by C. Louis S.
At home after the ceremony, Father laid Kali on her bed to rest. Leon had never seen her smile so much as on the way home. She kept saying how wonderful she felt and how hard it was to describe what she was feeling.
Leon believed her because he could feel it. Her change was like a lantern at midnight. He felt it in his heart. He heard the song so refined and moving that he didn’t have words.
He went to the deck out the kitchen door and sat himself down on the edge. He left his phone on the dining room table inside. He was preserving these incredible feelings, hoping that they wouldn’t go away by any accidental thought or movement. He breathed slowly and heavily.
I know that the song is guiding me to be immersed, to follow the True Light and to accept Christ. It’s the right thing to do. I can hear it. I can feel it. But that means giving up my powers. It means that I wouldn’t even be a lantern anymore. I’d be less than when I started.
And yet, somehow, so much more. It doesn’t even make sense how being powerless is more than what I have now, but I’d be fighting on the right side of this war, instead of a distracted bystander who doesn’t even know about the war.
I’d be fighting for what’s right.
Leon exhaled.
I’m going to be immersed.
At that moment, a dark figure apparated in the middle of his backyard. Leon jumped. It was Kaz Warwick. Leon fell off the edge of the deck at the sight of him. Dusting himself off, he tried in vain to seem less foolish. Instead, he cowered before the man.
“Your friends and family are abandoning you, boy,” said Kaz. He didn’t look mad, just menacing.
“What? What do you mean?”
“They are leaving you to follow some monstrous cult. They want you to follow. They want to take your gifts from you. The one thing in life that you excel at, and they want to take it from you.”
Leon was not only frightened by Kaz, but he noticed that the incredible and peaceful feelings from Kali’s immersion had fled at the sight of Kaz. He tried to get them to come back. He listened hard for the piano, but it was not to be heard. It was like Kaz was blocking it, like his very presence silenced it.
“You’re different. What did you do?” Leon asked.
“Me? You are the one who has changed. Your powers grow weaker with every minute you spend with those fools. I can feel it. It is so faint. Come back to the Firebolts. We need you, boy. We’ll take you back and train you. We’ll make you strong again.”
Leon’s heart raced. He pictured himself training with the other Firebolts. He pictured himself making the winning goal. He pictured the crowds cheering his name. He could be a superstar. By training with the powers of the Dark Void he could be an amazing shadowball player and one of the most powerful men in the world.
“You hesitate? At an offer like that?” Kaz hissed. “What have they done to you, boy? You’re not seriously considering following them, are you?”
Leon was afraid to answer. He was terrified of telling Kaz that he had decided to be immersed. Because of Kaz’s powerful presence, he even began doubting his decision.
“Bah,” yelled Kaz. “Don’t you remember what you were before you found the dark power? Don’t you remember how you hated the pitiful lantern that you once were? You were an insignificant bug, and you won’t even be that if you follow them. But I give you the chance to be a god!”
As the last word rang in Leon’s ears, he felt a flood of dark energy being pushed into his body. It was like Kaz was trying to force it into Leon.
“I … I can tell the difference now,” Leon’s voice faltered. “I can see you for what you really are. The Dark Void has corrupted you and you are its pawn. I finally understand the real powers of the True Light. The power, the courage, to not be bullied by you.”
“Don’t you dare spurn me, boy.”
The dark energy pushed harder. It clawed it’s way into his skin and up his limbs. And then it seized his heart. Leon’s eyes shot wide open and his body convulsed. Kaz cackled with delight.
Leon frantically called out in his mind to the True Light. He really didn’t know if the True Light would or could save him. He wasn’t sure if he actually had the power to overcome the dark energy that gripped him so completely.
But he reached out with courage, listening for the song. He imagined its tune in his mind, trying to make it come to him.
His convulsing grew stronger and it dropped him to his knees. He fell over in the grass. He realized he had no control over his own body. He listened desperately for a single note, but his whole world was silent. He couldn’t hear Kaz’s evil laughter or the sounds of his body flailing on the ground. There was only silence.
And then it came. It started as a single note that reverberated for several seconds in his mind. No, it was deeper. It reverberated in his heart. As the note sounded, the Dark Void’s grip on Leon’s heart loosened.
That single note turned into two and then several and then Leon could hear the full song, every chord and beautiful melody. The Dark Void retreated with each and every note. The song more beautiful than he had ever heard it before. A whole army of pianos swelled the song and pushed back the Dark.
Not to be defeated, Kaz pushed the dark energy forcefully into Leon’s body. It shot pain up and down Leon’s spine. He cried out and his body contorted. The dark energy seized upon his heart again, pushing out the melody.
Leon’s mind stayed firm with the courage of True Light. The song crescendoed in a loud, beautiful melody that washed over Leon’s heart. The dark energy was forced to yield to the song. It retreated and didn’t stop at his heart. As the song swelled further, the dark energy slinked back to Leon’s limbs and then was expelled completely in a powerful finale.
Kaz stumbled backward.
Leon’s body stopped convulsing and the rest of the world was no longer silent. Breathing heavily, he heard Kaz muttering.
“That’s impossible. How could that boy do that to me?”
Leon stood slowly and faced Kaz. The courage of his song still rang in his heart.
“My name is Leon and I’m not afraid of you.”
He marched over to Kaz and floated off the ground enough to be eye to eye with him. He looked deep into his eyes, but only saw emptiness. Leon shook his head sorrowfully. What a pitiful old man.
“What are you going to do?” Kaz’s voice shook.
“I’m going to leave you to your pitiful self. I need to settle a score with my friend. I need some compassion.”
chapter 26
Compassion