The forest was cold, its colossal trees, crooked and twisting unnaturally. Bark peeled off the trees, forming strange patterns on their trunks, making them seem ancient. Moonlight splintered through the branches, casting fractured shadows across the forest floor. The contrast between the beams of light and the eerie darkness gave Euric a foreboding sense.
"Greetings little spirit," an ancient voice cut through the silence. Euric covered his ears, recalling the previous time he was here. But the it hit him, 'I can understand what it's saying?'
Realizing this, Euric hesitantly uncovered his ears. "Who… who are you?" Euric shouted into the darkness.
"Finally," a chuckle echoed through the forest. "What a relief."
The darkness around Euric began to fragment, twisting and turning, all moving towards him. Frantically, Euric moved away. But there was nowhere to go, and soon he was encircled by darkness, only the point under him was bathed by light.
The silver pearl bracelet on his right arm began to vibrate intensely. "Interesting…" The voice sounded once more, and with it, the darkness began to converge at a single point before Euric. It swirled upwards forming the tall silhouette of a man.
The surroundings returned to normal, once the figure was fully formed. Euric couldn't clearly make out the figure's facial features, even as the moonlight hit it. The figure's entire visage, a blur, as though it were made from the very shadows it came from.
"Who… are you?" Euric spoke, trying his best to stand firm.
The figure remained silent, tilting his head, examining Euric. A chuckle—a low, almost affectionate sound reverberated through the forest.
"Me?" The figure pressed his hand against his chest. "Just an ancient soul. Whom's name hath been forgotten in the centuries of mine existence."
"Now doth thou mind mine question?"
"What question?" Euric asked, confused. "You haven't asked me a question."
"Yet I did so, little spirit, last we met." The shadow figure rubbed its chin. Euric riddled his brain, but all he could remember were the indiscernible voices that brought him nothing but pain.
"Sorry but I can't remember."
"That's fine, I asked what you are."
Euric's eyes narrowed, his brow furrowing. "What does that mean?"
The figure only smiled, a hint of something glimmering in its shadowed face. "I ask this because you are special, Euric."
"Special? Wait, how do you know my name?" Euric pressed, though part of him already suspected what the spirit meant. After his conversation with his father, he had a vague sense of his own heritage.
'Maybe the shadow here can tell me more?' he thought.
"Shadow?" The figure murmured, making Euric's eyes widen, his heart skipping a beat. 'Can it hear my thoughts?'
The figure acknowledged the question with a black tooth grin. "Shadow, I kind of like that name. How about you call me that from now on? And about your name, this old soul has loads of ways."
"This form of speech should be more understandable for a person from this age. Do you agree?" Shadow looked towards Euric with a smile.
"O... Okay?" Euric nodded stiffly, taking a deep breath to steady himself. He straightened up, fixing his gaze on the figure. "Why have you called me, Shadow?"
"Brave little spirit, aren't you?" Shadow commented with a chuckle. "To answer your question, little one, I want many things…. But that matters not to you, yet. You haven't even formed your Spyr. What do you suppose you can do?"
"What is a Spyr?" Euric brow raised.
"Tsk… do you know nothing? A Spyr is what forms once your spirit seed awakens."
"Why does everything need me to awaken?" Euric's voice exploded, frustration lacing each word. His fists clenched at his sides, and he couldn't help but glare at the shadowy figure. 'Why can't anyone just tell me what's going on? Even my father…'
"Calm down little spirit, everything comes with time. There is a reason for everything." The figure spoke, interrupting Euric. With a snap of its shadowy fingers, a wooden table, with two stools on either side appeared before them.
Shadow gestured at the seat with a strange calm, before pulling his own and sitting. Although slightly taken aback by the sudden appearance of a table, Euric reluctantly took his seat. He tried to get a better look at Shadow, but the proximity did nothing to help clear the blur.
"Before you begin coming into contact with the matters of the spirit, you must first mature. Your initial awakening will be your first step. It will mature your spirit seed into a core of spirituality, a Spyr; only then will you be able to delve into the matters of the spirit realm." Shadow explained, its hand holding its chin, seeming to ponder something. "Do you understand?"
Euric nodded with a smile, finally learning something more about spiritualists. "Can you tell me more?" he asked with anticipation.
Hearing the excitement in Euric's voice, Shadow's smile returned. "I don't see why not. It's surprising you don't know yet, given your family." Shadow added.
"They wish for me to come of age first." Euric mumbled, crossing his arms.
"Strange... " Shadow said before looking at the dark sky. "I would love to tell you more, but our time is coming to an end. You need to wake early today, do you not?"
Euric suddenly stood up, prompting Shadow's gaze. A chill ran down Euric's spine as the realization set in. Has Shadow been watching him all this time? A feeling of unease gripped at his heart. 'I let my guard down too quickly.'
"You have been watching me and my family?" Euric asked, his tone sounding more like an accusation than a question. Taking a few steps back, he waited for Shadow's response.
Shadow's eyes gleamed in the dim light, his smile widening, while his expression remained unreadable. "Ah... always so quick to question. Always so quick to distrust. How tiresome."
Euric remained silent, scrutinizing Shadow. Noticing that no answer would come, a sigh echoed through the forest as Shadow gripped his chin. "Alright, alright, calm down little spirit. Yes, I've been watching you. I was there when you fetched water, and I even saw when those bullies beat you up."
Made to recall the fight, Euric couldn't help but frown at the memory. Realizing its words struck a nerve, Shadow continued. "I came to you because I thought what happened was unfair. I don't think it's right that your parents are withholding so much from you."
Standing from his seat, the table and stools disappeared. Shadow slowly began to approach Euric until he was only a few feet away. At this distance, Euric finally got a measure of how tall Shadow was.
'He's as tall as father... no, taller.' Euric thought, his eyes wide as he stared at Shadow.
"I know you don't trust this old soul, so how about I gain your trust?" Shadow spoke with a grin.
Euric hesitated, his thoughts swirling. His father had spoken little about spirits, but he could remember his father mentioning how the call of a spirit helped him awaken. 'Maybe this is it.'
"How do you want to go about gaining my trust?" Euric asked hesitantly.
"In a few minutes, you'll need to wake up and accompany your father to the altar. How about I show you how he works?" Shadow asks with a grin.
"I know how my father works though; I have seen him cast out spirits."
"Yes, but have you seen the spirits?" Shadows' smile grew wider.
"Can you show me spirits? How is that possible?" Euric yelled, excitement evident in his tone.
Shadow raised his hand, "It will only be for a few hours, but I can grant you spirit vision. It will allow you to be able to see what actually happens, though I can only do it with your permission."
Not replying, Euric stared at Shadow's hand. "It won't harm me, or my awakening right?" he asked worriedly.
"No harm shall be done to anyone. It will only open your eyes for a few hours."
Stilling himself, Euric cautiously stepped forward and nodded. Seeing this, Shadow gently covered Euric's eyes with his large, dark hand. Its voice grew deep as it began a chant.
Euric felt a sharp pain in his eyes. He clenched his fists to resist the pain. Clenching his jaw, a muffled scream echoed in the forest.
'You never said anything about pain' he screamed internally.
After what seemed like forever, the pain vanished. Euric finally opened his eyes, Shadow's hands were crossed over its chest. "Is that it?" he asked while looking around.
"Patience, little spirit. Did you forget we're currently in your dream? You won't see any spirits here. " Shadow said, grabbing his nose bridge.
"Right!" Euric chuckled nervously. A sudden light cut through the darkness above him.
"I guess it's time for you to go now." Shadow said, taking a step back. "Make sure not to tell anyone about me or your sight, or it will be gone instantly."
"Not even my parents?" Euric asked as he started to float. Shadow didn't reply, but Euric understood what he meant.
"Okay. I won't speak to anyone." Euric nodded before closing his eyes. Happy with the response, Shadow turned around and disappeared into the shadows.
Euric opened his eyes and found himself back in his room. The reverse of his expectation: the sun was not out yet. 'If the sun isn't out, what is that light that pulls me from my dreams?' he pondered to himself.
The moon's warm light, filtered through his curtains, it's dim light illuminating his room. A choir filled with the chirps of crickets and croaking frogs echoed through the night, a stark yet peaceful contrast from the array of sounds during the day.
A knock on Euric's bedroom door interrupted the peace of the night, "Euric, the sun is soon to rise. Are you awake?" Alaric's voice echoed from outside.
"Yes father, I am up." he answered getting off the bed. "Give me a moment to get dressed."
Euric scrambled to his closet, grabbing an outfit off the hanger. He replaced his nightgown with the outfit he picked. Taking a moment, he stood in front of a mirror.
Despite the darkness, the white robe was clearly reflected in the mirror. Its intricate patterns are too dark to make out. Euric patted the robe down, ensuring to clear out any creases before opening the door and heading to the kitchen.
There he found his mother feeding his father some porridge. 'I don't think I am supposed to see this. Did I walk too quietly?'
The couple were in their own world, seemingly oblivious to his presence. Deciding it would be best not to continue being a creep, Euric decided to walk back in the hallway quietly. Reaching half way through the corridor, he turned around and started walking back to the kitchen; this time making sure his footsteps were nice and loud.
When he arrived, he found his father sitting on a stool near the stove. While his mother was washing the bowl she used before. "Look who took their sweet time," his father spoke with a smile.
'Really?' thought, chuckling to himself.
"Good morning, Mother, good morning, Father." Euric greeted as he entered the kitchen, placing his hands near the fire to warm up.
"Good morning, Euri, are you going to have something to eat?" his mother asked.
"No, I am quite alright. My stomach is full with excitement." he answered, patting his stomach.
"Alright, if that's the case, let's head out." His father stood up and moved toward the door. Just before he could open it, he felt a hand grip his arm.
"Hmm?" He turned around to find Selena smiling at him, pressing a kiss to his cheek.
Euric raised an eyebrow, watching his mother swat his father's behind as he made his way out the door.
'How did Dad manage to land someone like Mom?' Euric thought, half-amused and half-surprised.
He started heading out the door, when he felt a stinging sensation on his rear. 'Damn it,' he rubbed his bum to ease the pain.
"You boys have fun," She shouted, waving at them while standing near the chicken pens. Euric waves back, before catching up with his father. The walk to the altar was quiet, the chilly winds rustled Euric's robes as he passed by the silent village houses. The villagers have yet to start the activities of the day.
Arriving before the hall, they casually entered and proceeded cleaning. After the initial preparations, the sun was starting to rise on the horizon. Taking a moment, Alaric led Euric in a small prayer before taking a seat in front of the large altar.
"Euric sit in the corner, I only want you to observe. Try and feel the spiritual energy in the air as I work." Alaric spoke sternly.
"Yes father," Euric quickly stood up and headed to the allotted corner, which was a small distance away from where his father was sitting.
They sat in silence for a while, until the sound of footsteps echoed outside. The doors swung open, and an old lady walked in.
"Miss Peri, the baker's wife..." His thoughts faltered, blood running cold, as something else stepped into the altar. It wasn't a person—it was a grotesque mockery of life. Its figure was twisted, unnaturally small, contorted in ways that made Euric's stomach churn. A suffocating darkness clung to it like a shroud, leaking from every jagged crack in its form. The most horrifying sight, though, was its hand—twisted and gnarled—clamped around Miss Peri's head, as if it were claiming her as its own.