He woke in the with a lung full of liquid.
Pain. Everything was pain and dark and pain. His insides screamed in protest, his chest ached, his stomach was pierced by an agonising pain, like he'd been stabbed, and the rest of his body radiated pain that washed over him in wave after unrelenting wave.
He was submerged in a treacle like liquid, He felt like a fly stuck in honey.
Panic gripped him and he began to struggle against the thick liquid, to reach the surface and- breathe he needed to breathe he needed to…
His hands skittered against something above him. He felt weak, drained.
It was heavy and he was stuck, and he couldn't move, and he couldn't breathe, and he pushed and again he pushed, and the weight shifted, and he heaved, and it was gone.
He sat in the open air taking desperate gasping breaths and coughed to clear his throat of the sticky substance. He scraped the gooey substance off his face and let loose an anguished cry. Agony wracked his body.
His screams morph into silent gasps. He is in a box of some kind, and he needs to get away, out of the oppressive cramped space and the crimson gloop.
He launched himself out of the container. He landed on the floor with a thud and tried to move, his limbs slipping and sliding in the substance on the floor.
He stilled for a moment, a heart wrenching sound clawing its way out of his mouth.
A woman stood patiently Flanked by guards and clad in white. "The fear will pass- so will the pain"
He made his way into a crouch, his movements stilted and strained. the boy let out a pained sound
The woman offered her outstretched hand to him "shh. It's all right. It's all right."
He reached out for her hand and at the last moment went to grab for her but collapsed mid manoeuvre. The shink of blades was audible as the guards drew their swords
Alexandra gestured placatingly to the guards "stand down"
The boy scrambled back, terrified eyes darting around the room
Taking off her cream shawl Alexandra stepped towards the boy offering him a hand up once again "this is your home now. We are you're family. I have waited so long to meet you"
The boy reached for her hand again then snarled and tried to land a blow which Alexandra easily blocked. She then grabbed the boy's wrist, pulled it above his head and stepped into the arch of their connected arms, she pulled his arm with her flipping him onto his back using his own momentum.
The boy registered none of this; one moment he was launching himself towards the woman and the next he was on his back gasping for breath.
He staggered to his feet growling swung wildly at the woman who dodged the strike easily. The second time he attempted to hit her however, she grabbed his wrist gripped his neck and spun him around till he was facing away from her. She then kicked in his knees in and held his arms behind his back while he thrashed wildly.
Alexandra allowed him to stand while he struggled and let go of his arms; instead preferring to hold him in a sick parody of a hug, facing away from her and caged by her arms which looped tightly around his waist. He thrashed and screamed and shook in pain in her arms. The longer she held him the less he fought till eventually his screams died down. He slumped against her as she shushed him.
He let the sensation of being held distract him from the agony coursing through him. They sank to the floor and stayed like that till the pain dulled.
The boy sat at a metal table opposite Alexandra. He had showered since and was in a clinical looking white room.
Alexandra handed the boy a bowl "you must be hungry" she laughed as the boy took the bowl and began to wolf down the meal.
After he finished eating the boy fixed Alexandra with a curious look. He then tried to talk but all that came out was a jumble of syllables. He pointer to her and stuttered out "y-you?" it sounded like a question
Sitting back, she spoke "I am Alexandra. I am part of an organisation that strives to bring light where there is darkness, and life where there is death. We are trying to make the world a better place."
He pointed to himself and choked out "wh-who?"
Offering a kind smile Alexandra spoke "language will come back to you but the rest… well, it wasn't worth keeping anyway. the vessel which you occupy died as did the person inside it, but he was… insignificant. You are The Black sky. You are a weapon of the hand, that makes you important." She sighed "you have seen it? The terrible darkness, the abyss"
The Black sky nodded
Alexandra clasped his hand in two of hers "I want to never see that again; I want you to never have to see that again, but I may not have that choice" the boys heart rate picked up, his fist clenching.
Hushing him Alexandra said "that will only come to pass if we fail, if we our enemies destroy us" the boy calmed "I saved you from that place; that limbo between what is and what is not. And I will be the one to make sure you never return there. It's okay, I know you won't disappoint me, not on purpose at least. Innocent mistakes are simply that. Mistakes."
Alexandra put a hand on The Black sky's shoulder. He leaned into it, apart from the guards she was the only other person he had seen. He thought about the darkness, remembered sinking in it. The darkness that gave way to the inability to breathe, trapped in that- in that– what was the word – he gave up- it was some kind of box. His breathing picked up and his heart pounded against his ribcage. The room blurred.
Suddenly Alexandra was there, her soothing tones audible even though he had no idea what she was saying she rocked him in her arms and stroked his hair. It was… nice. His breathing and his heart beat slowed and when he finally became more aware of his surroundings he was still clinging to Alexandra.
She helped him up and led him to a room. There was a narrow bed that took up half of the space and an en suite bathroom.
Alexandra looked at him "you will be prepared to become The Black sky. It will be difficult, but if you do not become The Black sky… I cannot promise that you will not return to the dark. I am doing this for you, do you understand?"
The boy frowned "th- thought - I wa-was" he said stumbling over his words
A sickly-sweet smile crept its way onto her face "no not yet. now, you are nothing; but if you become The Black sky, you will be everything, invaluable. You understand that bringing someone back from well… it takes resources. Money. Time."
Looking down the boy struggled to find the right word before electing simply to look apologetic. he wrung his hands together.
Alexandra's expression softened "it's quite all right. It will be worth it in the end."
The not-yet black sky felt a weight settle on his chest, the words settling on his shoulders
Alexandra spoke again this time seeming more detached "you will be left here in this room for a week as preparation, the lights will be off, and water is available in the sink. And" she hugged him "good luck" she let go.
The lights blinked out and the door slammed. The Black sky was left alone in the dark.
Again.
The first few hours were painful, time dripped by like molasses. He could hear his own breathing, deafening in the small space.
He got up. He paced. He paced some more. 'Need to get out, need to breath need to-' he thought frantically. Eventually he tired himself out, but he didn't lie back on the bed; no, he couldn't, it was too soft and he couldn't feel the cold stone under him.
After that time began to warp. one hour seems to almost stand still and the next thing he knew he was much hungrier than he had been before. His hunger and need to go to the bathroom were the only indicators he had of the time. Time became fluid and abrupt. The room was quiet, but his mind was not.
Hunger tugged at his stomach he though it had been two, maybe three days. The darkened room reminded him of the nothingness, the darkness. He had hyper ventilated almost regularly since being here and he felt exhausted now. He just wanted to rest but that became impossible when he had begun to see flashing shapes in the darkness. He was going insane. He was going insane and then he would be useless to Alexandra and then he would go back to the dark and she would be so disappointed. Oh god he was panicking again, he needed to stay calm, needed to be calm. Nope he shouldn't be thinking that either because now he was just panicking about panicking and-
Sometime later when he had stopped shaking, he lay on the bed and stared at the wall. And stared at the wall. He didn't know how long he was like that; barely reacting to the shapes and lights and sounds that filled his mind.
Good what he wouldn't give just to hear someone's voice. The dull feeling of boredom had sharpened and was now an ache in his temple.
He was calm now he thought dimly.
Although the feeling, or lack thereof wasn't something he would quite describe as calm. It was more removed; he felt detached from his own body. Another word eluded him it; he felt like he was… what was that word.
Floating! What was floating? He couldn't remember.
Oh yes, of course, he felt like he was floating above his own body, like he was someone else.
He stared at the wall.
The door creaked open, and voices drifted in. a melodic male voice stood out "how long has he been here"
Alexandra replied "a week. He stopped moving days ago."
Another voice, female. it rung out accompanied by the (step, thunk) of a person with a walking sick "I'll admit; I was surprised to hear that you wanted either of us to do with this considering, what happened last time" (step thunk)
Speaking with no small amount of amusement Alexandra stepped into the cell "I'm hoping that this will be a valuable lesson in restraint" her smile melted away "for both of you. Besides, we should probably stop dwelling on the past and focus on the future" she tilted her head in the direction of the catatonic body before them. (Step thunk)
The boy had not registered what they had been saying but he had been listening. Now though he sipped back into the dark place in his mind. He had begun to quite enjoy just floating in the dark.
Bakuto looked at the boy. 'Maybe Alexandra had gone too far this time' he mused 'but she did know best when it came to these things' he supposed.
He knelt next to the boy and shifted him till he was slumped against the wall then wrapped a hand round his shoulders, pulling him close to his body. He looked up and saw Madam Gao looking on disapprovingly. He rolled his eyes "you need a carrot and a stick Gao, not just a stick".
Alexandra looked pained "Gao on this rare occasion, I must agree with Bakuto. You cannot rule with fear alone. Controlling loyalties is his forte, pay attention; you may learn something" Alexandra's gaze was met with frown from Gao, but the old woman says nothing.
After about ten minutes of Bakuto muttering comforting words to the boy while rubbing small circles on the boy's arm with his thumb; the boy begins to stir. He started to blink and shift.
The boy felt himself being held to someone's side. It was bright. Too bright in here. every now and then he hears snippets of soothing mutterings "okay- ""you're all right-" "it's going to be okay". the voice managed to coax him out of the dark place. His eyes had been staring blankly but now he really saw the scene around him.
A man with mahogany brown eyes held him to his side and Alexandra stood (watching intently) with an elderly woman toting a walking stick.
Another five minutes and he was aware enough to register the man speaking "my name is Bakuto, and rumour has it that you" Bakuto flashed him a mischievous grin "are a candidate to become The Black sky"
'A candidate'. A jolt of anxiety jolted through him. What if he failed to become The Black Sky? Would he just be left in the room?
The man clapped a hand on his back "don't worry, I'm-" he paused then corrected himself "we are here to help. You won't go through this alone we are here to guide you – to help you become who you are meant to be. This is Madam Gao" he gestured to the elderly woman behind him observing impassively. Bakuto winked "don't worry she's not that bad, really."
The boy tilted his head not sure what to make of the man.
Bakuto helped the boy to his feet and led him out of the room.
Gao stayed in the cell with Alexandra.
Turning to her Gao rested both her hands on her stick "He is good with the boy, perhaps you were right."
Alexandra raised an eyebrow "I'm impressed, I don't think I've ever heard you openly admit you're wrong. You do have much to learn from him, as he has much to learn from you. He gets too… attached, he is too kind. I think working together will do you both good. I expect your best-efforts Gao, much rests on this"
Before Gao could reply Alexandra was brushing past her, to catch up with Bakuto.