Chapter 14 The Realm of Shadows

The house was warm, unlike the cold and stingy feel that lingered out in the forest where Iris had been forced to spend, what seemed like days, in. She was glad to finally be rid of that salty smell of rainwater mixed with dirt and wet leaves. The house smelled like flowers which was nice for a change.

Iris found herself staring at a small bed, just about her size. The room was cozy, with a carpeted floor and a light pink wallpaper with white stars on it. She peered inside the bathroom and was amazed to see it so clean and white. She walked barefoot on the white tiles. There was a mirror right above the sink. As she stared at it, she realized her face was no longer as small as she remembered, but it was still the same somehow.

She recognized those ocean blue eyes that glinted under the white tube-light like a pearl under the sun. Her lips were slightly torn from one side. Other than that, she sighed with relief, nothing much had changed. She was still herself. Not having looked in the mirror for years, she had imagined she'd look like a monster by now. She let out a big yawn.

Tired, Iris walked back out, and jumped straight into bed. The mattress, along with the blankets, softly heaved under her weight. The smile wouldn't leave her face. Within seconds, she was fast asleep.

.

I couldn't sleep, no matter how hard I tried. The snoring echoed in my brain, disrupting my mental space. Edward lay on the other side of the bed, sprawled out like a spider, one leg hanging from the bed. It only took seconds for him to go out like a light bulb. Damon, on the other hand, had gone silent. I wasn't sure if he was asleep or that was just a shadow thing.

With Damon's eyes closed, I sat alone in the dark, fumbling with my thoughts. The ground vibrated every time an outside sound interrupted me. I couldn't measure the time that had passed. Every little while, a cold breeze would blow by me, making me shiver inside. An image flashed beside me, of a snow filled Darkwood. The buildings were all covered in a glazing white. Smoke from the factories filled the cold air. I took a step forward, my feet sinking into the snow. Was I dreaming?

Someone approached from afar. From inside the gray clouds of smoke, I could only make out a tiny figure, struggling its way through a snowstorm. I took a few steps towards her as she faltered and fell. My steps turned into a sprint, dashing into the giant cloud of smoke. The wind blew hard, pelting me in the face. I shielded my eyes as I marched forward.

Suddenly, someone grabbed my wrist. I turned around in a blur, surprised to see her standing there in front of me. Her face was grayed out, blending in with the smoke. Her silhouette shivered in the cold.

"Help me," she repeated the words.

I quickly wrapped my arms around her, pulling her into a hug.

"Don't go…" I whispered, shutting my eyes. A warm sensation tickled through me, fighting away the cold.

When I opened my eyes, she was gone, everything was dark again. I sank to my knees, with my head bent, I punched the ground.

"Damn it! How much longer!" I yelled as I rose to my feet.

I was in the shadow realm. The king jumped in his seat, startled. He rubbed his eyes as if he'd just woken out of a nap on the partly broken chair. I noticed tiny shadow creatures bringing pieces of rock over to it. They placed the rocks where the arm of the chair used to be. It stuck to the shadowy web around it, creating a new arm.

"That's enough, now leave us," the shadow king hushed them out, then turned to me, "Did you bring me the light?" he asked straight up.

I let out a short laugh.

"I would if I could move around," I eyed him with one brow raised. "How much longer?" My voice was low but sharp.

Damon appeared beside me, right on time. He crouched down in a bow in front of his king. I rolled my eyes in annoyance.

"Sir Damon, you may rise. Answer his question. How much time?" the king demanded.

"It is done, your majesty," he replied.

I exhaled loudly, feeling sick to my stomach watching him show respect like that. Suddenly, someone appeared beside me, springing out of the shadows in the crevices of the walls. I raised my brows in recognition. He opened his mouth to speak,

"An intruder-"

"You!" I cut him off. He glanced at me, finally noticing.

"You! You're the one who tried to strangle Cheryl," my voice was loud with anger. It surprised me when a little debris fell from the sky.

The shadow figure immediately crouched down, lowering his lime yellow eyes to the floor.

"Forgive me, your highness."

I flinched. For a second, I thought he made a mistake, bowing to me like that. Then I looked up at the king who sighed and sank back in his seat. I stared at them both, with questioning eyes. There was a moment of silence as Damon exchanged a threatening glare with the shadow who quickly retreated into the wall behind.

"Why did he call me that?" I finally asked.

"I was hoping to have this conversation after I'd retrieved the light," the king spoke. "...My son."

The words rang in my ears. My brows creased without my consent as I studied the king's face for any sign of humor. I then glanced at Damon who nodded as if the question was written all over my face.

"It's true," he said.

I shook my head, even letting out a little laugh as my hand went up to my forehead in disbelief.

"You're wrong. I already have parents… had… And they looked nothing like you… and neither do I."

"Do you know my name, son?" the king inquired. Before letting me answer, he continued. "I am Darke, KING of the Shadow Realm!"

His announcement shook the entire ground. I stumbled forward a little.

"Darke?" The name rang many bells in my head. "That's my family name," I whispered in bewilderment.

"The name dates back thousands of years, to the time when I first traveled to the shadow realm, in hopes of defeating the light that had blinded my country. I descended with a group of miners, down a deep, dark pit."

"I've heard that story."

"I'm sure you have. It is now but a folklore told among people of your time. But I still remember it like it was yesterday. The shadows that lurked in the darkness whispered words to me. They told me of their peaceful existence with the humans, hiding beneath the earth undetected. That was until the light infiltrated their world, thus opening a giant crack in the ground."

"What did you do then?" I asked

"I became their King. They needed a vessel to stabilize their world, and at the same time, remain hidden from every other being. I was faced with the choice of either letting the light consume the people, or abandoning my life on the surface forever. I chose the latter. Altogether, the shadows absorbed the light from the eyes of the blinded humans. It channeled through me and with it, I rebuilt their world into a fraction of what you see today."

"Fraction?"

The king looked at me with sad, golden eyes. "Unfortunately, as you have witnessed before you, the realm of shadows is slowly crumbling."

"Like it did back then?" I raised the question. The king nodded. "What happened to the rest of the miners that went in with you?"

The king let out a faint smile as he reminisced, "They were all forced to leave as no human could survive the atmosphere here. My son was among them so I transferred a bit of my power into him to make him stay longer. I tried the same with the rest of the miners but the shadows rejected them. They, however, gladly accepted my son as he was heir to the throne."

"So then where is he?" I asked him, looking around the cave-like structure.

King Darke pressed his lips in a tight line. His face went grim.

"He passed away a few years after inheriting my power. During that time, he fell in love with a girl who gave birth to his son. But the son wasn't any special. He did not carry my powers."

"I guess it skips a few generations," I said, crossing my arms across my chest.

"Yes, generations later, a boy was born, with the same face as my son and he inherited the power of the shadow."

"Was he your son?" I questioned.

"He wasn't the same person. He merely looked like him, but he was the next heir to the throne. He, too, unfortunately passed away during the crowning. Many generations later, another one of my sons was born. The same fate befell him."

I felt a bulge in my throat all of a sudden. Darke continued his story,

"One by one, sons were born and never lived past the first twenty years of their lives. All of them died during the crowning."

I took a step back.

"Why the hell did you crown them if you knew they would die?" I spoke up.

King Darke sighed heavily, massaging the side of his temples. He then looked up at me.

"When you were born, tell me, were you as strong as you are right now?" his question came out of nowhere.

"Of course not. I was weak and pathetic back then."

"You could say you got stronger, or that your powers grew. When in reality, they are slowly eating away at your life, till the day they finally consume you." He spit the words with distaste. "Your powers will lead you to your own demise."

I felt my skin crawl as I staggered a few steps back in shock, stumbling to the ground. My heart pounded in my ears that suddenly felt very hot. I could hear a faint ringing in them.

"There is a way, though," the king spoke.

My head jerked up. I glanced at him, eyes wide, still in shock.

"I only recently discovered it during my time with my son before you."

I was too weak to respond to that. My voice would not come out. He continued anyway.

"The secret lies with the light. The reason I was originally able to survive the power of the shadow was because, with it, I had also absorbed the light from the people who had gone blind. It balanced out the powers, and prevented the shadows from consuming me."

I pushed myself back up. Finally, finding my voice.

"Is that why you need a piece of the light?" I asked. "For me?"

The king nodded.

"That is, if you wish to live. I would also like to finally have one of my sons take over the family business." He tapped at the arm of the throne he sat on.

Cold wind thrashed at my face. I woke up with a gasp, shivering slightly. I was free! I looked to my side, Edward was still fast asleep with his mouth hanging open. I could see a bit of drool stuck to the side of his face. The wind hit me again with force. I almost fell off the bed. The sky outside flashed for a second, followed by the sound of thunder.

I quickly headed over to close the window. As I stretched out my arm, something flickered in front of my eyes. A second later, my arm jerked back as if struck by electricity. I froze, staring wide eyed at my hand.

"Damon…" I whispered.

To my surprise, the shadow at my feet extended into a person. He appeared before me in a crouch, bowing his head.

"Your highness."

I looked at him, shaking my head in disapproval.

"Is… something the matter?" he asked, oblivious to everything.

"You don't need to bow to me. I'm not your king."

"But you are the prince of shadows. Now that it is no longer hidden, I must show my respect."

"No. I hate that. It makes me sick to my stomach," I told him.

"Understood. I will treat you the same as always then."

He disappeared before I could say anything more. I stared at my hands. They trembled slightly.

"Cheryl… is that you?" I whispered.

What was going on with me?