The Shadows of Nature

1. The Foreshadowed Coming

A heavy wind blew, sweeping the dark emotions off the Earth's surface. In that single moment absolute silence fell on Sylva Vita, though no Shadow noticed the force. None except one.

The entity's newfound emotions screamed at its rationality to eliminate her for her knowledge, but its will was still powerful. For always and never did it successfully collect all emotional energy and return neutral energy to the universe, and that couldn't change now. But the exponential growth of strong emotions from so many lives... the burden was too heavy. No wonder all Shadow Beings were getting affected and becoming more human.

If it could protect its parallel existence Triyeal and the angels, it could definitely help the others too. The Demons needed it more than anybody, and the Shadow-Trappers and Phoenexias were protected by a stronger entity, by the One who maintained the balance of All. Naturally it felt sympathy for the demons.

The others had to perish; the entity had no choice. Their existence made it weak and was a danger to its dimension. Still why did it feel regret? What was done was done, and there was no other way.

Suddenly, amidst the darkness of an ordinary night, a dark green blaze shot from a single spot in the garden of life, capturing every Shadow's attention as it woke them up. The colour was vibrant and enlightening, but the rage it carried was dreadful - something that could not be sensed by all.

Within the city stood a thin Shadow with a frown. She couldn't see the light but she sensed it easily, turning towards a demon in anticipation.

Concentrating on the moonlight she saw the brown light of her eyes in the Yuran she brought forward, causing the demon to narrow his eyes. A bright yet transparent candle appeared in her hand and she exhaled, conveying her thoughts to the projection. The candle disappeared from the sight, but not without leaving an ignited flame in the atmosphere from which a grey wisp of smoke made its way into the demon.

Joha took a deep breath as the demon closed his eyes, hoping for things to go as they normally did. The silence was comforting and time seemed to pass slowly. The demon opened his eyes, life reflecting on his expression. He smiled and Joha sighed in relief, returning it to him. His energy had been purified of emotions and he had been returned to normal.

Suddenly, green smoke surrounded the demon and Joha frowned, moving a few steps away from him. The air was suddenly heavy with a foreign emotion that burned like a dying star. She closed her eyes in hope of some peace in that chaotic moment but was met with the sight of the green light.

It was happening. She didn't know what 'it' was... she just knew it was starting.

She opened her eyes, sighing as soon as she saw the nonchalant expression. The demon's body was stiff, dread unlike any other propagating from him. He firmly held a black sword in his hand, its inky appearance ghastly. However, like a robotic soldier it simply headed towards the source of rage, paying no attention to Joha.

Joha stood still, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, she heard two pairs of footsteps behind her, their aura bringing immense comfort, though she knew they sensed it too. She turned around slowly with a grim expression.

"What...?"

Joha smiled in reassurance, comforting the young man and woman. She turned towards the sky and the other two did the same. Joha stared into their eyes, holding her breath. She had always found Isaac's brown eyes winsome with that little mix of grey, as if rich soil were welcoming a calm storm. Standing in Sylva Vita with his companion, the greenery and other colours of nature were always reflected in a consoling manner.

Tonight, the green looked deceitful. Yet they seemed to find some comfort in his companion's gaze.

Joha shook her head, exhaling deeply. She faced the two, pursing her lips before speaking.

"Isaac, you need to shadow-lift us to Mildred immediately."

Isaac nodded, calling the black fogs of travel to move through the Shadows and the reach the main hall of the headquarters.

---

"It has begun. I can sense the rip in our dimension, and it grows as we speak. Sousconic has finally come to Earth, and its burden is heavier than ever.

"What do we do?"

An ominous silence fell as Joha studied Mildred's expression. What went in their leader's mind was impossible for most to decipher, but she knew that her morality resulted in every decision of hers. Joha had watched her grow from when she was a little ball of energy and so had absolute faith in the leader.

The same illegible look remained in Mildred's eyes as she stood still, silently contemplating the matter at hand.

"Call for a Cardinal Gathering. We first inform everyone of what has happened."