The Sovereign's Curse

The car's hum was the only sound accompanying Xander as he drove through the dark, empty streets. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles white under the dim glow of the dashboard. His thoughts raced faster than the hovering vehicle beneath him.

What was Dad trying to hide? The question burned in his mind, refusing to let go. Did he known about Aeternis all along? It seemed impossible, yet it would explain so much. His father's sudden kindness, the questions that never felt genuine, the careful way he'd avoided discussing anything personal.

Was I too distracted by his change in behavior to even consider suspecting him?

The idea twisted his stomach. If his father had been playing him all this time, it meant Xander had let his guard down at the worst possible moment.

But it's all a question of "ifs" and "maybes", there's no way to know if that was true so he dismissed the thought.

The streetlights flickered by, their orange glow casting fleeting shadows across his face. He felt trapped, every avenue of thought leading to more doubt.

"And what the hell happened to you back there," he muttered as he glanced at Aeternis on his dashboard still not responding. More questions. He needed answers—desperately.

And then it came to him, sharp and sudden: The hidden workshop.

That was the only place where he could uncover the truth about Aeternis. The workshop, with its dusty remnants of another time, held secrets he had barely scratched the surface of. But as quickly as hope surged in his chest, it sank just as fast.

His hands tightened on the steering wheel as the memory resurfaced—the glowing red eyes of the creature that had been down there. The sheer presence of it, the menace in the air, had been enough to send him running before.

He swallowed hard, the fear bubbling to the surface.

"Xander," Aeternis finally spoke aloud, its voice breaking the oppressive silence in the car.

"Yes?" he responded almost immediately, as if expecting it to speak. In all fairness, he was.

"What happened back at the Tower?" Xander asked, a note of curiosity in his voice.

Aeternis pulsed faintly before responding. "I sensed something... The presence of a being," it said, its tone unusually heavy. "Not of this world."

Xander's grip on the controls tightened as he brought the car to a halt. "At the Tower?"

"Yes, Xander," Aeternis confirmed. "A dark and malevolent force."

"Elaine... I have to go back for Elaine," Xander said panicking.

"That would be unwise Xander,"

"What... What do you mean by that? She might be in danger,"

Deep down, Xander knew Elaine would chew him out for even thinking about going back to the Tower. She was always the rational one, the calm amidst his storm. Where he felt, she calculated. But the thought of leaving her behind—especially with Aeternis' cryptic warning—gnawed at him.

"What am I supposed to do, Aeternis?" he asked, his voice low, almost defeated. "She's my sister."

"You must trust her, Xander," Aeternis said softly. Its tone, for once, seemed almost... compassionate. "Elaine is capable. If she sensed danger, she would act accordingly. Your task now is to ensure that what lies ahead does not endanger her further."

Xander exhaled shakily, gripping the steering wheel. The darkness of the road mirrored the chaos in his mind. "Then what's the plan? I can't just sit here waiting for answers."

Aeternis hovered closer to him, its soft glow illuminating the interior of the car. "The workshop," it said firmly. "The answers you seek are there. But you must be prepared."

The workshop. The thought sent a chill down Xander's spine. His mind flashed back to the red-eyed creature that guarded its depths. It had felt... wrong, like something that shouldn't exist.

"But that thing... whatever it was," Xander stammered, his throat tightening. "It's still down there. What if—"

"You are not alone, Xander," Aeternis interrupted, its voice steady and reassuring. "I will be with you, all the way. I will defend you, if it comes to that."

A faint sense of safety washed over Xander, though fear still lingered at the edges. He gave a half-hearted chuckle. "Then I hope you've got some sort of light, because I'm not facing that thing in the dark."

Aeternis pulsed brighter, a soft hum of energy filling the car. "Consider it covered."

For the first time in hours, Xander chuckled, the sound quiet but genuine. "Alright," he said, the knot in his stomach loosening slightly. "Let's do home, we'll go into the workshop... together

The glow of the city lights faded into the distance as Xander drove on, the weight of what lay ahead pressing down on him. But for the first time in a long while, he didn't feel entirely alone.

---

Arriving at the Hawthorne mansion, Xander's unease deepened. The security drones that usually patrolled the grounds were nowhere in sight. His chest tightened as his eyes scanned the silent perimeter.

"All right," he muttered under his breath, gripping the wheel tighter. "We find whatever answers we can and get out of here. Fast."

Still, his thoughts drifted to Elaine. Was she safe? Could she be in danger? He clenched his jaw, shaking his head. Focus. He needed to think positively. He was about to uncover the truth, after all.

Stepping into the mansion, the eerie stillness greeted him like a warning. The silence weighed heavy, broken only by the sound of his footsteps. When he reached his father's office, he noticed the door was shut—something that rarely happened.

Quietly, Xander turned the knob, easing the door open and slipping inside. His eyes darted toward the bookshelf. It was the gateway to the hidden workshop, but as he reached for the trigger book, he paused.

I need a weapon.

The thought struck him suddenly, and he scanned the room. His gaze landed on a black baseball bat, part of his father's rare collection of artifacts. He picked it up, testing its weight, and swung it experimentally. The solid heft gave him a small measure of reassurance.

"Good enough," he murmured, gripping the bat tightly.

Finally, he pulled the book, activating the hidden mechanism. The bookshelf slid aside, revealing the narrow stairwell leading down to the workshop.

Aeternis floated ahead, illuminating the way with its soft glow. "Stay close," it said.

Xander's heart thundered in his chest, so loud it drowned out everything else. He gripped the bat so tightly his knuckles turned white, stepping cautiously as they descended into the dark.

"Whatever's down here," Aeternis said, its voice low and cautious, "it knows we're here."

Xander swallowed hard, his throat dry. "Then let's not keep it waiting," he muttered, raising the bat as he stepped into the room.

Aeternis moved ahead, conducting a careful sweep. "No sign of the creature," it reported.

Xander relaxed slightly, though the tension in his shoulders didn't fully ease. "Do another sweep, just to be sure."

Aeternis obeyed, scanning every corner of the room. "Still nothing," it finally said. "Whether that's a good sign or not, I can't say. But we need to hurry."

Xander nodded and began searching. He approached the box where he'd found Aeternis, but it was empty now. As he moved, his eyes caught sight of something familiar—a leather-bound journal. His mother's.

Grabbing it, he flipped through the pages, hoping for answers. Finding nothing immediately useful, he stuffed it into his jacket pocket. Nearby, a file labeled Project Aeternis caught his eye. He opened it with trembling hands, but its contents were frustratingly vague—technical blueprints and notes that offered no direct clues.

"We're running out of time," Aeternis warned.

They searched every corner of the workshop, turning over boxes, scanning files, and scouring consoles, but came up empty. Just as Xander was about to admit defeat, Aeternis abruptly stopped mid-air.

Its glow dimmed, flickering erratically. "Something's wrong," it said, its voice strained.

Xander froze. "What do you mean?"

Aeternis pulsed wildly, its light shifting between bright flashes and near darkness. "Something's interfering with my system… like at the Tower."

The air in the workshop grew heavy, almost suffocating. Xander's pulse quickened as an overwhelming sense of dread filled the room.