The Shadow Realm

Chapter One - Eleanor

I was falling. Free-falling into the unknown. Perhaps I was being banished from the Light Realm, from my family and Mila. From everyone. But that couldn't be right... I had Lyric there with me, as I dropped like a stone into the depths of the land. I hugged Lyric tight, gasping for air as wind whistled in my ears and the sky above me continued to turn an ever more leaden colour.

My life flashed before my eyes. I saw what would've happened to me if I hadn't been banished. I saw a beautiful blonde woman, hugging a small child with the same startling blue eyes as her. I saw myself, celebrating my daughter's 8th birthday, her golden locks fluttering in the evening breeze.

I saw a different woman, one who had greying hair and wrinkles. Still she was beautiful as ever. A small smile tugged at the corners of my lips, and I closed my eyes. My life if it hadn't been cut short by a treason I hadn't committed.

I fell for what seemed like years. Years of stomach-lurching falling. My eyes snapped open as my elbow grazed the stone that encased me in a funnel, leading me to the centre of the world. My grip on Lyric became tighter, and I was glad to feel a pulse. I shifted my hand so that I was holding her around the waist, and she tentatively licked my chin. It was that moment of affection that let me lose myself, and forget that I was plummeting to my death.

My head hit something hard, and I realised that the darkness around me wasn't because I was deep underground; it was the blackness of the stone and metal encasing me. I tried to hold Lyric in one hand so I could hug my knees as the tunnel grew smaller and smaller, but suddenly, I didn't need to.

The sky was there; around me, but... I wasn't the Light Realm anymore. The sky was raven-black, and thunder rolled in the distance. All I could see was darkness. It was all I knew at that moment. Darkness. Evil. The Shadow Realm.

I never thought that I would fall, but then, in that split-second, I knew I would, and I wasn't eager for that landing anymore. I was falling into the Shadow Realm.

[Sorry if this chapter was a little short, I think the next one should be a bit longer!]

[Or maybe not... 😑]