Scar is shocked at how those with magic in this world are treated. He knows true evil and Mariela; along with her family were far from that. Getting his bearings it is now up to the Alp to find the magic within himself to help the boys save their sister….
Scene setting – The World inside Scar’s hat – Seven sins series.
Co-written with Dessy.
Dessy: “You keep it all hidden away?”
At this question, the boys looked at each other, then Sean turned to Scar. “Yes. Magic isn’t exactly… praised here. We’ve always had to keep it hidden. Magic is considered nothing but pure evil – even if used for good, like Mariela’s was.” Sean spoke, looking at his brother, who nodded in agreement. “We started putting more effort into hiding it after Mariela’s death. The town found out we were witches and burned the house to try and kill all of us. Calling us “evil”, and “monsters”, and “wanting nothing more than to kill them all”.” Sam spoke, anger slightly in his voice by all of this. “You’ve met our sister… tell us. Do you honestly think Mariela would use her powers for any sort of evil?” Sam asked, before turning back around and walking to the chest.
Sean grabbed something off of the wall as they passed by, heading to the end of the room where the chest was located. It was an amulet – Mariela’s amulet that she wore at all times. The amulet helped her have full control of her powers, and it was also used to unlock various things of hers – such as the chest. The boys knelt down in front of the chest, and Sean held the amulet in front of it – then the chest popped open. Sam looked up at Scar, noticing he was looking at everything on the wall. “Look around, if you want. We’ll need to flip through the journals to find what we’re looking for.” he said, before both boys started digging through the chest.
They pulled out journals, most of them singed or with the cover almost completely burned off. A few other things were in the chest, like artifacts, for example – whatever were most valuable. There were a few video tapes lying around that, once again, given to them by Tessa. The boys didn’t know what exactly they were looking for – but they would look through everything.
As Scar looked around at the pictures, Mariela was seen through different ages of life. Most of them had Tessa in it, but they were there. Down to when she was a young child, up until her nineteenth birthday when she died. A few pictures were of Tessa and Mariela as young children. Some had them smiling, some had funny faces, in most of the younger one’s Mariela would stick her tongue out in a childish manner. The last picture that was taken was on her nineteenth birthday, three days before her death, as was obvious with a banner in the background that said “Happy 19th Birthday, Mariela!” and party decorations. Mariela was standing next to Tessa, one arm wrapped around her with a big, bright smile on her face, green eyes full of life and happy, and her blonde curls were like they always were. Tessa was kissing her cheek in a friendly gesture, holding a cup of punch in her other hand that wasn’t wrapped around Mariela. Mariela’s personality and life when she was here could be seen shining through the pictures… the life before she died.
The brothers didn’t hear what Scar had said, but Sean looked over hearing Scar speak to them, a bit startled by the sudden flair Scar seemed to have. “Alright. Come help us.” Sean said, handing a few journals to him. “If you see something that looks like a teleportation spell, or something dealing with this collar, let us know.” when he mentioned the collar, Sean picked it up, examining it closely now. Maybe there was some sort of writing on it… or some sort of symbols that could help them out here. Anything.
Razorbackwriter: How odd this world was? Seeing magic as all evil and then murdering those that practice it? If humans went to Hell, the place where Mariela was now, they would see true evil in its most horrid forms. What Mariela and her brothers practiced was light magic, the kind that was good. Scar could see that, yet humans couldn’t. What a foul lot they were. Not appreciating what should be a blessing and not a curse. Scar knew all about curses. He knew what dark powers could do and what fueled them. Take Lydia for example. The Demon of Ambition. Oh, she appeared sweet and gentile on the surface, but she was darker than most of the other heads of hell. She was cruel, and one that thought of no one but herself. She fitted into the new role of Greed with such ease it was hardly surprising. The more that Scar thought of it, the more he realized that Mariela did not truly belong in Hell. She was in a way an Angel. Least in his mind. Perhaps that was part of the attraction. Loving something he could never have, or hope to be.
“You’ve met our sister… tell us. Do you honestly think Mariela would use her powers for any sort of evil?”
Scar shook his head. He didn’t think that Mariela had a bad bone in her body. In fact, she seemed almost reluctant to use her powers. She was so shy about them. Was it an insecurity, or was it the fact that her power was what led her to end up being in Hell?
“No, I don’t think she ever would. If anything she would use them to save another, given the chance.”
This was as honest as you would ever get the Alp to be. Having him open up…oh if only Mariela could see this. See the human version of the alp. it would be an eye opener. Watching the boys recover an amulet that Mariela used to wear, and then using it to open a chest, Scar was told to look around, while the boys rummaged through her chest. Scar gave a curt nod as he was more than happy to peruse through all of Mariela’s pictures and treasures.
One picture he simply couldn’t take his eyes off was the one of her celebrating her 19th birthday, with her friend Tessa. The young witch was so vital looking. Happy, so very happy. The world at her feet, and there for the taking. Yet it was not to be. Scar tipped his head to the side as he saw how the camera had captured that radiant beauty that he had come to love.
“So beautiful.” Scar uttered as he passed his hand over the picture. Only thing was as he turned away from it, the images in the photograph started to move. The girls becoming animated. The photo had come to life, and Scar didn’t know that it was he that had caused it. Again, he was unaware of the true power of the hat.
“Alright. Come help us.” Sean was now ready to have Scar help them in finding a spell. He handed the alp some journals and Scar took them, before finding a small chair to sit on. One by one, he started to flip through the pages. His eyes scanning back and forth across the text. One book, that sat beside him and was next on the pile to be read, had a symbol on the front. Aged and tattered yellow stained pages poked out haphazardly, while the symbol glowed with a sudden brightness, as Scar muttered some words, that he read on another page. Mariela’s magic was able to be reached, via the true connection that he had with her.
Turning his head slowly, he could see the glowing symbol and then whispered.
“I think I’ve found something.”
~RB~
Dessy: Honestly, it was hard to live in a world where “magic” was seen as evil. There was magic much more evil then what the brothers and their sister practiced… but people believed all magic was evil. Except for Tessa. Tessa had found out on accident what the family were, but she saw the good they done with it and knew the goodness that Mariela had in her would cause her to use the magic for good only. Sure, Mariela was capable of doing dark magic with ease if she wanted to, but that’s the thing: Mariela didn’t want to. She wanted to use light magic. She wanted to use her powers for good… not evil, whether she was capable of doing it or not.
Tessa was the one who was always with Mariela when she practiced her magic. Watching, observing – she found it interesting that her best friend was so powerful, while she was just an ordinary human. She also found it interesting that a girl who could use both good and bad magic chose to only use the good magic and had no interest in practicing the dark. Tessa has seen what Mariela can do, when her brothers haven’t. Tessa was there for all of it. Every time Mariela wanted to try out a new spell – Tessa was called to be with her. Sort of just as comfort. She also documented things in some of the journals of what she observed and what Mariela explained. Mariela trusted Tessa with her life – which is why Tessa was the only one in town not involved in the fire, and the only person who ran back to the burned house after to comfort her family. Even now, she kept in touch with the family frequently – she was always treated like one, after all. Mariela and Tessa were like sisters.
Hearing Scar speak about their sister, the boys nodded in agreement. “Exactly.” Sam spoke, looking up momentarily. “I can’t recall a single incident where Marie used her powers for evil. She always used them to save someone else. She always put her life in danger to keep someone else from getting harmed – like what she did with us in the fire. She was always willing to risk her life, and sacrifice herself for others.” Sam said. He then looked back to the books, rapidly flipping through pages in an attempt to find something. A lot of this stuff was foreign to them – the boys never learning it, and Mariela never having the chance to teach it to them.
After Scar ran his hand over the picture, it came to life. The girls moving inside the picture – retelling what had happened on that day after the picture was taken. As the picture moved, Tessa could be seen wrapping her arms around Mariela in a hug, before her parents, brothers and other people there joined in for a group hug. They congratulated, and Mariela was laughing and smiling the entire time. The brothers never noticed the picture coming to life – they were too busy searching the journals.
“I think I’ve found something.”
Scar called, and the boys looked up at him. Scar was eager to help when asked for it, and he had grabbed a stack of books and sat in a chair. They turned their heads to follow Scar’s gaze, and Sean got up and walked to the now glowing book with the symbol on it. “How did you do that?” Sean asked, looking up and staring at Scar. “Actually, never mind… Hopefully this has what we need.” he spoke, and he reached over to pick up the book. He blew dust off the cover, and then opened the book to the first page. But he stopped as the pages of the book turned on their own, flipping through pages before carefully landing on a page that had just what they needed. Sam had gotten up by this point, walking over and standing next to his brother. Mariela’s magic could now be felt throughout the room… for reasons unknown. “Looks like Marie is still with us… and she already knows what we are looking for.”
Razorbackwriter: Scar wasn’t entirely convinced that he had magic in this world. As far as he knew he was a normal human being, but the truth was that the magic resided within him, due to the Mariela. It was this connection that they had, that crossed beyond realms and reality. The awakening of those that were in the picture he touched was just the start. The boys were eager to see the book that Scar had been holding, and as the pages flipped through to the right place, it was clear that from the inscriptions, that they were going to need help on this. Not only that, because as Scar read the text he started to feel a pressing in his forehead. Little by little. His skin was stretching and the alp cried out as the emergence of a third eye appeared on his head. It was the most unnatural thing you had ever seen. A beautiful green coloured eye that was slightly larger than his other two. It may well have given the two boys a scare to see. Scar’s sudden cries might also have had them shocked.
Scar got up from his seat as the eye rolled around and around before finally settling. The eyelid opened and closed as though testing and the Alp was taking short sharp breathes. He reached up and waved his right hand in front of the eye, and it blinked a few times.
“I didn’t think I could do it.” It really was a shock. He still had some magic. Maybe not the hat, but something far more useful. The third eye. With shaking hands he picked up the book and then he started to go into like trembling fit as the eye flew wide open and projected a scene out into the room much like a hologram. What the boys would see, was the one thing that they would never wish to witness again.
The blazing fire that killed their beloved Mariela.
In a strange voice, Scar spoke. “This is the door way from this world to Hell. It is the way she traveled there. Take the collar, her handkerchief and her friend Tessa to the spot where the house stood.” Scar continued to tremble as the eye was now in control. “The power of three are needed to be united to fight the Demon of Ambition and Greed. The book will guide you.”
The holographic image soon faded out to nothing, and the eye closed – before sinking back into Scar’s skin. The alp then dropped Mariela’s book and passed out on the floor in a heap.
~RB~
Dessy: Sean scanned over the page, moving his eyes across the words… only to end up shaking his head. “I don’t understand any of this. This is a lot more advanced than the stuff we can do. The inscriptions, the writing… I don’t understand it.” he spoke, handing the book over to his brother. Sam ran his fingers along the page as he read each word.”Marie never taught us this… Either she never got around to it, or she knew we wouldn’t be strong enough to do it.”
Both boys dropped the book and jumped when Scar started screaming. They watched with wide eyes as what appeared to be another eye appeared on Scar’s forehead. At the sight of the big green eye, the boys took a couple of steps back, their faces holding shocked expressions on them. They simply watched Scar, the eye blinking a few times and Scar waving his hand in front of it. They were discovering a lot of new things today.
“This is just as shocking for us as it was for you…” Sam said, but grew quiet when the eye opened up a hologram. What they saw, was not something they expected to see… and the one thing they never wanted to see again. The fire popped up – the same blazing fire that killed their sister. A gasp came out of Sean’s mouth, and he stumbled backwards, getting caught by his brother who had wide eyes and a horrified expression on his face. After standing his brother up, the boys listened to the words Scar said, but flashes of the fire just kept appearing back in their thoughts.
They needed to go back. Back? To the one place that they tried to run away from? From the town they never wanted to see again? They had no choice. They’d have to deal through the painful memory… to save their sister. “Back? We have to go back?” Sean called, dread clear in his voice. Scar passed out on the floor, and Sam ran to catch the book. “Yes, we have to go back.” Sam said, tossing the book to his brother. “I’ll go call Tessa and let her know. Grab the collar and the handkerchief, as well as the book, and see if you can try to wake him up.” Sam pointed to Scar, and Sean nodded. Sam left the room, pulling out his phone in the process.
Sean immediately turned around, facing Scar. He held out his hand and sent a burst of light towards Scar, in an attempt to jolt him awake. He then turned around, grabbing the handkerchief and then grabbing hold of the collar, placing them on top of the book, which he held tightly in his hand. He then waited to hear back from his brother after his phone call with Tessa. This was going to be hard… but they had to do it. They had no choice.
Razorbackwriter:
Darkness. Scar was out cold. Whatever it was that was so powerful to awaken his third eye must have still been present in that room. It was a pretty good guess, that Mariela’s magic was strong within her personal effects, and having touched and handle these items allowed for Scar’s own magic to begin to shine through. The third eye was able to see not only Mariela’s end, but the best and only way to reach her from this world. It was pretty simple really. The last known place of the witch before her terrible death was the house of her birth. The house that had been consumed by the devastating fire. Of course, it is the last place on earth that the brothers would ever wish to be, and being reminded of it was enough to startle and shock both boys. This was going to be a great test of not only their courage, but also acceptance. Going back to the root of your fear and facing it takes a lot of guts. But the reason to go back was to be able and find a way to reach their sister and save her from the evil within the maze. Did the boys understand what Scar was really asking them to do? By bringing Tessa into this, the three of them – all the closest people to Mariela; would need to unite and hold the collar as they stand over the very ground on where she took her last breaths.
As Scar lay on the stone cold floor, his body would be hit by a burst of light. A jarring sensation like an electrical charge would travel through him and the alp would awaken with a fright. His hair smoking slightly, Scar sat up looking dazed. His third eye had disappeared from his forehead, having gone back under his skin. Now he just looked human again.
“My magic worked!” The alp explained, a smile starting to form upon his lips. He had been so sure that he had no magical powers in this world without his hat, but little did he realize that it was Mariela’s power that rubbed off on him and helped him to assist her brothers. Bless her.
Scar looked around for Sam, who was no longer in the room.
“Where is the other one?”
The alp didn’t know he was off trying to get Tessa. Seeing that Sean had all the things they needed to go and rescue Mariela, Scar was quick to get to his feet. Patting himself down, the alp did have one thing to say about being zapped awake.
“Next time, you could just slap my face to wake me up.” He did smell a bit like cooked bacon.
~RB~
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