//Over 2 millennia ago…//
The little girl walked beside her father as they returned from a bountiful hunt. He and other fellow hunters were carrying a freshly killed boar back to the village. The daughter herself was carrying the carrion of a rabbit; her first unassisted kill. The father looked down at his daughter. She was a natural hunter, and he could see her surpassing himself as the tribe's lead hunter one day. Young as she still was, she was rapidly learning how to provide for herself and her loved ones. The father could not have felt any more proud of her. They returned to their village, where the little girl's mother and twin sister were waiting for them, at a modest hut in the middle of the settlement. During the night, they feasted joyfully, made offerings to the gods; giving thanks for the animals providing their sustenance and prayed for more bounty to come.
The little girl was sleeping beside her sister when they were suddenly woken up by their parents. They became aware of loud noises coming from outside their hut. They were the sounds of screams, weapons clashing, and buildings burning…
The girls quickly became frightened as the father urged his wife and children to leave with him as he grabbed his hunting spear. When they got outside, they saw hell on earth. Unknown soldiers were going around killing villagers, setting fire to the homes, and taking children as prisoners. The family ran through the blazing settlement, desperate to find a way to safety. It wasn't long until soldiers cornered them. The father defends his family as best they could. He tells his family to run as he is overwhelmed by the growing force. The mother runs with the twins by her side, only to encounter another group of invaders. The sisters were grabbed and held prisoner as the mother was swarmed and killed by a sword through the heart. The girls struggled as they were taken away, and they looked back to see their father on his knees, clutching his side that was bleeding profusely. The girls watched in horror as their father gave them one last look before he was beheaded by an enemy chieftain; their screams reflecting the sorrow and anguish of seeing their beloved father so brutally murdered.
The girls were put into a caged-wagon and transported away to be branded as slaves, still traumatized by their parents' deaths and the destruction of their home. The girl managed to free herself from her bonds, cutting her rope-ties against an exposed nail in the wooden cage and freed her twin sister. They broke the cage open and ran through an open field towards a forest, soldiers after them.
Everything after that became a flash forward…
The dire wolf
The crimson spear
Starvation, Thirst
Hordes of undead
The Red Grove, the giant monster, the plummet from its jaws and her sister's screams-
"AIFE!"
Scathach's woke and sat up instantly. She was panting as her heart was thundering against her chest. As she tried to calm down, she was greeted by a familiar face, who was kneeling right beside her.
"Sister! You're finally awake!"
Scathach looks to her left and finds Aife looking down at her.
"Aife!" Scathach said, her mind still reeling from the nightmare. "What happened? How did-?!"
"Shhh, relax," Aife stopped her, trying to calm her sister. "One thing at a time…"
Scathach struggled to obey her sister as memories of recent events came flooding to the forefront of her mind.
"That monster! Aife, where did it go?!"
Aife put her hands on Scathach's shoulders in an attempt to calm her.
"It's dead now, so don't worry about it. You've been unconscious for two days, so there's a lot of stuff you've missed."
"B-B-But… how did we survive?" Scathach asked, growing more lost and confused. "The last thing I remember was us falling down-"
"Shhh, let me explain," Aife insisted. "Something saved us. It killed the beast and brought us here."
Scathach stared at her sister, and not much of what she said made sense to her. She looked around and became more aware of her surroundings. Scathach quickly noticed that they were in a hut and not that haunted forest. Their spears were resting against a wall nearby.
"Where is here?"
"Well, as crazy as this sounds… we are in a village that lies in the very heart of this forest. There are lots of people here." Those words rang in Scathach's ears like it was the most hopeful thing she has heard in days. After trekking through that hellish forest, the sisters have found sanctuary.
They've made it...
"A village? People? We should go meet with them-!"
She tries to get up in her excitement, but Aife stops her.
"Hold on Scathach, there is something you should know first…"
"What is it?" Scathach looks at her sister, her newfound optimism starting to drain.
"I don't know how to explain this, but while you were unconscious, you've… changed."
The look on her sister's face made Scathach deeply concerned. She looks at Aife confused and in suspense of what she implied.
"What are you talking about? Tell me Aife…"
"I… think it would better if I showed you. Here," Aife grabbed a nearby pail of water and carefully gave it to her confused sister. "This might come as a shock…"
Scathach took it and looked inside, not having a clue about what Aife wanted to show her. The water surface shone clear like a mirror as she looked at her reflection, thinking there was something wrong with her face. At first glance, everything appeared normal. Her hair, skin, nose, lips; nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
Except…
"My eyes…"
Scathach's voice quivered as she stood stunned by her own reflection looking back at her, and not with her usual hazel-colored eyes. There they were; standing out against her young, flawless face was a pair of blood-red eyes, so menacing, so unnatural. She stares at her reflection with growing terror, with her hands shaking.
"Wha- how?!"
"Scathach, you need calm down," Aife quickly puts her hands on her sister's shoulders, only for Scathach to suddenly jump to her feet and dart for the exit. Aife turns and yells at her sister's retreating form. "Scathach wait!"
Her sister's words were lost as Scathach ran out the door. She emerges on to a village road, but then was suddenly overwhelmed as a multitude of loud noises filled her ears. Footsteps, livestock, weaving, arguing, wagons; she heard it all, and it was all so loud that it became painful. She clutched her head in agony and shut her eyes, walking blindly until she bumped into a tunic-wearing man, nearly knocking him over. The imposing man walked up to Scathach and chastised her.
"Watch where yer goin' stupid brat!"
Scathach turned to face him and looked at the intimidating man towering over her, and was stunned. He looked to be in a foul mood, and judging from the stains on his clothing, he might have been drinking.
"I'm sorry! I didn't see where-!"
She tried to apologize, but the man didn't listen. Scathach grew scared as the man came closer, now looking enraged.
"Yer the sorriest thing I ever saw! Someone ought to teach you how to behave lass!" He suddenly grabbed Scathach's arm and forced her closer to him. As their commotion drew attention from nearby villagers, Scathach tried to wrestle free from the drunkard's grip, smelling the alcohol in his rotten breath as he spoke down to her. "Yer not the first kid I had to beat some sense into!"
His grip was becoming painful as Scathach tried harder to escape the man's grasp. A crowd gathered around them, and Scathach's eyes began to glow, followed by circuit patterns appearing on her arm. Everyone stood stunned, including Aife who had just followed her sister outside.
"Let go of me!"
With a tug, Scathach throws the man off his feet in an incredible display of strength and everyone watched as Scathach's body suddenly took the form of shadowy smoke. Aife covers her mouth in shock as Scathach looked around frantically at the crowd, her vision making everything appear dark save for the glowing white hearts of the people surrounding her. Scathach then looked down at herself and saw her body was nothing but mist in humanoid form. She grew frightened as she noticed the people backing away from her out of fear. Some of the men however started jeering loudly at her.
"Witch!"
"Monster!"
"Demon!"
They then started throwing stones at her, prompting Scathach to shield herself on instinct. She expected pain, but none came as the stones seem to pass through her misty body harmlessly. She still felt heartache from seeing the looks of terror on people's faces from gazing upon her, and Scathach wished for the men to stop. She too was scared and didn't want to hurt anyone-
"STOP!" Aife's yell cut through the jeers of the men as she pushed through the crowd and ran towards her sister. She stood in front of Scathach's dark phantasmal form, making the men cease their pelting. "THAT'S MY SISTER!"
Aife yelled at everyone present, stunning them into silence. Scathach looked up to see her sister defending her. She reached out to touch her sister's hand, only for her shadowy fingers to pass completely through Aife's. Her sister gasps and jerks her hand back, holding it as if she had been burned. Aife turns and looks down at Scathach's dark form. Scathach could see how frightened she was, and seeing her sister looking at her like that broke her heart.
"Aife…"
Scathach's distorted voice did nothing to hide her sorrow. She fell to her knees and started crying. Aife watched in disbelief as the mist surrounding her sister's form faded and she returned to normal. Aife knelt down and lifted Scathach's face to meet hers. She saw her sister's tear stained face and piercing red eyes look back at her with fear and despair, searching desperately for an answer for what she said next.
"What is happening to me?"
---
The sisters secluded themselves in the hut as night fell in the village. Scathach was staying inside, bundled in a fur pelt. She even wore a hood so no one would recognize her, certain that her earlier display made everyone in the village wary of her. Aife was tending a fire outside, and looked back over her shoulder towards her sister. Through an opening, she could see Scathach just staring into open space, clearly troubled. She hardly even said a word since what happened earlier and everyone seeing what became of her. Aife couldn't imagine what her sister was going through, so she decided to leave the fire for a moment and check up on her sister. Aife walked inside and looked down at her sister, who didn't even lift her head to look back.
"Someone is coming back with food," Aife said to her, keeping her voice low. "You haven't met them yet, but they're the ones letting us stay here. They are good people Scathach, you'll like them…"
Scathach did not respond. If anything, she just bundled herself up more and tightened her hold on the pelt. Aife tries her hardest to stay patient, not wanting to agitate her sister.
"I know you're afraid sister, but you can talk to me. I am here for you-"
"I can hear your heart beating," Scathach cuts her off, stunning Aife into silence. The tone of her voice was one of seriousness mixed with fear. "I heard the heartbeats of everyone who walked past this place. Yours elevated as soon as you walked in here…"
Aife said nothing as Scathach at last faced her; her resolve quivering beneath the gaze of her sister's blood-red eyes as she continued.
"And it happened again just now. You're afraid of me…"
"I am not-" Aife denies until she gets cut off again.
"DON'T lie to me Aife," Scathach raised her voice at her sister and was on the verge of tears. "I know you think of me as a demon..."
"Scathach, listen to yourself," Aife tries reasoning with her as she curled up more. Aife kneels down and tries to grasp Scathach's in assurance "Look at me. You are not a demon, you're MY sister. We still have our-," Aife stopped mid-sentence when Scathach showed her the palm of her hand. Aife could see the spot where she made a blood pact with her sister was totally bare.
"What? Where-?" Aife was left astonished as Scathach explained:
"My wounds have disappeared. Even this one…"
She pulled away some of the fur pelt and lifted the side of her top. Aife noticed the burn marks from when she had to cauterize Scathach's injury were also gone.
"Aife…" Scathach's voice was shaking. "I'm scared. I don't know what happened to me or what I've become. I've hurt that man, scared the villagers, but worst of all… I've made you an outcast!" She starts to cry and casts her head down. "I am not your sister anymore! I'm a monster!"
"Scathach stop," Aife increases her hold on her sister. Scathach lifts her head to look at her sister right in the eyes. "I don't care what everyone else thinks, but no matter what happens, I'm not leaving you. I've promised you we'll forever be sisters. We can figure this out together. We still have each other, and that's all we need."
Aife's words were encouraging to her sister even if she didn't have a plan. Scathach leans herself against Aife who instinctively hugs her, letting her cry in her sister's arms. She really didn't know what she would do without her sister, as they were each other's emotional anchor. They stayed like this for a while until Scathach raises her head up in alarm and whispered:
"Someone's coming…"
"Relax, it's likely our host," Aife assures her as they turned to see a red-haired woman and a young boy walk inside. The lady was holding a basket of potatoes while the boy carried a sack of vegetables. The woman addresses the two sisters kindly:
"I see that the young lass is finally awake. And thank you Aife for starting the fire…"
"Scathach, this is Fimir," Aife introduced her sister to the woman. "She is letting us stay here."
"Nice to meet you," Scathach greeted. "My apologies for inconveniencing you with my-"
"Nonsense!" Fimir insisted. "Me and m'boy were happy to help. You were in pretty rough shape when your sister brought you here. You are now a guest."
Scathach looked at the boy, who seemed to be acting shy and keeping his distance from the sisters.
"Oh, this is m'son, Kihli." Fimir gestures to the boy as they set the food down. "Aren't you going to greet our new guest lad?"
Kihli lets out a shy, awkward wave at Scathach before turning away to help his mother. She couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for his lack of response.
"I'm not scaring him am I?" Scathach asks Fimir.
"Not at all lass," the red haired woman answers. "He's been pretty quiet since we left our last village weeks ago; he is still pretty shaken."
"What happened?"
"They were driven from their home by the same barbarians who attacked us," Aife explained. Scathach's eyes widened at that revelation as Fimir continued.
"We can talk more about this after we get some food in you. I bet you're starving…"
Later on, the group went outside by the fire and helped themselves to stew prepared by Fimir. Scathach sat close to Aife while Fimir sat across from them with her son. Everyone was almost finished with their bowls, but Scathach had barely taken a few spoonfuls from her own. Her eyes wandered to a passing family; two kids staring at her while the mother quickly led them away, shooting Scathach a brief, fearful glance.
"Do you not like it lass?" Fimir asked in concern. Scathach turns to her attentively.
"No, it's delicious," She assures the woman as her gaze then drops down to the warm bowl in her hands. "It's just… I don't feel very hungry."
"That's odd. I would think after being out for 2 days would leave you famished. Even more so considering how you and Aife here survived in that forest."
"You know about this place?" Scathach asked. She and Aife listened carefully as Fimir answers.
"Aye. We came here as a group of fifty then found more survivors from other villages. The stragglers were picked off, one after another by those monsters. No one ever set foot into this cursed forest until those bastards drove us here."
"You've mentioned those barbarians chased you. They burned your village too?"
"Yes. They even killed m' husband and m' older son," Fimir said regretfully. "I'm pretty sure everyone here came from other settlements that they have attacked."
"Those animals…" Aife said angrily. "I can't believe all these people are refugees from the towns they've raided and destroyed…"
Scathach was astonished, her heartfelt sorrow for these people and anger towards the barbarians too great to be put into words. She wanted nothing more than make them pay for what they did to them and the villagers, but what could she do? She and Aife were only two people that paled in comparison to an army of those invaders.
Collecting herself, Scathach questions Fimir once again.
"What happened after?"
"After we fled into the forest, we wandered about until he found us…" Fimir stressed that last part, piquing Scathach's curiosity.
"Who?"
"The Shadow," Kihli spoke up at last, much to Scathach's surprise.
"He was the one who dropped you two here," Fimir explained. "The villagers here avoid him."
"Why?" Aife asked. "Who exactly is he?"
"Some folks here say he is a demi-god, who spends his nights hunting monsters that spawn in the forest. He is rarely seen, but occasionally passes by the village, looking around and not saying a word to anybody. An inspection of sorts…"
Scathach was intrigued. She distinctly remembered the wraith flying after her during their close encounter with that gargantuan creature. Was this "Shadow" the thing that saved them from that monster? Scathach kept those thoughts in the back of her mind as Fimir continued.
"When he led us here, all he said was we could stay as long as we don't bother him. He lives in a stone fortress on top a peak north of the settlement. The villagers are rightfully wary of him because they know what he could do should he judge us in a bad light. From what I heard coming back earlier lass, you've experienced that paranoia first hand."
"Are you referring to me when I-?" Scathach started to ask when Fimir affirmed for her.
"Aye. News travels fast in this nameless town. You've roughed up that drunkard and turned to shadow in front of everybody. How did you do that?"
Scathach sees Aife turn to look at her in concern, wanting to know that too. Scathach thought about it before answering as best she could.
"I have no idea. After I woke up and ran out, it just sort of… happened." She then casts her gaze down regretfully. "I didn't mean to hurt that man… or more so scare everyone else…"
"It's not something you had control over," Aife said in attempt in comfort her, but Scathach didn't react or acknowledge it. As far as she was concerned, this condition she had could hurt those around her and she didn't want it.
-Maybe I am a demon… Not even Aife looks at me the same way anymore. I need to find out what this curse is… get RID of it…-
"Your sister is right… don't be too hard on yourself lass," Fimir offered but Scathach hardly listened, still lost in her thoughts. "The villagers are just used to seeing that from our host. It seemed unthinkable that a child-"
"Wait." Scathach's head snapped up in attention and interrupts her. Aife looks on as Scathach questions Fimir with renewed focus. "What do you mean from your host? What is he capable of?"
"Oh, he can turn himself into a wraith like you. Why do you think we call him "The Shadow"? His powers not far off from your own, which is how he guided us out of that forest."
So it's common knowledge that this Shadow has a wraith form like hers, and he indeed was the one who saved them. That revelation got Scathach contemplating as Aife turns and asks her sister.
"What are you thinking Scathach?"
Scathach turns and answers, sharing her thoughts.
"If me and this Shadow are one in the same, he will know what happened to me. And if he is as powerful as Fimir says he is, then he might be able to reverse it. We should go see him!"
Aife's eyes widen in epiphany as she understood her sister's plan. The sisters' renewed hope was halted when Fimir spoke out.
"I don't think that's a good idea lass."
"What do you mean?" Aife asks dismayed as Fimir warns.
"The Shadow is not accustomed to visitors, not to mention the trek up to the plateau is perilous. It's simply too dangerous for children like you two-"
"These children survived alone in a forest full of monsters for over 3 days!" Scathach suddenly spoke out angrily, taking the implication of being helpless personally. "I think we can handle a casual stroll up a mountain! Do you think less of us?!"
"Scathach!" Aife scolded; shocked her sister would speak so harshly to an elder. "Apologize to Fimir right n-!"
"No Aife." Scathach disobeyed, still visibly angry. "I'm not the same as I was before and I need to know why!"
"You don't understand lass!" Fimir insists, showing deep concern for the sisters. "No one ventures up that mountain for good reason. There's more in that fortress than just stone, and The Shadow can kill us all if he wanted. I don't want anyone here to meet a grim fate. Me and m'son lost enough already and you two seem like good souls. The world doesn't have enough of those as it is."
Scathach and Aife were stunned by her speech. It was easy for them to sympathize with the woman as everyone here lost their homes and loved ones tragically, and Scathach understood why Fimir was reluctant to let them leave. It wasn't because she doubted her, but she wanted to hang on to what she cherished. Scathach thought it admirable that Fimir and her son are still kind people after experiencing the brutality of those barbarians. Such tragedy would have made anyone reclusive and dis-trusting of others. Scathach now felt bad about snapping at the widowed woman earlier. She stood up and told her:
"Fimir, I'm grateful for all that you've done for us. But I can't let you stop me from finding out what happened to me. I need to know all I can about this, so one way or another; I am going to see The Shadow. And that's final."
Fimir sighed as Scathach went back inside the hut, leaving her half-empty bowl of stew near the fire. After she had gone, Kihli spoke in a hushed voice to Aife, who had been watching where her sister disappeared to.
"Is she always like this?"
Aife turned and offered the boy a weak smile as she told him:
"Once my sister is set on doing something, she can't be dissuaded. It's how she convinced father to take her hunting. Believe me, there is no talking her out of this…"
Kihli stared back at the fire, like he mostly had been all during dinner.
"She's very brave. Like brother…"
Aife noticed the boy's voice turn pained for a brief moment. She figured that the poor child must be reliving the death of his sibling and father every night; Deaths at the hands of savage murderers. Aife hoped one day that she and her sister can pay back those barbarians for what they have done to them…
---
Scathach woke up before dawn, having hardly slept in anticipation for her journey to The Shadow's fortress. Moving carefully to not wake the others, she threw on a cloak and decided to take her spear; something told her that she shouldn't go anywhere without it. She tiptoed out of the hut past the others who were sleeping. Before she made it out however…
"You're really going out there, aren't you?"
Scathach froze as Aife whispered aloud from the mat she slept on. Scathach turned to see her sister facing her from her bed.
"Are you going to try and stop me Aife?"
"I wasn't." She stated. "But I can't let you go by yourself either. I'm coming with you…"
"No Aife," Scathach insisted. "I don't know what exactly is waiting for me up there. This is something I need to do alone…"
Aife was unfazed as she walked in front of Scathach, blocking the doorway as she crossed her arms in defiance.
"You may be stubborn Scathach, but you aren't the only one who is. Like it or not, I'm going."
"Aife please." Scathach said seriously, nearly pleading with her sister. "This is not your burden to bear, and I don't want to put you in danger again…"
"We got out of that forest together sister," Aife said to her, not backing down. "You kept us alive and now you are struggling with whatever this is. Please... let me help you…"
Scathach stood there stunned, and seemed like no matter what she could say, Aife wouldn't let her leave without her. Scathach weighed her options as for her sister's sake, she didn't want to have to force her to stay back here. She thought she had lost Aife in that mist with all the draugr, and Scathach couldn't let a similar scenario happen for real next time, but her sister wasn't giving her a choice. Scathach eventually sighs in defeat, knowing that there was no point arguing further.
"Alright. I'll let you come…"
"Thank you siste-"
Aife was cut off as Scathach raised a finger to add:
"Only if you run when I tell you to and keep yourself safe. Can you agree on that?"
"Yes…" Aife says reluctantly.
"Good. Let's go…"
The sisters left and trekked through the village with their spears in hand. They walked north to the outskirts of the settlement and proceed up through a stony gorge as day broke. It didn't take very long to see the stone structure waiting for them on top of these cliffs, so the sisters went upwards. Several times during the hike, Aife fell behind and Scathach had to wait for her. Aife also had to stop frequently for a rest, yet Scathach didn't feel exhausted at all, instead feeling like she could go on for miles. Whatever was happening with her was making her feel stronger and faster than she did before, and it only deepened the mystery surrounding the nature of her… affliction. Hopefully, this "Shadow" individual could give her the insight she was seeking.
They continued until they came to a staircase going up the edge of a cliff, leading to the fortress above. Scathach was walking ahead of her sister until Aife was suddenly stopped by an invisible force.
"What the-?!"
"Aife?" Scathach looks back to see her sister stopped at the base of the stairs. She tries to proceed but gets pushed back every time. Scathach sees a barrier that she failed to notice before, and apparently it only allowed herself to pass through.
"I can't get through! Is this magic?"
"Your guess is as good as mine. But it looks like I have to go on alone. I'm sorry Aife..."
"Go sister. I'll wait here for you…"
Scathach reluctantly continued on without her sister, and she walked up the stairs, passing under a stone archway before finally coming up to the gate of the imposing fortress. She walks along the polished stone walls, noting how they looked too perfect to have been made by human hands, and seemed to be etched with symbols she did not recognize. Scathach then comes up to a giant, elaborately decorated pair of doors. It depicted a scene; a battle between beings (gods she assumed), and a giant creature that had emerged from some kind of portal. It was clear that this castle was significant somehow, and it sparked the little girl's curiosity of just what kind of being resided here.
Scathach took a brief glance behind her. This place was so high up that from the top of the stairs; she could see the village down in the distance and the surrounding forest. She then walked closer to the gate, not seeing any way that she could open it and wondered if she should knock.
She decided to try it…
Getting closer, Scathach barely raised her left hand when the door suddenly groaned and creaked open, nearly making her jump in surprise. She stood there stunned as the door opened wide and revealed a dimly lit entrance hall.
-I think somebody just invited me in…-
Spear in hand; Scathach carefully enters the castle, finding herself in an entrance hall as the doors shut behind her. The halls were barely lit from the torches that hung from the walls, and the braziers that sat on the stone floors. Continuing on, she comes across a group of 2 hooded figures walking towards her and she tries to speak with them.
"Excuse me… Could you kindly tell me where-?"
Scathach stopped with a gasp as they paused and turned to face her. The little girl could see that their faces were gaunt and gray, along with black, lifeless eyes. She couldn't even hear these beings having any sort of heartbeat; making her wonder if they were even alive. They stared at her, devoid of any emotion. In her fright, Scathach noticed that they were fixated on her eyes, and it was unsettling to her. These weren't draugr, but they weren't human either. One of the figures then slowly raised a hand and directed her to a nearby staircase. Scathach was bewildered that these intimidating individuals were actually being helpful to her and was now feeling awkward instead of frightened.
"Ummm… thanks?"
The hooded figures simply continued on without saying a word. Scathach watched them leave before going up the path they had showed to her. Her mind wanders as she takes in the haunting atmosphere of the fortress.
-Just what in Gods' names IS this place?-
She followed the stairs higher up to the upper levels and found herself in a very large chamber. Amazed by the size of the room, her attention was grabbed by the sound of weapons clashing. She turned to see a group of ghostly figures with pole-axes engaging with a beastly-looking man holding a pair of red swords. Scathach stood their mesmerized as she watched this man, who was hopelessly outnumbered, hold back these phantasmal warriors with incredible speed and dexterity, almost like it was a dance. Her eyes then widened as this man dodged two incoming strikes by turning to shadow and flying right through them before materializing and swinging his swords across the legs of his opponents, and they disappeared in a flash of light. His arms then glowed with circuits as a symbol formed in front of him, and to Scathach's surprise, the man's last opponent was set ablaze. Now that he was done sparring, she could now get a good look at him.
The man was tall and topless, sporting a well-defined body with tattoo-like markings all over his torso and his back. He had a beard and long, dark-brown hair that went past his shoulders. His skin was relatively dark, and he had sort of an ancient aura about him. The swords he was holding were red and had an almost bone-like appearance, just like Scathach's spear. To top it off, she got a glimpse of this man's eyes and saw that they were blood-red like her own.
"Are you done staring?" The man blurted out rather harshly while he sheathed his blades without even turning to face her, and catching Scathach off-guard.
"I'm sorry!" She swiftly apologized. "It's just that I couldn't help but watch the way you fight. I've never seen anyone move like that…"
The man at last faced her, and Scathach did her best not to quiver under his intimidating gaze as he walked up to her. He didn't seem fazed by her kind remark.
"Did you come here just to watch me spar?" He said crossing his arms and looking at her dead in the eye. "Or are you going to do what you really came here to do?"
Scathach was so entranced by this man that she briefly forgot why she was even here in the first place. As soon as it all came back to her, she wondered where to even begin.
"Are you the Shadow?" she asked cautiously.
"Is that what they call me?" He scoffed. It wasn't a denial, which meant he is indeed whom Fimir warned her about. "I would think after you became marked that you would have something better to ask me…"
Scathach was left more confused by the term the Shadow used. Just what did he mean by marked? She decided to stop beating around the bush and get some real answers.
"What did you do to me?" She asks sternly, earning a gruff response from the towering man before her.
"What "I" did was save your life. I wouldn't have had to if you and your sister didn't get in the way of me and my kill." Scathach stared, almost shocked by the blunt disrespect coming from this man. He made that sound as though saving her and Aife was an inconvenience. "I've been hunting that beast for days. If you two haven't been there, I could've stopped it before it could devour anymore human souls like from the soldiers that followed you here. But instead… well, you obviously noticed it by now."
He pointed to her eyes, and Scathach understood immediately.
"You mean… that monster did this to me?"
"Not intentionally, but yes." He was walking around her, looking her over. The way he seemed to be silently judging her unnerved Scathach greatly. What was he looking for? "What you have is what could happen when it fails to take your soul, although it's a very rare occurrence. Almost unheard of…"
Almost… Scathach wondered if this man experienced the same thing. Why else would he have eyes like hers?
"What was that thing anyway?" She asks the Shadow, remembering her and Aife's encounter with the gigantic creature. "Where did it even come from?"
"A Netherlyst," he said bitterly. "An Eidolon that wanders aimlessly, looking for human souls to sustain itself. They're born from rotten human souls killed in mass from some cataclysmic event. Instead of passing into the afterlife, they spawn as monsters. Every creature in this forest is created from them, but Netherlysts are the nastiest of all."
Scathach was amazed. Those monsters are born from human souls? There were lots of questions she had regarding this land and its forest, but Scathach decided to save those for another day. For now…
"What DID it do to me? Not long after I woke I was able to do things that I couldn't do before. Why?"
"There's no easy way for me to explain this, but…" He grabbed her wrist, much to her surprise. Scathach wondered what on earth he was going to do. "You've been marked by the Void. Look…"
The Shadow's eyes glowed as runes appeared on his arm. Scathach felt a strange sensation travel from her wrist and up to the rest of her arm. Scathach gasped in shock as glowing violet concentric spirals appeared along her arm, pulsing with dark energy. At first, she was frightened, but as Scathach became more aware of what this mysterious force was actually doing to her, she started feeling less and less scared, and more in awe.
This feeling… this power… it's amazing! Just what IS this?
Scathach could only describe the sensation as a combination of the warmth of flames and the soft chill of wind, constantly alternating along her arm. She almost felt like laughing because it felt so good… so empowering. This affliction was starting to seem less of a curse and more like a blessing, yet she still didn't understand how this was even possible. The Shadow, seemingly reading her thoughts, explained plainly.
"You're a rare breed of mage, and you have these circuits inside you that came to life after the Netherlyst failed to feed off you. Mana flows through them, letting you bend nature to your will."
Scathach's amazement was replaced with confusion as he let go of her and all the feeling vanished from her arm, along with the spiraling lines of glowing mana. She found herself missing it.
"I'm a… mage?"
"Someone who can harness the force of the gods, but most mortals know it as magic. When your soul re-entered your body, it formed a saint-graph that enhances your strength, your speed, and your senses."
Scathach stared at him with mouth agape and lost for words. It explained so much of what happened to her after she woke up; why she overpowered that drunkard, could hear heartbeats, turn to shadow, and even outpace Aife getting here.
"That's not even all…" He said, not letting Scathach collect herself. She looks at him with trepidation.
"What are you-?"
Scathach gasped when the Shadow suddenly stuck a concealed dagger into her abdomen. In her shock, she felt excruciating pain as she fell on her knees and dropped her spear, all while blood dripped out from her stomach. The Shadow stood over her as Scathach pulled the dagger out with a pained yell, letting it fall to the floor. She could see her vision starting to tunnel from blood loss despite herself clutching the wound to stop it. After a few moments, she felt her strength returning to her as her vision regains clarity and the pain subsides. Scathach stands back up with great effort, her legs shaking as she rose. She removes her blood soaked hand, only to find that whatever blood was on it had dissolved, and to her shock and amazement, her wound was completely gone like nothing happened. She looks up and yelled at the Shadow in outrage.
"WHAT WAS THAT FOR?! YOU STABBED ME!"
"But did you die?" He asks completely unconcerned. Scathach stared at the Shadow furiously as she struggled to process what he just said. She could not believe the sheer gall of this man who would just stab her out of nowhere like that, and she wanted nothing more than to run him through with her spear. When his words last sunk in however, Scathach felt her anger dissipate; replaced with shock and realization as she looked down at where she was stabbed.
She just took a dagger to the stomach and was still breathing…
"I should be dead…" Scathach couldn't stop herself from whispering that out loud. How on earth did she survive?
"That's right…" said the Shadow. "Those of the void are immune to earthly harm. No weapon, no force of nature, not even age will kill you. It'll take nothing short of the strongest magic or curse to do so. You're virtually immortal…"
Scathach looked back up at him in shock. She was immortal? It seemed like the most outrageous thing she has heard since arriving here. But then again, she did just survive a knife wound to the abdomen, so it had to be true. She rubbed the spot where she was stabbed, remembering gruesomely how painful it was, and becoming aware of the soreness that still lingered.
"But still…! That hurt…"
"You wouldn't have believed me if it didn't, and that was just from a plain old dagger," The Shadow callously pointed out. He didn't seem to care at all about hurting someone as young as Scathach herself, and it infuriated her to no end. "If I used my blades, you wouldn't be walking away. Suck it up child…"
"I am not a mere child!" Scathach retorted, only for the Shadow to calmly counter back.
"You sure look like one to me… give yourself a good hundred years and you'll look like an old hag-raven."
"WHAT?!" Scathach shouted in disbelief and was beginning to panic internally. He said earlier that she wouldn't die from age, but did that mean she'll be stuck looking so old and frail forever?! Would she ever walk or hunt again?! Not to mention her hair turning gray… but what if she went bald?! Those horrifying thoughts were suddenly halted when she saw a smug look on the Shadow's grizzled face.
"Relax… You'll simply stop aging when your body is at peak physical condition, like 20 or something. I just wanted to see the look on your face… and it was glorious."
He turned and walked away, leaving an angry and flustered Scathach in his wake. She had never felt so humiliated in her life.
"W-W- Why you..!" She stammered. "How dare you! You'll pay for that!"
Scathach picked up her spear and charged at him. She didn't care if he was a demi-god. She'll sure show him-
…!
The Shadow swiftly sidestepped, grabbed her spear, and spun. Before she knew it, Scathach was sent flying through the air until she got suspended by an unseen force. Dangling upside down helplessly, she watched the Shadow walked right up to her, tossing her spear to the side.
"That wasn't very wise of you little girl…" He said in a low, unamused voice. Scathach wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of having trapped her.
"I'm not afraid of you!" She spat. The Shadow raised an eyebrow in challenge.
"Is that so?"
Scathach's eyes widened when he changed into wraith form and drew a symbol in front of her. Before her eyes, the scenery changed and she found herself dropped from mid-air onto a rocky floor, she looked up to see where the Shadow had been just seconds before, but he disappeared. She stood up and looked around, finding herself in a gorge at nighttime.
Where did he go?
"Look up…"
A booming voice caught her attention, and Scathach looked up and saw the Shadow's wraith form draw another symbol. She suddenly felt the ground heat up and glow beneath her feet, and soon fire started to erupt from the floor, soon surrounding her in a giant wall. Was he causing this? Scathach didn't have time to think about it as the flames shot upwards and formed a giant orb.
"You should be more careful about challenging a mage… I can cause a catastrophe in the blink of an eye…"
Scathach sees the orb of fire falling down at her. She instinctively shields herself as the flames envelop her. She felt intense heat that should be burning her skin, yet it didn't.
"Open up the heavens…"
The flames disappeared and Scathach now miraculously found herself in the night-sky, among the countless stars and cosmic spirals.
-By the gods!-
Scathach was speechless at such a beautiful sight. But she didn't get to savour it for long as she was suddenly pulled down at tremendous speed. She screamed as she fell back to earth, the Shadow's wraith following her. Looking down, she became horrified that they were falling towards a mountain.
"Reshape the Earth…"
With another symbol, the mountain split in two and parted. Scathach was flying uncontrollably through the crevices, into the darkness below. Everything went black, and she didn't know where she was of if she was still moving.
"With the Runes; the divine language of power… even darkness can bend to you…"
More symbols lit red up in front of Scathach, and they spiraled around her, illuminating the darkness around her just enough for her to see herself. She felt mana course through her and turn her to shadow. She could now see where she was: a vast cave with giant statues of characters she did not recognize. Scathach looked around in amazement, but then her attention turned to a giant, ominous gate. It creaked open, revealing a blinding white light. Before Scathach could see what's inside, she was suddenly yanked backwards at tremendous speed. She screamed as a multitude of runes, landscapes, and elements appeared before her, until she finally came to a dead stop before the Shadow inside the main chamber of his fortress. Scathach was suspended again until the force holding her let go and she fell to the ground with a thud. Her heart was racing as she struggled to process what she had just experienced in a matter of seconds. The Shadow bent down and said to her:
"Are you afraid now? That was the magic of one marked by the void. Next time, pick your battles wisely."
Scathach righted herself, struggling to catch her breath. She couldn't believe what just happened. She had severely underestimated the being before her. He had done so many spectacular things before her and in such short time. She should be afraid of him; of his power.
Yet in her astonished state… something dawned on her…
If the Shadow could do all those things, and he was the same as she was now… did that mean she could wield runes and fight like he can?
This new her… she thought it was a curse… that it made her less than human.
But this man… this demi-god… He showed her a possibility… This change didn't have to be a curse… It could be harnessed… Controlled…
With this power... she and Aife can take back their village... get their lives back.
The Shadow saw how lost in thought Scathach was. He crossed his arms and asks her…
"Something you want to say?"
Scathach slowly lifted her head to face him, her red eyes meeting his. She tells him in a pleading voice, full of conviction…
"Teach me. Teach me… EVERYTHING."