Future Warnings from Midnight

Chapter Twenty Two: Clarity

What Drake found on the other side of the mirror was something he could not have expected. Shannon, the little witch, had done an unexpected turn. She drank once more from the Fountain of Knowledge. The little witch stood almost ghost like between Drake and the Unknown. She shook her fists as the Unknown tried to approach her. Shannon knew all that she had forgotten back in her homelands. She snapped at the Unknown, "You lied to me."

The Unknown was rambling on, "You will be much happier, if you follow me. I promise. I will change everything. In fact, you came seeking me. So here I am. I bet you didn't expect things to go like this! I bet you thought it would be much harder!"

"YOU!!" Shannon declared, "YOU LIED TO ME!"

The Unknown stopped it is shadowy mass as Shannon rose up from the edge of the Fountain. Drake stopped to see the strange conflict. Shannon stomped over the lines of the circle and drew closer to the Unknown. She pointed her finger at it. Her voice shaking in anger, " You tried to make me do something that won't change my fate! You would have me dead either way! You made me do terrible things to other people with the idea I was doing right."

"You drank again from the Fountain of Knowledge," the Unknown groaned.

"I HAD TO KNOW! I HAD TO KNOW THE TRUTH!" Shannon shouted. Her body trembled with rage as she lifted her hands. Sparks twitched to life at the edges of her fingers.

"Now, now, Shannon. You came to me seeking a way to live. You will live on in a different way-"

"You told me that you found a way to make things better! You said you could help me live! You said you could make me well again!" She lifted up her fingers as the magic cracked and beamed crimson.

Drake watched at the Unknown approached the angered witch. Out of the corner of his eye he spotted his lute. Drake rushed to pick up his lute. He scanned the room with the statues of the stone people. Shock overcame him as he saw Feathers in horror. He went over to her and frowned. It was wrong. Meanwhile, Shannon shot magic at the Unknown and screamed. She bellowed, "HOW COULD YOU?"

The magic harmless was absorbed by the Unknown. It came closer as it fought to find form. It coolly said, "Morality is nothing that cannot be fixed. You will live on. I promised you that much. I promised I would make people happy. I shall. We will put an end to reality and let fantasy rein. How could that be bad? There would be no death. There would be no disharmony. All will be well!"

"You told that to the first one you took. The babe. The nameless child. They only had innocence to them and you took them. You promised them life, too. And now look! Look at yourself! Is that what the babe wanted?"

"They wanted to live. They wanted a family. I have been building one. They will live again. A happy life awaits. We just need to finish the ritual," The Unknown walked up to her and patted her shoulder.

"The ritual will only grant ignorance, lies, and loneliness! There is no way such actions of complete fantasy will make things okay!! It won't be real!" Shannon screamed.

Drake had been touching Feathers face as he noticed a stone figure of an old man. The man was familiar. Then came the cracking. Drake turned his head to the Glass Apple sitting upon the top of a fountain.

The Unknown sighed, "Wise River Shannon, we have gone through this many times... Why must we fight?"

"You have done this to me before. Haven't you?"

"Yes, Shannon, we have done this dance before," the Unknown seemed to smile, "You and everyone else had been through this many times before."

Drake started to climb up the fountain. He thought if he could get back the Glass Apple, he might restore his friends. Within his view he could see cracks in the world. It seemed like tears. There came thunderous clamor of voices. They were coming from the tears hands were reaching out. Drake stopped to spy just for a second what appeared to be the others. He thought he saw the Dukes. At another moment, he could see Lucky and Ozzy still by the gates. Drake stretched out his fingers as he was on the edge of the fountain. His fingers just around the Glass Apple.