Elliot appeared back at the mansion with Hazel's body, and Xavier wasn't so happy about how her body had been scarred with the way they had killed her but he suppressed his anger.
They made sure to clean her body from all the dirt and blood on it, with Elliot being the one doing most of the job since Xavier was hurt, but he kept a keen eye on how he handled her body. Elliot then told Xavier on all that had happened, including about Morgan. Just as they were talking, Evelyn came into the mansion.
"Elliot, what's happening?" She asked the moment she spotted them and drew closer "I felt a sudden shift in the atmosphere and what's wrong with her body?"
"The witches had just opened the dark portal" Elliot answered "and I need to bring her back fast, cause the more the portal stays open, the stronger they get"
"That doesn't sound good" she commented "why is the mansion this quiet with many bodies laid dead"
"They attacked the mansion and I guess they killed most of the guards and soldiers. Ms Dorin is dead also, although I don't know where Mrs Decron is right now. Also they had used kyle to hurt Xavier" he explained and it was then, Evelyn turned to see Xavier who was seated at a corner, he had stopped bleeding for a while but was still weak due to the poison
"Will you be okay?" She asked
"I will" he replied shortly
"Okay" she then turned back to Elliot as he cleaned the body. Somehow, she didn't feel too good about the way Elliot had Hazels body, it was a bit of jealousy surfacing "why don't you go back yo the barrier to get her back while I help complete the cleaning and stitch her up" she suggested to which Xavier agreed to, since he also didn't like Elliot handling Hazel's body
"Okay, that will be much faster to save time" he said. He then walked towards Evelyn, giving her a peck on her lips before leaving.
Evelyn immediately went to work by searching around the mansion for some needles and thread. She eventually found some and came back to the room to start the stitching.
"So you two are now together huh?" Xavier smirked lightly and Evelyn casted a side glance to him
"Yeah, something like that" she replied after sometime
"Hazel's really a big fan of you guys"
"Yeah, she was"
"Is... Is, you mean, cause she'll be back very soon" he corrected not liking her choice of words
"Hmmn... How long was it since she left?"
"I don't know, it feels like decades but I guess its been a few weeks, a month max"
"You do miss her?"
"Words can't express" he sighed deeply "I moss her so much, I wasn't aware I was capable of doing so, and I hope she does also"
"She does... You know, even if she's a powerful witch, she still can't defeat the witches all in her own" Evelyn said changing the subject
"Yeah"
"No offence but most of your soldiers were here at your mansion and they are dead, who's going to be fighting besides her"
"I still have soldiers in Borreve, and I've asked for more soldiers from the other lands since we are all in this together against the witches"
"I see"
"The only problem now will be their arrival to this place which will definitely not be today"
At the barrier, Elliot was at the Decron's mansion since he couldn't go to the tower for obvious reasons. There he met Kyle staring outside from where she stood at the window
"You're back so soon" she voiced out and Elliot sighed "... So this was all a plan from the beginning right" she continued calmly "you guys had thought to just use me and dump me right after you're done" tears were already rimming in her eyes "... Do you know how it feels? I was happy, I finally got the love I deserved only to realise it was all fake" she scoffed a bit at that "Xavier was aware if this right?" She asked him but he didn't reply "of course he was, he said it himself, he always knew I wasn't her" she was then quiet for a while, thinking as the tears that found their way to her eyes slowly fell to her cheeks. "You know... " she was fully sobbing "... I didn't wish to be here, I wasn't the one who brought myself to this place, so I don't understand why I don't deserve to be loved. What did I do Elliot? Why?" She sobbed in as she left the room to him alone.
After she had left, Elliot felt her sorrow but it was just something he couldn't control.
"I'm so sorry, Kyle" he whispered to himself after some time.
Some minutes later, he heard some noise coming from outside the room, so he went to check on it. He came face to Hazel, Guilt and Barton who stood there also watching him. Hazel was the first to break the silence and rush towards him to hug him
"I missed you" she happily said as Elliot reciprocated the hug while Guilt sneered as he watched them
"Finally, she would be off our necks" Guilt said loudly
"Hazel, we don't have much time. The witches had opened the portal and they are getting stronger. Your body should be in good shape now since Evelyn has been tending to it"
"What of Xavier?"
"He's good" he said leaving out the other details "you'll see him once you're there"
"And dad?"
"You'll have all your answer once we are back, we need to leave now" he said not having the heart to disclose the news to her
"Why do I feel like something is wrong" she said killing away from the hug to look at his face
"Well, some good things happened also"
"Really, like what?"
"Evelyn and I are together" he whispered just for her to hear
"Really!!"
"Yeah, now let's go"
"Wait, is kyle here? I want to talk to her a bit. You should talk with Guilt and Barton, I'm sure they have something to say to you too" she said as she left to find Kyle. She eventually found her at the attic and she stepped in
"What do you want Hazel... Did you come here to mock me" Kyle said with so much distaste as soon as she saw her
"I didn't come here for that"
"Then what then? Cause I see no other reason to visit"
"I know you're hurting..."
"Like hell I'll believe that"
"I really don't know how to make you believe me, but I really understand what you're feeling right now, and I want to let you know that I don't hate you. I also feel like you deserve to have friends and people to call family"
"SHUT THE FUCK UP HAZEL AND GET OUT" kyle shouted "you could never understand and just to let you know too, I HATE you" she continuer but Hazel remained calm
"Nobody wished for any of this to happen, but for the period I stayed here, I kind of figured out that it might be destiny"
"Are you even hearing yourself"
"What if as we are said to be special, it means that we were meant to be even in different realms. I, as a powerful witch in the living world and you, ..."
"As a lost soul in this realm? Real good Hazel, real good"
"No, you, as a Hawnet here in this realm... I know this may sound crazy but I want you to think about it. The fact that I have powers means you too do, I Kean we are practically the same soul that just splitter, it's just that you haven't realised it yet. Presently, something is going wrong at the tower and you can help stop it. You could rule this realm. I've talked to Guilt and Barton and they've agreed to help in helping you realised whatever powers you have, that's if you would allow"
"I don't need your pity"
"Trust me, I'm not pitying you. I don't just want it to be said that my half soul is some loser lost soul wandering in the barrier"
"——"
"Think on it, Kyle. You could have your own family here" Hazel said and left quietly.
She reached back to the room where she had left Elliot and the others and noticed something. There were reapers surrounded around the mansion.
"Elliot, what's going on" she asked as she got closer
"Hazel, you need to leave here fast" Barron said "Crane had kind of figured out that we knew of his dealings with Katherine and also of the fact that Elliot is in the barrier, so you need to leave"
"But what will happen to you and how will I leave here?"
"You are much needed at the living world, use the same route you used the last time you were here"
"You'll be back right?" Hazel asked as the reapers drew closer to the mansion
"I'll try my best, I can't promise and don't tell Evelyn about this, I can't let her be worried. Go now."he said
Hazel followed the back door to escape from the mansion and when she was out, she looked back at the mansion, towards the attic window to see Kyle staring back at her for sometime before moving a away from the window. She then made hr way they o the cemetery as she had done the last time and entered a coffin.
At the Decron's mansion, Evelyn had transferring Hazels body to Xavier's room, which had been completely stitched. They were both waiting for different reasons, Xavier, for Hazel to wake and Evelyn, for Elliot to be back.
As they waited, Evelyn offered to stitch Xavier's wound and he agreed. Hours later, Hazel woke up, her eyes trying to adjust to the rooms brightness. She noticed Xavier by her side sleeping, as he rested his head on the bed while sitting on the bedside stool.
Her body felt very weak and she couldn't move much. She could also feel some pain coming from her neck. Just then, Evelyn came into the room and saw her struggling to sit up, she rushed to help her and this woke Xavier up
" Hazel?" He called out
"Xavier" she responded and he immediately hugger her like his life depended in it. Hazel just let him hug her, since she didn't have much strength. She also missing the feelings of being in his arms
"I missed you so much rabbit, I'm not letting you do that again" he whispered into her nape
Evelyn grabbed a glass of water to her to drink and she rested for a couple of minutes before she started talking
"Elliot said the witches had been able to open the portal" Hazel said to Xavier
"Where's he?" Evelyn asked slightly worried
"He's been captured by Crane"
"By Crane? Why would Crane do that? Are you sure?"
"For the time I spent there, we were able to find out that Crane had a hand in Elliot's framing"
"Why will he do that and who's 'we'?"
"Barron, Guilt and I. He suddenly out a stop to the search of Katherine which we didn't know why but, there was a time we saw him with Katherine, that means, he definitely knew where she was hiding but doesn't want to reveal it. Somehow, Crane found out that Elliot would be there, so he captured him along with Barton and Guilt, since it was we three that knew about him. Elliot made me escape" Hazel explained
"This is all my fault" Evelyn said tuning her fingers through her hair "I had thought it would be right to inform Crane about Elliot coming to the barrier" she continued as he walked to and fro around the room "I have to go, I can't leave him there, I won't let them take him away from me... I'm so sorry Hazel, but I really need to go"
"Its no problem, I don't expect you to stay here anyways while he's there"
"Good luck with your fight against the witches" she said and left
There was some silence between the two of them before Hazel spoke up not really comfortable with the stares Xavier was throwing her way
"Did you know, they were together?" She asked while Xavier just stared "staring is rude"
"Not when it comes to you" he said and then captured her lips for a kiss. It was one free of list, he was trying to pour out how much he had missed her and Hazel responded in the same way. Both relishing the feeling if being in each others arms again. They kept kissing until Hazel withdrew her hands from his sides to place them on his chest, causing him to flinch a bit
"What's wrong?" She asked pulling back slightly
"Its nothing" he replied trying to lean back again for another kiss
"It doesn't seen like nothing to me. What's that Xavier?"
"Kyle stabbed me with a poisoned dagger" he sighed before he spoke
"What! Why will she do that"
"Selles made her do it"
"How deep is it" she asked referring to the wound
"Ill be fine rabbit, besides, Evelyn had stitched me up"
"Give me your hands, let me see if I can purify your blood from the poison"
"You can't, you're still weak" he shunned immediately "I'll be fine, and you need your strength for tomorrow. I was able to get other Lords to help defeating the witches, so they would send soldiers who would arrive here by tomorrow"
"If you say so... I haven't seen my dad. Were you still not able to find him?" She asked worriedly.
Xavier took a deep breath before explaining to her all that had happened, including about her dad. When he was done, Hazel was already crying while he tried his best to console her
"He was my last remaining family, Xavier"
"You have me,rabbit. I'm your family, I don't think Morgan would have wanted you crying, he did what he assumed was best for your safety"
"He didn't have to die" she sobbed
"He didn't"
"My dads gone, Elliot too.... You'll not leave me right"
"Never, even if you ask me to... And Elliot will be back before you know it"
Evening came soon and the few people Xavier had hired temporally to cook dinner came to do so. Xavier had to do most of the work since Lucas was dead. Yeah, Lucas was killed by Dorin while he was fighting against the witches, she came from behind him, when he wasn't seeing. Xavier had found his body while he was moving around the mansion, he stayed some minuted there as he mourned him.
An emergency meeting was held on how they would defeat the witches, and it was then, Xavier introduced Hazel as a white witch. The councilmen and ministers were suspicious a bit but Xavier assured them that she was destined to stop them.
They were able to get up to Fifty soldiers that night all around Borreve, but it still wouldn't be enough considering the number of witches they would be up against since they were no longer in hiding. Xavier also told them that fifty soldiers from both Rivelle and Poetwyth would join them the nest day, while thirty from Bougreve will come, since they were humans.
After dinner, Hazel had left to practice her powers and spells one last time, especially the one needed yo be able to close the portal. Although we hadn't still regained most of her strength, but she tried.
After half an hour of practicing, Xavier had stopped her so she could rest and prepare for the next day. She asked him about him injury and he again assured her that he would be okay by the next day. With that, they both slept off