Balan did not feel like himself. It had been only a few months since the previous twelve visitors had their balance restored. Still, he felt as if something was still wrong. He was in his room with his hat off. Looking at himself in the mirror.
He recalled what Lance said to him. "Before you became Balan, it was my part to play. But I grew too close to the humans and their sorrows and sadness I fell prey." "No..." Balan said to himself. The voice continued to echo through his head. "But now you're falling in love with them too. Be careful, Balan-or Lance they'll soon call you." "Enough!" He yelled to no avail. "Face it, you don't stand a chance. It's only a matter of time until you become Lance."
"NO! THAT CAN'T HAPPEN TO ME!!!" Balan yelled in a fit of rage as he threw a bottle of cologne across the room. It shattered against the wall, spraying what was left of the liquid all over the place along with tiny glass shards. He ran his fingers through his hair, trying to settle down and breathe until his hand jerked to the left side of his chest. A piercing sting that felt like a needle through his heart. He thought he let himself get too angry until he noticed that part of his skin was turning a shade of purple.
In a panic, he took off his cloak and pulled down his tux with a finger. The purple shade spread from his chest up to his neck. He even noticed slight markings that looked precisely like Lance's. Is this what negativity feels like? "Oh no... It's starting already!" He wailed.
He felt tears swell up in his eyes. Is this what Lance had to go through when he was being consumed by negativity? It hurt... The sharp pain in his heart didn't go away. The spreading negativity felt like pins and needles from his pecs to his neck. He pulled his tuxedo further down to see how far it spread. It was already on his shoulder blade, and it looked like it kept growing. "Wh... What do I do? How can I stop it?" He asked himself.
He heard a knock at the door and jumped. "Maestro Balan." Called a voice. Sounded like frost fairy. "Leo and Emma have arrived. They wanted to see you." Balan took a deep breath and adjusted his suit. "J-just a minute! I-I'm sprucing up." He called on the other end. He grabbed his cloak off the floor and tucked it back, trying to hide the markings that reached his throat. He looked at himself in the mirror one more time before grabbing his hat. "I have to pull myself together. Right now, I'm just proving that Lance was right. I have to put on a brave face and calm down." He took a deep breath and put his hat back on, showing his elusive identity. He forced a smile before leaving his bedroom.
Leo and Emma roamed the theater. It felt cold for some reason. Every other step they took creaked the floor, and the lights flickered eerily. Something in the atmosphere didn't feel right. It didn't have that fun, whimsical charm as it always did. Either he was letting the place go, or something was happening.
"Hello, children! I wasn't expecting guests. But I'm glad to see you again. I won't protest." He started again at his usual rhymes. Leo and Emma looked up to see he was on the balcony of the lobby. "Balan!" They both called. "We saw the theater and decided to stop by. If you have the time, that is." Leo said. Balan sighed gently and jumped down to the floor. "You know you two visiting is something I don't mind. I am happy to have you here, my friends. You're both very kind." He put on the most humble smile he could muster. But there was something in his demeanor that didn't sit right with them.
Balan's supposed to be excitable and energetic, right? Today, he seemed slow or out of character. "Please, come inside. We can talk backstage. You can tell me what's going on in your life. Tell me what's all the rage." They ambled through the lobby of the theater to the stage. A chill in the air sent a shiver down Emma's spine. The place seemed... Dimmer and less vibrant than usual. "Excuse me, Balan," She started. "Does the theater seem a bit colder to you?"
Although he didn't show it, Balan was surprised to hear this. The theater was meant to match his or Lance's heart wherever they stood. The building was reflecting his heart. "Is it? I didn't realize. Though changes in the air is not a big surprise. Sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's cold. The building reflects our auras, so I'm told." He explained.
"Reflects the maestros auras?" The teens thought to themselves. Was Lance hanging around somewhere? Or was Balan hiding something? They finally entered the main auditorium. And just like the rest of the theater, it was less vibrant and gloomy in the atmosphere. "Leo, you can feel it too, can't you?" Emma leaned in to whisper to Leo. "Yeah. Something's off about this place. And Balan too. Is he sick or something?" He whispered back. But Balan's ears were burning. He could hear the two talking right behind him.
"Excuse me." He announced. "I'm standing right here! Is there a reason you two are whispering in each other's ears?" Both of them froze a little. Balan looked on edge or irritable to them. "Yeah. We got something to ask of you, Balan... Are you feeling ok?" Emma asked. Balan felt a giant lump form in his throat. He was a professional actor. How could they see right through him? "M-me? Of course, I'm fine! Why would I not be... Fine?" He covered his mouth, realizing that he didn't rhyme properly. And the kids noticed it quick.
"Balan," Leo called. "That wasn't the right way to rhyme. What's going on with you?" "No, no, it just merely slipped. I... I... Uh..." Balan started tugging on the brim of his hat, struggling to find the words. He was sweating profusely and shaking while biting the tip of his thumb. The act was finally dropped when Emma stomped her foot. "Alright, that's it! You can't even make up rhymes on the spot anymore! Something is clearly on your mind. Come on, Balan. Tell us what's wrong." Leo also stepped in. "Yeah. We're your friends, right?"
The jig was up. He could no longer hold his composure. His smile dropped and he lifted the hat off his head, revealing his white face and seafoam green hair. "Very well. You win... I've had a lot on my mind lately... Please, sit anywhere you like." The maestro solemnly placed his hat on a nearby table. At the same time, Leo and Emma scooted two chairs over to the center of the auditorium.
Balan sighed sadly. "Let's just say the last time you two were here, Lance and I had... An argument." "Doesn't that usually happen? I thought you and Lance hated each other. Aren't you two like, worst enemies?" Leo spurted out. "We don't... Hate each other. But we never really got along great. Lance had mentioned that he was the one who was previously running Wonderworld... But... He fell into negativity after becoming too close to the people... Their sorrows and sadness affected him and turned him into who he is now." Balan tried to fight back the tears that were filling up in his eyes.
Leo and Emma were both stunned and confused. Lance was the one who ran Wonderworld previously? If so, how did Balan come to be? "I think we need a little more context, Balan." Emma stated. "What exactly does this have to do with you?" Balan tried to inhale carefully without hitching his breath. "Because... He warned me that the same thing will happen to me!" He raised his voice. Small tears started slipping from his eyes.
This news disturbed both Leo and Emma. "What?!" Leo shouted. "That's ridiculous! How could any negative emotion affect you? You're too peppy for that stuff!" "He's right!" Emma added. "Lance couldn't be right about that. You're the funny, energetic maestro that you'll always be." Balan shut his eyes tight as more tears jerked from his eyes. "No... You don't understand... That's what's wrong... It's already started." Balan pulled down the left side of his suit, showing the purple shading all over his chest. Leo and Emma thought their eyes would pop out of their skulls.
"I don't know how it started. And I don't know how to get it to stop. I fear it's already too late. I... I..." He stopped mid-sentence. Falling to a sitting position, and tears spewing from his eyes like a broken faucet. "I won't be the same Balan you know and love before you! Lance was right... He was right about everything!" He buried his face into his hands, crying hard. The tims showed up and started nuzzling against his legs and sides. Even the teens stood up and rushed towards Balan to comfort him.
Leo and Emma stood by both of his sides. Leo put his hands on Balan's shoulder and back, rubbing the tension away. "Hey, hey, take it easy, Bal. Relax. There's no need for the waterworks." He said. Emma knelt down to meet him at eye level. She tried in vain to wipe Balan's tears away with her hand. "Come on, Balan. Don't cry. This isn't like you." She said. But Balan continued to sob and sniffle while hiccupping as he tried to catch his breath. One of the tims came in, carrying a tissue box on top of its head. "Oh, thank you." Said Emma as she pulled out the material. "Here, Balan. Blow." She commanded as she held the tissue to his nostrils. Following suit, he blew his nose as Emma told him to. When he was done, she crumpled up the tissue and stuffed it into her pocket. "There we go. Good man." She said. Balan rubbed his index finger under his nose.
"There has to be some way we can reverse this." Leo said. "It hasn't spread out through your entire body yet like Lance. There must still be a chance to stop it while the nega is still in its... Early-stage." He couldn't think of any other way to put it. Early-stage was the closest he's got. "It's the same way of how it works with us, right?" Emma spoke out. "There must be some sort of cause of imbalance. This whole negativity thing is driving you up the wall. Which means that's what's causing you to be imbalanced." Balan opened his mouth to say something but didn't get the chance as Leo suddenly spoke up again. "Yeah. Yeah! Everybody deserves balance. Even magical people like you. What you really need is a surge of positivity. There's still a chance we can fix it before it's too late!"
Balan rubbed his eyes. The tears slowed down, but they were still dripping from his face. "How..." He stopped to sniffle. "How do you plan to do that? Lance wasn't able to avoid it. How can I?" The teens stood for a moment, processing what they could do to keep their friend from turning into someone like Lance. "We'll need to figure that out first. But right now, let's focus on here and now. What you need right now is a mental health break." Emma said.
Balan blinked, unsure of what she was meaning. "A... Mental health break?" Emma took his hand and held it in her other. "You've got a lot on your mind right now. So you should relax and just have a day to do nothing." "But I can't... Th-the theater. I-I still have visitors I need to help. I have to restore their balance. That's my job!" Emma covered his mouth, stopping him from talking. "It'd be hard to restore anybody's balance if you can't do it yourself. You need a day off. The people can wait. We have to worry about you first. Until we can somehow reverse this negativity, you need some downtime. Trust me. It'll be good for you." Leo said.
Balan couldn't say anything else. He could tell that the kids really did care for his well-being. He finally stood back up, rubbing the rest of the tears out of his eyes. "Ok..." He murmured. "I'll take your word for it. If it makes you happy, I'll take a break. I'll trust you to do the right thing. I believe in you." He hugged the two teens, finally feeling warmer again.
When they let go, they decided to leave the theater. "We'll check on you often, Balan. Just hang in there for us, ok?" Leo said. "We'll find a way to reverse this negativity in you. You be strong for us. Keep that smile on your face." Emma added as she handed the maestro back his hat. He graciously took it, holding it by the edge of the brim. "I'll... I'll try my best. Thank you... Both of you." He could finally feel a real genuine smile return to his face. He escorted the two out the door, waving them off.
But right behind him loomed was the shadowy aura of Lance. Tentacles exposed and markings glowing. "Don't put too much faith in their efforts." He said. "Once it's already started, it can't go back. It's too late for you, Balan. Just face the facts." Balan rolled his eyes and glared back at his counterpart. "Don't try to humor me with your rhymes, Lance. I told you I wasn't going to end up like you. And so help me, if I ever end up the same way you are now, I'll give up my position as maestro and throw myself out of this theater." Lance smirked at him, getting closer to his face. "Is that a bet?" He hissed. "Don't hold your breath." Balan retorted. "I still stand by my statement that I'll NEVER end up like you!" Lance only snickered and backed away. "You'll see I'm right in the end. You'll become the new Lance in due time." He walked away, leaving Balan at the foot of the door.
