Veil of Shadows

Chapter 51. Who Is In Control

Midnight was trying her best to stay calm.

Ranger - well, technically it was Red, but who cared for details anyway - began to laugh. Quietly at first, but gradually growing louder and more hysterical until she sounded absolutely insane.

"Ranger, fight this. Don't let her take control again." Midnight said, attempting to help override the mind invader.

"I regret to inform you that you are far too late," Ranger said, smiling. "I will not let go of my control so easily."

"Here's an alternative. Give control back to Ranger or I kill you." Midnight said, crossing her arms.

At that, Red just laughed again. "Oh, is that so? Kill me and you would kill Ranger as well."

"Alright." Midnight drew a sword and pressed it none too gently against Red/Ranger's neck. "Last chance. Return control to Ranger."

For a few seconds, there was only dangerous silence. Then Red began to speak softly. "You think that you can beat me? That you're more powerful? Well, allow me show you who is the real top between us."

Red gripped Midnight's wrist and twisted sharply, causing her to drop the sword right into her waiting hand. In the same movement, she slipped behind the Brine and struck the back of her knee, forcing her into a kneeling position.

Red pressed the sword against Midnight's throat. "Not so much fun when you're the one on the wrong end of the blade, hm?" She whispered.

By now, everybody else had noticed what was happening.

"Ranger! What the devil are you doing-" Wolf shouted, then broke off as she noticed that the Ender's eyes had turned red. Which was definitely not normal.

"Not Ranger. Not this time."

Pro had begun to make the connections. Red had been the one to destroy Greenvale. Which meant that Ranger had to be there somewhere, within her own subconscious, fighting to regain control.

"Ranger, fight back. Don't let history repeat. There's already the blood of a thousand upon your hands. Don't make it a thousand and one." Pro said.

Red looked up sharply, and for a split second, it looked as if her eyes turned to purple. But they were still glowing red.

"If you don't regain control, your friends will die!" Pro shouted. She knew that if she could reach Ranger somehow, Red would lose control. She just needed to find out what affected Ranger the most.

"Her friends will die either way." Red said, removing the sword from Midnight's neck. Briefly, Pro was relieved.

"Pro. Ranger's best friend, correct?" Red murmured, slowly walking toward her. "I can only imagine how devastated she would be if she learned that I made her kill her best friend."

"You're sick." Pro spat.

Red sketched a bow. "I proudly claim that title."

"Why are you doing this?" Pro asked. "Why do you hate Ranger and us so much?"

"Why do I hate Ranger?" Red twitched. "Why do I hate Ranger? You're seriously asking me that question? She kept me locked in eternal darkness and silence for as long as I can remember. I was made to watch from the sidelines for years on end as she called the shots."

"That's not a viable reason to go on a murderous rampage."

"To me it is." Red growled. "You have no idea how hard it was for me. I've been confined for my entire life, never seeing the world. All I've ever known is the darkness she forced me into. I want her to know what it feels like, to be trapped and helpless within her own mind."

"I'm honestly surprised Ranger has gone this long without losing her mind. You're already driving me insane and we only met thirty seconds ago."

Red stared at Pro, then tilted her head to the side at an unnatural angle. "Your audacity will be your downfall."

"Ranger will stop you before you can kill me."

"You have too much trust in her. Her efforts to regain control are already weakening."

"I get the feeling that that was a lie."

It was true; Red's eyes were wide and unfocused. For a moment, they flashed purple. Pro smiled faintly. Her trust had not been misplaced after all.

"No." Red whispered, her voice laden with panic. "Don't make me go back there. I can't...I can't do it. Please don't make me go back into the darkness."

Her eyes flashed purple, longer this time, and brighter.

Red fell to her knees, struggling to breathe. "Won't go back. Not now. Not ever."

Then her eyes were purple. Not a hint of red anywhere in them. Ranger knelt on the floor, shaking uncontrollably.

Ranger had won. This time.

~

"What do you have planned?" Wraith asked the unknown figure.

"I'm going to where the Hero Squad is hiding." The unknown figure replied, straightening his black full-face mask.

"You know where they are? And you haven't informed Notch?"

The unknown figure snorted. "Of course I haven't. King Notch is just another piece of the puzzle. He doesn't need to know."

An unfamiliar knight opened the door and entered the room before bowing to the unknown figure. "My Lord." He muttered.

"Who is this?" Wraith asked, fixing her gaze on the knight.

"This is Caken. I tasked him with keeping an eye on Shadow and reporting back to me. He hasn't made an appearance in a while, so I summoned him here for a report."

"Shadow's base is beginning to become disorganized. His absence was not a smart move. Though one of the new Knights is leading a group of soldiers on a rescue mission."

"And what about Shadow himself?"

"The last time I saw him, he seemed to be the opposite of what you told me to expect. You said that he didn't discriminate between humans and hybrids, but it was fairly obvious that he was."

"And this was when you were present?"

"Yes, my Lord."

"Have you spied on him? How does he act when you're not present?"

Caken quieted for a moment. "He acts like what you told me to expect."

The unknown figure cursed under his breath. "He knows you spy for me. That's why he acts different whenever you're there. He stays out of character during those times to throw off your reports."

"So when he turned Pro into a slime hybrid, it wasn't because he wanted to cause the Hero Squad pain. He had a hidden motive. And when he was speaking to Patch, and I was there, he made sure to belittle her for being human. That was all an act?"

"Of course, you fool! Now get out of here!"

Caken didn't bother to take the time to be miffed. He just replied "Yes, my Lord." and turned on his heel, leaving the room.

The unknown figure sighed. "At least the machine is almost finished. The second it's done, I'm going into that abandoned servant's passageway, and they won't know what hit them."