Chapter 16: Fading Lights

Brighton, mesmerized by his reflection, saw the inner flaws within himself. Instead of seeing the goodness inside of him, he saw a reflection of the darkness consuming his entire appearance. It was as though Brighton saw himself as a dark shadow, with his appearance revealing his glowing golden eyes. The reflection eerily morphed and contorted as he stared into the mirror until he was shocked to see an outline of a mysterious person behind his reflection.

"What is that?" Brighton whispered to himself.

The mystical outline behind Brighton's reflection walked closer to his appearance. Suddenly, a hand grabbed Brighton through the mirror, and he screamed in horror. Emberlyn laughed maniacally as the Candleberry guards popped out of the mirrors and captured Brighton and Ronin. They threw Brighton and Ronin to the ground, putting them both in shackles. Ronin attempted to fight back but could not help but struggle as the pain by his side hurt him even more.

Emberlyn sat on the throne as she was given a diamond crown that shimmered red in the darkness. She then placed her candle on one of the arms on the chair, laughed, and looked back at Brighton and Ronin with joy.

"Emberlyn what are you doing! Guards, I demand that you release me, I am your king!" Brighton shouted.

"Clearly you have not gotten the memo. I am the new ruler of Candleberry. The people have all turned against you and the kingdom now belongs to me. Your pitiful efforts to reach the candlemaker and the failures to restore the light in the world only prove that my brother disappeared for nothing! Now both of you will face my wrath for sending my brother in darkness." Emberlyn shouted.

"Emberlyn, we are sorry about what happened, but there are more important things that are going on right now, Ekoshade is coming for Candleberry!" Ronin yelled back.

"What are you talking about—Ekoshade? Now it seems like you are just making up stories just so I can have mercy on you. My brother was stranded in darkness and whether he is dead or alive, I will never see him again. My brother was not the only one who was stranded in darkness—I was! He was the only family I had left. You Brighton, the only one who I considered as my friend, willfully sent my brother away and showed no remorse knowing that he was not capable of leading the troops. Even now, you both lack the remorse I so desperately wanted you to feel. Now, I will watch you both suffer just like you watched me." Emberlyn announced with bitterness. 

"Emberlyn, you do not understand. There is a dark being out there named Ekoshade and he seeks to keep the entire world in darkness. He is coming to destroy us and anything that represents the light!" Brighton yelled back.

"I don't care about who else is after you. All I see is nobody but a helpless dethroned king who seeks to talk their way out of shackles. It is time that you both feel the same abandonment that I have felt my entire life. Let us all witness the last burning candle in the entire kingdom be snuffed out." Emberlyn heatedly responded.

She blew out the candle by her side, and the entire kingdom was officially plunged into darkness. The room fell into pitch-black darkness, leaving Emberlyn's golden eyes as the only glowing light. 

In the villages of Candleberry, the citizens felt hopeless as they looked out the windows of their homes. The people sat silently as the shadows and darkness overtook the atmosphere, and the moon began to be seen through the evening clouds. Dark beings and wanderers in the night roamed town square with their candle-lit eyes, and many of the citizens trembled in fear. In the distance, unbeknownst to Brighton, Ronin, and Emberlyn, a thick black fog slowly rolled into the kingdom with voices murmuring the name: "Ekoshade." The dark beings were the Shadow Goons, and they eagerly stalked the villages and moved closer to the castle gates.

Amid the darkness, a storm brewed over the kingdom. A rainstorm came over the land, and thunder and lightning boomed in the sky. As Brighton and Ronin heard the thunder in the castle, they remembered their fateful encounter with Ekoshade. Brighton knew Ekoshade was in Candleberry, and the Shadow Goons were close.

"Emberlyn, you must let me go, Ekoshade is going to destroy Candleberry. Believe it or not the people were right! There are dark beings that roam in the night, and they reflect the wickedness in themselves. He is after me!" Brighton shouted.

"Brighton is right! I did not think that the dark beings were true that is until I saw them for myself throughout the journey to find the candlemaker. Emberlyn, please!" Ronin said aloud.

"Enough of your games, your words mean nothing to me. If there truly is someone who wants to kill you Brighton, then I would like to do the honors and beat him to it. Guards, kill them." Emberlyn grinned.

Upon saying those words, right when the guards were about to kill Brighton and Ronin, the castle walls shook, and one of the mirrors collapsed! Emberlyn fell to the ground in panic. She hastily looked out the castle windows and saw a dark fog blind her view of the entire kingdom. Screeching sounds and murmurs came from outside, and the citizens shouted in panic.

"What is going on!" Emberlyn demanded. 

One of the guards rushed into the room and, in panic, told Emberlyn, "There are dark beings trying to come into the castle. They seem to be immune to our weapons. They are coming for us. We must take you to safety."

She then looked back at Brighton and Ronin, who sat on the ground staring back at her. Brighton and Ronin's eyes appeared desperate, and their faces were saddened. Emberlyn, assessing the situation, quickly realized that Brighton and Ronin were the only ones capable of defeating the dark beings. She ordered the guards to set them free. In shock, Brighton and Ronin were freed, and Emberlyn commanded the guards to leave the throne room and stop the dark beings from reaching them. The guards did as she commanded. Emberlyn ran and attempted to reach the exits, but all the doors slammed eerily closed. Emberlyn, Ronin, and Brighton were trapped in the throne room as they heard the guards outside struggle to defeat the Shadow Goons. 

The doors to the throne room began to thump like a battling ram was slamming against the door. Emberlyn ran to the end of the throne room as Brighton struggled to get Ronin up from the ground. Immediately, the door to the throne room burst open, and fog filled the entire room. An eerie presence filled the room as Emberlyn, Ronin, and Brighton looked around the room in fear. A dark voice surrounded them, and it laughed in the darkness. It was Ekoshade. His voice hissed and cackled in the room as Emberlyn shrieked in fear.

"Why are you screaming?" Ekoshade whispered in the darkness and distortions. "After all, you are the one who inadvertently helped me take over this place."

"What are you talking about, who are you! I do not serve anyone in this kingdom but myself!" Emberlyn shouted fearfully.

"Oh, foolish girl. No one serves themselves. You either serve the light or the darkness. You may not know me, but I know you. You have chosen the path of wickedness; therefore, you have been actively accomplishing my will. I wanted to plunge the world in darkness, and with your help you allowed me to defeat Candleberry in record time with little effort;" Ekoshade said as they all saw an outline of his body in the fog circling them.

"No, that's not possible, I am not a dark being like you!" Emberlyn shouted.

Suddenly, Ekoshade smashed one of the mirrors, and the fragmented glass moved next to Emberlyn's feet, and she screamed. 

"Take a look at yourself in the mirror Emberlyn. Though you have portrayed yourself as a bright person, the eyes are the window to your soul. Your eyes are just like mine; you are one of us—you are part of the Shadow Goons! Though you were never part of us to begin with, your wickedness has finally taken root; anyone who indulges in evil serves the dark kingdom!" Ekoshade announced.

Emberlyn gasped as she looked at herself in the fragmented pieces. Her once beautiful reflection became distorted as she saw herself for who she truly was. She shrieked and cried as she answered aloud, "What have I become?"

Ekoshade then approached Brighton, Emberlyn, and Ronin and murmured, "I applaud you, Emberlyn, for you have opened my eyes to how someone full of darkness could have the ability to blind others into thinking they were full of light, and I will not collect this knowledge and let it go to waste…."

Then, the Candleberry guards ran into the throne room and swung their swords at Ekoshade, but he disappeared into the darkness laughing. One by one, the soldiers mysteriously vanished in the fog, dropping their swords. Brighton and Ronin quickly picked up a sword and put their backs against each other in a defense stance.

"Brighton be careful he can come at any direction." Ronin stated.

"Don't worry I got your back, are you alright Emberlyn?" Brighton shouted.

But Emberlyn was not there. She just sat on the ground, staring into her dark reflection with tears flowing down her cheeks. Internal grief and confusion resided in her heart as she slowly put the fragmented pieces of the mirror back together to fully see her reflection. In the depths of the fog, Ekoshade's voice haunted Brighton's ears.

"Face it Brighton, you and I are more similar than you realize." Ekoshade muttered.

He then came out from the fog and saw Brighton face to face. Ekoshade's entire being morphed into a darker version of Brighton as he stared into the king's eyes.

"It seems that you have not fully conquered your own darkness, or I would not have been able to reflect you." Ekoshade mocked.

Ekoshade then lunged at Brighton and Ronin with his sword and the king, and the commander quickly dodged the attack. Brighton and Ronin teamed together as they both swung their swords at Ekoshade. Ekoshade disappeared and reappeared in the darkness as though he was glitching in the dark room. Ronin stabbed Ekoshade's side, but the sword went right through his body. Ekoshade knocked Ronin to the ground, and his wounds were instantly healed. Brighton blocked Ekoshade's attack and continued to fight in the darkness.

The sounds of clashing swords echoed throughout the room, and the cries of the people from outside the castle rumbled like thunderstorms. The golden curtains in the room faintly blew, allowing the king to see out the window. The darkness taking shape in Brighton's appearance seemed to have never entirely faded away. As Ekoshade swung his sword at Brighton's body, it went right through him, for he was slowly still becoming the dark being within himself. As Brighton fought, he slowly became overwhelmed by the darkness taking root inside of him. He began to ache, and his arms grew slowly weary. 

"See Brighton, you cannot resist the darkness inside of you; embrace it, lash out your anger on me and fulfill your destiny!" Ekoshade grinned as Brighton fell to the ground in exhaustion.

"No, you may think the darkness is what makes you powerful, but you forget that darkness is the absence of light. Darkness does not exist; therefore, you are just a figment of my imagination of who I could end up becoming if I fall into the trap of your lies!" Brighton said tiredly.

When Ekoshade was about to eliminate Brighton and Ronin, they heard tiny footsteps moving around in the fog. They all stopped and looked as they saw a little figure move around in the darkness, carrying a shining light. It was Mr. Flint.

"Leave them alone Daryn." Mr. Flint said boldly.

"Who is Daryn?" Brighton mumbled while looking at Ronin.

Ekoshade yelled back bitterly: "That will be Ekoshade to you, father! Have you come to kill me?"

"You will always be Daryn to me, my son. Please…come home. It is never too late to change." Mr. Flint said with tears in his eyes.

Ekoshade gritted his teeth in rage as he stared into Mr. Flint's eyes. "You don't understand father! I will die in the light—I am a lost cause!"

"You may think that you are too far gone but no one is. Light is found from within you if you choose to be filled with it. You may come with pitch black fears and evil, but I come with light and hope that overcomes the entire world. Daryn, if you repent from your evil ways, your curse will be broken, and you could walk in the light with me. You will be free from the shackles of darkness." Mr. Flint said with hope.

Ekoshade then blew a rush of cold wind through the room, blowing out his burning candle. But even though Ekoshade blew out the candle, the light of hope still shined inside Mr. Flint.

"Daryn…please." Mr. Flint sobbed. "Darkness will not protect you from judgement. Everything in the dark will be brought to light one day. I cannot picture a world without you in it."

But Ekoshade ignored his statement. He ran towards his father and to destroy him. Brighton blocked him as he aimed his double-edged sword at Mr. Flint, and Ekoshade fell to the ground!

"That's no way to treat your father?" Brighton said sternly. Ronin then got up from the ground and stood beside him before the candlemaker.

"Brighton. Please do not kill my son there is still a flicker of hope inside of him. Just like there is in you." Mr. Flint sobbed.

Ekoshade then murmured in the darkness and attacked Brighton and Ronin. Ekoshade broke into a frenzy with the king and the commander as he struggled to reach Mr. Flint. Emberlyn watched, shocked and bewildered by what was happening. Amid the battle, the Shadow Goons entered the throne room and blocked the exits. Suddenly, Ekoshade pierced Ronin's side once more, shoved Brighton to the ground, and stabbed Mr. Flint. The candlemaker gasped as he fell to the ground, looking back at Ekoshade as he whispered with tears flowing down his cheek: "It is never too late to change…"

The Shadow Goons entered the room and surrounded Brighton, Ronin, and Emberlyn. Ekoshade then sat on Brighton's throne as the darkness surrounding Ekoshade became more prominent. Brighton, Ronin, and Emberlyn struggled to escape the Shadow Goons.

"The world has finally been stranded in darkness and no one will be able to hinder my power! The candlemaker is wounded and weak and Candleberry has fallen on its knees. It is time that I finish this once and for all." Ekoshade announced.

Brighton realized that the only way to conquer Ekoshade was to embrace the light within himself. A sudden flashback of Mr. Flint telling him about an inner light flooded his mind. Looking back at Ekoshade, he realized the damage darkness inflicts upon people. Brighton then consciously rejected the evil inside him and replaced it with the goodness of light. When Brighton had selected to be filled with light instead of darkness in his heart, Ekoshade gasped as he saw Brighton's heart shine within his cracked armor.