The Darkness Within

A merrily lit fire cast shadows over the walls of the otherwise pitch black cave. In one corner, Yin Xue slept on her side, curled up into herself. 

Bai Rong watched her silently from the other side of the cave, but slowly, she began to notice something off about Yin Xue. Despite the light provided by the fire, that corner Yin Xue was sleeping in grew darker instead of brighter, and a noticeable group of shadows swirled around her, almost blocking her from view.

Bai Rong quickly dashed to her side, breaking through the shadows and shaking Yin Xue awake. When Yin Xue's eyes flew open, they were darker than usual, but returned to normal in a second. "Master, what's wrong?" she asked groggily.

Bai Rong merely reached for the pendant around Yin Xue's neck. Yun had never said what it was for when he passed it to her, but she had noticed the shadows didn't invade Yin Xue when she was in close vicinity with it; they only wrapped around her, as if trying to break through a barrier to get to her. So that pendant became the most important thing in Yin Xue's possession.

"Yin Xue," said Bai Rong. "You need to control your shadow element, the pendant can't hold it off forever."

Even as Bai Rong said that, she knew it was a lie. Yin Xue hadn't done an aptitude test nor started cultivating, so it was technically impossible for her to awaken any elements yet. This shadow... it was something else. Something much, much sinister. And if it was what Bai Rong thought it was, then fate was a truly scary thing.

Yin Xue consciously touched the pendant and grimaced. "I can't, it won't listen to me. It hurts when it touches me during my sleep, like it wants to break me down."

"You can't or you won't?"

Yin Xue did not answer.

Bai Rong sighed disappointedly. "You're scared of it, aren't you?"

Yin Xue's eyes flickered, proving her guess correct. 

"There will come a day when you have to overcome those fears because they will become your disadvantage. You wouldn't want that right?"

Determination replaced the fear in Yin Xue's eyes, and her serious face was completely lacking her usual smile. "I understand, Master. I will try to control it."

Bai Rong nodded with satisfaction. "Remember, a small weakness is enough to turn you from hunter to prey in this merciless world."

Unbeknownst to Bai Rong, when Yin Xue laid back to sleep again, her nails dug moon shaped crescents into her palms. Only Yin Xue herself knew what she was thinking of that night, but it was too late to turn back. All signs pointed forwards, towards the unknown future...

***

There was a wave of darkness coming for her, hungry and eager. Instinctively, she squeezed her eyes shut and awaited the blow, but it didn't come.

She opened her eyes only to find a spherical shield shining with golden light surrounding her and protecting her from the dark.

Yet, as she looked out from the inside, safe and sound, a part of her still felt a sense of familiarity with those shadows. 

They both had to hide their true selves almost all the time, unable to be free until the night came where no one was watching. They both didn't know where they came from, only knowing that they existed. But for what reason? They didn't know either. 

It was this relatability that made her long to reach out and invite the shadows to come to her, so that they didn't feel too alone in this world. 

She stretched out a hand, and she could have sworn the shadow did, too. Shadow and light never got along, though. They were still separated by that unyielding barrier between them.

But that light was enough to draw the shadows back, making them turn aggressive again, trying to break it down with force to get to her. She watched as that golden barrier fracture and then shatter.

Then there was nothing but darkness. Darkness that swallowed her whole and burned the very essence of them into her soul, merging them as one. A pair of red eyes shone in the dark but one blink and they were gone.

She didn't know that darkness had wanted to control her, and now it was too late. She was already a part of it, from now to all eternity and everything in between.

***

Yin Xue jolted awake, cold sweat drenching her back and her heart thudding rapidly. She touched the pendant that draped over the hollow of her throat, hoping for some reassurance. It warmed her as usual, but not by much.

The fire she had built from the night before was nothing more than a pile of smoke and ash now. Bai Rong was still sleeping. Strands of sunlight peeked through the grey sky. Dawn was coming. Yin Xue got up and silently walked out of the cave to watch the sunrise.

Light: the counterpart of shadow,  something that was destined to never be hers for the rest of this life, sadly. But she still liked the warmth it provided compared to the cold shadows.

"It's just a dream, it isn't real. Just a dream..." Yin Xue whispered. But that didn't stop it from feeling any less real.