The Heart Of Alchemy

Just a Little More

Varian should've known he'd somehow screw up Corona once stepping foot into the kingdom. Nevertheless, he never expected it to turn out like this.

"Hey, you guys found Varian!" Yong ducked from a punch that was incoming his way before turning his head slightly and giving a weary smile. "Come to join the fun?"

"Where is Lance?" Eugene asked, although everyone could see where the man was, as his legs stuck out from behind a thrown chair.

"I could use your help here, please!"

Yong's cries snapped Varian out of his ever-lasting daze. His mind still felt foggy from before, and he was only able to stand upright thanks to Nuru guiding him with her hand on his shoulder, but nevertheless did his body feel like it was running on one of Lance's drinks he'd introduced to him long ago: coffee.

And that coffee was capable of increasing his brain productivity.

He found his body moving out of Nuru's grasp, sparks of emotion overwhelming his mind. The figure before him cracking knuckles as a first striped forward towards Varian. He dodged to the left just in time, and Hugo let out a growl.

Everything was becoming weirder and stranger to Varian the longer he stayed in Corona. The sight of Hugo just proved him otherwise; eyes glowing and an intense white light piercing through a void once full of mischief, snarky comments, and love. It didn't help that the look he gave him was eerily familiar to Varian.

Heh. . . it was always those he cared about losing, wasn't it?

The yells of Yong snapped Varian out of his trace, being met with the young boy throwing pillows at Hogu and Nuru having grabbed a candlestick and was blocking the older boy's hits. (That girl was a beast when it came to sword fighting. Or in this case, candlestick and hand-to-hand combat fighting.) Eugene was over by Lance's unconscious body, most likely making sure he didn't have any serious injuries, while Rapunzel was sneaking up behind Hugo with a frying pan in her hand-

Wait. . .

The frying pan was getting closer to the elder boy's head. . .

His body seized and came to a sudden stop. The world around him felt cold and floaty-like. It was freezing like a snowstorm, yet it was all dusty and hot. It was all familiar, in a sense, and then his voice came through.

Soon, child. Soon everything will spill, and nothing shall be left. . ."

Sudden hands were placed onto Hugo's shoulders, though he didn't seem to notice it a bit. No doubt would that frying pan cause Hugo harm. . .

That was when the voice prior changed into one even colder; sinister and hate lacing it all like a pretty little bow for a present for someone's death day. This time it was her voice that shrieked and screeched against his ears.

"You must not trust them then, don't you?"

Varian felt time stop in that very moment, heat building up behind his eyes as--even though gasps were heard all around--fell deaf to his ears. And soon a certain pain of lips locked with his own, and his eyes would flash open to match Hugo's own: nothing but pure light.

It was as if he'd been sucked up by that portal a while back. Nerves and sickness rolled in his stomach and anxiety flooding into his veins as he gazed at the two in front of him.

On one side was his Hugo, whose glasses were tilting to the side and ponytail slipping away, exhaustion clearly beginning to overtake him. On the other side was Donella, a smirk dancing along her lips as she seemingly glanced at him, as if she could see him.