The Hidden Mages

Xavier Adonia Blackheart

(picture above is Xavier)

Darkness. That's all there was in the cave I assumed was the home of a demon. The demon of fire, Xalrath. The one who took over my brother's soul. We took out our flashlights after realizing that we couldn't even see our own feet.

"This place is giving me the creeps," Lucas whispered.

"Yea, you can say that again," I whispered back.

The deeper we went, the colder it got. Every step we took felt like a mistake. Like we should turn back immediately. All of a sudden, I felt a cool breeze brush my neck and I'm guessing the other two felt it too. The thing was that we were so deep into the cave, there was no way we could feel a breeze unless someone moves. Or something.

"Please tell me I wasn't the only one who felt that," I said after stopping dead in my tracks.

"Something is here," Lucas stated, his voice low as possible.

Despite the fear inside us, we continued forward, trying our very best to stay focused. We eventually found two tunnels that led to two different directions.

"Wanna split up?" I asked Lucas.

"Hell no! Have you ever watched a horror movie? Splitting up never works out well," Lucas answered.

So, the three of us ended up walking into the same tunnel which was the one on the left. After a while, we reached a huge empty space. There was literally nothing there and it'll probably take us an hour to find the next tunnel. By looking at their faces, I'm pretty sure they were thinking the same thing as me. Something bad is gonna happen. And we were right in the middle of it all.

I reached for the small device that Vincent gave us before splitting up. I took it out of my pocket and pressed the button to speak but, then, I saw something hiding in the shadows. All three of us backed away slowly. One step at a time. The more we backed away, the more closer it got. Eventually, the thing had no other choice but to step out of the dark and that was when we could finally make out the creature that was lurking in the shadows. Its eyes were the color of fire and it glared into our terrified soul. It growled loudly, its fangs showing, ever so clearly and its wings laid on its back. The three of us were stunned, our eyes wide open and filled with fear because in front of us stood a hybrid. Part demon, part hell hound.

The demon stopped but its glowing eyes stayed on us. All of a sudden, the demon roared. Its wings opened up and its entire body was now on fire. Literally. Once I came back to reality, I quickly pressed the button on the small device.

"GUYS!! WE FOUND HIM!!" I yelled into the device.

Right after that, the demon pounced towards us. The three of us jumped out of the way, not wanting to be a hell hound's dinner.

"Zoe? We're coming!" I heard Leona said through the small device I had in my hand.

The three of us were now backed up against the wall with the demon in front of us.

"Xavier?! I know you're in there!" I spoke, my hands trembling by my side.

For a moment there, I swear I saw the eyes of the demon change..............from demon to human. The feeling of relief washed over me for just a few seconds but panic rose inside me right after that. The demon's eyes turned back to normal and it started growling at us. Opal, who was by my side, growled back, her blue eyes glowing in the dark. I transformed into my Taurus armor while Lucas summon his spirit, Craig. Once again, the demon pounced towards us but this time I punched it back. The hybrid ended up hitting the wall on the other side. I looked at Lucas who had his sword at the ready.

"Remember we can't kill it. We just have to keep him occupied till the others get here with the crystal," I reminded him and he nodded firmly.

By then, the winged- hell hound had already gotten up and was glaring at us.

"I think you made it mad," Lucas told me.

"My bad,"

"Zoe!!" I heard Daphne call my name.

I turned to the right and saw the others running towards us.

"How did you get here so fast?" Lucas asked.

"Shadow travel," Angelo replied before turning towards the hell hound.

"Leona! The crystal!" said Vincent.

Leona, then, took out the crystal from her pocket but when she did, the winged- hell hound turned away as if it was afraid. Before Leona could start chanting the spell, the demon darted towards a tunnel that led to the exit but Daphne built an ice wall, blocking its way.

"We can't let it leave!" Nico ordered.

The demon tried escaping the other way but I jumped in front and knocked it back using the hilt of my sword.

"Cover your eyes!" Lucas yelled once he realized that Leona was about to finish chanting the spell.

The light coming from the crystal shone brightly after the spell was complete, just like it did in The Dreadful Haven. I could hear the deafening cry of the winged- hell hound echoing through the entire cave but it stopped after a while. Once the light started fading, we slowly opened our eyes. It took us a while to adjust our eyes to the surrounding. I turned to where I saw the demon last but instead of a demon I saw a boy laying on the cold ground. I rushed towards him without a second thought.

"Xavier?" I called his name before kneeling down beside him.

Panic rose in me when he didn't reply. I was about to call his name again when I saw his eyes fluttering open.

"W-where am I?" he asked, his voice low and weak.

I was too shock to even reply. Weeks ago I didn't even know I had a brother but now I'm staring right at him. It felt weird but also comforting.

"Who are-" but then he stopped. He stared back at me with his eyes wide open.

"Zoe?" he asked, tears filling his eyes. I had too many emotions swelling up inside me that I couldn't even get myself to open my mouth. I just nodded slowly, not realizing the tears running down my face but, then, he hugged me. I just hugged him back, not knowing what to say. After all this time, I finally found him.

I finally found my brother.

Xavier Adonia Blackheart.