Dye’s was falling within his mind. It was as though there was a giant chasm in his head and his consciousness was free falling through it. The walls around him started out as white, but as he fell deeper the brightness dulled and then seeped to a black. Just before colliding to the bottom, his body suddenly stopped. He sat there, suspended in midair, until his feet were able to feel the ground.

Once again he was within his subconscious. The cold darkness was everywhere but unlike before it looked as though there was movement. The darkness all around him rippled like thin, black curtains swaying in the wind. There were footsteps approaching from afar.

Dye turned around to face whatever was coming his way, but the moment he did the direction where the footsteps were coming from changed. He spun around to the correct direction when they changed again.

He turned to face them.

They changed.

He spun around again.

They moved again.

Now there were footsteps coming at him from all directions. They got closer, and louder and as the anxiety built Dye shouted “STOP IT!”

Everything went quiet.

Dye, overwhelmed by what was going on, breathed heavily. Not sure what to do nor did he know what he was looking for.

“Show yourself!” he said.

There was a hissing of laughter. The very sound of it made Dye uneasy.

“You don’t want that. You probably won’t like what you see.” the words bounced around the void, despite the walls being literal moving darkness.

“Try me!” Dye countered.

He was unaware, but behind him, small orange specks surrounded by the darkness peered open. They moved closer towards Dye almost effortlessly, as though they were floating towards him. As they drew closer, a body started to emerge from the nothingness. It was silent, as Dye hadn’t noticed his dark alter ego just yet.

“Hello, Dye,” said Riley.

Dye spun around and was immediately mortified. He stumbled back and fell over. Riley sat there, suspended just above him, glaring down at him with the tiniest of eyes shrouded in the blackest of darkness. His tongue slithered out of his mouth as the demonic essence Riley was giving off froze up Dye immediately.

“Didn’t I say you wouldn’t like what you see?” Riley humorously said.

Dye didn’t respond. He was too busy taking in whatever this was.

“What’s the matter? Don’t like the new you?” Riley taunted.

“You’re not me!” Dye finally said, his voice trembling with dismay.

“You’re right. I’m not! I’m better than you. Think of me as all of your inhibitions finally breaking free.” Riley embraced the void, showing off his blackened, dead skin and spikey raised hair.

Dye didn’t even attempt to get to his feet. This thing was living inside of him. This thing was responsible for his outbursts and sudden change in behavior. Just looking at it caused so much distress within Dye that the very thought of just leaving it there bothered him.

“What’s that?” asked Riley, smiling. “You’re scared? Good! You should be.”

“I’m not scared!”

Riley laughed hysterically. “You can’t lie to me, Dye. I’m in your head. I know everything. How you feel. What you’re thinking. What your next move will be. You can’t fight me.”

“I can try!” said Dye, getting to his feet, setting his hands a blaze. His legs shook under fear.

Riley wasn’t impressed. He held out his own hands and ignited them. His black flames were a sight to behold. Dye was utterly in shock.

“Fine, then let me show you!”

Before Dye had a chance to react he was jabbed across the face.

Struck in his stomach.

Caught with an uppercut.

And kneed in the face.

He tumbled to the ground, blood trickling from his lip and nose.

“This is my domain,” said Riley. “And soon, your body will be mine.”

Dye was about to fight back when suddenly he was swept up from the dark pit.

“Come back and visit any time!” Riley shouted as the boy was taken away.

Arayan removed his hands and Dye gasped for air. Once Dye was aware that he was no longer in his subconscious, he tried to collect himself as quickly as possible.

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“What did you see?” Arayan asked almost immediately.

“Just —,” Dye had no words. “He was —”

“Yes?”

“That thing’s inside me?” he asked as though it was unbelievable that such an entity was actually commandeering his subconscious.

“Yes. Now do you understand?”

“How did this happen?” Dye asked.

“Riley said that he was the result of your friends, or lack thereof.”

Dye made an inconceivable look. “You mean the classic teen angst that almost every teenager goes through was enough to create an evil version of me?”

“Dye, you’re not just a teenager. You’re probably the most powerful amongst your siblings and that makes you vulnerable to dark threats. I thought I was clear on how you needed to conduct yourself.”

“Yeah, but I didn’t think tha–.”

“Dye, please hear me when I say this. With power comes a responsibility to not only you but everyone around you. Darkness is primordial, just like the light, and these two forces have been at war with each other for a very long time in many different ways. You are its latest iteration.”

“Arayan, you have to help me, there must be a way to get rid of this thing,”

“To my knowledge, there is not.” Dye’s face fell. The disappointment made the void in his stomach sink. “But there is a way to contain it.”

A loophole, or at least that’s what it sounded like. There was a glimmer of hope sparkling in his eyes that seemed to undo the hopelessness that was stuck there.

“How?”

“You must fortify your mind.” Arayan replied. “Riley exists in your subconscious. It’s through that you can imprison him.”

“How do I do that?”

“Through a discipline known as Kun’Ra. It is the practice of engaging your body’s natural Ka, otherwise known as Ki, through the seven Kios. Think of them as reservoirs of energy. Your Ki will awaken that energy and through that you should be able to fortify your mind and by extension keep Riley at bay.”

“Will that work?”

“If you’re successful then any negative emotion that Riley can feed off of will be hindered which will make him incredibly weak. But you must commit to this trial, otherwise he will take over. Do you understand?”

“Yes!” Dye did not hesitate. What he saw lurking inside of his mind was enough to make him agree to just about anything to keep it locked up. Considering he couldn’t fully get rid of it.

“Very well!”

Arayan released the red ropes keeping Dye tied up and the boy fell to the crystal floor. His arms were heavy, but that didn’t bother him. He wanted to get better so that he could go help everyone else.

Speaking of which.

“Where is everyone?” he asked.

“They are away combating the invasion with your military.”

Dye was going through the motions in his head. Arayan knew what his concerns were and just as Dye was about to open his mouth to speak, Arayan beat him to it.

“No, you can’t help. Not in your current condition. If you are successful in Kun’Ra then you’re free to go. Until then, you may get everyone killed.”

“Fine. So what do we do first?” asked Dye.

“We meditate.” Arayan sat on the crystal floor and folded his legs. He rested his hands on his knees and faced his palms upward. He took in a deep breath and closed his eyes then exhaled slowly.

“Meditation?” Dye asked, agitated. “While my family is out fighting a war you want me to meditate?”

“What did you expect?”

“I – I don’t know. Not this.” Dye’s temper was rising.

Arayan held out a placating hand. “Control your anger, or Riley will feed off of it.” Dye struggled with this. Who knew how long this would take. He wanted Riley locked up now so he could go help everyone, but he couldn’t save anyone with this thing nesting in his mind until he managed to get it under control. He sighed and sat down in front of Arayan. He folded his legs, rested his hands upon his knees and closed his eyes.

“Focus on the energy that flows through you,” Arayan spoke in a soothing voice. “Bring it in and have it create a wall around your enemy. Breathe and make sure you exhale slowly, building up the Ki that will suppress your foe.”

Dye did what Arayan told him, and slowly, his anxiety started to decline. He felt a certain peace emerge within his soul and the dark influence Riley had on him was beginning to lessen.

“You can’t get rid of me…” Whispered Riley in his ear. Dye heard this and did his best to ignore it.

Maybe if he hadn’t overreacted the first time Jenny met Avion, things could’ve been better. They probably could have all been great friends. How did this all start? Was it because Dye felt that his new found strength and power was enough to win over Jenny? So instead of being humble was it the stench of arrogance that drove her away? Or was it the fact that he didn’t reach out to her not once during their summer break that caused the schism in the first place. Why didn’t he just apologize? Why didn’t he just own up to his behavior? Even moreso, why didn’t he just tell her the truth? All the what-ifs that could have led to a better outcome were infinite.

It was too late for any of that now.

All of what was done was done. There was no going back and now Dye had an evil version of himself lurking deep within his mind. Who, at the first stench of negative thoughts, could latch on to him and influence every fiber of his being. Not to mention he was now considered the weakest link amongst his siblings due to this abnormality.

After a few repetitions of organized breathing, Dye opened his eyes unhurriedly and smiled.

“How do you feel?” asked Arayan.

“I feel calmer and less anxious.”

“Good. That’s a good sign.”

“What’s next?”

“That was only the beginning. Next we begin Kun’Ra in its entirety.”

“What’s left?” He asked.

“You have been able to pull yourself from Riley’s grip, but I’m afraid he still has you in bondage. You need to fully suppress him or he will break your restraint. In order to do that we must activate your seven Kios.”

“What are those?”

“Think of them as orbs, if you will, that swirl with energy of various colors that align your body.”

“And there are seven of them?”

“Precisely. These orbs filter out your Ki in order to achieve perfect, spiritual balance. Shall we begin?” asked Arayan.

“Sure,” Dye said with calm.

“Very well,” said Arayan, “we’ll start by taking a deep breath and closing our eyes.” Dye followed Arayan’s instructions and soon he was in a state of relaxation. “Now, clear your mind completely except for the image of a red orb. Feel that red orb at the bottom of your spine, and imagine it pulsating with each breath you take. Infusing it with your Ki each time. Keep this mental image until I say otherwise.”

The night sky camouflaged the black ships within the curtains of dusk, blocking out the light of the moon. It would be a long night for Dye as he learned to keep the darkness within the void.