A Frightful Presence
The shadows that had taken structure around the special raised area moved gradually, intentionally, like they knew about Selene and Ronan's presence. They drifted just past the edge of the clearing, their dull figures scarcely discernable from the anguish that currently covered the woodland.
Selene could feel the virus saturating her bones, a chill that went past the physical. The murkiness here was alive, and it was watching them. She fixed her hold on the knife at her midsection, her breath coming in shallow heaves.
Ronan ventured forward, his sword drawn, however Selene got his arm.
"Stand by," she murmured. "We don't have the foggiest idea what they are."
His jaw gripped, his look fixed on the moving structures. "What's more, we lack the opportunity to find out. Assuming that they're antagonistic — "
"They are," Selene intruded on, her voice low yet certain. "Be that as it may, they're not only here to go after us. They need something."
Ronan looked at her, his forehead wrinkled. "Your meaning could be a little clearer."
Selene's look stayed on the raised area, the images scratched into its surface gleaming faintly with a wiped out light. The murmurs to her had become stronger, more relentless, yet presently there was a lucidity to them — like they were attempting to direct her, not simply insult her.
"They've been hanging tight for us," Selene said, her voice scarcely over a murmur. "The revile was only the start. Drawing us here was implied."
Ronan's eyes restricted, his body tense. "You think this was a snare?"
Selene shook her head gradually. "No. A test."
Before Ronan could answer, one of the shadowy figures ventured forward, its structure moving and contorting as it drew closer. It was tall, with an enigmatically humanoid shape, however includes were clouded by the murkiness gripped to it like a cover.
The figure prevented a couple of feet from them, and however it had no noticeable face, Selene could feel its eyes on her.
"We have been pausing," the figure said, its voice an empty, repeating murmur. "Sitting tight for the person who broke the revile."
Selene's throat fixed, however she constrained herself to hold fast. "What is it that you need?"
The figure shifted its head somewhat, as though concentrating on her. "You convey the imprint. The blood of the reviled streams in your veins."
Selene's heartbeat animated. She had felt different since the revile was broken, however she hadn't grasped the reason why. Presently, remaining before this animal, she understood that the revile had abandoned something — something inside her.
"I don't have a place with the revile," Selene said solidly, however her voice shuddered marginally. "It's gone."
The figure's chuckling was delicate yet chilling, similar to the stir of dead leaves in the breeze. "Gone? No, kid. The revile was just an entryway. You have just passed the boundary."
Ronan ventured forward, his sword raised. "She's not your manikin."
The figure's look moved to Ronan, and briefly, the air around them became colder, like the very shadows were fixing their grasp on the clearing. However at that point, similarly as out of nowhere, the strain facilitated, and the figure turned around to Selene.
"You are not our manikin," it said, its voice gentler now, nearly... respectful. "You are our key."
Selene's heart beat in her chest. "Key? Key to what?"
The figure didn't answer immediately. All things being equal, it broadened a hand toward her, its fingers long and flimsy, similar to the uncovered parts of a tree in winter. "The haziness that you convey, the power inside you, is the way to opening what lies past. The revile was just a taste — a brief look at the genuine power that is standing by."
Ronan's grasp on his sword fixed. "Assuming that you believe we will assist you with opening anything, you're mixed up."
Once more, the figure's structure moved, its shadowy edges obscuring as it made a stride nearer to Selene. "You can't get away from what you are, kid. The haziness is in you, and it will consume you — regardless of whether you battle it."
Selene's chest fixed. She needed to deny it, to dismiss the figure's words, however where it counts, she realized there was a reality to them. She had felt it since the revile had broken — the murkiness that waited just underneath the surface, trusting that the second will grab hold.
"What do you believe I should do?" Selene asked, her voice scarcely a murmur.
The figure's hand stayed stretched out toward her. "Acknowledge the obscurity. Embrace it. Really at that time will you have the ability to shape your fate."
Ronan moved to remain between them, his sword brought up in a guarded position. "She needn't bother with your power."
Selene's psyche dashed. The figure's words reverberated in her mind, enticing her, attracting her nearer to the edge of something obscure. She could feel the draw of the murkiness inside her, the crude power that droned through her veins.
However, she was in good company.
She took a gander at Ronan, his defensive position, his resolute dependability, and something inside her steadied. The dimness may be a piece of her, however it didn't need to characterize her. Not on the off chance that she didn't let it.
"I won't embrace it," Selene said solidly, her voice acquiring strength. "I pick my own way."
The figure's shadowy structure shuddered, the air around them developing colder as its indignation became tangible. "You must eventually bow to what you are!"
Selene ventured forward, her look savage. "Watch me."
Without another word, she drew her knife and sliced it through the air between them, the edge slicing through the shadows like they were just smoke. The figure drew back, its structure crumbling as Selene's assurance slice through the obscurity.
The other shadowy figures started to withdraw, blurring into the trees as the clearing was loaded up with the radiance of the rising sun. The abusive weight that had loomed over them lifted, and without precedent for hours, Selene could inhale unreservedly once more.
Ronan brought down his blade, his eyes still vigilant. "Is it over?"
Selene shook her head, however she felt a weird feeling of harmony wash over her. "No. Be that as it may, we've pursued our decision."
Together, they got some distance from the special raised area, abandoning the shadows as they started the excursion back to the town. The way forward was as yet dubious, yet interestingly, Selene felt like she was in charge of her own predetermination.
Also, regardless of what haziness hung tight for them, she realized they would confront it together.