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luverofralts · 1 day

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Arkhelios Adventures

Remy stared in her brother's direction, trying to make him do something fun by sheer force of will. All Adam did all day was mope and read, and sharing a room with him was beginning to grate on her nerves.

Adam moved, and Remy had a brief moment of hope where she though he might do something interesting. She was immediately let down however, when he simply grabbed a school book and started to read. Remy had thought sharing a room with him briefly as a kid had been rough, but she was wrong. Her younger twin brother had the exciting life of a shriveled up old warlock whose main excitement in life was the daily crossword puzzle. Clearly Theo had been a large part of Adam's adventurous side and if he didn't come back to make her brother fun again, she had the feeling that Adam would forever be as dull as he was now.

"A book? Why are you doing schoolwork? It's after hours and you could be doing anything! Literally, anything. Why don't you watch a movie or whatever you think is fun? Teenagers have fun, boring ass adults do schoolwork after class. You're only young once, Adam and you're blowing it."

"I don't know, it's hard to say what's fun these days. Theo liked watching movies with me. The really scary ones so he'd have to hold me when we watched them. Everything I could do, I did it with him first. Reading about magic might be the only way I can see him again. If I want to, that is."

"That's it! I can't take any more of this. You stay here and die of old age, while you figure out if you still love your boyfriend. I'm going to have fun. At least one of us should."

Remy cast a quick spell to freshen her makeup and hair, daring her brother to say something. Anything.

"Where are you going? You know you're not supposed to leave the school grounds," Adam cautioned. "Dad will be pissed if he finds out."

"No, he won't. He'll never catch me and if he ever did, I could just blame your constant moping making me insane. Seriously, if you went downstairs to even have a game of chess with a stranger, Dad would probably throw a party of his own."

"He would not," Adam grumbled defensively. "I'm not that bad."

"Yeah, you are," Remy confirmed, looking at her phone. "Don't worry, I have some fun planned for you despite your aversion to anything interesting. You can't just stay in here mourning Theo forever."

"Oh god, what have you done now, Remy?" Adam groaned. "I don't need your idea of fun. That usually leads to hangovers and possible academic suspension."

"You'll see," she teased, putting on a revealing dress in an instant and rechecking her hair. "I got your boy crush's phone number, why don't you try entering it on your new phone? Oh wait, I already did while you stared at the wall all day."

"Boy crush?" Adam repeated. "I don't have any crush, you're being deluded again."

"I've seen the way that you look at Josh from Crystal Cove," Remy laughed. "Oh, Josh, help me find this rare crystal. Josh, do you want to help me study? My boyfriend just can't answer questions like you can. Let's have little crystal babies together."

Remy made an obnoxious kissing noise and Adam whipped a pillow at her.

"That's not true!" he shouted. "Josh and I are just friends. He's dating someone from Arkhelios!"

"Just like you, see this is working out," Remy replied. "You have so much in common. I told him that you wanted to spend some alone time to talk about rocks and he was into it. Dad might not have told you, but he called the coven nearly every day after you got hurt. He likes you."

"Remy! You didn't!"

Adam's mind reeled as he thought of the damage Remy had done. Josh was an attractive, powerful warlock who Adam looked up to. He was a couple years older than Adam and currently had a boyfriend in college, Melvin Jr Hydes. Josh and Melvin always seemed so happy together, just like he and Theo used to be and the thought of Josh thinking that Adam wouldn't respect that relationship was horrible.

It wasn't like Remy was too off base though, if Adam was honest with himself. Josh was the great-nephew of the king of Strangetown and was named after Master Toyonaga, someone he had always longed to have as a teacher. In an alternate world, Adam would learn under Master Toyonaga and continue to pursue crystal magic as a major. The fact that Josh would also be there was just a bonus.

Josh didn't make Adam feel like he did when he was with Theo, but Adam could still feel his heart race when Josh helped him with a project. The fact that Remy had picked up on this fact was dangerous. If she knew about his silly crush, how obvious was it to everyone else? Did Josh know? Did Theo?

"Hey, Adam. I was just wondering if you wanted to do something together? Your sister said you might want to hang out?"

Adam's heart froze in his chest when he saw Simon Toyonaga appear in their doorway, looking optimistic. From the way his sister was beaming, Adam assumed that this visit was also her idea. Had she invited every member of the Toyonaga family in their age group to cheer him up?

"Remy!" Adam hissed, unsure if he was more angry or terrified by his sister's meddling. How on earth was she doing all of this?

"Oh, hi, Simon," Remy said sweetly. "Good timing. I was just going out and Adam could use some company. His boyfriend is still missing and he's feeling so hurt by him. Maybe you could cheer him up."

"Yeah, I can try," Simon said eagerly. "What do you want to do?"

Behind Simon's back, Remy was making obscene gestures with her hands, giving her brother suggestions for what they could do in her absence.

"Remy! Uh, yeah, I guess we could go for a walk or something," Adam said politely. It wasn't Simon's fault that Remy was out of control.

Simon was cute, and even Adam could figure out that Simon had a crush on him. Theo had always acted like he was oblivious to this fact if he did know. Unlike his father, there weren't several family stories about Theo going mad with jealousy and taking his anger out on people who simply looked at his partner. Roman was always the parent who made Adam nervous when he was at Theo's house because he was so predictably unpredictable. There was no way that Adam could picture Theo dumping Simon into a section of the Void because Adam thought he was attractive. No matter how Theo eventually returned to him, Adam knew that Simon would be safe if Remy tried to convince Theo that something had happened while he was gone.

But i thought that he would never hurt me. Maybe the Theo I thought I knew never really existed.

"It's nice out here," Simon commented.

After forcing Remy to go to her party or whatever she had planned so that she'd leave him alone, Adam and Simon had walked in near silence down to the outdoor balconies. Simon watched Adam in case he wobbled or needed assistance, but it wasn't needed. The majority of his physical wounds had healed, though Adam supposed that people couldn't have known that if they never saw him out in public.

"I never really come out here at night," Simon continued awkwardly. "It's peaceful."

"Theo and I always sat out here. You can see a lot of cool birds and there's a pretty good view of some of the royal residences."

"So, uh, do you know when Theo will be back in school?" Simon asked carefully. "Is he coming back? I've heard a lot of conflicting things."

"He'll be back," Adam promised. "Evren might burn down the school if he doesn't. All the adults talk in hushed whispers when Theo's mentioned, so I'd imagine that something is happening. Maybe he'll come back early."

"So you are still dating him? Remy made it sound like-"

"Remy doesn't know what she's talking about," Adam said quickly. "I don't know how I'll feel when I see him again, but I owe it to him to not break up with him while he's not here to know that we're done. Remy means well, but sometimes she goes too far."

"That's admirable," Simon replied. "Theo's lucky to have you...that is if you decide to stay together. Relationships aren't easy."

"No, they're not," Adam agreed. "I learned that the hard way."

"So what are you up to lately?" Simon asked, redirecting their conversation away from the topic of Theo. "You miss a lot of class, are you having trouble keeping up? I can always try to help, though my grades have never been as good as yours. Do you have any hobbies?"

Adam paused, trying to think of a response.

"No, not really. I haven't been doing much of anything lately. It's too hard to focus on anything but Theo...and everything that happened."

"You like crystals, though, don't you?" Simon pressed. "You made Theo that ring he's always showing off and I remember your year-end project from last year. It was the prototype for a new wand, right? Did you ever get that to work?"

Adam frowned, unsure of the answer to that question.

"I don't know, I dropped it after I could use the Maricourt wand," he replied. "To be honest, I've kinda forgotten about it. My dad gets upset if I don't show off the Maricourt wand in class."

"Well, what would you rather wield? I like my trusty carved wand personally. I don't think I'll ever use the Maricourt wand after I can summon it. It's bulky and too much of a hassle."

"Yeah, I've never really thought about it," Adam said. "It's just what my dad told me to do. It's tradition. It's how you prove yourself to the coven." He paused. "Now that you mention it, the Maricourt wand is bulky and hard to maneuver. I smacked myself in the head a few times when i first tried to cast a proper spell with it."

"You worry too much about what adults think," Simon declared, staring up at the night sky. "Forget about Theo for now and focus on yourself. I mean, that's what he's doing, isn't he? He's finding out who he is and how to be that person going forward and you're just crying about him. I'm not trying to be mean, Adam, but you should use this time to grow in your own power. Try something new. Take a risk."

Adam thought carefully about this advice. Sure, Remy and his father had told him basically the same thing, but it felt different coming from an outsider to their family. Maybe he really was missing a silver lining with Theo's absence. When Theo came back, did he really want to see his boyfriend miserable and barely leaving his dorm room? Adam's body and magical skill had been transformed and he wasn't even experimenting with his abilities or how they could interact with the power of crystals. Why did he use the Maricourt wand in class when he could barely feel the difference in magical power when he used it? His magic had always felt amplified when channeled through a crystal prism. Whenever he searched for his limited connection to Theo, a crystal wand always made him easier to find. His feelings for Theo always seemed to be perfectly in tune with a crystal, vibrating together with perfect clarity.

"You're right," Adam said slowly, a powerful thought beginning to crystalize in his mind. "No one is going to bring Theo back here or let me talk to him. If I want to get closure, I need to find Theo myself."

"I'm not sure that was my point exactly," Simon replied. "You should find out about yourself and then when you're ready-"

"I can feel him faintly. If I could get a wand that would amplify that, I might be able to talk to him. I could take charge of this situation and fix all of this."

For the first time in months, the tightness in Adam's chest began to ease. Why was he sitting around waiting for someone else to bring Theo back to him? He had all the tools he needed to try to fix this. He was so preoccupied with all the changes that had happened to him, that he'd forgotten all the things that had stayed the same. He was connected to Theo magically, which not only gave him a clue to find Theo, but also borrowed some of Theo's insane power for himself. He was a Maricourt and a Darktide and he could do whatever he put his mind to.

"You're right, Simon!" Adam exclaimed, feeling hope trickle back into his heart for the first time in months. "I know just who to help me find Theo."

"Please don't tell your sister that this was my idea," Simon whimpered. As much as he liked Adam, he was rightfully frightened of Remy, Bronwen and Elowen. If they thought that he had influenced their brother into something rash and dangerous, Simon was doomed.

Adam summoned one of his practice wands for dueling class and immediately waved it in a basic summoning spell. Using a practice wand dulled the spell's power so that the target wouldn't be summoned against their will. They could choose to ignore the summons if it was inconvenient for them. The last thing Adam wanted was to summon his guest if he was getting ready for bed.

"Adam? So are you are alive! I was starting to have my doubts."

A glowing figure emerged from nothingness before the two boys' eyes. Adam beamed seeing his visitor, consciously trying not to look too excited.

"Josh! Remy mentioned that you were looking to talk with me," Adam said, brushing his hair slightly so less of his scar was visible. "Simon and I were just talking, and I may have a project for us. I need to talk to Theo and there's no traditional way of finding him. From what my dad says, he's in a place we can't even summon him. His dad already tried and it's like wherever he is has some kind of shielding. I can barely feel my connection to him, but with the right crystal, I might be able to enhance it. So I was thinking-"

"Slow down, Adam, I haven't seen you in months and you're talking a mile a minute about a crystal? How are you? What happened? Your dad gave me your new phone number and you've been ghosting me. I texted you. Are you doing any better?"

Adam froze, the weight of his memories steamrolling over the limited confidence he'd felt.

"I'm fine," he said shortly. "I can walk like normal now, and I've gone back to regular classes. I'm fine."

Josh nodded, realizing that he'd pushed too hard in his excitement to hear from his friend. If he wanted to help Adam, he would have to slow things down.

"I'm glad to hear that. You can catch me up to date while we're working on this project of yours."

Adam's face brightened once more. As long as he didn't have to think about what had happened, he could maybe start to see a path forward.

"I need a new wand," he explained. "I was hoping that you or Master Toyonaga could help me make that wand I was working on before. If I can get the right wand, I might be able to talk to Theo. All I need is some help."

"And I can help you," Josh replied. "I made my own wand last year. Just about everyone in the coven has at least one wand that they've made themselves. It's surprisingly easy with the right crystals."

"I knew I could count on you."

Adam beamed with a new excitement now that he had a tangible plan in front of him. Finally, something in his life that he could control. Josh was going to help him find Theo and then things would finally change. He'd know just how he felt about both his boyfriend and his future once he could make a stronger wand.

"Well, I think we could start with coffee first before we jump right into magic," Josh laughed. "I get that you don't want to talk about certain things, but it's been forever since we hung out. Crystals resonate stronger when you are honest about your feelings and intentions, so let me help focus your magic. Does the coffee machine in the kitchen still work or did Travis break it again?"

"Travis broke the coffee machine?" Adam repeated. "I don't think he did, but-"

"It was about a month ago," Simon said. "He was testing whether he could brew coffee with the attributes of a potion he was working on. The kitchen was a disaster and the new machine only came in last week. There were a lot of pissed off people in the mornings."

"Really? I don't remember that."

"Because you haven't been outside your bedroom in ages," Josh replied. "The world kept turning despite Theo being gone. This is what I'm saying, let's get you back into society and when you're back, your magic will take care of itself. You know crystals are stronger when they're surrounded by others in tune with you."

"Yeah, I know. That makes sense." Adam paused, trying to summon the courage to move forward when the past was still so overwhelming. Crystals did need clarity and focus and if he wanted to find Theo and find himself again, Josh's suggestion made sense.

"Okay, one cup of coffee. But that's it."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adam darktide #simon toyonaga #remy maricourt

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luverofralts · 5 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

Adam sat at the piano, mindlessly playing any song he could remember. He wasn't in the mood to learn a new song or scale, just looking for some familiar comfort.

His physical wounds were healing quickly, though his emotional wounds continued to fester. Adam had rejoined classes with his peers. It wouldn't have been so bad if the other students weren't constantly staring at him with pity. He had probably lost the boyfriend he had paraded around the school, announcing their intentions to marry. His eyes seemed to be healing, but the last of the scarring refused to leave, changing his appearance forever. He almost always felt cold, even in the harsh sunlight or next to a roaring fire. Adam had changed, and now everyone felt sorry for him.

The last thing that Adam needed was the pity of the entire school. Everyone seemed to have an opinion about his relationship with Theo that he didn't want to hear. The rumour mill had decided that Theo wasn't ever coming back, that he was incarcerated somewhere a million miles away or that Theo was living happily in the Void with a full blooded demon, completely abandoning the guy he'd almost killed. Adam never corrected any of these rumours, extending their lifespan. Why bother correcting people when Adam didn't know the truth anymore than they did? What did it even matter in the end? Theo wasn't here, and Adam couldn't bear to see his own reflection, let alone talk to Theo about it. He was stuck in limbo, waiting for something to make him feel again. Nothing in the school felt like it could shake the dead feeling squeezing his chest.

Most of the times that he wasn't in class, Adam would sit on the stairs that he and Theo had liked to sit on and stare blankly ahead. The view overlooked the end of Pleasantview and the entirety of Crystal Cove and Theo had loved to stare out at the endless green. Growing up in a tiny desert made him consider even the most mundane views of nature with awe. Truthfully, Adam had always taken the beauty of Pleasantview and Crystal Cove for granted. Sitting with Theo had been like seeing the same old hills and trees for the first time, every time. They would often sneak out at night to watch the stars and cuddle under the majesty of the natural world. Ever since Theo left, nothing had looked the same. Everything was just grey and dull.

"I see what you mean, Ewan. How long has he been like this?"

Ewan G Maricourt and Alicia Toyonaga watched Adam through a window, helpless to change his condition. Alicia had been assigned as an ambassador to the Arkhelios coven, so she had seemed like the perfect candidate to guide Ewan's son past this incident with an Arkhelian boy. Alicia didn't really care for her assignment, but it was better than living in Strangetown with her royal father in law. Ewan had asked her for tips on dealing with the Bellamy family and she'd only laughed.

"At least a few weeks now," Ewan answered solemnly. "He's seen doctors and healers and nothing ever changes."

"Well, of course not!" Alicia exclaimed, like it was the most obvious thing in the world. "He's grieving. You can't make a potion for that and call it done. He needs time to process what happened."

"It's been months since the accident. He's safe here with us. Hasn't it been long enough already? I just want him to be happy again."

Alicia sighed.

"Well, obviously you want him to be happy, but you can't rush it. Has he talked to Theo yet? Roman's just starting to calm down in public, so I gather that he must have talked to Theo recently. He keeps going on about a birthday party that Theo's going to come home for. Maybe Adam could attend this party? It's somewhere private, but with capable magic users should something go wrong. It sounds perfect. At least according to the gossip around town. Arkhelios really is the most tedious place."

"Theo won't be there," Ewan replied. "I've gotten his latest progress report, and it's not what we hoped it would be. He's too unstable to risk in a crowd like that, especially if Adam is there. Can you imagine if something Theo does accidentally triggers the same reaction as before? I'm not risking my son's life so he can talk to his boyfriend in a crowded room filled with potential innocent bystanders. The Sovereign agrees."

"Well, you can tell his parents that," Alicia scoffed. "I'm not getting involved with the Bellamys and their drama. it's bad enough having to endure Wanda every day. Why is the boy not meeting the requirements? I thought he was some kind of prodigy?"

"A prodigy in chaos only," Ewan sighed. "From what I gather, it's all very complicated. You don't know how many reports I've gotten over the last few months with the word 'curse' repeated through them. I don't fully understand the problem, but my knowledge of demonic magic is rather limited. From what I do understand, young Theo has an inert curse that gets summoned to him when he tries to use magic. The Sovereign thought that detaching it from Theo would protect him, but he hasn't found a way to use magic without bringing it right back to him again. Apparently, they're trying to reattach it to him for some reason and it's much too delicate a process to let him return home. If something went wrong, the results could be disastrous."

"Reattach? Like surgically?"

"I have no idea. Who knows with demons? I'd assume it would be some kind of ceremony or series of spells, but I don't know the way of demons or blood magic. My mother would have hit the roof if I studied any of that in school."

"Adam will feel isolated from Theo if he has no idea of what's happening with Theo," Alicia pointed out. "This whole thing he's experiencing isn't going to get any better if he hasn't talked to Theo since the accident and Theo comes back completely changed magically."

"What am I supposed to do then? You tell me that I need to give Adam closure, but I don't have the clearance to bring Theo here even if it was safe. If he's getting calls to his parents, that's the first I'm hearing about it. They won't grant one to the person Theo could still injure through their connection, no matter what I say. I can't share these notes with Adam, even if it would help, without failing to uphold my oath as head of the coven."

"Then all we can do for Adam is support him and give him the space to grieve. I'm sorry, but I don't see any other way. Has he spoken with a counselor about this? That might help speed things up."

Ewan shook his head.

"I tried to get him to see the school counselor, but apparently, he just spent the hour in silence, staring at the wall. He won't see anyone else and I can't make him talk about his feelings. Even Remy seems to have hit a wall with him and she's the only one to have gotten close. I just want to see Adam want to live again."

"Maybe a change of scenery would help," Alicia suggested. "We could take him in Arkhelios, or if that's too painful, send him to Strangetown with his mother."

"No, that won't happen," Ewan quickly replied. "The last thing he needs is to let his mother stomp all over him. I may not be the most sensitive parent, but Edana will only make things worse." He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully. "I understand the pain the Bellamys must feel, because I feel the same way at the thought of sending Adam away. He's my child. I need to be here for him where he's comfortable and safe. To not know when I could see him again would be agony and I won't let the pain the Bellamys are feeling now be in vain. Theo will return here when it is safe for him to do so."

"And Adam?"

Ewan groaned, unable to see an easy solution.

"I don't know. Maybe Miruna can take him in at the palace on weekends. It's not too far away and it's a decent change of pace."

"Not bad," Alicia agreed. "A change in roommates might help as well."

"This is the worst thing to happen all week. I can't believe I have a share a room with my little brother. We haven't had to share a room since we were kids. It's so unfair. My old roommate was almost never in the room and knew when to be discreet. You never leave your room."

Remy was about as excited to share a room with her brother as Adam, though she tried to downplay it after seeing the look on his face. The last thing she wanted was for Adam to feel resented. At least he didn't have a boyfriend to try to sneak into their room. Adam wasn't going to fight for the bedroom if all he was doing was moping. He could still do that downstairs.

"So, which bed do you want? I'm rather partial to the one by the window, but you can choose."

Adam lifted his head, only to see pieces of Void attach to his twin. She, like everyone else, seemed to be oblivious to what Adam could see. He'd stopped taking the many potions prescribed to him, but still the unsettling images of the Void remained. At this point, he just assumed that this would be his new normal. He'd forever be the unsettling prophet just like Theo's little sister. Rien seemed to enjoy her eerie reputation, but it wasn't how Adam wanted to live. At least he never heard from the "spirits" Rien spoke to. Maybe this oddity could be corrected in time.

What did he tell his sister? "Hey, I noticed that you were glowing various shades of pink all of a sudden. Are you feeling okay?"

"You can have whatever bed you want, Rem. I don't have anyone to share mine with. It doesn't matter."

"Adam, I can find you a hook up, you just need to let me know," Remy insisted. "Are you done with Theo? I have a few people who might want to date you. If you just want a meaningless booty call, I can name two guys who would respond, no strings attached."

"Thanks, Rem. I'm good though. I'm dating Theo and he's going to come home and we're going to be happy again. Unless...what if he comes back different? What if I don't like how Theo is when he's stable? What if he's cheating on me wherever he is? I wish I could talk to him."

"Look, just try one date with someone," Remy urged. "Anyone. It doesn't even have to be a date. You could just go for coffee with a sexy friend. Get some experience so that you do know what you want when Theo comes back."

"I thought you were Team Theo," Adam accused. "All you've said since he's left is that he loves me and to follow my feelings for him."

"Adam, you have the social life of a rock. You spend all day crying or moping and it's gotten to the point that Dad made us roommates and wants Miruna to babysit your walking corpse. Of course I know that Theo loved you when he left and he's a great guy, but you're miserable. You're fourteen for God's sake, go find some way to be happy. Your star-crossed love isn't the center of the universe. Go find a way to be happy and I'll help you deal with Theo when he comes back...or deal with rebound guy if you choose Brand New Theo again. Just get out of this school for ten minutes, that's all I ask."

"You're right," Adam sighed, giving up on the conversation so that he could return to moping. "I have no social life. My boyfriend almost killed me. My body doesn't work the same way as it did before the accident. I haven't seen Theo in months. Thank you for the reminder. If you don't mind, I think I'm going to try to sleep."

Adam curled onto his new bed, pulling the covers over him to block out the world. Beside him, Remy fumed.

"Adam, this is my room too. It's only 7:30 pm. Why don't you go downstairs to mope? I had plans for tonight and it would really help if you were somewhere else, not being a buzzkill."

"You go downstairs," Adam mumbled from under his blankets. "I don't need to see you reminding me of everything I've lost with Theo. My class work is finished and I have nowhere to be until classes tomorrow morning. It's perfectly fine for me to go to bed early, no matter how that cramps your style."

"I'll tell Dad," Remy threatened, sounding just like she had when they were kids.

"Tell him what? That you won't let me sleep because you want to party in our shared room?"

"I'll tell him that you're too depressed and you're making me depressed too. That I need my own space to clear your psychic negativity."

"That doesn't make any sense," Adam replied, peeking out of his blankets to childishly stick his tongue out at his sister.

"Made you look," Remy laughed, pointing at her brother's exposed head. "It's way too easy to manipulate you."

Adam groaned and retreated once again into his blankets.

"You're the worst, Rem," he grumbled. "You don't understand my problems at all. It's not a game."

"Never said it was," Remy replied happily. "I'm going to go hang out with actual people, but I'll be back to bother you later. I'll bring you a snack, since you ate pretty much nothing at dinner. See ya later, roomie!"

Remy skipped out the door, leaving Adam alone once again in his misery. It wasn't like he was starving himself or anything, food just didn't seem appealing to Adam. Nothing did. If only Theo was there to talk things through with. He wasn't just his boyfriend, Theo had been his best friend since they were six years old. Adam had some other friends, but no one like Theo. Except...now he might not have Theo at all anymore. He may not even want Theo to come back. He hadn't decided yet. His life would hang in limbo until he could talk to his boyfriend and see how they could possibly move past this.

Until that time, Adam buried himself deeper into his blankets, praying that Remy had just been joking with the threat of her return.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #adam darktide #remy maricourt #ewan g maricourt #alicia Toyonaga

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luverofralts · 9 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Aunt Edana, how are you? How's Adam doing? He's missed a lot of classes, but when I saw him in the hall the other day, he waved at me, so that must mean he's okay, right?"

"Greetings, Prince Jasper," Edana replied, bowing to the future king of Strangetown and one of the brightest students in the Pleasantview Academy of Magic. "I seek an audience with His Highness Leonid Toyonaga."

"Uncle Leo? He's upstairs, I can get him for you if you want."

Edana raised an eyebrow at the prince's responses. She folded her arms sternly.

"You haven't been studying your protocols," she chided, earning an embarrassed shrug from the teen. "Your grandfather would be appalled at my welcome. I'm not Aunt Edana when I first arrive at the castle, and you know that. Formal greetings come first and then we can drop the formalities."

"You're right," Jasper sighed. "But it's all so stupid. Anyway, how's Adam? Why are you wanting to see Uncle Leo? Can you help me with my potion homework?"

"Shouldn't you be in class?" Edana asked. She mentally scanned the academic calendar, looking for a holiday she'd missed. She didn't recall a day off today.

"Grandpa signed me out," Jasper answered, already looking bored. "It's the anniversary of Great-Grandma's death tomorrow and Grandpa is having a service to remember her. We all have to show up to it, but I have a mini speech to memorize. I'd rather be at school; all my friends are there."

"As the future king, you need to learn your place in the world and how to honour the old ways," Edana insisted. "When your grandfather and mother are gone, Strangetown will look to you. The king must balance the country and ensure that the proper order of things is respected. The vampires, the witches, and demons, you must lead them all."

"Uncle Leo's upstairs," Jasper replied, looking annoyed at the lecture. "He's doing his meditations though, so he's going to be pissed if you interrupt him."

"Watch your language, Your Highness," Edana said, her brain automatically correcting the poor behaviour just like Jasper was one of her own children. "Leo doesn't like me on a regular day, so I'm sure that interrupting him isn't going to change his opinion much." She paused. "Adam is doing better though, thanks for asking. He could use all of his friends' help to heal. Be sure to keep an eye on him for me, okay?"

Jasper nodded.

"Of course. He and Theo are always nice to me."

Edana murmured something impolite about the demon who had hurt her son, but Jasper didn't seem to catch it. Good. The last thing she needed was for Ewan to scream at her about respecting all of the apprentices of the coven, even the one who nearly killed her son. She'd promised the coven that she would treat Theo like any other student when he returned, but they all knew the truth. She wouldn't likely be asked to step in to teach a class any time soon, but that was fine with her. She knew that Ewan was giving her busy work to keep her away from their son, but Edana didn't fight it. She still needed to investigate the danger her brother had warned her of, and Adam had been rather withdrawn since his injury. His father was the calm, compassionate parent; she had always been the protective, furious parent who usually only made things worse.

She could accept that. Adam knew that he always have her love, but his father may have a point. She would likely only agitate her son and slow his recovery. Her own fathers had seen it and her old coven leader had seen it. Edana functioned best when there was something physical to fight, otherwise, her emotions usually got the better of her. She couldn't attack Theo or blame her son for this mess, and she'd barely kept a security team away from her at the hospital. Her time was better utilized finding answers about her brother's cryptic warnings.

Leo and his family lived on the third floor of the castle. When they had tried to move out of the cramped castle years ago, the king had simply built more rooms. It always seemed like Josh and Leo wanted to find a place of their own, but Charley refused to let them leave. Edana could sympathize. Charley had made her a room of her own that he insisted on her using at least once a month. The man put family sims to shame.

As Jasper had said, Leo looked deep in meditation. He always seemed to either be meditating or playing with his kids, so when was she supposed to talk to him? This conversation was better without children present, so it had to be now.

"Leo! Er, Your Highness," Edana called out, forcing Leo to begin descending to a normal standing pose. "I was hoping to speak with you briefly. If you have the time, that is."

"I seriously doubt that you'd leave if I said no, so i guess I have some time to talk with you. Just try to make it quick."

Leo folded his arms, looking just as hostile as his voice sounded.

"Look, I know I'm a bit of a bitch," she began. "I bullied your husband for being poor and intellectually challenged-"

"He has a damn learning disorder!" Leo interrupted quickly. "We eloped and were on the run from the Red Queen and I nearly died of heavy metal poisoning that she ordered. We lost our first pregnancy because of her. We were completely fucked, and you and your brother made it worse by bullying Josh as he was trying to learn while working full-time to support us!"

Edana paused, trying to think of something to defend her actions. She came up short.

"Yes, but I didn't know that," she replied. "Charlotte herself rejected him from class until the king made her take him in. She used to know everything, so we never doubted her choices."

"Which is why she and everyone else in your little cult are dead," Leo stated coldly. "It looks like she was wrong about Josh, since he's living his best life and the kid she gave life to only to sacrifice to Death doesn't even remember her. Her legacy has been ruined."

"Which is sort of why I'm here today," Edana said, trying desperately to shift the tone of their conversation. "I went to see my brother's tomb and he appeared as a ghost right in front of me."

"Ghosts are very rare," Leo noted skeptically. "I doubt that Adam had that kind of power. The reapers are very good at containing the spirits."

"I know what i saw," Edana insisted. "Anna Goldman showed up to collect him right in front of me. He escaped the afterlife to warn me of something, but he didn't have time to say what. Something about great danger coming to Strangetown and the Darktide family. Normally, I wouldn't worry because I can take care of myself, but my children are Darktides. I can't risk putting them in danger by doing nothing. Surely you can understand that."

"I can," Leo sighed. "I wouldn't stop until anyone who threatened my kids was obliterated. To come back as a spirit takes incredible effort. Adam must really care about you. You two must have meant a lot to each other."

Edana nodded, unable to put her feelings into words.

"Our fathers both died before we started studying the final courses to complete our apprenticeship. We only had each other to lean on. Over the years, we both had boyfriends and girlfriends, but none of them could ever divide us. That is, until that bitch started filling my brother's head with lies."

"I do know what happened, I was there to see it all crumble," Leo reminded the witch. "Josh almost died fighting off your cult leader. Excuse me if I don't find your sob story convincing. I'm sorry that your brother died, but he sealed his fate himself . The Ocean can only wipe a person so clean if they are unwilling to change."

Edana groaned, unwilling to play along with Leo's weird religion.

"The old ways are what matter here," she replied irritably. "They saved Strangetown in the wake of its near destruction, and you descend from Holy Queen Jasone yourself. There's not a drop of ocean here until you reach the end of our borders. It's blasphemy for a Toyonaga of your blood to turn away from such an inheritance."

"Did you have a point, Edana?" Leo snapped. "Did you come here today to insult both my husband and religion or did you have something else to say?"

"Sorry. Really, I am. I don't like the person I used to be and every time I try to change, people always remind me how little progress I've made. My son almost died, and my ex-husband and half of the hospital all want me to be nowhere near him. I really do try to be the parent my kids deserve, but I know I fail. The Strangetown coven wasn't always corrupt, and it came to be how I defined myself after growing up in it. I understand that you hate me, but I refuse to leave until you tell me how I can keep my children safe from whatever my brother saw."

Leo's face softened at her words and despite his anger, he unfolded his arms and tried to breathe slowly and calmly to collect himself.

"You're married to my brother, Edana," Leo replied, the tone in his voice beginning to thaw slightly. "You make him incredibly happy and he's a pretty good judge of character. You and I will always have our issues, but for Ewan's sake, I'll try to move past them. I'm sorry to hear about Adam's ill health. My brother was devastated to hear the news. He's always been close with Adam."

"He's doing much better from what I hear. I'm going to visit him on Friday when I'm in town. I've been working hard on my...outbursts to people just trying to help."

Leo shot her a look that clearly doubted her words, but he said nothing.

"I suppose a quick conversation couldn't hurt," Leo decided. "We can talk in the king's office. No one can eavesdrop on us there."

"So Adam came to you to warn you?" Leo asked. The king's office was about the most private place in the castle, but it was far from private. With the amount of people Charley crammed into his home and all of their children, the halls were hardly quiet. "Where did you meet him?"

"At the royal cemetery," Edana answered. "The king escorted me that day, and you joined us later. Adam appeared beside his urn, just like the old stories say."

Leo looked uncomfortable at these words, though Edana couldn't imagine why.

"The day Lukas possessed me to go to the cemetery to warn the king about some unknown danger? That same day your brother appeared to do the same thing?"

Edana nodded.

"It seems so. He told me that Strangetown was in danger, that the entire Darktide bloodline could be lost if I wasn't careful. And...and he told me to go find a specific reaper."

Leo leaned back in his chair, processing this information.

"Lukas said something very similar," he stated. "That Strangetown was about to get caught in a storm. Whether that's a metaphor or an actual storm sent by the Ocean, I'm not sure."

"Probably a metaphor," Edana said quickly, dismissing the possibility of Leo's strange deity immediately. "Adam mentioned that this storm was related to the explosion in Twikkii Island a few years back."

"Did he now? Hmm. Well, we don't have a royal boat to blow up, so that's something in our favour. But an event in Twikkii Island that would impact the Darktides here? Don't all your kids attend boarding school at the magic academy in Pleasantview? That's nowhere near Strangetown."

"I know, it doesn't make any sense! Unless it means just me specifically? But even I don't live full time in Strangetown."

"And the name of the reaper you're supposed to find?"

"Atem. Do you know the name? Growing up here, he was something we heard about in stories. He's the grandson of Death, but that's about all I know officially about him. Folktales and rumors won't help us find him."

"The name sounds somewhat familiar," Leo admitted. "I don't have any clue why you would need to see him or how to even summon a reaper that old. So this Atem is the one who is bringing the storm or is he stopping it?"

"I can't say. All I was told was that he would know what was going on." Edana paused for a moment, trying to word her next sentence carefully. "Adam also mentioned you, Leo. He said that I needed to talk to you, that you've seen someone or something that could help."

"That I've seen something that could relate to the death of the Twikkii Island royal family?" Leo repeated incredulously. "I doubt it. If Lukas knew anything about this threat, they would have told me specifics. They are obviously tracking something strong enough to warn Uncle Charley about, but if Lukas had a new lead, they'd probably be here announcing it to anyone who could hear and demanding reinforcement."

"Well, has anything happened within the past decade worth looking into? No threats or protesters or disgruntled guests?"

Leo shook his head, running through a list of dangerous events that had been brought to his attention over the years.

"No, even Josh hasn't encountered anything too dangerous in his work, aside from your future son in law."

Edana glowered at Leo, his jab hitting her right where she was vulnerable.

"Theodosius is no longer my problem. Once Adam recovers, my strongest hope will be for him to see reason."

"I never did and I'm pretty happy with my choice," Leo laughed. "I don't know if Adam can match running away from an arranged royal marriage with the best man, but I hope he does. My dad got over it...sort of. Well, maybe. Maybe someday soon."

"You ran off with Josh, leaving Princess Charlotte at the altar and her extremely volatile mother with the shame and expenses?" Edana asked. "I vaguely remember something about that in the news. That might be relevant. Pissing off the Red Queen was usually a death sentence."

"Charlotte ran with us, but yeah, we paid for it. It turns out that the queen of Pleasantview has access to an official assassin, which makes a lot of sense in retrospect. I came very close to dying, and I lost our baby because of the poison. I didn't walk for months. I still don't regret choosing Josh though. I never will."

"All of this happened and you didn't think it was relevant to this situation? How can it not be? Leo, you saw something or someone who later killed the Twikkii Island royal family! You need to tell me who to look for!"

Leo grew quiet, clearly lost in difficult memories.

"I...I don't remember a lot about those months," he said quietly. "They were the worst of my life. We buried the remains of our child and the rest of the months were a blur afterward. My sister and her husband died in a car accident the next year. I've blocked most of that time from my memory."

"Then unlock it," Edana demanded. "I can do a spell or you could ask your ocean to do something with waves or whatever. This could save my family's life."

"The Ocean doesn't take orders unless he's in a good mood, and even then, he's fickle. I can't just try to remember all of this horrible shit on command, Edana. I'll need to meditate on this."

"I watched my brother's body hit the ground, bleeding out his eyes," Edana snapped. "I had to identify his body at the morgue. I inherited twin children that I didn't know how to care for. My parents are dead. I have no one but my children and Adam's children left of my family. Something wants to take them away from me, but I have a head start because of the brother who was planning on sacrificing his own children. Adam was a terrible person, I know that, but he risked everything to save me and my family. There is no way in hell that I'm leaving this castle this close to answers. You and I are going to make a list of every shady person you have ever seen in your life and then you can go back to hiding away your trauma."

"And if I included your brother on that list?" Leo asked, still staring calmly at Edana while she struggled to control her emotions. "Or Charlotte Maricourt, who spent her long life breaking the natural laws of magic and led your coven to its death? What about Queen Celeste, who kept her zombified mother in a cell unless she was performing menial, degrading tasks for the coven?"

"Living people only," Edana replied, gritting her teeth. "You can hold any grudge you want against the dead, but I only need the names of people still able to access the living world where my children are. Have you seen this assassin? Are they still alive?"

"I never saw the royal assassin myself, no. Charlotte found him mentioned in her mother's papers when she took the throne, but he never appeared to her while she was queen. We figured that he stayed in the shadows when he saw that Charlotte was nothing like her mother. It is a very real position in the Pleasantview monarchy though. It goes back centuries, possibly even longer."

"An assassin could pull off an explosion on the royal yacht," Edana mused. "I'd put money on him still being alive, that or he's found a replacement to fill that vacancy. But why would a Pleasantview assassin want to kill the Twikkii Island royal family?"

"Probably because their queen wanted the family dead. Though it was during Claudia's reign," Leo replied. "Why Queen Claudia would want that is beyond my understanding, but people do unfathomable things all the time. Perhaps the queen is being framed or this former assassin went rogue. If that's even the true culprit at all. Your brother could have just been lying to you to carry out some devious scheme he never got to finish."

Edana carefully mulled this over in her mind for a moment. Adam could be manipulating her, that was quite possible. Still, the urgency written all over his ghostly face had seemed genuine.

"How did the assassin poison you? Did you see him, or did you only find out about it when Charlotte took the throne? If you saw his face, then maybe-"

"The formal markings of the Pleasantview assassin are ghoulish, jagged teeth drawn over their face. We saw the design in the archives from King Mordred's reign. I never saw him, though. We think he had a partner or accomplice should he be caught or was unable to finish the job." Leo paused, struggling to find the words to describe this dark time in his life. "I had really bad morning sickness when I got pregnant. So bad that I was assigned a specialist at the hospital to help me cope. I saw this specialist regularly and took every vitamin and potion he gave me to help control the symptoms. I trusted that he was a legitimate doctor because he worked out of the hospital. As the months went by, I only got worse. He was slowly poisoning me. I lost the pregnancy and nearly died myself. By the time we figured out what he was doing to me, he was long gone and no one has seen him since. Uncle Charley still has a reward for his capture posted, but it's like he never existed."

Edana noted the short, choppy sentences that Leo had adopted and realized that she was nearly out of time to speak to the man. He was starting to close up emotionally. She often did the same thing when she thought about losing everything precious in her life. He didn't want to discuss this topic anymore than she wanted to discuss her brother. Leo was probably only discussing this as a favour to his brother.

"What was his name? What did he look like?"

Leo shook his head.

"I only knew him as Dr. Pinkerton," Leo stated. "That's obviously not his real name, but I remember thinking that it fit him well as he had very light pink skin. Brown hair, I think. That's everything."

"And he hadn't been seen since your first pregnancy? He just vanished?"

Leo nodded.

"Somewhere around sixteen to seventeen years ago? Just before Medora was born. My uncle's security team looked for him, but he must have fled the country. If he's still in Strangetown, then no one has seen him."

"Okay, so Queen Claudia has an assassin she hides, that assassin has an accomplice who tried to kill you and has completely vanished for almost two decades now. We can assume that Claudia had her cousin's family killed, or that her predecessor did shortly before giving up the throne. All of that somehow leads to a threat against Strangetown and my family. Does that sound right?"

Leo shrugged.

"It's a theory. I don't know what Pleasantview had against Twikkii Island's queen though. That part doesn't make much sense to me. Next time I speak with Lukas, I'll present this theory and see what they say. They may have something to add with all the sneaking around and spying they do."

"Thank you for your time and openness," Edana said, rising from her chair. "It's given me a lot to think about. If I make any more progress, I'll be sure to let you know."

"You do that. Say hi to Ewan for me, I think Dad wants us to come for dinner next week. Until then."

Leo stood and began to briskly walk down the hall towards the staircase to his suite. Edana watched him leave, admiring his composure. Though he was obviously upset from remembering a dark period in his life, somehow, he remained calm. He had lost a child and a sibling and nearly his own life, but he didn't let the grief and anger consume him the way it did Edana. His sister had been gone for a year or two less than Adam, and yet Leo was able to talk calmly about it. Maybe it was because he still had his family with him, or maybe because of his frequent talks with Life. Maybe his dumb religion helped grant him a peace that Edana had never known.

Whatever it was, Edana was extremely envious.

#sims 2 #arkhelios adventures #tw: pregnancy loss #edana darktide #sim: edana darktide #sim: leo toyonaga #Leo Toyonaga #jasper toyonaga #arkhelios

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luverofralts · 11 days

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🐾 This is a BOOP! 🐾✨🌈SEND THIS TO OTHER BLOGGERS YOU THINK ARE WONDERFUL. KEEP THE GAME GOING🌈✨

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luverofralts · 12 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

Weeks had passed since Adam had last seen his boyfriend or visited the room where they'd been separated. So many times, Adam had walked down the hallway, intent on revisiting the room, only to chicken out at the last second. It was still too fresh to confront. No matter how much Adam wanted to be okay with what had happened, his brain just refused to move on.

But today was the day. Adam was going to go touch the crystal that he'd been working on when the incident happened. He wouldn't try to activate it or anything complex. Just touching it would be enough. Touching it would make the memories in his head go away permanently. It had to.

"Okay. You can do this. It's just a rock. It's just a room. Nothing bad will happen. Nothing bad will happen."

Adam took a hesitant step, but faltered. Entering the room would make it all real. It would mean that his life had changed, that Theo had been ripped away from him, that all the warnings adults had been throwing at him were real and could happen at any time. He could die at any time.

The doctors had told him repeatedly that he was lucky to be alive. Most people in his situation did die. The survival rate for what he'd been through was incredibly low. He was likely only alive because as Remy liked to point out, Theo had desperately tried to protect him from the demonic magic tearing through him. Adam never thought he'd hear his sister defend Theo and advocate for them to stay together. What she had seen that day must have been powerfully seared into her mind for her to be so adamant that Theo had done whatever he could to save him.

Adam wished that he could remember Theo helping him or anything else that might help him move on, but he couldn't recall much. Just the blinding pain and the feel of wings pass over his skin as he burned from the inside out.

Adam dropped to his knees, too overcome with fear to carry out his mission. He couldn't do it. It was too soon and he was too weak and the fear was too strong. What would happen now that Theo was gone? Could the crystal still be attuned to the nearly lethal energy it had absorbed weeks prior? What if he was injured again now that Theo wasn't around to help?

"Adam? Honey, are you alright? Have the headaches come back?"

Ewan Maricourt rushed to his son's side, only to be waved away by the teen. Truthfully, he'd been watching Adam from afar, waiting to see if his son was ready to confront what had happened. Seeing Adam try to enter the room had filled his father with hope that Adam was starting to heal emotionally from the accident. This set back didn't mean anything; the fact that Adam was willing to try was good enough for Ewan.

Adam sobbed, finally allowing his father to approach him. His pride didn't matter now that his brain was rebelling against doing the one thing Adam wanted it to. Who cared if anyone saw him crying with his dad? He couldn't even enter a stupid room.

"It's okay, you're safe," Ewan promised, pulling his son as close to him as he could. "You're doing so well and I couldn't be prouder of you. Things will change in time. You've got to give yourself both time and space to process your feelings. No one heals after just a couple of weeks. It takes time."

"Do...do you think I made a mistake dating Theo?" Adam asked, sobbing into his father's shirt. "I love him Dad, but-but"

"But you ignored the guidance of your elders," Ewan finished. "Us parents tell you things that you may not like, but they're usually from a place of experience. You'll understand it one day when you have children of your own. Do I like watching you disregard my advice and getting hurt in the process? Of course not, but I was once your age and I know, at least a little bit, how it feels to have young love. I'm not thrilled to hear how far your physical relationship with Theo has progressed or that you disregarded all warnings about blood magic and sex, but I understand. Your sister likes to tease me about my apparent inability to settle down with someone, but I was young once. I had boyfriends and girlfriends and one night stands. I dated people I thought I'd marry someday and lost them all. If you love this boy and you're meant to be together, then it will work out. I promised Evren that I would completely wipe this incident from my mind if Theo came back to us in control of himself and I intend to keep that promise. Granted, you won't be sharing a bedroom again in the future, but I will try my hardest to give Theo a second chance."

Adam's tears were slowing and Ewan slowly steered his son away from the crystal room.

"Of course, you don't have to keep dating him if you can't move past this. I support whatever decision you make. Take your time and rest, Adam. No one expects you to sort through all of this in an afternoon. Why don't you go to your room and take the afternoon off from class? You look tired."

Resting in the room he'd once shared with Theo seemed impossible. Theo's stuff was still there, as if he could come back at any minute. Evren had refused to pick up any of Theo's belongings despite Abe and Roman's wish to have them close to them while he was gone. Evren knew that the second Theo's things vanished, Edana would try to interfere and make it harder for Theo to return. Leaving his things in the room was a statement, one that declared that Theo would not be erased from the school. Theo was coming back to be reunited with his possessions, whether Edana liked it or not.

It was hard for Adam to concentrate in their shared room. Half of him wanted nothing more than for Theo to walk through that door right then, while the other half was afraid. The dull ache in his chest that had started the day Theo left was strongest in this room, surrounded by memories. It hurt to breathe with that ache weighing down his chest.

Adam closed his eyes, only to be startled when he opened them. Impossibly, another rip exposing the Void had opened, flashing maliciously in front of him.

"This isn't real. This isn't happening," Adam chanted to himself. "It's just a hallucination. If it was real, you could feel it. It's not real. It's not real."

Hallucinations were an unfortunate side effect of some of the medicinal potions he'd been prescribed to help him heal. It was yet another reason that Adam kept himself away from other people outside of class. There was always a chance that a hallucination could pop up at any time, exposing just how broken Adam had become.

"Hey, Adam. I've missed you."

To Adam's horror, an image of Theo appeared before him. Not Theo, but the Theo he last remembered seeing. A monster with golden eyes that were as piercing as they were haunting.

"No. No, you're not real. You're not Theo. Leave me alone."

The illusion shimmered slightly before it dissolved into a thousand pieces that disintegrated before Adam's eyes.

He may have been injured, but Adam still had his instincts. He knew how Theo felt in his arms, and no illusion could ever match that. The hallucinations were getting less frequent now that he had reduced the amount of potions he had to take. They weren't as strong as they had been when he'd first woken up after the incident. In those early days, Adam couldn't distinguish his mother from a nurse in the hospital and would frequently be found talking to someone only he could see. Edana had been livid at this and was sure to mention her feelings at every opportunity to staff. Remy told her twin that it was only through some smooth talking on their father's part that Edana had been allowed to stay.

Several people had asked about his connection to Theo, and Adam had lied to every one of them. It wasn't any of their business, even if they were treating him for a Theo related problem. If he closed his eyes and looked deep within himself, he could feel the familiar, but weak warmth of Theo's presence out there somewhere. It was too weak to glean anything about how Theo felt or where he was, but feeling the real Theo was helpful for identifying the hallucinations.

Eventually though, Theo would come back, and Adam needed to know how he felt about that before Theo walked in the front door.

Adam sighed heavily and climbed into his bed, trying to ignore the world around him. That was a problem for the future. For now, Adam was going to try to sleep, hoping that when he woke up, he'd be a step closer to figuring out what he was going to do about his boyfriend.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #adam darktide #ewan g maricourt #arkhelios adventures

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luverofralts · 14 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

A great mountain range. Buildings that were easily centuries old. The long, cold reach of the Void. Adam could see it all as easily as if it were standing in front of him. He didn't seem to have a choice whether he wanted to see these images or not. They were darkness and beauty, strength and fear, each seared into his brain with one word tying them all together.

Theo.

"So hey, sorry if I'm interrupting your private moping time. Dad wanted me to check on you. I don't see the point since it's basically been a prison here since You-know-who left. What trouble could you possibly be causing? I think this is the first time in a week that I've actually seen you out of your pajamas."

Remy didn't even bother knocking on the door of the gardens. Adam had locked himself inside them for the past week, attempting to meditate or something equally as pointless. Mediation wouldn't heal her brother or make him talk to her about what had happened between him and Theo. She was his twin sister, though, and that made it her duty to get him back to the person he'd been before the incident. At the very least, she would get him out of this one room and socializing again.

"You can say his name, Remy. Theo is my boyfriend...or he was." He paused to consider his words carefully. "I don't know. Either way, saying his name isn't going to break me like Mom seems to think it will.

Says the guy hiding away from everyone to "meditate."

"I know I'm not Mom's biggest fan, but she might have a point," Remy said cautiously. "You seem...twitchy whenever he comes up. Have you heard from him at all?"

"Of course I haven't," Adam snapped, louder than he meant to reply. "Mom took our phones, remember? Wherever they sent him, I can't send any magical messages either. It's like he just disappeared off the face of the earth! I don't even know where to start looking for him."

"Do you want to find him?" Remy asked quietly, truly curious about the answer. "It's okay if you don't. I'd understand. No judgment here. With your condition, I'd be pissed too."

"My condition," Adam repeated bitterly. "You don't even know the half of it. No one does."

"Does Theo? Mom threw a fit about you two being connected, and I'm guessing that that's why things got so bad when everything happened. Can't you just sense him?"

"No, that's the problem," Adam sighed. "No matter how hard I try, he's just...gone. It's not like we were connected strongly or anything like that, but I should be able to feel something about where he is. Instead, there's just silence."

He's lying. I don't know about what, but he's lying. He's easier to read than a book. But he's lying for a reason. If I don't press it, maybe he'll tell me in his own time.

"Hey, he'll come back," Remy promised, hugging her brother tightly. "Whether I have to track him down for you myself. Elowen and I will have him back in an afternoon."

"Yeah, thanks. I don't think I'll need you two though."

"So you two are over," Remy gasped, trying to remain playful before he shut down again. "There are lots of other people here who would be happy to date you. Some of which, Mom might actually approve of."

"We're not over!" Adam snapped. "Not officially. We'd have to have a conversation for that to happen, and no one will tell me where he is!"

Remy rolled her eyes and grabbed her brother's hand, dragging him with her to the ground. He tried to wriggle away from her, but Remy was stronger.

"Nope. We're having twin time now," she insisted. "Just like when we were kids. You and I are going to talk this out. I'm sick of your moodiness, and I can't tell if I'm supposed to be rooting for Theo to come back or if I should be setting him on fire for hurting you. So spill."

"We're not little kids anymore. Just leave me alone."

"Not going to happen. If you won't talk to me, then I'm going to be forced to call Elowen and Bronwen in as reinforcement. I'm sure you can remember how powerful your sisters are when we fight together."

"How can I forget?" Adam groaned. "If Theo wasn't so strong, you three would have made my life miserable." He smiled fondly before he caught himself. It was hard to separate his childhood memories from thoughts of Theo. They'd been friends since Theo started at the academy and had been inseparable for years. There was no way of thinking about his past without being reminded of Theo. He just wasn't sure if his future would be the same way.

"Look, it's complicated," Adam said at last. "I love Theo, but...people have been warning me about him for awhile now. He's this kind, funny, loyal person who loves me with the intensity of the sun. But he's also a dangerous, reckless being with so much power that deities monitor him. I love him, but he's like fire. The closer I get to him, the more I get burned. I just don't want to get burned again, Remy. I don't want to hold him back from his potential either, though. He can do things I've never seen someone do and with ease. He might be better off without me."

"If you love him, it shouldn't matter," Remy insisted. "You've known for forever about Theo being unstable and you've never cared before."

"I never thought he'd hurt me like this before!" Adam snapped angrily. "He promised me that he'd protect me, not scar my face and leave me for dead."

Remy paused, unsure of what to say.

"I was there when everything happened, Adam. I saw the look on his face. He was desperate to save you. I mean, the two of you are usually nauseatingly cute together, but this was different. He was going against his own self interests to protect you, Adam. It tore him apart and he still did it. They dragged Theo out of here on a stretcher just like you, and he's not complaining. All he did was ask for you."

"I know, I know. That's what everyone says, but...maybe our love isn't a good idea like Mom says."

"What?! Who are you Mr. I'm Planning My Wedding at Nineteen? Did Mom bewitch you with one of her spells, or did you really hit your head that hard when you fell?"

"It's not like that," Adam mumbled quietly. "It's just common sense. You know that Theo and I have...been intimate lately?" He continued when Remy nodded. "This whole thing stems from that. Theo can't handle the emotions or the increased connection between us. He went off because of me, because of my desire to be close to him. I'm too dangerous for him and he's too dangerous for me. We just end up hurting each other."

"Hmm, fair," Remy conceded. "That makes some kind of sense. I've never had that problem, but I do tend to stay away from demons. Too much drama involved."

"He...he changed me, Remy," Adam admitted quietly.

"Well, yeah, you've been friends forever, of course you're going to change each other's lives."

"No, I mean that he changed me. That day. Why do you think that I spend most of my time here, trying to meditate? It's not for fun."

"I don't know what you're talking about. No one does when you're that cryptic. If you're going to break up with Theo, then you should at least come hang out with some of my friends. Get out there, see what the world outside of Theo looks like before you make your decision."

"I'm not sure if I want to break up with him. I just need some time. I want him to know what he's done and I need to know how he feels too. I want him to see this and ask him what he's going to do about it."

Adam gestured to his cheek, where a dark scar remained. Remy had helped her father try to reduce the supernatural scarring on Adam's face, but a corner of it refused to leave. His eyes were still red and bloodshot from the spell that had twisted the small amount of demonic DNA in his system.

"A deity told me that we have demon ancestors," he continued. "That Mom's side of the family came from Pleasantview demons."

"That's the first I'm hearing about this. Though it does make sense that Mom is slightly demonic. It explains some things." When Adam didn't laugh at her joke, Remy scowled. "Where on earth did you run into a god? Don't they have anything better to do than spill family secrets?"

"She was warning me about Theo. I...I think when the incident happened, our connection latched on to any dormant demon genes I have and went crazy trying to give him their power. I don't have a dark form, Remy, but Theo's energy twisted me into something that looked like one. They had to fix my skull with magic. They had to fix my skull, Remy. Our connection tore demonic energy I barely had and gave it to Theo. It scraped everything I had and...and he just took it."

"That's not something Theo did purposely though," Remy said softly. "He can't control himself. That's why they sent him away to demon boot camp. He would never choose to hurt you, that should be obvious."

"What if I can never sleep with him again?" Adam demanded, his voice betraying how close to sobbing he truly was. "What if even kissing him makes...makes all of that happen again? I can't trust that it won't happen again. He sometimes goes off without any obvious trigger, how will I know how to avoid it? If being with me makes Theo lose control of himself, then I don't think I can take that risk anymore. Next time I might die."

Remy kicked her brother in his shin, making him yelp.

"He's going to boot camp, Adam. When he does come back, he's going to know how to control himself. Do you really think Mom and Dad are going to let him come back here if there's a chance that you'll be in danger? No way. You're being stupid. Give me some time, I'll find a way to talk to your dumb boyfriend and get this sorted out. Life's too short to mope over something that can be changed."

"The scar's not the only change," Adam insisted, still looking like he was about to cry at any second. "The meditations are supposed to be controlling this." He flicked his wrist, releasing a purple haze that oozed from his skin. "Let me show you something."

Without another word, Adam rose from his seat on the floor and gestured for his twin to follow him.

"Well, this should be good."

Adam's pace was slow, but determined. There was still some physical damage from the incident that was slowly healing and Remy noticed that her brother was limping slightly. If it did turn out that Theo had caused all of this on on purpose, there was going to be hell to pay.

But it was an accident, she reminded herself, taking a deep breath to let go of the anger. Theo was just too dumb to handle a Darktide in the bedroom, like so many of Remy's past hookups.

He's just an idiot with no self-control. He didn't do this on purpose. You don't have to murder him for touching your brother.

"Are you okay with walking this far? I can teleport you wherever we're going."

"I'm fine. We're here anyway." He gestured to the expensive telescope that students used to calculate moon phases and chart astrology. "Watch that telescope."

"For what? It's just sitting there. Are you sure you don't want me to get a chair for you or something? Should I get Dad?"

"Dad already knows about this," Adam replied, intensifying his stare at the telescope and holding his hands in a magical stance. "You can't tell anyone else about this, Dad's trying to find someone to help with this, but people wouldn't understand if they saw what happened to me."

He flicked his hand again, and released more of that purple haze as he did so. When he moved his arm, Remy could see the telescope shimmer slightly, and then immediately surrender itself to a sudden rip in the atmosphere. The Void consumed the light around the object, wrapping itself around it so tightly that the two seemed fused together.

"Oh my god, Adam! You've actually become interesting!"

"Thanks," Adam replied angrily. "I'd like to think that I already was interesting before all of this."

Remy scoffed, still staring at the flashing telescope with wonder.

"So you can what? Attack people with the Void? Open portals just like Theo?"

Adam shrugged, flicking his wrist again as he did. Immediately, the tear in the atmosphere reappeared and began to rip the pieces of Void from the the telescope. Within a blink of an eye, the telescope was back to its old appearance, completely Void free.

"I don't know what it is," Adam confessed. "Dad thinks that Theo regenerated some of my DNA to work like a demon's would. Between trying to force a dark form and being able to touch the Void, my body is different now. It responds like a really weak demon hybrid might. A really weak hybrid. I can't do half the things an infant hybrid could, but-"

"But you're more resistant to Theo's demonic magic, just like you both wanted," Remy guessed. "You don't have a lot of cool powers from this, but you should be able to handle more demonic energy than before. You can help ground him if he goes off in the future. Maybe it could keep Theo grounded and balanced when you two are in the bedroom."

"Remy, stop!" Adam shouted. "I don't want to be changed so that I can make Theo feel better about himself or be his backup plan when he's about to have an incident. I want to be me, just like I was! I love a hybrid, but I don't want to become the pale shadow of one. I don't exist to make Theo's life easier."

"Okay, fair," Remy conceded. "But do you know what I could do with that much power? Lots of fun things."

"I also don't exist to make your life interesting, Rem. God only knows what you would do with access to the Void. Probably end up in the same place as Theo."

Remy laughed at the thought.

"Yeah, probably. Maybe that's how I'll find him for you. I'll get Mom to send me to demon military school."

Adam's knee buckled from standing too long and his sister rushed to his side even as he was pushing her away.

"Okay, well I think that's enough demon magic for today," she declared. "Now that you're out of your moping room, let's get you something to eat. You can't say no when you're leaning on me to walk."

Adam scowled, but didn't resist. He was a little hungry and it would be a welcome change from ruminating on what had happened all day like he'd been doing lately.

"Okay, fine. You win."

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luverofralts · 14 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

"So here's your new accommodations. You won't have a roommate here, we keep a low enough population so they're never needed. We find it's best that every student has their own space to perfect their skills."

Leofric Fromm gestured excitedly at the room Theo was staring at in bewilderment.

It was larger than the room he shared with Adam in Pleasantview, but far more empty. There was a desk and bed and easel and that was about it.

"I don't want to be here," Theo declared. "I need to be in Pleasantview. I need to see Adam. Maybe the coven changed their minds. I should try calling them. They might want me back."

"I'm afraid that that's not going to happen," Leofric replied. "The coven will not change their minds until you have made progress. You haven't even spent a single day here. You can't rush things as important as this. Pleasantview has stood for millennia, it will still be there when you are ready to return."

"Can I at least talk to my boyfriend? You guys must have phones here, right? Or even a computer?"

Leofric laughed. This was clearly a question that he answered a lot.

"Not for students. Not at your level, at least. We take a traditional approach to education here. Many of our students require some degree of privacy from the outer world, and student like you don't need the distraction from your studies. How will you ever learn to control your abilities if you are texting your friends and spending hours on the internet? We have arranged for you to talk to your parents once a week as a video call. You will be required to make the call from the office, where all of our technology stays. Many students don't have that accommodation, you should be thankful. Your aunt and step-father are both very persuasive people."

"And Adam?" Theo had listened to everything the counselor said, but there was nothing about the most important person he had to talk to.

Leofric laughed again seeing the look on Theo's face.

"Ah, young love. You remind me so much of my own daughter, never any time for her family, just her friends and romantic partners. The life of a teenager is rather narrow in its focus. Your boyfriend is not part of your accommodation, I'm afraid. The two of you together is what brought you to us in the first place. You can never learn to control yourself if the object of your desire is still within reach. By learning who you are without Mr. Darktide, you will learn who you can be when you do reunite. All it would take is a spark between you two, a moment where your emotions get the best of you perhaps, and you will put him at risk for further injury."

"Further? What happened? Is he okay? I need to talk to him! No one will let me even call him!"

"I know it's frustrating," Leofric said kindly. "I'm afraid that I don't have any information on his condition, only that he is alive and apparently still sharing a connection to you based on your entrance exam. Be patient. Our students don't usually spend more than a year with us. We are a quick stop in their lives, and they live out the rest of their lives in a better place than they would have alone. I'm sure that you'll be able to see your friends in no time. I'll let you unpack and get settled. There is a kitchen on the third level with prepared meals if you're hungry."

Leofric left the room, leaving Theo alone for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Yeah, that's not happening," he muttered to himself. "I'm getting out of here."

Theo opened the door to find a glowing sigil waiting for him in the hall. Obviously the school didn't want him wandering around unsupervised. Then how was he going to get the food that Leofric promised? He surely had to leave his room to do that.

When Theo's mind thought about the kitchen and how he would probably starve to death because he was magically forbidden from leaving his room, the sigil on the floor dimmed bit by bit until it seemingly vanished.

"Yes! Freedom!"

As soon as Theo took a step out of the door with the intention of escape, the sigil snapped back into place, glowing as fiercely as ever.

"Ah, intention based security," Theo groaned. "We don't learn how to beat those until fourth year."

If this system could even be beaten. Everything in this place seemed both ancient and cutting edge. He didn't even know what country he was in or what kind of society he had entered.

His heart sank when he realized the truth: he wasn't breaking out of this place any time soon. He had raw power on his side, but this place was old enough for the sovereign to have attended for a semester as a teen. He was no match for centuries of experience dealing with teenage demons. Plus them having knowledge of his true name was brutal. Every warning his teachers had ever given him about protecting that name suddenly made perfect sense. His only hope of escape was to once again change his true name...which only happened once a lifetime, if at all. He did his best magic when Adam was around and it had been Adam who helped him change his name accidentally in the first place. If Adam were here, he might have a chance. But alone? Theo got the feeling that he was going to be stuck at this school a very long time.

"Fine."

Theo stormed back into his room, hoping to find a way to contact the outside world. He tried his en suite bathroom, only to find what he could only assume was a spell put in place by the school. Either that, or its previous occupant was trying to leave him a message, however disturbing that was.

Theo slumped onto his bed, completely frustrated and angry with himself. He should be powerful enough to escape this place. He should be at home instead of worrying if Adam had been seriously injured. He should be in Pleasantview with his friends, not wherever the hell this place was.

His parents had to be miserable without him. It had been the hardest goodbye of his life so far having to leave them for an unknown amount of time. By the time the school had opened the portal for him to enter, Roman was visibly holding back tears while Abe was so choked with emotion, he hadn't been able to get any of the words he wanted to say out. Their goodbye hug had lasted several minutes, until the portal started glowing menacing colours. Theo even missed his siblings, though he'd never admit to it.

Once classes started, the days began to pass quickly enough. If Theo thought he had homework in Pleasantview, he was sadly mistaken. Here, there was nothing else to do but homework. His classes weren't heavily populated and many times Theo wouldn't see the same classmate until days later. No one seemed to have a consistent schedule of classes and many of his classes were just one on one instruction with a teacher or a teacher's assistant.

Alys even taught him a few lessons, such as energy manipulation and exercises to calm his mind. She barely spoke to him when it wasn't their approved teaching time, but Theo kind of preferred it that way.

His second week, Theo had the bright idea to use his lessons on manipulating his emotions and magical focus into escaping his room at night. He succeeded in making it to the ground floor entrance...

...only to be returned within a blink of an eye to his room, and a stack of new lessons and homework piled next to him as punishment. Centuries of unruly students had tested this school and made it near impossible to escape. Even Remy would probably have a difficult time sneaking out of here and she boasted about being able to sneak out of anywhere.

Buts thoughts of Remy inevitably led to thoughts about her brother, spiraling into a depression every time. Did Adam think of him often? Was he okay? Had the coven explained to him why Theo wasn't in school? Did he hate that decision as much as Theo did? Did he even want to see Theo again after what happened?

It didn't seem like his questions would ever be answered. If he closed his eyes and tried to control his senses like he was learning to, Theo could maybe still sense Adam's place in the universe. Their weak connection was a guide, pointing him in the right direction to find the reassuring warmth of Adam's spirit. It wasn't strong enough to communicate with him, but feeling what he hoped was Adam's presence gave Theo hope.

With no phone, computer or television, there wasn't much to do aside from read or finish homework for entertainment. An easel had been left in the room and Leofric would often encourage Theo to try it. Painting was a form of self expression and could display his complex inner world for others to understand him better. It could be a relaxing outlet or just a way to pass the time between classes. Abe had once tried to teach Theo how to sketch, but neither of them really had the time to dedicate to it. Saturnia loved to draw with her siblings at the craft table, if Theo got home before she was a teen, maybe he could share his new hobby with his sister.

At the rate he was going though, Saturnia might be the one showing him how to paint.

#arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #leofric fromm #alys hooper

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luverofralts · 15 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Theodosius, thank you for joining us. My name is Alys, and I will be part of your welcoming team for your entrance to Shadowvale Academy. Do you have any questions for me?"

Theo glowered at the woman, who continued to smile politely back at him.

"Can I talk to my boyfriend now? Why are we still in stupid Arkhelios? I want to go back to Pleasantview."

Alys' serene expression never wavered. She gestured to her right and another adult appeared beside her. Unlike this Alys, he didn't look like a demon, though maybe Theo was being presumptive. It's not like he looked like a demon most of the time either.

"My name is Leofric," the man said, smiling a little too enthusiastically. "I'm going to be your therapeutic guidance counselor. If you ever need to talk about your thoughts or feelings, I'm at your service. You can talk to me about anything, and it will stay between us. It's going to be a difficult transition, and sometimes demons can be a little too, uh, expressive when their emotions bottle up. Part of taking control over your abilities means taking control over your emotions too. I'll help you work through your emotional stumbling blocks, so that you can graduate into a responsible, mature hybrid in complete control of himself."

"No, I'm fine," Theo insisted angrily. "I'm going back to Pleasantview."

The teen snapped his fingers to summon a demonic portal, but none appeared. He tried again and again, but with no result.

"We've been entrusted with your true name, child," Alys stated coldly. "You'll find that many of your abilities may be out of your reach until you learn to master them. Coming with us isn't a choice. I'm afraid Pleasantview will have to wait."

"No! It's not fair! I need to talk to Adam! I'm not going!"

Overwhelmed with fear, anger, and despair, Theo found himself bursting into tears. He tried to stop the tears in order to look intimidating, but he couldn't. All he could feel within him was a cyclone of those emotions, blurring out every rational thought.

"Change can be difficult, I know," Leofric said soothingly, putting a reassuring arm around the teen. "What you're feeling is natural, especially now that you've realized that your normal means of escape are no longer possible. This is all part of the process; it's only natural. Why don't we continue this conversation inside so that it can remain private?"

"Where are we?" Theo asked through his tears. "I don't even know this part of Arkhelios."

"Because your parents and elected leader are sheltering you," Alys replied. The tone in her voice dashed Theo's hopes of escaping. Hopefully the rest of his so-called team were nicer than she was. Somehow, he didn't think he'd be that lucky.

"This is the former residence of the Chun family and the current residence of the Chun Undead. It is a part of your journey and where we must begin."

"I don't remember this place," Theo insisted, staring at the walls, hoping something would spark in his mind and trigger a reason why he was being forced to be here. "Those are my parents on the wall, but I've never been here before."

"This is the area where President Bellamy houses the undead," Leofric explained. It's part of a small zoned area for Arkhelios' undead residents to embrace their second chance at life."

"This is the zombie containment area?" Theo gasped. "No one's been here but the president herself! How did you get access here? Aunt Lucy and Grandma petition the government every five years to keep this place sealed. No one is allowed here."

"I think you will find that there are very few places where we don't have access," Alys replied. "We had need of it and it was made available to us. For our purposes, we were also granted the help of the undead. Your president has been very helpful. "

Theo frowned. These weren't the same same kind of teachers the Pleasantview Academy had, and they were well known for their long reach within the country. Wherever he was going, it looked like he would miss the freedom of Pleasantview. Whoever these people were, they were impossibly powerful, both politically and magically.

"Theo! Theo Dorhack."

"Grandpa? Is that you?" Theo stared at the zombie that was creeping toward him. He certainly looked like Theo's father, and was a zombie, so logically that would make this man his Grandpa Ian.

Theo didn't really know what to expect of his grandfather. From his grandmother's rants, Ian had been a worthless, cheating bum who squandered their money with his whore mistress. There may be some truth to that description, but when Theo thought about how she usually spoke about him, he decided to give his grandfather some grace. Nearly everyone was actually better than how his grandmother described them.

"Hey, Grandpa," Theo greeted nervously. "How have you been? It's been awhile, huh?"

Theo vaguely recalled his father mentioning that Theo had met his grandfather when he was younger, but Theo had no memory of it. The zombie seemed to understand what Theo was saying, even if he couldn't respond in complete sentences.

"Sit down, Theodosius," Alys commanded, gesturing to the couch beside her.

Ian seemed to respond to the command, gently pushing his grandson towards the requested seat. Theo grudgingly gave into the command, seeing that he was outnumbered and nearly powerless.

"Now, before we can continue with your admittance, we need to measure the limits of your potential," Alys said. Theo perked up at the thought that he could stall the process, but abandoned all hope when Alys locked her eyes intensely with his. "This is in no way optional. If you refuse to participate willingly, we have your true name already. You will be made to complete the exams."

Theo tried not to show fear, but this woman was a professional. Even when she was merely watching him, flashes of terror flooded Theo, warning him against defying her.

"O-okay," Theo gulped. "What do I need to do?"

"We were hoping to chart your natural state to establish an estimate of your abilities," Leofric answered. "Your file indicates that you displayed a large amount of power in this location as an infant. There is a stain of demonic magic in this house that we were hoping to attribute to you, but from seeing you interact with the space, it looks like it belongs to another demon. Perhaps Dorhack, as this was once his domain. It will be added to our measurements, but we need to dig deeper. You will accompany us at dawn to the secondary location. Until that time, you are permitted to sleep. I'd suggest that you take this opportunity. Testing may be...tiring and the chance to sleep may not come again any time soon."

Theo stretched out on the couch he was sitting on, watching his team members watch him coldly. Falling asleep wouldn't be so bad, especially if it meant escaping this nightmare for a few hours. In his dreams, he could return to Pleasantview like he wanted. In his dreams, he could hold Adam again.

As soon as the sun rose, Theo was rudely awakened when a freezing cup of water was emptied on his head. Alys tried to remain impartial, but Theo swore that there was a devious sparkle in her eye when he woke up sputtering.

"We're leaving. Now."

With sleep still in his eyes, Theo walked through the portal Alys had opened for him. On the other side, he stood in front of a weathered, small house, surrounded by water. Theo recognized the area from his childhood.

"This is still Arkhelios," he stated. "Is this the school? This is down the street from where my dad used to live."

This was much closer to the water than where Roman used to live, but Theo could still see the lights of Arkhelios in the distance. He didn't fully remember the near bunker they had lived in before taking over the Bellamy estate, but he did remember how quiet it was. Very few people came to the island next to Arkhelios due it's size and lack of amenities.

"This, Theo, is where you were born. Your entrance into the world was here, so it stands to reason that this is the best place to connect with the root of your magic. We have your true name and the location and time of your birth. All we need now is to see how your body reacts to our conditions."

"Conditions?" Theo repeated, but Alys was already climbing the stairs that led to the house.

"Stand in the magic circle and reach out your hands," the demon commanded. Leofric lingered near her, writing something in a notebook.

Theo did as he was told and immediately felt a rush of energy. His outstretched arm began to waver with the intensity of it all.

Alys nodded her approval and looked over at Leofric.

"Okay, test one, attempt one. And...go."

She snapped her fingers and immediately, all the rush of energy Theo felt exploded, colliding into him at breakneck speed. Energy flooded his mind, and he could feel the weight of the horns on his head, indicating that he'd shifted into his dark form.

"This feels funny," Theo stated, noticing the energy forming around his hands. He felt the top of his head worriedly. "There's still the extra horns from before. Plus the wings. They're sort of a new thing. Maybe they're part of what's wrong with me?"

"Unlikely." With a snap of her fingers, Theo immediately shifted out of his dark form, hitting the ground as his regular self. The change happened before his body could even register the movement.

"Well, that's what happened the other day with Adam," Theo said, hopeful that the experiment had concluded for the day and that he could go home. "So, since you've got the data, I should probably-"

"Test one, attempt two," Alys replied, snapping her fingers again. Theo swore she looked excited at the opportunity to inflict pain and discomfort on him.

The rush of energy came faster this time, still nearly knocking Theo to his feet. The transformation felt nearly instantaneous. Theo could feel the power coursing through his veins, energy exploding from his fingers. Every second, he felt as though he was about to burst from the amount of energy coursing through him. This was how he felt with Adam. The wild, unyielding power that threatened to destroy him had taken over his body within seconds.

"Now hold that position," Alys commanded. "We're getting a good reading. Okay, now try to summon energy to your hand, just what you did with Apprentice Darktide."

Theo obeyed the order, despite the amount of pain that he felt while doing so. Energy crackled in the air around him. His eyes felt like they were burning in their sockets. The room faded away from his vision, leaving him with nothing but endless darkness. Theo was sinking into darkness as an unnatural light shone within him, destroying his ability to concentrate on what was happening to him. He was going to explode from the magical pressure building inside of him. There was only darkness and pain and fear and....

Theo's mind snapped back to attention the instant it collided with something impossible to ignore. A tiny light in the darkness called to him, offering him shelter from the chaos of his thoughts.

The more Theo reached for the light, the more familiar it became. He could feel an unmistakable warmth unfurl around him, easing the fury of the energy forcing the shift into a dark form.

Adam, I finally found you.

There could be no mistaking the change in the air. Even Ian could sense that something had changed, despite not having the capacity to voice it in words. Theo didn't appear to be struggling nearly as much as he had before.

It was impossible for Theo to fight the urge to stay in his dark form, but he was making an incredible effort resisting it. He was no longer breathing heavily and was able to maneuver his hands together to expel whatever he could of the power burning within him.

"Fascinating," Alys exclaimed, putting away her notes in order to fully observe what she was seeing. "Finally, a reading that makes sense. Leofric, when we get back to the school, please send our gracious sovereign a message. The situation is as she thought it might be. The boy is stable here where he entered the world, while using a secondary source's power."

"That's wonderful," Leofric replied. "He can follow a fairly standardized course of study then. I'll have most of his entrance package ready within an hour of our arrival." He paused for a moment, running different scenarios through his mind. "And the secondary source? Do we need to contact them?"

Alys shook her head, still marveling at the teen in front of her. With every passing second, the boy seemed more calm, more in control of himself. Provided the right elements, this little hybrid was more than capable of growing into the threat the Sovereign envisioned. Once he learned to control his abilities, who knew what he could do, especially when paired with this secondary source?

"Only the Sovereign and Master Maricourt need to be informed," she decided. "They are our employers. The magic that they have said this boy can produce...well, the Ocean never gifts such power to a single person. You remember the stories. How odd to finally see such a thing in person."

Leofric nodded, still unsure of what his opinion on the matter would be.

"I'd be more inclined to believe the boy is the result of blood and contracted magic," he suggested. "This Dorhack and his daughter making contracts with powerful families and performing illegal magic would also explain the boy's abilities."

"No, this has the stink of a deity all over it. Impossible life magic, pairing the boy off to be grounded by another? You're far too young to know this, but our controversial life deity came into being due to circumstances much like this. Maybe this all started with Dorhack, but even he couldn't pull this off."

"I disagree. Blood magic amplified by a broken curse can easily explain this," Leofric replied. "I suppose we'll see when he gets settled in and starts training which one of us is right."

Alys snapped her fingers again, releasing Theo and sending him crashing to the floor, his dark form immediately vanished.

"It's a bet. Take Mr. Bellamy through the portal and get him settled. I'll be along shortly."

She gestured towards a wall, opening a portal that would lead Leofric and his young charge to the school.

"I have a feeling that this will be one of our more memorable students."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #alys hooper #leofric fromm #ian chun #tabitha durant

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luverofralts · 17 days

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luverofralts · 19 days

Note

Anonymous OC question of the day!

If you could make a character real, which of your OCs would be:

your bestie

your spouse/partner

your secret lover!

your friendly rival

your enemy!

BONUS: do this for other people’s OCs too!

Pass the game along (anonymously or not)

🤔 That's hard to pick.

Bestie: Lukas because they have the universe at their fingers and a strong need for fun.

Spouse: Probably Adrian. He has money, and is a lot of fun if someone is around to make sure he's not making some horrible decision. A beach front property is nice too.

Secret lover: Maura because she's able to turn her brain off before she catches feelings from a secret affair, and with her marriage not so great, she'd be open to an affair. That or younger Malika 😂

Friendly rival: probably Despina. She's eager to learn new things and has the talent to do so. She'd probably help her competitor understand where they went wrong...after she wins of course.

Enemy: Wanda, I think? She's got schemes and magic, but she's stretched too thin and she's not as competent as she thinks she is. So she'd start a fight that I could probably win because she just assumed that she was better than me.

@nappe-plays-the-sims

#arkhelios #ask games

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luverofralts · 21 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

The Bellamy household was tense. The atmosphere hadn't been this dark and dire since Roman's affair with Ulyssa. Two days had passed since the incident at Theo's school, and a decision had been made by the Pleasantview coven regarding Theo's academic future. Evren was scheduled to arrive with the verdict any second now and the Bellamys were trying not to panic. Too was taking this opportunity to destroy their kitchen cupboards, and no one had the mental ability to stop her. Evren was going to be there any minute, what did it matter what the cat did?

There had been no contact from Adam since the accident and Theo was inconsolable, thinking that his boyfriend was ending things with him by simply ghosting him. All of Theo's texts were unable to be delivered. One minute, he'd been intertwined with Adam and the next, Adam was just...gone.

Evren had dutifully brought up this silence at one of the many coven meetings he attended, and was able to confirm that Edana had taken her son's phone from him and disconnected the number. This at least gave Theo some hope that maybe Adam wasn't breaking up with him. His mother didn't want them to speak to each other, so she'd taken away that connection to protect her son. Theo had tried some small magical spells used to communicate between magic users, but those also failed. Edana had the benefit of years of experience in a coven that liked to play dirty when it came to magic. Despite his raw power, Theo couldn't compete with a witch that experienced.

"Evren's here!" Saturnia announced.

The moment she spoke, everyone over the age of fourteen hurried in the kitchen to hear Evren's news. This meeting was for adults only. Adult decisions had to be made, and Theo was too fragile to hear the discussion for himself. He hadn't left his room for the past two days anyway. Whenever someone checked up on him, he was either crying into his pillow or writing woefully in his journal.

"What was the coven's decision?" Roman asked breathlessly, pulling up a chair beside Adrian and Abe. "Are they expelling him? Do we get to keep him here?"

It was the option Roman liked best. Everything would be okay if he could just hold onto Theo and hug him until all this madness went away. He was Theo's father, and it was his duty to protect him, not some snobby school.

"No, they don't feel that he belongs in Arkhelios," Evren said gently. "He swore an oath to be an apprentice of the coven and they plan to hold him to that. Like we discussed earlier, that option was extremely unlikely."

"Doesn't belong in Arkhelios?" Roman erupted, slamming a fist on the table. "He's my son! You're telling me that I'm going broke to pay for some witches to kidnap my son from me? Abe? Tell him that we're keeping our son!"

"He's beyond our help, Ro," Abe replied quietly, putting a reassuring hand over his husband's clenched fist. "We talked about this. He's growing up and we can't teach him what he needs to know. I hate this just as much as you do, but it's not just him that's in danger. He's hurting other people now too."

"I'm a hybrid!" Roman growled. "I'll teach him. We'll learn together. It's my mother's fault that he's like this, so I have to be the one to fix it. I can fix this."

"Roman, I appreciate your openness to trying new ways to train Theo, but you can't just homeschool your son in the magic he needs to survive. No offense, but your own abilities probably couldn't get past the second chapter of his textbook. For all my experience, I don't have the skills to teach him either."

"What did the coven decide then?" Adrian asked. "Is he allowed to stay at the academy? If he is, is Edana going to be a problem? Is he being reassigned a different room away from Adam?"

"He's not going to attend classes at the academy for the rest of the semester," Evren announced. "Theo will be reassigned to a sister school for the duration of the academic year, possibly for longer depending on his progress."

"What?!"

All three of Theo's parents recoiled at the verdict, utterly baffled by the choice.

"I'm not paying to send him somewhere else! What 'sister school'? Where is it? They can't do this!"

"This is discrimination against demons! If Edana thinks that she can get away with this, I'll sue!"

"I'm calling Lucy. She'll fight this. They can't go against the Sovereign!"

"The Sovereign already agreed to the change," Evren informed them, watching their faces fall with the news. "She was at the final two meetings and she consented to the change of schools. She suggested the replacement school herself."

"Abe, do you remember giving custody of our son to the Sovereign?" Roman asked sarcastically. "She can't just send him wherever she feels like. We have custody of him. He's our child. Why is the Sovereign under the understanding that she can make decisions about our son without our knowledge?"

"I'm sure Lucy had some input," Abe said, his voice wavering slightly as he spoke. "Lucy would never let anyone hurt Theo, she's his godmother. If her wife is making decisions, I'm sure Lucy had a say."

"Where is this school? What's the campus like? When are visiting hours? Can we schedule a tour? Does the tuition change?" Adrian asked, typing notes on his phone. "Do they have a website or brochure?"

"I don't know anything about it," Evren admitted. "I've never heard of it myself or even that the academy had a sister school. I don't know everything about this universe, but even some of the other witches looked confused. There are no tours, no pamphlets, no visitations. Theo will be assigned a support team who will help him adjust to the change and provide you with notes on his progress."

"So they are charging him with something!" Roman accused. "They're jailing him for crimes he didn't commit! He's innocent! It was an accident!"

"I'm calling Lucy. This is outrageous. She'll know how to fight this."

"My love, maybe we could talk about this in private? I might be able to ask Maura for a favour."

"This isn't jail, it's a highly praised school that will help Theo learn to control his abilities. He'll recieve one on one instruction from older demons who have practical experience with blood magic. It's not so much a magic school that teaches demons, but a demon school that teaches magic. Theo will be taught by staff who know what puberty is like for demons and can help him manage the changes to his body and abilities."

"That sounds an awful lot like the military school my parents sent me to," Adrian said quietly. "I promised myself that I would never send one of my own children to a school like that, no matter what. Theo's not going. I'll pull my portion of his tuition if I need to. I'm not paying to cause suffering to a child."

Evren sighed, staring at the determined faces of Theo's other parents. All of them looked like they were about to grab a torch and go burn the Pleasantview Academy to the ground.

"I really don't think that you're describing this accurately. They seem to think that they have a choice in this matter."

Without warning, a woman descended from a shower of sparkles right in the middle of the Bellamy kitchen. While Abe and Adrian looked baffled, Roman stared at the woman, unable to place where he knew her from.

"Adriel, you're not going to help matters," Evren groaned, rubbing his temples to ward off the migraine he could feel developing.

"Adriel! You went to school with me!" Roman exclaimed. "That's where I know you from. Your mother sent you to try to force us into accepting this?"

Abe stared, vaguely remembering this woman from when she was a teen and helped them fight off Dorhack. He hadn't really gotten to know her well, but then again, it wasn't like she was trying to get to know him either. She had stuck close to her mother, the Sovereign, and had said very little to anyone else.

"Are you here to collect Theo?" Evren demanded. "I was assured that he would have several days to recover before he left."

"Are you kidding? Babysitting teenagers is nowhere near my rank. Mother sent me to reassure the parents and nothing else."

"Evren, we're not going to be intimidated into sending Theo away. Tell the coven that we're not complying, no matter who they send to steal my son."

"Are you done?" Adriel demanded. "I should have known that the kid causing so much trouble was yours, Roman. It looks like your mother's trashiness is genetic after all."

For the first time in years, Roman felt the ghost of his younger self awaken within him at the reminder of his own boarding school experience. All the games, all of the politics and mind games came rushing back to him at once. He'd been afraid of Adriel once, long before he realized that he had power too.

"All of that rank and you're still your mother's messenger, doing all the unimportant work that she finds too boring to do herself? It must kill you to have to serve your mother's human wife."

While the rest of the adults braved themselves for a demonic fight, Adriel just laughed.

"Fair enough, Dorhack spawn," she teased. "Despite his relation to you, your son is admittedly very interesting. He would have to be exceptional to be sent where he's going and despite his parentage, he is."

"Where is this school?" Roman replied, his voice surprisingly casual now that he and Adriel had gotten verbal sparring out of the way. "I want to visit him and make sure that he's well cared for. If your own mother is any example of demonic care for children, then I don't trust anywhere she would send him."

Adriel made a sarcastic grunt in response to this.

"She would never have sent her own kids there," she complained. "We were never good enough. Instead, I had to go to the same school as you." Adriel gestured towards Roman dismissively. "I think she only went there herself for a semester when her mother got sick of having her around."

"So, Theo might just be there for a semester then?" Roman asked hopefully. "If it's so hard to get into?"

Adriel shrugged dispassionately.

"It could be longer, depending on his needs, but yes. The school also doesn't offer a summer curriculum and is highly motivated to return him to his regular school before the next school year. Something about taxes and student enrollment numbers."

"Well, that's not that bad, I guess," Adrian said cautiously. "If they really don't want to have a lot of students stay and if even the Sovereign's daughter wasn't allowed admittance...maybe this could be a good thing. Like private tutoring, right?"

"Somewhat," the demon answered, losing interest in this conversation quickly. "They won't release him until he can safely control his...episodes. How long that takes is up to the child."

Silence fell over the room as each adult tried to rationalize this decision. They were all still against sending Theo away at all, but if the coven was going to enforce this ruling, there were some upsides at least.

"Let's talk in my office, Adriel," Roman said, standing up from the table dramatically. "I want to talk to you, demon to demon."

Adriel tried to repress the shudder she felt at the idea that she and Roman were anything alike. How Theo had come from this family with his abilities, Adriel couldn't understand.

"Fine."

The first thing Adriel did when entering Roman's office was poke around the room, snooping as she did.

"Oh, look. Baby Roman," she laughed, staring at a photo of teenage Roman with his grandparents. "You were different then from what I remember. You used to be better than this."

"Uh, thanks?" Roman replied, crossing his arms defensively. "My life's kinda been turned upside down a few times now. All that trauma will change a person, especially a teenager. You...well, you're pretty much how I remember you actually."

"Look, live your sad life, I don't really care," the demon said. "This is the best thing for your son, according to people who actually know what they're talking about. Theo's hurting other kids because he can't control his abilities. If he keeps this up as he gets older, the consequences may become even harsher. Everyone feels sorry for a kid. An adult incapable of handling magic? Much less sympathy. That is if he can even survive his episodes to make it to adulthood. There were no demons around to save your son from himself. He was extremely lucky that there were quick thinking warlocks near him, otherwise you might not be getting your son back at all."

"I know. I really do know how bad it was. How bad it is. Adam is a good kid and he didn't deserve to get hurt by all of this. I don't want Theo to lose his boyfriend or friends because people are afraid of him. I'm just afraid to lose my son for months because a bunch of witches and warlocks said so. I won't abandon him when he needs me. Let me go study with him. I could use a refresher on demonic magic. My tutor in college said I wasn't a complete failure at it."

Adriel let out a loud, unrestrained laugh at Roman's idea that Roman knew was genuine. No one could fake a sarcastic, belittling laugh like that.

"What? I'm half-demon. Probably anyway, no one's really drawn up a family tree for me. Theo's only a quarter demon genetically. I could do the work."

"It's cute that you want to try demonic magic," Adriel conceded, a smirk still on her face. "It doesn't matter about genetics when it comes to demons or even witches really. It's all about potential and power and how certain genes are awoken in people. Sometimes demon genes are dormant in a family for generations. Sometimes demon genes get passed along the generations that grow in power with every generation. Your mother had power. Your son has power. You do not. There's no way you'd be accepted to even audit a class at this school. And besides, what do you think Theo's going to learn with his father hovering around him, trying to baby him while he tries to achieve control over powers you couldn't even understand?"

"Can we at least call him at night after class?" Roman begged, desperate for a compromise. "When he's done his work and we won't be bothering him? Or see him on a weekend? For an afternoon?"

"Look, I'll mention it to the coven and the contact for the school. I can't guarantee anything though. There were no public phones at our school and this place is ancient compared to that. They're very strict about parents too. I'll see what I can do, but Roman, you should see this as a gift and not a sentence. These people will make sure that Theo can fix his episodes himself. There won't be any more worrying about him hurting people or having qualified people around him to save him from himself. The Pleasantview Academy can teach him magic, but only our people can teach him to be an adult demon safely."

"Is there at least a book I can read about what he'll be studying? Or one about how to help adolescent demons as they grow up? I do have many other kids with the same genetics as Theo. Who's to say that one of my girls won't need help with this as well?"

"I'm not a library," Adriel replied, rolling her eyes. "Try one of those, though I really don't think you have to worry about the rest of your kids. Dorhack's lineage really isn't anything to care about, aside from being a Great Demon. Like I said, your family tree is trash. None of your other children really have a chance of turning out like Theo."

"Dad, the Devil's here!"

Fiolett's voice rang out across the house, alerting the family to their visitor. Abe immediately bolted from the table, eager to confront the Sovereign about making choices for his son. To his disappointment, it wasn't the Sovereign in his living room, but her wife.

"Fi honey, that's Aunt Lucy, not the devil," he corrected quickly. "And really, devil's not the proper word either."

"But that's what Daddy calls her," the child replied.

Abe could hear Evren scolding his partner from the living room, something Lucy probably enjoyed.

"You call her what in front of the children?!"

"It's good to see you," Abe said, hugging his sister. "It's been a wild couple of days. I assume you're here to guilt me into handing my son over to some place I'm not allowed to visit? It's a little unnecessary. I mean, the Sovereign already forced her daughter to come get us on board."

"Ah, my lovely stepdaughter," Lucy replied. "Yes, if I had my way, that bitch would be the one heading out of the country. I'm Theo's godmother, I should be the one here yelling at you, not her."

"Yelling at me for what? What side are you on?"

"The side of common sense," Lucy stated. "Abe, Theo's at the age where this sort of behavior isn't cute anymore. He's going to end up killing himself and taking his boyfriend with him next time."

"It's never been cute, what-"

"My wife and the coven can see what's happening here. You don't really travel in the same circles that I do, so you wouldn't know, but this needs to be stopped before Theo grows up. He's trying new magic and only getting stronger every day. If he has an overload of power as an adult, it may take three adult demons to ground him instead of one. How are you going to guarantee that he's always near someone who can help him? How are you going to guarantee that he doesn't hurt someone in the future like this? What if he's holding your grandchild when he goes off? This needs to be addressed now."

"I know, Luce. I do know, it's just hard. This is my baby and I'm supposed to entrust him to demons alone for at least several months?"

"I'll keep him safe, Abe. I promised you I would when he was born. This is for the best, no matter how hard it is now. He'll be welcome back at the academy whenever he's cleared to return, so at least he's not being expelled like his father."

"How is Adam?" Abe asked, ignoring his sister's quip about Roman. "Is he going to be okay? Evren said the last time he saw something like this, someone died. If Theo goes back to that school, is there going to be trouble? Should I keep encouraging Theo to try to get in touch with him or should we just leave the family alone and hope they don't try to get Theo expelled later?"

"He's had some...complications," Lucy answered slowly. "I'm legally not allowed to discuss them with you, but I can say that he's going to live. I'd give him some space personally, if only to avoid his mother. She argued for Theo's expulsion pretty heavily and it took Master Maricourt begging the king of Strangetown to make up some bullshit mission for her to get her to leave the school. From what I gather, she took Adam for a day, but returned him to the school with his father for now. If Theo can make use of this information somehow, great, but I wouldn't hold my breath for Edana to let him see Adam anywhere else."

"Lucy! I'm so glad you're here. Adriel and I were just catching up," Roman called out. Beside him, Adriel's mood instantly soured upon seeing Lucy.

"Hello, Mother," she sneered. "It seems like you're everywhere I go lately. Always sticking your human nose where it doesn't belong."

"Just making sure that you didn't fuck up the only thing your mother asked you to do lately," Lucy replied sweetly. "She can't count on you for much else."

"She'll get tired of you one day, just like her last wife or cheat on you like she did with my mother. I wouldn't count on growing old with her, hell, I don't even give you ten years."

Lucy gave Adriel a pitying look.

"Honey, no one gets tired of me, I get tired of them. Trust me, I'm going to be your stepmom for awhile."

"Maybe you should come say hi to Theo, and give him the news yourself," Abe suggested, physically steering his sister towards the stairs and away from an angry demon. "I'm sure you can explain it to him in a way he understands."

#arkhelios #roman bellamy #abe chun #lucy chun #arkhelios adventures #adriel diablo #sim: adrian siew #adrian siew #evren thorne #saturnia bellamy #fiolett thorne

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luverofralts · 23 days

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

"Adam! Theo!"

Evren watched in horror while his stepson writhed against the exorcism spell he'd cast. Instead of draining the demonic energy, the spell seemed to be doing the opposite. Theo had already been pulled into his dark form, making his magical capacity seem to double in seconds. Leathery wings burst from Theo's back, drawing attention away from the rows of horns that erupted from his head.

This was no normal dark form. This wasn't a presentation of any dark form that Evren had ever seen. The power before him was feral and unresponsive to the restrictions Master Maricourt and Evren were desperately trying to bind to it.

Evren was relieved that this had happened with strong adults who were prepared to deal with the situation and not in the middle of the dining hall after Theo and Adam made out at the table. That would have unleashed a power that may have ended a student's life. There could be no denying the power that Theo drew from his relationship. There could be no denying the power that Theo held on his own. There could be no denying that Theo's education wasn't effectively teaching him control. Something needed to permanently change in Theo's life in order to protect him and the people around him.

Adam had mercifully passed out from the pain and remained eerily still on the floor. He had no dark form that had ever presented itself, not that Theo's magic understood. Two smooth horns had impossibly erupted from Adam's skull. Magic scraped the depths of the boy's genes, pulling every strand of demon DNA that lay dormant in him closer to Theo.

Evren had only seen this happen once before in his long career and the young student in question had died in agony as magic twisted their dormant demon genes into acting as though they belonged to a full demon. The same horns had presented on the student, revealed at autopsy to be smoothed bones ripped into a parody of demonic horns. Evren could see where the skull bone had pierced the skin as it had elongated. He could never get that dead student completely out of his memory, even when Reogus tried to help him forget. Now, here he was, staring at the same gruesome sight, only his stepson was to blame for it. Theo had never intended for this to happen, but it had still happened. Theo had officially gone from being potentially dangerous to himself to actually dangerous to himself and others. Evren was lying to himself if he thought that things wouldn't change because of this.

"I-I can't," Theo panted, desperately straining to get control over himself. "I can't stop. I'm going to explode. Please. Please."

It broke Evren's heart to see his stepson in pain and frightened of his own body. History had proven that whenever an event like this was triggered in Theo, the hybrid nearly succumbed to the power raging through him until a third party intervened. Evren didn't have the capacity to channel demonic magic and he suspected that Ewan couldn't either. It wasn't a common skill for a warlock to learn. The exorcism spell was their only hope of safely releasing Theo's energy. The demonic sovereign would be too late if they summoned her to help. If she even chose to come at all.

"Demon begone!" Ewan commanded, rising in the air while raising his wand. Life energy still ravaged the air, but the cracks of Void seemed to be retreating.

"Demon begone!" Evren repeated with what he hoped was enough magical command. He could feel the familiar sensation of magic leave his body, carefully channeled through his wand.

Ewan stared in shock and horror at what he was seeing. His father struggled to save his half-brother from someone Ewan could hardly recognize as the cute demon boy he liked to tease. Theo was terrifying. Magic was terrifying. There was no way in hell that Ewan was about to change his mind on magic. It would take a miracle just to get him through the door of this place again.

"Theo's really fucked things up this time, huh?"

Remy nodded, watching her father try to channel demonic energy as best as he could. Devard tried to keep his tone casual, probably to try to impress her. Remy appreciated the effort. It gave her something to mimic. Theo having a magical meltdown wasn't something new, but this time seemed different. He was stronger now and Adam was incapacitated in a way he'd never been before.

"Yeah, Mom's going to lose her shit about this," she groaned. "You might want to see about staying with your parents for the next few days. This place is going to be a battlefield when Mom gets home. If Theo doesn't die here, she'll make sure he does soon."

"Your dad's got it covered. See? The wings went away. I'm sure your brother will wake up completely fine. Until the next time Theo meltdowns."

"I'm not so sure there's going to be a next time," Remy said quietly.

"Adam. Adam, please wake up. Adam, please!"

Theo could still feel the energy building within him, despite Ewan and Evren's attempts to drain it from him. It was more manageable now, at least. He could still feel it pounding in his brain, calling to him, but this had happened enough times that Theo had a defense against it. The Sovereign and his teachers had shown him how to release the energy safely when some of the energy had ebbed. With Ewan and Evren's spell, Theo could feel the difference. With Adam's help, he could do this. Adam always helped him. The only problem was that Adam wasn't conscious. He hadn't moved an inch since Theo had come halfway to his senses. His face was still contorted with pain, but Adam remained completely still. Horrifyingly still.

"Adam, move. Please move? You can't be hurt, I'm sorry, I never meant-"

With the energy that engulfed him, Theo tried to pour as much of it as he could into Adam. During Theo's last meltdown, Adam had been able to channel some of that overwhelming energy back into Theo to manipulate their bond. He'd pulled Theo from the brink of madness and danger, so it only made sense that Theo could do the same.

Theo felt the magic pool in his palm, and when he felt that he could aim with any accuracy, he sent it across the room to Adam. He watched as the magic pressed against the skin of Adam's hand, entering the young warlock slowly and carefully. The magical energy would surely help heal Adam like it had once helped Theo. It had to. Even if all it did was jolt Adam awake, Theo would celebrate. Watching Adam's body lie deathly still on the floor was unbearable.

Channeling his remaining energy into Adam while the adults quickly worked to help him was tiring. Theo could feel magic ebb away from him through both efforts. After a few moments, Theo's outstretched hand was beginning to feel heavy to hold in the air. His eyelids struggled to stay open despite his rising panic. Mere moments later, the teen collapsed to the floor, drained of enough energy to be considered safe.

"Adam!"

"Theo!"

Both warlocks ran to their children the instant they felt it was safe to stop the exorcism spell. The boys were initially unresponsive, nearly blinding their parents with grief and worry. To Evren's relief, Theo made a small groaning noise when he pulled the teen into his arms. Groaning meant that he was alive and Evren had never been so relieved to hear something before in his life.

"Adam! Adam, can you hear me? Adam, please, just squeeze my hand if you can. Give me some kind of sign you can hear me."

Ewan struggled to control his breathing. He had a room full of teens watching his every move, including Adam's twin sister. He was a master of magic, able to command storms and elements and anything else that stood in his way. He could save his son. Believing that he could change this was the only way he could keep his composure. Breaking down wasn't going to solve anything. Only calm composure would help his son. He had to remain calm. He had to.

"Theo?"

Adam's eyes fluttered open for a brief moment, flooding his father with relief.

"No, Adam, it's Dad," Ewan said softly. "How are you? Are you in pain? I'm going to get you help, just keep talking to me."

"I'm tired," Adam replied, his voice barely above a whisper. "My head really hurts. Theo...he...it hurts."

Ewan held his son tightly in his arms, unable to let him go. He signaled to his dazed daughter to go get medical help and Remy took off to complete the mission, glad to have permission to leave the disturbing scene.

"Theo? Can you hear me?"

Evren tried to assess his stepson's condition, but it was difficult. After being drained of energy, Theo was sluggish and nearly unresponsive, but from what he could tell, the hybrid seemed to be unhurt.

"Theo, it's over. You're going to be fine, I promise. A little rest and you'll be as good as new. I'm really proud of you. You regained control of yourself with just a little help. You've come a really long way in your studies and I know this is hard for you."

Theo didn't have the energy to respond. Just keeping his eyes open seemed impossible. He desperately wanted to rush to Adam's side and confirm that he was okay, but the more Theo struggled against the urge to sleep, the stronger it became.

He managed to murmur something unintelligible and finally succumbed to unconsciousness in Evren's arms.

After the medics had arrived and taken the boys for treatment, Evren made the difficult call to the Bellamys. He didn't envy Ewan having to call his ex-wife and reveal that their son had been injured. Evren could hear Edana shouting through the phone from down the hallway. He called Abe's cell phone first, reasoning that Abe would probably have the more stable reaction to the news.

After Abe sat Roman down and prepared him for bad news, Evren told them about what had happened. One of them would have to come to the school and pick up Theo, as Evren wasn't his legal guardian. He strongly recommended that Abe be the one to come, and Abe couldn't agree more. Roman could stay with the kids and try to compose himself before Theo returned. The last thing Theo needed to see was his father breaking down or having a panic attack and feeling even more angry with himself for causing it.

When Abe stepped out of the portal his husband had opened for him, the first thing he saw was his son. Theo was sitting with his arms wrapped around himself, rocking slightly. Abe's heart broke for his son. Theo was just a kid trying to survive his teen years and no matter how hard he tried, every time Theo felt in control of himself, another incident like this would shatter his self esteem.

Evren left Abe alone in the room with his son. His presence wasn't needed there and would only be intrusive. He decided to make himself useful by checking in with the Maricourts.

"Dad, I...."

Theo could barely look his father in the eye, knowing how angry he must be. How terrified of the scary demon in front of him he must feel. It had to have been like looking at Kamalani and feeling again all the pain she had caused him. Theo was her grandson and he was as broken and dangerous as she was.

"Theo, it's alright," Abe said softly, kneeling down to face his son directly. "Things are a little complicated right now, but it's okay. We'll get through this. Your safety and happiness are all that matter to me. And you're nothing like your grandmother. Not even close. You have a gift that she was incredibly jealous of, you just need to learn to control it. All sorts of things are changing in your body now. You're growing up. Sometimes when we grow, there are growing pains."

"Growing pains?" Theo repeated quietly. "I almost killed Adam, Dad. I'm a monster."

"Theodosius, you're not a monster," Abe assured his son, squeezing his hands tightly. "You didn't kill Adam. You weren't even meaning to hurt him. It was just an accident. Accidents can be messy, but they don't make us bad people if they were beyond our control. You've come so far with your magic and your father and I are extremely proud of you."

"Yeah right," Theo scoffed, averting his eyes. They were still stained by magic and would likely remain an unnatural gold hue over night. The last thing he needed was for his father to see him like this. He'd only be horrified by what his son truly was.

Abe just squeezed his son's hands tighter.

"Theo, the moment I held you for the first time, I swore that I would do anything and everything in my power to love and support you. To protect you. I know I haven't always been the best at handling your gifts, but there is nothing in this world that could change my feelings for you. Your father and I will always be here for you to rely on and come to for help. We love you more than anything in this world, and nothing can change that. Ever."

"I'm so sorry, Dad," Theo sobbed. "I just keep hurting people. Adam's going to break up with me and his mom will get me kicked out of school and...and...."

"We'll get through this together," Abe promised, pulling his son into his arms and hugging him fiercely. "Your dad and I will always love and protect you. If Adam can't see you for the kind, compassionate person you are, then he's an idiot and you could do better."

Abe held his son until Theo's tears dried. After what felt like an eternity, Theo was finally composed enough to teleport home, where Roman was waiting to comfort him as well.

Evren paced nervously in the hall, waiting for Abe to emerge. He knew how Roman would react had he been allowed to come to the school, which was why he had requested Abe. Roman was probably at home rocking back and forth in his bedroom, sobbing. Adrian had promised to keep Roman from burning the school down to get to his son, but Roman was still a somewhat powerful hybrid himself. Adrian didn't stand a chance if Roman used his abilities to rush past him.

The door opened, and Evren prepared for the worst. He couldn't be sure how rational Abe could be after seeing how inconsolable and afraid his son was.

"How is he?"

"Tired and scared," Abe sighed. "He's blaming himself for all of this and thinks that anyone close to him will abandon him because of his powers."

"Understandable. Some people just can't stand demons or understand their different needs."

"Speaking of, what do the Maricourts say about all this?" Abe asked, in a hushed tone. "Are they planning another intervention or are they planning on pressing charges?"

"Charges?" Evren repeated. "For what? It was an accident amplified by their own indecision about how to treat the connection between the two boys. A young demon accidentally losing control of his powers is a common thing in children Theo's age. Especially since Theo was admitted to the school in order to help control his powers. This isn't an anomaly or something malicious. This is fairly common for Theo. No one on the council would dare press charges in this case."

"Not even Edana?" Abe sighed. "How did she react to this? Should I call Lucy?"

"Edana...well, Ewan is dealing with her," Evren admitted. "Edana struggles with grieving the loss of her family and to hear that her only son, the one named after her dead brother, was gravely injured by a hybrid she already didn't trust...well, I wouldn't recommend trying to talk with her until this all blows over."

"That's what I thought," Abe said with another deep sigh. "And Adam? How's he doing? How does he feel about my son?"

"He's recovering. The damage looked worse than it was in most areas. We were able to dissolve the horns and block the signal triggering a dark form he didn't have. Once Theo was separated from him, most of the triggers stopped and were easily taken care of by the school medic."

"And how is he feeling about Theo?" Abe pressed. "It would help ease the guilt if Theo knew Adam wasn't angry with him. He's tearing himself apart, worrying about how Adam feels about him."

"That I don't know." Evren lowered his eyes, unwilling to let Abe see the worry in them. "Since Edana arrived, no one has been allowed to see him. When we first pulled those two apart, Adam seemed to be trying to reassure Theo, but he was in a lot of pain. Things may have changed since then, especially now that Edana's with him. I'll try my best to see how he's feeling when things have cooled down a little."

"Thanks, Evren. You've been a godsend," Abe said, crushing the warlock with a thankful embrace. "I really don't know what we'd do without you. Your instincts that this was something that might happen may have saved us from an even grimmer scenario."

"Yeah," Evren replied guiltily. "My instincts were what made me investigate." He paused for a long moment, trying to decide what the right action was in this situation. Abe wasn't as fragile as his husband and might respond to the real reason Evren knew about Theo with reason. On the other hand, he might become furious and lash out even more, while also telling Roman and launching them all into a nightmare with the Maricourts. Would he want to know if Fiolett and the boys had placed themselves in danger with magic? He absolutely would, and besides, Abe was a reasonable man...right?

"Abe, there's something else," Evren began. "It wasn't just my intuition that warned me about Theo, he triggered a ward I'd placed on his dayplanner. He performed a spell I had left in case of an emergency."

Abe frowned, but nodded to show that he was following Evren's point.

"We've left a couple of spells for him to access," Abe replied. "Which was it? The 'find my keys' spell? "'Summon a sandwich?'"

Evren shook his head slowly, hoping that Abe would catch on before he had to say the words outloud. Abe saw his weary expression and his heart sank.

"Oh. Oh." He paused, suddenly unsure of what to think or feel. "When? Today? Were they together when you found them? This is what caused the problem today?"

Evren shook his head slowly.

"Not entirely. It was earlier this week that I was notified. It didn't directly cause this, Theo's inability to control himself and navigate his place in the magical world was the cause. You know we've told him a million times to be careful with his magic and stay away from casting blood magic with Adam. Well, this has kind of tipped that balance. Sex connects us to our partners, and opens up channels of magic both dark and light. Theo doesn't understand this. I don't know how to reach him Abe, he doesn't listen to a thing I say. Then situations like this happen, and I don't know how to help him if he won't listen."

"Yeah, he's been like that since the day he was born," Abe sighed. "I don't know which side of the family he gets it from. The Bellamys are stubborn, but my mom and Lucy might actually be worse." He paused. "Thank you for telling me this information, I appreciate how hard it must be to navigate our parenting situation."

"That's an understatement. I hoped that you could deal with this information with maturity and understanding."

"Roman can never know about this," Abe warned. "You cannot tell him under any circumstances. There's just too much hurt and trauma wrapped up in his brain and it-"

"I know how Roman is, Abe. Why do you think I'm coming to you about this?"

"And Adam's parents know about this?"

"Ewan does. He's not sure if Edana knowing about the indirect cause of what happened today would be a good idea. She can be...well, rather like Roman. She's already going to be on the warpath. It might be damaging to the stability of the coven if she finds out that Theo and her son were intimate and that's what caused the the state her son is in."

"So I should tell Roman then?" Abe asked wearily. "He's going to have a complete breakdown if he finds out about the boys from Edana."

"I'll speak again with Ewan," Evren promised, looking equally as worried. "As much as I hate the idea of a coverup, I worry about Roman's stability. He's always been opposed to having Theo attend boarding school and being exposed to the lack of boundaries there. He only agreed to send him if his education was able to protect him from himself, and now...."

"And now Theo's having sex and nearly killing other students because of it," Abe sighed. "All the money we spend to keep Theo here doesn't seem to be helping."

"Well, it is helping. Once we drained some of the demonic energy from him, Theo was able to pull himself together on his own. He's getting closer to being able to stop his episodes completely by himself. His time here is helping, Abe."

"Yeah. Yeah, I know. He's getting better but....Roman's going to want his son back in Arkhelios after this. I want him back in Arkhelios. We're missing so many of his milestones and seeing him on weekends isn't enough. He's fourteen and having life endangering sex for god's sake. If he's at home, this won't happen again. He can see Adam on weekends while we supervise. If Adam even wants to see him now. Fuck! How did this all get so out of control?"

Evren rested a hand on Abe's back and sighed deeply.

"We can fix this," Evren promised. "I really don't think that sending him to Arkhelios will help the situation. Theo is growing up and getting stronger. The coven in Arkhelios is a joke and I'd hardly recommend Wanda as a trained magical professional. He needs supervision, yes, but I don't know if there's anything there in Arkhelios that could prevent something like this from happening again."

"He'd be much farther from his boyfriend. That's a start," Abe replied bitterly. "Him returning to that school means that I have to lie to Roman. To say that I can trust that our son is safe there. That our son is going to be protected from his worst impulses. Would you lie to Adrian if Fiolett or the boys were in this scenario?"

"Yes," Evren said without hesitation. "Theo isn't just your son, Abe. He's a walking time bomb with powers no one can explain. I saw the magic he was casting earlier myself. If I hadn't seen it first hand, I'd never believe it. He is doing impossible things and he's only getting stronger. The Demonic Sovereign is watching him as well as my old, incredibly powerful friend. He's connected to the Maricourt family and knows their true name. Abe, Theo is not just your son and keeping him locked in his room at home isn't going to stop the inevitable. If I had to lie to Adrian to keep our children safe because he couldn't handle the truth, then I would. A million times over. A warlock has to trust his heart above all else, even if he's given that same heart to someone else."

"What are you saying exactly?"

Evren inhaled deeply and thought of how to answer that question.

"I'm saying that Theo's not going back to Arkhelios, Abe," he said finally. "He's an apprentice to the Pleasantview coven now and he's dangerous. Don't look at me like that. Take Theo home for now and I'll try to find out the next step from here. I have enough sway with the coven to fight on Theo's behalf, even against Edana. Just prepare Roman for a struggle. I have a feeling that the path forward may be a difficult one."

#arkhelios adventures #tw: Magical violence #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #abe chun #theo bellamy #evren thorne #ewan g maricourt #ewan macleod #remy maricourt #adam darktide

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luverofralts · 24 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

"I'm so glad that you could meet with me today. I've been looking forward to getting to know you better."

Ewan G Maricourt calmly sat beside the son he had just recently been informed was his. Ewan MacLeod had reluctantly accepted a quick visit with his father, even though magic still made him uneasy. Magic appeared to be everything to his father, though, so a relationship with him likely meant a relationship with some degree of magic.

If a relationship was even what he wanted from his father. Most days, Ewan wasn't sure. His half-siblings looked happy enough with him in their lives, but they also were magic users. Ewan was decidedly not interested in magic, nor was he aware that he even had the potential to cast magic.

"You have plenty of potential if you did want to study here," Ewan Maricourt announced, like he'd been somehow reading his son's mind. "Your tuition could even be covered as my son. That is if your mother agrees. Have you had any discussions with her about our...connection? Truthfully, I don't remember much about her magical inclinations. Our relationship was brief."

Brief? The younger Ewan was surprised that his father could even remember his mother. From what she said, their "relationship" was nothing more than a few ill-advised hookups.

"I don't think she has any interest in magic. She always says that you can't trust a warlock. That his first allegiance is to himself and then his coven and then finally to those who love him. I don't think I can even do magic if she wanted me to."

"My own mothers were hard on me," Ewan Sr scoffed. "They pushed me to greatness because they knew that I had the potential. Both of my great-grandfathers were kings, and my- our lineage is filled with great warlocks and witches. We descend from the main Maricourt lineage. Not the 'preferred' lineage our queen comes from, but a powerful one nonetheless."

"So you're saying that I might be able to do magic like your kids because of my ancestors?"

"You are my kid," Ewan Sr corrected. "But yes, magical power is generally passed in the blood. It's what makes the study of blood magic dangerous. At the same time though, magic exists everywhere, in every person. If you can find a way to connect to magic on a personal level, anyone can perform it. Several students here come to us from non magical families. They can take what they've learned to those families and maybe help them find a connection of their own. We all have both life and death in us, we are all their subjects. Bloodlines do tend to foster greater magical strength, though; there is no denying that."

"Devard, I'm busy. Go hit on someone else, I have an exam to study for."

Remy pushed Devard Auvrey away from her, rejecting his advances. Devard respectfully backed off, but still voiced his objection.

"You said today you were free to hook up," he protested. "Emily's gone on a study assignment."

"Ew, are you still sleeping with her?" Remy scoffed. "She's boring. Plus, she's bad at magic. She's practically got my grade average, and I work very hard to score so low. Stupidity comes naturally to her."

"You sound jealous," Devard laughed, making Remy fume beside him. He had met Remy the first year of their studies, but she had only started giving him the time of day recently, presumably because she was trying to make her girlfriend jealous. He was the son of a famous actress and a descendant of the king of Crystal Cove, making him far better a catch than the daughter of a Strangetown cult reject and a man barely holding onto power. Remy never saw it like that, of course. In Remy's eyes, she was practically the equal of the queen of Pleasantview.

"I am not jealous of Emily," the witch fumed. "If I wasn't going to fail this exam, I would prove it to you. If I fail this exam, Dad might keep me back a year. Can you imagine the indignity of repeating a year while my siblings all make fun of me? Elowen would never let me live it down and Theo? He'd be insufferable."

"Maybe work less hard at keeping your grades low," Devard teased. "You're overachieving at being a failure."

"Yeah, yeah. I can't suddenly miraculously get better to pass just this exam without giving the game away. It's a balance of lies that sells it."

Evren stood at the door of the magical academy, trying to settle on an approach to take with his stepson. Parenting was a hard job, and parenting a young demon hybrid who was studying blood magic seemed to be nearly impossible. The problem with raising Theo with three non-magical parents was being the only parent who could understand his use of spells. There was one spell Theo had used recently that Evren didn't know how to react to.

For months now, Evren had been charming Theo's day planner and workbook with the basic spell for birth control. On top of that spell, he had placed a ward that would send him a signal when it had been cast. Well, the day had finally come and the ward had been triggered, warning him that his young stepson was sexually active.

Telling Theo's biological parents was out of the question. Roman might just die of fear and never leave his bed, while Abe might backslide in his parenting and scream at his son for making poor decisions.

Adrian usually sided with Roman, but was fiercely protective of Theo. If Evren knew his partner, Adrian would launch himself at the Darktides, using his own political power to undermine Edana's duke husband, while Edana presumably got Theo expelled from school. There wasn't a single scenario where Theo's parents reacted in a sane, rational or mature way.

Which meant that it was entirely up to Evren to be the mature, responsible parent. It also meant that Evren had to be the mature magic user where Theo's parents couldn't. He hadn't placed a ward on the spell for curiosity or to punish Theo. Theo would probably see it that way if he found out, but Evren had other motivations.

He told Theo every time they crossed paths at the school to be careful with his magic. The hybrid had already attached himself to a powerful family while also casting blood magic, unaware that that same attachment needed to be compensated for. Every teacher had been instructed by Evren to remind Theo of this fact, and to limit any blood magic homework that Theo would be tempted to finish with his boyfriend. As hard as Evren tried to show Theo where the acceptable limits for blood magic were, the more Theo seemed to ignore him. The boy was cocky and seemed to think he knew everything, just like any other teenager.

Blood magic was primal. It didn't limit itself to spells and wards. It was a consuming power that invaded the entirety of a warlock or demon's life. Ritual feasts, the act of killing or dying, and sex and childbirth all took a toll on the caster, feeding and growing their power without conscious thought. Evren was pretty sure Theo wasn't about to go on a murder spree or hold ritualized feasts, but sex was an entirely plausible thing to worry about and Evren knew better than to assume that Theo had taken this under consideration before jumping into bed with someone he was dangerously bonded to.

As soon as the ward had triggered, Evren had spent every moment he could get thinking about this problem and how to keep Theo safe without Roman either hospitalized or demanding Evren's head on a platter for keeping this fact to himself. His only help had been Adam's father, who had grasped the problem immediately and without causing a scene. Both men decided to test the connection between the two boys discreetly before moving forward. There was at least a chance that their sons were using magic responsibly and a test would prove it. Edana was also conveniently at a royal event in Twikkii Island with her husband, so if nothing happened, she would never know that a test had taken place. Ewan made sure that he would be close by in case something happened. His visit with his son had been strategically planned so he could keep a discreet eye on the demon hybrid.

"Evren! You're visiting today! Did you come with an assignment for me?"

Despina ran to Evren and engulfed him in a hug. Evren hugged her back, happy to see at least one teenager he didn't have to worry about.

"No assignments," Evren laughed. "Trust me, you'll get more than enough here without me adding more. It's great to see that you have a passion for magic; never lose that sense of wonderment and your homework will be the most interesting part of your life here."

"Can you point me in the direction of Theo?" he asked.

Despina pointed down the hall where the sound of Theo's laughter echoed off the walls. Evren sighed. Whatever he was doing, it certainly didn't sound like schoolwork. Maybe Evren didn't have to rush to assess the condition of Theo and Adam's connection if they were both goofing off instead of studying.

When Evren made it down the hall, he could see Adam hunched over a large crystal, furiously muttering commands that clearly weren't working. Theo had one hand holding his notebook, and the other watching something on his phone.

"Hi, Evren!"

Theo looked up from his "spellwork" to see his step-father watching him intently. In an instant, the phone vanished into Theo's pocket.

"Theo, Adam. How are you two?" Evren asked cautiously. He didn't want to interrupt them if they were in the middle of a spell. Considering that he was there to judge their bond in the first place, interrupting them might lead to an incident, and Evren very much wanted to avoid an incident if he could.

"Fine," Theo answered. "A bit cold, but I guess someone opened the main hall window or something. Why are you here? Is something happening?"

It was somewhat common to see Evren come and go at the school while he completed official coven business, but judging from the stern look on his face, he was here for another reason.

"I'm fine too," Adam added, jumping in before Evren could speak. "We were assigned this crystal as a class project, not that Theo's been much help. I've gotten it to glow, but it's supposed to release a special kind if energy under the right circumstance."

"Of course I've been helping," Theo snapped irritably. "It's just a dumb rock. It's never going to do anything other than glow."

Evren froze, looking at the large crystal that Adam was working with. The boy had an affinity for crystals and could likely extract the correct energy in an hour or two given the chance. He was truly talented.

But that was what was dangerous. Whoever had assigned Theo and Adam this project was either not paying attention or was purposely trying to trigger something dangerous. Once Adam extracted the energy from the stone, Theo's natural pull towards that energy could land them in serious trouble. It was a good thing that Evren had arrived when he did. It looked like the faculty at this school listened to Evren's warnings in the exact same way that Theo did.

"Hmm, what about a new approach?" Evren suggested, trying to suppress his worry, but seeing an opportunity. "Theo, why don't you summon some small amount of energy and then get Adam to amplify it with his own. Sometimes, adding existing energy to crystals can awaken the energy inside."

And it will be the perfect test to see how the two of you function together within the bond you share.

Nothing about this test was dangerous. It was a simple task that even child witches could perform. Master Ewan had given his consent for this test along with several others and would be able to back up Evren should anything go wrong.

"Alright, that makes sense."

Theo extended his arm, calling a small ball of energy into existence. Beside him, Adam left the crystal and cupped Theo's hand with his own.

Within seconds, the ball had doubled in size and intensity. Evren felt his body relax despite his worries. The two of them were perfectly balanced, each of them maintaining a harmonious pull on the energy at all times. There was very little left distinguishing Adam's energy from Theo's. The two were wrapped around the other's magic so completely, it was hard to imagine them eventually separating into two different people. They had been friends since the age of six, recent lovers and partners in their magical studies. They were inseparable, both physically and magically.

"Theo, it's starting to hurt," Adam muttered softly, hoping that Evren wouldn't hear. "Theo, let go."

Adam tried jerking his hand away from Theo's, but it wouldn't move. The light was intensifying, growing more and more powerful with every second. Theo didn't respond to him. He kept their hands locked together, unable to move.

"Theo, stop! You're hurting my hands!"

Adam shouted at his boyfriend, despite wanting to keep his failure to maintain the spell a secret. His hand was burning now, and pain inflamed the nerves that ran down his arm. He was on fire, burning from the inside out.

Beside him, Theo was pulled into his dark form, only adding to the power in the room.

Brilliant light engulfed the school, suffocating the land with an unnatural brightness that was only getting stronger.

Evren stared at the sparkling light filling the room with curiosity. He had read Theo's school file a long time ago, when he had started dating Adrian. Theo had been just as much Adrian's child as his own biological girls, and Adrian had made sure that Evren understood this fact before dating him. In order to understand how to guide Theo in his magical journey, Evren had memorized everything in that file. He understood the basics of Theo's abilities and tried his best to explain them to Roman, Abe and Adrian. He was often Theo's advocate when his parents didn't understand how the magical world functioned.

This light show had been one of the first expressions of Theo's abilities. Abe had described the magic to him exactly like this. This blinding light, the eerie glow that hung in the air was demonic magic in its purest form. He had read papers that suggested that this magic often appeared in infant demons because they were newly born and still had some magic of the Life deity left in them from birth. After they experienced the cold of the Void and fed on energy for the first time, they lost the ability to access this type of magic.

How the hell was Theo still accessing Life’s magic? Demons first began as fallen servants of Life, but most of them never retained any of its power, except maybe the smallest spell of an infant. Whatever this was, Evren had not expected anything like it. At most, he had figured that maybe he'd have to sit the two teens down and shout at them to be more careful with their magic now that sex was a factor changing their connection. This? Ewan was not going to be happy about this. Evren shuddered just thinking about trying to break this news to Roman.

Sorry, Roman. Your son is sleeping with his boyfriend and that's making his magic so unstable that he's apparently doing impossible magic. I'm the one who decided to test him without asking you first because I knew that you'd blow up or self-destruct if I did.

"Theo, stop! It's hurting me!" Adam shouted again, trying to pull his arms away from his boyfriend but failing.

"I don't know how to stop," Theo whimpered. "I can't move. I'm trying to let go, it's just-"

Adam screamed as bright lines ravaged his body, taking over the visible skin and raising long welts across his face. Theo could feel the pain Adam felt just as strongly as he knew that this was all his fault. He'd messed up again and now Adam was in danger, all because he had trusted Theo.

"Adam! I'm sorry, i don't know how to stop this," Theo sobbed. "Tell me how to stop this! Evren, help!"

The familiar crackle of the Void rang through the air, illuminating whatever it touched in violent pink light. An unbearable coldness whipped around the school windows, trying as hard as it could to unite with Theo and the energy he was unleashing.

Theo's eyes were wide and terrified as he watched Adam fall to his feet, still unable to separate his and Theo's hands, screaming in agony.

"Adam, I can't let go! Please help me," Theo pleaded desperately. Adam's eyes rolled back into his head as he lost consciousness, still clinging to Theo against his will.

Evren already had his wand out at the ready. There were spells to disarm situations like this, but with a bonded pair and demonic Life magic in the mix, it was imperative that he chose the right spell. The wrong spell might only make the situation worse.

"Evren!" Ewan was already drawing power to himself, his own wand glowing dangerously. "Demonic exorcism level one. Start it now! I'll protect my son while you disarm Theo."

Evren frowned, but raised his wand as instructed. Exorcism was reserved for full demons usually, but the power radiating from Theo certaintly felt like it was comparable to a full demon. Exorcism usually returned a demon to the Void without the energy to return though. The last thing Evren wanted to do was banish his stepson to a realm he wasn't fully able to function in. He could see Ewan's plan, though. A level one exorcism started with draining demonic energy to weaken the demon enough to banish it to the Void. Draining just enough demonic magic might weaken Theo's grip on Adam enough to separate them. It would also seal the creeping expansion of the Void. Exorcism wasn't the first choice Evren would have gone with, but it was a solid plan.

"Theo, close your eyes!"

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #evren thorne #remy maricourt #ewan g maricourt #despina darktide #ewan macleod

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luverofralts · 26 days

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reblog only if you’ve received less than 1000 boops! we can all get each other to “max”

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luverofralts · 28 days

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Do you know if my mother will be here? She didn't say anything in her email, but she must have told you, right?"

Princess Victoriana stared eagerly at her posted guard, desperate to be let in on her mother's plans. Last night, she'd received a message from her mother's office, informing her that her presence was required in Sedona. The details were scarce, just that she was to reopen some historical buildings and make a speech or two.

It didn't sound that bad to Victoriana, but her grandmother had read the email with an unreadable expression and stormed away afterward to speak with her grandfather in another room.

What was the harm of dusting off some old buildings in dumb Sedona? The former country had been conquered by Pleasantview centuries ago, and just about everyone had forgotten about them. There were still descendants from their former royal family, but Pleasantview had decimated their culture and history until the only recognized annual event in Sedona was the visiting of the Pleasantview monarch on the anniversary of their surrender to remind them of their place.

"I'm sorry, Your Highness, but the queen regrettably won't be here for the reopening," the guard replied. "Her schedule is only at the palace for today."

"Oh. That's okay, I guess. She wanted me to do this for her, so maybe she'll see me tomorrow to ask how things went."

"A very likely scenario, Your Highness. Her Majesty would never assign you a duty you could not perform."

Victoriana posed by the long abandoned thrones of the former Sedona castle, running her speech through her head before the cameras started rolling. After reviewing the speech, Victoriana had been surprised to see that this grand reopening of the castle wasn't reopening it as a museum, as it once was a decade or so ago. No, this castle and the other, much older castle in Sedona were being restored as living quarters for the Pleasantview monarch.

Victoriana tried to picture herself living in this place. It wasn't a bad place by any means, but it felt foreign and strange to think that she might actually live here. It's years as a museum had taken its toll on the old building, and clearly, they would have to remove the gift shop.

The master suite in the old castle was at least modern enough to be comfortable for the teen. After her speech, Victoriana had been ordered to stay in the building overnight to await her mother's next command. As the highest ranked person in the building, Victoriana got to sleep in the master suite, which was a rare treat. Whenever her mother was present, the queen was given the largest room. For one brief moment, Victoriana could imagine her future as queen. This huge suite would be hers permanently, and she would have the power to decommission museums that she wanted to live in, just like her mother.

It would likely be a lonely life, if Claudia's reign was any example. Victoriana would eventually inherit her mother's endless meetings and busy schedule. She would have to miss out on milestones with her own children, just as Claudia had over the years, and really screen potential spouses to make sure their intentions were honest. She would make sure to make time to see her half-siblings and hopefully her father when her mother was gone. That day wasn't anytime soon though.

Victoriana's phone beeped while she mused over the future. To her surprise, it was a message from her mother.

"Tomorrow, you'll be opening the second Sedona castle as a royal residence as planned," Victoriana read. "I will meet with you the day after tomorrow at the Honora St. Julien Tower in Crystal Cove. Your new speech will be delivered to you shortly. Love, Mom."

The princess groaned at the idea of more speeches but was incredibly excited at the news that her mother would finally be joining her. Who even cared about these dusty old buildings or about boring Sedona? Victoriana would much rather be at home in her own room or at school where she at least got to talk to people her own age.

She'd been texting with her half-brother Theo for the past few days, but only when she wasn't busy or he wasn't in class, so not very often. He seemed like a nice enough guy, and she'd learned a lot about their father from him. Her father was a great baker, overprotective and a passable demon hybrid according to Theo. He had a dark form, and the attention of his sister in law, the Demonic Sovereign. The rest of their conversations were heavily focused on Theo's boyfriend, Adam, or what homework assignment he found tedious that day.

Victoriana had less interesting subjects to talk about. She didn't have a romantic partner or even a crush on anyone. Her grandparents were the only family she was allowed to see unsupervised and her day was packed with learning rules and treaties that were only relevant three hundred years ago. She may live in a palace when she wasn't at boarding school, but her life was far from what the other kids her age assumed it was. What kid wanted to hang out in two museums her mother apparently needed to live in?

Sometimes her mother confided in her about her plans, while other times, Victoriana had no idea what her mother was thinking.

"And that is why we hope that the repurposing of this historical landmark will highlight the vibrant part Sedona plays in our great country. Thank you."

Victoriana stepped down from the podium, scanning the crowd for signs of her mother.

She hadn't been told to expect her mother until the next day, but she had still been hopeful. Eventually, the politely clapping crowd and flashing cameras would leave and she could once again unwind in yet another lifeless building on her own. Theo had written her a long text detailing his defensive magic exam to compare it to her own school's curriculum. Politics and networking were more valued at her school, and the princess often feared that she would fall behind magically, despite her private demonology lessons. There was a lot a crown princess needed to know and she couldn't risk the danger of being unprepared. Fortunately, Theo seemed to be studying dark, complicated magic that he was all too happy to demonstrate the next time they met or virtually on their phones. She doubted that her mother would approve of her contact with Theo, but Victoriana was her own person and she could forge alliances with whomever she chose. If Claudia was too busy for her daughter, then it was only fair that Victoriana got to spend time with people aside from her grandparents.

When her mother did meet up with Victoriana, the atmosphere was tense. First of all, Queen Claudia was dressed in full regal splendor, with her full guard behind her. The second concerning thing was that the queen and her guard were standing in a tower located in Crystal Cove, attracting many worried onlookers.

"Mom? Shouldn't we be in Pleasantview or Old Sedona if we're opening a building?" Victoriana whispered to her mother as cameras flashed around them. "We don't own any land in Crystal Cove."

"You'd be surprised what we own," Claudia informed her daughter, smiling for the cameras. "If you studied your history closely, you would know that when the empire broke apart, Pleasantview officially retained control of Honora St. Julien's tower as a good faith gesture. All I'm going to do is remind them of this fact."

Victoriana dutifully followed her mother inside the building and up to the outside balcony that was already set up with a microphone.

Her mother said a bunch of words that didn't really mean anything, just like most of her speeches. This action she was taking was controversial, it was written all over the faces Victoriana could see from the balcony. This must have been the thing that had made her grandmother so upset earlier. Grandma Anna was an excellent political strategist and one devoted to preserving peace. It wasn't an act of war to take ownership of something that was rightfully yours and it did look like the building hadn't been properly occupied in decades, so they weren't even evicting anyone. Still, restoring the Sedona museums into royal residences had clearly been a front to minimalize the potential backlash of repossessing this tower.

"Mom? What's so great about this building?" Victoriana asked, once the queen's speech had completed and they had a brief moment to smile for the crowds. "Grandma told you not to do this, didn't she?"

"Grandma doesn't know everything," Claudia replied. She paused before replying, making sure that there wasn't an active microphone picking up their conversation. "The king of Crystal Cove is old and inexperienced at ruling. His late wife did most of that for him. He won't fight this. He's probably writing a speech now welcoming us to take more land in order to keep the peace. His heir would fight to pay us the value of the tower in exchange for the land itself, so it's best to do this now, when there's a weak monarch in charge."

"What do we need with this dumb tower anyway?" Victoriana asked, completely baffled that her mother wanted to fight over an old, unimportant relic at all.

"It's a foothold, dear. My advisors believe that it may be necessary to expand our options in the near future. It never hurts to have options."

Claudia maintained a calm expression for their audience, but Victoriana could see past that mask...most of the time anyway. Lately, she had been harder to read. If her shadowy advisors were worried, something must be brewing behind the scenes. Something frightening enough to take controversial actions.

"Mom, should I be worried? Are we going to war?

"If this all goes well, then probably not," Claudia said reassuringly, leaving her daughter with an unsettled knot in her stomach.

"Probably not? Probably?"

Claudia's gaze remained on the crowd and the cameras, though her voice did soften slightly.

"Probably not," she repeated. "Peace is extremely hard to maintain forever, dear, and sometimes sacrifices must be made to ensure it lasts. There are frequently events that could potentially turn violent or tragedies that turn friends into enemies. How we survive them is by thinking ahead, and planning our moves carefully. You must always have multiple plans to fall back on and know when to trust your intel. Your life as queen will depend on it."

"Is...is this about my father? Are we in danger because of his family? Should we tell him?"

"Your father? Certainly not," Claudia replied, a ghost of a smile toying with her lips. "No, for once, I can't blame this on him. When you need to know, Victoriana, I will let you know. This all may blow over and it might not. Just enjoy the pageantry while it lasts. You'll be heading back to school tomorrow."

Despite her worries, Victoriana's spirits rose. Returning to school? She was finally free of her grandparents? Did this mean that her mother would finally let her return to the castle on weekends?

Another thought popped into Victoriana's head when she thought of her time with her grandparents.

"Wait a minute, did you send me away for weeks to Grandma and Grandpa’s just to keep Grandma busy?" Victoriana asked, the accusation clear in her voice. "I thought you were mad at me about asking about my father and sent me away. Was all that a front to keep an eye on Grandma?"

Claudia's only response was to raise a curious eyebrow at her daughter's accusations.

"Both of those theories could be true," she said at last. "You must remember that your grandmother has rules of her own to follow that cannot be broken. A reaper can't be caught interfering with the affairs of the living."

"Can't be caught," Victoriana said slowly. "That's different than not interfering at all. You plotted against your own mother to keep her out of your plans for claiming land in Crystal Cove?"

"In your opinion only, dear." Claudia was having difficulty repressing her smile. Her heart was filled with pride that her daughter was finally learning how to think as a monarch. Victoriana had come a long way recently. With her demand to know her father's name and now, her piecing together some of her mother's plan, the princess was slowly growing into the leader Claudia knew she would one day be. She was paying attention to how the world around her functioned and what pieces of it could be swapped out at her command if she disliked them.

"So who are we almost at war with?" the princess asked. "Crystal Cove? Is that why we need a base inside their country? I haven't heard anything about Crystal Cove at all lately. Why would they want to fight us?"

"I never said it was Crystal Cove," Claudia said sternly. "I don't recall mentioning any country of concern, just that we needed options going forward."

She paused as another thought occurred to her. Victoriana did have access to an entire student body of well connected students who were all very fond of gossiping about what they'd heard their parents say at home. Hearing the gossip and predicting who she could trust to support her reign would be a great help in these times.

"Okay," the queen conceded at last. "It would be very helpful if you could listen to the gossip at school for me. Every detail about what their parents believe helps our cause, but there is specifically one thing I want you to listen for: the Red Queen. If anyone mentions those words, I need you to listen carefully. This is crucial, Victoriana, you can't mention this mission to your friends or seem too interested in asking questions. Nothing can compromise this plan, do you understand?"

"Yes, Red Queen, don't be suspicious," Victoriana confirmed with glee. "What does it mean though? Is it a code word? Is it a another monarch threatening to invade?"

"Just remember your mission," Claudia said abruptly, returning her focus once again on the crowd. "And no texting your half-brother about this. If I find out that you've involved him in this, I will be quite disappointed in you."

Victoriana cringed, kicking herself for assuming that her mother wasn't aware of her and Theo's chats. The saying really was true: the queen of Pleasantview truly did know everything there was to know.

As much as she loved her mother, something inside the princess longed for the day when she would inherit that much power.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #claudia goldman #Victoriana Goldman

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luverofralts · 30 days

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

"Well, it was lovely to see you, Amina. Be sure to drop by the new house when we're settled in."

Wanda Bellamy embraced the woman she'd come to see as a close friend. Amina Bellamy was a recent arrival to Arkhelios, but she'd been an amazing volunteer for Wanda's political pursuits since arriving. They'd often joked about sharing a last name and people maybe getting the wrong idea about their relationship based on it, which Hunter never found amusing. Bellamy was a common enough name, there was bound to be a new arrival with the name eventually.

"I can't wait to see it. It sounds wonderful. I'm so happy for you and your little family."

"New house? Are you moving again, Wanda? You just bought this house three years ago."

Roman Bellamy stood in his aunt's driveway, looking confused. He was pretty sure the two women were talking about a new house, but Wanda hadn't mentioned any plans to her nephew.

"Roman! What a pleasant surprise," Wanda said, smiling at her favourite nephew. "And yes, we are moving again. Your uncle and I have been building a new home for years now. We've outgrown this one and wanted something more...elegant."

"But, I was going to ask if you could-"

"Roman Bellamy? Malika’s boy? Look at you, you're her spitting image. Such a handsome young man."

Roman was cut off by Amina's excited embrace. The woman hugged him fiercely. A little too fiercely for a stranger for Roman's comfort.

"Grandson," Roman corrected her when he was finally released. "Malika was my grandmother. Did you know her?"

Amina shook her head.

"No, but I've seen pictures of her," she answered. "She was friends with Romana Rivales, the famous painter. There was a write-up and photoshoot in the magazines with them when I was growing up. Both of them were so beautiful and talented. The world lost something precious when they passed."

Roman stared uneasily at Amina, trying to analyze her sincerity. Very few people spoke about his mother and grandmother unless they absolutely had to. After Kamalani had been charged posthumously with the murder of Omar Bellamy and the attempted murder of so many people that Melvin stopped after just five charges were laid. Charging a dead woman with a large list of crimes did nothing to get peace or justice to her victims. It was all just paperwork in the end.

"I'm sure my grandmother would have loved the compliment," Roman said at last. "If there was one thing she loved, it was listening to people praise her."

"If you love Romana Rivales' work, Roman has quite a few of her originals at home," Wanda added. "He's got quite a collection started. I'm sure that he would be happy to show them sometime, right Roman?"

Roman scowled at the reminder. Of course he had a hoarde of his mother's paintings. People wouldn't stop shoving them in his face and demanding that he be grateful they did. Most of them were locked up in his office, out of sight until he could offload them on a collector or pawnshop willing to take them. They had increased in value with Romana's mysterious death, but people often found them unnerving when viewing them in person, as if his mother's toxicity were oozing from the paint, presenting her as the monster she had always been. There was a convention for all things demonic in Pleasantview next month, where Roman was determined to either sell the paintings or leave them in the parking lot for someone to find. The paintings inspired by his secret half-sister were the worst to look at. Every time he saw one, his heart seemed to stop beating for a moment, still held captive by the memories of what his mother had done to him even after all these years.

"I would love to see her work in person," Amina replied with an excited smile. "She had such an eye for the supernatural, surely one of her paintings would look wonderful in the Arkhelios Academy of Magic?"

"No!" Roman practically shouted the word at the same time Wanda was nodding excitedly.

"What a great suggestion," Wanda said. "I'll have to take it up with the coven first, though. Romana has a...complicated legacy here."

"Understandable," Amina replied graciously. "It was just a thought. But I'll leave you with your guest, Wanda. The children are probably getting into mischief without me around. You know teenagers."

"Romona was just a pseudonym," Roman added irritably. "Her name was Kamalani. Whatever the artistic good she accomplished in her career could never undo all the unforgivable things she did. She abused me and tried to murder my children. She doesn't deserve to use a pseudonym to attempt to clean her image."

"Of course. How insensitive of me," Amina apologized. "I know of her only through her art, while you saw the side of her no one else in the public got to see. You have my sympathies for your past pain. Still, one of her paintings might add some helpful context to the Academy. It's something to think about anyway. Good night, Wanda. I'll see you at the usual time tomorrow."

The strange woman walked past Roman towards the mall. She likely lived in the new part of town where Wanda had been building new housing.

"Who was that?" Roman asked, hugging his aunt despite how unsettled the entire exchange had made him. "Is she new in the coven?"

Wanda squeezed Roman tightly in return, giving him a motherly accessment as she did. He didn't seen to be injured or too skinny and hadn't gotten any more tattoos that she could see.

"She's a woman who helps me at the office," Wanda replied. "She's helping me battle Fitz Cowden and the garbage he thinks makes good policy. Amina is brilliant, and maybe a little magically gifted, though not enough to want to join the coven. I've asked repeatedly, but she says that it's not her thing. It's still nice to have another Bellamy around, even if we're not related. If we had multiple Bellamys in the coven, we'd sound just like Pleasantview. 'Master Maricourt, Master Maricourt and Master Maricourt'. It's ridiculous."

"Another Bellamy?" Roman repeated. "Are you sure we're not related to her? Bellamy isn't that common of a name."

"I don't see how," Wanda said defensively. "Salem didn't have any family that I know of."

"It's not his name, remember? It's Grandma's. She has a big enough family somewhere. Remember the photo album I showed you a few years ago? She had a sister. A sister that was on a first name basis with Dorhack. What if this is some kind of invasion? What if they're after me or my kids? We need to get a background check on her at the very least."

Wanda rolled her eyes, waving away Roman's worries dismissively.

"Hmm, truthfully, I'd forgotten that Salem took his wife's name. It was always all over our school board meetings, and I guess I just saw more of him in general. Your grandmother never really took a liking to me, especially at the end. If that will make you feel better, then I'll have a background check done," she sighed. "Until it's done, I expect you to treat her without suspicion, Roman. Even if she is one of those Bellamys, you can't assume her motives. Don't be so cold-hearted. You might just grow to like her."

"Not fucking likely," Roman muttered under his breath. He stole another look over his shoulder, only to find the woman watching him from a distance. Something about her just felt wrong in a way he didn't understand.

Amina held Roman's gaze until he was forced into the house by his aunt. He was an interesting young man, and brighter than she had originally given him credit. She could feel Malika’s warm presence encircling her grandson, even long after her death. Whatever remained of the woman's spirit was protecting her grandson. She really had adored him despite her poor choices.

"So, Wanda, why are you moving again? You live in a mansion."

Roman looked skeptically at the strange decor of his aunt's house. All the paintings on the wall were of foreign people from a variety of countries. He could pick out a few from Pleasantview that he recognized from his school. The only few representations of her own family were Theo's baby pictures and the group photo of the remaining Bellamy family taken before Omar's murder.

Being the leader of Arkhelios on the international stage had made Wanda wealthy enough to still fund the traditional Bellamy lifestyle that Roman had given up to pay for Theo and the twins' educations and keep his restaurant above water. He could still remember his teen years of fancy clothes, fancy schools and acting entitled enough to be mistaken for someone of Claudia's rank. Theo had certainly changed all that, and now Roman couldn't even picture how he once had been before his mother had tried repeatedly to ruin his life and kill his son. He did miss the wealth and political scheming, but his life was better now. Different, but better.

Wanda hadn't had to give up a fortune in school tuition or feed and clothe large amounts of children. Her son was well dressed, but Wanda only had the one child to support. Politics paid well, and she'd been gifted generously by people looking to persuade her to vote their way. Wanda could afford to be a Bellamy like her in-laws. Maybe when Abe III was ready to start college, Roman could afford the luxurious life he'd grown up with.

"We're just not liking this house," Wanda replied, leading Roman into the living room. "We need something bigger, something more impressive. A tiny mansion doesn't shout power, but a large estate does. We need something to make outsiders marvel at when they travel here. A strong house for a strong leader."

Roman frowned but remained silent. There was a lot more distance between him and his aunt and uncle lately. With everything that had happened, he had gone from a carefree teenager bugging his magical aunt for favours to a battle scarred father just trying to survive. Wanda had drifted away, especially after she had made him take ownership over the Bellamy estate so that she could pursue politics. When he looked at how far he'd drifted from his aunt, Roman felt bad for only visiting tonight to ask a favour of her. He was a shitty nephew, but being a father always came first. He couldn't just leave his kids to hang out with his incredibly busy aunt who also didn't have the free time to share.

"So I'm glad that you stopped by," Wanda exclaimed, waving dramatically at the chaos behind her. "I was thinking of taking more family photos before we moved. I don't think I even have a photo of the twins or Mark now that he's in university. I have a photographer on standby. He does all my political photos and they look amazing."

Roman took one look at the photo studio and felt a pressing need to retreat before his aunt could comb his hair and put a nice tie on him just like his grandmother had done every few months of his childhood.

"Uh, maybe," he stammered. "Theo and the twins are away at school, though for so long, and Abe Jr's just started teething, so he's going to be difficult to get a good shot with."

Wanda smiled deviously.

"Then how about for your thirtieth birthday party?" she replied, enjoying the confused look on Roman's face. "I am the leader of Arkhelios, people are going to tell me about my darling nephew's birthday plans, especially when you want to use my house to host it."

Roman flushed with embarrassment. Of course his aunt had found out about the party before he could even ask. Arkhelios was not the place to try to keep a secret, no matter how hard everyone tried.

"Well, yeah, that might work. But if you're moving, how are you going to host the party here?"

He could already see moving boxes piled in the corner by the stairs. There was no way that Roman trusted any of his children to be left alone in this expensive looking house either. Abe Jr would chew everything in sight and the girls would probably knock something expensive over while running. Maybe this had been a bad idea.

"Well, we hold it at your place," Wanda stated, as if this was the only option. "It's a big lot and the kids are already familiar with it. I can organize it all, all you have to do is open your house to your guests."

"I don't have the space," Roman replied. "The last Winterfest ball we held there was a long time ago. There's the baby toys, Theo's magic textbooks, the dogs...it's just too much."

"Ask your mother in law then. She has the Helios mansion to entertain in."

Roman laughed at the thought of Elaine willingly holding a party in her house. After several tries to hold a party where no one died, got pregnant, gave birth, or released zombies, she had given up on parties entirely. The next party that would be held in her house would be her funeral and that was final.

"Okay, fine. I'll provide the house, unless I can find somewhere better to host it," Roman conceded. "If you could plan it half as well as your Winterfest parties, that would be amazing. I'll give you a budget once Adrian's accountant gets back to us."

"Don't bother," Wanda replied, waving her hand dismissively once more. "Consider it my gift to the three of you young men. You only have one thirtieth birthday, and all of you work so hard to help make Arkhelios a better place. Though I might need to take a few pictures for my updated campaign at the party. You know, to show that I'm one of the young people who connects with the issues they care about."

"Of course. I do appreciate this, Aunt Wanda. It's been a tough few years and I think we all need this excuse to just relax and let go of some of the stress in our lives."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #roman bellamy #arkhelios adventures #wanda hydes #amina bellamy

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