Red in the Night Sky

by Myre36

During a Halloween party, Marie agrees to tell the others a story to pass the time while they wait for Callie. The story is about a scientist that has a dream of creating new life. But after failing multiple times, he accepts help from two hooded figures, under the deal that he has to help them. Months later, a shadow terrorizes the land, and it's up to four travelers to stop it.

2. Chapter 1

Long ago there was a scientist called Dr. Jack Octostein. He lived not too far from Inkopolis castle and the town that surrounded it. He lived in his lab where he experimented and invented all kinds of things. Every month he traveled too town to show the townsfolk his latest discovery or inventions. But every time he got the same response. The townsfolk did not like his discoveries and called him mad. "Begone with your mad ideas and foul contraptions," they shouted after him every time and sometimes they even threw rocks at him. No matter how hard he tried he always got the same response. One night, after a failed trip to the town, he came to his home. He lived in a big mansion that had been in his family for generations. He lived there alone ever since his sister passed away. Once his family had been rich, respected and big. They once had been one of the most important families in the kingdom. But then it fell into ruin. Now he was alone, with the only thing left to his name, the mansion and the riches in it. He was the last Octostein. He opened the front door. "Mad? Mad they call me," he said to himself. "Do they wish to stay the same? Do they not wish to expand our knowledge and evolve? Fools! That's what they are, fools! Why can't they see that science is the only way we can expand and evolve?"

He took up one of his latest inventions and threw it across the room in frustration. "I have worked my entire life to show them the answer yet they treat my work like a disease. But not much longer. When I have finished my latest experiment, they will see. They will respect me and treat my discoveries like their savior from ultimate doom. I will be rewarded with the title of royal scientist and will be asked for help if trouble stirs. And long after I'm gone, they will tell tales about me, who showed them the path to evolution."

He opened the door to his basement and walked down the stairs. It was a big, dark room filled with all kinds of equipment. And in the middle of the room was a big container with a table next to it. On the table were flasks and bottles, full of toxic ink and other experiments. But the two little bottles, right in the middle of the table, were the most important of them all. One was filled with yellow ink, the other filled with purple ink. Using those, he would be able to complete his experiment and fulfill his life goal. To merge together the genes of an Inkling and an Octoling. A perfect species, having the intelligence of the Octoling and the fierce battle spirit of the Inkling. A perfect combination! He was so close to get it to work, and he was sure that tonight he would be able to successfully merge them together. In the two bottles was ink from one Inkling girl and one Octoling girl. Mixing the sexes could end up with catastrophic failure and the creature would suffer pain beond measure. Octostein took up the specimens and poured them both into a big bottle and put it under a big device in the far corner of the room. "Begin test 265," he said to himself and put on protective goggles. He put the heat under the bottle at exactly on 45,56 degrees Celsius, put one drop of toxic ink into the bottle, a few drops of seawater and then he waited for exactly 5 minutes and 46 seconds. "And now for the final touch," he said and grabbed a lever on the wall. "Now, I will make history!"

He pulled the lever down with full force. For a few seconds nothing happened. Then the device over the bottle started to buzz. It got louder and louder until. "BOOM!" A lightning shot from the device and blasted into the bottle. Cracks formed on the glass, but it did not bust and the color changed from pink to yellow and after the blast had ended it boiled in the bottle. He took up the bottle with tongs, moved it to the table and put it under the microscope. "Everything seems to be working," he said quietly and examined the ink closer. He fell silent. The genes were reacting negatively and did not merge correctly. The test had failed. Octostein stared at the substance in the bottle, like he was hoping for something to happen, anything. But nothing happened. The ink boiled in the bottle the same way. "No! How can this be? I calculated everything, it should have worked," he whispered to himself. "Why doesn't it work?!"

He picked up the bottle and threw it across the room in anger. It smashed to pieces and the ink started to burn its way through the floor. "USELESS," he shouted and hit the microscope so it flew of the table and knocked down a mountain of flasks, which smashed to billion pieces when they hit the floor. He ripped the goggles of his head and fell down on his knees. "Why doesn't it worked," he cried. "I've worked my whole life for this yet, it does not work. I have done every option, every opportunity, yet it never works," he whispered and looked up to the ceiling as tears filled his eyes. "Why me?"

There he sat for minutes, perhaps hours, crying soft, quiet tears. "This is all useless," he whispered softly and stood up. "There is no point in this anymore," he continued and picked up a big hammer that lay on one of the tables. He started to walk towards the device. "Better smash it before it pains me even more," he said as he walked slowly to it. "Better let the idea die and go back to the world of dreams."

He stopped in front of the device and looked at it. The thing he had spent all his life creating and perfecting. He looked away, for he did not wish to watch it being smashed to pieces. He raised the hammer over his head, preparing to smash his life's work into pieces. Moments before he struck it down, he heard a loud bang upstairs. He hesitated. "Was that the door," he thought to himself. "Or was it a trick of my mind?"

He held his breath, trying to locate the source of the sound. And there it was again. A loud bang that came from upstairs. He looked at the device, still holding the hammer above his head. After a few moments he exhaled and lowered the hammer. He put it on the table and walked to the stairs that led out of the basement. When he reached the top, he walked to the window and looked out into the night. Outside stood two hooded figures. Their backs were bent and their bodies concealed by big cloaks. He walked to the door and opened. "Yes," he said. "Are you Dr. Octostein," the taller figure asked in a raspy voice. His voice was a low hiss, like it came from a snake. "Yes, and who is asking," he answered and studied the figures more closely. No part of their body was visible under their cloaks. "Just people that want to help you," the figure answered. "We have a way to make your dream come true."

Octostein stared at them. Could it be? Could these two strangers help him successfully merge the genes of an Inkling and an Octoling? No, it couldn't be. Doubt started to form in his head as he studied the figures more. "What do you offer that could help me," he asked. The smaller figure reached under his cloak and took out a giant orb. It was golden and glowed bright in the dark. As he studied the orb longer, he noticed something in its center. A tiny, dark shape was in the center of the orb, but it was too bright for him to make it out. "What is that," he asked and looked at the taller figure. "It is something that will power the device and bring your idea to life," the figure answered. "But remember, if you use this, you'll be in our debt and will have to pay it one day."

Octostein looked at the orb and considered his options. "It can't be true. There's no way this orb is the answer. I have worked my entire life and it has never worked and now these two strangers show up, just when I have lost hope, claiming that they have the answer. It has to be a plot, a trick. The villagers are trying to fool me into taking this, only to laugh at me when it fails," he thought. Billions of thoughts raced through his mind. But then his doubt started to subside and a tiny glimmer of hope started to form in his mind. "What if it's true? What if these men are actually here to help? I have never seen this kind of orb before, it could be the answer. Even if it's just hope. Even if it's just a tiny possibility, it could work. Is it worth the try," he asked himself and looked at the figures. "And what if I accept," he asked. "Then you take this and put it in the device," the taller one said. "It will power your device and will help you on your task."

The smaller figure handed the orb to him. Octostein hesitated for a moment. Was it worth it? Would it work? Should he take the chance and accept help from complete strangers? After a moment of hesitation, he reached for the orb and took it. It was soft and a lot lighter than he expected. "Remember, you are forever in our debt," the taller one hissed and the figures walked into the night, disappearing into the darkness. Octostein watched after them long after they had vanished. Then he turned around and closed the door behind him. He walked down the stairs down into the basement. Fragments of glass were scattered across the floor and the microscope lay on the floor. He picked it up and examined it. It was still functional, but there was a big crack on the glass. He sighed and put it on the table. Then he reached into one of the cabinets and took out two new bottles of ink. This probably wouldn't work, but it was worth the try. A took another bottle of toxic ink and a flask of seawater. He poured the ink into a big bottle which thankfully survived the crash. Then he took the orb and walked to the device. "Here goes nothing," he told himself and connected the orb to the device. A weak hum came from the device as it absorbed the power in the orb. He walked to the desk and took the bottles. "Begin test 266," he said, put the bottle with the ink under the device and turned the heat to exactly 45,56 degrees Celsius. Then he put a drop of toxic ink, a few drops of seawater and then he waited for exactly 5 minutes and 46 seconds. He took the lever and turned to look at the bottle. "If I pull this lever, there's no going back, he thought. After a few moments he took a deep breath and pulled the lever down. As soon as he pulled the lever, a gigantic lightning bolt shot from the device and hit the bottle. This blast was bigger than any blast he had seen. It was so powerful, it knocked Octostein of his feet and he slammed into the wall behind him. A blinding light filled the basement and a spark of electricity flew into his right eye. He felt burning pain in his eye and grabbed it. He had forgot to put on the goggles and now his right eye was ruined. After a few seconds, the light disappeared and the banging stopped. Octostein looked up. On the table sat the bottle. Dozens of cracks had formed and it looked like only one touch would break it. He removed his hand from his eye and looked into a mirror. His right eye was burned and forced shut. He examined it closer and sighed. It was ruined. He would never see with his right eye again. He turned to the bottle. The ink had turned red and was boiling. Yet it did not boil as much as it had done before. He took the tongs up of the floor and carried the bottle very carefully over to the microscope. He set it up but hesitated. What would he see? Had it worked? Had he lost his eye for nothing? Or did he successfully merge the genes together? He took a deep breath and looked through it. It took some time for him to see it properly, because of his blindness and of the cracked glass. But then he saw it. What once had been two distinct genes in absolute chaos was now ink made of one type of gene. All of them were the same and there was no difference between them. Perfect order. He had done it. He had created the ultimate lifeform.