Sԋαԃσɯʂ σϝ Tԋҽ Fσɾɠσƚƚҽɳ [𝑶𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝑺𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒚]

Prologue: Shadows Of The Forgotten

Prologue of "𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒔 𝒐𝒇 𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑭𝒐𝒓𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏":

The moon hung high in the ink-black sky, casting eerie shadows that danced along the edges of my vision. The wind whispered through the trees, rustling the leaves like a soft, sinister laugh. I shivered, clutching the collar of my jacket tighter around me as I walked along the desolate path that wound through the heart of the forgotten woods.

My name is Amanda, and tonight marked the beginning of a journey that would forever alter the course of my life. The woods had always held a certain mystique, an aura of foreboding that both intrigued and frightened me. But I was drawn to them, unable to resist the allure of the unknown that they promised.

As I ventured deeper into the woods, the air grew thick with a palpable tension, as if the very atmosphere held its breath in anticipation. It was then that I heard it—a faint rustling in the underbrush, followed by a muffled whisper that sent a shiver down my spine. My heart raced, and I hesitated, my eyes scanning the shadows for any sign of movement.

"Who's there?" I called out, my voice wavering slightly.

For a moment, there was nothing but silence, broken only by the distant hoot of an owl. Just as I was about to dismiss the noise as a trick of my imagination, figures began to emerge from the darkness. Tall and gaunt, they moved with an otherworldly grace, their features obscured by masks that seemed to meld seamlessly with the shadows themselves.

The Proxies.

I had heard whispers of them in hushed conversations and late-night internet forums—supernatural beings said to serve a mysterious entity known only as "Him." Some claimed they were lost souls, while others believed them to be the embodiment of nightmares made flesh. And now, here they were, standing before me like phantoms from a long-forgotten tale.

One of them, a figure draped in tattered rags, stepped forward, his mask adorned with a twisted grin that seemed to mock the very concept of happiness. I could feel his gaze piercing through me, studying me with an intensity that sent a chill racing down my spine.

"Amanda," his voice was a whisper, a soft susurration that seemed to caress the edges of my mind. "You've been searching for answers, haven't you? Seeking something greater than the mundane existence that plagues your world."

I was frozen, unable to tear my gaze away from his masked visage. It was as if his words resonated with a truth I had hidden even from myself—a yearning for something beyond the confines of my ordinary life.

"How... how do you know my name?" I stammered, my voice barely more than a breath.

The Proxy's grin widened, the expression on his mask becoming almost predatory. "We know many things, Amanda. And we offer you a choice—a chance to embrace the shadows, to become one of us, to shed the limitations of your humanity and join us in our eternal dance."

His words hung in the air like a forbidden fruit, tempting me with the promise of power and knowledge beyond imagining. The wind sighed through the trees, carrying with it a sense of inevitability, as if my fate had already been woven into the very fabric of the universe.

I took a step forward, my heart pounding in my chest. The darkness seemed to swirl around me, enveloping me in a cocoon of uncertainty and possibility. I looked into the Proxy's mask, feeling an odd sense of recognition—as if I had known him for eons, across lifetimes.

"Show me," I whispered, the words barely audible even to my own ears. "Show me what lies beyond."

The Proxy's grin widened, and he extended a hand toward me. "Welcome, Amanda, to the embrace of shadows. Your journey begins tonight."

As I placed my hand in his, a surge of exhilaration and trepidation coursed through me. I could feel the world around me shifting, bending to accommodate the newfound reality I had chosen. The shadows grew deeper, and I took my first step into the realm of the forgotten, leaving behind the life I had known and stepping into a world of darkness and mystery.

Little did I know that this was just the beginning of a tale that would weave my destiny with that of the Proxies, propelling me into a realm where nightmares and reality converged, and where the boundaries between light and darkness blurred into something altogether more sinister.

- Fin