Eridan coughed, clutching his throat. He sat up, looking around wildly for the thing that had pulled him through, but whatever it was had decided to leave him for dead. His head ached, and his ears were ringing faintly. A sharp pain suddenly racked his body, settling in his sides, neck, and head. Eridan screamed and doubled over on the ground. It felt as if his neck and sides were being ripped open, while his head felt like something was driving stakes into his skull. Then, when the external pain was over, it moved inside. The blood coursing through his veins turned to acid, burning him incessantly. He felt his organs shifting and mutating inside of him. He tried to scream, but his vocal chords had been changed beyond usability.

After what seemed an eternity, the pain began to slowly ebb away. He shuddered as it left, leaving him sore and aching. He tried to sit up, but the swift movement caused a dangerous relapse in the pain. Spots danced in front of his eyes. Careful to turn his head slowly, he noticed a pool of water across the clearing. Slowly and painfully, he dragged himself towards it.

He paused mid-crawl, staring at the skin on his hands. It had become an ashen grey, his nails sharp and yellowed. He looked back at himself. His pants and shirt were dark grey, an ink black hooded cloak around his shoulders, and high black boots had replaced his worn out sneakers. Eridan began pulling himself faster, finally able to ignore the pain as he scrabbled to his feet and stumbled to the waters' edge.

He gawked at the wavering reflection, his own disbelief mirrored in the yellow eyes staring back at him. His black pupils darted across the water's surface to take in the image. His hair had darkened from its light brown to a hard, ebony black, and the stripe of his bangs that was normally bleached blonde had become a rich purple. Two orange hued horns now protruded from his head, undulating backwards like waves. Where his ears should have been, two small fins with thin purple membranes wavered back and forth.

"W-What is goin'-?! Ow!" he yelped, wincing as his own razor sharp teeth broke the skin of his lower lip. Eridan wiped his mouth, bringing his hand in front of his eyes to gauge how much he was bleeding. He stared at the wet smear in confusion. "My blood is... purple?" He shook his head, feeling a faint residual buzzing in his temples, an after effect of the painful transformation. Suddenly his eyes widened, staring forward with blank fear as a low growl echoed through the clearing. He spun around, raising his arms in front of his face in simultaneous defense and surrender.

An inky creature towered over him, it's face devoid of any features. Tiny, dark blue patterns raced across its skin. Its long fingers hooked into claws, back legs bent to spring. Rearing back, it let out a feral screech that made Eridan's blood freeze. It lurched forward, claws outstretched. Eridan screamed as he was hurled backwards into the water. The pain from the impact left him limp as he sank deeper. He blinked his eyes open, slowly coming to the realization that his lungs were still taking in air. There was a weird sensation in his neck and at his sides, as though something were being pulled through the skin and into his blood. He looked up and could see the creature standing by the pool, its blank face scanning the surface, as if there wasn't a layer of water separating them. Eridan clenched his teeth, temporarily ignoring the fact that he should not be able to breathe or see. He could feel anger bubbling in his blood. The water around him began to froth, churning madly. It receded from the edges of the pool, concentrating above him. The creature stepped back instinctively, bringing a mangled hand in front of itself for protection.

The water shot forward, knocking the creature to the ground and smothering it. Its desperate cries were muted by the wall of liquid. Eridan rose to the surface, spitting water out of his mouth. He watched as the creature writhed and struggled, before finally falling still.

Eridan slowly climbed out of the water, staring at the black figure. "I... I killed it?" he murmured aloud. The water fell away, slipping back into the pool. He watched it go fearfully. "How-w did I...?" He trailed off as the blue markings on the creature faded away and its body disintegrated into the ground. He looked from his hands to the water nervously. He remembered the sensation of something being pulled through his neck as he sank into the water. Slowly, Eridan brought his fingertips to the side of his neck, terrified of what he would find. He started at his jawline. Still the same. He walked his fingers down the side of his throat, and a sharp pain stabbed through his neck. "Ow!" he squeaked. More gently, he prodded the part of his neck that had caused him the pain. Something fluttered against his fingertips. Something that felt suspiciously like skin, but that wasn't fully connected to his neck. Oh my god...that's not possible. "I hawe gills?" Frantically, he tensed the other muscles in his body, searching for more. He felt partially detached skin brush against his sides. He pulled the bottom of his shirt up quickly, letting out a soft and garbled cry as he noticed another set of gills near the base of his ribs. "No, this isn't right... It can't-!"

Something moved in the forest behind him. He turned frantically, but couldn't see what it was. Desperate to avoid another confrontation, Eridan ran. His feet hit the water, and he dove under. He floated a few feet below the surface, waiting.

Another creature appeared, just barely inside Eridan's line of sight. He could see it with full clarity, even the small blue patterns racing across its skin. It stopped, seemed to be sniffing the air. Eridan didn't move. At last, the creature lowered its head and lumbered off.

Eridan stayed still for a few more moments, then allowed himself to float to the surface. He quickly looked around, ready to dive under the water again at the slightest suggestion of another creature. There was nothing. He swam to the shallow part of the pool and climbed out. A sharp wind kicked up, and Eridan reached behind him, searching for the hood he had noticed before. He found the edges and pulled the wet fabric over his head in a futile attempt to protect himself from the wind. Eridan blinked slowly, finally realizing how dark his surroundings were. Heavy shadows fell across the ground, the sky a murky indigo dotted with black clouds. Despite the darkness enveloping the area, he could see fairly well. With a tiny sigh, he chalked it up to the painful transformation.

He stared at the water, unwilling to leave the safety it afforded him and yet aware of the fact that he couldn't stay here much longer for fear of attracting another beast. A sudden, wild idea struck him, and he put a hand on the surface of the pool. He tried to sense if it went onward, further into the forest. Sure enough, there seemed to be a shallow river that traced through the trees on the other side of the pool. With a sigh of relief, Eridan slipped back into the water.

He followed the river for quite some time, never daring to check above the surface for more creatures. At last, the water became too shallow for him to swim, and he begrudgingly stepped out. He peered cautiously around the hood of his cloak, surveying the area for signs of a monster. A rustling behind and above him caught his attention. He fearfully took a step closer to the water, surveying the forest around him for whatever had made the noise. A flash of blue in the corner of his eye made him turn suddenly. The color vanished just before he saw red strands racing towards him. Fear settled into his bones, the water rushed up around him, and blue strands joined the red advancing on him. The strands sliced through the water with ease, binding his upper arms to his sides and wrapping around his neck. The water writhed around him as panic fell upon him in a thin veil. Eridan clawed at the strands, but his hands slipped through them uselessly. As they tightened around his throat, he let out a garbled scream. His whole body throbbed with his heartbeat, and sounds and vision slowly became indistinct. As he closed his eyes in defeat, the strands suddenly vanished, dissipating into the air. He fell to his knees, coughing and rubbing his neck.

"ED?" a voice hissed softly. Eridan looked around frantically. A figure dropped from a tree behind him. "ED, ith that you?" He felt his heart stop briefly before he spun around, recognizing the voice. "Oh my god," the boy murmured as he kneeled before Eridan, grabbing him by the shoulders and pulling him into a crushing hug.

"S-Sol?" Eridan gasped for breath, hitting the other boys' shoulder frantically.

He let go, holding Eridan at arms length. "Yeah, it'th me," he said quietly. "I'm tho glad I found you." Sollux's normally brunette hair was now black, four short but sharp horns curving upwards slightly, and his ears had sharpened into points. His ashen grey skin was tinted yellow on one patch of his arm. Eridan stared at it, then winced as he realized that it was probably a bruise. Sollux's glasses were missing, and his usually amber and blue eyes had become solid and pupil-less, one red and the other blue. His clothes were brown and covered in filth, clinging to his skin. "Did you jutht call me Thol?" Sollux asked, snickering.

Eridan paused. "I guess I did," he muttered. "You called me ED, though!"

"Jutht a quirk I got once I tranthformed. I gueth it'th the thame idea for yourth." Sollux shrugged faintly. "How are you holding up here in the Darkneth?"

The enormity of what had just happened hit Eridan. "You almost killed me!" he snapped.

Sollux smiled shyly, sharp and slightly crooked teeth bared. "You looked jutht like one of the creatureth! How wath I thuppothed to know?"

"W-What are you talkin' about?" Eridan stared at him for a moment. "I don't look anythin' like those aw-wful things! Sol, I could hawe died! How-w w-would you have felt then?" Sollux looked away. "You hawe to think, Sol."

Sollux looked up suddenly. "Are you...thtuttering?" he asked, the glint of a smile playing on his features.

"I...w-what?"

Before Eridan could say another word, Sollux erupted into a fit of giggles. "It'th jutht like the way you type! Becauthe of your thitty keyboard?" He snickered. "Look who'th got the annoying thpeech impediment now! Finally, I can be the one laughing at you!"

"W-Wait a minute," Eridan chimed in quickly. "Say 'should'."

"Why?" Sollux looked at him curiously.

"Just try it."

Sollux rolled his eyes. "Thould." Eridan tried to stifle his laughter. "What'th tho funny?"

"Your lisp got w-worse!"

"Oh thit..." Eridan laughed harder and Sollux tried to glare at him, but gave in and started laughing with him. Eridan grinned, his face heating up a bit. When Sollux's laughter finally died out, his features became more grave. "Theriouthly, though, how did you make yourthelf look like one of thothe Darkneth thingth?"

Eridan crossed his arms indignantly. "I honestly hawe no idea w-what you're talkin' about."

"Whatever." Sollux face was still hued with suspicion, but he shrugged, dropping the issue.

Eridan finally brought up what was on his mind. "You'we been gone for a w-week," he said softly.

"Becauth that'th when I wath taken. On the way to KK'th houthe," Sollux said, leaning back on his hands. Eridan cringed at the reminder, guilt setting in once more. "You weren't taken until..?" he trailed off.

"Earlier today," Eridan replied. "I w-was already attacked by one of the creatures."

"Are you hurt?" Sollux asked quickly, leaning forward with a flash of panic in his eyes.

"I'm alright. I managed to... To kill it..." he murmured.

Sollux leaned back again with a faint sigh. "Tho you learned what your 'power' or whatever wath?"

"I guess so," Eridan said with a shrug. "I think it's w-water."

"Thuch a detailed dethcripthion!" Sollux quipped sarcastically.

"Oh shut up, Sol!" He sighed exasperatedly. "I think that I can control w-water. W-where it goes and stuff."

Sollux's face became concentrated. "Tho how doeth that fit into your weird thapethifty thing?" Sollux thought for a minute, then gasped in realization. "ED! What if you can uthe the water to bend light? Tho that other people thee thomething different than what'th really there? Like a mirage?"

Eridan nodded slowly. "That makes sense, I guess. But I didn't mean to. How-w can I be doin' somethin' and not ewen know-w?"

Sollux shrugged indifferently. "You didn't mean to kill the monthter that attacked you, did you?"

"True," Eridan conceded.

"And I didn't mean to kill the firtht monthter I thaw, either. I think it'th kind of inthtinctual."

Eridan paused. "W-What is your pow-wer, anyw-way? Those... Strands?" he asked, cringing at the unpleasant memory.

"You mean thith?" He held out a hand and the red and blue strands began crackling around it. "It's called thionicth."

"Psionics?" Eridan watched the reds and blues dancing between Sollux's fingertips.

"Yeah, it'th thith thort of energy that I can control," he explained.

"Did you just come up w-with that name or somethin'?" Eridan asked blandly.

Sollux snorted. "Nope. The Helmthman told me it wath called thionicth."

"W-Who?"

"The Helmthman. He'th my mentor or thomething. I've only theen him once tho far." Sollux looked around slowly. "I'm thure you have one, too. VK told me that the had one."

"VK?" Eridan asked, more confusion settling in.

"Thome chick who liveth here in the Darkneth." Sollux shrugged. "The theemth to know a lot of thingth. It'th like the's got eyeth everywhere." Eridan raised one eyebrow skeptically in response. Sollux held up his hand, pointing at Eridan's forehead. The strands of light that had been circling his hand rocketed forward, shoving Eridan onto his back.

Eridan laughed, sitting up quickly. The sudden movement made the hood slip back off of his head. Sollux froze, his eyes locked on a point somewhere just to the right of Eridan. "W-What?" Eridan asked nervously, leaning back slightly and glancing over his shoulder fearfully in case a monster was approaching.

"They're finth..." Sollux said quietly as he leaned forward.

"W-What are you-!" Eridan yelped. Sollux stepped awkwardly close to him, running his fingers along the edges of Eridan's ears.

"They're finth!" he repeated with a smile, tapping the thin purple membranes gently. Eridan swatted his hands away harshly, stepping back and raising his hands defensively, eyes wide. Sollux watched him with concern. "Thit, did I, wait, did-!"

Eridan took a deep breath. "No, it's fine," he reassured Sollux, forcing himself to let his hands fall to his sides again. "I don't know-w w-what happened. I guess it startled me."

Sollux let a smirk tug at his lips. "You mean it thcared you?"

"I said startled, and I meant startled!" Eridan snapped back, struggling to contain a smile of his own. He took another deep breath before continuing. "It's like... W-When you touched them, the feelin' was amplified, or somethin'."

"Tho, let me get thith thraight," Sollux said, pointing at Eridan's ear-fins. "So, it't like the vibrationth were amplified?" Eridan gave him a half-hearted tilt of his head. "When I tapped them, it felt like getting punched in the head? Or at leatht thomething like that?" Eridan nodded and shrugged at the same time. "Tho I can punch you without actually punching you?"

"Hah hah, wery funny, Sol!" Eridan rolled his eyes and Sollux snickered quietly. Watching Sollux laugh, he felt the guilt that had plagued him for the past few days surface once more. "Hey, Sol?"

"Yeah, ED?" Sollux asked as he wiped his eyes, grin still dancing on his features.

"I'm sorry..."

"For what?"

Eridan wrung his fingers together. "For not beliewin' you. About the eyes w-watchin' you."

Sollux shrugged. "Don't be. I barely believed it too until I wath captured."

"No, really." Eridan shook his head. "If I'd just know-wn...I w-would hawe gone w-with you to Kar's. Maybe I could hawe done somethin'. I just–I should hawe been there, Sol. I should hawe been able to do somethin', and I didn't. I–"

"ED, pleathe. I don't blame you. For anything." Eridan smiled slightly.

"Really?"

"Really." Eridan's felt his guilt slowly dissipate. Sollux's face became grim. "Rumor hath it everyone'th been taken and that the Darkneth ith thpreading."

"Eweryone?" Eridan said, panicked. "That can't be true!" The memory of Feferi's disappearance flooded back.

"VK thayth that the'th theen the creatureth dragging in more kidth our age. Only a few of them have thtayed...humanoid, like uth. Everyone elthe endth up turning into one of those creatures..." Sollux said softly. Eridan felt his heart clench in pain as he imagined Feferi slowly transforming into one of those awful black monsters. What if I never see her face again? Sollux must have seen the distress on his face. "I'm thorry, I didn't mean to..." Sollux trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"It's alright, I'll be fine." Eridan turned away, hiding the single tear that slipped down his cheek. Sollux wandered away, giving Eridan some space. Deep breaths. Just take deep breaths. The thought hit him suddenly, forcing him to fall to the ground.

What if I killed her? What if that...thing that I killed was her? Oh my god...Feferi...

"Hey ED? There'th thomething coming." Sollux's voice cut through his thoughts, edged with the tremor of fear.

His sadness shattered in an instant, replaced by terror. If it's one of those things, I don't think I can kill it. Eridan ran to join Sollux. "W-what is it? A creature?" Sollux shook his head, pointing into the sky.

Eridan strained his eyes in an attempt to see through the near-tangible darkness. There seemed to be a darker smudge, getting nearer. "Can you thee what it ith?" Sollux whispered.

"No." Eridan paused. "I hawe an idea." Taking a deep breath, Eridan closed his eyes. Alright water, you better be listening. He tried to sense the water in the pool to his left. There it was. Focusing all of his energy on the water, he brought a thin stream up into the air, then spiraled it towards him. "I hope this w-works," he muttered under his breath. He forced the water to form into two small discs, then hovered them in front of his eyes. Sure enough, just as the image of the monster had become clearer when he had been under water, the dark smudge came into focus.

"It's a bird, sort of."

"What kind of bird?"

"The kind that's goin' to rip us apart w-with it's giant claw-ws and beak."

"Wonderful. How fatht ith it coming?"

"W-well, I'd imagine that it'll be here in the next tw-wo minutes."

Sollux sighed and turned to Eridan. "You, get into the water. I'm gonna try thomething The Helmthman taught me." Eridan nodded, obeying only because his mind was partially shut down from fear.

The instant his feet touched the water, though, he felt safer. His breathing slowed to its normal rate. He couldn't fathom why he'd been so scared before. He turned to make sure Sollux was ok. Instead of finding the familiar outline of the boy, he found a large field of red and blue light flaring up in a small oval. As Eridan watched, struck motionless, the orb slowly rose into the air until it was floating about twenty feet up. Then the light flickered and died away, revealing Sollux, each of his hands encased in a sphere of red or blue light.

"Yeth! I'm not dead!" Sollux crowed victoriously. He smirked and waved cockily at Eridan. Eridan blinked, breaking out of his shock to wave back.

An inhuman screech ripped through the air. Eridan instinctively bent his legs, and his hands shot out to the side, twin streams of water rising behind them. Sollux pointed a hand at the bird, now only thirty feet away. A beam of red light snaked towards it.

Something moved in the water behind Eridan. He whipped around, his water crushing together at the source of the movement. As the water fell away, Eridan saw a glowing figure rise out of the foam.

"That wasn't very nice." The voice was counterintuitively high pitched compared with the rather ominous appearance of the figure. There was something strange about the way the man spoke as well, but Eridan couldn't quite put his finger on it. Before Eridan could reply, the man shot a thin, precise stream of water at his chest. It pierced through him, and Eridan felt it slice through his heart. "Surprise," the figure whispered as the world slowly darkened.