Basil and the Slumbering Emerald

Just the Beginning

It was early June when Basil and Kelkian found the perfect modern apartment for them to move into with Mattias. Basil focused on packing his things while Kelkian took care of furniture shopping with Mattias. Eros lounged on the bed in a coil while Basil tucked away clothes into a box until he found of Gram's shirts that he borrowed and never gave back. Basil smiles and pulls the t-shirt that was practically a dress on him out and puts it on, changing his shirt. He gets up going to the mirror and summons his phone to him taking a picture of himself in Gram's t-shirt posing with a wink. He texts it to Gram with the caption of just "Always yours baby." He puts his phone away and goes back to packing. Something about putting everything you own boxes makes you nostalgic. He smiles as he puts things in boxes feeling like he is in a much better place than he was before. Basil stacks the boxes in the empty bedroom and picks Eros.

"You are incredibly strong Basil. You have gone through so much in the last year and it is only the beginning." Eros's sibilant voice hisses and echoes in his head. Basil smiles and shrugs.

"All in the life of the chosen one huh?" He jokes going out to the kitchen where Petril is sitting and eating lunch while Joe is at work. Basil sits down on Petril's lap making him laugh.

"You are too big and too old to be sitting on your uncles lap anymore Basil." Petril laughs hugging him. Basil shakes his head.

"Maybe but I'm never to old to tell my dad that I love him." Basil smiles and kisses Petril's cheek getting up. Petril grins after him as Basil uses a teleportation spell on his belongings to take them to his new apartment. Kelkian and Mattias are in the middle of carrying furniture in. Basil smiles and sits down on the couch lounging back. "I didn't know they made anything bigger than a king sized bed..." Basil says impressed by the size of the mattress coming in through the door.

"They don't. This is custom. What kind of heathen buys straight from the store. No wonder you always have trouble sleeping." Kelkian turns up his nose making Mattias and Basil laugh. Basil gets up and starts unpacking. "I also heard through the grapevine that Gram got a scholarship for hockey." Kelkian mentions casually and Basil smiles a bit.

"And that had nothing to do with the recommendations that the Cobrahn family made on his behalf?" Mattias jabs and kelkian feigns innocence.

"Me? Never..." He grins winking at Basil who rolls his eyes. "Even if he isn't dating Basil anymore I know how much you want him to be happy." Kelkian says seriously making Basil nod and Mattias chuckles.

"That's his shirt you are wearing isn't it?" Mattias gestures at the t-shirt and Basil blushes a bit shrugging.

"It reminds me of him. I miss him so much but... if you love something let it go, if it comes back to you then it's yours." Basil quotes and the other two share a look before going back to carrying furniture. Basil works on unpacking everyone's things, setting up the bathroom and putting together the kitchen. By the end of the night Basil has made pizza, Petril's recipe, and the entire set of furniture is in the apartment. Some things are still in boxes but nothing that needs to be done that night. The three sit curled up on the couch together watching movies with dinner. Basil's phone goes off and he picks it up to check and it's from Gram simply saying "Always <3".

Kelkian looks over at his phone and smiles. "It's good to see that you are on good terms with him still. I know you two still love each other. I could swear you were destined to be soulmates as well." Kelkian smiles. "Maybe you are. Maybe you have one soulmate for ever alignment you have. If that's the case, Gram will never be able to leave you for long. Trust me love." He nuzzles his neck.

That night the three of them go to sleep together curled up in bed. Basil wakes up underwater, immediately he tries to teleport but his magic does nothing. He swims to the surface, breaking through and gulping for air as he treads water. Looking around Basil is in the bottom of a very full well. He tries to get out but the walls are slippery and coated in magic that burns his hands like fire but leaves no physical burn. Looking down he can see a blue light coming from beneath him deep down in the well. Basil takes a deep breath and dives downward toward the light. As he is swimming something grabs his leg and he flails trying to kick free, he turns around and swims for the surface again just to be pulled down, as soon as he starts to drown his body jolts awake. Basil coughs up water, completely soaking wet in bed. Kelkian and Mattias both look at him worried.

"What happened love?" Kelkian asks as Basil coughs up more water.

"I don't know. There was a well full of water that I couldn't get out of. I saw a light at the bottom and tried to swim to it but something grabbed my leg and I couldn't swim properly. I nearly drowned. "Basil shudders freezing cold. Mattias goes and grabs towels to dry Basil off as he changes out of his wet pajamas. On Basil's leg is a claw mark that weeps blood. Mattias gets paper towels and dabs up the blood while Kelkian magics them shut. Mattias pulls Basil into his warm body and does his best to warm him back up. "I'm not going back to sleep after that. I don't want to drown in my sleep." Basil argues and neither Kelkian nor Mattias can argue.

"You don't think this has anything to do with one of the stones like it did with the slumbering emerald, do you?" Mattias questions and Kelkian shrugs.

"The Drowning Sapphire is supposed to be at the bottom of a well that no one has been able to reach the bottom of." Kelkian explains and Basil groans grabbing the Slumbering Emerald from it's hiding place in the spine of the photobook that Gram gave him. Basil looks into the emerald briefly before hiding it again sliding it back onto the shelf.

"No rest for the wicked?" Basil chuckles a bit and looks at the other two. "Looks like this was just the beginning." He sighs and shrugs going to make coffee and start breakfast really early.

A couple hours later there is a knock at the door. Basil goes to answer it and finds a man in a blue robe like the ones from his rites at the front door. "Basil Vipera and Kelkian Cobrahn?" He asks.

"Yes?" Basil asks calling Kelkian over.

"You have been officially accepted to Boarwick's College of the Unbound Arts. Here is your letters of acceptance, your supplies list, and your identification stones. With the recent attacks only those with identification stones can teleport with the bounds of the college. Keep them on you at all times. Congratulations and Welcome." Kelkian closes the door smiling broadly.

"College here we come!"