Chapter 166

Hannah

Hey, Hannah. It’s Caroline. If you’re reading this, it means you survived the journey back. I found out from a friend that Xander had frozen time back on your land. But time remains as it was in the underworld. I hope things aren’t too weird for you there. I’m not sure how much time has passed for you. But don’t worry! Things can be undone, but it’s not going to be easy. I was told that his power source is coming from a heart. A heart that he doesn’t keep with him. He put it somewhere and I’m not sure where it is. But if the heart is destroyed, then Xander will have no power. He will be vulnerable, and he can be destroyed once and for all. I’m not entirely sure what powers this heart holds, but it makes him very powerful.

Once his heart is destroyed, you can use something called the time stone to reverse time back on your land before you ever left. It won’t affect time in the underworld, so he will remain defeated. But you’ll be able to return to you the time you’ve lost.

I will do everything in my power to help you. I hope to hear from you soon.

Be safe!

Caroline

I sat on my bed as I read the note. I could still smell Caroline in the room as if she was standing right next to me. This entire room had been enchanted, so anything that happened here will happen in the underworld version of here as well.

I stood and grabbed a pen off my desk in the far corner of the room. I turned the note over and began writing my own note in response to Caroline.

Dear Caroline,

5 years had passed on this land. I’ve missed so much. I’m still trying to wrap my head around everything. I’m glad to have your help because we will need it more now than ever. I’m going to find that heart, and I’m going to destroy it. You have my word. Xander’s control is coming to an end.

Hannah

I read over the note carefully before placing it on the pillow. I was more determined now than anything. We were going to beat Xander and get the kingdom back.

…

Sebastian

“You aren’t going to get away with this,” Sebastian growled to Jack. “We will win; we always win.”

“Keep telling yourself that,” Jack said, waving him away. “I’m already bored with this conversation. You can leave my palace now.”

“So, what’s your plan now, Xander? You’re just going to keep running the kingdom using your pathetic vessels?” Sebastian asked, disregarding his request to leave.

“Something like that,” Jack/Xander said with a laugh. “You have no idea what you’re up against. You might have the moonstone scepter, but you don’t have all its powers. I took care of that long ago. Do you think I’d be stupid enough to keep the powers of the scepter with the scepter? I anticipated that you might try to take it back. So, I planned ahead.”

What the hell was he talking about?

“The only thing your scepter was able to do was open the portal to get you out of the underworld. But the real power is still here. Your tool is powerless.”

“He’s lying,” Erik growled. “That’s all he does is lie. Don’t listen to him.”

Sebastian wasn’t planning on listening to him.

“Your rein will end soon, Xander,” Sebastian growled. “You have my word on that.”

He turned away; he was done with this conversation. He was getting nowhere. He walked toward the front doors, trying to keep his wolf under control.

…

As he went back to Raya and Arnold’s house, he saw Arnold standing before him. He hadn’t had a chance to see his beta yet and he was pleased to see that he was there and well.

“I never thought I would see you again,” Arnold said, rubbing his hand behind his neck. “When I first saw Hannah, I thought she was a shifter.”

“Understandably so,” Sebastian said, shaking his hand. “I know it’s been a long 5 years for you guys. But it’s coming to end. I promise.”

“It’s really good to have you back,” Arnold said with a grin.

“Dad?”

Sebastian heard the soft sound of a little girl emerging from the darkness of the hallway. It was a young girl that looked exactly like Hannah. He breathed out in amazement.

“Wrenley,” he breathed.

Wrenley ran to him and wrapped her small arms around his neck. She was so little. He scooped her into his arms and lifted her off the ground. She smelled just like her mother. For a moment, all his anger from his encounter with Jack and Magnolia had disappeared. He was just so happy and relieved that Wrenley was with him and unharmed.

“Where did mommy go?” She asked, looking around the room.

Raya and Arnold exchanged worried looks, which left Sebastian with an unsettled feeling in the pit of his stomach. Where did Hannah go? She was supposed to be here when he returned from the palace.

He looked around the room as well with a frown before his eyes landed on Raya.

“Where is she?” Sebastian urged.

“We aren’t sure,” she finally said after a short pause. “She wouldn’t tell us.”

“You let her leave?!” Sebastian growled. “During everything that’s happening?!”

“You know her just as well as I do; when she sets her mind to something, there’s no changing her mind. She had that look in her eyes. She needed to be somewhere.”

Raya was right; Hannah was incredibly stubborn and would never listen to reason if she thinks she was doing the right thing. But that didn’t mean he liked when she ran off. Before he could say anything more, the front door swung open, and Hannah came running inside. She was breathing heavily, and her face was flushed from running.

Sebastian ran to Hannah, with Wren still in his arms.

“Where have you been?” Sebastian demanded to know. “Do you know how dangerous it is to wander these lands alone?”

“Yes,” she answered, narrowing her eyes at him. “Jack or uh… Xander has completely destroyed our kingdom. Everybody lives in fear that they will be the next to die at his hands. Even the rogue territory is vacant. I can smell the fear wherever I go. He needs to be stopped, Sebastian.”

“The rogue territory?” Sebastian asked, raising his brows. “You went to the rogue territory?”

Sebastian knows that Hannah’s childhood home was in rogue territory. So perhaps that’s where she went. Caroline mentioned that she should return to her room to communicate with her.

“My room has been enchanted,” she explains. “So, everything that happens in my room here, happens in my room there too. I went there and Caroline left me a note.”

“A note?” Sebastian asked, raising his brows. “What did it say?”

“She told me that Xander’s main power source is coming from a heart. But he doesn’t keep this heart on him. He keeps it elsewhere. I’m not sure where though. But she says if we destroy the heart, then Xander will be powerless. We will be able to defeat him. Then we need to get the time stone to bring us back to our current time. It only affects time on our land and not the underworld. So, once we defeat Xander, he will still be defeated even if we go back in time.”

“So, we need to find this heart?” Sebastian asked thoughtfully; he pondered her words for a few moments before meeting her eyes. “The heart… is it located in the underworld?”

“I believe so,” she answered. “Which means if we want to defeat Xander, we have to return to the underworld.”