Shadowglade [On Hold]

Chapter 6

Sarun felt the newfound power surge through his body in waves of adrenaline and a sense of calmness. Peace. Peace floated over him. It seemed as though getting rid of the man with the black soul gave him a sense of tranquility that couldn't be explained. He approached Eric with a soft smile.

"The ones with the black souls, we call them Dradeis, literally translated to Dark Ones."

"And I'll be able to just now who the Dradeis are based on the status of their soul?"

Eric hesitated for a moment before finally speaking as he swiftly snatched up his sword from Sarun.

"Yes and no. Members of Shadowglade are able to hide the true status of their souls, even from us Knights. That is why we have guards around the perimeter as well as inside Glendale on every street."

"Isn't that a little overboard?"

Eric stifled a laugh, but failed in the end as he released a jubilant roar of glee. The spectacle broke Sarun's belief that Eric was a total hard ass.

"No, it's not overboard when you're protecting the one place you love from the Agents of Darkness." Eric said as he gave Sarun a firm smack on the back.

"C'mon, Sarun. As your Captain, I think it would be fitting that I show you to the rest of our Unit."

"Unit?"

"Yes, each Unit consists of a Captain and two other lower ranked members, the Knights."

Sarun gave a slight nod. He was halfway paying attention, trying to get used to his new sight and not bump into anything without a soul. To his surprise, however, nature itself, had a soul. He could see the tiny individual souls in each blade of grass, weed, and tree.

"So plants have souls too, huh?"

"You'll be surprised at what your new eyes will reveal to you in time. As for now, meet me at The Snapdragon Inn when you're ready." Eric said as he turned to leave, waving behind him.

Sarun simply nodded and turned to look at the crowd behind him. They seemed to forget about the dead man lying in the street⎯trampling over his bloodied, lifeless body. Sarun began to notice that the light of the man's aura began to fade, as did his dark soul. His soul dissipated like dust in the wind, and a white gust of light seemed to sweep away the disintegrated pieces of his soul. With a soft sigh, he approached the Altar of Enarus and bowed his head, closing his eyes as the thought of his friend passed through his mind.

"Enarus, guider of our souls. Please, keep my friend safe, and save his soul."

***

Osuin had took the initiative to show himself out of his rugged bed and took a tour of his own around the underground settlement. There were stained glass windows towards the entrance, depicting a pentacle with a sword down the center. He assumed it was the symbol that represented the lot. The cavern was dimly lit by red candles that seemed to be set in random places. The candles themselves had a fleshy color, added with the creepiness of how some of them looked with melted the melted wax. Retreating from the entrance, to his left was a smaller room which looked like a library decorated to fit a scholar's taste. All finished off with a hooded man glaring at him intensely. Osuin slowly crossed the threshold, entering the mysterious man's territory with gumption.

"I see you're taking a tour of our Cavern Sanctuary. Do tell, how do you like it so far?"

"Well, it's pretty⎯"

"Nevermind that, I don't think I want you to answer that loaded question after all. But what I do want to know is, why are you here? I'm not used to seeing new faces, you see."