Shadowfire Book Two: Ice Cold

Chapter 10

I walked down the corridor that would lead towards the Oracle's sanctuary, but even from a distance I could sense that something wasn't right. The man who walked out of the room only confirmed my theory.

He had on black pants, as well as a black hooded trench coat not unlike mine, but his hood was up over his head, casting a shadow over the top of his head down to right below his nose. A small black cloth mask covered his mouth. In fact, he looked like a shadow, pitch black except for his glowing red eyes.

He then noticed my presence, and I prepared to fight him. Nonchalantly, he lifted an arm that instantly became a black cone as it extended towards me. I instinctively dodged, and the wall behind me me cracked, with entire portions falling out.

As it turned out, there was no mask covering his mouth, which I realized when pure white and monstrously sharp teeth appeared in a smile. Several other spears then branched out form all sides of the spear, so economic towards me and others piercing the walls.

In response, I summoned ice fire in my hand, and prepared to attack the spear pointed at me. Instead, it seemed to be absorbed into the flame, and I felt the shadows themselves pour into my own energy. Time itself seemed to freeze, and I could feel dark thoughts pouring into my mind.

Kill. Kill. Let them all die. Kill them all. Let in darkness. Let in death. Be consumed. Burn in the Shadowfire.

I could feel the thoughts infecting my mind, and it almost felt like they were my own. I saw an image flash into my mind of Kurohomura himself, and I could feel my soul slipping away.

No. I couldn't let this happen. I wouldn't let it happen. I won't become my father. Time resumed, and I forced the darkness back. The now black flame turned gold, and the gold fire expanded to burn away the entire shadow spear. I saw it extend back to the shadow being's arm as it burst into gold fire.

He was forced to tear away from it, and he knelt clutching his shoulder. But there wasn't any blood. As I expected, he wasn't human. As if reacting to my thoughts, three black tendrils burst out of his shoulder, and swirled around each other, merging until they became a new arm. His smile was gone, but his eyes had gained a new analytical glare. He seemed amazed, terrified, and interested at the same time.

I then realized that he wasn't staring at me as much as he was at the gold flame in my hand. Instantly, I decided to use this fear against him.

Deducing that it'd be as simple to control as my normal ice fire, I sent a tornado of the gold flare towards him. However, he closed his eyes, becoming pitch black and seemed to vanish, as if he really was a shadow.

I would've followed him, but not only was it impossible, I needed to know why he had been in my mother's room.

What I found terrified me.