The shrill of her screams still echoed in my ears, a haunting melody that played on repeat as I scrubbed the blood from my hands. The warmth of her skin, her head resting on my shoulder, burned into my memory. Even with my eyes clenched shut, I could see it all: the trust in her eyes as she tilted her head back, the love fading into shock, then pain, as she realized the monster she had trusted. I saw the life drain from her eyes, the light extinguished, replaced by the chilling darkness that followed my knife. I heard the blood-curdling scream as the blade sank into her heart, the sound forever seared into my soul. I felt the metal thrumming with a primal energy, a bloodlust I couldn’t help but crave, as death itself seemed to pulse through it. Soon, her screams subsided, her breathing ceased, her body an empty shell, and the life… stolen from her.
And I, an instrument of death, was the thief.
My hands trembled, a tremor I couldn’t suppress. Yet, the only thing the shadows within me allowed me to feel was a cold, bitter pride for my killing. The turmoil was there, a constant, gnawing presence. The pain of each life taken clawed at me, but the darkness suppressed it, a swift and brutal silencing.
I’ve taken too many lives to allow myself the indulgence of remorse. Bound by the shadow, I am its forever prisoner. Lying, cheating, killing—this is my existence now. My duty. My responsibility. My honor.
I must capture the energy possessed by the Light Souls.
Only the most privileged of Dark Souls have the capability to steal away the light. Light Souls possess a power that could shatter the world of shadows. This realm of eternal night consumes me, offering neither the solace of life nor the release of death. I have become the warrior of the night. Regret was a luxury I was no longer allowed to feel.
But still… my hands shook.
A gust erupted from the night, slamming the cabin door open with a violent force. Spilled across the floor, as if conjured from the abyss, was the King of Shadows. My knees buckled, my head bowed in submission as I lifted my dagger, offering the newly consumed power humming within its blade.
“My king,” I announced, my voice trembling, “I have captured the light. May this gift grant you the undying power to rule the darkness.”
The rippling form on the floor shuddered, merging into the shape of a man. Hooded and cloaked in shadows. He loomed over me, an aura of sinister power radiating from him. A long, skeletal hand reached out, a bony finger tracing the edge of my dagger.
“Alexander,” his voice rasped, a chilling whisper that sent shivers down my spine. “Something has shifted. The air…can you feel it? Nature itself has turned against us. It speaks…in prophecy. A prophecy that threatens our reign…” He trailed off, his gaze distant.
“A power has awakened, one that threatens to extinguish our kind. Born of nature… and residing within a girl.” His voice dropped, a menacing undertone. His red eyes, burning with hatred, pierced me. “Do you understand the danger, warrior?” The air in the cramped cabin thickened, a wave of dread washing over me.
I bowed my head. “I do not, my king. Tell me your desire, and I will fulfill it.”
His crimson gaze bore down on me. “You must understand.” His voice, a sinister softness, masked an icy command. “If she awakens her power, our realm, our very existence, will crumble!” The air grew colder, each word a crushing echo of the duty that bound me. “Find her, Alexander. Destroy her before she destroys us.”
I swallowed hard, the weight of his command pressing down on me.
With his hand still on the blade, the king leaned closer, his breath hot and stale against my ear. “You will do this. It is your purpose as my Dark Soul.”
“She will die by my hand, my king. I swear it.”
The king stood motionless, his gaze sweeping over me with a cool indifference. “Your loyalty pleases me,” he said, his voice laced with venom. “However, I fear your current strength may prove… insufficient.” His grip tightened on the dagger with a possessive hunger. “Failure is not an option.”
In a swift, brutal move, he snatched the dagger from my grasp and plunged it into my chest. The searing pain, like a thousand suns exploding within me, sent me reeling. I crashed to the floor, gasping for air, the ember of what life remained… dimmed from my body. Each beat of my heart was a desperate struggle against the encroaching darkness.
The last thing I saw before the midnight tendrils consumed me was the King of Shadows fading into the night, his form dissolving into the cool gloom like smoke.
And then there was silence.
The name Faye Johnson whispered within my mind.
Author HC Harris 