Distant Rose's Stories

Shadows in the Night, XVI

2007-10-06T22:26:29Z

It seemed to be creeping towards a faint patch of moonlight on the ground.

Iellia blinked, and rubbed her eyes before looking out the window. Alright, she thought, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering. That definitely rules out my imagination.

She glanced at the clock again, and it read 11:59.

Then the clock began to shake.

Iellia blinked again, and stared at the clock. What the…She heard something ticking, and turned to stare at the clock that was hanging on the wall above her dresser. It said the same thing, but the second hand was creeping closer and closer to twelve.

“Five,” she said, turning to stare out the window again before glancing again at the clock. “Four,” Iellia started to turn towards the window again when she noticed that the doorknob on her door was jiggling. “Three.” Everything in the room stared to shake, and Iellia’s eyes widened. “Two,” she whispered as the shadows in the room seemed to get larger and loomed at her from every corner of the room.

“One.”

Shadows in the Night, XV

2007-10-06T22:24:18Z

A small, dark shape flew past Iellia and straight towards one of the women who had run out of her house. The woman screamed, and held her hands up in front of her face, as if to shield herself from whatever it was.

The scene skipped again, and Iellia was standing in a castle corridor. Someone screamed, and as Iellia turned to see who it was she was confronted by a young man with glowing green eyes. “We’ve been waiting for you,” he had hissed, before dissolving into a dark shape and flying towards her. Iellia had screamed, and the next thing she knew, she was sitting upright in bed.

Ugh, Iellia shook herself, trying to rid her mind of the last remnants of the dream, I have to remind myself to never drink that much coke again – especially not before I go to bed.

Something suddenly slammed into the window outside, and Iellia started. She climbed out of bed and walked over to the window. She peered outside, and at first she saw nothing.

Then she noticed the dark shape on the ground below.

Shadows in the Night, XIV

2007-10-06T22:22:25Z

If my alarm clock didn’t wake me up, she though to herself, scanning the room, Then what did? She yawned and blearily wiped her eyes. Whatever, she thought, sighing in exasperation, it’s not like I really wanted those full 8 hours of sleep anyways. Besides, I’m kind of glad I woke up. That dream I was having was kind of creeping me out.

She shivered as she remembered what she had been dreaming about before she woke up. In her dream, she had been standing in the ruins of a castle, watching as a young man made his way through the wreckage and towards the well that stood at the center of the courtyard. He pulled a vial out of a bag that was hanging around his waist, and poured a small drop of whatever was in it into the well.

Then the scene had faded and Iellia found herself in a small village in the middle of nowhere. A woman came running out of one of the nearby houses, her eyes wild with terror. A scream pierced the air, and another, and then another as the villagers began to flee their houses.

Shadows in the Night, Part XIII

2007-10-06T22:17:33Z

With this, Jeremy faded from view. The shadow that had been Tobias turned towards Oliver and Alyssa and hissed.

“See you…later,” it said cackling, and it too disappeared.

Moonlight began to stream down on them as the clouds began to fade away, and Alyssa and Oliver turned to look at each other.

“So this is how it ends,” Alyssa said sighing.

Oliver shook his head, and turned to stare up at the moon that filled the sky above them. “As one person dies, another is born,” Oliver said, smiling grimly. “As one light is extinguished, another begins to burn brightly. That’s the way it is, that’s the way it always has been, and that’s the way it always will be.”

* * *

Iellia woke with a start. She groaned, and pushed her bangs away from her eyes as she rolled over to stare at the glowing numbers on the digital clock beside her bed. 11:57 pm its blinking numbers read, and she blinked in confusion. She had assumed it was her alarm clock that woken her, but it was set to go off at 7:00 in the morning…

Shadows in the Night, Part XII

2007-10-06T22:15:58Z

Alyssa gasped and Oliver gripped her hand tightly in his own. The voice spoke again, this time more gently.

“But in order to protect the world, a shadow wraith will be born. She will be a combination of human and shadow, good and evil, light and dark. On her thirteenth birthday, she will come into her powers. And every 1,000 years, a guardian of the shadow wraith will be born, and it will be their sole purpose in life to protect and guide her.

“But on the eve of her 113th birthday, she will fade from this world and become like a shadow herself. At the exact moment she fades away, another shadow wraith will enter the world, and the cycle of good and evil will continue.”

At this, the voice stopped speaking, and the three people left standing in the ruins of the castle turned to look at each other.

“This isn’t over,” Jeremy hissed angrily, staring at Oliver, his eyes almost glowing with hatred. “You haven’t won yet.”

Shadows in the Night, Part XI

2007-10-06T22:14:45Z

Oliver growled, and curled his hand into a fist.

“Oliver, I’m surprised at you,” Jeremy said laughing when he noticed Oliver’s hand. “Resorting to brute force? And I thought you were above that.”

“Enough!” a voice thundered, shaking the castle walls. “This has gone on long enough. The shadows Tobias has freed have consumed him, but they are still free, and the world is not safe. However, evil has won this battle, so I cannot destroy the shadows completely.

“Every 13 years, on the anniversary of this night, a lunar eclipse will occur. When the clock strikes 12 on All-Hallows-Eve, clouds will cover the moon, and the shadows will leave the earth and enter the Shadow Well. And on this fateful night, the shadows will be free again, and they will be able to wreak their havoc on the world.”

Shadows in the Night, Part X

2007-10-06T22:13:08Z

She gasped, and dove out of the way just in time. The energy ball soared over her head and struck a tree a few feet behind her.

Oliver’s eyes flashed, and he took a step towards the figure. “Release him,” he growled threateningly. “And leave.”

Jeremy laughed, and held his hand out. “But of course,” he said.

Tobias shook himself, and looked around in confusion. “Wha…” he started to say, but was cut off when a shadowy hand emerged from the well.

“No!” Alyssa shouted, but in one swift motion the shadow dove into Tobias’ body.

Tobias gasped and cried out in pain as he began to shake convulsively. Suddenly he stopped shaking, and his eyes opened, but instead of blue, they were now completely black. He began to blur and his features grew dimmer and dimmer as he slowly turned into a shadow himself.

Alyssa choked on a sob, and Jeremy laughed. “You see Oliver? You’ll never win. Good never wins.” Jeremy smirked. “Especially not when it’s lead by idiots like you and your darling Alyssa here.”

Shadows in the Night, Part IX

2007-10-06T22:11:21Z

“Yes,” Oliver said frowning. “But you can’t take him. He has done you no wrong.”

“He has summoned the shadows, and brought them to life. I owe him my thanks,” Jeremy said laughing. “Tobias, come here.”

Tobias shuddered, and started walking towards the figure.

The young woman whirled around to face the shadowy figure. “Let him go!” she cried out.

“But Alyssa, I’m not touching him,” Jeremy said laughing. “Mortals are so amusing, don’t you agree Oliver?” Jeremy asked, looking at Oliver and grinning.

Oliver glared at Jeremy – a look that would have made most people wish they could shrivel up and die. Jeremy’s grin broadened, but quickly disappeared as he saw Alyssa turn towards Tobias. “Tobias,” she said quietly. “Come back to me. Tobias, come back.”

Tobias stumbled and started to turn around. Jeremy scowled, and held out his hand. A ball of fiery energy appeared in his hand, and without a single word, he hurled it at Alyssa.

Shadows in the Night, Part VIII

2007-10-06T22:06:41Z

Tobias nodded, and found himself taking a hesitant step towards the young man.

“Don’t worry,” the man said laughing. “I don’t bite.”

Tobias felt a wave of calm wash over him at the man’s words, and he grinned despite himself.

“Are you ready?”

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Tobias replied.

The man nodded, and raised his hands in the air, bringing them down in a sweeping motion. A glowing portal appeared where his hand has been, and he took a step towards it. When he noticed that Tobias hadn’t followed, he turned and smiled. “Don’t worry,” he said grinning. “The afterlife isn’t that bad.”

Tobias took a deep breath and nodded. He took a step towards the portal when suddenly lightning flashed across the sky, and another young man appeared. His hair – in contrast to the first young man’s – was almost black.

“What are you doing here Jeremy?” the first young man asked, growling slightly. “I thought I told you to stay away.”

Jeremy grinned. “Sorry to dissapoint brother, but you know how it is.”

Shadows in the Night, VII

2007-10-06T22:01:56Z

“Why?” the young woman asked sadly, pressing her trembling hand against Tobias’ cheek and wiping away the tear that had trickled down his face. “Why can’t he leave? Why must he stay?”

“You know as well as I do,” the young man said, shaking his head. “You know the rules. He has summoned the shadows. He must be held responsible.”

“But he didn’t know!” she cried out. “He didn’t know what would happen! He didn’t know that it was evil he was calling. It’s her fault. She tricked him.”

“I know,” the young man said sighing. “I know. But just as it is in her nature to deceive, it is in my nature to take the souls of those whose time has passed. And his time is now over. It is his folly that has caused this. There is nothing I can do.”

Tobias turned towards the young woman, who wiped a tear away from her eye and smiled shakily. “I have to go with him, don’t I?” he asked.

“Yes, you do,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “I’m…I’m sorry, but…” she choked, struggling to get the words out. “You do.”

Shadows in the Night, VI

2007-10-06T21:57:55Z

Tobias came to a stop at the edge of the well, his eyes widening in horror as he gazed into the bottomless hole. Shadowy hands emerged from the well and reached for Tobias, who stood frozen in horror, unable to move out of the way.

Someone suddenly reached out from behind and grabbed Tobias, pulling him away from the well and out of the shadow’s reach. “You must leave here,” the young woman who had grabbed him said, spinning him around so he was facing her. “You must leave, and must never come back.” Her curly, honey-blonde hair blew in the wind and her hazel eyes stared at him frantically.

Tobias nodded and she released him. He stumbled towards the entrance of the castle, but froze when a voice suddenly called out “Stop!” A young man appeared out of nowhere, taking a step towards Tobias and stretching out a hand. “You may not leave.” His brown eyes looked sad, and his spiky blonde hair was sticking straight up, almost as if he had just rolled out of bed.

Tobias froze – who were these people?

Shadows in the Night, V

2007-10-06T21:53:05Z

“Tobias,” a voice hissed suddenly, startling him out of his reverie.

Tobias jumped, his hair standing on end. “Who said that?”

“We did,” the same voice hissed, this time joined by a chorus of others. “It is us Tobias. The one’s you summoned. The shadows. And now that we are here, it’s time for you to set us free.”

“Set you free?” Tobias asked in disbelief. “Why would I do something like that?”

“Because it is your duty,” another voice hissed quietly. “You have brought us here. Now you must set us free.”

Tobias shuddered, and began walking jerkily towards the well, in a manner that resembled a puppet whose strings were being pulled. “No!” he cried out suddenly as he began to get closer and closer to the well. “No! I won’t do it! You can’t make me!”

“Make you do what Tobias?” the voices asked innocently. “We’re not making you do anything.”

“So you’ve figured it out, have you?” the voices hissed. “You know that the well is not what it appears to be.” They paused.

“You know what we are.”

Shadows in the Night, Part IV

2007-10-06T21:48:21Z

He was almost there when he heard a sob coming from the area between two of the many shops. It sounded like a little girl, and Tobias – after casting a nervous glance at the rest of the village – ran into the space. “Hello?” called out quietly. “Hello? Is anyone there?”

No one answered, and for a moment Tobias considered turning back. But then he heard it again, this time coming from farther back. So he continued forward, and soon found himself at a dead end. “Hello?” he called again. “Is anyone hurt?” Silence filled the space, and after a few moments Tobias turned around to leave. Before he could, a young woman stepped out of the shadows.

Her hair was as black as coal and her eyes were a sparkling green in color – they seemed almost to glow. “Hello Tobias,” she whispered. “It’s nice to see you again.”

“See me…again?” Tobias stuttered. “Have we met? Is that how you know my name?”

“Oh, I know more than that. I know everything about you. And speaking of knowing, I have a favor to ask you…”

Shadows in the Night, Part III

2007-10-06T21:39:05Z

Tobias walked through the village square and towards the butcher shop. He had come into town to buy enough meat to last a week, and he intended to do so and leave, before anyone noticed him. The villagers had never liked him much, especially not after his sister died.

She was the only reason they put up with him, and with her gone, there was nothing to hold them back. Everyone hated Tobias, and no matter what he did, that would never change. At the exact moment Tobias was born, a lunar eclipse had taken place. That in itself would have been enough to cause animosity towards him-the villagers were a very superstitious lot.

That wasn’t the worst of it. His mother had died while bringing him into the world – and to the villagers, that signified that there was something wrong with Tobias. That was the reason he wanted to get out of the village so badly – to avoid the glares, the whispers, the irrational hatred.

So Tobias hurried towards the butcher’s shop, and wished he didn’t have to go at all.

Shadows in the Night, Part II

2007-10-06T21:26:03Z

Tobias felt a rush of energy and he opened his eyes; everything seemed clearer, sharper somehow. All of a sudden everything grew dark, and a cold wind swept through the courtyard, stirring the leaves that lay on the ground.

Tobias shivered, and wrapped his cloak tighter around himself. This was a mistake, he thought worriedly. I should never have come here in the first place. Why did I come here in the first place?

Tobias blinked in confusion as he realized he honestly had no idea. Why had he come here in the first place?. He blinked again the full impact of his own words finally dawned on him. I have no idea why I came here, he realized. I have no idea where here is. The last thing I remember is…is

And then he remembered.