was silent for a minute as she stared at her brother and Scooby, and Shaggy became worried. "Mags?"
Abruptly, she wrapped her arms around her brother and let out a loud sob, prompting him to gently stroke her long dusty brown hair.
"Don't you ever scare me like that again, Norville!" His sister said crossly as she finally looked up to him through her tear-streaked eyes. "Do you hear?"
Shaggy and Scooby were both stunned by Maggie's outburst that neither of them said a word, besides the former continuing to stroke her long hair.
Eventually, despite his T-shirt being stained with Maggie's tears, Shaggy placed his hands on his sisters' shoulders and said quietly, "I won't, Mags."
Maggie didn't say anything besides nodding and rubbing the side of her head on her brother's chest, conveying her relief that he is okay.
After an exhale, Shaggy finally asked, "Where are Mom and Dad, Mags? What's going on?"
"They're in the basement, Norville." Maggie explained. "Mom and Dad's got something important to tell us."
Before Scooby could ask if he should join, Maggie turned to him and continued, "Same for you, Scooby. Dad called your parents over after he finished work."
"Romsy? Rada?" Scooby asked as they followed her down the stairs, surprised that his parents were called over.
"Like, what's the 'something' Mom and Dad's going to tell us, Mags?" Shaggy asked as they followed his sister down the stairs to the basement.
At the same time, Daphne arrived in her mansion and, just like Shaggy and Scooby did when they got home, the first thing she noticed was that the lights were off. And just like the inside of the Rogers' townhouse, the air inside the mansion was unusually still when she entered and closed the door behind her.
"Mom? Dad?" Daphne called out as she looked around the living room.
When there was no response, she added, "Jenkins?"
She walked around the main and second floors of the mansion, checking to see if her parents are there. However, she didn't find anybody.
Perhaps they're out right now. The redhead thought to herself. Maybe I should go over to Shag and Scooby's place and wait until they return home.
Just as she walked by the door leading to the stairs to the basement, she spotted Jenkins, who was standing at the door.
"Ah, young Master Blake." Jenkins called out as he spotted Daphne. "Impeccable timing."
"What's going on, Jenkins?" Daphne asked as she walked over to her butler. "Where are Mom and Dad?"
"The two masters are in the basement, Miss Blake." Jenkins says. "And they were actually waiting for you to come home, as they've got something urgent to discuss with you."
"Why?" Daphne asked as she followed the butler down the stairs to the basement. "Is there something wrong?"
Back in the Rogers house, Shaggy, Scooby, and Maggie arrived in the basement, where their parents, as well as Scooby's family, were waiting.
His father David "Dada" Doo was in the middle of adjusting his glasses when they arrived, and upon spotting his son, he briefly tugged his white collar and blue tie. He was just finishing up work at his office when he got that phone call from Sam, and he hurriedly summoned the rest of the Doo family and headed straight for the Rogers' home.
Accompanying the Doo family patriarch is the family matriarch Morgan "Mumsy" Doo (Nee Di), who was adjusting her white pearl necklace and have finished brushing her short, chin-length blonde hair when they arrived.
Scooby's oldest brother Skip "Skippy" Doo was wiping his glasses when the trio arrived. He was finishing his classes at Canigeering College at Grande Cristal University when he got the phone call from his parents.
Harold "Howdy" Doo, who has a rough patch of orange-brown hair, had finished up his classes for the day at Grande Cristal University's Faculty of Law and hanging out with Howdy when they got the phone call from their parents.
His pregnant older sister Ruby Doo, who's the oldest of the Doo siblings, was standing on her back legs despite the how labour intensive her pregnancy is. Probably a good thing she was in town and visiting their parents when Dada got the phone call from Sam.
Ruby was accompanied by their youngest brother Yabba Doo, who aspires to become a police dog someday and is currently training at the police college in Grande Cristal. He was visiting their parents with Ruby when the phone call from Sam came.
"Romsy?" Scooby asked as he saw his parents. "Dada?"
"Long time no seen, Scoobert." Dada greeted his son. "How are you doing?"
"Ri'm doing well." Scooby replied. "What's the occasion?"
"Mom, Dad, what's going on?" Shaggy asked his father as they grouped. "Mags said you have something important to tell us."
Sam turned to Dada, and the heads of the Rogers and Doo households nodded before the police chief asked, "Is the door to the basement closed?"
"It is." Maggie nodded.
"Good, then we shall commence." Sam nodded as he raised an arm and pointed them to the basement windows.
To the surprise of the children, the curtains closed automatically.
The man and dog then did the same to the lights, which went off.
The darkness was short-lived when a candle was lightened, and through the glow, they saw a room with a giant painting that neither the kids nor pups saw before.
"I don't think I ever saw that painting before, Pops." Shaggy said as he nodded at the painting. "Who are the man and the Great Dane in the painting?"
Sam and Dada didn't answer as they walked to the painting and flipped it open, revealing a safe behind. The two patriarchs each took out a pair of keys and inserted them into the four locks, all of which are accompanied by a four-digit pin number to be dialed in. In total, sixteen digits must be inserted from top row to bottom. Once the first key was inserted, the first four digits of the combination is dialed and entered, then the second key is inserted and the second row of four digits dialed and entered.
This sequence was repeated until all sixteen digits were entered, and when the display turned green, the two patriarchs turned the four keys and finally unlocked the safe.
After retrieving the items from the safe, the two patriarchs exited the room, each holding a thick book. The first book was titled "Rogers" while the second one was titled "Doo". Both titles were printed in a font style like the style commonly used in documents dated from the medieval era.
"The man in the painting is our ancestor, Alfred Hrothgar, a senior advisor to King Arthur and, at his prime, was one of the most powerful wizards of all time. In King Arthur's court, he was second only to Merlin himself in the order of precedence among the king's advisors." Sam explained.
"And the Great Dane is our ancestor Ælfweard the Dootall, as powerful in his own right as his pet Alfred." Dada added. "And a descendant of the Great Pharaoh Ascoobius."
Shaggy, Scooby, Maggie, Yabba, Howdy, Skippy, and Ruby all gulped.
"These two books will answer everything." Sam said as he and Dada placed the books on the table and flipped open their respective books.
At the same time in the basement of the Blake mansion, Daphne was shocked when her father closed all the basement window curtains, doors and the light by the point of his finger.
When the candles were lit, a giant painting she never saw before appeared in the room deep inside the basement. George walked into the room and underwent the same procedure as Sam and Dada did in revealing the safe behind the painting and unlocking it. When he stepped out of the room, he was carrying a thick book titled "Blake" with an inscription on its cover.
"Jeepers!" Daphne exclaimed as her father closed all the curtains, doors and turned off the light without contacting them. "How did you do it, Dad?"
"This book will explain everything, Daphne." George replied as he placed the book on the table and flipped a page. "But first, do you know who the woman in the painting is?"
When Daphne shook her head, George explained, "She's your ancestress Katherine Blac, who was a senior advisor to King Arthur. At her prime, she was one of the most powerful witches of all time, and word has it that she was capable of dispatching Merlin if the circumstances warranted."
There was silence in the basement as the two patriarchs lined up the two books from edge to edge and at the first page. When the two books lined up, the edges glowed and a projection of a third book appeared, also opened and flipped to the first page. The background images on the pages from the three books lined up into one large image accompanied with text.
When Shaggy, Scooby, and Maggie looked at the figure in that large image, they gulped.
"L-like, who is this guy?" Shaggy asked as he pointed at the figure.
"He is Darkseid, one of the most powerful and yet dangerous beings out there in the universe." Dada said as he gestured at the figure. "He was known as Uxas at the time he led his forces from Apokolips, an extra-dimensional world, in their never-ending conquest in search for the Anti-Life Equation, which will grant its holder complete control over free will across all universes. It was this conquest that brought him to Earth when our ancestor, the Pharaoh Ascoobis, crossed paths with him millennia ago."
"But that encounter with Uxas wasn't exactly the Pharaoh Ascoobis' first encounter, for the Great Dane pharaoh was the host of a being that belonged to an extra-dimensional race known as the Anunnaki, whose home world, the planet Anunn, was among the first to fall under Uxas' conquest across galaxies and universes." Momsy spoke. "And it was because of the Anunnaki inhabiting our ancestors that blessed us with the ability of speech."
"Which means all their descendants can speak, Dada?" Scooby asked his father. "Because of the Anunnaki inhabiting our ancestors?"
"That is correct, Scoobert." Mumsy nodded. "However, the influence from the Anunnaki's inhabitation of our distant ancestors wears off over the generations, as the canines began breeding with those who were not inhabited by the Anunnaki. Because of that, while we could still speak normally with each other and other animals, when it comes to humans, it is a different story."
"I guess that explains where Scooby's speech impediment comes from, Mrs. Doo." Shaggy offered.
"It's one of the factors, yes." Mumsy nodded. "Genetic defects through the male line from my side of the family is also a factor."
"That makes sense." Maggie nodded. "So, Scooby's ancestors fought Darkseid and his forces millennia before. Where or when does our ancestors come into this?"
"Before Alfred Hrothgar, there was his ancestor, the manservant to the Pharaoh Ascoobis, Shagenkhamen." Sam explained. "He may be the pharaoh's pet, but he was treated like family by the pharaoh and was also one of his most-trusted advisors. Shagenkhamen, like those that served the animals inhabited by the Anunnaki, have gifts, and fought in the war against Apokolips alongside the Olympians and their peers from all corners of the planet, Atlanteans before their descent into the sea, Amazons before their betrayal and enslavement, other mages, and mankind. His acts of bravery in the war didn't went unnoticed and he was even personally honoured by Zeus, the King of the Olympians himself."
"Unfortunately, the unity on Earth that formed in the aftermath of their successful defense of the planet against Darkseid and Apokolips was short-lived." Wendy spoke. "Even before the Apokoliptan invasion, there was a growing gulf among the deities, chiefly Zeus and his brother Hades, and later his own son Ares, and it was Hades that sold out information to the invaders, resulting in his banishment to the Underworld after the war."
"Ares' jealousy over Zeus' influence in the evolution of humans grew with time, and then he eventually launched his putsch with help from Hades and the most powerful warlock to have walked the face of the Earth at the time, a warlock who at his peak was made Zeus' chief of staff." Dada spoke. "This putsch spiralled into a destructive war of epic proportions and there were untold number of casualties, among them being the Pharaoh Ascoobis and Shagenkhamen."
Howdy gulped. "But if they were slain in the putsch, how was it that we came to still be around?"
"For the simple reason that their youngest sons, Prince Scarab and Casehamen, survived and were smuggled out and later brought to Themyscira, where they were raised by Amazons before being let go and into what the Amazons referred to as 'Men's World'." Mumsy explained.
"And their travels eventually led them to the British Isles." Dada added. "Over time, their names Anglicized and then along came Alfred."
"The warlock who is equals with Merlin in King Arthur's court in Camelot." Shaggy spoke. "Along with the Great Dane Ælfweard the Dootall."
"Yes." Mumsy nodded. "Unfortunately, they were both slain in the final showdown with followers of Morgana Le Fay, but not before their only children were taken away to safety unharmed."
"Over generations, our families severely limited the practice of magic within our households and in time, the mana in our bloodstream became inactive." Sam spoke. "However, with time and place, it only takes a major threatening event to trigger the mana, and when that happens, it leaves you with magical powers that rivals that of Alfred and Ælfweard."
The two patriarchs then flipped the books to their respective family trees and Dada gestured to them and said, "Observe."
Everyone leaned in to look at the family trees. Both were rather large and filled with other relatives, family members and other ancestors, and there are blank spaces below the names of the current generation, to be filled out when a member of that generation gets married and starts a family.
"The purer the shade of green your name is, the bigger the likelihood of your magical powers coming close to that of Alfred." Wendy said. "Red means your mana is severely inactive, while black means that you've got no magical powers."
At Wendy's explanation, the kids and pups leaned closer to look at the family tree.
Shaggy spotted his name near the bottom of the tree. His eyes widened when he saw that the green ink of his name is about as close in shade as Alfred's.
"Long before Katherine, there was Helen, who was a Great Mage in the services of Athena on Mount Olympus." George began.
Before he continued, George placed the book on the table in a certain position, resulting its edges glowing and projections of two additional books appeared, also opened and flipped to the first page. The background images on the pages from the three books lined up into one large image accompanied with text.
When Daphne looked at the figure in that large image, she gulped.
"Jeepers, who is this stone face?" Daphne asked as she pointed at the figure.
"He is Darkseid, one of the most powerful and yet dangerous beings out there in the universe." George said as he gestured at the figure. "He was known as Uxas at the time he led his forces from Apokolips, an extra-dimensional world, in their never-ending conquest in search for the Anti-Life Equation, which will grant its holder complete control over free will across all universes. It was this conquest that brought him to Earth where he crossed paths with Helen millennia ago."
"Helen fought in the war against Apokolips alongside the Olympians and their peers from all corners of the planet, Atlanteans before their descent into the sea, Amazons before their betrayal and enslavement, other mages, and mankind." Elizabeth said. "Her acts of bravery in the war didn't went unnoticed and she was subsequently personally honoured by Zeus, leading to her posting in the services of Athena."
"Unfortunately, the unity on Earth that formed in the aftermath of their successful defense of the planet against Darkseid and Apokolips was short-lived." George spoke. "Even before the Apokoliptan invasion, there was a growing gulf among the deities, chiefly Zeus and his brother Hades, and later his own son Ares, and it was Hades that sold out information to the invaders, resulting in his banishment to the Underworld after the war."
"Ares' jealousy over Zeus' influence in the evolution of humans grew with time, and then he eventually launched his putsch with help from Hades and the most powerful warlock to have walked the face of the Earth at the time, a warlock who at his peak was made Zeus' chief of staff." George spoke. "This putsch spiralled into a destructive war of epic proportions and there were untold number of casualties. Thankfully, Helen survived but following the end of the Age of the Olympians, she decided to move on with her travels, eventually bringing her to the British Isles."
"And along came Katherine." Daphne interjected.
"Yes." Her father nodded. "Katherine played a crucial role in the defence of Camelot in the final showdown with followers of Morgana Le Fay. Though they were victorious, it came at great cost, no less from the death of King Arthur, but also the sacrifices of her friends, Alfred Hrothgar and his canine companion Ælfweard the Dootall."
"She subsequently moved into the Scottish Highlands, which is where your twelfth great-grandfather David Blake had a close brush with death when he, with his mother, your thirteenth great-grandmother Isabel, were on the run from Puritan witch-hunters at the height of Oliver Cromwell's reign." Elizabeth spoke. "And it was only through the intervention of the Great Mage were they able to get away."
"Over the generations since then, magic played less of a role with the Blake clan and the mana in our bloodstream became inactive." George continued. "However, with time and place, it only takes a major threatening event to trigger the mana, and when that happens, it leaves you with magical powers that rivals that of Katherine."
George then flipped the pages to the family tree and gestured to it and said, "Observe."
Daphne leaned in to look at the family tree. It was rather large and filled with other relatives, family members and other ancestors, and there are blank spaces below the names of the current generation, to be filled out when a member of that generation gets married and starts a family.
"The purer the shade of green your name is, the bigger the likelihood of your magical powers coming close to that of Katherine." Elizabeth said. "Red means your mana is severely inactive, while black means that you've got no magical powers."
At Elizabeth's explanation, Daphne leaned closer to look at the family tree. She spotted her name near the bottom of the tree, and her eyes widened when she saw that the green ink of her name is about as close in shade as Katherine's.
"Like, I have the potential to be as powerful as Alfred?" Shaggy asked as his sister also saw her name in a similar shade of green.
Similarly, Scooby found his name also printed in the same shade as Ælfweard.
Sam and Wendy nodded.
"That is correct, Norville." Wendy said.
"You've got to remember one thing, Scoobert." Dada said to Scooby. "You must keep this a secret from others, whether be your friends or peers, because if this secret were to leak out and end up in the wrong ears, the consequences could be disastrous."
"You don't need us to tell you the fact that a number of our ancestors were executed in the 17th century for witchcraft." Sam added. "Other people can get jealous. Other people can become afraid of you because of who you are and your potential. You must not let the secret be known. The only people that can be told of are the people you sure you can fully trust."
"There's a reason why we all hide this secret and live normal lives as if we're a normal household." Dada said. "You must not let word get out that we have magical powers, let alone your potential to be as powerful as Alfred and Ælfweard, because if word gets let out, you'll risk putting others in danger."
"I-I-I have the potential to be as powerful as Katherine?" Daphne asked her parents.
"I'm afraid that's the case, Daphne." George nodded.
"Jeepers!" Daphne said as she covered her mouth in shock.
"You've got to remember one thing, Daphne." George said. "Already, we have to contend with the downsides that comes with our family wealth, and now with this secret of you having the potential to become as powerful as your ancestress, the consequences could be disastrous if it were to fall into the wrong ears."
"Isabel and David's plight being a big example." Elizabeth added. "Other people can get jealous. Other people can become afraid of you because of who you are and your potential. You must not let the secret be known. The only people that can be told of are the people you sure you can fully trust."
"There's a reason why we all hide this secret and live normal lives as if we're a normal household." George said. "You must not let word get out that we have magical powers, let alone your potential to be as powerful as Katherine, because if word gets let out, you'll risk putting others in danger."
Back in the Rogers household, the adults made the kids promise to keep their newly learned family secrets.
"Norville, Margaret, Scoobert, Harold, Yabba, Skip, and Ruby." Dada said to the kids. "Do you all promise to keep this family secret to yourselves and only reveal it to people you know you can fully trust?"
"Like, I definitely do." Shaggy nodded. "I'll never let this secret end up in wrong ears."
"Same here." Maggie agreed. "I'll keep it all to myself and only let people I know I can trust know about the secret."
"Ri do." Scooby added. "That's a promise I'll never break, respecially if my family is involved."
"That goes for me to." Howdy said.
"Same here, no one will no of our secrets." Ruby said.
"I will never get over it if I put those I care about in danger because of this secret." Skippy added.
"Nor could I." Yabba added.
"Good to hear." Dada nodded in approval.
"So does me being held hostage was the event that triggered my inactive mana, leading me to redirect the shot meant for my chest, as well as Scooby disarming the shooter and Daphne catching the bullet with her bare hands?" Shaggy asked his father.
"I believe so, Norville." Sam nodded. "Chances are, it was that event that triggered your manas all at once, though it could also be a sign that something big is going down, something that would require use of your gifts."
Wendy nodded with her husband and added, "Which is all the reason why you've got to be careful with your actions, dear, because some of them may expose the fact that you've got magical powers and that would put others in danger."
"I'll keep that in mind, Mom." Shaggy said.
"Daphne." Elizabeth said to her daughter. "Do you promise to keep this family secret to yourself and only reveal it to people you know you can fully trust?"
"I definitely do, Mom." Daphne replied urgently. "I'll never let this secret end up in the wrong ears, especially if it involves my family."
"Excellent." George nodded in approval.
"So does Shaggy getting held hostage and my frantic search to do something about it was the event that triggered my inactive mana, leading me to catch the bullet meant for Shaggy's chest and him redirecting the shot, as well as Scooby disarming the shooter?" Daphne asked her father.
"I would think so, Daphne." George nodded. "Chances are, it was that event that triggered your manas all at once, though it could also be a sign that something big is going down, something that would require use of your gifts."
Elizabeth nodded with her husband and added, "Which is all the reason why you've got to be careful with your actions, dear, because some of them may expose the fact that you've got magical powers and that would put others in danger."
Daphne nodded. "I will keep that in mind, Mom."
That night in his bedroom, Shaggy couldn't sleep much as his mind processes what his and Scooby's parents told them.
He was still having difficulty processing the revelation about his and Scooby's heritage and the potential consequences now that it is knowledge to him.
And yet, his mind was still replaying the hostage event that unfolded in the school's bomb shelter. Scooby disarmed Marcell, and Daphne catching the redirected shot Marcell had fired after he redirected it.
Chances are, it was that event that triggered your manas all at once, though it could also be a sign that something big is going down, something that would require use of your gifts. His father's words echoed in his mind.
And when considering Maggie's observation of Daphne, about her feeling that there's something special about the redhead, it would make a lot of sense.
As much he never put too much thought into the concept of destiny, something's telling him that whatever it is that is going down meant this is only the beginning of his life intertwining with Daphne's.
Those thoughts continued to linger in his mind as he dozed off to sleep.
At the same time in her bedroom, Daphne's mind was processing what her parents had told her as she lies on her bed.
It was still a lot for the redhead to process the fact that she's got a long magical heritage and the potential for her to become as powerful as her ancestress.
And yet, her mind was still replaying the hostage event that unfolded in the school's bomb shelter. Shaggy redirecting Marcell's gun just as she opened fire, and Scooby disarming Marcell.
With her mind dwelling on how there were projections of two other books lined up with her family's book in the basement, she couldn't help but wonder what the chances are that those other two books belongs to Shaggy and Scooby's families.
And when considering Maggie's observation of her, about her feeling that there's something special about the redhead, it would make a lot of sense.
As much she never put too much thought into the concept of destiny, something's telling her that whatever it is that is going down meant this is only the beginning of her life intertwining with Shaggy and Scooby's.
Those thoughts continued to linger in her mind as she dozed off to sleep.
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