Garden Knight: Year Zero

Voodoo Kingdom Part 8

The young woman's celestial eyes shone behind the mask as she placed her delicate hand in his; he placed his hand on her waist and whisked her onto the ballroom floor and they turned and twirled as if they were professionals.

Then Yun had walked in with his brother. Months had passed since his heretical deed and his mind had forgotten all about the murder of the god but not on the King Knight. With his one eye shining behind his golden mask, he turned his head to Yun. Yun had his red hair pulled in pigtails while Adonis had his down to his shoulders.

The International Ballroom is 7,600 square feet with a dramatic 18' ceiling. The ballroom is

beautifully appointed with crystal chandeliers and a creamy color palette that is sure to

compliment your chosen color scheme or preferred décor. The two looked around before Adonis frowned. "It's strange, seeing so many masks in one place, almost like I'm being mocked, do you get me, Yun?"

"Oh yeah, It's strange I agree but these are your people," Yun said happily."You're their king and they're your people, remember You're the people's king," he grinned as he was whisked away by a tall ladybug. "Get a date, Adon!"

Adonis just sorta adjusted his bandages under his mask and started wandering around the ballroom. He didn't want to be here, he could've been in his room, he could've been training or anything but then he stopped. He looked in the mirror seeing the tailored suit with the golden mask, his blue eye staring back at him as he touched it. "Am I a coward?" He muttered. "I can fight and kill but this," He frowned. "Why am I panicking!?"

He took a long time to looked away from the mirror and when he did he found himself as a child. 5 years ago.

He couldn't see his face only his two blue eyes shining and looking up at Yang who held his weapon. "If you want to be a knight, You need to use your power," He said. "And get used to the pain,"

A sharp pain struck their chest from deep within. One hand reached for the stability of a wall while the other clasped their chest in agony. Panic slowly took over as, for a moment, a way out of this pain began to seem more and more unrealistic.

Adonis stood up slowly and closed his eyes. "Focus, use all your power to manifest something," He heard Yangs voice as he closed his eyes and started focusing.

"It won't work, he's too young!" Yun shouted.

"It'll work!" Yang said.

Suddenly a pop. A feeling of lightheadedness and nausea took over and they felt like they'd pass out in a few moments, he touched his face feeling blood pour down his eye as he started hyperventilating.

Adonis has a look in his eye I've seen before, but not on him, or on a person for that matter. It's the look I've seen in the horses' eyes when they come in for schooling at the ranch, wild, not even knowing what people are. It doesn't belong on his face and it scares me. He's the one who always knows what to do. Then he bends over double, hands on his knees, struggling to regulate his breathing.

A hand touched his back calming him down as his right eye went dead. Blood spilled from it as he suddenly passed out fainting. When he woke up he had his bandages on. Yun was the only one in the room with him. When he looked in the mirror he smiled. "I like my new face."

Now in the ballroom bathroom, he punched the mirror, his hand cut and dripped on the floor as he took a step back and turned to walk out. "I am a prince, I must have fun tonight," he said to himself before stopping. "....Yang is out there, I could've killed him."

"I could've apologized," he mumbled.

"He doesn't deserve it, He killed my people."

"You're going mad."

"I am not!"

He left the ballroom and wandered into the forest.

"I am not enough, I am not enough, I am not enough. I rock back and forth, mumbling at myself. I tug at my hair, tufts come out. My heart beats loudly, this heavy drum only I can hear.

I find myself scrambling through the woods, checking back to see if I am being followed. Moonlight reflects in the puddles, leaves crunch underfoot. A shadow appears. Silence. I stop, circled round, hearing for the slightest movement. The sound of breaking twigs echo in my head. Then it hit me. This was fear in my mind, controlling me. Using me."

He stopped walking in the forest when he got to the path to the battlefield. ".....I need fear to motivate me," He took off the golden mask and threw it watching it shatter against the tree.

"What are you hoping to accomplish? Without me, you're just hollow. You're pathetic. You need fear to motivate you."

"Yang!?" He turned, his bandaged face shined in the moonlight. "He's not here."

"Do you think you're getting better? Does doing this even have a purpose?"

Adonis turned around again, mushrooms growing around him, his blue eye searching for anything, anything at all that moved. "Yang come out, I'm sorry for whatever I did to cause you to hate me!" He shouted.

"I'm your identity! I'm your crutch! You used to cling to me like a parasite. I know you better than anyone. And I know you're weak. You'll come right back." Yang's voice echoed around him as Adonis hit the ground covering his ears with his hands.

His remaining thread of strength frayed before breaking completely, sending him plummeting over the edge and into the darkness. Hysterical sobs shook his frame, threatening to tear him apart from the inside. He fought to reclaim control over his body, shocked by the sounds escaping from deep within his chest.

It was an hour until Yun found him in the forest asleep with mushrooms and a puddle around him. Some bandages on the floor, his masked in pieces around him. "What the hell happened...?" Yun asked before picking him up and taking him back to the palace.