Xayide and her army of dark knights marched across the bridge through Dark City's only visible exit. Her neutralized servants stood in two single file lines on either side, waving as she went by. "Greetings and Salutations." She expresses, grinning widely. "How's it going?" She asks a few of the servants. All of them look up and say; "Nothing to worry about." In their usual monotone and dreary voices. "That's the spirit. Keep up the good work!" She expresses sarcastically. They all then continue to wave and groan as she starts waving.
•••
"Well, Mr. Bux, you dumb ass slack off!" Conner mimics as he imitates Mr. Blank to the students in the hallway, his hands behind his back. Fallon stands against her locker, arms folded as she laughs. "Perhaps, you'd like to go through…puberty, in detention." He continues to mimic. Even Marley and Lucas find this amusing as they smirk at his joke. Suddenly, Mr. Blank shows up. "What are we all…laughing at?" He asks with asks with fake curiosity on his face.
"Uh..just nothing." Lucas says casually with his hands in his pockets while turning around to face the locker. Mr. Blank slowly starts to walk over to him. "Laughing at nothing…" He expresses as he gets closer to him. Lucas turns around awkwardly. "You amuse easily don't you.." Mr. Blank says dauntingly as he looks down at Lucas with an intimidating expression.
"What a jerk.." Fallon says to herself, not even trying to be quiet. Although she never really cared about Lucas, she still didn't feel that it was right for Blank to scare him like that. Suddenly, Mr. Blank's eyes widen with wry as he turns around, his expression turning into a sardonic smile. "Excuse me?" Fallon then makes a nervous gesture with her hands, trying to come up with an excuse what she said. "I was just- you know- calling Lucas a-a jerk…"
Mr. Blank, who obviously didn't believe that, but went along with it, looks back at Lucas, then back at Fallon with a fake proud smile. "Fallon, I like your style." He says jeeringly as Fallon furrows her eyebrows. "When someone stands up for you, you cut them down. When someone's a little smarter than you, scorn them out." He says looking back between Fallon and Lucas, a wryly tone in his voice still. "Somebody's a little slow in the adolescent growth department." He ridicules as he walks over to Lucas and puts a hand on his shoulder.
He then looks at the rest of the students once more. "Make him feel really bad about it." He then smiles and sighs contently. "School days…good old golden rule days…" He says to himself as he starts to walk away. The students give him a weirded out stare, especially Fallon. Meanwhile, Bastian is still sitting in the classroom by himself. He did in fact finish his assignment. He looks out the door to make sure Mr. Blank wasn't near and takes out the 'Never ending story' again.
"There was one other who wanted the attention of the childlike empress. The young woodlander, Tartus, had dreamed of becoming a great hero for as long as he can remember. 'As he followed the tracks, he couldn't understand why the childlike empress had chosen his best friend Atreyu. But his envy melted away, as he gazed at the majesty of the ivory tower.' Bastian reads. Tartus walks with his walker stick and makes it to a small cliff. "The Ivory Tower.." He says to himself in awe.
Suddenly a pair of dark knights come up behind him. Tartus turns around in fright and starts to flee with the knights chasing after him, only to find two more infront of him. "Stay back! I'm warning you!" He exclaims with his wooden stick charging at the guards, which they snap in half easily. They then back him up by a tree as he surrenders. "I give up."
Soon enough Xayide rides towards him on her horse, watching in amusement the guards pull him closer to her. "This must be the chosen one on his noble quest." She mocks assertively. "Quest?" Tartus questions. "As decreed by the 'childlike empress'" She expresses sarcastically. "Let's say that I was, would that be a good thing…or a bad thing?" Xayide, who is now messing with the situation more starts to go along with it. "It would be a very good thing…for the both of us." She expresses, a hint of menace in her voice.
"Wait a second..if it was a bad thing you would just say it's a good thing to try to trick me!" He says in realization as his eyes narrow. Xayide chuckles. "My sister wouldn't have chosen you, you're way too clever for her." She says smirking. "No really, it's me." Tartus says boldly, hoping she'll believe him.
She stares at him for a moment, obviously not buying it. "Neutralize him, and bring me the Auryn!" She snarls. "Wait no! You must be looking for Atreyu!" He exclaims as the guards start to surround him. "And where would I find this "Atreyu?" She demands sarcastically. "Uh, I don't know." The guard then lifts him up higher, the swords aiming closer to his face. "He left our village 13 days ago, he came right through here. He was riding on a horse. Look, the footprints are still fresh." He gestures, pointing at the ground.
Xayide looks down, realizing he's right. There's an awkward moment of silence before Tartus speaks up again. "Can I…go now?" Xayide, who now just wanted to do something to him just for fun and no real good reason. "Not an option, I have other plans for you. The childlike empress isn't the only one who needs a hero." She says smirking as the guards start to shove him along with her as she starts to turn around.
"So…this village of yours where is it..?" Xayide asks. "Like I'm telling you!" Tartus exclaims. Xayide just has an amused look on her face. "Is that so?" She asks cockily. "Well let's put it this way, you could guide me willingly by force after I dronify you." Tartus has a puzzled look on his face. "What?" Xayide raises her eyebrows. "You want to see what I'm talking about?" Tartus shakes his head quickly. "N-no I don't I don't it's fine I'll tell you where the village is." He assures.
"I thought so." She says as they keep walking, the knights still having a firm hold on him. After about 20 minutes of Tartus directing her, he finds the familiar path leading to his village. "This is it, you follow up this path and the village is up that way." Tartus says. "And you're sure Artemis is going to be heading up there?" Tartus sighs "It's Atreyu." Xayide rolls her eyes. "Whatever. Put him in there." She then orders the knights as she points to a log on the ground.
"What??" Tartus asks shocked. "I'm not gunna be able to fit- OW-" He expresses as the guards shove him deeper in the log so he's stuck. Xayide just laughs. "Alright now listen good. When 'Atreyu' is heard down the path, you're gunna yell for help until he finds you. When he helps you out your not to mention anything about me but think of some trick to lead him to me." Tartus looks more annoyed now. "Why I would I do that?"
"Are all you woodlanders so stubborn?" She snarls. "If you follow through I might reward you later." She suggests. Tartus has more of a nervous look on his face as he looks away from her. She then starts to march away with her knights and starts heading closer to the village.
•••
Meanwhile Bastian is walking into Mr. Corianders bookshop. "Mr. Coriander? I don't wanna be late for school but.." He trails off looking around for him. Mr. C who is sitting in a chair reading looks up to see Bastian, who just walked past him. "Bastian?" Bastian then turns around. "Finished your book already?" He asks in contradict. Bastian chuckles. "No way near." He says as he walks over to him. "How are you liking it so far." Bastian scrunches his face. Well it's weird, but all the characters in the book, are as real as people I actually know. They even talked about a wizard called the curiosity. Bastian states, referring the name of the shop.
Mr C nods to the man that was in the shop before looking back at Bastian, knowing exactly what he was talking about. "A store named after a wizard, or a wizard named after a store?" He implies. "And there's all this cool magical stuff, like the Auryn, but no one really knows how it works." "That's the thing about magic. It's mysterious." Mr. C says. "That's like the same thing that my mom would say.." Bastian mumbles. "Except she's.." Mr. C nods understandingly. "You can talk to me about it."
Bastian decided to change the subject since he didn't want to talk about his mom at the moment. "There's a substitute teacher, and it's like he stays up at night trying to think of ways to ruin my life." However Mr. C isn't surprised by this. "No rest for the wicked." Bastian now has a stunned look on his face that he knows so much about this books lore and the characters. "That's exactly what he said! W-what do you know about it?"
"I know that evil doesn't stay stuck in a book." Bastian, who is still in shock, doesn't know what to say. "D-do you know how bad it can get..?" Mr. C shakes his head. "The future the book's events hold are unknown. But the more you read, more will make sense to you. That's all I can promise for now." He says. Bastian's quiet for a minute in thought. "Well, I better go now." Mr. C nods. "Good luck with that teacher!" He calls out.
School is over and it's almost 9 pm. Bastian has his computer on but it drawn to the book. 'Atreyu had just begun his quest, when he heard a familiar voice nearby, calling from the woods.' It was in fact Tartus, who was attempting to go along with Xayide's plan. "Someone help me! Over here!" Tartus continues pleading as he starts tso hear Atreyu get closer and closer.
Eventually Atreyu got off Artax to go see where the voice was coming from. "Oh boy.." He says as he walks over towards the sound. Once he realizes it's coming from the log he recognizes Tartus's voice. "Tartus?" He asks as he starts to move the leaves out of the way to the log. "Atreyu?" He asks from inside. "Why are you in there and why aren't you back at the village?" "I just wanted to make sure you got back at the tower safe and sound." Tartus replies. "Yeah well I somehow managed it on my own thanks." Atreyu says awkwardly.
"I better get going. The childlike empress gave me an important quest so.." Atreyu starts. "You really saw her?" Tartus asked in surprise. "What I wouldn't give to meet her." He says. "Yeah instead you ended up in a log." Atreyu says as he continued walking. Tartus figured there was no point in lying anymore. "Look it was Xayide. She was looking for you." Atreyu turns around in slight shock. "The dark princess? Looking for me??"
"Don't worry I threw her off your path. I told her you went back to the village." Atreyu starts to look upset now. "You sent her to our village??" Tartus sighs. "Just get me out and I'll explain everything." He expresses. "I don't know if you're a spy, a traitor or just a bumbling idiot Tart." He says pulling him out of the log. "I'm gunna need all the help I can get from saving our village from her now."
"Bastian?" Michael called from the hallway as he walks to Bastian's room. "Busy?" He asks as Bastian just looks at his computer. "No um, I was just reading." He replies. "You know Bastian, I was um…thinking about what you told me this morning." He expresses awkwardly. "What about the shoelaces again?" He asks. "When someone, one loves-" Bastian cuts him off. "Dad I'm okay." He says quietly. Michael sighs. "I don't think so Bastian. What about that teacher you say is persecuting you?" Bastian looks away nervously. "And those dreams you've been having. Maybe it would be a good idea if you talked to somebody." He states.
"Like who?" Bastian asks. "Somebody who would understand what you're going through. A child psychologist." He says. Bastian looks flustered. "You think I'm crazy?" Michael chuckles. "No of course not." He starts to lean more to his level. "It wouldn't hurt to talk to a professional." "You mean talking to a stranger? No way!" Bastian cuts in. "Well I already made the appointment. Tomorrow, 4:00." "Dad!" Bastian whines. "You'll be fine Bastian it's just a little chat." Michael says reassuringly.
"How do you know? Have you ever been to a psychologist?" Bastian retorts. "Well I'm not the one having problems adjusting Bastian." Michael insists. Bastian sighs and turns his computer off, turning his attention to the book again.