Chapter 5 ~ Mind Games
Kari walked into the infirmary peacefully. It was really quiet, and kind of dark. She walked to the window, and pulled the drapes. Her father would like some sunlight. She then sat down beside him, holding his hand.
"Ok, let's go!" she whispered. As soon as she closed her eyes, Kari could feel her father's life force. It was a faintly glowing red flame, quickly swallowed by darkness.
"Daddy, hold on! Please be strong!" Yukari called out to him. She felt her conscience dig deeper, establishing a stronger link, with the fading life force of her father. With all the gentleness Kari could muster, she touched her father's red flame. Soothing his bewildered mind, she prepared it for her intrusion. Millions of sparks flew in the darkness, as Kari entered the passage leading to her father's mind. The passage was dark and stormy; almost like a swirl of troubled emotions.
Once inside, Kari found herself in a big long hallway. Doors on either side of it. "What is this?" she pondered. Kari took a step in the grand hallway. She couldn't resist, and she opened a door.
"Happy Birthday Lord Van!" a young cat-child came up to him.
"Hey, Merle, thanks." A small raven haired boy said.
"Here's your present!" a boy of 15 with light hair told him. He was holding a great big box.
"Gee Folken! Thanks! You're the best!" the small boy laughed, tearing open the box.
Kari closed the door, realising that those were her father's memories. That must have been his older brother Folken, who died fighting Zaibach. Yet she didn't need his memories. She needed to find her father. He was locked in his mind. She was sure that that was what happened when he touched the warp.
Kari walked down to the end of the corridor. She didn't open any more doors. Those were her father's memories, and she didn't want to intrude. She was feeling like a peeping tom already. But, she needed to find him. She walked, and walked and walked, until she reached the end of the hall. There, began another room. Kari stepped in. In the middle, there was a pedestal, with her mother's picture on it.
"Ha, he really does hold her up on a pedestal." Kari chuckled. As she took another look around the room, she noticed that there was a cage at the back of the room.
Kari ran there, only to find her father sitting on the floor, hugging his knees, head supported by his hands.
"Dad! Dad are you all right?" Kari asked breathless. She couldn't believe she had found him.
"Kari, is that you?" he asked raising his head.
"Yes, can you get out? You have to try! Mom's been kidnapped!" Kari informed him.
"I know, I can feel her presence. Kari, I'm sorry, but I can't get out of here. I've tried, and I've tried. Every time I tried, I only caused my mind to become cloudier, and more surrounded by darkness. Thus, I am not doing anything right now." He told her.
"I understand. You don't want to give her control over your mind. Daddy, Folken and I will go after mom, but you have to help me. Where do I look?" Kari asked.
"I don't know. I don't even know what this is about." He father told her.
"You said you can feel mom's presence! Where is she?"
Van closed his eyes and concentrated. "In a dark cell." He said after a while.
"Can you tell me anything more?"
"Wait," her father whispered. All of a sudden, the dark room was surrounded by a quick flash of white light. Kari screamed, being taken aback by the sudden light.
As soon as she got over the initial shock, Kari opened her eyes, only to find herself staring in the red and menacing eyes of a dark cloud.
"Well my pretty, you thought you could get away with this. Well too bad, I've got you!" a small mouth appeared in the cloud.
"Get out of my father's mind!" Kari yelled recognising the voice that haunted her dreams.
"I think you should learn how to be more respectful to your elders!" the mouth told her.
"Leave, you evil thing! Get out of my father's mind, and where did you take my mom?" Kari asked.
"Don't worry, your precious mother is safe…for now!" the voice told her.
"Why did you take her? What did we ever do to you?" Kari inquired boldly.
"I took her so I could strike a bargain with you. And you did more harm to me than I ever did to you my pretty." The mouth told her evilly.
"What do you want?" Kari asked in disgust.
"I want you to find something for me." The mouth told her smiling oddly.
"What is it?"
"On Gaea, there exist two more tear-shaped pendants. I want you to find them, and bring them to a specific place, in a month from today." The mouth told her, emphasizing every word.
"Will you give me back my family then?" Kari asked.
"Yes, but if you don't bring me the pendants, they will suffer horrible, horrible deaths." The voice told her.
"How will I know that you won't destroy them before I bring you the pendants?"
"Well, let's just say that they are a good bargaining token, and I wouldn't want to destroy them… just yet." Insane laughter filled the small room. Kari covered her ears trying to block it out so she could think.
Kari closed her eyes and tried to think. What could she do? What alternatives did she have? None. She was at the mercy of the crazy wench. Kari somehow knew that she wouldn't honour her promise, but she also knew she would kill her parents on the spot. So, Kari guessed she and Folken will have to go on some crazy adventure to find the other pendants. Yet there were no guarantees, nothing told her for sure that she would make it on time. This was such a hard decision. Kari didn't know what to do.
"You seem to be having a hard time deciding. Let me help you." The mouth told her. The red eyes became small and even more snakish.
All of a sudden, the cage her father was trapped in was exchanged with a deep hot fiery pit. Kari could hear the lava river at the bottom of the pit. She looked in horror as her father hanged by the thinnest rope possible. All of a sudden, the rope snapped. Kari screamed in horror as her father plummeted into his future fiery grave.
"If his mind dies, he dies. Now tell me your answer! I'm waiting!" the voice demanded loudly.
"Stop, stop, just stop. I'll do it!" Kari screamed.
"I'm glad we're in agreement!" the voice said. Just then, the pervious cage appeared. Her father was still sitting in the dark corner, his head supported by his hands.
"Here, use the third pendant to find the other two!" the mouth threw Kari her mother's pink tear-shaped pendant.
Kari looked darkly at the cloud. There was nothing she could do. She was trapped, and now had one month to find the other pendants. She and Folken needed to have one good talk. He'd know what to do.
Kari closed her eyes and wished herself out of her father's mind. She could feel the dark warp opening, and the swirl engulfed her. "Don't worry dad, we'll fix this!" Kari screamed at her father before she disappeared.
~~~~
As soon as Kari returned to her own body, she took a deep breath. The ride had been long and painful. Kari was still holding her father's hand, and she felt her brother's hands support her. She was thankful he was there. She was drained of all her mental ability.
"She has them." Kari informed him.
"What now?" Folken asked.
"Well, we have to find the other two pendants." Kari explained. She was about to add more, when her brother interrupted.
"I know, I heard everything. Come, let's inform everyone, and then we shall use the other pendant.
Kari looked down, and in her hand rested the familiar pink pendant that her mother used to have. She then looked up at her brother, and nodded in agreement.
"I guess we're in it now." Kari whispered. Both she and Folken exited the infirmary, leaving her father behind.
~~~~
(somewhere else)
"Please be careful my children! She's stronger than she looks." Hitomi whispered from her stony prison. The insane laughter made its way to her again. Hitomi shivered in disgust. She rattled her chains and settled in a dark corner, as far away from the dim light as she could.
*Author's Note*
Hello everybody. Sorry it took me so long to post. I'm pretty busy now that summer's here. I will try to post chapter 6 asap. I hope that you like this one. Sorry if it's too short. I'm just getting things started. I hope you like my idea with two more pendants. I have more surprises in story for you! *smiles evilly* you'll see. Until I get to post chapter 6, please tell me what you think of this chapter. Once again, sorry if it stinks. It was meant to introduce the quest! Thank you very much for your support so far!!!!!!
