Chapter 4 ~ The Black Rose
(Kari's dream)
"You'll all pay very soon, and then my pretty, when you will be left defenseless, I shall strike!" the cackling voice echoed in her ears.
"What do you want from me?" Kari cried.
"Your life! You'll die! You and your accursed family! You're all going to die!" the voice said.
~~~~~
Yukari woke up screaming. This dream! Always different, yet always the same! Filled with pain, chaos and fear. "What's wrong with me?" Kari whispered.
"Yukari! Are you ok?" her mother came in the room running.
"Yes mom, I just had a nightmare." Kari told her.
"Are your dreams back?" her mother asked gently.
Kari gulped and nodded fearfully. "What do you think they mean?" she asked.
"I don't know dear, but we'll find out in time." Hitomi said and sat on her daughter's bed, smoothing her hair out.
"Mom, I'm scared." Yukari confessed.
"It's ok, ssh." Hitomi said kissing her daughter on her forehead.
With her mother watching over her, Yukari fell asleep. No more dreams of doom came to her. She just fell into a peaceful slumber.
~~~~~
The next morning, everyone was out on the terrace having breakfast. Kari came in, and heard them all laughing.
"…It's true, that's what he said." Hitomi was telling a story.
Kari just sat down and nibbled on her food.
"Good morning to you all." She said politely.
"Hey, did you sleep all right last night?" Van asked.
"Yeah." Kari smiled weakly at her father.
The conversation was merry, but Kari didn't feel like joining in. The memory of the dream was haunting her. She could feel the darkness close by. Was she going crazy? There was no more evil on Gaea. Yet Kari felt it's deadly stench all around her. She could feel the coldness, and how it wrapped around her and the others. No, this couldn't be, it was all her imagination. Yet it was so cold. Kari felt herself shivering despite the heat of the summer sun. She got up, excused herself and went inside. Once there, she leaned against a stone column.
"Kari, are you ok?" her brother asked.
"No, it's coming Folken. It's coming, and there's nothing I can do about it!" Kari told him silently.
"What's coming?" her brother asked.
"The evil. The darkness. I can feel it? Can't you feel the cold?" she asked.
Folken closed his eyes and concentrated. He could feel something icy, but other than that, nothing. "Are you sure?" he asked.
"Yes, yes I'm sure!" Kari exclaimed getting up. She walked over to a vase of red roses, and plucked one out. She then put in her hair.
"Kari, maybe you're tired. How about you go on a vacation somewhere calm?" Folken suggested.
"Folken, I am not tired. Something's happening to me! I can feel it! It's here, oh no!" Kari fell on her knees, holding her head.
Just then, an awful scream was heard from outside. Folken dashed to the window to see what was happening. He saw a black warp come out of nowhere. His father tried to stop it, but as soon as he touched the warp, he fell to the floor, as if he was struck by lightning.
"Mother! Father!" Folken yelled and he hurried to see what happened.
"It just came out of nowhere! It took Hitomi! What is this?" Yukari asked him.
"I don't know! Did you see anything? Any ransom note? What is it?" he asked Yukari and the others there.
"No, just an evil laugh, saying now I've got you and then the queen was surrounded by that black warp. His majesty tried to save her, but as soon as he touched the thing he fell unconscious." Leviticus, the eldest council member said.
"What the…" Folken said very confused.
"It's a new evil. We have to find out where they took mom, or else dad is dead." Kari's grim voice was heard behind them all.
Folken looked up, to see death written in his sister's eyes. She was pale, and lifeless. Almost like she was a zombie.
"There is something evil on Gaea. It took our parents, because I think it defeated it twice. Now, it's taking revenge on them. We have to find our mother, or else all is lost. Come on, someone take my father up to the infirmary." Kari ordered.
Immediately, two people took Van's unconscious body to the infirmary.
"What did this?" Folken asked when they were left alone.
"All I know is that it's an evil cackling woman." Kari told him.
"But… I thought those were just nightmares." Folken observed.
"No, apparently they were real threats." Kari said grimly.
"Are you sure it's not just some raiders using weak magic. Maybe we should wait a little more." Folken argued.
Just then, the red rose Kari was wearing fell down from her hair. It was pitch black, as if it had been burned in the fires of hell. Kari looked up at her brother with a frightened look.
"It's evil all right. Can't you feel it? It's traces are still here." Kari told him in a low voice.
Folken closed his eyes, trying to feel it again. This time, he went deeper than before. Two bloody eyes were looking back at him. A face contoured out of the darkness. It was a grotesque inhumane face. Folken gasped, loosing concentration.
"You're right." He told his sister.
"You felt it too didn't you. That cold deadly darkness. Wrapping around your throat like a slimly snake. It freezes the blood in your veins doesn't it?" Kari asked quietly.
"Yes." Folken whispered. It was exactly what he felt. "So, what do we do now?" he asked.
His sister sighed, and looked at him with frightened eyes. "We go into my father's mind. I'm sure there's something there that could help us." She told him.
"Isn't that too dangerous? What if we never come out?" Folken asked.
"Correction. What if I never come out." Kari said.
"You're not going in there by yourself." He said firmly.
"Yes, you're going to pull me out. That's why I need you to stay on the outside. Come on, I'll tell you my plan." Kari said and went inside.
Folken went after her.
~~~~~*~~~~~~
"Who are you? Where are you?" Hitomi asked in the darkness that surrounded her.
"Patience my queen." A raspy voice was heard.
"Let me go!" Hitomi screamed.
"You ask too much my queen. Now shut up! I need to think.
"Never! Let me go! You… whatever you are! You're never going to win! Evil never wins!" Hitomi yelled.
"Haven't I told you to shut up?" the voice asked.
"Make me you coward! You're even to afraid to show your face!" Hitomi provoked.
"You're trying my patience!" the voice warned.
"I'm so scared!" Hitomi said mockingly.
Just then, out of the darkness popped a hand. It smashed Hitomi against the wall of her little cell.
"Someone help me!" Hitomi thought as she felt herself slip into unconsciousness.
All that was left was the cold silence, a cackling voice, and a black rose.
"Well, not so tough now, "MY QUEEN!" the echo was heard in the tiny cell. It would have froze the soul of any one hearing it, however, Hitomi had long slipped into unconsciousness.
*Author's Note*
Hello there, here's chapter 4! Finally. Sorry it took me so long to post, but I was working on Twisted Fates up until today, and I found I can't work on two stories at one. Too many ideas get twisted up. I hope you like it, now that the adventure has started. Thank you very much for your support so far, I got some really good ideas, and I promise I won't disappoint you. Until then, please tell me what you thought of this chapter! I would love to hear what you have to say!!!!!! PS, as you can see, I've figured out how to put format into this thing! Thanks to a very nice and talented person, that finally enlightened me! Thanks a lot Emily, and thank you all very much for reading and reviewing my story!!!!
