FicWad

The castle was much larger up close. Jade had pulled the hood of the cloak over his head, wearing the false medallion around his neck. He stared up at the tall towers of the castle, seeing several airy white clouds circle them like fog. He shivered from the cool, humid night air, and partially from fear.
A single white shape slid away from the fog and floated down to him, forming into a white-robed person with a hood over their head. He almost smirked. They were similar that way.
"I should kill you right now," said a female voice bitterly.
"I am Alchior's successor," Jade said slowly. "I've come to inform your leader that I'm giving up."
"Well, this certainly changes things," she said, thoroughly pleased. "Follow me. I'm sure the others will love to hear this." Jade watched as the castle gates opened, and he followed the woman inside. He heard the gates slam shut behind him, and he gulped nervously. He hoped Davey and Shade would be able to fulfill their half of the plan.
-
"Just focus, Davey. You can do it." Davey took a deep breath and tried to calm his racing heart. His nerves were getting to him. He placed a hand on the wall and concentrated, feeling the fire begin to spread up through his arm and into his hand. It was starting to burn him. Shade placed an icy cold hand on his arm, and he shuddered, but tried not to lose his focus.
"Breathe, it's important." He took a deep breath and felt the fire intensify. The pain was mind numbing. He saw a spider web of glowing amber cracks begin to appear on the wall, and heard the stone begin to crumble. Shade told him to stop, and he pulled his hand away. A perfect archway of stone fell away, creating a doorway for them.
"I told you you could do it." Davey took several deep breaths, feeling the fire's intense heat begin to flow out of his hand. He studied it, seeing blisters already beginning to form. He was relieved, though; he wasn't sure how much longer he would have lasted. Shade walked through the space, and he followed. They emerged in a large, dark room made of stone. It opened up into a long hallway, and they cautiously stepped over to it. Shade caught sight of a Ghost at the end of the hallway and shrank away from the opening, but it never saw him. Davey made sure the medallion was hidden well; the last thing they needed was to be discovered, though he could hardly believe they had made it this far. Surely someone would have heard it.
"Who's there?" asked a frightened voice. Davey's vision flickered in different shades of blue and purple, finally clearing up and letting him see perfectly in the darkness. His eyes widened.
"Who are you?" he asked. The girl retreated back into the shadows, but he could still see her.
"Where are the others? Where did you take them?" she asked, almost starting to cry. Shade stepped in.
"It's okay, Ash. It's Shade." She followed the sound of his voice.
"Shade? Who's with you?"
"It's me, Davey. What happened to the others?" The dark-haired girl breathed deeply several times, trying to calm down.
"The Ghosts took them all away. I was hiding, and I don't think they saw me."
"We're trying to get everyone out of here," said Shade warily, keeping his voice low. "But I think you'll be safer here. They won't expect to find you; can you wait here until I come back?" Ash nodded, knowing Shade could see her, and he smiled. "Good. Davey, let's keep going." Davey solemnly glanced back at the girl, then followed Shade out of the room. They quietly crept down the hallway, staying flat against the wall and low to the ground, even though they knew they couldn't avoid the Ghost. Davey felt the air grow cold around him as they neared its faint, icy white glow. It turned slowly and spotted them, and immediately blasted them with cold, white light. Davey managed to avoid it, while Shade decided to fight it off. Davey saw a burst of bright, angry red energy come from the magician's direction, and the Ghost vanished. The air sizzled and crackled with faint red sparks. Shade placed one hand on the wall and leaned against it for support, breathing heavily.
"Are you okay?" Davey asked him. Shade nodded slowly.
"That took more energy than I would have liked. I'm going to need your help sooner or later." They continued down the hallway and saw many prison-like cells lining the corridors. They had to be in the dungeon. There were two or three people of the Despair Faction inside each one, huddled together for warmth, some of them crying.
Davey and Shade reached a silent agreement and split up. Each set to work on opening the cells. Davey was becoming more skilled with his new magic by the minute, and by the time everyone was free he felt like he had some of it under control, though the burns on his hands were still there. He and Shade returned to their improvised entrance and studied everyone. Suddenly, Shade shook his head.
"What's the matter?" Davey asked him.
"This is not everyone. A third of them, maybe half. But many are still missing."
A mysterious white glow eclipsed Shade's features, casting shadows across exactly half of his face. And that was the last thing Davey saw before something slammed into the back of his head and took consciousness from him.