Part IV: Riverside Siblings Chapter 20

"What's the matter, Carlyle?" inquired a man with anger in his voice. "Are you calling for help?"

Carlyle, beads of sweat rolling down his face, replied with a defiant smile, "What does it matter to you anyway? Are you scared if someone answers me?"

"Don't make me laugh, my boy," said the man with a smirk. "No one will ever answer to you."

"You never know," Carlyle retorted, walking over to his bed. "Someone will answer me and get me out of this cell."

"You can wish all you want," said the man. "But you're not leaving at all."

"Why am I still here?" Carlyle asked angrily. "Why not just kill me?"

"Because I need the power you have inside you," explained the man, pushing his brown hair back, "so I can wake up the demon queen."

"Then why haven't you?" Carlyle questioned, standing up and approaching the man.

"Because I need the other seven elements to wake her up, my boy," the man explained, laughing. "And you're the one that will help me find them."

"Why would I ever help you?" Carlyle scoffed. "You're a manipulative jerk."

"Because I get what I want, that's why," said the man with a laugh.

"Sir," a young boy named Justin interjected as he walked over. "Mr. Tempest needs you upstairs. It's about finding the other powers."

"Okay, I'm coming," said the man. "I'll see you later, my boy."

"You have fun being someone's lackey, Victor," Carlyle teased with a smile. As Victor left the room, Justin approached Carlyle.

"So, are you having fun yet?" Justin asked with a laugh.

"Always," Carlyle replied with a smile. "What about you, Justin?"

"You know I'm always having fun," Justin said with a smile.

"Yeah, being someone's sidekick," Carlyle teased with a laugh.

"You think you're so funny, Carlyle," Justin retorted with a hint of anger.

"So, what do you want, Justin?" Carlyle asked as he walked back to his bed. "Just to annoy me?"

"No, I just like watching you be a prisoner," Justin said with a laugh.

"Where is your twin sister?" Carlyle inquired with a faint smile. "Oh, I forgot, she got her throat slashed."

"Don't you ever talk about Arial like that!" Justin snapped with anger in his tone.

"Did I hurt your little feelings?" Carlyle mocked with a babyish tone.

As the conversation continued, a young girl named Karen entered the scene. The dynamic shifted, and Carlyle's attempts at humor took a darker turn. Eventually, the room went quiet, and Carlyle tried reaching out for help once more.

"Help me, please," pleaded a scared voice. "I know you can hear me."

"Who are you?" asked Kathrine, responding to the voice. "And are you okay?"

"Yes, you answered me," said the voice. "Help me, please."

"How am I going to do that if I don't even know how you are?" Kathrine inquired, looking around for the source.

"I'm in your head," the voice revealed. "And you are asleep."

Curiosity piqued, Kathrine engaged in a conversation with Carlyle, learning about his mysterious predicament, the quest for eight powers, and the connection between light and dark. The chapter ended with a promise to find Carlyle, and his voice fading away.