Lehi sighed and walked into Tira’s house.
He saw the twins sitting side by side and once they set their eyes on him, it seemed like they braced up for the worst.
Upir did not know that he had come there, she was too busy controlling the magic of the witches that she now had in her possession.
Rose was walking down the stairs and once she saw him, she froze, looked around for Upir and when she did not see her decided to kill Lehi.
She tried to cast a mental spell but she realized that Upir was in control of her magic. She sighed and walked down the steps.
Lehi looked up at Rose.
“Stop trying to kill me Rose,” he said, aware of the fact that she had just tried to cast a spell.
“You tried to kill me and my family.” She replied acidly.
“How many times do I have to tell you that your family is Upir’s enemy, not mine?” He asked calmly.
“Then why don’t you stop her from harming us?” Rose asked heatedly.
Lehi shook his head.
“I don’t get involved when people are getting revenge,” he replied and instantly regretted it. Lehi almost slapped himself, what kind of answer was that?
Rose stood for a while, trying to decide whether to throw a chair at the grey eyed devil standing at her door.
“Look, trying to kill me is a waste of time,” Lehi said, “it won’t work.”
“I know.” Rose replied.
Just then Tira came down the stairs and saw Lehi. She shook visibly.
“Wh… what do you want?” She asked fearfully.
“Nothing,” Lehi replied, “just to see Rose.”
Tira and Rose looked at each other, surprised.
“Why?” Rose asked.
“I don’t mean to hurt you,” Lehi said, “and I won’t , not even if I was asked to. I just want to talk to you.”
Tira was not reassured however.
“I’m not Upir’s puppet you know,” Lehi said, “I’m not particularly on her side in this issue you have.”
He didn’t mention that he wasn’t particularly on their side either.
Rose looked at her mother who was almost dead with anxiety already. Rose knew that if she did not agree to go with Lehi he might take her by force and her mother would not be able to stand it.
“I’ll go with him,” Rose said to Tira’s dismay, “i promise I’ll be back.”
Tira looked from Rose to Lehi, what could she do?
“Don’t stay out too late.” Tira said, ters standing in her eyes.
Lehi knew Rose couldn’t get out of the hospital and so he wondered what Tira’s warning was about.
Rose hugged her mother goodbye and did the same to the twins who looked completely detached from all that was happening.
Lehi looked at the twins, wondering if he could do anything to help their condition. The children needed therapy, he knew that, but with magic there would certainly be a way around therapy.
If he did find a way, perhaps Rose would not be so angry at him anymore.
Of course! Why did he not think of it before? He would wipe their memory. Make them forget all that happened, if Rose wanted he could even make them forget that they had another sibling.
“They haven’t talked since then?” Lehi asked Rose as she hugged the silent children.
“Thanks to you and your friend.” Rose spat.
“I can help them,” Lehi offered.
“What they need is to get out of this place and see a therapist,” Rose shot at him, “not a witch doctor.”
Lehi almost glared at her, but he restrained himself, she had every reason to be angry.
“I can wipe their memories,” he offered, “make them forget all that has happened.”
“That won’t work.” Tira said.
“And when you wipe their memories, what will we tell them when that ask why we can’t go out? Or where their elder sister is?” Rose asked.
“Do they have to remember that they had an elder sister?” Lehi asked.
Tira gasped.
Rose, too angry for words, slapped Lehi heavily.
Lehi saw the slap coming but he did not dodge it, he let Rose slap him.
Lehi had a lot of work cut out for him.
The Guardian appeared in his human form.
“Do you guys realize that I am very busy in the abyssal realm?” he asked.
“We wouldn’t – he wouldn’t have invoked you if there wasn’t an emergency.” Nella replied, kneeling over Kenneth and trying to resusticate him.
“Kenneth invoked me?” Tony asked, very surprised.
“We couldn’t.” Nella said.
“Why?”
“That’s the emergency,” Theo replied, “we’ve lost our magic to Upir. We can’t do magic without her consent.”
“And not just us, witches and wizards all over the town and probably beyond.”
“What?!” Tony shouted, “what happened?”
“Upir.” Nella and Theo said together.
Tony sighed, swore in the abyssal language and kicked a nearby chair.
Theo was going to ask how kicking chairs was going to solve the issue at hand but when he remembered that Tony was a being powerful enough to blast him to hell and back, he held his peace.
“We thought that if we had abyssal magic, Upir would not be in control of our powers anymore.” Nella said.
Kenneth groaned and opened his eyes.
“He’s awake!” Nella announced.
Theo went over to Kenneth.
“Did I…did I do it?” Kenneth asked weakly.
“You did bro,” Theo smiled at him.
They helped Kenneth into a chair.
“I don’t think mere abyssal magic will be enough to solve the problem at hand.” Tony said, still pacing.
“Mere abyssal magic?!” Nella said, aghast, “it’s the cause of this whole saga!”
“Which is why it cannot be the solution.” Tony said calmly.
Kenneth looked at Theo as if to say ‘I told you so’.
“Then what is the solution?” Nella asked.
“Well I have been consulting with some beings in the abyssal realm and I think we have a solution.” Tony said.
“And what’s that?” Theo asked.
“It’s dangerous, but…”
Kenneth did not let Tony finish his statement.
“Since Upir came back, just stepping outside is dangerous,” Kenneth interrupted, “just tell us what to do.”
“There is a way to destroy Upir completely,” Tony started, “but we can only do that with a special weapon.”
“What weapon?” Nella asked.
“The sword of Ailan.” Tony replied.
“What is that?” Theo asked.
“Well, the sword of Ailan is almost as old as the abyssal realm itself,” Tony explained.
“Another history lesson.” Kenneth groaned.
“Look you can’t just use a weapon like that without knowing it’s history.” Tony snapped.
“Ignore him Tony.” Nella entreated.
“Well as I was saying, the sword of Ailan is almost as old as the abyssal realm,” Tony continued, “it was created by seven elders of the abyssal realm. They needed a weapon to defeat a rebel angel that had come to take over the abyssal realm.”
“When you say ‘rebel angel’ do you mean Lucifer?” Theo asked.
“What?… no of course not,” Tony replied, “Lucifer happened way after that. You guys really don’t know anything do you?”
“Get to the point Tony.” Nella said, ignoring the insult.
“Seven elders came together to make a sword forged with spells powerful enough to split the abyssal realm in two. The spells were further strengthened by the fact that the elders fueled them with their very souls. They made an oath that they would sacrifice themselves, even their very souls to make the sword effective against the rebel angel.”
“The seven elders died?” Nella asked.
“Yes,” Tony replied, “but not before they had put all the power within them into the sword. Before sacrificing themselves, they had called on one of the greatest warriors – if not the greatest warrior in the abyssal realm to weild the sword.
After the death of the elders, the warrior used the sword to fight against the rebel angel.”
“And did he win?” Theo asked.
“Win?! He annihilated the angel!” Tony said enthusiastically, “he destroyed him completely, and so powerful was the sword that it couldn’t be weilded by the warrior for long. It would have destroyed him.”
“So what did he do?” Nella asked.
“Will you calm down! The story’s not going anywhere is it?” Tony said.
“We’re sorry,” Theo apologized, “carry on.”
“The warrior decided to take the sword apart,” Tony continued, “he divided it into seven parts, each part standing for each of the seven elders and sent it to different parts of the abyss. There they lay to this day, buried.”
“Do you know where they are?” Kenneth asked.
“No,” Tony replied sincerely, “it has been so long and the warrior did not tell anyone where he hid them. We only have vague clues. But one thing is certain.”
“What is that?” Kenneth asked.
“If anyone can find it, it has to be you three.” Tony replied.