Dreaming In Chaos

Recovering (Part 2)

 

I dance with my shadow in a field of burning flames. There is no pain,  no worry,  no tenseness.  Only a weightlessness in my body,  joy in my heart,  and freedom in my soul.

We dance to the rhythm of the heated waves of oranges,  reds,  and yellows,  and my heart tumbles and twirls in my chest,  dancing with us.
  He,  my original shadow companion, moves just as fluidly as the flames,  his silky form shifting as the fire does. Here things of light and things of darkness can coexist,  the magic of the bridging world canceling our differences so we might enjoy each others natural company. However,  I can interact with shadows on their natural forms anyway. He really is a beauty to behold,  albeit a rather dark one,  but that's half his charm. From afar he would look like only a dark silouet,  but up close you can see the wisp-like grey tendrils break, fuse,  and shift as they keep the body form,  with the dark red and pure white sparks of energy that make him alive. You can better see his face,  but only when you don't focus. When you focus shadows just seem like a blurred space. To see them you must see without actually looking,  as if youre day dreaming. On him you can then make out his squarish jaw,  his crooked nose,  smirking mouth, and sunken in looking eye spaces.  Of course they don't have eyes like physical beings,  instead they posses a crater like space filled with the sparking energy always glowing they're murky colors like small dark galaxies.
  While seeing without looking you can witness the planes of their shoulders,  torso,  arm,  and legs,  but never anything solid. His body gives off a general erri soft silverish-grey glow. A dark masterpiece indeed. While having fingers and toes,  they lack ears as they have no need of them. Shadows feel speach,  they're heightened other sences canceling the use of hearing.
  My own movements feel fluid-like. There is nothing like dancing with my Shadow-Man among flames. It is graceful ballet,  with smooth ballroom,  with high spirited waltz,  and so many other touches from different dancing breeds. It is power,  strength,  beauty, and a mixture of both light and darkness. Chaos with an elegant pollish.
  I have no fear of getting burned,  my shadow would never let the burning coils hurt me. My body never strays too far from his,  his sharp,  cool energy protecting me like a halo. We are one here.  It was here my parents abandoned me when I was born,  in a mountain pass not far from this field. They still never told me why. This world,  Chasmel,  a bridging world between mortals home and chaos' home, has been mostly diserted of crossers for eons. Since the gods and their blood withdrew from mortal land and where forgotton on Earth. Shadows and the occasional monster are those left to take care of this world.
  It was my shadow that found me and transported me to Earth where he left me on a bakers steps,  and so be gain my life. Since he has been my companion, teaching me of his world as I navigate my own. It's not often I come here physically as the time lapse in crossing through space is two weeks one way,  but nearly every night since he found me he's brought me here in my dreams where,  over the past years,  I have explored my crooks and cranys of this world,  familiarizing myself with it, him at my side.
  But he cannot be mistaken as any sort of guardian angel. Because just as he has opened my eyes to great wonders, he has opened my mind and soul to dark corners of life,  a chaotic balance of light and darkness,  just like our dances. Not one thought worries my mind when he takes me out,  as I become like a shadow and only feel. And what an incredible feeling it is,  always ending too soon. Now is no different. When the twin suns begin to rise from their opposite sides of the horizon he guides me from the field to my pass,  where we rest a few moments,  aprciating the breathtaking sight of the rising suns before he sends my soul back to my slumbering body to wake to only one sun.

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  I wake slowly,  stretching out under the cool sheets without opening my eyes to the budding day,  rolling onto my stomach. The pain has been reduced to a small ache thanks to the works of Cy and sharp,  clear energy of Chasmel. The combination never fails,  not matter the damage. An incredible thing. After laying there a few more moments I begin to climb from the bed to begin my day.
  My clothes are washed and mended like you, folded on an arm of the couch. Grabbing them I head into Daemons attached bathroom. Slipping from Daemons shirt and my undergarments I turn the shower on,  remove the brace,  and step in,  sliding the door shut.
  After cleaning myself thurally and washing my hair I step out and grab a towl from under the sink where my host pointed them out yesterday with everything else. Wrapping it around myself I retrieve the blow dryer and a comb and begin drying my hair. As I do I study myself.
  I look much better than I did yesterday. My pale skin looks healthier,  more like ivory now,  and the bruises nearly all faded,  cuts gone. My face is more striking than haunting now, my straight-like jaw softened buy slightly rosy cheeks and accented by my high cheek bones and rather pointed ears. My lips are fuller and darker,  no longer dry, and my perfectly straight nose underlines my bags free, wild,  storm grey, cat eyes with thin rims of metallic blue that's could be mistaken for a glowing silver,  framed by thick lashes and topped with full ravens black eye brows that match my hip length,  wavey hair.
  My posture is perfect whereas yesterday I was slightly...sunken in. My back is straight,  slightly work broadened shoulders back. My figure is both strong and slight,  a balance of curves and muscles. My full height is five foot eleven and often made taller by heels. Both my legs and arms are lengthy,  but I'm not acward. I'm proportioned just right.
  When my hair is done I quickly style it into two messy buns,  just at the tip of my ears. It then dawns on me I have no clean underclothes,  but as I unfold my clothes anyway I find a matching emerald lace set tucked inside. Slipping them on I ignore the clothes as I still need to apply my medicine and clean up my mess before stepping out.
   I am greeted buy the sight of Daemon as he finishes making the large bed and the scent of a hot breakfast tray on the desk. "Good morning." I greet him, setting my clothes down to pull what I need from Cy's bag of healing assortments. "Good-" he starts to great me as he tucks the last part and looks to face me,  pausing a few heart beats to stair at me in shock before finishing and crossing to me. "-morning. You certainly look much better."
  I laugh lightly and nod.  "I feel much better.  This stuff works like magick." I return with a slight smirk,  moving to sit on the couch and set everything down. "Yes it does." He chuckles and follows me. "But that doesn't mean you start using all of your strength.  The doctor ordered rest." Taking the container I opened he kneels on one knee in front of me and begins applying it to the rest of my standing bruises. I roll my eyes.
  "I'm nearly brand new. Rest is for Average Joe's and Plain Jane's." I watch his hands gently rub the concoctions into my skin with the proper motions. He shakes his head. "Rest is for people need to save strength." I tilt my head some,  looking in his eyes. Such beautiful eyes,  gleaming with their own secrets. "Rest is for those not strong enough to carry on properly the whole required fight." I counter.  He only shakes his head again,  sighing slightly.
  As he finishes thirty minutes later there are three quick,  light taps on the bedroom door before it lightly swings open and Cy breezes in. She's already made up for the day in a knee length, plum purple sundresses with a low, sweeping neckline,  a belt made of braided black leather with tiny clear diamonds set in it,  short,  brown leather cowgirl boots, and a hairpiece with a lavender net-like veil curtaning her face as her hair tumbles neatly down her back with her normal assortment of jewelry. Never a dull entrace from the enchanting witch-doctor. "Fair morning Snow Rose. Fair morning Daemon. I see you've mysteriously sped up the process like always."
  My smirk returns. "Fair morning Cy love." I greet her. "Good morning. You're up and ready early.  Both of you. It's only six forty five." Daemon says. "The early bird get the worm." Cy and I speak at the same time and chuckle lightly as Daemon stands,  chuckling for a different reason. "I see."
  I lay back with out Cy's orders,  ready for my check up. I close my eyes,  relaxing as Daemon watches her work. "You really must tell me your secret in aiding the magick." She says lightly after a few moments. None of my friends know about my late night spirit journies. That's my secret. They assume I only visit once a year,  when I go physically,  for my birthday.
  "What do you mean?" Daemon ask,  a little confused. "Oh,  my magick works,  but not this fast." She laughs lightly and taps my side so I shift to my stomach. "Only with Princess here. But I still haven't figured out how she does it." She stands,  fixing her dress,  as I open my eyes and stretch slowly before getting up. Both watch me.
  "A parlor magitian never reveals his most prized trick." I half hum,  tapping her nose through the veil then strolling over to my clothes. I pull on my black ripped skinny jeans and my dark blue silk, long sleeved blouse,  doing all but the top button and cuffing the sleeves. "Yeah,  yeah,  yeah." She grumbles having said the same thing to me a million times when I begged her to teach me Enchanting. I only laugh lightly and move to put the brace on,  but Daemon beats me to it.
  Suddenly in front of me he takes it and guides me to sit on the bed. "Let me." He murmers,  again kneeling on one knee in front of me. Cy claps excitedly,  beaming behind her veil,  and I frown my confusion as Daemon gently secures the brace on me. She says nothing though,  but I catch sigh of the Shadow-Woman slip in through the cracked balcony doors and dart into the shadow of the desk on the floor while Daemons head is still down,  seaming to disappear in it,  and I forget her outburst. Now I frown my confuse at the desks shadow.
Shadow-Men and -Women are simply shadows molded into figures and given life through Chaos-energy.
  They therefore can meld with actual shadows to camaflodge. "There you are Princess. " He says standing and and retrieving the tray of food,  but I don't look away from the area the walking shadow now inhabits,  a breath away from Daemon. I tilt my head ever so slightly and catch the angle I need to see her dulled sparking energy in the open space. Tilting my head a little more I catch her eyes. "Are you alright?"
  My head snaps into the proper position at Daemons question and I meet his eyes,  giving a light hearted embarrassed laugh, flushing. "Huh? Oh,  yeah." I feel the Shadow-Womans low laugh in both my chest and core,  only making me flush more,  feeling like I was a child caught red handed doing something I shouldn't have  been doing.
  Cy recognised the blush and laugh,  looking around. "Oh,  there's probably a shadow in here hiding. She plays their own version of hide and seek." I manage to keep my next blush  down. Understanding flashes in his eyes then amusement as he passes me the food.  "Is that right?" He teases,  low voice rumbling with his chuckle.
  Aware that my discomfort is growing the Shadow-Woman shifts her position some so I can see her properly and takes up a build like Daemons and stands like him. 'Is that right?' She mimics him silently,  lips not moving,  and perfectly. I crack a small smile then meet Daemons eyes again and quickly whipe it off my face,  shoving some jammed toast in my mouth.
  The woman starts makeing faces and striking ridiculous poses with her new look,  and I try to controlled myself,  biting inside my cheek. Then Cy chortles and my eyes flick to hers as she watches the woman in open amusement. "What?" Daemon looks where Cy is but the Shadow-Woman is already hidden.
  He looks at Cy strangely and she's back,  dancing now. A laugh slips out as I watch and I see Cy biting her lip,  understanding the shadow is making fun of a man who can't see her anyway. Daemon follows my eyes and she's stayed out this time,  silently taunting him. A laugh escapes Cy who trys to cover it with a cough. "What is it?" He demands.
  The woman puffs out her chest, arms crossed, frowning somehow. 'What is it?' She mimics in her uncanny imitation of him,  and Cy and I break,  erupting into loud,  air vibrating laughed that just seems to bother my dear friend more and the Shadow-Woman takes her bows and slips back out.
  I slip off the bed from laughing so hard and catch Cy wiping tears from her eyes.  Daemon leaves out muttering about "immature girls" and "stupid invisible shadow people", making us laugh more. When our laughter slows we meet each others eyes a moment before exploding in more laughter.
  By the time we're done laughing we're both wiping tears from our eyes and she's using the couch as a support. We both take deep breaths to calm yourself and the others join us asking the joke. So of course we explain,  cracking up again. However when Daemon walks in with servants carting food we hush,  but a giggle escapes Cy.
  All through breakfast we would meet each others eyes from our scattered position around the room and someone would make a face triggering the rest of the groups laughter... Aside from Daemon. He'd shake his head and mutter after asking multiple tines the joke which only lead to a longer fit of laughter,  his words the only one being spoken.
  As everyone nearly finished I glanced around,  drinking some o FCC my orange juice and nearly chocked. The shadow was back,  with friends.  Discreetly I signaled their presence to my friends who all grinned harder,  ready for the next act. The four shadows proceeded to dart from one still shadow to another,  playing a game of Shadow Tag,  the goal being to brush Daemon and hide. He tried to pretend it wasn't happening... Until one shadow boldly snapped some Bacon nearly completely from his hand.
  The range of emotions and faces that he went through had us gasping and hanging half off our seats,  doubled over from laughter.  But then the shadow skipped across the room to me,  cutting off my laughter as I noticed for the first time the child like shadow had in earnings. The others quickly quieted at my stunned silence as the mischieviouse shadow stopped before me.
  Smiling widely she showed her silver metallic teeth, teeth normal shadows don't have because they feed off of energy,  and curtsied for me holding out the Bacon. "Princess." She said proudly. I didn't know they could speak aloud. "You can talk? Aloud?" Daemon asks,  a hint of fear in his eyes. "Of course." A Shadow-Man appears behind him and he jumps up,  visibly scared,  staring at the man. "How do you do?" The Shadow grins widely,  and Daemon cruples,  passed out in shock.
  Fox bolts for the door. "Do you have on clothes?" Ryan asks. "Yes we do." Another confirms,  stealing a piece of his toast. "Dont you?" The shadow bites the toast, paling. Then stands. "Well that was fun,  but I've got... A meeting I need to get to." The rest of the guys follow his example,  excusing themselves with nervouse glaces at me,  then the four shadows,  and leaving.  The woman pats Cys shoulder as she's still seated confused. "Go on then."
   Cy looks at me but I'm just as lost as her. I shrug,  and she stands,  calmly collecting her bag and going to the door then pausing and looking at the younger shadow with a fragile looking smile.  "I like your earnings. Fair morning." Dropping a shallow curtsie she leaves quickly. The shadows laugh,  silently taking about their mischief,  and I smile slowly as I realise the tables were turned on my friends. Accepting the Bacon I nod in approval,  biting it. "Clever." I nod again,  chuckling softly.
  Then I join in the laughter and live replays,  finishing my food. I then heave Daemon onto his bed and the shadows help me gather the dishes and we race to the kitckens. More shadows join us and they goad me into abandoning my cast and Daemon and joining their game of Shadow-Man Hunt. It doesn't take much for me to cast it away and pull on my back,  open toed heels,  running off of Daemons lands.
  I lose track of time hunting the shadows then pushing myself to best them in a fight,  which is harder than it sounds,  especially as it grows darker and we enter a wooded area. One of the Shadows had taken off when I found him,  often passing through through a shadow when I got close and coming out of a shadow farther away.
  After a few times of watching him I aim to copy him, so squeezing my eyes shut and, focusing on the way shadows are drawn to me,  dive for a dark gap between two shrubs,  praying for a miracle. Cold shocks shoot through me then I'm stumbling to the ground. Somewhere close there is laughter,  cheering,  and applause.
  Breaking my fall I scramble to my feet as the shadow I had been chasing,  runs up to help. 'Maybe don't dive.' He says silently as he brushes me off,  then winks,  taking off. I stair after him. He... Winked at me. He had a mortal she'll. "Giving up?" He calls back,  up on a branch,  taunting me. Again,  a grin spreads across my face. I just Shadow Traveled.
  "I just Shadow Traveled." I whisper to myself,  body physically vibrating with a new found energy. "I just Shadow Traveled!" I scream,  jumping up and down. 'Great job Princess!' One calls silently,  then others pick up the congratulations. But their voices fade as my eyes lock on the now mortal looking shadow and a cool calmness spreads through me. He stands,  returning my growing smirk. Lifting a hand he crooks a finger at me,  telling me to come at him. I move,  darting at a shadow.
  The first few times my landings are rough,  but I quickly improve,  sticking to my desired destinations. The others follow,  cheering me on. Finally I see my chance to pounce as the trees start thinning,  and move. I go through three shadows consecutavly before using a tree as a springboard to get up enough force to fly at him. I hit a solid body,  and the force of my laugh has us rolling on the ground out of the cover of trees. Gathering myself quickly I throw my weight,  ending up on top. Before he can do anything I smash my fist down,  effectively breaking his nose and knocking him out. Without realizing what I'm doing I lower my head and bite into his neck. When I taste the blood however the spell breaks and I jump to my feet,  shocked.
  But then the shadows are surrounding me with praises,  and I'm once again swept into the moment,  letting out a victory yell which is echoed through our small crowd. I jump when the guy I knocked out pats me on the back,  back in shadow form. "You pack yourself a mean punch Princess." He laughs,  then raises my hand. "A true child of Chaos!" He calls and they roar it back. Letting me go as they scatter he winks at me and bows. 'The Tylis Clann will boast your victory.' He says silently then disappears into a still shadow.
  As confused as I am I'm still wired. Laughing wildly I yell again,  spinning in elation. I know I just passed some sort of test. I feel amazing. I freeze however when I hear slow clapping and swing around. Then my heart stops. The men from the park are casually spread around me. What chills me though is the man before me.
  He stops clapping. "What do we have here? Our little firecracker playing Shadow-Woman." Okay,  I try to go without asking stupid questions,  but this is just too much. "Didn't I kill you?" I ask carefully. Or at least tried to. It came out more like a demand. They laugh and he slowly steps up to me. "Oh,  you did darling. But don't you know Crossers don't stay dead?" He casually tucks some of my escaped hair behind my ears.
  "No hard feelings though,  right?" He swipes a knuckle under my chin and winks. "Leader Dun'Mae feels the same I assure you. You sure do move on fast though." His buddies laugh again but my head is working triple time,  trying to organise my thoughts.  I tilt my head at him,  focusing on him intently as he laughs. "That was quite the show there. Your ability to adapt is wonderful." One says and another agrees. "The fastest I've seen or heard of one adapting to new abilities." And something clicks in my head. Crossers. Shadows that can turn mortal looking.  All the things I thought were fairy tales are real. Chaos Breaders are real.  Crossers who breed new generations of the leading Chaos Clans. The Tylis Clan, the Lyt Clan,  the Brayj Clan, and the Wyld Clan.  The  shadows,  the   immortals,  the shifters,  and then the forsaken ones. They hold no single face,  the ones who the demons,  dragons, guols,  and other dark cretures were shaped after. "You're a Wyld Crosser." It comes out a statement,  not a question,  and they quiet. The man before me nods. "You catch on quick princess."
  Blinking a few times I let it actually sink in. Then I take in a slow careful breath,  and he looks concerned. Are you okay?" I smile,  then scream at the top of my lungs. "DADDY!" I wail and they all flich back as my shout disturbs every creature for miles,  shattering the air. Taking another deep breath to collect myself I nod. "Of course I am."
  I clasp my hands together as they stair at me. Finally he clears his throat to speak. "What... Was that for then?" He asks carefully and gently,  slowly stepping tword me as if I'm a wild animal he doesn't want to scare. I laugh. "The louder I call him-", my shadow appears next to me, "-the faster he comes." I finish,  then fully face my most favored shadow companion. "She calls him daddy?" One of them whispers,  but I ignore it,  raising an eyebrow. He starts glowing brighter,  converting to another form. When he's a man I wind back my arm,  smacking him. I put all my strength into it.
  However it only turns his head. "What is that guy made of?" One grumbles. He touches his face where I slapped him,  pain evident in his eyes.  Not from the slap however. I've never hit him seriously,  only playing. I've never hit him. I've never even been up set with him. I've aways worshipped this man.
  My smile breaks,  eyes watering. I fist my hands into balls,  trying to keep my composure. "Princess, let me explain." He says softly. My eyes dry,  I smile again. "There is nothing you can say that will justify you decieving me for nearly eight teen years. But you know what?" He waits. I take a careful breath.
  "I forgive you." I sigh,  shaking my head as I look down. "WHAT?!" The group demands. "You're going to forgive him just like that? Without making him explain,  beg,  or suffer?" That's only one string of the ranting voices. "Yes." I say softly and they immediately quiet. Nodding again I look up,  meeting my shadows broken eyes.
  "Because,  you see, he hasn't done anything wrong. Not to me." Raising a hand I stroke the cheek I hit. "Then why did you hit him and say he's been deceiving you?" One of them demands. "I have been." He speaks,  and begins to change again,  shifting into another creature.
  One made purely of Chaos Energy. "What the hell!" They stumble back some. I run my thumb over the surface of his new cheek. Smooth,  perfectly so. A tear slips from my eye. "What is he?!  I've never heard of this!" The Wyld Crossers change into monsters,  ready to attack,  but I don't break my eye contact. "He is a NightMare. A creature that only exists in fairy tales." I laugh at the irony. "That's what they say about Crosses." The leader points out.
   "Exactly." My shadow says. My beautiful dark shadow. "What were you created for then?" The leader shifts back to mortal form and his friends slowly do the same. He doesn't speak. "NightMares weren't created,  if you believe the stories." I say, smiling sadly.  "What stories?" The leader asks when I say nothing else.
     "The stories my father tells. You see,  I love stories.  My father told me though all stories have some type of truth in them. However, my parents are crazy." They laugh.  "I'm serious." I finaly break eye contact,  and he shifts back to mortal form.
  "Because if they're not crazy... Well,  let me just tell the story." I close my eyes,  my shadow pulls me against him,  and I relax,  beginning the story.