46. In the Absence of Light

Eoghan guided Shanane gently across the room. The fire in the hearth still glowed with faint embers, casting soft shadows that danced across the wooden floor. He gestured toward the couch, and she sat first, folding her legs under herself like she was trying to become smaller than the pain she carried. He joined her, not too close, but near enough for his presence to be a reassurance. .

The silence between them wasn't cold or accusatory. It was cautious, almost sacred, an opening carved from everything that had passed, from the darkness that had taken shape and the horrors they had both seen.

The huntsman leaned forward slightly, elbows resting on his knees, hands clasped. His voice broke the stillness gently.

__Eoghan: "Will you tell me everything? I need to understand what we're dealing with."

His tone was calm, without judgment, but there was a weariness in it too. He had walked through fire for her, both figuratively and, in some ways, literally, and now he waited for the truth that had nearly destroyed them.

She drew a long breath. Her chest rose and fell like the quiet before a storm. She kept her eyes on the flickering light in the hearth.

__Shanane: "That thing....Atheramond... is not just a demon. He is a demon lord, ancient, powerful, feared by beings far older than humans. Grandmother made a pact with him out of desperation long time ago, and he answers to her bloodline. His grip on me is inherited, not conjured by my will."

Her voice didn't waver, but her fingers curled tightly in her lap. The weight of her words filled the room like smoke.

The blonde man shifted slightly, his eyes fixed on her profile. He didn't interrupt. His stillness was his answer, he was listening.

__Shanane: "I searched. I combed through every book I could find in Grandma's collection. I looked into the secret passages, the rituals. I researched online, too: academic archives, folklore communities, even occult forums. But nothing. Not a single record mentions a being like him. And no method, no ritual, no weapon in the books or on the internet offers a way to kill or banish something that transcends death itself."

She paused to breathe, then pressed her palms into her thighs to keep them from trembling.

__Shanane: "I've found circles meant to trap lesser demons. I found prayers to banish spirits. I found ancient seals and alchemical formulas, but none of them match what Atheramond is. He isn't just a demon. He is a sovereign. Nothing can kill him if the legends are true. There may not even be a way to break his hold."

Her throat tightened as she finished speaking. For a long moment, she didn't look at him, afraid of what might be in his eyes. But when he finally moved, it wasn't away from her, it was toward her.

Eoghan straightened, shifted closer, and gently reached for her hands. She let him take them.

__Eoghan: "Then we will face that unreal force. You won't face it alone. I won't let you go into this alone."

His voice was low and steady, his gaze unwavering. She blinked back a sudden rush of tears. Her whole body ached from holding everything in, but now, hearing those words, she felt something inside her loosen. Just a little.

He held her hands a moment longer before letting one go to reach out and tuck a strand of hair behind her ear.

__Eoghan: "We'll find a way. Even if our books offer nothing, ancestors whispered truths in the margins: oral traditions, folklore, old wives' tales. If nothing else, we'll dig deeper. We'll consult anyone who might know."

She turned toward him fully now, watching the play of firelight across his face. There was no trace of fear in his eyes. Just determination.

He brought her hand to his lips and kissed it.

__Eoghan: "I stand by your side. Whatever happens."

The young woman couldn't speak. Instead, she leaned forward and rested her head on his shoulder. His arm came around her instantly, anchoring her there, his breath calm against her hair. And in that quiet moment, with the fire crackling and the shadows held at bay, they sat together, two people facing something unspeakable, choosing to stand anyway. Not because they weren't afraid. But because neither of them would let the other stand alone.

Eoghan held her hand a moment longer before easing back just enough to meet her gaze. The warmth of the fire flickered softly across his face, but something more thoughtful had settled in his eyes, a kind of quiet decision forming beneath the exhaustion.

__Eoghan: "There's… someone..." he began, his voice hesitant. "A man who lives up in the mountains, past the northern ridge. The villagers talk about him sometimes. They say he's touched by something divine."

__Shanane: "Divine?" she lifted her head slightly, surprised.

He nodded slowly.

__Eoghan: "They call him the Seer. I never believed the stories before. I thought it was just the kind of myth that grows in isolated places. But after what we saw...Now I'm not so sure."

She studied him, watching the tension pull at his jaw. He wasn't a man who turned easily to superstition. He didn't chase ghosts. He relied on what could be seen, touched, proven. The fact that he was even considering this meant more than the words alone.

__Eoghan: "He doesn't speak to most people. Some say he hasn't been seen in years. But if there's a chance, if there's even a sliver of hope that he knows something we don't, I have to try."

She straightened a little, heart tightening.

__Eoghan: "You want to go to him?"

__Eoghan: "At first light. I'll leave before dawn. It's a hard climb, but I'll be back before nightfall. I promise."

She felt the sting of fear in her chest again, the way it curled through her ribs like smoke. But she didn't argue. He was right, if there was someone who might hold an answer, they couldn't afford to ignore it.

__Shanane: "Okay. just… be careful, please."

He leaned forward and cupped her face gently, brushing his thumb along the edge of her jaw.

__Eoghan: "I will. I promise."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch.

__Shanane: "Thank you for not giving up on me. For… coming back."

He didn't reply with words. He just leaned in and kissed her. It was soft and unrushed. His lips were warm and steady. It wasn't a kiss born from passion or desperation. It was a promise, an anchor, a silent vow that whatever came next, they would face it together.

When they pulled apart, he rested his forehead against hers.

__Eoghan: "Get some rest. We'll need our strength."

And for the first time in days, despite the storm that still loomed ahead, Shanane felt the faintest flicker of peace. Not because the danger had passed. But because she wasn't alone in it anymore.

________________________________________

∆ ☆⁠ ATHERAMOND ☆ ∆

________________________________________

The night wrapped the cottage in velvet blackness, broken only by the low glow of the embers in the hearth. Shanane lay beneath the thin blanket Eoghan had given her, but sleep teased her with whispers of dread.

Exhaustion finally pulled her under, and her consciousness tumbled into a landscape she both recognized and feared.

She stood alone in a world drained of color, a cold gray that bled into the infinite sky. There was no warmth, no life. Just an expanse of frozen earth that stretched beyond vision, and an unheard breeze that felt heavy with malice.

A single voice sliced through the emptiness.

???: "Shanane?"

It was her friend, named Ren. They weren't close but they were good friends.

Ren was standing some distance away, crying out Shanane's name with unspeakable fear in her eyes. Her face was pale and gaunt, her clothes torn and stained. She stumbled toward Shanane with her arms outstretched, as though she begged for help.

Shanane rushed forward, but the ground crumbled beneath her feet. Each step sent her slipping further away, her legs betraying her. She dropped to her knees and pleaded, voice trembling:

__Shanane: "Ren! Please, reach me!"

Ren stopped, writhing with pain, clutching her ribs where thick blood seeped through shredded cloth. Her eyes were wild, panicked, an unrecognizable blend of suffering and despair.

Suddenly, shapes emerged from the darkness, twisted forms that loomed like nightmares sprung from living flesh. They slithered through the fog, silent and terrible, their limbs too long, their faces hidden behind fur so black it drank in what little light there was. Their eyes glowed crimson, hungry and unblinking.

Ren backed away. She screamed, a sound that shattered the dream's fragile edge.

"Go away!" She cried, stumbling, falling to his knees.

Shanane tried to approach her friend. She crawled forward, her heart pounding in her ears, voice thick with urgency and terror:

__Shanane: "I'm here, I'm coming!"

But the creatures closed in. They moved without sound, dancing around Ren in slow, deliberate circles.

One lunged, snapping sharply at Ren's shoulder. Another bit into her thigh. She cried out again, this time with a wail of bone-shaking agony.

Shanane screamed into the void foolishly, flailing, reaching for her friend but the ground shifted and dropped, and she fell backward, sliding away helplessly. Each time she caught a glimpse of Ren, a creature tore another piece of her away.

__Shanane: "You'll be okay! You'll be okay!"

Her words echoed empty, swallowed by the silence. The creatures continued their feast as though it was the most natural thing in the world, a brutal cleansing, a heartless hunger.

She watched, unable to move, unable to blink, the creatures tearing at her friend relentlessly.

Blood soaked the earth, and Ren's body jerked with each bite. Her eyes met Shanane's one final time, wide and pleading. A single word echoed from his lips as he crumpled:

__Ren: "Help…"

Her voice cracked and died, and cut from her helplessness, Shanane screamed until her throat burned. Then the scream reversed inside her, sucking away her breath.

Everything went black.

When she gasped back into life, she was on her side, clutching the sheets, soaked with sweat. The room felt close, stifling. Her heart thundered like wings trapped in her chest. She reached out, but the bed was empty. She sat up, trembling, tears blurring the haze of the room.

Her breath came in ragged sobs. She fought for control, pressed her palms to her eyes until the warmth made her blink away the darkness.

The echo of Ren's final plea haunted her bones. The taste of her blood, of his terror, lingered behind Shanane's teeth.

Her knees hit the floor as she leaned forward, unable to stop the torrent of fear and shame pouring through her. The dream, the real, the impossible; they blurred together.

She leaned into the quiet of the cottage, shivering. The blanket lay untouched, her uniform untouched. All that remained was the lingering scent of smoke and her friend's voice.

She pressed her cheek to the cool floor. Her tears stained the wood. Her mind echoed with the image of him falling apart. Her muscles trembled. She wrapped her arms around herself.

The dream, no. The vision had been too vivid. She hadn't just imagined it.

Her heart pounded harder with every second. She couldn't sit with it. She couldn't breathe. She slid out from under the blanket and crept down the narrow hall, feet bare against the cool floor, until she reached the couch where Eoghan slept, one arm curled over his eyes, the fire casting dim gold across his cheek.

__Shanane: "Eoghan..."

Her voice trembled. He stirred but didn't wake.

__Shanane: "Please..." she whispered again, barely holding back the sob.

He blinked awake at last, groggy and confused. Then he saw her standing above him, shaking.

__Eoghan: "Shanane?"

His voice thickened with concern. He sat up immediately.

__Eoghan: "What happened? Are you hurt?"

She knelt down beside him, gripping the edge of the blanket.

__Shanane: "I had a dream. No, it wasn't just a dream. I saw her. One of my friends."

__Eoghan: "Who?"

__Shanane: "Her name's Ren. We've been friends since college. She...she was being hunted by the same creatures. The ones that ate my grandmother."

His face stiffened.

__Shanane: "They tore her apart. I couldn't move. I couldn't help. I just had to watch."

She looked up at him, eyes wide and red-rimmed, panic pouring from her voice.

__Shanane: "Eoghan, he's doing it. Atheramond is keeping his word. He said he'd destroy the people I love if I didn't submit. And now he's started."

The huntsman's jaw tightened, but he didn't pull away. He reached for her hand.

__Eoghan: "It was just a nightmare, Shanane. That's all. Our minds aren't meant to carry that kind of terror and walk away unscarred. You've been through too much. We both have."

__Shanane: "But it felt real. So real."

Her voice broke.

__Shanane: "I heard her scream, Eoghan. I watched her die."

He swallowed hard, shifting on the couch so there was space for her beside him.

__Eoghan: "Come here."

She hesitated, then sank into the space he made for her. He pulled the blanket over them both, then wrapped his arms tightly around her.

__Eoghan: "I won't let him hurt you. Or anyone you care about."

Her cheek pressed against his chest. His heartbeat thudded beneath her ear, steady and grounding. Her breath slowly started to match his.

__Shanane: "I'm scared, Eoghan."

__Eoghan: "I know. But you're not alone."

His hand smoothed down her back, slow and warm. He held her like something precious, not fragile.

__Eoghan: "Sleep, Shanane. I got you. And tomorrow, we'll take the next step."

As she curled closer to him, some of the tension bled from her spine. The nightmare lingered but it no longer owned the room. Not with his arms around her. Not tonight.