Lania - Path to Light (Epilogue)

     My name is Lania. I’m thirteen and a half, and I was born without knowing BOTH of my parents. I live with my cat, Penny, and sadly…..no one else.

      The destruction on the Temple of Time left many people relieved – now they could deal with FEWER things, as the explosion had KILLED the monsters, the bosses, even the notorious Pink Bean, which sabotaged the Temple’s system into something dark and evil. My father saved lives…….even if he couldn’t save his own. My father was a hero; offering his life for the good of others.

So…..why aren’t I happy?

       When I got home, I collapsed. The heroes brought me to my old house in the woods, and I was grateful Penny was alright. But I completely broke down. I cried for ages; so many nights I lost count. Sometimes I waited, waited to see if my father would one day return……just like he told me; he would do ANYTHING to be with me.

But…..he never came.

     It was not too long ago when I realized something; those last moments with my father, he had given me his power of light; ALL OF IT. When I first realized it, I was afraid; I thought something was wrong with me. I dreaded telling anyone, but I used it a couple of times because it seemed like fun and…..it reminded me of him. Soon enough, I was confident enough to tell the heroes about it, and they told me to do an example for them. I fired a couple of light arrows, and they immediately pounced. They arranged lessons with the master of mages, Grendel the Really Old, and since I already mastered a few skills and was good at learning, I caught up with my father in a few years; two, to be precise. I’m fifteen now…..but still mourning over his death any time I could get.

And so I took over my father’s place in the heroes.

      Because everyone these days knew so little about the past of the heroes, my history was changed, as well……..Oh, didn’t you know? I’m the legendary Light Mage Lania, the one who sealed away the Black Mage…..all, those, years ago.

      And so my father became a thing of the past…..even if I never stopped thinking about him. I even made my ‘hero attire’ into one that looked like his, with the hood and the whiteness and all, but pants made my legs itchy so I settled for a white skirt instead. I still practice light magic…..thinking of the times it used to be his.

    My father is gone, sure, but I KNOW that somewhere out there……he’s up there, looking down at the world from Heaven’s perspective. I don’t know if he’s looking at me, right this moment, but if he was, and he saw the person I had become since our last meeting, I’m sure he would be proud.   

Lania - Path to Light (Part 14)

      Evan, who was walking towards Luminous and the others with Aran screamed in horror as the dead figure of Angela collapsed onto the floor, the life bleeding out of her. Mercedes leapt back, and Phantom looked horrified, but his expression seemed to say something else; it seemed like he recognized the attacker, just by gazing at her attack. Luminous pursed his lips and hugged Lania to his chest, forbidding her to see the grisly sight. Blood pooled around the dead girl, her white robe stained red.

     A Black Wing commander leaped out of the shadows, her black cape fluttering as she touched down onto the ground. Mercedes’s eyes widened, recognizing the commander all too well. Phantom scowled and held his side, the pool of blood beside him rapidly forming into a huge puddle. He needed help FAST. The Black Wing commander was a young woman that seemed her early twenties. Her hair was silvery-blonde and tied into two bunches by the sides of her head. A black wing cap shrouded her head and her left eye from view, and her violet eyes gazed at the room mockingly.

“O-Orchid!” Mercedes muttered, stepping back. “What are you doing here?”

     “Why? Oh, it is simple, dear mother,” with that, Orchid slammed her wand hard onto Mercedes’s cheek. She stumbled back, tripping over her feet and crashing to the floor, holding her swollen cheek. She gazed at the commander in disbelief. Aran leapt up and slammed the axe down on Orchid, but she just teleported away and Maha’s blade cracked the marble floor.

     Orchid appeared behind her, waving the wand in Aran’s direction. An ugly red laser shot out from the glowing tip of the wand and Aran jerked out of the way just in time, but the laser just barely grazed her right arm, scorching Aran’s dark skin. She winced and landed back onto the ground, her fingers cupping the small wound on her arm while glaring at the commander fiercely.

       “Ah, how much you all have weakened!” Orchid sang, and laughed mockingly. “How pathetic. I expected more of a battle.” Her head turned to Evan, who was sneaking up behind her to land a blast of fire breath with Mir. The human and dragon froze as they realized they had been caught. “Don’t even try, little farm boy. You think you’re special because of that dragon, but you both are equally WEAK.”

      “Don’t you DARE say something like that to Mir!” Evan shouted bravely, patting his dragon defensively on the head. Orchid laughed and whacked Evan hard on the head with the tip of her wand. Evan yelped and fell to the ground, droplets of blood falling from the wound the sharp tip inflicted on him. Mir roared in anger and a burst of hot red flame shot out of his mouth. The commander teleported away and landed on the dragon’s scaly back and landed a laser on him. Mir roared in pain and flapped his wings frantically, but the pain was too much for the young dragon he was and he crashed to the ground, his head digging into the cold marble.

     Orchid leapt off the dragon as he descended from flight. Lania whimpered and hid behind her father’s back, peering up at his expression. His red eye was glowing the vibrant red again, and he was biting his lower lip, fighting off the darkness. Lania gripped onto his shirt tightly, pleading in her mind that her father would pull through. Orchid calmly walked towards the man, stooping down so she was level with his face. “Darkness is a wonderful element,” Orchid said, and Luminous’s hands balled up into fists. “I don’t get why you would want to hold it back.”

       “G-go away,” Lania muttered, trying her best to sound brave. Orchid cocked an eyebrow at her and, with lightning speed, grabbed her by the throat and lifted her off the ground. Lania shrieked in horror and Orchid laughed, squeezing her throat gently. Lania gasped.

       In seconds, Luminous was on his feet and had driven his staff to the wall, bringing Orchid with it. The tip of the staff was at her throat, the sharp tip glinting in the light. If she dared move, the sharp tip would puncture her throat. She couldn’t even move a single muscle to activate her teleport. But Orchid just seemed…..amused. Especially since Luminous’s red eye was glowing profusely and his hands shook trying to keep off the darkness. It was a wonder how he had managed to keep it off for so long. Lania dropped to the floor, gasping, massaging her throat.

      “See how powerful you are when you try?” Orchid mused, her fingers reaching out and closing around the staff, trying to push it off her neck but the strength of the mage surprised her and he kept it firmly in place. Orchid looked up at him, enjoying the agonized expression on his face. It took him all he could to fight off insanity, which he was dangerously close to. Lania felt the steady beat at the back of her mind again, and this time in was close to excruciating. He couldn’t hold on much longer.

      “This is the reason I came,” Orchid said calmly, pushing off the staff with all her might. It moved an inch. Luminous cocked an eyebrow at her, confused. What did she come here for? Orchid grinned, amused. “We have been watching you for quite some time, Light mage. Your dark powers are more than WE could ever hope for. You have no life here, with the heroes…..the more you stay, the more the  risk someone gets hurt, or even loses a life. So….we are giving you a chance to stay with us.”

     Luminous tensed, his hands gripping so tightly onto his staff his knuckles turned white. Aran gasped, and Mercedes glared at the commander. Phantom scowled, but he too was shocked. Lania was aware her eyes had widened to the point they probably were the size of pizzas. Did the commander just say Luminous – one of the five HEROES that sealed away the BLACK MAGE – could become a BLACK WING? Not like he would accept……but this whole thing seemed unreal.

      “What are you waiting for?” Orchid laughed, and Luminous bit his lip, considering something. “You said yourself; you are now like a TIME BOMB. It is better if you come with us, little light mage, so what do you say?”

     “As if!” Phantom scowled, narrowing his eyes at her. The whole room turned to look at the thief. “Sure, I NEVER liked him, but that does not mean I am blind to his flaws and his good points. And he is a GENUINE hero, even more than I. His darkness is something he cannot HELP, and so, if you even THINK he would come with you, you are being FOOLISH,” Phantom grinned slightly. “Because he…..he….is my comrade.”

     The whole room was washed in silence. Everyone was shocked to silence, and even Orchid’s remarks seemed to have been cut short. Phantom, someone who NEVER liked Luminous, now stood up for him, and even admitted that he was a comrade, a friend. Luminous bit his lip and looked away, obviously not knowing how to respond to THAT. Soon enough, the smug smile resumed on Orchid’s face. “Sweet, really sweet. The famous master thief who annoyed the world…..now holds the power of FRIENDSHIP? How remarkable…..but that doesn’t change anything, DOES IT, Light Mage?”

“Well, I…uh...I…” Luminous stuttered, his hands shaking.

       “Cut the crap, Orchid,” Phantom scowled, groaning as he got up. The blood had dried around his wound, but blood still flowed non-stop from it. “As everyone says, ‘finders keepers, loser’s weepers’, and if I recall, WE found him FIRST, and we’re NOT leaving without ‘im.”

      “Interesting way to put it…..” Orchid laughed, and Luminous loosened his grip on the staff for a moment. In a flash, Orchid pushed the staff away, zipped around the mage towards the thief and had stabbed her wand deep into his stomach. Phantom spurted out blood and crashed to the floor, coughing up blood that stained the floor. Orchid leapt out of the way as Mercedes’s arrows headed towards her, wedging into the floor where she used to stand. Aran flung Maha towards her, and as she wasn’t THAT prepared, it grazed her arm, ripping through the soft black fabric of her clothes. Orchid winced, but that small wound wasn’t much for her.

       But what she REALLY wasn’t prepared for was Luminous, who had ran behind her and flung his  staff – which now had a dark aura around it – hard onto her head. Her hat ripped in half and blood now oozed from the giant scar on her head. She fell to her knees, choking up blood. She looked up at him and grinned. Her attack on Phantom had done it; his cursed eye now glowed vibrantly, and a wicked smile stretched across his face. Lania wanted to faint as the beating on the back of her mind was just too MUCH, but she had to keep watching. She was the only one who could still fight. 

“You think you’re strong, but you’re PITIFUL, you know that?” Luminous mused.

“Maybe in your eyes, Luminous,” Orchid said, her forehead covered in blood.

     Luminous’s smile disappeared and he looked away, biting on his lip. The red eye blinked off and on, and Lania could see that the ‘light’ still in him was fighting off the darkness, and Lania was grateful to it. His gripped onto his staff so tightly it looked like he might split it in half. Orchid hacked blood onto the floor, and Mercedes rushed to Phantom’s side, trying to heal him AGAIN. Evan lay unconscious on top of Mir, his head injury too much for a young boy like him to handle. Lania stood up on her wobbly legs and walked towards Evan, making sure he was alright.

“Come on, now,” Orchid said, extending out her hand. “Come with us.”

      Everyone looked at the two, wondering about Luminous’s reaction. Even Phantom, who was in agony on the floor, was watching in hope. Lania hoped the light managed to break through, but her hope dissipated when Luminous took her extended hand. But then, he did something she did not expect.

“No,” Luminous scowled, and squashed her hand. Lania heard something go crack.             

      Orchid yelped as Luminous let go of her now broken hand, letting it fall limply at her side. Mercedes helped Phantom off the floor so he could see the happenings, and he ended up coughing up blood when he wanted to laugh at the pathetic sight of Orchid. Orchid cradled her broken hand to her chest, but even though her forehead was covered in a thick coating of dried blood, a scar jagged across the top of her head and her hand was broken, she did not lose her arrogant expression. She still knew that, sooner or later, Luminous would pull through.

      “I expected nothing more of a hero,” Orchid said, spitting blood onto the cool marble floor. With shaky hands, she got onto her feet, blood still oozing from her head injury. Luminous gripped his staff tightly as she got up, considering attacking her again, but with the state she was in, he doubted she was much of harm. “But we have all agreed that you would make an EXCELLENT black wing,” Orchid spluttered, blood running down her chin. “And I volunteered to fetch you from this hellhole. I have NEVER failed a task I have been given…..and I will NOT begin NOW!”

     With that, she stood up completely straight, extended one wobbly hand into the air and snapped her fingers. All the monks and knights that roamed the Temple turned to look at the woman, and they slowly started shuffling towards her. The heroes tensed, except for Phantom, which had fallen unconscious somewhere in between. Lania swallowed anxiously and rushed to her father’s side, clutching onto his arm. He gently stroked her at the back of her head.

      “Beasts and souls of the Temple of Time,” Orchid chanted, her voice booming across the marble hall. The monks shuffled closer and the knights – which were lost souls that faded in time inside blank armor – floated towards the lady, who had wiped blood off her chin and was now focusing all her energy to the tip of her wand, which shone a brilliant white. “I now give you a mission – I wish you to WIPE OUT all existence until you have me that man. I shall expect NO breaks in between. Now, go and do my bidding!!”

      As soon as she finished her last line, the brilliant white light erupted through the huge hallway, and she teleported away. The monks and knights – and even the bosses of the Temple, Dodo, Lyka and Lilinouch – that glanced at the light – which was ALL OF THEM – let out roars and bloats of fury and started to march towards them – or more likely, Luminous. The mage shuffled back, extended his hand to push his foster daughter back with him. Lania didn’t hesitate to move backward – she had NEVER felt so afraid in all her life. Mir walked towards them, Evan lying on top of him on his belly. His brunette hair was stained red from his wound, but it had dried and other than a faint throb of pain, he felt fine.

      Mir had lost a few scales after being shot by a laser, but his scales were thick and hard, and blocked off the most of it. Aran jogged towards them as the monsters marched closer, her forehead beaded with sweat. She had Maha slung over a shoulder and Mercedes nodded to her, signifying they had to go. NOW. Aran turned to face Evan. “You okay?”

“Uh….yeah, I guess,” Evan said, his hand self-consciously going to his head.

     “That’s good,” Aran said, and Evan smiled briefly, his cheek leaning against Mir’s glossy black scales. Mercedes heaved the unconscious Phantom off the floor and lay him on the back of the dragon. They had little time left to run – soon, the monsters would be upon them, and their existence would be wiped out. The elfin woman turned to the dragon. “Mir, can you get us out of here?”

     “Yes, I can,” Mir said, his voice steady and even. “I may be slightly injured, but I can still get us all out of here. My strength is still sufficient to get us all a good distance away.” Mercedes nodded gratefully and slowly got onto the dragon, then nodding to the others to follow. Aran turned to Lania. “You get on first, Lania. I shall be the last to get on Mir.”

      Lania nodded, then tugged at her father’s sleeve. “Let’s go, Lumi,” she told him gently, but he shook his head. Aran, Mercedes and Lania cocked an eyebrow at him. “Luminous, we have limited time to get out of here. Whatever you are thinking, think of it later. For now, escape is the top priority.”

     “That’s not what I meant, Mercedes,” Luminous said, sighing. “It….it’s me that they want, and I running away will put all of existence in danger. As a hero, I cannot allow it.” Mercedes looked at the mage as though he was mad. “Luminous, you cannot POSSIBLY join the black wings; it shall put even MORE lives at risk. Get on, and we shall discuss this when we get back. Right now, our time for escape is insufficient; I suggest you get on RIGHT NOW.”

     But Luminous wouldn’t. He seemed to have something planned, and no matter how many times Lania pleaded for him to get on, he just WOULDN’T. Even Lania felt slightly annoyed; WHY must her father ALWAYS be so STUBBORN? The monsters were creeping closer, and the more they dilly-dallied, the more at risk their lives would become. Why couldn’t he SEE THAT? Suddenly, Luminous spoke up: “Mercedes…..you all go. I shall remain here, and do what I can to eradicate the monsters.”

      Lania’s heart stopped. What was her father THINKING? He was planning on leaving her? Again? She glanced desperately at Mercedes, who thankfully looked like Luminous like he was crazy. “Luminous, are you insane? I admit that you are very powerful indeed, but even YOU cannot HANDLE this many monsters! Staying here is SUICIDE.”

   “Maybe I cannot kill them,” Luminous said, a wicked grin spreading through his face. He shoved the hair from his right eye, its crimson red color glowing vibrantly. “But HE can.”

“Luminous, are you ABSURD? No, you may NOT stay here; I FORBID IT,” Mercedes replied, losing her cool.

    Luminous took her by the shoulders, silencing her. “Mercedes, being a hero means that you must put your lives in the line for others. I am a hero, and now, I am fully prepared to do so.”

“Yes, but-”

    “Which is why you must trust me,” he said, and Mercedes bit her lip for a moment, then sighed. “If….if that is what you wish. I’ll have you know it…..it was a…privilege to have known you, Luminous.” Luminous nodded, fully oblivious to the horrid expression on Lania and Evan’s face. How could Mercedes agree to THAT? There was NO WAY Luminous could survive this, even survive another dark outburst. He turned to Aran and they shook hands, and Aran petted him on the shoulder. “Take care, Luminous.”

     Finally, Aran climbed aboard the dragon’s back, and Luminous turned to face his precious little girl. Lania stood there, hands balled up into fists by her side, tears springing up in her eyes. Luminous knelt down and tilted her face so that it met his. “Lania…..you be a good girl, okay?” Lania choked, tears falling down her cheeks. Luminous wiped them away gently with his finger. Lania looked up at him, choking on her words: “N-no, I will NOT allow you to leave me again.”

“Lania-”

     “You told me you never mean to leave me!” Lania shrieked in desperation at him, her cheeks moistened by her tears. Luminous bit his lip at her words; this was his hardest decision yet. The heroes on top Mir’s back waiting patiently for Lania’s arrival. She wiped away her tears and stared up at her father; tears were going down his eyes too – but sadly, only his blue one. His cursed eye remained expressionless, and Lania hated it for it. She threw her hands around her father’s waist. “Y-yet you plan on leaving me again…..why, Lumi, why?”

“Lania, I don’t-”

       “I’m staying with you,” Lania choked, sobbing. “I go where you go, and I will NOT let ANYTHING split us apart again. Do you know how much I missed you, staying in my little house in the woods? Do you know how LONG I waited for you to return…..only to feel heartbroken when I realized you never were going to? HOW MANY TIMES do you plan on leaving me, knowing that….just because of….of THAT -” she pointed to his red eye. “-we can NEVER be together as a family? I’ve ALWAYS thought of you as a father……but have you thought the same about….me?”

     “Lania!” Luminous shouted, and Lania reeled back, shocked and heartbroken. Her father had never shouted at her before; NEVER. Tears streamed down the girl’s face, and it seemed Luminous was crying, as well. He grabbed the girl by the shoulders and hugged her tightly to him. Lania was shocked at first, but then hugged him back, her arms wrapping around his neck. “Lania….I have ALWAYS thought of you as family…..but, this is something I HAVE to do. People will lose LIVES because of me…….innocent children; maybe…..maybe even you.”

“But….Lumi…” Lania sobbed.

      “Which is why I have to do this,” Luminous said, pushing her away from him. “I am a nuisance to you….to EVERYONE….and this is what’s best for you and me. For everyone. So Lania, I love you very much, like my own DAUGHTER, but I must go. I just wanted to tell you….if I didn’t have this problem….I would give ANYTHING to be with you, so….” He brushed her fringe out of her forehead and gave her a quick kiss, which Lania strangely felt some buzzing when he did. “….goodbye.”

      With that, he stepped back and nodded to Aran, which heaved the girl onto the dragon and held her in place so she wouldn’t run off. Lania was frantic; kicking and screaming, trying to pry herself from the warrior lady’s grasp. Luminous nodded to them, and took a step back. The dragon slowly flapped his wings, and as he did so, Luminous closed his eyes and allowed the darkness to take over. Shadows extended from where he stood, and slowly, a dark aura enveloped him. Having put NO effort in trying to push it away, the darkness did what it always wanted; to FULLY take over. When he opened his eyes again, his red eye glowed without interruptions, and a wicked grin spread across his face. Even his single blue eye had flashes of red.

     Lania’s heart broke in two upon seeing him like that. She fought with Aran, but her grasp left her firmly planted to place. Evan gave her a reassuring squeeze, but she hardly felt it. She could only stare in horror, knowing she could do NOTHING. The whole hall darkened, the flickering candles on the sides slowly spluttering out. Black chains and tentacles tore out from where he stood, and he lifted his staff in the air, and charged full front onto the monsters. Before he did so, he snuck a glance at the dragon, which was already in the air, turning its direction to fly away.

     Before Lania couldn’t see anymore, Luminous’s dark gaze rested on her. He smiled at her, a genuine smile, and mouthed something to her that she couldn’t get.

There was a bang, and the Temple exploded into rubble. 

Lania - Path to Light (Part 13)

     With that, he turned on his heel and stomped away. The heroes and Lania (and of course Rhine) just stared in startled silence as Luminous walked down the hall, just finding a place of solitude. Phantom who had his hands in the air let his hands fall limply at his sides. Mercedes straightened her back and sighed, and Aran shook her head in despair. Lania felt Evan sigh and strode back to Mir, who was watching in interest. Lania turned her head to watch her father’s distressed form strut down the hall.

    “See? This is your fault,” Lania mumbled to Phantom, which grunted and yanked his hat into his eyes, then turned and walked away, not standing to be directed the blame. Mercedes shook her head and told them she had a headache, then went to sit down for rest. Aran said nothing as she sat onto the floor and appeared to stare into space. Lania focused her gaze on the end of the hall where her father disappeared around the corner and ran after him, ignoring shouts of warning. Her father was upset, and she was going to be there for him.

    She found her father sitting by the edge of the temple, dangling his legs over the edge. She approached him slowly, not knowing what to expect, but when she realized the red eye was NOT glowing, she relaxed. She came up and sat next to him, dangling her legs over the edge. She leaned across to see her father’s distraught expression. Seeing him this upset really tugged at her heartstrings and she patted him gently on the back. He lifted his gaze and smiled wearily at her.

“Daddy?” she asked, using the word she sometimes used for addressing Luminous. “Are you alright?”

      “Yes,” he said, and sighed. He hugged his knees to his chest and clutched at his head, his expression pained. “I….I’m sorry. I snapped. The darkness...” he trailed off and rested his head on his knees. Lania had never seen her father look this horrible, and without a second thought, flung her arms around him and hugged him. After awhile, Lania felt herself being hugged back. They weren’t like that long before Luminous pushed her away. He held her at arm’s length and smiled briefly at her. “You’ve grown up to be a beautiful girl, Lania, and you will grow up to be an amazing woman.”

“But….” Lania stammered nervously. “What about you?”

      Luminous’s smile vanished. He took his hands off the girl’s shoulders and stared into the beyond. Lania rested her head on his shoulder. She didn’t want her father to snap; she didn’t want the darkness to have its way. She wanted him to be with her, every step of the way. How can the world be so unfair, forcing her father away from her? She snuggled closer to him, and Luminous rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly. Her father’s touch was warm and gentle; she loved it so much. Loved HIM so much…..and nothing would change between them, even if her father became a maniac.

“Well! I hope I didn’t RUIN the moment,” Phantom called out behind them.

     Luminous groaned. “What do you want now, Phantom?” he asked, and the thief approached the two, his violet eyes losing their usual bravado. He slid out of Luminous’s unruly gaze and peered over the edge of the Temple. The temple, being in the sky, drifted high above the clouds, washing the world below in fog from their high perspective. Phantom sighed like he wanted to say something, but just couldn’t get the words out.

“Look, I…” Phantom swallowed, then started over. “I’m sorry for being an ass.”

“Oh, are you?” Luminous cocked an eyebrow, slightly surprised.

“Stop ruining my mood, Luminous,” Phantom growled, sitting next to the mage.

        Luminous sighed and stroked Lania’s blonde hair. Other than Phantom’s sudden appearance, Lania couldn’t have asked for a better moment; she was with her father in the Temple of Time, a place where she longed to go to last time, with the heroes, people she thought last time hopelessly that she would NEVER get to meet. She could die happy. She snuggled closer to her father, enjoying his warmth. Being so high up in the clouds, it felt a bit chilly. She was glad for Luminous’s warm hand around her.

    “I suppose I should apologize as well,” Luminous said softly, and Phantom nodded slightly. From behind them they could hear Mercedes shouting something to the other two heroes and sighed. Mercedes could be the leader of their group, for all they knew. She was just so BOSSY.

“So, where’s the book?” Phantom asked tactlessly.

“Book?” Luminous asked, baffled. “Should I be carrying a book?”

       “Yeah, you should, shouldn’t you?” Lania said, catching on. She remembered Angela, still waiting in the library for the ápeiri̱ vivlío, the book of Infinity and whatnot. She shifted back to sitting position and peered at her father’s confused face. It seemed he didn’t have the faintest idea what they were talking about. Phantom’s eyebrows twisted into an annoyed expression and asked again: “You know….short gal, white hair….in a library? Where you killed that Michael guy and took the…..ah….ahpie…..oh, forget it. The book?”

Luminous seemed horrified. “I…I killed someone?”

       “You don’t remember?” Lania asked, bewildered. Her father had no memory of his doings in the dark? It seemed that way. Luminous seemed extremely baffled. And horrified. Apparently, it seemed that Luminous couldn’t even kill BLACK WINGS, let alone handle the fact a killed an unarmed little boy. He only thought nothing of killing the Black Mage, which he hated with all his heart. Phantom straightened out his back and asked, the annoyance creeping into his voice: “Oh, c’mon, Luminous! You should at least know where you put the damn book! Get your brain to do something useful! Where’s the book?”

“I…I don’t….know,” Luminous stammered.

      “Oh, brother!” Phantom sounded exasperated. He turned to Lania and growled: “Well? Get your father to say where he put the thing, then!!” Lania jolted up and peered at her father’s face. He seemed to be struggling to be reviving a memory the darkness had surely made him forget. She didn’t see what use it would be to press her father for the book; he seemed to have genuinely NO MEMORY of what he did when he was in darkness. Turning to the fuming Phantom, she explained to him – delicately, since Phantom seemed quite stormy – that Luminous had probably had NO IDEA where he put the book as the darkness wouldn’t what him to remember that. As Phantom opened his mouth to complain, a voice spoke out of the darkness: “My, oh my, has he forgotten where he placed the holy book? Such filthy hands are NOT to touch the book anyway, and double-crossing vermin like YOU deserve NOT the luxury of LIVING.”

      Before Lania could even place her finger on who it was, a white blur rushed past her, followed by a long stretch of black. Her hair ruffled as whoever it was rushed past her with speed faster enough to surprise a racecar. Before anyone was even AWARE of the presence, a deep gash suddenly appeared on Luminous’s shoulder, startling so much he couldn’t even cry out. Blood oozed from his huge wound as he hit the floor, his blood staining the pure white marble.

     “LUMINOUS!” Lania shrieked and rushed to his side. Phantom reached out for his cards but before he could do it, the blur rushed past him and stabbed him in the side. It seemed the attacker didn’t know his own speed, and therefore rushed past Phantom so quickly the blade he was holding only grazed him, but that was enough to bring down the thief, which had never truly believed in physical strength, instead relying on wits. Phantom sunk to his knees, trying to keep the blood flow small.

      Luminous struggled to get up, holding his wound in agony. The darkness inside of him did what they could on heal the vicious wound but not succeeding. Blood dripped from the wound into rapidly growing pools on the floor, staining the vicinity around him dark crimson. Phantom was holding onto his side, blood leaking from between his fingers. The blur stopped in front of Lania and Luminous, and Lania got a close look on their attacker. Her eyes grew wide at the sight of Angela, the Zathura in her hand, its glossy black surface now stained with blood from her earlier victims. On her face was a smug smile which one wished to PUSH DOWN HER THROAT when she had single-handedly injured her father greatly.

      “Angela!!” Mercedes gasped in shock, peering over the corner to greet the grisly sight before her; both the boys were in agony, and the vicious machete was clutched in the girl’s hands. Mercedes was relieved to see Lania was alright, but it was only a matter of time before someone lost a life. Mercedes rushed to the girl and grabbed her wrist before she did anything foolish. Angela tried to pull away but Mercedes was quite strong compared to her and won with strength easily. She growled and narrowed her eyes on the elfin woman.

“LET ME GO,” Angela growled, fiddling with her weapon to try and stab the lady.

“Angela, what are you DOING?” Mercedes asked slowly.

       “You will NEVER understand,” Angela tossed her head. “ALL OF YOU are traitors; I saw it all; you are in LEAGUE with him.” She fiddled with the sword to point to Luminous, close to fainting on the ground. “My brother was a good person….and I will avenge his death anyway I can, even if it means MY LIFE.”

“Would your brother believe in KILLING?” Mercedes asked, and Angela froze.

      “Maybe not,” Angela stammered, than returned to her imposing position. “But that doesn’t mean I DON’T.” With that, she tried to rip her hand from Mercedes’s grasp, but Mercedes tightened her grasp to the point of pain. Angela yelped and the sword fell out of her hands, clattering against the Temple floor. She glared at Mercedes, her once faded green eyes now clear and bright, seeking vengeance against the group.

     “You’re brother would be so disappointed in you, believe me,” Mercedes said, her voice level and steady. Angela stopped squirming for a moment to listen to what she had to say. Luminous’s darkness had healed his ugly wound, and now the two (and Phantom, as his cut wasn’t that deep) gazed at Mercedes as well. Lania envied her imposing and regal stance, but she expected nothing more from the ruler of the elves. 

     “I had a brother too, Angela. He was a good ruler; confident in EVERYTHING he did. He was strong, but he was gentle when he wanted to be. He was kind and treated everyone fairly….but now, he’s gone. I have to say I am still reeling from his death,” Mercedes explained, and Angela’s body relaxed, simply listening to the woman and her unfavorable past.

      “But I decided to move ahead. My brother wouldn’t like it if I became unhappy because of him, and therefore, I moved on, covered the hole his death busted into my heart. Believe me; it is painful to see a sibling you love dearly die in front of your eyes. But if your brother saw you now….would he be happy the way you’ve become?”

“No….”

      “Precisely,” Mercedes smiled, and let go of the girl’s hand. It flopped limply back to her side, the Zathura forgotten. “That is why….live your life, and don’t let his death be your downfall; be happy with life as it comes.” Angela’s downcast eyes slid back to meet Mercedes’s, and her cold demeanor from last time faded into the air. Her eyes watered, and she smiled a teary smile. “Thank yo-”

That was all she managed to say before the laser pierced through her heart.

                             *****

Lania - Path to Light (Part 12)

“Lania!! Lania! Wake up, are you okay?”

       Lania stirred. It felt like someone was shaking her. She opened her eyes and met the gaze of Evan, his face washed with concern. Lania realized she was flat out sprawled on the marble floor of the Temple of Time on her back. Evan’s hands were wrapped around her right arm, probably where he shook her. Her whole body ached as she got up and her neck screamed at her. Had she fainted?

      “Whoa, Lania, what happened?” Evan asked, relived to see she was alright but otherwise still concerned. “I mean….you just….collapsed. Did you sense darkness again?” Lania shook her head as the events from not too long ago flooded her mind. She turned to Evan. “Where’s Luminous?”

“Huh? Oh, he’s here, obviously,” Evan gestured to the still unconscious Luminous.

      Standing up and IGNORING the cries of pain emanating from her  back, she walked towards her foster father and knelt down in front of him. He looked better, now he just look like he was sleeping other than being PUNCHED unconscious by a GODDESS. With her small hands, she got a firm grasp on his shoulders and gently shook him. She wanted to talk to him, and she needed him awake NOW.

“Oh, little Lania’s awake now, is she?” a voice called from behind her.

     Lania jerked her head and met with the violet eyes of Phantom, smirking mockingly at her. He waved a hand towards Luminous. “Don’t bother. We tried waking him up THOUSANDS of times. He NEVER DID. You wanna try out to wake up sleeping beauty, go AHEAD. But COUNT ME OUT.”

“Perhaps you hadn’t tried hard enough, master thief.”

     The two jerked their heads towards the unconscious Luminous – or should they say now, conscious Luminous – as he got up, groaning as he did so. He gently removed Lania’s hands from his shoulders and stood up so he was level with the thief’s face, both expressions equally grim. Even though he covered it beneath his long blue-gray hair, Lania could see his single red eye glowing a vibrant red color. She realized what was going on all too quickly; NO happy thoughts were registered between him and the thief, and if he showed any sign of weakness or negative emotion, he would SNAP. Standing next to him now was SUICIDE, but the thief didn’t even seem to notice.

“Nice to see you too, Luminous,” Phantom said, but his tone was anything but cheerful.

“I would say the same to you,” Luminous chuckled joylessly.

“Cut the crap, Luminous,” Phantom scowled, narrowing his eyes.

       “Both of you, STOP,” Mercedes said, emerging from behind. She gingerly yanked Phantom away, but his gaze was still locked on the mage, even though Luminous had long since looked away to fight off the darkness. The crimson glow emanating from his eye vanished after awhile and Luminous’s tense body calmed a tad. It seemed like he had won, for now. Lania stood up and, before she could even see what she was doing, wrapped her arms around him.

       Luminous was startled for a moment, but after a short while Lania felt herself being wrapped by her father’s embrace, as well. From behind her, she heard Aran say: “Hey, Mercedes! What’s going on…..oh, okay.” But Lania didn’t care about ANYONE anymore; she was with her father, and she never felt so emotional in her life. She buried her head in his chest and sobbed. She could feel his body tense, but then relax again. Lania felt his hand pat her head, and he was muttering something, but Lania couldn’t hear ANYTHING, only her sobs of happiness.

      Luminous brushed her fringe out of her eyes and kissed her gently on the forehead. His kiss was sweet and gentle, and Lania had forgotten how much she had missed it. “Lania…” she heard him mutter, his hand stroking the back of her head. “I’m….really, really sorry.” Lania glanced up at him, her eyes red and teary. She wrapped her hands around his neck and hugged him. She never wanted to let go. She had missed him SO much.

     “Lania,” Luminous started, and pushed her slowly away from him, his expression serious. “I….I have to apologize for leaving you that day. I wasn’t in my right mind…..Look, I just want you to understand that I would NEVER, EVER leave you, got it? But that day….after I lost control….when I regained control, the darkness was still swarming around in my brain and…..I thought nothing of leaving you.”

Though she knew it wasn’t his fault, it pained her to hear him say that.

     “Sooner or later, I grew aware of what I did,” Luminous’s voice was low, and he had little pauses in between like he had to force the words out of his mouth. “I never felt so horrible in my life, I swear. As much as I wanted to return….I knew I couldn’t. I’m like a ticking time bomb now, and when I blow, I blow. I know that if I continue to stay close to you…..I put nothing but danger in your life. Do you know that?”

“You don’t….” Lania choked.

     “I do,” Luminous said firmly. “You and Penny…..I love you both like FAMILY. It PAINS me to leave you, but it’s for your own good.” Luminous turned his gaze away from the girl and fetched something out of his pockets. He seemed very ashamed when he pressed the object into Lania’s hand. Lania’s bewildered expression turned into one of shock and disbelief when she was aware of what Luminous pushed into her hands; the photo of them she had thought was stolen forever.

“My photo….” Lania muttered, still trying to get her head around it. “How….”

      “Lania, I’m SO sorry,” he muttered, and shifted away from her slightly like he wanted to go away but couldn’t tear himself away from his adoptive daughter. His eyes slid over to meet hers, still confused at why her father had the photo. “After I had another outburst a few days ago, I wasn’t in my right mind. So I decided to go to your house and see how you both were doing. You weren’t there, so I decided to look around…..I didn’t mean to stay as long as I did.”

Lania listened closely, vaguely aware that behind her, Phantom smirked.

       “And I saw the picture. When I picked it up to examine it…..I showed weakness. I became vulnerable to the darkness, and it threatened to eat me up. Stumbling into the kitchen, I think….I knocked over the bread and the jam jar because I was very close to becoming mad. I stabbed myself with the bread knife so I could focus more on the pain than the darkness….when it became unbearable, I broke the window and just….got out. When I regained control not long later, I realized I had unintentionally taken this.” He gestured to the photo. “But I was too afraid to come back.”

“Excellent-o! Break a girl’s heart and steal her photo,” Phantom muttered.

“Hold your tongue, thief,” Mercedes and Luminous growled in unison.

      Lania gripped the picture in her hands harder. So that was what happened…..why her picture, and ONLY her picture (aside from the butter) was gone. Her father had been in her house, only moments before she was. If she had been any earlier to arrive back, he would’ve been there. But she wondered whether her presence would only have worsened her father’s situation. She wondered if she would have DIED if she had come back any earlier.

    “Luminous…..” Lania muttered, gripping the photo. “…..the…darkness will stop, right? It will go away, won’t it?” At that, Luminous was at a loss for words. He pondered whether he should tell her…..the fact that he would go MAD, some way or another. The darkness had already corrupted so much…..but should he tell her? Mercedes came strutting over, her heels clicking against the cold marble floor. “Excuse me, Lania,” Mercedes asked, and Lania tore her gaze from Luminous to look at the elfin woman. “If it’s not too much trouble….can I have a word – ALONE – with Luminous?”

      Lania nodded slowly and got to her feet, smiling a brief smile at her father before walking away, allowing the two heroes a moment of talk. She felt dazed and dizzy. It had been so long since she showed so much emotion. Phantom leaned against the marble walls and smirked at her. “Had a nice chat with ye’ little ‘papa’, my dear?” Lania felt like hitting him, but she hadn’t got the strength now.

      “How did it go?” Evan asked politely when she came to sit next to him. She didn’t know why, but Evan felt like a brother to her now. She felt comfortable around him, and even the dragon seemed nice. He was the only one here that she felt could be told everything. Lania hugged the photo to her chest and said: “Fine. Good, actually. I really missed Lumi.” Lania felt so comfortable around him she even used the nickname she gave for Luminous.

      “I’m glad,” Evan said, grinning. He looked genuinely happy that things hand turned out for the better, and Lania smiled at him. Mir was better now, but he was eyeing Luminous in a suspicious fashion. He didn’t hold distrust for the man, really, but he was suspicious that his other side might show and hurt his master, even though Evan had told him it was fine. Evan inched a bit closer to Lania and put a hand on her shoulder. “But what happened just now, anyway? As soon as you went close to Luminous….you fainted. You didn’t sense darkness, did you?”

“N...no,” Lania muttered, nervous to be talking of this.

     “Then what happened?” Evan asked, and Lania shifted her weight uncomfortably. She didn’t want to be talking of this; she didn’t want to be reminded of that man…..the one who ruined her father’s life. Aran and Phantom had joined Mercedes’s discussion with Luminous, but with Phantom there, it was turning into a downright argument, one where Aran and Mercedes were trying to settle down. Aran seemed distressed and Mercedes seemed annoyed with the two. She really looked like she wanted to join the disagreement.

     “I….I was just tired,” Lania muttered, and Evan pursed his lips, not believing her AT ALL. But he didn’t want to press further anymore than he already had. If Lania wanted to tell him something, she would. But the secret of her faint must be something only she wanted to know about. Phantom’s voice shrieking: “Oh, so you didn’t, HUH!?” rang across the hallway. Lania was suddenly aware of another presence behind her. She jerked her head and met the gaze of Rhine.

     “Oh, Rhine,” Lania muttered, her tense body relaxing. “I…I forgot you were here.” And she did. With all the chaos with meeting Luminous and all, the presence of the time Goddess and been forgotten completely. Somehow that made Lania feels guilty, like she had done something wrong. Rhine smiled, understanding, and drifted down to meet the girl. “My dear, I understand the stress you are having,” she said, her sweet voice calming Lania down. Rhine’s smile vanished. “But I know where you went….when you fainted.”

Lania’s head jerked up. “You what?”

“Went?” Evan asked, confused. “You went somewhere?”

     Lania’s mouth felt dry. If Rhine knew, how many others did? Rhine explained to Evan, but it seemed all she knew was that Lania entered Luminous’s mind; she knew NOTHING of the man or what he said. Evan was hesitant to believe it at first, but hell; he had seen so much WORSE. This kind of thing seemed kind of NORMAL. Mir nodded in understanding as Rhine talked, probably believing all of it. Lania was just sitting there in the corner, wondering whether to fill in the blanks in Rhine’s story.

     After pondering in her mind, she decided the best thing to do is to confide in them; she didn’t believe that bottling things up would make things ANY BETTER, anyway, so she explained the meeting with the man, what he said, and that Luminous might not be as sane as they take him for now. After her explanation, Evan had paled, and even Rhine seemed concerned. She drifted to the four heroes talking (Or more likely, arguing) and started discussing things to them, as well.

    Lania suddenly was aware her face had paled of color, as well. Trying to take her mind off it, her hands immediately twitched and tried to find something other to do rather than lying limply on the ground. Finally, her fingers went to her braid. It was quite messy and tangled now, so she undid it and did it up again, not as neat as her usual braid as she had no comb or mirror, but it looked better than before. Evan shifted closer to Lania, and when she didn’t push him off, slid his hand over her shoulders, giving them a reassuring squeeze. Lania looked up at him and smiled a weary smile.

    “We should…..probably go see what the others are discussing. It must be important,” Evan said, and Lania nodded simply. The two rose from the ground and walked towards the four heroes and one goddess. Phantom seemed to be shrieking things and Luminous, whose red eye was glowing again, and he was visibly angry. Aran was screaming to be heard over Phantom to PLEASE CALM DOWN, and Mercedes was looking away, her face a look of exhaustion. She probably wished she hadn’t taken part in this discussion, after all. Rhine looked tense and was trying to calm them all down, because Luminous looked very close to snapping, and Lania shuddered at the thought.

“See? I told you! He’s a madman! We can’t trust him!”

“Can’t trust ME? I would think it was YOU who we can’t trust, thief.”

“Oh please, both of you, QUIET!!”

      “What’s going on here?” Evan asked calmly, his arm still giving Lania reassuring squeezes now and again. When no one appeared to have heard him, his voice rose, but it was still drowned out by the shrieks. Rhine threw up her hands, giving up, but the two guys were still going strong. They threw insults at each other; some that made Lania wince and Evan purse his lips. They wondered whether they were old enough to even LISTEN to this disagreement.

       Luminous seemed to be getting meaner by the moment, and his cursed eye flashed angrily as he talked. She didn’t even have to count on the steady beat of pain that flashed horribly at the back of her mind to sense that Luminous was losing control. The struggle with the darkness was evident on his face. He even bit his lip as the darkness threatened to make its reappearance. Phantom, however, seemed to have forgotten that fact.

      Suddenly, Luminous threw up his hands. “That’s it! I’ve HAD IT. If you want me to fight the darkness AND tolerate with him-” he gestured to Phantom. “-you are expecting me to do the IMPOSSIBLE. I am SICK TO THE DEATH with you ALL. In fact, if you want a hero,” Luminous slammed his staff on the ground with such force Lania was surprise it didn’t snap. “go find someone ELSE.” 

Lania - Path to Light (Part 11)

     Everyone was startled by the sudden appearance of Luminous, especially since he looked equally surprised to see them. Then Phantom’s eyebrows folded back into a scowl, and he glanced away, as if just LOOKING at him made his eyes hurt. Aran looked astonished and muttered something to Maha, and Evan studied the Light Mage with interest. Mercedes seemed startled, but then resumed back into her emotionless expression.

     As for Lania…..she didn’t know what to think. Her long lost father that she was sure she was NEVER going to see again was now right in front of her, but something seemed…..wrong. Something about his expression seemed….un-Luminous-like, if she could only place her finger on it…..

     And then it hit her: fear. His expression right now mimicked a little girl in a horror movie when the monster came out. As Mercedes stood up and walked towards him, opening her mouth to say something to him, he flattened himself against the wall, his eyes wide in fear. He looked pretty much the same since he had left her, and that made her feel funny, for some reason. As if this thing was all a dream she had yet to wake up from. It pained her to see him so frightened, even though she didn’t know why, and she knew it wasn’t her fault.

“Luminous,” Mercedes began, coming closer. “What are you-?”

      “No!!” Luminous shrieked it fear, and Phantom jerked his head up from his sulking position, his face a mask of bewilderment. Obviously, Luminous’s frightened voice was something he had yet to hear. Luminous rammed his hands on his ears, which mimicked Lania when the beating in her mind became unbearable and screwed his eyes shut. “It’s all so loud! Everything is….and you’re only making it worse!!!”

“What in the-” Mercedes began.

      “Oh, no, no, no, no, no!!” Luminous mumbled, sliding down against the wall, cowering in front of Mercedes like she was the most dangerous monster in the world. “Please, don’t come any closer. Don’t come any closer!! You’re all too loud!!”

“He’s snapped,” Phantom groaned.

      “Luminous,” Mercedes said gently like he was a child throwing a tantrum. She placed a hand on his shoulder, but he jerked away from her touch like her skin was deadly poison. Mercedes pursed her lips tightly together, but did not give up. She shuffled closer to him, but he pushed her away. “No….it’s already so loud….” He sounded like he was pleading now.

“Luminous?” Lania said, getting to her feet.

      Luminous opened an eye – his blue one – and Mercedes turned to look at her. Lania had to calm to thousands of feelings bubbling up inside her. Her father was here……right in front of her. How could she ignore that? Her lips stretched into a smile, something she didn’t do in awhile, and she had to blink back her tears. She had never known how much she missed him. Ignoring the shouts of warning behind her, she took a step towards Luminous.

And he snapped.

     It was like he couldn’t take it anymore; like he had bottled it up, but now, the ‘loudness’ of Lania coming towards him had surfaced his insanity. He drew out his staff and twirled it around, then pointed it at Lania. In a flash, thousands of light arrows materialized in the air and shot towards the unarmed girl. In all the shock, she could just stand there in horror.

     Evan tackled her just in time and they stumbled out of the way as the arrows peppered the ground where Lania stood. Lania yelped in shock and Phantom leapt to his feet, ready as if he had suspected this would happen. Aran threw herself at Luminous and together with Mercedes, helped bind his hands behind his back. He was kicking and screaming, and as Lania hit the floor after getting tackled away by Evan, she wondered what had happened to him.

     There was a flash, and Rhine appeared before them. Lania’s heart grew hope. Rhine would fix this. She would know what to do. Her hand balled up into a fist, and without a second thought, she punched Luminous right at the stomach.

                           ******

     Mercedes and Aran weakened their grasp on his wrists as he fell back, unconscious. Evan peered from behind his shoulder, and Phantom calmed a tad. It was Lania still screaming her head off. She scrambled to her feet and raced towards Luminous, slumped against the wall. “What did you do that for?” Lania shrieked at the goddess and knelt down to examine the man.

     Rhine seemed unfazed by Lania’s anger towards her and she drifted down, her hands patting Lania on the back. “Relax, my child,” she said, and Lania’s tense body calmed down a bit. She looked up at the goddess with her crystal blue eyes, and Rhine smiled, her smile reassuring as she brushed Lania’s fringe out of her teary eyes. “It had to be done. The darkness made him sensitive to some things, and therefore, caused him to go….a bit crazy. When he awakes, he should be fine.”

    Lania didn’t seem convinced. It was hard to believe someone who just punched her father to the point of unconsciousness. She stared back at her father, the thrumming at the back of her mind starting again. She sighed. Even when her father was not in dark mode, or ‘psycho mode’, as Phantom called it, she could still sense the darkness. It had grown worse since their last meeting.

       Lania brushed her father’s long gray-blue hair out of his eyes and as soon as her fingers touched his forehead, the ground disappeared beneath her feet.

                           ******

       Lania fell onto a big, fluffy bed, pillows and cushions bouncing about as she crashed onto the mattress. She groaned as she got up, working the kinks out of her body, and she looked around. Where was she? How did she get here? Everything seemed so unreal. The bed she was on was far too extravagant, if she had her judgment. The mattress was inky black, and the pillows and blankets were crimson red. It seemed like the sort of bed an evil king would slumber in, and that made her insides squirm. She needed to get out of here.

     As she slid off the bed, she realized most of the things here were red and black and gold. The walls were painted black with red splatters marking the wall, like someone had carelessly splashed a can of paint on the wall. Or blood. After closer examination and realizing it looked more like blood, she raced out of the bedroom and into what looked like a living room.

Her heart stopped in her chest.

     Hung by their throats by the ceiling were multiple corpses, one she vaguely remembered as Angela’s brother. Blood covered the walls, and the cushions and sofas were blood red. The room seemed empty of things except for the corpses and two sofas, and a single wooden coffee table sitting in front of the sofas, draped over it a blood red tablecloth with gold markings. Sitting on top of the table was a tray of coffee, steam pouring from the cup.

It took her awhile to realize she wasn’t alone in the room.

      Sitting in one of the sofas was what looked like a negative-colored Luminous. Instead of gray-blue hair, his was red-black. BOTH his eyes were crimson red, all the light gone from them, dead. He wore a black tuxedo with red cuffs, and a red napkin slipped into one of his pockets. He held a white tea-cup in his hands which he sipped quietly and silently, as if not to bother someone.

    Whoever this person is, he sure was a weirdo. But what surprised her most was the fact that, other from the color of his eyes, his hair, and his skin (which was pale to the point of white) and his attire, he looked JUST LIKE Luminous. It was unnerving, and the way he looked at her made a chill run through her spine. It was nothing like the warm glances Luminous throws her way.

    “Ah, Lania,” he said, chuckling as he set his cup down on the tray. Lania’s blood froze in her veins; he even SOUNDED like Luminous…..and knew her name. Who was this WEIRDO? She thought of running back the way she had come and try to find some sort of exit to this place, but the man just crossed his hands across his chest and smiled up at her, an evil, mocking smile. “Are you considering running away? How foolish. I thought we just wanted to meet? No matter….I shall forgive you, but only this once.”

Lania froze just as she was about to run. Could he read her mind?

     The man gestured to the other sofa opposite to his. “Sit, my dear. We have much to discuss.” Awkwardly, Lania decided against running and sat down uneasily on the chair, sitting on the edge in case she needed to run. The man sat back in his chair, smiling at Lania like she was some sort of prize, and that made Lania uneasy. She cleared her throat, and asked in the most confident voice she could muster: “Wh-What do you want? Who are you? Where am I?”

      The man chuckled, then picked up his tea-cup and sipped for awhile before setting it back down. “Ah, Lania. You like delving deep, don’t you? Oh well, one would expect you to. Okay, let us start with the basics; first off, what I want from you is…..well, that is a hard question to answer, so let’s set it aside for now. Second….who am I? I would think you would now, my child…” he seemed disappointed, and Lania shifted uncomfortably in her seat. When he got disappointed, she sensed a strange going-to-kill-her vibe emanating from the man. She hoped he didn’t want something she couldn’t give, and hoped she could get out of here soon.

      The man recovered himself quickly and smiled that prize-smile again, which curled Lania’s blood in her veins and froze her cold. “No matter, I shall refresh you, then……my dear, I am Luminous.”

“You’re lying,” Lania blurted before she could control herself.

      The man chuckled, and Lania felt her anger level rising. Who was this FREAK who CLAIMED himself as Luminous!? Sure, he looked like him and sounded like him, but his demeanor was ENTIRELY DIFFERENT. He was a DIFFERENT PERSON, no matter what he SAID. Either he was playing with her or he was MAD, but Lania sensed it was probably both.

     The man grinned, and sipped from his cup. “Oh Lania, how TYPICAL it is for you to think I’m MAD and PLAYING with you, hmm?” He laughed then, and Lania swallowed a mouthful of saliva. Okay, this freaky guy can DEFINITELY sense her thoughts. She pondered whether she should think of something to lead him off when he continued: “And on to the third question……where you are. That’s a frightfully easy question, my dear; you are in your father’s mind.”

     “What?” Lania gasped in shock. The man’s grin changed from frightfully sweet to just wicked, enjoying Lania’s dumb-struck expression. As he picked up his cup, Lania realized it was true; how she had just fallen into here by just touching Luminous’s forehead, why this person had told her she was Luminous…..suddenly, she understood.

     “You….you’re his dark form, aren’t you?” Lania said, her voice quivering in new found fear. The smug expression on the man’s face explained everything; it was true. She was standing in front of the very person who ruined her father’s life, killed a boy and nearly murdered a hero. She stepped back, afraid her earlier comments might make the man do something drastic.

     “You’re bright, aren’t you?” the man chuckled, and shook his head, his dark hair falling into his crimson eyes. “But that’s not quite it, my dear Lania. You think I am a ‘soul’ myself, the one who killed the boy? No. That was PURELY Luminous, my container. My job is to lead him to the path of darkness, not take over him. I am not a soul, my dear; I can do no such thing.”

Lania’s body shook in fear. “Wh….what are you saying?”

     The man leaned back, sighing, but the smile still evident on his face. “I am saying, I am NOT a soul. I am pure DARKNESS. The only reason I am talking to you now like a living person is that my container’s soul is currently taking over now so that leaves me not much to do other than sit here and wait until he’s vulnerable enough to take control again.”

    Seeing Lania’s blank expression, he sighed and continued: “My dear, has anyone told you you are IMPOSSIBLE to explain things to? Oh, well. Darkness is peculiar that way; just know that I am NOT A SOUL. I am PURE DARKNESS, you get it?”

“Uh…..yes?” Lania said a bit uncertainly.

     “Excellent,” he said, smiling broadly. He set the tea cup on the table and continued: “What you have to know is ALL of us darkness are born with one and ONLY ONE goal: Get into a body, and TAKE HIM OVER. Yes, I told you us darkness DO NOT HAVE SOULS, but we are born souls. In the olden days, darkness was a dreadfully powerful energy, and the only way humans could get their hands on it was by sacrificing human SOULS.”

“Human SOULS?” Lania gasped.

      “Yes,” the man mused, crossing his legs. “Have you watched Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood? Wonderful animation. You see, the old way to harness dark power in the hands of humans is the same way you make a philosopher’s stone in the animation….by sacrificing the souls of MORTALS. Then, we turn back on our owners; take over his body, then take over his SOUL.

    “The Black Mage is an old-fashioned man, therefore he uses the old-fashioned way of harnessing the power of dark; by using the souls he KILLS. Therefore, we darkness are born with the SAME goal, but the Black Mage is Too powerful for even ALL of us to take over, and therefore we must do his bidding until the time comes when he corrupts one’s soul and it’s up to us to take over.”

     “T-that means,” Lania said, shaking with new found anger and fear. “You….your purpose here is to take over your ‘container’, also known as MY FATHER.”

     “Foster father, my dear,” the man said in disgust, twirling a rose in his hands before crushing it. It was beyond her where he got it. Lania slammed her hands on the wooden table, causing the cups to tinkle together as their glass surfaces clashed against each other. The man seemed unconcerned. “You….you will NEVER take over my father’s GOOD SOUL!! Don’t even try because you will FAIL!!” she roared.

“Highly unlikely.”

“WHAT!?”

     The man sat up, his warm demeanor from just now completely gone. He stared at her with those cold, red eyes. “Lania dear, if you must know…..light is weaker than darkness; FAR weaker. Everything light; like light bulbs, fire, and even the most POWERFUL source of light, the sun – will burn itself out eventually. Darkness, however, is ETERNAL. And another thing…..even the most POWERFUL light will not fill up EVERY dark corner in the room, hmm? EVERYTHING makes darkness; even you.” To prove his point, he gestured to her shadow.

       “Light and darkness are very different,” the man laughed; his laugh was cold, joyless. It sent tingles up one’s spine. Lania swallowed hard and did her best to look confident, but she was collapsing inside. Those eyes looked into her very SOUL. “You see, if you took chemistry and you were to mix light and dark energy in a container, your result would be very interesting; light RECOILS from darkness, like, let’s say, an octopus recoiling from threat. It retreats, because it is SMART, knowing it will NEVER win against darkness. Quite right, but light doesn’t know ONE THING; Dark energy can TAKE OVER.”

“What do you mean….” Lania breathed, her clenched fists shaking.

       “What I mean is….” The man smiled wickedly. “…your little ‘daddy’ will not hold out for much longer; being the light mage that he is, he is even EASIER to corrupt than an average human being. Light is frightfully EASY for darkness to corrupt, and when we corrupt light….it becomes new darkness. The more we corrupt, the more powerful we get….the less control your father has over us.”

“HOW MUCH DID YOU CORRUPT!?” Lania shrieked, and the man grinned.

“My dear….” He said, letting what he said sink in. “…he’s almost GONE.”

With that, the floor disappeared beneath her feet.

                          *******