Consuming Darkness, Arising Light

Chapter 20: Never Give Up

Stan

"I warned you about your Inner Guardian. If you had confronted him, this wouldn't have happened."

Stan was staring into the disappointed eyes of the fake Kyle Broflovski. They're standing somewhere in the deserted streets of South Park across from each other, however every single drop of rain was frozen in place, as if time had stopped them. They appeared like small, clear pearls, glinting without the need of any sunlight. They looked very pretty.

"Did you hear what I said?" The fake Kyle asked, his scowl hardening.

Stan frowned. "Yeah, I heard you. But...what was I supposed to say?"

"You're a child. Aren't humans your age supposed to be annoyingly inquisitive?" The fake Kyle retorted.

"I...don't know what that means," Stan admitted.

The fake Kyle heaved a sigh. "Of course you don't. But anyway, what you should've done the next time you saw him was ask him what he was plotting. I'm certain you knew he was up to something. But it doesn't matter now, because you gave him what he wanted, and it's going to cost you."

Stan deepened his frown and lowered his head. The fake Kyle made it seem like confronting Chris would've been an easy thing to do, but he was absolutely right though. Stan had a gut feeling his Inner Guardian was scheming a selfish plan behind his back, yet he couldn't find the right timing to question him. He wanted to get over his fear of the darkness as well as train with his magical powers first and foremost.

"Stanley," the stern utterance of his name had Stan locking eyes with the redhead again. "Let me show you the consequences of your hesitance." The fake Kyle turned away and raised one of his hands, pointing at a raindrop. A black aura appeared on his finger. Stan watched a dozen of the motionless raindrops alter into the same color as the fake Kyle's aura, then they all united together and curled into an oval shape. Soon, it took on the appearance of an unnatural looking mirror, even the glass was black. Stan gaped up at the eerie spell while the fake Kyle lowered his arm down once his aura disappeared. He kept his back to Stan. "Look closely." An image began to manifest in the glass.

Stan walked closer for a better look, stopping next to the other boy. The developing picture eventually showed a boy with short, black hair and...teal-colored eyes. He wore a grin of sinister satisfaction. He looked like Chris, but there's no mole under his left eye. Stan looked over at the imposter of his super best friend with a raised eyebrow. "Is that Chris? Why are you-"

"Not entirely. That is your Inner Guardian, but he took over your body. He's fighting the Being of Darkness in your place."

"Wha-" It quickly dawned on Stan. He recalled the despair he felt for being utterly powerless, and Chris offered to help him. He welcomed his generosity instantaneously, thinking he was going to lend him his strength. Not do this...He frowned at the ground again, feeling both ashamed and angry at himself and Chris.

"Inner Guardians are able to possess their host's body, but they must have their permission first. If they aren't granted access and they take over their host anyway, then not only will the Inner Guardian be in complete charge, but there will be severe aftereffects once the host has their body returned to them. Although using the ability has its disadvantages, it's also beneficial. Both the host's and Inner Guardian's powers will be combined, making the host incredibly strong." When the fake Kyle suddenly went quiet, Stan looked over at him, sapphire eyes meeting dark lime-green ones. "Fortunately for you, you allowed your Inner Guardian to take control, so you still have time to regain your body and lessen the severity of the ability." Stan didn't know what to say. It's not that he failed to comprehend everything the fake Kyle told him just now, rather it was a lot of information for him to digest. What he basically understood was that the possession ability was both very good and also very bad. The fake Kyle looked back up at the mirror. "Do you understand now? Don't be afraid of your Inner Guardian. He cannot hurt you, and I doubt he would be foolish enough to abuse that ability." Tensing, Stan followed his gaze.