Watching each other's back, they were fighting the laws of the universe to protect what they both stood for. Slaying Anger dragons, decapitating Jealousy monsters and blowing away Temptation nymphs... Two knights in shining armor, one from the World Beyond, the other from the World Within... Possibilities were endless when they fought together. One would think the battle through, the other would feel its heat and take its pulse. Darkness would lure the enemy, and Light would attack it; and they would both load on ammo and proceed to defend what was their own, with their best set of war skills. Low blows, high blows, the game was on and they were in it to win it, climbing mountains, swimming oceans, crossing lands of pain and passion, so foreign and so familiar at the same time. Always together. Always alone. Alone. Alone... So hollow, so cold, so sudden. What had just happened? Where were they? The World Beyond could not find the World Within anymore. The World Within could not reach Beyond. Shadows grew closer and darker, shrieks of horror filled the air... but were soon dispersed by the sweetest song of warming grace. Lost in themselves, they were now facing each other for the first time, after what seemed like ages fighting back to back to defend their truth from... from what?... What was it they were fighting against? They were starting to forget. Looking in each other's eyes, they did not recognize the mate that they'd been fighting along all this time. Strength and courage in one's eyes did not reflect in the other's. Murky glimpses of their past and future combats were invading their minds. Faith was slipping away through their shredded armors. They were now exposed; vulnerable to each other's judgement and appraisal. Bare heads, bare limbs, bare chests. Bare minds. Bare hearts. They had left each other's side once they turned and faced each other's demons. Two fellow knights were now two strangers in the midst of fire and hail. The earth between them shook. Their worlds were now being pulled apart. An abysmal gap was now laying between the Inner and the Outer, separating that of the Within from that of the Beyond. "Come back and join me in battle!", the Light Knight cried, fighting away the Confusion demons and pulling closer to the edge of the abyss so he could better reach his old comrade. "We can do this together! Have faith in our strength and the Divine glory!" he cried again. But the Dark Knight had already lost his grip on his weapon. His demons got a hold of his heart and were dragging him into the shadows. They soiled his mind and stripped him of every emotion that once related him to his ally. He disappeared into the blackness of his own world, leaving the Light Knight stranded on the other side. What had just happened? What next? How could he bring his longtime friend back from under the fierce eye of solitary ice birds and tar creatures of the earth guarding the Lonely Castle in the World Within? How was he going to keep fighting all alone? Who could he turn to? Nobody but himself. His World Beyond was shrinking in on him. Suffocation. Grasping for air. Kicking back against the heavy walls that were closing on him. He could still see the light. It was still there. Dim, feeble spark of life. Stardust breathing hope of redemption. He was desperately searching for a way out. The Right Way. He was close. He'll make it. His World would survive, even if in a parallel universe. It had to.
