Author's Note
Just a heads up, this chapter is really dark. After this the series will continue to get darker. You have been warned.
Tarble came out of his room, but didn't feel well rested at all. He had dark circles under his eyes. He just couldn't sleep last night. The fact that Gure was still with Cooler didn't help matters at all. Now with Vegeta and Bulma acting strange, he really didn't know what to believe. Raditz wasn't around to talk to, and Kakarot, who had always been good for a laugh, was absent as well.
He looked around him. It was still pitch black outside and he really didn't feel like going back to bed. He couldn't sleep anyway. His once pleasant dreams had now become horrid nightmares. For the first time in 10 years, his mind was making him look upon an image of his father. He just wished he understood it.
He decided to sit down on the couch and grab the book that Betra said he could have. As he looked down at the book, he started to fall into that world.
Calope moved quickly. He had to grab the amulet before sundown. Otherwise the Nightwalker hoard would be after him. He heard plenty of stories of King Arble's men and he didn't want to be anywhere near the tyrant king when night fell. Calope thought that the other saiyans were horrifying enough, but these Nightwalkers seemed to be working for the darkest of creatures. His men were all gone, victims to the devilish hoard that seized any unsuspecting innocent and dragged them to darkest corners of the abyss.
Calope had watched his best friend fall victim to that darkness and he did nothing to stop it. He just stood there and watched. His friend's cries of agony shattered through him and for the first time in his life. He understood what true terror was.
He only hoped that the writings he found were correct. Would such an amulet help him? Or would it seal his fate? Was he truly destined to die in this place? On a rogue planet in the middle of space with no way to contact his home was not the way he wanted to go. But he had no choice.
The monster king could be anywhere, feeding off of the shadows like they were a buffet.
Tarble couldn't help but laugh at that last line. No matter how bad the writer wanted him to feel for Calope, he just couldn't. The tuffle was there to steal their amulet.
It was a little odd that the writer never said what the amulet did, but apparently it had the power to defeat King Arble's men.
He kind of found it silly for a second. Like an amulet could really stop…His mind flashed back to his last encounter with his father. Could that amulet really have been the same one?
Tarble stood up and walked over to the bookshelf. He opened a book that he had kept in secret. He had cut the pages out of this thing a long time ago. The amulet that his father had used against him shone in the light. Tarble glared at it. He didn't know why he had kept this thing. It wasn't like he needed any other reminders of his weaknesses.
Tarble sighed. Maybe it was a good idea for him to go back to bed. He nodded to himself and headed back to bed.
It was cold. He was used to sleeping alone, but he had expected to have Gure with him by now. It was kind of lonely. After their father was killed, Vegeta decided it was time for separate rooms. He had agreed, but now he hated that decision. He didn't like being alone. It reminded him too much of his past.
This room had doors and windows, but that didn't seem to help him at all. Hell, the lighting as of late was starting to dim. There was no time to get it fixed. Not until Gure was back with him.
He sighed as he got into bed and rolled onto one side. He closed his eyes. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad come morning.
He fell asleep in seconds, only to come face to face with that dark place.
He knew this room, but he did not shake. Even as the darkness surrounded him.
He growled. "What do you want?" He heard someone move around in the darkness. He had had this nightmare many times before. His father had to be somewhere around here. "I know what you're doing old man. You might as well come out and get this over with."
"Danger." The voice said, which was different than normal. Usually his father always came free from the shadows, but today King Vegeta remained hidden.
"I said come out." He snarled.
Laughter came from the darkness. "Why would I do that? You're too weak to do anything about it."
Tarble rushed forward into the darkness. He would show his father. Tarble was a lot stronger than he thought he was. He stared at his father's back and growled. "You really think that I'm weak?" His eyes were flashing in the darkness.
The laughter started up again. "We all know that you're weak, Tarble. That's why you will never be King."
Tarble snapped his teeth. "I don't need that title."
The laughter continued. "But don't you want such a thing? Didn't Vegeta promise you that you would be a King? That didn't happen did it?"
Tarble stared at his father's back. "Shut up!"
"He didn't think you were strong enough, Tarble. I told you that before, didn't I?" King Vegeta chuckled. "You were promised so much, but look at how little he trusts you."
Tarble felt his rage building and attacked his father in the darkness. As the man fell down to the ground, Tarble felt this sense of awkwardness come over him. Why did he suddenly feel bad about attacking his father?
His father stood and turned and Tarble was forced to gasp. "Tarble, stop this nonsense. You're weak." Where his father once was, Vegeta now stood.
"But…" Tarble backed up.
Vegeta smirked. "You really thought that I wanted you around? How cute." Bulma appeared at his side and she was whispering into Vegeta's ear. Vegeta laughed. "You're right, my love. Soon we will make him disappear."
Tarble felt afraid as he backed farther away from Vegeta. He stopped as he felt someone's hands on his shoulders. "Are you going to take that, Tarble?" He was surprised. Why was his father standing there?
"What?" He began.
"You're stronger than he is Tarble. Why do you think I chose you to rule? You can defeat him." The king whispered into his ear as the darkness surrounded him.
Vegeta chuckled darkly as he came forward. "Your time is up, weakling. I'm surprised you lasted this long."
Tarble felt tears fall from his eyes in the darkness as grief and panic came over him. The room began to break apart, destroying everything around him. Vegeta, Bulma, his father, they had all disappeared, leaving him alone in the darkness.
A loud, static beeping rang through the air and he snapped awake. He was covered in sweat as he leaned into his arms and began to cry. It had felt so real. Even as he told himself that it wasn't, he couldn't help but have his doubts. Darkness swirled around the room as he pulled himself out of bed and looked at the clock. He had over slept.
His stomach growled. He didn't want to go downstairs. He didn't want to face Vegeta and Bulma. He didn't want his dreams to become true.
Vegeta looked over at Bulma, their breakfast was cold. He knew that the staff was still a little jarred from the day before, so he would disregard it. If it continued into dinner, they would get in trouble.
Bulma sighed. "I feel like we're still missing something."
Vegeta nodded. "Yes, as you said. The puzzle still isn't complete. I wish you would just let me confront him."
Bulma rolled her eyes. "That's not going to work and you know that. If you do that and he's not the man we're looking for, then we have just given up what we already know."
Vegeta growled under his breath. He hated when she was right. "So I'm forced to sit here and wait."
Bulma giggled. "It won't kill you."
They both looked up as the door opened and Tarble walked in. Vegeta looked over at the clock. It really was late for Tarble to be getting up. He looked at his brother again and it looked like he hadn't slept at all. There were dark circles under his eyes and he was kind of walking around like a zombie. He was about to ask, when Tarble just grabbed himself a plate and then walked out of the room without word.
Vegeta shrugged. Tarble must have just been up all night working on something. He probably didn't even notice that they were there.
"That was weird." Bulma said. "Why don't you go check on him?"
Vegeta shook his head. "Tarble's a big boy. He can take care of himself. Now let's go look over those files again. There has to be something."
Tarble dropped his plate in the hall. He really didn't want anything. He thought that he was hungry, but the moment they had ignored him was the moment he lost his appetite. He could feel his brother's glare as he stared at him. Everything that Tarble had been feeling felt like it had been confirmed.
He growled as he opened up the door to the library. He felt angry as he reached the front desk. Betra looked up at him and she looked shocked. "Tarble, are you okay?"
He nodded. "Let's get to work." He said angrily.
She looked worried. "Are you sure? It looks like you need some sleep."
"I'll be fine." He stated. It wasn't like he could really sleep now. He didn't want to see his dreams.
She opened everything up and they headed downstairs. For the first time, his eyes stared at the darkness in front of him in complete awe. He could see. It was almost as if the darkness was moving away from the wall, lighting up the walkway in front of him. He stared at the walls. They were covered in more glyphs. From the look of it, they were warnings, but of what he couldn't be certain.
As they reached the door, he watched her put in the code. The library in front of them lit up and he went to take a seat in one of the more comfortable chairs that was in the middle of the room surrounded by a couple of end tables.
She grabbed a book of glyphs for him, but then walked off. He could tell she was making him some more tea. He opened the book and looked through it. They were starting to become clearer to him. But he was still no closer to discovering their mystery.
He heard a glass being set on the end table to his side and looked up. Only Betra wasn't there. He stared in front of him in confusion until he felt two hands fall on his shoulders. "What are you…?"
"You're so tense, My Prince." Her hands kneaded into his shoulders. "Just relax." She whispered into his ear.
Tarble let out a sigh as her hands moved across his shoulders and down his back. This felt like heaven. He grunted. "There."
She smiled. "Is that the spot?" She said, pushing down hard on his back as she rubbed her fingers against him.
He made to nod but just couldn't. "Kami…"
She let out a giggle. "Is it that good?" Her hands moved back up his back and to his shoulders again. "You seem to feel better."
He had to catch his breath as he regained his composure. "Yeah…" That was all he could say as he picked up the glass and drank. He felt very embarrassed. He shouldn't have responded like that, but he had. He had leaned into her touch.
"I've gathered a lot, so we have plenty to go over today." She said excitedly. She didn't look like she was trying anything funny. If anything, she still had that same innocent expression on her face. "Prince Tarble, is something wrong?"
He shook his head and gave her a smile. "No. Let's just continue."
Gure slid down and off of Cooler's bed. She was in tears as she remembered what had just happened. She knew it was going to happen, but it didn't make it any less painful.
Cooler had come into his quarters in a rage. She had no way of defending herself as he pushed her down into the mattress and did those things. Those horrible things. She didn't want to think about it, but she could still feel him everywhere. How could she face Tarble now? What would he think of her? She sobbed into her hands. She only hoped that he could still love her after this.
She felt so dirty as she crawled towards the bathroom, but no matter how many times she bathed, she never felt clean. Cooler was still everywhere.
She sobbed into the shower wall. How had it come to this?
To Be Continued…
Author's Note
It looks like something is a little off with our dear librarian doesn't it? Poor Gure. I do truly hate torturing her.
Anyway, share your thoughts and feelings in the comments.