Power's Reflection

"How long is he gonna be like that?" the man on the right asked. Answering slightly apprehensively the left man replied, "The doctors don't know. All his vitals and his brain wave activity are perfectly normal. They said it was as if he was actually up and walking around. You need to relax Roland he is perfectly fine."

"Fine! Look at him! He is in the equivalent of a comatose state! How in all the hells is he fine?" Roland yelled to the man on the left as he stepped forward angrily. Seeing the stricken look on Talus' face he stepped back took a deep breath and continued in a calmer tone, "Sorry Talus I know you're only trying to help but now what can I do for the boy. After the incident the council won't accept him and he has no family to protect him."

"We are his family now Roland and I'm fairly sure he has chosen to be like this," Talus said gesturing through the window into the dimly light room. Inside the small capsule of a room lay a young boy no older than twelve years old. He seemingly slept peacefully in his hospital bed wearing only his hospital gown. Even his own hair had deserted him in this modern tomb that he now resided in. The boy was happy to see Talus and Roland visiting and smiled sadly as they walked away from the window.

"You look peaceful for a kid who just killed three hundred or so people," a rasping voice chuckled from the chair beside the bed. There sat a dark figure of no distinct shape; simply a shadowy mass that hovered in the space of the chair.

"We both know that it was you who killed those people Shade" the boy replied quietly.

"If that's so why have you bound yourself like this after all you could be doing great work in the world with all that power. Am I right Sandy?" Shade said playfully slowly shifting toward the boy.

"First of all my name is Sandren. Second, what good is a power I can't control? You aren't even mine. After the world discovered magic everything fell into chaos. Wars were waged. The world burned and it is all your fault," Sandren said jabbing ineffectively into the dark mass angrily.

"It's hardly my fault! I was just having some fun, ya' know? Now come on lets ge-" Sandren held up his hand to Shade cutting it off. Sandren then sat down next to a chess board and made a move, pawn D4. "Really? Chess? We barely know the ru-" Sandren held his hand up again to silence Shade and continued to stare intently at the board."Fine then," Shade said and his mass slowly shifted over to and sank into the seat opposite Sandren. One thin tendril of shadow extended over the board and moved a piece, knight C6.

"Why do you do this? We are one in the same. You can try to distance your self from me but it isn't possible." Shade said in exasperation as Sandren made another move, knight F3. Another inky tendril responded quickly with another move, knight F6. After a few seconds of silence Sandren made another move, pawn E4, as he replied "We aren't the same or have you forgotten how you got here?"

"I haven't forgotten but I figured since we got on so well it didn't really matter," it seemed to shrug as it made another move, bishop F5.

"Doesn't matter? You murdered millions maybe even billions of people and that doesn't matter?" Sandren yelled, shaking with anger as he moved again: pawn F5 take. "Allow me to refresh your memory." Knight E4. "Around twenty three years ago magic was discovered. On the whole this was a good thing magic has a variety of uses. I mean who wouldn't want unimaginable power at their fingertips?" Sandren said with mock enthusiasm as he moved again, Bishop B5.

"Unimaginable power is kinda fun," Shade chimed in cheerfully. As it moved, pawn G6.

"Shut up," Sandren replied as he moved again, knight E4 take.

"Shutting up," it replied moving again, pawn E4 take.

Sandren glared at the amorphous shape as he moved, knight E5, and continued, "What people didn't know about was you." Bishop G7. "When they discovered magic they released you. A dark power hidden deep within the earth." Bishop F4. "The embodiment of all seven deadly sins wrapped up in one." Knight E5 take. "In other words, pure evil." Bishop E8 take.

"Oh please you flatter me I'm really not all that," Shade chuckled. "I'm just the other side of you. I'm not some ancient evil entity I swear. I would do puppy dog eyes but... my lack of eyes makes that a bit difficult." King E8 take.

"Stop joking around! I know exactly what you are!" Sandren spat at the being opposite him and moved again, Queen E2. "You were released all those years ago and until last year you have been causing chaos everywhere. You played everyone as if they were all in the palm of your hand." Knight F3 check.

"Not to be a downer but I don't have hands." Pawn F3 take.

"You know what I meant," Sandren growled back irritably as another slick black tendril made another move, Pawn F3 take. " You would wander the land whispering into the ear of everyone taunting them with power and riches. Driving them to violence, pushing them into battles and conflicts." Queen B5 check.

"I've never done any of that. I've only ever been here with you." Shade replied lingering over each word as it concentrated. "Who was it that told you all this nonsense anyway?"

"My father told me," Sandren replied." He told me all about how you caused the world to burn to the ground. He told me how you made civilizations crumble and fall. Just before he died he told me all of it." As Sandren spoke a sad smile creased his lips as he unconsciously reached for something around his neck. As he reached his hand grasped at empty space and a sudden fear shot through him. "Where is it? Where? Where?" he mumbled to him self as he began to search the small empty room.

"Looking for this?" Shade said calmly presenting a small heart shaped locket to the boy. Sandren tried to snatch the locket away from it but Shade moved it just out of reach. As it evaded the boy the locket opened with a quiet click. The outside of the locket wasn't much more than a simple bronze casing whereas in contrast, the small interior had two sides, the left having an inlayed design of a hawk in silver. On the right was a picture of Sandren's father dressed in a suit. Sandren wasn't sure when the picture was taken but it was all he had left of him so he cherished it.

"Give. That. Back." Sandren said trying, unsuccessfully, to keep the anger from creeping into his voice. He began to shake, the fury etched into his face.

"Aw can't I keep it? I miss the old man too! He is my father as well, after all." Shade replied with a slight mocking tone. There was silence for a few seconds as the dark mass observed the boy standing silently, trying and failing to keep himself calm. "Fine then," the mass huffed and with a flick of a tendril the locket swung over to rest in the hands of Sandren, who quickly put it back around his neck. Sandren then retook his place across from the shifting dark shape.

"Your move," Sandren said quitely as he examined the board. A tendril slunk out of the mass and hovered over the board for a second before making its move castling. Sandren made his move almost instantly castling. Shade made a noise which made Sandren look up. It had sounded like the shadowy creature had taken in breathe to speak. Now he sat staring into Shade expectantly. Shade made another move, pawn A6, and then broke its silence.

"Sandren… have you ever thought that our, I mean your, father may have lied to you to protect you?"

"No. My Dad would never lie to me," Sandren replied as Shade moved, Queen D7. "Stop talking, just play." They continued playing silently for a while. Moves began to be traded in quick succession. Rook D8. Queen A4. Rook D4 take. Rook D4 take.

"Think for a second," Shade began cautiously. "The wars didn't simply stop when I was supposedly sealed inside you. The battles still continue. Wars still rage on."

"Perhaps but there is less war now," Sandren said moving again, Bishop D4 take.

"All wars end eventually some way or another, that doesn't mean that I'm what you've been told I am," Shade calmly continued. "I am you Sandren. We are one in the same. The sooner you accept that, the sooner we can move on. The sooner you'll be safe." Shade calmly made his next move, Queen D4 take. Shade stopped shifting and it was still for what seemed to be the first time.

"We can't be the same. All those people... they died. That wasn't me that was you," Sandren said shaking his head. A headache had began to creep into his head now, slowly gnawing at the back of his mind.

"Think back. Do you remember? You had a headache and it just grew and grew until it stopped and everything was gone. You couldn't stop it. It wasn't your fault." Shade said attempting to comfort the young boy whilst making another move, pawn F5 take.

The headache grew to a steady drumming in his head. Sandren shut his eyes and shook his head in an attempt to loosen the steady rhythm. When he opened his eyes again Sandren sat across from him still dark and shadowy but the shifting form was defiantly his own. Shade's voice was now garbled and far off. The world around Sandren was now shifting and swaying. Sandren's hands were shaking as he made his next move. Bishop H6. A loud beeping filled the room as the heart rate monitor began to play a quick accompaniment to the loud beating inside Sandren's own head. Shade's words pierced through the waves of nausea as people began to pour into the room.

"We have to return our body." Sandren understood the words but couldn't get himself to do anything more. The pieces were moving of there own volition now as Shade began pulling him toward the hospital bed through the hoard of yelling doctors and nurses. Rook D8. Sandren saw the silhouette of Roland burst through the door pushing past the doctors to reach the bed side. Then both Shade and Sandren tumbled back into their body and the heart rate began to settle.

The final move was made, Queen G7 Checkmate, and Sandren's eyes opened and tears began to stream down his face as Roland pulled him into a deep hug. "All those people," Sandren wailed as he clawed at the large coat Roland was wearing. "Its all my fault."

Roland slowly patted him on the back and whispered into his ear, "It wasn't your fault. You are not to blame. It was out of your control." Roland quietly shooed the doctors away as he comforted the young boy.

"I'm a monster." Sandren sobbed sinking back into the bed as tears began to cascade down his face.

"You're no more a monster than the rest of us. You, son, are an amazing individual who needs to learn control." Roland replied as he tentatively laid his hand on Sandren's. "Nothing will stop you from being the amazing, loving, intelligent person I know that you are. Just because you may have done something bad doesn't mean it will define you. You are and will be whoever you want to be."