Navy sat down.

“It’s not fair,” He put bluntly, “I will not yield, but I will not choose.”

Sorren’s haughty sneer faltered.

“That’s, not how you play the game,” He hissed, “you choose one or the other.”

“Or.” Navy said.

“THAT. IS. NOT .HOW. THIS. WORKS!” Sorren roared, stamping his foot on the ground, causing his castle to tremble.

Navy calmly stood up.

“I want to play a different game.” He said, “One that matches my own capabilities.”

“What do you propose then?” Sorren seethed, grinding his teeth.

“Hide and seek tag.” Navy explained,”With a twist.”

Sorren calmed down a little, this was a game he could manage. He’d be able to sniff out Navy, or hear him with his superior senses, and his night vision would allow him to spot Navy’s orange pants all to easily.

“What’s the twist?” Sorren asked.

Navy stuck his hand in his front pocket, Sorren blinked, he hadn't noticed the pocket, or the lump within it before now. Navy withdrew a matchbox, opened it, and counted silently.

“Every hour you can’t catch me…” He explained, looking up at Sorren, “I burn something down. That gives you four hours tilI win, and you let me go.”

Sorren eyes went wide.

“B-bu-but...but….b-but…” He spluttered.

“But what?” Navy asked, slightly cocking his head.

“That’s...not...fair.” Sorren squeaked.

“Isn’t that the way things are run down here?” Navy asked.

“Well...yes.” Sorren huffed.

“Then it’s only fair if things are a little unfair right?” Navy asked.

Sorren glared down at Navy, trying to find some sort of malice or smug pleasure in those wide blue eyes. But his face was still passive and neutral.

“Fine...” Sorren snarled, “But if you lose, this time I will tear you to shreds!”

“Okay,” Navy shrugged, “let’s start then, twenty seconds should do.”

Sorren turned around and covered his face, keeping his fingers slightly opened just enough to see, he twitched his ears about and inhaled deeply through his nose. With his senses, he should be able to find the boy before the first hour was up. Although… the room had become inexplicably silent.

Sorren turned around, he hadn’t heard Navy move at all, yet... his breathing, his heartbeat were both gone, no scent left to trace. Sorren scoured the floor for footprints. But found nothing. Sorren left no part of his castle unsearched, but Navy wasn’t there, he had simply vanished.

“He had to have left some sort of trace...” Sorren muttered, “He’s only a human boy, right?”

Perplexed, Sorren left his castle and searched around the perimeter of the castle. It was so strange. How could this be possible?

A loud gong shook the whole of the Underearth, it sounded like the chime of a huge clock tower, but that couldn't be! There were no clocks big enough to make that sound down here. Sorren covered his ears, now ringing from the sudden loud noise. Then the smell came, Sorren sniffed, inhaling deeply then coughing as the stench of burning plastic assaulted his nostrils.

“NO!” He gasped, “It can’t have been an hour already!”

Sorren bolted towards the smell, there was a blazing fire in the center of the city. Sorren recoiled from the sudden brightness and heat, after a couple minutes of readjusting, he inched closer. Several creatures were warming themselves by the fire, Sorren mashed his fangs and growled, causing them to scatter. Sorren blew at the fire to try and put it out, that didn’t help. The melting plastic jewelry popped and bubbled, Sorren stamped on the fire, only to roar in part and reel backwards, nursing his now burnt foot and lower leg. A small glowing white sphere rolled out of the flames while he did so, eyes flashing, Sorren snatched up the orb, despite the risk of another burn, but the orb was cool to the touch.

Sorren was suddenly blinded by a flash of bright light, blinking, he now found himself in a garden… a place he thought he’d never see again.

“Huh?” He breathed in surprise, “How did I get here?”

There were two young voices behind him, Sorren reeled around, ready to attack, instead, his eyes nearly bugged out of his head in shock.

“Sorren you flirt!”A beautiful young woman giggled.

Sorren stared stock still, staring first at his younger self, his hair was shorter, and better kept, and his face was fuller, healthier. Then his eyes trailed to the woman.

“I only flirt when it’s you Glen.” Young Sorren chuckled.

Glen began to laugh, the sound made Sorren heart both flutter with joy, and sting with pain. Glen pushed back her long blonde hair and looked at young Sorren, her dark blue eyes brimming with boundless joy. Sorren clutched his chest, breathing hard. He remembered this moment.

Young Sorren stopped, flushing red.

“Y-you know,” He stammered,”you... well…it’s a hard world Glen. I-I have so much crap going on at home, it’s like you’re my only light, a-and…”

Young Sorren turned to Glen and got down on one knee, pulling a palm sized box from his pocket, one that contained a gold ring with a ruby in the center.”

“Will you...light my world a-and...m-marry me Glen?”

Glen squealed with joy, hugged Young Sorren round the middle and lifted him off the ground.

“YES!” She cried.

Just like that, the world faded into nothing more than the memory it was. Sorren shook his head, the fire was still roaring, smoking, and spitting as if no time had passed at all. The glowing memory still pulsed gently in Sorren hands, gripping it tightly, Sorren searched around till he found a pouch. He hung the pouch around his neck, and slipped the memory inside it. He was still disoriented from the shift to and from the bright summer's day in the memory. He found himself bumping into walls and stacks of objects while his eyes readjusted to the darkness.

“You alright mister Sorren?” A familiar voice inquired.

Sorren turned sharply, then froze, attempting to confirm what he was seeing.

It was obviously Navy, with his orange pajama pants, no shirt, the dark brown hair, and calm blue eyes that went with that uncanny ever placid expression. But he was older, at least thirteen, his dark brown hair was no longer messy, but well brushed and neatly smoothed back. His posture was much more formal, almost business-like.

“What are you?”Sorren cringed.

“Just an ordinary boy.” Navy shrugged.

“LIES!” Sorren spat, “You’re not who you said you were!”

“You need to wake up.” Navy said, “And rise from the twisted dream you’re living in, and look at the world how it really is.”

“SHUT UP!” Sorren roared, swiping a claw at the young child.

At least… he thought he had. Navy was no longer in front, but behind Sorren.

“Angry men end up in the lion's den.”Navy said, “speaking of lions…”

A thunderous roar exploded from the castle.

“Bye.” Navy waved, vanishing again.

Sorren ran back to the castle, and cried out in fear and disgust. The hungry lion had somehow fused with the pack of rabid wolves, and grew two times Sorren’s own height. Sorren almost did the sensible thing and ran from the hulking abomination, but as its paws toppled the castle, crushing it to bits, Sorren practically lost control.

“DO NOT TOUCH MY TREASURES!” He roared.

Sorren left up and clashed with the pulsating Leowolf. Beast versus beast, rage versus rage, the two titanic monsters ripped, bit, and clawed at each other, neither one using brains, only brawns to fight. The harder Sorren fought, the bigger the Leowolf became until Sorren was an insect compared to the monster's size. As the Leowolf dived for its now meagre opponent, Sorren dived out of the way, not just to avoid the beast, but the cascading boulders that came down with it.

There was a resounding crack as the boulders smashed in all twelve of the Leowolf heads, Sorren sat in his corner of the ruined city as the great beast crashed to the ground, panting hard.

“I'm glad I didn’t stay to fight.” he thought, “Otherwise I’d be under a boulder like that dumb beast, the thing wasn’t even paying attention what it was doing.”

Sorren paused, looking around, a sinking feeling of humiliation settling in the pit of his stomach. Most of the damage had been his own fault, but the thing that hit him most was the sight of an elder beast crushed under a load of rubble, and a younger beast sprawled half dead a good ways away. Her face was mutilated, blinding her, and her back was broken, leaving her paralysed. Sorren’s heart raced and his stomach churned, this was similar to an old incident, a car crash. He hadn’t stopped in time, he hadn’t been paying attention, and let his temper get the better of him in the most crucial moment. The girl's whole life had been ruined because of him, just like the young beasts was now.

Sorren stood, all of the other beasts were staring at him. Normally he wouldn’t mind the attention, but their eyes judged him, their faces disappointed, instead of anger, Sorren felt fear begin to expand in his chest. He couldn't stand people looking at him like that! Sorren ran from the city. Deep in the winding tunnels, Sorren leaned up against a wall, breathing heavily. He looked down at a doll's head on the floor, its glassy eyes staring up at him. Sorren kicked it away with a loud angry roar, causing the dismembered head to skid across the mucky floor. Why did this have to happen to him? What did he do to deserve the Hell he was being put through?

Sorren glimpsed a wisp of orange, and looked up, he spotted Navy standing nonchalantly over a pile of dolls. The second hour was almost up.

“NO!” Sorren roared, diving for Navy.

The unseen clock boomed, and Navy struck his second match, dropping in into the pile. The plastic was wet, and shouldn’t have gone up in flames… but the moment the match hit it, the whole pile was alight in a blazing ball of hellish heat and blinding light. Navy vanished, and Sorren flew right through the fire. He roared in agony as the flames licked at his flesh, he smashed head first into a pile of junk. Moaning with pain, he pushed himself up. Something bright yellow was glowing in the fire, a sunshine yellow that spoke of happier times. Sorren staggered over to the fire, took a deep breath in preparation,and shoved his hand in the flames. He grit his teeth to keep from screaming, and finally managed to withdraw a second orb.

Once again, Sorren was bathed in light. Now he was now in a hospital, his younger self was pacing nervously, fidgeting with his tie. Sorrens heart leapt in his chest...was it really today?

The doctor opened the door, Both Sorrens became tense, and walked in. Glen was on a hospital bed holding what seemed to be a bundle of blankets. Both Sorrens stood on either side of Glen to look at the bundle.

“It’s a boy.” She whispered with a huge smile, turning the bundle so young Sorren could get a better look.

The newborn had a head of wispy brown hair, he was asleep, the most peaceful expression on his little face. Young Sorren gave a quiet chuckle, looking absolutely overjoyed, maybe a little nervous. Present Sorren couldn’t help but smile, though a heavy weight had settled in his chest.

“He looks like you.” Glen smiled, “The hair, the nose, I’ll bet he has your smile.”

The little baby boy opened his eyes, which were a beautiful dark blue, like his mothers. Present Sorren reached over to the child to touch his cheek, only to go right through him, a pained noise escaped Sorrens throat and he began to shake. Slowly the memory faded away, and Sorren didn’t even hear Glen name their son.

Sorren slipped the memory into the pouch around his neck, feeling the two orbs pulsing gently against his chest. He sat for a moment looking at the two memories, waiting for Navy, or whoever the thing he had let into his life was. He knew he would come, and when he did...It was time to end this insanity. After what must’ve been a half hour at least, Sorren heard singing behind him.

When the night is cold and dark,

Won’t you come and hold me close?

I pray we never part

So won’t you be coming round?

I’m needing you right now

Cause I need someone to love tonight.

Sorren turned to see a sixteen year old Navy walking over to greet him. He seemed to have hit the awkward stage of puberty, where he hadn’t quite grown into himself yet, and the odd blemish had appeared here and there on his face.

Navy stopped, he was still tiny compared to Sorren, but as always, he approached Sorren and looked at him as if they were equals.

“Why is it you wanted me here sir?” Navy asked.

“What will it take to get you to leave?” Sorren growled.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand.” Navy blinked

“What do you want?” Sorren persisted desperately, “You want to go home? I’ll get you home. You want anything? Name it, I’ll give it to you.”

Sorren looked at the bag around his neck and removed the memories.

“I’ll give you these!” He cried.

Navy looked mildly surprised, then shook his head.

“I have no interest in physical objects,” he said. “and those orbs in your hands are not mine to take, they’re too important, you must cherish them.”

“Then what will get rid of you?!” Sorren roared.

“Open your eyes,” Navy said, “I’m not just something you can ignore or get rid of.”

“Then what are you?” Sorren growled.

“If you’d just wake up,” Navy sighed, “you’d remember.”

“There’s just no getting a lick of sense out of you is there?” Sorren groaned.

“Remember,” Navy repeated, pulling out another match, “to listen.”

Navy dropped the match on a mass of old Polly-pockets and doll houses as the third gong from the unseen clock sounded, then vanished. Sorren covered his ears and watched the flames burn down to nothing…leaving only a glowing green orb. Hands trembling, Sorren picked up the orb.

It was the Fourth of July, and Glens side of the family had come over. Sorren had never been close with his own family. His son was eight years old, and wild as a monkey, running around with the other children. Young Sorren was trying his best not to seem uncomfortable, parties had always been a nightmare of his, even if he enjoyed the people around him. Eventually he managed to sidle his way outside into the backyard. Young Sorren took deep breaths to calm down, untying and re-tying his tie. Glen soon came out, and laid a hand on her husband's shoulder.

“Too many people?” She asked, looking concerned.

“Y-Yeah…” Young Sorren admitted, “They’re great and all, there’s just… too much going on all at once.”

“I’m guessing Max and Patty sneaking downstairs didn’t help.” Glen sighed.

“No.” Young Sorren cringed, “I really wished they hadn’t moved things about, it’ll take ages to put it all back where it’s supposed to be.”

Glen thought for a moment, then smiled.

“Want me to get our little blue bandit so we can watch fireworks on the roof?” She asked.

Young Sorren brightened up.

“I’d like that.” He smiled.

Glen went inside, a few moments later, she came out with her bouncy little boy.

“Heya squirt.” Sorren chuckled, picking up his son.