Lucas found going back to school on Monday was more boring than usual.
From going to battling monsters and the forces of evil to algebra was a hard transition. He also found the loss of Claudia was heartbreaking. But now that he knew what his root fear was, Lucas was going to defy it in every way he could. He was tired of blocking people out.
He grinned at Aidan when they went to their lockers at the end of the day,"Hey." Aidan smiled,"You okay? That smile of yours doesn't come out a lot." Luke gave a shrug,"All that's happened lately has showed me my fears can't control me anymore. I'm ready to change." Aidan laughed,"That's awesome, Buddy. Hey, and thanks for not blocking me out." Luke cracked a grin,"What are best friends for?"
Lucas's phone gave a buzz, and he answered the call. It was Theodora.
* ~ * ~ *
Lucas and Aidan dashed up to the veranda of Blackwell Manor, now under restoration. Lucas was glad Oblivion erased the town's memories before he went, as he was sure Theodora couldn't have told the insurance company that a giant demon-bird took her roof off.
Theodora answered the door with a smile,"Hello, boys." Aidan frowned,"Everything okay?" She laughed,"Oh, yes." The door jerked open, and Claudia tackled Lucas in a hug. He smiled widely, baffled,"Claudia?" She nodded, and the two kissed.
Aidan grinned,"How?" Claudia hugged him as well,"Once the monster were tethered in Luke's root fear, which just so happened be semi-rooted with me. When he faced his fear and let me go..." Theodora smiled,"The book found it could let her go as well."
Lucas laughed,"So what about the Beacon?" Theodora shrugged,"The book materialized her on its own. I suppose the Beacon is now needed outside the book." Aidan shook his head,"Outside the book? I wonder..."
Lucas suddenly shuddered, sensing something wrong. "The Monstrium...", he breathed, looking up toward the attic.
The group ran up to the attic, and halted in horror as they found Malphas over the book, somehow managed to have evaded getting sucked back into the book. He took a clawed finger, and ripped through the binding.
The Monstrium let out flashes of light as its pages flew out, scattering across the sky like fireworks. He chuckled,"Try imprisoning us now." He then turned into a shadow, vanishing.
They found the Monstrium pageless, every monster's page dispersed across Druid Hills. Aidan's eyes widened,"Is Timor free again?" Theodora shook her head,"Luckily no. Timor is imprisoned in the actual book, that's why the tome is so monstrous. He had to be infused within the covers to create the void in which all his offshoots could be contained."
"All the monsters are released again", Lucas said with disbelief. Theodora made a unsure expression,"Of sorts. Until their pages are triggered by touch or strong emotion, they should all still be contained." Aidan smiled,"So, we just have to find all the pages." Theodora gave a smile,"Three special people destined to reconstitute the book and return all the monsters..."
Lucas, Claudia, and Aidan looked to each other, and Luke smirked,"Let's get started."
YOU ARE READING
The Monstrium
МистикаLucas Hunt didn't believe in monsters. After relocating to a small town in Vermont, Lucas still reeling from the death of his mother, the last thing he expected was meeting the mysterious girl next door. But his new life faces a beastly turn when h...
