Lily pounded on the hard wooden door till her hands began to bleed. "Let me out! Please! Let me out!" After what seemed an eternity, she collapsed on the black marble floor below and began to weep. As her tears fell on theglistening dark surface of the floor creating a small pool, the mirror behind her began to swirl in a mix of colors until Darkness' face appeared. Lily didn't see, for she was to busy in her sea of tears to notice.

Darkess stared at the delicate figure through his looking glass and saw her weeping at the door. Her hands, he saw, ran red with crimson blood. He began to feel something he never had before, he felt sorry for her. He had never felt sorry for anyone or anything, regardless of what happened, but seeing Lily there in her pathetic state made his heart cry for her. He shook his head and looked away as the looking glass sealed up. He was Darkness. This feeling he had was weakness. "I'm supposed to convert her, not the other way around!" he roared as he flung the mirror of his room across the room. The glass shattered and flew every where as he began to hurl random objects around. This was torture to feel this way. Regret was not one of the traits he was supposed to have and yet this mortal girl tore through him like a sword through a leaf without any effort at all. He stomped to his door and called one of the female goblins to his quarters.

"Go the the mortal girl I brought and dress her wounds. Then get her ready for dinner. GO!" The goblin went off to find Lily and follow the orders she was given. Darkness turned back to his room and sat by the window. "Lily, what are you doing to me?" he sighed as he stared at the swamp outside.

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Jack pulled himself out of the damp rocky cave into the sunlight. His head still pained him from Darkness' impact. The smell in the air was no longer sweet to him now that Lily was not there with him. The waterfall nearby still thundered with it's crytal blue water and the birds still sang, but it sounded sinister to his ears now. The sound of a flute playing could be heard in the distance. It was Gump. Jack pushed him slef on his knees and continued to try to get on his feet, but fell over from the blood loss he'd had. He breathed slowly as he got back on his knees again. He looked towards the direction of the music. "Gump!" The music stopped and he heard lightfootsteps coming towards him.

"Jack! What's happened to you?" Gump stared at Jack's blood stained face and hair.

"Darkness..." Jack breathed heavily "took Lily...Lily's gone..." Jack almost fell over as he came to the sudden realization that he may never see her again.

"Darkness? But how..." Jack began to sway before Gump. "oh, never mind that right now. We need to get you some help." Gump turned and whistled and out of the trees came a large buck. Gump mustered all the streangth he had to push Jack onto its back and finally succeeded. Gump whistled once more and the buck began to follow him. Jack's last visions were of the tree trunk looming up ahead before he went blank.

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Lily was escorted down to the dining room by three goblins. The goblin that Darkness had sent went through enough of an ordeal getting Lily changed. She was far too out of breath to force her down stairs. Lily's hands were carefully bandaged and they were exelently done, for goblin work. Lily wore a long black dress of velvet with red velvet trimmings and red silk ribbon. Her hair was done in a loose braid, as she'd been struggling against the goblins workings. She wore no make up since the goblin couldn't get close enough to her face withoutLily hitting her. The goblins held a firm grip on Lily's arms and back, restraining any attempt of escape. The large stone room she'd entered had ahuge wooden table with mountains of food and many bottles of wine. There were no windows, only candles and even the candles only gave light by reflecting off of the single rectangular mirror that hung on the east wall and the silver dinner ware on the table. There was a fireplace, but it was not currently burning anything. It was cold and dark, like it was the last time she'd found herself there.

"Welcome Lily, please, sit and eat with me. You look...ravishing, my dear." Lily turned to see Darkness standing at his place at the table.

"Why? So you can continue to kill everything I love?" Lily scowled at him. Darkness was beginning to lose his patience. He clenched his teeth and spoke once more.

"Lily,it would make our lives much easier if you sat and ate with me..."

"No!" Lily shouted and she began to turn and run. Darkness was much quicker though and grabbed her thin velvet covered arm.

"You will sit, and you will eat with me!" Darkness roared andpulled and looked at the pale fightened face of the mortal woman. He shook for a moment and became scared. He'd hurt her and now he regretted it. He turned from her and walked towards the door. "Damn these acursed feeling towards you! Go. Go back to your room. I'll have food sent up. Go!" Lily backed towards the door and watched Darkness dissappear. She walked silently up the stairs to her room and shut the door behind her.