There were multiple ways to see the situation through.

I could steal a vehicle, since Hidram and I never had enough coins to invest in one, the price of any motorized transport almost impossible to obtain, and drive away from Kendara, into the endless nothingness of this planet, hoping I would find another living civilization.

Or I could try to contact the second person the Jalyons were afraid of, if not afraid, uncertain. The one that had been chasing them for years, killing them in cold-blood without an ounce of regret. The one that they tried to catch since the beginning of the slaughter and never had been able to. The Shadow.

Only, as the name intended, it was close to impossible to meet the Shadow. He appeared wherever it was convenient. Never lingered. Nobody knew who he was. And I had no idea how I could summon him. So, before anything, I decided to go back to the Jalyon I had left on display for everyone to see, dumbly incapable of taking any good decisions after the horrible action I executed.

But the body wasn’t there. The blood still covered the floor, but the rest had vanished. No trails, no footprints, nothing. Like it never existed.

For several minutes, I prowled, glanced up at the trees, behind any interstices, any holes. Fooling myself to believe it was still somewhere when it was clear someone had retrieved it. Most likely a Jalyon, that already warned the rest of them, and their chief. The chief I was about to have a meeting with, for the stone.

Nonetheless, the pool of fluid had been moved in an unmistakable way.

The most reasonable thing to do was to come clean. To hope for the Jalyon’s mercy and forgiveness while I gave them the stone they wanted in the first place. Deny I knew it was one of them. But that was beyond madness. As much as impossible as siding with the Shadow and killing each and every one of them until the species would be exterminated.

I passed the hut and the river again and fell on the pond. The end of the night was ceding to the other star, and the sun’s early bright orange, yellow and pink colors were reflecting on it. My hands were still bloodied.

Kneeling, I immersed them under the water and they came out clean instantly. And just like that, I was not a murderer anymore. Just like that, my crime had been taken care of, I was no longer physically showing what I did. But deep down, I could hear the cracks of my heart breaking. And I wanted to yell at the sky for that person I didn’t have the chance to bury properly, as a repentance. “I wouldn’t mourn so long about it.”

The words had been spoken behind me. A deep voice. Almost inhuman. My body froze while my brain was already releasing all the adrenaline it needed, either to fight or flee. I had time to change my clothes before going out in the woods again, and as the person stood right in my back, I thanked myself for sparing a few seconds taking care of my appearance. My hands were very still, and my legs did not shake as I stood up. “About what?” I asked, still facing the water.

“The Jalyon you killed an hour ago.” The bristles of fabric resonated in my ear and I understood the man was shifting his posture. My own wasn’t exactly in a defensive mode, and so I moved, slowly, to avoid the person feeling attacked.

The fact that he used the term ‘Jalyon’, like he wasn’t one of them, assured me just a bit about the future unfolding of the moment. I was the Weapon. Everybody feared me. But this one wasn't afraid. I asked the question, although having a slight idea of the answer. “Who are you?”

“Someone you should thank.” He said, still circling me, forcing me to turn around and face him.

He was heavy cloaked, with dark colors and hard textile. A hood over his head, a mask hiding his mouth and nose, and a black leathered device over his throat. I frowned. Had he been injured and had to breathe mechanically?

The Shadow. The fact that he spawned here, and now, was no coincidence. He was coming to trade. He wore gloves, long boots, all the equipment to cover every inch of skin, so his identity remained unraveled. We looked at each other, gauging the situation, our attitude, scent, stature. We were both hunters, killers, although we had decided on a drastically different path on the matter. Nobody knew of his purposes, of the reasons he had chosen to hunt the Jalyons down. He had done it over the years, meticulously determining when to strike, and how. The only eccentric idea behind his murders was to form shapes with the blood of his victims.

Besides the Jalyons, no other humans nor species had been attacked by the Shadow. So, besides the Jalyons, nobody felt threatened. And since they pretended not to be afraid of anyone, they kept living like no danger dangled over their heads. They were usually becoming more careful and traveled in higher numbers after one of them perished, but the Shadow calculated enough of his strikes for them to forget the menace and fall into their usual nonchalant and predictable demeanor. If anything, they were helping the Shadow. Intelligence had never been their strong suit. It felt like an eternity had passed before I answered. “What do you mean I should thank you?”

“I took care of the guy you slaughtered.” His voice was hoarse. Like destroyed. I didn’t feel threatened but I had the common sense to observe the adversary in front of me. I wouldn’t want to have the Shadow on my bad side.

“And why would you do that?” I couldn’t deny it. It was no use. His eyes were barely visible, but I could see enough. Green. Light green, like a fresh plant born into the world. It was a rare color to see. This one, I’d seen a glimpse on a drawing when I was a young boy. And one other time I could have never forgotten, but that pair of eyes had belonged to a girl. The only girl I had ever seen in my life.

When I was seven, I was attacked by a Jalyon who I tried to rob. I was no expert at the time and got caught. Kicks and beats and punches, I was bleeding all over the floor, opened wounds, broken nose and teeth, I was sure my miserable life was already ending this very night. But someone appeared. The man got scared, thought multiple enemies were walking toward him from the back alley, when it was only that person’s genius mind playing with the shadows and the lights over the walls. I knew it was a girl when she approached my aching body, placed her hands peacefully over my chest and healed my wounds, pure white light coming out of her fingers, illuminating her young and thin face. I only had time to see something glittering under her hood, a strand of hair brighter than the rest, and she was gone before I could ask her name.

Since that day, our path never crossed again, and no other woman barged into my life. Maybe I even hallucinated that moment, my imagination creating a peaceful savior when all my experiences were theft, robbery and misery.

With the Great suppression, happening more than a thousand years ago, and the disastrous state the planet was left in afterwards, people had stopped reproducing. In any form or ways. At least, if they did, they managed in secret. As it was rare and almost impossible to encounter a woman, it was as much impossible to meet a child. That girl was the first female and the first child I had ever seen in real life. And she was the last.

“Because that kill was supposed to be mine.” The Shadow responded, luring me strangely, bending his head to the side. “You stepped in during my hunt.”

“I didn’t know,” I stated, truthfully. He finally stopped moving, facing in a reasonable distance.

“I figured.” The loud thud when I was hiding. That might have been him struggling to take the Jalyon down. The latter had surprised me with his sharp and swift movements, along with his incredible force. I shook my head as the images of his last moments filled my mind. “You perturbed my plan.”

“Are you here for revenge?”

He huffed. I could hear the smile when he talked. “No. I’m here for business.”

I frowned. The Shadow worked alone. This wasn’t usual. But as he said, I had perturbed his plan. It was only fair I helped him get it back on track. I chose silence, as I knew he was about to explain himself. “Since you robbed me of my target, I’ll ask you to play bait.”

“What?”

“I know about the bargain your father made. And I know what Vishan promised.” My nose wrinkled at the sound of that hideous character’s name. The Jalyon’s Chief. He proclaimed that position himself and tried to expand his powers over the others species but his kind, although noisy and prominent, was outnumbered. Even with their strength and their stupidity, they did not cross the line. They didn’t want to be the ones unleashing the war. “Your old man was tricked by Vishan’s words and they set you up.”

Again, I remained still, waiting for him to give up the information. But the anger toward Vishan and my father only grew. “They asked for a stone in their territory and sent a Jalyon to attack you. I tried to take him down first but he had been trained differently than the rest. It took me longer than usual. So much longer, you arrived before I had the job done.” He snarled, dropping his gaze lower. “They wanted you to do something irreparable so that they could fight back, and start their whole battle for power on Zelian.”

Doing so, they could tell the others that I was the threat and that I needed to be exterminated. That they could provide safety for all of them, they just had to accept that they were the rulers. And most of the others would agree, living in an unorganized civilization making their lives much more difficult than what it could be with an actual leader. “And you helped, cover up the murder.”

“I took what was mine. The glory of their death.” The rumble of rage sent shivers up and down my spine. “They need to keep their attention on me, but their trick worked, and now they want you.”

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“How do you know?”

“They didn’t fall for it. They know you killed him.”

They were there. The whole time. Watching me. This whole mission was vowed to fail, just like I told Hidram. Only I didn’t know it was cursed this much. I had no chance to come out alive. They will hunt me down for that kill, and nothing more. They didn’t need more.

The Shadow took three steps closer and the details of his armor appeared. He was covered in blades, all of them so well camouflaged, it was impossible to discern with movements or perspective. But now that he was standing closer, I could observe. His clothes seemed to reflect the colors around, blending his shape within the environment at any time. If this was done with magic or a particular organic fabric, I couldn’t tell. I had never seen such a piece. “You won’t be safe for the next few days. Being here is already a mistake.” He hissed. He was right. I wasn’t thinking clearly since I had sliced the man. “You’ll come to my place until further notice. And you’ll answer to me. I can’t promise anything for your father.”

“I don’t care.” I immediately said, without an ounce of regret. He could see it in my stare as he nodded. “But I don’t answer to anyone anymore. I just want my freedom. And a ticket out of here.”

“This, I can’t promise either. We need each other for my plan to work. After that, you’ll be as free as you want.” He scanned me from head to toe and waited to see the shift in my eyes.

“What is your plan?” I asked.

“Not here. Not now. Do I have the Weapon’s word?”

I grunted. These were the expressions I would use to prove my devotion to my mission, to the ones I had to protect or the people that I planned on chasing. I would give them my word about the fact that I wouldn’t stop at anything to see my purpose fulfilled. Even if I had to move mountains. Although it was pretty coherent that the Shadow had heard about me, it was still surprising to acknowledge the fact, being in front of the person after only hearing about him for years. “Do I really have a choice?”

“I can let you die on their hands if you want. It’ll only take me a few more years to take them all down.” His voice had sweetened a bit. “I need your word before I take you to my stash.”

“You ask me to trust you when I have no idea who you are.”

“I’m the Shadow. And I could kill you quicker than a blink of the eye.”

“So, do you really need my word? You could just kill me if I don’t obey.” I snarled. Getting impatient. I saw the fabric of his mask getting stretched.

“You hold up to your reputation.”

“What is my reputation?” I rapidly answered, sure of the things people say about me.

“That you’re a pain in the ass. Let’s flirt on the way there. Give me your word.”

I blinked. Twice. And decided I had no other options. I couldn’t take the Jalyons on my own and wanted to avoid the fights by any means necessary. Even if I still had no idea of the plan the Shadow had thought about, the way he was ogling me had me sighing the next few words. “You have the Weapon’s word.”

“Good.” He moved away while I had my eyes closed and was already standing at the edge of the forest. “Say your goodbyes to your father.” He screamed over the resurrection of a long-forgotten wind, that disheveled my hair and filled my nose with a scent I never experienced. The entire forest reacted, making the branches slapping on one another, like whips lashing on flesh, only the thunder and storm were missing.

I stopped him, walking toward where he waited. “Wait, how do I find you? After…”

“Take the minimum and go to Halei’s.” He answered, turning around.

I interrupted once more. “How do you know so much? About the stone, about my father, about me…” He only looked over his shoulder this time.

“Because I know how to listen.”

And then he vanished.

The wind quieted, nature returned to its usual silence and death, leaving me with the sound of my own heart pounding into my chest as only company. A heavy weight in my pocket reminded me of the stone and I took it out, rolling it between my two fingers in front of my eyes, like it could somehow help me with what to do next. Only a light blue glow reverberated around me, no messages this time. No feeling. Dormant.

My head was working too fast and too hard. Within a handful of hours, my whole life had been turned upside down, and hanging by a sleek thread. I could almost hear it crack, ready to yield. Listening to the Shadow’s orders was better than any other ideas that popped into my mind, and with a last regard for the pool on my side, I turned around myself, towards the cottage, my hands automatically touching my hair, not even tied up anymore, filled with sweat and blood.

Hidram was waiting for me inside of the house, seated on one of the uncomfortable dining table chairs, trying to make amends for the mess he had brought into our lives, his leg moving uncontrollably, his teeth working his nails at the root, his head turning again and again until he stood up after I closed the door a bit abruptly. His body went very still, expecting some kind of information on what had happened.

But one look sufficed to shut him up and he dropped down on the chair again, his stare on his feet while I climbed the stairs and locked myself into my room. I needed to cool myself down before meeting with Vishan, and talking everything out with my father would only enrage me more.

I stripped my clothes and changed myself for something more average. Even if people had seen my face on multiple occasions, it was mostly my attire that drew their attention. All of the accessories I was wearing, for my weapons, my potions, my gold, had my nickname written all over them. This time, I wanted some peace. I wanted to be able to march through the city without being ogled, without hearing whispers behind my back, without having to scan every corner for threats.

After a quick shower and packing the necessary clothes and hygiene products, I left my room. Nothing in this house held me back, no nice memories, no deep-rooted feeling. I could walk out the door without feeling anything but relief.

When I walked down the stairs, Hidram wasn’t planning on moving, but did twitch at the sight of me. I wore regular clothes, had hidden all of my weapons into the bag, a sweatshirt over a plain t-shirt just to put the hood on and avoid people seeing my face. It was still early enough in the morning that most of the population would be in their homes, and I hoped discarding all of my equipment would prevent me from drawing too much attention.

His eyes widened. “Where are you going?”

“Leaving. Forever.” I said, unbothered.

“What? What do you mean?” He stood up, shocked. Not an ounce of empathy filled my veins.

I glared at him and tried to express most of my feelings. “You don’t have a say about it. I’ve warned you. It’s over. Goodbye Hidram.”

“Nolis!” He screamed, reaching for me, grabbing my arm and using his laughable force to keep me inside his house. But the decision had been made. And when he realized how powerless he was, he gave up. Just like he always did. And I walked through our pitiful garden, without a glance back.

The city center was quiet, a refreshing and unexpected breeze caressed my face and hair and I inhaled loudly that rare and pure air. The booths were still out but the vendors were not behind them anymore, yelling at passersby to come close, to buy their one in a lifetime advantageous offer for something that would change their very way of living. The lights were still on, the neon radiating a soft and calming glow over the paved streets, all of them joining the famous place in Kendara; Halei’s Fountain.

It streamed water day and night, the relaxing sound drawing people to it, like a soft and compelling song floating towards your ears, leading you to its edges. Some would toss coins into it and would wish for something, anything—more gold, fame, family, love. Mimicking an old legend and habit from books and stories that were no longer read or told, only a few still explained it to their progeny, as a legacy. So many people needed hope, in any form. But as I approached the place, I started hearing voices.

The sun wasn’t fully up and the temperature was already mild, but the group chanting in a circle around the fountain were draped with heavy and dark clothes, keeping their faces and bodies hidden. This wasn’t part of the Shadow’s plan, I was sure of it. I’d never seen them before, never encountered this inexplicable situation. Crouching, I bent over the table and sneaked my face out to see them. They were too far and too focused to even notice me.

They turned, clockwise first, for two rounds. And they stopped again. Silence fell. For several minutes, before a voice rose up. “Pray for the Governor, my friends. Pray for his return. Let our songs and whispers awaken him on this night. So he would stand again, and take his rightful position.”

They lifted their arms to the sky, opened their mouths wide and sang again, in a language I couldn’t understand. They were all wearing an ample golden necklace, holding four gems horizontally. Their preaching made no sense. Were they part of the Jalyons? Were they praying for Vishan? Hoping he would become the official governor of Kendara?

“They are called the Luminis.”

The Shadow’s voice echoed before he appeared behind me. I was startled but pretended not to have jumped at the sound of his words coming from nowhere. He stood tall, not even hiding but I stayed on my knees. “Are they praising Vishan?”

“No. It is a name risen from the basin of the forgotten, amongst other things. Desperate times call for desperate measures.”

“I’ve never heard of them.”

He stepped aside and started walking through the little alleys I almost never roamed into. I followed. “They started gathering a few nights prior. They have used an ancient name but their allegations aren’t so clear. Even to them.”

I stayed quiet.

We walked for several minutes. I had tried to remember the path we took at the beginning, but after so many turns right and left, up and down, it was just impossible to memorize it all. And I figured that was the all point of the destination. Somewhere no one can fall into. A place nobody could find. When we arrived in front of a steel door camouflaged behind a normal wooden door, I guessed we had arrived. “You know a lot of things.” I said, still tailing him inside.

“I know more than most.” Was all he answered before he grabbed my wrist and led me among the darkness. A maze of directions again, in complete darkness, where I couldn’t see anything but he had the way imprinted inside his skull. It took us what felt like hours because I had to take small steps at a time, not convinced of my security.

Then, the last door opened.

And I entered the Shadow’s den.