"But would you kindly ponder this question: What would your good do if evil didn't exist, and what would the earth look like if all the shadowsdisappeared? After all, shadows are cast by things and people. Here is theshadow of my sword. But shadows also come from trees and living beings.Do you want to strip the earth of all trees and living things just becauseof your fantasy of enjoying naked light? You're stupid."
~ Mikhail Bulgakov (The Master and Margerita)
~~~~~~~~~
"The wheels were set into motion," Sherry began, clearing her throat, "the moment we decided to throw the sarcophagus into the ocean. That was our grievous mistake. It stayed there, for a while. And all seemed to have turned good. We seemed to have won. Everything was finally okay. But, of course, our momentary utopia was no more than a delusion. We should have expected him to return. And he did."
"Do you remember the men with those tattoos?" Sherry asked abruptly, pausing from her tale. "Like a snake slithering over a skull?"
Miracle nodded, a frown twisting his handsome, youthful face.
"They were pirates, did you know? Their tattoo was a mark of the life they had chosen. A symbolisation of their name, Skrulls. It seems impossible, doesn't it? That pirates would exist at this age? But, well, we of all people know it is a mistake to dismiss something as impossible just because they seem unreasonable.
"The Skrulls worked secretly – attacking vessels, trading illegally, looting away whatever they could find. But they were smart. They made it look like accidents. During one of their voyages, they found the sarcophagus. It should have been buried deep in the ocean bed. But, no, it was just floating above the water, tempting with its gold shine.
"It was Evil's doing, of course. He sensed them near. And despite being imprisoned, he had enough wit to control his own cage. He just needed someone to open it for him. The Skrulls assumed it was their day of fortune. They hauled the sarcophagus on deck, hoping to melt its gold and sell it illegally to merchants. Their celebrations were brutally cut short. Because the moment they unclasped the lid, they let loose the most dangerous of entities.
"In spite of being locked up for nearly decades, Evil was quick to work his way into their minds. He chose the captain as the host. It wasn't too hard, considering the pirates weren't the purest of men; they survived on debauchery and illicit activities, after all. But Evil wasn't satisfied. After being slayed and incarcerated into a box, he thirsted for revenge. Getting free was only the first phase. He didn't have time to indulge on petty crimes.
"He came to a decision, you see. He was furious with what Goodness had done to him and the way the rest of us had aided her. He swore an oath to rid this world of anything good at all, balance be damned. He was on a warpath. And suddenly, he knew what he had to do. He would capture them all – all things that gave humanity purpose and value. He would steal everything they cherished – happiness, love, fairness, hope. And he wouldn't stop there. He would destroy Goodness itself, he vowed.
"It was his kismet when he came across the navy vessel. There, he sensed the soul of Markus Jennings, the restlessness of the man, the urge to prove himself, to be more. He sensed something else too – something that would eventually be his perfect leverage. Nevertheless, it seemed like the will of fate itself because Evil knew he had found the perfect host. He shed away the body of the captain but he did not relive his hold on the pirates. That night, they attacked Markus's ship.
"It was no fight at all. With Evil assisting the pirates, the officers didn't stand a chance. They didn't even see it coming. Before the night could melt into dawn, Evil had a new body. Markus Jennings was his to control.
"But, he still had one more job to take care of. He hid the ship from mortal eyes. No one even suspected that it was still right where it was left off. After that, he made two of his pirates lackeys dress up as navy officers and break the news of Markus's supposed death to the Jennings family. They certainly couldn't figure out that there was never a storm. And, thus, began the second phase of his master, diabolical plan.
Sherry stopped to take a deep breath and almost chuckled bitterly. "You asked me where he was, Miracle, remember? Well, guess what? He set up his lair right here in the Lighthouse."
Miracle, who had been attentively listening to Sherry's disturbing tale, gasped. "But I thought--"
"That it was ruined?" Sherry waved her hand dismissively. "Yes, yes, of course it is ruined. Which was why it was a perfect base. Nobody would even pause to look into it. Besides, it brought him closer to the person he seeked desperately..." Sherry trailed off, looking at Miracle, waiting for him to understand.
Realisation dawned on him. "Blue?" he breathed.
Sherry smiled grimly and nodded.
Miracle started to ask, "B-But why--?" He stopped when another realisation hit. It came like a bucket of cold water, making him shiver.
Finding his voice that seemed to have clammed up for a second, Miracle finally said aloud, "Because Blue is Goodness."
~~~~~~~~~
It was Warren who tied up Blue and Love.
He wouldn't look at Blue, refusing to meet her accusing glare as he tied up her hands tightly with tawny ropes.
They were at the uppermost level of the Lighthouse. Of course, it felt more like being in a wicked mansion than a lighthouse. The room – despite being large and sprawling with a ceiling that tapered to a point – looked dark and gloomy. It seemed impossible that such a large room would fit inside the cylindrical shape of the Lighthouse. Blue suspected it was a trick of Evil himself. She just hoped that it was a solid illusion because she had no desire to go tumbling down for one misstep.
But the unfeasible architecture wasn't what captured Blue's attention. It was the glowing box – pushed to one corner of the room – with intricate, arabesque designs that made her eyes widen. Blue was mesmerized. The air around it seemed to be trembling with an invisible energy. Being near it, Blue instantly felt her fears melt away – she suddenly felt happy, strong, righteous. Evil, though, seemed to recoil away from it, doing his very best to maintain a distance from the large box.
A catwalk-like ledge protruded halfway through the length of the walls, accessed by ladders on casters. Guards – that is, those men with tattoos – were posted sporadically on the ledge, looking down upon them with blank expressions.
Blue shivered looking at them, understanding they were waiting for orders from Evil. Some of the men – the toughest, most brusque ones – were guarding the box. They were armed too. And was that a...cutlass that Blue spotted hanging from the belts of one the men?
Come to think of it, one of the men had a wooden leg, while two were missing one eye. And all had the same tattoos. Why, they almost looked like pirates, Blue thought nervously.
"An astute observation," Evil suddenly said, settling down on a large chair carved out of oak that rested on a dais at the far end of the room. It looked like a poor imitation of a throne. He crossed his legs daintily and studied Blue, resting his hand casually on a large but dull blue orb. It didn't seem anything special but it was placed almost reverently at a stand, beside the throne. "They did use to be pirates. Although, smugglers might be a better word, I suppose."
Can he read minds too? Blue wondered, startled.
Warren and Love, on the other hand, seemed to be already aware of this particular piece of information. They remained motionless and quiet but while Warren's face was a complete deadpan, Love's reflected her fear easily.
Evil laughed heartily. "No, love," he said. "I cannot, unfortunately. Well, not unless I possess you. If I did, then it won't just be your thoughts that I could control. It is you who has a tendency to talk aloud without realising it. And I have excellent hearing."
Blue glared at him, flustered. "What do you even want from me?"
Evil leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees. "How curious," he said, or more like thought aloud. "She doesn't even realise it."
"Don't realise what?!"
Evil grinned and twirled his fingers towards her. Blue screamed as the ropes around her fingers went slack and the floor disappeared below her feet. She went sailing towards Evil and was unceremoniously lowered on the dais. Finding herself face to face with him made her heart stutter, the way he looked so outrageously familiar and, yet, so foreign. If she searched for anything that would remind her of her papa in his dark, bottomless eyes, she did not find it.
"What are you doing in there, my sweet nemesis?" he asked, staring intensely at Blue, while she could only stare back in confusion. What did he even mean? Nemesis?
"What's your game?" he continued, getting more agitated as he talked. "You choose a host and then hide behind it? What are you planning?"
Blue swallowed, her eyes darting around in puzzlement.
"I know you can hear me," Evil snarled. He looked like he almost wanted to strangle Blue but was only barely resisting himself. "You endanger a child and call me wicked?! Show yourself!"
Those last words had such anger and power in them that Blue stumbled down the dais, crashing onto the floor. "Ow!" she muttered.
Evil was breathing hard but he quickly restored his calm, cold persona. "Fine, then. I had hoped you would show yourself. But since you're coward enough to hide within a child, I'll continue on. Soon, there would be nothing good left in the world at all. And I would prevail, evil would prevail. And you would suffer, knowing you did nothing to stop it."
"There's only one left, of course. Love--" He curled his fingers again and this time it was Love who came screaming and flying through the air and was deposited at his feet. He pointed a finger at Blue, who seemed to have lost her voice.
"Soon, Love would be locked up too. The very weapon that you used to destroy me will now destroy you and all those who plotted against me. And you of all people know that I'm not a patient man. If you don't emerge out of your host, I will lock up the girl herself. But without food and water, her mortal body would wither away. And when she would die, you would have to emerge."
Blue gasped, knowing he was talking about her. Lock her up where...? Suddenly, she knew the answer. It floated into her mind easily.
He would lock you up in that box, Blue. It's a magical sarcophagus, a quiet but strong voice said. It didn't sound like her subconscious. It is meant to capture beings like us, our essence.
Blue stilled. T-That voice, it said 'ours'. And it called her 'Blue', as if she herself were someone else.
Blue abruptly understood what Evil had been trying to say. It all made sense. But it did nothing to lessen her fear. Sombrely, Blue thought, I-Is it...you?
A voice answered, agreeing, It is me, Goodness.
BOOM! MIC DROP!
Lmao, sorry, but I hope that shocked you just a teensy-tiny bit. I mean, everyone kinda predicted that Blue's father would be the main perpetrator. So, I hope Blue being Goodness was not too predictable. Bahahaha. Anyways, sorry for that long ass chapter but if you enjoyed it, please do consider pressing that star button. And leave me a comment on your thoughts, maybe? <3