Daniel felt like screaming. They were back in the town square.
“But we are back where we started!” Matt said in protest. “Why did you take us on this meaningless walk?”
Insanity smiled at him. “One’s whole life is meaningless. Why are you born if you have to die someday? What is life’s meaning? Do you know?”
They shook their heads.
Insanity shrugged. “Well, I don’t know either.”
Daniel exchanged looks with Matt. This man was crazy.
Lynx cleared his throat, controlling his impatience. “As I said earlier, we need your help.”
“For what?” Insanity asked.
Lynx tried hard not to lose his calm. “Can’t you think of a place where we can discuss this confidentially? Don’t you understand that we are surrounded by hostility here?”
“Sorry, I was just enjoying,” Insanity said as he lowered himself to the ground and sat in a meditation pose. He closed his eyes and muttered a spell. A portal appeared.
Insanity instructed everyone to follow as he stood up and walked into the portal.
Before entering the portal, Lynx pulled out a green circular thing from his pocket and put it below the portal. At once, a green glow appeared around the portal’s entrance.
“What is that?” Daniel asked.
“A Porteller,” Lynx replied. “It’s like a tracker. If you put it below a portal, it produces this glow that you see all around. It alerts people that there’s a portal here, even if the portal closes.”
“How does this help us?” Matt asked.
“We don’t know where Insanity is taking us. When the Scavenger and the others come looking for us in Opal City, they will see this glow and know that there’s a portal here.”
Matt nodded, understanding.
They entered the portal, emerging in a massive empty room with no furniture.
Insanity nodded. “Now speak.”
“We are looking for the Trident.” Lynx began. “We would need your -”
Insanity raised a hand to stop him. “Stop. No more. I get it. I sensed that this time would occur soon. The Dark World has been in turmoil for so long.” Insanity nodded to himself, and said, “I can help you. Listen carefully…..”
Suddenly, Insanity’s face started changing. He backed away, waving his hands as if to repel evil. “Stay away from me! Stay away!”
Daniel looked at Lynx. “What’s happening?”
Lynx didn’t reply, just looking towards Insanity.
Insanity’s eyes started rolling into his head. “I have said nothing! Stay away from me!”
Insanity dropped to the ground, unconscious.
Lynx acted at once and knelt beside Insanity. He slapped Insanity on the cheek to wake him up, but to no avail. He slapped him harder, then harder, then harder.
Insanity’s eyes burst open, and he started screaming. “Aaaaaaaaaa! Help!”
Insanity suddenly stopped screaming and fell silent.
Daniel just got a blurred glimpse of Lynx moving, the movement was that fast. Lynx jumped away from Insanity. Lynx’s hand shot out and moved towards Urrax’s face.
Urrax’s eyes were glowing red.
Lynx’s eyes widened. “I was right, after all.”
Urrax looked at him. “Of course you were,” he said in a deep and cold voice. He flicked his fingers and Lynx flew back, banging against the wall.
Urrax walked towards Insanity. Lynx used magic to disappear from where he was on the wall to appear behind Urrax. Lynx put his arm around Urrax’s throat and Urrax’s eyes bulged out due to the pressure.
Urrax extricated himself from Lynx’s hold and pushed Lynx away. Lynx fell to the ground. He then quickly got up and ran towards Insanity to help him.
Hovering ten feet above the ground, Urrax pointed his hands towards Lynx and Insanity. Small but sharp arrows shot out from his fingers.
Lynx and the others were helping Insanity to get up. Insanity was now conscious. Seeing Urrax firing arrows at them, Lynx waved his hand around, and a dome surrounded them. The arrows stuck on the dome and could not penetrate it.
Urrax brought his hand forward and a ball of energy shot out from it. It hit the dome with a big blast. The dome fractured into pieces.
Another ball of energy appeared in Urrax’s hand.
Daniel’s heart sank as he realized that Lynx had been right. Urrax was a traitor.
In a split second, Daniel ran towards Urrax, without really thinking about how he would attack. He was just acting on instinct.
Thankfully, Urrax acted first, saving Daniel the trouble of thinking through his next step. Urrax turned and, with a kick, sent Daniel flying away. Matt rushed towards Daniel to help him.
To Daniel’s surprise, Lynx and Insanity were nowhere to be seen. Were they alive? Or killed? Or had they escaped? Questions flashed through Daniel’s anxious mind.
To his relief, Lynx appeared out of nowhere and barged into Urrax from behind. Urrax fell to the ground. His hands glowed again, but suddenly Insanity was there, with shackles ready to bind. Lynx firmly held Urrax down as Insanity tied the shackles around Urrax’s body.
Urrax roared.
“Help!” Lynx shouted over to Daniel and Matt. “This won’t hold him long.”
Daniel and Matt rushed forward and tightly held Urrax’s legs. Matt pulled out a sword and struck at Urrax’s leg with all his force.
Urrax roared in pain and suddenly, with a blast, he broke the shackles and hovered in the air, looking down with anger towards them.
“Why are you doing this?” Daniel looked up at Urrax. “Why? You will not win. Evil never wins.”
Urrax looked at him and his red eyes flickered. “It is just a matter of perspective,” Urrax said. “According to me, you are evil. No one is evil or good. It is just context.” Urrax shook his head, a ball of energy forming in his hand. “Enough chit-chat. Prepare to die. Lynx, I will break you into pieces and throw you in a caged dimension. Imagine that. Tortured in pain for all of eternity.” Urrax laughed.
“You will never succeed with your plan. The Scavenger will find you,” Lynx said, his voice sure and confident. “He will not stop until you are dead. He will come for you.”
Urrax laughed again and pointed his hand straight at Lynx’s head.
“Keep dreaming. The
