Darkness Binding 2: Part Three

      By the time it was noon, people had cleared out of open areas and returned to their homes or hotels. The only people out were at places like the Tropical Food Hut, and the Island Market. Almost every inch of the island had been combed over without any sight of Skotados. It seemed more and more hopeless as the twilight came closer.

      The base of the sun kissed the horizon with clouds scattered over it. The light was still covering the island, but the cloud cover dimmed the area. A slight, salty breeze blew in from the sea, bringing a pleasant scent with it. Even though it was a paradise, the sweetness of it was soured by the search.

<><><>

As Yorvick sat down beside a couple trees near the east shore, and gazed at the calm ripples of the water. Resting in his lap was the sword he had brought with him. Though he was tired, he didn't appear to be the least bit drowsy. From behind, he heard a deep voice say, "It was about this time when we first met."

      Yorvick looked over his shoulder to see Skotados standing like a statue behind him. The shadows were rested against him, and his eyes remained glowing. It appeared that he was looking at the sun. Yorvick rather tiredly said, "Are you here to gloat about your escaping us? Or do you have something important to say before we have to fight again?"

      Skotados walked to Yorvick's side very calmly and settled on the ground. As he moved, the shadows did not move as actively as they did before. "I want you to stop fighting me is all," he said. "I just want to live in this land. The light is something to get use to, but the subtle dimness of the nights are calming. You don't have to take this colorful existence from me."

      "You still have my friend," Yorvick said in a relaxed tone. "He doesn't want you with him, and that's the problem. If you were to live outside a vessel, then you wouldn't be such a problem."

      Skotados slowly shook his head. "You just don't get me. I would starve without a vessel, I would be in pain during the day without a vessel, and I wouldn't feel your world as you do without a vessel."

      Yorvick gripped the hilt of his sword and coldly stated, "It's not your body, it's my friend."

      Skotados stated back, "My body, now."

      Yorvick swiped his sword through the air. As is neared Skotados, he shattered into streams of shadow. After reforming on the other side of Yorvick, he quietly snickered. Yorvick rose to his feet as he spun the sword around to aim at Skotados's chest. Again, he shattered and reformed in front of Yorvick. With a third swipe, Skotados brought up a forepaw and caught the sword by its edge. Skotados leaned in so they could look each other closely in the eyes as a drop of blood slid down the blade.

      Yorvick swung with free hand out at Skotados. He vanished again and the shadows joined together a few feet in front of Yorvick. Yorvick held the sword with both hands and fed light energy into the weapon; the blade glowing with a bright light. The edge where the blood had been drawn to dimmed and the light grew gray all over. In seconds, the powers of light and darkness combined into a gray flame coating the sword.

      With a push from his wings, he jumped at Skotados, the flaming blade trailing as it came down. Skotados burst into black ribbons, but were cut by the flame of the blade. A high-pitched wail came from the shadows as they came together again a few more feet in front of Yorvick. This time, a scratch was seen on his left cheek. Both had their teeth clenched as the battle was now deadly for either one of them.

      Skotados sank into the ground as the shadows were far stretched. After waiting for a second, Yorvick swiped his sword at the ground in front of him. From the darkness in front of the blade came Skotados. Flying back in pain, Skotados landed on his back and whimpered from the blow. Skotados slowly approached him, sword held above his head. When he reached him, Skotados only lied there, breathing hard.

      Skotados looked up with a pained look on his face and softly said, "Please, Yorvick. End this pain now, I beg of you."

      Yorvick stopped and his face changed from enraged to scared. A tear rolled down both their eyes and the hand holding the sword shook. Skotados still motioned the word please with his mouth while looking into Yorvick's eyes. Skotados's eyes filled with more desperation as he saw Yorvick's body quake.

      In and instant, Skotados's eyes narrowed and one of his legs kicked up. He knocked the sword from Yorvick's hand and kicked Yorvick in the chest, which knocked him to the ground. He quickly corrected himself to stand on all fours and said, "This body is mine now, and you will not get a chance like that again. Stay out of control unless you feel like helping." And with that he vanished into the shadows, leaving Yorvick on the ground with his now unpowered sword fifteen feet away from him.

      <><><>

It was about midnight when Yorvick returned home with his sword. The weapon, still stained with the blood of Skotados, was hung back up on the wall where it was taken from. In the chair once more, Yorvick himself looked down at his lap. Uncontrollably, tears ran down his face. His mind kept replaying the expression on Skotados's face at his moment of weakness. The sound of his pleading echoed through his ears. He couldn't stop thinking about the possibilities of that moment, and it tore him up inside.

     As much as he wished, he couldn't talk to Cray about it. Wherever he went, he wouldn't be back for a while. It was up to Yorvick to handle Skotados, but he couldn't handle a single night of it, let alone another day. The thought of the same thing happening again made him think about how it would end. It would be a mercy, but he didn't want to be the one to do it. Without anyone else with him, he didn't have that option. His only hope was that Cray would return quickly.

      <><><>

Morning woke Yorvick up without him even knowing he had fallen asleep. Without getting any breakfast, he got up and went straight for his sword. Though he was tired and moved slow, he pulled the sword off the wall and turned around. He had to think about it for a moment before he walked out the door again. As usual, it was a beautiful day outside. The sun shone brightly over the island, and the wind brushed across the leaves and grass. However, Yorvick still couldn't seem to enjoy it.

      Yorvick was anything but lively as he searched the island as he had done before. Like the last time, he found nothing as he moved about. At the same time, though, he wasn't looking with as much energy or focus. He could only think of the night before, and the look on Skotados's voice. It would be so much easier if his friend wasn't still there, but instead, there was hope. As sad as it was to admit to himself, hope wasn't the best thing to have.

      The sunlight came and went without any sign of Skotados as before. He returned to the shore to see if Skotados would return to repeat the day before. The sun set and the breeze picked up, but there was no sign of him. Before he could stand and leave, he heard a voice from all around him say, "Feeling lonely without Cray to guide you?"

      Yorvick looked down at the ground and told him, "It's alright if you fear me now. It's clear you feel more comfortable fighting Cray since he has no light to hurt you with."

      Skotados mockingly responded with, "You may have that weapon now, but I don't have anything to fear. You won't do anything to harm me on account of your friend. I'm perfectly safe from both of you."

      Yorvick stood up and headed back for him house as he said, "Whatever. If you don't mind, I rather sleep than waste my time with you right now. Until tomorrow..."

      "I'll feel more comfortable with the light by then," Skotados stated. "Hopefully by that time you'll have the will to give up your futile hunt."

     Neither one said anything more as Yorvick went home. He walked all the way to his house and fell into his bed, leaving the sword on the ground, without any more interruptions. Being without any energy, he fell asleep very quickly.

To be continued...