The Shadows Within

Once again, we fell through space, though this time, a blinding light consumed us, preventing me from seeing where we were going. A second later, we were on solid ground. Everything shifted before the light dimmed, revealing a new dilemma.

People in white and black robes surrounded us, prompting my orbs to search for any explanation. However, all they found aside from the audience we had was another weird circle under us. One of them drew it with white salt and odd characters surrounding it.

Again, I couldn’t understand them. Luckily, I wasn’t the only one disorientated. The crowd surrounding us all stared at us with wide eyes and scrunched-up brows.

Is this a cult?! Where the heck are we now? A basement?! This doesn’t look like an alien ship.

It was far from a spaceship. Everything my eyes caught was made of rock or wood, screaming medieval vibes. There wasn’t an ounce of technology near us. The lack of windows assured me we were in some basement or catacomb.

The air was also pure, unlike that found in modern cities. The only time I had ever encountered something similar was on a school trip to the rural areas. Yet the one there was…

It’s so pure.

“Why do we have two of them?” one of the men finally broke the silence.

Oh… They speak our language. That’s good.

Yet the symbols in the circle weren’t ones I recognized. A new sensation was rushing through me, desiring to know if this was limbo or something else. However, seeing Evelyn and I weren’t the only ones out of synch was reassuring.

“Is this what was supposed to happen? Isn’t there only one saint that will kill the demon king?” A woman questioned, shaking her head and stepping away from the circle.

Demon King? Are we in a game? What the fuck is all of this?

“No… The saint must be only one of them.” Another replied.

Saint?

The expression on everyone’s face soon changed from bewilderment into something else, erupting in chaotic chatter among themselves, causing Evelyn to lean closer to me. I was the only one she knew around.

Better the known devil than the unknown.

“Could it be we summoned another dark priestess?” an older man questioned, slamming the end of his stick on the floor.

It echoed in the room, producing all gazes to land on him.

This must be a fucking game. Am I dreaming? All the pain is gone, too. Is this what happens before death? Judgment time or something?!

Another one took a step forward to us, muttering some weird crap before the surrounding circle shone white. It was almost blinding before it shifted, shimmering a dark red aura.

“Yes, this energy… I feel it. One of them has the potential to destroy everything, including us!” he announced, triggering an encore of discord again.

At this point, everyone’s eyes dilated, visibly shaking where they stood.

“Guards!” an old man dressed weirdly yelled.

He had a lot of white and gold décor on his blue robes, perhaps alluding to royalty. The door behind them flew open as armed men and women poured into the room. They had the same appearance as knights had in TV shows or games, with steel and all.

In the blink of an eye, spears and swords surrounded us, prompting Evelyn to squeal, clasping onto me, attempting to use me as a shield. However, they didn’t step into the circle. No, all of them trembled where they stood.

“But which one?” another woman asked, voice shaking.

All this commotion was because they summoned a dark saint. If I only knew what that was.

Salvation or damnation… is this what they…

“I don’t know. Something’s throwing off the spell.” The initial caster sighed, shaking his head.

Spell? As in magic?! Impossible, that doesn’t exist! Then again… none of this is supposed to exist. Where the…

It was hard to argue with what I saw, yet every fiber in my body wanted to deny it. It didn’t matter what I desired; no, I was a passenger, unaware of where fate was leading me.

“Sylvia, what are they going on about?” Evelyn mumbled, voice quivering, holding onto me, eyes darting around us.

It was evident to me she was freaked out, and so was I; I couldn’t analyze anything even though my mind was racing.

“I don’t know.” My voice trembled, too.

Even though this was far from what I had desired when I climbed up to that ledge, I ended up in this mess. However, all I had to do was keep my wit; within the chaos, I could find an opportunity that worked to my advantage.

“One of you has made a deal with the demon!” the old man huffed, taking a step forward and dragging his cane.

All the knights were ready to impale us at any moment, triggering me to gulp and glance at Eve. She was trembling behind me, holding onto me as her life depended on it.

Ah… Why do I even care about you?

Perhaps it was because she was nice to me when we were both younger. Though, I knew that out of the two of us, she was always the one with more potential.

Yes… All I do is destroy.

I never intended to drag her down with me.

Yes, it isn’t your fault that he…

“Demon?! We don’t know any!” My sister answered, holding onto me again.

That was when I shoved her away from me, knowing if we stuck together, we would become human shish kabob. She stumbled onto the circle next to me. There was only one way out of this mess while ensuring she’d be fine.

I took a deep breath, facing all of them.

Come on, you were ready to jump! This isn’t different! Fuck! I’m scared! Why am I trembling?!

My entire being was running cold again, like when I stared at that ledge, shaking where I stood.

Ah, that’s right, I never wanted to die. I’m so fucking tired of all of this! Let me stop thinking for once!

“Hah…” My voice quivered, shaking my head to get a grip.

There’s only one way to make sure Eve… It’s my fault she’s here! I won’t be responsible for killing her too!

“I was the one who made a deal with a demon! What the fuck are you going to do?!” I smirked, clenching my hands into fists.

Take responsibility for it! I’m not his shadow! Yes, I’m nothing like him!

“Sylvia?” Evelyn muttered, taking a step away from me.

Enough is enough… This is fine… Just make it quick!

This was the only way my mind could come up with to save my big sister.

Eve, I hate you for never being there for me, but I never meant for this. Fuck! My entire existence is a giant fuck up!

“I’ve killed before! So, if you let me live, I’ll murder all of you fucks in a blink of an eye!” I snarled, having had enough of this charade.

The crowd stared at me, not knowing what to do with me. All until a man stood forward, withdrawing his hood, allowing his crimson hair and amber eyes to show in full splendor. He was jaw-droppingly gorgeous.

“Why would you confess so easily?” He questioned, studying me with those shining orbs of his.

I scowled at him, not wanting to answer. There was no reason to question my intentions; I had blood on me. In my words, there were both lies and truths. Something he shouldn’t have known triggered me to clasp onto my jacket, unsure how to answer him.

“Soren, truth bearer, you think she’s acting?” a woman asked, standing beside him.

She also removed her hood, revealing aqua hair and blue eyes. However, what caught my attention the most were her long ears.

Is that an elf?

“From experience, sometimes first judgment’s never right, Alena. It might be best to keep them under observation for now.” The redhead sighed, shaking his head.

“If the saint’s companions say to have caution. You better hear them!” the old man yelled at the knights.

Wait, weren’t you the one who called them here?!

However, I wasn’t the only one looking for opportunity within the chaos.

“No, she’s right! She killed our father in cold blood before coming here! This woman’s a murderer!” Evelyn took her chance to sway the masses.

It was clear that one of us wouldn't live long by the time the investigation concluded, and it didn’t appear that they would send us back to our home. If there were even a way back, I wouldn't have anything there.

“You’re sisters?” Alena mumbled, shifting her gaze towards Evelyn.

Unlike me, she wasn’t as bloody and had always been beautiful. There was nothing wrong with her.

Well, physically...

“Is what she says true?” Soren directed his question, not turning his gaze away from me.

I couldn’t read his expression and didn't want to know either way.

I… have no place here or there. So... why delay the inevitable? I’ll be your villain, Eve.

“Yes, I’ve killed. So, I’m no saint.” I gazed at my stained hands before smirking. “It felt so good to bash that bastard's head in.”

My words caused Evelyn to shift back toward me, lips curled down, nasal flaring, and eyes brilliantly open. “How dare you?!”

Suddenly, I was a danger in all but Soren’s eyes. I didn’t know what he saw in me, but…

“Kill her! End this before this goes wrong!” the old man commanded his knights.

“No! Wait!” the red hair declared, but it was too late.

All those spears were headed toward me without a second thought, leaving me releasing a soft sigh from my lips. I closed my eyes, waiting for the end to come, but it never did. No screams erupted from everywhere instead.

My eyes flew open to see the same red aura erupting from me, repelling everyone away, including Evelyn, who Alena caught before she flung into the wall. Soren was trying to reach me, but what surrounded me kept him away, burning the skin on his hand.

Do we finally have her? The same voice from before erupted within me.

“Stop this!” the old man commanded, being held by two of his knights.

Sadly, barely anyone could move from where they stood. Again, gravity was going insane, leaving Soren as the only one standing. Sadly, he could barely hold on.

“I can’t!” he huffed before being repelled off.

He rolled towards the side, leaving me stunned, floating in the air again. Another circle formed under me again, radiating an aura I couldn’t describe. It was eerie, though, warning that something dreadful was behind it.

“Who’s doing this?! Is it her?!” the king asked.

A second later, one of his knights was blown off, sending the older man rolling on the floor, too. All of them were struggling to get a grip.

“I don’t know!” One of them announced, gazing towards me.

Yes, we finally have her, my lord! Another voice echoed from within.

Then bring her in! The other commanded.

This time, I saw the lighting forming before me before it came for me. All the hair from my body rose when it struck me. Once again, blinding light blinded me before I found myself on solid ground.

The air there was so very different, though. It was dreadful, heavy, foggy, and musky. A thick miasma that made everything hard to breathe surrounded me. Worse yet, I couldn’t see a single thing around me.

It was pitch black, though I felt like people were around me.

“My king, we did it!” a squeaky voice erupted from the side.

The stagnant air around didn’t make it easy to gaze around. My eyes couldn’t adjust with no light either. Yet the surrounding footsteps were finding their way with no issues.

“Yes… we finally have a saint in our grasp.” A soft voice erupted from the darkness.

I couldn’t even respond when something inhuman grabbed me by my hand. It felt rough and scaly, nothing like human skin. It triggered me to squeal, terrified of the sensation, yanking myself away.

“Oh, no, no, no! I didn’t mean to scare you,” the squeaky voice said.

It sounded like they were right before me, leaving something on my wrist behind. Feeling it, I noticed it was a bracelet of sorts. Yet I couldn’t determine what it was or what it was for.

And worse yet, I couldn’t remove it, not even when I tried to rip it off.

“It's a good thing we kept the others outside. She smells of blood and fear, my lord.” A feminine voice informed her master from the side, triggering my eyes to travel towards her voice.

That one didn’t sound human, either. Well, none of them did. Yet the one with the soft voice was soothing me in some way.

“Of course, she’s terrified. They can’t see without the lights. Fire the candles.” The soft-spoken man sighed.

So, they can see in the dark? Fuck… why’s the air here so heavy compared to the other place?!

“Oh, right, M’lord! Forgive me; I tend to forget humans need it.” The squeaky voice snickered, walking off to the side.

Someone clapped their hands, and at that moment, blue fires lit every candle around, lifting the dark veil and revealing a nightmare. Monsters surrounded me everywhere my eyes landed.

There was no doubt in my mind I was in fucking hell.