The Other Side of Darkness

Shroud

Lev awoke with a start and looked around wildly. White as far as the eye could see. She was back in the Dream World. 

"How...Grim!? Idia!" she stood up, cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted. "Hello?! Idia?! Ortho?! Grim!!" There was a tug on her tunic.

Turning around, Lev saw the young boy that kept appearing now standing beside her. Unlike all the previous times, he wasn't bloody or injured, so she could get a good look at him. He wore a neat white shirt and blue shorts. His short blue flaming hair, big golden eyes, pale skin, everything was the same. He really was the spitting image of Ortho. Just...more human. 

"Come with me," he said calmly. He took Lev's hand in his small one and led her through the white mist. His skin was cold. Very cold.

"Where are we going?" Lev asked.

"To see him."

"Who?"

The boy stopped and pointed ahead. Just a few yards away, Idia sat on the ground, curled up into a ball. 

The boy looked at her with large, pleading eyes. "Can you help him?"

Lev took a deep breath. "Well...I can try." She let go of his hand and walked towards the Dorm Leader. As she neared, she could see his shoulders shaking. Was he...crying?

"Idia?" she said softly, putting a hand on his shoulder. 

Idia flinched and pulled away from her. Instead of his S.T.Y.X tunic, he wore a blue and black jacket covered with shimmering silver triangles. The dark circles under his golden eyes were more obvious than before. His shrunken body language made him seen tiny, even though he was probably as tall as Vil. This was the Idia Shroud she'd heard about. Not the iron-fisted boss of a secret organization. The loner kid. 

How sad.

"What are you doing here?" he grumbled. 

"I'm here to help," Lev explained, lowering herself down to sit on the floor beside him. "Why don't you tell me what's wrong?"

Idia scoffed and turned his line of sight to the unending white mist. "What does it matter? Telling you won't change anything."

"What do you mean?"

Idia pulled his legs up to his chest. He looked more like a tiny child than a third-year Dorm Leader. "I'm destined for this. Since before I was even born my life has been decided. To be the Keeper of the Isle of Grief. That is my future."

"Do you really have no choice?"

Idia shook his head. "It's my destiny as the son of the Shroud Family." He smiled. 

Lev frowned deeply. "I'm so sorry."

Idia shrugged. "Even so, I still have Ortho, that makes things better." 

The air around them buzzed and changed, morphing into a large room. Papers, toys, and action figures were strewn across the room. In front of a large TV that doubled as a game moniter, a little Idia sat in front of the screen holding a controller. The little boy Lev kept seeing sat beside him, barely able to keep still.

"C'mon big bro! Smash those enemies!" the boy cheered. 

The screen flashed the word 'complete' and the little Idia punched the air in joy. "Woo-hoo! I beat the hard mode without taking any damage!"