NIGHT FELL UNTO THE SETTLEMENT AT THE LAKE'S EDGE .
AND TWO CHILDREN SNUCK OUT OF BED ,
CHASING MYSTERY .

THEY RAN TO THE EDGE OF THE FOREST ,
AND AS PREDETERMINED BY FATE ,
THEY SLIPPED INSIDE .

THEY WERE ENVELOPED
IN DARKNESS .

" Kris, it's so... dark in here...", SAID THE FIRST .

" Are you sure we should even be in here... "
" I don't feel... safe. "

INSTEAD OF WITHDRAWING FROM THE SHADOWS ,
FOOLISHLY ,
THEY CROSSED FURTHER INTO THE THRESHOLD BETWEEN LIGHT AND DARK .

INTO FATE .

" KRIS. ", FIRMLY STATED THE GIRL .
" C'mon, there's nothing IN here. "
" All of this place must have been cleared out years ago after the war. "
" It's just a hollow expanse of void . "

" It'll stretch on forever, and to be honest, we should probably leave before we get lost down here in this compound forever, faha!! "

HER LAUGHTER WAS SHRILL ,
A THIN VEIL .
COVERING HER TRUE FEELINGS OF FEAR FOR THIS PLACE .
BUT THE SECOND DID NOT BACK DOWN
THEY PULLED OUT A BOOK ,
AND READ OFF THE PAGE

BUT NOBODY CAME .

THE SECOND FIGURE SAID SOMETHING QUIETLY ,
BEFORE FOLLOWING THE GIRL'S DIRECTION
AND TURNING AROUND .

BUT THEN...!

" Kris, stay very quiet. ", THE FIRST HUSHED THE SECOND .
" There's someone... Standing there, in the doorway. "

" ... "

JUXTAPOSING HER LAST ORDER TO THE HUMAN ,

THE GIRL CALLED OUT TO THE FIGURE .
AND HER ANSWER WAS RETURNED WITH HANDS .
COUNTLESS DARK HANDS SPRAWLED OUT OF THE DARKNESS ,
REACHING OUT FOR THE HUMAN SHE HAD TOLD TO HUSH .

THEY WERE CAPTURED WITHIN MOMENTS .
AND THE GIRL SCREAMED , THE BARITONE ECHOING THROUGHOUT THE SHADOWS .
" KRIS!! " SHE SCREAMED.
" LET THEM GO!!!"
SHE TURNED TO THE FIGURE
AND IT WAS SUDDENLY BEFORE HER
GLARING WITH BURNING RED EYES .
" I AM TRULY SORRY . "
" BUT IN THE GRAND GAME OF LIFE ,
A VESSEL IS REQUIRED . "
" YOU , DREAMER "
" SHALL BE MY KNIGHT . "
THEY STRUGGLED .
" YOU MAY NOT ENVISION YOURSELF IN SUCH A ROLE NOW , "
" BUT ANY MIND CAN BE
RECONDITIONED "
THE GIRL PULLED HER SILVER BLADE FROM HER POCKET ,
AN EVENT UNFORESEEN.
AND SHE LASHED IT INTO THE FIGURE .
A GASH WEAVED DOWN HIS EYE .
AND THE HANDS RETURNED TO DARKNESS .
THE DREAMER DESCENDED ,
AND THE GIRL LET HER BLADE FALL .
BUT ONE SHOULD NEVER LET DOWN THEIR GUARD .
THE FIGURE LATCHED ONTO HER WITH FINGERS MALFORMED INTO TEETH
DEVOURING HER INTO DARKNESS .

" BUT PERHAPS . "
" I CAN SAVE MYSELF."
" THE HASSLE."

THE DREAMER RAN
AND RAN
AND RAN.

THE GIRL SCREAMED AFTER THEM
BEGGING THEM TO SLICE THE HANDS HOLDING HER, WITH THE FALLEN BLADE THE DREAMER HAD JUST PICKED UP.

BUT THEN THEY WERE GONE.

AND THE KNIGHT
AND HER DOCTOR
FELL DEEPER INTO SHADOW.

WHERE SHE WOULD BE MALFORMED
AND RESHAPED
AND HER MIND SHIFTED AND BROKEN
UNTIL SHE FIT THE MOLD

OF HIS ROARING KNIGHT

MY KNIGHT.
SHE WOULD SCREAM.
SHE WOULD SCREAM, AND BEG.
AND CRY OUT INTO DARKNESS.
BUT NOBODY WOULD COME.

EVERY ATOM OF HER BEING WOULD SHATTER
HER MIND ITSELF TORN TO PIECES
BUT EVERY TIME . . . HER BODY REFORMED.

SHE WOULD WATCH OVER AND OVER
AS EVERY FIBER OF HER BEING WAS RIPPED APART AND PULLED BACK TOGETHER.
FAUX VISIONS OF HER OWN GRUESOME DEATH
UNTIL SHE WISHED IT WAS REAL.

UNTIL SHE QUESTIONED WHETHER IT WAS.

AND IT WOULD GO ON
FOR YEARS.

UNTIL HE

UNTIL I

WAS SATISFIED.

UNTIL DECEMBER ,
STRIPPED OF HER IDENTITY
WAS FITTING TO BE MY ROARING KNIGHT .

THE HAND OF THE KING OF DARKNESS .

A WORTHLESS COG IN THE MACHINE .
IS THAT A SATISFACTORY BEDTIME STORY FOR YOU, MY ANGEL ?