Sophie stood by the door while Ky talked to Carlos, outside of her range of hearing.
"What do you remember?"
"Everything. I could see what I was doing but I had no control."
"Did you have conscious thought?"
"Yes."
"You just couldn't act on anything?"
"Yes."
"Alright. Do you think it's entirely gone?"
Carlos closed his eyes. "Not really? It's like...there's this grip." Ky nodded. "I-It's like I have free will, but it takes a lot of concentration to do so."
"Huh. Do you want to try letting go, seeing what happens?"
"Unfocusing?"
"In a sort."
Carlos bowed his head. There was silence before he glanced up, his eyes back to the red glow from before. He stood up robotically and stiffly walked towards the door. Ky grabbed his arm, pulling him back, swearing under his breath. "Snap out of it..." Carlos stopped, shaking his head and looking towards Ky, the maroon haze faded. "You good?"
"Yes."
"You still had conscious thought?"
"Yes. But I could pull back free will this time."
"Okay. This is fantastic."
"I can see the gears turning, little prince."
Ky bit his lip, thinking. "So...we can have you go undercover. You can pretend to still be completely mind-controlled, or whatever, but if it comes to it, use the free will."
"Is that a plan or suggestion?"
"Either. Just go back and once you're a safe enough distance away, completely lose control. It'll be more natural." He laughed a bit. "Despite the way everyone else walks is the most unnatural thing I've ever seen."
"Fair point." Carlos nodded to Ky and to Sophie before walking out the door, leave both of them holding their breath and crossing their fingers.
All their hope was riding on Carlos.
One wrong move could mean death for the entire kingdom.
YOU ARE READING
Shadowstruck
FantasíaA girl wakes up in a forest with her memory wiped. Now they have to figure out who's behind The Uprising and, more importantly, how to stop them. If they can stop them. They're losing time. And the gods aren't on their side.
