Tangled After Ever After

Escape

The light of this spirit filled the room. Fear struck through Varian. He watched in complete shock as Cass grabbed something near her, flying herself in front of him.
"Who are you?" She held the metal rod towards the glowing figure. Who stood unmoved by her fiery strength. He looked at us, confused, "Surely one of you knows who I am."
Varian's eyes instantly shone as he recalled the descriptions of him in his books. From his eye patch to his muscular build. Could this be?
"O my gosh, your Demanitus!" Varian scrabbled ahead of Cassandra. Who gave him a confused look of disbelief.
"I have so many questions for you. How are you alive? How long have you been here? How did you get here? Are you a ghost?-" Varian reached out to touch him to see if he was honest before his hand was twisted back.
"Kid, slow down for a second. You can't just go touching people randomly. Plus, this could be some sort of trick!" She pushed Varian back behind her.
"I assure you, Cassandra, that I mean you know harm-"
"How do you know my name!" Cass exclaimed, holding the pole higher.
He seemed unthreatened by it. "The question is, who doesn't know your name." He gave her a small smile, receiving a gentle snicker from Varia,n causing Cassandra to glare between them, annoyed and angry.
"Do you know who I am?" Varian said with a bright bucktooth smile, motioning to himself.
"Of course, the little Alchemist who tried to take over Corona because his father got encased with the scents of an unfortunate material revolving around the sunstone. Yes, I am quite aware." A blush of embarrassment bubbled inside him as he sought the words to explain himself, though he decided it would be best to move one.
"So, are you dead?" Varian responded, coming close to Demanitus's floating form.
"Varian!" Cass said, shocked, roughly nudging him. Varian shrugged, bringing his hand over his bruised shoulder. "What? I was just asking."
"Well," He coughed, regaining their attention, "I guess I'm kind of a ghost. But I'm not dead...not yet, anyway. I'm still trapped in Vigor...though he's dying, and I fear I will be gone from this world soon." He didn't seem hurt by the comment but seemed saddened, having mentioned his friend was suffering. "Which is why I'd like to ask-"
"So, is this like some sort of projection used with your mind." Varian's mind suddenly kindled, interrupting Demnatisi's speech.
"Yes, precisely." He added.
"How di-"
"So why are you here exactly?" Cassie exclaimed before Varian could answer another question. He turned up annoyed at her, with her doing the same.
"I have a request that is very important to me. My lifelong desire has been to be reunited with the sundrop and the moonstone, which I have spent my entire life researching and risking my life for. I would like my resting place to be within them. That's why I'm willing to help you with the inscriptions." He pointed to the scroll Varian was holding.
Varian lifted the scroll to him before his hand was met with Cassie's. My insides turn to jello for a moment at the sudden touch.
"Give us a moment, please." Cassie dragged Varina by his collar, pulling him behind a wall of unevenly piled books. She abruptly let go, pulling him to the floor, feeling the presence of dust wash over him. Varina looked up to see fear and panic glistening in her eyes. She whispered," Kid, I know this is your role model, but how do we know he's telling the truth? Maybe this is what the Saporians want us to do."
Varian stood up to answer her question. "Cassie, we have to. We can't just leave Corona in danger. And he's the only one I know who can decipher this perfectly. I've tried. It's all jumbled; I can't think straight...I need help."
"How can we possibly trust him. He could be bluffing, leading us into a trap." She growled. Varian ignored her outburst. "He wouldn't do that...he has always worked for the betterment of Corona."
"You can't just-" Varian broke off her plea as his voice rose over hers, stopping her in her tracks.
Varian lay on the floor, his body torn and disheveled. She stared at him closely for the first time through their journey, taking his presence. His once all-black apron was now stained with different colored chemicals, and his hair was sticking out roughly behind his goggles. His eyes were pleading with Cassandra, who looked at him in a mixture of pity and understanding before quickly shaking it off.
"Can you trust me, Cassie?" he asked desperately. "I trusted you with barely a word. Why can't you do the same for me? He's the only way I can help my Dad. Please, I can't lose him or anyone else again."
Cassandra gazed at Varian's tattered form, her eyes moving between his pleading eyes and his destroyed surroundings. She could feel the weight of the situation settling heavily on her shoulders. Finally, Cassandra let out a deep sigh. "Fine," she exclaimed, annoyed. "But I'm only doing this for you." She dropped the metal rod down with a clatter, showing her defeat.