The monster struck down furiously on the shadows, trying to catch the little bug sneaking past him. Its mind clouded by furious hunger, wanting to devour the shadows whole to get at the food hiding from it.

At the same time, it swung countless threads and bodies at the other pest, who kept narrowly avoiding its attacks. Why. Won’t. You. Die!

Its attacks were brutal and savage, swinging at the pest with reckless abandon. Every time it thought it was close to trapping the pest, the pest would always find a way to dodge.

It was already feasting on the rest of the souls it found, but it was unsatisfied seeing the two most delicious souls constantly avoiding its strikes.

Eventually, the shadowy bug joined back up with the other one. The shadows converged blocking out its strikes.

The monster pulled its entire body into the room, crashing down on the shadowy bubble as it tried to destroy it. It lashed out wildly, turning multiple bodies into paste in attempts to break through the shadows.

The shadows popped, and it could no longer sense the little insects anywhere. No! No! No! It lashed out angrily, destroying the entire room before slowing down. Unable to sense any more souls nearby, it came to a standstill, stringing up the bodies as it patiently waited for something to wander nearby.

It drained the bodies of the souls discarding them one by one, no longer having a use for the soulless husks. It waited patiently as it enjoyed its feast.

~

Draven and Ulric tumbled through the shadows and out onto the street, colliding with a car. The car crumpled in on itself as Ulric instinctively shielded Draven from the blow as they both got their bearings.

Draven tried to stand up, but the cost of dragging Ulric so far through the shadows sent him crashing to the ground. He vomited blood, his entire body aching immensely as a violent headache set in. Ignoring the pain, he tried his best to look around, wanting to make sure they had escaped.

“What was that thing?” Draven asked.

“I don’t know, but I think we’re safe now.” Ulric picked Draven up and carried him out of the wreckage, ignoring the angry protests of the driver as he quickly disappeared down the street.

“Put me down.” Draven ordered.

Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Ulric said nothing, instead choosing to hold Draven over his shoulder, knowing he wouldn’t be able to do anything about it.

Draven sighed, giving up on fighting against Ulric and taking this moment to rest.

Ulric walked in silence back to the teleporter. Returning to Pride, they hopped in the car and returned back to the estate, where the Princess was no doubt waiting for them to tell her how the mission went.

Having rested in the car and on the walk to the teleporter, Draven could once again walk on his own. His body was still numb, and he knew he would have to rest for a while, but he couldn’t stop now. Now is not the time for rest. The princess needs to know what happened.

Walking down the hallway instead of passing through the shadows, they eventually arrived at the dining room to see Princess Elaine and Lola enjoying a meal together.

Ulric bowed while Draven gave a clumsy attempt at one, his body too sore for him to put in any more effort.

Elaine’s brow raised as she noticed the rough state of the group. She looked at the clock to see that only a few hours had passed since Ed and Ulric had left. “That was quick, it seems like your mission didn’t go to well. Please, have a seat and tell us what happened.”

Draven gratefully took her up on that offer, slumping into the chair. He knew that he would have to make up for his lack of decorum, but considering his injuries, he knew she wouldn’t be too harsh.

Ulric took the seat next to Draven, sitting up tall as his body came to a stop in perfect posture. “We weren’t able to bring Christophe back alive.” Ulric said.

“I can see that.” Lola said, eyeing Draven. “What happened to you? You look like shit.”

“We found where Christophe was hiding, but we were attacked.” Ulric said. “Draven had to pull me through the shadows to escape. We almost didn’t make it.”

Wilfred nodded, understanding why Draven felt so weak right now. “Were you ambushed?” He asked.

“Yes, but his guards weren’t the problem.” Ulric said.

“A monster attacked us. We couldn’t fight back.” Draven said, finally chipping into the conversation.

“So, he unleashed a monster on you?” Elaine asked with interest.

Ulric shook his head. “No, the monster killed everyone. It wasn’t on his side.”

“It didn’t just kill them.” Draven said, his voice faltering. “It drained their souls and left the bodies alive. I could see them breathing and moving even when their souls were gone.”

A quiet chill swept through the room, the atmosphere now more somber and serious.

“Are you sure about this?” Elaine asked, her tea and food now left to the wayside.

Draven nodded. “I’m certain.”

Elaine sunk into thought. “Wilfred, send for Sir Balthazar.”

Nodding, Wilfred left the room. A few minutes later, a mist seeped in through the door, followed by a heavy knocking. A servant opened the door, allowing a hunched over man in a hooded robe to enter.

“You called for me, your Majesty?” Balthazar asked.

“Sir Balthazar, you are an expert when it comes to souls, is it possible for a person to remain alive after having their soul destroyed?” Elaine asked.

Balthazar stopped to think, the mist spreading out idly. “Technically speaking, it wouldn’t be possible. The soul and the person are one in the same. If the soul is gone so is the person.” He pulled up a chair and sat down across from Elaine, at the other end of the table. “The soul has a very complicated relationship with the person. It is both the foundational core of a being, and also distinct from who they are. Think of the soul as the foundation for all that a person is, if you take away the soul, the person crumbles.”