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luverofralts · 2 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Your Majesty, it's so great to see you again. Come, sit down. I've arranged for tea to be served if you'd like."

King Liam of Crystal Cove was a timid creature. His parents had been murdered when he was a child, and he had been raised under the thumb of King Ben Siew to be a compliant puppet to Twikkii Island's needs. Ben had married him to his granddaughter, Celeste, who had run the country for Liam until she and Charlotte Maricourt attempted to kill the Grim Reaper with the full force of the Strangetown coven. Since Celeste's death, Liam was trying his best to rule effectively and was utterly failing. His daughter, Theodosia, had been raised by her mother to force her father to abdicate the throne upon her mother's death, but Liam had refused to budge. The throne had been his mother's final gift to him and he wouldn't release it until it was his time to join her in death. It would be him who faced off against Claudia, even if Theodosia insisted on helping him.

Claudia was more than fine with the arrangement. All she needed was her heir by her side, and her number one secret weapon, Theo.

"How kind of you," Claudia replied dismissively. "It's a bit too hot for tea, don't you think? This meeting shouldn't take very long anyway."

"We'll see," Liam answered, attempting to sound authoritative and failing. "We do have so much to talk about."

Claudia only smiled in response. With a practiced nod, she gestured towards Theo. Victoriana walked to her mother's side (though two paces behind her at all times as appropriate for an heir). Theo nodded stiffly and marched carefully towards the front of the palace. He'd been doing lots of training with the queen lately since school was out for the summer and was loving every moment of it. He got to sleep in a castle, in a luxury bedroom all to himself. He'd been allowed to visit his parents twice now, but could only call or text Adam. Adam's parents had decided to keep Adam close to them for the summer and had forbid him to be alone with the demon hybrid until school resumed. Even if Theo's powers had been healed with divine intervention, neither Edana or Ewan wanted to risk another possible injury to their son.

"So, let's just get this out of the way," Theodosia began. "The Harvest Moon Ball will not be held this year. Our sovereign ruler has given his final decision on the matter, and you won't change it."

The crown princess glared at Claudia, but Claudia didn't seem to notice. Theodosia's wife, Charlotte, had gladly abdicated the Pleasantview throne to Claudia years ago, but Theodosia still had mixed feelings on the matter. True, Claudia had a better claim to the throne, and Charlotte was almost universally hated there, but the daughter of the Red Queen had to have some sway there.

But Theodosia was failing her mother's guidance. She had been too blunt, too quick to offer her opinion. Claudia had seen her true emotions on the matter, but Theodosia had seen nothing of Claudia's.

"Of course," Claudia responded, looking appalled at the insinuation of her having come to question the king's decrees. "Pleasantview has allowed your country to govern itself for what, seventy years now? My grandfather saw the potential in a second empire during his rule, but I made a very sincere vow to your nation upon taking the throne. Under my rule, you're free to make any decisions you'd like about your country. I do hope that Victoriana extends you that same courtesy when she takes the throne someday."

"You don't have a drop of Alioto blood in your veins," Theodosia said sharply. "My grandmother is your aunt on the Goss side only. You can claim relation to any other kingdom but this one. Your claim would have to go back all the way to the first emperor, who lived centuries ago. You don't know the first thing about Crystal Cove. We aren't so helpless these days."

"Ladies, please. Let's not let the heat get the better of us," Liam pleaded, looking sternly at his daughter. "Queen Claudia has sworn to keep the peace, and so have I. There's no need for arguments."

"It would help me learn about your country and traditions if Princess Isadora transferred to Princess Zarah Academy," Victoriana chimed in. "Queen Maura’s children and King Charley's grandchildren attend Pleasantview academies, and they love it there. It would no doubt be beneficial if your future queen studied alongside her royal peers. It would be unfair for the other future monarchs to have strong friendships with each other and poor relations with Crystal Cove."

"I'll consider it," Theodosia replied, in a tone that clearly conveyed the message that she would never consider the option. "So, if you're not here to complain about the ball being cancelled, I'm curious about the reason for your visit. We love hosting foreign royalty, but I wouldn't want you to waste your valuable time on something that could have been sent by message. I'm sure there's much to occupy your time in such a large nation."

"That's a good point though. Isadora is rather isolated from her peers. My own mother was born in Pleasantview, and we have a long history of friendship between our nations."

Theodosia cleared her throat, cutting off her father.

"Dad, Isadora loves her school. It's important to maintain our traditions and not be swept up by the culture of larger nations. Especially nations that have a history of making us their colony."

"I'm glad that she's happy with her education," Claudia replied calmly. "Crystal Cove has fine educational facilities. We have a few witches in Pleasantview who like to sign up for the occasional course here to experience your culture. The last one I approved to take a class abroad made me a little crystal tree in thanks. I proudly display it in my formal entryway."

Liam looked like he was about to say something in response, but Claudia cut him off.

"I'm sad to hear about the cancellation of the Harvest Moon Ball, but I can understand your concern for safety. I've come today to share some news I've received about another concerning threat."

"Another assassination attempt?" Liam asked, gasping audibly. "Another attack on Twikkii Island?"

Claudia shook her head solemnly.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple. This is a global threat, I'm afraid. It's likely related to the attack that nearly claimed Queen Maura’s life, but it's been only spread by whispers so far. The dead are returning to our realm to warn us of what may come."

"The dead are returning? Is this-could it be...."

Theodosia trailed off, looking uncharacteristically unnerved by the Pleasantview queen's words. When she had gathered her thoughts, she cleared her throat and spoke with purpose.

"Does this concern our shared brother? Has he been...experimenting with the teachings of his mothers?"

For once, Claudia was caught off guard by a question and she didn't enjoy the feeling. She had prepared to talk about the names of dead reapers being mentioned to the living, but not about Travis.

Why would she bring up the shy, sensitive warlock who loved reading more than making a friend? To Claudia, Travis was a sweet, talented young man, who just happened to be her brother. Theodosia clearly didn't feel the same way.

Travis was Theodosia's biological brother by their mother, Queen Celeste, and a powerful threat. Celeste had been a dark, ruthlessly trained witch, and Theodosia was still learning about new terrible things her mother had done. His other mother, Charlotte Maricourt, had been an ancient witch raised in the Old Ways of Strangetown. Entire books could be written about her dark legacy. Travis was made by these two master magic users to sacrifice in their insane scheme to murder the Grim Reaper. Theodosia had seen the rituals for herself the day her mother died and remained terrified of Travis' potential, despite him having grown up into a shy, respectful teen.

Travis was Claudia's biological cousin, and Claudia was no stranger to the darkness that ran in their shared genes. Pleasantview lived at least a little bit in fear of their queen because she descended from tyrants and murderers, and that was something Claudia had been trained to promote. She knew the grey areas of her life and how to reign in the darkness without ignoring it fully. Celeste had been a terrible person, but Claudia's grandfather had instilled fear in the hearts of nations around the world. Crystal Cove had fallen to him in an afternoon and the things he'd done were too terrible to repeat. Hell, Theodosia was related to him as well on her father's side, but she wasn't his direct heir, so she got to be presented as innocent and kind. Claudia knew how Theodosia felt in secret, being a descendant of deranged monsters, but Theodosia wasn't using this insight to help others. Instead, she was placing her own fears and resentment on an innocent child and expecting praise for it. The Goldmans believed in the good of humanity and in redemption. Claudia's father adopted the unwanted son of the sister who had murdered him as an infant and had never once questioned Travis' heart. Theodosia had been telling the truth when she pointed out that Claudia had no Alioto blood in her veins. Maybe if she did, she'd be an asshole to innocent children too.

"No, it doesn't concern Travis," Claudia spat, trying to reign in her anger and failing. She paused to collect herself before continuing. She had business to conduct, and punching a foreign crown princess wasn't going to help anyone. "Ghosts have been seen for the first time in centuries. Have you received intelligence on this?"

"No," Liam answered, looking at his daughter, who shook her head. "I haven't seen any ghosts personally or had reports of them. Honesty, I've always thought that ghosts weren't even real since people like your parents apparently guard the dead so well."

"They usually do. Unfortunately, things happen out of their control sometimes. I believe the ghosts are trying to tell us something important. It's my intention to learn what they want, and my parents have suggested that I might have more success learning that information with a party. Spirits love gatherings of mortals for any reason, but especially when that gathering involves food and dancing. Blood magic is apparently stronger during celebrations involving food and thanksgiving, so their theory is that ghost might feel the same."

"Is that so?" Liam asked, leaning back in his chair. Beside him, Theodosia glowered.

"Now that you've cancelled the Harvest Moon Ball, I have to adjust my plans," Claudia continued. "You see, Lukas also fears what ghosts could mean for our world and has begged me to continue my investigation."

Her words had the desired effect. Liam froze in place, terrified of the mere mention of the being who had taken his throne when they were a teenager. Some nights, he still woke up in a cold sweat at the thought of the deity returning. Claudia had him just where she wanted him.

"So, you see, since the Harvest Moon Ball will not be held this year, I plan to hold my own ball to continue my investigation. Because your ball was cancelled, I thought it was only fair that I hold mine in Crystal Cove so that your subjects don't have to travel to Pleasantview to attend it."

"You don't have the right to just announce events in another country," Theodosia seethed. Her father had suddenly gone quiet. "You can't just rent out the ballroom. That's owned by the royal family and I don't grant you permission to use it."

Claudia smiled, her face perfectly calm.

"I wouldn't dare assume to use your property in Crystal Cove. That would be incredibly rude of me. No, I was planning on holding the ball in the piece of Crystal Cove that I own. The ball will be held in the Honora St. Julien Tower, which is the legal property of Pleasantview, so you don't need to worry about helping in any way. You're rightfully concerned about safety, but I can guarantee that my security team, several units of my military, and the brightest stars of my coven will be on hand to protect anyone who attends. Your whole family is invited, of course,"

Theodosia's face was turning from red to purple at this news, while Liam stared at the table, trying to form an objection to this plan.

"Your military in our streets? Your coven out hexing and cursing our magic users while people dance in the background? You don't have the right!"

"Well, actually, my mom legally owns the Honora St. Julien Tower. It's, therefore, a part of Pleasantview, and she can do what she likes in Pleasantview," Victoriana added quickly. This wasn't entirely the plan she had discussed with her mother before arriving here, but it was close. The queen had intended on elaborating on what she knew of the threat concerning old, dead reapers, but Victoriana could practically see steam coming out of her mother's ears. Clearly, the idea of sharing information had been abandoned. Victoriana was okay with that. She hadn't been briefed in full by her mother, but even she had not appreciated the princess' lack of respect for her Uncle Travis.

"You can't be serious."

"Oh, hey! Her Majesty thought you'd be here. I'm supposed to delay you while they talk a bit. Then you can barge in all you like."

Theo smiled at the new guests. Claudia had assumed that just because Lukas had asked for her help, they would have also reached out to a second person just in case. Usually, that meant the genetic line of champions they maintained to serve their wishes.

And here they were, standing before Theo. Varia, Vrai, and Leo all waved at the teen. It was just like Claudia had predicted.

"They're making you deal with this too?"

Vrai was old and tired and sick of politics. If his son hadn't nearly literally pushed him out the door, Vrai would be happy at home, ignoring Lukas' call.

"Dad, you were the crown prince of Strangetown when you were young. Politics is what you're good at, and it's not an inconvenience to spend time with me and your granddaughter on a nice day. You're still a prince, actively supported by Uncle Charley. Stop whining like a child and act your rank. We want the king to take us seriously."

Leo stared at the sky, wishing for a hole to swallow up his father and remove him from his sight. Vrai had never been a good father, and despite it being his destiny to serve, he was also a pretty lousy employee for Lukas. He sometimes behaved well when hanging out with his brothers, but overall, Leo found tolerating his father impossible. He would certainly never treat his own kids like that. It was getting to the point that if Vrai showed up properly dressed and with his mouth shut, Leo could usually get some work done. He'd been hoping that his father might pick up the conversation at the royal table and take an interest. He could make their job easier, though Leo knew he wouldn't.

"Theo! It's great to see you again! When did they let you out of school?" Varia ran to Theo excitedly, crushing him with a hug. "I haven't seen Adam in forever either. You must have so much to talk about. Was it a nice school? Did you have any favourite teachers?"

Theo laughed.

"It was the worst. Oh my god. They took my phone and I couldn't see Adam at all. I met Lukas there, though. Did they mention me at all?"

"Hmmm. I don't think so, but I don't always see them. You'd have to ask my dad. He doesn't always let me come on work trips, so I miss out on all the gossip. I have to spend more time in school before he'll let Lukas ask anything of me."

"My dad's ex-girlfriend hired me as a summer intern without asking me," Theo commiserated. "It's really cool, and I get my own room in a castle, but sometimes I wish I was back at school with Adam. Your dad probably has a point about not committing to serving a deity before you've learned how to handle them, though. Following the queen around is sometimes pretty boring."

"Your Majesty King Liam. Your Majesty Queen Claudia. Your Highness Princess Theodosia. Your Highness Princess Victoriana. I've come to talk with you all on a matter of some urgency." Leo stood politely beside the table of frustrated monarchs, waiting for an invitation to join them. The Crystal Cove royals looked furious, while the Pleasantview royals seemed to be enjoying themselves.

So nothing new then. This was how Leo had always seen the royal families act with each other. He had been born and raised in Crystal Cove, but he'd never felt respect for a monarch until he'd spent time with his Uncle Charley. Strangetown may be strange, but at least it had a functioning government.

"Of course you may join us," Claudia declared, once again acting on behalf of the king without permission. "If you have something important to discuss, then we are all glad to hear it. Victoriana, go sit with Isadora at another table and continue to think on our conversation while we speak with Leonid."

"Thank you, Your Majesty," Leo said, pulling Victoriana's abandoned chair over to sit at the table.

"Is this news from Lukas?" Liam asked wearily. "If it is, then Her Majesty has already informed us of Lukas' displeasure with our choice about the ball. We were just discussing that matter when you arrived."

"No, not directly from Lukas," Leo lied. "From my uncle, the king."

The king and his daughter shared a worried look at these words.

"King Charley sent you here? For what purpose?"

"About the cancellation of the Harvest Moon Ball," Leo repeated, eliciting a deep groan from the Crystal Cove royals.

"Not you too," Liam exclaimed. "It's just a ball! We have several of them each year when it's safe to gather. Doesn't anyone else have a self-preservation instinct? The Queen of Twikkii Island nearly died, and that was just a barbecue!"

"That's why my uncle has sent me to speak with you," Leo replied. "He's been tracking the threat of this spiritual unrest, and he wants to hold an event in place of the Harvest Moon Ball. The barrier between life and death is thinnest at the time of the ball, and the spirits will be displaced if their usual schedule is interrupted. If you are unwilling to play your part in the maintenance of the world, then His Majesty will do so for you."

"It's just a ball! Besides, Queen Claudia has already threatened to have her military in my streets to hold her own ball in place of the Harvest Moon Ball. Are you both going to fight over the same day?"

Claudia smiled at Leo, and he grinned back.

"Not at all," Claudia said confidently. "There's a window of time where the barriers thin. We could easily pick separate days. In fact, if we stretched the events over a weekend, the spirits might be even happier."

"My uncle is very spiritual," Leo continued. "He would gladly hold a spiritual gathering to uphold the Old Ways during the day, with every intention of joining Her Majesty's ball at night."

"I would gladly attend such a spiritual gathering," Claudia added. "My parents and their coworkers might also want to attend. My mother is a descendant of Holy Queen Jasone, after all. I extend the use of my property within the boundaries of Crystal Cove to your uncle to hold this joint event. With my military and coven, and your uncle's military and coven, plus at least my parents' reaper team and possibly more, I think this event will be well protected. People will flock to this event due to the disappointment of the Harvest Moon Ball's cancellation, and we can assure them that we will protect them where their own king could not."

A silence fell over the table as Liam considered his options. This had to be at least partly Lukas' fault. Their employees wouldn't be here unless the deity had forced them to be here. Leo would still be advocating for his uncle, sure, but Varia and Vrai? Liam could hear Vrai complaining from where he sat. Claudia had admitted to speaking with Lukas when she revealed their anger at the ball's cancellation, but she was grinning too much at the thought of holding an event in his country. Lukas might have inspired some of this, but Claudia and Charley were exploiting this weak spot of Liam's. Every second he refused to hold the ball, the greater the chance that the other monarchs got even more ideas to make him look weaker.

"Sorry about my grandfather. Mom says that he's seen a lot of bad things, which makes him paranoid and that we should go easy on him. I agree with your mom. Cancelling the ball is stupid."

Isadora smiled at Victoriana. The gesture seemed earnest, which Victoriana thought was strange. No one in line to a throne ever relaxed in front of the other royals. The teens' mothers certainly never let down their guard around guests. Hell, sometimes Victoriana saw her mother wear her "I'm the queen and you will all obey" face for days. Princess Theodosia seemed to be equally distant, something her daughter didn't seem to share. Isadora was sheltered by her paranoid parents and was deliberately kept out of the school in Pleasantview where she could make political friends. To Victoriana, the princess' life was depressing. Claudia gave her plenty of choices to make on her own, even if the queen frequently interrupted her daughter's life when it was necessary. Even though Theo had been hired for the summer without knowing it, Claudia still allowed him every luxury owed to him as a guest of the queen. Theodosia looked like she ruled her daughter's life without restraint.

"I'm sure he has his reasons," Victoriana said charitably. She smiled back at the princess. Isadora had a beautiful smile.

"Hey guys! I mean, greetings Your Highnesses." Varia charged across the lawn and unceremoniously greeted the other teens. Her dad's work didn't often involve kids her own age, and she'd much rather hang out with princesses than listen to her miserable grandfather. "What's going on?"

Victoriana grinned at the sight of Varia. Varia and her father were frequent guests at the Pleasantview castle. They didn't see each other often outside of their shared science class, but Victoriana liked to think she and Varia were friends.

"We're talking about the Harvest Moon Ball and how much of a baby Isadora's grandfather is," Victoriana explained, causing Isadora's face to flush with embarrassment. "Everyone wants this ball to happen, even Strangetown. I think my mom's about to invade Crystal Cove just so it happens."

"He's just being sensible," Isadora protested. "My aunt died in the attack that killed Queen Cherry. He's never really recovered from that loss. It's okay to be safe sometimes."

Victoriana rolled her eyes.

"Sometimes, but not all the time. The man is afraid of his own shadow. My mom always says that a monarch has to take risks and go on the offensive or they risk everything they have. A lot of powerful people would be angry if she didn't rule the way she does. I plan on following her path one day when I'm queen."

"That's easy for you to say. Your mom has all the resources she needs to act like she does. The queen of Pleasantview gets everything she wants," Isadora complained. "Everyone is too afraid of her to go against her."

"Fine! I will hold the Harvest Moon Ball as scheduled as long as both of your kingdoms leave your militaries at home, and Strangetown's spiritual gathering is contained to the tower."

The teens could hear the king's frustrated declaration from across the yard. Isadora continued to flush with embarrassment, while Varia couldn't keep a snort of laughter from escaping.

Victoriana grinned proudly.

"Like I said, the queen of Pleasantview gets what she wants. One day, that's going to be me."

#sims 2 #sims 2 pictures #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #theodosia alioto #Isadora alioto #claudia goldman #Victoriana goldman #sim: varia toyonaga #varia Toyonaga #leo toyonaga #vrai toyonaga

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luverofralts · 6 months ago

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It's weird having the boys in the same room again 😂

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #sims 2 pictures #random

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luverofralts · 2 months ago

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Not So Simstober #23: Pirate's Treasure

How long will I love you?

As long as stars are above you

And longer if I may

#sims 2 #sims 2 pictures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #simstober #notsosimstober #notsosimstober 2024 #pirates and nobles

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luverofralts · 4 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

Ulyssa rushed to the cradle she had placed in her bedroom. The infant was crying, and with all the tears currently being shed in the castle, the queen regent thought it would be best to keep a close eye on the child. On her child.

The little girl stopped wailing as soon as Ulyssa picked her up. It brought back so many, now painful memories of her own children growing up. Alysiara had fussed whenever she was about to be put down for a nap to the point where even the nannies couldn't get her to sleep. She'd happily sleep in Ulyssa's arms while Maura held court.

This baby was hers in the same way that Georgiana was Maura’s. Ulyssa repeated that sentence in her mind every time she had to feed or change the baby. This little girl looked a lot like her father, but then again, so did Georgiana. There were bits of Maura in her face as well, but her eyes were all her father's.

"It's okay, baby. I'm scared without your mom too," Ulyssa confessed, holding the infant close. She couldn't understand all the words Ulyssa needed to get out of her system. "We'll be okay, though. She'll wake up and we can try to be a family again. You'll see."

"Ah, you're not as fussy as Alysiara," Ulyssa remarked sadly. "You're like Viola, shy until you get hungry. That's pretty good; we could use some more shy family members."

"Go to sleep, little princess. The nanny will be here soon."

The nanny was due to arrive within the hour, to Ulyssa's relief. She could handle babies, she and Maura certainly had enough of them, but dealing with a newborn, a country, funerals for her children, and praying that Maura woke up soon, all seemed impossible. She could delegate baby duties to a trained professional while trying to keep up with the rest of her responsibilities.

"Your Majesty, there are guests at the door. Security has cleared them. It is safe to approach."

Ulyssa groaned. All this security didn't feel like it was to protect them. It felt like it was some kind of test of patience just to get breakfast. We're they really any safer with all these "safeguards"? They had thought they were safe at the family cottage, and look how that turned out.

Ulyssa reached the door and had to check behind her for a camera or a group of people waiting to jump out and yell "surprise"! She couldn't have predicted the identity of her guests even if she'd had a hundred guesses.

"Your Majesty, it's great to see you again so soon."

"It's just Claudia at the moment," the queen replied, smirking at her daughter. "The three of us are simply foreign citizens, out for a walk on the royal estate."

That was an understatement. Despite Claudia's words, the three people on her doorstep were very much not a simple thing to acknowledge. Firstly, if you had asked Ulyssa to picture Claudia with her hair done up like a teenager, she could have never imagined what was before her. Victoriana was easy enough to expect to be with her mother, but Theo? The last Ulyssa had heard, Theo was away in a foreign school for almost killing his boyfriend with his broken magic. To see him casually strolling the palace gardens with his half-sister and the queen of Pleasantview? Had Roman approved this visit, or was it one of Claudia's games?

"Thanks for meeting with my lawyer about the cottage," Claudia exclaimed, greeting Ulyssa in a superficial manner. "He said that everything went through just fine and i have you to thank for it. Maura’s going to be so proud of the way you've handled things in her absence. Her doctors are saying that she might wake up soon, are you preparing all the documents and papers she's going to need?"

Ulyssa felt gross just listening to Claudia try to be nice. The papers giving her a legal stake in the cottage were already signed, what else did she have planned if she needed to butter Ulyssa up like this? She would ask how Claudia knew about what Maura’s doctors were saying, but she already knew the answer. The queen of Pleasantview knew everything.

"Anyway, I thought I'd drop by and see your newest daughter," Claudia continued, ignoring Ulyssa's attempt to answer her last question. "She's upstairs, right?"

"Yes?" Ulyssa was still trying to figure out what exactly was happening here. "The nanny is doing to be here soon. I think she's almost asleep-"

"Perfect! I'll just say hi before she falls asleep. Victoriana, Theo, run upstairs and signal to our security team that we're safe. You know how they worry when we're out of sight these days."

Before Ulyssa could stop the teens, Victoriana and Theo were on their way upstairs to complete Claudia's command.

Theo did pause long enough to give his godmother a dirty look. Clearly, his feelings for Ulyssa hadn't changed since she'd last seen him.

"Oh, isn't she the cutest?" Claudia cooed, reaching into the cradle to hold her cousin's baby. "She's got that Siew fierceness, you can see it in her eyes."

Ulyssa craned her neck, looking for signs of where the Bellamy half-siblings might have run off to. Security was still on high alert, so they had to be being watched by someone, surely. What reason did Claudia have Theo for anyway? There was no honest reason that Ulyssa could think of for Claudia to have her ex-fling's teenage son sneaking around Twikkii Island when he could be home with his parents or safe at school. There was still a week left in the semester, wasn't there? After everything that had happened, Ulyssa had no sense of time. It could suddenly be Winterfest tomorrow for all she knew.

"Princess Victoriana is just using the washroom," Theo announced upon entering the room. "Our security team wants us to move on shortly. They're not comfortable with our being in the castle when another strike could come at any time."

"Understood. Theo, would you like to hold the baby? You probably have enough experience holding children with the size of your father's family."

"No, Your Majesty, I'm fine here."

Theo looked as interested in seeing the infant as any typical fourteen year old boy. If it had been Adam's baby, that would be a different story, but someone else's crying, smelly kid hardly seemed worth Theo's time.

Ulyssa used Theo's reluctance to position herself beside the teen before he could bolt away. She would likely never have a chance to speak with him like this again.

"So Junior-uh, Theo. How have things been lately? I heard that you were admitted to one of the hardest schools to get into. That must have been quite an honour."

"It sucked and they took away my phone," Theo replied curtly. "I still haven't got to see Adam yet, but at least I can text him again."

"Well, what did you learn?" Ulyssa tried again. She'd clearly forgotten how self-absorbed teenagers could be. Maybe it wasn't his age, but his bloodline. God only knew what went through teenage Roman's head.

Theo shrugged. He kept his eyes averted from Ulyssa at all times.

"I learned that the life deity thinks that I'm practically a demigod and that Adam has a talent for making crystals now. I'm going to go back to school next semester, and they're probably going to have to assign me to the advanced classes. Maybe even some university level courses."

"Uh, huh. Well, I'm happy that you're back home safe. What are you doing hanging around with Claudia? More advanced magic lessons?"

It was a gentle probe, but it was probably too much. Claudia's well trained ears missed nothing, or so Ulyssa assumed.

"He's helping my mom with a project," Victoriana replied, skipping past her brother. She made a silly face for the baby and tickled her softly. "Very hush hush. Can I hold her?"

"Very," Theo agreed, still avoiding his godmother as best he could.

"Does she have a name yet?" Victoriana asked, rocking the infant in her arms.

Ulyssa looked at Claudia expectantly before answering. The name had only been entered into the records that afternoon, but Ulyssa had no doubt that Claudia already had that information. Claudia did her best to look innocent under Ulyssa's stare, but Ulyssa was quickly learning some of the queen's tells.

"It's Coby. Princess Coby Augusta Ulyssa Siew," Ulyssa answered wearily. Just when had Claudia learned this information? Was she secretly psychic, or did she have spies in every corner of Ulyssa's life? "Her Majesty was very fond of her father, and it's a unisex name, so I thought it was fitting. I hope she agrees."

"You couldn't have waited?"

Another snarky question from the cocky teenager. Ulyssa wasn't sure how Roman dealt with his son's attitude.

"No, there are laws in place about when an heir is registered and a name is needed rather quickly," Ulyssa replied. "They have to make sure that she's the daughter of the queen and her titles need to be assigned very quickly after birth. The process is all very formal."

Ulyssa could read the next thing Theo wanted to say as easily as if it were written on his forehead. How had Princess Georgiana gotten through that process if she wasn't the queen's biological daughter? Maura had seen to all of that in her authority as the monarch, something Ulyssa couldn't do now even with her role as regent. The crown had wanted a name and Ulyssa had given her one.

"Well, it's been fun, but we really should get back to our walk around the grounds," Claudia declared, handing Coby back to her mother. "Theo, are you all set? Victoriana?"

Both teens nodded, and Ulyssa could feel her stress rising exponentially. They were up to something and barely trying to hide it. Whatever plan Claudia was working went far beyond Ulyssa's understanding, and Claudia knew it.

"It was nice seeing you and little Coby," Claudia lied, suddenly slipping back into her well practiced monarch cadence.

"Yeah, you too," Ulyssa said as politely sarcastic as she could manage without offending the foreign monarch. "Stop by any time."

"Tell Maura that I'll be by to see her," Claudia called as she began to descend the stairs. "Tomorrow probably. We'll have lunch."

Ulyssa frowned. Well, that was cryptic. Was Claudia guessing about Maura’s condition, or was she aware of some secret information that even Ulyssa didn't know? Had her reaper parents given her information known only to the guardians of the dead?

Ulyssa released a frustrated sigh and turned her attention back to the infant. First, she would take care of finding their nanny for Coby and then she would pour herself a large, strong drink and continue to look over the remaining documents she had to review before holding court tomorrow and put all thoughts of Claudia Goldman and her schemes out of her head.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #ulyssa durant #victoriana goldman #claudia goldman #coby siew

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luverofralts · 5 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

Dear Adam,

I'm a little worried about your last letter and the dream you said you had. Sorry I've been so slow to respond to it, but things here have been insane. My dads are successfully demon married and are off on some honeymoon. They seem really happy. But i have even more exciting news. I'm sure you've felt your magical abilities change within the past few days, and we have Lukas to thank for it. They corrected what the witches here were trying to do to fix my curse. They used you as an anchor to balance my own powers out and keep from having incidents in the future. So you're a lot stronger now and have more access to my powers. Sorry that we didn't get to talk it through beforehand. Things went bad really fast at my parents' wedding, and there wasn't time to try to bring you here. I guess we have a lot to catch up on next time we can talk in person.

I may have a lead on something from your dream, though. None of the names from your letter sound familiar, except for one. When I was talking to Lukas (yes, the god. I had an actual conversation with them about weird god stuff! They said that I should only trust you with my magic BTW. That has to mean that we're meant to be together forever 😉❤️) they mentioned a girl named Riley. Riley was their sister, and though they didn't confirm her last name, their one father was named Linus Reeves, which could make her name Riley Reeves instead of Riley Lane. It has to be her, right? What are the odds? Except we can't find her to talk to her. She's dead. Beyond dead. Obliterated from existence. Her whole family has tried to find a way to bring her back, and if Life or Death can't manage it, I doubt that we could. It's something to think about anyway.

Anyway, I have to be leaving this place soon, I can just feel it. Magic is so much easier now. I can't believe how easy it is! I'm still learning how to perfect things, but I can probably help you with your homework for a change. I tried to cast some fireflies for a test and accidentally unleashed an angry beehive in class, so all of my assignments are based on refining my magic now. I'm sure I'll figure it out soon and can leave this awful place.

Other people have noticed how well I'm doing too. We have to have duel class once a week, and my partner usually reads a textbook while I put out the fires of one of my spells exploding. It's embarrassing. Before, I had to worry about a curse imploding or a spell being cast wrong. Now?

Now he forfeited the last two matches because my basic hexes nearly shattered the windows. So, I'm back to refining my spellwork for the safety of my classmates.

Anyway, I'll keep this brief because I'm being summoned to the high mage's office. It's probably more worksheets to go through, but I know they don't need to keep me here anymore. One day soon, I'll get the okay to leave and see you again.

Good luck with the Riley Reeves information. That can't just be a coincidence.

Love,

Theo 😘😘

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #torkel deering #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 6 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

"This place looks pretty normal. I was half expecting blood pouring down from the skies based on Theo's description."

Abe looked cautiously around him, still unsure if his son's dire words had been hyperbole or if they were safe. It certainly didn't look like anything special. From the extensive magic used to open the portal for him and Roman, Abe had been expecting somewhere even more built up and powerful than Pleasantview.

"It is strange. I only care about our son, though. Where have they been keeping him? Is he okay?" Roman declared. His eyes searched wildly around the area, looking for even a glimpse of Theo.

Today was finally the day that he and Abe would be entered into a demonic marriage. While the sovereign had tried to marry them before as an experiment of Theo's powers, this time it was something that the two men both actually wanted. The fact that they needed to physically see their son to perform the ceremony was just a bonus. They had been separated from Theo since he'd been whisked away to Shadowvale. The rare time they got to video call him wasn't enough by any measure.

Abe smiled and rubbed Roman's shoulder affectionately.

"Ro, take it easy on him. Don't embarrass him just because we've been going crazy without him. You remember being his age."

Roman paused to picture his fourteen year old self in this situation. Neither of his parents had cared enough to want to visit him anywhere and his grandparents only wanted to see him if he was as calm and calculating as they were. Roman was nothing like Omar had been. Omar was embarrassing; Roman thought about nothing but his children. Besides, he was throwing a giant party to celebrate his, Abe's and Adrian's thirtieth birthday in a month or so. He was still cool and could rock a suit anytime he wanted...as long as the kids didn't smear peanut butter on it with their sticky hands. His wardrobe had been more focused on practicality recently, but he was still Roman Fucking Bellamy. Sweatpants and a few stray gray hairs had never looked better on anyone else.

"Dads! You're here! You made it."

A tall, gangly teen with a mess of black hair and lengthy horns bounded towards them, smiling widely.

"Theo! You-" Abe's words died on his lips when he saw the golden beams enveloping his son's eyes. A long buried part of him recoiled at the sight, wanting to rush to him and change him into the son he remembered. But Theo was likely only like that so that he could perform the wedding. The very supernatural wedding where Abe would share Roman's thoughts and feelings for the rest of their lives.

Abe cleared his throat and tried again to greet the son he'd been going crazy pining for. Now wasn't the time for cold feet. He'd talked extensively with Roman about their shared desire to welcome the supernatural into their marriage and to honour Roman's demonic heritage. It was just nerves bothering him. That and Theo's prolonged absence from their lives.

The Bellamys had finally been given an abriviated record of just what Theo's powers had done to Adam Darktide and they were horrified. They had protested Theo's change in schools a lot less after seeing some of the pictures in that file.

Don't scream "my baby!" Don't scream "my baby!"

Roman chanted this mantra silently to himself, praying to keep his composure. He had been raised to be better than the feelings that were warring within him. His grandfather would be ashamed of him to show such weakness in the middle of a dangerous world. Omar would have been disgusted to have to deal with Roman's raw emotion about things Omar could never understand.

Perhaps Kamalani would have understood her son, in her own twisted way. Despite her obvious flaws, Roman did get the sense that his mother had at least cared deeply for his little half-sister at some point. Maybe she would also have to hold herself back from rushing to Keiki's side. The thought was less comforting than Roman assumed it might be.

This was a special occasion though. Surely, after months apart from his son, Roman was entitled to throw himself at Theo and never let him go.

"Dad! I missed you so much!"

Roman was saved from his dilemma when Theo rushed into his father's waiting arms on his own, squeezing him as tight as he could. Roman smiled, squeezing Theo right back. When they finally parted, Theo rushed into Abe's arms, greeting him just as enthusiastically.

"Look at you," Roman gushed, taking in every little detail about his son so that he could see what had changed since their last meeting. "You look so strong. I couldn't ask for a better wedding officiant. Right, Abe?"

Abe nodded and pulled his son into another hug. This was the supernatural world that his son thrived in, and Abe wasn't about to push his son away just because he was having some cold feet.

"Abe, Roman, welcome," an all too familiar voice called. "I'm glad you made it."

Both men waved reluctantly at the sovereign of all demons. Her presence wasn't a surprise given the circumstances, but it wasn't exactly like she had been invited either.

"Did Lucy also come?" Abe asked, looking hopefully for his sister. Lucy could presumably reign in her wife should the sovereign get ideas about skimming demonic energy again. His and Roman's demonic marriage had once been a part of Saren's scheme for power, and to see her here uninvited wasn't making his cold feet any warmer.

"No, regrettably, Lucy couldn't attend today. She sends her well wishes, of course. This ceremony is rather private when compared to a human wedding, so I didn't want to add more people than necessary."

"You certainly added yourself without a problem," Roman grumbled, focusing on his son to keep from shouting at his sister in law. The sovereign then insinuated herself into that plan too.

"My brightest protégé, just look at you! All ready to join two people in demonic matrimony."

She embraced Theo, a sight none of the Arkhelians had been prepared for. Roman looked at Abe with confusion, only to see him look equally confused. Roman mouthed "Lucy?" silently to which Abe shrugged. It was plausible that Lucy had had a warming effect on her wife. Slightly. More than likely, this sudden appearance and affection was part of some devious plan.

"Go on and get ready for the ceremony," Saren instructed, releasing Theo from her off-putting embrace. "This will take some serious energy and concentration, so get prepared. Don't worry, you could have done this six years ago and you'll crush this now."

Theo nodded and waved to his parents.

"I'll see you guys soon. I won't screw this up, I promise."

With those reassuring words, Theo bounded off towards a large building, leaving his parents alone with their surprise guest.

"So, uh, do you and Lucy plan on making this commitment?" Abe asked nervously. "She's never really mentioned any plans for a demonic marriage to me before. Is that something you two might be interested in?"

The sovereign laughed at this, telling Abe all that he needed to know.

"Are you kidding? It's not a thousand years ago," she laughed as genuinely as Abe or Roman had ever seen her. "Sharing thoughts, emotions and all that? No, thank you. And to be bonded to a mortal woman who will one day die and leave me with a heart involuntarily torn in half? It's not a ceremony that I have any interest in."

"And because Lucy is probably already planning her next terrible relationship," Abe muttered, hoping that only Roman could hear his words.

A large swell of clouds suddenly appeared in the air, drawing attention away from their conversation.

"Who could that be?" Roman asked, craning his head to identify the new arrival. "Maybe Lucy really did decide to come today. After all the hoops we had to jump through to be here, who could possibly be showing up? Did we need to provide this government with even more proof of our intentions?"

The clouds parted, revealing their mystery guest. The instant Roman recognized their visitor, his anxiety went from near zero to through the roof.

"Lukas? What the hell are you doing here? We're not doing anything wrong," Roman insisted, staring at the being who apparently wanted to crash their wedding. To have the sovereign show such an interest in their matrimonial plans was one thing, but a deity? Especially one so fond of chaos? This was quickly becoming a circus spiraling out of the grooms' control. Why was marrying Abe in a way that honoured Roman's demonic heritage seemingly impossible to pull off without cosmic forces trying to ruin it?

"I never said that anything was wrong, thanks for projecting your own childish fears onto me," they replied, barely paying attention to Roman. Instead, their gaze remained wholly focused on Saren. "What can I say, I love weddings."

"What the mortal was implying was that you weren't invited to this celebration," the sovereign sneered. "It's family only."

"This is quite the destination wedding," Lukas commented, ignoring the demon entirely. "It's pretty hard to find for their families. Even your wife couldn't find her way here to support her brother."

"Lucy sends her regards. I'm sure the mortals would prefer that you leave now that you've blessed the couple with your unrequested visit."

"I'm sure they don't mind a deity supervising this ceremony. Demons are just corrupted servants of Life after all. I would hate for something to go wrong with the joining when I could have helped."

"Demons are far more than what you assume them to be. Have you already forgotten who was responsible for your centuries long little nap? And I hear that now you can't go running back to daddies for help when a mean demon decides to play with you. If I were you, I would stick to hiding behind your husband and staying out of business that doesn't concern you."

"Poor Saren, if only you had someone to hide behind for yourself. Grandpa and Mommy drowned in the Ocean, didn't they? All that's left of your family is you and your little half-breed babies who no proper demon respects. You'd better run home to sit on your useless throne before a real demon comes and claims it."

Roman gave Abe a confused look as the two supernatural beings squabbled in front of them.

"Does any of this make sense to you?" he asked.

Abe shook his head. At least they hadn't been sucked into the escalating argument before them. They could probably leave and not have either Lukas or Saren even notice that they'd left.

"Well, it's better to have Life here instead of Death," he said. "It can't hurt to have them here in case something happens. Truthfully, the sovereign showing up without Lucy makes me nervous too. Let's just go get changed for the ceremony and see if the place is in ruins by the time the ceremony is supposed to start."

Theo took a deep breath and tried to focus his mind. Everything was set for the ceremony. He'd helped draw the magic lines himself to make sure they were done right. Nothing was going to go wrong. Nothing.

Except....Theo had tried to downplay his magical issues when he wrote Adam, but he couldn't ignore them now. He had been making progress in his studies until recently. The curse within him was uncontrollable, no matter how hard his teachers tried to reign it in. It appeared without warning under circumstances that didn't even make sense and attempting to reintegrate it with the rest of Theo was proving to be harder than his teachers expected.

What happened if his magical abilities backfired when joining his parents? Would they get hurt as badly as Adam had? Should Theo even be trying this in his current state?

He took another deep breath and released it slowly. No, this was just nerves. He could do this. He would do this.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sims 2 pictures #roman bellamy #abe chun #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #lukas lane #saren diablo #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 6 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

Dear Adam,

I snuck out with Brion yesterday. No, not how we sneak out after class, don't worry. I just had to get out of there or I'd lose control of my powers again, despite how good my control has gotten. Oh shit, you don't want to hear about that, it's just going to make you worry. Dammit! I swore I had white out here. Well, forget I said that. I'm never going to hurt you again, but this place is another story. I'd destroy it in an instant if I could. There's just so much pressure on me. I'm getting closer to the end of the curriculum they gave me, which is great, but the tests I have to do are exhausting.

I think they can sense how stressed I've been, which is the only reason I was able to sneak out in the first place. The usual magic circle on the floor had the edges smudged in a very noticeable pattern. I don't care if this wasn't the school's actual plan. I need some small piece of sanity to hold onto.

Brion makes escaping at night a habit too, though for much different reasons. With the magic circle broken, I could send him a message via spell to meet up with me. I tried sending you one too, and the message turned to ash in my hand in an instant. Either the magical barrier between us is that thick, or whatever spell your mother cast against me is incredibly strong. You get these messages, so I'm not too worried. All it said was that I missed you (with a hint about what I especially missed about you 😉).

There's this weird abandoned house outside of town that Brion likes to visit. Pleasantview was founded on Old Tredony, and this strange country is just as old. The people who used to live in the house were from Ticktop. We had a quiz about them I think in second year. They were the ones with wooden golems and spells that messed with time. I wonder if my stalker, Reogus, knew anything about them. If he suddenly shows up to kidnap me again, I'll have to ask.

There were all these cool pictures on the wall, like a memorial to three different ladies who must have lived here ages ago. They were pretty cool to look at. I think I've seen at least one of those women in a textbook somewhere at school. Maybe they went to school here when they were my age.

Of course, in a weird memorial in the middle of nowhere in the strangest place I've ever been, there was a familiar face in one of the photos. How the hell did Lukas end up here and when? I'm probably better off not knowing. Seeing them pop up here at least reminded me of you and the life I've left behind. I hope I can come home to bad talk deities with you soon.

Brion likes coming here because it's out of the way of most people. Every one else thinks it's haunted. There's way too many creepy buildings that you don't want to mess with here and this is no exception. No one is alive to maintain the property, but the grass is cut and the memorial is well maintained by something. Probably a vengeful ghost, I think. If I had a creepy memorial, I'd make sure it was able to stand the centuries. The words "the question" are carved all over the wood door like it's some kind of horror movie. There might even be blood caked in the carvings. 👻 it would be a great place to make out at on Halloween.

Anyway, Brion took me there to tell me a secret. He looked really nervous, but he said that he could tell that I was different like him. (That's when I told him that my hot girlfriend, Remy, was really my hot boyfriend, Adam. He looked at me funny and said, "No, not like that." Well, at least someone knows about you here)

He was kinda creeping me out with how intense he looked. Then I thought about how a guy with a secret had lured me out of school to the middle of nowhere in a haunted house. I should really think things through better in the future. I would obviously win if he tried to murder me, but still. I don't need more trouble in this place.

Anyway, Brion didn't try to murder me. Instead, he began shaking and glowing with this intense light. It was sort of like watching a demon form emerge.

Except he wasn't a demon.

I've never seen a werewolf before, Adam. Have you? I've never heard of them in Arkhelios or seen them in Pleasantview. They're really rare. It turns out Brion was born a werewolf. He's adopted and his adoptive parents don't know about it. He comes out to the middle of nowhere to transform when he has to.

It only seemed fair to tell him my secret (I personally think it's more interesting that I have a boyfriend, but I guess being a demon with a dark form is interesting too)

I told him a bit about my family and all the people who have tried to kill me or my dad. He'd never heard of the Great Demons before. Well, he's heard stories of the unholy, evil daemons of old, but they're not allowed to study them or their history. I think anything relevant would be stored in my school, because there are definitely demons here. They're my teachers. It's what I study. I for sure have proof there are demons here.

He didn't scream or anything at my dark form like I thought he might. He thought it was cool.

We swore to keep each other's secrets. His fur looked really soft and he could smell things from miles away. Werewolves are kind of awesome. We've got to find some at home to hang out with.

Maybe Brion wasn't surprised by my relevation about having a boyfriend because his sister seemed to be sneaking out to meet with a werewolf of her own. Security outside of the schools must be pretty lax. Lucky for them.

It was nice to sit outside and watch the stars again. I have no idea where I am, but I like to imagine that somewhere, you're sitting under the same stars, thinking about me.

I can't wait until I'm back in Pleasantview again and seeing you face to face. My dads are coming to see me soon. They're asking me to perform a demonic wedding ceremony for them, just like the Sovereign asked of them years ago. She doesn't care anymore about it, but apparently, they do. I asked them to sneak you along with them, but they said no and that I wasn't taking my studies here seriously. If I can use this to prove to the school that I'm in control of myself, maybe I can go home even sooner.

Love,

Theo ❤️

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #brion pryor #helena pryor #phuong doan-creel #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 6 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"This isn't quite how our wedding started last time. All this ritual feels silly."

Abe grasped onto his husband's arm as they led themselves towards their waiting son. They'd been supplied formal robes for the ceremony as well as the same head adornments they'd been given years ago. Which made sense when Abe thought about it. This wasn't a regular wedding where fashions changed over time. This ritual had been in practice for centuries, millenia even. Very little changed when it came to deep magic.

His previous worries seemed to lift while he was holding onto Roman. This wasn't too different from a typical wedding so far, and Roman seemed confident enough.

Theo was waiting for them between a maze of magic circles and lines. His face looked nervous, just like it did before an important exam, and Roman fought the urge to break the ritual and tell him that he was doing a great job so far. His heart swelled with pride, seeing how far Theo had come with his studies. This was what Theo had been made to do and he was doing it flawlessly.

"Roman Bellamy. Abraham Helios, second of that name. Sorry- Romanus Bellamy. Abraham Helios, second of that name," Theo began, his nerves getting the better of him. There were a few important words that had to be said just right and messing up their true names was failing the easy parts of his role. "You come to be joined together in the ways of our ancestors?"

Both of his parents said yes, allowing Theo to move on.

From a side room, the sovereign and another demon that neither Roman or Abe recognized entered the room, taking places on either side of Theo. The two demons began chanting in Latin, bowing rhythmically in tune. The magic circles that stood nearest to them lit up in unison and the grooms noticed the air around them grow thicker as magic crackled between them.

Theo uttered some mangled Latin, while the two demons behind him continued their chanting and bowing.

"Do you pledge to pool your magic together for the rest of all time?" Two more yeses followed. "Do you pledge to remove half of your heart as sacrifice to the other?"

Theo's parents looked worriedly at their son, unsure if they were allowed to speak to question whether that pledge was going to be literal. Theo shook his head quickly, completely understanding their reluctance. It wasn't like they had been allowed to hold a practice session before the Bellamys had arrived.

"Yes," Roman and Abe said in unison, still looking uncomfortable with the vow.

"Will you forever share one heart and one soul, forsaking all others under exteme demonic penalty?"

"Yes."

Abe wasn't sure about what penalty he was agreeing to, but stopping the ritual to ask for clarification didn't seem to be an option. From his history with demonic contracts, Abe figured that it was probably something horrible. He'd have to ask his lawyer discreetly at their next family gathering.

Roman made the vow without hesitation. His future was with Abe. Mistakes like Ulyssa would never happen again; it hurt too much to even consider causing the heartbreak he'd seen on Abe's face when he found out about the affair. Even still, Roman doubted that mere adultery could trigger this penalty. So far, the ceremony seemed to be geared towards the sharing of power and hearts, not a bed.

"Then stand on your individual circles and prepare to become one."

Theo gestured towards two circles drawn on the floor, and his parents obediently complied.

Theo closed his eyes and began to summon the power he needed to complete the ritual. Each of his parents' energies was familiar to him; combining them together seemed like basic magic. Beyond basic even. Outside of memorizing the correct words, Theo probably could have bound his parents together as a child.

But that was when his magic had been relatively stable. These days, it lashed out in every direction, refusing to stay bound to Theo. In addition to that, Theo could feel the powerful hum of energy pour through him from the sovereign and her companion. Their chanting had only grown louder, and Theo fumbled slightly, trying to process such overwhelming power while balancing his own power. It would have been easy for Saren to skim power from a ceremony like this when Theo was too young to know the difference. Perhaps she had arrived today to help, hoping that she could still sneak some while monitoring Theo's abilities, but Theo had studied for years to repel would be attackers. Whatever she was gaining from this ceremony, it wasn't worth the effort she was investing.

A sharp pain brought Theo to his knees. The candles surrounding him began to flicker wildly.

"Dammit!" Another stab of pain struck as control slipped through Theo's fingers. It was nothing malicious from the sovereign like he'd expect. No, this problem was all on him.

The crystal in the ring on his finger flashed weakly, calling out to the warlock Theo had accidentally bound himself to. It was futile, of course, since none of Theo's magic had ever been able to reach Adam from this place. It still called all the same, looking for the balance and stability he needed, but finding nothing.

Both Roman and Abe collapsed onto the floor, completely unresponsive. It was just like watching Adam crumple to the ground at school all over again.

Blood pooled between his parents, though Theo couldn't pinpoint whose it was or where it had come from. Were his parents in danger? Could someone intervene and stop Theo like Evren and Master Maricourt had before? Theo couldn't imagine facing his siblings or grandmother and having to confess to killing his parents because he couldn't control his own abilities.

Why was he even sent to this school? Why did he ever think that he could lead a normal life? Nothing ever changed. At least being this isolated from Adam probably meant that he would be protected from Theo's latest screw up. Theo could never go home if there was a possibility of him hurting Adam again with his carelessness. He could never go home if he had to bury his parents. If he couldn't get control of himself, he would never go home again. He didn't deserve to put the lives of his loved ones at risk.

Theodosius. Let go. Let go of this power.

Theo recognized the voice as the sovereign's, but he couldn't do as she asked. Power built inside of him as he tried to keep control over his parents' energy while also attempting to merge them. It was only when it was too late that Theo realized the flaw in this plan. His broken curse was tied to his parents. By their shared blood, the curse rebounded inside of him, building power infinitely until Theo nearly burst. He had always been a dangerous choice to complete the ceremony and now they were suffering because of his lack of foresight.

Let go. Give your burden to me.

Theo could feel tendrils of power creep into his mind, urging him again to release this immense power for the sovereign to deal with. That wasn't going to happen. Had the sovereign appeared today just to take control of some of the immense energy Theo was processing, or had she come innocently enough to support her protégé and was only trying to help him with her demand? It didn't matter either way. Theo would happily explode before he gave away anything of his parents.

The sovereign was surprisingly easy to ignore. She was throwing a large amount of energy into the ceremony, but it felt weak. Just like a school project that Theo had forgotten about and slapped together in a hurry. This couldn't be her full strength. If it was, she was barely stronger than some of his teachers at school. Was this the level of power it took to be sovereign? If so, Theo could match it without breaking a sweat. No wonder she kept such a careful eye on him.

"Sometimes I hate being right. God damned demons and their pride. Never ask a demon to do a god's work. They're going to turn this place into a smoking crater in five minutes."

Lukas scowled at the scene before them, completely validated for making the trip. Death had said to give the demons the benefit of the doubt, but he was retired, and clearly his instincts were becoming dulled.

They looked at the poor little hybrid, who was now contorted with pain, about to lose control over himself, potentially shattering his parents' spirits when he did.

"They should just make me sovereign at this point," Lukas grumbled to themselves. "Let's clean up more demonic messes, I guess. No one else will."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #roman bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #abe chun #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #lukas lane #saren diablo

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luverofralts · 7 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

Dear Adam,

I miss you so much, you have no idea. Things at school are boring like always. There's just so many theory classes here and so much to memorize. When I finally do get to go back to school, I'll probably be able to teach the teachers some things.

For my bi-weekly escape from this place, I got to join Brion for dinner with his family. (It's not a date. Don't be jealous, you have no idea what it's like here. I can hear you being jealous from here.)

His family was pretty nice, which they should be, considering that they study good magic. They study good and evil aligned magic here, like we read about in some of our older textbooks. No wonder they sent me to the evil aligned school. I think I only knew one spell on the good spectrum. You know, the one that finds light in the darkness that babies use as night lights? I had to resort to toddler magic to find a spell they wouldn't consider evil. It's nuts here, I wish you could see what it's like. Remy wouldn't last a day here.

His mom made spaghetti, but it was nothing like Dad's. Who would have thought I'd miss anything that was sold at his dumb restaurant?

How is that going anyway? Did they find someone to replace me on weekends?

Brion looks nothing like his family (is that rude to mention to him?) His mom and dad are worse than Jorah when it comes to talking nonstop about their kids. His brother Abercius was nice, same for his sister, but there's something going on with that family. You can sense it in the air when you first walk through the door. It feels just like being at home in all the usual bad ways.

I'm trying to be polite. You would be so proud of me for not making comments about their weirdness. They have a church in their house, Adam. A church! It didn't say what or who they worshipped in it, but it's kinda an unsettling thing to walk past on the way to the bathroom.

After dinner, we played a game while my parole officer made sure that I didn't break any of my sacred vows to not talk about the outside world or the magic I'm learning about. She looked just as miserable to be there as I was at least. Maybe next break, she'll leave me unsupervised. I can only hope.

Brion's a decent guy, maybe one day he can come visit us and you can meet him (seriously, I can hear your teeth grinding. He's just a friend).

Remy would probably get along with his sister, Helena, if she could behave herself for more than two minutes. There's something weird about his little cousin, though. She seems familiar in a way I can't place.

I think I need to do more homework here to understand her. If I had my phone here, I'd take a picture for you to see for yourself. Maybe I can paint a portrait later. This place is so messed up, but I'm getting used to it. Just like the first years do at home in Pleasantview.

I hope this letter finds you like we planned. Just about everything else I do is monitored, but I don't think they really think that the Void could be an option for us to talk. They seem pretty indifferent to it, actually. They don't seem to even respect the Demon Sovereign, despite some of the people I've met here obviously being demons. No one really talks about demons either, so that rules out most of my life and interests when trying to talk to people here. I can mention painting and hint about doing magic. Playing guitar is okay to discuss but never do and I'm sure to tell everyone about my beautiful girlfriend, Remy, waiting for me to return.

Please write me back soon, I'm dying of boredom here, unless you count writing long papers on the theory of demonic energy transfer exciting. (It's not)

❤️❤️

Theo

#sims 2 #arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #brion pryor #alphaeus pryor #abercius pryor #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 8 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

After spending months at Shadowvale, learning to control his abilities, Theo was desperate for some fun. The closest thing to fun he could find was painting on the school supplied easel in his quarters. With no modern technology to distract him, Theo was becoming quite the artist. It gave him something to update his parents on at least during their weekly video call. He'd shown his fathers a recent painting and Abe had nearly teared up with pride. He'd let his own artistic skills lapse over the years, but he promised to collaborate with his son when he finally came home. Of course, as usual, Theo's parents knew next to nothing about Adam to pass along to him. Evren had talked at length with Adam's father and had only returned with "He's doing a lot better" and "his friend from Crystal Cove has been visiting quite often".

Theo didn't know which friend was spending time with Adam, as there were several Crystal Cove apprentices who regularly texted with his boyfriend. It was great to hear that Adam was doing better than before, but Theo was still in the dark about what he was recovering from. It was tearing him up inside, trying to guess what was going on with Adam and all of their friends in Pleasantview. They were all living their lives together, while Theo was stuck in the middle of nowhere with only a paintbrush to keep him company. He still hadn't made any friends at the school, which wasn't a surprise since he saw other students so infrequently. Whenever he had a rare lesson with other students, Theo's attempts to socialize were met with hostility or indifference. If he had to spend another semester or god forbid, another year at Shadowvale, Theo was going to scream.

Apparently, after the long months he had been here, Theo had earned a small reward. Once every two weeks, he would be permitted to leave the campus and explore the country that housed the school. He would have magical restrictions of course, and be shadowed by school security, but finally, he was granted a small taste of freedom.

His first outing was to the local movie theater, as the school security team deemed it an easy place to control any deviation from their plans.

Theo hadn't been to a movie theater in ages, not since Adam had dragged him to see their classmate Devard's mother's new film. The movie itself had been boring, but all the kissing during the slow parts had been worth it. It didn't matter what movie was playing, so long as Theo wasn't at school.

Theo took his seat in the theater and watched curiously as people trickled in to see the show.

He had been given very strict rules of conduct that would likely affect his hope of future outings if he disobeyed them. Shadowvale was a rare and mysterious school in a region that was shielded from the outside world. He had needed the staff to open a portal to campus in the first place, as regular teleportation was impossible from the outside world.

Theo was advised not to reveal that he had two biological fathers or a boyfriend waiting for him at home, as most of the society near the school was extremely "traditional" whatever that meant. He should certainly not admit to being a demon in certain circles as well. There were reasons for how difficult it was to be admitted to Shadowvale. There were signs praising the Watcher everywhere as well as the Leader. If Adam sometimes thought Arkhelios was a weird place to live, he'd be stunned by Shadowvale's realm.

The movie itself was boring. The plot circled around a "Maiden of Jacob" and her intense desire to sacrifice herself for the good of the Jacobean population. Everyone else in the audience had cheered at the end of the movie, while Theo was still confused about the plot. Every character died in the end, save the Jacobean Proxy, yet people were cheering like it ended happily.

Theo wasn't permitted to walk back to campus and couldn't summon any demonic magic in this strange place, so he was forced to wait for his campus "wellness" team to come return him to school. While Theo waited impatiently to return to his imprisonment, another teen sat on the couch beside him and smiled.

"I haven't seen you around here before," the teen said warmly. "There aren't very many new people my age around here."

"I go to Shadowvale," Theo replied cautiously. Getting into a conversation meant that he might slip up and mention the forbidden topics, making his life misery when he returned to school. "This is my first trip off campus."

"Ah, the school of dark magic. A family friend goes there. Do you know Torkel?"

Theo shook his head.

"It doesn't sound familiar, but I haven't met anyone really in class. I barely see the other students."

"Our family is the opposite alignment. We don't go to Shadowvale. I've always been curious about it though."

"I really don't think I'm allowed to talk about it," Theo confessed. "They're pretty strict and I'd like to keep earning time away from that place."

"Of course, I'm sorry," the teen apologized. "That sounds about right for Shadowvale. I don't want to get you in trouble or anything. I'm Brion, by the way. Brion Pryor."

"Theo. Theo Bellamy."

The two boys formally shook hands.

"Do you want to come over sometime or hang out if you're free?" Brion asked. "We don't see many new teens come here. Having a Shadowvale student over may raise the opinion of my family among the good witches. Outreach to the fallen and all that."

"Yeah, I'll ask my 'team' if I'm allowed," Theo sighed. "Anything is better than homework or staring at the same four walls of my room all night."

"Speaking of, it looks like your ride home is here," Brion laughed, pointing to the two witches who looked more like soldiers than teachers, scanning the room for Theo.

"Yep, that would be them," Theo sighed. "I'd tell you to text me, but we're not allowed to use phones. So call the school about hanging out maybe? It was nice meeting you."

The night had been a strange success for the demon hybrid. He saw a bit of the world outside of Shadowvale, realized that foreign movies were weird and maybe made a friend. It wasn't Pleasantview, but this was probably the most fun Theo had had in months.

#arkhelios #sims 2 #theo bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #brion pryor #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 7 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Young mortal! I have accepted your offering for my dominion. Be wary, for much danger lies in this realm. All-oh, Mr. Darktide! It's you again."

Adam nodded, pointing his glowing ring towards the deity of dreams, Luna, formerly of Crystal Cove.

"Theo dragged me here once, so I thought that I'd return the favour," he explained. "This crystal ties us together. With your permission, I'd like to summon him to this realm and speak with him."

"An interesting request," Luna replied, looking amused. "I'm not usually in the service of star-crossed teens who need a place to meet. My purpose is to govern the realm I've been given, not guide young love."

"Please," Adam begged, trying to look as sad as he possibly could. "I've tried everything to find him, but the only safe thing connecting us seems to be your realm. Even with all the wards and protections of wherever he is, everyone has to sleep. It's biology, not magic. I've risked so much to be here and I gave an offering like the book said. I need to see Theo Bellamy, and I'm not taking no for an answer."

"Such a Darktide," Luna mused. "Always barging in, demanding to be accommodated. I can see your ancestors in your eyes, like entitled phantoms raging in your blood. My father lost his heart to a Darktide, did you know that?"

Adam shook his head quickly. Luna was rambling on about people he'd never met, and he only had a limited amount of time in this realm. Life and Death seemed to know everyone's true names, so he was willing to bet that the deity of dreams did too and might respond better if he invoked them.

"No, I had no idea. I'm not my ancestors, though. I'm not my parents or my deranged uncle. My name is Adam Sebastian Casper Maricourt Darktide and I demand to see Theodosius Ulysses G Bellamy. Please."

"Alright," Luna teased. "Don't work yourself up about it. I was just sharing some of my vast experiences with you. It's lonely in a realm where everyone sleeps sometimes. Everything isn't always about you, you know."

Adam flushed with embarrassment. This was getting him nowhere and the last thing he wanted was to anger a deity. He didn't need that danger added to his already crazy life.

"Sorry, I didn't realize. It's just that...I haven't seen Theo in months now and this might be my only chance. Please, continue to tell me about your father and the Darktides. I will listen if you'll just let me see Theo."

Luna smiled softly.

"You have a good heart, Mr. Darktide," she said. "You're a bit inconsiderate, considering that you're asking me to help you, but your heart is good. I will open the gate to allow your crystal to call for your love, but be sure to tell him that he must also make an offering upon waking. The Old Ways must still be observed."

"The gate is now open," Luna announced. "I hope that your crystal is strong enough to summon him. Truly. The Ocean is often unfairly rough with your family. Until the next time you cross my path."

Adam's ring began to glow with a blinding light as the deity faded from his vision. It took enormous effort for it to search for the matching crystal in the vast realm of dreams, but Adam wasn't giving up. Not when he'd already come this far.

Pain radiated up his arm, which Adam found intriguing considering that he was asleep at the moment in another realm, likely perfectly fine. It was well within his control to deal with, though, after all he'd practiced.

Demonic magic swirled around Adam and he closed his eyes, trying to follow it back to its source. Following it back to Theo.

"What the hell is happening? Alys, if this is another one of your tough love lessons, I swear to god I'll-"

"Theo?"

The crystal on Theo's hand grew even brighter now that it was near its match. It was this reaction that convinced Adam that this was really Theo, that Luna hadn't tricked him.

"Adam, is that you?" Theo blinked and rubbed his eyes, sincerely hoping that this wasn't just an illusion his teachers were tricking him with.

"It's me," Adam confirmed, staring in awe at the culmination of his plans. Everyone had written off talking to Theo while he was gone, but Adam's plan had actually worked! "I've been trying to find you for months now."

"You have? I saw your spell with my ring. I haven't taken it off since."

"It was the only way to access wherever you are," Adam explained. "We're dreaming now. It was the only realm that wouldn't kill us to walk through."

His gaze dropped to the floor. It was overwhelming to see Theo again. So many emotions rushed to his mind, making it difficult to think straight.

His plan had worked. Theo was beside him. Doing magic still sometimes physically hurt. Theo was dangerous. He might always be dangerous in some way, but that smile still made Adam weak in the knees. It was all so much to process.

"Adam, I'm sorry," Theo began. "I never meant to hurt you. I had no idea how out of control I'd gotten. I'm doing better now, much better. I promise."

Even though seeing Theo again was everything Adam had been working towards for so long, part of him still held back, afraid to get hurt even more. He didn't want to feel like this. He should have processed all these feelings already and moved on and been fine.

"I know it was an accident," Adam replied quietly. "You would never mean to hurt me as badly as you did. And we should have listened to Evren about being careful about...well, you know."

"We don't have to do that again," Theo said quickly, equally embarrassed to be talking about how badly their experiments with sex had gone. "We can wait until we're older. Just because everyone else is doing it, doesn't mean...oh, I've gotten ahead of myself."

He paused and gave Adam a tearful look.

"I'm assuming that you want to keep dating me, I'm sorry. 'Being mindful of other people's feelings' is something that I apparently need to work on, according to most of my teachers. I don't blame you if you never want to see me again. I can see the way you're looking at me. As usual, I've completely misread this and you only came here to break up with me. I'm so stupid."

"Theo, I've had a lot of time to think about what happened and my feelings on it. I don't regret what we did. I could never regret it. I just...it's been really difficult without you. I didn't know how I felt about us or if I wanted us to be together or if I'd changed too much for us to be together at all." He paused, trying to put his feelings into words. "Something bad happened to me, Theo. Something I don't know how to fix."

"You're pregnant!" Theo gasped, making Adam roll his eyes.

"God, Theo, your parents really have made you paranoid. No one's pregnant. I...I just...I'm different."

Theo nodded sympathetically, still unsure if Adam truly wanted him to respond to that statement with facts or to just keep apologizing.

"It's called Toyonaga's Trap," he replied, hoping that he was making the correct choice. "What happened between us. It was a textbook presentation of it. A blood connection that ends in the destruction of the person while the demon funnels their power into themselves. It was named for the Lost Queens of Strangetown, two teens who made a blood deal for power and ended up erased from the universe when the deal collected them. I was so worried that you died because of me and they wouldn't let me even talk to you. I did everything I could to shield you from danger, but I still saw you when the paramedics took you away. I couldn't live with myself if i had caused your death. It would destroy me."

"Theo, I-"

Before Theo could even register what was happening, Adam wrapped his arms around the hybrid tightly, leaning in to brush his face near Theo's. It wasn't the same feeling as holding Theo in a physical realm, but it was better than nothing. He hugged Theo as tight as he could to reassure his boyfriend.

"I didn't die; you protected me. You've always protected me no matter what. It took me a while, but I've made my peace with what happened. I'm not right anymore, but I'm alive."

"There are a handful of people who survived Toyonaga's Trap and they all have different symptoms," Theo stated, like he was remembering the writing in his textbook. "Migraines, joint pain, and some other side effects."

"Well, file this under other," Adam said. "I'd say that I fit there."

"I can see that," Theo murmured, stroking the scar on Adam's face gently. "You don't know how sorry I am that this happened. This is on your actual body or just your projection here?"

"The scarring is permanent. My mom and dad tried everything they could to heal it, but they couldn't."

"Oh. So every morning you wake up to see the grisly reminder of my lack of control in the mirror. Shit, Adam, I'm so sorry. You must hate me."

"I could never hate you, Theo," Adam assured his boyfriend. "There were some dark times where I questioned if we were really right for each other, but I could never hate you."

He caught Theo's hand when it was lowered from caressing his face and squeezed it reassuringly.

"I don't blame you," Theo replied earnestly. "I've been thoroughly yelled at by just about every teacher here for triggering a major demonic incident with a partner. Believe me, they've all shouted at me at some point." His face brightened, remembering something important. "But, they do have some comprehensive sex ed classes here that I was strongly recommended. If we ever wanted to be together like that again, once I graduate out of this hell, I should be able to channel our connection properly. But only if you want to. Which you don't have to. I'd understand."

"I'm not sure I want to...be...intimate," Adam confessed, still squeezing Theo's hand reassuringly. "I...I almost died, Theo. I can't just pick up from where we used to be. You've been gone for months and I've tried to put everything behind me. I need to know that you won't let this happen again, and I'm sorry, but I can't trust that you can right now. I need time, probably a lot of time."

Theo tried his best not to look crushed, but he probably failed.

"So, you want to go back to being friends?" Theo asked quietly, avoiding looking at Adam directly. "You keep avoiding the topic. Are you still interested in being my boyfriend? Do you just not hate me, or do you love me?"

Adam smiled coyly.

"I like like you, Theo. According to your Aunt, that's all I should admit to a guy if his parents are broke."

"And even then," Theo agreed, a huge weight lifting from his chest at these words. "I like like you too. A lot."

"We'll figure this out," Adam promised. "Together. I just need to work through my feelings first." His voice began to waver despite the incredible efforts he was making to hide his discomfort. "It's-it's been really hard without you here. Without getting to talk this through with you. I almost died, Theo, and for what? Because my sister keeps flaunting her sex life, and it made us curious? I don't want to die for something as stupid as that."

"Hey. Come here."

Theo pulled his boyfriend to the ground and wrapped his arms around him, just as they did back home. Adam couldn't deny how much he'd missed laying in Theo's arms, watching the clouds move above them and hearing the beating of Theo's heart. This moment was perfect and exactly why he'd fought so hard to see Theo again. There were no expectations between them in this realm. Theo couldn't accidentally hurt him here, and that knowledge made Adam bolder than he would be in the waking realm. He held Theo tightly, trying to commit every detail to memory. It could be several more months of waiting for Theo to come home and even when he did, Adam still couldn't see himself being fully able to relax at Theo's touch.

"What are you learning?" Adam asked curiously. "Tell me about your school. What's life like in demon military school?"

What's your life like without me?

"Boring. I mostly talk to teachers and tutors, there's not really a huge class size here. I get bi-weekly passes out to this weird country that has a strong culty vibe. I met a guy at the movies and we talked a bit before my parole officers dragged me back to school."

Adam bristled at the mention of another guy with Theo at a movie theater, a timeless place for teen hookups. Theo seemed to just be rambling about the boringness of his life, which calmed Adam slightly. Theo was usually pretty easy to read when he wanted something or had a crush and Adam could see none of the telltale signs on Theo's face.

Adam beamed at his boyfriend as Theo continued rambling about the quality of the food at school. Adam felt jealous of this random boy. After feeling nothing for the last few months, he finally had a Theo related emotion, even if it was jealousy. He wanted Theo to himself, he could feel that feeling spread across his body, waking it up from its long depression. After months of being unsure of his feelings for Theo, the threat of another person being interested in him ignited Adam's heart.

"You've told people that you have a boyfriend, right?"

Theo shrugged.

"I'm supposed to say you're a girl," he scoffed. "This place is weird and homophobic and I can't even mention my dads. There's something wrong with this place. Everything here is so weird."

"Oh, should I be thinking up a girl version of Adam?" the warlock teased. "Adama? Admina?"

"I just said that I was dating Remy Darktide. It's close enough and they can check and see that I'm not making her up."

Adam scowled at the thought of people thinking Theo was dating Remy. If she ever found out, she would never let that go.

"Don't tell Remy that," he pleaded.

"I've met Remy before, Adam, I know how she is. I think I can keep a secret from her."

Adam squeezed Theo tightly, hoping that this moment would last forever. It wouldn't. There were limitations on how long mortals could travel in other realms and Adam could already feel the pull back to the waking world begin.

"I don't think I'm allowed to repeat this visit to see you," Adam sighed. "It was hard enough getting here this time."

"I miss you. I don't want to leave," Theo insisted. "I don't know when I'll see you again." The demon hybrid pouted, wrapping himself around Adam tighter. "Stay with me."

"I can't. I physically can't. It's not how the world works. People would start entering people's dreams whenever they wanted to, and the balance of the realms would warp. Have you figured out where you're living? Maybe I could send you a postcard."

"No, but it's somewhere strange. I don't know if it is part of the universe or just tacked on or whatever in the grand scheme of things. Only women are able to get pregnant here and they treat demons like they did back in the Demon Wars. No wonder it's so hard for people to get into this school. It's a nightmare." He paused for a moment. "Well, the stuff I'm working on is even more advanced than our class work at the academy. When I do get to go back there, I'll pass every magical exam they throw at me."

"Do they ever say how you're doing?" Adam asked hopefully. "You're leaving soon, right?"

Theo shook his head sadly.

"They keep talking about what to do with the curse I was born with. I can't cast much magic as long as it's there, festering inside me, but it's still a part of me. There's some ritual I have to prepare for and a ceremony before I can leave here. They've forced me to have several incidents back to back, and I'm getting better at controlling them. I just need the curse to either disappear entirely or re-absorb into a more controllable part of my magical essence. But they think that eliminating the curse entirely will have 'dangerous repercussions' for me, so I'm hoping that the re-absorb option is the one that works."

"Will there be any impact on me? We're connected loosely, so it's possible that I could have something impact my magic too." Adam paused. "The scar isn't the only new thing to happen to me, Theo. I can sense the Void now and open portals to it. Maybe even a little more; I've been afraid to experiment with it."

"What?!"

Theo listened with concern as Adam detailed his new abilities. A non-demonic warlock able to display mild demonic abilities? His teachers would have a fit when he asked whether Adam's new abilities impacted his studies. But still...this development gave Theo an idea.

"So neither of us can be in the Void for long periods of time, right? There's no harm that can happen just by opening a rift. You and I can both open rifts and portals now, so we can pass messages through it if we want. Think about it! We could write a message and leave it in a portal in one of the top layers of the Void where there's not much danger. The Void is connected to both of our locations, even wherever the hell I am. My teachers can open a portal to home, so it's possible."

"We could use a crystal to help pierce through the Void, so our portals have more strength," Adam agreed, thinking about what he knew of magical theory. "If you and I use the crystal in our rings at the same time to access the same area in the Void, we might have enough combined strength to pull it off. It wouldn't be powerful enough to let a person through, but a note? I could see that working."

"We could be penpals! Just...don't write anything dirty just in case another demon comes across it."

"I'll keep that in mind."

Clearly after months of isolation, Theo's mind had remained in the gutter. Adam was a teenage boy with raging hormones, sure, but every time he thought of those stolen moments wrapped up in Theo's bedsheets, fear washed over him, drowning his desires completely. Theo wasn't safe outside of a dream. Adam had nearly died. He could die any time at any moment if Theo slipped and lost control. The mere memory of the pain of demonic magic tearing him slowly apart still made him bolt awake at night. His brush with death had been devastating, and Theo's magic cult school had a clean, clinical name for what had happened. It was even textbook apparently.

It was nice to be held by Theo and it was nice to pretend that nothing between them had changed. It was nice, but it wasn't true.

"Okay, here's what we'll need. Probably at least one locked box, preferably silver if we can get our hands on it. Definitely write in pen, just in case pencil is too weak to read. Oh! Do you think we'd need notebooks or would a single piece of paper be more effective? No, definitely go with the notebooks. You'll have to get all of this though, sorry. I can't exactly run to the store here."

Adam held Theo as he rambled on about how they'd pull off the Great Penpal Trick, trying to nod when appropriate.

"Theo? I think we're out of time," he announced, watching his hand and arm begin to fade on Theo's chest. "I'm waking up."

"Don't forget about the holy water. That will keep demons out of our letters."

"Theo, you're a demon and I'm a mess of demonic magic, we would probably only hurt ourselves with that. Besides, what demon wants to read about your boring school or my insane family? They have better things to do."

Theo pouted at this dose of reality. He'd spent so long thinking of what he'd say to Adam and longing to hold Adam and staring at the occasionally glowing ring he'd gotten from Adam, that he'd forgotten that he and Adam had spent so much time apart, and they were no longer in sync with each other.

"I'll wait for you to put the box in the agreed upon spot then. It won’t be too much longer that I'm here...I hope so anyway. Keep away from Simon down the hall. He has a massive crush on you and might try to hit on you while I'm gone."

Adam rolled his eyes at the very idea of running off with the guy Remy chose for him after he'd spent all of this time trying to reach his boyfriend.

"Yeah, well, you make sure that movie theater boy keeps his hands off you," he countered.

"Brion? I'm sure his weird ass homophobic country would be okay with that. Absolutely."

Adam's entire right arm vanished as the dream realm began ejecting him from it.

"Theo, I-"

"Oh thank god! I was starting to worry about you. Did it work? Did you see Theo?"

Adam groaned, holding his throbbing head while he regained control of his senses. He was back just where he'd started this endeavor: at school, looking over the vast landscape of Lower Pleasantview.

"Yeah, it worked," he confirmed. "He was right there. I could even touch him. We weren't just apparitions without form."

"Oh, so it was that kind of dream? With touching?" Travis teased, earning a scowl from his friend.

"No, somehow we contained ourselves. We had other things to discuss."

"And? Are you still dating? Remy might back off her scheming if she knew that you were happily in a relationship with your boyfriend. The school gossip mill might die down too."

"Like Remy isn't involved with the gossip mill too? She's my twin sister, she needs to calm down. Tell her whatever you think will keep her from trying to spring more blind dates on me, but yeah, Theo and I are still dating."

He looked over his shoulder to see his two lookouts too consumed by hormones to see that Adam had woken up. A quick stab of jealousy shot through him as he saw how easily they moved together. They trusted each other. Neither boy knew enough about magic to be a threat to the other. It must be nice.

"We did it!" Travis exclaimed, high fiving Adam happily. "Plus, you're alive and in one piece! Tell me all about it! I'm dying to know everything that happened. Was he in his pajamas or was he projecting his own self-image? What did the deity look like? Did they threaten you?"

Adam picked up the borrowed staff he'd used earlier, inspecting it for damage.

"I'll tell you all about it, but we'd better get this back to the storage room before my dad finds us and wants to know why we needed it."

#sims 2 #arkhelios #arkhelios adventures #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #adam darktide #travis maricourt #eero darktide #luna st. julien

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luverofralts · 8 months ago

Text

Arkhelios Adventures

"So here's your new accommodations. You won't have a roommate here, we keep a low enough population so they're never needed. We find it's best that every student has their own space to perfect their skills."

Leofric Fromm gestured excitedly at the room Theo was staring at in bewilderment.

It was larger than the room he shared with Adam in Pleasantview, but far more empty. There was a desk and bed and easel and that was about it.

"I don't want to be here," Theo declared. "I need to be in Pleasantview. I need to see Adam. Maybe the coven changed their minds. I should try calling them. They might want me back."

"I'm afraid that that's not going to happen," Leofric replied. "The coven will not change their minds until you have made progress. You haven't even spent a single day here. You can't rush things as important as this. Pleasantview has stood for millennia, it will still be there when you are ready to return."

"Can I at least talk to my boyfriend? You guys must have phones here, right? Or even a computer?"

Leofric laughed. This was clearly a question that he answered a lot.

"Not for students. Not at your level, at least. We take a traditional approach to education here. Many of our students require some degree of privacy from the outer world, and student like you don't need the distraction from your studies. How will you ever learn to control your abilities if you are texting your friends and spending hours on the internet? We have arranged for you to talk to your parents once a week as a video call. You will be required to make the call from the office, where all of our technology stays. Many students don't have that accommodation, you should be thankful. Your aunt and step-father are both very persuasive people."

"And Adam?" Theo had listened to everything the counselor said, but there was nothing about the most important person he had to talk to.

Leofric laughed again seeing the look on Theo's face.

"Ah, young love. You remind me so much of my own daughter, never any time for her family, just her friends and romantic partners. The life of a teenager is rather narrow in its focus. Your boyfriend is not part of your accommodation, I'm afraid. The two of you together is what brought you to us in the first place. You can never learn to control yourself if the object of your desire is still within reach. By learning who you are without Mr. Darktide, you will learn who you can be when you do reunite. All it would take is a spark between you two, a moment where your emotions get the best of you perhaps, and you will put him at risk for further injury."

"Further? What happened? Is he okay? I need to talk to him! No one will let me even call him!"

"I know it's frustrating," Leofric said kindly. "I'm afraid that I don't have any information on his condition, only that he is alive and apparently still sharing a connection to you based on your entrance exam. Be patient. Our students don't usually spend more than a year with us. We are a quick stop in their lives, and they live out the rest of their lives in a better place than they would have alone. I'm sure that you'll be able to see your friends in no time. I'll let you unpack and get settled. There is a kitchen on the third level with prepared meals if you're hungry."

Leofric left the room, leaving Theo alone for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Yeah, that's not happening," he muttered to himself. "I'm getting out of here."

Theo opened the door to find a glowing sigil waiting for him in the hall. Obviously the school didn't want him wandering around unsupervised. Then how was he going to get the food that Leofric promised? He surely had to leave his room to do that.

When Theo's mind thought about the kitchen and how he would probably starve to death because he was magically forbidden from leaving his room, the sigil on the floor dimmed bit by bit until it seemingly vanished.

"Yes! Freedom!"

As soon as Theo took a step out of the door with the intention of escape, the sigil snapped back into place, glowing as fiercely as ever.

"Ah, intention based security," Theo groaned. "We don't learn how to beat those until fourth year."

If this system could even be beaten. Everything in this place seemed both ancient and cutting edge. He didn't even know what country he was in or what kind of society he had entered.

His heart sank when he realized the truth: he wasn't breaking out of this place any time soon. He had raw power on his side, but this place was old enough for the sovereign to have attended for a semester as a teen. He was no match for centuries of experience dealing with teenage demons. Plus them having knowledge of his true name was brutal. Every warning his teachers had ever given him about protecting that name suddenly made perfect sense. His only hope of escape was to once again change his true name...which only happened once a lifetime, if at all. He did his best magic when Adam was around and it had been Adam who helped him change his name accidentally in the first place. If Adam were here, he might have a chance. But alone? Theo got the feeling that he was going to be stuck at this school a very long time.

"Fine."

Theo stormed back into his room, hoping to find a way to contact the outside world. He tried his en suite bathroom, only to find what he could only assume was a spell put in place by the school. Either that, or its previous occupant was trying to leave him a message, however disturbing that was.

Theo slumped onto his bed, completely frustrated and angry with himself. He should be powerful enough to escape this place. He should be at home instead of worrying if Adam had been seriously injured. He should be in Pleasantview with his friends, not wherever the hell this place was.

His parents had to be miserable without him. It had been the hardest goodbye of his life so far having to leave them for an unknown amount of time. By the time the school had opened the portal for him to enter, Roman was visibly holding back tears while Abe was so choked with emotion, he hadn't been able to get any of the words he wanted to say out. Their goodbye hug had lasted several minutes, until the portal started glowing menacing colours. Theo even missed his siblings, though he'd never admit to it.

Once classes started, the days began to pass quickly enough. If Theo thought he had homework in Pleasantview, he was sadly mistaken. Here, there was nothing else to do but homework. His classes weren't heavily populated and many times Theo wouldn't see the same classmate until days later. No one seemed to have a consistent schedule of classes and many of his classes were just one on one instruction with a teacher or a teacher's assistant.

Alys even taught him a few lessons, such as energy manipulation and exercises to calm his mind. She barely spoke to him when it wasn't their approved teaching time, but Theo kind of preferred it that way.

His second week, Theo had the bright idea to use his lessons on manipulating his emotions and magical focus into escaping his room at night. He succeeded in making it to the ground floor entrance...

...only to be returned within a blink of an eye to his room, and a stack of new lessons and homework piled next to him as punishment. Centuries of unruly students had tested this school and made it near impossible to escape. Even Remy would probably have a difficult time sneaking out of here and she boasted about being able to sneak out of anywhere.

Buts thoughts of Remy inevitably led to thoughts about her brother, spiraling into a depression every time. Did Adam think of him often? Was he okay? Had the coven explained to him why Theo wasn't in school? Did he hate that decision as much as Theo did? Did he even want to see Theo again after what happened?

It didn't seem like his questions would ever be answered. If he closed his eyes and tried to control his senses like he was learning to, Theo could maybe still sense Adam's place in the universe. Their weak connection was a guide, pointing him in the right direction to find the reassuring warmth of Adam's spirit. It wasn't strong enough to communicate with him, but feeling what he hoped was Adam's presence gave Theo hope.

With no phone, computer or television, there wasn't much to do aside from read or finish homework for entertainment. An easel had been left in the room and Leofric would often encourage Theo to try it. Painting was a form of self expression and could display his complex inner world for others to understand him better. It could be a relaxing outlet or just a way to pass the time between classes. Abe had once tried to teach Theo how to sketch, but neither of them really had the time to dedicate to it. Saturnia loved to draw with her siblings at the craft table, if Theo got home before she was a teen, maybe he could share his new hobby with his sister.

At the rate he was going though, Saturnia might be the one showing him how to paint.

#arkhelios #sim: theo bellamy #theo bellamy #arkhelios adventures #leofric fromm #alys hooper #Jubilant Accosts

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luverofralts · 5 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Focus on your breathing. You're doing fine."

Theo sat across from the deity of life, breathing as instructed. The wedding was over, but Lukas insisted on evaluating him, just in case there was a problem with the procedure they'd performed. Theo wasn't worried, he'd never felt this good in all his life. The all-consuming distraction of his lingering curse was gone whenever he tried to use magic. Lukas had already run through a bunch of spells, and Theo had cast them perfectly. Hell, he was floating in the air, conversing with a deity. If that wasn't proof of his magic being healed, he didn't know what was.

"Is this how it's always going to be?" Theo asked. "My magic? Everyone says that they can help me with it, but it always unravels, and I end up hurting myself and anyone around me."

"I'm not everyone," Lukas snapped. "I do happen to know what I'm doing. I've been around for a lot longer than your little coven or teachers. The matter has been settled."

"Is this what magic is supposed to feel like? I feel like I could do anything. My homework feels like a joke. I could probably break out of here on my own if I wanted."

Lukas shook their head. Teenagers.

"I wouldn't entertain your delusions of grandeur for long. You're powerful, yes, but largely untrained and ignorant of the true workings of the world. However strong you are, the world will not bend to your will anytime soon, to either you or Adam."

"Adam? I thought he was just getting a small power up from anchoring me? Does he feel all of this too?"

"The Ocean never gifts such power to a single person," Lukas replied cryptically. "The universe is binary. Light and dark, death and life, night and day. Power such as yours isn't entrusted to one person. You are programmed by your very nature to seek a partner, someone to share your burden with. It's a shame that you've had to choose so young. People change as they age, you would have been better to wait until you were older. Though I suppose your hand was forced. Even the Great Demons often demonically married their long term partners a long time ago. The Ocean doesn't trust a single one of us, and really, he shouldn't. Even if you are just tied to a coven, that's still preferable to a lone magic user holding onto power."

Theo still looked confused despite nodding his understanding. Lukas sighed. This boy might be strong, but he wasn't a very fast learner.

"No, Adam doesn't have the entirety of your abilities. He doesn't even have half. You are still sharing your power with a second person, even if it's not a 50/50 split. It's still a dangerous amount." They paused, thinking of another complication. "Look, I don't want to have 'The Talk' with you, but it would be better if you kept your hands to yourself for awhile. Your connection with Adam is stable, just like your magic, but you're still learning your true strength and I don't want to be getting a call to come fix something else you've done. What happened last time won't happen again, but again, blood magic goes wild for feasts, rituals, creating new life and sex. Learn your limits before you start adding fuel to blood magic. And for god's sake, you're almost fifteen! You don't need to be having sex."

Theo scowled at the deity, clearly not appreciating their opinion.

"You said that you've been fourteen before. What were your thoughts about sex when you were my age? Probably the same."

Lukas laughed.

"I overthrew the Crystal Cove monarchy when I was thirteen, just because I could. Trust me, you don't want to use me as an example of how to live your life. I've made a fair amount of enemies over the years, and multiple people have tried to kill me. Take my word for it and lay off the sex until you're older."

"You have kids. I've met them at school functions and Remy and Destiny...er, never mind about Remy. She thinks just a normal amount about Destiny."

"Is that so? I'm glad the twins are making connections. I've always encouraged them to trust in themselves and follow their hearts. They seem to have their father's disposition, though. The three of them all take their time and evaluate things carefully before charging into a situation. I suppose I should be grateful that they don't take after me in that regard. I'd never have time to keep an eye on you if I had to chase them around."

"They don't ever talk about you or Death," Theo remarked, trying to judge the deity's response. "Whenever I ask about their parents, they always change the subject."

"As they were told to. What kind of life will they have if they are trapped by people's expectations about their parents? It's better that we don't have to intervene with guests who would use our children to get access to their father and I. The house has been charmed to confuse anyone trying to find it, and reapers periodically stop by to ensure our safety. I take being a parent very seriously and would destroy anyone who even came close to hurting my children."

Theo looked outside, where his fathers were openly making out in one of the gardens, apparently happy with the joining. It would be embarrassing if there was anyone present with an opinion that Theo cared about. After all the drama during the ritual, there was no way that Theo was going to worry about who saw his parents kissing. Still, it was something gross that he didn't care to see when he looked out the window. The only person he wanted to see in that position was Adam.

"My parents are so embarrassing sometimes," he groaned. Outside, his parents were roaming their hands all over each other and tugging at their ceremonial robes. New connections were strong, but surely his parents had more restraint while their son could see them from an open window? "They'd better not be thinking of having even more kids now that they're joined. People already laugh at them for being thirty with so many kids."

"Parents are such tricky things, Theo. Never take yours for granted or their love for you. Not all of us were given that gift."

Lukas' voice was sad and wistful, their eyes focused on something that Theo couldn't see.

"Because you don't have parents, right? That must be lonely."

Lukas closed their eyes in response, fighting back a physical reaction. They hadn't survived all these millenia by sharing too much of their life. Truthfully, the worst times in their existence had all been caused by letting people into their heart, of being honest.

You failed her. You failed your family. She'd be here if it wasn't for you. We all wish you'd died instead.

Lukas shook their head to clear out the accusing voices that silently screamed each time they were reminded of family. The Arkhelian boy was staring at him with what could only be described as pity. Anger blazed across their mind at this probably sincere gesture of concern. They didn't need anyone's pity; they were untouchable. Indestructible. This poor teenager was the one who should be pitied, what with his long exile from home and his troubled family history.

With a practiced flick of their hand, Lukas summoned the picture frame from their desk at home into their hand and slumped into a chair. They had already run through countless scenarios to judge the risk of opening up to the teen and concluded that it wasn't likely that the little demon could hurt them. It seemed like every week, this boy was showing up on their radar, so it was in their best interest to make Theo an ally instead of a complication.

"This was taken at my wedding," they explained, briefly showing the photo to Theo. "My parents nearly ruined it with their drama, as usual. Dad's jealousy and Linus'...entire existence, really. They're like oil and water. Two violent, broken people who somehow created me. Trust me, little demon, I have parents and my life is still lonely. Treasure the ones that love you."

"You do have parents?" Theo replied curiously. "Were they gods too? Do you have any other family? Does Death?"

He stopped himself before he could ramble on further, potentially angering the deity in front of him. Lukas was clearly preoccupied with thoughts about family and Theo knew better than to push his luck.

"Hmm? Oh, sorry, I didn't hear you. I was just...nothing. Either way, your parents will be a lot happier going forward. You and Adam, too, now that we've sorted some things out. You absolutely have to make sure that he does not abuse the power you have given him, Theo. It's imperative. Bad things happen when magic as wild as yours can't be reigned in."

"What happened to you to make you so scared about me?" Theo tried again. "I promise that Adam and I will be careful. He's not going to hurt me."

A long silence fell over the room. Finally, Lukas cleared their throat and took a long breath.

"My parents were Linus Reeves and Luke Lane," they began. "They were from the ruins that would one day become Crystal Cove, but their military posting was in Pleasantview during the long decades of war. Linus' mother, Brandi Broke, was supposedly from Pleasantview, so I do have family from there, though my father is such a toxic person, I doubt they'd want to talk to me. If they weren’t all long dead, that is. Sometimes, it's hard to remember where and when I am. Once you see it all unfold before you, the centuries tend to blur together."

Theo nodded to be polite. A fourteen year old was barely able to contemplate twenty years, let alone a century.

"I came from two humans, just like you did. A little more was involved, of course, but the basics are the same. My parents each made up half of the power needed to make me, and I remained tethered to their combined energy in order to protect myself. Much like your connection with Adam, they unconsciously remained as a backup to me if anything went wrong. And something went wrong. "

Lukas paused, trying to say the words out loud that they could never bring themselves to say. Theo didn't notice, as his brain was already daydreaming about Adam.

"So if Adam and I have kids, they could be gods? Since we're connected like your parents?"

"What? No! Of course not! Weren't you listening to anything I just said? You're nothing like my parents. You can make baby demons, but you'll never make a god."

Lukas stared incredulously at the teenager in front of them.

"Sorry," Theo replied, rolling his eyes. "Advanced god genetics wasn't offered at either of my schools. You said I was powerful."

"You've had your magic stabilized for a few hours, and you're already ascending to a deity in your head? You must be fun at parties. There must be people just lining up to hang out with you."

"What went wrong with you?" Theo demanded, scowling at the deity currently mocking him. "Or whatever. I don't care anymore."

"For all your power, no one is invincible," Lukas warned, still smirking at the teen. "You'd do well to remember that for the future. There will be days when your confidence will be tested, and you may not always win. Sometimes, you lose. Other times, you lose everything."

"Everything?"

"Everything. My first loss was my little sister, Riley. I neglected my duties, and she died when I wasn't looking. I don't know if I could have saved her, but I'll always know that i didn't even try. I was only told of her death long after I could have helped."

"Wait, you're married to Death. Just get him to bring her back or visit her in the afterlife or whatever. It can't be that hard."

Lukas grimaced.

"You recall what you did to your precious Adam, right? Toyonaga's Trap? It obliterates the soul it touches until nothings left. Severe cases like that are irreversible and the person is never seen again. You're fortunate that Adam was pulled away from you before he suffered that fate."

Theo's overconfidence vanished in an instant, the pained noises Adam had made haunting his memory. Suddenly, all that power he could feel running through him didn't seem so great. He closed his eyes, but the screaming continued.

"Oh."

"My dad used to be afraid of what I could do, but he's gotten a lot better in the last few years," Theo offered. "Maybe with enough time, he'd-"

"Yeah, oh. The first demon sovereign and his heir? Also gone forever, drowned by the Ocean. There is so much that is dark and terrible in this world that you have no idea about. Something dark and terrible happened to Riley, and maybe it was never in my power to save her, but my brother believes it was. So I believe it was. Linus believes it was. Linus believes a lot of things, but never me."

"It's been millenia. His mind hasn't changed. It never will. Just be thankful for your embarrassing parents and how much they love you."

Theo nodded. When he thought about from an outside perspective, his parents were pretty good. Even just compared with Adam's mom, his parents were great. He would never tell them that, but he'd try to remember it more often.

"Since you seem to think that your power can now rival a gods, it only seems fair to warn you about those who feel your powers should be theirs. You stand out, Theo, and that makes you a target. Take it from me, never let your guard down. They may try to take your abilities for themselves, and if they can't, they may threaten the lives of those you love to make you do something for them. Never let anyone but Adam know your true strength, and make absolute sure that you can trust him before you do. I can't always show up to bail you out of a bad situation, you know."

"Yeah, I will. I get it. Trust no one but Adam."

Lukas rolled their eyes. Teenagers. It was always teenagers who made them want to scream into a pillow.

"Again, not exactly what I said to you. But I'll leave you here to go spend time with your family. I have other commitments for today and you clearly don't need my help anymore. For your sake, I hope to not see you for a very long time."

In an instant, Lukas vanished from sight, leaving Theo alone with his thoughts. Today had been the most eventful day of his young life, and he still didn't fully understand it. His next letter to Adam was going to be an interesting one.

#sims 2 #arkhelios #roman bellamy #sim: theo bellamy #abe chun #arkhelios adventures #theo bellamy #lukas lane

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luverofralts · 5 months ago

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Arkhelios Adventures

"Okay, two spirits about halfway fused and one teenage demon hybrid. I can work with this."

Lukas scooped the lingering energy from Theo's hands and raised the boy from the ground. With a snap of their fingers, the half fused spirits locked together and detached from any energy coming from the hybrid. The adults on the floor groaned, but otherwise remained motionless.

"Now, for you."

Lukas stared intently at the boy hovering in the air, evaluating the situation. To their extreme annoyance, both demons continued their chanting, despite Lukas having already dealt with the problem.

"You! And you! Get out now before I summon a real demon to come play with you. There's no energy to siphon off them anymore, so your presence is no longer justified. Leave. Now."

The demon to the left of Saren rose immediately, bowed, and disappeared in an instant. The sovereign didn't seem motivated to leave until the moment Lukas locked eyes with her. She was younger than the deity by a century or so, but staring into their eyes, Saren saw eternity stretched out before her. The beautiful energy that commanded seeds to grow and flowers to bloom danced inside that gaze. The secrets that helped a wounded solider cling to life or the blessed relief a captured fish felt upon returning to the water...it was all there. Power beyond Saren's imagining lay before her, impossibly in the shape of a man. This, this was why demons risked becoming mad in pursuit of the power Lukas possessed. It was the power of half of the universe deceptively hidden in the appearance of a mortal man and sometimes a woman.

But there was a darkness there too. Death was simple, but the sword Life wielded was double-edged. The power of Life caused cancer cells to grow rapidly. It commanded weeds to choke out the beauty in a rose garden. It was the power of procreation that bred a monster.

And all of it was levelled at her.

"As you wish, Lukas," she replied sweetly. This was a fight she could not win and there was no shame in retreating in order to live to scheme another day. "I was merely attending the ceremony on behalf of my wife. Now that it is complete, I'll inform her of her brother's happiness. The love of a sister is truly something special, wouldn't you agree?"

Lukas scowled at the demon, trying not to show weakness when they knew that was exact what she wanted. A pang still rippled through the deity as just the thought of a sister's love was enough to dredge up past pain. They couldn't show the demon how deep that wound still was without the entire Void trying to hurl that at them in the future.

"That wife of yours must be something special if she's teaching you about sisterly affection," they sneered. "I was under the impression that you hated your brothers. They certainly don't seem to care about you."

Saren could only return their stare for seconds, overcome with the futility of trading barbs with the deity. She certainly knew some details about Lukas that would make them stumble, but only momentarily. If she pushed too hard, there was no safety net for her to fall back on. Some nights when the sky was clear, Saren gazed at the stars and relived the final moments of Kamalani Bellamy. Lukas was dangerous when provoked.

"Until we meet again. It's always so nice to catch up with you."

With a slight bow of her head, Saren vanished to anywhere Lukas was not.

"Finally."

Lukas returned their attention to the matter at hand and away from memories of the past. They didn't have time to be emotional and no good would come of it anyway.

The boy was still hovering aimlessly before them, completely lost to the world around him.

"Why do these witches and demons keep trying to perform spells way above their pay grade?" Lukas groaned. "Everything was much simpler when it was just me and Izanami against the world. These damn demons keep trying to chip away at my authority, and I won't stand for it. Trying to heal curses by deep magical rituals? Who else could possibly do that but me? No wonder the kid is still having magical meltdowns. Fucking demons."

They turned to acknowledge Theo, still lost in a haze.

Speak child. What have these idiots done to help you? They tried removing your curse, right?

Yes.

The answer in Lukas' mind was weak, but still resilient. The boy was stubborn and that would help him survive.

Obviously, that failed. What else did they try? Did they try to make you re-absorb it? To reintegrate it into yourself?

Yes. But it failed. I failed. I can't use magic without it ruining everything. Not even a stupid summoning spell.

Lukas tried not to roll their eyes in case the demon hybrid somehow saw in his near unconsciousness. No matter how long the witches and warlocks lived, they never seemed to learn from their mistakes.

You can't use brute force to fuse the curse, and they can't just have you perform deep magic and hope it fixes itself. It's a wonder those idiots at your school can even hold a wand without breaking something. I'll fix it for you. You're a living person and therefore my subject. They should have just asked me for help. My thesis for my masters degree on the transfer of energy through the role of the life deity is in the university libraries. It's all in there.

You went to school?

Several times in several lives.

Lukas took a deep breath to calm themselves. It wouldn't matter to the demons or witches what they thought of them, so it was useless to let it bother them. There were more important things to deal with anyway.

Lukas reached out, trying to assess just what needed to be done, but pulled away when they sensed an anomaly they hadn't expected.

Who is this who's bound himself to you? It's primitive, but it still needs to be addressed.

Adam. It was an accident. I thought I was helping him. Adam Darktide.

Lukas paused. They knew of Adam from both formal experiences with the boy at the coven, and as his occasional friend at school, Hayden. Adam seemed to be trustworthy, but you never could tell what lurked in a person's heart. They had no other viable option, though. There wasn't time to vet this Adam or even ask for his consent to the procedure.

Do you trust him? Trust him with your magic?

I'd trust him with my life.

Lukas shook their head at this. No one really knew what it meant to swear something on their lives, not anymore. The phrase was now tired and meaningless, especially to a teenager.

A chill ran through them as a memory of a monster with red hair and his father's eyes sprung unwanted into their mind. There were more dangerous things than losing your life. Nothing could ever touch the catastrophe of losing your power. Of being helpless and alone. Of watching the centuries pass while the world slowly forgets you. And tries to replace you.

That doesn't matter. Your life is nothing. Do you trust him with this much power? Will he betray you?

No. Never.

You're what, twelve?

Fourteen. Fifteen in a few months.

Izanami is going to be pissed at me for this. To him, a fourteen year old is an infant incapable of tying his own shoes, but I've been fourteen before. I'm not going to lie to you. This blood connection with Adam is strong. It would take some time to break it, and I suspect that I'd only be wasting my time. The two of you would probably just end up reconnecting and breaking things all over again. I can remember being a teenager.

They paused for a moment, more painful memories threatening to overwhelm their work. There had been connections in their own lives, but all but one had been severed. Outside of Izanami, all Lukas seemed to be able to do is hurt the ones they loved.

The Ocean never gives such power to just one person. The universe is binary.

Long forgotten words rose up from their memory, giving the deity the answer they needed.

Okay. You swear that this boy can be trusted with your magic? No high school romance crap. Will Adam use your magic for evil?

Though Theo was hardly functioning at the moment, he managed to nod.

He's a better person than I am. He's never done an evil thing in his life. After growing up listening to stories about his uncle and the pain he caused, Adam wouldn't abuse magic. He just wouldn't.

Okay. I'm going to properly merge your curse within your body. It will be mostly inert, but still gather power. I can't change it without damaging you. It will still build magic, and you'll still have episodes where you must purge the excess magic, but they will be manageable. As simple as sneezing, especially if Adam is around to help balance you. Such power is not made for one person to hold. You would probably find who you're supposed to share it with eventually, but let's hope this Adam is it.

Hope??

It would probably need a full afternoon just to start the process of ripping you two apart, so make it work. I could separate you from him, but I'd need a pretty convincing argument to start all of that again. And don't worry, this isn't a wedding like your parents had. This is surgery pure and simple. Adam is going to be your anchor and help you control your power. In exchange, his magic will be stronger. There's no commitment, no repercussions if you two fight. That's why this is dangerous. He will have power beyond his own abilities, and it's up to you to make sure that he doesn't abuse them. If he kills someone with your power, there is no magical way to stop him. It's all on you. Can I trust you with this?

Theo hesitated for a moment, thinking about all that he'd learned in the past few moments about magic and paranoia.

What happened to you? You feel...sad. Like you're just waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Adam isn't like whoever hurt you, I promise.

Lukas physically recoiled at Theo's words, horrified that they'd been so careless to let their feelings pass to a mortal. A mortal bold enough to ask follow up questions. Their husband would never let this go if he found out. Lukas had a single moment of weakness, and now someone knew something about their existence. These damn demons were messing with their head.

It's not important. Let's get this curse sorted out before anything else. Tell me about this Adam and how your stories intertwine.

They held out their hand, taking control of the energy pouring from the teen. Adding an anchor to this mess of magic required them to knit this Adam into it, tying his spirit and magic around Theo's so that when tested, the bond would hold firm. It wasn't anything the deity remembered doing before for anyone. They'd done the exact opposite procedure once, when they removed the connection between them and their parents, but the situation had been dire at the time, and it wasn't like there was handbook for operations like this.

I met him at a wedding. He was playing piano at the time. He still loves playing piano.

And?

And I danced with him at the reception. He was nervous of looking like a bad dancer in front of his sisters. I was just thrilled someone was willing to be my friend. I didn't have a lot of friends back then. After the wedding, I didn't think that I'd ever see him again. He was from Pleasantview, and I wasn't exactly rich enough to go to school with him or run into him at a coven meeting. His sisters helped me run away from home when I needed to. If I'd have asked him, he would probably frozen in place with anxiety and hid until I left. He's never been good at breaking the rules.

When I couldn't control my magic anymore, I instinctively ran to witches to assist me. I would have probably killed Adam and Remy along with myself if I hadn't had someone reign in the magic for me. But he saw the worst of what I could do to him and still stood by me.

He was my roommate once I was admitted to school. He helped me learn the foundations of formal magic. He never left my side.

"Good. Keep talking. The seams of magic are beginning to close."

Lukas surveyed their progress with a satisfied nod. Working with their existing bond made this process incredibly easy. Still, it felt like the teen was struggling with the change within him. It made sense, Lukas supposed. Living with a curse your entire life that he was now sharing with someone else was a big change. Ideally, having Adam nearby might have made the process smoother, but it was a pain just to get themselves through the barrier of this land. There was no time to start sneaking in more people to this place.

"Keep going. It will help relax you, give you something to focus on. You're going to feel a slight pressure in a moment."

They called out using their voice to ensure the teen heard them. The voice in their mind was still quiet and weak.

He's my best friend. He's always there for me. He broke into the dream realm just to see me again.

The process was nearly complete. In the end, it hadn't been too complicated, especially since this Adam already had access to at least some of Theo's power already. Theo seemed honest with his description of his path with Adam, but the threat of danger still echoed through Lukas' mind. This was a lot of raw power to place in the hands of two teenagers. Perhaps "Hayden" should return to school for a week or so once the boys were reunited. It never hurt to keep an eye on these kids.

"All done. Everything is merged properly and anchored. You just need to re-absorb it. I'll help you."

Lukas held the glowing orb of magic in their hands, preparing to release it for the teen. Before they could detach their grasp on it, a sharp vision pierced their mind.

The power this teen possessed defied any expectation Lukas could have had. It was dark and cold and utterly unfathomable. A curse that endlessly built power until it climaxed in a way that Theo could now control? This teen could easily dethrone the sovereign if he chose to. He could probably hold his own against a Great demon should he ever encounter one. How had two humans created a being like this?

Red hair. My eyes. The look on his mother's face when I fell at his feet. A child with the power to destroy his parents on a whim.

Theo knelt to the ground, reaching towards the deity with his life literally in their hands. Slowly, Lukas crouched down to meet him, their mind still reeling with the dark potential in their hands. Could they trust this child with the power he'd been born with? Would they be forced to eliminate him in a few years time when he eventually got drunk with power and began threatening the world Lukas vowed to protect? Centuries ago, they had ignored the threat their own child posed, and it had cost Lukas everything.

But this child was different. He had a heart full of love for his family and the boy who dominated his thoughts. He had a good support system, and several people willing to step into a parental role for him. He was happy and stable and loved. He had an anchor now that would hopefully curb any misuse of his powers.

"Here, this belongs to you," Lukas said, confident that they were making the right choice. "It's safe for you to hold."

Theo touched the glowing energy gingerly. It melted into the skin of his hands painlessly, healing what had been broken within him for so long. Power surged through his body. Power, and the faint hum of magic that was undeniably Adam's.

Magic had never felt so easy as it did now that he wasn't constantly fighting against his own body. It no longer felt like being trapped in a cage that could explode at any moment. Magic flowed through him as smoothly as a river. This changed everything.

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