Shadow Chronicles: Hunting for Darkness The Shadow's Whisper

Chapter Seven

Cronan kneeled in front of his father, "Rise Son, I have a task for you and the Sun Spawn." He began before shifting his hands slightly and summoning skeletons that walked around cleaning the area, "You'll be heading out shortly, I have discovered the reason for the Monsters not staying dead according to their usual cycle, an old child of mine is disrupting the pit, while Tartarus slumbers, take care you'll leave at Sunrise." Cronan nodded and vanished, he reappeared in front of Zoe, "We need to start packing Zoe, my father has a task for me and I want you there with me, so.." He started raising his hand to her forehead, "Sorry about this." He said with a tired smile, he poked her gently sending her falling backward only instead of reaching the floor she began to sink into her own shadow, "Contact me when ready." He said his eyes briefly flashing purple. She was gone moments later and Cronan vanished reappearing in his dark room. He ran a hand through his dark hair sighing, he walked into his bathroom and stared at his reflection in the mirror, he looked tired, drained, "I'm a dead man walking." He laughed darkly, he'd worked himself to the bone over those last three years, a total of two weeks worth of sleep spread out over the course of three years was anything but healthy, he'd look forward to sleep for the first time in a long time after this was all said and done, he took out a black duffel bag and began stuffing his essentials in it, a multitude of potions and other items, his scythe collapsed into a small baton about the size of his palm which he stuffed into his pocket, he slipped on black fingerless gloves that had purple lines running along it that glowed with power, he pushed some of his power into his hands and one purple blade like object shot out of each glove, it had a black smokey aura wafting from the blades, he cut the flow of power and the blades vanished, Cronan slowly walked back to the mirror, and stared at his reflection for a moment before suddenly his reflection's left eye shifted to a neon purple, his sclera turning black as a thin trail of blood dripped from his eye, a moment later pain racked his form forcing him to take a knee, clutching the area in which his left eye resided, he steadied himself and forcibly cut off the flow of power running to his eye causing it to return to normal only to hear a voice in his head sigh childishly, "aww, I had that..well there's always next time..Prince." Another spoke up shortly after silencing the first, "Quiet, leave him be, we have more important matters to attend to."

"You're no fun." "The bloody hell...." He muttered, he got up and stumbled to his bed before crashing to the floor passing out the moment he hit the ground.

Zoe landed softly in her room, looking around. She walked out of her room to see not much time had passed, maybe only a few hours here even though it had felt like a much longer time frame. She went back to her room to gather some clothes and other needs before going to the kitchen. She quickly wrote a letter telling her aunt that she was going on a short vacation and to not worry about her before going to the fridge and making a cooler of food and grabbing her accumulated money over the course of the three years and walked out the door, speaking out, "Cronan?" She waited for a reply, receiving only silence. "Cronan? I-I'm packed..." A ragged looking Cronan appeared stepping from the nearest shadow stumbling, "Let's go Zoe." Zoe quickly rushed to his side, "Cronan, are you alright? What happened to you?" She asked, catching him so he doesn't hit the floor. "Nothing, I'm let's go." He said tiredly before grabbing her and vanishing. They stepped through the shadows and Zoe caught him to keep him from falling;"I'm fine Zoe, we have multiple hours left to kill."

"Let's get a hotel room, settle down and you get rest. I've packed some stuff for you..." She said, remembering the sandwiches she made him,

Years ago "Or." He started before the shadows wrapped around the two dumping them out on his floor. "We could just stay here." "This is fine..now really, you need to rest. And eat." She stated, taking in his appearance. "Why?" "Look in the mirror." She said flatly. "I have don't see why." "You look dead..no pun intended.."

"Seriously. I'm okay Sunspot."

"Sunspot? And I'm serious. You're not okay. Eat. Rest." "I'm fine and yes Solar Flare. I have a multitude of Sun based nicknames waiting for use."

Zoe just glowered at him before opening one of her bags and thrusting a sandwich to him. "Eat, Grimm" "Oh Original Torchy." He said before slowing eating the food She sat there and watched him, making sure he ate all of it

"You done being a vulture mom?"

"Nope. Now you get to sleep. Go on." She ordered, gesturing to the bed

"Don't order me around." He growled at her his eyes flashing a deep purple before he walked towards his bed and crashing onto it. "W-whatever. Just..rest"

His eyes cut through the darkness like a knife the neon purple flashing briefly before the air next to Zoe's head suddenly combusted into pitch black flames. "CRONAN!" She exclaimed, jumping from the spot and glaring at where he lay. "You're fine." Cronan made a clawed rising motion with his hands and skeletal hands shot up from the ground around her and dragged her suddenly into the darkness she reappeared falling from the ceiling before falling into the bed. "Nice of you to drop in oh so gracefully." "Was that really necessary? I was fine on the floor" "You look better on my bed." He said with a yawn, She felt her face heat up to she quickly rolled over, facing her back towards him, not willing to show her blushing face A shadow tendril slowly trailed up her face. "Did you know your hair's blonde at the roots. "N-no, I've never noticed" She tried to calm her beating heart and turned to face him "Well gold's more accurate." He said "Oh?" She asked, a little confused as to why this was a topic. "It's cute." "I-i." She stuttered, tilting her head down to hide her blush. "Well...Isn't that adorable." He said yawning before passing out.She went to reply but noticed he had finally fallen asleep, "Good...you need it..." She whispered before slowly sliding off the bed and back onto the floor and falling asleep too, her dreams filled with darkness and a pair of glowing silver eyes.