Carnival of Darkness

[S pov]

"Kino! Kino!" His mother shook his shoulders, trying to wake him. His parents watching him from the side of his bed. Two hours till he stopped screaming, another six till his parents found him, and another four till he woke up.

The child was finally coming to his senses, the shrill cries still echoing through me, however, he was silent as he looked wide-eyed at his parents. He continued his stare for a short while after his mother collapsed over him. "Kino, what happened?" she cried, the child's father put a hand on her shoulder gently. His father looked toward the child, "are you okay?" he said.

The child just stared at him for a second then suddenly, "y-yeah, I'm fine," he said, still not sure. They sighed in relief and sat at the bed of his bed.

"You had us worried sick, you passed out in the far part of the garden. After you didn't check-in, we went looking for you. What happened?" His father questioned him while feeling his head, presumably to check for a fever.

"I'm fine, I just… I don't know what happened."

"It's okay Kino, just rest up we don't want you getting sick, okay?

"Okay, I will," the kid said so tiredly. I couldn't tell why his parents hadn't noticed his stark change in appearance. All of his features seemed more defined. I couldn't tell if they hadn't noticed, or were impressively worried about the boy.

Either way, they soon left the room, leaving the boy's mind to wander as he gently drifted off to sleep.

I was usually subject to his dreams, the only time I would have a body of my own. However, this night seemed quieter. I wondered why as I wandered his consciousness to the gate I had always passed through before, the soft glow of pretty lights did not illuminate the path. It seemed strange, it usually opened when I approached. It even looked old and worn out, with small dents and scratches along its surface. The once beautiful gilded and wooden door was now tainted with age, a distant abstract from even just the night before.

I pushed the door to enter but to no avail. Sure some dust shook from the hinges, but that was about it. How could this have happened… It was perfect just yesterday, alive with music and soft lighting like a magical elderwood forest. It looked like a tattered, abandoned carnival now. I pressed myself up against the dusty door, to see if I could make out even the faintest sound of the music. Sure enough, the music was still there, though muffled so and drowned out by the sound of metal clashing. This was normal, he could be having a dream of the knight's duels of which he got to go watch sometimes with his father. I listened closer and something wasn't right, the sound of the weapons wasn't the clash of the Kirinian metal of which the knight's weapons were made. It sounded like two different weapons clashing, one of a slightly higher pitch and one with an equally slightly lower pitch.

Having given up, I waited at the door, listening to the combat as the sound of wings could be heard throughout the area. At last, one of the fighters spoke in a deep, guardsman like voice, "You bastard, casting a cheap trick such as this. I see you don't care for this child".

The other fighter responded in a lighter, more noble voice, "Sacrifices must be made, I will not allow you to open the gate of which we have sworn to guard. One child is no price for the human race".

"Oh so noble, Lock, preach to me more of your petty ideals!"

The sound of wings could be heard again as a loud crash of metal reverberated through the door as their weapons collided once more.

"My ideals are those of the lord, Grim. Your corrupt mind could never understand, demon!"

The fighting seemed never-ending as they continued to collide as much as they taunted one another. Eventually, my time in the once magical doorway was approaching its end and the carnival of darkness around me faded into black.