CRYSTALLINE BALL
Lifting Zeo's stained, red shirt from off him, Kai viewed numerous injuries speckling the boy's skin: slashes of fresh whips marks, bruises of every color and depth, swollen limbs, scars of every shape and size. It seemed the boy had been undergoing forms of punishment long before Kai had ever arrived.
Why? Kai wondered. Why would anyone want to do something as severe as this to Zeo? Whoever did must not be human. He looked down at the boy's still face, clenching his fist. "Whoever they are, they'll pay." With those words spoken, Kai shocked himself at the anger welling up within him. He had never felt anything in his life. If he did, it was smothered into nothing. He was cold and heartless, but this strange boy was beginning to make him feel. The voice in his dream was right. Zeo had tainted his heart. He hated that fact.
Zeo stirred and Kai went over to him. The boy's light eyes fluttered open and focused. "Good morning." The boy yawned and stretched slightly before recoiling in pain. A draft blew through the room making Zeo shiver. He realized then that his shirt was gone and tried desperately and futilely to hide himself from Kai's view. He hugged his body, trying his hardest not to cry. "You weren't supposed to interfere."
"How could I not when you're screaming your head off? Besides, no one is supposed to be treated like that. It's inhumane."
Zeo sniffed. "It's nothing compared to what you do to me."
"What?"
"Being abused physically is a lot less painful than verbal abuse. Your harsh words strike me harder than a whiplash and slap me with more force than a paddle. Your cold shoulder to me gives me frostbite more than sitting on an ice cube." The boy tried hard to remain serious, but his last comment was too silly for him to keep a straight face. After a while, he continued, "Seriously. Do you know what it's like to be here for eight years without anyone, not even a flea for company? Spending night after night in a strange place, being hurt by something you can't even see?" He quickly covered his mouth to keep himself from saying anything further.
Kai moved closer to him. "'Something you can't even see'? You mean you have no idea what it looks like?"
"I've said too much already. You'll find out soon enough."
Kai remembered hearing whatever was hurting Zeo say the exact same thing the first night he spent in this bizarre world. "Do you know when I'll find this all out?"
Zeo looked up as if asking if he could say. He seemed to get a positive reply for he said, "Yes, as soon as you find that crystal ball in those pictures. I'm sure you saw it."
"Do you know where it is?"
The boy nodded. "I can't tell you, though. You have to find it on your own. I can't help you, only be there when you do uncover it. Now...where's my shirt?"
"You'll get it back after you rest a little longer and after I find that ball."
Zeo kicked the covers off him. "But I don't want to rest!"
"Too bad. You made me. Now it's payback." Kai was halfway out the door before he turned around and asked, "Do you think it'll come for you in here?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think so. Besides, when have you ever worried about me? Are you getting soft?"
Kai scolded him, though a small smile crept on his lips. He then left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
High and low he searched, into every room, practically pulling the place apart. He looked in every drawer and behind every book, but could not find the ball. He collapsed in Zeo's chair, feeling more tired than he ever had in years. There was that word again. Feel. He sighed angrily. It was entirely the boy's fault. His oddness and childlike, innocent ways made Kai's humanity come out of hiding. He hoped that once he found that ball, he'd be able to get out of here and away from the boy, before his cold heart was melted completely.
Zeo's fingers outlined Kai's tattoos. "Why'd you paint your face?"
Kai brushed his hands away. "No reason."
"Hmm." A minute of silence past, before Zeo asked, "Did you find it?"
"No."
"Of course you didn't. You can't find it without me."
"You can't help me, remember?"
"I know, but I forgot to tell you that I'm the bearer of it. It only works for me, but you have to find the room in which it's located first."
"I've looked everywhere. I don't even know what I'm looking for! Hold on, did you say you were the 'bearer' of it?"
"Uh-huh."
"In the pictures, though, a woman is holding it. Are you related to her somehow?"
"Maybe. All I know is that when I came here, the ball was put in my hands and I was held accountable for its safety. I don't remember what my real mother looked like or even if I had one. It's possible. I could be her son or something. Tell me though, where did you look? Did you search everywhere?"
"The library, the parlor, the dining room, the staircase, the attic, all the rooms – downstairs and up -, the closets, the drawers, even the bathroom!"
"You didn't look everywhere."
"Where haven't I looked then?"
"I'll give you a hint. Like this house, a rainforest has a canopy, an understory, and a ground layer. Yet everyone seems to forget that there's another layer lying underneath the ground - a subterranean one."
Kai thought quickly. The house is like a rainforest. The attic is the canopy, the understory is the second floor, and the ground layer is the first floor. Kai glared at him. "Are you saying this place has a basement?"
Zeo leapt from the bed and wrapped his arms around Kai. "You figured it out! Hurray!"
He pried the boy off. "It wasn't that difficult." Kai handed Zeo his shirt and said, "Are you going come then since I know where it is?"
"You only know where it is now because I told you. Give credit where credit is due."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Kai had helped Zeo down the stairs, he asked the boy where the door to the basement was. "I searched every inch of this house. There's no door leading down to a basement."
"Well, the door really isn't a door." He led Kai into the library and pulled up some of the carpeting. The floor underneath was smooth wood and in the middle was a loose board with a latch on it. Kai pulled the door up while Zeo fetched a candle.
The small orange light barely illuminated the darkness looming beneath them.
"Are you ready to face the darkness?" Zeo asked. He sounded different.
Kai whipped around to see the boy had changed again, back to the serious side that had appeared after he had fallen off the ladder. His eyes had narrowed considerably and before Kai could do anything, the boy shoved him, with a great force that the real Zeo did not posses, down the open doorway, where he plunged into the gloom.
Thankfully the drop wasn't too far and Kai sustained little injury to himself. A glowing light hovered behind him, giving no warmth to the chill that hung in the air. As the candle past him, it allowed him only a glimpse of one of the boy's eyes, which had now darkened to a deep forest shade of green.
"This way," the boy commanded, and Kai had no choice but to follow.
Entering a room, the boy lifted the candle above his head, igniting a trial of oil that lined the wall and soon the entire room was bathed in a warm glow. The boy set the candle down and said, "The ball of crystal lies within this room. Find it."
"You know where it is," retorted Kai.
"Find it!"
Kai felt along the walls and floor for a loose stone, until he noticed that in the far corner of the room, there was insignia engraved in one of the stones. He pulled it out and found the sphere of crystalline. He brought it out and stood in front of the boy, who smiled.
"Acceptable job." The boy cleared the space between them and knocked Kai to the floor. Placing a foot on his chest, the boy took the ball from him and chanted, "Come away, come away, come away, to the valley beyond. Come away, come away, come away, you cannot e'er go wrong."
The ball glowed brilliant white and Kai felt himself falling into the color, just as he had when he had fallen into the well. The white soon faded into black and Kai found himself in a world without light, not even a single candle flame flickered. Nothing but darkness could be seen, covering over the eyes like a veil, surrounding densely like a thick fog.
"Where are we?"
"In the Realm of the Forgotten," the boy answered. "The resting place of my Lord."
"The 'he' you talked about, I bet."
"You are correct. Come. He summons us." The boy held Kai's arm and led him deeper into the murk. Abruptly, he stopped, and spoke out loudly, "He has arrived, my Lord."
Blazing red eyes pierced through the gloom, staring straight at Kai, bathing him in a crimson light. In barely a whisper, it bid, "Welcome...my dear."
Cold breath caressed him and Kai knew that this time, it wasn't a dream.
The boy, stone faced, said, "I introduce you to my liege, Keeper of all that is evil, the Darkness."
Lifting Zeo's stained, red shirt from off him, Kai viewed numerous injuries speckling the boy's skin: slashes of fresh whips marks, bruises of every color and depth, swollen limbs, scars of every shape and size. It seemed the boy had been undergoing forms of punishment long before Kai had ever arrived.
Why? Kai wondered. Why would anyone want to do something as severe as this to Zeo? Whoever did must not be human. He looked down at the boy's still face, clenching his fist. "Whoever they are, they'll pay." With those words spoken, Kai shocked himself at the anger welling up within him. He had never felt anything in his life. If he did, it was smothered into nothing. He was cold and heartless, but this strange boy was beginning to make him feel. The voice in his dream was right. Zeo had tainted his heart. He hated that fact.
Zeo stirred and Kai went over to him. The boy's light eyes fluttered open and focused. "Good morning." The boy yawned and stretched slightly before recoiling in pain. A draft blew through the room making Zeo shiver. He realized then that his shirt was gone and tried desperately and futilely to hide himself from Kai's view. He hugged his body, trying his hardest not to cry. "You weren't supposed to interfere."
"How could I not when you're screaming your head off? Besides, no one is supposed to be treated like that. It's inhumane."
Zeo sniffed. "It's nothing compared to what you do to me."
"What?"
"Being abused physically is a lot less painful than verbal abuse. Your harsh words strike me harder than a whiplash and slap me with more force than a paddle. Your cold shoulder to me gives me frostbite more than sitting on an ice cube." The boy tried hard to remain serious, but his last comment was too silly for him to keep a straight face. After a while, he continued, "Seriously. Do you know what it's like to be here for eight years without anyone, not even a flea for company? Spending night after night in a strange place, being hurt by something you can't even see?" He quickly covered his mouth to keep himself from saying anything further.
Kai moved closer to him. "'Something you can't even see'? You mean you have no idea what it looks like?"
"I've said too much already. You'll find out soon enough."
Kai remembered hearing whatever was hurting Zeo say the exact same thing the first night he spent in this bizarre world. "Do you know when I'll find this all out?"
Zeo looked up as if asking if he could say. He seemed to get a positive reply for he said, "Yes, as soon as you find that crystal ball in those pictures. I'm sure you saw it."
"Do you know where it is?"
The boy nodded. "I can't tell you, though. You have to find it on your own. I can't help you, only be there when you do uncover it. Now...where's my shirt?"
"You'll get it back after you rest a little longer and after I find that ball."
Zeo kicked the covers off him. "But I don't want to rest!"
"Too bad. You made me. Now it's payback." Kai was halfway out the door before he turned around and asked, "Do you think it'll come for you in here?"
"I'm not sure. I don't think so. Besides, when have you ever worried about me? Are you getting soft?"
Kai scolded him, though a small smile crept on his lips. He then left the room, closing the door firmly behind him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
High and low he searched, into every room, practically pulling the place apart. He looked in every drawer and behind every book, but could not find the ball. He collapsed in Zeo's chair, feeling more tired than he ever had in years. There was that word again. Feel. He sighed angrily. It was entirely the boy's fault. His oddness and childlike, innocent ways made Kai's humanity come out of hiding. He hoped that once he found that ball, he'd be able to get out of here and away from the boy, before his cold heart was melted completely.
Zeo's fingers outlined Kai's tattoos. "Why'd you paint your face?"
Kai brushed his hands away. "No reason."
"Hmm." A minute of silence past, before Zeo asked, "Did you find it?"
"No."
"Of course you didn't. You can't find it without me."
"You can't help me, remember?"
"I know, but I forgot to tell you that I'm the bearer of it. It only works for me, but you have to find the room in which it's located first."
"I've looked everywhere. I don't even know what I'm looking for! Hold on, did you say you were the 'bearer' of it?"
"Uh-huh."
"In the pictures, though, a woman is holding it. Are you related to her somehow?"
"Maybe. All I know is that when I came here, the ball was put in my hands and I was held accountable for its safety. I don't remember what my real mother looked like or even if I had one. It's possible. I could be her son or something. Tell me though, where did you look? Did you search everywhere?"
"The library, the parlor, the dining room, the staircase, the attic, all the rooms – downstairs and up -, the closets, the drawers, even the bathroom!"
"You didn't look everywhere."
"Where haven't I looked then?"
"I'll give you a hint. Like this house, a rainforest has a canopy, an understory, and a ground layer. Yet everyone seems to forget that there's another layer lying underneath the ground - a subterranean one."
Kai thought quickly. The house is like a rainforest. The attic is the canopy, the understory is the second floor, and the ground layer is the first floor. Kai glared at him. "Are you saying this place has a basement?"
Zeo leapt from the bed and wrapped his arms around Kai. "You figured it out! Hurray!"
He pried the boy off. "It wasn't that difficult." Kai handed Zeo his shirt and said, "Are you going come then since I know where it is?"
"You only know where it is now because I told you. Give credit where credit is due."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After Kai had helped Zeo down the stairs, he asked the boy where the door to the basement was. "I searched every inch of this house. There's no door leading down to a basement."
"Well, the door really isn't a door." He led Kai into the library and pulled up some of the carpeting. The floor underneath was smooth wood and in the middle was a loose board with a latch on it. Kai pulled the door up while Zeo fetched a candle.
The small orange light barely illuminated the darkness looming beneath them.
"Are you ready to face the darkness?" Zeo asked. He sounded different.
Kai whipped around to see the boy had changed again, back to the serious side that had appeared after he had fallen off the ladder. His eyes had narrowed considerably and before Kai could do anything, the boy shoved him, with a great force that the real Zeo did not posses, down the open doorway, where he plunged into the gloom.
Thankfully the drop wasn't too far and Kai sustained little injury to himself. A glowing light hovered behind him, giving no warmth to the chill that hung in the air. As the candle past him, it allowed him only a glimpse of one of the boy's eyes, which had now darkened to a deep forest shade of green.
"This way," the boy commanded, and Kai had no choice but to follow.
Entering a room, the boy lifted the candle above his head, igniting a trial of oil that lined the wall and soon the entire room was bathed in a warm glow. The boy set the candle down and said, "The ball of crystal lies within this room. Find it."
"You know where it is," retorted Kai.
"Find it!"
Kai felt along the walls and floor for a loose stone, until he noticed that in the far corner of the room, there was insignia engraved in one of the stones. He pulled it out and found the sphere of crystalline. He brought it out and stood in front of the boy, who smiled.
"Acceptable job." The boy cleared the space between them and knocked Kai to the floor. Placing a foot on his chest, the boy took the ball from him and chanted, "Come away, come away, come away, to the valley beyond. Come away, come away, come away, you cannot e'er go wrong."
The ball glowed brilliant white and Kai felt himself falling into the color, just as he had when he had fallen into the well. The white soon faded into black and Kai found himself in a world without light, not even a single candle flame flickered. Nothing but darkness could be seen, covering over the eyes like a veil, surrounding densely like a thick fog.
"Where are we?"
"In the Realm of the Forgotten," the boy answered. "The resting place of my Lord."
"The 'he' you talked about, I bet."
"You are correct. Come. He summons us." The boy held Kai's arm and led him deeper into the murk. Abruptly, he stopped, and spoke out loudly, "He has arrived, my Lord."
Blazing red eyes pierced through the gloom, staring straight at Kai, bathing him in a crimson light. In barely a whisper, it bid, "Welcome...my dear."
Cold breath caressed him and Kai knew that this time, it wasn't a dream.
The boy, stone faced, said, "I introduce you to my liege, Keeper of all that is evil, the Darkness."