CHAPTER FOUR

Erebus with control over Terry's body began to walk forward toward the massive golem. Every step he took the golem took a massive step forward. Erebus wore a huge smile as he reached his hand out and calmly began an incantation, "Gravity crush my target. Break them. Debilitate them. Gravity Bomb." After casting his spell Erebus stopped walking and waited with an intense gaze fixed on the golem.

A few seconds after the spell was cast the golem lost balance and fell down causing a massive earthquake. Its face landed inches away from Erebus who didn't flinch at the colossal impact the golem made with the ground.

Alison and Darryl stood in shock at the impact that Erebus effortlessly made on the mountain sized golem. "Hey D?"

"Yeah?" Darryl responded with his eyes wide at the sheer power that Terry and Erebus possessed.

Alison paused for a moment as the very air around them seemed to change when Erebus had control. "He's too strong."

Darryl sighed, "I know."

"What do we do?"

"Keep him on our side."

"How?" Alison questioned.

"Right now, I just don't know." Darryl said crossing his arms.

"You always hear the legends of the rise of a dark lord…. Are we watching him rise on the sidelines?"

"It's possible… Terry has a kind soul. You sensed it right? Him and Erebus are complete opposites. Terry will always have more control over his own body then Erebus. I think with the regretful event that the black tome was found… the perfect person found it. Someone who is kind and will not be controlled like a marionette on the strings."

"So, you aren't worried?"

"Of course, I am. Just nothing good ever comes from worrying."

"I know…"

"Good. For now, Let's watch what he does to this golem."

Erebus had walked forward stopping directly in front of the immobilized golem's face. "Who is your master?" Erebus questioned, "Who animated you?" Erebus questioned again attempting to get more information. The golem remained silent and stopped struggling to move quickly realizing that it's struggles have been fruitless, as birds began to roost on its massive body. Erebus sighed, "This is going nowhere." Erebus said shrugging his shoulders. "I can't have you blocking the road either." Erebus got on one knee and places his hand on the ground softly and smiled, "Goodbye... Abyssal Pull." A large black gaping abyss opened up beneath the golem as large black tendrils pulled the Golem into the darkness completely swallowing up the mountain sized creature.

After the golem disappeared Erebus stood up causing the black abyss to disappear leaving no evidence of the golem's existence besides the damage it caused to the terrain. "Easy." Erebus said quietly allowing Terry to take back control over his body. Terry turned around and walked back to where Darryl and Alison were standing who were seemingly shocked by the disappearance of the massive golem. "I think we are good to go now guys." Terry said with a smile.

"Your powers are even crazier than I thought." Darryl stuttered.

"They aren't mine. They are Erebus'' Terry muttered with a shrug of his shoulders.

"They will eventually be yours. You are going to grow quickly." Alison said with a cough.

A nagging question came to Terry's mind as he remembered his quick fight with Darryl and Alison. When they were fighting they didn't seem any different. Terry thought to himself. "Why don't you guys embrace your partner and allow it to take control over you when you are fighting?"

"Because… we are stronger using our own powers." Darryl responded with a light laugh.

"Will I get to be stronger then when Erebus takes control?" Terry questioned with his eyes widening a bit.

"You will eventually be stronger as yourself when you learn how to use all of you potential spells. You have greater magic pools and reaction times when you are controlling your own body. Your partner is good at controlling you but in the end you are better at controlling your own body then your partner. You would uh theoretically be able to cast stronger spells then he can when he has your body."

"I seen what he did to that golem. Is there really any need to have more power then he already showed.."

"Power is everything Terry. If you can get stronger get stronger. Life is the survival of the fittest. Always push to be the fittest." Erebus said in Terry's mind.

(Is what he saying true? I'll eventually be stronger doing everything myself?)

" Yes, we will be much stronger if you can cast powerful spells on your own."

(Will you eventually teach me how to use all the spells you know?)

"Of course, but it will take a while for you to learn everything I know."

(I figured that… We'll take our time.)

"No worries. We have plenty of it."

Terry looked at Darryl and Alison, "I'm going in the carriage so we can go to the circle…. I'm looking forward to meeting lord Bezel." Terry said turning around noticing that the horses were calming down and not acting as frantically as they were before. Terry climbed into the carriage and sat back in his seat. They seem different, don't they?

"Your new...friends? They are scared of you or have you not realized that yet?"

"Scared?"

"You are the first person they ever seen use darkness as a tool. Normally darkness is seen as a tool for evil. The world's monsters are testaments to that. Most monsters that exist are allied to the dark. Vampires. Ghouls. Abominations. Seers. Black Elementals. Fiends. Demons. Evil Eyes. Ogres. Orcs. Goblins. Werewolves.

STOP, Terry screamed in his mind, That can't be there way of thinking… that's stupid. We are not evil... Even if most monsters are allied to the dark it doesn't mean that I can't do good in this world.

"That's very true Terry… but doing good is overrated. We could take this world. We could take the Heavens and the Hell below it. You could become this entire world's god with my help. Why wouldn't you want that?"

(Because I don't want to hurt others. I'd rather save them.)

"People being hurt…. People dying is natural. If we took the world, we could keep everything in order. We could stop people from going through what you did. Parentless and weak alone in an orphanage."

(I could do that with good intentions.)

"Exactly… we could take everything as our own with good intentions. Sure, people will die but we could give everyone a true paradise to live in Terry."

(I'm not taking over anything. I'm not going to let anyone die because of me.)

"You say that now… but your tune will change Terry. You will see things my way."

Alison and Darryl got in the carriage after a few minutes. "What took you guys so long?" Terry questioned.

"We were assessing the damage from the golem. It doesn't seem it caused to much damage here the road is useable at least." Alison said leaning her back against her seat. The carriage started moving on it's own up the road toward the next town.

"One thing I noticed if you guys can explain…. There isn't any carriage driver from what I noticed. Who is controlling the horses?"

"It's an enchanted carriage we don't need a driver as long as we tell the carriage where we want to go, and it will act as it's own driver." Alison explained.

Terry nodded his head and looked out the window as a sleepiness took over him. "I… think I'm going to take a nap." Terry said groggily still gazing out the window.

"Ok."

Terry smiled as he drifted off too sleep more relaxed then he had ever been in a long time. Terry opened his eyes noticing that he was surrounded by pure darkness with the eye of Erebus in front of him. "Hi Erebus. I guess this is what sleep is now huh? Time with you."

"Pretty much. No reason to waste our time going brain dead while we sleep when I can teach you things here inside of your mind. I just need to figure out where to start." Erebus said with a chuckle.

"I gotta say it's odd talking to an eye… is there a more human form you can take?"

"Hmm… I've never really embraced a human body. I am darkness I am shapeless. You would be my closest thing to a human form as your body is the only human body I have ever controlled and I gotta say it's a pathetic existence. I don't understand how you do it. Hunger… Exhaustion…. Breathing…. Thirst… it all feels so primitive."

"I was born with those feelings and if you live your entire life with them, I guess you get used to them. So, what were you wanting to teach me?"

"I want to get you away from fire magic and have you embrace your new affinity completely."

"Darkness, right?"

"Correct."

"I see."

"Also, Terry you should not get to attached to anyone around you. I don't want you giving your life for another. We cannot waste this life that we have. We are capable of many things Terry."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… I sense how you look at that Dragoncaller guy he is only a few years older then you. You admire him… and not in a idolize way."

Terry's face immediately flushed red, "What? You could…. Oh my god. Look he's probably straight anyway and he's a lot older then me."

"Don't get me wrong I'm kind of happy that you prefer men. So, we don't have to worry about offspring in the future."

"Shut up!" Terry yelled

"Why? We are partners. I can see all of your inner thoughts just as you could see mine if you learned how to look. All I want is for you to value your life above all others remember you are caring for two lives here my life and your own. I mean we're going to be together for a very long time... you know right?"

Terry gulped, "What do you mean."

"I mean you will stop aging soon... you are going to be alive for a very long time. Immortal I think is what humans call it."

Terry sat down in the void, "Yeah... I was wondering about that."

"Good, and if you don't want the world to know what you like or don't like that's up to you. Honestly I don't care."

Terry opened his eyes with a jerk back in reality the carriage was slowing down to a stop. "We are here." Alison said with a smile. Terry looked outside the window noticing that they were now in a city of stone.

"Is this?"

"The city of Bezel? Yes, it is." Darryl said finishing Terry's sentence.

Terry quickly got out of the carriage and looked around taking in his surroundings. All of the buildings were made of stone that looked brand new. The road was paved perfectly with shining rocks. "It's beautiful…" Terry said with a smile. He breathed in deeply and could smell fresh baked bread. The streets were filled busy voices surrounded Terry as people passed by living their lives.

"I know." Alison said, "Let's go, Lord Bezel is looking forward to meeting you let's not keep him waiting." Alison grabbed Terry's hand and let him into a massive three story mansion the lord's estate. "Now there is one thing that you need to know about Lord Bezel."

"What?" Terry questioned looking around the lobby the floor was marbled a large stair case sat in the middle of the room that lead up to the second floor. A brilliantly lit chandelier hung above them lightly swaying left to right causing a soft creaking sound to echo around the room.

"He… is a vampire…"