Zoombieverse - Memory 2: The Knife

Part 2: The Key - Chapter 5

After a few weeks of successfully staving off the Key's influence in his sleep, the ancient Lord summoned the young god to the study again. Eager to show his progress, the young god swiftly answered his Uncle's summons.

"Ah, good! You're here, my boy. How are you feeling?" the ancient Lord greeted the young god cheerfully.

"I'm good, Uncle. I think I'm getting used to this thing," was the young god's confident answer.

The ancient Lord nodded eagerly. "Good, good. Very good. We shall proceed to the next step right away then."

The sudden news surprised the young god and worry replaced his confidence. "Is it alright to proceed? I can still feel its pull and I feel like I might fall into it again if I let my guard down."

"It's quite alright, child. I understand your concern but as long as you're aware of what's happening, you will be fine." The ancient Lord smiled. He placed a hand on the young god's shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "You've progressed much faster than anyone else ever has. It has only been eight months since you've first held the Key."

"Vincent told me it usually takes a year or more. Maybe we should wait some more just to make sure," the young god said, eyeing his Uncle warily.

"Hm, indeed. It usually takes that long." The ancient Lord patted the young god's shoulder and gently nudged him to the table they've been using all those months ago. The younger god reluctantly moved forward as the older god walked beside him and continued speaking. "That's why this task is always given in advance before the target becomes a real threat. To allow for these preparations and possible delays. Due to how unpredictable things can get, however, it's always better to immediately proceed to the next stage when the holder is ready and you, my boy, are ready now." He gave the young god a proud smile as he took his seat.

"I-- Well, o-okay then. If you say so, Uncle," the flustered young god replied as he took his own seat at the table. Getting praised always gave him a warm and fuzzy feeling. It was nice but also confusing and he didn't quite know how to react in the rare moments he receives one.

"Good, good. Now, listen closely. This next step might be a little difficult for you since your magical ability is still underdeveloped." The ancient Lord paused and looked at the young god, who had tensed up upon hearing the difficulty of his next task, before adding, "Now, don't fret, my boy. It's simple enough that even a child with basic magical knowledge would be able to do it but it requires a high degree of control."

Confused, and a little bit curious, the young god asked, "Umm, what exactly do I need to do?"

"You need to feed the Key your magic to activate it."

Puzzled, the young god prompted the ancient Lord into giving a more elaborate reply. "That doesn't sound too difficult."

"Exactly," was the ancient Lord's very short reply.

The young god blinked at his Uncle, who smiled serenely at him. He's in this weird mood again. Is he bored again or something? Taking a more direct approach to counter his Uncle's whimsical mood, he asked, "So what's the catch?"

"The Key will not make it easy for you. It will fight you or avoid you or reflect your magic back to you. You'll need to keep up with it and make constant adjustments and calculations on the fly," the ancient Lord answered promptly, looking very amused at how the younger god reacted to his whims.

So, a bit like what we're doing right now except less words, more magic. "Okay, that does sound bad. What happens if I'm not able to keep up with it?"

"Oh, the usual consequences of magic backfiring. I'm sure you're familiar with some of them, hm?" the ancient Lord answered flippantly.

"Umm... Yes, well, I've had several... experiences." The young god shifted in his seat and cleared his throat as a few quite embarrassingly deadly experiences flashed in his mind. Remembering that the thing is on a different level from an ordinary artifact, he asked, "Wouldn't it be even more dangerous considering what the Key is?"