In one of the only isolated parts of Fantasia, a lava surrounded surface with a centered fortress surrounded by factories and other technical things, Dark City. The surface is only connected by a bridge, which looks like it could collapse any day. Hovering the city are dark, grey, with a hint of orange clouds; dismal and dreary covering the whole place, always making it always look like an overcast, or rather, a storm that never finished brewing.
Inside of the main throne room, mindless drones, are around randomly cleaning. While one waddles over to Xayide's main table, where she is reading blueprints, most likely based on the rest of Fantasia, or the city itself. Xayide looks over at the drone who starts wiping the desk with a rag. "Enough, go," Xayide dismisses. "All of you, out!" She dismisses again as she waves them out, a little more irritably this time.
She walks over to her crystal-like glass mirror, which can perceive the view of any part of Fantasia one would like. Xayide pushed the main button to the piece of technology, causing the machine to whir. She turns it on as the view comes into focus, making out the Ivory Tower. "Oh sister you can't fool me, I know what you're up to." She says darkly to herself as she turns off the machine.
Just then, there is a noise at the main doors, revealing Gmork. He walks in slowly as Xayide starts to pace impatiently. "I order you to stop a simple Woodland boy, and what do I get?" She says, stopping to stand in front of the table. "I tried, but he but he already had the Auryn." Xayide has an envious look on her face. "The Auryn?" She questions. "My sister must be in league with the wizard…the Curiosity." She expresses sarcastically as she remembers the Wizards name. "Why must she always Interfere?!" She expresses bitterly, clearly throwing a fit.
"She doesn't understand-" Gmork starts before being cut off. "They call her an empress! Does she rule? Has she ever issued a command or made a single decision?" She expresses as begins mocking her sister. "No plan, no order, no method, no system." Gmork concurs. "Yet everybody loves her, why? Because like children, they believe in.."magic." She expresses again with mockery.
She walks over to the dark curtains behind her throne and springs them open, staring into what looks like never-ending lava abyss. "Well I'm not about to get a little "magic" destroy everything I've worked so hard for." She says determinedly. She then turns back around. "Go, you mustn't be late. We've got our work cut out for us, Mr. Blank." She implies, using Gmork's real world name.
"No rest for the wicked." He says smugly, bowing as Xayide lifts her head up, showing signs of respect for each other as she watches him leave. As he exits the doors of the room, he is seen walking into the door of the classroom. "Good morning boys and girls." He says as he walks in front of the class, his gaze upon Bastians as Bastian gets another vision of the orange glow in his eyes. Just then Bastian springs up from his bed, gasping and breathing heavily from his 'nightmare.'
"Bastian are you up? You don't want to be late!" Michael calls out from the kitchen. "Yeah dad I'm up." Bastian calls back. Just then, Bastian glances down at the book beside him a page with Xayide on the front, Mr. Blank echoing through his head; "No rest for the wicked" Bastian quickly slams the book shut in fear, springing up from his bed to get ready.
While Bastian is getting changed, he couldn't help but feel uneasy about his 'Dream.' Maybe it was a fever dream.. Bastian was still shivering at the vision he had. "Bastian come on you got to eat breakfast!" Michael calls out to Bastian as Bastian rolls his eyes. "I'm coming dad!" He says as he finishes fixing his hair and shirt and walks out to the kitchen.
•••
A young, petite dark haired girl with highpigtails, a purple strand of hair hanging out in front of her face and a Black corset dress walked through the 2 giant doors leading to the main room of Dark City where Gmork just was. "Gaya!" The dark princess exclaims. "There you are," she indicates as she walks over towards the girl. "How do I look?" She asks while gesturing her outfit she usually wears when she is about to march off from the city for a few days.
"Dark, like you always look." Gaya replies with her usual monotone voice and expression. Xayide smirks and starts to pace around her in a circle. "And I trust you can keep the place under control while im gone...like you usually do?" Gaya looks to the side. "Of course mother..." She replies jadedly. She was used to Xayide always heading out with her Dark Knights to consume another area of Fantasia into nothing, subtly neutralizing the Fantasians into different kinds of drones and marched off with them. Except all of the drones lacked color, along with the other things they lacked such as their freedom or speech.
"Thats my girl..." Xayide Croons as she runs her fingers along her shoulder before walking towards the doors. "Oh and make sure Gmork doesnt mess anything up this time will you?" She adds before walking out into the halls of the city, slamming the doors shut behind her.
•••
Bastian secretly grabs his box a of 'freaky fruit' cereal, which is basically fruit loops with a fancier name. He brings it over to the table along with some milk, just as Michael comes back from the other room and starts making himself coffee. Michael notices Bastian's agitation and decides to ask him about it. "What's with you this morning?" Bastian looks over at him and sighs. "It's this new substitute teacher I have, he's really creeping me out. I had a dream about him."
Michael is slightly taken back. "Tell me about him." He says with a hint of curiosity in his voice. Bastian hesitates but attempts to explain anyway. "So, at first, Mr. Blank looks like a regular teacher, right?" Michael, who isn't even listening darts his eyes at the cereal. "What are you eating?" Bastian looks at the cereal. "Breakfast. Mom let me eat this." He remarks. Michael takes the box from him and gives him a stern look.
"How about something with actual nutrition in it." He says as he grabs a healthier cereal from the box on the counter and puts in on the table for Bastian. Bastian smells it, kind of grossed out but starts pouring it in his bowl anyway. "So anyway, Mr. Blank sees me, and I'm just sitting there, right?" He tries explaining while lazily pouring the cereal and spilling milk everywhere.
"Bastian!" Michael complains as he watches Bastian make a mess. "Um I'll get it." Bastian says as he realizes that his anxious thoughts about Mr. Blank/Gmork and Xayide are getting the better of him. Bastian grabs a rag and starts cleaning while Michael makes another remark. "Bastian, tie up your laces, you'll trip." Bastian finishes cleaning and starts to get a little tired of his dad ordering him around first thing in the morning.
"Sorry dad, that's not an option, it's like a fashion statement" He expresses. Michael tilts his head blankly. "Well I'm not exactly up to date on middle school kids trends these days." He states as he finishes making his coffee. Bastian is silent. He finishes cleaning the mess, now not really hungry, and that trying to explain the Mr. Blank situation right now is pointless, considering that his dad always finds a way to interrupt him.
Bastian gathers his school things together in his bag and heads towards the door. "What you're not eating your breakfast now?" Michael asks. Bastian turns around. "Im not really that hungry." Michael sighs and eventually follows him out the door to the car. Bastian then decides it's a good time to pull the book out of his bag and continue reading, so he does that as Michael puts the car into ignition.
Michael occasionally glances back at Bastian as he reads. "Where did you even get that book?" He asks curiously. "Oh I found it in this old bookstore." He says while snapping back to reality a little. "…mom wanted me to get it.." He mumbles quietly. Michael hears this and just nods in acknowledgement. "She didn't write it did she?" He asks. Bastian shakes his head. "I don't think so, but it must have been important to her in some way, she never really said why though." He says softly.
"Maybe she's read it before and thought you would like it?" Michael suggests as he continues to drive. Bastian hesitates. "I-I don't think so…it's like…no one's even read it before, like I'm the first one. Or at least after Mr. Coriander." Michael looks over at Bastian again. "Who?" "The guy that owns the bookshop." Bastian states. "And how do you know that?" Michael asks, more curious. Bastian shrugs. "Just a hunch." He implies, thinking of the expression Coriander used.
Michael now seems amused as he keeps driving and shakes his head slightly. "Well I'm sure your mother would be happy seeing you read it." Bastian nods. "Yeah, I hope so." Bastian looks back at the book as he continues reading. "As the minions prepare the train for his journey, a million questions swirled in his head." "You know, this is my first quest, so, I hope I'm not out of line, but is there anything you guys can tell me about the nothing?" Atreyu asks as the empresses' minions fix him up.
"It's an emptiness, a deadness of the soul. A feeling that nothing matters, nobody cares," one explains. "But how am I supposed to find it?" Atreyu asks. "It comes in many forms. In due time, all will be revealed." The minion says with an assuring smile. "Well so far, no one's doing much revealing." Atreyu says as he walks over to his horse. One of the minions then grabs his bow and arrows. "Hey wait, I need that!" Atreyu states. "You won't be needing any weapons, the childlike empress bestowed upon you, the Auryn." The minion gestures.
"The most powerful symbol in all of Fantasia." Another minion says. "But if I don't have my bow-" Atreyu starts before the first minion cuts him off. "In due time, all will be-" "Revealed, all will be revealed, right." Atreyu finishes as he sighs. "And to think I was actually worried there for a moment." He says sarcastically as he jumps on Artax's saddle. "So long then, I guess I'll be off searching for the nothing." He says, looking around. "That way?" He asks.
The minions just smile and point the other direction. "Figures, thank you." He says before riding off. Soon enough Michael and Bastian approach the school grounds. Michael shuts off the car engine for a moment and as Bastian opens the door. Before he knew it Mr. Blank was merely 10 feet away, yelling at 2 boys for playing hockey in the road. Bastian hurries and ducks down behind the door, while still watching him through the window.
"Bastian what are you doing?" Michael asks. "It's Mr. Blank, please just let me wait here until he's gone." He pleads. "Bastian this is ridiculous." Michael states. "Just because you had a dream-" Bastian cuts him off. "You don't get it! He's been giving me a hard time ever since he got rid of Miss Finnegan." Michael looks slightly intrigued now. "What are you talking about?" Bastian doesn't say anything as he continues to watch the daunting teacher.
"Move let's go!" Mr. Blank eventually yells to the boys after yelling at them. "Stop it stand up" Michael says, getting a little annoyed over this situation. "You see him? See how mean he is?" Bastian whispers. Mr. Blank looks over in his direction, most likely seeing Bastian but not saying anything as he continues to walk in the school with his work case in his left hand. "Let's go people, early to bed, early to rise, you have a stupid look in your eyes!" Blank exclaims to the students.
"He just seems like anybody else to me." Michael states. Bastian, who now feels again hopeless by his dad's ignorance, looks over at him and grabs his bag to head in. "Then you didn't look very closely." He mutters had he shuts the car door. "Bastian-" Michael whines before Bastian shuts the door. "Of course he never listens to anything I say.." Bastian thinks to himself as he sighs and walks in the building.
Eventually when class starts, Mr. Blank starts handing out history portfolios that the class worked on and finished last week. "Mancini….Litinsky…Lawrence….Armstrong…" Blank started calling surnames as he handed out the folders to the students lazily, almost enough to fall on the ground. "And last but not least…" He says, teasing Bastian into thinking it's his, before giving it to the student in front of him. Bastian looks puzzled and raises his hand.
"Uh sir you forgot mine." Mr. Blank has a smug look on his face. "No Mr. Bux, you forgot yours." Bastian is silences for a minute. "I handed it in! I'm sure." Bastian gestures. "And I'm sure I never got it." Mr. Blank retorts. "So, are you suggesting that I misplaced it? Or deliberately…destroyed it…?" He says the last part darkly. "No, Mr. Blank, I'm just saying I handed it in." Bastian explains, although that was exactly what he thought.
Suddenly the bell rings, and everyone starts to pack up for lunch, including Bastian, but Mr. Blank stops him before he could get very far. "And I'm just saying stay in your seat, Mr. Bux." Bastian now starts to Vex, feeling even more targeted by this man. "But it's lunch…" He states. "You can actually take the time to do the assignment." Mr. Blank retorts again, leaning closer to Bastian with his hands on either side of his desk, with more intent to scare him.
"Now sit back down and do not leave this room until it's done or else you're getting a 0." He assures before standing back up straight and walking out of the classroom. Bastian so badly just wanted to walk out and join his friends in the hallway and tell Mr. Blank to stuff it. But this assignment was worth over 60 percent of his grade. It would go down even further than it already has the past few days this 'teacher' had been around. Bastian thinks about most of the assignments that he assigned and how he gave him the bare minimum passing grade for each of them. Bastian wasn't the type to slack off either.
Bastian just sighs and grabs some papers from his binder and opens up his history book. He just wanted Mrs, Finnegan to come back. He then starts to wonder what really did happen to her. He starts to read a little before feeling a swing of un-motivation and grabs the Neverending Story out of his bag. His eyes widen. Xayide was on the march. 'Oh god..' Bastian thought to himself. Like Mr. Blank, this woman did nothing but terrify him.