The Creatures Series

Seventh Dark

Seventh DarkCreatures of the Dark

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##### Seventh Dark #####

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Dear nighters.

Do you know?

Tonight I dream of a masquerade,

Where you and I are dancing,

Waiting for an eternity of red death.

How lovely is it?

Truly, the darkest soul is inside the white over skin.

Today is the final round of Yitzh. After the previous 'lash out', I feel a lot better. I also missed the chance to act before, so this will be a perfect timing to show my true strength. Macko is giving us some motivating speech before we actually get into the battlefield. When the representative announces that the championship will start soon, we gather up and wait for his cue. That's when Ginnie takes time to notice my jacket.

"What's wrong with your clothes? It look like a fire just burn it. Hendrick didn't misfire you, right?" Hendrick snorts at that the mention.

"No. I was just.... a little careless,” I reply. "Does it look that bad?"

Ginnie's eyes then land on the burned mark on the back part. "Your jacket is ruined, Cen. And this is our last combat. Take it off or you'll remain in the whole audiences' memories looking like you just walk out of a decaying cave,” she advises.

I do what she says and gained a few shocked gasps. No, I think even the entire participants are looking at me.

"What?" I ask Ginnie.

She blinks to regain her control back. "A jacket! I have one at my locker. You can wear it! Here's my key. Take it before our team gets called,” she says quickly.

I have no idea where the urgency comes from. But I just do what she asks, again.

Ginnie's white jacket is a bit unmatching for my personal favorite, has golden buttons on the shoulders and back that's too girly for me, and quite tight in the upper body part. I can't even it zip to my neck, since the zipper is stuck over my stomach and won't go any further than that. So I just leave it be. It's going to be quite a bother later, though. I'm thinking of wearing my old jacket back, but Ginnie will probably disagree with my choice.

I close her locker's door and suddenly being welcomed by the sight of a boy my age. How did he even get in here? I can't feel his presence at all before he comes into my sight, and I still can't feel him even now. It's like my eyes are looking at him standing on his spot, but he's not here at all.... Can it be? Is this.... a projection?

He greets me while a smile, but I can feel that it's not a generous one. More like a curiosity smirk. "Hello, there."

"You're Barton Hollsworth,” I state.

"Then you know why I'm here,” he says without any courtesy.

I take a deep breath. "Your threats will not work on me—you should have known that since you were there the last time you violated the treaty, trespassing our family's ground along with your teammates. I don't even know why you and your family were invited to the Rainfold family's celebration party despite the fact that the elders know what you did."

Barton chuckles darkly. "That was just a small one. Why, you have no idea at all, aren't you? They even didn't tell you anything, including your precious 'teammates'." His comment only increases the heat in my heart. He sees me and smirks more wickedly. "You want to know why my family was invited? Then tell me first. Why do you even talk about your family like you're not part of it, Centry? You have no idea what's the reason yourself, don't you?"

I stiffen a little.

"I know the secret, Centry. And so do my family. The Rainfolds noticed this—that's why they've been so good to us. They promised to do anything for us as long as we do not tell their big secret. But some kissing ass dogs aren't enough to satisfy me—I need more glory. I want to win this champion. All of your 'family members' bow their heads to my family, but that's not enough. You are not bound into this promise, while you're the key to this whole thing. You won't need the secret to bow your head as well." He ends his speech with an evil laughter.

"Don't trust me?" He asks, looking at the expression on my face. "Try to ask them yourself—I guarantee they won't admit. They'll be as stiff as dead fish, remembering how good they are at keeping dark secrets for the past centuries,” he chuckles once more.

"A Yitzh Champion winner will not just be known by many wizards in this world. The true winner will be filled with bright, golden future, an eternal eminence, and name will be known by all. I want that victory."

"You speak of true victory, but if you threaten me then it will be the same as lying,” I mutter through grinned teeth.

"Who cares? Who needs the truth? All you need is what you see. And I want you to lose in front of those hundreds of wizards. I know we'd made a mistake before. You're not that weak. That's why this time I'll make sure that you will leave shaking in fear."

I don't even have time to ask what he wants to do next, because he already crushed me to the rows of locker before I can do anything. His hands already all over me and he even only need one muscular arm to crush my neck. I want to budge, but his other hand stops me immediately.

"No need to fight, Centry. I won't even get hurt if you are able to touch me,” he mutters in my ear. "Me and my team had lost to yours before because we underestimated you. But this time, I'll make sure that there will be no other way."

Clearly. But how can he even be so strong like this?

I...

Can't....

Fight....

Him....

I give up with a heavy breath, even though I can’t even be very obvious at that. Barton doesn’t even alleviate his vim.

"Feeling heavy, Centry? That's probably the jacket that's taking its effect,” he tells me.

“If you have guts, then fight a real fight with us on the field,” I manage to breathe the words out from my trembling lips. I can definitely feel my energy being drained out now. It’s like oxygen, flowing out of my very skin. And I can’t do anything to stop it from seeping through as it floats up into the white ceiling. Disappear.

Barton looks at me as if I ’ m the pettiest thing in the world. “ Why would I need to waste my vitality on low-class wizards like you? ” I feel a sharp pang of knots on my heart all of a sudden. His fingers are twisting my skin ─ I can feel it even from under my clothes. But the weirdest part is that I can even let myself giving up.

“ Yes. You ’ re feeling tortured right now ─ that ’ s another effect of the spell that was put on it. You want to just give up and lie down, but the jacket it preventing you from doing it. With this, you ’ ll be forced to attend the championship even though you can ’ t fight. It will be your living hell. And it ’ s all thanks to your ‘ friends ’ . ” His smirk grows wider.

I gather the last remaining of my power and kick him hard. He hit the rows of lockers across from us and then his projection starts to crumbles into breaking pieces of particles.

Everything becomes so dark after dark. I remember a few glimpses, but I can’t perceive for long. And suddenly, I’m already standing in the center of the stadium, with thousands of audiences around me. I can see my friends from the corner of my eyes, and a sad feeling cross me. Is that really the truth? That they’ve betrayed me? I brood over.

But it’s fine. I forgive them. The elders made them to do this, after all. They couldn’t do anything about it because they have no other choice. Either they do not obey or be removed from the family tree. The Rainfolds have so many family members that they’re not even afraid of losing any successors.

“Not. We’re not what you think we are.” Out of the darkness, I can hear Latherine’s soft voice echo through.

“ Lath ─” Someone cut him in.

“No, it’s fine, Macko. She can only hear us now, anyway. There’s nothing more left than a moving doll. We might as well blur the entire burden out.” This voice is no unfamiliar, I can barely recognize it. Her tone is so.... cold. Distant.

Then, as if someone has sign to start it, six strangers’ voices rain down on me like acid.

“It was Barton who made us.”

“He offered us a way to stop pretending.”

“We’ve been so sick about it, we even agreed to do his dirty job.”

“The elders don’t even know about this.”

“We did this because we want it. It’s time for you to become the doll rather than being loved. That is, if you can call this whole act as one.”

“You were alone before. Now, you are for good.”

“No one’s going to make you feel a flash of happiness again.”

As much as the truth hurts, their honesty is killing me.

I’m trembling on my spot. Freezing in the darkest hole. I’m locked inside this dark prison, and no one is going to help me.

“Why can’t you just die?”

Then finally, the last spat of acid rain cut one of my strings.

Die? They’ve crushed my trust. They’ve betrayed the last remaining light inside my dark forest. After all of these, they still want my death as well?

There’s no sadness that leaves in my heart anymore.

The cold glimmer is no longer dying inside. Instead, it gets bigger, hotter, transforming in a flash into a burning hell fire.

I do not need love and care. Anger fills me in now.