Weirdos IV: The Emerald Heart

Chapter 2: Faux Tranquility

It's a good thing that the Woodland Mansion has a lot of rooms that's why we didn't have any problem accommodating all the people that went with us. Even though Tony, Philip, Jared, and I will have to share a room, it's still spacious enough for the four of us. As Ezekiel conjured cushions and beddings out of thin air, my Plant Magic skills were put to use by producing wood and crafting it into double-decker beds.

Within several minutes, almost all the people inside the house have fallen asleep. With nearly everyone sleeping, I went downstairs where I saw Ezekiel putting balls of light inside glass orbs in the hallways and rooms to provide illumination.

"There's no electricity here," he said without looking at me. "Don't worry, though. My powers are enough to supply energy to the entire house. There's no electricity because we don't need it here."

"I'm sorry for what I did—"

"Not necessary," Ezekiel replied. "Totally understandable. You of all people have the right to be shocked and angered by what happened last night. Pero kagaya mo, nagulat din kami. Sana lang maisip mo na wala namang mangyayari kung magagalit ka lang. We need to be united, especially now. Kung hindi natin kayang maging isa, pa'no pa natin haharapin si Serafina?"

I nodded. "Also, I need to tell you something. It's about Elijah," I said.

"You have my ears," Ezekiel said while still busy putting his balls of light inside the glass orbs.

"Remember the contamination of my core? Elijah's been trying to fix it over the past few months. Several weeks ago, he summoned me inside my head and he acted so strange and weird. I just found out last night that he's been contaminated by Serafina's magic, too. It was too late already. Elijah was—"

My voice faltered.

Ezekiel closed his eyes momentarily. "He's gone?" he asked.

I nodded. "I've been trying to contact him since last night but I could no longer sense him inside me. If Serafina's magic has contaminated my core, then she could easily do to me what she did to RB last night. It already happened once, and I'm sure that she's going to exploit her connection with me."

"We won't let that happen," he said. "We're going to find a way to stop Serafina from messing with you. Once we're settled here, we're going to visit Delphina—"

I raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

"She's a Seer that my sister always consults whenever she doesn't have any idea about something. Delphina's also the one who gave me that creepy black cloak," Ezekiel replied.

The two of us finally reached the main hall of the mansion where numerous pictures of the Evanesca family hung on the walls. Ezekiel looked around the hall with a hint of nostalgia on his face. One of the pictures on the wall suddenly flew towards him with the help of his telekinesis.

"This is me when I was seven," he said, showing me a picture of him wearing tattered clothes. "Now that I think of it, our family doesn't have even a single photo together. Ate Elena and I are the only remaining descendants of the Evanescas, and I feel a bit of regret now for not having a family picture with the old hag and our parents. I think we're the only Evanesca family who doesn't have a picture together."

Ezekiel sighed deeply before gesturing behind him. "In the past, this house bustled with people. Our great-grandparents made this house so big so that they could accommodate all the people in Terresena whenever there's a special occasion in the town. When they were forced to go into hiding, they still lived here with the help of protective enchantments. This house witnessed all the happiest and darkest moments of the Evanesca bloodline."