He closed his eyes as he sat back down, he had a wide frown on his face, and looked to be lost in deep contemplation.
Saying that a lot of things had happened while he was unconscious, would be a complete understatement of the situation. Too much happened. The worries and fears that stemmed from this app came crashing down all at once into his reality. And he knew that a burnt city wouldn't be the end of it. This nightmare will not end easily... perhaps it will never-
Connor shook his head of negative thoughts, as he looked at his surroundings once more. He was on a school bus, that was on a highway with a dense forest to one side, and a sheer cliff on the other. Oh, and there were cars, lots and lots of cars.
Except for the low rumble of its engines, the bus was relatively silent. Peaking out from his seat he found out that everyone was fast asleep. It was quite crowded, he estimated that there were at least 80 students on board, and none of them had faces he could recognize. He sat back down.
Finding the bus to be quite chilly, he picked up his blanket off the floor, and wrapped it around his shoulders. Letting out a warm breath, he tried to feel for his phone in his pockets. However, when he only felt the flat skin of his thigh through the fabric, his heart sank. Soon, panic was written all over his face.
'Shit.' Connor cursed in his mind as he searched all over the seat and even the floor. But alas, he couldn't find it.
'Had I dropped it while I was unconscious? Damn.' He bit his lip with worry.
He had lost the one thing that might be the key to survive in this situation. As well as a way to contact his family. It had been hours since then, who knows what could have happened to them? Perhaps his parents and siblings were amongst the river of cars. What about Olivia? She's a freshman, was she on another bus?
There was no end to his worries, but he forced himself to end that path of thought. He leaned his head against the window, and checked his wrist, as well as his shadow. Seeing that Endless Midnight and Umbra was still there, he felt a litttle better.
Watching as the river of cars slowly inched forward with the pace of a fast snail, he silently looked into the distant sky. The sky tonight was without its moon and stars, only darkened smog could be made out. It had billowed from the city, and the dense smoke covered the wide skyline like rolling clouds. No one could tell if the fires have died or gotten worse, there were faint cracklings every now and then, but nobody wanted anything to do with it. Just as long as they're safe.
Connor had taken a guess as to where all these cars where headed to. It might've been obvious to anyone familiar to the city, but he had only confirmed his thoughts when he spotted a military vehicle at the very forefront of the visible traffic.
He couldn't help but be surprised, the military had acted quicker than he had expected. Well, it's not like that stupid app was a secret to begin with anyways. But he commends them. Hopefully, they keep making smart and decisive decisions moving forward.
'Hopefully I didn't just jinx it.' Connor rolled his eyes, as he thought back to his 0 luck stat.
Getting tired of the scenery beyond the window, he idly looked around the bus. Everyone was still dead asleep. He looked to the bus seat next to his, and examined the two girls that huddled tightly.
'How could they sleep so soundly in such a position?' He questioned, however, after seeing the face of the girls caked in dust and tear streaks, he didn't question further.
With nothing left to stare at, he stared at his shadow on the floor. Since it was night, Umbra blended perfectly with the pitch dark, however, Connor could still easily see it with a glance. Since he was wide awake, and had nothing to do, he decided to get experimental.
'How do I control this thing?' He furrowed his eyebrows as he opened his palm.
'Darkness, form? Form into a ball? In my hand? Darkness form into a ball within my hand?' Surprisingly, nothing happened.
'How utterly unhelpful. Giving me this gift without even telling me how to use it? Lord of Darkness my ass.' He gave a silent humph.
"Imagine holding the true essence of darkness within your hands. You idiot~" A silent whisper passed the back of his neck like a cold wind. His spine shivered from top to bottom.
'Fuck. What was that? That voice. It's so forgetful, I only remember how annoying it was to listen to.' He warmed his hands as he got chills all over.
'Damn you! Stop pretending! It's me, Bellinor!' This time, he heard the voice echo within his mind.
'Oh, so you were real.' Connor said with a sigh.
'This kid. I'm your benefactor, yet you sound so disappointed?!' Bellinor boomed within his mind.
'Thanks benefactor. Now would you get out of my head, I can't hear my own thoughts! Wait- were you watching me this whole time?!'
'No. No. And Yes.' Bellinor quieted down.
'What?' Connor felt exasperated.
'No to your thanks. No to leaving your mind. And yes to spying on you.' Bellinor beamed simply.
'Ok? And? Are you here to help me or just annoy me?' Connor gave a long sigh.
'I already gave you a hint. It's up to you to actually do it. Oh yeah, where's my teapot?'
'What kind of hint is that? Also what teapot? I don't have it. Is that the main reason you talked to me?'
'... no.'
'I'm not even surprised. But sorry to disappoint you, your teapot isn't with me. Oh, but I did try to take it when that world was beginning to collapse. Perhaps it was also destroyed?' Connor listlessly inquired.
'...'
'What? You still there?' Hearing silence Connor probed within his mind.
'... the teapot must be in your inventory. It's an item that's not so easily destroyed...'
'Oh, then let me just check it for you... oh wait! How unexpected, I lost my phone! If only I knew where it was or how to get it. Perhaps the Lord of Darkness can enlighten me-'
'I get it. I get it. Enough with your snide remarks.' Bellinor was on the verge of tears.
'What are you gonna do?' Connor waited in expectance.
'Well, I can't really do anything. But with Umbra, you can do something about your-our problem.'
'Ok, tell me how.' Connor urged on.
'Alright, but there's only one downside. You'll feel pain. Lots of pain. To the point where you can even die kind of pain.' Bellinor said with a serious voice.
'What?! Why?' Connor exclaimed in surprise.
'It's complicated, trust me. But in short, it'll hurt like hell, because Umbra is now your shadow. Without a shadow, your body is indistinguishable from material and immaterial. The pain is your flesh slowly being made immaterial. Of course, if you gain better control over Umbra, you don't have to worry about this.'
Without even needing to know, Connor could guess that Bellinor had a stupid smile on his face right now. He was resisting the urge to knock himself out.
'Hey! Stay serious! Are you ready?' Bellinor snapped at him.
'Yes.' Connor said after some contemplation.
'Alright. All you need to do is command Umbra to search for your phone within your mind.'
'What? Is that it? Umbra search for my phone?' Connor asked with doubt.
'Idiot! Don't do it yet!' Bellinor said with a panicked voice.
All of a sudden, a dizzy spell hit Connor's mind, as he felt drained of his ability to think clearly. Then, in the corner of his eyes, he saw the darkest dark flow like liquid away from beneath his feet. It was quick to separate with him, as an enormous feeling hit him the next moment with the force of a speeding freight train. The pain had started.
Connor's body shook ferociously in cold sweat, as his entire body sat silently within the bus. He didn't make a sound. He didn't even breath. The pain felt worse than anything he's ever experienced before, and he's sure that death is probably not as worse as this.
His jaws creeked as his teeth grinded harshly against one another. He couldn't think anymore. The nails that dug into his clenched fists have already drawn blood, he didn't mind, how could it hurt more than now? Instead, he appreciates the warmth it brings.
'...' Bellinor silently watched as the boy endured without even making a single peep. He felt a sense of awe and admiration.
1 second...
2 second...
3 second...
At the end of the third second, the pain had stopped, and Connor laid down weekly in his seat. It seems like the search had only lasted for several seconds, but to him it felt like hours had gone by. He panted as he slowly cleared his mind. It felt extremely sluggish compared to before.
'... so? Where's my phone?' Connor asked within his mind weakly as he did not see his phone.
'Just reach your had into Umbra.' Bellinor said gently.
Without a question, he reached into the shadow of his hand, and instead of touching the bus seat, it went into the darkness. The feeling was strange like it was neither liquid, air, or solid. But he didn't have the time to think about it, since he felt the familiar sensation of his phone, and grabbed it.
He stared at his phone in silence as he closed his eyes, and gave a soft sigh of relief.
'Where was it?' Connor asked with curiosity.
'Well~ funny thing is, your phone was on this bus. It was just being kept by the teacher.' Bellinor gave an innocent, yet awkward laugh.
'...' At this point, Connor had already accepted this part of Bellinor.
'So, do you want your teapot back?' Connor asked as he turned on his phone.
'...'
'Hello?'
'I'll let you borrow it for now kid. It'll be pretty useful to you. It has wondrous properties other than being an amazing tea. Oh, but don't drink too much, or you'll get intoxicated.' Bellinor said with a hearty laugh.
'Um... ok?'
Then there was silence in his mind. He didn't know if Bellinor had left or if he was just staying quiet. Either way, he couldn't feel more tired, and quickly fell to sleep.