Ezekiel Joziah Hunt is the last Descendant of the Stars.
As the bastard son of the King of Evimeria, he was shunned by his Grandfather Andreas when he was a small child and forced to rip off his supernatural powers.
Seeking sanctuary, Ezekiel moves...
(dedicated to @EmmyTries for the invaluable contribution and pointing out nuances I couldn't have myself :) )
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In the eleven years of his life, Elijah had never been more sure that his elder brother's idea was terrible.
Ezra tiptoed to the old oak door that led to Zeke's room. It was way past midnight, which meant that he was bound to be fast asleep. Ezra looked at him, putting a warning finger to his lips as he gently opened the door into the pitch darkness of Zeke's bedroom. Elijah gulped nervously, his trepidation increasing as their late-night misadventure began.
They stepped in silently, shutting the door behind them and casting the room in absolute darkness, except for the silver moonlight streaking on the carpeted floor. Ezra crouched down, crawling slowly towards the bed where they could see Zeke's form, asleep, cocooned under the blanket which rose and fell gently as he breathed.
Elijah followed reluctantly, his heart beating so hard that he was afraid Zeke would hear it. Ezra looked at him and nodded, his silver eyes glinting mischievously. He stood up and walked noiselessly to the head of the bed.
He held up three fingers to countdown, a smirk on his face. Elijah somehow couldn't find his elder brother's confidence and gulped. However, he knew it was too late to back away. He nodded.
The plan was simple. Make silly noises till Ezekiel was terrified and, hopefully, crying and blabbering. Elijah didn't understand why his brother derived so much pleasure from it, but he didn't want to be the spoilsport who ruined his plans. It still made him guilty. Despite everything, Ezekiel was younger to both of them. Only a year to Elijah but younger nonetheless. He was half afraid one of these days he would complain to their father. However, he hadn't resorted to telling on them since the past couple of years when he was brought to the palace. Who's to say he would now?
Ezra dropped one finger as Elijah's heart rate quickened. For a second, he wondered if he should just refuse to follow along with his brother's plans.
Another finger was down. Elijah remembered how strange Ezekiel had been ever since he had entered into their lives. He had had multiple doctor visits, although Elijah wasn't sure what for. His father refused to tell them anything, and after a while, Elijah had been too exhausted to care. All he knew was that Zeke had nightmares. Intense ones that caused him to cry and scream in the middle of the night almost every day. His heart raced in trepidation at the thought.
Was there any similarity between their nightmares?
He could hear the muffled shrieks even through the shut door of his room on the floor above. Zeke's blood-curdling screams rang in his head suddenly and his stomach turned guiltily. The thrashing and flailing while half in stupor didn't look like fun. He vaguely wondered what made Zeke act this way. He took a shuddering breath and fixed his gaze on Ezra who put down the final finger. It was time.
He took another deep breath and gently blew air from his mouth onto Ezekiel's exposed feet who stirred a little before falling back to sleep. He looked at Ezra, who was already on to the next phase. He leaned forward and seemed to whisper in Zeke's ears.
He crouched out of sight quickly before Zeke saw him, his reflexes just fast enough. Elijah mirrored his movements, hiding from view as Ezekiel shot straight up in bed. And that was when he realized. There was something very wrong.
Electricity seemed to crackle, and the moonlight impossibly reduced in brightness.
Ezra called out suddenly, his voice loud. Panicked. "El?"
Elijah moved quickly, standing and staring dumbstruck at the scene unfurling in front of him. Ezra stood beside the bed, his eyes wide with horror. His silver irises reflecting the purple that seemed to be radiating from Ezekiel's body. His entire form was vibrating. His eyes were ghostly, glassy with poison amethyst. His mouth opened in a noiseless scream, eerie energy filling the room. Intense, nameless powers radiated off the child which made goosebumps erupt on Elijah's skin.
Ezra stumbled backwards, and his eyes met Elijah's from across the bed. Elijah didn't know what was about to happen, but he knew it was going to be destructive.
Ezra's eyes seemed to cloud in the darkness, his gaze meeting his little brother's. Unrefined resolve in them.
Before Elijah could realize what was happening, Ezra raised his arm, palm towards him, and Elijah was thrown backwards onto the wall with a heavy thud as his brother's air powers forced him back.
The wind was knocked out of him as pain bolted through all parts of his body. He screamed, his brain uncomprehending as the entire room seemed to glow an eerie purple colour behind which neither of his brothers was visible.
His head banged against the ebony wainscoting of the room and made him see stars.
His breath caught in his throat as the strangest sensation surrounded him. As if his soul wanted freedom from its captive body. He felt a strong pull near his navel as if a plunger was pulling ruthlessly. He felt something precious being ripped away from him.
