Chapter 6: Binding of Shadows
Elijah's footsteps were soft echoes as he continued into the labyrinthian expanse of the Library of Truth. The golden path before him was faintly alight, casting an otherworldly glow to the towering shelves of ancient knowledge that seemed to stretch to infinity. He had faced echoes of his past, but a finality he sought was nowhere near. Instead, the weight of what lay ahead settled heavy on his shoulders. He could still feel the presence of the shadows within him—they were always there, lurking just beneath the surface.
Seraphina walked at his side, her movements fluid and silent, her silver hair shining in the faint light. Her violet eyes, sharp and knowing, would sometimes flicker in his direction, as if weighing every thought, every flicker of emotion. He'd met her first as an enigma, and Elijah got the feeling there was much, much more to her than what she let him see.
"Where do we go from here?" Elijah finally asked, his voice hushed in the silence of the library.
Seraphina did not answer. She just left the question floating there, as if she were waiting for the library to respond in some way. The vast shelves could be heard whispering in the forgotten language, and for an instant, Elijah could swear he heard his name whispered back through the windless air.
Finally, Seraphina spoke. "You have faced your past, Elijah, but the shadows you carry are no simple remnants of what has been. They are bound to you, part of who you are. If you are to succeed at your role as guardian to the Abyssal Veil, you will learn to control them. To rule over them."
Her eyes came to him, with the furrowed brow of the question. "Control them?" he repeated. "How can I control something that wants to consume me?"
Seraphina's eyes softened just for a moment, a glimmer of understanding crossing her otherwise inscrutable face. "Shadows are not something to abhor. They're a power, just like light. The harder you fight against them, the stronger they will become. To control that which you seek to conquer, one must first learn to keep at arm's length surrender and control."
The words penetrated Elijah's soul. He'd fought for so long against the darkness within him. He feared it, despised it. The idea of embracing it—of harnessing it—was both terrifying and strangely liberating. Could that be? Could he take the thing that most scared him and make it his greatest ally?
"How?" he whispered, barely louder than a breath.
Seraphina looked at him for a long time, her violet eyes fixed on him in an intensity that made his pulse pick up a thousand. "Follow me," she said finally, turning away and leading him down a narrow corridor which branched off from the golden path. The walls here were different-darker and more oppressive. The air felt heavier, and an ancient, almost malevolent energy struck through it.
As he walked, the shadows within him began to stir once again, but these differed; less insistent and more.curious. It was as if they sensed something ahead of them, something they had long awaited.
They came upon the end of the corridor and found a set of mighty doors, chiseled from black stone and overlaid with a spidery web of intricate runes. Those runes pulsed with a faint, dark light. The doors seemed to make an aura of power, very old and untamed, and Elijah felt some shadows within him reaching out to it, eager and hungry.
"This is the Chamber of Reflections," Seraphina said, her fingers running along the door. "Inside you will find the tools to master your shadows, to bend them to your will. But be prepared for what's in store for you here: it is not strength that will be tested but rather wisdom. You will have to find a way to understand what the shadows are, really."
Elijah swallowed hard, his mouth dry. "And what are they?"
Seraphina smiled faintly, her expression unreadable. "That is for you to discover."
With a soft push, the massive doors swung open, revealing a vast chamber beyond. The walls were made of the same black stone, and the floor was smooth and polished, reflecting the faint light that emanated from an enormous mirror that stood at the center of the room.
It was unlike anything Elijah had ever seen: tall, bigger even than the big shelves that towered over everything in the library, and it had a surface that was shimmering with some strange, liquid quality, as if pulsing in time to the beat of his heart, drawing him in with a kind of magnetism almost impossible to resist.
Seraphina stepped aside, beckoning him in. "This is where your journey with the shadows begins, huh?" She murmured low. "Step forward, and face what lies within."
Elijah took a deep breath; he steeled himself for whatever was to come. He could feel the shadows within him riling up more violently now - he wished, really, that they hadn't been so agreeable previously; they were excited now, eager for this confrontation that awaited. With one last look at Seraphina, Elijah stepped into the chamber, his eyes locked on the mirror.
As he moved closer, the glassy surface of the mirror began to ripple and blur the faint reflection of the chamber behind him. The shadows within him rose and fell; then, just as suddenly, the glass grew dark, its surface an inky black.
Then, frozen, his heart pounding in his chest, he could see something writhing in the darkness as if it moved within a chunk of black glass. And then, as if suddenly coming to some violent decision, the darkness reached out, wrapped around him, and pulled him into the mirror.
The world about him twisted and distorted, so for a moment, Elijah felt he fell through endless space, tumbling through a void of shadow and light, till he stood in a new place, desolate and vast and still, where a pale, cold light appalled him as if it were coming from the center of nothing.
Before him stood a figure, cloaked in shadows. He could not see its face, though he felt a presence staring at him, piercing and unrelenting.
"You have come," it said in a low, resonant voice. "At last, the one carrying the shadows wants to know."
Elijah's fists clenched at his sides as he panted. "Who are you?" he asked. "What is this place?"
The figure tilted its head as if considering him. "I am the one who has always been with you," he said. "I am the darkness you fear, the power you deny. I am your shadow, Elijah."
Elijah's breath began to clog in his throat. His shadow? He thought always of the shadows that existed within him as some kind of controlling power, something living outside himself. Now, looking up at this figure, he knew the truth.
The shadows are him.
"You can't run from me," said the shadow. He stepped forward. "You're part of me, just as much as your flesh and blood. You may fear me; you may hate me, but you cannot deny me."
Elijah drew backward. His mind was racing. "I don't want to be consumed by you," he whispered softly.
It stopped, cocking its head again. "Consumed?" it repeated once more, nearly amused. "You misunderstand. I don't intend to consume you. I'll make you whole."
Elijah's frown dug into his forehead. What did he mean?
The shadow outstretched a hand, and for an instant Elijah could see his reflection behind its dark skin. "You struggle against me," it said. "You resist, and in resisting, you become weak. But when you accept me, or rather, when you accept what I am, you will become everything you dreamed you'd ever be."
Elijah gazed at his hand, filled with conflicting emotions. Could it be that simple? Did he have the power to master the shadows instead of losing himself to them?
Elijah steeled his breathing, and reached forward for the shadow, his hands tremulous above those of the shadow. With one final spurt of will, he accepted its hand.
The moment their hands touched, he felt power flood through him; the shadows inside him were exploding, wrapping around him like a cocoon. But instead of being overwhelmed by fear and despair, he felt a strange sense of peace-a connection, a unity that he'd never known.
The shadows were no longer an enemy. They became part of him.
And now darkness closed around him, but this time he opened his eyes and sensed a strange surge of strength within himself. He was waiting for the shadow, which did not now intimidate his form in the same way as it used to before, but was now familiar.
"You have taken the first step," the shadow said, its voice softer now. "The path ahead is long, and fraught with danger. You will continue walking the line between light and dark, for only in balance will you find true power."
"Yes," Elijah replied, his heart steady. "I understand."
And with one final nod, the shadow faded away and the desolate landscape about him dissolved, returning him once again to the chamber of the mirror. The shadows still lingered within him, but they were no longer a threat. They were his allies, his power.
And turning to take one last look at the chamber, Elijah knew that he was finally ready for whatever lay ahead.