FicWad

A pounding headache woke him up. He hesitated to open his eyes, fearing what he might see, but anything would be better than the blood-colored background he saw now. He cautiously opened one eye and was greeted with total darkness. The familiar blue-violet light passed over his vision and allowed him to see clearly. He slowly sat up and blinked both eyes several times.
Davey attempted to lift one hand to his head to help dull the pain, but found it heavily shackled. He was in his own cell and chained to the wall. He leaned against the cold stone for support and glanced around wearily. He was alone.
'Davey!'
"Shade?"
'Don't speak. I'm talking to you telepathically. Just think.'
'Okay. Where are you?'
'Close your eyes.' Davey obeyed, and a different picture filled his vision. He saw an elegantly designed room passing by quickly and unevenly. It had a high ceiling and white walls, with an intricate tiled floor covered in strange circles and designs. Several evenly spaced lamps cast their yellow glows on the walls, seemingly guarded by stone statues.
The image abruptly turned left, and he saw two marble pillars pass him on either side. Now he saw a hallway lined with lamps.
Then Davey realized what was happening. He was seeing what Shade saw. And Shade was running. He opened his eyes and saw the inside of his cell once again.
'Can you describe the room you're in? I can't close my eyes for obvious reasons.' Davey told him what it looked like, and heard a muffled curse.
'What's wrong, Shade?'
'It's going to take me a while to get to you. Hopefully I'll get there before they-' He was abruptly cut off. Davey called his name, but got no response. He was alone once again.
A white form appeared in the cell, and he felt his hands automatically begin to grow warm. He was ready to fight.
"Davey, it's me," said a sad voice. His eyes widened.
-
"Nex?" She nodded and knelt next to him.
"You're hurt," she muttered upon glancing at his hands.
"I'm fine, really. Just...a few minor burns," he said quietly. "What are you doing here?" She didn't respond right away; instead she began unlocking the chains that bound him.
"Nex?"
"I'm sorry, Davey. But if I don't help them, they'll kill everyone in the Despair Faction."
"What?" he asked in shock. She nodded sadly.
"I fear they have already taken Shade."
"That's not possible," said Davey, shaking his head. "I was just talking to him...telepathically anyway."
"Really?" Nex asked hopefully. He nodded and smiled, but his face quickly fell.
"But I lost contact with him suddenly. I don't know what happened." Nex helped him stand.
"I saw Jade," she said softly. Davey heard the sadness and worry in her voice. His heart went out to her. "Why is he-"
"Wearing this?" he finished, lifting the chain from his neck so she could see it. "It's part of Shade's plan. Well, what was Shade's plan. I think it's pretty much been ripped to shreds by now," he said in exasperation.
"He was speaking to the leader, Zio. He's quite a skilled storyteller." Davey smirked. That was certainly the truth. "We must go now, before I am caught. I was not even supposed to speak to you." Nex pulled Davey's hood over his head. She took his hand and waved her other one in a small circle, creating a small flurry of white sparkles. They flitted around and multiplied, surrounding them both in their glow. Davey closed his eyes against the light.
"Well done, Nex," said an icy, smooth voice. Davey suddenly opened his eyes and saw Zio standing a few feet away from him, grinning evilly. Nex stared at the floor and stepped over to him, releasing Davey's hand in the process. She looked up at Zio imploringly.
"Please?" she muttered, pale green eyes shining. Zio glared at her for a second, then gave a single nod. Nex turned and ran down a nearby hallway. Zio then turned his attention to Davey.
"Nice try. Bt you should know that I am more intelligent than /this/," he said disdainfully, snapping his fingers. A hooded figure appeared next to him. Davey recognized him and tried to run to his aid, but was held back by an unseen force. He couldn't move at all.
"Jade!"
"Yes, very clever...Davey, is it?" He laughed. "Hardly a suitable name for a ruler."
"Let him go," said Davey. He felt his hands grow hot at the thought of fighting Zio. He was starting to get angry.
"I'm afraid I can't do that," he said, glancing to his right. Nex ran back into the room just seconds later.
"Where-" she began, gasping upon seeing Jade there. She ran to his side, but Zio stopped her. She bowed her head sadly and stepped backwards.
Davey watched as Jade lifted one black-gloved hand to the medallion. He closed his fingers around it and swiftly pulled it away from his neck, breaking the thin chain easily. He threw it to the ground. It slid across the polished marble tiles, coming to rest at Davey's feet. He was frozen in horror.
"Jade, what's wrong with you?" he asked, his voice leaving him. He felt at a loss for an explanation. Jade slowly pulled the hood off of his head so Davey could see his face and the hurt look in his eyes. He pointed at Davey as if to accuse him.
"It's you/, Davey. /You're what's 'wrong' with me," he said bitterly. "I'm sick of you. You and Shade alike. I don't know why you didn't listen to me in the first place, but I know I'm right."
"Stop," Davey said weakly. Jade wouldn't hear it.
"He's with them/. Don't you see? How else would he know so much about them? /How else would he know exactly what would happen if we came here?" Jade was getting angrier by the second.
"You don't know what you're saying-"
"I know exactly what I'm saying, Davey," he retorted, cutting his friend off mid-sentence. "I know you're against me. You don't care about Hunter or Adam at all. Or the Despair Faction. Or even me! All you care about is your magic and you're happy. Just like Shade."
"Just...just shut up!" Davey shouted, unable to contain himself any longer. The pain of Jade's words flowed out of him in a wave of unbearable heat. He couldn't breathe. He couldn't think. The burning pain that had started in his hands spread like fire throughout the rest of his body. He closed his eyes in hopes of blocking it all out, but it only seemed to grow in strength. Stinging tears ran down his face in a vain attempt to quell the flames. Instead they did nothing but magnify it. It was too much.
'Why does he hate me?' Davey thought as the tears grew in strength. 'We were supposed to be friends...'
Everything went silent. He couldn't even hear his own sobs anymore.
He opened his eyes and saw Jade down on his knees, palms flat on the floor and arms quaking under his own weight. Zio and Nex had both disappeared. Davey watched as his friend lifted a shaking hand to his face and cried out in pain. He tried to approach Jade, but as soon as he took a single step on the floor, it echoed. And that echo was all the warning Jade needed.
"Stop." He sounded like he was about to cry. Davey stood still as Jade managed to pull himself to his feet, staring at the floor the entire time. "So...this is what you do to me," he said slowly, struggling to keep the excruciating pain out of his voice.
"J-"
"Don't speak to me!" he shouted. His words echoed throughout the empty hallways. He slowly raised his head and met Davey's eyes. Davey nearly gasped in shock. A ragged red scar wove its way around Jade's eyes, starting beneath his right eye and ending just above the left. The charred skin around its edges told him Jade had been badly burned.
"Listen to me," he said with anger in his eyes. "I'm done, Davey. I'm leaving. And once you finally decide whose side you're on, then - and only then - should you try to find me." He turned away and started walking.
"Jade, wait!" Davey shouted, about to follow.
"Let him go," said a calm voice behind him. He turned around. "I will speak to him."
"Nex...please...you've got to help him. I'm afraid he's going to do something drastic," he pleaded. She looked up at him with complete apathy. She suddenly appeared much older, more tired than usual.
"I will do what I can." Davey placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Is something wrong, Nex?" She glanced down the hallway she had just come from for a solemn second, then turned and slowly walked after Jade. Davey sensed something was wrong and ran the opposite direction. A single Ghost tried to stop him, but he blasted it without a second thought and kept going. Down the seemingly endless corridor he ran, knowing he had to see what lay at the end.
Nothing could have prepared him for the horrors that awaited him.