One moment there was still light, and the next moment
Icetales fell into the darkness.
His entire body tingled as he felt his spirit being sucked out of his body and funneled into the pits of the void.
Darkness. So much like home. So much like…
Chaos.
When he was still just a small quarter-Vulpix, quarter-Nickit and half-Daemon pup, who was trying to survive a cold and empty world with only Fifth as his source of comfort.
When he was dragged crying, kicking and screaming into another dimension by his heartless father, who wanted him for some ‘ritual’, apparently.
When he was left lying in a dark prison, his body and mind broken, forced to watch the world around him twist with each negative thought and nightmare. No stability. Just… chaos.
When he was a poor defenseless adolescent pup running for his life, looking for a way out of that hell. He didn’t know what he did to break those soul-trapping chains and to escape his imprisonment after those years, but… he wasn’t free yet.
Otherworldly beasts ruled Chaos, ready to sink their fangs into such a fragile and young life, staring at him with hunger and malice. The world itself was hostile and ravenous, and tried countless times to wrap its tendrils and matters around him. To swallow his essence and make him another wandering soul, condemned for all eternity to being more darkness into the other worlds.
Chaos.
Home.
How much he didn’t miss that.
And yet, there he was.
In another Chaos.
In another ‘home’.
After what seemed an eternity, Icetales felt something akin to electricity coursing through his spirit and bending his darkness to give him something akin to a body. He shuddered and gnashed his fangs, while thinking again to what Diyem told him before venturing inside of him.
Clear your thoughts. Deep breath. Balance out the darkness.
And then, Icetales opened his eyes.
Gusts blew across that place, kicking up red dust and dirtying his black pelt. That hollowness and desolation made him feel small and vulnerable, almost… as if he was a tiny Vulpix once more.
“Bejirah…”
The Ninetales winced and stood up, before shaking off the red dust. Some red grains were stuck into the fur of that new body, almost making him look like…
“A true cosmic Daemon…”
He looked up at the sky. A dark, swirling void. Of course… He shouldn’t have expected anything less.
“Ah. What a most marvelous sight mine eyes are beholding…”
Horror clawed at Icetales’s mind as he turned toward the source. That black vulpine body with those red wisps coating his tails, making him look like a malevolent noxious cloud. And then, the entity turned around.
Father.
“Pray tell, foolish lad. How does death taste like?”
Icetales glared at Magnificent, his fur standing on end.
“Rotten. Just like thee.”
Magnificent tilted his head, a manic smirk spread on his muzzle.
“Such a tasty flavor. Alas, I have good news for thee. Thou art not dead… yet. Death has a more intriguing and unforgettable taste. But worry not, thou shall get the pleasure to savor it soon.”
“Thou wish, Father!” snarled Icetales, baring his dark fangs.
“But I shall not give thee this pleasure. Not now, nor ever.”
At hearing that, Magnificent’s smirk waned slightly.
“What a predictable answer.”
Then, the Shadow turned around to look at the plateau surrounding them.
“Thy patron has such a good eye for chaos.” He waved his paw toward the rocks, his red eyes glowing with glee.
“This sense of hopelessness and solitude! This inebriant miasma pouring into our nostrils and pores! This… silence! Ah. Silence is not meant to be gold. It’s meant to be black!”
Icetales growled.
“Of course thou hast to appreciate this environment. Dark Matter and Chaos are not so different.” He shook his head.
“But that is not relevant. I must find my comrades and judge their situation by myself.”
Magnificent turned back to his host and flashed a faux sad expression.
“Why? This is such a lovely place to be. An exquisite place to have their minds and spirits torn and shattered. Why must thou ruin everything?” He chuckled darkly.
“What are seven missing souls? Nothing. Their lives are worthless, just like thee. Thou should just join them and never go back to that… ha, bright world. It is not fitting for a Daemon, anyway.”
“I am not a Daemon and I do not belong here! Neither do my comrades!” snarled Icetales, his eyes glowing blue and his entire body flaring up with a black aura. He gasped and took a few deep breaths, managing to cram the shadows back inside himself.
“Whatever, I should not listen to thee, anyway. Thou art only trying to make me feel miserable.”
“Fuh huh huh! This is my job, after all.”
Icetales grumbled in annoyance. Even if he had understood he wasn’t his real father and a mere figment of his mind, that Shadow was just as hard to deal with as the real deal. And yet, in that moment, the Ninetales wondered if his father’s presence could be actually beneficial in that dark world.
“…Still, even though I hate to admit that, I feel like I might need thy help.”
Magnificent frowned.
“My… help? And why would I want to help thee?”
“First of all, thou art a side of me and cannot exist without yours truly. If I were to vanish, so would thee. And, as much as I despise to admit it, thou art more attuned to Chaos and are much more comfortable in this place. I… need thee as my guide…”
Magnificent narrowed his eyes and looked down at his host. His red mist swirled, making it clear that he wasn’t keen to offer his assistance to Icetales. However, there was something else that could persuade him.
“Thou art interested in this world. I want to look for my comrades to instill them hope. Those goals do not have to be mutually exclusive. We could travel through this hell together.”
Magnificent perked up at this, then his smirk returned.
“Such a tantalizing proposal. Also, I would get to see thy determination crumple as thy hope will be assassinated by this hopeless void, which is something I do not desire to miss.” His grin widened when the other Ninetales shot another hateful look.
“Very well. I shall guide thee, and thou art going to regret it. Immensely.”
With this said, Magnificent strode down a dark path, and Icetales followed him with heavy steps and a heavy heart.
Never before had he felt so alone.
