Blend the Light

Uh, oh. Something isn't right.

"Hey, Adrien. Lily's here to talk to you."

"Ah, Lily. How are you?" Adrien turns to her while walking around to the front of his desk.

"I-I'm fine. Uh... How are you?" Lily winces.

"I'm doing great. May I please ask you a few questions?"

"Yeah," She murmurs.

"Great. Would you like to take a seat?" Adrien gestures to the seats in front of him. Lily has her back pressed up against the wall of Adrien's office, an inch or two from the door. She hesitates, then cautiously steps towards the chairs, her eyes taking in every detail of the room. Once she sits down, perched upon the edge of the seat, Adrien speaks again. "How did you end up at the Wasteland?"

"I was, uh... captured. Like most of the Gladiators, I was in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"What happened once you started winning the Wasteland battles?"

"At first, I got some people saying nice job, and I was still a part of it if that's the right word. But once I was winning regularly, and especially once I was dropped from the betting stations since I won every single one, the divide between me and the other Gladiators was growing even wider." Her gaze falls to her hands.

I shake my head at her words. I can't believe there's a place like that anywhere. It just... I close my eyes and exhale. Adrien's eyes flicker to me before returning to Lily. It's so sad. No one should have to go through the Wasteland. "You were killed at the end of the last Wasteland battle. What happened? There are many theories, but I want to hear it from you. None of this leaves the room without your permission, so you can say anything you'd like."

"You can use any of it you need to bring Guthrie Harper to his knees. It was one slip-up I made. I went to the side to get onto Tremor's shoulders, but I must've missed something because the next thing I knew was the Silver Shock sinking his teeth into my side and then the pain. Then everything went black, and I woke up here." Lily's face shifts to a look of pure fury before returning back to the flat look it held before. Adrien nods slowly.

"When did you know you are a Blender?"

"When I was little. I created Arrow, and knew to keep it a secret."

"What were the shadows around your feet when you first woke up?"

"I... was trying to Blend myself into Arrow."

"How did that work?" I say suddenly. Adrien doesn't say anything, but wait patiently for Lily's answer.

"I went into the shadows, and Arrow came back out instead of me." Lily watches a bug fly in lazy circles through the air. I thought Blenders... They don't do that.

"How does it work?"

"I let the shadows consume me, then I walk over to Arrow, and he goes out of the shadows. Can you tell me why you're asking me these questions, if you're alright with it? Jay's a Blender too, so why not ask him?"

"I don't know what you mean by going into the shadows. When I Blend myself, I just switch between my human and dog forms." Lily frowns at my words.

"You don't have to go into the shadows? How do you do that?" Her eyes brighten with excitement.

"I'm not sure. I've never known anyone who goes into the shadows. Could you explain how it works a little more, please? Maybe what it looks like as well? I'm quite curious."

"I don't know how it works. I just know that was how I got to Arrow. When I envisioned the shadows covering me, they did. Then I was in this room made from liquid darkness. The walls always moving and turning different and dark shades of blue, purple, and black. Arrow was in the middle. He couldn't speak to me, but he could move."

"Wait, how is he there, but... I'm confused. I thought Blenders were two halves of the person. They're one." Adrien looks to me for clarification. I shrug; that's what I thought too.

"Arrow and I were never one. I don't know why you keep saying that. We were just very close. He understood me, I understood him."

"Do you know where Arrow went? You keep referring to him in the past tense."

"I don't know. Jay already asked me. I'm guessing he's dead though. Tremor ripped off his side."

Adrien pauses, and thinks for a few minutes. When Lily asks if she can look around, he nods. She looks at the books and decorations. Her fingers trail along the spines of the books. "Jay. Have you really never gone into the shadows?" Lily has a book in her hand, though she hasn't opened it.

"No, I've never gone. I can't. If I could, I most definitely would've. The shadows sound like a cool place."

"It's easy. Just imagine the shadows turning to liquid darkness and covering you from head to toe, then swallowing you whole."

"Try it, Jay. Perhaps you can do it too," Adrien says.

"Alright. Imagine the shadows swallowing me whole?"

"Sit on the ground too. It's easier like that."

I plop down on the ground, my back pressed up against the cabinet in Adrien's office. I lean my head back, and close my eyes. My hands rest limp in my lap. "Envision the shadows covering your feet. Take your time" Lily's voice is soft in the back of my mind. I picture the shadows, where they're located throughout Adrien's office. Minutes tick by, second by second. Harder and harder I think until they begin to move in my mind. They break free from the walls and furniture, and latch onto my feet. I flinch at the damp, cold feel, but relax after a minute. Oh, did I actually do it? Lily gasps. "He got it... I never would've guessed that," She murmurs.

"Will he be able to get into the shadows?" Adrien asks

"It depends on if he can get the shadows to move any more."

I block out Adrien and Lily's voice and focus on the shadows. Just imagine the shadows turning to liquid darkness and covering you from head to toe, then swallowing you whole. That was what Lily had said. How do I do that? I try picturing the shadows becoming liquid enough to move and expand up my legs. They don't move. Not even when I almost beg them to move do they move. Nothing seems to work. Alright, little shadows, turn to some sort of liquid form. Now. I sigh, my eyebrows furrowing. "Relax, Jay. You're like a rock," Adrien chuckles. Deep breaths. In, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four.

I almost scream. Another minute or two passes, and I feel my muscles slowly relax. I sink back against the cabinet. The shadows move again. This time, they shift up my legs with a touch that's ice cold. How did Lily do this? I feel like I'm going to get hypothermia or something. It's so cold. The shadows ghost along my shirt and up to my shoulders. Goosebumps spread across my arms as I shiver. I can feel myself peeling away from my body. It's the weirdest feeling. The shadows lap at my neck before working their way up my cheeks and up to my hair.

After another minute or so, I'm engulfed in darkness. My body separates from reality, and I'm left floating. The world around me shifts, geometric shapes moving like gears or pieces of a puzzle. When they stop, I don't recognize anything. There's bright lights, but also pitch black darkness. Rainbow colors shimmer. My feet aren't touching the ground, and there's nothing but empty air below me. "This isn't at all what Lily described. Where am I?" I think out loud.

Thank you for reading! Feel free to comment, and please consider a vote!

Why do you think Lily went into the shadows to Blend herself into Arrow, while Jay and Hawk just switch between their forms?

Why does the world Jay went into look different than what Lily described?

What will happen while he's in this alternate world? Will he see his dog form?

Thank you again for reading Blend the Light!

-Werewolf14-