The Greater The Shadow

"Something bit me!" I screeched into the darkness, hoping Joker would hear me.

"Yeah, you don't want to do that." I hear echoes from the darkness uselessly at me.

"No shit! What the hell am I supposed to be doing?" I demanded the frustration getting the better of me, and now I thought I could feel something circling me.

"Plunge the ring into your shadow." This time, it was Kario's voice chiming in. I looked at my feet and finally noticed the solid black shadow that reflected me on the floor. I make it back to my feet, and the shadow follows suit. It behaved more like a silhouetted reflection mimicking me from no light source I could see. The heat of the ring was steadily returning. I knelt, my shadow doing the same. I hesitantly placed my hand against the floor in the center of my shadow. The cool sensation returned, and as soon as it did, my arm slipped deep into my shadow until I was shoulder deep.

"You take my voice, and now you wish to steal my teeth and talons." The voice was unfamiliar and filled with contempt.

I tugged at my arm, trying to raise myself when the sensation of hands gripping me stopped me. The grip was firm and started pushing and pulling me deeper into my silhouette's chest. At this point, I was close enough to the floor. My hair barely scraped the ground, which I felt be tugged downward into their dark counterparts. The panic set in as I furiously pulled against the grasp of the silhouette. My shoulder emerged, then part of my arm, and finally, I could see what was holding me. Black shadowy hands, thin like tattoos, had twisted around my forearm. My strength waned for a moment, allowing the hands to pull me back into my shadow.

"Help me!!" I yelled, hoping this would end, and Joker would keep his word because clearly, I was in danger.

"You need to find it first." Joker's voice was strained and distant. My body started to feel heavy. I was weakening against the force of the hands.

"What's it, dammit!!" The hands had my shoulder almost completely submerged in the silhouette.

"You must reach as far into the shadow as possible and grab it." Kairos's voice was loud. I could make out how annoyed his tone was. I steadied myself, allowing the hand's force to pull me deeper. My head became slightly submerged, plunging me into darkness. I held my breath, searching through my abyssal depths, almost losing hope until I felt my fingers brush something solid.

A loud growl rang through the ichor-like substance, reverberating through my head. I reached deeper to find a solid handle-like object that radiated with a warmth similar to the ring.

"Noooo!" The voice cried out almost as if it was in pain. My lungs burned from being unable to exhale. I had finally found it but steadily lost all the strength to oppose the hands.

"PULL!" This time, the voice was Salems. I felt a tight grip on my free hand, pulling me from the silhouette. I pulled hard against the shadow hands with the rest of my energy. Soon, my head came free, prompting me to gasp greedily for air. I looked in the direction of my savior to find a humanoid arm covered in scales and drenched in flames.

"Keep pulling!" Salem's voice urged me back to focus, and as he did, I pulled at my wrist-deep hand, the handle of whatever this thing was firmly in my clutch.

"Don't!" I ignored my disembodied friend and pulled harder with the aid of the abnormal arm. The hands struggled, and faltered for a moment giving me the chance to rip myself and the item free, then the arm pulled me into the shadowy depths as the shadow hands receded into my silhouette that didn't seem to follow anymore. The last thing I noticed was a slightly protruding head from my disconnected shadow peeking at me like a gator who missed its meal.

For a moment, it was peaceful in the dark oobleck, almost serene even, and my body felt as if it would never touch the grown. I could still breathe, which I did slowly and calmly. There was enough comfort that I thought I could sleep if I tried. I couldn't remember when I was this relaxed, and for some reason, I felt I should try. I sank deeper into the inky blackness until I felt the rumble of a car around me. Soon the frigid blowing of A/C on my face slowly provoked my eyes to open to the night framing the outside of a windshield. I looked to the left to find the driver, who was my father, a little less grey than I remember last seeing him.

The unfamiliar scenery passed quickly, and in a blur, my father nervously rapped his fingers against the steering wheel before noticing my sturring. His face was dour, framed by morose remorse. His lips moved noiselessly once more, and I watched until I felt a tug at my ring finger and something slip free plunging me from the dream.

I fell quickly and crashed back into my body. The heaviness of gravity hurt as if I had been asleep for days. The room spun slowly. My eyes opened as I fought against the weight of the lids. Salem held me tightly by one arm that seemed to be charred black. He was on his back, unconscious. As I lay atop him, my eyes searched the room, which was in disarray. Something tore through wallpaper, tattered drapes fluttered in pieces, and shattered glass panes decorated the floor. I examined the arm holding me close, sure that it was the one covered in scales and flame. It was jet black, now charred up to the elbow.

"Is it over!?" Kairos's shaky voice came from behind the desk, followed by his head peeking around it. Joker jumps up quickly from behind the desk.

"Of course, it's over. Salem succeeded as always." Joker's reply was snide as he fixed his clothing and brushed off dust and debris. Kairo made his way over to us, examining the unconscious Salem.

"Salem?" Kairo called out to an unresponsive Salem. I made my way out of his grip and to my feet.

"Is he dead?" My voice was shaky as I tried to hide the threat of tears. Kairo walks over to Salem, kneels, and places two fingers on his neck before he can answer, though Salem lets out a lioness snore.

"He's fine." Kairo sighs and rolls his eyes. That's when he notices Salem's arm.

"That's not, though." He looks to Joker, who makes his way around the desk with a light of intrigue behind his eye when he notices the jet-black arm covered in that oobleck-like substance.

"Hmm, well, it's not, not okay," Joker says with a chuckle.