Ch. 18: Requiem for a Dream

The voice was gone. Jacob was sure of it. For so long, it had taunted him, kept him locked up within his own mind, unable to get out and take control. Now he was at peace…no. Somewhere in a darker part of his brain, he could still hear screams of rage, trying to get out again. He wasn’t going to let that happen. Jake woke up. As he opened his eyes, the morning sun came streaming in. Couldn’t remember who he was or where he came from. Then everything came flooding back. Jake sat up in bed with a jolt.



He was lying in a white bed, in a small wooden room, the sunlight shining on him through an open window that looked out into the peaceful countryside. The sounds of a small waterfall could be faintly heard. Behind him, on the headboard of the bed was a simple carving of an all-seeing eye. Jake relaxed. He was home. Across the room, dozing in a chair, was Dye. He was bare-chested, bandages covering a wound on his side. Jake tried to get out of bed, felt dizzy, lay back down with a sigh. Dye woke up. He looked at Jake, opened his mouth.



“Please don’t yell at me Dye.” Dye shut his mouth, thought for a moment, then opened his mouth anyways.



“Why didn’t you tell me that you were possessed by a demon?” Dye asked in a low voice. “Why, after all this time you’ve been with me?”



“I was afraid…that you guys would all hate me if you knew.”



“We’re your friends. We’re here to help you, not hate you.”



“I know, but…”



-----



Jacob was only six when it happened. He was at home, staring into the fire, angry at his parents for making him milk the cow. Then he heard a voice in his head. A deep, grating voice, like a boulder being dragged through a field of gravel. It promised him revenge, a way to let all of his anger out. But only if he would give the voice control. Jake surrendered control of his body, too young to understand anything about demons and evil spirits and voices in the back of your head. He couldn’t see, hear, smell, touch, or taste anything but anger. And that voice, telling him all along what was happening. He didn’t see his home burn to the ground, destroyed by the demon’s anger, his anger. The demon only told him what was going on, as he used his magic to destroy everything that Jake ever knew or loved. He didn’t even see his parents die as the demon used his body to tear them apart…



-----



Dye sat in silence after Jake finished the story. Then he asked, “What happened after that?”



“I swore to myself that I would never let myself be angry ever again. That’s why I joined the circus, to make sure that I would always be happy. But after I joined Requiem, I began to hear that demon again, always there in the back of my head.”



“Let us hope it stays like that.” Lizargeco strode into the room, red, tattered cape swirling around him, eyes glinting through the usual horned helm. Everyone turned. There was someone else with him, wearing tattered black robes. His head was uncovered, and his pale face grinned at everyone in the room. His smile revealed sharp, black teeth.



“Who’s he?” Dye asked, standing up.



“This is what happens when you allow a demon to fully take over your body.” Jake recoiled. The demon stopped smiling. With his mouth closed, he looked like an ordinary man, albeit with red eyes and awfully pale skin. “Don’t worry, this demon is on our side. In fact, he was the second-in-command for the ShadowStorm before joining us.”



“A traitor demon? Sounds iffy to me.” Dye raised an eyebrow, groped for his weapon. He had left it in his room.



“Don’t worry. He hasn’t been disloyal at all. In fact, he has been very loyal, to me. You see, we sent him as a spy to gain the trust of Elitis, and he did remarkably well. Unfortunately, he failed in his ultimate task, which was to assassinate Elitis. We had him escape when your clan attacked their base.”



“So, our attack on the White Light base was mainly to allow him to escape?”



“In a way, yes. However, your attack did manage to cripple their clan. They are falling apart as we speak.”



“One last thing. What’s this demon’s name?”



“Him? Oh, we just call him Demon. By the way, you two should be in the clan gathering room. The meeting’s already started.”

“What?” But Liz was already gone.



Dye and Jacob entered the clan gathering room, where the rest of the members were already gathered, sitting in neat chairs facing the fireplace, where Priest was standing and Edvin was talking. The whole scene was reminiscent of a chapel.



“…a requiem is a mass for the dead, a meeting in honor of those who have passed away. Let us now gather in requiem for those who have fallen in battle, and know that they have fought bravely to defend fairness and end cruelty.” Edvin sat down, leaving Priest to conduct the mass.



As Dye sat down with the rest, head bowed, he thought back to Elitis’s last words towards him. Cruel and arrogant though he was, Elitis did have a point, and now Dye honored not only those who died in battle, but that one dream that Angel and Elitis both shared, though neither would have ever admitted it to the other. For a fleeting moment, Dye looked up to the ceiling, as if trying to pierce them with his eyes and gaze into heaven, in requiem for a dream.