Dark Tales: Shadow [BxB]

Chapter 13

Tick...Tick...Tick...The familiar sound of a moving clock hand drummed into my ears. How did I get here? I wondered as I took in my surrounding, eyes adjusting to the darkness I was trapped in. This place, looks familiar. I tried to rack my brain for a memory of this place, but none comes to mind.

I tried to move around but soon realized that my hands and feet were tied together. That's right, I was kidnapped! But where was I? I strained my ears to listen if there was anyone outside the room, or anyone else present in the vicinity.

Tick...Tick...Tick...Tick. There were no other sounds.

I looked around carefully and noticed that I was in a room. An old room. I was on a bed with rather clean sheets, although it seems that the blanket was removed. Large spider webs were decorated around the edges of the ceiling, the floor was lined with a cake of dust. Footsteps! Relieved to have some clue, I peered over slightly and saw two sets of footsteps. One looked like marking from boots, the other looked like marking from a high-heeled shoe. Both had indications of walking into the room till the bed and heading out. That was when I noticed a piece of what seems to be a photo sticking out from the bottom of the bed. If only I could get rid of the ropes around my hand.

But before I could think of a method, a voice drifted in from outside.

"Where is the boy?" a female-voiced asked with a condescending tone. Nobody answered her, but footsteps could be heard, coming closer to the door with each confident step that echoed in the quiet place.

Click. Click. Click. Click. The tapping of her heels was approaching ever closer. My heart was beating anxiously in my chest. I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down as my kidnapper was striding closer with each purposeful step.

Click. Click. Click. Click, click. A shadow loomed from the tiny gap below the door. Here she comes, I thought to myself. The door swung open, and a beautiful woman waltzed in. Her curly dark red hair fluttered behind her as she walked over, her black dress hugging her body, showing off her curves. Too bad I was gay.

She looked at my helpless form and a soft smile emerged from her face. Her voice was silky and sweet as if a mother talking to her precious child.

"I finally found you," she said gently. Her eyes shined a glow of red, something in me stirred. As if coercing me to believe her. After a senseless minute of looking at me in the eye, her eye twitched a glint of annoyance flashed over. "Well, it wouldn't be so easy." She muttered under her breath and turned away.

"Come on, remove his bindings. There is no need to keep him tied up." She commanded. From outside the room, two males walked in. They weren't burly and strong looking like a bodyguard should, but they don't seem to be normal either. The lifeless, cast-away look in their eyes was unnerving. They came over and untied the ropes. Although they are careful, a single finger brushed past my wrist, making me shiver in disgust. The touch was cold. It was as if they had lost all their warmth. Like a dead person.

I suppressed the urge to pull myself away from the cold touch as the lady kept me in her watchful gaze. Something was very wrong here. The way she presents herself, the way she looks, the way she smiles, and the way she treats me. It was as if they are all faked. When they finally untied me, I sat up on the bed and looked away from her gaze. It was starting to get frightening. She turned and starting walking out of the room, her red high heels clicking on the floor.

"Who are you?" I asked softly, half hoping she wouldn't tell me. She turned to face me, and a smirk spread across her face.

"Me? Well, dear, I am the Titled Witch." She announced before walking out of the room. Titled Witch? I don't think I ever heard of such a thing before. But if fantasy stories are anything to go off on, witches aren't usually the best person to be around. After making sure I couldn't hear the clicks of her heels anymore, I stretched my now free hand under the bed and swiftly picked up the photo I saw earlier.

It was a picture of a house. A couple was standing in front of it. Four young kids gathered around them, all smiles and happy. I recognized one of the kids, I recognize the house. Suddenly, I recognized the room with a heavy feeling of guilt and dread.

It was my room. I was at the orphanage. It was where I met Dan. Everything I left behind, after his death. I got on my feet and stumbled to the wardrobe at the other side of the room and wrenched open the rotting wooden door. There it was a box laced with gold. The one my parents left for me after they died. Gingerly, I picked it up and brought it to the bed. I lifted the lid open and looked at the contents. There was a book and a picture the size of a polaroid photo.

The picture was a portrait of a man with wild black hair and dark green eyes. His tanned skin seemed to blend with the forest in the background. Just from the image itself, you can tell that this man was huge. His shirt was barely able to fit him, and his body was much larger than the tree next to him. He seemed familiar to me, but I am very sure that I don't have any memory of him. I want to keep the picture properly but none of the pockets on my coats would be able to keep it from wrinkles and bend marks.

I patted myself down, hoping to find something that would be able to keep it safe when something hard dropped out from my pocket and dangled on the belt hoop. I grabbed the card case and compared the sizes. It was a perfect fit. Excitedly, I unlatched the card case and slipped the photo into it, just behind the card. I clicked it shut and admired it. The gold lining now seems to be glowing slightly. I carefully kept it in my pocket, making sure it is secured.

I picked up the book next. [Titles and Elementals] the title read. At the bottom, it was signed by someone named Clara. I flipped the book open and read the first line in it.

Elementals-aka- Beings that obtained a blessing.

Blessings. If I'm not mistaken, that is what Rain and Blaze have. I continued reading and the book piqued my interest a lot more than I initially thought. Just as the name suggests, Elementals are people that are able to control a specific element to a different level as compared to ordinary magicians.

I continued reading the book with great interest until I came across something that caught my attention: 'Titled Witch'.

Titled Witch: Excels in magic combat. Able to conjure difficult spells with ease.

I look further down the pages and saw that there are several titled names. One that particularly stood out was the Titled Knight.

Titled Knight: He who cloaks himself in armour. Strong combat abilities. Bodyguard.

I flipped the book to the last page which appeared to be a backstory.

'In ancient times, the God of Creation created Eight Titled and Six Elementals to protect the world. When the Moon Goddess and the Human God started creating their own creations, the Original 12 decided to watch over them. To not interfere unless necessary.

That was when the Religious War happened. The 12 did not interfere, after all the world wasn't in danger. But something out of the ordinary happened. A wolf, not any different from the other creations, gained power on his own, surpassing all expectations.

When the war was over, 4 Original spoke up.

"We are protecting the world; the inhabitants shaped the world. Therefore, we should protect them." The Hero said. He gathered all those that are not influenced by the words of the Human God and started a country where all beings strive to live in harmony.

"The Human God is despicable. He almost wiped out an entire species for himself." The Beast said. He found a haven for all those under the Moon Goddess.

"We should not interfere with what the other Gods are doing. It is not our position as protectors." The Saint declared neutrality.

"Does it matter? We should just do what we think is right." The Jester said.

The other Originals respected their decision and chose their leaders. The Hero, The Beast, The Saint, and the Jester were known as the Four Kings from then on.'