MEANWHILE (AUTHOR'S POV)
King Galen and his royal knights spotted an enormous beast covered in white fur descending Snow Mountain. They waited behind the snowcapped fir trees for it to leave. Unfortunately, it stayed close to the stairway to Caluso, sending off a clear message that it is not going to leave anytime soon.
"Is there any other way?", Galen's impatience started to consume as he peer at the enormous beast yawning in somnolence.
"No, your Highness. It's the only way", Syria stood in the snow, with her face covered with the hood of her cloak holding Helena's scepter.
"Or we can just take it down", Galen suggested, unsheathing his sword, along with his bold defiance as he reveal himself from the shadows of the trees.
Aether instantly barred the rash King's way. "Not today, My King. I do not suggest such. The monsters in this area are capable of many things, even magic.", Aether supposed, having it experienced firsthand.
"I agree.", Syria seconded with her eyes fixed on the creature. "They are wiser, unpredictable and dangerous", she said with a tight grip on the scepter.
"What a nuisance", Galen scoffed softly, sheathing his sword back. "We'll just wait here like cowards then."
"Your safety is our priority, my King. We do not want to risk anything, with your presence", Aether bowed at the impatient King. As he personally experienced its brutality, Caluso is shrouded with wonderful yet precarious things. He was nearly dead when he encountered one. He promised himself never to return again. And here he is, bound to the debt of gratitude after the prince gave him another chance in life, only to repay it with the rest of his life doing unimaginable things - murder, betrayal and deception.
"With your permission, I can go and retrieve the celestial for you. The monster won't even sense me going up.", Syria proposed as she remove the hood over her head. "I just need to borrow the traveler's stone, if possible", she said.
With doubts, Galen exhaled sharply with the idea. He wanted to personally fetch the woman he yearns. "Then make it quick. This is starting to bore me. Take a couple of men", Galen handed the stone to his trusted witch. "And why did you tend to turn to this figure? I liked the old Celeste", he said with disgust.
"I am just being careful, your Highness. Such alluring splendor became too popular these days. In your delight, I shall return to my old form as soon as we go back to the palace", Syria said. Galen didn't even looked at her, as he longingly shifted his eyes towards the tip of the mountains. 'Helena', she is all he imagines to be with at every tick of the clock, and no mountain or creature will ever stop him from getting her back in his arms.
Syria, with two of the royal knights, made their way up to Caluso. In silence and careful steps, they walked past the sleeping saumen. Having despicable thoughts, Syria whispered a spell at the snow monster before going atop. It was a long stretch of escalier flights in odd steps and varied gaps. Not accepting the delay and obnoxiously tiring climb, Syria invoked a flying spell and eventually kicked off the ground together with her escorts. She and her companions rode the strong agitating blows of the wind as they easily float their way to the top.
"Stay here until you turn", Syria uttered as she enter the ice cavern. It is her first time to enter the sacred vestry of the soul travelers. At her advantage, the merchant not only spilled everything that she needed to know to enter the mountain wall, but he also taught her the intricate way to use the traveler's stone. As she reach the leccy chamber, she found Helena standing by the glassy table in front of the dancing lights that the power of the celestial lighted up. On Helena's hand was her crest... drowning in her second thoughts to soul travel. "You finally made it. The apple really doesn't grow too far from the tree", Syria blurted out, startling Helena with her voice.
Weaker than usual, Helena creased her brows at the woman who's approaching her, whom she never sense coming. By the looks of the peculiar lady, she can't be a soul traveler. "Do I know you?", Helena asked, noticing the familiar scepter in the stranger's hand.
"Of course you do!", Syria tilted her head to the side, with eyes fixed on Helena, narrowing the proximity with the celestial. "We've met once. Though, I was offended you didn't had a taste of the soup I made. But I'm elated you have healed my poor son after days of knocking at death's door.".
Realizing who the woman infront of her is, Helena swallowed a lump in her throat. "Celeste", she had more courage saying the dark witch's name now, but not enough to stand too close to her as she back away.
"Sharp as ever", Syria noticed Helena's eyes staring at the scepter. "Looks familiar? I hope you don't mind me taking it. I assumed it hold no importance to you since you left it in Wicce… oh right, there is no Wicce anymore", Syria smirked giving Helena chills down to her spine.
"Those were your sisters", Helena understood where her fear is coming from. This woman exudes with nothing but ingenuity that it reflects in her dark eyes and entire vibe given that she uses dark magic and forbidden spells. In her eyes, Celeste is purely a diabolic woman down to her core.
"Not by blood, so I would never care", Syria squinted, noticing Helena's eyes moving around. "Oh, Argus isn't here. Unfortunately, he met his demise… in a very dignified way of course", she said without batting an eye.
"He's… dead?", Helena was ultimately surprised, not expecting Argus' death. He is supposed to be the center of it all.
"Served his purpose splendidly", Syria gave Helena an ominous grin as she slowly brush the cold glassy table top with her finger.
Befuddled with the death of Argus, Helena could tell Celeste still meant nothing but trouble. "I don't understand, he's your..", she couldn't fathom the excessiveness of the outbreaks of his plans that cost a lot of lives and unleashed tons of evils, only for him to end up… dead.
"The lights are very pretty up close, don't you think?", lifted her hand and swung her palm in the spectral lights dispersing from the leccy refracting to the sky.
While the witch is distracted in the beauty of the leccy's incandescence, Helena slowly scraped the contents of her purse, looking for Iaso's stone. Maybe, turning back time would be beneficial at this moment, so she can eagerly take flight before Celeste present herself before her in the leccy chamber.
"Any useful things in there?", Syria asked without looking. "Iaso's stone can't be too useful for you now, Helena. You can only create a loophole a few times. The more you use it, it will only betray you and trap you in that loophole forever", her eyes darkened at the celestial gaping at her. "Why didn't you think Iaso would toss away such marvelous creation of hers?", she said.
Helena removed her hand from her purse as she glare at Syria. "What do you want from me?".
"The King desires you. I'm here to take you to Galen", Syria stepped closer as Helena move a couple of steps back . "Have you heard of triangulation magic? No? King Galen needs a celestial, Iaso's stone and the traveler's stone", shows the traveler's stone from her pocket. "Amassing powers from all sources of greatness, I shall turn my King as the most powerful man alive.", she continued. "Your mother's sould was kept in the talisman for she was supposed to be a part of the triangulation. But since, you freed her, I'm going to use you instead.", she revealed, threatening Helena.
Helena saw madness in Celeste's eyes. All these time, Argus was exploited in the frontlines without him getting a slight idea of Celeste's true intentions. Same as what Iaso did to her. However in Argus' case, he was too blinded with his own resentments, that he failed to see the devil beside him. "What does that make you?", Helena asked.
"Hmm?", Syria was taken aback as she remain expressionless.
"With all the things that you did and will do for Galen, what does that make you?", Helena furrowed her brows out of her curiosity.
"He'll make me his Queen… his other half", Syria stammered, but still with head held up high. "I will be his wings, his eyes and ears. The only woman in his life who'd give him the entire world, even the moon and countless of stars", she said proudly. The twinkle in her eyes sets off a mind stoked with her delusions over Galen.
"You're… mad", Helena thought that Celeste is plaqued with her deep obsession on the man who doesn't seem to return the feelings. Either she's completely deranged with the idea of love with Galen, or she's just out of her mind.
Syria darkened the look in her eyes, clenching one of her fists on the scepter and on the stone with the other. "Galen and I share an unbreakable bond, that he shall kneel before me and kiss my feet!", Her velvety voice filled the leccy chamber, sending vibrations through the ice formations on the ceiling and the walls, breaking them into shards. The winds rapidly swirled violently, making Helena fall on the ice floor with her hands on her wind-blown tresses. "I shall be his Queen, and I shall be named as the only sorceress to rise up to royalty", Syria lifted her hands in the air dimming the lights in the chamber until it all suddenly returned back to the way it were. "So come with me, Helena. Make Galen the greatest King this kingdom ever had", Syria invited with a calmer voice, extending her hand which holds the traveler's stone to Helena.
Helena stayed on the ice floor, trembling. Suddenly, the words from her mind failed ro come out. Celeste is all-powerful just how she sense it. The sorceress possesses a power so dark, Helena doesn't want to mess with it. Syria's eyes shifted to the crest in Helena's hand. "I know you wouldn't soul travel.. because if you would, you wouldn't have second thoughts", Syria uttered.
As Helena watch the light on the leccy fade away, the memory of her mother came across her sensibility. Finding the courage on her footing as she stand slowly. She tightened the grip on her crest, and stared back at the sorceress. "No, I won't and I won't be part of your schemes ", Helena shook her head with certainty, standing firm with her decision.
"I knew you would say that. We'll do this the hard way then. I've made a nice talisman for your soul", Syria flashed a mocking smile.