My tongue hung loose off my mouth. Cold saliva streamed down my cheek as I lifted my head. I came to my senses when I noticed that I fell asleep on the sofa and I tried to swallow my spit down my dry throat. I coughed. But the more I coughed, the more my throat itched. I spotted a tall glass half full with water on the table in front of me so I stretched out my arm, only to notice that they didn't extend that far.
Black chains that were tied around my entire body bit at my arms when I stretched so I recoiled. They were wrapped around simply, maybe with three or four tiny strands, and a big strand where a single chain was a size of my palm. The tiny strands held onto me tightly and the big strand weighed me down. Shaking or pulling only seemed to tighten their grip.
"What's going…" I trailed off, my voice scratchy and hoarse. When I blinked, the scene changed.
The dusky room was unstable and I had a hard time focusing. One second it looked like a grand hall, and when I blinked it was only a tiny room. I could see a window that pierced intense rays of light, possibly sunlight, but was mostly covered by the chains I was imprisoned with. That one-second of light showed me that moving chains covered the walls of this room. Some hung from the roof, others twitched on the floor, making the room look bigger or smaller depending on how the chains moved.
The chains seemed to move by will. A strand made its way under my jaw, making my head crane back, neck exposed. A cackle came from the very back of the room, a dark hall shrouded by equally dark curtains. Only when the chains that snaked around the walls and exposed the light from the window, I could see a little bit of who was behind the curtains.
His voice was a collection of many, but all of them sound male. "…You will forever be mine. As long as you do not remember, what you forgot."
I forced my throat to swallow spit. It kind of hurt when you have your head pulled back by a chain. "Who are you?" I managed to ask.
"Ah, but you already know me. I've manifested your body once." The voice chuckled. "And as long as you do not remember, you will never escape this underground purgatory."
A smirk formed on my lips. "Oh, you're my phantom… the one that uses chains. By any chance, are you called 'The Mother' or something? The mother of, um, the phantoms and monsters and stuff? Because I expected a female figure." I let my mouth say whatever I wanted. I was, in fact, terrified of him since I couldn't do anything, but I just couldn't shut up.
The Mother seemed amused by my babbling; he loosened the chains and let me fall to the ground. I gasped and rubbed the back of my neck. Every part of my body was sore from the chains. The Mother chuckled for a bit before completely seceding all of his chains behind the curtain, leaving me, and the now closed, dark window, alone in the room.
I woke up to my stomach making twists and turns. The pain wasn't piercing, or very much intense; it was a slow soreness. My eyes took a while to adjust. The living room was lit by a small nightstand in the corner of the room and I noticed I was alone except for a yellow, flurry ball on the table. It shook and came closer to me as it swayed left and right. It found an opening in my arms and snuggled against my chest. His soft coat soothed me, and the numb ache in my stomach eventually went away.
"Pi-pichu." Pichu purred.
My hand was sweaty from holding in the pain, but Pichu didn't mind me petting him. I stared at him until I could see the individual hairs being pulled when I stroked his fluff. The sofa was comfortable and I was too lazy to sit up.
"I'm glad you're with us again, Pichu." My voice croaked.
Pichu looked up at me with his big, round eyes and nodded earnestly.
I looked down at my arms. There were no black chains. There were no clinking sounds and laughs of a hundred men laughing at the same time. It was all a dream. Was that 'The Mother'? Was that the cause of everything? And most importantly, was that my phantom? I could have sat there thinking forever. Questions made other questions, yet none of them had a definite answer.
A knock on the door brought me to attention. Snake ducked his head and scanned the room until he found me in a dark corner. "Are you ready?"
He might have meant that by: 'Are you ready to go see Cosby?' But I couldn't just nod automatically. Cosby was shot in the arm by the lieutenant's musket at a very close distance, but we tried to get him urgent attention as soon as possible. I hoped for the best.
The house was relatively quiet and I was just starting to notice the soft murmurs of my friends in the other room and dishes clinking together. My stomach growled from the inviting orange light and the smell of tomatoes. It's been a while since I've last eaten.
Snake chuckled, "There's food too. That soldier is eating most of it so you'd better hurry." He said and left the room with the door slightly ajar.
I had to smile. I was glad Cosby was already able to eat after that serious wound.
Bringing my legs off the sofa was more difficult than I thought. Each limb felt like jelly. When I checked Priscilla's watch, it was nine in the morning. I had a night's sleep and I was still exhausted. Pichu hopped off my chest to point out my belongings on the table. My dark blue cloak, my brown bag, and my bow were all placed neatly.
I carefully placed Priscilla's watch into a pocket in my bag. I'll definitely take good care of it now that I know it helped me regain my white light when the ink took over me. Heaven knows why, but I wanted to think Priscilla's light was stored into the timepiece.
Snake's Taser was still in my bag. I never got to use it but I should give it back to him soon. My black notebook and pen were still intact after all the adventure it's been through. I flipped through the pages until I reached the last entry: "Oh he has such charming eyes. I wished they were just for me. But doctor, I'm just happy you're with us."
It didn't take me a while to figure out it was Priscilla's mother who wrote this. The lieutenant's affair with her cost him being excluded from the mysterious cult Priscilla's father brought together. And he took his anger out on the guards who were supposed to rightfully guard Polis 1 by abusing his power. Although he was a doctor… maybe his compassion for people died a long time ago.
"Pip-chu?"
Pichu batted his eyes at the open notebook. I tickled his chin until he squirmed away giggling. His cheeks blushed a light pink. The Pokémon was adorable; I couldn't help smiling, even though his phantom had a temper that can make an entire city short of electricity.
I guess killing the phantom would solve the problem of him attacking the city, but the lieutenant had no care for this Polis whatsoever. He abused the common people and the guards day after day. So why was he so obsessed in capturing Pichu's phantom? Did he still want to do research about the ink and 'The Mother' even after he was dismissed from the cult?
My stomach growled again. Pichu rubbed his stomach and frowned too.
"I guess I can't think with an empty stomach."
"Pichu!"
Cosby was stuffing his face with his good arm. His left arm was intact, wrapped with a cast from the shoulder to the tip of his hand. The rest of my friends all seemed to have finished their breakfast and were lounging. While I scanned the room, I was immediately welcomed with a plate of food shoved into my chest by Link.
"Good morning. Eat up." He smiled.
I took the plate gratefully. The smell of tomatoes came from the omelet cooked with tomatoes and green peppers. I said my thanks to Link and sat across from Cosby. He grinned with a mouthful, making him look like a contented squirrel.
"I'm glad you're okay." I smiled, almost laughing if I had been more awake.
"Me foo." He washed the food down with a glass of water. "My arm still hurts like a mother, but I survived. All thanks to you and your friends. Thank you for saving my life, White Bird."
I nodded. "But you should say your thanks to Dr. Sutherland. He's the one who did the operation and he was retired." I looked around the room to find the elderly surgeon. "Say, where is he?"
"Taking his regular walks. I insisted him to wait until you woke up but he said he'll be back soon."
I shrugged. But I guess it made sense. The first time we met the old man was when Pichu's phantom cut off the power in the city. He was still taking his walks at the time of emergency so he must enjoy them a lot. Perhaps even too much.
Outside at the porch, Link and Zelda were carrying on a relaxed conversation. That was okay, considering they're a couple (even though they still deny it). The rest of my friends were inside talking to one another or sitting. The lieutenant was nowhere to be found. When I asked about this, Cosby put his fork down and laced his fingers.
His voice dipped lower as if he was telling me a secret. "About an hour ago, Blackwood was taken to the city hall, well, it's mostly rubble now. But he'll be supervised and guarded 24/7 until the judge decides."
"No offense but, why didn't this happen… you know, sooner?" I questioned.
The uncomfortable frown on Cosby's face was enough to explain the pain he and the guards went through. "Um, well, for the first part, there wasn't a serious incident that could get him dismissed of his duties until he shot my arm yesterday. All of it was verbal abuse or threat, that could still count for 'discipline'."
"Discipline? Are you serious?"
Cosby bit his lip and nodded. I couldn't believe it. Were all human armies trained with abuse and threats? My goddess would have more than a word with me if I ever treated any of the troops in a matter like the lieutenant. I could've started complaining now, but I let the poor soldier relieve his piled up stress. He looked like a lost pup with his dropped shoulders and scrunched eyebrows.
"…Second, was that we didn't have a leader as skilled as Blackwood. He was excellent with his musket. But thanks to you, we finally realized skill isn't the only thing it takes to be a leader. We're already discussing who should be next to lead the guards and we have good candidates."
I cut a piece of omelet with my fork. "Are you in the ballot?"
Cosby smiled and scratched his head bashfully. He nodded. I'll need to remember to vote for him later. Injured or not, he proved me that he has the stature to be a leader.
The last piece of omelet was a bit too big for one bite but I shoved the scrap in my mouth anyway. By that time, Roy, Young Link, and Pichu sat around me and the "phantom convention" was complete again.
Roy had tape wrapped around his thigh, and Young Link still had some red sore spots from the battle with my phantom. I offered to share my light with them so their injuries won't bother so much, but they refused, "It's okay. It doesn't hurt as much. And I think we should conserve your light so we don't use it all… if it has a limit."
A limit…. I never really thought of the limit to my power. The light is a representation of 'hope' itself. And so if I ran out of 'hope'… does that leave me with 'despair'? Or I may just end up like Priscilla, forgotten and unable to give my light to others, passing the succession to a new generation.
"Ah, angel. You woke up!" Dr. Sutherland revealed himself from the streets and took off his hat as a greeting. He bowed to each of my friends before coming up to me to shake my hand. "Looks like you've eaten. How about a morning walk with me?"
"But you've just came back from your walk." I deadpanned.
"And now I have company! The rest of you stay here and chat. The angel and I will be back shortly." The old man practically dragged me out into the streets again so I only had time to wave back to my friends. I did manage to grab my belongings and wrap my cloak around me.
Dr. Sutherland's pace wasn't as slow as I expected him to be. He actually seemed to match my pace so walking with him was very comfortable. He stood very straight without a cane and he always had a half-smile on his face. In a way, he seemed too young to have retired.
Most of the shops and restaurants were closed after last night's tragedy. People were locked up into their houses, but the occasional passerby walked with a limp from their wounds. A lot of them didn't have proper care applied to their injuries. One woman only had a towel to cover her flesh wound.
Men who weren't as injured talked among themselves on how to repair after Pichu's phantom's destruction. Still, the doctor didn't seem to be moved from the dark atmosphere. Every time I looked up to him, I found him in his half-smile like it was any other stroll through the city.
After a long peace, the doctor asked a question that I wanted an answer to before; "Do you know why the people here don't rely on doctors? Why no one but you came to seek my help last night?"
"No, I don't." I replied softly.
"Well, there's the lieutenant, the former 'doctor' or so to speak." The old man rolled his eyes. "More of a mad man in my eyes. And a sex-hungry, power-hungry dog. He was never full because his stomach is an endless hole. I give my thanks to you for ending his reign here."
I chuckled. The retired doctor was more open to opinions than I thought.
He leaned closer to my ear. "That is one reason. The other is… I hope you didn't forget the other doctor you are after."
I looked down. I knew Dr. Sutherland was mentioning Dr. Mario, the other phantom I was after. After he disappeared from the abandoned hospital, we found no trace of him anywhere. Not only that, all of us was so preoccupied in handling Pichu's phantom and the lieutenant…
The retired doctor placed a warm hand on my shoulder. "It's alright. We've all been busy. But I wanted to tell you, that he is another factor, that, um, these people don't rely on doctors." He stifled, a rare occurrence of him.
We sat on a small, comfortable bench. People went by here and there, murmuring to one another ominously, or limping their way back home. Every time an injured civilian passed by, Dr. Sutherland followed them with his eyes, and that is all he did.
His voice too, reduced to a mutter. "Would you like to know what happened to Dr. Mario?"
"Yes. I do."
Dr. Sutherland seemed to age ten years when he frowned. "I found him on my way here to Polis 1 a couple months ago. After I retired, I was relieved that my hands weren't responsible of a human life. But when I saw Dr. Mario lying there in the path barely hanging on to his life, my instincts of being a surgeon for forty years sparked and I immediately knew I had to save him."
"Was he injured?" I asked carefully.
"Yes… severely injured. I was surprised he was still alive. He had strange red marks everywhere as if he was wringed by ropes, and he was lying in a pool of blood. We took him to Polis 1's hospital for operation."
He eyed the abandoned hospital, where my friends and I first met Dr. Mario. It was operating as a hospital just a couple months ago.
"Fortunately, he recovered quickly. But he started to show signs of depression as I took care of him. At first, he didn't even know his name or how he ended up in that path covered in blood, but as he slowly remembered, his expressions gradually became darker and darker also. I was very worried for him." Dr. Sutherland turned back to me. "You don't remember your name either, correct?"
"…Correct." I swallowed.
The old man looked away. "One night, the 'Plasma Creature' attacked. Nobody was able to see what the creature was except for Lieutenant Blackwood, or that he claims he did. The creature was lightning in a form of a nightmare, just like last night. And Dr. Mario saw the city in chaos from his room. I was away from the hospital at the time to help the civilians escape but…" He faltered.
I noticed he was shivering. I took off my hood and massaged his back. Dr. Sutherland nodded, unable to say his thanks.
"Did Dr. Mario… change into a phantom? Like, was he covered in black?" I guessed.
"Yes. And he… he had murdered everyone when I came back. All of the doctors, nurses, even the patients… it was hell's sight. And the monster that was once Dr. Mario met eyes with me, but he spared me for some reason. I-I guess I didn't even deserve his attention." Dr. Sutherland paused to take a deep breath. He looked up, but his eyes looked into nothing, as if he can see that nightmare playing in his head.
"The next day, it was as if a summer's storm passed by. But the scars were never healed. Guards were on constant patrol, and Blackwood was frustrated as ever. Until you and your friends arrived."
I nodded.
I tried not to imagine what Dr. Sutherland went through when he confronted Dr. Mario's phantom. But was there a reason why he was spared? Pichu's terrified an entire city, twice now, and Dr. Mario's ruthless murders only made it more confusing as to why Dr. Sutherland was still alive that night. Plus, Dr. Mario helped when we were injured. It was only later on that we came to the conclusion that he was taken over by a phantom. Maybe he still has a sliver of sanity from the person trapped inside.
"Dr. Sutherland," I spoke up. In response, a weak, forced smile formed on the doctor's lips. "What were you doing yesterday when the 'Plasma Creature' attacked? You should have stayed at your home and kept safe."
He sighed, as though it was an obvious answer, "Oh, my angel, once you become a doctor and capable of saving lives, you can't help but reach out to those in need, even if the civilians don't trust you."
"…We should head on home. I think you had one too many walks."
"Perhaps I did." Dr. Sutherland chuckled and stood up straight as he always has. "Thanks for listening, angel."
"And thank you for sharing your story with me."
The wrinkles around his mouth crunched together in a wide smile, but I saw remorse in his twinkling eyes. I promised to him silently that I would free Dr. Mario and promise him a more relaxing post-retirement life.
Back at the house, Cosby was petting Pichu and happily chatting with a guest I hadn't seen when the doctor and I left for our walk. Cosby's older sister Analiese and her son David noticed us quickly and waved. Dr. Sutherland bowed politely to them and withdrew to the sofa in the back to rest. The rest of my friends carried on with their general conversation.
Analiese stood and hugged me tight. "I'm so glad you're safe, my angel. And bless your soul, you saved my brother's life."
"It's my friends that helped him, though. I was too busy crying."
"Oh," Analiese giggled. "But what's important is that you cared for him." She cupped my face with her small hands and patted my cheeks like I was a boy going off to school for the first day. Even David patted my stomach (that was as far as he could reach) and said his thanks.
Cosby pushed through the two to get in front. "Alright, enough with the sappiness. You're going to make him cry again." He winked. I rolled my eyes. It was remarkable how much he recovered from that musket shot last night. Even with years of training, this much improvement in one night was astounding.
He ushered his sister and nephew to the tables once more. Analiese protested, saying she didn't like to be pushed around, but Zelda sat at her table and the two started chatting like long known friends. Cosby and I slipped into the living room and closed the door behind us. He nodded as if he could see what I was thinking. "You want to go see Blackwood again, right?"
I sighed. "You know me well. …I just have a few questions to ask him."
"Do you mind telling me?" Cosby asked as he carefully sat down in a chair. Just then, Roy peeked his head in the room with a pout on his lips. Right beneath him, Young Link and Pichu poked their heads into the door, completing a three-headed totem pole.
"Do you guys want to listen too?" I smiled. Without another word, the three ex-phantoms poured into the room and situated themselves in the chairs. Cosby made cursory glances at them and remarked, "You know, we could just share your plan to the rest of your group, White Bird."
I scratched my head. "Well… I wanted one person to know, but I didn't want everyone to be worried for me. Roy is a good example."
"Of course I'm going to be worried for you, you do stupid things." Roy scoffed.
After I relayed out all the questions I want from Blackwood, Young Link was the first to shake his head. "I doubt he'll be able to talk rationally, or listen to you." Roy nodded in agreement.
"I have to try. He probably has valuable information I can't get from anyone else. And besides, whatever you guys are going to say, it's not going to stop me."
"You can't stop us from coming with you, then." Roy crossed his arms. Pichu followed his example, although his pose wasn't as intimidating as Roy's.
"Oh, just in case some of my mates want to make a grab at you, I'll be there to make solace." Cosby offered. I shrugged. I knew I wasn't going alone anyway.
Eventually, I told the rest of my friends of my 'plan'. Not telling them felt like keeping a secret from them and I never wanted that. Everyone offered to come with me, but all of us towering over the unstable lieutenant would get us nowhere. And I had a feeling I'd rely on my friends to do the questioning for me and be cowering in the back. My friends have helped me enough and since I've been taken over by a phantom. I can't always rely on them, especially since I could hurt them in return.
Many eyes pierced my back as we left the retired doctor's home. Only Dr. Sutherland waved at me politely as if to wish me a wonderful time. Pichu fluttered his tiny arms goodbye and situated in the opening of my hooded cloak.
The streets were quieting down. A thick veil of remorse seemed to weigh down the entire city. Electricity was restored, but the majority of the lights were destroyed by last night's tragedy. A boy, maybe the same age as Young Link, ducked into the shadowed street and I could only catch the bruise that wrapped around his thigh. An elderly woman had her head dipped low as she passed by the group of us, hardly making a sound. Her dress was muddled and ghostly pale.
Roy placed a hand on my shoulder and whispered, "Remember, we're going to see the lieutenant."
"I just… I wish I could help." I turned to see Roy's grave frown, but behind him, as the elderly woman passed by us, she took another heavy step and faded into nothingness. I shook my head, rubbed my eyes, but she wasn't there. Young Link peered into me worryingly, but I dismissed it as my mind playing tricks on me. It wasn't my first time seeing an otherworldly entity anyway.
The plaza was vacant of the common people. Shops were closed like the streets. The guards made a wall in front of the rubble where the city hall used to be. Suited men, probably city officials or some sort, set up a temporary tent for their meeting. Construction workers with yellow hard hats and the city's men (those who probably volunteered to help) were searching around the wreckage.
Cosby took the lead to explain to his fellow guards about my request. I kept my head low and the hood heavily over my head for my anonymity. After a couple minutes of discussing and guards throwing suspicious looks at us, Cosby warmed up to them and asked to lead us to a locked door behind the rubble. The only part of the city hall that wasn't ruined, luckily lead down into the prison.
A tall, strongly built man bowed to the group of us. His baldhead reflected off the dim city lights. "Good afternoon, I'm Wagner. I hear you… befriended the 'Plasma Creature' last night?"
"That would be correct." I nodded. Pichu poked his head from my hood and waved to the guard.
"Well," Wagner leaned in to get a good look at Pichu. "The creature was a lot smaller than I imagined. I can't even imagine that this little guy can take out a city's power. Alright then, follow me. He's being detained in one of the cells."
Wagner and Cosby took the lead as the rest of us followed closely. I was relieved that all of the prisoners evacuated after last night. Most of them were starved and overall treated very poorly. But now that Blackwood has been caught, the wrongfully detained citizens should be released, or at least be in better condition than this ditch.
The laboratory that kept my friends hostage was nothing more than a pile of bricks and wood. I felt Roy and Young Link huddle closer to me as they noticed the white tiles of the lab scattered across the floor. Their presence reassured me as well as my presence calmed them down.
"…Not my favorite place in the world." Roy muttered.
"I know, I know."
Young Link scanned the ruins. "I wonder where all those researchers went. I don't think I've seen a single white coat since we left this place."
"I guess I'll need to ask the lieutenant where they went too, then." I added.
The walk to Blackwood's cell seemed to take forever since there were no other inmates and the underground prison (I mean the whole city itself is underground also, but the prison was even a level below) was dim and eerily musty. Sometimes I heard tinkling of metal as if some men were still mining, but I wished it were just my imagination.
Eventually Wagner and Cosby found the other guards that watched over Blackwood's cell. Wagner checked the dark cell before asking one of the men, "Why did you strap him?"
A man with striking blue eyes spoke up. "He started hitting his head against the wall." He leaned over Wagner's shoulders to look at us. "Who are they?"
"The heroes of the tragedy last night. See that yellow fluff? That was the 'Plasma Creature' we all feared. Turns out that he was possessed by this evil monster and they knew how to cure him."
The guard's behavior changed significantly. His blue eyes softened and bowed. "Blackwood is in here. Though I doubt you'll get anything out of him."
I took a glance into the dark cell. I could make a silhouette sitting in a chair heavily, still as a statue. All of us didn't make a sound until the former lieutenant spoke up. His voice was hoarse, ancient. After one night, he seemed to age many years.
"White Bird," he husked, "only you. The rest of you, go away."
"And why should we listen to your terms?" Roy stepped up and questioned.
Blackwood lifted his head. I took in a breath as his hair, now almost covered in gray, sifted through just enough to show his snake green eyes that bore into mine. I've heard of people developing gray hairs after a traumatic incident but Blackwood almost seemed like a different person from the amount he developed.
"I just want some time with my angel if I'm going to die here tonight."
I shuddered in disgust. I wished people would stop calling me 'my angel'. At least people like him. The guards looked at each other with concern, but Cosby nodded. He pointed to the rather large warehouse behind him. I spotted some mining tools but it seemed long since used. "We'll be in the cabin if you need us. But if we hear any fighting we're going to break you two up."
"Cosby, we can't just let him be alone with—" Young Link argued, but I placed a hand on his head.
The terms weren't bad. The cabin was almost right in front of Blackwood's cell, and he was securely strapped to the chair with cuffs and rope. If anything happens, I can call for help. Besides, with some of the questions I wanted to ask, I wanted to be alone with Blackwood.
Young Link pouted his lips in concern. I wanted to tell him it was okay, but if I said anything to reassure him, it would've felt fake.
When I was about to step in the cell, Roy noticed the yellow fluff of Pichu that was still inside my hood and had to drag him out of the comfort of my vicinity. They both stared at me and to the dark cell with nervous tension but I pushed them on.
"If I hear anything weird, I'm coming for you." Roy assured.
"Thanks."
But despite being confident, I felt my heart drop when I heard that creak of the wooden door to the cabin being shut. I knew my friends and the guards were right in front of me, just past the concrete wall and wooden door, but the damp cold and the sense of isolation grabbed me by the lungs, making my breaths a bit shallow.
I reached into my bag and stroked Priscilla's watch. When my body turned into a phantom, her watch took all of the ink away. I hope it wasn't a one-time thing because I was sure I was going to need it again.
After all, that was the first time I ever felt murderous towards someone.
I stepped into the stony cubicle. The first thing I haven't noticed before was the smell of tomatoes and eggs. There was a tray at Blackwood's feet with an omelet, a tall glass of water, and a fork placed neatly, ignored. I supposed he was freer to move about before they had to strap him into a chair. Dried streaks of blood ran down his face from his forehead from when he harmed himself.
He saw me eyeing the tray and chuckled. "Are you hungry?"
I looked away. But I still couldn't look at him directly.
"What did you have for breakfast?"
My fingertips tingled from the coldness. I pulled the dark blue cloak over me more. I wasn't sure if Blackwood was playing games, or if this was supposed to be an icebreaker, but I played with it.
"Something similar."
"How about the first day?"
"…What do you mean?"
"The first day." He smirked. Wrinkles adorned his face, creasing his wicked smile. "The first day you woke up in this cave."
"Excuse m—"
"Realizing not only you had amnesia, but were secluded from the world above and wondered if there was a way out of this dark nightmare. The day you first woke up, Pit. What did you eat?"
My stomach felt like it shrunk to half the size. How did he know all this, and what is… Pit? The word wasn't unfamiliar to me at all, but more…
"How about when you met with your friends? When you fought the 'phantoms', when you fought the Reptilian Hellhound or the Green Bird? When you met the girl named Priscilla in Polis 3 who was all alone even after death?"
Something wasn't human about Blackwood. He started shuddering in his chair. The entire prison cell was trembling with the man, it was either that, or it was my vision blinking back and forth. Pit, Pit, Pit. What is that word, and why does it bother me so much?
My ears were buzzing, but I heard Blackwood's chair clatter with his shivering. It was loud enough to echo throughout the room but the cabin behind me was relatively quiet. Maybe it didn't sound like fighting just yet. I rubbed Priscilla's watch. Going over the ridges was a bit soothing but nothing more than that.
Blackwood was cackling. In a childish manner, he stomped his feet and shook his shoulders. Every stomp reverberated into my ribcages like a giant's footstep. I stepped back to grip the bars and those too were shaking with Blackwood's senseless cackling and stomping.
Something cold smothered my back, something a great deal colder than the metal bars. Arms wrapped around my chest and the buzzing noise in my ears worsened. I remembered this sensation last night, when we were after Pichu's phantom. The buzzing racket that felt like it was stirring my internal organs. It wasn't Pichu's phantom's power after all. All he had was electricity.
I could only turn my head around. Dr. Mario's phantom leered from ear to ear. He was covered head to toe in ink. He gripped the region right above my heart and placed his other hand to his lips.
"No one can hear you scream." He whispered.
Before I could wring free, the phantom tightened his grasp on my chest, sending a ripping, wrenching sensation directly at my heart. I bucked, feeling my arteries swell and boil, screamed but indeed, it was silent. When he let go, my legs shattered and I fell to the ground face first.
My heart pounded, sometimes skipping one or two beats. Saliva dripped from my mouth freely. With my heart as the center, whole body throbbed with thick pulses, as if lead was being pumped into my veins. The cabin was still quiet. No one can hear what is happening outside.
The phantom slipped through the metal bars, his dark form rippling through the cell like mist. I gripped the holy bow underneath my cloak. Wrapping my fingers around the handle was a bit difficult when the throbbing escalated. Behind us, Blackwood's cackle intensified into a hysterical howl. The phantom sneered and made a quick flick with his wrist, cutting off all sound that the man made.
"What a noisy man. He wasn't like this before." Dr. Mario's phantom scoffed. He knelt, and picked up my chin. "Maybe it's all your fault, Pit."
Somehow I found the momentum. I made a wild arc across the phantom's stomach; he stepped back easily. But that one swing already made me exhausted.
"Did you think by remembering your name, you would remember everything?"
"My name…" As I spoke, my chest punched out whatever air I had. Something bubbled in my stomach as I liberally vomited onto the cold cell floor. Blood seeped from the corner of my mouth and I noticed Dr. Mario managed to scratch up my stomach also.
"…Did you eat something?" The phantom asked softly. "Oh… you ate. Since when did you need food to survive here? You didn't eat or drink for the first couple of days. You glutton, you pig, you scum. Eating food when YOU DON'T NEED IT." The phantom boomed. He then paced the room, muttering to himself. There were shadows of wings starting to form on his back, the symbol of The Mother, the black wings that manifested me when The Mother took over my body.
I glanced at my bile. I didn't eat or drink prior to arriving Polis 1. I could have forgot about it, but my body would have reminded me. And I spent days like that. My friends also spent days like that. Now, I'm actually ravenous and dying for a glass of water.
The phantom hovered over me. His black wings oscillated off and on like a flickering screen. "I feel like being nice. I'll give you a hint. A hint to solving this puzzle. There's been a reoccurring theme to this. It has nothing to do with this underground hell, as you call it. You know what that theme is? Hmm? …It's amnesia and reminiscence."
"Forgetting and remembering…?" I muttered.
"Yes yes. And as you start to remember, you descend slowly back to hell. But you get closer to the truth. Vice versa, the more you become mad and forget things, the closer you get back the lackluster filth of a life you and your friends lived back in the sunlight. It's one or the other, angel. Truth or escape. Remember or forget. You cannot have both and have a happy ending. Choose wisely."
I curled my back. The back of my throat burned from my stomach acid. I couldn't breathe deeply, or else the scratches inside my body opened and stung. I gripped my holy bow tighter.
Dr. Mario's phantom caressed the cold stone. "Well, we've been in this Polis 1 for a while now, hmm? Pity that the arrival of an angel lead to this… natural disaster."
I shot up. The phantom ran a hand across the wall, his path leaving behind a deep fissure from the buzzing echoes. The cracks in the wall snaked across the whole cell in a matter of seconds. Fine particles of dust tumbled from the ceiling. As the phantom ran another hand across where Blackwood was still laughing hysterically, his laughter became off mute. I glanced at the cabin.
"Do not fret. Your friends are still deaf of what is happening outside. You wouldn't want them to worry, right?"
At that moment, a terrible thought crossed my mind. Blackwood's laughs began to sound like sobs. Thick streams of tears poured from the man's eyes. He slouched in his chair, mouth gaping open still laughing and sobbing at the same time. More cracks in the wall surrounded us. Pieces began to fly at us from the sudden splits and pressure being put in the walls.
The phantom did nothing. He was waiting for what I was going to do. I did the best I could do to stand, leaning heavily against the crackling walls. Blackwood noticed me coming toward him and his sobs began to subside.
"I'm going to die now." He gasped. "Ha haha hahahaha so much, for a life! A worthless life! All I wanted to know was the truth, all I wanted was to… All, all I wanted—"
"Blackwood…"
"A worthless life. We are forgotten. Even the angels neglected us. The heaven's door closed on us. We are trapped, here, forever. We can't escape. Trapped. Trapped in a box by the cruel god."
I sputtered from the dust falling on us. "Wh-What god are you talking about? Is it 'The Mother' or—"
Blackwood's snake green eyes gazed at the ceiling. He was smiling. "There is only one god."
A tug on my back brought me back to my senses. The ceiling above Blackwood made an ear-splitting crack. Shards of black rock showered down on the man strapped to the chair. I stared in horror as the rocks scratched him, erasing his screams as larger and larger boulders crushed him under their weight. A squirt of blood caught at my cheeks. The last of the pebbles piled on the mountain of rocks. There were no more sounds from the former lieutenant.
Behind me, Dr. Mario's phantom let out a sigh. "How about a thank you for saving your life?"
"You killed him." I shivered. My face felt hot. All the sudden, the scratches in my body didn't hurt anymore.
"He deserved to die. I recall you saying something similar to that last night."
I pulled away. The fact that I wanted him dead just last night made me pity myself. I wanted someone to die. I wanted to end Blackwood's life with my own hands. I thought that his death would bring peace in this Polis 1, and that is all a mistake. That's why I wanted to talk to him, listen to his side of the story, and share mine. Even if he wasn't sane enough to do either, I was willing to try. I wanted to prove myself I was still sane.
And now what?
"Ooh, that's a scary face." Dr. Mario's phantom stepped back smirking. Small shards of rock still showered down, threatening to cave in on us. "I think you're forgetting something, Pit. What do these people down here have anything to do with you? Who cares if they discriminate you or befriend you, they're not going to help you and your friends escape. Most of them accepted that they'd end their lives here underground. They've given up the sunlight! And those who didn't, they're the 'cult' you so despise. So why care about the humans here, they only slow you down."
Words weren't forming in my head. But my holy bow understood my anger by manifesting fire on one of the blades. I twisted, turned, used wrath as my fuel. Every once in a while, I got a good cut into the phantom.
"Ah!" The phantom cried. "Haha! That fire is nasty. What's with the sudden strength? Don't you understand the gravity of your situation at the moment?"
I took a pace back and stacked my swords into one. Blue light sprung from my hands and I raised my chest to ready an arrow. My heart thumped at a steady, but quick pace. A rock the size of my hand broke loose from the ceiling. The walls continued to crack inside the cell. I needed to save Dr. Mario quickly before the whole prison fell down on us.
Time except for the cracks in the wall and dust stopped between us. I made a short breath. I inhaled the musty smells and bits of black rock. The phantom waited for my reply.
"I care about the people, because I'm not bat-shit insane just yet."
A shuddering sensation went down the shaft of my arrow. Flames licked at the tip, flickering and swirling around my fore arms as well. Dr. Mario's phantom flinched just a bit.
"Not yet… not yet." He muttered. "You are right. Just not yet. Alas, The Mother did possess your body. Your physical body. …And you know what happens the 'ink' paints over every fiber of your existence, Pit." The monster smirked and ran his hands down at his ink-smothered-body.
Pit.
"My name is Pit. You don't need to remind me anymore." I snapped. I didn't know if the phantom wanted to annoy me, or to trigger me somehow by saying my name; although it was starting to get on my nerves.
But all this time, these days I've spent in this cave, I couldn't remember my name. None of my friends remembered my name. At times I was scared to remember it because of one of the journals that wrote: "I hate my name", over and over again until it filled the page. Like if I finally knew what my name was, I was going to lose it.
But it was just… Pit. It didn't feel right, but I've heard of it before. My name.
A shard sliced at my extended arm and I let go of my arrow prematurely. Flames burst and swathed around the phantom's head. The black ink disintegrated in flakes as he screamed, curled up on the floor held his face. I took careful measure before approaching him.
I supported Dr. Mario's limp head on my shoulder. His breathing was heavy. Hopefully he didn't have any more power to fight back. As I bestowed the white light, in dying shivering breaths, the phantom spoke soft words. "I hope you know what you're doing…"
"I'm freeing Dr. Mario from you."
"Yes… you are… but this, this means that you are 'remembering'. The more you 'remember' someone, the more you 'forget' something else. The more you give out 'hope', the darker the darkness becomes. It's all a balance, angel."
"A balance, now that's ironic." I scoffed. "From my perspective, it's awfully dark in here compared to light."
I placed my hand on his mouth and made a lifting motion. The remaining ink peeled off from the doctor into a small spherical substance. His weight on me almost made me topple back as my white light died down. I hugged him close to me. His heartbeats were steady and calm. Four out of the five black monsters, now freed and in my arms.
Dr. Mario's ink ball rolled on the palm of my hand. This underground world is a balance of light and darkness, remembering and forgetting. As I keep using my white light, The Mother's darkness becomes a stronger presence.
By seeking the truth and wanting to escape it, is the same meaning as wanting light and darkness, to remember and to forget about it. I'm told I can't have both. But who's stopping me?
Dr. Mario squirmed in my arms. He fluttered his eyes to meet mine. "Pit…?"
"That's my name."
He looked around his surroundings. The walls still crumbled dangerously but he was too out of it to stand up just yet. "You remembered it?"
"Your phantom told me."
"Of course he did…" Dr. Mario muttered. The light in his big blue eyes began to return. I could see he was simulating ideas in his head.
I sniffed. Blood still hovered in the air underneath all of the rocks and dust. Shivers went down my neck from the thought of Blackwood being crushed underneath all of those rocks. My stomach did a twist. It was appalling how hungry I was at a time like this.
I took Dr. Mario's arm for him to stand up. "We need to go. This place can crash down at us anytime now."
"Pit," Dr. Mario faltered, "Did… did I murder anyone?"
Fear distorted his face. It seems like Dr. Mario knew he did kill people, and just wanted my words to prove his nightmare. I gripped his shoulders tight. "You didn't kill anyone. Someone, something else took your arms and used them to murder people. And they're trying to make you vulnerable." I assured. "There's… there's a lot for you to catch up on, but I promise I'll explain everything later."
The doctor nodded once. "Thank you."
I offered him the ink ball, but he insisted that I held onto it. In truth, I was holding onto Roy's, Young Link's, and Pichu's anyway. I slipped the little dark ball into one of the pockets were the rest of them were.
"What happened here?" Dr. Mario asked as he examined the pile of rocks where Blackwood used to be. At first I hesitated to answer. Turns out I didn't need to since the doctor saw the look in my eyes and guessed the horrible outcome. I reminded him that it wasn't him to blame.
"… Good thing I can't smell the bodily fluids." Dr. Mario stepped back from the rocks. The two of us left the prison cell carefully.
A squeaky groan on the wall announced the cracks starting to snake out of the cell. Dr. Mario and I made our way to the cabin where the guards and my friends were. The door was locked so I knocked furiously, but no one answered. I called, louder and louder but I didn't hear a sound coming from inside the cabin. My initial thought was the phantom's ability to deaf out a given object or location, but Dr. Mario was no longer a phantom.
The doctor himself spotted a window in the back of the cabin. We peered inside. Piles of tools and paperwork accumulated the cabin, but it was enough to see that no one was inside. Not a single soul was inside that cabin. There were no more cabins or any other conspicuous shelter my friends would've gone to. Dr. Mario looked at me in concern.
I shook my head. "Here, touch this ink ball. It'll make you look like a phantom but you'll still be yourself. Tell me if you can use its powers."
I was glad Dr. Mario trusted me and gripped the ink ball without giving it a second thought. Black blankets shrouded the doctor and he marveled at his new form. I observed him making fists that gave a light shudder that vibrated the air in a small radius. "Yeah, um, my hearing sensory heightened by tenfold… I can hear your heartbeats from this distance as if I'm using my stethoscope."
Without even thinking, I brushed at my chest. Dr. Mario and I were a couple steps away, but he still can hear my heart thumping. "Anything else you can hear, other than my heart?"
"Mm-hmm… oh, it seems I can cancel out what sounds I don't want to hear. This is an interesting power." He muttered to himself. He met my concerned eyes. "Oh I'm sorry, this isn't the time to research."
"Not the best time, I'm afraid."
We stood there for another minute. Dr. Mario looked around behind him, in front of him, down the tunnel, any sign of where Roy and the others went. Although he muttered he couldn't catch anything, he pointed to the small mailbox that was tacked up on the cabin door. Inside was a small slip of paper. It read:
"Apparently you favor yourself in exchange for everybody else."
When I finished reading, my fingertips felt cold. In exchange, for what?
A rock the size of my hand tumbled from the ceiling and missed my feet by a couple inches. I looked up. The cracks the phantom left behind was spreading in all directions like spider webs. I stuffed the piece of paper in my bag. "We need to go, now."
"But what about your friends?"
"They're not here, not anymore. For some reason I don't know. But right now, I just need you to follow me."
Dr. Mario looked into my eyes and nodded once. "But you should follow me. I can hear a lot better so I can lead us a safe path out."
I blinked. Dr. Mario grabbed my shoulders and we both stepped to the side. A rock only grazed my arm as it smashed to the ground. The doctor had a satisfied smile on his face that made me smile a bit also. "…Good. I hate leading the way anyway."
My mind wouldn't stop thinking about the slip of paper I found at the cabin. "...in exchange for everyone else." But what did it mean by "in exchange"? And judging Roy's worrying nature, I seriously doubt he and the rest of my friends would just walk out without a word, so where did they go?
I needed to tell him I finally remembered my name.
We shoved the door open. Behind us, where the city hall used to stand, roared and sent up dust ten feet in the air before it collapsed into the prison below it. Dust clouds enveloped around the dark gaping hole. The demolition sent shudders down my spine other than the physical impact.
"…Will this destroy the entire city?" Dr. Mario whispered.
"We need to save my friends and the people. Dr. Mario, can you make a microphone or something so everyone can hear?"
"Perhaps, since my monster seemed to be a master of sound." Dr. Mario shrugged. He cupped his mouth with his hands and called out, "HELLO? OH THIS IS LOUD."
"Wow. Well, that's good. But your phantom self might scare the people so," I threw my blue cloak around Dr. Mario to cover his ink. I promised the doctor I'll meet up with him after I went back to Dr. Sutherland's and warn the rest of my friends.
The streets were stone quiet. I figured the townspeople retreated to their houses, but most of them weren't lit and I couldn't hear any general talking going on in the buildings. Even the city lights were either flickering or dead. The wind going through my wings felt cold when I ran. Something was wrong. The streets reminded me of Polis 3, the necropolis.
My hunch came true when I came back to Dr. Sutherland's house. The polished wooden door was perished and coming off its hinges, in the matter of hours I was gone. When I made one step inside the dead house, the rotten wood took my foot.
"Ow, what in the world…?" I bit my lip. Splinters dug into my toes. I looked up. None of my friends were there. I couldn't smell the tomatoes that always seemed to fill up in the house. Instead, dust and mildew went up my nose. Spider webs covered the roofs and bookshelves. Bugs dead and alive infested in several areas. When I placed a hand on the dinner table for support, a clear print was left behind from dust.
The house has been abandoned for years.
Has it always been abandoned? Was Cosby and Dr. Sutherland, even Lieutenant Blackwood, was it all an illusion? Has Polis 1 always been like this, just like the necropolis Polis 3? Just so I was aware of the being, The Mother, and that my name is 'Pit'?
"Or maybe this is an illusion…" I muttered.
As if to provide an answer, a figure flickered on the sofa. I recognized it as the retired Dr. Sutherland. I took careful steps toward him. His existence was half transparent, oscillating like a broken television. Inside his hands was an old photograph, which existed unlike him, so sometimes when he seemed gone; all I could see was the half deteriorated framed photograph floating in air.
"Dr. Sutherland," I whispered.
He didn't turn back to me. He patted the faded photo fondly and chuckled. His soft voice was muffled. "I miss you, friend."
When I tried to reach out to him, the oscillation stopped and Dr. Sutherland disappeared entirely. The photo frame tumbled to the ground with a dull crack. Pieces of glass broke off from the impact. A couple of them were successful in cutting me up when I pulled out the photo.
The photo was faded to the point where I couldn't tell the facial features of the people in the print. I could only vaguely tell a younger Dr. Sutherland in the front smiling widely. Behind the picture was some writing in ballpoint pen, maybe by a child. It read: "Bless your soul, doctor. May you never forget this day and remember back to it fondly."
I placed the photo and the frame on a bookstand. In the distance, I heard Dr. Mario call for me. When I was about to leave the house, I felt the smallest tug pulled me back. Dr. Sutherland was there, in that chair where I saw him, and waved back at me.
His voice was faint and soft on my ears. "Bon voyage, my angel." He said, and disappeared again. Or maybe I imagined him disappearing.
"I will." I replied. My voice came out lower than I wanted.
Somehow, in the back of my head, I wished I'd never remembered my name. My name, literally a single word, in exchange for my friends, Cosby, Analiese, and Dr. Sutherland? …Pit. And for such a simple name too. Not that I wanted to be nameless forever, but if I had the option of remembering my name or losing my friends, I would have taken the second option without hesitation.
I shivered. I missed my blue cloak more than I thought. Dr. Mario called me for a second time, this time a little more desperate. I exited the house but didn't feel like looking back to it.
Dr. Mario was on his haunches and making heaving breaths when I arrived at the scene. He was still chuckling, but seemed to injure his shoulder. There was no one or nothing around us that could have hurt Dr. Mario.
"Haha, that surprised me… Ouch."
"Who hurt you?"
"Oh, no I-um, kind of scraped myself from a rock falling from above. A very sneaky one," he kicked at a rock at his feet that supposedly hurt him, "I didn't hear it coming at me at all, despite my phantom powers."
I looked up. Rather normal houses surrounded us, but the lights were too dim to see if there was someone or something lurking in the shadows. I pulled out my bow to make a makeshift torch out of the flames it manifested on the blade.
Dr. Mario stood still, listening in on any sound, but shook his head. "…No, I can't hear anyone."
"Perhaps it was a sneaky rock." I supposed.
"Did you find your friends?"
"No. In fact, the city is completely empty. The second I remembered my name from your phantom, it's as if the spell was broken. …Like, I was in an illusion that this city and its people were alive all this time."
Flames flickered. It didn't provide any warmth. When I shivered again, Dr. Mario wrapped the blue cloak around me and gave me the ink ball. I slipped the glasslike sphere back into my bag.
"You don't seem particularly… saddened by this." Dr. Mario spoke.
"Oh I am. I'm still shocked. I really thought people… people who were alive were still living down here. All of this was a set up so I can remember my name and let The Mother take over my body."
Dr. Mario's pupils shrunk. "The Mother took your body…?"
I nodded slowly. Dr. Mario almost fell over me when he enclosed his arms around my shoulders. I set my bow down to hug him back. The doctor was shivering, almost sobbing. Some part of me didn't want to understand why Dr. Mario was so shaken, and a part of me understood why.
I felt like, I was slowly becoming the part of the darkness.
Since my name is Pit.
Author's Note: Sorry for the massive delay, I've been trying to work on this chapter for too long. Plus school is going to be busy for me. But I still have ambition to finish this story! Thank you for reading, reviewing, and favorite-ing while I was gone. Every feedback is greatly appreciated.