Well, chapter four! I don't know how I got it done that fast. I'm usually such a slug with updates... But this is becoming a way of releasing my tension. My heart is definitely in this story now. I know it was a question before, because usually I'm not an action/adventure story writer, but I've officially dove in! Thanks to Hylianshadow86 and KikkyChan, my confidence gets a boost each update. Thank you both so much!
"Ja'far? How could you be Ja'far? You're just a kid!" Sinbad asked, perplexed.
The child stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Sinbad. Suddenly, the air around them got cooler. "If a human being has strong enough feelings for someone or something, he or she is capable of following that object or person; regardless of how far away the two are."
Sinbad stepped back, as he started to feel sharp chills run down his spine. "W-what are you talking about? That can't be possible!"
Ja'far's smaller twin stepped closer to the king again; his eyes narrowing. "Ja'far cared very deeply for you, Sinbad. When you hurt him, his feelings of betrayal were stronger than you imagined." The boy's voice was sharp and eerie. "That's why I exist. Ja'far's anger and pain were too much for one soul to carry. Unless you can achieve his true forgiveness, I will eventually absorb all of Ja'far's soul, and he will be nothing but a lifeless shell. Act quickly." The boy backed away slowly, then vanishing into the fog.
Sinbad's eyes were wide open in terror. "Did that just happen? What on Earth was that boy?" The man shuddered in fear.
"Out of all the years I spent as Kou's oracle, I've never encountered something like this before. I knew someone's love or hate could form another body, but I didn't think that body could actually steal life from the original person," Judal said, as he put his arm around the taller man. "Let's get out of this fog, and then decide what to do."
The two men plodded through the thick early morning fog until day finally broke. The Khaalag Coast was primarily uninhabited by people, but it was full of gremlins and poisonous snakes. The ground was rocky and littered with scrubby plant growth.
"Watch your step," Sinbad said, putting his hand in front of Judal. "You were about to set foot right into a ditch; you never know what could be down there."
"Thanks, Sin."
After walking in tense silence for close to three hours, they were getting closer to Demacia; the only village that was still inhabited in the desolate area. It was once a rich town that traded snakeskin and precious metals along the border of the Khaalag territory. Over the past few centuries, it had been compromised to a small village from a series of devastating gremlin raids.
As Sin and Judal entered the village, there were a lot of decaying buildings. Each one looked as though it could tell a sorry tale; the way the roves and walls slouched, it looked like the houses were destined to frown until they collapsed. It was clearly a huge city at one point in time. As they reached the center of the town, there was noise coming from a crowded street fair of some sort. Apparently there was still something happening in the once prosperous city.
It was actually a touring circus. "Look at that! It's a lion tamer!" Said Judal, pointing over the crowd of townsfolk; breaking the silence between the two.
"This is strange, Judal. I don't know why a circus would ever visit Demacia. The days when this place would have drawn thousands of people from miles around to gather for a spectacle are decades behind us."
"Well, let's investigate. There's no harm in seeing a little circus," said the boy.
"We can go see the circus for a few hours, but afterwards we have to figure out what we're going to do next. We need to find a way for you to be free from your previous occupation, and I also need to return to Sindria before the Kou Empire takes over."
Judal nodded, and the two males pushed through the crowd to see what was going on. The lion tamer's act had concluded, and the ring master was preparing for the next display.
"Up next is our incredible hypnotist! He's going to be asking for volunteers, so don't be shy!" The ringmaster cheered, introducing the cloaked figure.
Sinbad and Judal both nearly fell to their knees in terror at the sight of who was standing up on stage. It was the same copy of Ja'far they'd seen earlier that day. The only difference this time, was that he'd gotten slightly taller and his face was more developed.
What's happening? I wish this was all a bad dream, but then I wouldn't have Judal in my life... I don't know what to think of all this!
"You there!" Ja'far called, pointing at Sinbad and Judal. "How would you both like to be my first contestants?" He asked, with a crazed grin.
The crowd began to cheer for them to get on stage. They had nowhere to run, as the audience pushed the two men up onto the stage. Sinbad trembled, along with Judal, while Ja'far stared at them, hungrily.
"This is going to be a fantastic display," The evil hypnotist said, as he positioned Sinbad and Judal in front of him.
The last event they could each recall that day was being on stage, slowly being put to sleep.
Hours later, unaware of the time, Sinbad woke up inside a dark room aboard a ship. Where am I? Where's Judal?
"Sin? Is that you?" A voice called from the other side of the room. It sounded like Judal.
Sinbad made his way to the opposite side of the room, feeling his way along the wall. When he reached the vicinity from which the the voice came, someone lit a candle just inches from his face.
"Hello Sinbad," said the faux Ja'far, illuminated by candlelight. He had Judal by the neck.
"What are you doing? Put him down!" The king demanded.
"If I blow out this candle, you won't even be able to see me, or what I'm doing to your little boy toy. I wouldn't move a muscle. Just a bit of advice."
"What are you going to do to him? Where the hell are we even going?" Sinbad demanded to know.
"As long as you cooperate, I won't do anything to Mister Judal. Understood?"
"You're sick! Ja'far would never do any of this!"
"Sin... don't..." Judal managed to say. He looked like he'd been beaten severely, and was taking shallow breaths.
"We're almost to Sindria. We'll arrive tomorrow morning. Then, you can show your country what you've done to me, your other generals, your citizens, and yourself. You've made more than just a fool out of everyone, Sinbad. The Kou Empire will have you hung for kidnapping their highest priest too!" Ja'far said, laughing. "By then, I'll have completely absorbed all of Ja'far's life, and I'll join forces with the Kou Empire to take over the entire map."
He dropped Judal onto the floor, blew out his candle, and left.
"Judal, what happened to you?" Sinbad asked, gently lifting the badly injured boy.
"I-I tried to protect you, but Ja'far got the upper hand... I-I'm sorry," Judal said, coughing. He was bleeding from almost every limb, his face was swollen and bruised, and his temperature was boiling hot. "The rukh... they can't find me on this ship... for some reason."
"That's very odd. There must be a seal surrounding it. Please hang in there, Judal. I'm so sorry this is happening. I don't know what to do!" Sinbad said, stroking the boy's hair.
"It's not your fault, Sin. It's just what's happening. There is nothing we could have done to stop this disaster... I love you, Sinbad," Judal confessed, before slowly going limp into slumber.
The king froze, holding the boy in the dark, dank cabin of the old ship. "I... I love you too, Judal!" Sinbad cried.
Why did this have to turn into such a mess? Just when I thought it couldn't have gotten any worse.