Discord Isles: Black Ice Island

Ch 14. With One Accord

   A storm had picked up on the island, whether or not it was from Scarlet's so obviously unsteady emotions, or her purposefully attempting to throw the group off was uncertain. However, thunder rumbled against the ice and the wind had picked up, flurries had begun to fall and were now coming down heavy.

Rocks tumbled down the back of Scarlet's palace- which was more of a mountain consumed with spiraling ice and a large cave inside- and the Psychic subsequently crept through the thick snow behind it.

"Maya!" Breeze hissed, head peering around the corner. "Maya stop! We need to stay together!"

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" Maya responded in a mutter. Her mismatched eyes were glossing over with a thin layer of ice. Maya was gazing at the back entrance of the palace: slick marble stairs that lead up to a large icy entrance guarded by what appeared to be twins. Two boys: both with green eyes and black hair, one looked shorter and paler, with a rounder face. The other was tall, with longer hair that covered his eyes.

"What are you talking about?" Breeze whispered.

"I know what you're up to!" The Psychic said, icy eyes glaring at the other. Breeze was taken aback by the amount of ice glazing over her eyes.

Breeze swallowed, then sighed. "Ok, I'm not gonna lie; you're a bitch, but you need to listen to me-"

"I don't need to-"

"Yes you do! Scarlet is manipulating you right now, and you know it! Look at your reflection, you idiot! Whenever she's manipulating someone, ice creeps into their corneas, and it's obvious! So just look at yourself. You need to stop letting her manipulate you so you don't become like them-!" She motioned to the twin bug elementals guarding the back entrance, standing stiff and nervous. "-She's making you think that I'm the bad guy; she's already torn your friends apart!"

Somewhat, in the Psychic's mind she knew Breeze wasn't the villain, but every inch of her being was reminding her of all the terrible elementals in Red, and of all the problematic people they'd met in the past. Every regret she had was someone else's fault, it was her job to protect her friends, and all these thoughts were baltering in her head. Despite that, she knew Scarlet was manipulating her, and her friends.

Maya closed her eyes rapidly and shook her head, and the haze over her eyes dissipated.

Breeze grinned a bit, her honeysuckle yellow and bright orange eyes lit up.

Maya looked at her. "She really is manipulating us, isn't she?"

Breeze nodded, fiery crimson hair remaining slick against her head.

"You don't have to trust me, but at least until we get rid of Scarlet, can you just-" Breeze calmed her harsh tone to a whisper, "-follow my lead?"

"..yeah. Yeah, I will. I'm s.." Maya glanced at Breeze's cocky demeanor and her eyes darkened a bit, "I'm so ready to get rid of Scarlet so I can think clearly again. Let's go get Max and Taube so we can find Oliver."

Breeze sighed in a slightly annoyed assurance, before following Maya over to where Max and Taube were hidden.

    Oliver sprinted through the storm, back to where he'd left his friends. The ice had dissipated from his eyes, replaced with a look of determination.

'Don't worry sis, we're on our way.'

His friends were there; he could see the warm movement of Maya and Breeze sneaking towards the fairy and ghost halfbreed behind the jagged rocks.

Despite his heavy breathing and the cold air jabbing at his lungs, he kept running against the storm, the wind making his eyes water.

Scarlet was writhing internally due to this; his determined and willful spirit had fought hard against her manipulative powers and had ceased to exist in his mind. Much like Max, Taube, and Maya, he found he could fight against her manipulative abilities by thinking of what's really important.

'Lily'

"Olli?" Taube peered up from behind the rocks, seeing the green figure in the distance.

"Oliver?!" Max exclaimed, sitting upright excitedly, "is it really him?!"

"G-guys!" Oliver panted breathlessly, the wind whipping away the sound of his voice as he approached.

Eventually he arrived, and collapsed in the snow next to them, gasping for breath.

"V-Valencia and Indigo have my sister!" He stopped for a moment to catch his breath, whilst the group stared at him in horror, aside from Breeze who looked at him with a strange curiosity. "V-Valencia tracked us d-down and said w-we all have to meet them in Varick's basement or else-"

"No." Breeze said sternly, learning a crazed look from everyone else, "Oliver, you were hallucinating. Scarlet's manipulative powers are so strong, they can mess with your mind in crazy ways."

"N-no! It was real! I kn-know what I saw!"

Breeze locked eyes with him for a moment, then upon seeing they were a clear lime green, free from frost, she shook her head in disbelief.

"It was real, or else your eyes would be glossed over. You fought Scarlet's powers off, didn't you? You all have been fighting her off, haven't you? just like me."

"Just like you?" Taube echoed.

"Did you have to go up against Scarlet or something?" Max said, eyes glimmering.

"Yeah. After I realized she was manipulating me, I just shook her right off." Breeze muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing a fire tattoo on her wrist to the whole group.

"Oooh! What's that?!" Max reached out to touch her arm but received a hasty smack on the hand.

"Are you forgetting what the bug boy just said?! His sister's been kidnapped or something! It's real! He wasn't hallucinating!"

"Y-yeah, w-we need to leave this island and get back h-home to save Lily now!"

"Wait, wait, wait- You can't just do that in Scarlet's storm! We need to stop her first. Since we're all here together, and you're all obviously capable of fighting off Scarlet's powers we need to stop her now! Then you can leave and go save your sister or whatever...you lot get in a lot of trouble often, don't you?"

"Well..we are sort of criminals on our island." Taube said quietly, earning a punch on the arm from Max.

Maya scoffed, still not enjoying taking orders from Breeze, yet complying as a way to fight off Scarlet. Oliver gazed with determination at the fire halfbreed.

"Ok. So here's the plan."