Fan Fiction ❯ the last immortal ❯ Chapter 2 The Shadow ( Chapter 2 )

Shadow

 

The Darkness continued to consume the city, the immortal had once again been defeated and now there was nothing anybody could do to save the once thriving city. At the heart of the Darkness was Shadow. Even though he had easily defeated the immortal he was still tired, the darkness feeding of his soul. The darkness gave him immense power but in return it used Shadows soul as an energy source. Shadow moving in and out of consciousness saw a bright light burrowing through the darkness towards him and the immortal. He had no time to react and even if he did there would be nothing he could of done, the phoenix flew by at lightning speed and collected the immortal who still lie unconscious with the phoenix blade tight in his hand. As the phoenix past Shadow he felt a sudden rush of heat as if he was being burned alive and then as quickly as it had come, it disappeared and the heat left Shadow, but the pain remained. He could no longer hold out as he slipped into unconsciousness he felt the darkness posses his body and close around his soul. He too like the immortal was plagued by memories of his past.

 

He awoke in a hollow tree trunk, a sword in his hand lying next to him was another young man no older than 15, he too had a sword in his hand. He admired the sword, as it seemed to pulsate in rhythm with the other the other person's breath. He reached over to the sword; he only wanted to hold it, to feel the pulsating warmth that seemed to emanate from it. But as he reached towards it the gentle warmth turned into an intense heat. He jumped back as the blade suddenly burst into flames. A giant bird of fire emerged from the blaze and the tree that both men where in turned to ashes and disappeared from around them. An intense feeling that he was being burnt alive came over him as he screamed in pain the other young man woke up but before he said a word the bird of fire scooped him up onto its back and flew away. Leaving a trail of fire as it flew. Away. The young man lay on the floor screaming in pain; even though the bird was gone the feeling of fire surrounded him. He dropped his sword onto the floor as he could no longer control himself, but as it landed on the floor darkness spread out from the blade. This darkness soon engulfed him and the feeling was pain was gone as if it where never there.

 

He embraced the sword taking it by the hilt and holding it as if it where his life-line treating it as if it where fragile and easy to break, he walked through the woods engulfed in darkness but as he walked everything around him seemed to die, melting away as if it where being destroyed by an evil presence and yet the darkness seemed to will him on, as if it knew where it was going. He continued to walk for days not needing need food, water or rest. The darkness that surrounded him gave him strength and energy. After three days walking though the woods he came upon a town that was built inside the deep forest.

 

He figured by the hostile greeting that he got that he was not welcome here and that this place was here to be hidden from the world. Several men emerged from the huts built into trees with spears and staffs made from small wooden poles that had been hand crafted with small stones that had been sharpened into a point mounted on either end. They obviously didn't want to talk nor let the young man escape, they charged at the young man with battle cries that would have plunged fear into the hearts of even the bravest men. The young man cowered in fear off these attacking men but instead of feeling their weapons against his skin, he heard screams of pain. He looked up and saw the attacking men had been stopped just a few feet away from him. They had been engulfed in the same darkness that he had, but instead of healing and soothing them it was crushing them. He felt a rush of sickness and guilt as he watched the men, who where now lying on the floor in pain him front of him. He walked towards them to try and help them but instead of helping them as he reached out for them, there bodies turned stiff, he stopped and dropped to he knees as he saw them shatter in front of his eyes. It was roughly midday as he stared at the remains of the people he had just killed. The darkness withdrew from around him and receded back into his sword.

 

An old man approached him, kneeled in front of him stared into his eyes. His eyes where a mixture of blue and black intertwining into the centre of his pupils. The old man stood up and looked down towards the feet of the young man; unlike everything else he did not cast a shadow. The old man offered the young man a hand and helped him to his feet. Without a word from anybody the old man led the young man into a hut near the centre of the village, this hut was larger than all of the other huts in the village. The old man offered the young man a seat in which he sat. The old man walked over to a bookshelf loaded to bursting point with books and scrolls and took out what seemed to be a very old scroll and laid it on a table in the centre of the hut.

 

An awkward silence filled the hut as the old man searched the scroll information. A concerned look lit up the old mans face, followed by a sheepish grin. He looked up at the young man “Do you have a name?” the old man asked gently. The young man just shook his head and stared at the floor. The old man continued to look at the young man that sat in front of him “Do you know what you are, or how you did those things back there”. A tear dropped from the young mans eyes, his face being covered with his hair “I didn't mean to, I c-couldn't control it” he sobbed firmly believing he was responsible. The old man looked at him and stood up “Do you wish to know who you are, what you are and how to control your unique gift?” The young man nodded his head quickly still staring at the floor, wiping tears away from his eyes. “You are a Shadow, that is your name. You are a product of an immortal. When an immortal has lost something so precious that it plunges him into darkness, he loses part of himself, as his soul rejects the darkness. The darkness that was rejected often changes into the form of what the immortal has lost. What happened before was not your fault it was the power of the immortal shadow protecting you, as long as the immortal lives it will protect you, but I can help you learn to control it.”

 

Shadow looked at the old man “How, I saw my village be destroyed, I heard my friend, my mentor be killed, the other he stole the sword I was given”. The old man looked at him with a sympathy “I'm afraid that what you remember are not your memories, they where transferred to you when you where created, you are a shadow of the immortal, that is why neither you nor the immortal will cast a shadow until one of you is killed”. This was all too much to take in, shadow looked at the ground shaking his head uncontrollably. The old man comforted the young shadow. It was getting late, the night had set in and only dim lights of small candles could be seen outside, the old man offered Shadow a bed. Shadow lay down in bed trying to understand what had transpired that day. As he closed his eyes he heard a voice that he had never heard before and yet it was soothing “ What the old man said is true, however you are more than a shadow, you must learn to control these abilities, how to use your sword, defend these people, these people live among them and you will learn that you can be more than a shadow, you can be a human, you can be untouchable”

 

With this voice speaking to him, he finally believed the old man and decided to stay in this village and learn how to control these abilities so he could help people and be forgiven for what he had done.

 

Shadow awoke he lay in the middle of a forest; above him the night sky hid nothing the moon shone brightly and the stars hung in the sky. The darkness had once again receded into the blade of shadows, He knew it would not be long before the darkness returned, he sat against a tree staring into the sky he drifted into a peaceful sleep letting the peaceful darkness of the night embrace him, it would not be long before the darkness of the shadow returned and once again took him in search of the immortal.