Chapter Nineteen - The Depths of Magic

"Hey... Come on, Artemis! This isn't funny!" I said. "Wake up! Listen to me; wake up!" her body was limp. "You... you can't leave me..." I whispered. "No... NO!" I grabbed my power, and without even stopping to think about what I was doing, slammed it into the girl's chest. There was no effect, so I did it again. "Wake up! Tell me what's wrong! Why aren't you answering me!?" I sent three more bursts of power into her, trying to get her heart beating again. "WAKE UP!" The world faded to black.

When my eyes next opened, I was in a featureless black eternity. There was no up, no down, and whatever I was standing on, it didn't appear in the visible spectrum. I looked around carefully, checked behind, and looked forward again. In front of me, where there hadn't been anything before, there was a little girl with long silver hair.

"Hello." she said cheerfully. "I have a riddle, mister!" I looked at the girl.

"I don't have time for riddles." I replied. "I need to get back to Artemis and save her!" the girl giggled. "...Who are you?" she just smiled.

"That's a secret, mister. Here's the riddle. You cannot see me, you cannot smell, you cannot taste me, you cannot touch. You can feel me and observe me, know my flavor and scent my presence. In times of dark, I light the way, in times of light, I fade away. I am old and I am new, seperate and a part of you." I stared at the girl for a long moment. My first guess was 'My Shadow', but that didn't seem quite right.

"Do I get any hints?" I asked. The little girl beamed at me.

"You already have plenty. It relates, though. It's also my name." I looked at the girl for a very, very long time, mind churning. What was there and wasn't? There was magic, but nobody had proven either way if it was material. That didn't seem good, either.
There had to be something simple that applied to this situation. Then it hit me.

"Hope." I said softly. "The concept of Hope. You can't see it, feel it, taste it, or smell it, but it still exists. You can feel it in your heart, observe its effect, know the flavor of the feelings it gives you, and you also know when it's near by a sort of spirit smell. You have more of it when in trouble, and forget when things are well. It's old because it's been around ages, and new when it spawns in you. In the same way, it's seperate in that it's a concept and others have had it, but it can help shape who you are." the girl laughed.

"You got it!" she replied. "Not bad, mister. I can save the one you call Artemis; that's easy. There will be a price, though, a very heavy one. Calling back the dead, for whatever reason, isn't something you should really do. There WILL be consequences"

"I don't care." I replied. "There is... there isn't any reason she should be dead! She's suffered all her life, and when things are finally turning around, her chances are taken away? I can't accept that!" the little girl laughed, and the infinite void dissolved into the real world. I was lying in the middle of Ryu Dorm. Artemis groaned next to me and sat up as I did. I immediately hugged her tightly.

"What... what happened?" the girl groaned.

"I don't know..." I whispered. "But you're safe. You're safe." I didn't loosen my grip for a long time, much to the bewilderment of Artemis and everyone else who came downstairs, including Mia and Apollo when they got back.

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Later, with much relutance, I pulled away from Artemis to take a shower. It was only when the water had been running hot and long enough to steam up the small chamber that I punched the wall. Answers to my questions? Hah! What had just happened!? Artemis... MY Artemis... she'd... I shook my head back and forth rapidly.

"The price shall be taken." a voice whispered. I looked up, and my eyes widened as I saw dozens of dark shapes circling me. I only just managed to stop myself from throwing my hand out. Instead, I brought my hand up and focused. Nothing happened. Cursing, I began swinging at the creatures, feeling somehow comforted by the towel around my waist. Not that it helped with the growing terror. The creatures, or whatever they were, bunched together against the far wall.

I immediately hopped out into the main area. The shower room was too small anyways; better that I had more room if I was going to fight. So, no powers, no special techniques, just me. Figured. Always, the creatures danced out of my reach. However fast I moved, they were just that much faster. I bit my lower lip and willed myself to stay still and focus. They were just illusions. They had to be.
One of them bit me on the arm. I flung it off and put a finger on the welling blood, then brought the finger up to my mouth and tasted it.

Okay, there was no WAY this was an illusion that elaborate. The creatures swarmed at me an instant later and I threw myself to the side.
"There's got to be something..." I hissed. I willed myself into seeing the creatures as what they really were. Maybe I still had that power. As the second sort of sight I had activated, I realized what the dark blobs were. Copies of myself stared back at me, laughing cruelly. I charged at them, despite my fear, and swung my fist at the first one I found. He just moved to the side, and my fist hit the wall hard enough to bruise it. I winced as I pulled my hand back and shook it.

It didn't heal.

"Well, that's going to be a problem." I said, looking down at it. I launched towards the creatures, and this time, they hit back. I was flung across the room and hit the wall. A bit of red covered my vision in one eye.

"WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU DOING DOWN HERE!?" Aril roared, coming down the stairs.

"Get back!" I yelled, getting into what semblance of a fighting stance I could as the copies of me bunched together again. "They'll get"

"There's nobody down here." Aril said, blinking. "If you want to play around with your imaginary friends, go do it outside or something and stop banging around." a rain of blows hammered at me, sending me skidding backwards. She couldn't see them!? "Oh, so you've managed to learn how to move without sliding your feet around. I'm so impressed"

As she walked forward, the copies of me surrounded her, hovering inches from her skin at any one time. She still didn't notice them. One of the copies pulled out a knife a moment later and grinned viciously. It brought the knife up.

"NO!" I yelled. The creature blew backwards from the girl, hitting the wall and vanishing. I lunged towards Aril, desperate to get them away from her. The girl was the one who smacked me aside impatiently. The copies of me just laughed and swarmed around. "Can't you see this blood!?" I roared. Aril just looked at me like I was insane.

"There's nothing." she said. "Stop being stupid already! You're a big enough headache as it is! Every day, all you do is get yourself into trouble. Grow up already!" I backed away from her, shaking.

"You're one of them." I whispered. "You're with them." I continued to throw punches and kicks at the beasts, all the while keeping an eye on the impostor of Aril. "Get away from me! I'm not going to let you beat me!" The last thing I saw was the fake-Aril's mallet coming towards my face.

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"-serious shock of some sort"

"-ver seen anything like"

"Brain activity is off the ch"

I kept my eyes shut as tightly as I could. Everywhere, I could hear them. If I opened my eyes, they would be coming after me again. I just shook in place.

"i... ai... Rai!" Artemis' voice. They were impersonating her, too! They were taking over everything! What felt like a small spark flickered within me. On and off, on and off.

"-risdiction. Leave him to us." a new voice said. A hand brushed my shoulder, and I flinched back. No! Why couldn't they just leave me alone!? That flickering spark inside of me grew steady, then expanded into infinity. "He's going critical! ARC"

My mind was wrenched out of my body, and I found myself in a medium-sized round white room. It was like the one that girl Claire had shown me. Instead of being alone, however, there was someone else present. Ar was st-- No, no, it wasn't Arc! It was just those creatures mimicking her to try to get me to drop my guard! I backed up until I was against the wall.

"Relax." the Arc-thing said, walking towards me. "Nobody's going to hurt you, Rai." The black orbs that made up the creatures appeared around her, circling. The girl stopped in place and looked at them curiously, then spread her wings slightly. "So this is what you see. Watch carefully, Rai." she said. A pulse of energy escaped her body and vaporized the things. The girl continued walking towards me. I pressed myself against the wall, trying to figure out where I could escape to. "There isn't one. This place is in the part of your mind that half of my soul controls." she said. The moment she stepped in range, I threw out my fist and his her across the cheek. The girl stumbled backwards, but composed herself and walked forward again.

"Get away from me!" I hissed. "Why are you tormenting me!? What did I ever do to you!?" the girl looked at me with an odd expression. Pity? I didn't need these creatures pitying me! They were trying to kill me!

"Look at me." Arc-thing whispered. "Use those seeing eyes of yours and see who I really am, Rai'elkal Satorin Kusanel." How did these creatures know that name!? HOW!? "You know that I am not one of your nightmares, Rai. I am your balance; I was born to help you share your burdens." She reached out a hand to touch me. I slapped it away. "Would one of your nightmares be trying to help you? Would they spend so much time just trying to make you feel better"

"Yes." I hissed. "Yes, they would!" One of the creatures had survived Arc-thing's odd attack. Howling in glee, it leaped towards her unprotected back. "Watch out!" I roared, throwing to the girl aside. The little dagger the orb was holding plunged deep into my shoulder.

I glared at the beast, feeling rage well up inside of me. A dull thump echoed as the creature shot backwards so hard it broke through the seamless wall of the room. Arc-thing stared at the hole for a moment, then gently hugged me.

"It's all right, Rai. Just as you are part of me, I am part of you. Hurting you is hurting myself." she said quietly. "You're amazing. This is a dream world, but you still hit it so hard you broke through its edges." I was expecting to feel a sharp pain at any moment, but none came. If it wanted a chance to hurt me, this was about as good an opportunity as it was going to get! "Come back to us, Rai. We're all worried about you." her face twitched slightly. "Even Aril, and especially Artemis"

At that moment, I realized there was another presence in the room. Apparently, Arc-thing did, too, because we both turned to look at the same time. Standing next to us, beaming, was a little girl with long silver hair.

"Hello!" she said. "I have a riddle, mister!" Arc and I both blinked. The girl cleared her throat and stared up at me with her big eyes. "Half of me is half of you, this is something I tell you true. Half of you is half of me, and someday this thing you shall see. One plus one and one plus one, half of two and twice your own, eternal force and holy light, today I wish my name is known"

I stared at Arc-thing for a long moment, then looked at the little girl again. For some reason, I just didn't think she was being mimicked. No malicious imitation could capture that smile. The cogs in my brain churned.

"Hope." I grumbled. "It's you, again! The answer's the same as last time, and this time, it works because I actually know what your name is!" the girl nodded and looked expectantly at me. "And... you're telling me that the riddle works because of the whole soul-splitting thing.

That you, my power, are partially hers as well, right?" Hope nodded again. "And... this is the real Arc"

One more nod. I stared at Arc for a long moment. The girl who understood me so well just smiled softly.

"Well, this is embarassing." I muttered, looking to the side. "Let's get out of here." Arc nodded, and the universe dissolved. I opened my eyes again and found myself in a hospital room, surrounded by machines and a pulsing blue barrier. Outside of it, Arc spoke to someone quietly, and the barrier was deactivated. Artemis immediately embraced me. "Hey, kitty." I whispered. The girl purred slightly, crying. "Sorry about all that." Artemis pulled back after a few moments, and to my shock, Aril hugged me next. "Uh..."

"Don't get the wrong idea." she said. "I'm just glad you're all right. When Arc explained that something really was wrong with you and you weren't just being weird, I thought... Well, who cares what I thought?" she pulled back. After a few moments, I felt a lump on my head and carefully sat up. A good-looking man in a business suit looked down at me.

"So." he said abruptly. "Once more, you have caused us all a world of trouble. At least THIS time there were no casualties." I gave him a guarded glance. "You do realize that if not for the girl Arc, you very likely would have killed another hundred thousand?" My look darkened into a glare. Who the heck was this? "I thought not. Think about it." he turned and left. Arc sighed.

"He's one of the Project Orion big-shots." she said, answering my question with that creepy intuition of hers. "Hey. Anyways, he was really arrogant from the moment he came in, like we were all supposed to bow down and lick his shoes and thank him for letting us be alive or something." I twitched, and the angelic girl nodded. "Yes, that about sums it up." After a few more moments in which I checked my body and assured myself that I was dressed and free of injuries (who had dressed me?), I slid my legs over the side of the bed.

"Young man!" the nurse said, sounding scandalized. "You shouldn't be getting up!" I just gave her the Look. She backed down, and I stretched my body before heading, slightly unsteadily, towards the door. Artemis quickly moved over to give me a little support.
Surprisingly, for girls, there were no questions related to hanging around the city. Everyone just wanted to get back to Ryu Dorm after all the trouble I had caused. That made more than a little sense, and I was happy to move at a fairly rapid pace. As I grew steadier on my feet the more we walked, we all disdained from taking the bus. It wasn't that far to Koria Academy anyway; why waste the money on a bus trip?

As we came up to the familiar golden dragon, most of the girls went their seperate ways. Eventually, only Aril and I were left standing outside. We were quiet for a moment, then I pulled her closer and pecked her on the lips.

"What're you--" she began, bright red.

"It's a thank you." I said cheerfully. "For knocking me out. Who knows what might have happened if you hadn't?" the girl looked to the side, obviously even more embarassed. How often did she get thanked for indulging in her violent inner nature? My face took on a mischievious gleam. "Besides, aren't you the one who told me I could kiss you regularly? I just didn't do it until now." she kicked my foot, but not very hard.

"You have a girlfriend." she said sternly. I raised an eyebrow. "Okay, fine... you have a girlfriend who's totally obsessed with you and has learned not to jump to conclusions"

"That, and it was just a friendly kiss, not a romantic one to get jealous of." I replied cheerfully. Aril just sighed and muttered something about mallets and me while I was sleeping as I headed inside. Vampy (or Shaina, as I figured I was SUPPOSED to call her) immediately tackled me to the ground and began sucking out blood from my neck.

"Food." she breathed out. Shri peeked over the railings upstairs.

"I can explain?" I said. She laughed and came down the stairs, stopping at the edge to wait until the vampiric girl's meal was finished. I was more than a little light-headed when she'd finished. "Uhh... did you... really need... that much"

"Yes." the small vampire girl muttered. "I didn't get any while you were out." I wasn't sure whether to be flattered or offended. Vampy bounded off and Shri sat down next to me while I waited for my body to produce more blood.

"So." Shri said. "What are you going to do now?" I looked at the girl for a moment, then held up a hand and clenched my fist.

"I am going..." I said slowly. "To go to the kitchen and pry Apollo away from Mia long enough for her to make me something to eat. After that, world domination." Shri smiled and pulled me up, leading me into the kitchen. We were not really surprised to see Mia was already cooking. It was just... what she did. Her hobby, or something.

We were also not really surprised to see Apollo helping her. What did surprise me was that he was using his hands to help... make a better impression, maybe? As we walked in, the talented chef of our dorm turned, smiled, and gestured to the table. There was already food waiting for us.

"Impressive." I said, nodding. Mia just chuckled and continued with what she was doing as Shri and I sat down, ready to devour our meals. We never got the chance.

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