The world tilted, my vision spinning as though I were caught in the grip of some strange, unearthly force. The next thing I knew, I was no longer standing in the village.
I found myself in a dimly lit space, no, a room. But there were no walls, no ceiling. Just a deep, suffocating darkness that clung to every corner, as though the shadows themselves were alive.
I blinked, trying to adjust to the strange surroundings. My breath hitched as I realized there was no door, no passage, no windows. Just endless darkness. The air felt thick, heavy, as though something was watching me, waiting.
A cold, sinister presence seemed to press in from all sides. My heart began to race.
I unsheathed my sword, the blade shimmering faintly in the dark as I held it at the ready, my muscles tensing. "What is this place?" My voice barely broke through the thick silence. The feeling of being completely alone was suffocating.
I stepped forward cautiously, feeling my way through the oppressive darkness. Every step felt like a struggle against the weight of the air, but despite the overwhelming sense of danger, I couldn't turn back. I needed to know why I was here, what was happening.
I continued down a narrow passage that appeared before me, the ground beneath my boots uneven. The passage was barely wide enough for me to move through, and my eyes strained against the darkness that seemed to stretch forever.
I kept my focus, my senses sharpening. The air smelled of ancient dust, and the walls, if they could even be called walls, were covered in strange symbols. I couldn't make them out in the dim light, but they seemed to pulse with an eerie energy, almost as if they were alive, breathing.
"Who... who brought me here?" I muttered to myself, the words barely escaping my lips.
My grip tightened on my sword, every fiber of my being alert. Suddenly, I felt a shift, a cold breeze, like a presence moving through the shadows. I spun around, but there was no one there.
It was then that I realized: I was not alone.
The silence deepened, the shadows stretching impossibly long. My instincts screamed at me to be cautious, but the tension in the air was unbearable. Something, someone, was watching me. I could feel it.
Then, as though summoned by my very thoughts, a voice, a soft, low murmur, drifted out of the shadows. The voice wasn't human, it didn't feel human. It was ancient, distant, and yet impossibly close.
"Lucian..."
I froze. My heart skipped a beat as the voice echoed in my mind. I felt its weight, a presence so deep, it seemed to shake the very foundations of this room. My breath caught in my throat as I tried to steady myself.
"Who are you?" I demanded, my voice firm despite the growing fear in my chest.
The voice didn't respond immediately. But I could feel something shifting in the air, the darkness itself reacting to my words. And then, with a deep, resonating hum, the shadows parted just slightly, revealing a figure emerging from the void.
As the shadows stirred, they seemed to compress into a single point before me. The air shimmered faintly, as if reality itself was bending under the weight of whatever was emerging. My grip on the sword tightened, every muscle in my body tensed as the figure finally stepped, or rather, floated into the dim light.
It wasn't what I had expected.
The figure was small, barely the size of my hand, yet it radiated a strange, commanding presence. Its wings were black as midnight, with faint streaks of red pulsing like veins of fire through the dark. They flapped slowly, holding it aloft with an almost unnatural grace. Two delicate, curling horns rested atop its head, dark as obsidian, and its skin was a pale, almost translucent hue that seemed to absorb the dim light around it.
Its eyes, however, were what caught me most. They were not of this world, one was a deep crimson, glowing faintly, while the other shimmered like molten gold. They seemed to pierce straight through me, as though seeing not just my physical form but every thought, every memory I had ever held.
Despite its otherworldly appearance, its features were delicate, almost childlike, but with a mischievous curve to its lips that betrayed an ancient intelligence far beyond its size. It tilted its head, its gaze unwavering as it hovered in the air, arms crossed and a faint smirk playing on its face.
"So, this is the form you've taken," I murmured, my voice barely above a whisper. I couldn't help but marvel at the strange beauty of the creature.
The creature's smirk widened as it finally spoke, its voice smooth and faintly echoing, like a whisper that lingered just a moment too long.
"Took you long enough to find me," it said, its tone both playful and chiding. "I've been waiting for ages, Lucian."
I blinked, stunned by the familiarity with which it said my name. "You… know who I am?"
It chuckled, a sound that was both light and strangely unnerving. "Of course, I know you. I'm a part of you."
The words sent a shiver down my spine. "A… part of me?" I repeated, gripping my sword tighter.
The creature floated closer, its tiny wings fluttering as it circled me slowly, inspecting me from every angle. "Yes, though I suppose it's been difficult for you to notice until now. You've carried my essence all this time, but your light… it was too strong. There wasn't enough dark energy for me to manifest." It stopped in front of me, its piercing eyes meeting mine. "Until now."
I frowned, confusion swirling in my mind. "What do you mean, 'until now'?"
The creature gestured around us, its small hand sweeping through the air. "This place. This entire cavern is drenched in dark energy, old, primal, and potent. It's given me the strength I needed to take form."
I studied the creature more closely now, the initial shock beginning to fade. Its movements were fluid, almost hypnotic, and the way it hovered just above the ground made it seem as though it was untouched by the weight of the world.
Its horns were intricately curved, their surface faintly etched with runes that shimmered when the light caught them just right. Its hair, a dark silver, cascaded down its back in soft waves, contrasting starkly against its pale skin. The wings, however, drew my attention the most. They weren't smooth or feathered like an angel's, they were sharp, jagged, almost insect-like, yet somehow beautiful in their asymmetry.
For all its small size, the creature exuded power, a raw, unrefined energy that hummed in the air around it. I couldn't help but feel a strange connection to it, as though it was a missing piece of myself that I hadn't realized was gone.
"If you're part of me," I began cautiously, "then why haven't you appeared before now? Why only here?"
The creature's expression softened slightly, its voice losing some of its playful edge. "It's like I said. On Earth, your light was overwhelming. Your angelic nature… it drowned me out. But here, surrounded by this darkness, I've been awakened." It paused, a faint smirk returning. "Though I suppose I should thank you for wandering into this little trap of yours. Without it, I'd still be stuck as a whisper in your mind."
I scowled. "A trap? So this was deliberate?"
The creature shrugged. "Not by me. But whoever set this up underestimated your strength, and mine." It gestured to the dark room around us. "Whatever they intended, I doubt they anticipated this reunion."
Reunion. The word lingered in my mind. I studied the creature again, my thoughts racing. "If you're part of me… then what exactly are you?"
The creature floated closer, its expression turning serious. "I am your shadow, Lucian. Your dark half, born of your infernal blood. Where your light brings order, I am chaos. Together, we are balance."
The weight of its words settled over me like a heavy cloak. I didn't fully understand, but there was something about its presence that felt… right. As though it had always been there, waiting for me to find it.
"If you're going to stick around," I said slowly, "you'll need a name."
The creature's eyes gleamed, its smirk returning. "A name, huh? Well, I suppose it's only fair. What will you call me, then?"
I thought for a moment, searching for something that felt fitting. My mind turned to its appearance, the dark wings, the horns, the raw energy it radiated. And then, it came to me.
"Umbra," I said finally, the name rolling off my tongue with a strange sense of finality. "Your name is Umbra."
The creature, Umbra, tilted its head, considering the name. Then, with a sly grin, it nodded. "Umbra. I like it."