He blinked and he was in a dark room. It was so dark he couldn't see his own hands.
"Uh- hello?" Varian called out into the darkness, and his voice echoed back at him. He could think of nothing to do but wander further into the shadows. Suddenly the stripe in his hair begun glowing green. It glowed brighter and brighter the further he went, until it revealed his surroundings. He was in the Eternal Library, now lit with an eery green glow,
"Hugo?" He called and there was no response. The boy huffed and walked along the aisle, examining the books. The names on each spine were right there, though he couldn't seem to make out what they said.
It was frustrating. The boy tore his eyes away from the bookcases long enough to see a figure in the distance. It was Hugo. Varian smiled in relief then walked towards the boy, "Hugo- there you are. I called you- didn't you..." He stopped when the figure he was so sure was Hugo turned around to reveal his mother, Ulla.
"Help me, Varian." She said in a whisper, "Varian, help me." She spoke louder,
"Varian...Varian!" She grabbed his arm.

Varian's eyes opened in an instant. It took a moment for them to adjust to the dark room.
When he could see beyond the blackness, he noticed Hugo standing over him on the bed.
"What are you doing?" He asked, raising a brow, "You're not sleep-walking again, are you?" Varian laughed and sat up, Hugo taking a seat beside him.
"No- I told you that wasn't what was goin' on."
"Yeah, right. If you say so, Hu-"
"V, you were floating."
"I- I was...floating?"
"Y'remember when your mom used her magic to possess you?"
"You don't think...?"
Hugo shrugged and Varian pulled the covers to his chest.
"It...is when the second stripe appeared." Hugo commented.
"It was two years ago that we freed my mother." Varian told the blonde, "If there's something wrong, why's this only happening now?"
Hugo smiled kindly and leaned in to place a kiss on Varian's head,
"Let's work it out tomorrow, yeah?" He suggested and Varian nodded, reluctantly agreeing.

The next morning, Hugo awoke when the sunbeams shining through the crack in the curtains shone on his face. He shielded his eyes from the light and looked to the empty space in the bed beside him. He sighed, not at all surprised by Varian's absence.
The boy sat up and put his glasses on, rummaging through a messy drawer by the bed for a hair-tie. His hair had grown a significant amount in the last two years. He thought he was due a hair cut a few months back but Varian insisted he liked it longer. Then he was busy with work and that was the end of that.
Olivia squeaked from atop the head of the bed frame with a hair-band in her mouth. Hugo grinned, taking it from her, "Thanks, Liv."
Over the two years since the Seven Trials, Hugo had also grown quite a bit of facial hair, to Varian's dismay. It's not that he didn't like it, he was just jealous.
Hugo pulled his hair back, "Did y'see Goggles leave s'morning?" He asked Olivia. The mouse shook her head and climbed onto the boy's shoulder.
Hugo walked to the door and stood on a fluffy tail. Ruddiger chittered angrily, his morning lay-in in the sun disturbed by Hugo's obnoxious foot.
"Hey- here's an idea; stop sleeping on the floor, rat." Hugo told the raccoon. Ruddiger chittered again then walked towards the bed. Hugo watched in silence as the animal hopped onto his side of the bed and stretched before curling up on his pillow. The blonde's eyes narrowed but he walked out of the room and to the kitchen. There was a note on the table in messy handwriting which Hugo recognised as Varian's. With a yawn, he snatched the note up and adjusted his glasses, skimming over the words;
You're out of milk, sorry about that. Seeya at the lab. Xx
Hugo sighed through a smile and put the note back. He looked over at the ice box and then glanced at Olivia, who shook her tiny head.
"Guess we'd better go buy some more milk, hey, Liv?"
The mouse squeaked.
"Aw, come on. He does stuff for me all the time. I don't mind the rapid rate at which he goes through milk- I'm just happy he likes staying here." Hugo smiled to himself and walked back to his room to get ready.

"Um...sorry-" Someone said and Varian's head shot around to look at them, "It's just...you seem busy- but I was wondering if you could help me find a book on curses."
Varian wore his hair differently than he had two years ago, much like Hugo. It wasn't entirely a stylistic choice rather than a practical choice. He now used the goggles he wore on his head to slick the hair back, though one stubborn strand would always find it's way forwards. The boy wore a shirt and waistcoat with a small Coronan emblem upon it. He had vials of chemicals fastened to his wrist bracers and brown chemically-treated gloves upon his hands.
He had been searching an aisle of books in the Eternal Library for something that may help him work out what 'floating in your sleep' might mean.
The person who had tried to catch his attention was an anxious-looking brunette whose eyes were darting around them, as if fearful something bad might happen at any moment.
"Oh, sorry..." Varian laughed, "Of course. Follow me." He smiled.
He led them through the library, scanning the titles of books on the shelves, "So, did you want a book on anti-curses?" Varian asked, stopping by a section of books.
"Whatever's gonna stop bad stuff happening to me." The person replied and Varian nodded, retrieving a book and handing it to them.
"So, rules are-"
"I know- I can't leave the library with the book- I've been here loads." They admitted, almost embarrassed, "I'll put it back myself when I've finished. Sorry for bothering you."
"Not at all." Varian smiled happily, "I hope you find what you're looking for." The boy walked off to continue looking for a helpful book when a light caught his eye. He stopped in his tracks and watched as a book glowed bright green and moved from the shelf as though someone removed it. Varian stood back but the book stopped in mid-air, bobbing slightly as though an invisible librarian was offering it to him.

Though hesitant, the boy reached his hand out and took the book. It stopped glowing and he read the title,
Magical Possession
Varian gulped and opened the book, scanning the pages and flicking through them. He couldn't make sense of most of it but picked out things he thought might be relevant and wrote them down on some scrap parchment. Suddenly a pair of hands fell on his shoulders. Shocked by the presence of someone behind him, Varian swung the book around. Hugo ducked out of the way and held Varian in order to stop him toppling over.
"Good morning to you, too." Hugo grinned, wrapping his arms around Varian's waist and leaning in to kiss him. Varian instead bent down to retrieve a piece of parchment he had dropped, "Oh, right- morning, Hugh." He said, distractedly.
Hugo frowned, "Ok, what's going on?"
"Hm? Just working- y'know, like we do everyday." Varian skimmed his notes and two slender fingers plucked the papers out of his hands.
"Hey!" Varian turned to face the blonde properly, his brows furrowed.
"'After effects of magical possession?'" Hugo read aloud then looked down at Varian, "Is this about what happened last night?"
"Yes. Hugo, it's not normal to float in the middle of the night."
"Did I mention your hairstripe was glowing?" Hugo asked.
"Wha- no! No, you didn't!" He hit the blonde gently with the book.
Hugo grinned, "Hey, in my defence, the floating was a lot more concerning."
Varian sighed and returned the book to its place on the shelf. He folded the parchment and put it in his waistcoat then kissed Hugo's cheek as he walked past him. The blonde flushed a little red and watched as Varian walked off. He followed him with a smirk, "So, y'think what's happening is just the after effects of ol' momsy possessing you?" He questioned when they left the library, and wandered into the Demanitus Chamber. It had had a bit of an upgrade over the years. There was a lot of equipment scattered around and it resembled a fully-fledged lab.
Varian spread the notes out across a desk and read over them again,
"I'm not sure. I would've thought they'd appear sooner if that were the case."
"Yeah...two years is...a bit of a stretch for 'after effects'." Hugo agreed and Varian turned to him with a wide smile on his face. Instead of returning the enthusiasm, Hugo crossed his arms and looked Varian up and down,
"What d'you want, Stripes?"
"Pfft...What?" Varian chuckled, "What do you mean what do I want? Am I not allowed to...appreciate my favourite person?" Varian nudged the blonde, who gave him the most suspicious look.
"Yeah, ok, you want something. What is it? No point dragging it out."
Varian bit his lip and there was a short silence before he spoke again, "I need you to get me in contact with Donella."
"No way." Hugo crossed his arms tightly and looked aside.
"Aw, come on." Varian pleaded, "I just need her to answer a few questions- magical possession is definitely something she would know about."
"We have a whole library of books about magic- why d'you need her?"
"You can't still be mad about the birthday thing."
Hugo narrowed his eyes, "I said I didn't wanna talk about it."
"Well- I think you should. You're clearly bottling up feelings about it." Varian rubbed Hugo's back.
"I'm not."
"Come on...I know you're a little annoyed-"
"I'm not a little annoyed, Goggles. I'm bitter. And I request the right to remain so until I see fit."
Varian sighed, "I guess I'll have to work this out alone, then." The boy puffed his cheeks out and gathered his notes together again, "I need to find more books about 'glowing hair'." He told the blonde and walked back towards the gateway to the library.
"Want any help?" Hugo called after him.
"You could contact Donella." Varian called back and Hugo rolled his eyes.
"I'm gonna go to the market and buy more milk!"
"Sounds good! Seeya later, Hungo!" Varian ran into the gateway before Hugo could retaliate. The blonde watched after Varian and Olivia squeaked.
"I'm not overreacting." Hugo snapped.

At the market, Hugo waited in a ridiculously long line for his groceries. That was something he hated about living the life of a working man. He had to wait in long queues just to buy, in his opinion, overpriced food. Sure, in his thieving days, he wasn't even guaranteed a meal every night, but at least whatever he did get was rewarding and there was a thrill in getting it. Waiting in a long line, well, that was just boring and entirely not thrilling in the slightest.
"Hey- there's my least favourite Royal Scientist." Eugene walked over to Hugo with a smirk on his face, "Now, did you steal my royal-guard vest or did it get lost in the laundry somewhere?"
"Wouldn't you like to know?" Hugo grinned.
Eugene forced a laugh, "I thought you might say something like that." The man put his hands on his hips, "This sure is a long line. It would be a shame if a certain important king accused you of cutting and you had to go allll the way to the back." Eugene leant back to get a better look at the end of the queue.
"That'd be very immoral of you, Your Majesty." Hugo commented.
"But if I thought you might have stolen royal property..."
"Why don't y'check the stables?" Hugo suggested with a grin. Eugene stared for a moment, "Uh huh..." He backed away, "I'm watching you." He disappeared round the corner of a market stall.

Once Hugo had reached the front of the line and paid for his groceries, he began the walk home. A familiar face appeared in the crowd of people surrounding Attila and Monty's.
"Hugo! Hey- Hugo!" Lance called and Hugo forced a smile,
"Lance, y'know I love a chat, but I need to get this stuff home."
"That's fine- I'm great at multi-tasking." Lance said and walked beside Hugo, "How's the mister?"
"Don't...call him that." Hugo flinched as though the words had physically caused him discomfort, "He's fine. Overworking himself as usual."
"That's our Varian." Lance chuckled.
"Yeah, he's actually dealing with something right now- and he wants me to get in contact with Donella for him."
"Are you going to?"
"No way- you know what happened last time I saw her."
Lance sniggered.
"It's not funny." Hugo glared.
"It's a little funny...Hungo."
"I'm done talking to you." Hugo sped up, past Lance. He put his groceries in their respective places back home then left for the lab again.
Olivia squeaked in Hugo's ear as he walked, and he sighed,
"Maybe she should apologise."
The mouse squeaked again.
"Well...she could come and find me if she wanted to." The boy pouted and when Olivia spoke again, he stopped walking, "Ok, ok...I'll be the bigger man. Let's go find where she's hiding out."

"Remnants of character traits...amnesia..." Varian mumbled, his head in a book about Magical Possession. He sat with his back against a shelf, resting the book on his knees.
"Amnesia..." He repeated, thinking.
"What are you doing?" A voice spoke from behind him. Knowing that was impossible, Varian leapt away from the shelf. Rapunzel's face was smiling at him through a gap in the books on the shelf he had been sitting against.
"Rapunzel...you- you scared me." He laughed.
"Sorry." She laughed too, "But you didn't answer my question."
"Uh, I've been having a little...magical trouble."
"Really? Anything I can help with?"
"Don't you have...royal duties to attend to?" Varian chuckled.
"When you're as enthusiastic about work as I am, you have a couple of hours to spare." The brunette smiled, "Wait there- I'll come round."
Her face disappeared and Varian saw her walk onto the aisle. When she reached him, she put her hand out to help him up. The Queen's brunette hair had grown to shoulder length since the sundrop no longer resided within her. She wore her hair in a braid which kept it neatly out of the way.
Varian had finally surpassed Rapunzel in height, though he didn't have much on her, just a few extra inches.
"So, what's the situation?" Rapunzel asked, excitement in her voice.
"I, uh...levitated...out of bed last night- and my hair glowed."
"Woo- been there...that is a magical problem." Rapunzel responded, "Have you found anything that could explain what's happening?"
"Not...exactly. From what I can tell, this is a pretty unique situation. I don't think most people's moms possess them in a fit of desperation." Varian forced a laugh.
"Right...I'm sure you'll work it out. You always do." Rapunzel said, encouragingly, "If there's nothing I can do to help now, you know where to find me later."
"Thanks, Rapunzel." Varian smiled.
"And don't forget to take a break once in a while, ok?"
"Of course. Don't worry, Hugo's always telling me the same thing."
The Queen smirked, "Which is why he's perfect for you."
Varian blushed, "Yeah, I guess he is."
The boy cleared his throat, "I'd better get back to..."
"Yeah- of course." Rapunzel laughed, "I'll get out of your hair." She smirked and so did Varian.

Hugo had finally tracked down Donella through word of mouth. He snuck into the back door of a pub and was greeted by a large man.
"Cy?" Hugo's eyes widened.
"Hugo!" Cyrus' harsh expression broke into a smile and he lifted the young man from the ground into a hug.
"Good to see you too." Hugo wheezed. Cyrus put him down and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder,
"What're you doing skulking around here, Mr. Royal Scientist?"
"I was looking for Donella, actually." Hugo crossed his arms.
"You wanna see Donella? Even after...?"
"Yes. I'm being the bigger man."
"Right. Well, she's busy now but I can come find you later tonight."
"I don't like the sound of that at all." Hugo furrowed his brows.
"It's your choice."
"Fine." Hugo sighed, "I'll seeya tonight. Oh- and I'll have Varian with me."
"Got it."

Varian huffed a heavy sigh as he juggled work and his personal research. Finally Hugo waltzed into the lab and Varian watched him with judging eyes.
"You know, I could've used your help about an hour ago. Where've you been?"
"Finding Donella." Hugo smirked.
"Really?" Varian perked up at this, "I thought you didn't want to talk to her."
"Well, anything for you, Goggles." Hugo's smirk grew and Varian rolled his eyes before pulling him into a kiss. Hugo brushed his thumb across Varian's cheek and when he pulled away, he smiled softly.
"You'd think it'd never be as good as the first time, but it always is." His smile grew into a grin and Varian chuckled lightly, pushing his face away only to be pulled close again by Hugo, who placed a kiss on his head.
"Donella's busy today but we can meet her tonight." Hugo explained, "So...what d'you want to do until then?" Hugo leaned in again and Varian smiled.
"How about our job?"
The blonde moved away, narrowing his eyes, "You're so boring, Stripes."
"Glad to hear you think so." Varian joked and walked over to his desk, jotting something down.

Later that night, Varian and Hugo checked the status of the gateway as they often did after a long day's work. It was always stable. Donella's plans to keep it open were yet to fail them. The two locked up the lab then Hugo led them to a pub in the middle of town.
"So, we're meeting her...here?"
"Something like that. Though, more like Cyrus is gonna find us then take us to her." Hugo held the door open for Varian.
"Why can't we just meet her outside the bakery or something? Do we have to sneak around?" Varian asked, walking inside. Hugo followed and they approached the back of the pub. Varian slumped into a seat at a table in the corner and Hugo sat beside him.
"I think she's still a little worried the Queen'll be mad about the whole Demanitus Chamber fiasco." Hugo's eyes darted around the pub.
"She really doesn't know Rapunzel very well." Varian chuckled.
After a while's wait, Varian glanced at Hugo, "When do we know if she's here?"
"Oh, she'll make sure we know." Hugo grinned.
"I don't like the sound of tha-"
At that moment, two large hands covered Hugo and Varian's mouths and they were pulled back, out of their chairs.

Before they knew it, they were in the back room of the pub. Cyrus let go of them and Varian gasped for air. Donella was sat at a table at the back of the room, facing the door. Hugo smirked at Cyrus, "Always with the flare." He looked over at Donella and narrowed his eyes,
"Donella."
"Hugo." The woman turned to look at the boy.
"Are you sure?" He continued to glare.
"I'm sorry about that. It was an unfortunate oversight."
"It was the first of my birthdays we've celebrated and you spelt my name wrong." Hugo replied, bitterly.
"It wasn't my fault. I asked Cyrus to make the order for that cake."
Hugo slowly turned to look at Cyrus, a sense of betrayal coming over him.
"Sorry..." Cyrus muttered.
"Well...then I suppose I can move past it." Hugo said, simply. He walked over to Donella and she watched him with cold eyes until her face broke into a welcoming smile. She stood and hugged the boy, "It's good to see you. Both of you."
"Good t'see you too, Donnie." Hugo smiled.
Varian narrowed his eyes at Cyrus then adjusted his goggles while he walked to the table, trying to smile at Donella when she moved away from Hugo. They all sat.
"What can I do for you boys?"
"Well..." Hugo didn't know where to begin. He nudged Varian, "You wanna take this one, Stripes?"
Varian fidgeted uncomfortably and cleared his throat, "Last night, I floated above our bed and the stripe in my hair...was glowing." He said, unsure.
"His eyes too." Hugo added and Varian shot a look at him.
"Anything else you're forgetting?"
"No, I think that's about it."
"Glowing?" Donella raised a brow, "How interesting."
"Yeah- I mean, I've seen something similar before...Rapunzel and Cass; when they wielded the moonstone and sundrop- their hair glowed when they used their powers."
"That is very interesting..." Donella stood from her chair, "And you came to me for a second opinion? I assume you've already guessed at what it meant?"
Hugo looked between Varian and Donella, "We thought; since the second stripe appeared after Ulla tried possessing him..." The blonde started.
"And now it's glowing- maybe it's something to do with my mother." Varian finished.
"Hm..." Donella paced, then suddenly stopped and looked to the boys, "I think what we're dealing with here is an incomplete process of 'passing on'."
"What- what does that mean?" Varian asked, quickly.
"It means that when you freed Ulla from the library, you weren't completely successful. It may not have been your fault. You could have done everything you were meant to but if Ulla had the slightest doubt in her mind as she left the library, it's possible a part of her spirit subconsciously latched onto you."
Varian stared in shock.
"You mean...Ulla isn't completely dead?" Hugo asked.
"To put it simply, yes." Donella replied.
"So how do we help her move on properly?" Varian stood up and Hugo placed a hand on his arm, comfortingly.
"Have either of you heard of The Kingdom of Tonitrua?"
Hugo nodded and Varian shook his head.
"Really?" Donella looked to Hugo with a hint of a smirk on her face, "Perhaps you'd like to explain."
"Well, I've only really heard of it. You take this, Don." Hugo sat back.
"To put it plainly, The Kingdom of Tonitrua was forgotten long ago. Some call it the birthplace of magic; where all magic begun. It's developed a reputation over the years as the Lost Kingdom."
"Ominous." Hugo grinned.
"So, what does this have to do with my hair glowing?" Varian questioned.
"If you want to free your mother's spirit properly, you'll have to visit Tonitrua."
"Can't we- complete the process from the book in the library again and free her that way?"
"I'm afraid it isn't so simple. Freeing a spirit from a place; that's easy enough, but if Ulla's spirit is attached to you the way I think it is, I'm afraid there's nothing we can do. Completing the same process on a person could cause irreparable damage."
"Got it." Hugo pulled Varian back into his seat, "So we go to Tonitrua and...what? We'll magically know what to do?"
"That's what happened when you completed the trials two years ago, isn't it?" Donella asked.
"I...guess." Varian took a deep breath.
"So Tonitrua's kinda like the final trial?" Hugo asked.
"Something like that. I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help. But I'm almost positive you'll find answers in Tonitrua."

Hugo and Varian left the pub and walked slowly back to Hugo's.
"You good, Goggles?"
"Honestly? I'm terrified. I thought we were done with all of this. I...thought I'd finally freed my mother, but she's been stuck and I didn't even know."
"Hey, we're gonna help her, ok?" Hugo smiled and Varian attempted his own.
"Yeah..."
"We completed the trials." Hugo reminded him.
"Yeah, with a load of help."
"Hey, who knows. Maybe we'll see the Princess and kid along the way."
Varian smiled at that thought, at least.
"You always know what to say, hey, Pretty boy?" Varian walked closer to Hugo, who grinned widely and wrapped an arm around him,
"I do consider it a great skill of mine."