Aarmau: Uh... Oops. (Under RE-WRITE)

Chapter 40: Revelations

After breakfast, and speaking with Bartholdi again he gave me the key to Shads office.

It was the only door that looked like it hadn't been touched in years. The handle was tarnished and rusty, the wood was cracked and faded.

I unlocked the door to find a very plane room, books lined the walls and a desk sat in the middle, it was dark.

"Lights." I said firmly, as if I had been in this room a million times.

The torches flickered on, bathing the room in their glow.

A dark black envelope on the table caught my eye. It seemed very, very old. And it had a deep red aura.

Somehow I was drawn to it, having an uncontrollable urge to see what was inside.

I took one step and the envelope whizzed towards me, hitting me right in the chest.

It burned and buzzed when it made contact, burning a hole in my hoodie.

I grabbed it, but it didn't burn through my gloves. And I unsealed it.

Suddenly, black twisted around me like a snake, and whispers of calming voices filled my ears.

It's fine
Go ahead
He's waiting

My head swam, and my skin felt like it was burning off. My wolf was going crazy, I was no longer in control.

Then, just as suddenly as it had started, it stopped. I had closed my eyes, I was afraid to open them.

"You can open you're eyes now. It's over."

The voice, it was mine. But I didn't say anything, my throat was still burning.

"Come on, look at me son."

I opened my eyes, and I met with the steel eyes of myself.

"That wasn't that hard, was it?" The other me said, he had a sly smile.

"N-No, Who are you?" It hurt to talk but I needed answers.

"Well, who do you think I am?" The smile never left him, but it wasn't eerie.

"You look like me, but...."

He was wearing a long black cloak, ripped pants, and a hood draped over his back . It wasn't something I would normally wear.

"I know you're not." I finished.

"Well, you're half right. I'm not you, or in a greater sense, I'm not anybody."

"At least, not anymore." His face fell, on the last part, like he was remembering painful memories.

I stayed silent, I realized we were in the void, a place with no timeline. No light, no life.

"But, you don't want to hear an old man ramble, you want to know why you are here."

"Yeah, and to get back. I have-"

"People who need you, you're wife and kids?"

"She's not my wife, yet."

He grinned at this, almost laughing.

"Right."

"Anyway, you want to know why you are here, correct?" He repeated, giving me a knowing grin.

"Yeah." I replied simply.

"Alright, First, My name. Guess it."

"Shad?" I said, my voice echoing.

"Correct."

"Now, how much do you know about me?" He asked leaning against some invisible object.

"I know that you are supposed to be evil."

"That's a common misconception." He laughed.

"Okay..."

"I know that you own a mansion near Irene's city."

His face fell, A confused expression took its place.

"I lived with Irene, we were good friends. I never built a mansion." He had a curious smile on his face.

"But that's where I found the envelope to get here. And your butler said-"

"I don't have a butler, and the envelope should have been sent to you, at your house. Once you turned 18. How old are you?" He asked hurriedly, almost jumping up.

"Twenty six."

"Shit, you need to go back NOW!" He suddenly waved his hand and the wispy black clouds returned.

"Wait, what, why?!" I was panicked now, I did not want to feel the burns again.

"You're not in a safe place, you can come see me whenever, as long as you have the envelope."

"If it's not you're house than who's is it?" I asked quickly, the calming whispers were panicked too, they were making it worse.

"I don't know, but it smells like a trap. Get everyone out of there, I will return you to the surface."

And once again I was thrust into blackness and burns. But a plan was forming in my head. We were getting out.