Chapter 67: Chapter 67

Chapter 66

Garfield West ~

It was all happening so fast that I found it hard to believe that it's actually in reality and not just some dream.

I, a lycan?

It's crazy enough that I am in a whole new world that's different from the one I grew up to know but to add to the batter, how can Sofia and Ryan come to the same conclusion that I am a lycan just because of what I told them?

The rapid healing prooved them right. What's happening to me?

If there's one thing I'm beginning to put my trust in concerning magic is that the pictue tends to be clearer if you just open your eyes a little more wider and believe what you see. The sooner I believe and get used to things being unbelieveable, the less confusing they'll seem. Althoygh, I have my doubts.

This world has an air different from where the one I grew in. Magic must have an influence over everything here.

"I'm beginning to think this is a bad idea mom. If you say this Cassius guy is extremely dangerous, this isn't something we should be doing? Cassius requested for me alone. Don't you think bringing you all against our agreement would anger him? Gar? I don't mind trading my life for my birth-mother." Elena asked turning her gaze to me with an expression exposing her fear alongside anxiety.

A part of me can help but think this somehow to be a very bad idea but telling Elena would make her more afraid than she already is plus there is no much time left for us to cook up another plan that's going to involve her alone and she, her birth-mother come out unharmed and zero interference from Cassius.

"To hell with his anger? Everything is going to work out just fine. The only anger you should be worried about is mine. If he dares to do anything to hurt you, I'll tear him to pieces. I don't care who the hell he thinks he is or how powerful he may be." I said with a confident and encouraging smile.

All of a sudden, my vision started getting dimmer and the voice in my head grew louder until it was all I could hear. I was forced to close my eyes but when I opened them, I felt different.

The same way I felt at the warehouse. Like someone else had taken control of my mind and body. The feeling was unlike anything I had ever felt even compared to last time. I felt so strong that I could lift up a building from the ground.

Like I did before at the warehouse, I lost control and shifted to a complete lycan.

"I warned you not to shift!" Ryan complain hitting his hand on his head in annoyance. "At least try not to loose control. We don't want to attract more attention than necesarry."

I ran out of the area covered by the cloaking spell Elena's mom casted over us. I tried resisting being controlled but I wasn't strong enough to withstand the opposing force. In a few seconds I was out.

It's like I'm unconscious but someone else more like something else was in control of me.

"Roarrr!!!"

"You have your distraction. Now go!"

"Ryan, follow me. We've gotten their attention." Sofia said holding Elena's hand in hers and walked towards a door guarded by two already shifted lycans. "We have to get to Alessia by the time Cassius gets here. Then, get her to her people." Sofia said taking Elena by the arm.

I stood confused as to what to do. It was clear that with the commotion the lycan guads were making having noticed us, Cassius should have it in mind that we are in the castle.

"What about me?" Charlie asked still holding the duffel bags in his hands as they rested on the ground.

Elena's mom must've did something to the bags Charlie was holding because they shrunk in size. Chalie picked them up from the ground in their dimuntive form and inserted them into his pocket.

"Charlie, like the rest of the warriors, you're bait for Cassius." "Commander Sam, I'm putting him under your watch and protection. Keep him in one piece until Cassius gets here. No matter what, none of these lycans should strike a claw on him." Sofia added still heading for the door.

Commander Sam nodded and drew out his sword as the lycans were slowly advancing towards he, his men and Charlie. The lycans I supposed to be guards walked towards Sofia with their claws ready to tear her to shreds. I can't tell for sure what happened but somehow, the next thing I saw was the lycans in flames.

That has to be Ryan's doing.

"Feels so to be back." I heard Ryan say stretching forth his hands as he stood in front of Sofia and Elena with fireballs forming at his fingertips.

"This way." Sofia directed pointing towards a group of lycans charging straight for them as they walked into the room shielded by the door.

"Where exactly is the queen? You have to forget about me for now and get to her. The best I can do for you both is cover you up from the lycan guards but if I continue, like this, we'll be heavy surrounded in a matter of minutes way before we get to Alessia." Ryan said shooting down three more lycan guards.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten how populous lycans are in this world? Even if we have the upper strength, they out-number us." he added sending another round of fireballs against some other approaching lycans in the opposite direction.

"As much as I don't want to admit it, you are clearly right. The lycans are too much for us to get to the dungeon by foot without Cassius getting to us first. I'll conjure up a portal to Alessia's location wherever she is in the castle. On foot, we'll barely make it there in good timing." Sofia suggested before she released her hand from Elena and joined it with the other in a solid clap.

Sofia closed her eyes and when she reopened them, her irises were glowing in the shade of green. She was shifting into her witch form. She mumbled a couple of words as she casted a spell. She took out a short string of hair from Elena hurriedly, placed it between her hands and continued the casting.

Again, she took it out and pinched it on both ends with a fingers from both hands and then in a slow drag, she pulled it's ends out in opposing directions. Sofia was casting the portal. The wider she pulls the flexible strand, the bigger the glowing portal made from it became.

"This portal would lead us right to the chamber where Cassius has her captive." Sofia noted having made the portal.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Ryan asked walking towards the portal after he had made sure there wasn't a lycan in the room in sight. "I'll go first."

Sofia and Elena followed right behind him. Luckily for them, Cassius wasn't at the other side of the portal. The first thing Elena set eyes on as she raised up her head was her birth-mother, the rightful lycan queen, Alessia Claw Wolfs eyes locked with hers.

She instantly bonded with her.

"Great! Cassius fell for the bait. I'll take care of the watch-wolves. You two get Alessia out of here. We don't have much time before he gets back." Ryan said igniting a sword made of fire in his hand as he walked towards the lycans that were right infront of Alessia and two others.

Rather than move or do anything, Elena froze up. She just stood there her eyes not leaving Alessia. Elena was the spitting image of Alessia so their relation was beyond doubts. The woman before he is truely her birth-mother. They were both speechless until Alessia broke the silence.

"Elena? My daughter??" Tears welled up in Alessia's eyes as she spoke. "No! No! You shouldn't have come! Cassius is going to..."

"We've taken care of that." Sofia claimed untieing the enchanted ropes holding Alessia and two other females who she recognised as witches to different chairs. "We are getting you out of here wheather or not Cassius approves."

"You don't understand. Sophia, I trusted you to protect her and under no circumstances bring her an inch close to that monster." Alessia said with some frequent gasps between her words." "It's a trap." Alessia's wounds started healing after the rope was untied.

"What do you mean it's a trap?"

"Really? After all these decades, Sofia you should've known better than to invade my kingdom with your presence. You must have a death-wish" Cassius said appearing out of thin air with his hands behind his back. "And look, you brought just what I wanted with you." "Perfect."

Before Sofia could react, Cassius waved his hands over Sofia and she fell on her knees. He conjured up enchanted ropes and tied Sofia in them before averting his gaze to Elena.

Elena tried using the enchanted stones but when she threw them to the ground, a portal opened and the stone went in and reappeared in Cassius hand.

"No one's going anywhere!" Cassius said crushing the stones in his palm.

"You underestimate her, Cassius. Your magic is nothing compared to what she has within her. And now that she's..."

"Stop talking." Cassius commanded and instantly, Sofia's words ceased.

By now Elena was in the hands of her mother with the two witches in front of them.

"Get out of my way!"

The two witches rose up in the air towards opposite directions smashing against the hard wall landing unconscious to the ground.

"I remember telling you not to come with anyone else. You should have listened!" Cassius said walking with slow steps towards Alessia and Elena.

His head was directed to the ground.

"You said that you'll let her go if I came. Here I am now let her go. Let them all go." Elena said with stern eyes at Cassius.

Elena spoke with a high sense of courage. Even she had no idea where this courage she speaks with came from. She didn't want to seem intimidated by Cassius one bit.

Cassius stopped in his tracks and gave an evil smile from one end of his mouth.

"I beileve my exact words were that her freedom depends on you. At least for the time being. Just you." Cassius said raising his head up to meet the eyes of Elena.

His eyes were in the thickest shade of black.

"You'll never have her! How many times do we have to say it before you get it?" Alessia asked pushing Elena behind her and conjuring up a barrier between them and Cassius.

"Break."

That word alone from Cassius destroyed the magical barrier separating both sides. Cassius has filled himself with so much dark magic that his words now possess power. He has attained a rank all creatures mark forbidden to magic.

"You have known me for a very long time. When have I not gotten what I want? There will suely be the likes of you and your idiotic brother to oppose me but in the end, I always get what I desire. One way or another." Cassius reassured stretching out his hands that were cupped. "Power, the lycan throne, the tree of magic, she's next."

With a swift and powerful force, Alessia was pulled towards his left hand and he gripped her by the neck.

"Stay where you are." Elena was unable to go after her mother.

"All this could have been avoided at her birth but no, you just had to take her to a world without magic hoping that she'll be safe from me." Cassius strangled her as he spoke.

At first, with so little effort but it began increasing with each passing pulse.

"Here we are exactly a hundred and twelve years later if I am correct. What good did that do for her except prolonging her life by a decade and some years? I'm still going to crush her heart. This time, I'll make sure you can't oppose me."

"Stop!! You're hurting her!" Elena screamed in tears trying to break free from whatever was keeping her static.

It was of no use. She wasn't strong enough to shake it off and Cassius' grip on Alessia was getting more and more intense. At this rate, Alessia won't last ten seconds before her strength gives up on her.

"Be patient! Your time will come." Cassius said before using his left hand to bat Elena to a wall. "In the end, it all leads back to me." Cassius looked Alessia straight in the eyes as he spoke.

Elena flew to the hard wall and smashed hard against it. She remained there for a few seconds before she rose up from the ground aiding herself with her hands. Sparks of electricity were visible on her fingertips. He black hair suddenly turned silver and her eyes went solid golden.

What's happening to Elena?

"I said, STOOPP!!!!" Elena roared before she charged towards Cassius in the blink of an eye and ceased him by the hand pressing hard on it.

That was the same hand he had her mother strangled. With so much strength, Cassius hand was getting crushed like it was some cookie and Elena watched his grip on Alessia lessen until his hand was off her.

"Vampyre ad aulam regis!" Elena said and in a blue cloud of smoke, Alessia, the two witches and Sofia were taken out of sight.

"Did you really think I was ever going to forgive you?" Elena said pushing Cassius with the flick of her wrist and he smashed against a pillar of the castle walls. "Did you really think I was going to let you get away with betraying my trust for you?? To think I onced loved a heartless monster like you."

Cassius stared at Elena with eyes wide with surprise. 'Where did she get all that strength from and what is she saying' he thought. Who was the person speaking to him? It's not the trybrid child for one thing and for another, it couldn't be who he thinks it is. A fragment of the old Thomas Rein.

"Valer..."

"Don't even dare!!" Elena said folding her hand into a fist. "You lost the right to as little as say my name the moment you agreed to trademy life for that magical orb." Elena declared walking up to him.

"How are you doing this? You're supposed to be dead. I watched you die." Cassius asked in confusion as he stood up. "I watched you die."

"A blind fool! What you've always been. I will forever regret you." "Look around, this land, this world, this very room is flowing with magic or have you forgotten rule number seven already?" Elena asked cocking her head to look at Cassius as he got up from the rubble. "Surel..."

"With magic, anything is possible." "How can I? It's the driving force that keeps me after the trybrids power. "You know what I want and I don't mind sacrificing this entire world to get her back." Cassius said before using his lightning speed to take himself to Elena and grip her by the neck.

"By now, you must understand why I'm doing all these. She's the only one my heart beats for not even you." "It's my fault she's gone so I have to bring her back."

Cassius began to suck Elena's power from her body. In excruciating pain, she screamed at the top of her voice. Is it all going to end here? If Cassius acquires all her powers the war between him and the rest of the supernatural creatures will be as good as over with him the supreme overlord. The supernatural world would be at his behest forever.

"Go back to whatever pit you came from witch! I'm not going to rest until Arielle is back in my arms. I don't love you. Never had! Never will!" "With the trybrids power, I can bring her back and perhaps, give you a second chance with another life." "Maybe just..."

"You talk too much!"

A flaming sword flew across the room and pinned right in the chest of Cassius coming out through the opposite side of his chest. At once, Cassius released Elena from his grip and all her magical powers that were making their way into his soul flowed back into her body. She fell unconscious to the ground.

"Stay away from her." Ryan said waving his hand over the air and there was a magical fiery barrier all around Cassius.

A barrier that no magical force could break. This fiery barrier was the prime reason why after taking the powers of all brothers of Ryan, Cassius still desired his. This barrier was a gift from the goddess. He alone possessed it. With it, he could trap whatever creature or magic for as long as he wants and it'll be helpless to get out.

The only catch to the fire control is that it drains a huge amount of energy from him both physical and magical so he does it only at desperate times and for short periods.

Cassius couldn't move and the fire made sure to burn him in his static state. If he tried to do anything with his magic, the barrier would multiply and reverse the effects on him.

"I'll hold him down for as long as I can. Take Elena and get her to the others." Ryan added looking at Gar who was racing towards Elena. "The flames won't harm you."

"Lycan, I command you to tear this phoenix apart!" Cassius commanded from within the fiery prison.

"I thought I made it clear that I take orders from you?" Gar said before he lifted Elena and carried her in his brawny ams out of the room having Chalie lead the way.

"I'll make you regret being a lycan" Cassius shouted after Gar. "For how long do you think you can keep her away from me? It's just a matter of time until I kill her." Ryan heard Cassius' voice after a few minutes but his lips weren't moving.

Cassius was in his mind.

"Get out of my head!!" Ryan's head lit on fire in union with the forceful power of his wards.

Ryan stretched out his hands and his flaming sword drove out of Cassius through the opposite side and got back to his grip making Cassius bleed insanely with a high healing rate to follow.

Even with Cassius supernatural healing which is of high speed, Ryan's flames were doing a number on him.

Ryan was running out of strength to keep the barrier up. He has to do something or else, Cassius would be free from the fiery prison.

"I coelestes carceres..." Ryan casted a spell and flames from different corners of the room surrounded him with great intensity of both light and heat.

The flames settled down almost as soon as they came and when it all went out, Ryan was gone with the flames. The flames surrrounding Cassius and the magic keeping them up dwindled until there was none left and Cassius healed with ease until he was without a burn or a single scratch.

"You can run, Elena! But you can't hide. Not from me you can't! Wherever you are, I'll find you! And I'll end you!!!" Cassius roared at the top of his terrifying voice. "I'll kill anyone that tries to protect you."