Chapter 3: Voices from the Darkness
"This place is really creepy," Yolei commented.
"Yes."
Yolei looked at Ken with annoyance. "You could at least try to cheer me up."
"Do you remember that day when you and Kari and I were in the woods, and we shifted into the Dark Ocean dimension?"
"Of course," she replied. "What about it?"
"This probably isn't quite that bad yet."
"Thanks a lot," she replied sarcastically.
The corridor ended in a steep upward slope of rubble that might once have been a staircase.
"Think you can climb this?" Ken asked quietly.
"Yes," she replied. "I'll have you know I'm a great climber."
Ken nodded, not even acknowledging her sharp tone, and began making his way up the slope. Yolei followed close behind him.
"What's wrong with you today?"
He didn't even look at her when he answered. "I'm just worried about Kari."
"It's more than that," she said. "You've been even quieter than usual all day, you won't look me in the eyes...you're acting like you did back before you forgave yourself for being the emperor. Something's really wrong and you're not telling me, and that scares me."
Ken didn't answer. "We have to save Kari," he said after a minute.
Yolei was about to angrily point out that she knew that already when a chunk of rock slipped from under her foot. She yelped and began sliding. Ken's hand darted out and grabbed her wrist.
"Are you okay?" he asked with deep concern.
"I think so."
Ken helped her up. "I thought you said you're a great climber," he tried to joke.
"I might have been exaggerating," she said meekly.
Holding hands, they continued climbing the rubble. Ken sensed they were getting closer to Kari...and to something else. Pure evil, that wasn't a feeling he could easily forget. The more he thought about it, the more worried he became. Something brought Kari to this pyramid hoping that she would be defeated and corrupted by the evil here. Ken hoped she was strong enough to resist; he hadn't been when the evil of the Dark Ocean saturated him.
The stairway ended and they found themselves on flat floor once again, but Ken didn't release Yolei's hand, and she didn't complain.
They came to a wide room. The floor was an intricate mosaic of black and red stones in an abstract but clearly deliberate pattern. Ken hesitated.
"What is it, Ken?"
"You don't even sense it, do you?" he asked incredulously.
She looked into the room. "It feels sick with evil. Kind of revolting. It feels like..." It suddenly occurred to her. "It feels just like the day the Dark Ocean tried to take Kari." She looked at Ken intently. "We have to keep going. Kari could be in there!"
"She is," he confirmed. "It's just...I'm not sure I can make it."
Yolei gaped at him. "I'm not going in there alone!"
"I hope it won't be necessary, but you have to promise me that if I can't go on, you'll leave me behind and find Kari."
"I promise," she lied.
Ken smiled at her. You're so cute when you lie, he thought. But he knew they were running out of time, so he didn't protest.
They tentatively entered the room. Ken could feel the evil trying to slip around his brain. He concentrated on resisting the onslaught. They were near the center of the room when he stumbled and fell to his knees. "No!"
"Ken?"
Memories flashed through Ken's head. Dark images. The Dark Ocean surged around him, trying to pull him away. Voices taunted him. You are one with the darkness.
"Fight it, Ken!"
He couldn't see Yolei, but he felt her hand in his, and clung to it. A black pit opened up beneath him, but he told himself it wasn't real. He concentrated on the touch of Yolei's hand: that was real.
Darkness alone inside.
No! Ken shouted into the darkness. I have friendship. I have love inside of me, too. The Darkness can't take that away from me!
You have failed the Darkness...now you will pay.
"Yolei," he whimpered.
Do you want to drag her down with you?
"I'm here, Ken." She could sense the cold shadow of the evil attacking him, and had no idea what to do.
You will kill her, the voices said. You will infect her.
Ken looked at his hands. They were covered in blood. Horrified, he let go of Yolei.
"Ken, what are you doing?" She grabbed his arms. He tried to push her away, but she didn't let go. She dragged him toward the far door, hoping the attack would abate when they left the room. "Whatever you think's happening, Ken, it's not real. Just hold on to me. We'll get out of here."
They stumbled through the door into a narrow passageway. Yolei lowered Ken to a sitting position against the wall. He was quivering. He looked up at her apologetically. "Yolei..."
"You knew," she said accusingly.
His eyebrow flickered in confusion. "Huh?"
"You knew you were going to face that, didn't you? Is that why you wanted me to come with you?"
"I knew I would need your strength. And so will Kari. I'm sorry, Yolei..."
She didn't let him finish. "Sorry? You knew you were going to go through that, but you came anyway." She thought for a moment, and said more quietly, "You must care about her a lot."
Ken didn't catch her implication. "We need to hurry."
"Are you sure you don't need to rest some more?" she asked as she helped him to his feet.
"I'm alright now," he said with a gentle smile. "Thanks to you."
