Chapter 19: Still A Friend? Or Now A Foe?

Eric

South Park has changed. It is an obvious fact Eric noticed as soon as he stepped foot back into this small town. His bleak, red eyes look up at the sky. The dark grey clouds have cast a sinister feel into the air, however he's not perturbed. He looks away, staring down the street. Even though his hometown looks desolate, he's still calm—an expression perfectly disguising his worry.

At first, Eric only returned with the intent on joining in on the fun that was happening near Kyle's house, but now there's one place he has to go to before that. He may have abandoned her for the past week or so - he lost count of the days at some point - but he had no choice after what he did, or more accurately, what his Inner Guardian did.

Eric takes off into a light jog, allowing his feet to guide him to his house as if they have a mind of their own. He's not familiar with this part of the neighborhood, or it only appears that way to him because he's been away from home for so long. Either way, he continues up the road, not stopping until he spots a green house with a black car in the driveway. As he glances at each empty sidewalk in the process, he recalls the information Zerphy told him regarding the behavior of people corrupted by a Being of Darkness. She said that they become loyal, brainless tools for the Dark Master, and it is easy to descry who's been corrupted. They'll have dark green eyes without pupils. But there's a reason why the Dark Master wants to acquire such pawns, and it's to hasten the approaching darkness. Each corrupted human that spreads their infectious Dark magic to other humans decreases the unspecified number of years the darkness is anticipated to reach earth. Eric expected to see a crowd of corrupted people when he arrived here, but he saw nothing of the sort. He was kind of letdown.

"Zerphy?" He asks in his mind.

"Yes?"

"Can you sense if someone's been corrupted by the Being of Darkness?"

"Yes, And You Want To Know If Your Mother Has Suffered The Same Fate As Most In This Town, Correct?" Eric responds with a nod of his head, his lips straightening into a thin line. "Well You Can Rest Assured, She's Still Fine...To Some Extent."

Eric makes a puzzled face. "What do you mean?"

"Instead Of Me Telling You, It's Best You See For Yourself. You'll Know Why Then," Zerphy says, deliberately reticent.

Eric isn't satisfied with her answer, but doesn't push for an overt one. He got to know his Inner Guardian a bit more during his time in both her domain and in the woods. He did some training as well, so he could get accustomed to his magic. Zerphy is quite secretive, which Eric deems very irksome. He gets that there are some things he wouldn't understand, but even simple questions would give him cryptic responses. Despite that, Eric has never been skeptical of her. Not since she helped him save his mother. When he regained control over his body after they fled, he thanked Zerphy profusely, oblivious of the aftermath his Inner Guardian left behind...

Eric slows to a stop, his body heaving with heavy pants. He turns to face his right, looking at his house. Having caught his breath, he walks to the front door, his heart still pounding. His feet feel as though they're trudging through mud with each step. When he finally reaches the porch, he frowns hesitantly at the door, suddenly feeling like a stranger. He's never been away from home for so long, it left a foreign ache within his chest.

"Eric, Take A Deep Breath. Relax."

Eric calms his nerves by doing as instructed. He reaches for the doorknob and turns it. It's unlocked. He frowns again, feeling a sense of deja vu as he pushes the door forward. The first thing he's greeted with is darkness, the outside brightening the inside to a small but helpful degree. He enters the house, lightly shutting the door behind him. As his eyes adjust to the dark, he bends down to take his shoes off, but quickly stops himself. He's not here to stay. Balling his hands into fists, he leaves the front and heads towards the living room. He pauses in the entryway when he spots a figure sitting on the sofa, about to summon his knife until he recognizes whom the person could be.

"Mom?" He utters timidly as he enters the living room, his quiet voice startling the woman immensely.

His mother starts to look around for him like that of a bird, stopping once she sees his short silhouette. He can't see how her eyes squint at him, seemingly trying to make out his identity in the darkness. "W-who are..." she begins to ask, but trails off.

"It's me...Eric."

His mother gasps. "E-Eric...?" Eric isn't able to discern if she's scared, shocked, or both after she said his name in a hushed voice. She stands on her feet, taking slow steps away from the boy. Eric is confused by this, and he starts approaching her. "S-stop..." Eric comes to a halt. "D-don't come near me..."

Eric looks at his mother with woeful eyes. "Mom, what's wrong?" He asks, concerned. He stares at her intently, noticing that her body is shaking with a hand over her mouth. Before he can even think about taking another step towards her, she speaks again from behind her hand.

"Get out..."

Even though her voice was low and slightly muffled, Eric heard the command clearly and her surly tone makes him tense up. He disregards the pang in his heart, and takes a step forward, his eyes glossy with upcoming tears. "M-mom-"

"I said get out!" Eric flinches with a fright. That's...the first time his mother shouted at him. Even whenever he did something worth being reprimanded for, she never resorted to yelling at him. He gapes at her with tears slowly trailing down his cheeks. His mother hovers a trembling hand over her chest while wrapping her other arm around her waist. "Please..." she begs weakly.

Eric grits his teeth, refusing to leave when he doesn't even know what he did wrong for her to act like this. "But why? What did I do?" He asks, fighting to keep his voice from quivering with sadness.

"You know what you did," his mother says in a accusatory tone. "You killed someone, Eric—no, you slaughtered him."

Now Eric knows what she's talking about, although it wasn't actually him who killed that guy. "He was hurting you! I did it to save you!"

"You didn't have to murder him! You could've called the police or ran to our neighbors for help...Do you even know what you did to that man? What I saw after you left?" Eric now knows that what Zerphy did left his mother traumatized, which in turn, saved her from being corrupted by the Being of Darkness. This is what Zerphy meant by his mother being 'fine'. "...You've been gone for half a week. Where did you even go for that long? I was worried sick about you..."

"I'm sorry..." Eric murmurs, hanging his head as he wipes his eyes and cheeks with his damp jacket sleeve. He can't tell her where he'd been all this time, that he'd initially been in an otherworldly dimension before coming back to earth and spending his time in the woods. Then again...perhaps he should since this town is no longer safe, and this planet is slowly straying down the same path.

"Zerphy...should I tell her?" He asks his Inner Guardian, wanting to hear her wise input.

"Do What You Think Is Best, Eric. Right Now, She's Not Fit To Serve The Dark Master. However, Once She Regains Her Senses, She Will Be."

Eric isn't sure if he should feel relieved that his mother is invulnerable to the Being of Darkness' infective magic for the time being or not. He also learned from Zerphy that they couldn't save people that were corrupted by a Being of Darkness just by killing it, however its death would stop its magic from spreading, so there's an additional upside to getting rid of those monsters. Eric then wonders if he should apprise his mother on what's transpiring right now. Whether she believes him or not wouldn't make much of a difference. As he debates doing so, he turns away while raising his head. It doesn't take him long to come to a decision. "Mom...there's something you need to know." He turns back around channeling some magic into one of his hands, his eyes brightening a bit as a result. He resumes talking. "Where I've been isn't important right now, because you'll be going there after I'm done explaining. This place isn't safe anymore, a monster called a Being of Darkness has been lurking here for a while, and has decided now to take action. It's already brainwashed almost everyone here, and to keep you from falling victim to it, I'm going to transport you to my Inner Guardian's realm until that thing is dead."

The silence that follows is a heavy one, the rain hammering against the house doing little to lessen the tense atmosphere.

Liane is paralyzed with fear. Those eyes...those vibrant blood red eyes can't belong to a human. She feels like she's staring into the eyes of a demon. This 6 year old boy is no longer the son she knows or gave birth to. She cries fresh tears and closes her eyes, unable to look at Eric any longer.

"What happened to you...?"

Eric gives her a small smile, thinking that she isn't able to digest all of this information in one go, but in actuality, it's his frightening appearance that has her shaken. He extends his hand that's emitting a red aura, prompting a circular object in a similar color to capture his mother. She refuses to open her eyes even though she knows something strange is happening to her, and that gives her all the more reason not to look. The magical sphere lights up every inch of the living room and parts of the kitchen with its crimson glow. "Teleport to the Land of Darkness."

After saying the incantation, the Transportation Barrier dims in both color and transparency. His mother opens her eyes to look at her...son, seeing the small smile on his lips that didn't go well with his eyes. She looks away with half-lidded eyes, curling her hand into a fist over her chest. Soon, she's gone, and Eric's aura disappears. His eyes stop glowing in the dark. He drops his arm to his side. Now that his mother is away from danger, no one else matters to him anymore.

"Are You Ready, Eric?"

Eric chuckles darkly. "Of course I am."

Zerphy encloses him in a reddish-pink orb appropriate for his size, and then he's transported to where the Being of Darkness is.

Kenny

Having the air constricted from entering his lungs is nothing new to Kenny, and it's all thanks to the deaths he underwent that ended with him being suffocated or strangled. A red blade may be pointed at his face, but he is not going to accept any form of killing method at the hands of this Being of Darkness. He's come way too far, and if he dies, their defeat is evident. Stan and Mrs. Marsh will be killed right after, and Kyle and South Park will be no more.

With gritted teeth, Kenny tries to concentrate on his magical energy. But his brain is not cooperating. He can't think of anything other than wanting to breathe, feeling as though he's trying hard not to drown underwater. It's like he's swimming desperately up for air that seems so far out of reach. He can't even call upon Yuna to help him, although he shouldn't have to. Can't she see for herself that he needs some assistance?

But all of a sudden, the Being of Darkness releases him. He lands to the ground on his butt with a grunt, the lightheaded feeling gradually ebbing. He coughs a few times as he grips his chest, air finding its way back into his lungs. He goes still when he hears deep laughter. He keeps his hand on his chest, about to look up at the Being of Darkness when he instead catches a glimpse of Stan. Something about the way Stan is rising onto his feet looks...creepy. His head is down and his movement is stiff. It's like he's possessed. Kenny then realizes that the sky has gotten rather dark.

"Oh ho, how sudden," the Being of Darkness says, clearly amused as it looks at the black-haired child with invisible eyes. "I nearly almost forgot that kid was cowering over there. So? You gonna fight in his stead, Inner Guardian?"

"Huh?" Kenny is shocked by what he just heard. Stan's Inner Guardian is now in control of his body? That's possible? Kenny observes his best friend, who is raising his head in a slow, teasing manner.

"So what if I am?" Comes Stan's, or more precisely, his Inner Guardian's smug retort while using Stan's voice. Hazel eyes soon look into teal-colored ones. "I'm going to put an end to you." Kenny clutches his parka tightly, not a fan of what's happening. If that is really Stan's Inner Guardian, then why...are they giving off the same vibes as the Being of Darkness?

The creature whistles before letting out a short laugh. "Well aren't you a cocky bastard? Let's see who kills who first!"

Kenny shields his eyes with his other arm when water sprays onto his face. He lowers his arm away while opening his eyes, widening them upon seeing the Dark Being towering over Stan, blocking him from his view. He gasps when he spots a few droplets of blood fall to the ground, which volatilizes into fumes in the rainwater. "Stan!" Kenny cries out in a panic, rousing Sharon from a rest she didn't realize she took. She slowly opens her eyes with a pained groan. Kenny hurries to stand up, but the Being of Darkness swiftly leaps some meters away, its fangs expressing its irritation. What it did to Not-Stan isn't as severe as Kenny anticipated, although the wound on his palm looks very painful.

All of a sudden, a hazy red aura with hints of silver manifests itself around Not-Stan's hand, and his injury starts healing. Kenny would've been fascinated by this had the process not been so gross, both the leaking and the last two drops of blood are going back into his hand as if they're moving in reverse.

The teal-eyed boy chuckles. "What's the matter? Scared?" His taunt further angers the Being of Darkness, and the next thing that happens-

"K-Kenny?" The blonde turns around to the sight of Mrs. Marsh weakly trudging towards him. Her hand is placed over the laceration in her arm, her sword held in her other hand. "Are...you okay?" Kenny frowns. Why did she ask only about his well-being? Just when he's about to answer her, he hears a frustrated growl nearby.

"You damned coward! Quit foolin' around and fight!"

Kenny turns back around. There's a red barrier protecting the little noirette from the Being of Darkness. The boy chuckles at every slash dealt out of rage, which fails to inflict any damage onto his barrier.

"I would kill you right now, but it seems someone else is on their way."

The Being pauses. "What-"

Thick, black fog emerges on the ground out of thin air in front of Kenny and Mrs. Marsh. Shortly after, a reddish-pink barrier rises from out of the fog. Kenny keeps a nervous eye on whomever is appearing, Mrs. Marsh looking the complete opposite.

Flattened brown hair is the first thing they see followed by a corpulent child in a red jacket, brown trousers, and black shoes. Kenny recognizes them instantly.

"E-Eric?!"

The B-O-D grits its teeth. "Tch." "I should've ended this before more pests showed up," it thinks, regretting toying with these humans.

"Wow, you guys haven't killed it yet?" Eric asks, although his tone indicated he wasn't actually surprised. Both the round magical object and smoke vanish as if the rain cleared them out. Eric tilts his head back giving Kenny a smirk, the blonde widening his eyes at the color of the other boy's iris. Looking away, Eric uses no incantation to launch a red projectile at the Being of Darkness behind Not-Stan. It swats it away with its katana, then dashes at Eric.

Kenny stumbles back, frightened by its speed. Mrs. Marsh manages to keep him from falling. He thanks her as they both watch a red shield in the shape of a square appear before Eric, but the Being of Darkness swiftly changes course, going behind him. However, its attack is thwarted by another shield. It cracks it, but before the B-O-D can continue its offense, a red orb from someone else blasts it in the head. Eric bursts out laughing when it swears. "Nice shot, Stan's Inner Guardian." Then he wordlessly summons his knife to stab the monster in the leg to incapacitate it. But it regains its composure and grabs his wrist.

"You little shits are starting to get on my nerves," the monster growls. It lifts him up with ease.

"Oh nooo, I'm sooo scaaared," Eric says sarcastically. His knife magically ends up in his other hand, and he thrusts his weapon into its hood, right where its eyes are supposed to be. No blood gushes out. The Being of Darkness' fangs curve into a smile.

"Oh, you should be scared." It prepares to kill Eric. The second Kenny blinks, Eric is out of its clutches. Astonished, Kenny sees the brunette standing beside the Inner Guardian in control of Stan's body, whose barrier is gone.

"Whoa!" Eric shouts, however he looks shocked more than panic-stricken. "That was close!" He gapes at the noirette. "That thing is pretty tough. No wonder you guys didn't kill it."

"Would've been disappointing had it been weak," is the Inner Guardian's monotonous reply.

"Yeah, true," Eric says with a nod.

The Being of Darkness clenches its fangs, very pissed now. "Alright, that's it." A dark red aura arises from its body like steam. Its katana darkens, as if it's resonating with its wielder's ire. "You arrogant fuckers are dead." How dare these brats act so conceited. If it weren't for their Inner Guardians, they wouldn't be this brazen.

"Uh oh, I think we made it mad," Eric snickers. Stan's Inner Guardian seems mildly pleased with this development.

The Being of Darkness rushes at the two children, and the action that follows leaves Kenny with mixed feelings. He's amazed that the two boys are able to fight and block the Being of Darkness' rapid attacks like well-trained experts in combat, but such a scene also makes him uneasy. He knows Stan himself isn't doing all of that, but Eric...just where has he been? He's been missing for half a week.

"This can go either way." Kenny's shoulders react with a faint jolt, forgetting that Mrs. Marsh is beside him. He looks at her. She appears unconcerned that her possessed son and Eric are battling the Being of Darkness.

"What do you mean?" Kenny asks.

"Stan's Inner Guardian is currently in full control. Eric...was in a similar predicament. The aftereffects of an Inner Guardian possessing their host vary and are...not good. Especially if they're Dark Inner Guardians," Mrs. Marsh informs grimly.

Kenny makes a worried face. "What will happen to them?"

"Seems your Inner Guardian hasn't told you about their forbidden ability. First, let me explain to you what it does. It's something only Inner Guardians are able to initiate, whether their host wants to or not. They take the place of their host, combining their strength exponentially. But they must have their host's consent first otherwise the outcome will be even worse, even if they do it if their host is in a dire situation." "Eric's eyes and maybe even his boastful behavior giveaway that his Inner Guardian took control of his body at some point. But...still, he's emanating malignant undertones just like Stan's Inner Guardian," Mrs. Marsh thinks, narrowing her eyes at Eric.

Kenny observes the battle. The three have moved elsewhere, although they're not too far, and he doubts they noticed it. So it's true that Inner Guardians have the power to possess their host. He initially thought it was cool, despite being skeptical, but now...he hopes to never undergo that kind of ability. But how does Mrs. Marsh know all of that? Yuna said that she doesn't have an Inner Guardian.

Grimacing uncomfortably, he lightly grips his right arm. "W-will Stan be okay?"

"..." Mrs. Marsh's silence makes him feel twice as worried. She's...not going to say that her own son will die, will she? "...Once he regains access to his body, he'll be out for a while due to exhaustion, but other than that, he will be fine." She walks behind Kenny in the direction of the Broflovski's house. "Right now, we need to make use of this opportunity, and rescue Kyle."

"W-wait!" Kenny turns to face Mrs. Marsh while letting go of his arm. "What if the Being of Darkness..." He frowns deeply, unable to complete his question. He wants to save Kyle, but what if the Being of Darkness gets the best of Stan's Inner Guardian and Eric?

Mrs. Marsh stops. "You don't need to worry. They are more than capable of handling the Being of Darkness without us. Now is the perfect time since they're distracting it."

Unexpectedly, a red orb crashes into the ground in between Kenny and Mrs. Marsh, evoking a gust of wind, asphalt, and rain droplets. Kenny gapes ahead, his hair swaying in the abating air current, reactionless since it happened so suddenly.

"Don't even think about it," Eric threatens. He lowers his outstretched arm down to his side. "Rescue Kyle, my ass. I didn't come here to do that. I came here to kill him."

His last statement causes Mrs. Marsh to turn around, and for Kenny to snap his gaze at him in utter disbelief. "K-kill him?! Why?!"

Eric gives him a deadpan look. "Are you serious? Why else were we told to be cautious of him?" He scoffs before focusing back to the battle that's now occurring in someone's front yard.

Kenny can't believe Eric said he came here to kill Kyle when their only options were to either let him be taken away or to save him. He frowns again, hoping Eric isn't going to do it out of spite just because him and Kyle aren't the bests of friends. The possibility makes him mad. He balls his hands into fists. Screw Eric, he's not going to let him hurt Kyle. He didn't come here just to let it end with Kyle being killed, whether it's by the hands of the Being of Darkness or Eric. Kenny will rescue Kyle, no matter what.

Perceiving the gleam in the blonde's eyes as confidence, Mrs. Marsh smiles a little, then nods. Kenny starts running for Kyle's house. Before he passes by her, she softly utters, "Good luck."

Kenny pushes his legs to go faster. Eric's angry demand for him to stop can be heard over the commotion, but Kenny doesn't pay any attention to him, not even to the booming sound behind him. He closes his eyes and clenches his teeth, preserving his pace. "Yuna?" He says in his head, only to receive no response. Panic starts to set in. "Yuna?! Oi! Are you there?! Answer me!"

A sudden explosion from behind sends him flying into the air. He screams until he lands onto his back, the hard collision to the ground forces blood out of his mouth and breaks more than a couple of his bones. A string of blood drips down to his chin. Breathing is very taxing on his lungs, an apparent sign that his ribs are fractured. The pain is so agonizing that he can't even be vocal about it. All he can do is cry silently.

"I should've known you'd be an idiot and still try to 'save' Kyle." Footsteps come his way. Yuna would've given him a heads-up about the attack had she not suddenly disappeared. Just what is going on with her? Why now at a time like this? Kenny tries to move. The moment he does, additional searing pain shoots throughout his body, but all he's able to produce is a meek whine. The footsteps stop near his head, then something bright and red shines into his blurry vision with a buzzing sound. "This wouldn't have happened if you just had stayed put back there or helped us out, but we wouldn't have needed it anyway. Mrs. Marsh wasn't much of a threat like I thought she was gonna be, so getting past her was easy, just like beating that weak ass Being of Darkness," Eric brags.

Kenny barely heard a word he said. "Y-Yuna..." It even pains him to think. His eyes slide shut. He could really use Yuna's healing right about now.

"Aww, poor Kinny," Eric coos mockingly. "Don't worry, I'll end your suffering, then Kyle will join you in the afterlife."

Kenny never thought a day would come where one of his best friends would attempt to kill him. It upsets him, but for some reason...he's not too surprised that it's Eric. He was hardly ever nice, but at least he wasn't as mean as Trent and his two lackeys. But to go this far...

As his death draws near, Kenny can do nothing but accept it. As much as he doesn't want to, his body isn't in any condition to fight back, and Yuna...she abandoned him. She left him to fend for himself and look where that got him.

Kenny will never forgive her for this.