The Shadows Within Us

The Void

'Darkness, like space...

is the complete absence of color—of light.

Whereas white,

is the complete opposite—every color simultaneously.

This goes to prove,

not all things are how they appear.

If a vacant white can hold all the colors in the Universe,

Would darkness reject all things?

...

What fills darkness?

Or is it truly empty?'

A monstrous dark mass of gravitating oblivion hovered menacingly amongst the surrounding field of dagger-ended stakes. Black matter rippled and swirled within the mystical forcefield, like dropping a massive stone into an ocean of space. A heavy gravitational pull tugged on the group, pulling their sliding feet closer to the swirling gateway.

A humming breeze glided toward the anomaly, softly tossing wisps of red velvet hair forthright from Eden's head. The fledgling's vision grew blurry, a hand raising to protect her eyes from the specks of sand and rock that had begun to levitate forward into the abyss. She winced, peering through the space between her fingers. Through the sliver, she could hardly make out the sight, her vision caught in a perpetual state of adjustment, oscillating between clarity and blurred shadows. It was as if her mind struggled to comprehend the very existence of the anomaly; some sort of swirling ripple in space and time. A gateway to another realm, possibly Earth.

The sound of hurried footsteps, trampling over the dry, crumbling ground began to abruptly grow near as Simone broke free of his trance, suddenly having realized he was alone. He rushed over, face painted with a sense of grief as he stood alongside the rest of the Party, trying to catch his breath. Together, trapped in a state of chilling uncertainty, the group stood; staring wordlessly at the multi-dimensional rift that hovered above, forebodingly tossing the wind in different directions around them.

"We're all going to die." Simone panicked, his breathing growing shallower by the second as his yellow-jacket orbs flickered about the enormous oddity. He began to pace, digging his claws into his thick black locks in hysteria.

"Oh my damn, Eden you released the kraken of the underworld." Elliot's tail wrapped tighter around Key's already suffocating form, squeezing the remainder of oxygen from the creature's lungs.

Eden's attention slowly shifted as she eyed the crowd nervously. She was still reeling from the conglomerate of scenes that had played out within the confines of her unconsciousness; trying to piece together everything she had seen and heard, but the memories were fleeting. It was like trying to recall a dream after waking up. The teen's uneasy carmine orbs stumbled across Key's puzzled face, and she saw that, unlike the others, they weren't entirely consumed by their fear.

"Fascinating..." They cooed in soft amazement, lilac orbs lit with a bright intrigue. They stood silent a moment longer, seemingly admiring the colossal rift before blinking free of the distraction and turning to acknowledge the group. "I've seen something like this before." They tried to move, but Elliot's tail held them firmly in place. "Ellie..." Key grunted, tugging gently out of the Incubus' frightened grip.

"What the fuck is it?" Simone gritted his teeth, glancing over at the bold shapeshifter as they took a step toward the violent mass of energy.

"We've just stumbled across a rarity of the Universe," Key turned their head, peering over their shoulder at the fluffy-haired coward. "You want to tuck your tail between your legs and run away now?" The teal-skinned shapeshifter shamed him with a tsk.

Elliot's wary tangerine orbs traveled down to the little sister who he was responsible for protecting at all costs. He placed a hand atop her cherry red locks, immediately recalling the girl's drastic injuries. "No, I think Simooone is actually right for once." He admitted with a heavy exhale. Usually the little punk was a buzzkill, but sometimes his cautious nature was for the betterment of the group.

"I'm always right!" Simone bellowed with a growl. "You've got some real issues if you think this shit is fun." The curly haired individual pointed aggressively at the enormity, their sharp yellow slitted eyes never leaving the shapeshifter. "I don't fuck with this stuff. I say we walk away, forget this ever happened." The demon threw his hands up in exasperation, anxious to leave the scene already.

Key glanced back and forth, from their friends to the portal once more. "Oh please, I'm not insisting we throw ourselves inside." A look of annoyed exhaustion crossed their features, the creature crossing their arms over their flattened chest. "Besides, these things could be dangerous." They shrugged. "You never know where you might end up. It's a big Universe."

"Guys." Elliot's fingers mimicked a zipping motion as he summoned the group. "Do me a favor and shut up for a second." The Incubus placed both of his hands atop Eden's shoulders, displaying the younger sibling to the group. Eden flinched, glancing up at her brother with an irritated glare. She scoffed, fidgeting as she tried to throw Elliot off.

"I'm fine." The girl's pale-white face was sticky with blood, her temples beginning to bruise blue and black. She would heal with time, of course. Killing a vampire was a complex thing; but Eden was hardly a fledgling, a weak one at that.

Key's expression quickly shifted, concerned lavender orbs dancing about the girl's frail and injured form. The little sister they had come to informally adopt over the years wasn't in good shape; a stream of drying blood pressed to the side of her face along with any wisps of velvet hair that had managed to get caught. Suddenly, the fun loving shapeshifter was no longer in the joking mood. "Alright." They surrendered.

No...

Eden was still trembling. She couldn't tell whether it was the weight of the situation or lack of blood moving through her veins, though as the portal surged with its enchanting, whirling nebula, she couldn't help but imagine the possibilities on the other side. Here, nothing held much importance to her. As much as she didn't want to believe it, Elliot was right, she was a freak. If there was a chance that a better place existed on the other side of that void, she needed to know.

The injured fledgling placed a hand gently against her skull, feeling where the bone had been impaled. There was a lasting dent, one of which more blood began to seep out. She groaned, growing dizzy as a pounding ache coursed all throughout her head. "Khh." Eden hissed, squeezing her fists together in an effort to redirect the pain.

"Eden! Don't you dare fucking die, kay?" Her older sibling ordered with concerned glowing orbs.

"I think she's already trying her best." Key patted Elliot's back consolingly. "Why don't we get her cleaned up at my Mall. That way, daddy dearest doesn't have a reason to make matters worse." The creature invited the group to their sanctuary with a hint of a smile. Deep down, they wondered just what Osiris would think of this mystical force field.

The sibling's father was such a paradox, a mystery to Key—and they were one of the rarest beings alive. They wondered if Osiris would consider the possibility of leaving this place too. After all, the man was a walking sack of disappointment, and it showed. Key tended to spend a lot of time observing people and well, nobody ever became that way overnight.

Simone spun around on his heel, eager to get moving. "I think this is the first time that your little sister ruining the trip has actually played out in our favor." Simone hummed, alleviating that they were finally leaving.

Eden huffed, and though her arm was still sore from a likely fracture, she raised her middle finger to meet the demon's snarky remark. Elliot offered his body up as support, the fledgling hesitantly accepting his help. The group began to turn around, each individual hesitatingly taking their final glances at the otherworldly portal before walking away, for good.

I wonder if this is a mistake. Eden felt a sense of remorse—growing into a deep seeded regret.