Shattered-Season 4 of Regal Academy

An Old Regime

Hawk

I blinked in confusion. "But..." Richelle smiled. "They always assumed that only the firstborn could be a warlock." She stretched out her arms, seemingly excited to perform the spell. Her expression, however, did not change. "So, Richelle, is there anything we need to do to help with the spell?" Richelle nodded. "The blood of one from each of the six royal families-Cinderella, Snow White, LeFrog, Beast, Rapunzel and Ironfan will be needed to undo a spell like this one." Rose nodded. "So... we go and get them?" Richelle shook her head. "I will just summon them." She closed her eyes, silently chanting in a foreign language. Her skin began to glow, surrounding her with an almost godly aura. The light around her began to take shape and change colour. I noticed a pink tower, a green frog and an orange fan. 

The tower slowly morphed into the shape of Astoria Rapunzel, who quite literally shimmered into existence. The frog became Joy. The fan lost its shape and eventually faded away. Richelle sighed. "It seems that the Ironfan girl is being protected by magic." She sighed. "Our location has been compromised. Quickly, bring out your hands." We all put forward a hand. Richelle pulled a small phial from her pocket, extracting a drop of blood from each of us with a small needle before dropping it into the phial. As all the drops were added, the mixture began to shimmer, small rivulets of silver passing through it each time another drop of Regal blood was added. "Now stand. I will summon Princess Ironfan herself." Richeele began to chant yet again just as strange, grotesque creatures started to approach us from either side.

"Pumpkin Magic!" Rose turned her wand clockwise, turning it into a staff. She then placed both hands onto it firmly. "I call upon my ancestors!" She brought the staff above her head. "Help me save our legacy!" A halo of golden light surrounded Rose. Moments later, the staff hit the ground, sending tremors through the ground. The creatures dissipated, melting into the shadows. As the light cleared, I realised that Rose... was no longer there." I reached toward the staff gingerly. "Rose?" There was no answer. The staff clattered to the ground, completely devoid of colour. "ROSE! NO!" I felt my knees buckle. She was... gone. Completely, absolutely, gone. The one I loved, the one I cared for, the one who meant the world to me. She died trying to save us all. "No... Rose...." 

Travis flung himself at the staff, yelling manically. Astoria stood, blinking and sighing. "No... she can't be..." Joy clutched her chest. "No, no, no, no, no......" Rose. She couldn't leave me. I needed her. She was the only one keeping me alive, strengthening the thread that kept me anchored to humanity. Her death had snapped the thread, and I was falling toward oblivion... Darkness unlike any other... I resisted, but I couldn't stop myself from being engulfed in the darkness. Surrounded by the confronting wish of being released from the pain. The light was gone. The happiness, the care, the love, the compassion. I let go of it, letting myself sink to the bottom of the chasm. 

The grotesque creatures were suddenly beautiful. Down here, deep in the dark, the cold of heart could rejoice. Their strange, distorted, beauty came to life. They encompassed me, paper white skin against long black dresses. Blue eyes like voids of icy glaciers. Lips are red as the blood running through their veins. Hair so blonde it was close to white. I smiled, slowly rising to join them. Beauty. Money. Power. What more did I want? "Yes, Snow White. Come closer." And so I fell in, the human within me gone. "It is done. Her sacrifice made it possible." My gaze fell upon a blonde woman. "You." I reached, throttling her. She gasped, choked. What a human thing to do. To be vulnerable. To feel pain. And... She went limp, her face turning as pallid as that of the darkness. 

And to die. "Which of you is next?" I pulled my dagger where a wand once was. I did not need magic when I could have power. I did not need good when I had bad. I did not need emotions when I had oblivion. I stretched the dagger along the elderly woman's neck, red blood lining my blade. I pulled the blade along my own arm, reveling the void within me. There was no longer flesh, blood and bone. There was only power. Only the worst fueling me. I took the phial of blood. "I suppose I could murder you. But then again, I suppose your blood will have to do." I drank the golden derum, feeling the surge of raw, unfiltered, explicit energy. I turned to face the remaining crowd. "Watch out fairy tales." I licked the blood off of my lips. "Your end comes near."

 Is Rose really and truly gone? And what will Hawk do now that he has lost his humanity? What are the creatures that have created the monster within him? Find out in the next chapter of Shattered!