To be one with the Shadows

[ValerieRose]

((Been a while since I wrote ANYTHING. So be gentle with me!!


And then there was darkness.

And more darkness. Then the light, pulling her abruptly back to consciousness. Had she been dead? She could not remember.

When she finally opened her eyes, laying in a bed in the newly rebuilt Talking Island, there were voices around her. She could not recognize them all, in fact, she did not remember much. If anything.

It was all muddled and foggy inside the woman's mind. As she opened her blue eyes, she could not recognize the place. Last she knew... she was...

She couldn't remember.

When she turned to her side, her eyes, even if blurred, noticed the shape of a Dark Elf. And then another, next to the first, and they were talking. She could overhear things, but nothing that made any sense.

"Thank you, Lievoth," one of the Dark Elves said. "If you had not found her, I would have not known where to look for her."

"She was unconscious when I found her. All I could find on her were her clothes and this bag," he said, showing the other Dark Elf the bag, tattered and dirty.

The other Dark Elf seemed older, wiser, and there was a worried look in his eyes. "Lievoth, thank you. The curse of my family is now lifted," he said. "Although my younger sister will be forever gone now. At least she will be resting, for a change." There was a smile on the older Dark Elf's lips. "Will you please tell Kallyndra that I am vising you and her as soon as I can?"

Lievoth chuckled and nodded. "I will. It was a coincidence I was the one to find the girl. And that you knew her. How well do you actually know her?"

"Well enough," he replied, looking over at where the human mage finally seemed to wake up. "Now you can go if you wish. I will keep my eye on her as I always have."

Lievoth nodded and gave the other Dark Elf a bow. "I will see you soon, Kiltain. With our world as it is, I suppose things change, do they not?"

The other Dark Elf nodded with a serious look to his eyes. "Yes, it does. And I am not exactly sure how things would go. Some of what I feared is happening. Our Goddess is out, Lievoth. Yet, look at what she's done. All the years we wished for her to be out and she overlooked even our homeland. I am not sure what to think of it. And I'm not sure what to expect."

Lievoth nodded once more, and looked at the girl on the bed. "I suppose you have matters to take care of. I will go to my lady now. She might be worried if I take too long."

Kiltain just laughed and nodded. "Thank you, Lievoth. Send Kallyndra my regards."

"I will," the Dark Elf said, then left the room, glancing at the woman before taking his leave.

With a deep breath, Kiltain walked towards the bed where the woman was, sitting on a chair next to her.

"How are you, my dear?", he asked in his usual calm tones.

"I am... alive, I suppose," the woman said, glancing at him with confused eyes. "I cannot remember anything. A flash of light, screams... the smell of death. All around me. I could feel it and sense it... then it was all dark. Until now."

The Dark Elf nodded. "There's destruction everywhere. The Goddess has been unsealed. And she is not happy, as you can imagine."

She nodded, then sighed. "Where are we?"

"Talking Island."

"Talking Island. That's where I used to call home?"

"Not exactly the same home as you knew it," he told her.

"Not that I can remember it," she said. "I cannot remember anything. All I remember is the smell of death, all around me. So strong and so overwhelming."

He nodded, then placed a hand on her forehead, a small healing light coming from his fingertips. "Rest, my dear. Our journey might be a long one now. Not even I know what will be. But you should rest. As much as you can. I will not leave your side."

The woman nodded, and closed her eyes.

"Sleep well, Melinda."

And as soon as she entered the darkness of her dreams, she could see them. Four shapes, dark shapes that stared at her.

"Welcome back, our mistress," she called, her voice soft and gentle. "We shall guide you now. From now on. The Dark Elf speaks true, dark times will come. Times where you will need to be prepared. That is why your mind was cleansed of all you used to be, and all you used to know. Only your magic remains, and your knowledge on how to use it. Your purposes have been erased. Without the influence of those that seeked to use you for their own purpose."

"We will be your new guides," the female shadowy form said, hovering towards Melinda and stopping in front of her. "I will be in your conscience. They will be your shields and your guardians."

"What?" The woman seemed confused, disoriented almost. "Who are you?"

"We are your new guardians. We have been assigned to watch over you and guide you through the new world. There are things yet to come. Things you must be ready for. Destruction, but we will protect you from it. Your shadows in the dark, my lady," the female shadow said, but it was nothing but an echo on the human's mind. "Because you have been chosen."

The female shadow then beckoned the other three. "Turath, Varthis, Karil. Greet our new mistress," the shadow said, and almost at the same time, the three other shadows bowed, their chains making an almost eerie sound. Their deep voices echoed on Melinda's mind, in her dreamscape, even though it seemed and felt so real.

"We are sworn to guard you and your life. From now forward."

Varthis stepped forward, hovering towards the human. "My skills at your command, my lady. From now forward."

Karil simply bowed. Of the four, he was the strongest, or so he looked. A shadowy being but with strong muscles, and chains that rattled as he moved. However, he simply bowed at the female human.

"He cannot speak. But a better guardian you will not find," the female shadow spoke again.

"Fayel is my name. And shall you need me, all you have to do is summon me. Or any of us. Your purpose will be revealed. When you are ready, human. Your soul does not belong to the Goddess. Not yet."


"Your Dark Elf guardian already knows of us. He knows and has sworn to protect you, child of darkness. Because your destiny is not complete. You must be reborn. Cleansed. Through your magic we will exist. And this is your gift. To be one with the shadows."


And with that, the dream was over and Melinda was back to reality. But in her hand, there was a gem, dark as the night. Looking to her side, Kiltain seemed asleep, tired as he was. She did not wish to wake him up. He deserved his sleep. She remembered him now. When he first approached her, offering his guidance. How he had been guiding and teaching her all through her journey. But that was all she could remember, only him. Nothing else could be seen in the fog of her memories.

She simply sat on the bed and grasped the dark gem. Her destiny, she had said.

To be one with the shadows.

[Kuros]

((interesting, I will be monitoring this one for a bit. ))

[Aludian]

((do not feel bad, I was the same way when I wrote my story. This looks wonderfully written. I hope to read more!))

[ValerieRose]

The woman sat on a rock at Alligator's island, watching the beautiful scenery surrounded by the same giant crocodiles that once were. She couldn't remember any of it, but being there gave her a sense of deja-vu. The fog was still there in her mind, and as she looked at the creatures, she glanced to her side.

"Varthis," she asked the shadow. "Was it always like this? Even when the Goddess was not unsealed and planning the destruction of our world?"

The slim male shadow nodded as he hovered next to her. "Yes, my lady. A beautiful island filled with these creatures, it has always been like these. Back in the days you would study your dark magics on them. The ones you already command."

"Is that why you brought me here?", she asked him with curious eyes.

"Yes, and no. The world has changeed. Nothing is like it used to be and neither it will be. You were cleansed of your memories so you would start anew"

"But Kiltain. He remembers," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

"Yes, he does. But he has to. You had too much on your soul, and on your shoulders, dear lady. You were judged for what you wanted to accomplish. Yet you believed that the Goddess would come to save you. That she would understand your purposes and your motives. Yet, look around us," the shadow said. "Look what is happening to our world. Soon we will all perish. The Goddess is misguided, my lady. She is blind in her anger. She will not spare her children. She is set to destroy and destroy she will."

Melinda closed her eyes for a moment. "I cannot believe she would turn her back on us. Would she?"

"We do not know," the shadow told her, placing a dark hand on the human mage's shoulder. "You studied your whole life, learning the death magic that you wield in order to banish those that would betray the will of the Goddess. You've worked your way in your magic to undo what had been done. To banish the undead and bring them back into the mother's embrace. Yet, you were met with disdain. It was hard to be believed. Trust does not come easily, my dear lady."

Melinda closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "And now what? She is out somewhere? Will she destroy me? Will she destroy Kiltain? What about the others? Did I know others? Did I have friends? Should I be worried about them?"

"It does not matter, my lady. Not anymore," the shadow told her with a smile. "Just learn your new life. We will guide you. All your past does not matter. All that matters is the future."