My dear readers,

I'm aliveeee. ouo ;;
To those of you who messaged me for updates, I'm so terribly sorry. Things have been more than rough on my end, and I have just not had the time for updating anything. Ever. I feel terrible for leaving you all hanging on such short notice, but I'm back on track and can't wait to keep going with this story. I know this chapter is shorter than most, but I really want to get moving to Dubai!

Great to be back, and enjoy!
Comicker

LIGHTS - Chapter Six

"Shut Down"

Mommy loves you, Marik.

Mommy will always love you.

I need you to breathe, Marik. Fill your lungs with air. Take in the life around you - it is pure, is it not?

Life is wonderful.

You have so much more to live, my child, keep breathing.

…

Have you ever had those mornings where you wake up and for five glorious seconds, everything is okay? No matter what happened, regardless of the pain you had felt before falling asleep, for that brief instant it is gone?

I knew it too well by now.

The sunlight pouring in through the crack in the curtain flooded the room with warmth. I squinted, pushing myself up from the bed and raised a hand to rub sleepily at my eyes. A few seconds passed as I just sat there, taking in a deep and concentrated breath. I was still half-asleep at that point, trying to process exactly why I felt so terribly heavy and disgustingly sick.

Then I remembered.

I leaned over the side of the bed quickly, barely trying to hold back the gurgling in my throat. It took a moment, but I finally embraced the fact that I was about to be incredibly sick all over the nice, clean carpet. I tensed then, gripping tightly at the sheets that covered my bed as I released the disgusting bile that had collected in my throat. Puking was not at all how I had imagined myself waking up that morning. After my body had finally relaxed once more, I wiped off my mouth slowly with my forearm. A part of me recoiled; there was nothing pleasant about having to vomit - especially when there was a significant amount.

Leaning slowly back into my bed, I looked down at my now exposed torso. Patches of purple and blue blossomed across my skin like delicate little flowers, dancing along in an almost rhythmic pattern. Curiously, I reached down and grazed the surface of the bruises lightly. I flinched at my own touch, realizing then that I had hurt myself far worse than I had imagined.

Magnificent.

"…Marik." I looked up to see Odion standing in the doorway, his voice soft and full of concern. He was holding a fresh set of clothes and some food, which seemed to repulse my already upset stomach. Quickly, I looked away and back out the opening in the window. Yes… I remembered the ordeal from the previous night, but I failed to recall exactly how I got back - or what happened when I had.

The previous night…

"Are you feeling okay?" He mumbled, placing the clothes and food down on the opposite bed.

"Fine." I mumbled, lost in my own thoughts. This seemed to concern him more as he stepped toward me, sitting down on the edge of my bed and furrowing his brow deeply. I took in a deep breath then, enjoying the soft breeze that brushed lightly against my face.

"…What the hell happened last night?" Odion wasn't one to swear too often, so when this rather profane curse (considered to be such back home, anyways) slipped out, I couldn't help but wonder myself. Had I come back alone? Had I said anything? The last thing I remembered was taking a swing at one of the older men from that strange group, but then… nothing. As if on cue, I heard a dark chuckle echo in the back of my head. Whatever it was, it was lurking deep within - mocking me, taunting me, eating away… how could it live in that nothingness? How could it breathe like that?

"…Marik. Talk to me." My attention snapped back towards Odion, who was looking back at me with honest and desperate concern.

"What?"

"I don't understand-"

"What don't you understand?"

"You came back covered in blood, Marik - and then you had a seizure, a massive one at that. What happened to you? Did you get into a really bad fight?"

Tell him you killed them.

No, I thought. Why would I tell him that? It didn't even happen, I was just in a fight-

Oho… is that what you think, boy?

And then the voice, the darkness lurking deep inside, showed me exactly that. Like an instant replay buried deep within my brain, almost instantaneously, I was watching exactly what I had done. My fingers twitched lightly as I remained silent on the outside, my eyes glazing over with - what was it, exactly? I have troubles explaining it still…

It was complete numbness.

A void.

My emotions had shut down as I watched, without fear or lack of understanding, my own hands taking the lives of many innocent men - aided by the rod and my dear, dark friend. He had been speaking to me all this time through the rod, guiding me through its uses and proper methods for just the right time to strike. I could feel its blood-lust becoming my own as I recanted in the memory; I could taste the joy that it felt as each stroke, to my darkness, seemed like a work of art.

And just like that, the memory vanished.

Now, boy, what will you say?

Think carefully…

I looked up to Odion, and smiled.

"Yeah, we fought a bit - one of them knocked me over the head. I got a few good punches in before running away. Must have been a concussion." I paused, the lies tasting like poison on my tongue. Never had I once lied to Odion; my brother, my best friend, my protector. "Don't worry, I'm feeling better now though."

"…Are you sure?"

I smiled again.

"Yeah. I'm sorry, Odion." There was genuine remorse in my voice as I spoke softly then, reaching out a hand and taking it in my own. If he knew, there was no way he would let me continue. He would question me further about the rod, the darkness, the purpose… but he didn't understand. I needed the rod's guidance to bring me to my revenge, to power and to ultimate glorification. Of course, these ideas had not been instilled in me just yet - I was still a boy, searching for meaning and purpose behind the supposed death of my sister and my father. I had no idea things would progress so quickly.

I also had no idea that the darkness was spreading.

It was gaining control.

I was beginning to obey the rod.