The Darkness
Suggested Themes:
Main Themes- Treasured Memories from Kingdom Hearts, Under the Sea from The Little Mermaid
Darkness is ever-present and everlasting much like the stars in the sky. All of the Tribes have experienced darkness, be it through sleep, death, or war, they all have darkness. UnderWorlders utilize the darkness to carry out their raids. Mipedians use the darkness for another cloak over their invisibility. Danians use the darkness to hide their secrets. However, the OverWorlders seem to have no use for the darkness. They abhor raids, dishonesty, and ignorance that the darkness seem to provide. Most OverWorlders view the darkness as an unfortunate effect of the Cothica. At night, in Kiru City, all of the shops are closed and most Creatures are in their homes. The only signs of life in the city, other than the lampposts, are the guards doing their patrols. Tom Majors has decided that he was going to visit Maxxor under the guise of darkness.
Granted, this isn't one of Tom's "finest" ideas as Kaz would put it, but Tom feels a bit risky. His goal is to get to Maxxor's palace without getting caught by the guards and without using his Scanner. Darkness is his friend for tonight, even though he has never been in love with it. Like OverWorlders, he prefers light and the sun of day. Night is just a time to be asleep or sneaking out to go to a party. Thankfully, Tom knows the patrolling schedule because he spent today working for Bodal and sneaking a peek into Bodal's office when the windbag went out for lunch.
The key to reaching the palace is being nimble. When the guards turn a corner, Tom runs as fast as he can without making any noise. The city at night is something both beautiful and unnerving. The architecture with the cobblestones and clean bricks remind him the safety of his hometown. However, unnerving because Tom is navigating his way through the darkness with relative ease. He didn't imagine it would be this easy to make it to Maxxor's palace undetected. He thought at least a guard would be more attentive, but this peacetime. The city's security has been relaxed even after the Tribal Alliance split up.
Tom is going to use one of Bodal's secret passages to slip inside the castle. Of course, he picks the one that wasn't so easy to find in order to give himself a challenge. He knows the tube will take him directly inside of the castle, but not exactly where. Tom is sincerely hoping it won't take him to the kitchen or the bathroom. The last thing he wants is to get caught by a servant and thrown out of the palace via the trash chute.
Out of all the tubes that Tom has used, well at least in Bodal's form, this one has to be the longest and loopiest one that he has ever used. It was like a roller coaster, but without the fun and it was pitch black. Also, Tom's body was aching when he finally made it inside. The walls are painted in tapestries of the OverWorld, almost like a beautiful, more durable map. However, the moment of beauty is short-lived when Tom sees a very expansive marble (he doesn't know the Creature equivalent) bed in the corner of the room along with a balcony. Considering how expensive the bed looks, Tom has a feeling that he is in Maxxor's bedroom.
"Tom, why are you here?" Of course, Tom would be too distracted by the décor to notice Maxxor entering his own room. But then again, the OverWorld leader knows every crack in this castle, so it only makes sense that he would be very stealthy in his own domain.
"To see you?" He has a feeling that Maxxor knows about Bodal's tubes, but probably doesn't know about the one connected to his very own chamber. Tom sincerely hopes that tube was for emergency purposes only.
"….Tom, shouldn't you be asleep?" Earth and Perim share the same time, but not in standard measurements. Right now, his Earth self is probably asleep in his boxers.
"Technically, I am. Why are you up so late?" Obviously, working on improving his Tribe. Tom's mind chided, but it came out automatically.
"Reading last-minute reports about the M'Arillion clean-ups. I am very curious to learn how you got passed my guards." Tom could try to lie to Maxxor, but the leader has enough dealings from Chaor to know when someone is lying. Tom is now hoping that the words that leave his mouth won't sound too creepy.
"I used one of Bodal's tubes to get here. Why does the city seem so dead at night?" Thankfully, Tom is able to change the subject. Tom has been to the UnderWorld at night. UnderWorld City is alive with activity and fights like the UnderWorlders were more boisterous at night.
"Because at this time, everyone is asleep." Maxxor didn't say it condescendingly like Kaz would with an obvious answer. Maxxor is patient with his answer, and Tom very much enjoys his tone.
"No, what I mean is that there is no activity at all. Usually, in a city this big, there would be at least someone running around at night other than the guards. Hell, there should be at least some late-night party going on. Is it an OverWorld tradition to not do anything at night?" The only light in the room is moonlight, but then again, Maxxor was planning to go to sleep when Tom decides to "appear" inside his room. Briefly, Maxxor wanted to light a candle to chase away the lingering darkness, but decides against to.
"Nothing good ever happens in the dark." Don't you mean nothing good happens after two a.m.? Tom keeps that smartass quip to himself. Maxxor wouldn't get the reference since Perim doesn't have TVs, unless you count those crystal screens during the race around Perim.
"Where did that notion originate? Does it have to do with the Cothica?" The Cothica was the Perim equivalent to God, except there was actual evidence as Kaz would mockingly state. Thankfully, Maxxor is wise enough to eliminate the map to the supposed Cothica in order to make sure no one has the Cothica.
"Tom, what do you think most of the other Tribes do in the dark other than sleep? They are plotting. Especially the UnderWorlders. Most raids take place during the night." Makes sense since Chaor was able to steal the Telebracers at night. Yet, Tom was hoping for a more philosophical answer, something that will make him think. His face must've given it away because Maxxor decided to talk again.
"If you want to look at it this way, the darkness is pure evil. Not the kind of evil where one simply kills another person. Darkness has been around since the beginning, and people have used it for many nefarious ways and for themselves. In the darkness, Mipedian Royals have slaughtered each other for a chance to rule. In the darkness, Danians have infected perfectly, good Creatures with parasites to turn them into something they weren't born to be. In the darkness, UnderWorlders are probably raiding some neutral villages. In the darkness, the M'Arillions are still lurking out there." Maxxor's tone sounds harsher like he's barely restraining his frustrations. Cleaning up after the M'Arillions and the short-lived peace, has left quite a bitter impression on Maxxor. But then again, Maxxor is probably tired from running his Tribe.
"Yet, the darkness can never go away because there has to be a balance, right?" Maxxor chuckles a bit at Tom's density. This was one of those times that Maxxor is very aware of the lack of years on Tom's part.
"There hasn't been balance since the creation of the Cothica. It's always been…." Maxxor knows the word, but he is very tired.
"Chaotic." Tom finds it sad that even his hero believes there will be no peace, at least not a permanent one. Yet, Maxxor has to be pragmatic. Peace isn't an achievable goal in either world, no matter how much they wish for it to be. Chaos will always exist, much like the darkness.