The Dream Sanctum: Beyond The End (19 page)

K
ai awoke in pain, and lots
of it. His head felt as though it were being split open, his body ached, and
every beat of his heart sent a throbbing pain through his skull. He didn’t want
to open his eyes for fear of the light making it even worse, but as he
tentatively squinted at his surroundings, he noticed that he was in a dark and
quiet room.

“Are you all right?” a frantic voice said, and a second later he felt a
pair of arms encircle him. He groaned in pain, and the arms released him. “I’m
sorry! I’m so sorry.”

He looked up to see Lindsay standing over him, fear and worry on her
face. She was free of injury as far as he could tell, and that alleviated his
anxiety for the moment.

“I’m okay,” he said quietly, noticing that even speaking made his head
hurt. “Where is everyone? Where are we?”

“We’re all here. Everyone except Alastor,” another voice said, and Kai
looked over to see Kwin standing against the wall of what Kai now realized was
a jail cell. Elvia stood across from her, watching the door. “This did not
exactly go according to plan.”

“Kwin Two said they’re going to kill us publicly, but Alastor is still
out there, so maybe…” Lindsay said.

“Don’t get your hopes up,” Kwin interrupted bitterly. “Now that my lovely
twin has us here, she’ll have so many people guarding us that there’s no chance
Alastor can get through. If he’s smart, he’ll get back to the ship and save his
own life.”

“He’s not alone,” Kai protested. “Hercules and the Shuski are here, they
could–”

“Yes, Lindsay told me. You really expect me to base any hope on him and a
bunch of people who are so strange that they need their own island even in the
Sanctum? If they were of any use they would have saved you while they were
right there, but they couldn’t even do that.”

Kwin’s tone was harsh and agitated, and Kai decided not to argue. All the
same, he stood up with great effort and went to stand next to her. She avoided
his eyes and simply stared at the door.

“Did they hurt you?” Kai asked, and she shook her head.

“No. I almost wish they had, then this wouldn’t be so humiliating.”

“I don’t know about that. Whatever they did to me, I can still feel it. I
don’t remember anything in between being on the ship and coming here. How does
that work?”

“I’m not sure. While we cannot fall asleep, it appears as though we are
still capable of losing consciousness. I thought they were similar enough, but
I suppose not. It’s something I would have liked to study, given the
opportunity.”

She fell quiet, and Kai wasn’t sure what to say. Part of his mind
automatically started thinking about an escape, any way they could possibly get
out, but he gave up quickly. At this point it was hopeless.

“There’s something else you should know. I don’t know how, but Devnon is
still alive. I would have thought an old man like him wouldn’t live after the
ground literally crumbled under his feet, but it certainly figures. I want to
say he has something extra cruel planned for us based on what we did, but
considering he already burns people alive…”

Her voice wavered, and though she looked away, Kai could see tears falling
down her cheeks.

“What’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong? All of
this
is
wrong,” she said, trying to keep her voice level. “We come here to explore, in
in the process we lost our powers, we got captured… I escaped only to get
captured again, and now I can’t wake up. I’m so tired, but I can’t sleep no
matter how hard I try, and I’m terrified out of my mind. I’ve never felt this
scared before. I’m not used to being helpless, and… Kai, I don’t want to die. I
really, really don’t want to die.”

Kai didn’t know what to say. He wanted to give her some words of comfort,
but he had none, so he pulled her into a hug. She didn’t resist. They were out
of options, and the realization that they might soon be killed was starting to
creep up on him. His life as he knew it was going to end, and it would be the
same for his friends. He could only imagine what his mother would think, and
imagined Lindsay’s family being just as confused and hurt. He and Lindsay were
going to die, and no one would ever know why. He thought of his mother, who had
already lost her husband, who would now be alone because of Kai’s stubbornness.

“Don’t do that to yourself,” Elvia said suddenly before he could think
too much about it. “That will not make anything better.”

“What
can
make things better?”
Lindsay asked despairingly. She was not crying, but she looked as though she
were starting to understand their fate as well.

“I believe in Alastor. I believe there are still things he can do, and I
believe he will come for us.”

“I believed in him too before he lied to all of us,” Kwin said
scathingly. At Elvia’s look she continued, “I know who you are. I always
wondered about you, and now it seems like my suspicions were warranted.”

“Please do not be angry. There were reasons for this. He can explain–”

“He can’t explain a damn thing, we’re all going to die before he gets the
chance,” Kwin shot back. “I just hope you left on a good note when you saw each
other last, because you’re going to die just like the rest of us before you
ever see him again.”

A cold silence filled the room. For a moment Kai wondered if Elvia would
respond angrily, but she sighed and looked away.

“The relationship that Alastor and I have is… different than what you
might expect. But I can tell you that Alastor never lied to anyone. It is just
difficult to explain.”

“There’s no point now,” Kai sighed. “Look… as curious as I am, it doesn’t
matter anymore. There’s no point in anyone being angry about it. Not now. I’m
just sorry that you had to get dragged into this.”

“So… did you live with him? What happened with you two?” Lindsay asked
tentatively.

“I have not seen him for a long, long time,” Elvia said, looking as
though the words pained her. “It has been so long, and so many things have
changed, it feels like I don’t know him at all anymore. It has not been easy. I
do not know where anything stands anymore. It was a subject we both avoided
when we were together.”

“What were you to him?”

“In the past, in another world and time… I was his sister.”

“Why did you never tell us?” Kwin asked quietly, her anger dissipating.
“That’s an awfully strange secret to keep. Did Alastor not want to admit he had
a sister?”

“Like I said, it hasn’t been easy. Things in the real world were
definitely not pleasant all the time. I think Alastor was still coming to terms
with everything that was going on in our family, and everything that still is.”

“How cryptic,” Kwin mused, though she didn’t look upset. “It’s not as
though I have any room to judge, however. My secrets tore my remaining family
apart and almost killed me. I, however, was able to resolve my issues. I… I
wish you had the chance to do the same.”

“The sentiment is appreciated, but we have not missed our chance yet,”
Elvia said in an almost reassuring tone.

“I don’t know where you find such confidence. The man is talented, but–”

A low rumbling interrupted their discussion. It felt like an earthquake,
but there was only one short burst, and then it was gone. From outside, Kai
thought he could hear frantic voices and calling, and then came the sound of a
nearby door opening.

“They’re coming to get us,” Elvia announced quietly.

“No… I don’t want to go. I don’t want to go,” Lindsay murmured, her voice
trembling. “They can’t do this to us. They can’t kill us!”

Elvia walked over and took Lindsay’s hands tightly in hers.

“Do not worry. Alastor will come through for us. I know he will. He will
not let anyone hurt you, so be brave.”

Lindsay didn’t look entirely convinced, but she nodded wordlessly. Elvia
gave her a tight hug, then turned as the cell door opened. Four large men stood
on the other side; their weapons were sheathed, but each of their arms were
about as thick as Kai’s body, so they probably didn’t need them.

“It’s time,” one of them said simply.

Kai led the way out of the cell, and as they filed out, one of the men
stood next to each one of them. He could tell there was no escape, especially
when they walked out into the city itself to find guards stationed everywhere,
most of them with their weapons drawn.

Kai and the others were directed up the steps to the city’s largest
balcony. He could see five wooden chairs near the edge. This gave an
unobstructed view to the hundreds of people below. Kai thought the entire
city’s population must be down there.

What was perhaps worse than the chairs, however, was the presence of Kwin
Two and Devnon, both of whom wore mocking smiles on their faces.

“Welcome back! I was worried you had gone home before we could give you a
proper send-off,” Devnon said, motioning toward the chairs.

The guards pushed Kai and the others over to them. They sat, looking down
at the crowd below. The people didn’t seem to know what to do, but with a
little egging on from Devnon, they started to cheer. Kai looked over to see
that Lindsay was visibly shaking now, and Kwin didn’t look much better. Only
Elvia seemed to be any sort of calm, and even she looked tense.

“We might want to hurry this up, those blue things are getting closer,”
one of the guards muttered to Devnon, who shook his head.

“Not quite yet. I’m just waiting for the last one to get here. I know
he’s with them, and it wouldn’t be right without all five chairs filled. That
man needs to see–”

“
That man
is my brother, and
you shouldn’t speak of him so lightly,” Elvia snapped.

“Brother, is it? Delightful! A family reunion. You can be first when he
gets here. If you’d like to talk to me in that tone any more, I can make sure
you die in an extra special way.”

Elvia sat back in her seat, not saying another word, but she had a
curious look on her face.

“What are you doing?” Kwin hissed. “If there’s any chance Alastor can
accomplish anything, don’t make it harder for him and worse for us. Don’t
forget, if you get killed in this world,
you
die
.”

Elvia shrugged.

“One might call death a welcome respite from life if it gets to be too
wearisome. I know you understand.”

Kwin’s face paled, and her mouth hung open. She looked as though she
wanted to retort, but no words came to her.

Devnon stood next to Elvia and calmly drew a sword from beneath his
cloak, keeping it firmly pointed at her. She didn’t flinch, but looked
anxiously at the gate. The booming sounds were coming closer, and the guards
were looking more nervous by the minute. They moved closer to Kai and the
others, their weapons drawn. Lindsay had shut her eyes tightly, too terrified
to watch what was going on anymore.

“He might not come, you know,” Elvia said to Devnon. The city gates began
to shake as they were pounded on from the other side. “He might run to safety.
If you wait too long, you’ll miss your chance. What are you waiting for?”

A moment later the gates crashed open as the army of Shuski burst in,
followed by a crowd of other people in black cloaks. At the head of the crowd,
Hercules and Alastor knocked their way swiftly through the guards who were
unfortunate enough to try to defend their leader. Alastor himself looked up at
the balcony, and his expression changed from one of relief to shock as he saw
what was happening.

“Like I said… I’m waiting for him,” Devnon said, and without a moment’s
hesitation, plunged his blade deep into Elvia’s chest.

K
ai couldn’t look away. It
was as though everything was happening in slow motion. He had experienced
dreams that seemed incredibly real before, but this was something else. He knew
that death in this dream was permanent, but now that he was watching his
friend’s lifeless body hit the ground, he realized he had never truly
understood.

Alastor fought his way up the stairs, knocking guards out of the way and
throwing them over the wall with a ferocity Kai had never seen before, calling
out Elvia’s name as he tried desperately to make his way to them. But he hadn’t
been in time, not for her. And through it all, Kai couldn’t hear anything.

Elvia. The girl he had always thought was just a figment of someone’s
imagination. The one who had given him lessons and advice and fought alongside
him against the Nightmares. She had turned out to be a real person, Alastor’s
sister, someone with as much faith in him as everyone else had – and just as
quickly as she admitted that her life was as real as any of theirs, it had been
taken from her.

Lindsay screamed, and this sound pierced the veil of silence that seemed
to overcome Kai. She kneeled at Elvia’s side, free from the watchful eye of the
guards who were now focused on Alastor. Unlike what would have happened in
their world, Elvia’s body didn’t vanish. She wasn’t waking up. Her eyes were
open and blank, and blood began to pool around her on the stone ground beneath
her. There was no doubt about it now. She was gone.

Kai jumped a guard went flying past them, courtesy of a tremendous kick
from Alastor. To Kai’s surprise, Alastor completely ignored Devnon and moved
straight to Elvia’s side.

“Are you not going to kill me?” Devnon asked smoothly. “I did just murder
your sister. If you don’t do something quickly, your other friends will die
too.”

“Nah, that’s fine, just checking on something,” Alastor said
distractedly, not looking up. He leaned over Elvia, looking into her eyes and
gently touching the wound on her chest.

“I assure you, she’s dead,” Devnon said in a mockingly sympathetic tone.
“More of my guards are coming to do the same to you. Will you not try to be the
hero? Look at how your friends weep.”

“Nope, I’m good, thanks,” Alastor said, and to everyone’s surprise, he
tossed his sword to the side, out of reach. With his free hand he gently pulled
Lindsay away from Elvia’s body, holding her as she cried.

Devnon and Kwin Two looked at each other in confusion.

“I don’t understand,” the girl said.

“I just figured if anyone were to get revenge on you for killing Elvia,
in all fairness, it should be Elvia. I just needed to make sure she was dead
first.”

“Alastor, what the hell are you talking about?” Kwin asked from his side,
sounding both frightened and puzzled.

“Do you remember when you got captured the first time and there was some
freak accident that opened the dungeons for you?”

Kwin nodded.

“All right. Did you happen to notice anything funny about that? For example,
an excessive amount of fire?”

“Yes, but I’m not sure how…” Kwin trailed off, looking deep in thought.
Suddenly her expression changed to one of momentous realization. “No. That’s
impossible. Alastor, that’s
literally
impossible. She said so herself.”

“No she didn’t,” Alastor said, turning back to face Elvia’s body. “I said
it for her.”

He snapped his fingers.

In an instant, they were surrounded by flames. The fire whipped around
them, touching them, but not hurting them. The wave of heat almost pushed Kai
back, but he caught his balance and stared. The fire was swirling faster and
faster in front of Alastor like a small hurricane, and it changed from orange
to blue to white. As it moved, it began to change shape, slowly taking on the
form of a human – one with a sword.

A burst of flame emitted from the center, a shockwave of heat blasting
over the entire balcony. Kai blinked quickly, trying to get his eyes to adjust,
and as his vision returned, his eyes widened in surprise. Standing in front of
Alastor, her sword pointed directly at Devnon, was Elvia.

“Like I said, I figured she should be the one to get her revenge, so you
have fun with her for a bit. But since I’ve got my powers back for a bit, I’m
going to make whatever use of them I can.”

“Ooh, I like him,” one of the guards muttered from behind Devnon, and
Alastor winked at him.

“All right kids, you’re all safe? Good lord, Kai, what happened to you?”
Alastor turned to face them as Elvia moved herself between them and Devnon.

“I’m fine,” Kai said distractedly, surprised that he could speak at all.
“What did you do? How did you…?”

“That will take a lot of explaining. And no, we don’t all have our powers
back, it’s just me,” Alastor said, stopping Kwin before she could speak.
“Again, lots of explaining. For now, we should help our friends down there. The
blue ones can’t die, but the others can.”

“Who are they?” Kwin asked, looking down at the battle below with
astonishment.

“People who hate Devnon as much as we do. They saw us coming and heard
what we were planning, and soon enough we had a whole new set of troops with
us. Apparently open revolt was in the works for a while, but the arrival of the
Immortal Smurfs expedited the process.”

“Hercules named them?”

“Apparently they warmed up to it rather quickly.”

“Guys, we should go,” Kai said, looking at the crowd of guards rushing
toward them from the opposite stairway.

“Right. Stick with me. You three can still die, so stay out of trouble.
I’ll do what I can for you, but I also have to help the others. Your friends
are in there.”

As they headed down the stairs, Alastor created a large pile of burning
rubble just behind them, blocking the stairs and sending the guards skidding to
a halt in front of it.

Before they got to the bottom, however, Kwin tugged on Alastor’s sleeve
and looked at him crossly, though Kai thought he detected a hint of admiration.

“Your explanations had better be good, because I’m not letting you out of
my sight until I’m
completely
satisfied.”

“You got it, short stuff. Now, you three stay safe right here and give a
shout if you need me. Or, better yet, I have another idea. Hey, Hercules!”

Hercules, who had been fighting nearby, turned and ran over to Alastor,
nearly tripping over himself in the process.

“Do me a favor and protect these three, all right? Especially Kwin, she’s
small.”

“Yes, sir! Of course, sir! And might I say how incredible you are, how
cunning, to have found a way to use your imagination, even in this dark world
of evil and–”

But Alastor was already moving off. His sword had reappeared in his hand,
and he effortlessly knocked a group of Devnon’s soldiers out of the way with a
wave of his hand. At Hercules’ arrival, Kwin looked shocked that Alastor would
dare request his presence, and now she stomped her foot angrily.

“You are in trouble when you get back, do you hear me?” she screamed
after him, and he acknowledged her only with a friendly wave of his hand and a
cheery smile.

With Alastor in the fray, the tide of battle turned quickly. It appeared
the Sanctum’s rules against using powers on others did not exist in the mirror
world, so Alastor was able to effortlessly disarm and disable every soldier
within his reach.

A few daring soldiers chose to rush at Hercules, but for all of his lack
of brainpower, he was not a terrible fighter. His size also gave him an
advantage over the smaller soldiers, and he threw two attackers off his shield
as they approached.

“Back! You shall not harm the legendary saviors of the dream world!
Shuski, to me!”

With a deafening cry of ‘Woop!’ every nearby Shuski obliged and swarmed
the remaining soldiers. Many of the blue soldiers had been sent back to the
real world after being struck, but most of them simply reappeared after a few
minutes, returning to battle uninjured and undeterred. Disheartened and
outnumbered, the remaining soldiers threw down their weapons and surrendered.

“Blast. I do wish I could have been a part of the victorious charge, but
at least I performed a noble deed by keeping my helpless friends safe and
sound,” Hercules mused.

“Watch who you’re calling helpless, you brainless buffoon,” Kwin snarled,
but she swayed on her feet and nearly fell over. Hercules was quick to catch
her, and he set her easily against the wall. “My exhaustion plagues me. You get
a temporary reprieve from my wrath, idiot. Just wait until… until we get back.”

To his credit, Hercules took her remarks rather well, and simply smiled
at her.

“You should rest! War is not for children, and you have been through a
lot already.”

He turned away as one of his men called to him, and as Lindsay rushed to
prevent Kwin from trying to attack him from behind, Kai was sure steam would be
coming from her ears if it were possible.

But all eyes were now upon the balcony where Devnon and Elvia were
dueling. The effects of Devnon’s age were visible, and he fought to remain
standing while blocking Elvia’s strikes. On the other side, Elvia looked as
though she were bored, and it was soon evident that she was simply toying with
him and wearing him down.

It only took a few more moments. Devnon’s sword was knocked from his
hand, and he stumbled backward as Elvia advanced on him, now holding both
blades.

“So, you’re going to kill me,” he panted, looking around to see if there
were any guards left to assist him. “You’re going to get your revenge. Will
that make you feel better?”

“I have no interest in killing you,” Elvia replied blankly. “I believe
that justice should be delivered in ways other than murder. However, I do
believe that one free strike would be appropriate.”

She took another step toward Devnon and kicked him in the chest. With a
cry of pain, the old man fell backwards, down the stairs, and landed in a heap
at the bottom. Elvia calmly walked down the stairs after him and passed him
without a word, meeting up with Alastor.

The people in the square, however, seemed to have eyes only for Devnon.
As Kai, his friends and the Shuski looked on, the people of the forsaken Golden
Capital slowly surrounded him – and while some were armed and some were not,
none of them looked pleased. Devnon seemed to understand what was going on, and
for the first time Kai could remember, he looked frightened.

“Wait… Elvia, you cannot let them… you just said you believed–”

“Oh, yes. I do not believe in justice by murder. But that is my own
belief. I do not know if your people feel the same way. I recommend you ask
them.”

But their minds, it appeared, had already been made up. They converged on
the man, their jeers and shouts soon drowning out Devnon’s cries for help and mercy.

“I think we should get out of here, and fast,” Alastor said, leading the
way to the gates. “This is not something I want to see.”

They hurried out of the city, followed closely by Hercules and a few
Shuski, but they hadn’t made it far before two other figures hurried up to
them.

“Luna! Emma!” Lindsay exclaimed.

“Thank goodness you’re all alive,” Emma said, breathing heavily. “There
was so much chaos and fighting…”

“There’s no longer any need to worry,” Elvia replied, looking over at
her. “The war has been won, and Devnon is facing the consequences of his
actions.”

“At this very moment, actually,” Alastor added helpfully.

“That is good news,” Emma said, though her tone was dull and sad.

“No need to be so glum, chum! Things will get back to normal in no time,
maybe even better now that the old grump is dead – or rather, dying a horribly
slow death.”

“No,” Emma replied softly. “They won’t.”

The others looked at her in confusion, but Kwin gasped quietly.

“Oh no…”

“We’re the only ones left,” Emma admitted. “What did you call them? Kris
and Alan? They were killed during the fighting. We could not stop them from
going to join you. It was said they both fought admirably, and I have no doubt
they were doing what they thought was right, but… unlike your world, they are
not coming back.”

Luna looked pale and sick, and hardly seemed to be paying attention. Kai
suddenly remembered that she and Kris had been together, and he felt a pang of
sympathy as he realized what that must have done to her. Even Alastor looked taken
aback, but he quickly regained his composure.

“Well… I’m afraid there’s not much I can say or do to help, but I can
try. How about you two come back with us to our side of the world?”

“Do you really mean that?” Emma asked, and to Kai’s surprise, she looked
slightly scared. “It is a lovely offer, but… people always said such horrible
things about it and the people who live there.”

“Oh, it’s great!” Lindsay said enthusiastically. “Everything is
beautiful, the weather is perfect and there are so many places to visit!
Everyone is really friendly, there’s more food than you can possibly imagine…”