Shadow Beings

23. The Stone

"I'll tell you everything," Conrad said nervously. Evelyn put a hand on his shoulder and he relaxed momentarily. The moment he spoke about his brother a flurry of emotions raced towards me, from him, the abundant impulses finally being free after years of suppression.

"Go ahead," Theo said patiently but angrily, his aura growing thick and tight. His eyes were narrow and held a hardened look, but he still appeared to be relatively calm. Jack stood cautious by his side; something in his eyes said that Theo's anger would... not be good.

Conrad took a deep breath, looking at his palm with an uncertain look. He raised his eyes, looking at the others and me and I gave him a smile, encouraging him to go on.

"I've had these visions where his limped body rests in a cave, and I know it's real. Sometimes, his mental strain reaches towards me, but I know he protects me from it. My memory from when he 'died' isn't clear, but over the years, I realised that a few beings took him away. They were probably demons."

My eyes widened and I thought about that scene at the balcony, the incident at the hospital. Conrad's feelings towards the demons and the demonic creatures confused me - mostly since they were hidden from me - and I thought it might have something to do with his brother but I brushed it away till it hit me at this moment.

Conrad stood aghast with an empty expression. The despair in his aura deepened and Evelyn rested a comforting arm around his shoulder, hoping to let the vigour in her energy alleviate the shadow's worries.

"I-I could've saved him earlier!" Conrad muttered in a hoarse tone. "I should've told you all about this before. We could've brought him back home-"

"Conrad, don't blame yourself. I know how uncertain memories feel like, and when a strong force accompanies it, you think it's senseless to talk about it."

I looked at Galen in confusion, surprised by what he said. Conrad nodded his head and though he wasn't expecting Galen to speak up, I sensed gratitude in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, everyone. I didn't think-"

"Conrad," I started, "breathe. We will not blame you for anything. Mistakes happen, and you didn't even know about the demons. Right everyone?"

"I would've liked it if you told m- us before," Elek said, disappointment flickering in his eyes for a moment. Conrad looked at him with a sad look, lowering his head apologetically. "But, you needed time for yourself, and we understand that."

Everyone nodded reassuringly. The aura of the environment became kinder, too; I turned towards Holly to see an emphatic smile on her face, but the land's energy did something... greater, as if letting go of chaos in that one moment, only for Conrad. Trina gave a sweet smile, something sorrowful and yet comforting travelling from her to Conrad, as if she truly understood.

What if it's not just Conrad? Whhat if they're all hiding something from their past?

Theo, however, looked stern in an odd way. He observed our surroundings cautiously and gave off an uneasy aura. There was something troubling his mind, and he was no doubt upset with Conrad.

The two hadn't spent that much time since we came back to the headquarters, but Theo had done a lot of planning with Elek. A shadow-trapper being held captive by the demons? Something was wrong. I signalled Evelyn, asking her how long it had been since Conrad knew about this. She held up seven fingers, pursing her lips, then let a nervous smile come on her face.

That was a considerably long time. It now made sense to me, why Conrad wished to come here earlier. Clay had disappeared nine years ago and by then he was already twenty. Knowing his brother was suffering, seeing a glimpse of his suffering and staying silent with that for so long... maybe, just maybe, if I had listened to him better, we could've gotten Clay back earlier.