Split & Shadowed

Pool of Sorrows

Big and burly was right. The lake was so close you could stumble into it if you weren't paying attention. Its blackish water reflected the forest so perfectly it was hard to tell where the trees ended, and the lake began. But the moment I laid eyes on it, I knew something was off. This water wasn't like anything I'd ever seen. It lacked the shimmer you'd expect from a natural lake, its stillness unsettling, as if it were absorbing the light rather than reflecting it. There was an eerie quality like the lake itself was a living thing, or more accurately, a living, rotting thing.

This, combined with the faeling's attack earlier, only confirmed my suspicion: something dark lived here. Not just creatures lurking beneath the surface—something much worse. The lake itself felt like a trap, a lure for the weary and the broken. It was the kind of place that called to those who had lost their will to fight, offering false solace before dragging them into oblivion. I'd faced this kind of darkness before, and it only made me stronger.

But this place... there was something else, something different. The darkness here wasn't like mine. It was older, angrier. Hungry.

Footsteps disrupted the eerie silence, crunching on dead leaves and snapping small twigs. I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. His presence was hard to miss, even among the towering trees.

I sighed, already irritated by his arrival. "What do they call you, faeblood?" I asked without bothering to look. I could feel his hesitation, hovering a few steps behind me.

"My name is Hayes, Huntress," he replied, his deep voice smooth, though I could tell he wasn't surprised I knew he was there.

I finally glanced back. His towering frame seemed out of place here, like a giant trying to hide among children. His white hair, nearly glowing in the shadows of the trees, stood out like a beacon. He was built like an oak—broad, solid, and immovable. Everything about him was excessive, from his height to the sheer size of his muscles. The fae were usually lithe and graceful, but not him. He seemed carved from stone, more like a statue than a living being.

"And what exactly do you think you're doing?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm helping," he said, nodding with a seriousness that made me stifle a laugh.

I gave him a flat look. "From way back there? What were you planning on doing—shouting at the big bad monsters?"

"If necessary," he said, lifting his chin slightly as if that was a perfectly reasonable strategy.

I groaned, dragging a hand down my face. "Oh, for Lilith's sake." I gestured toward him. "Just get over here."

He lumbered toward me, and it was painful to watch. For all his size and supposed strength, he had the grace of a boulder tumbling down a hill. His attempts at moving quietly were laughable; every step he took sounded like a small avalanche crashing through the underbrush. I motioned for him to stop several times, but each attempt seemed lost on him until I had to physically wave him down.

When he finally halted just outside the line of sight of the lake, I shook my head in disbelief. "You're hopeless," I muttered.

"What now?" he asked, his tone genuinely puzzled.

I turned my gaze back toward the water, narrowing my eyes at its ominous surface. "You stay quiet," I hissed, barely holding my temper. "And I..." My voice trailed off as I focused on the inky blackness before me. "I'm going for a swim."

"No, Huntress!" Hayes blurted out, panic flashing in his pale green eyes. "That's where the girl was attacked!"

In the blink of an eye, I was beside him, yanking him down by that ridiculously white hair. "If I have to tell you to be quiet again," I whispered, letting my darkness swirl just beneath the surface of my skin, "I will sew that pretty mouth of yours shut. Understand?" I tugged his hair for emphasis, watching as he winced. "Nod if you understand."

His nod was slower than I liked, but I let it slide for now.

"Good." I released him, my grip loosening on his jaw as I traced my thumb over his lips. "Because I'd love to see what else that mouth of yours can do besides irritate me."

For a moment, something passed between us, a flicker of understanding in his otherwise clueless expression. He grunted softly as I let go of his face, but wisely remained silent.

"Now," I continued, turning back to the lake, "where's the shallow end?"

He pointed toward a corner where the water was lighter, faintly reflecting the dull light of the moon. The rest of the lake was a dark abyss, so thick with shadows it seemed like a black void rather than water.

"Hayes," I asked, not bothering to look at him again, "what was the girl's state of mind before the attack?"

There was a long pause, and I could practically hear him thinking. "She was... unhappy," he finally said.

I sighed. "That's not helpful. What happened to her?"

"The soulless killed her father two moons ago," he said, his voice quieter this time.

I cursed under my breath. Of course. That's why she'd been drawn here. "The lake is a pool of sorrows," I muttered to myself.

"A pool of what?" Hayes asked, confused as ever.

I rolled my eyes. "A pool of sorrows," I repeated, louder this time. "It draws in the weak and grieving like a magnet. They come here looking for peace, but instead, the creatures drag them under and devour them."

Hayes' face twisted with horror. "That's... terrible."

For once, I didn't have the energy to snap at him for stating the obvious. There was a sickness in my gut that mirrored the darkness swirling in the lake. I could feel it pulling at me, tempting me to give in.

"Hayes," I said, forcing myself to focus, "those light crystals I mentioned earlier?"

"Yes?"

"Make sure to get some for me before I return."

He nodded, a bit more quietly this time. "Yes, Huntress."

I removed my jacket, the cool air hitting my skin as I prepared myself. My darkness was eager, thrumming beneath the surface, waiting to be unleashed. The power coursed through me as I strapped my knives to my belt and approached the lake's edge.

"Hayes," I said softly, my voice barely a whisper now, "you might want to cover your ears."

Without warning, I let out a piercing shriek, releasing all my pent-up anger and frustration into the sound. Hayes dropped to the ground, clutching his ears, the sheer force of it too much for him to handle. The lake responded instantly, rippling violently as though it had felt the impact of my scream.

Then, without a second thought, I dove headfirst into the inky depths.

The darkness welcomed me like an old friend, pulling me deeper and deeper into its cold, unforgiving embrace. And I let it, knowing full well that whatever waited for me below, had no idea what kind of nightmare it had just invited into its lair.