Darkness in All

            It seemed everyone who looked at me did so with pity in their eyes.  I had to reassure everyone at least three times that I was fine, that Fyora hadn't upset me too badly.  And that we were going to do something about Aldrai that would not hurt him.  Once the preliminaries were over Lady MoonFall broke the bad news.

            "Terraile collapsed.  She's in her room right now and we can't wake her.  She seems otherwise alright though."

            I nodded grimly and walked over to her room.  Sure enough, she was laying on the bed in a coma, the same as Von Roo.  Aldrai's magic was evident within her.

            I returned to the living room.

            "He seems to be doing something to everyone that's associated with darkness…" I said slowly, "Un-eairkagh.  Turn on the TV."

            Although it was nearly one in the morning an emergency news broadcast was taking place.  The blue aisha reporter stood outside the Neopian hospital where we could see pets being carried in behind her.

            "No cause as to these comas has been located as of yet," the reporter said, "The collapses seem to occur without warning and at random.  Police say they are attempting to contact the faeries but Faerieland has shut itself to outsiders."

            I nodded at my eyrie and he turned the TV off.

            "At random.  Hah," I said bitterly, "Betcha ten to one every pet and person in there has some sort of criminal record or trace of dark magic."

            "That's why Terraile collapsed, isn't it?" Un-eairkagh asked.

            "Yep.  He's doing something to anyone with a trace of evil in them.  But the only problem is: no one is without evil.  Everybody has that little urge to do something wrong.  And Aldrai is blinded to that fact.  So blinded he can't even see the darkness in himself."

            "Too much magic," Netsuko said softly, "You sure you can't cut him off from it?"

            "Not without severing the connection completely.  And I'm afraid the shock will destroy him or burn the talent for magic right out of him."

            "I think we need to find him first," Padiglione said, "Since no one seems to know where he is."

            I nodded in agreement.

            "So far no one has been hurt.  We've been running on no sleep for a long time.  We can't keep this up forever.  I vote we get what rest we can then meet back here at eight to discuss our next course of action."

            No one protested and we slowly broke up the meeting to head to our respective homes.  I wished Melody and Sakuko goodnight before facing my brother.

            "And what if Von Roo wakes up hungry?" he demanded.

            "Oh, just go home," I said with a roll of my eyes.

            I shoved him out the front door and locked it behind him.  Give him a taste of his own medicine for once.  I then slowly climbed up the stairs to my own room.  Un-eairkagh called after me as I was halfway up.

            "I think you're the best owner in the world.  I don't care what Fyora says."

            "Thanks," I replied wearily.

            Sleep came hard that night.  The thoughts just wouldn't leave me alone.  How had this all happened?  Was it really my fault or was Von Roo right?  Was I just blaming myself out of self-pity?  Could Aldrai be saved?  How had he lost control anyways?  Would I ever get my pet back?  Would Terraile and the rest wake up? 

            Like vicious winged birds the questions chased me through the night and into my sleep.  My dreams were haunted by a Darigan zafara with white eyes.  Fyora stood nearby, reciting over and over the words "You've failed.  Failure.  Child.  You've failed."  Von Roo made an appearance.

            "The fabric.  Look what he's doing to the fabric.  I believe in you."

            Their voices melded together.

            "I believe in you failure.  Look at the fabric.  Child of a dragon.  Save them, can't you?  Can you?  Will you?  Won't you?  Why?"

            Then Aldrai again, spotted this time.

            "She's nice," he said dreamily and I saw the hazy outline of Shi'kly, the guardian of the light Elemental Spear shard.

            "She's nice," he repeated, "Don't you understand?  Everyone should be nice.  That's Neopia.  Everyone will be nice.  They'll all understand.  The price to pay.  I don't care about my wings.  You shouldn't either.  Just understand for me."

            His voice merged with the others.

            "Failure.  Child.  Will you?  Fabric.  Understand me.  Can you?  Price.  Failure.  Wings.  Essence.  Failure.  Failure failure failure… Kiddo… Kiddo… KIDDO!"

            I was jerked awake by the last shout.  I blinked and blearily took stock of my surroundings.  The sun was rising, the clock showed almost eight, and MoonFall stood by my bed.

            "You were sleeping," she said reproachfully, "I had to wake you.  Sorry, but I've got some bad news."

            "The fact that it's morning is bad news enough," I grumbled.

            "Well, this is worse.  Get dressed and I'll tell you."

            I sighed and reluctantly found something out of my closet to wear.  Nothing like being woken up to bad news.  I felt like I hadn't slept at all.  The dream still clung to my mind like wisps of a noxious fog.  I shook my head to banish them and headed downstairs to hear MoonFall's bad news.

            "Okay, tell me," I said as I entered the kitchen where she was cooking breakfast.

            She glanced guiltily at the floor and dropped the egg she was holding.

            "I watched the news this morning," she said, "Apparently Aldrai has found himself a base.  He's at the top of some ruined castle in Meridell.  No one can get near it due to the extraordinary amount of magic gathered there.  Plus he's shielding it somehow."

            "Do they know who it is that's doing all this?" I asked fearfully.

            "No.  No names yet.  The faeries are being rather close-mouthed about all this, thank goodness."

            "Alright.  We'll see if we can get to him after we gather."

            "That's not all.  Apparently the spell Aldrai has launched is getting worse.  More pets keep collapsing.  That mynci that likes to break windows down the street fell into a coma sometime last night.  I fear that soon only people like Melody will be unaffected."

            "But even Melody has some wrong in her," I replied, "Everyone will be hit by this eventually."

            "I know.  That's why we've got to figure out what's going on and stop it.  Oh, one last thing."

            "More bad news?  I don't think I can handle much more…"

            "Yes, I know.  And this is the worst."

            I groaned.

            "Alright, let's get it over with."

            She looked at me steadily.

            "Un-eairkagh is gone.  He left sometime in the night.  I think he's gone to confront Aldrai.  Alone."