Dom·i·nance (n): The state that exists when one person or group has power over another.
There is a long list of things in life which cannot be controlled, on top of which is life itself. Despite this, it is human nature to desire; to seek this ability to control every aspect of the world we inhabit. To make any sliver of imagination into pure reality. What if this was possible? What if there was a way to harness the power to control your environment? To control what happened around you and how exactly those events occurred; to control not only your limits, but the limits of those around you. What if there was a way to control everything?
***
“Stay calm.” A man says to himself slowly, “Mind over matter.”
The blood smeared on his face matches the crimson puddle he is left kneeling in. He gasps for air, trying to calm himself. The shadows shift uneasily around him, slithering to its own accord. He wipes his bleeding lip across his shoulder, staining the orange latex suit that marks him as a prisoner. Looking forward, he sees a slender woman in similar attire. She fights for consciousness in the corner of the room, finding it difficult to breathe. Her long bronze hair hides the tears streaming down her face. Her hazel eyes waver off in a struggle to focus.
“What will we do, Kyo?” She whispers in a raspy voice, “What can we do?”
“We will protect him.” Kyo replies, “We will protect our blood. He is all we have and I won’t let this all be in vain.”
She continues to gasp for air, mumbling under her breath.
“Do you understand me, Nia?” He continues, “Do you understand?!”
At that moment, the solid wall in front of Kyo begins to separate. The brick shaped blocks of metal curl on one another, making a small doorway into another room. Kyo glares into the dark void of the room, waiting for his prison ward to enter. The shadows dance at the sight of the man who walks out of the void. He fixes his full-moon shaped glasses, letting the dim light reflect into his lenses. He looks at his watch before pressing the glass face of it downward. It illuminates with a beige tint, causing the wall behind him to shake. The metal blocks shift back into place, locking the man into the room with his two prisoners.
“My name is Doctor Settō-han Shiziki.” The man announces. “I am the Royal Adviser to the Izumi Queendom. Do you remember me?”
“Well enough.” Kyo says in a low voice, indifferent.
“Are you ready to talk, Mr. Shinkō?”
“What about, Doctor?”
“It would exponentially benefit both of us if you didn’t play stupid.” Doctor Shiziki snarls, “You are here in questioning because of crimes against our royal land. Are you ready to speak?”
“No.” Kyo says bluntly. “Not at all.”
“Maybe your wife is ready.” The doctor replies, “Am I right, Ms. Salvator?”
“Keep it between us.” Kyo says quickly, “I can talk.”
“Very well. What do you know about the Cursed Seal?”
“What they’ve taught in our history classes. Nothing more.”
The doctor shakes his head, unsatisfied with Kyo’s response.
“And the Dreamweaver? What do you know of him?”
“…Is that a title of some sort?”
A shadow leaps off the ground and slashes Kyo’s face. He stumbles backward and falls back into another crimson puddle. Blood drips down his face as he adjusts his posture.
“As I said earlier, it would be wise to stop the act of stupidity.” The doctor says calmly. “Just start with the location of your son with Ms. Salvator and then we can delve into details.”
“I have no son with her. Not yet.”
The doctor begins to laugh. Shadows swirl under Kyo’s body, creeping up his legs. He tries to shake them off but they seamlessly reach his arms and travel back down to his palms. Kyo feels immense pressure on his hands, causing him to slam them into the ground. The nerves in Kyo’s hands go numb at once. He glances toward Nia, beginning to shake in anger.
“She’s ready to crack.” Kyo thinks, “I can’t give her the chance.”
The doctor laughs louder, reaching into his lab coat. He pulls out a small pistol, decorated with purple and white metal. He drops it in front of Kyo, letting blood splash on his shoes.
“Kill her.” The doctor orders.
Kyo looks away, spitting on the gun in disgust.
“It’s funny. This type of imprisonment is frowned upon…but shooting a royal officer of the court? That is an act of treason.”
Kyo stares at the shadows as they lift off of his body and into the puddle of blood.
“You are aware of how an act of treason is punished.” The doctor continues, “Death by any means.”
“I didn’t touch you.” Kyo shouts, “I did nothing.”
“True. But the evidence says otherwise.”
The shadows creep around the pistol, lifting the weapon into the air. The shadows position the gun so it is aimed at the doctor’s chest.
“That pressure you felt? That was my shadows making an imprint of your hands. Your fingerprints are now on the gun in everyplace it needs to be.”
“You bastard…”
“It’s a shame. All you had to do was talk.”
The gun releases a single bullet that rips through the doctor’s shoulder. The doctor screams in pain, stumbling back a few steps. Kyo jumps up to his feet, his eyes pulsing with rage. He charges forward with all his strength. He feels a sharp, cold sensation pierce his chest. Red liquid streams down his chest, flowing around the javelin of shadows that skewer through him. The javelin melts back into shadows, dropping Kyo on his knees. His vision gets blurry and he loses his sense of balance. His eyes lock on Nia one final time, before he becomes blind from pain.
“I will find your son, Kyo. Your death is in vain.”
A gunshot echoes into the air, followed by traumatizing silence.
Dreamweaver Saga 