The Beast and His Tamer

Rhett didn't like the sound of that name. It resonated with them a little too much. Even Gulliver recognized it, as he looked at the family like a leader set on revenge. Rhett would have as well, if it weren't for the feeling that Sebastian was getting when he said it. It was enough to make Rhett shudder when he sensed his lover's emotions. A feeling of fear and horrible memories showed on the brunette's face. But it was worse than Rhett could imagine just from a look. The man had much more intense emotions than he made known to everyone. He could only imagine what this man did. It was obvious that he had been the one who had caused Sebastian to be afraid of the wizards that were their worst enemies. And it only fed into the anger that Rhett felt when he thought about the person responsible for all of this. What he really wanted to do was rip the menace's head off and hold onto Sebastian as much as possible.

He could only do one of those things at the moment.

Rhett pulled Sebastian onto his lap and hugged him. It was the only thing he could do at the moment, as everything in him told him that this man needed to be protected. Sebastian smiled a bit when he did it, not complaining. That was how Rhett knew that something was wrong, because the man was still a bit shy when it came to showing love in front of others. Now he just held onto Rhett's arm as he held him, squeezing it just a little as a show of thanks.

And then Rhett got the feeling that he wanted to squeeze him hard, like he was a plush that he wanted to keep in his arms for the rest of eternity. A part of him wanted to just bring him back to their room so that he could try and cheer him up in any way he could. But this was a necessary evil for now.

He couldn't wait until this was finally over.

"Skylak is one of the strongest wizards out there," Atticus started to explain. "He's also the most wanted in the world due to his injustices."

"What has he done?" Odin asked, looking fully invested in their discussion. Rhett was too, along with the rest that were in that room. The more they could learn about this enemy that they had been blindly battling for months, the better. And once they were able to get their claws in him, there was going to be blood.

And lots of it.

"Gained power through harmful means," Atticus answered. "That's the kindest way to put it. He's used the power from all kinds of beings in order to get stronger. He once even turned a forest into a desert by killing its spirit and absorbing the power."

That explained why he had targeted the Misty Forest. It was one of the largest in the country, and very secluded. There weren't many people or travelers that came by. If Rhett was thinking like that man most likely would, this was the prime place to gather power.

"How do we stop him from doing the same to ours?" Genie asked. While the rest of them kept a straight face, she showed the concern that they all had.

"You've already taken the steps towards healing your home," Atticus told her, smiling at Sebastian. "Finding the Song of the Forest gave strength back to both Misty Forest as well as its inhabitants. The next steps would be to continue to look for the orbs."

Rhett had overheard them talking to Sebastian about finding this song. He hadn't barged into the conversation, but it reminded him of something that Mitrov said. He had told him that Sebastian had been giving him strength, and that was why he had wished to save him. He wished that he could talk to him again. It was shocking that one song could help heal so many people and things. And all of it was because of one man.

"We could keep up the guard," Noah said. "Have them look for areas where the red fog is."

"You have us as well," Rufus bowed his head a little. "We've delt with similar issues before. If you find anything, tell us so that no one gets trapped."