Jason looked in at Axel with a worried expression. After he had drunk the potion mixed with Arum and Mugwort, he seemed to have passed out instantly. Dron, however, checked Axel's vital signs multiple times and assured Jason that Axel was still alive.
Jason himself then also checked Axel's current state but couldn't detect any real changes. He felt a sense of looming foreboding, as if he had unknowingly unlocked something that he shouldn't have. Jason, however, couldn't believe that Axel would know anything to benefit himself in this situation. After all, the boy was 8 when found, now aged 10. How would it be possible that he knew some magical method to heal himself?
"You better still be alive my subject… Ill destroy you in the worse way imaginable if you don't co-operate when I'm so close to reaching my goal here…".
An obscurus was a force of nature, not a curable disease. There was simply no way Jason could believe that the situation had truly changed within Axel to a terrifying degree…
.
As I fell unconscious for the umpteenth time in the cell, I felt the changes in my body vividly. The obscurus fought back against the potion I had drunk, but it ended up losing ground quickly as the potion coated it.
I could feel its violent response, as if it wanted to end me here and now, but its own strength started to dwindle. It took hours for this process to happen, but when I next felt consciousness return to me, I felt like a weight had been lifted from my shoulders after so long.
The obscurus' energy was still within me, and it was still self-sustaining. It grew as I grew and remained a mark on my life. However, the obscurus' will to destroy me over time had been destroyed, decayed away by the potion. It was like a cancer that now remained dormant; any semblance of will left within it had been destroyed by the potion mixture of Arum and Mugwort.
As I felt the obscurus' abundant energy in my body, I noted that what was once a poisoned chalice was no longer poisoned. This had the potential of becoming my greatest strength in this world if used right. Something unique to me, a power I wielded like no other.
Thinking on how Newt and Dumbledore probably came up with this solution, I can only assume they hid the knowledge of a cure as they did because of either not knowing how to potion would work in a living wizard or realizing that erasing the will of the obscurus didn't kill the obscurus itself meaning the root of the problem was left unresolved. To them, it was a hint put into pages that they couldn't publicly share, hoping another may find it and expand upon their hint in the future.
Yet, they hadn't realized their cure was actually not only a cure but a way to flip the obscurus from a malevolent force into a controllable one.
As I sensed the obscurus inside me, I exerted all my willpower to make it move. It wouldn't budge for a very long time, seemingly just remaining in my body dormant. I knew at this point I was probably being watched at this very moment, most likely by that house elf I saw on occasion, as Jason always came running whenever I kicked up a fuss, so I attempted to do this as discreetly as possible.
After a few hours of solitude, I finally managed to will the obscurus to move. Looking down at my hand, I could see the obscurus warp around it for a split moment before disappearing. Realizing I was capable of this much, I now realized I had a goal in hand. If I mastered this ability I now wielded and waited for the right time, I could finally escape…
.
Meanwhile, in the forest, a shift was about to occur that would shake the Black forest to its core…
A man clad in a red cloak walked calmly through the Black Forest, two swords were sheathed on either side of his hip and the insignia on his chest showed he was a member of the Blackfang clan.
Compared to the commanders, generals and thralls of the clan his disposition, the aura he gave off came with a royal feeling, as if he was the centre of it all.
Walking directly into the clan's centre, he looked over towards the centre building. He entered in and sat himself down on a seat calmly and then whispered something under his breath;
"Conventus Nocturnum"
As the words flew out of the man's mouth, the clan seemed to suddenly grow louder. Footsteps rushed towards the building the man had walked into a sat himself down in. As the commanders and many generals entered, they looked at the man with bright smiles and happiness.
Rufus who was at the front of the group spoke up first;
"Felix, you've finally returned!"
Felix nodded calmly and looked at the commanders and generals in front of him. Looking at each member of his clan, he frowned noting there were a few missing.
"Caius… and two generals seem to be missing. What happened Rufus? Have they gone on reconnaissance without my order?"
Rufus' expression dropped as he looked at Felix. All the commanders sat down at the table with Felix whilst the generals lined the walls around the room, all standing and looking at Felix with reverence but also all will hints of guilt and anger.
"I guess I need to fill you in Felix… it's a complicated story".
Rufus began to recount the events of 2 years ago, explaining from when he first found Axel, the boy with an obscurus and used one of Felix's devices to keep the boy alive and he pitied the boy. He went onto explain how Axel had been first found out by Jason initially before ending up at the clan.
The second Rufus mentioned Jason Blighthearts name, Felix's gaze grew cold;
"Jason killed 3 of our clan members under all of your noses… and gathering by the fact you haven't raised this with the Blighthearts you have no proof of his involvement at all?"
Rufus and the rest of the commanders/generals felt Felix's disappointed gaze on them. Their mistakes from 2 years ago loomed over them until today and now Felix was truly bringing the hammer down on them, reprimanding them for their poor judgement. None of them dared to speak besides Rufus.
"Felix, we know Jason was behind it but that bastard was incredibly thorough covering his tracks. The two generals he killed had their bodies completely destroyed so we had no proof there and the way he killed Caius… He killed him with his own sword so there's no real proof of a spell being used on Caius at all. If we brought Caius body to them and demanded an explanation, they would just state that he must have had an accident whilst practicing with his sword or some bullshit…"
Rufus was extremely frustrated. He had racked his brains over this case for 2 years now wondering if he could find some way of going to the Blighthearts with evidence. He always came up short though. Looking at Felix, he hoped he would have some idea on what to do.
Whilst Felix seemed cold and calm, he knew Felix more than any other commander. His expression that seemed stoic told Rufus that Felix was actually furious at the situation.
"Rufus, you mention this obscurus boy. The device you placed on him was an Eclipse Sigil. Normally such a device placed on a boy of 8 would have killed him quickly, even with an obscurus within him…"
Rufus's face dropped as he realised what this meant. Axel did seem mature for his age, but Felix words posed something else Rufus never considered, that Axel was not only mature but innately very powerful to not have died to the device. A bead of sweat trickled down Rufus' brow as he felt shock and also guilt realising that in trying to help Axel, he could have killed him if it wasn't for Axel's talent.
"The device itself was designed by a family a century ago as a torture method, placed on the chest of a witch or wizard they would be helpless as their magic power diminished over time. Eventually they would die as the device switched from magic to their life force when all magic was drained… The family I wrested this from all those years back had used this device solely on their enemies, never as a cure…".
All of the commanders and generals within the room shook in fear hearing Felix's recounting on how the Eclipse Sigil functioned. Rufus muttered under his breath, showcasing his embarrassment and guilt in using such a device on Axel without truly knowing it's properties;
"I knew it absorbed somewhat… but not to such a horrifying extent…".
Felix placed his fist on his cheek as he rested on the table. When he first heard about Axel from Rufus' recounting of 2 years ago, he was only minorly intrigued, but hearing that Rufus had put the Eclipse Sigil on him made his intrigue grow. For someone to survive having the sigil placed on them even if it was only for a couple of days, showcased an immense magical force within them.
Axel's obscurus must have been far more powerful than any other obscurus that usually appeared in the world. Felix even felt that if the boy was somehow still alive, bringing him into the clan would create another powerful commander, if only he didn't have an obscurus within him…
"Is the Sigil still here?"
Rufus shook his head. "No, Jason when killing Caius abducted the boy Axel and took him along with the Sigil placed on him away".
"Then where did you keep the boy?"
"He was kept in the cells and guarded by commander Caius the entire time…"
Felix instantly stood up and walked out of the building heading towards the cells after Rufus' answer. The other commanders didn't dare move, only Rufus followed behind Felix as Felix headed out and down into the cells where Axel was contained.
As they ventured into the cells, they saw the cell that had Axel within broken apart, the work of Jason when he captured the boy.
Felix entered the cell and looked around; his red eyes glanced around the room coldly as Rufus watched on. Felix's eyes trailed until he spotted something in the corner hidden in the room. He went over to the hidden area, and kneeled down looking at a marking on the wall.
'J. Blightheart'.
Rufus came over and saw the etching in the wall. He stumbled a bit realising that all the other commanders and himself had actually missed this in the cell.
"This Axel is indeed a different kind of young wizard… to actually have the guts to etch this into stone as a way to prove Jason's involvement in all this. This isn't enough though…"
Felix stood up and looked at Rufus.
"Rufus, can you take out the brick from the cell with Jason's name carved onto it? Also, whilst you do that, I need to visit Caius grave…".
Felix was thorough in his investigation, whilst the markings from Axel gave them a gateway to convict the Blighthearts of messing around in their territory, they could easily claim that the Blackfangs had did this on their own accord.
"Caius is buried in the northern cardinal position of our clan… Felix you don't mean to- "
"Whilst this etching gives us a foot in the doorway it doesn't give us proof to do anything. The forest and its many clans would probably support us doing anything with just this, but I need hard proof if we want to truly take revenge on the Blighthearts…".
Felix departed quickly leaving Rufus behind to retrieve the brick that had Jason's name etched onto it. Heading out the cells he went north towards the graveyard of the clan, where many slain brethren were laid to rest.
Looking at the graves, Felix's face grew sombre. He walked through the graveyard eventually finding Caius grave at the back.
What he was about to do was usually forbidden, even as the clan's head, he would always refuse to use such a method unless the situation was dire enough to the point where he needed to do so. Losing a commander was a hefty loss though and Felix's disposition did not allow him to simply take this sitting down.
He took out his sword and held it close to his chest, standing above the grave of Caius his sword began to glow an ethereal white. When the brilliance of the glow reached its peak, Felix expression darkened, a testament to what he was about to do, as he thrusted the sword downwards, coldly muttering;
"Spectre Requiem…"