Broken Mind

Chapter 6

Splinter was in the dojo attempting to meditate. He reached out trying desperately to find his son's mind. He found his faint presence and latched on to it. Splinter found himself in his eldest son's mind scape, but it looked different. It was no longer bright and vibrant. It looked dark and warped. Splinter felt a shiver run down his spine. "I feel the presence of dark magic here." He whispered to himself. "What are you doing here?!" A voice yelled out frantically. Splinter recognized the voice as Leonardo's. "My son listen to me!" He begged. "No! Get out of my head!" Leo cried. Splinter found himself thrust out of Leonardo's mind and back to his own. His eyes snapped open with a start. He clutched his chest as he breathed heavily. His heart felt like it would beat right out of his chest. "Dark magic?" He mumbled questioningly. What had Shredder done? Leo startled awake. He found himself tangled up in his bed sheets. He freed himself and stumbled to his bathroom. He splashed cold sink water on his face in a desperate attempt to center himself again. Had the rat really been in his mind? It had to be just a dream but then why did it feel so real. It felt like the mutant rat was right next to him. What truly shook him was how familiar that feeling felt. The presence felt normal and almost comforting. Leo splashed more water over himself desperate to rid himself of those thoughts. How could he ever feel like that monster was comforting? The next morning, Splinter reconvened with his sons at the breakfast table. He nursed a cup of tea while he spilled what he had learned. "Magic? But magic doesn't exist!" Donnie said trying to think logically. "I am afraid it does. There are many old rituals and spells the people of Japan would practice." Splinter corrected taking another short sip from his cup. "We've dealt with so many other wild unimaginable things, why not throw magic into the mix." Raph said with slight annoyance dripping from his voice. "Whatever it is dudes, we can handle it." Mikey said with confidence as he stuffed a slice of pizza in his mouth. Splinter couldn't help but smile at his orange boy's antics. "How did Shredder even get his hands on this ancient magic?" Donnie wondered. "Probably something to do with Tiger Claw. He's always been creepy like that." Raph deduced crossing his arms. "Well how are we supposed to fix this. How do we un magic Leo's mind?" Donnie asked. "I will look through my old scrolls to see if I may be able to find something that could heal Leonardo's mind." Splinter said. "And what if you can't find anything Sensei. What do we do then?" Raph asked standing from his seat. "I do not know yet my son. We will deal with that when the time comes." Splinter stated calmly. Raphael let out a frustrated scoff like sigh and left the table. He needed to punch out his emotions. "Don't worry about him Sensei. He's just upset. We all are." Donnie said trying to sound reassuring. "I know my son. Thank you." Splinter said downing the rest of his tea. He set the cup in the sink before returning to the dojo. "Everything feels so messed up Donnie." Mikey said sadly. Donnie rubbed the back of his shell in comfort. "Don't worry Mikey. Things are messy right now but we'll work everything out soon." Donnie said. He tried to sound confident and sure of himself but in truth he was just as afraid. "I just wish Leo were here." Mikey said his voice breaking slightly. Donnie wrapped his arm around his little brother and pulled him close.