Chapter 31 - Leap of Faith
Lloyd gasped for air, each beat of his heart sending more and more blood flowing. He closed his eyes, tears rolling down his face as he watched Kai disappear into the chasm's darkness. "K-Kai. . ." Lloyd's voice was a whimper, barely louder than a whisper.
Behind him, pushing the blade deeper and deeper into Lloyd's body, Pythor smiled. "The darkness inside you. . . it's more powerful than you realize, Lloyd. And now it's mine, all mine!"
"What are you doing!?" Jay ran forward, but was quickly stopped by Pythor's guards. The others attempted to do the same and shared the same fate as the puppeteer. "You can't kill him!"
"Can't I now?" Pythor chuckled, shaking his head. "I could. But I think it would be more satisfying to let the Lord of Darkness rip him apart."
The emperor pulled the knife out of Lloyd's body. The knife began to glow, soaking in every bit of blood that dripped from it. Pythor smiled, feeling the power burning against his skin. "This is no ordinary knife, you fool. It's made of a very special material. It won't harm the boy. Simply take away the darkness so that I may put it to better use."
Lloyd felt dizzy, but the pain was rapidly receding. His clothes were still soaked with his warm blood, but the flow seemed to have stopped. It didn't make sense. But Lloyd's pulsing headache was in no mood to question it. The boy sat up, focusing his eyes on the emperor.
"Now. . ." Pythor ran the knife across his scaly skin, slicing open a small wound. "Now the metamorphosis can begin."
"Lloyd!" The shout was ripped from his lungs, evolving into a chorus of nothing but screams as he plunged farther and farther down into darkness. The usually stagnant air whipped up around Kai, roaring in his ears and stinging his eyes worse than hot tears. Part of him wanted to hate the Golden Master for having dropped him, dooming him to what was going to be inevitable death. Another part of Kai, a more dominant force, was starting to overcome his more selfish thoughts. He couldn't help it. He'd been stabbed. He was injured.
The look of pure confusion and fear that had been plastered onto Lloyd's face burned behind Kai's eyelids every time he blinked. What had Pythor done? Was Lloyd dead? You're going to bed dead soon enough, his harsh thoughts whispered. Maybe you'll see Lloyd in the afterlife. He did not want that. He wanted the boy to be okay. They had promised the man at the Temple of Light that they would watch over Lloyd. If he died now without fulfilling that promise...
Of course I'm going to die. How would I make it out of this alive?
Just as Kai was beginning to accept his mortality, his back hit something, forcing the air out of lungs. The blacksmith gave a strangled gasp and rolled down an incline, his eyes still searching for a sign of anything in the darkness of the chasm. Was he dead now? Had the fall actually killed him and would he spend eternity in a dark ethereal world? Was this punishment for not making amends with Lloyd, after he had called him traitor? So many questions buzzed around inside Kai's mind as he finally stopped rolling and tumbled across flat, rocky ground. Something in his right leg radiated pain as he came to a halt, staring upwards at absolutely nothing. As time ticked on, Kai started to discern the smallest amount of light resting above him. The top of the hole.
He tried to sit up, but every muscle in his back pulled and whined in protest. Kai sucked in an unsteady breath that echoed off the walls around him. The chasm was so empty and haunting, it sent a shiver up his spine which, in turn, only pained him more. "Hello?" he called out, frowning when the only answer he received was from himself. "Lloyd? Guys, can you hear me?" Nothing.
Suddenly, there was movement. It came from somewhere in front of the blacksmith and he froze, suddenly remembering where he was. This was not just an ordinary chasm. This was where the Great Devourer dwelled. This was its home. And Kai was trespassing.
"Metamorphosis? What does that mean?" Jay shrieked, struggling against the thick Serpentine arms that held him back. Lightning flashed above them, and the wind revolved around the wounded heroes faster and faster. The wild, uncontrollable rage of his element sent shivers up Jay's spine. Something bad was happening. Something very, very bad.
"Metamorphosis is a biological process," Zane answered, studying Pythor and narrowing his eyes. The snake was definitely changing. His scales had grown darker, and there were thick spikes beginning to emerge from his back. The nails in his hands grew longer, sharper, curving into themselves. Pythor screamed, dropping to his knees as the force from Lloyd's body took over. The Serpentine holding onto the group of friends slithered back, frightened by the sight. Whatever stood before them wasn't their master any longer. "By which someone or something changes into something else."
"Yeah, changes into something ugly," Cole muttered, trying to break the tension and fear growing around them. The three of them ran towards Lloyd, who still lay on his back, inches away from the chasm. The boy groaned as Cole took hold of him, easily picking him up off the ground. "We can't stay here long. Whatever that is, it's got dangerous written all over it."
"Cole is right," Zane nodded. "But, there is nowhere to go. By the time we reach the castle, the process would have ended. He would kill us in a flash. The power emanating from his body is significantly stronger than ours."
The wind slapped Jay's face, forcing his auburn hair away from his forehead. The puppeteer frowned, looking down at the palms of his hands. There was a way for them to get away. He looked up, his blue eyes glowing, a small nervous smile pulling at the edge of his lips. "Let's jump."
He pushed himself back along the ground as quickly and quietly as he could. Kai was trying to keep his breathing even. No need to attract any unwanted attention. He was now starting to realize that the incline he had fallen down had probably been the giant serpent itself. Had he awakened it himself, or had it already been conscious, waiting for Pythor to throw it a nice meal? The movement was growing louder, but Kai was still having a hard time seeing anything in the palpable darkness. It was almost like the subtle sounds of the Great Devourer were surrounding him, threatening the blacksmith like a vice.
Kai's back now rested against something and he instinctively glanced over his shoulder. Oh yeah, everything is black down here. For some reason, he felt safe knowing there was something behind him. The Great Devourer could not surprise him from behind if there was a wall. It was. . . comforting somehow. Now he just had to sit and wait until his friends came to get him. Or. . . would they even come to get him? If Lloyd was dead, they probably thought he was dead too. Pythor would not let them out of his sight now that he had killed Lloyd. You deserve this, his thoughts chuckled. There couldn't be a more fitting way to end your life. "Nya. . ." the blacksmith breathed, bringing his knees up to his chest and realizing the irony of everything.
A cry escaped his lips as pain shot down through his leg again. Was it broken?
The wall behind him moved, causing Kai to fall over on his side, his heart pounding. Oh no. . .
"You're insane," Cole hissed, his grip on Lloyd tightening as he stared daggers at the puppeteer. "You want us to jump down there? I don't know if you're aware of this, but Pythor was going to try and shove us all down that pit and Lloyd stopped him. You know what's down there, right?"
Jay looked down at his hands, sparks of energy erupting from his finger tips and dissipating into the air. His expression turned from one of anxious amusement to seriousness. "Yeah," he said, closing his hands into fists and bringing his unwavering gaze up to his friend. "Kai is down there, Cole." He was not a coward anymore. Jay had evolved way past cowardice now. He was going to do whatever he could to help the people he cared about. Right now, Lloyd and Kai were the priorities, and if jumping into a chasm of death was the only way to save his friends and himself, Jay was willing to take any risk. "We take a leap of faith or we stay here and die. Which one sounds better?"
"Actually, neither option has a high survival rate," Zane interjected, icy eyes fixated on the darkness below.
"Let's just.. . let's just do it." The group turned their attention towards Lloyd, still weak in Cole's arms. "What other choice do we have?" He turned his head slowly, green eyes marveling at the chasm. "And.. . I told Kai I had him and then. . ." Lloyd squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath, still a little unnerved by how quickly all the pain in his body had subsided. "I have to make sure he's alright.. . if he's still alive. I owe it to him."
The puppeteer grinned. If Lloyd was on his side then there was no way anyone was going to argue with him. The Golden Master was the boss after all. "Perfect, then we're all in agreement." He gestured for his friends to follow him to the edge of the chasm. There was nothing. No sign of the bottom. No sign of the Great Devourer. No sign of survival.
"I still think this is suicide. You've got to be the worst freedom fighter there is. Filling your team with these kinds of ideas. . ." Cole sighed, looking down into the abyss of darkness.
"C'mon. You're going to have to trust me on this one. I know what I'm all about." Jay smiled. At least I hope so. "Now, jump!"
Eyes closed, Jay jumped over the edge. He felt the wind around him, growing more and more powerful as they fell further and the puppeteer focused. Lightning was an element of the sky. Maybe, just maybe, that fact would be enough to allow Jay to have control over the wind too. After all, lightning and wind were usually a package deal, weren't they?
Jay hoped so.
He felt the wind, and he ordered it to slow them down. Ordered it to create resistance, at least enough so that their bones wouldn't crumple when they smashed against the ground below. At first, nothing happened, and regret began to fill Jay's body. If this didn't work, he'd have the death of all his friends on his hands. Not that it would matter that much, because he would be dead as well, but still. Jay didn't want to be punished in the afterlife for making a silly mistake.
The wind grew stronger. But it wasn't pushing them down. It was moving upwards, slowing their fall. Jay smiled widely, finally daring to open his blue eyes.
"Are we. . . are we slowing down?" Cole shouted, voice barely audible.
"I told you to trust me." Jay laughed, doing a flip in the air. "Didn't I tell you to trust me?"
"You know, I take it all back," the merchant said, tightening his grip on Lloyd. "You're a fine freedom fighter. Not finer than me, but. . . "
The four of them reached the ground safely, landing on their feet. Jay opened his mouth, wanting to point out the brilliancy of his plan, but a loud growl interrupted him. The sound made the ground beneath them shake, and all of them turned, squinting their eyes to try and see what was happening.
"It's Kai!" Zane informed them, being the first to see through the darkness. "He appears to be injured, but he is very much alive. And. . . the Great Devourer is after him."
"What!?" Lloyd hissed, trying to sit up, but slumped back down as his strength left him. "K-Kai. . ."
"We need to help." Jay began to run forward, allowing his eyes to grow accustomed to the darkness on the go. Zane followed, and Cole lagged behind, still holding onto Lloyd. "Kai!"
Kai looked up, wondering if he was hallucinating. He wouldn't doubt it. The pain coming from his leg was powerful, and his body was teetering on the edge of unconsciousness. He wouldn't be able to run for much longer. He thought he'd heard Jay's voice, but he could barely see anything with his weakening eyes. He couldn't make it. There was no point. Kai let his body fall forward.
Only to be stopped by Jay's firm grip.
"C'mon, buddy. You can't give up now."
Cole looked around, knowing they would need a place to hide. They couldn't outrun the Devourer forever, much less with two members of their team weakened. He felt the cold stone of the chasm beside him, and he willed it to move. With a sturdy stomp, Cole created an opening in the stone, barely big enough for them to fit through.
"Jay!" Cole shouted. "Over here!"
The merchant stepped into his man-made cave, making it wider and wider the deeper he went in. After setting Lloyd down against the ground, he traveled back to the narrow opening, helping the others inside. The Great Devourer growled, slamming its head upon the side of the chasm over and over, attempting to break in and reach its promised meal. The walls of stone shook, but they were sturdy. Everyone held their breath, waiting for the giant serpent to strike again, waiting for it to swallow them all in one swift movement.
The Great Devourer slithered away.