Escape the Dark, Hold the Light

Chapter 1: Playing Rough

If there was anything Andrew could honestly say he was an expert at, it was mind games. It definitely didn't take much to mess with his fifteen-year-old cell mate's head. Since the kid's mental state was not in the best shape, the separatist could take full advantage of that at any time. Andrew was already aware of Varian's suffering from loneliness before his incarceration where the teen was unfairly heckled and assaulted by Coronans for "attacking" the princess during the blizzard. According to Varian, there would be days where he would go without food or water because he was too young to get a job to make money and buy those essentials. His father Quirin was the only family he had left and with him out of the picture, Varian was basically an orphan. He was desperate for a parental figure in some shape or form to assure him that he won't be alone. Andrew was not afraid to pull that card out of his deck if he gets rough with the boy if it means keeping him in line.

It hadn't too long since Varian and Andrew's break from prison and the Saporians had taken over Corona. King Frederick and Queen Arianna had been locked in the dungeon to keep the Royal Guard from advancing on them. But, the citizens of the kingdom would surely act in retaliation if it meant rescuing their monarchs. Varian knew from experience that when the people of Corona work together, they can become a force to be reckoned with. Well, Andrew sure did a good job at putting the idea of the Coronans being incapable of forgiving the kid's actions back when he was public enemy number one in Varian's head. The separatist deduced that if the Coronans can't forgive, they'd all have to forget. And the Saporians had just the object to do the job: the Wand of Oblivium. Now anyone who knows Varian well enough knows that the alchemist would absolutely refuse the use of magic in a heartbeat. But, a small part of the young boy hoped that that little stick could actually have the power to make people forget. After all, that was all he wanted; right?

"I still don't see how the wand's power is going to affect so many people." Varian brought up as he and the separatists met in the castle's war room. "I mean, you could get at least two individuals at close range; sure. But remember Corona has dozens of citizens and it would be tedious to go door-to-door and zap small amounts of people."

"That's where you come in, buddy." Andrew stated, draping an arm over the young alchemist's shoulder in a casual way. The gesture alone made the boy freeze up and his blood frost over. He never liked it when the Saporian was way too close for comfort. However, he had swallow his nerves because of his discomfort showed, Andrew would not take it lightly.

"Ho-how am I s-s-supposed help?" Varian stuttered as the Saporians stared him down.

"Surely, that big brain of yours can come up with a way to magnify the wand's magic."

The teenager was not fond of Andrew's condescending tone, but the peer pressure of the Saporians' silent glance replaced that annoyance with fear once more.

"Well, I guess I could convert the power of the Wand of Oblivium into a gaseous state which in turn, will affect more people on a wider radius." Varian stated rather uncomfortably.

"See, I told you all this egghead was good for something." Andrew loudly told his comrades, the boy flinching at the volume of his voice. "Soon, the dawn of New Saporia will be upon us! Long live New Saporia!"

"Long live New Saporia!" the other separatists cheered in unison. All the while, Varian gulped as he looked on nervously as the terrorists continued to whoop. He knew that this plan unethical if not flawed in logic, but his alignment with his "new friends" meant that he couldn't get out of it even if he wanted to. He would be brutally punished by Andrew if he attempted to bail.

Days passed and Varian was working in a room in the castle that he designated to be his lab. The Saporians just picked a room at random for their young ally to set up shop. It wasn't much, but at least he had all the materials he needed. Quirineon. That was the name of the element that was going wipe everyone's memories clean. It was actually Andrew's idea to name the mineral after his father. That way (and these were Andrew's words,) it would be like his dad is with him in this endeavor. Varian was supposed to be comforted, but that statement left a bad taste in his mouth. If his dad was here to see what he was doing, he would surely be disappointed. No, disappointed would be an understatement. If his father father knew about this, he would probably be grounded for life.