Past Reflections: Part Six

Everything was black. I stood, alone in the darkness, still stunned by what had happened. Too vague... MirrorEyes's story about Tyne had been too vague. Everything else had been in well enough detail, so that I could understand that he had been happy with his new family, but I could also tell that he was... hiding something from me. And, feeling a sigh escape my lips, I knew that he wouldn't give me a direct answer if I asked for one. He didn't respect me in that sense.

      I sunk to my knees and buried my face in my paws, trying to comfort myself in the utter blackness that surrounded me. Nothing positive was here... everything around me reeked of anger and hate, misery and guilt, and I knew just from being here that nothing good could come from it. I couldn't feel content here... I was actually scared. Everything was so terribly empty in contrast to the memories I had seen earlier.

      My senses pricked as the sound of sobbing echoed through the blackness. A kid...? No, not just any child. These sobs belonged to Tyne... or, at least what had used to be Tyne. I stood, meaning to find the source of the cries. Stumbling blindly through the darkness, I heard the sobs becoming louder and louder. The darkness was also getting thicker and began swirling with more negative feelings. The closer I got to the source of the noise, but more I felt like I was being muffled. I struggled to breath, at least, but I found even that hard.

      Sob... sob... sob...

      I was getting closer... I could feel the misery outdoing the hate and guilt, leaving a heavy feeling of sorrow in my body... I raised my paw, cursing my stupidity, and attempted to light a fire with my blessing I had received a few years ago, but the misery in the air muffled the flame and put it out before it could fully take form. I felt the familiar warmth that usually took place within my paw flicker out, and I sighed. I crawled forward again, feeling every movement I made getting heavier and heavier. My limbs seemed to be made of lead.

      I stopped abruptly, knowing that I had found the source of the blackness. I put a paw tentatively forward, reaching out and touching the child's fur gently. I patted her comfortingly, but comfort was the last feeling on my mind. Her misery was leaking into me. I couldn't pat her long; the warmth from her fur suddenly vanished, as if she'd just been killed. I pulled away sharply, unsure of what to do. Her sobbing had abruptly ceased.

      The blackness was unbearable. I could easily hear my heartbeat, as my lungs strove to attain oxygen and my heart strove to beat. It was getting too hard to stay awake... the feeling of negativity in the air was like a sleeping poison that killed you and made you exhausted at the same time. I struggled to speak, but even my mouth seemed unable to move.

      "So... you're him."

      The words had come from the child. In an unexpected attack, her paw seized my throat. I choked suddenly, shocked by the action. Her cold fingers tightened around my throat and I coughed, appalled by her unbelievable strength. Everything was a little lighter - I could see her form, no longer a child's, but a full-grown Zafara's. "You, who are but a mere child..."

      She hurled me down, and I didn't have the strength to get up. "How did you get here...?" she asked, her voice a quiet hiss. I couldn't even shake my head to signify that I myself didn't know. Her emotions looked indifferent as she sauntered towards me, sharply contrasting with the child that I had seen earlier, and the emotions that she hatefully radiated. She grabbed me by the unnatural scruff on my head, Hissing in my ear, "You have something to do with him, don't you...?"

      She looked at me for a moment, then a small, evil smile made its way across her face. "No, it's as I said before... you are him. Clever, MirrorEyes... you used the body of a mere child."

      Her paw was outstretched in front of me, and she squeezed slightly. I felt as if my insides were being squeezed together, and I gasped in utter pain. She released me and I panted in exhaustion. "But... he's not here. He's sent you to die by my hand, has he? I shan't disappoint him, then..." She tightened her fingers again, and I cried out in agony.

      "Don't feel bad," she said, her voice radiating hate and at the same time sounding completely calm. "I was expecting him, not you... So, this way, we've both suffered a little... Just so you don't feel like you've gotten the shorter end of the stick, that's all."

      "Who are you...?"

      I blinked upon recognizing Hiterkuna's voice... the darkness suddenly started brightening. Tyne whirled in the direction of the voice, and her grip on my throat loosened a little. I gasped for whatever air would be provided to me. Tyne was staring at Hiterkuna with a puzzled expression on her face. "That is my question, girl. Answer me... who are you? He's not inside you... I can't sense anyone..."

      Tyne's calm, terrifying demeanor was the only thing that seemed to have an effect on Hiterkuna, and she backed up a little, looking nervous. "I-I don't know what you're talking about..."

      "...Ah," Tyne said, a look of realization masking her face. "I see. It's all that Light in you... I can't sense anything in it."

      I get it, I thought as I struggled to breathe. Tyne uses... darkness? But that fire back then... there must be something else...

      Hiterkuna suddenly seemed to take notice of me. "What are you doing to my brother? L-let him go!" She looked as if she were torn between running away and coming to my rescue, but her bravery won her over. She stumbled towards me, but Tyne held out a paw and squeezed her fingers as she done before. The two were silent for a moment, and Hiterkuna blinked. "Um..."

      "You have the powers of a priestess," Tyne observed almost casually. "My powers have no effect on you... for now." Her grip tightened again on my throat. "Come closer and he dies, you hear? Even though he was going to die in the first place... I can always make time to kill you too, girl. Just wait your turn..." As these words came out, her grip on my throat tightened and I gasped again. Hiterkuna looked terrified, then cried, "Don't!"

      Tyne seemed to be shaken off suddenly. Her grip loosened; she lost her grasp on me and Hiterkuna ran towards me. "Y-you don't touch him! If you try anything funny, I'll... I'll..."

      "You'll do what?" Tyne whispered quietly, her attitude once again ruffling Hiterkuna. The shadow Zafara had dropped any intentions to kill me - her paws were aimed at Hiterkuna's throat. The younger Zafara cried out, holding her paws in front of her in a desperate attempt to hold Tyne off. "No!"

      Tyne was knocked back yet again; this time she didn't rise for a long time. She fixed Hiterkuna with a contemptuous glare. "I don't know who is inside you... even if someone is... but let this be a warning, girl... if you meddle again, I'll kill you along with him."

      Then it was light.

      Light.

      I sat up, breathing heavily. Where were we...? Oh yeah... the storage room... I looked to see my little sister slumbering away near me, and I breathed a sigh of relief. Had it just been a dream...? No, it couldn't have been. No mere nightmare could've been so evil. I could remember every detail vividly. The feeling of being crushed under Tyne's miserable feelings... I could still remember her cold fingers gripping my throat. I felt my throat, and sure enough, it still felt cold from her icy grip. My heartbeat started to quicken, and I tried to reassure myself with the fact that she was gone now.

      Hiterkuna jolted awake. Her wide eyes searched the room for a moment, then she caught site of me and broke down sobbing. "Kyradose! That girl, she nearly killed you, she--!"

      "How did you get there?" I interrupted. Hiterkuna blinked. "Uh... I don't know... Hisika, she spoke inside my head... She told me to follow you... and before I knew it, I saw all these strange things..."

      I sighed. There was no explanation to Hiterkuna's voice - she was the reincarnated form of Hisika. Having seen what MirrorEyes had been like in a previous life, I had held onto a small hope that my family wouldn't have anything to do with this mess. But my little sister indeed was. What I had feared greatly had come true.

      A thought struck me. "How did you manage to fight her off?" I asked suddenly. Hiterkuna looked confused with herself for a moment, then answered, "I.. dunno. My body suddenly felt strange and warm, and I was so angry at her..." She punched the floor in anger, which was probably the most violent thing she had ever done in her young life. I felt a small smile creeping across my face - she had been angry? She had seemed more like terrified to me. Maybe my little sister was growing up, bit by bit.

      "Are you all rested up?" I asked, standing and wavering around on my footpaws, feeling a little faint from having sat in one position for so long. Hiterkuna nodded, standing and stretching out her arms. "Okay..." I mumbled, peeking through the crack in the door. "Saying we're ready to leave is one thing... actually getting away from this place is another..." Hoping that no one was outside, I pushed the door open slightly and poked my head out, scanning the hall for passing pets. Nodding to Hiterkuna, we ran from the room, pausing when coming around every corner to see if enemies were coming. I suddenly felt disgusted by the whitewashed walls around us, the scent of doctor's equipment reeking through the halls, and the lack of wilderness that surrounded us. On the outside, it was easy to view trees and ordinary wildlife that you expected.

      Perfect time for MirrorEyes NOT to be out... I thought grudgingly. The sound of voices met my ears and I fell back, grabbing Hiterkuna and covering her mouth to prevent any noise from escaping. She seemed frazzled at first, but she quickly adapted and fell deathly quiet.

      "Where do you think they ran off to, boss?"

      "Wherever they are, we can't let them escape; they've broken through the barrier with MirrorEyes's and Hisika's power. If the other two try to get through, it'll be bad luck for us."

      "Sir, do you think that your past experiences will influence--"

      "No, it won't. My duty is Tyne's servant; my ancestors have done that for centuries, serving her family. Once we catch MirrorEyes and Hisika, we can use their power to awaken the power in Kei."

      "Master Kei does not seem ready to experience such a transformation, sir..."

      "That sniveling whelp will become ready, for he has no part in this... Tyne will inhabit his body, and we won't need to worry about him any longer."

      There was silence afterwards, and I held my breath and waited, desperately hoping that they wouldn't turn the corner. I didn't know where MirrorEyes was; he seemed to lay dormant within me, regardless of the situation we were still in. A breeze brushed past my skin... my eyes widened suddenly, and I realized our means of escape. I looked up to see a window in the hall, slightly ajar. The breezes were coming through the window.

      I glanced at Hiterkuna and met her eyes. I motioned to the window and she nodded mutely, and stood without making a noise. We both waited, breathless, while the sounds of footsteps receded. They had taken another hallway.

      I crept toward the window with Hiterkuna trailing behind me. I couldn't wait to be free of this building and the terrible things that had happened, that I had seen... I wanted to be away from it all. The image of Tyne, a small, lonely child, kept invading my mind. I couldn't help but feel sorry for her... even though that she had tried to kill me only moments after I had seen her. I pried the window further open and helped Hiterkuna climb out. She hovered in the air, waiting for me.

      I had pulled myself halfway through the window when Hiterkuna gasped and I felt powerful arms grabbing around my waist. I cried out and kicked furiously, intent on escaping. I turned to see the white Shoyru; he had see or heard us, and he wasn't going to let me go without a fight.

      "MirrorEyes!" I gasped hoarsely, trying to escape, "MirrorEyes!!" But the Draik inside me wouldn't listen. Instead, I saw more visions of his past flash through my mind. Tyne, curled up on the ground, sobbing endlessly... MirrorEyes, playing games with his little sister, not knowing that he would lose her soon. The Draik seemed intent on watching his childhood again, instead of helping me with the issue at hand.

      The white Shoyru called frantically over to the one he had been talking to - a blue Usul - to help him. The Usul frantically ran over and grabbed my tail, and, peeved, I kicked him sharply in the side. The Usul whimpered and stood rooted to the spot, fidgeting uselessly while the Shoyru shouted orders to him. The white one was far stronger, though; he could easily keep a hold on me. He pulled sharply and I felt myself being dragged back inside. I gripped the window pane, pulling, but making little effort of escape. Hiterkuna gripped my paws and pulled, but it didn't make the situation much better. The white Shoyru was desperate to keep us under capture.

      There was a loud crashing noise and I felt the strength pulling me back fade instantly. I was thrown forward, knocking my little sister over with me, and we both fell through the air quickly. My wings seemed to spring to life, and I flew up, Hiterkuna following suit. She hovered nearby while I peeked through the window to see that the cause of the crash had been a shattered test tube... and the pet who had broken it was none other than my dearest sister, Yubioke.

      I hovered in midair, gawking at the form of my older sister. Wait... was it my sister? No, it wasn't... Yubioke was green. This Aisha was painted Skunk. I almost wanted to laugh at myself for making such a stupid mistake. But... why did this Aisha bear such a remarkable resemblance to my overly-violent sister?

      "What're you gawking at?" the Aisha snapped. Maybe my hearing was off, because she sounded a lot like Yubioke, too. I've bumped my head, I reasoned. Yup. That made me feel loads better.

      "S-sorry," I said, and I felt a stupid grin spreading over my face. "But you make me think of my idiotic sister, but then again, she's way more ugly than you..."

      Okay, okay, I shouldn't have said that. The next thing I knew, the Aisha had grabbed my wing and was battering me against the wall. "Huh, Kyradose?? WHO'S UGLY??? NOT YOUR DEAR SISTER, RIGHT?!" The smile she gave me was scary.

      "Uh, um, heh heh, sorry, Yubioke," I croaked.

      The Aisha gave me a withering glare before releasing me from her death-hold. "Huh, it wasn't easy to find you guys, either."

      "What's with the paint job? Did a hundred-thousand Neopoints or so plummet from the sky?"

      Yubioke gave me a devilish grin. "No, I broke into Smurf's bank account and found that she was hiding more money than she said she was. Probably making a pathetic attempt to get that Darigan paint brush, stupid human."

      "I thought you wanted to be painted Darigan," I moaned weakly.

      "Dearest brother whom I hate, I couldn't wait," she said, cackling slightly at her cheesy poetry. Before I was allowed to question her more, she held up a paw. "Save your questions for later, little brother; we must take our leave."

      By now, I was certain that she had eaten too much sugar or something.

      Yubioke stared at us blankly for a second. "Uh... what?" I blinked in confusion. The Aisha rolled her eyes and snapped her fingers. Mesbeto walked around a corner, two test-tubes in his paws. "Beating up those nerds was fun, dude." He grinned. "In exchange for our saving your butts, you need to give us a ride back."

      I suddenly felt drained to the point of death. "Y-you mean all the way to the mainland...?"

      Yubioke nodded. "We're not too heavy for you, are we?"

      I knew that if I answered the wrong way, I would be receiving a one-way ticket to Yubioke's wrath, and nothing was worth that. I shook my head, a fake smile on my features. "No way, I'm strong enough."

     *

      "How in NEOPIA did you get there again?!"

      The question coming from Hiterkuna's mouth was so loud and so demanding that I found myself surprised with her for being so blunt. But the same question had been repeating itself quietly in my head, and I too wanted an answer. Yubioke, looking proud while riding atop my back, answered. "It was pretty crazy, actually..." Her expression quickly changed from proud to slightly worried.

      "Yubioke walked into some guy on the road," Mesbeto concluded. "The dudette made a nasty remark at him, and the Bruce went like, totally insane and attacked us." My eyes widened slightly at a memory of the white Shoyru, and his words to me: "She's part of this, kid. Your whole family is." He had power over numerous minions in that building alone, so who could argue that he might have villains out in the rest of Neopia? That would be the best way to gather information, after all.

      "I think," I said quietly, "that the Bruce was working for that Shoyru..." Hiterkuna's eyes widened slightly, but she said nothing. Yubioke and Mesbeto, however, looked at me with genuine curiosity.

      "Anyway," Yubioke quickly said to avoid the subject, "we decided that you had probably gotten into trouble, and we took a boat out from the harbor. The Bruce that attacked us had come from that direction, so..." She shrugged. "It seemed like the best choice. But the boat only got us so far before we detected some kinda wall or something, and Mesbeto decided, what the heck, and jumped into the water. Scared the heck out of me. It was kinda a long swim here, too..." She glared at me. "We can thank you for putting us through all that trouble." I laughed nervously, and didn't press the subject any more.

      I found myself guilty of wanting to simply forget what had happened. Upon realizing this, I mentally scolded myself, but further reasoning told me that it would be better to forget. Maybe I could go back to being ordinary. Maybe the white Shoyru and all of them could forget that this ever happened. Maybe I could live and be happy.

      As cool ocean breezes soared over my skin, pushing me gently around, only one sarcastic thought went through my head:

     Yeah, right.

     *

      A few miles back, a white Shoyru stood at the foot of the island. Bandages covered a small portion of his head, with a hint of red staining a bit of them. He seemed uncoordinated from the shattering blow that had been dealt to him, but he stood on a rock while waves sent spray into his eyes and mouth as he muttered vengefully.

      "Those brats are going to regret defying me... and Tyne."

To be continued...