Chapter 30 – The Start Again

"Well, bully for me," Silk exclaimed. "At least this make it a tad easier."

Oak had all his energy sapped from that big fight. After that last big leap back in their world Oak lumbered to his throne. He sighed in pleasure once sitting on it. "Silk, could you deal with the intruders for me."

"Yes your majesty," Silk jokingly replied looking upon the room. The room was full of people, all with the same look of grim determination. Their eyes were black, it wasn't natural.

"So you are Silk the spider," they announced in unison. "You cannot live."

"I am Silk and I can live." He opened his arms out. "If you are so determined that I can't live then come and get me."

One of the women in the crowd suddenly lurched and a black shadow flooded onto the floor becoming a reflection on the floor. It went to attack Silk while becoming a floating reflection. It struck.

Silk rose his hand raising the octagonal object and revealing the mirrors, the reflection hit them instead of Silk. He closed the door on the object so the reflection wouldn't be able to escape. This meant that he now had a specimen to test on and discover just what these oddities are.

"Adios," Silk bowed. Clicking his fingers, he made sparks fly, next he pushed magical energy into the sparks to make them ignite into bright flashes. He pulled up on the arm rest of the throne next to him (Oak was always paranoid) and the floor collapsed underneath them making them fall, it reconstructed itself behind them.

They fell into a kitchen. It was full of workers who were busy peeling, cutting and preparing food. The workers didn't stay long noticing something was wrong.

"Wow, were you going to have a feast?" Silk asked.

Oak pulled himself up with difficulty and spoke. "The mirror kind, haven't seen them in a long time."

"Just ignore my question then."

"They come and go but are the new scouts of the demonic army from no fault of their own. They were manipulated into subservience by the demonic army."

"You don't care about what I'm saying, do you?"

"The point is that they are not working for the demonic army of their own free will. That is their weakness."

"Wonderful," Silk muttered sarcastically. Seemingly ignoring Oak, he cleared a workbench of prepared food. Taking a knife from the side he infused magical energy and released the mirror image from the trap of mirrors that was octagonal. Quickly he stabbed the knife through the image and onto the workbench which seemed to pin it down.

Oak looked over, "why didn't you deal with them up in the throne room?"

Silk looked back over grimly. "I no longer wear white, I tainted the colour of light with arrogance and death. I have grown up, that's all."

"You could have killed all those up there and ended this all now!" Oak fumed.

"Death is never the right solution. Emma showed me that with the help from our mum. Her dying breath showed me truth."

"You can't change after all you've done because of one person, I respect Filum more than you now."

"You don't understand Oak, I just want to escape from this. This war has torn too many apart and we thrived off it. I want a life, a peaceful life but I'm cursed never to see it. I will help you out of respect but after this I'm running away to the bastion of light."

Oak nodded in understanding. "I'm glad to hear it." He lifted up the other arm of the throne and took out two objects, a three-dimensional compass and a sickle of clear glass.

"The compass points to the light in the universes, it will lead you to the bastion of light. The compass cannot filter objects of light though. The sickle will rip open a path for you from one world to the other." He handed them to Silk.

"Thank you," he replied. Taking out a key with an engraving of an owl he threw it at Oak. "Find a good use for this will you."

"My key, thank you. How about one last round?""

"Fine, for old times sakes." Taking three more knives Silk impaled all the other limbs. Applying pure magic to his hands he scanned the image of the woman. The image was only being held by simple illusion magic that tricked the eye by manipulating frequencies and wavelengths. Silk than began to reverse started writing in the air with pure magic, symbols of science and numbers filled the air in a swirling pattern. It was all completed artistically with lines which acted as a sort of conductor for the magic.

"Your magic is some of the deepest in understanding I know," Oak commented.

"It's wide but not deep, my magic can't compete with the individual knowledge in space you hold." Silk pushed the enchantment into the image. The image faded revealing a silhouette of pure darkness except from one detail. Three lines held the key to unravelling these creatures. Silk quickly carved it into a chopping board.

He knocked down the door with the chopping board in hand. "We should run," he called to Oak.

"Fine, I've not had to run in years."

"Magics mad you lazy like I predicted." Silk said annoyed. He knocked down the next door in the hallway to see an unpleasant sight of moving images plastered on the walls. "Not this way then." He turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

"That's the wrong way," Oak pointed out.

"No it isn't," Silk answered.

Oak looked over Silk's shoulders to see the mirror kind swarming int that room. "You are right."

Silk went back into the kitchen closing the door behind him. Taking a chair, he jammed it shut and then moved to the waste disposal area, opening it to reveal a tube. The tube was filthy and smelled disgusting. Chunks of food were lingering on it. Silk gestured to it.

"You have got to be kidding," Oak exclaimed.

"I'm not." Silk looked behind him to see that the mirror kind had ignored the door and just travelled through the cracks in the wall. "And neither are they."

Begrudgingly, while cursing under his breath, Oak awkwardly got in and slid. Silk waited a second to give Oak time to move out the way and then jumped in after him.

The pipe was as nasty as advertised. Chunks of food entered his mouth, hair and eyes. It was very invasive. Silk landed into the moat.

"Blahh," he grimaced while trying to get chunks out of his mouth with his free hand. He saw Oak on the wall at the other side looking down. Grumbling, Silk swam over and scaled the wall using magic as it was too slippery otherwise.

"You took your time," Oak commented condescendingly.

"You used magic," he countered.

"So did you," Oak finished. Silk was about to object as teleportation was obviously easier than what Silk did but Oak cut in, "we had better move out."

Silk looked back at the castle, it seemed to have lost its lustre and life. It no longer looked magnificent but lonely and a shell of its former beauty. The castle which once was a beacon of order, power and hope was now just a monument depicting what once was. It no longer looked over the town proudly but loomed over, slouching with weakened sense.

"We should go to the forest, to the camp. Crusher and Phoenix are there." Silk muttered.

"Agreed," Oak answered sombrely.

With chopping board in hand, they walked through town. The town which should be full of life was just like when Silk first came here, everyone was hiding. The knights were no longer patrolling the town, the guards were no longer on the gates, the town was afraid.

Oak had a dreadful look plastered on his face. He felt guilty for leaving his people in this state. Whatever had happened with the people and Silk had left Oak with a sense of duty which was unusual. Knowing this Silk couldn't sit back and watch Oak abandon these people.

Grabbing Oak by the shoulders Silk stopped him. "Stay here, calm the people. Protect them. I won't be long."

Silk went to move away but stopped at Oak's words. "Thank you for this."

Silk started walking again. Keeping his back towards Oak he replied, "You're welcome."