"Yes," Yna said.
"Mmm… no. Let's play it safe for now. Let's just do as he says and see where that goes." I said.
"Ok,"
I nodded before absorbing all of the darkness around me.
It came as countless streams of pure black smoke that danced eerily in the air before being absorbed into my body.
I sighed as I knew that clearing an entire underground city's worth of darkness would take some time.
.
..
"Katsíki?" Yna called, but her voice sounded a little fuzzy to me.
"I think that's enough. You should stop now." She said as she shot me a concerned look.
"Ey, don't worry about it. I can still keep going." I said with a hiccup.
My head then fell to the side and I found myself laughing deliriously.
"Yeah, right. Come on." Yna said as she picked me up.
"No! We need to help everyone we can." I blurted, unable to hold in my inner thoughts.
The guards then accompanied Yna and me back to the office and Yna placed me on the couch before watching in amusement as I stumbled around in an attempt to stand.
"We have to help the Rendaro," I said, but Yna simply sat on a nearby couch and she watched as I walked towards a specific plant.
"Do you know what would make helping them easier?" Yna asked.
"What? And don't say that I should take a more aggressive approach."
"You should. Go down there and purify what you want, give them orders, do something besides being led around." Yna said.
"You want me to take more decisive action?" I asked.
"Yes."
"Mmm… I'll take your words into consideration," I said as my eyelids grew heavy.
I then sat down and rested my head on the wall.
My eyes eventually closed as I gave in to sleep's irresistible call.
.
..
I awoke the next day with a burst of energy.
Karish took us to the second level, and just like with the first, I purified it.
However, after doing that, I told him that I would be going to the surface for a bit.
"I cannot allow you to do that." He said.
"Why not?"
"Because your work is not done. There is still another matter I'd like you to handle."
"And that would be…?"
"I need you to send all the darkness you absorbed into the third level."
"What?" Yna and I gasped.
"This way," Karish said, ignoring my shock.
He then led Yna and me into the third level where Rendaro continued to work in the putrid pits of mud that were laden with darkness.
"The gate is sealed, so do not worry about breaching it," Karish said as he crossed his arms.
I looked at Yna, but she remained silent.
I let out a sigh before turning to face Karish.
"No," I said.
"Pardon?"
"I will not aid you in your scheme to seal the fates of so many Rendaro."
"They are very much aware of the role they serve and they have accepted it as it guarantees our survival!" Karish yelled.
"I don't care! I'm going to purify the entire city."
"What?" Karish exclaimed.
"I will not sit by while your people suffer-"
"Guards! Take the dark vessel to his quarters. Maybe he will reflect on his choice of words." Karish said, his face a twisted scowl.
I let out a sigh before giving Yna a nod.
A bright smile formed on her face as her entire body was coated in a blazing ethereal flame.
The guards all backed away she majestically spread her arms.
"Listen, Karish. You can't keep this up forever. This isn't the time to cower and hide. The Rendaro have suffered enough. The time for rejuvenation is now and I'm going to make you see that." I said, even as my little heart thumped even faster.
Karish's face twisted as he glared at me.
"Guards, kill the golden knight and retrieve the dark vessel." He said as he slowly backed away.
The guards, however, didn't move.
Yna crossed her arms and smirked as I walked down the path and approached the wall of darkness.
"Ahem!" I made a fake coughing sound and all the sickly Rendaro turned to look at me.
I looked deep into their exhausted eyes and this only fanned the flame in my heart.
"Drop your tools. Leave the darkness to me." I said with a raised hoof, but the workers merely looked at each other in confusion.
I sighed before taking a deep breath.
I then absorbed most of the darkness in the wall almost instantly.
Unfortunately, this massive intake of darkness overloaded my mind and body and so I collapsed right after.
My body fell to the ground and I could hear screams and yells coming from behind me.
Dammit!
I had gotten too deep into the flow of things. I thought as my vision slowly darkened.
.
..
I awoke in a certain throne room and a certain someone was sleeping lazily in front of me.
"Kenos," I called as sharp pains assaulted my body.
"Kenos!" I yelled, prompting Kenos' eyes to pop open.
"Hey, Katsíki. What brings you here?" He asked with a yawn.
"Can't say for sure. I absorbed a bunch of darkness and passed out."
"Oh? Take care not to do that next time." Kenos said as he stretched his arms.
In his current form, he was no larger than an ordinary Rendaro.
I wondered if he was a different kind of Rendaro.
One who could freely change his body's shape and size.
"I am a Rendaro, yes but I'm also pretty unique. Seeing as I was the Host of Darkness during the war." Kenos said.
"Tell me more about this war. I'm curious as to how it all played out from the perspective of the Rendaro."
"It's exposition you want, ey?" Kenos droned as he raised his right hand.
A cloud of darkness then appeared and from within that darkness, Kenos pulled out one large white old book, a large black book and several stone tablets.
"Here. The Codex of Light, the Dark Tome and Draconic Codex. They detail the history of the world pretty well." He said.
"Why can't you just tell me everything I need to know?"
"No idea. I just feel like it would be better if you developed your own understanding of things. My retelling of the story may be biased and whatnot." Kenos said with a grin.
"And who's to say that the people who wrote these weren't biased?"
"Who knows." Kenos said as my vision blurred.
"Bye. Make sure not to overdo the whole absorption thing next time, yeah?"
"Yeah," I said as I slowly closed my eyes.
.
..
I opened my eyes to find my head resting on Yna's lap.
We were in Karish's office and there were no guards in sight.
"Good morning," Yna said as I raised my head.
"What happened?"
"After you passed out, Karish asked me to take bring you here. It seems as though he's really panicking right now. We've greatly disturbed the status quo. There will be repercussions." Yna said and I nodded in response.
"What do you think we should do now?" Yna asked.
"We could continue to help them. Their water supply is tainted, but at this point, I'm not sure if they're willing to put up with us anymore-"
Yna stopped as we heard the door burst open. Several Rendaro then burst into the room, most of them armed with various weapons.
Karish then entered as the guards encircled Yna and me.
"We have seen through your tricks, mimic!" Karish spat as the guards all raised their weapons.
"What are you talking about?" I asked as Tal and Olen entered the room.
"Is it true?" Olen asked.
"Have we been deceived?" Tal asked as he stared at me.
"Indeed. That thing is nothing but a pretender, a spy sent forth by the golden prince!" Karish yelled through gnashed teeth.
"Say it isn't so." Tal cried, but Karish frantically pointed at me before letting out a horrible screech.
"Kill him! Kill him before he returns to his masters in the Golden Capital! Guards!"
"Katsíki…" Yna droned as the guards slowly approached.
"Take us to the third level!" I yelled prompting Yna to grab me. A massive ball of bright yellow light then gathered in her hand and she punched a hole into the ground.
We fell for several meters before crashing into a dark and smelly place.
I spotted several Rendaro bound to chains in what looked like a cell.
"What in the world?" One of them muttered, his eyes were deeply sunken and the chains cut deep into his flesh.
"I am Katsíki, but worry not about me. Why are you people here? Are you prisoners? Criminals?"
"We are magicians." A Rendaro wheezed.
"Oh? What kind of magic do you all use?"
"Dark magic." Another said.
"Do any of you know what lies behind the seal?" I asked.
"No."
"Mmm…" I droned.
"What now?" Yna asked.
"We visit the seal-"
"No!" The Rendaro all yelled.
"Why not?" I asked.
"The seal is sacred!" The Rendaro cried.
"But look at what maintaining it is doing to you!" I yelled, prompting the Rendaro to look at the scabby black marks that covered their skin.
"Ugh, you know what. Tell me. Tell me about yourselves. About the Ia people." I said as I sat down.
"What about the guards? They'll be here soon." Yna asked.
"Don't worry. I just need a few answers."
One of the Rendaro walked up to me before sitting.
"Who are you and just what do you plan on doing here-?"
"He is the vessel that holds the spirit of the great god Kenos." Someone said.
I turned to find a rather familiar Rendaro lying on a shoddy bed.
It was the Rendaro from before. The one who was taken away by all those guards in front of Karish's office.
All of the Rendaro let out gasps before kneeling.
"Lord vessel, please forgive us!" The Rendaro all said.
"Hey, calm down. There is much I don't know. That's why I'm here. I want you to tell me your side of the story." I said and the Rendaro closest to me raised his head in response.
"We know not what lies behind the seal, but many ages ago, the elders instructed all dark magicians to erect a wall of darkness in front of the seal. We've done our best to maintain it ever since." The Rendaro said.
"I see. Well, according to elder Karish, the High Elders are living on the other side of the seal." I said.
"Impossible! Nothing can live behind that wall. I'm sure they are using the seal to protect our sacred artefacts." The Rendaro said, albeit nervously.
"Why don't we find out?" I asked.
"It is forbidden!"
"You won't have to do anything. Leave it to Yna and me." I said as I stood up.
"What are you going to do?" The Rendaro asked as I walked towards the cell door.
"We're going to discover the truth."