(A/n: There are two different meanings for 'dark' and 'Dark': This 'dark' means your average darkness, nothing special about it. And this 'Dark' refers to the attribute of magic and the Beings of Darkness'. Also, Trigger Warning: self-harm)

Chapter 4: Naive Determination

Stan

Hundreds of white leaves danced through a pleasantly warm breeze. Within the beautiful blue sky were a bunch of clouds and the sun, the main two sources that were providing such comforting winds. A copious amount of milky-colored leaves drifted leisurely across the surface of a crystal clear ocean, the sunlight reflecting off of the expansive sea while glinting off the leaves, making all of the leaves appear like glitter from a distance. The waves were gently lapping against a grassy shore. A single big tree was planted near the edge of a hill overlooking the exquisite body of water, its white leaves dazzling under the sun's rays. One would not be able to tell that it lost a lot of its leaves from the constant wind, it's like it had an unlimited number of them on its branches.

Underneath the large tree was Stan, clad in his pajamas and socks. He was lying back against its trunk with his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. A smile was on his face as he relished the Spring-like nature around him, something he would never experience in South Park. He especially loved the feeling of the grass beneath him, was flat and smooth. Surrounding him were a cluster of white leaves, but the wind increased its pressure, scattering them away. Stan didn't mind the disruption, the strong breeze was rather refreshing. It subsided seconds later.

After what felt like a long time, Stan opened his eyes. He was still in his dream, however...it was quiet. Too quiet. He sat up and glanced around, the wind had ceased, and as a result, the tree leaves weren't being carried around anymore. Everything was just...still, eerily still and void of sound. He stood up on his feet, dusting some of the leaves off of his nightclothes. He turned to the tree, its brilliance lost to the unknown. He frowned, placing a hand on its trunk. Its wood felt cold like ice. "I'm sorry this happened to you." He felt out of place for apologizing to a tree, but it was once a living thing. For it to have undergone a negative change when it did nothing wrong made Stan want to give it his condolences, it was the least he could do. He turned and walked out from under the tree, eying the motionless ocean below the steep hill. The sky was a faded blue, and the clouds and sun were nowhere to be seen. The once tranquil haven was now nothing more than a lifeless landscape. Stan's frown deepened nervously at the insipid state of the area, but in the blink of an eye, his surroundings changed all at once. Everything became grey, except for Stan. The place now appeared like something straight out of an old t.v show.

Stan began to panic; his dream all of a sudden became a nightmare. He gripped his left arm as he walked some more, looking around again. He stopped, though, when he spotted a black-haired boy standing near the dreary looking ocean. He became curious and wanted to get a closer look at the child. Letting go of his arm, the sapphire-eyed boy slid down the hill on his butt, trying hard not to cry out in glee. It didn't take him too long to reach the bottom, he was now only about ten or so steps away from the black-haired child. His pajamas were deprived of color, and he was wearing socks. Who knew if they were originally grey or not. An equal combination of curiosity and nervousness filled Stan's body. He took timid strides towards the boy, who remained oblivious of his approaching presence as he seemingly stared ahead. Stan's footsteps were silent - the closer he got to the other child, the more anxious he became. He unconsciously gripped his left arm once again.

Now only inches away from the boy, Stan stopped. "Um, h-hello?" He didn't get a reply. He pursed his lips into a line, unsure how to get the child's attention. He could tap his shoulder, but Stan was scared to touch him. Was he even real? Or alive? He hadn't moved a muscle at all. Stan decided to shove his fear aside otherwise nothing would change. Releasing his arm, he raised a hand out towards the noirette. The instant his finger touched the boy's shoulder, a light temperature-less breeze blew past the two boys. Stan retracted his hand with a flinch when he saw what appeared to be raindrops falling in his line of sight. The cloudless, grey-colored sky was somehow producing rain, however the liquids weren't clear. They were black. A rumble of thunder sounded overhead. Stan glanced upwards, then back at the boy in front of him, realizing that they weren't getting drenched. "W-what's going on?" This was not what he expected to happen, was a monster about to emerge from somewhere or something? Instead of that occurring, the child Stan thought was a statue began to turn around as if he was finally freed from a restriction spell.

Before long, the boy's eyes met Stan's, sapphire gaping into listless teal. The noirette before Stan looked exactly like him, although he had a mole under his left eye, and his pajamas were the same as Stan's. The only colors on Stan's lookalike were in his hair and eyes, even his skin tone was morbidly grey. "Stanley Marsh," the boy uttered. He even sounded just like Stan, albeit his tone of voice held no emotion. "I must warn you of the dangers that have and will befall everyone within your hometown." A tense silence fell over the two as Stan processed what he had just been told, only the sounds of the pouring black rain overlapped the quietness between them.

"...W-what do you mean...and why do you look and sound like me?!" Stan eventually asked. But the child just stared at him, leaving his questions unanswered. "Why won't you answer me?!" Stan began to feel even more uncomfortable at the prolonging silence from the boy, was he a robot? Sapphire and teal held direct eye contact through the constant flow of heavy black rain, unbeknownst to Stan that the rain was painting the area in an inky color.

The odd child finally spoke again. "The darkness is slowly approaching your hometown. Soon, you and your friends will encounter Beings of the Dark. One of them, however, is already on the move within South Park. It has claimed over a dozen victims already, and one of them is the mother of one of your friends." Stan's breath hitched with a fright. His greatest fear was gradually nearing his hometown, and one of his friends' mother had already been claimed by...some monster?! He didn't want to believe all of what he just heard, this kid could be lying to him, trying to strike terror into him...But what if...he's telling the truth? Through his peripheral, Stan saw the corners of the plain-colored landscape turning black. He would've screamed had the boy not spoke again, his emotionless eyes transfixed on Stan's horrified form. "Once the darkness attains Colorado, not a single living thing will remain sane...or alive."

In an instant, the entire area became an abyss. Stan and the other boy were the only two standing within the empty space. Stan's eyes widened and his pupils dilated. He screamed, dropping to his knees and tightly hugging himself. It's so...so dark. Stan didn't like being here, he wanted to wake up from this nightmare right now.

The teal-eyed noirette watched him with a hint of sympathy in his eyes, but he made no attempt to console the petrified human. "Stanley, you must push your fear behind you." Stan only hugged himself tighter in response, the fringes of his hair hanging over his unfocused eyes. "You mustn't let the darkness best you. If you want to protect the people dear to you, then you must overcome your fear of the dark." Stan knew, without a doubt, that there was no way he could prevail over his fear when the dark absolutely terrified him. Never knowing or being unable to see anything further beyond within the pitch-black darkness always sent a shiver down his spine. The barely colored boy's face formed into an impassive frown, once again making no attempt to comfort Stan. Instead, he extended a hand, a red glow emanating from in the center of his palm before increasing in size, fully enveloping his hand. But then the aura disappeared. He lowered his arm back to his side, narrowing his eyes down at the quivering human. "Stanley...do you wish to know the result of your failure if you are to never conquer your fear?"

Stan froze, his eyes still wide and glazed. He flinched with a blink when he heard something wet touch the ground, sounding loud amidst the silence. Without saying a word, he lifted his head and a stifled noise came from within his throat. Red-colored rain was falling from overhead, creating small disturbing splatters on the ground. Once again, the two children weren't physically affected by the rainfall. "W-what's...happening?" Stan wondered in fearful confusion. He looked up at the boy towering over him for the answer to his unspoken query, but the child only continued to glare at him. A nauseating scent quickly filled the air followed by people screaming in agony. Stan covered his nose and mouth at the stench, his eyes welling up with tears at the large amount of red steadily coloring the black ground. Stan realized with immense dread that the precipitation of blood came from the screaming people that were being killed. This time, a single drop of blood landed in black hair. Stan instinctively raised his free hand to touch his hair, lowering his hand down stained with blood into his already shaken line of sight. "M-make it stop...please," he whimpered.

"This is what will happen, Stanley," the boy told him. "Innocent people will be killed because you're too incompetent to prevent their deaths from happening."

Stan frowned behind his hand, feeling both hurt and guilty. People, not just in South Park, would lose their lives all because of his failure to quash his weakness...How did such a burden suddenly befall him when he's only a child? It was something Stan couldn't begin to understand, no matter if he tried to or not. The tears spilled from his eyes as the guilt became too strong for him to endure. His family, his friends...the thought of losing them pained his heart. As the screams gradually began to fade out, the rain of blood started slowing down as a result. "W-will I..." Stan murmured, lowering his hand from his face as he clenched his other hand stained with blood into a fist. "Will I really...be the cause of innocent peoples deaths?" He asked.

Teal eyes gleamed with satisfaction, although the boy's face remained neutral. "Yes, you will. The only thing you should fear are the Beings of Darkness', not the darkness itself."

Stan tightened his fist and stood up, his anger-filled eyes meeting the teal-eyed child's gaze of hidden gratification. "How can you say that?" Stan asked. "I'm only a kid, and you expect me to-"

"I don't expect anything from you," the boy interrupted, his tone haughty and uncaring. "I can always go to someone else, like one of your friends perhaps, and let them handle the burden instead."

Stan glared daggers at him. "Tell me," Stan demanded. "Why did you choose me?"

"No particular reason," the child responded with a nonchalant shrug of his shoulders. "Like I said, I can always-"

"Stop lying!" Stan snapped. The boy's eyes widened slightly. "I know you have a reason for picking me, and I think I deserve to know why, you butthole!" The child gawked at him in slight shock until he stifled a laugh. "The heck's so funny?!" Stan asked gritting his teeth.

The other noirette shook his head, his lips curling into a small smile. How amusing. He's quite glad to know that not only was this young human incapable of giving in so easily, but he's inquisitive too. He didn't expect a child Stan's age to be this clever...how amusing indeed. "Nothing, but I will tell you why. Rather, why you were chosen to be the next Successor of Darkness. But first, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Christopher King, but you may call me Chris for short. I am your Inner Guardian." After introducing himself, Chris' entire being sprinkled with color. His skin color was pale, his pajamas were a baby blue, and his socks were white.

Stan blinked, then wiped his eyes and cheeks, his anger slowly dissipating. "S...successor? Inner Guardian? I don't know what those are, but I thought I was supposed to conquer my fear of the dark, not become whatever a successor is."

"Yes, and you will get around to overcoming it. A successor is a person that succeeds another, basically an inheritor for short. Which means someone in your family has the power to control Darkness, and you will replace them when the time comes. Inner Guardians are spirits that have been around for centuries, and there are three types: Dark Inner Guardians, Light Inner Guardians, and Mixed Inner Guardians, whom possess both Light and Darkness. I am a Dark Inner Guardian."

Stan frowned, bewildered and a bit overwhelmed. He had a lot of questions to ask regarding what all Chris just informed him of, but he's mostly hesitant about all of this. "I...still don't get it. I mean the dark still scares me, how am I gonna control it?"

Appearing stern as he shook his head, Chris folded his arms behind his back. "You won't be controlling the dark, Stanley. The Dark I just mentioned is an elemental attribute. I'll explain it to you in more depth another time, but it is imperative that you get over your fear by then...otherwise..." He didn't even need to finish his statement for Stan to comprehend what the consequences would be. He'd just witnessed it after all, still was since the red rain hadn't ceased. He lowered his gaze to his feet, saddened. "It is your destiny, Stanley. It is your fate to defeat the Beings of Darkness' with your own kind of Darkness. Although the Beings of Darkness' are currently active, the darkness itself is moving ever so slowly. It will most likely be years from now when the darkness threatens to corrupt everything in its wake, but you must be ready long before then. That's why you're being told all of this at such a young age." Stan felt a cold hand clasp his shoulder, nearly making him jolt. He gazed up at Chris with glossy eyes. "But don't worry, I'll be by your side through it all, as will your friends. You are not going to be alone."

"M-my friends?" Stan asked, uncertain.

Chris nodded, removing his hand from Stan's shoulder. "Yes. That is, if they can handle their Inner Guardians training as well. But first...I must ask you something."

"O-okay," Stan replied nervously.

"Do you recall the message...the dark hungers for you?" Stan's body stiffened once again as his eyes widened. How could he forget such an eerie threat? He initially thought that he dreamt the events of that night because both his door and the book appeared normal the next morning when he showed them to his mother. But now it turned out that vivid nightmare was an experience he actually went through in real life. Chris gave his frozen form a hard stare. "I see, so you do remember...Well, that's good. But those words were not meant to scare you, they were meant to forewarn you of the changes to come."

Stan's eyes never decreased in size as he gave Chris a look of doubt. "What do you mean forewarn me? I'm pretty sure a warning wouldn't start off talking about the darkness trying to eat you."

"..."

Stan's eyes returned to their normal size as he stared at the other for a response, but Chris remained silent. "Chris-"

"Just trust me," Chris practically pleaded. "The message was just worded incorrectly. It was supposed to tell you that you were going to inherit the Darkness. Not become...a part of it..."

Stan didn't know what to make of the expression on Chris' face, he appeared...troubled? Stan was once again stuck between believing him or not—Chris still hadn't said anything worth gaining his trust. Sure, he'd warned him about the evil things that had and would soon happen, but Stan got the feeling that he hadn't told him everything. Stan rubbed the back of his neck, his eyes looking down at the ground where there wasn't much blood near their feet. "Look, umm...I'm not so sure if I should trust you just yet. You still haven't told me who you really are, and all of this is still new to me."

Chris' lips thinned into an unreadable line. "I completely understand, but there are some things that even I don't know or must be kept a secret until your old enough to fully comprehend these changes. However...I can tell you, or rather show you this..." He took two steps back from Stan, then closed his eyes. A hazy crimson aura appeared around his body. Soon after, noticeable flickers of silver mingled within his aura. Stan stared in both awe and nervous anticipation. Chris quietly exhaled, and his aura began to dim.

"Huh? Why's it disappearing?" Stan thought, puzzled and slightly disappointed.

After a few seconds, the mystical aura faded away completely. Stan also noticed that the red rain finally stopped, but the splatters of blood remained on the ground. Chris slowly opened his eyes to reveal red pupils inside his teal irises. "Stanley, what you just witnessed is something you will be able to do as well," Chris informed.

Stan scratched his left cheek with one finger. "Yeeaah, but...what did you do exactly?"

A smirk made its way to Chris' lips. "I'm glad you asked, but let me show you instead." He extended his left arm and rolled up his sleeve, then raised a finger on his right hand. His short fingernail grew as sharp as a shark's tooth, and he cut the skin on his left arm with his nail.

Stan winced uncomfortably as Chris' blood dripped to the ground. "W-why did you-"

"Look." Chris closed the small gap between them to show Stan his wound. Slowly, the long, thin cut began to close, Chris' leaking blood re-entering his injury at a similar pace before the cut completely sealed itself. Stan could only stare in awe once again at the unnatural recovery, not a single trace of the cut was marred on Chris' pale skin, neither were there any bloodstains. Chris rolled down his sleeve and placed his hands behind his back again. "What my aura did was give my body the ability to heal any wound inflicted upon me," he explained. "But there is a downside to using it. You saw how slow the healing process was, correct?" Stan nodded his head that he did. "That's the disadvantage right there. No matter how small or big the injury, the healing process will remain the same. There is a way to quicken the procedure, but it's a bit advanced, so I will explain it you another time."

Stan nodded his head in understanding. "But is that all your aura can do?"

"I can't speak for all of the auras other Inner Guardians possess, but the slow healing factor applies to all of us. My aura specifically can enhance my power, and there is no time limit, however it will constantly drain me off my magical energy. Once I run out, my magnified power will diminish and leave me greatly weakened. I haven't used the ability in so many years, but since the darkness is approaching, and the Beings of Darkness' have already started corrupting dozens of humans, there will be plenty chances for me to use it in action."

"...I see..." It became silent as Stan allowed Chris' explanation to sink in. Stan gradually became eager to learn how to utilize magic himself. The thought of being able to overcome and defeat the darkness and its underlings with magical powers encouraged him to give his all to prevent the deaths of the people in his hometown and across the world from occurring. To protect his family and friends. Although he was yearning to get started, he later realized something crucial. "But I have school! How will I be able to do all of this?"

Chris frowned. "I'm sorry, but there is nothing I can do about that," he apologized sincerely. "There are going to be days where you will feel exhausted after your training, but I am your Inner Guardian, I will provide you with my energy to last you through school."

Stan seemed partially satisfied with his answer. "One more question, how do we train exactly?"

"Your training will be done almost every night when you go to bed, so don't expect to get a goodnight's sleep on some nights." Stan nearly groaned, his eagerness decreasing. "You will also undergo training in the real world, but by the person you are going to succeed over. You will have two different sets of training sessions."

Stan quietly took in Chris' response once again. He was aware that he would become worn out from the extra training he would be doing, but he was still quite interested to begin. He would do whatever it took to save the lives of the innocent. "When do I start?" Stan asked.

Chris smiled a little at the determination gleaming in the boy's eyes. "I'm glad to see that you're so intent to begin your training, but you must get over your fear of the dark first."

Stan visibly deflated at his reply. He felt like crying, his will wasn't strong enough to repress his fear. If Chris wasn't here with him in this place, he would've long since lost his mind. His presence made this dark and seemingly closed-off space a little less scary. "There's no way I can face my fear alone..."

Chris' frown never changed as he looked at the disheartened boy. Perhaps he was too quick to judge Stan's character, he's still just a child after all. That determination of his dissipated so fast. "Stanley," Chris said, but the other noirette appeared to not have heard him. A distant chime of a grandfather clock briefly startled Chris, then he narrowed his eyes. "Look up, Stanley Marsh!" Stan flinched at Chris' loud and impatient order, he complied. When they locked eyes, Chris sighed, then closed his eyes, opening them to reveal his pupils back to their normal color. "I know you're feeling discouraged at the moment, but I told you that you are not alone. You are not going to overcome your fear by yourself. I'll be there with you, to give you moral support."

His reassuring words gave Stan a moderate boost, but his mood didn't visibly showcase it. All of a sudden, as if driven by a strange impulse, Chris lightly flicked Stan's forehead.

"Ow! What the heck did you do that for?" Stan whined as he rubbed the middle of his forehead.

Chris blinked, baffled by what he just did. Even he didn't know why he did that, it just felt...appropriate to do for some inexplicable reason. He blushed in embarrassment. "S-sorry, would you like for me to heal your forehead?"

Stan lowered his hand, the bangs of his hair covering up the nonexistent bruise on his forehead. "N-no, it's okay."

An awkward silence settled over the two for some seconds. "You're about to wake up," Chris said, his cheeks returning to their pale hue. "Remember, you must complete your trial of no longer being afraid of the dark before your training can begin. The longest I can give you is two weeks, hopefully you'll succeed."

Stan averted his gaze, grimacing anxiously. Chris was giving him credence when he lacked trust in himself. He didn't want to let his Inner Guardian down, but he wasn't confident enough to quell his fear of the darkness. "But...what if I fail...?" Stan asked, hesitantly looking back at Chris.

Chris' expression became indecipherable once again as he gave him a small smile. "I have faith that you won't."

Such words made Stan feel conflicted. Chris might've sounded certain, but his face strangely looked the complete opposite. Stan mustered up a grateful smile nonetheless, too many lives were on the line for him to fail. "Thank you, Chris. I...I'll try not to let you down." Chris just nodded his head in approval. Suddenly, all of the blood from the ground began to disintegrate into tiny particles, then drift up into the air, ascending into nothingness. Shortly after, another toll from a grandfather clock resonated throughout the background. "Uh, w-what's going on?" Stan asked confusedly as he watched the red orbs float upwards.

"You're about to wake up," Chris reminded him. In that instant, Stan began to feel light, as if he's weightless. He looked down at himself, shocked to see his feet glowing in a soft light blue color. "I'll remind you again, once you complete your trial you will undergo two different training sessions. One will be with me, and the other will be with either your mother or father." As the rest of his lower half gradually continued to illuminate, Stan directed his surprised countenance at Chris. Either his mother or father...could use magic? "I know you have a lot more questions to ask," Chris inferred thanks to Stan's facial expression. "But the next time we meet, I will answer them as much as I can. Also, the two-week time limit will commence once we meet again, which will be very soon." Only Stan's upper half remained. "Oh...and one more thing..." Stan tensed at the seriousness developing on Chris' face. "Please be cautious of your friend...Kyle Broflovski."

"W-wha-" the light blue glow swiftly swallowed the rest of Stan whole. Then, he vanished.

Chris gazed up at the countless number of blood particles, one corner his lips arching into a mischievous smirk.