Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

05 | Breaking More Than Morals

Word Count: 1549   

     Dan's head constantly flicked to each end of the room, anticipating, dreading the return of Charoite's heels. Every little noise he heard prodded him, taunting him with he had done and what consequences would face if Charoite knew what he had done.

     "Reform, reform, reform..." he pleaded under his breath. "It's been 94 hours and," the toe of his boot tapped on the marble floor, "51 minutes. Black Opal, please." He continued tapping his foot, counting every second that passed. "95 hours." His eyes squeezed tight and he grimaced at his every thought. "What if he doesn't know how to reform? He's been in there his entire exist–"

     A white light shimmered from behind Dan, blues and greens peeking through. The guard spun on his heel to watch as a bipedal form manifested. The mass formed quickly, limbs outstretched and joints clear to the eye. A pair of shorts and an elbow-length cloak grew on the form, and hair sprouted from the head. In a barrage of sparkles, the color returned to Black Opal's clothes, hair, eyes, and so forth.

     His newly formed sandals hit the pillow and he immediately stumbled forward into the glass. He let out a small "Ah!" just before he smacked into it.

     "You're back!" Dan cheered.

     Black Opal peeled himself off the glass and projected a look of sorrow onto Dan. "More or less, I suppose." He plopped into the pillow's center and hung his head. A painful silence rung between the Gems until Black Opal lifted his eyes to Dan's. "How old are you?"

     "Oh, um, 18 thousand-some years – I don't really keep –"

     "I am 50 thousand years old. I've been in here longer than you've existed. I'm surprised it took me this long to hate being here, but I have. You made me realize it. I don't know how or why, but..." He lifted his head and spotted the broadsword across the room. "Do you see that sword over there?"

     "Yeah, what about it?"

     "What gem is in that sword?"

     Dan lifted his nose and exhaled. It was a rectangular, black gem with no special markings or distinguishable features. "I...I don't know. An onyx?"

     Black Opal corrected him without hesitation. "Can you imagine being shoved into a confined space, trapped beyond your control? I've been numb to it all this time, maybe because it's the only place I've ever known or maybe because I've had no other choice. It wasn't until Mystic Topaz was... It wasn't until then that I started to think differently about all this." His voice picked up and his shoulders squared themselves. "You shouldn't have to be afraid to speak or act on your own freewill. There's no coming back from being shattered, right?"

     Dan slowly shook his head.

     "We don't have to live like this, Obsidian. We –"

     Click! Click! Click! Click! Click!

      Instinctively, both Gems repositioned themselves and stared straight ahead.

     Chariote stopped in front of the glass prison with a hand on her hip and a tablet held in the other. Her hair was in its usual tight bun but multiple hairs had escaped. "Obsidian, have there been any problems?"

     "No, your Clarity."

     She nodded and turned her attention to Black Opal. "Who will win this Diamond-forsaken rebellion?"

     Black Opal's eyes darted to his left and he returned her a confused look.

     "The rebels or us," she emphasized, not explaining...anything.