Chapter 12 His Shadow

Iris thought for sure she and Edward were heading in the right direction. Suddenly, the shard began to move. Her senses picked up the vibes of the person carrying it. They were moving fast, too fast to be on foot. Worst of all, the shard was moving away with them. Iris bit her lip.

"Stop!" She ordered quickly, "I think it's that way." She pointed towards her left, opposite to where they had been heading.

"Are you sure?" Edward asked, slowing the car to a stop. "We just drove from there."

When Iris nodded, he sighed and made a U-turn, retracing his steps. Iris sat quietly in her seat, gripping the seatbelt in agitation. The shard was moving further away. She couldn't lose it again. "Step on it!"

Edward looked at her in part surprise and part confusion. Iris realized she was being rude.

"I mean… could you drive a bit faster… please?" she rephrased her words in a polite manner.

"Oh, well you're going to have to wait just a little longer. I'm sure we're almost there."

"No, drive faster," she insisted stubbornly.

Edward sighed and stepped on the accelerator. The houses passed by quicker as the car sped up. The shard changed directions again.

"Turn that way."

"Alrighty, boss." Edward joked as he made another left turn.

Iris sat back in her seat, anxiously watching the roads.

.

When I opened my eyes, I was confronted by several stares at the same time. One of them was Ricky, the other two didn't look familiar to me; although I could tell they were his parents with the red hair and similar features. His father was a tall, boney figure who wore spectacles, just like Ricky. Red hair brushed his forehead only a tad bit.

I tried to sit up from what felt like a bed. My bones were heavier, almost too heavy for me to move. Ricky came closer and sat beside me. I could see the tiredness in his dark eyes.

"Easy there. It's gonna take a while until you're able to move," he told me.

I couldn't feel it but I knew I must've been frowning because Ricky answered my questioning look.

"I… felt…. an electrical disturbance," he said, hinting at his powers. "Found you lying unconscious in the hallway. Your skin was badly burnt all over. It's like someone fried you over there." He paused to take a breath and then said, "If I were you, I'd avoid looking in the mirror for about a month… or two."

I couldn't have looked that bad? The fact that I could do nothing more than maybe blink somewhat scared me. I was paralyzed.

I sighed painfully. It wasn't a physical pain. No, I couldn't feel my body anymore so there was no physical pain at all. The pain I felt was in my chest. A knot so complicated that it was impossible to untie. Ricky could feel it too. I didn't have to tell him who might have done it, it was written all over his face.

"Cheryl… I know. She left without an explanation. I'm guessing you're the last person she met before leaving… and I can see how she bid her goodbye to you…" Ricky trailed off. He shook his head, and after that, it was like he was only talking to himself.

"I just don't get why she would do this… She was perfectly fine, last I saw her."

The last words came out in a deeper voice, like he was trying to keep himself from breaking down. I closed my eyes, hearing the distant words of his parents trying to comfort him. He barely even responded to them and walked out of the room, partly slamming the door behind him.

I heard a woman sob, his mom.

"I knew we didn't deserve a second chance with either of them after what we did," she cried out.

"Don't be like that," said the father in a comforting, yet just as pained voice.

"But… my baby… she was so close to me, in my own house… and I was fast asleep!" she spoke in between tears, gasping for breath.

"She'll come back. I know she will…" after that, it felt like he was talking to me. "I don't know if you're listening to this… but if there's any way you can, bring her back. I don't know how… but you're the only one… who can."

His words faltered at the end. I could hear silent sobs in the distance. My heart twisted and wrenched. It was like watching them mourn for a dead child who came back to life for a moment, only to be taken away again. I could feel heaviness in my chest. It was like I was choking. I breathed out deeply.

A few seconds of silence followed and then I heard the door close.

And I was alone again.

I couldn't tell if it was still night or had I slept through an entire day, diminishing my chances of chasing after Cheryl completely. Listening to her parents, I realized my pain was nothing compared to theirs. No parent should have to go through that. If only I could summon my shadow somehow, I would find her and get some answers.

"You need answers, you say," it was that deep husky voice again. It echoed loudly in my mind.

'Who are you? Are you… in my head?' I thought.

"You needn't worry about my existence. What you should really be asking is what I can do for you." He answered.

I laughed to myself sarcastically. Another one who avoided answering my questions. No more.

'No,' I simply told him. 'Where are you hiding?'

"You don't need to-"

He was just saying that, and I was already in front of him. He blinked at me with his golden demonic eyes, seated comfortably in what looked like a throne made out of black rocks that were spaced out and connected nicely by their own shadows.

It was a strange realm with caves and crevices that extended up into an abyss of darkness. I could feel rock and gravel under my feet. Despite my body being paralyzed, here I was standing once again in a world different from mine. Meekly shadows cowered at my arrival.

"He's here! He's here!" I could hear them whisper in panic.

The demon smirked at me. His body was made of shadows entirely, buffed up to match his deep voice. He had claws for hands that rested on the arms of the oddly shaped, rocky chair. There were shadows of branches sticking out of his back that looked like a skeleton of wings.

One thing that struck out most was the crown of black flame atop his bald head. An ominous aura radiated from it. I smirked back.

"So this is where you've been hiding," I said, stretching my hand to my side. My scythe obediently materialized into my hand.

"Hmp! I underestimated you." He spoke, "It seems you have no trouble walking in and out of the realm of shadows. You've grown quite a lot since our last meeting."

I raised an eyebrow.

"Our.. last meeting?" I repeated the words questioningly.

"You were just a weak little runt back then," he laughed so loud the entire cave shook. Debris fell from the sky.

I glared at him, scythe gripped tighter in my hand.

"But you're still too weak. You may be able to walk these realms but you hold no power in the human world. Your body has broken beyond repair."

"I assume you know how to fix that?" I asked, taking a step towards him with caution.

The demon flashed a dark smile. Even his teeth were black. The flames around his crown stretched up higher as he eyed me with interest. The air around him became dense and a little suphocating. It was similar to the feeling inside Darkwood forest, except this was ten times worse.

I backed away a few steps, scythe positioned defensively in front of me.

"I am the King of the shadow realm!" He announced with a mighty roar. More debris fell from the sky. The tiny shadows in the corners scurried away quickly. The shadow king leaned forward and whispered.

"I will teach you how to reverse the damage done to your body," he said, "But after that, you will retrieve something for me."

I lowered my scythe, feeling a bit relieved at that.

"What is it you want?" I asked him.

The shadow king crossed his arms across his chest, leaning back against his throne.

"The light. I need a piece of it."

My eyes widened with recognition.

"Those shadows that came after Cheryl… they mentioned the light as well… So that was your doing."

"That traitor dared to ask the shadow king for a favor and refused to pay back!" He slammed his first onto the arm of his rock solid chair. It crumbled to pieces. I watched him awkwardly reposition himself to the non broken side of the chair.

"Fine. It's a deal." I decided out loud, putting my scythe away. A bitter feeling crossed me but I ignored it. "Now tell me how to get myself fixed."

The shadow king jumped out of his seat with eagerness and stretched out his hand.

"Summon your shadow!" He demanded, smiling proudly as if ready to show off.

I didn't have to move an inch. With just a sliver of thought, my shadow extended from underneath my feet and up above ground, into the form of a caped figure. He was as tall as me, with the exact same built as mine. The cape extended till it touched the ground in folds. The ends of the cape were torn and burnt. It was all just a figment of my imagination that I'd conjured up during my training in the past… or so I thought.

"Ah, Sir Damon," the shadow king spoke, addressing my shadow. To my surprise, he responded. He turned towards the king and crouched down in a bow.

"I didn't know you could move on your own," I told him, feeling a sting in my chest. What else was I not aware of?

"Your majesty," Damon spoke.

I looked at him, flabbergasted.

"You can talk…" I wondered out loud.

"One thing you need to realize about your powers is that it is not just a figment of your imagination," said the shadow king. "All shadows you have used so far have been residents of the shadow realm."

I looked at him with disbelief, then glanced at Damon who was still crouched in his bow like a faithful servant.

"So how come you never talked to me?" I sounded genuinely hurt by that.

"Now, you must absorb the power of your shadow. Hold out your scythe."

I did as I was told. I aimed my scythe at Damon. He had his eyes to the floor in respect, treating me as if I was royalty.

"Now. Kill him," the king ordered.

My hands moved and stopped immediately. I just looked at him with surprise. Damon stood still without a word. It seemed he really would have let me kill him if I had swung my blade.

"No," I told the king.

"It is the only way to heal you," he responded with a demonic grin.

"I will not kill him. He's saved my life more than I can count. In fact I'm the one that owes him my life now that I know he's an actual person."

For the first time, Damon looked up at me.

"You may not even survive the next few days in the state your body is in. You. Will. Die," he spoke so grimly it made the hair at the back of my neck stand up.

I let out a laugh.

"I won't die so easily," I said, put my scythe over my shoulder, and turned around to leave.

"Wait!" the king ordered, with a voice that almost made me jump. The ground shook underneath me followed by some more sand and debris over my head. I turned around cautiously.

The king nodded at Damon who nodded back. Then he sprinted towards me, shrinking into a shadow and lunged into my chest. I was pushed back, feeling heavy all of a sudden. I looked up at the king with a frown. Damon disappeared.

"It was a test," he explained. "For Damon to heal your wounds he needed you to have complete faith in him. Otherwise the opposite would happen and you would eventually die."

"I don't understand…"

"You will when you return. It has already begun…"

I felt light headed all of a sudden, as if already drifting away.

"Don't forget your promise…" the shadow king's voice echoed as I faded away.

I opened my eyes, jerking up right all of a sudden with a gasp. It felt like I'd died back there, pulling out of that sinking pit. I breathed hard, looking around the room. I glanced out the window. It was still night. I knew what needed to be done.

My body jerked up straight out of bed, stumbling on the first step. I frowned… though I did not feel myself frown. I began to walk towards the door all of a sudden, although I was still struggling to frown. My facial muscles weren't in my control. I stumbled once more just before reaching the door. My body wasn't mine either.

I could feel the panic rising inside… but it was all a mental feeling. Then it hit me.

'Damon?' I managed to formulate the thought.

I felt my head nod. He walked in front of the cupboard. There was a long mirror on it. I looked at myself for the first time after getting burnt to a crisp.

'I don't look any different from my usual look,' I told him.

Almost immediately an intense, scorching sensation washed over my face. I watched as a layer of skin peeled off, revealing a tattered, red, bumpy texture underneath. It itched and it burned as if the current was still passing through it.

I blinked and the burnt side of my face blinked back at me in the mirror. It hurt all over. I couldn't imagine the pain going through my entire body if it wasn't covered by this fake skin. Damon pulled the skin back onto my face. It felt cool for a second, like a block of ice. After that, all physical sensations were cut off.

'You'll get used to it,' he assured.

I understood why the shadow king had to test me. My life, literally, was now in Damon's hands.

He headed towards the window, sliding it open. With one hand on the window sill, he pulled himself up to take in the full view of the night.