Animator vs Animation: The Dark Web

Chapter 3: The Dark Web

 The Chosen One entered through the portal before feeling a sudden change in the environment. A cold chill spread across his body, as if getting frozen. He looked back, finding the others following his trail. The Second Coming hurried to him, appalled, opposing him about his sudden entrance into the portal. When the rest of The Second Coming's friends ran after, the portal closed behind them.

The others looked around the new world they were in. Above them, the sky was a fractured display, a chaotic blur of pixels like a broken computer screen in a shade of red. In the distance, there were broken-down cities and towns that were familiar from the Outernet. The hillock-like terrain was a light-absorbing black, with trees replaced with what seemed to be towering, twisted rocks. The Chosen One felt a familiarity, as if he had heard of it before—something that The Dark Lord once talked about.

The Dark Lord used to admire a land of mystery; where the most forbidden knowledge and darkest secrets of the Internet and the Outernet combined lingered. He found it menacing; just the many things that he saw were intriguing. The Chosen One dismissed it as nothing but a mere legend, something too fantastical to be real. But The Dark Lord always believed. He dreamt of one day exploring the world, to uncover the secrets, with The Chosen One by his side—but that day never came.

Now that they were standing on this forsaken ground, The Chosen One now knew what land they stepped on. The Dark Web.

The Color Gang followed behind The Chosen One as he walked forward, slowly surveying the area. But they hadn't gone far when they heard the sound of footsteps. Instinctively, The Chosen One pushed the friends behind one of the large rock formations. Out of the shadows of another rock formation, two figures emerged. The same ones from the city.

Their silhouettes suggested they were in another discussion, with the darker figure with their head down while the orange figure stood with tense reassurance. The orange figure placed her hand on the others' shoulder, like suggesting that everything will be okay, but the darker figure seemed to have doubts.

The Chosen One watched the two figures, starting to fume from the sight of the blue-gray one. His mind flashed back to the Virabands and the destruction they had wrought. He had the urge to attack—to demand for answers, but something attempted to hold him back. The Second Coming watched him intently, like he sensed The Chosen One's rage.

Just when he thought the two figures were off-guard, The Chosen One gave in. He jumped, hurling a ball of fire, flames twisting as it shot toward the unsuspecting blue-gray figure. Red flinched in shock.

Before anyone could react, he instinctively dashed forward, putting him in the way of the fireball's path. The impact sent him back, making him crash into the blue-gray figure. The sudden commotion startled both of the figures and Red stumbled to the ground, winded.

Panic erupted as the rest of The Color Gang rushed to Red. The Second Coming shoved The Chosen One back with force, barely containing his anger as he silently demanded to know if The Chosen One had lost his mind. But he didn't listen, gaze still locked on the blue-gray figure. His fists clenched, ready for another attack, but The Second Coming was in his way.

Amidst of the confusion, the blue-gray figure blinked, still processing the sudden impact. But without hesitation, he offered his hand to Red. Shaken and embarrassed, he nervously accepted his help. The mystery figure lifted him up to his feet as Red's confidence faltered, rubbing the back of his neck.

After Red steadied himself and walked back to his friends, still embarrassed, the figure brushed the dust off his cloak from the impact. Then, he straightened and raised his hand, pointing at himself as an introduction. Valhalla was his name.

The orange figure, who had been watching the scene, stepped forward next. The bow on her head swayed, and her posture was rigid but confident. She raised her hand and pointed at herself as well. The name Driftwood was declared, raising her head with self-assurance as she watched the group cautiously.