Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 2: The Key - Chapter 4

The young god continued to work on the Key under his Uncle's close supervision. He was not allowed to handle the Key on his own and his Uncle would always take it back after every session. It was tiring and grueling fighting off the urge to let the Key possess him and he almost lost a few times when his concentration failed. He couldn't think of anything else while holding the Key and he was far too exhausted when he wasn't holding it that he mostly just slept every time he was free from it. But, with his Uncle's guidance and reassuring presence, he made progress and the new nightmares became just another set to accompany the older ones.

A couple of months passed. He was handed the Key and instructed to keep it with him as much as possible. He followed this new instruction despite his own trepidations. The longer he spent time with the thing, however, the more his defenses wore down and he became more susceptible to its influence. His constant close proximity to it increased the difficulty even more as he started feeling its pull even without touching it.

He always made sure to stay within sight of one of his Uncle's numerous servants so he could call for help if he needed some. More often than not though, the servants would call on their master before he could ask them to. Despite his busy schedule, his Uncle would always immediately come to his aid and take the Key from him for a short period of time, allowing him to rest and recuperate, before returning the ancient weapon back into his hands. He would always apologize and express his worry and concern about his progress but his Uncle would always reassure him that he is doing well and tell him to take his time.

More months passed. The young god was getting anxious about his slow progress. He could more or less go through the day without succumbing to the thing's influence now but he was still vulnerable in his sleep. He'd taken to sleeping outside despite the discomfort after he nearly lost himself on the first night he was allowed to keep the thing. There would always be at least one servant nearby seemingly keeping an eye on him, which gave him some measure of comfort and apprehension. This time, his guardian seems to be his Uncle's headless head servant, who busied himself in some thing or another while staying close to him.

Having trouble sleeping as the Key plagued his mind, he decided to strike a conversation with the headless servant. Might as well get some information if I'm going to lose sleep over this. "Vincent, are you busy?" he called over to the servant.

The servant dropped what he was doing and quickly came over. "Not at all, sir. I am always at your service. Do you need help?"

"No, not yet. I'm still fine. For now." The young god gestured vaguely as he sat up from lying on the ground. "I just have a few questions I'd like to ask."

"Yes, sir. Is something bothering you?" the servant asked readily.

"You've been with Uncle for so long and I know you know about this and you've seen the others go through this as well. Tell me, is there something I can do to be better at this?" the young god asked desperately.

The servant smiled reassuringly. "You have been doing well, sir. My Lord is pleased with the progress you are making."

The young god shifted around, trying to find a comfortable position and failing due to his agitation. "Does it always take this long? I feel like I could do better."

The servant nodded. "It does take a long time, sir. It normally takes a year or so before the artifact's influence is overcome by the holder."

The young god blinked, not expecting the answer given by the servant. "A year or so just to overcome the influence?" He knitted his brows and frowned as he contemplated on his progress. "And we haven't even gotten to how to use it."

"Indeed, sir. And that is the next and final step. From what I understand, going into the next step without overcoming the artifact's influence would be extremely dangerous."

"Dangerous how?" the young god asked, a hint of curiosity mixing with his usual anxiousness.

"It seems that the artifact would take a permanent hold of the holder's mind and erase their personality and identity. It will then go on a destructive rampage and eliminate everything in its path."

"I see. That has nearly happened to me a few times." The young god glanced at the Key, sitting just several inches beyond his reach, and shuddered at this possibility. "How many times has this actually happened?"

"None yet, sir. My Lord simply warned me about it and gave me instructions to watch over anyone going through this and look for warning signs."

The young god blinked in realization. "So that's how everyone always knew when I'm in trouble even before I could tell them and why there always seems to be someone nearby." He gave the servant a grateful smile. "I really appreciate everyone's efforts in helping me with this."

"Of course, sir. It is our duty." The servant bowed deeply.

"Thanks for talking to me, Vincent." Feeling a little reassured, the young god felt sleep coming back to him and yawned. He checked one last time if the Key was just far enough for him to avoid accidentally touching it in his sleep yet still close enough that he could easily grab it if he's woken up by someone approaching before settling down. "I think I'm feeling well enough now to sleep a bit."

"You're welcome, sir. I will keep watch as you sleep."

The young god nodded as he laid down on the ground again and slowly drifted off to sleep. The artifact pulled on his mind a few times during the night but he always managed to fight it off.