The Infinidex - Part 9

Hazel/Missy

Should I take the red pill? Should I? That…that man says that if I were to follow him, I’d see the truth. But Ben has told me the truth! There’s no other story…is there…? Hazel’s consciousness drifted off for some moments, drowning in her ocean of thought.

Ahhhh! I must not be swayed so easily! I must trust in Ben and in myself! Her elfin frame gave a little shiver, as if she had just snapped out of hypnosis. She stole a deep breath discreetly, willing herself to be calm and rational.

“Destiny? Pfft. Oh puh-lease, that whole “Destiny” is really quite overused. Try something new, would you?” Hazel rolled her eyes with vigour, feeling a new-found sense of courage creeping in.

“Ah?” blurted the man in black, his eyes wide in disbelief at Hazel’s speedy recovery from shock.

“Anyway, there’s no way I’m going to eat anything from a thing,” mocked Hazel.

The man became noticeably blue upon hearing that. He looked uncomfortable and agitated, as if he was suppressing some desire within him. His eyes were no longer cocky but shifty, and he started mumbling incoherently under his breath.

“What? Our Mr. Destiny is actually at a loss for words? Wow, why am I not surprised!” Hazel dismissed the man with obvious, intentional disdain.

That touched his raw spot and he burst with rage, purple in the face. “YOU… YOU LITTLE CRETIN! HOW DARE YOU TALK TO ME LIKE THAT! I, VALIN OF THE COUNCIL OF FOUR, WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO BE SO IMPUDENT!” screeched the man in an inhumanely high-pitched voice.

“Oh my, Va-lin? What a horribly old-fashioned name! Probably very apt for an obsolete, old thing like you,” provoked Hazel even further. Valin…Valin…haven’t I heard this name somewhere before? She thought to herself.

Valin, now shaking uncontrollably with furor, raised his hand in mid-air, preparing to strike his provocateur. “I don’t care what he says anymore. I cannot allow such audacity in my presence. You shall die for your…” A very flustered Mary burst opened the door, interrupting Valin’s curse in time.

“Hazel? Oh Hazel, thank the heavens that you’re alright! I don’t know what Bea would have done to me if you…” She stopped short upon noticing Valin. “… Eh? Mister, what in the world are you doing here? Visiting hours are long over, and I’ve told you, the Missy girl that you asked for does not exist!” Mary ranted with a tinge of annoyance.

“You shall die together with Missy today, you ignoramus!” said Valin in a scream that was 2 octaves higher, rattling the window panes.

Out of his coat came the menacing tentacles at top speed, as if they had been hungering for human flesh and were waiting for this moment for too long a time. Then, there was a familiar bright flash that blinded all in the room for 5 seconds or so. The flash subsided, and there, Valin was lying motionless on the floor, eyes permanently wide in shock. The same knight in armour which Mary previously thought to be part of her imagination was standing beside the lifeless body. The star ball lay in the place where his heart was supposed to be. It was bright with a magnificent red glow, and the star was spinning in a frenzied manner within the ball.

“Hail fair Mary, Mistress of the Heart! Is there anything which your heart desires of me to do?” bellowed Fel, who looked awkwardly incongruous with his mediaeval suit of armour. He had taken the Heart of Venperlion from the body of Valin, and was now presenting it to Mary on bended knee.

“Can you see that?” Mary asked Hazel in a hasty whisper, unable to believe the sight in front of her. Hazel gave a cautious nod in reply.

“Okaaay…Erm…Get us out of here safely,” said Mary uncertainly, pushing up her spectacles with one hand.

“Don’t forget Ben. He’s still here, I know he is,” interrupted Hazel with vehemence.

“Well, yes, yes. Get all three of us from this place quickly!” urged Mary.

“Forgive me, my Mistress. For me to do that, I’m afraid you’ll have to say the magic word”, said Fel with his head bowed.

“The magic word? Erm… ‘Please’?” whimpered Mary.

“Dragoneptra,” said Hazel, taking the Heart from Fel, and holding it tightly in her hands. With that, it grew to be an even more brilliant shade of crimson, and the star spun faster and faster.

“I apologise for sounding so much like a genie, but your wish is my command, my Lady,” said Fel with deference, taking note of Hazel’s presence for the first time. “We will need the key on your neck to escape this place of peril though.”

Hazel’s hand instinctively went to her neck, and she felt the key which she had been acquainted with. So it was still there. Ben was a significant part of her life, and so was that key. She had yet to reconcile all her memories into one single quilt, but there was no doubt that the key had once opened a door to a place of enigma. Yes, it was there where she overheard a secret conversation, one which she was not supposed to hear. It was there where she first knew of someone called “Valin”. Yes, that key was real, and it was hers. She knew its grooves all too well, and she loved the fact that the ruby was soothingly cool to her skin.

“It’s a pleasure to render the services of my key. Now what’s next?”

*****

Ben/Locks

Every part of his body was hurting badly. His head was bleeding so profusely that he had become numb to the pain. Blood ran from his temples and made meandering rivers down his cheeks. The flesh of his palms had corroded from the acidity of the monster’s tongue, and the whites of his bones were exposed in some parts. Somehow, all that had happened had unfolded like a reel of film in his head.

How did I get such a flashback? Ben wondered.

Stricken with terror and injury, the only thing that was keeping him alive was Hazel. He had to make sure that she was safe. He had to see her. He had to be close to her. He would die without her. They had to be together forever, or else, he would be in pain forever. With all the willpower that he could gather, he struggled to keep his mind alert. It was all he could do to prevent himself from losing consciousness again.

Ben trudged painstakingly towards Hazel’s ward. A few more steps, and I’ll be able to see her again, He thought hopefully. His hand was finally on the door knob, and he was about to turn it. The sheer anticipation clouded whatever visual and sensory abilities that remained, and he did not notice more Dark Homunculus shuffling down the corridor toward him.

The door opened before Ben could turn the door knob. Out of the ward rushed a figure donning an antiquated suit of armour. Ben’s mind was no longer lucid enough to register the knight’s battle cry, and the lance and shield in the knight’s hands flashed past his eyes in a blur.

“All of you shall burn in hell this very day, O perpetrators of evil!” roared Fel with righteous anger. Again, he pierced his lance through the distorted bodies of the Dark Homunculus. Everything seemed to be in slow motion except for the movements of Fel. As his lance impaled them effortlessly one by one, each Homunculus gave a animalistic, hair-raising growl before expiring on to the ground. All of the monsters disintegrated into what seemed like a few strands of hair in foul-smelling animal manure.

Fel sheathed his lance again, and bowed his head in greeting toward Ben. Finally seeing his Hazel, Ben’s knees grew weak and gave way. Hazel instinctively supported Ben, placing his arm over her shoulder, and Mary placed his other arm over her own shoulder. Without a word, Fel marched into the darkness of the hospital, and all three followed him closely, fearing that more evil would befall them.

*****

Fel

I know that girl from somewhere. That girl… she knows me too. Fel’s thoughts raced inside of him. But Mary is my Mistress, so why does the other girl know the magic word? Could she be the one instead? And she has that powerful key on her neck…

They reached the entrance of the hospital, and unsurprisingly, it was locked.

“My Lady, please open the door with your key,” said Fel.

Hazel took the key from the necklace around her neck, and proceeded to open the door with an overpowering sense of curiosity. This key led me to a mysterious place the last time. Where will it lead me this time, I wonder?

She turned the key, and the door opened wide. Both Mary and Hazel gasped in astonishment, but Ben was still too weak to react. None of them realized that Fel had already disappeared into thin air, because what greeted them was a sight that was too inconceivable to behold. It was totally another world of its own, and they could not believe their eyes.