This is probably the closest any two chapters have been together xD Two weeks apart, I think? Impressive, right? Also, a week before Pokémon X and Y comes out :D (I LOVE Pokémon, by the way)
Disclaimer - I don't own Enchanted Arms, but I do own my OCs.
Note - "" (speech marks) is talking, '' (apostrophes) mean thinking.
Chapter 7
For the next few days, Toya decided to stay in the room Karin provided for him. Atsuma and Makoto had come to see him, but he just said nothing, lost in his own thoughts. Eventually Karin walked in, standing beside the bed he was laying on. "Look, you need to stop this. We get it. But you can't just sit around alone, trying to work it out yourself! Remember where that got you last time?" She explained. Toya glanced at Karin, and then glanced away. He sighed, sitting up. Karin nodded. "Good. Now, just try to relax for one time in your life. We'll get the answer together." She held her hand out for him. "Come on." She smiled. Toya gently took Karin's hand as he stood up.
"Thanks, Karin. I guess I was just too...it doesn't matter." He walked beside Karin as she led him down the hallways. He glanced at their hands, feeling Karin's soft skin on his fingers. 'I wonder how she has soft skin with what she went through...' Toya blinked, looking up to see Karin looking in his eyes.
"It took a long time." Karin replied, smiling. "Well, it has been a while. I guess because I wasn't really having to fight or anything, my body returned to how it was." She looked ahead, opening a large door for both of them. "Be my guest." She stepped out of the way so Toya could go in first. Toya looked around the room in awe. The ceiling was high above their heads, and the room was shining gold. Toya noticed Atsuma and Makoto talking together, walking towards them. Atsuma noticed Toya first, smiling.
"Hey! We've been waiting for you. It's been a long wait." He called, winking. Toya nodded, standing beside his friends. "You finally came out of your room? Well, that's good. You can't always be using that brain of yours. You'll tire it out!" Atsuma laughed. Toya shrugged as he glancing around. He noticed the detail on the windows, noticing gold outlining the different panes of glass. 'I seem to be noticing things more. I wonder why.' He noticed the glasses his friend's were holding, seeing how reflective they were.
"Is something wrong, Toya my darling?" Makoto asked. "You seem to be in a world of your own at the moment. Maybe you need some rest, or something." He suggested. Toya shook his head, smiling. He glanced back, seeing Karin talking to Raigar. 'I suppose Yuki is hunting monsters, or whatever it is she does.' He remembered the first time they met, in the arena. Toya sat down, gently running his hand along the arm of the chair. He looked at Atsuma and Makoto, who were watching him intensely.
"...I'm fine. You don't have to worry anymore." He looked at the two, his voice sounding tired. "Hey...remember when life wasn't like this? Before you decided to resurrect the Queen of Ice? Before this new 'Darkness' appeared? Before...we knew Shadow?" Toya asked. Atsuma and Makoto glanced at each other, and then looked back at Toya. They sat down in some chairs, thinking.
"I guess...it was boring, though." Atsuma shrugged. "I mean, I was just the drop-out, you were the smart one and Makoto...well, he didn't become so masculine." He smiled. "But... I wonder...if we-I mean I, if I hadn't resurrected the Queen of Ice...Would we have met Shadow? Darkness definitely not, but Shadow...we still don't really know much about him." He explained.
"Now we know him even less." Makoto pointed out. "He's with that Devil Golem now. Who knows what he'll do? It could be of his own will or not." He sighed. "Just as we were beginning to know a bit more, now there's Leo who claims to be his brother. Do you think we could even trust him?" He asked. Atsuma glanced at his hands, thinking. 'Shadow...I just wish you were here...' He thought. Toya leaned into his chair, smiling a little.
"Sometimes you need to lose in order to gain. I remember hearing that once. So maybe...we have lost Shadow so we can gain his full personality." He explained. Atsuma and Makoto looked at him curiously. "I mean...Shadow isn't even his full name, Leo might not be his brother and could have told us lies, yes. But...surely having false information is better than none. As for your question, Atsuma, we probably wouldn't know him. Leo mentioned that he and Shadow were working to defeat Darkness. If we hadn't resurrected the Queen of Ice, Darkness would have never been born – I assume. We wouldn't even know Karin, or anyone you met on your travels." He then stood up. "Now...I think I'll go for a walk. I haven't had fresh air for a while...and I think I need it." Toya turned away and walked towards the door.
"Well, why don't we all go?" Atsuma suggested. "I mean, it'll be a walk with friends, right?" He stood up, putting his glass down before he walked over to Toya. "We'll come back later Karin, alright?" He called to his friend. Karin glanced over at the three from her conversation with Raigar.
"Just be careful. I can't exactly control all of the troubles in the city. There are some thieves, but I think you can handle them." She winked, before she started talking to Raigar again.
Atsuma, Toya and Makoto walked down the narrow streets of London City. There were more people around, both of low and high class. People who were wealthy and people who were poor talking and laughing together.
"Seems like Karin managed to unite the groups of people together." Atsuma smiled. "I mean, everyone's allowed everywhere. There's no longer a higher class area and a lower class area anymore. I guess it all changed when Karin's father died." He explained, getting quieter as he finished. Toya gently put his hand on Atsuma's shoulder.
"Karin's doing a great job, seeing as it was so sudden. She must still feel the pain, but she's coping." He nodded. "Now, let's do ours, and stop Darkness." He walked beside his two friends, slowly making a route through the streets to get back to the castle. A figure stepped out in front of the three, watching them carefully.
"Can we help you?" Atsuma asked, looking confused at Toya and Makoto. They just shrugged, glancing at the figure as it shook its head.
"You...are not from here, are you? Are you...the three?" The figure asked, their voice sounding hoarse and strained. "You are the three who travelled across the lands...Two in search for third. Atsuma...Toya...and Makoto..." The figure looked at the three in turn. "Your legend, the revival and fall of the Devil Golems...maybe this legend will just as remembered as the Golem War." It smiled crookedly, half turning away. "I think I could help you more than you could help me." The figure added. Toya listened, confused. 'What is this person talking about? Maybe it's about Darkness?' He glanced at Atsuma first, then Makoto. He then looked at the figure.
"You say you can help us...how exactly do you mean?" Toya asked. The figure laughed, which turned into a slight coughing fit. It did not reply, walking away. "Where are you going?" Toya called after them.
"Meet me in the fields outside of the city, at sunset. I shall tell you all you need to know there." The figure replied, disappearing into the busy city. The three glanced at each other, wondering what to do. They then nodded, all agreeing that they should meet this person.
The rest of the day, waiting for sunset, was just relaxing time. The three each did their own things that relaxed them, or something they enjoyed. They all met in front of the castle just before sunset.
"Do you think we can really trust this person?" Makoto asked, putting words to what they were all thinking. He was met with silence, the other two not really sure. He sighed, shaking his head. "Well, let's just get this over with." Makoto added. The three then walked to where they were supposed to be meeting the figure.
When they got there, the figure was sitting on the ground. It glanced up as the three approached, the crooked smile appearing on their face again. The three sat in front of the figure, watching them carefully.
"Ah. You did come. I was not sure if you would or not." The figure explained. "I mean, I can tell you still do not fully trust me." It looked at the three in turn. "Anyway, I suppose you are just here for information, yes? Not my own thoughts or tales." It nodded. "Yes, so you should be." The figure added. Atsuma, impatient as ever, decided to start.
"You said you could help us. What do you mean?" He asked, watching the figure carefully. They were sitting slightly hunched over, using a stick to draw lines in the mud. The figure moved their gaze over to Atsuma specifically.
"I know you have begun a new journey. It was foretold even before you began your first, to rescue Toya." They began. "It is the journey to find another friend, to rescue them from another Devil Golem. But, this time it is different. The Devil Golem is not like the ones you faced before. How could it be? It is all four of them at the same time." It explained. "Your friend also joined Darkness of his own will. Not the first time, when you were lead back to the Sealed Ward, nor when he hurt Atsuma. No. After he started showing up less and less, after being attacked, THAT is when he left. You all thought he was just having time to himself. At first, he was. But he then felt the pull of Darkness, each day wanting to be with her more and more." It looked at Toya, watching him carefully. "You saw first hand what became of him." The figure added. Toya glanced at the ground, nodding.
"Yeah...he's not the Shadow we used to know. He became just how I did...but worse." He murmured. He glanced up. "But surely it can't be his own hatred fuelling him? Even though I did keep his book for two years, he forgave me after that! Is there something else feeding him? Surely Darkness is making him worse?" Toya asked desperately, wishing there was some hope to change him back.
"...How did you feel, when you were with the Queen of Ice? You were given your own will, free to use how you wanted, correct? Only at certain times did she restrain or control you, is that not so?" The figure pointed out. Toya flinched, his eyes wide. 'H-How...?' He thought. "Your friend is allowed his free will most of the time, like you. However, he does not have to be restrained because he wants to escape. No, it's for quite the opposite reason. He WANTS to destroy you. He wants to erase you from his memory. Toya, he solely blames you. His anger is amplified by Darkness, yes, but it is still his own anger. Not some fabrication made by Darkness." The figure continued.
"How do we stop him, then?" Makoto asked. "The way you're making it sound...it's like we'll have to kill him!" He explained. Atsuma clenched his hands into fists, shaking his head. Makoto glanced at Atsuma, putting a hand on his. "Calm down. We won't kill him. You know that." He added.
"Tch, you were so easy to allow Toya to die before! You even told me to kill him!" Atsuma replied angrily. "Why is Shadow different? Or are you just trying to comfort me, like I'm a weak person? Well, I'm not weak!" He shouted, standing up and jumping back from the group. He slid a little before he stopped, glaring at Makoto. "I'll prove how strong I am! Battle me, Makoto!" There was fire blazing in Atsuma's eyes, fire of anger and hate. Makoto stood up, even with Toya's protesting.
"Huh...you're a fool, Atsuma. This is a waste of time. But, you won't stop until I do. I know you too well." Makoto smirked a little. "Alright then, we'll battle." He replied, getting ready for the battle. Toya watched the two in despair, shaking his head.
"They shouldn't be fighting...they're on the same side." He glanced at the figure, wondering what they would do. "Can't you stop them, or something? Who are you anyway?" He asked, noticing a glow from their arm. Toya's eyes grew tired, the world beginning to spin. "W-Wait..." He fell on the ground, the world becoming black.
