"Morphine ha?!"
I asked in confirmation, seeing in a way, it is the only thing I could use to aid my mother at the moment, to which Kthilla respond.
"Yes, Morphine or the milk of the puppy is a special herbal drug made from the Opium poppy and is primarily used for pain, yet thy mother seems moe anxious if not paranoid, thankfully though; through various studies 'I ancient times, Morphine hath proven to be a most effective drug that can calm the mind by forcing it to unbend, I receive thy local wise woman, priest or e'en barber should'st be 'I possession of such useful drug."
"I see, thank you so much Kthilla, I truly owe you, and once again I want to say thank you for sharing your wisdom with me, it might not be much, but it's better than nothing I guess."
"Well thou are mine successor, and also mine..mine...mine fr...fri...friend."
Announce Kthilla who had her hand folded and looking away from me, as she tries to throw her pride away while whispering the last part of her sentence audibly low that I didn't hear what she said at all, so I ask her.
"What was that last part, I couldn't make it out?"
"Ah 'tis nought, just baseless mumbles, alas, Methinks thou should'st get going now, thou be sure not having to keep thy mother waiting now doth we?"
"I guess your right, well thanks a lot Kthilla, I will be on my way now, don't worry too much though I will be visiting you soon again."
However after I say this Kthilla said nothing this time around, she just looks at me as I suddenly disappear from my dream space, as my consciousness drift back to my body in the world of the waking.
But after I left her in this world once more, she said to herself, with a confused face as she holds her chest tightly.
"Why doth my liver moves this way when talking to him?"
Right after I said my goodbyes to Kthilla, I began to venture back to the waking world, and just like before; my eyes met with a familiar wooden ceiling, although the advent of evening darkness was slowly approaching.
"It's already evening ha?"
"Sigh, well let's not waste any more time I need to inform Denzel about the temporary fix that can aid mother in her craze state."
With that said I began to get up from my bed and open the door as I walk outside; looking down the hall of our small cabin I could see the flare of lamplight coming from the end of the hall, and the closer I approach the source, the more the smell of a sweet and earthly, but masculine aroma hit my nose, as the scent of tobacco lingers heavily in the air.
It wasn't long before I reach outside, however, I was greeted with a rather depressive sight, Denzel was sitting on the wooden chair tilted backward and leaning, his face and arm resting firmly on its handle, and around him were six bottles of empty ale, his eyes look dead, worry, and in pain, his cheeks slightly flush for being under the influence.
He was talking away to Alexander, who seem to have made it back when I was in slumber, but just looking at him I could see the distress being represented in his demeanor and actions.
Alexander was sitting on the floor, his back leaning on the wall, he had no shoes on, and was shirtless, only his long black pants were on to show, while his other clothes were all over the place, but most of all he had a stress look on his face, as smoke exit his mouth after greeting his lungs.
Yes, my brother Alexander had his once favorite wooden pipe that he uses to smoke, it was shocking to see because, especially since he inform us that he desires to quit smoking a year aback, albeit all the effort, all that progress, shattered in the face of sudden tragedy.
And both of them were talking, or more like venting at this point, as they either fell or overdosed on their bad habits, like morphine, these drugs and substances, were a way out, a form of escape from the harsh truth that is reality.
The first to comment was Alexander, as he said with a tired look in his eyes.
"Fuck, why, just why does shit like this always happen to us whenever we try to do positive things for once?"
"Like fuck I know, Karma maybe, you know it, Alexander, we are horrible people, it's God's way of punishing us."
"Well, aren't you being quite the hypocrite you fake nihilist, I thought your only God is nonexistent, and your religion is violence, hm, tsk either way we need to help mother someway or somehow."
"I know you asshole, fuck I need another drink."
"Alcohol won't solve your problems."
"Says the guy who claims to have stopped smoking."
"Fuck you, I'm under a lot of stress, ok, nothing has been going our way lately, to make things worse Hale's vehicle has stopped working, if it wasn't for a kind merchant who drop us at the village junction, I don't even know how long it would have taken me to reach back here, now mother is mentally sick and the cause is some mysterious page, fuck, this is bullshit."
"And you call me a hypocrite lover boy, sigh... It doesn't even matter, our only hope is Sherlock."
"Speaking of Sherlock how long has he been gone now?"
"Since the advent of daybreak, ten minutes before the first church bell."
"I see, damnit, with Madam Hale's car out of commission, where set back by quite a lot, and with mother in such capricious condition, moving will be a lot harder as well."
"You forgot to mention that we need to reach the docks in time as well."
"I am aware of that Denzel, but I am currently lost on what to do, Mason is five hundred miles away from Hale, even if we leave now by horseback, the trip will take us 15-30 days alone."
"That may be true brother, but we need to reach Camelot at all costs, for Sherlock's sake."
"I know, I know; and believe me we will get there, may it by unethical means, or legal means, Sherlock will enroll in the academy of the gifted, and by the eve of the last month of the year at the very latest, to prepare him for the first school year, this I promise by the Prelati name."
But at that moment, my foot hit one of the stray glass bottles on the ground, which grab the attention of both Alexander, and Denzel, and upon seeing me the first thing I said was.
"Y'all look like some bums, what the hell am I even watching right now?"
"Sherlock."
"Little bro."
Brother Alexander and Denzel said at the same time, as they look at me, the first to reach out however was Denzel who stop leaning on the chair, as he asked.
"Brother, did you manage to find out what happened to mother, what that page is, and how to heal her?"
"Ease up Denzel, I got some answers, just relax and let me talk."
"Oh yeah, sorry."
"You good Alexander?"
I ask my older brother in worry as he smiles and nods his head while saying.
"All is good bro, a little stressed out as you can see, but apart from that, please tell me you found a way to cure mother."
Alexander asks me with a serious look on his face.
"I did find a way, two actually, however, one is but a temporary fix and the other is well let me explain."
"Well take a seat beside me, little bro, and explain to us what you discovered."
Said Alexander tapping the ground beside him, and of course, I took a seat on the floor as I began to explain everything, of course, I didn't mention where I went, or the true identity of the former witch of secrets.
It took me a couple of minutes to finish explaining, but the message was delivered, the first to speak, was Denzel as he said.
"So to truly fix her, our mother will have to travel Camelot and also enroll in the academy?"
"Yes."
"I see."
Alexander said with his hands on his chin, as he continue speaking.
"So until she ascends to this so call a higher state of being, known as a Level six corrupted existence she will remain like this?"
"Sadly so, but the good news is, Morphine will also relax her enough, to make her act normal to some extent, so all hope is not lost."
"... Sigh! Just great, hmmm... brother Denzel, brother Sherlock, I want to ask you two something?"
"That being?"
Denzel asks.
"Sure ask away."
I replied.
"This world is full of mysteries, more than any of us can recall, this paper being one of them, I feel like our fates are being tested, but if what Sherlock said is true, that this world is truly mysterious, I want to get a vote here, if all us enroll to help mother transcends, our lives might get even worse as the occult seems like a world of darkness, now that I think about it, the academy was only for nobles, that means the higher class of nobles are akin to Gods; no more like true devils, and since we have to get involve with nobles to assist mother, then I can already feel it, this is a dark landmine we are stepping on, do you guys want to lavish and waltz around in this supernatural world?"
Ask Alexander who simply wanted us to live a normal life, but my answer was already set in stone, my determination was firm as I said.
"Dear brothers, I love you both, I love mother, and I love the happiness we share as a family, and although we are not related by blood, I respect and view all of you as my biological family no we transcend that, I can feel and see it if there is a next life, we will always be family regardless, so I will walk the path of the supernatural and the occult, and not for me alone, but for all of you, my humanity means nothing, I will gladly cast it aside for the sake of family."
I said out loud, while I said at the back of my head.
'That and I made a promise to a friend that I will kill their father who wants all our end, either way, I never had a choice, to begin with, but now task with the impossible, I have to kill the Astral God to rid the world of his malice.'
Meanwhile, Denzel looks at me as his eyes open up in shock, but soon returns to normal as he said to himself.
'Family, a word foreign to me for as far as I can remember, I was the son of a common whore, my mother never had time for me, she didn't care for me, but I love her regardless, however, she died at the hands of a corrupted noble, until my aunt my mother's sister adopted me, only to be killed by another noble as well, and for their entertainment nonetheless, I was always alone from a young age, eventually, I found out I was special, and in anger towards the unfairness of the world, I did what Denzel knew to do best, and that is to burn everything till there is nothing left, to survive I had to embody fire itself, of course, that was until I met mother Deliah on that fateful snowy day, I can still remember her words.'
"Oh. Would you look at that, I found myself a wounded puppy, starved and cold, and also polished by the flames of hatred, boy the mirror to your soul says it all, well I once had similar eyes, haha... I like you boy, do tell though, would you like to be my son, you see I'm starting a family or a band of thieves is another way to call it, why don't you join me, boy, I'm sure you will find a new reason in life, as your heart slowly thaws away by your own sparks."
'I had no reason, no drive, and no purpose in life till I met mother, and because of her I met my annoying little brother, the oh so noble pretty boy; Alexander, and my silent and expriosnless baby brother Sherlock, both of which shows me what a family is, I owe our mother, so to protect her and my two younger brothers, I will also throw away my humanity to protect them from sadness and struggles, and if the world denies me or them of such happiness, then I'm against the world all the way, my flames would burn even in a storm if it's for them.'
This was Denzel's promise, so he look at us and responded as such.
"Hmm. Very well family first right I too will enroll in the Academy of the gifted."
On the other hand, Alexander watches closely, his eyes on Denzel and Sherlock, eventually, he closes them and said to himself.
'Two thousand, three hundred, and fifty-one years, that's how long I have truly lived for, and that's how long I have been running away, and out of all the families I have infected, yearning for love, yearning for joy, and yearning for comfort, all of them eventually cast me aside whenever I revealed my true identity or say true to my depraved behavior, well, all except for this family full of depraved people, dive deep for the treasure that you seek they say, hahaha... Well, maybe you are right brother, then I will stop hiding as well, I will stop being selfish, and for that reason, I will work to regain my power, and this curse you set on me, I will make sure you will come to regret it, brother, to think I will return to the world of magic and occultism once more, hehehehe... Watch me, brother, there is nothing impossible for him who tries, so to protect the family I love, to protect Sherlock, to protect Denzel, to protect mother, and protect our happiness, Triton shall swim once more.'
With Alexander's determination now re-awaken, he looks at his brothers and said.
"Well, it's decided then, we shall all enroll in the academy to fix and aid our mother's anxious if not already broken mind, may the blessing of the whales be with us all."
Alexander said with firm determination.
With that, all three of us brothers put our hands together atop each other, as we recite our family motto, a motto that ties deeper than the purest of blood.
As I Sherlock Prelati said.
"One for all."
"And All for one."
Both Denzel and Alexander commented as we all lift our hands to the sky at the same time.
"This night was a night to remember, as the birth of the new age was about the begin under the watchful eyes of Gods and the vast unknown lingering in the shadows, this was the story of three brothers, a story of family, a story of romance, and a story of purpose, it was the start of a legendary tale that shall scar its ways into the history book."
"A tale about the blazing hot Denzel with a talent for destruction, the tale of the unkillable Alexander, smart, cunning, and deceitful in his ways to the top, and the tale if not the legend of a man who waltzes in mystery, veiled behind the countless faces of the mournfully departed, each had their goals, each had their motives, and each had their own paths."
"But just as they decide to move to a better future, so does the world around them, slowly but surely, all desires, all goals, and dreams can be found at Merlins academy,"