The skin wrapped its arm and leg skin around the poles again and Kat and Kaceji jumped off. As soon as Kat turned her back on the gulch she saw a familiar face.
"Kaceji, is that you?" Caile asked.
"Caile?"
They fell into each other's arms. Apparently they knew each other.
"Where have you been?"
"I was trapped. In my own skin. And in someone else."
"I'm so glad you're alright. I thought I had lost you... And you, nameless one. I need to talk to you."
"What is it?" Kat asked.
"You might have noticed, this place isn't like it should be anymore. The Xenomech you found down there should not be here. Not in this form. Neither should the Bone SPider. There should be no darkness here, no shadows. There is something wrong with this ocean. You have to find out what happened."
"You are a being of the" "shadows too, aren't you?" Kat pointed at the blackness behind the child.
"I should be an exception. I delve into the darkness to bring whatever lies in it into the light. The darkness should lie outside the door in your old room, not inside this sea."
"What can I do?"
"Find your name. Realize who you are and ban the darkness from this place. You cannot let it overwhelm you. For the sake of all that lives here."
"Will I find my name in the LibrarY?"
"I hope you do. I hope the darkness has not already taken it. Step into my shadow I will bring you there."
Caile stepped back to vanish inside the black. Kat followed. On the other side was an impressive building. It was a tall tower, made out of a strange red material. It looked like if blood had a dry solid form. Looking up to the top, Kat noticed the tower did not reach up, it reached down. She could see the ground, recognized the forest and her small room. She was on the ceiling of the ocean. The inside of a massive sphere.
Looking back to the tower, she could see the darkness around the Bone SPider's cave being dangerously close to it. She should enter the LibrarY before the darkness reached it.
“Good luck, nameless one. I hope the next time we meet I can use your real name.” with that Caile vanished back in the shadow and the shadow vanished with her. Kat regretted not asking her about AbiGail.
The big door that was the entrance of the library seemed to be made of red glass. Kat could just barely see through it. When trying to push it open her hand slided right through it, as if it was a ghost. Stepping through it she fell right on her face. Suddenly there was no water anymore. The LibrarY was dry as a bone. She had gotten so used to the water, she had forgotten how it was without it. Kat needed a while to adjust to the new environment. The inside was not unlike a beautiful palace. Everything was made of gorgeous red stone, shining in a sourceless light. Elegant stairs spiraled to the top, or bottom, of the building, the walls were completely covered in bookshelves. There had to be thousands of books. Kat was so fascinated until she opened the first book and found it just being a list of names. All these books were basically as interesting as a telephone book.
A telephone book... Kat wondered how she even knew those existed. There is no electricity in this ocean, aside from the Xenomech, and definitely no phone. While thinking about that she opened random pages on random books. Then she realized, how would she know which of these names was hers? Would she know when she saw it? It would take forever to read all these books to find it.
She put the books back and tried to find a librarian. There surely had to be someone here, right?
There was a counter, although nobody was there. Kat noticed the bell on the table and decided to ring it. And then she waited.
Looking at the decoration of the library she felt bad for coming here in dirty torn clothes and bloody bandages. It didn't feel right. Finally, after waiting for at least ten minutes she saw a door hidden behind the stairs. Maybe someone was in there? She knocked first, to be at least somewhat polite, but there was no answer. She entered the room.
There was someone sitting on a couch, reading a book. They noticed nothing else than the letters on the paper.
"Excuse me?" Kat was startled at the noise coming out of her mouth. Hearing herself was so unfamiliar. "I am looking for..."
The girl reading the book suddenly screamed when she noticed her. "What are you doing here?!"
"I'm looking for my name."
"Oh... I'm sorry, sure. P-p-please follow me."
When the girl went outside Kat took a moment to notice the colorful butterfly wings. They were much too small to actually fly with but looked wonderful. The girl herself was pale as snow, with eyes just as red as the red glass of the door. Her hair was colored like the ocean, in a nice blue, almost teal. Colorful, fin-like horns stuck out of it. Kat almost stepped on the long tail that slithered behind the girl. Her choice of clothes did not fit her otherwise beautiful appearance at all though. She wore a dull colored tank top and a long dirty skirt over plain shorts. She still was more appropriately clad than Kat.
"My name is Lunammu. P-p-people like to call me LoonY for short. Not always as an adjective."
She turned around to stick her blue tongue out at Kat with a smile. She then slipped on her own tail and fell on her back.
"...I sup-p-pose you can see why."
Kat helped her back up.
"So, you are not currently in p-p-possession of your own name, right?"
"No. Is there an efficient way to find it? Fast?" Kat wasn't quite happy with the way her voice sounded. The voice in her mind sounded much better and much more like her actual voice.
"Ummm... You know a letter of your name? P-p-preferably the first one?
"I know nothing."
"How did you even lose it in the first p-p-place?"
"As I said, I know nothing."
"That's an awful lot of nothing you know."
"I need it now, the shadows are almost here."
"Oh.... Oh! So that's you!"
"You know me?"
"Of course, everyone knows you! You were locked in that room so long ago. Damn, what was your name again."
Kat walked to the red door to see how much time was left. After focusing on it for a while she saw the darkness being unable to get through the door. Apparently it was solid for it. Good.
LoonY was still thinking with her head cocked to the side. The tail weaved around the floor, faster and faster. Finally she shouted out: "I forgot!"
She walked in a circle frustrated with herself. Then her gaze fell back on Kat.
"That knife... " Kat didn't even notice she still had it in her hand, "... it's not from here, right?"
"I got it from the Bone SPider."
"Oh no. You brought it in here. We're not safe."
Kat noticed the black Goo driPPed from the blade. It was darkness. Somehow it used the knife to Get in. She Quickly droPPed it and a Pool formed around it.
"Oh no, it'll mess uP all mY books!"
"Remember mY name to stoP it!"
"How can I P-P-P-PossiblY remember with all this P-P-P-Pressure?!"
When the Pool reached the door, cracks crawled trouGh it and soon the door broke into Pieces. Water and darkness flooded into the LibrarY. Kat and LoonY could flee uP to the second floor but the water kePt risinG. Kat Picked up the knife on the waY. It had alreadY done it’s damaGe and was the onlY thinG to defend herself with.
"I think it Got me!" LoonY shouted. Some of the dark water had Gotten on her leG and her skin was turninG a dark GreY. Red lines slithered over her skin, corruptinG more and more of her.
They ran uP hiGher, or deePer, LoonY shoutinG "I don't want this to haP-P-P-P-Pen" over and over aGain until she Just kePt stuttering without words, her Panic not lettinG her Get any further than that. When they arrived at the toP floor the water stoPPed risinG. They were traPPed in an air bubble.
LoonY collaPsed on the floor, onlY her face still beinG white. The butterflY wings have transformed into huGe fleshY ones, her hands had become claws. She would turn into a creature like the Xenomech or the Bone SPider any moment.
"LoonY, I can still save You! Just remember! Remember me!"
"I-I'm so-rrY I fa-i-led You." And the darkness consumed her. ChanGed her bodY into a shadow of her former self. Kat had not even had the chance to saY GoodbYe before the new creature stood uP. Needles were Pierced throuGh her closed eYelids. She cried black tears which she deliGhtfullY cauGht with a black tonGue slithering out of a smilinG mouth. It was a GrotesQue Picture, as if she took deliGht from her own miserY. With her TonGue lickinG the never-endinG stream of tears she turned her attention to Kat. The mouth lauGhed while the eYes cried.
Back to overview