Chapter 12: Darkness Rising

Seth sat back in his bed in the darkness, arms folded behind his head. The digital clock on his bedside table read 1:12. Although he was tired, he had gotten too worked up to fall asleep after the events that had transpired the previous day.

He knew he was in for it. After he had been sent to his room several hours ago, Seth had been forbidden to leave his bedroom. Sure, a plate of meatloaf had been delivered to his room by Grandma not long after his sentence. But when he tried to open the door to return the plate, he could feel that it had been sealed, which seemed unusual, given that it couldn't be locked from the hallway.

Instead, Seth had to knock on his door in order to get the attention of the fairy on the other side. The first time he knocked, it was to return his plate to the kitchen. However, the fairy had forbidden him from leaving his room, and instead instructed another fairy to transport the plate downstairs to the kitchen.

The second instance, was when Seth had to use the bathroom. The two fairies allowed him to go, provided they escorted him to the bathroom, which was absurd to Seth, seeing as how the room was only a few yards away from his door. Nevertheless, they had allowed Seth to enter unsupervised, while they waited outside by the door. When he was ready to leave, they directed him back to his room.

For the past several hours, Seth had been confined to his room. He knew that fairies were outside not only his door, but were presumably waiting outside his window, even though he had kept the blinds closed all night, and never bothered to look out. Essentially, Seth was trapped. He knew that the fairies would retaliate if he tried to pull a fast one, even though he had no plans to do so.

Seth was truly worried. Being grounded was only the least of his problems. The Knights now had to deal with Hespera and Zavarok, wherever they had gone. Even though Zavarok may or may not have been truly innocent, he appeared to be bound to Hespera, whether he liked it or not.

Or was it really such a big deal? Hespera was only a witch, right? Surely the fairies could stand against her. Of course, a sorceress with a demon on her side had always been a force to be reckoned with. Muriel had Bahamut, and Oblivion had Tritanoss. As it seemed, this feud against Hespera, and possibly Navarog's equal, would probably not be as easy as it seemed.

And just how powerful was Hespera? Seth did not want to know, but feared that sooner or later, the Knights of the Dawn would eventually find out. Perhaps the fairies would aid them, or Kendra could assume her fairyprime form. It had worked against impossible threats before, had it not?

As things stood now, Seth found himself unable to sleep. Did sleep really even matter at this point? Things were looking grim. If they weren't careful, Hespera could possibly devastate the world within a week. Seth shook his head in disbelief. She couldn't be THAT powerful, could she? But, Seth hadn't forgotten about Zavarok. Where did he belong in all of this?

"Seth..." bellowed an eerie voice, quickly grasping his attention.

Startled, but not frightened, Seth reached his hand over to his bedside table, and fumbled around for the switch to his reading light. He flicked it on, illuminating the darkened room a fair bit.

"Wh-wh-who's there?" Seth asked cautiously.

"It's me," said the voice more thoroughly. "Zavarok."

Seth shook his head. "It can't be. I was a part of Navarog once. You sound nothing like him."

Seth then heard a light jingling sound coming from the other side of his door. It was a fairy, no doubt alerting him to be quiet.

"I'm a drifting spirit," said Zavarok. "If I were a proper dragon, I'd be much louder, I can assure you."

Seth groaned. "Keep it down," he whispered. "I'm in enough trouble as it is."

"No one can hear me but you," said Zavarok. "Of that I'm sure."

"Where are you?" asked Seth in a whisper, trying to detect the source of the voice.

"I'm invisible," said Zavarok. "Even to your senses. I barely have the strength to communicate with you as it is."

"So, you're back to the way you were, after being killed by Navarog, but before finding David?"

"Correct. I refuse to seek out another host, over fear of causing more trouble."

"I get it," said Seth. "You've come to me, because you need help, and because I'm the only one you can speak to, right?"

"That's right."

"Well, how exactly am I supposed to help?" asked Seth. "I've been grounded bigtime, and the others aren't really buying your story. I'm not even certain that I can trust you."

"I wish there was a way I could prove myself to you."

"It's not that I don't believe you," said Seth. "But things are hard enough as it is. No offence, but things were going well for us until you came along."

Zavarok moaned. "I understand. Nobody wants Zavarok. I don't belong anywhere. I'm... a freak."

"Look, I didn't mean to offend you..."

"Doesn't matter that I defeated my brother, so that he could be imprisoned in the Quiet Box. When you're part demon like me, everyone expects the worst from you."

"I understand where you're coming from," said Seth. "Even before today, I've been on shaky terms with my folks now and then. It's not always fun and dandy being a shadow charmer when you're a good guy."

"I appreciate you helping to get me released from David."

Seth stroked his brow. "Wait, I thought you'd be content with just being separated from David. Why're you still lingering around? And for that matter, how'd you get away from Hespera?"

"After I was released from David, I saw what happened. Hespera kept me bound to her, and your group got turned into rats. However, once Hespera entered the subway tunnel, I could feel her force breaking, probably due to her weakened state, and I was drawn back to you somehow. But, I couldn't communicate with you, I guess because you were a rat."

"Then what?"

"I followed you around, as you made your way out of the subway and into that office. You guys ate that, what it's called? Snickers?"

"You really did follow us," said Seth. "I... believe you. But Hespera's free! Even if we wanted to, we can't go back and have her restore you!"

"I know," said Zavarok. "I tried leaving your presence, but no matter where you were, I couldn't stray far. Something was keeping us bound together."

"But why?" asked Seth.

"I don't know."

"Look, I'll tell everyone about you tomorrow," said Seth. "Whether they like it or not."

At that point, Seth's door flung open, and the two fairies that had been keeping an eye on Seth floated into his bedroom.

"Oh great," whined Zavarok.

Both of the fairies flew up towards Seth and began to produce jingling sounds. Their bodies were both giving off intense yellow and purple glows, and appeared to look disgruntled towards Seth.

"Sorry!" exclaimed Seth. "You know, I've had a bad day,"

The two fairies made noises that resembled unintelligible gibberish, as they aimed their hands at Seth and expelled magical sparkles towards his face. Within seconds, his eyelids began to feel very heavy. His head collapsed on his pillow, prompting one of the fairies to fly over to his reading light and switch it off.

The fairies made more jingling noises, as the two of them flew back out through the door, magically shutting it behind them.

Within seconds, Seth could feel his eyelids closing, as if it were an unconscious reflex his body was forcing him to do.

The next morning, Seth awoke feeling relaxed and refreshed. As much as he resented the fairies for forcing him to sleep, he did appreciate the rest. However, he was uncertain as to how his punishment would work. Certainly, he'd be allowed out of his room so that he could use the washroom and freshen up, right?

Seth hopped out of bed, walked over to his door and knocked on it.

"Hey, fairies! Can I use the washroom?"

There was no response.

"Oh, come on!" blurted Seth. "My folks made it clear that I can still use the bathroom when I need to! I mean, I know we're not on the best of terms, but at least do your part!"

Again, Seth heard nothing. Peeved, Seth grasped the doorknob and prepared to twist it. Surely the fairies would notice him if he tried to rebel.

The door opened normally, as though it was not being kept sealed by an external force. Seth looked around the hallway for the fairies, but they were nowhere to be found.

"Weird," said Seth, as he made his way to the bathroom.

After getting washed up, Seth returned to his room to get dressed, still finding no sign of the fairies. Knowing that he was forbidden from leaving his room, Seth made the decision to venture downstairs. He could care less if the others yelled at him. It wasn't his fault that the fairies weren't doing their job.

Once Seth reached the bottom of the stairs, all of his guardians approached him, perturbed looks etched on their faces.

"Hey, excuse me!" exclaimed Seth. "I'm only down here because my newly-appointed bodyguards decided to take the night off!"

"We have a serious problem regarding the fairies," said Grandpa.

"But, I didn't do anything!" cried Seth. "I was in my room all night!"

"We didn't say that this was your fault," said Grandma. "However, you or may not be connected to what's just occurred."

Grandpa led Seth through the house, towards the back door in the kitchen. "The fairies we assigned to keep a watch on you, well, they passed out during their shift."

"Passed out?" asked Seth. "How?"

"Wish we knew," said Grandpa, as he opened the back door to the patio, and led Seth out into the garden, where everyone else had gathered around a table. As Seth approached the table, he saw four fairies lying atop it, all of them unconscious.

Seth was in terror. "What happened?" he asked. "Are they... dead?"

"They still appear to be breathing, so no," replied Bright. "They're in a stupor."

"Like when Warren was catatonic?"

"Worse," said Dale. "Warren could at least perform simplified tasks. These fairies are, for all intents and purposes... petrified."

Seth looked at everyone. "Are you guys all actually assuming that I'm the one behind this?" asked Seth.

"Well, these were the fairies who were assigned to watch over your door and window for the previous shift," replied Clover.

"I-i-it wasn't me!" muttered Seth.

"We're not blaming this on you, necessarily," said Grandma. "But you are a suspect due to a lack of evidence, sorry to say. David, you are also a suspect."

David's eyes popped wide open. "Me? Why me?"

"Zavarok may or may not still be a part of you," said Grandpa. "But even if he no longer is, there could very well be residual dark energy lingering within you, that is hampering the fairies. Since you were sleeping within the vicinity of the fairies on guard last night, it's possible that any traces of dark energy still in your body may have affected the fairies. It's too unlikely to be a mere coincidence."

"So, you're saying this whole thing could be connected to Zavarok?" asked Seth.

"We're not sure," said Grandpa. "For a demon who was allegedly removed from David and is lord-knows-where now, he seems to have left a rather heavy influence in his wake."

Seth squinted his eyes, as he mentally smacked his face. Zavarok had spoken to him last night! He had been following Seth around like a lost puppy!

"Our other theory is that Hespera did more than just transform you boys into rats," said Grandma. "Nigh, she may have placed a secondary enchantment on you alongside the transformation."

"Seth," said Zavarok, "what are they doing?"

"Not now," whispered Seth under his breath.

"Are they trying to eliminate me?" asked Zavarok.

"Anyway, we think that you boys and Raxtus should undergo a little extensive testing," said Grandpa. "Just to make sure you aren't infected with any negative energies that could pose as a hazard to the fairies."

"Will the fairies be all right?" asked Kendra.

"We hope so," replied Bright. "We'll send them back to the Fairy Kingdom where they can recover."

"So, what's all this testing gonna be?" asked David.

"It's nothing serious," replied Grandma. "It's more of an inspection than anything. It'll take place after you boys finish breakfast."

Most of the group, with the exception of Bright and Clover, made their way back to the house, and entered the kitchen. Kendra looked the most distraught out of everyone, which came as no surprise, given that she had strong ties to the fairies.

"I need to use the bathroom," said Seth, "I know the fairies aren't available to hold my hand this time, but..."

"Just go," said Grandma. "But don't take too long. You need to eat breakfast so that we can start with the testing."

Seth knew exactly what the problem was. He didn't need any silly testing. Of course, the real hazard it posed was that Zavarok could unintentionally be detected in the process, which could spell the end of him. But his mere presence was already weakening innocent fairies, who were only doing their job.

Seth entered the ground floor bathroom and made his way over to the far wall. "Zavarok," he whispered, "I'm safe in here. Talk to me."

"Seth," said Zavarok. "What's all this testing about?"

Seth sighed. "In case you haven't realized yet, your very presence is weakening the local fairies! So they're trying to figure out what's going on."

"And it's possible they'll find me?"

"Well, they're only going to check me, Lance, David and Raxtus. As long as you're not nearby, they probably won't sense you. But, if you can't truly leave me, all the fairies here will be in danger. On top of that, they'll probably figure out where you're lurking sooner or later, and eliminate you!"

"Look, I didn't mean to inflict any harm on those fairies!" exclaimed Zavarok.

"Seriously?" asked Seth. "I wasn't awake to keep an eye on you last night. Anything could've happened."

"It's because I'm a demon. Just being near me weakens creatures of light."

Seth placed his arm down upon the counter. "Look, if just lingering around here makes you a liability to the fairies, maybe we should just tell them you're here! It's going to lead to trouble otherwise."

"But, what if the plan backfires?" asked Zavarok. "They're not going to believe that I'm a demon with a heart."

"And I can't just leave this place," said Seth. "Besides, it's my home. Look, even if I could get the fairies to help me on this, what good would it do? Their magic might inadvertently harm you."

"Seth," said Mrs. Sorenson from behind the door, "are you done in there?"

"I'm almost done!" exclaimed Seth.

"Well come out and eat your breakfast. The others want to start this whole thing as soon as possible."

"Coming," said Seth, as he then turned his head away from the door, to where he envisioned Zavarok was. "Look, I've gotta go through with this stupid testing, if only to buy us some time. Until that's over, stay as far from me, and any fairies, as possible. Try the dungeon, you'll fit right in with the monsters who're jailed down there."

"Okay," said Zavarok. "While you're doing that, I'll try to think of a solution to this myself."

Seth then flushed the toilet, if only to convince the others that he had actually used the bathroom, washed his hands, and made his way into the kitchen, where he sat down at the table. Everyone else was already partway through their scrambled eggs.

"Eat up," said Grandma, as Seth picked up his utensils. "What's happened to the fairies is no laughing matter."

"It wasn't my fault," said Seth, his mouth half-full of eggs and ketchup.

"Look, we want to believe you, Seth," said Mrs. Sorenson, "but after the little expedition you led yesterday, we don't know what to believe."

After everyone had finished eating their breakfast, the group made their way back out into the backyard. As he passed over the threshold, Seth tried to sense where Zavarok was. Although he had no way of really knowing, he hoped that Zavarok really was hiding out in the dungeon. There had to be other dark creatures in confinement down there, right?

Just as everyone gathered around the table where Bright and Clover had been waiting with the fallen fairies, a female, humanoid figure came flying into view from across the yard.

"She's here!" exclaimed Bright, pointing up at the approaching figure. Soon enough, everyone was able to make out whom she was. It was Brillia, Bright and Bracken's eldest sister.

The golden-haired fairy descended down before the small crowd that had gathered. Although she was happy to see everyone, her smile quickly drooped to a frown when she spotted the unconscious fairies laying on the table.

"How did this happen?" asked Brillia, looking down at the fairies.

"We're... not sure," said Grandpa. "We need to do more investigating."

"And you suspect that it's a dark essence that causing this, correct?"

"There's a good probability," answered Grandpa.

"Well, I'm not here to identify the source of the problem," said Brillia. "I've got these fairies to attend to. If you require any assistance in seeking out the source, we could always send a specialist to help you in these affairs."

"I think we'll be okay for now," said Grandma.

"Understood," said Brillia. "I only wish we could meet under better circumstances."

Brillia then extended her hands towards the fairies, and encased them all in a golden glow. "I'll do what I can to save these four. They should be all right in the end. Goodbye for now."

Brillia then flew off across the yard, with the four smaller fairies floating alongside her. While it was likely that Brillia would be able to save them, it was by no means a long-term solution to Seth and Zavarok's problem. What could they do?