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luverofralts · 1 month

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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 · 1 year

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Arkhelios Adventures

“Come on, kiddo, let’s go see what your sister is up to.”

Evren kissed his son, leaving Roman to his last minute cake decorating. It really wasn’t like Roman would notice him leaving anyway. Off in the distance, Evren could hear Fiolett laughing with her half-sisters over something the Bellamy family’s dog was doing. It sounded innocent, but with this group of kids, it was always better to be close by to supervise playtime.

After half an hour had passed, Roman summoned all of the party guests to the kitchen to watch the birthday boy blow out the candles on his custom made cake. Theo’s sisters swarmed around him, hoping to be close enough to the cake to get one of the biggest slices when it was cut.

“Happy thirteenth birthday, Theo! Abe, go take a picture of him with the cake. It’s not everyday that our baby becomes a teenager,” Roman ordered while rotating the nearby cupcakes to show their best side for the photo. He gestured towards Evren to come closer to fit in the shot, while handing out noise makers to the already loud children.

“I already took several pictures,” Abe grumbled, opening up the app on his phone with a sigh. “He’s grimacing in every one of them.”

“Make a wish!” Evren called over the noise of the party noise makers.

Theo paused, considering his options. What would be his birthday wish? Money maybe. If he had money, he could buy that guitar he wanted so desperately. On the other hand, he could use some help at school with his potion skills. There was a big test coming up that he didn’t feel prepared for.

He stared at his parents, one of which was fumbling with his phone while the other was acting like this party was the most important event in the world.

They’re only like this because of the last few birthdays they’ve ruined with their fighting. They feel guilty and the only thing they can think of doing is embarrassing me. It’s not fair. If I had a boyfriend, I’d never even think about cheating on him.

Theo felt his face flush at the thought of having a boyfriend. At his age, his parents were already secretly dating, while Theo still hadn’t had his first kiss. It didn’t matter if it were with a boy or a girl, just that it happened before arriving at college, where surely everyone else would be kissing.

It wasn’t entirely true that he didn’t have a preference for a kissing partner. Late at night, his mind would race thinking of the doomed crush that overwhelmed him whenever his best friend, Adam, would laugh. Adam had the prettiest, most expressive eyes and was the closest Theo would ever see to a perfect being. He was smart and funny and caring and gorgeous. If it wouldn’t announce his crush to the world, Theo could happily stare at Adam for most of the day.

I wish for love. Love between my parents and a true love for me to be with forever and have a million kids with one day. It doesn’t have to be Adam, but I really hope it is. Please, please let Adam like me back.

With his wish decided, Theo blew out the thirteen candles with ease, ignoring the noise Roman was making in celebration.

“This cake is amazing,” Adrian commented, gesturing towards Abe. “It’s honestly one of Roman’s best.”

Abe smiled tightly at the reminder of Adrian’s appreciation of Roman’s cooking skill.

“It’s good that he’s getting the practice,” he replied stiffly. “That restaurant you two are starting will need all the help it can get. Arkhelios doesn’t have a large food scene and I’m not sure there’s a market here for fancy dining. Most people just eat at the mall food court.”

Adrian frowned.

“It all looks good on paper. We have a good budget and the backing of foreign nobility will add extra allure to the experience. We’ll be bringing the best parts of Twikkii Island to Arkhelios to sample. There’s a dedicated market here who love our queen consort and the relaxation and class Twikkii Island has to offer.”

“Right. I guess you’re right.” Abe didn’t sound convinced, but he didn’t want to pursue the matter further. He’d already told Roman his opinion on the matter many times, but apparently he just couldn’t see the same market his husband did.

“Rien says it’s a bad idea. Ghosts told her.”

Adrian gave Fiolett a stern look as she happily dug into her cake, unaware of the tension her words caused.

“Honey, Adrienne can be wrong,” he said firmly. “There’s many times her predictions were wrong. Besides, don’t you think that ghosts have better things to do than follow your sister around, telling her about restaurants? Reading tarot cards is a harmless hobby, but believing that she’s talking to spirits with opinions on every aspect of our lives is another thing entirely. We make our own futures.”

“Funny, she did manage to talk to you while you were dead,” Abe remarked wryly, taking another bite of his cake. “I think you of all people should listen to your daughter on this topic. Malika did mark her as her heir and who knows what that entails? Malika held seances all the time.”

Adrian narrowed his eyes at Abe, but refused to take his bait. It had always been obvious that Abe held a grudge against him for making Roman happy when Abe was stupid enough to have broken up with Roman. Adrian could tolerate snide comments, knowing that they came from jealousy but there were still times where this patience was tested.

“I was lost in the demonic void, not the so called afterlife, so no, I wouldn’t know about supposed ghosts,” Adrian snapped, a bit too quickly to hide his irritation. “And Malika was a con artist, even Roman admits it. My daughter is a lady of the royal court who reads too many of her brother’s textbooks.”

Abe merely smiled in response, glad to have successfully gotten under Adrian’s skin. As soon as Adrian started mentioning rank and titles, Abe considered the argument won. The man had been raised in a hierarchical system and as much as he tried to fight it, that hierarchy emerged whenever Adrian was caught off guard. Both he and Maura clung to the roles they were born to play within Twikkii Island society; it was how they were taught from a young age. It was also not very flattering when people outside of that hierarchy were exposed to their beliefs. Roman spent a fair amount of time reminding the twins that just because they were the legal heirs of a wealthy duke, it didn’t make them any more special than Saturnia or Abe Jr. Getting Adrian started about being nobility was almost always a guaranteed way to drive a wedge between him and Roman. It was almost too easy.

Just when Abe was about to provoke his husband’s ex-husband further, the doorbell rang.

“Where is my grandson? His favourite grandmother is here with his birthday present!”

It was Adrian’s turn to laugh, seeing the look of panic on Abe’s face.

“Mom? What are you doing here? You hate parties. I told you we’d bring Theo over later.”

“I think I hear Evren calling for me,“ Adrian laughed, standing up from the table and gesturing for his daughter to do the same. “Let’s go find Daddy and leave Abe with his mother.”

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #fiolett thorne #sim: adrian siew #adrian siew #abe chun #Adrienne Bellamy #sim: Adrienne Bellamy #sim: Luciana Bellamy #luciana Bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #evren thorne #saturnia bellamy #sim: saturnia bellamy #sims 2 pictures

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luverofralts · 5 months

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Arkhelios Adventures

Duke Adrian Siew stared at the wall before him. The estate that he'd inherited had needed repairs over the years, some of which had been done by his ex-husband, Roman, while Adrian was trapped in the demonic void. The house that he'd come home to six years ago was still the same in many ways as the house he'd grown up in, though it had also changed noticeably.

Some things had been moved around, and others thrown out entirely. An old vase that was his mother's favourite had been broken when Theo was playing tag with his twin sisters and the cup that his father used religiously for tea had gone missing. What Adrian wouldn't give to find that mug and wrap his fingers around the handle like he'd done when he was small. On long, cold island nights, Duke Luke Siew had made his son hot chocolate in his own favourite mug so they would have something to keep them warm as they gazed at the stars on the beach. Adrian never thought that he could miss such a small, ordinary object as much as he did. It was just one small piece of the family that could never return to him.

The wall he had spent the last twenty minutes staring at was ordinary too. Just some white paint, an old desk and a bookcase that Evren swore each day was going to fall on either them or the children. It was Adrian's job to maintain the estate and put his own mark on it as he did so. The room was long past needing an update, but it was the last thing Adrian had left of his parents' legacy. They had set up the space, and chosen the colours. He could remember his father sitting at the small desk, filling out reports for the queen as his son watched television.

The twins were turning eleven in a few short weeks. Eleven years had passed since Adrian had last seen his parents alive. They had been thrilled to become grandparents, especially since Adrian was an only child. His mother especially had been excited to have two grandchildren to spoil, even if the marriage that had created them was falling apart. One of his few regrets about his marriage to Roman was that they had been too busy fighting to discuss baby names properly. Luciana had been named with Luke Siew in mind, but Roman had overlooked Eliza Siew when choosing names. This was something that Adrian had fixed when Fiolett Eliza Thorne Siew was born. He couldn't bear to not have a piece of his mother represented in his family tree. Adrienne had inherited Eliza's freckled spots, just as her father had, a fact that delighted Adrian. She wasn’t the only child who had inherited them either. Adrienne heavily favoured Roman's side of the family otherwise, but Luciana, Fiolett and the boys also carried a strong resemblance to the Siew family. His parents were gone, but he could still see tiny glimpses of them in his children.

The house was filled with the laughter of those children, something that Adrian cherished. Roman and Abe's house was always busy and Adrian's own home was similar. The house in Arkhelios was busier than the estate in Twikkii Island by a small margin, as security was tighter in the more expensive lot, but with the twins and Fiolett bringing in friends from school recently, it wasn't too far off from the Bellamys'.

Fiolett especially brought home children to play with. Her parents knew most of her class by name, having hosted them several times.

It was good to see Fiolett making friends so easily. Luciana was the same way, just like Theo. It was Adrienne that Adrian worried about. That girl was secretive and quiet and usually had her tarot cards out instead of her homework. She was a Bellamy through and through, a fact that neither of her parents knew how to address. Adrian could remember the many nights he and Roman had laid awake at night when they were married, trying to piece together the messy Bellamy family tree. Even the non-demonic family members seemed intimidating just looking at their pictures.

Theo had had special needs from the moment of his birth, which were well documented and all of his parents had trained for. If Theo collapsed in his presence, Adrian had multiple phone numbers to call, as well as Evren on call if magic was required. Deep down though, Adrian worried about his daughter. She had gifts just like her brother, but the world she seemed to thrive in was a dangerous place. Theo at least had proven that he could take care of himself, or if he couldn't, that he had help nearby. What support system did Adrienne need if a spirit became dangerous or some evil force tried to overpower her? It was a thought that kept her fathers up at night. It wasn't like Adrian could talk about his fear without triggering a breakdown of some kind in his ex-husband. Roman couldn't think rationally about his children, even when they needed him to. If they discussed Adrienne's safety, the next conversation Adrian would be having would be with his daughter as Roman tried to wrap her in bubble wrap and seal the door.

Luckily, Evren had confidence in his ability to protect their family. Though he wasn't a master warlock, Evren knew how to defend himself and his family from magical attack. Evren wouldn't break down because Fiolett scraped her knee, but Roman would. If anything were to happen to Adrienne, Adrian knew that Evren would be right behind her, doing what he could do to help. He was a good, reliable man that Adrian could depend on. He should really propose to him one day and make their family official, but every time Adrian thought about marriage, his mind revisited his first disastrous marriage. Evren was nothing like Roman, but still Adrian hesitated. Luciana was born legitimate and would inherit her father’s estate one day, and that was the only thing that mattered. A second wedding would be a lonely affair now that his parents were long dead and Maura had turned bitter from holding the crown. No, there was no need to rush into anything. He loved Evren and that would have to be enough for now.

"Honey, how good is your memory on magical history?"

Adrian popped into his office to find Evren, Everard and a pile of old photos on his desk.

"Magical history? Uh, vague? I helped Theo with a history paper a while ago, but I was only proofreading it. Why, what have you found?"

Evren shrugged while their son squirmed in his arms.

"I've been looking for Maricourts who either tried or specialized in blood magic," he replied. "I feel like I'm missing some, but I'm only remembering my own universe. There could be a million Maricourts here that I'm missing. I don't want Theo to go to his meeting unprepared. I need to know who appeared to him."

"I know. If this goes badly, I'm really worried about what Roman might do. He's taking this pretty hard and it's starting to impact the kids. He forgot Luci's game yesterday and broke down sobbing when I called him. The kids are worried."

Adrian almost continued his thought, but reconsidered. Evren was focused on magic and helping Theo. He didn't need to get distracted. While he still had his share of parenting mishaps, Adrian prided himself on knowing his children and their fears, wants and hopes. Being the best father that he could was his first priority and all of his paternal instincts were shouting at him to keep an eye on Adrienne. She had been even quieter lately, and he'd seen first hand the way that she watched Roman. It was almost as if she were the parent, and he was her small, naive child in need of protection. She knew something important, Adrian would put money on it, and somehow Theo was also involved. Those two were guarding something related to their father, he could just feel it. Once Theo's upcoming meeting was done and Roman calmed down slightly, Adrian fully intended to have a conversation with those two.

"Well, here are my top contenders," Evren sighed. "Old, powerful warlocks who dealt with blood magic. I'm not sure which of them had a daughter though, I'm still searching the records. It would be a lot easier if Theo had just got the kid's name. Any famous Maricourts from Twikkii Island that I'm missing?"

Adrian laughed, but picked up a picture from the desk just to be sure.

"No, luckily those assholes seem to be allergic to anywhere with a tropical beach. They're all over Pleasantview and Strangetown and even Crystal Cove a little, but not here. They're usually Pleasantview's problem, not ours."

"Yeah, same in my universe," Evren replied. "Though they weren't as deadly in my Strangetown as they are here. That Adam kid has quite the family."

"The Darktides or the Maricourts?" Adrian asked curiously. "I mean, we shouldn't tell Roman anything about either of them, but you and I should know as much as we can in case something happens."

"Both sides of the family have their issues, but my vote is for the Darktides for sure. Bullying, human sacrifice, probable murder and some really dark shit magically. They're pretty fond of demons too."

"Well, maybe Theo's demonic skills will earn some points with them," Adrian commented dryly. "But seriously? Human sacrifice, what the hell? Adam is far too quiet a kid to be involved in all that. He's not the type."

"No, he doesn't seem to be," Evren agreed quickly. "But historically, his ancestors were and we need to be prepared. The first rule of magic is to never disregard information that might be relevant to a future spell or problem. It all gets filed away in case you need it, and we just might need it."

"Do you know any of these warlocks? From your own universe that is. I can't imagine how hard it must be to be away from everyone you once knew, even though I'm incredibly grateful that you ended up here with me. Some of them must overlap with your old coven. That can't be easy."

Evren smiled wistfully and picked up the closest photo.

"Yeah, Blue Hair over here was my coven leader, Reogus. He looks just like I remember...well, I'm pretty sure his hair was brown back home, but still. He was my friend, and he always knew just what to say when things weren't easy. I miss him terribly. Even if Ewan is a competent leader here, I think Reogus was a better one. He had gifts that...that I think might make him Theo's mystery Maricourt."

"Really? Does he have a daughter?"

"Two, just in my universe anyway," Evren remarked. "I'm double checking the archives this afternoon to be sure. But more importantly, he had the ability to interfere with time. For his thesis in college, he successfully brought back the ancestral home of the Maricourts after it had been destroyed. The council couldn't believe it was possible, but there it was. He was working on freezing time, but it wasn't very promising."

Adrian paused for a moment, trying to think of a delicate way to phrase his concern.

"If he was experimenting with time when you somehow got lost in another time and universe, do you think that he might be responsible for sending you here? What if your timeline was what he was experimenting on?"

"It could be," Evren acknowledged. "The more I think about it, the more it starts to make sense. Why else would I be sent here? Why else would Theo be able to see and speak with someone in control of time? Maybe it wasn't an accident that I was sent here. Maybe it was all part of some elaborate plan."

Adrian ignored the rest of the warlock portraits on his desk, unable to process this possibility. What if it hadn't been an accident that Evren arrived in this time and place? If he was a test subject, would this time warlock send for Evren to return someday?

Adrian stared at the photo in his hand, which had rested on his desk since his own miraculous return. His father and aunt's images stared back at him, reminding him that nothing was truly eternal. Both of them were alive a mere eleven years ago. His father had once been in this very house, promising to be there for him, to help him raise his children.

Now most of his family was gone. Without Evren and Roman and Abe and all of their combined children, what did he have left in life? All of the love he felt for Roman was nothing compared to the deep feelings he had for Evren. If some strange warlock suddenly appeared to take Evren away from him, how would he survive that?

"He can't have you back," Adrian swore softly. "I won't let him have you back. You're mine and we have children and a future together. This warlock will die before he takes you from me."

Evren raised a concerned eyebrow at this declaration.

"I'm not going anywhere, my love. There won't be any need for violence. This man is interested in Theo only, it seems, even if he was the one to send me here. As much as I miss my old home, I've grieved and made my peace with being sent here. You and the kids are my home now, and no warlock or spell can ever change that."

"Damn right," Adrian agreed, pulling Evren into a firm embrace. Maybe it was premature for him to write off a second marriage so soon. Doing so would give him a legal claim to Evren should any warlock march through the door and demand him back. It was something to consider at least.

#arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: adrian siew #adrian siew #evren thorne #everard thorne #sim: reogus maricourt #reogus maricourt

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luverofralts · 2 years

Text

Arkhelios University

Evren Thorne landed with an undignified thud on the hard, concrete road. He couldn’t remember a thing about how he’d gotten to where he was. One minute he had been going over schematics for the future witch council chambers, and the next he was flat on his face in the middle of some road.

He groaned as he peeled himself off of the ground, using his staff to support himself. A quick glance around him didn’t reveal any obvious danger, but who knew what could be lurking nearby?

His body tingled with an unfamiliar energy. It didn’t feel like the energy used to teleport magically. It was cold and dark, like he had been forcibly dragged by thousands of little hooks that dug under his skin. If the sensation had been caused by a spell, it was like no spell he’d ever encountered.

“Hello?”

He tried a tentative greeting, though he wasn’t entirely certain about what he hoped the answer would be. Would it be more dangerous if he was alone or less? Had he been deposited here by accident or was there some ominous purpose someone had devised for him? Either way, he was in no condition to defend himself.

“Where the hell am i?”

The warlock groaned, massaging his hip. He wasn’t exactly a teenager anymore; he’d probably be feeling the effects of this fall tomorrow.

He appeared to be in some desert, which was a far cry from the mountainous area where he lived. It didn’t look familiar at first glance, but then again, he didn’t visit Strangetown very often. Maybe someone in the Strangetown coven had summoned him. He didn’t know of any other deserts nearby. Maybe if he called Fiolett, she could at least point him in the direction of home. She had just left his house when he pulled the council schematics out. Though there was a very real chance that she may have been pulled to wherever this was too.

He pulled out his phone, only to find it in pieces. The screen had shattered, and the back had two large holes exposing the circuitry inside. It looked like he was on his own after all.

“Greetings, Master Warlock.”

Evren looked up from his ruined phone to find a beautiful woman watching him.

“Do I know you?”

When the woman bowed gracefully in the traditional greeting of the Order of Pleasantview witches, Evren hurried to do the same. If he didn’t recognize the woman, he at least recognized the proper bow. The staff she had just waved into nothingness had been the same as his. The same staff as any member of the powerful Pleasantview coven.

“Master Witch,” he replied in the traditional response. “Where am I? What brought me here? Do you have work for me? I’m still working on the council chamber plans. I haven’t received a summons from the council in ages, but I didn’t know that they were this direct. An email or a spell would have been fine.”

“That was what I was about to ask you,” the woman answered. “I was sent here to investigate a disturbance. There is a large population of demons in this place, and very few of them seem inclined to honour our treaties with their kind. Are you in league with a demon? I demand that you account for the energy I sensed here. We will not tolerate rogue demons harvesting energy from this settlement again. They have been warned.”

“N-No, I’m not in league with a demon,” Evren stammered. “I don’t think I’ve even met one before. Are-Are they dangerous?”

Evren tried to recall anything he could about demons, but struggled. There had been a seminar on them once, or so he thought, but he clearly hadn’t paid attention to it. Was a demon responsible for dragging him from his home?

“Dangerous? It depends on your familiarity with them, I suppose,” the woman answered with a coy smile.

Evren tried to politely smile in response.

If she’s not going to answer my questions, maybe I can find someone who will. I haven’t seen this woman before. Maybe she’s a demon and this is a trap.

He cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Where’s Master Maricourt? Maybe he can sort this out for us.”

“Master Maricourt?” The woman looked puzzled at the name. “There are several Master Maricourts in our coven. Possibly even some who would consort with demons.”

“Master Reogus Maricourt, who else would I be referring to? He heads the council, does he not? I don’t think he’s ever said two words about demons!”

The woman remained silent, contemplating the correct response to this question.

“Master Reogus...died some time ago,” she said finally. “Centuries, in fact. Master Ewan Maricourt is his descendant and heir, though his claim to lead the coven is weak.”

“Centuries? I saw him yesterday, walking with his daughter! You’re wrong!”

The ground suddenly felt shaky beneath Evren’s feet, that, or he was about to pass out. This strange woman had to be wrong. He had seen the Head Warlock less than twenty four hours ago. He had just said goodbye to Fiolett. There was absolutely no way that he had been thrown centuries into the future. True, it was possible to manipulate time and dimensions with advanced magic, but even the Head Warlock struggled to wield such magic. It was something Evren would likely never grasp, and he was more than okay with that. Drawing up designs for buildings was his passion. There was more than enough satisfaction in watching the lines he drew become towering structures when built. He really only attended coven meetings out of obligation.

“My grandmother would rise from her grave if she knew that an illegitimate line was leading our people,” the woman continued, oblivious to Evren’s distress. “It’s a situation that I would rectify personally, if my wife were anyone else.”

When Evren returned her obvious desire for a follow up question about her pedigree with a blank stare, the woman sighed.

“Come on,” she said, rubbing her temples wearily. “You’re either no threat at all, or the most skilled liar I’ve ever seen. Something tells me that it’s the former.”

She walked two steps and conjured her staff, motioning for him to join her. Evren held tightly to his own staff and nodded. Where ever she was going, it was surely better than being alone in the middle of a foreign desert.

“You still haven’t told me where I am,” he pointed out. “Is this Strangetown? Future, post apocalyptic Stangetown?”

The woman chuckled to herself and for a brief second, Evren saw a spark of kindness in her.

“No, but you’re not far off,” she replied. “If it weren’t for my wife’s interest in this wretched place, I would be home in civilized, decadent Pleasantview. Welcome, Master Warlock, to Arkhelios.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios university #sim: reogus maricourt #evren thorne #sim: Benjamina Maricourt

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