Ancient Forces (2018 Reboot)

Chapter 14 - Training Harder

Zayne opened the door of the small and dark room allowing the stale smell to fill his lungs. He coughed at the amount of dust that was in here. He uncomfortably stepped inside and waved particles out of his way, then waited for the dim light to come on. As the weak light filled the room he saw a shift in the darkness on the other side of the bars. The once sleeping figure now sat up, staring directly at Zayne. Zayne felt a hint of weariness overcome him as his eyes adjusted and he could see the figure inside the room. Normally both eyes were glowing green and giving him a menacing glare, but this morning it was different. Only one eye glowed, and it looked pained, almost as if it was in fear. Zayne gave Eli another comforting smile as he approached. Suddenly Eli's hand was outstretched and waving. Zayne stopped.

"Don't come closer," Eli wearily begged.

"Why not?"

Eli's one green eye slowly and choppily shifted over to the left wall. Zayne followed his gaze and finally understood why Eli looked panicked. The wall had a huge dent in it, most likely, from the look of the impact, dealt by a massive fist. Zayne looked back to Eli, who had returned his panicked gaze to Zayne. Zayne gave him an almost parental looking expression of compassion and understanding. Zayne also noticed, now that his eyes had adjusted better to the darkness, that Eli was shaking. He was scared.

"I can't do it Zayne," Eli quivered, "No matter how much I try I just can't keep it controlled."

Zayne stepped forward and handed Eli the bag of food he'd been holding. Eli shrunk back a little bit.

"Maybe that'll help," Zayne said, prodding Eli on to take the bag.

Eli gently and slowly reached out, grabbing the bag from within the darkness. He quickly retreated back to his slab for a bed and huddled around the food, frantically unloading its contents and devouring it as fast as he could. Zayne felt bad for the kid. Locked away like this, constantly in fear of what he would become. Constantly being reminded of his past and his mistakes. Still, Zayne had to remember that those were in the past. Who he was now differed from who he was before. He'd changed, felt guilty for his recent actions. Seeing him now, the punishment he was putting himself under was more than enough for a sentence.

Sure, the families of those lost would be saddened deeply. They would no doubt miss their loved ones. But justice had been brought down. The culprit had been apprehended, and he was remorseful as well. The story of the Midnight Horror ended here.

"How's your practice been going?" Zayne asked cautiously.

"You pretty much saw it," Eli replied through a mouth full of food.

"I saw a failing of the practice. That doesn't mean you've failed as a person entirely," Zayne encouraged.

"Oh stop being so philosophical with this Zayne. You and I both know what I am and what I can do. Nothing is going to change any of that. Nothing. I'm just a horrible monster of the darkness who wants to eat and sleep."

"Maybe that's true. Maybe you are just a monster of the dark, but under those rules then so am I. I apparently have an unchanneled ability to turn into a dragon. But that doesn't mean I can't control the form. I will use it to help others. You can too," Zayne reasoned.

Eli seemingly contemplated the words for a moment. Zayne saw a flashing moment in the one glowing eye where Eli thought. Deeply wondered about his future and reasoned within himself on Zayne's words. The moment faded away quickly, replaced by Eli's stone cold expression he'd always had. He put the food bag aside, done with his morning meal.

"Shouldn't you be getting to school?" Eli asked.

"Doesn't start for another hour or so," Zayne replied.