Taking Back

The Princess and the Fox

 Meanwhile, Eddie's body had begun heating up in the waking world. Lucinda placed wet towels on his chest and forehead, hoping to cool him down. Instead, it made his body steam up. The steam started leaking from under the door, where Shoutmon and the princess were sitting, waiting for any news. The mist caught Shoutmon's attention.

"Say, um, princess?" He spoke. "Do you guys, by chance, have some kind of sauna in the palace?"

She looked at Shoutmon, confused for a moment. "No," answered Alisha, raising an eyebrow.

"Well," said Shoutmon, pointing at the bottom of the door. "Either someone's built one without your knowledge, or something else is burning. And I doubt it's incense candles."

Alisha looked at the steam rolling out of the door. "Something's wrong," Alisha pushed open the door. "Lucinda, what's going on?"

"Eddie started steaming up again, and I don't know what to do," replied Lucinda, panicking. "I'm not exactly qualified to heal Chermonoan wounds."

"Those aren't wounds," Shoutmon said sternly. His face said it all: this was serious, if not dangerous. "His body is reacting. Didn't think it'd be this soon, though."

The steam slowly began to thin and darken, becoming smoke-like, the same as before.

"Oh no, not again," replied Alisha. "Anaka! I thought Chermonoans have to bond with Familiars. Where is Eddie's?"

Shoutmon's eyes widened more after hearing Alisha speak, only this time, it was more of a panicked expression than a stern one. His head slowly turned to the side, shaking, trying not to catch her attention.

"What?" asked Alisha. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" He snapped, falling to his knees as his body shook with panic.

"Shoutmon! None of this is nothing. Now spit it out!"

Shoutmon hesitated, and before he could say anything, he stabbed himself in the arm with his staff, preventing himself from speaking. "Aaagh! Dammit!" He cried out in pain.

"Shoutmon, please, you are the only one who knows what's happening with Eddie," Alisha begged, crouching to his level. "Help us."

"I can't!" He howled. "I just can't! I made a promise! I swore I'd never mention him!"

"Who are you talking about, and what promise? We want to help Eddie. We need to know, Shoutmon, please. Do you like seeing him suffer? I know I don't."

The smoke began to swirl around in an almost hypnotic way. Alisha felt like it was trying to direct them somewhere. She realized she had no choice. If Shoutmon wasn't talking, then Alisha had to take action. She began to walk towards Eddie's body, holding her hand outward.

"Woman, don't do it!" Shoutmon cried. "You don't know what you're doing!"

"Your Majesty," Lucinda yelled.

Alisha tried thinking cooling thoughts, and her hands glowed a light blue. Suddenly, the black smoke surrounded her, almost like it was responding to her. Then, a bright flash blinded her eyes, and it was dark.

Alisha opened her eyes to see a black void. She looked in every direction, but there was nothing around. She felt a creepy chill crawl down her back.

"Where am I?" Alisha asked herself. Suddenly, she felt something had moved past her, but when she turned around, there was nothing. She then heard a groan.

"Mmm, back again, child?" She heard a voice echoing from behind, followed by the clanking of chains. She turned around slowly, raising her head to see the giant fox she had ever seen. The fox slammed its front paws onto the ground as it slowly opened its eyes. "You just can't help but bring yourself back here, can you–" he stopped mid-sentence as he looked down to see not a boy as he claimed, but Alisha. He lowered his head slightly and turned to see through one eye at her as he snorted in surprise. "Who are you supposed to be? He asked with a confused tone. And how did you get here?"