Be Holden

Chapter 25: Witches

"It was an illusion." Ishin says. "It was the part of you with the black hair and does not have blue skin. The one once named Vincent on Earth." You say. "There should not be another form of me in a place I have never been. Ishin, where did you find this pathway? Who gave you access to this dimension?"

"It just appeared next to other dimensions on the first floor. I went in the dimension and the witches offered me their services for nothing in return."

"That does not sound good. Without an agreement or bargain of some kind, they are free agents capable of destroying the Palace of Dimensions. They could even seize it, when you are away. Show me the door to that dimension. It will be sealed until I deem its pathway safe among the other dimensions."

Ishin outstretch her arms and her hands land on golden, double doors that appear before the kitchen counter. One door opens and you all go through it in a single line order. Ishin leads you and the overseer down the golden runner. She stops at one of the single golden doors before another pair of golden doors. Ishin turns the knob and the door remains shut. She pushes and pulls it while shaking the doorknob but the door does not open. "This is the door. I just don't know why it won't open. It is like someone locked it from the other side." Ishin says. The overseer of evil touches the door frame. In an instant, a golden wall appears in the doors place, which blends with the golden walls in the rest of the hall. The overseer goes back and through the double doors you all entered. You and Ishin follow him. The overseer grabs Ishin's hand and walks with her outside into the wilderness behind the manor.

You wander to the opposite wing of the manor. You walk up the wooden stairs past the rooms full of pods to a green door. You knock on the door that is missing a handle. No one answers. You push it and it creaks open. You see your baby drooling and giggling on a black baby swing. The black swing on the floor is connected to the arm of a rigid black creature sitting on the side of a double bed that has faded red covers. The scene before you mutes and the swing stops in midair. Little feet run into the room from behind you. The grey haired toddlers graze your leg as they run in. "You are going to tell us everything you know or we will kill them." The grey haired boy with silver eyes says with his little finger pointed at your family. "Aw, you two think I am going to be scared of little babies in bland school uniforms. That is so cute." You say in a baby voice. The girl screams and the wood on the bed and floor curl back as if someone is digging them up with deep scratching. The window breaks and she cries. She stops screaming and proceeds to have a tantrum on the bed. Every foot stomp on the bed shakes the floor and drags the furniture slightly back and forth. "Calm down Delta! We still have the upper hand." The boy says to his sister. "I think something is wrong with our current situation and I think you know the answer. Don't try to play tricks on us, we will know and I will strangle you if you dare lie to us. I would think you would be more cooperative after we babysat for you. Delta, this is why I told you to not trust these users. You both are so pathetic and ungrateful that I feel bad for your baby!" "What do you want me to tell you? This is something you should ask your parents." You say.

"We could do that, if we knew where they were."

"They went out the backdoor. There somewhere out in the wilderness. You should go out there and find them."

"You are not going to get rid of us that easily. You are going to tell us where you went."

"Where I went is none of your concern?"

"We watched your baby. You owe us this much!"

The boy walks up to Morgan's black creature form. The baby begins to swing again. Morgan's form melts on the bed and drizzles onto the baby. The black liquid solidifies on the baby's face on contact. It builds up and the baby begins to breathe abnormally. "Stop! Stop you are hurting her!" You say as you run to the baby. The girl whips her hand through the air and your body hits the wall.I underestimated these toddlers. "We went to visit Ether to help your mother. Then I helped your mother escape from a bad guy. I am on your side."

"Thyme told us that Ishin and Zen are not our parents. He said that he was our brother, and he was going to get our other brothers to help him save us from them!"

You gasp. If this kid does not belong to the overseer of evil, he would get a curse on him or be destroyed. "I know just as much as you do about your family! Keep my family out of this craziness!" You yell. In a blink, they are gone and it is as though they were never there. Morgan and the baby sleep peacefully next to each other on the bed. You run to Morgan's side. You shake Morgan's shoulder until the two black eyes with a red glint reveal themselves. Morgan gives you a confused look. "The twins believe that the overseer of evil and Ishin are not their parents. They think they are related to Thyme. They said Thyme told them that!" You whisper loudly. "Maybe, they miss their parents so much that they are making up stuff." Morgan says.

"Why would they make that up? Thyme was destroyed by Ether, according to Ether. Thyme went rogue. When I last saw him, his loyalty shifted from the overseer of evil to his siblings."

"He has siblings?"

"I am just saying what he told me. Now, the twins are saying similar things. What do you think is going on?"

"Everything the twins said may be true and Ishin as well the overseer of evil could be reversing the age of overseers just to claim them as children. Or, they could have gotten false information from someone who hates their parents. What better way to dig a backstabbing dagger into your enemy, than to turn their offspring against them?"