"Love is in the air. So great that's it's choking me already." Those were Rheas welcome words.
    I swear this bitch knows what it takes to irk someone.
     She walked over to me. Glaring with sinister eyes that begged to be plucked out. She was everything I hated in all the realms. It would have been safe to say it wasn't her fault. But no one but herself knows what is going on in her own head. The only one who knew her story well was Rhea.
    No one could possibly be born evil or good. They could only choose that path they wish to take. Rhea chose this and I believed they was a reason to this hatred and rage she held towards the world.
   It was just a matter of how to sway Rhea. So I could get out of this room to get the book. It was only clue we had now. The only hope. My father was still in that glass room. I had been there and I know the way that shit felt like. You could see the things going on around you but you couldn't do anything to stop it. The will was there but the opportunity to exact the will was absent. That feeling was nothing I would wish my enemy. I knew he was not doing well at the moment. The only way to help him was to figure out everything about myself.
  Starting from finding that book.
Rhea picked me up with her index finger to my jaw. If looks could kill I'm sure the both of us would be dead already. That would have saved us the trouble of spilling blood.
    " Your father is so weak I feel pity for him. What do you say? Should I let him go?" She chuckled.
    " You have me. Why do you still need him?" I replied.
   " You know why!"
      She released her grip on me and she majestically turned to Hadrian.
    " Your wife isn't really respectful now is she?" She mused.
     " Stop this madness."
      " You know I really can't, just like I couldn't stop teaching you lessons that you never learnt."
     " You're too gone to be saved!" Hadrian declared. But I could see the immediate look of guilt after he said those words. That was the most precious thing about Hadrian. He just couldn't and have never hated his mother. I knew he hated himself for that.
     It was not always beautiful to love that which is to be hated and to  hate what is to be loved. The ambiguousness of it was to be feared and Hadrian lived with that fear everyday. The fear that he might disappoint his people. He might let them down with the love he still had for his mother. A mother who once upon a time was his idol.
   " You won't talk to me that way. Never!!" Rhea exclaimed.
    Taking out what seemed like a rope but wasn't. She stroke Hadrian with it.
Stroke
Stroke
Stroke..
   " Rhea that enough." King Asteroid exclaimed.
   Almost on his feet but Rhea casted invincible bounds on his ankles that glued him back to the ground. I shifted to take Hadrian in my arms. Blood flowed from his nose and he sat quietly like one word would break him beyond Rhea strokes.
    " Let my father go!!" Zuka cried going beside her father. Using the little energy core she had to try melting off the bounds.
   " You think your weak energy core can melt my iron bounds. Child think again." She laughed.
   " Rhea you are taking this too far. You know what does would do to your son." Daren said staring at the rope in Rheas hand.
  
      " The killers slash?" She paused with a giggle. Like nothing better could give her the thrill. " Off course! You see I even intensified it's effect. Now one stroke of this not only weakens you but breaks your energy core for a whole day. Interesting isn't?"
   I gasped in surprise. What was she saying. Break your energy core? The energy core from what I know is the life source of magic in each gifted Astralians. If messed with one cannot will magic and becomes as weak as never before. It was equal to electrocution. Equal to death. Rhea did that Hadrian. That was inhuman.
   Why would she do that? Why would she harm her son? Didn't she love him like I saw? I might have perceived wrong. What evil could surpass a mother forsaking her child. My heart was broken into a billion pieces. The impact of this act from Rhea was life-changing because I got internally angry that I felt the heat building inside my very soul.
  The heat burnt me but I couldn't less. I only cared if Rhea felt ten times of this heat. A pain that would last so much that she would beg for mercy. That she rely on me to set her free from it. The same way Hadrian hoped for her to set him free from the torture. The same way Hadrian felt. Every heat.
  Tears flowed down my face.
 
   All of a sudden she let out a scream, holding onto her chest. Panting strongly like she attacked with some breathing problem.
   Shelby starred at her in surprise but not long before she looked at me as if she knew what was happening. She knew. She knew that was because of me.
   I didn't have to do anything. Just think it.
  I was getting better.
  Even with the room barrier.
 
Shelby stood up.
  What was she up to?
    " She is doing it!" She declared pointing at me. " She is doing something to you.
Rhea turned to me.
" Make it stop!"
" I can't." I lied.
" At least not here!" Shelby chimed. What game was she playing.
   " The room. You designed it to keep their powers at bay. To revoke it she needs to be out of this room!" Shelby said. It finally clicked. She was trying to get me out of here. Smart.
    " How could she use her powers?" Rhea asked.
Maybe because I'm the reincarnated wood goddess and meany miny powers can't do me nothing.
I thought.
  I smiled.
  I felt a grasp on my arm and I looked down to see that it was Hadrian. Although he never a word his eyes plead for me not to go with her. I smiled sadly bringing my forehead to his as I sighed in content.
  " I'll be fine." I reassured.
  " Luna!!" Rhea exclaimed impatiently.
    I slowly kept Hadrian to lean by the wall. Storm gave me a nod of encouragement and I smiled back.
    Now. How do I escape Rhea side to get the book?
      *****************
This shithole of hers was not actually a shithole.
It was big.
Broad.
I didn't need to see the front view to know that it was filled with over a thousand rooms.
   Don't ask me what she needs that many for. I'm still trying to process. We teleported out of her laboratory only to end up walking to what she calls her word room.
  What the hell did that entail?
     
    Thinking about it, walking was good decision because this was I could have a look around for the book. Storm had whispered to me that he and Hadrian had the book but must have dropped it when they were attacked by Rhea. I should find a way to make her take me to that room. I had come to discover that Rhea was talkative. She loved communicating. If I could just engage an interesting conversation that should distract her to take me where that room.
  I only prayed she was not too smart to discover my plans.
   " Why is it suddenly gone?" She asked.
Oh.
   I almost forgot the actual reason I was brought outside that room.
  " Ehmmm... I don't know. You must have been too strong for it to say?" I tried. Although I did think it stopped because I wanted it to. I wasn't concentrating enough to make it stay. Since we left the room my mind has been only on finding that book.
   She stopped in her track. That was big mistake because I immediately bumped into her. You see, I had to stay close not to get lost. I stepped back. She turned, starring at me like I was some kinda sick person.
   " What are you looking at me like that for?" I inquired aggressively. Although I didn't mean to. An old habit of mine not shout at people.
   " You amaze me?"
    " With what?"
     " Your stupidity!"
     " Oh. Well that's nice of you. Thanks."
     " Now that's the pain is gone I see more of your need out here." She responded.
  What!!
   I needed to stay outside.
   " Ehmm. Wait. I mean no. Not yet. I want to see my father"
     " I'm afraid, I'm not afraid. No."
     " Wow. Wise lines. They never told me you were the witty one." I chuckled. Fidgeting internally. I was running of plans and ideas. No one told she could be so bipolar. One minute she needed me. The other she wants me locked up in room.
    She crossed her hands over her chest.
Please don't tell me she was suspecting my actions.
 
  "You better drop the act and tell me what game you're playing!" She mused.
   I copied her posture.
  " Why should I? What's the fun in that?"
    " Oh you want fun. How about I torture your father until he can't breathe. That's my type of fun. You sure you're up for it?" She smirked. I clenched my fist. Fighting my anger not to get the best of me or our plans would be screwed.
    I laughed.
    She starred at me in shock.
   " Not really. You see I'm not like you okay? I hate violence although I think you have that tattooed in your brain!"
     I could see the tic in her jaw. The anger was visible enough to satisfy me.
   Nice Job Luna.
 
  She conjured fireballs in her palms and yes, surely they were for me. She was that angry. But she was also good at being stoic.
  " I wouldn't do that if I were you. I know you need my blood for whatever magic you are trying to create. So yeah I'm your saviour. You wouldn't want all your struggles to go to waste." I chimed.
    " I. Do. Not. Struggle." She seethe.
     I raised my hands in surrender.
We continued walking down the hallway taking a right turn that led to another hallway.
  " How did you know the way to find every one of them? I mean there are so many rooms!" I tried.
  " I would be a fool not to know the way around my own home!"
   " Yes. Wise answer."
   Her answer was too vague. I needed something more descriptive.
   " So ehh are we close to your word room?"
    " Yes. We are almost there!"
     " Okay."
    I wasn't making progress.
  
     " Luna?" She called my name? Not with spite. Not with anger. Not with any negativity laced in it but quite the opposite.
    " Mhmm."
 
    " Do you think my children hate me?"
   She was not looking at me. Her head was up. She was scared I would see. Her thoughts.
  It wouldn't be that easy to get that answer out.
    I wasn't all sure about that fact either. Even I ask myself the same question. Does Zuka and Hadrian hate their mom? Do they see her as a monster like everyone else did? But Hadrian was angry with her. That's for sure. I wasn't sure about the hate. I could feel their love, anger and hatred towards her. They might not really love her as before but they didn't want to see her die. That was for sure.
  " I don't know. You should ask them!" I answered.
   " Yeah right." She replied quietly.
   Few minutes later we had walked some more. Something suddenly caught my interest. A door. It was a-jar. I could smell the dust from it.  Old. Not very pleasant but also not bad.
    How was going to get in with Rhea here.
   She wasn't looking. I waited for her to walk a few steps forward. Then I quickly dashed into the room to see a book right there on the ground. The embroidered material on the book was familiar. Like the one I saw Crystal wear in my vision. I didn't need any other evidence that this was the book. There was no way to hide it on me so I crouch to my knees and  touched the book causing it to vanish to the only place I knew it would be safe in this castle. The lab. That way the others would keep it safe.
   " What are you doing here!" Came Rheas voice startling me but I quickly adjusted.
  I turned to her.
  " Looking around."
   " You shouldn't."
   " I'm sorry."
    " Whatever. Follow me. I want you to do something."
    She smiled mischievously.
   I did not like the sound of that.