by C. Louis S.
The boy in Micaela’s book was named Cade. He was a powerful master of dark energy at fourteen. He was sent with a small team to put down a small group of people who were trying to restore the Light to the world. Cade thought he was doing the world a favor, but when he fought The Avalon, hero of Light, he began hearing music.
It was a quiet tune which came from the wind or the sky, Cade didn’t know which. It confused him but he said it gave his heart peace. It made him feel comforted and watched over. The Avalon explained to him that it was the influence of Light that was speaking to his heart. It was trying to tell him to quit following the Dark Void, a destructive, evil force that consumes all that is good.
Leon slammed the book shut. Hmmpf. I’m not dumb, Micaela. I know the Dark Void is what you’re calling my dark energy. You think it’s evil and you don’t want me to pursue it. You want me to give up being what I am and just be a normal, lame lantern.
Well, unless this Light has some amazing powers that you’re not telling me about, there’s no way I’m letting go of my dark energy. It’s not bad. It’s more powerful than whatever you can do. And I doubt The Avalon was a follower of this Light. This is just a story. He was the most powerful hero ever. He must have had dark energy to do all the things he did. He couldn’t have beaten the Grimlock and 1,000 wolves without any powers.
Leon laid in his bed at home. He had mostly recovered, but he was still sore in his chest and back. He longed to go outside and use his powers or at least watch a shadowball game, but he was not allowed to, and wasn’t sure if he was quite up to it yet. He had tried mindbending little things around his room and it hurt. He was back to being weak again, but it was only temporary. In a few weeks when this whole thing blew over, he’d be as strong as ever. And Randall would pay dearly.
Kali: Are you done with that book yet?
Leon: No
Kali: Come on. Finish it quickly so you can ask Micaela for the next one!
Leon: The next one?
Kali: Yeah! At the end of the book it says End of Book I :-) I can’t wait
Leon: I can ask her for it
Kali: Thank you. Hurry up and finish it. Have you heard it yet?
Leon: Heard what?
Kali: The music. Don’t you hear it when you’re reading the book?
Leon: No. You hear music? Like what Cade was hearing?
Kali: Something like that. It’s cool. It must have been weird without anyone having any powers? Can you imagine no colors and no powers?
Leon: It’s weird. I know. Hey, does The Avalon end up having powers?
Kali: I’m not going to spoil it for you. Don’t forget to ask Micaela
Micaela couldn’t meet for another week. Besides doing chores and games on his phone, Leon didn’t have anything else to pass the time except read. The games on his phone seemed pointless lately. He knew he didn’t need to bask in colored light to get his powers back. He just needed to call the dark energy. He began realizing how much time he had put into those games back when he needed the light energy. Now that he didn’t need to play anymore, he had so much time that he didn’t know what to do with it.
What if everyone stopped playing games on their phones? What would we all do with all that time? It’s kind of a huge waste.
Cade was conflicted. He was a powerful warrior that relied on his dark powers to fight, but the song that he heard whenever he learned more about the Light made him feel so good inside that he almost wanted to leave dark energy behind.
Leon slammed the book closed. No, I’m not leaving my powers. They are too important. Following Light is even more lame than being a lantern.
It was then that Leon heard it. In his angry brooding, he heard a soft piano tune. He looked around confused, searching for the source. He held his phone up to his ear. It wasn’t playing any music. He held his ear to the wall that separated him from Kali’s room. It wasn’t coming from their, either.
He sat back on his bed and listened. It was beautiful music. It was relaxing, calming, soothing. His breathing slowed and his mind felt clear and open. Tears formed at his eyes. If this is how I could feel all the time, I think I could accept myself as a lantern. It doesn’t really matter what color I am.
That thought shook him out of the trance-like state he was in. The music in his ears stopped. His breathing quickened. He felt the dark energy flow back into him. My color does matter. Being a lantern isn’t cool and the only way to be cool is to use dark energy and have all the powers.
chapter 14
The White Castle