Chapter 14: Helping A (Best) Friend

Leopold

The rapid pattering against the Stotch's house has long since became a dull tune in Leopold's ears. "Aah wanna go outside, stupid rain," he thinks with a frown. He's sitting on the couch in between his parents in the living room that Friday morning. Unlike some parents, his never allowed for him to stay in his pajamas throughout the day, even if they don't have any plans to go anywhere. They told him that people who wear their nightclothes all day long are lazy bums. So, he's wearing a pale blue T-shirt, jeans, and black socks. The Stotch's are currently watching the news on their 65-inch flat screen television. The news reporter, Tom Thompson, isn't telling them anything new; just that the storm isn't going to pass anytime soon. They stopped updating everyone about the murder case ever since Tuesday, why? Leopold doesn't know, but he hopes both Eric and his mother have been okay.

"Aah wonder why the police haven't found Eric yet...Maybe he's not in South Park anymore..." Leopold thinks worriedly, but he yawns - boredom stronger than his concern.

"Leopold, you know better than that. Cover your mouth the next time you yawn," his mother scolds him, her light blue eyes still looking at the television.

Leopold tenses, his frown deepening as he looks at his lap. "Aah'm sorry." Now he really wishes he was outside. Every little thing he does results in him being chided, grounded, or both. His parents are extremely strict towards him. They always expect him to follow their rules and adhere to their orders without any complaints, and be well-behaved in school, never missing a day unless he was sick or if school was cancelled. Like it has been for the whole week. His parents were never this stringent before, they were actually kind to him and rarely got mad. The groundings didn't start until he was 4 years old, and Leopold knows nothing of what he did for them to resort to severe/constant banishments to his room. "This is why Aah barely have any friends," the little blonde thinks. He's been nursing a grievance ever since he started getting repeatedly grounded. Unbeknownst to him, the lights in the house start flickering. "Aah can never go out on the weekends cuz Aah'm always gettin' grounded, and Aah can't go out on the weekdays cuz of school." He thinks about Tweek, and how the boy suddenly started hanging around him and ignoring Clyde and Craig. "Tweek told me that he didn't hate Clyde and Craig when Aah asked him why he stopped hangin' out with them. But..." Leopold knows that Tweek has been forcing himself to be around him, he's not blind nor dense as his classmates make him out to be. Actually, it's more like he could see that Tweek missed being with his two best friends whenever it was just them together. Leopold would notice Tweek sometimes glancing at the two boys when they weren't looking, and Leopold would catch mostly Clyde doing the same thing to them. Just what happened between the three of them...?

A hand clasps Leopold's shoulder, snapping him out of his thoughts with a jolt. He looks up from his lap only to whimper at the darkness around him. The only source of illumination is coming from the window, although it's faint since the curtains are closed. "It is time," Leopold's father announces in a monotone voice, who stands up shortly afterwards. The hand on Leopold's shoulder squeezes him, the pressure making him wince before letting go.

Leopold puts a hand on his aching shoulder, eying his parents that are standing stiff as statues. "M-mommy? Daddy?" Neither adult responds. Instead, they slowly turn to face him. Their eyes are glowing an anomalous dark green color and their pupils are gone. The boy whimpers again, very scared. He scoots back against the sofa, unconsciously applying some pressure onto his shoulder. His mother and father extend a hand towards him in beckoning.

"Come, Leopold Stotch. It is your turn now," they chorus.

"M-mah turn?" Leopold asks, not understanding. "F-for what?!"

Their hands inch closer, Leopold fruitlessly pushing himself further into the cushion behind him. "Become one of us, and serve our Dark Master," his parents say in sync with each other, their hands practically in his face.

Shutting his eyes tightly, Leopold smacks their hands away. "N-no!" He pushes himself off of the sofa through the opening in the middle of his parents, scrambling for the front door.

"Running is futile," Linda says, but she nor her husband go after their child. "No one can escape the darkness."

Leopold ignores her as he unlocks the door, opens it, and dashes outside into the rain. He runs with his head down and eyes closed. "W-what was wrong with them?!" It's like his parents suddenly became possessed or something, their eyes were so not normal. He feels tears building up in his own eyes, and he stops, his legs feeling like jelly after running fueled by immense fear. Panting, he opens his eyes slightly, the tears slowly trailing down his already wet cheeks. "What am Aah gonna do now?" He asks himself. What can he do in this situation? Go to the police and tell them that his parents aren't acting like themselves? He'd rather not do that, the police aren't all that reliable. He wipes his eyes with damp hands, blinking them open with a somewhat clearer view of the ground. "M-maybe Aah'll go ta Stark's Pond..." he concludes in a sad murmur, and he treks to the well-known spot.

Sky-blue eyes scan the empty streets and sidewalks. Leopold starts to think that he's in a horror movie, everything that's happened these past few minutes sure felt like he's in one. He hugs his bare arms, the combined temperatures of the cold air and rain making him feel extra cold. He wishes he'd snatched his jacket from off the coat rack, but he was too frightened to even consider getting that and his shoes. He grimaces with a whine. "Aah'm gonna freeze ta death out here..." His thought causes him to scrunch his face up with despair, and he grips his arms tighter.

Before long, a sign with the name 'Stark's Pond' comes into Leopold's view. However, he can't tell if someone is sat on the bench in front of the big pond or not, their silhouette appearing indistinguishable through the downpour. Instead of feeling cautious, Leopold is relieved that someone aside from himself is out here. "Maybe he can help me!" He thinks happily, going into a jog. "U-umm, excuse me?! Aah need your help!" He calls out for their attention, gradually approaching the figure. His foot suddenly lands in a puddle and he slips, falling flat on his stomach. He groans, feeling his eyes stinging with tears. "Stupid, stupid rain," he curses in annoyance as he props himself up on his hands and knees. He looks up with squinted eyes, the person now standing from the bench. "He must've heard me!" Leopold stands on his feet and resumes his jog, only a few meters away from Stark's Pond. "Can you please help me?" He asks, but he comes to a halt, his eyes widening with fresh fear. The shadow moves through the bench, gliding towards Leopold at a leisure pace. He starts taking some steps back, his legs trembling all over again. "A-a ghost!"

"No, not a ghost. A spirit," says a woman's voice, sounding clearly over the rainfall. She had a low-pitched but sweet tone of voice. "You asked for help, yes?" Stopping himself, Leopold nods his answer without much thought. "I can help you, but to a certain extent. First, there is something I must show you...no, it is something you must see. South Park is no longer safe, Leopold Stotch. A heinous entity known as a Being of Darkness has been corrupting this town, first starting with the people within it," the ghostly figure explains.

"...W-what...do you mean?" Leopold asks, not comprehending anything she just told him.

"I was originally meant to possess one of your parents' bodies to tell you about this dark change that's currently happening, but it appears I and many other spirits were too late," she explains a bit more. "Before I go into more depth, we must hurry. A child known as Tweek Tweak is in a worse predicament than you."

Leopold gasps. "Tweek?! What happened?!"

Without any further explanation from the spirit, she silently conjures up a black barrier in the shape of a square to transport them to the Tweak's household.

Stan

Today marks the fifth day of Stan's training with his Inner Guardian. He never completed his trial of besting his nyctophobia, and was told by Chris that they didn't have much longer to continue it, thus they started Stan's training earlier than planned. Stan has yet to discover who his other training instructor will be, it's either his mother or father. To be honest, he can't picture either of them training him, let alone using magic.

He and Chris are standing ten meters apart in a fantasy landscape: the grass is green and flat, marred with more than several black imprints that look like scorch marks but aren't, and the sky is a mystifying mixture of purple, blue, and green with millions of tiny stars seen twinkling.

One boy stretches out his hand glowing in a red aura. "Surround him, Dark Fog!" He chants, his voice sounding a bit deeper as if he aged a bit. A large mass of thick, black clouds surface from the ground behind him, sprouting like rapidly growing bushes as they drift towards their target.

"Dang it, not again," Stan thinks while gritting his teeth, annoyed but a nervous drop of sweat can be seen trailing down the side of his face. Thinking quickly, he tries to come up with a spell that can protect him... "Wait, protect..." He extends his hand. "Um, protect me, Dark Barrier?!" He closes his eyes just as Chris' magic closes in on him, but a red sphere encloses Stan out of thin air, shielding him from harm.

Chris sighs. "About time," he says with a faint smile, eying the barrier that's surrounding Stan. The red aura emanating from his hand dims before completely vanishing, resulting in his spell disappearing. He lowers his hand down to his side.

Stan cracks an eye halfway open, widening both of his eyes in utter shock at the structure of his own magic. "Whoa...I did this?" He pokes the barrier and it pops like a bubble. He flinches but then pouts, disappointed that he destroyed his barrier unintentionally. That was his very first time getting one of his spells to work correctly. Usually if he were to perform something similar to the spell he just cast, it would appear weak or it wouldn't come out at all. This is a feat Stan should be proud of, however he has no time to celebrate for he notices Chris approaching him with a serious expression on his face.

"Stanley, be prepared to put your powers in action. Your friend, Kenneth McCormick, requires your aid." Chris stops walking, now closer to Stan. "He's near Kyle's house, and a Being of Darkness is there also."

Stan tenses. "Y-you mean now?"

Chris nods. "Yes, now. Even though Kenneth is immortal, if he is defeated, then the Being of Darkness will claim both him and his Inner Guardian as additional slaves for its Dark Master, and we cannot allow that to happen." Stan stares anxiously into Chris' eyes. He wants to help Kenny, but...he's not ready to fight in an actual battle yet. He just managed to successfully cast a spell. It's way too soon. He opens his mouth to voice his concerns, but Chris speaks again. "Remember, you are not to trust Kyle. The Being of Darkness is near his home for a reason."

Stan suddenly recalls dream Kyle's warning. "Your Inner Guardian isn't all that trustworthy. He's hiding something from you..." He lightly nips his bottom lip. At first, Stan didn't fully believe what the fake Kyle told him since it was a dream, a realistic one at that, but after training with Chris for awhile, Stan began to perceive that the other boy is indeed hiding something from him. He recently revealed to Stan that the appearance he's been using is not his real form, and when they first began Stan's training he changed his voice, which is not his actual voice. Stan did ask him why he didn't show him his true form when they first met, and Chris' answer was that he didn't want to scare him, leaving him to think that his real form was scary looking. But why did he choose to copy Stan's physique anyway...?

A hand on his shoulder pulls him out from his deep thoughts. "Don't worry, I'll be with you. You won't be alone," Chris reassures him, then the familiar sound of a grandfather clock rings overhead.

Stan just nods, reluctant to wake up, but he has no control over his subconsciousness. It doesn't take long for him and their imaginary training ground to disappear.

Dropping his arm with a smirk, Chris chuckles excitedly.

/

Stan opens his eyes that are still weary with sleep. Training always leaves him in this state - mentally and physically exhausted. He bolts upright in a panic when he spots a silhouette of a person beside his bed.

"Relax, Stan. It's just me," says his mother. She's sitting in a chair she grabbed from the dining table. Stan sighs the tension out of his body, calming himself as told. He scoots over towards his nightstand to turn on his lamp, wondering why his mother didn't do it. However, the switch doesn't work. "The storm blew out all of the power." Oh...that's why. "There's something I need to tell you..." The semi-silence that follows is moderately tense. Stan waits patiently on his mother with half-lidded eyes, not even the thunder knocks the sleepiness out of him. His mother breathes out a sigh before speaking again. "I know this is going to sound outlandish, but...the world is in danger. There are creatures known as Beings of Darkness' going around brainwashing people to-"

"M-mom...?" Stan's eyes were wide the moment his mother said the word 'danger'. "I already know about the Beings of Darkness' and the approaching darkness."

"...I should've known since you've been training with your Inner Guardian. I could tell from how tired you looked these past few days."

"Y-yeah...He told me that you or dad will train me too...Do you...have Dark powers?"

"I do." His mother proves it by producing an aura around her hand, vaguely brightening Stan's bedroom in a dark purple glow. "And you are to succeed my place when I die. Randy nor Shelly know about any of this, but I'll tell them eventually." Stan's heart becomes heavy at the thought of his mother passing away. He sees her give her magical energy a rueful frown. "How I came to be aware of the Being of Darkness that's in this town is because of Sheila. She was its first victim, however I was too late to notice it. I went over to the Broflovski's house last week to check if Sheila and Kyle had reconciled, this was when you two were in school...or at least, Kyle was supposed to be. Turns out, neither of her sons have been going to school accordingly. When a person's mind is manipulated by a Being of Darkness, they are compelled to serve the Dark Master that created those things. I fear...Gerald may have also been infected, and since neither of them have tried to corrupt their children...I can only presume that they've been...mistreating them."

Stan makes a sad and angry face. He knew Mrs. Broflovski was corrupted, but not Mr. Broflovski, and that Kyle and Ike were being mistreated all this time. "We gotta save them."

"No, Kenneth Needs You. Not Them," Chris says inside his head, startling him.

"What's wrong?" His mother asks as her aura fades away.

Stan appears indecisive. He wants to help Kyle and his family, but he has to help Kenny...Wait a second...Chris told him that Kenny and the Being of Darkness are near the Broflovski's residence, so that means after he helps Kenny, he can save the Broflovski's...somehow. Perhaps this is why Chris has been warning him about Kyle, because his parents had their minds messed up by the Being of Darkness. Hopefully, Chris will have a solution to free them. "Kenny's in trouble. He's about to fight the Being of Darkness near Kyle's house." Removing the bedsheets off of him, Stan is about to get out of bed until a hand stops him.

"I can't let you go," his mother objects sternly. "You may have been training with your Inner Guardian, but I can't let you face that monster. Not at this age..."

Stan understands her worry, however he can't abandon Kenny. "I have to, Kenny's my best friend." He manages to slip away from his mother, heading towards his dresser for some casual clothes.

"Then I'm coming with you."

"...Okay..."

Leopold

It was a few seconds ago when Leopold and the spirit reached their destination, currently standing - well Leopold is - on the porch, the roof protecting Leopold from the rain. But the boy is still feeling the aftereffects of the ride. It is not dizziness; it is a sensation he can't identify. But sadness replaces whatever the feeling was once he thinks about his parents. Even though they were overbearing...he still loves them.

"Leopold," the boy looks over at the ghostly shadow floating beside him with teary eyes. "I know you're worried about your parents, but it's too late for them. Once someone is claimed by the darkness, they can no longer go back to whom they were before."

The tears stream down Leopold's heartbroken face. "T-then what am Aah gonna do?! Where am Aah gonna go?!"

He doesn't receive a reply for a moment. The front door slowly begins to open by itself. "...The earth is changing, but not for the better. The Beings of Darkness' are gradually making the humans their underlings to serve their Master, and to strengthen the darkness. You and some other humans whose identities I cannot disclose are destined to train to defeat them with spirits known as Inner Guardians. You will meet yours soon, so bear with the loneliness for a little while longer. Your Inner Guardian will stay by your side until the day you die or when the world is saved. As for me, I'll remain with you as well until the time comes for you to meet them." Leopold frowns at the porch, unsure how to feel. This spectral being just basically said that she and his...Inner Guardian will take the place of his parents. He'll never forgive his parents for their strict behavior, but he doesn't hate them. He doesn't have the heart to, never did. "I know you're still grieving, but we must make haste. A battle will begin soon not far from here, and it's dangerous for you to be in the crossfire once it starts."

"...O...okay..." Leopold says, sniffling while wiping his eyes and cheeks. He can only accept this spirit's hospitality until he meets his Inner Guardian. However long that will be. He looks up at the door, surprised to see it ajar. It's dark inside the house and an aroma so putrid prickles Leopold's nose. He quickly covers his nose and mouth with both hands. "Ew, what's that smell? It stinks!"

"This is what death smells like," is the only answer he's given as the female spirit glides inside the abode. Leopold gulps nervously before going in after her. The fetor hits his secured nose like a fist punched his face, but he doesn't falter as he follows the spirit to the living room, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. They enter the living room, then stop, Leopold's stomach churning at a disturbing scene in front of them. The first thing he notices is a cold, hard liquid beneath his saturated socks, but he doesn't dare look down. He already has a hunch as to what it is thanks to the beheaded corpses on the sofa. Their heads are on the floor. He also discerns dried blood on the walls, but is mostly disgusted that the floor is caked with a massive pool of the fluid right underneath the feet of the two deceased adults.

"The Being of Darkness did this...killed Tweek's parents with a vicious slash to their necks. The boy...is right over there."

Leopold swallows the rising bile down, then turns to see where Tweek is. On his left is the aforementioned child, sitting on the floor by the window with his head down. Spots of stale blood are in his messy, blonde hair, and a few splatters of it are on his pants and shoes. "O-oh no...Tweek..." Tears resurfacing in his eyes, Leopold walks over to his friend, lowering his hands from his face. The scent of the dead doesn't bother him anymore. He gets down on his knees next to Tweek. Upon closer inspection, there's even some dried blood under his drab and drowsy eyes. Leopold raises a faintly trembling hand towards him. "T-Tweek?" The other blonde doesn't acknowledge him until he gently nudges his shoulder. Slowly, Tweek raises his head in Leopold's direction. Leopold starts crying again, wanting to embrace him, to console him, but he doesn't want to get him wet. Just how long ago did this happen? From the dried-up blood nearly everywhere, it's probably been days...

"This confuses me. Why would a Being of Darkness kill when they are supposed to be claiming the humans as their own?" The spirit wonders out loud.

"C-can we...save Tweek?" Leopold asks her, really hoping that they can.

"I'm afraid we can't. I did not bring you here to save him, I only wanted to show you how fiendish these Beings of Darkness' are."

"But his parents are dead! We can't leave him here alone!" Leopold argues.

"I know, and that is why," the spirit calmly says. "The Being of Darkness killed them for a specific purpose. If we take Tweek with us, he'll put you in danger."

Greatly dissatisfied with her response, Leopold glowers at his inexpressive friend. He reaches for his hand that's on the floor, grabbing it as if it's a delicate flower. He closes his eyes and thinks back to when Tweek first approached him.

*Flashback*

It was during recess. Leopold was sitting by himself on one of the swings as per usual. It was a breaktime he always dreaded; being alone as he watched the other children laugh and play together left him envious and morose. He kept his gaze to the ground every time.

The reason why he was isolated from his classmates wasn't because they didn't like him, or that they didn't want to play with him, it was because of his parents. If they found a tiny speck of dirt or snow on anything but his shoes, they would ground him. When either the children or teachers asked him why he kept to himself during recess, he would tell them that his parents would punish him if he ever came home dirty. He was immensely disappointed when they left it at that. He at least hoped Mr. Garrison would call and talk to his parents since Mrs. Wayford failed to correct their strict parenting, but alas, he did no such thing, thus Leopold spent every recess on the swings by his lonesome.

Suddenly, a pair of untied black shoes came into his downcast view. He looked up at the person, his bored frown changing into slight shock when he saw Tweek standing before him with a red blush on his cheeks, his eyes looking elsewhere. Leopold always wondered why he wore such thin clothing out in this cold, it's honestly surprising that his parents let him leave the house like that.

"Hiya Tweek, what is it?" Leopold asked since Tweek seemed too nervous to say anything.

Startled, Tweek finally looked at him, his blush evidently darkening. He twiddled his fingers. "Um, i-if it's okay with you...c-can I sit there?" He asked looking at the vacant seat next to Leopold.

A wide smile spread across Leopold's lips. "Of course ya can!" But his face altered into a confused frown once he realized something. "But why aren't you playin' with Clyde and Craig?" He looked past Tweek to see the two boys staring at them by the monkey bars, Clyde showcasing his perplexity with a raised eyebrow while Craig seemed indifferent.

Tweek's body went rigid. He then released a forced chuckle while rubbing the back of his neck. "W-well, you're always here alone, s-so I thought I'd hang out with you. I-I can play with them tomorrow," he said, sounding uncertain at the end of his statement.

"Oh, okay. Thanks," Leopold said as he looked back at Tweek with a small smile. Tweek gave him a relieved smile and ambled over to the other swing, dusting the snow off of it first before sitting down on it. Leopold spared another glance at Clyde and Craig, they're playing on the monkey bars with a few other children.

There was an odd mixture of silence between Leopold and Tweek, it being awkward yet relaxing. But it was broken shortly afterwards by a creaking sound. Leopold looked next to him seeing Tweek lightly pushing himself back and forth with his feet. Looking away, Leopold mimicked his movements, happiness washing over him as the two of them swung on the swings.

*End Of Flashback*

"...Aah don't care," Leopold declares, wiping the tears from his eyes with his free arm. "Aah wanna save Tweek, so let's take him with us...please?" He gives Tweek's hand a light squeeze.

After several seconds of silence, the spirit heaves a sigh of resignation. "Very well. If that is what you want, then I have no right to interfere any further. Please remember that your life will be in jeopardy with this boy by your side."

Leopold nods his head in understanding, his lips curling into a sad small smile. "Aah just can't leave him here." "Not when he was the first person ta hang out with me when Aah was always alone," he thinks.

"I understand, now let us hurry. The battle should begin any minute now."

Leopold stands up, gently tugging on Tweek's hand, motioning he stand up along with him. The blonde obliges without a word, standing on his feet with stiff movement and a weak grip on Leopold's hand. "Will this battle destroy South Park?" Leopold asks.

"Not likely. This battle will determine the fate of a single child. His friends have the power to shape it. Their actions will affect not only his, but their fates as well."

"...Oh," Leopold murmurs, not fully apprehending her reply, but decides not to question her a second time.

The three leave the house, Leopold being the one to close the door. He observes Tweek for a short moment, squeezing his hand once again before looking forward. The trio is engulfed by the black-colored square from earlier, and are gone from the vicinity.