Shadow Beings

1. The Beginning of an End

The girl's soft tears rolled down her cheeks as she stared into oblivion, confusion in her eyes. Her knees almost buckled off the cliff they stood on. Fortunately, there was a fair distance between her and the edge, keeping her still. The dusk sky was calming as was the breeze that blew her dark braids, though her exhausted eyes couldn't lift their gaze to the sky.

I could sense the heaviness that weighed on her mind, dragging her energy further down. She felt hopeless, and I needed to help the brave girl. A pretty creature stood next to her. She stood as still as a statue, her gaze appearing to be at the horizon but was in reality fixated on the girl. Her presence pulsated, unlike the increasing distress she caused the girl.

The girl remained unaware of that.

"Why is she crying, Audrey?" An empathetic look rested in Galen's grey eyes as he stood straight patiently, his gaze focused at the scene without announcing his presence.

"Give me a moment," I replied and closed my eyes. The auras of the girl, that demonic creature and the world were intertwined like coloured threads of a single rope, the girl's weakening by the moment.

The Ania... hers isn't strengthening, as I thought. It was as if both came undone to strengthen the world, but things generally tend to be stronger together.

Using my mental ability I peeked into her thoughts, looking for the cause of her emotions. I could manipulate her perception and control her actions, but that was not what I was supposed to do. That was not what would help her.

As I made my way through the clogged atmosphere of green, I couldn't help but wonder what exactly determined this ability of mind-control that manifested in me.

Who we are... is that set in stone from the moment we are born? Or before?

Focus on your work, Audrey.

I moved through the network of nerves, sifting through the fragile stories of her journey. The setting of her mind was hollow, making it hard for me to set aside the tangled lines of blue and black, but it was nothing I hadn't seen before. After all, it was my job to let some light flow in and clear the darkness.

After learning the reason I frowned, opening my eyes to a world that looked harsher for a second as the strings of her sorrowful memory played before me.

"She is crying because she was bullied for... no clear reason." I said quietly. It wasn't the first time that I had come across such a situation, yet each encounter was equally disheartening.

Galen wore a look of disapproval, shaking his head with pity.

"I don't think this Demonic Creature can be blamed for the human's sorrow. Emotions are complicated and anything can evoke anything. This girl is brave to have suffered for so long though, I want to help her as much as we should."

"Still," I started with hesitation, my voice falling lower as I looked at the two creatures immersed in sadness. "We have to kill the creature and alleviate the opacity of what she's currently feeling. Calling the girl's emotion to the surface will do too much harm to her."

And possibly, the world around her.

My voice trailed as I was unsure of what I said, but Galen gave a firm nod as he shook away these unnecessary thoughts. We were running out of time, something that had amplified the human's trouble and strengthened the demonic creature's control on her energy.

Galen darted his eyes towards the creature and I immediately understood what to do.

Same as always. Just a little guidance... people are to save themselves, after all.