Book of Darkness
Chapter Ten: The Bond of Trust
Destiny wasn’t entirely sure what made her wake up in the middle of the night. One minute she was fast asleep, the next she was sitting straight up, shivering, eyes wide open.
Something wasn’t right.
She leaned over and shook Pixel by the shoulder. “Pixel,” she hissed. “Wake up.”
Groggily, Pixel opened his eyes and looked at her. “What is it?” he mumbled.
“Do you feel that?”
Pixel sat up and listened. A chill ran down his spine, and he noticed how quite it had gotten. “What is it?” he whispered, suddenly wide awake.
“Get up,” Destiny replied, grabbing his arm. “We have to get out of here. Don’t bother grabbing our supplies, there isn’t enough time. That’s the Void that we’re feeling…dangerously close.”
“I thought we were in the Void,” Pixel hissed. He clutched her arm and yanked her around to look at him. “What’s going on, Destiny?”
“It’s a Trial,” replied Destiny. “The mind of the Void is what we’re feeling, and it’s trying to give you a surprise Trial. The Trials that the Void comes up with on its own are about ten times more dangerous than the Trials scattered out in a linear pattern throughout the Void itself. It’s not entirely here yet – we have to outrun it.”
“Can we do that?” Pixel asked as he immediately let go of her arm and grabbed their bag. He didn’t bother putting any of the stuff that was scattered around into it, he just took what was already there.
“If we move quickly enough,” Destiny replied. “I don’t know how much time we have.” She headed for the door and reached for the handle…and was immediately repelled by some dark, unseen force.
“Oof!” she cried as she slammed into Pixel, knocking them both to the ground. “Damn it!”
“What happened?” Pixel demanded.
“Someone sealed us in,” Destiny growled. “Not the Void…someone else. Probably someone from the village who saw us arrive. We’re stuck in here until the Trial is over.”
“We don’t have a choice?”
She shook her head. “Look. It’s already beginning.”
In the middle of the room, a large black tear began to form, similar in a way to the Portals. It grew larger, covering everything in the room. Everything that it touched turned an eerie shade of bluish-purple. Destiny clutched Pixel’s arm and closed her eyes as the blackness washed over them, bathing them in the same eerie light. When she opened her eyes, she looked over to see Pixel staring around them in wonderment. “What is this?” he wondered. His voice echoed, an unnerving sound.
“I don’t know,” Destiny replied. “I’ve never been in this type of Trial before. I don’t recognize it.”
WELCOME, TRAVELERS.
Pixel narrowed his eyes. “You must be the Trial Master.”
AH, THE WIZARD OF SIGHT. YES. I AM THIS TRIAL’S MASTER.
“You’re good,” Destiny complimented Pixel softly. “Do me a favor, though – if you’re going to talk to it, don’t piss it off.”
YOUR GUIDE ADVISES YOU WISELY. THIS IS GOOD. DO YOU LISTEN TO YOUR GUIDE?
Pixel knew, instinctively, that his answers could mean the difference between life and death. And his answers would have to be worded very carefully until he could figure out what this Trial was testing for. “I listen,” Pixel replied slowly, “but I do not always hear.”
A WISE ANSWER. DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR GUIDE?
“As well as one new to the Void can understand one’s guide,” he answered.
UNDERSTOOD. DO YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR CHARGE?
With a start, Destiny realized that the Trial Master was speaking to her. “I am slowly beginning to understand him,” she said softly.
DO YOU TRUST YOUR CHARGE?
“I would trust him with my life,” Destiny answered.
YET YOU KEEP SECRETS FROM HIM.
Pixel looked at her sharply, and she met his eyes. He knows, thought Destiny. Pixel knows that I’m keeping something from him…he’s telling me to tell the truth. “Yes.”
ARE YOU AFRAID OF THE SECRET YOU KEEP FROM HIM?
“Yes.”
WHY?
Destiny blinked. “I…” She glanced at Pixel uneasily. “I’m afraid that it could happen again.”
A WISE ANSWER. TRUST IS IMPORTANT BETWEEN A GUIDE AND A CHARGE. YOU HAVE SAID THIS BEFORE.
And in that instant, Pixel knew, or partially knew, what the Trial was. “I believe what she said was, ‘Rule number one when trying to protect yourself from the specialized trials is to not trust anyone but your guide. Rule number two is that your guide is only going to trust you, so don’t betray that trust.’”
The Trial Master chuckled softly. AND SO YOU HAVE FIGURED ME OUT.
“The Trial of Truth,” replied Pixel, nodding. “You seek only truthful answers, and seek to cement the bond between guide and magic-user.” Destiny looked at him in amazement, and he tried not to notice.
VERY GOOD. AN EXCELLENT ANALYSIS OF MY PURPOSE. YOU HAVE PLEASED ME.
Destiny bit her lip. “I’m confused.”
“Don’t you see?” Pixel asked. “The Trial isn’t here to try and destroy us – quite the opposite. The Trial is here to help us.”
THE SPEACILIZED TRIALS ARE ALL LIKE THAT, GUIDE. YOU DO NOT KNOW THIS BECAUSE NO CHARGE OF YOURS HAS SURVIVED A SPECIALIZED TRIAL. WITH EACH PASSING, POWER IS BESTOWED UPON THE MAGIC-USER TO AID HIM IN HIS TRAVEL THROUGH THE VOID. AND BECAUSE YOU HAVE PASSED THIS TRIAL, YOU HAVE PERMISSION TO GAIN MY POWER. LISTEN CLOSELY.
Pixel nodded and drew in a deep breath. “I’m ready.”
YOUR NAME IS PIXEL.
Pixel hesitated slightly, then looked at Destiny. You have to trust her, he told himself. “No,” he replied. “My name is Shalar.”
YOU COME FROM THE WORLD DONDAR OF THE INNER CIRCUIT.
“I come from the world Calormir, of the Rim Worlds.”
YOU ARE THE REINCARNATION OF NANTOR OF THE TRIAD.
“I am the reincarnation of Nantor’s body, but not his soul. I am not Nantor.”
YOU FEAR THE JOURNEY AHEAD OF YOU.
“Yes.”
YOU HAVE PASSED THE TRIAL. RECEIVE MY POWER.
A bright sphere appeared in front of Pixel, and he pressed his hand upon it. Immediately, a flood of warmth entered his body and calmed his fears. He no longer felt quite as helpless as he had before. He no longer felt quite as afraid as he had before.
KNOW THIS, SHALAR. KNOW THIS, MICHIRU. TO TRUST EACH OTHER IS TO TELL THE TRUTH. YOURS IS A BOND I HAVE NOT SEEN IN QUITE SOME TIME. BUT WITHOUT TRUST, BONDS ARE USELESS.
And then the Trial was over, and they were sitting in the middle of the shack once more. Everything was back to its normal color, and the room was warm once more from the fire.
Pixel and Destiny stared at each other uncertainly for a few minutes. “Your name is Michiru?” asked Pixel after a while.
“Yes,” Destiny said, nodding. “You’re Shalar?”
“Yes.” Pixel sighed. “We have power over each other now. We have no choice but to trust each other.”
“The Trial of Truth,” murmured Destiny. “A specialized Trial – it wasn’t as bad as I thought. Did it really give you power?”
Pixel nodded. “Look.” He gestured towards the fireplace, and instantly the fire froze into tendrils of ice. With another gesture, it became fire again. “It’s strange. I’ve never had the ability to manipulate the elements like that. Score and Helaine have always been better at that than me. I’m better at figuring things out than experimenting with magic.”
Destiny stroked the fur blanket softly. “That was a little unnerving.”
“I know.” Pixel sighed. “Destiny?”
“Yes?”
“I think…I think you need to tell me what happened. Because I have a feeling the Trials are going to get a lot harder from here on out – and something you said to the Trial Master made me think.” Destiny held her breath and waited for him to continue. “You said you were afraid of whatever it was happening again.”
She bit her lip and looked down at her hands, which were resting in her lap. “It’s…hard to talk about. I don’t like thinking about it.”
“But you do,” Pixel said. “A lot.”
Destiny nodded. “It was…it was about five journeys ago, for me. I was guiding a young magic-user through the Void…his name was David, and he was new to magic, so he didn’t have to get used to not relying on magic. We made an excellent team, David and I.” She swallowed hard as an image of David rose up in her mind, and she immediately clamped down on it. No matter how many times she thought about it, she refused to remember what he looked like. It still hurt too much.
“You were in love with him,” Pixel said softly.
“Yes. And I thought…I thought he loved me as well. We trusted each other immensely, and had been through so much during our journey through the Void. We were almost to the end of the journey when David and I were thrust into a specialized Trial.
“The Trial of the Heart.”
Pixel had a feeling that he knew what was coming, judging from Destiny’s bitter tone, but he kept his mouth shut and waited for her to go on.
“The Trial asked us if we truly cared about each other as much as we claimed we did. We both responded yes…and then it opened up our minds to each other. And I saw that David…well, he apparently didn’t love me as much as he claimed to have loved me. The Trial asked David if he would give up his own life for me…and he said no. He knew he couldn’t lie. His survival would always come first.”
“What happened to him?” Pixel asked softly.
Destiny shook her head. “I don’t know. I believe he’s dead, most likely. The Trial was enraged that he had falsely laid claim to affections he didn’t feel, and there was a bright flash of light. I could feel the journey ending, and the next thing I knew, I had awaked by in the Inter-Realm, waiting for the next magic-user to be assigned to me. I was always assigned to girls after that - I guess the Omnipotent didn’t want to run the risk of what happened to David happening to another magic-user. I was surprised when they assigned me to you.”
“He failed the Trial because he didn’t care for you as much as he said he did?” Pixel asked, his eyes narrowed.
“If he had just been truthful to the Trial Master, we would have made it,” Destiny said. “But he would’ve lost the devotion that I felt for him, and therefore would’ve lost part of his edge. He had me completely fooled. And I’ve been afraid of the same thing happening all over again.”
“Destiny.”
The tone in Pixel’s voice made Destiny look up from her hands and focus on him. His expression was hard, and he spoke with a no-nonsense tone. “What happened with David…it won’t happen with me. I trust you, and I trust you completely. If I didn’t before I do now. Now I want you to be absolutely truthful with me on this…why would you think the same thing would happen with me?”
Destiny bit her lip. “Because…you’re someone that I could care about, Pixel. As much as I cared about David. Maybe more. And…nobody has ever cared for me as much as I cared for them.”
“So you keep everyone away to stop yourself from caring about them,” Pixel replied. “Destiny…do you know how stupid that is?”
She stared at him.
“Just because you’ve been hurt in the past doesn’t mean that you just give up,” Pixel continued. “I admit – I had some concerns about you back when this whole thing started up, and I’ve been trying to figure you out…how you could act so homicidal on Earth and Zarathan and then be so nice here in the Void. I’ve been trying to figure out what the real Destiny is like.”
“And?” Destiny asked bitterly. “What have you determined, Dr. Freud?”
Pixel stood up and walked over to her. He reached down and held out his hand. When she took it, he hauled her to her feet so that she was standing directly in front of him. He was a couple of inches taller, so she had to tilt her head back slightly to look up at him.
“The real Destiny,” Pixel said softly, “is the quiet, determined computer genius I met on Long Island. That girl I instantly liked. She’s also the somewhat crazy sorceress determined to get as much power as she can so that she can survive. If she hadn’t been so insistent on trying to kill me, then I might have learned to get used to her. And the real Destiny is also the street-smart, no-nonsense person who managed to put her disgust towards me aside to help me survive this - and managed to bring herself to trust me. And that Destiny I’m liking more every moment.”
Destiny blinked back tears and looked away from him. “Sometimes I think you’re too smart for your own good,” she said. “Are you really the same naïve twelve-year-old I managed to manipulate on Zarathan?”
Pixel smiled. “Actually, no. For one thing, I’m sixteen now. And I’m not quite as naïve. I don’t think you’d be able to pull that trick on me again even if you wanted to.” Suddenly he looked worried. “You don’t right?”
Destiny couldn’t help it. The look on his face was absolutely adorable. She laughed and threw her arms around him, squeezing him hard. “No!” she said, grinning.
Pixel hugged her back. “Friends?” he whispered.
She nodded. “You’re nothing like Nantor.”
“Thank God for that,” he replied, rolling his eyes as they pulled apart. “So…shall we get going?”
Destiny glanced towards the door. “Hopefully that barrier should have worn off by now.” She walked over to it and pulled it open with ease. “Yup. It’s gone. Let’s go.”
Pixel gathered the strewn food back into the bag and hoisted it onto his shoulder. He walked over to her and took her hand. “Lead the way,” he said.
“Nah,” Destiny said, shaking her head. “Let’s just walk together this time.”
Shanara slammed the last book shut and growled in anger. “Nothing!” she shouted into the empty room. “Absolutely nothing!”
“What now?” grumbled Blink as he padded in to see what was wrong.
“There isn’t a single bit of information on Chronos in any of these books,” she snarled. “He’s done a hell of a job keeping himself hidden. There are a few things that sound like they could be him, but nothing conclusive.” Shanara leaned forward at the table and rested her chin on her elbows. “And what is taking Oracle so long?”
“Why don’t you try scrying to find out?” asked Blink, stretching and yawning as he prepared to take another nap.
Shanara perked up at the prospect. “That actually sounds like a good idea,” she said. She rose from the table and walked over to where Blink was laying. Amidst avid protests from the overweight red panda, she picked him up and marched him towards her scrying pool, where she immediately began to weave an incantation.
Within minutes she had a clear picture of the living room in the castle, which was much neater thanks to Oracle. Helaine and Score were fast asleep on the couch, and Oracle was pacing back and forth, obviously upset about something.
Shanara sighed and closed her eyes, muttering a spell.
In the castle, Oracle suddenly stopped dead in his tracks as Shanara seemed to materialize out of nowhere. “What in the world?” exclaimed Oracle.
“Don’t tell me you’ve never seen astral projection before,” Shanara said sarcastically. “Just because I can’t come to Dondar physically doesn’t mean my spirit can’t. I scryed you out. What’s going on? You’re worried about something.”
Oracle nodded, his face taut with anger. He motioned to Score and Helaine. “Those two,” he said, “are under an enchantment by Chronos. He broke in here, replaced the emerald and the sapphire with faux gemstones - counting on the fact that they wouldn’t remember that the real ones were in their pockets while they were getting over the shock of the mess in the castle - and now they’re sleeping. They’ll die if they don’t wake up soon, and I can’t do anything to break the enchantment.”
Shanara’s eyes widened. “Doesn’t sound good.” She glanced over at the two worriedly. “The real gemstones are on them?” she asked.
“Right,” Oracle said. “But I can’t touch them, and neither can you. We’d need someone else.”
“What about the unicorns?” asked Shanara. “Could they help in some way?”
“I thought about that,” Oracle admitted. “They could probably negate the magic of the gems, but preparing would take awhile, and they’d also end up negating the barriers that are still up. And then Chronos could just waltz right in here and do whatever he pleases.”
“Doesn’t he do that already?” Blink’s astral form commented from Shanara’s arms.
Shanara and Oracle looked at each other.
“I didn’t think of that,” Oracle admitted. He looked at the two teenagers. “But I don’t want to leave them alone.”
“Stay with them,” Shanara said. “I’ll go talk to the unicorns.”
“Do they know who you are?” Oracle asked doubtfully.
“Does that matter?”
He nodded. “Their leader, Thunder - he doesn’t really trust humans. He likes Score, Helaine, and Pixel, and he tolerates me, but only because he knows that we’re not a threat to his herd. You showing up, even if it’s just in astral form, might cause some chaos among the herd. Why don’t you stay here and I’ll go talk to them?”
“Well, it’s not the best situation, but…okay,” Shanara agreed. “Just be quick. This tires me out quickly.”
Oracle nodded and vanished immediately.
Shanara sighed and stroked Blink’s back. “What are we going to do, Blink?” she murmured. “This situation is quickly spiraling out of control. If we don’t get the three of them united - and soon - then we could find ourselves in a whole lot of trouble.”
“Unfortunately, we have to wait until Pixel leaves the Void,” Blink muttered. “Too bad we can’t go in after him.”
Shanara paused. “What?”
“I said, ‘Too bad we can’t go in after him’,” Blink repeated. He looked up and noticed the expression on Shanara’s face. “No. Oh, no. Not that look. Shanara, we can’t go after him. It’s too dangerous. Remember what Oracle told us about the Void?”
“So we won’t go after him,” Shanara said, shrugging. “But we might be able to find a way to bring him out.”
Blink groaned. “Great. Me and my big mouth.”
Shanara ignored him. She hoped that Oracle got back soon with the unicorns - she had a feeling she was going to need all the help she could get.
