Ch5 Shift
"I... Wow.. That's terrible." was all Koyu could say in response. No other words seemed to describe the trauma this guy had gone through. Koyu didn't know what else to say, but it didn't matter, as the wolf spoke once more."It... Whatever it is... It brings the absolute worst in you out. Your most dangerous state. Its.. Controllable, but barely. Even now, even as much as you've helped me, one moment of losing focus, and you'd be nothing but paint on the walls." Jade spoke, not even looking at Koyu. "After all that happened, I ran through the place they'd built. Eventually I discovered It wasn't a building, but a ship. An absolutely massive ship, specifically designed to test these wormholes to whatever that place was that made me like this. I blew the engines. It was so easy too. It seems any material can be transformed into this black material, and once done can be manipulated in any way I see fit.""That actually sounds pretty useful... I mean, all that horrible stuff happened, but you could do any-" Koyu tried to say before the wolf looked him dead in the eyes and yelled."I DON'T WANT IT!" He said, and just as he did, the area around Koyu had become darkened. The air around him seem to turn into spikes of pure darkness, several of which were inches away from his throat. "These memories, what I did, everything that happened. It wasn't my fault! I don't want this thing anymore!" He continued, as the spikes slowly receded. "I... I'm sorry. I didn't deserve this, and I don't want it.""I shouldn't have said that. It's my own fault for not being more considerate." Koyu tried to comfort the wolf before continuing. "Well.. I mean, if it latched onto you, there must be a way of getting it off, right?""I.. I mean... There is only one way I know of. When it latched onto me, it infected me like a disease, and corrupted every part of my being... Including my soul." Jade spoke. "In doing so, I learned what it could do, almost instantly. There is a way, that it taught me, to get rid of it, but I.. No.. I don't want-""What is it? Maybe I can help you get back to who you used to be?" Koyu said. Jade took a few minutes of complete silence before he was able to speak up again."The only way to get rid of the Darkness..." Jade said, as if he was speaking some sort of prophecy, "Is to pass it to another.. But-""I'll take it from you then. You obviously didn't deserve this, and I-" Koyu started to say, as Jade tried unsuccessfully to protest, "I know its a dangerous thing, but-""Stop. I couldn't do that. I couldn't give this thing to anyone else. No one should have to suffer as I have from it, and you've helped me. I wouldn't feel right." Jade said, saddened a bit by the reality that he might be stuck with this curse for as long as he lived."Look, You said it
yourself, you didn't deserve this. Besides, don't you think it would be better to pawn it off on someone who wants to help you, rather than accidentally passing it to someone you care about? You don't know me. I might be able to handle it, you know? I could try to control it permanently." Koyu said, trying to reason with the wolf. He really did care for him, and wanted to help him, but it was obvious that wasn't the sole motivation for his offer."Koyu... I.. I don't know. I don't even know if it would work. It wants something to leech onto. Pain, guilt, anger... But if it can't find anything worth it... It could kill you. And-" Jade responded, taking a long pause. Just as he was about to speak, however, Koyu spoke up first."Just do it. Trust me, it'll work. I want to help you, and if this is the only way, so be it." the husky said back, meeting the gaze of the wolf this time. He wasn't sure quite how any of it worked, but he held out a paw towards the wolf, hoping he knew what to do."I.." Jade started, but really seeing no other option, sighed heavily and continued. "Thank you, Koyu. I'll never forget you, I promise.. Even if this doesn't work.." He continued. "But... There's more. The transformation is going to hurt... A lot. And the only way for this to work.. Is..."Jade grabbed onto the husky's paw, and grabbed him close. Koyu was a bit taken aback, but before he knew what the wolf meant by it, Jade kissed him.