Memories (Of Dreams and Demons)

Man of Shadow

It's a tall man, hooded and shrouded in shadow. In my mind's eye I see him staring at me; his hateful eyes pierce the depths of my soul. Terrified, shivers like sharp ice scrape along my neck and shoulders.

The shadows roar out in every direction from him. He gives birth to them, and they are one with him. Every black claw, lash and unholy torment are guided by his will.

Whispers fill my mind, describing in minute detail the dark recesses of my very being. Under his gaze, horrible memories, irrational fears, and mournful regrets flood my consciousness and risk being torn from within and given form.

There are so many of them; pains from a life I do not recognise lining up to strike at my heart. I almost fall to my knees, trying to make sense of the memories roaring to the forefront of my thoughts. They must all be his, or those of his.. victims?

Naoko places her hand gently on my arm, breaking his spell. In a brief moment she is all that I am aware of, an anchor keeping me afloat in a sea of madness.

She smiles at me ever so slightly, but both love and loss are at war with one another in her eyes. I've never seen her more concerned, and despite her soothing gesture, more afraid.

"Stay with me," she says simply.

I nod.

"Who are you!" I picture myself shouting at the dark man. But I am still frozen in fear, unable to voice any words. Terror continues to strike at me.

Naoko stands by my side also facing him, her face stubbornly clenched up. Her feet are firmly planted on the ground, but I can tell she is trembling.

My heart beats like a galloping horse fleeing over the plains. Blood and adrenaline rushes through limbs unable to move. It was foolish to get comfortable and relax here without a care in the world, even for a moment.

The man reaches out a gnarled hand, beckoning us to come closer. Awash in terror and uncertainty, the land gets darker. The stars dim, the ash trembles and sheds more leaves, the shadows loom closer. What little light we bring with us begins to drain from the surrounding cointryside.

And just as he takes his first step towards us an eagle swoops in hard and fast to our rescue. It has to be the one from the library, the one that introduced us to the Realm.

Claws at the ready, and shrieking a second warning, it attacks the man without mercy. Sharp talons rip at the black mass, tearing strands of shadow away that fall and fade away into nothingness.

The man turns his attention away from us momentarily, shooting shadows in retaliation. Black coils unwind from his fingers. They are whips lashing out in an attempt to swat the eagle from the sky. Our bodies are free again, the fight is a distraction giving us enough time to flee.

"Quickly, we must go," Minerva rushes, offering a sheltering wing, "I will guide you home."

As the eagle retreats and prepares for a second strike, a black shield emanates with a booming sound from the man. It pushes the eagle back, an impenetrable wall of darkness given form.

Outstretched hands of shadow reach forward ready to tear our rescuer's wings to shreds. With a final warning the eagle is forced to take higher flight and flee over the horizon, chased by a black mass.

We sprint towards an opening in the forest's undergrowth far away from the man. Looking back in fear, I see him still standing there, patiently waiting without concern. Basking in the pleasure of the chase, it's as if he knows we are going to be caught sooner or later.

The moment we re-enter the dark forest, just before he vanishes out of sight, he whispers my name in my head. He knows my name. I'm almost frozen to the core again. How does he know my name?

Naoko's face goes pale white. Does he know her name too?

We run as fast as we can, driven by a fear born of true evil. Minerva flies low, guiding us, and we do our best to avoid making too much noise crashing through the undergrowth.

It's not too long until we are back upon the old stone path. Small speckles and bubbles of light still decorate the forest, but they have dimmed. The image of Vuitton flaunting his wide-brimmed hat flashes like a memory before my eyes. I do hope he and the others are okay.

Reaching the ruins, a wave of relief washes over me. With no sign of the man or shadow, it feels as if we have succeeded in escaping in one piece.

Minerva lands and makes herself comfortable on a nearby crumbling wall, before turning to study us. There is gentle sympathy in her eyes, as if she understands more than she is letting on, and is saddened by it.

Before she speaks, the eagle bursts into the clearing and lands beside her. I can tell he is in pain and battle-weary.

"You have proven that children should not enter the Realm during dark times such as these," the eagle proclaims.

Naoko frowns at the eagle, "I'm sorry, I didn't know the man would be here."

"The trials are too difficult," the eagle continues, as if passing judgement, "the shadows are too strong. Should the demons wake up, who could fight them?"

"Wait a second," I chime in, "demons?"

The eagle ignores my question and says, "do not forget this place children, but you must not come back for many years."

You must come back when you can fight, Chi's final words echo in my mind.

"Cale is right, young ones," Minerva consoles, "we are all lucky we still remember one another."

Remember.

Cale, so the eagle's name is Cale. It studies me.

Naoko gently takes my hand, and I turn to look at her. Despite everything, she is smiling from ear to ear. Her face is scrunched up, and there is a magical twinkle in her eyes. Alia peeks over her shoulder at me, purring gently.

"Let's go back," she says to me, "there will always be another time for us."

She is so calm, so brave. I feel as if I'm about to pass out from fear or collapse in exhaustion. So I just nod, and together we walk towards the opening in the ground that leads back to our waterfall cavern.

Before climbing back down, Naoko lifts her skirt up a little and masterfully reties the knots that had kept it both tidy and out of the way.

Satisfied that she is safely making her way back down the stairs, I turn back towards the wall. Cale is still watching me, but Minerva has turned to face him as if we had already left.

"Why come now?" Cale asks Minerva, "why would children escape to the Realm when it is so dark within?"

Shaking her head sadly, Minerva replies, "because the world outside is even darker."

Lost for words, I slip down the stairs into our waterfall cave. Something tells me this is the last I will see of either of them for a very long time.

An overwhelming sadness fills me up, as if I am losing something young and beautiful forever. A stronger sense of duty follows: letting go of the Realm for now is the right thing to do.

Cale nods in reverence to me the moment before Ivanish from their sight. How odd.    

-----------------------------------------

Thank you very much for reading Tales of the Realm. If you like it please follow, share and give the current chapter a vote. They all help very much and are greatly appreciated!

This is a work in progress, some chapters being an earlier draft than others; so whether you enjoy the current chapter or not, all your thoughts and feedback help me so much to improve both my style and the story. So I hope to hear from you. Ty again! :-)