Hellbound Heart

Ever since Azy's tattoos started to appear all over his body, the boy's power had grown even more powerful. So powerful that he could sense and even differentiate anyone's presence including the ones belonging to the animals that were within a wide radius from where he was centered at.

However, as the boy kept getting stronger, Alicia's condition continued to deteriorate. Even though her hair was silver again, Alicia's power only kept getting weaker by the day. It was as though Alicia and Azy's powers were on an inverse scale. One goes up and the other comes down.

"What is it, dearest?" Alicia asked her son when the boy's dark, demonic power appeared and swirled like a blanket of living smoke all over him.

Azy looked up at her. 'Princess Elle and Uncle Zeres... they're gone, mom!' He revealed through their telepathy. 'They're no longer in the Black Forest.'

Panic instantly colored Alicia's eyes and she immediately sent Alexis to deliver the message to his parents.

The search for the two of them immediately commenced once the news was delivered to Alexander. Izabelle and Zeres were truly gone. Alexander even went as far as bringing Azy out to sense their presence in the nearby villages and towns but Azy could not pick up their presence anymore, no matter how many times he tried.

It was midnight when Alexander brought Azy back to the Black Forest.

His expression was dark as he stood there in silence. Trying to make a decision now as fast as possible while Alicia and the other witches were trying to reach Lilith to deliver the message to her.

With Alicia's very weak magic, it had been a struggle since Lilith must be very far from the country now.

"They're about to reach Lilith." Abi said as she stood next to her husband. Though she did not sound overly distressed, he could tell from her tensed up frame that she was. "The witches Lilith left here with us are strong so it's finally working."

Alex only nodded.

It had been so long since Abi had seen her cool husband looking like this. Silent. Brooding.

She knew that he must be raging silently within himself and at the same time, trying to keep his cool and think. Abi was certain that this situation was really hard for him because he could not leave the forest and pursue Zeres wherever he was right now no matter how much he wanted to.

The aura he was exuding was not just that obvious to Abi even though he had kept his expression serious.

"Elle will be alright." Abi said reassuringly as she hugged her husband, her arms curling around his slim and muscular waist. "I'm sure she'll be okay. That young lady is very strong."

Alexander hugged her back, knowing that Abi was much more worried about Elle right now. He knew just how important Izabelle was to her.

"Yes. You're right. And with her newfound power. I'm sure she'd be able to use them to her advantage." He rubbed his wife's back gently and then sighed heavily. The dark and cold air around him gentled the moment Abi held him. "I just..." he paused and shook his head in disbelief. "I just can't believe Zeres did this."

Abi could only shut her eyes. They had been talking about this just some moments before the news was brought to them by Azy on Elle and Zeres going missing. She too was so hurt right now, all because it was Zeres of all people who had done this. Zeres was their oldest and one of their most dearest friends. He was a family. Someone whom they both could trust even with their lives. Zeres was the selfless, precious person that they could not even imagine betraying them.

"I'm so angry at him right now..." Alex said through gritted teeth. "But I'm sure there must be a reason for this. Elijah must be using him. That little bastard knows that we trust Zeres. Damn... there was no one else who could possibly kidnap Elle right on our watch except Zeres. Just why the hell didn't I consider that when he's obviously showing obvious signs?" Alexander then clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles even turned white.

"It's all because you trust him, Alex." Abi told him as she gently caressed his fisted hands with her fingers.

Shoving his fingers roughly through his hair, Alex expelled a deep breath. "I'm going to beat him into a pulp. That guy..."

He then ran his palm over his face and looked up. "I can't figure out why or how Elijah even managed to get Zeres to do this. Nothing has changed in Zeres' power at all. He is still strong... so how? Why did the likes of Elijah managed to make him betray us?"

"Blackmail..." Abi suddenly uttered. That was the closest reason they could think of as it was still impossible for them to imagine that Zeres simply had chosen to join the enemy.

"Yes. I believe so too. I'm bothered by the issue between him and Iryz." Alex replied. But within him, there was another possibility he had in mind. Alex could not help but remember that time long ago when the two of them had fought to the death. Zeres had been used, allowing others to use him, that caused him to cause their downfall. All because he had believed in someone else's words. Now Alex could not help but wonder if Zeres was doing something along the lines of the case like that one again. That perhaps if another misunderstanding had driven him to do this.

He would really prefer it if the reason was indeed because Elijah had blackmailed him. But... with Zeres' tremendous power, how did he even let that happen?

"Dad! Mom!" Alexis' voice called out to them and he immediately spilled the news. "They did it!"

The trio ran towards where the witches were and saw Alicia sitting there, all sweaty and spent.

"Alicia." Abi immediately went to her side.

"They're already on their way. But I can't help but worry about Sebastian." Alicia looked at Alexander. "You must go to him now, Alexander."