The Darkness Within
620 Words
The change was subtle at first. A flicker of shadow beneath Kael’s skin. His silver eyes sometimes turned black when he thought I wasn’t looking. He’d flinch at sunlight, and animals that once approached him now scattered when he drew near.
Something inside him was shifting. And it scared him.
One evening, we met at the edge of the forest. He didn’t speak—just stood with his back to me, fists clenched. I reached for him, but he stepped away.
“I almost hurt someone today,” he said, voice low. “A man shoved me in the street. I didn’t even think—I felt fire in my chest, and his arm twisted like it was nothing. I didn’t touch him, Eva. I *thought* it.”
My breath caught. “Kael…”
He finally turned to me. “He’s in me. My father. He’s not just watching—he’s pushing. Testing how far I’ll go. And it’s working.”
“You’re stronger than him,” I said, forcing my voice to stay steady.
He shook his head. “I’m *becoming* him.”
I stepped forward. “Then let me pull you back.”
Kael looked at me, and something in him cracked. “You are the only reason I haven’t given in.”
I reached up, cradling his face in my hands. “Then hold on to me. No matter how dark it gets.”
The wind howled suddenly, carrying a deep whisper through the trees. My skin went cold.
Kael went pale. “He’s here.”
And just like that, the shadows thickened. The trees around us twisted. And the Devil’s presence—silent, suffocating—wrapped around us like smoke.
Kael stepped in front of me.
“I won’t give her up,” he said to the darkness.
The woods stayed quiet. But I felt it: this was war.
And we had just made our first move.
The forest pulsed with a presence that wasn’t physical—but it was *there*. The air grew thick, heavy like smoke you couldn’t see but could feel sinking into your lungs.
Kael’s body tensed, fists glowing faintly with ember-like light. His breath came fast, jaw clenched tight.
Then, a voice—deep, calm, terrifying—slipped through the air like a hiss.
*“My son.”*
I couldn’t tell where it came from. It was everywhere and nowhere.
Kael growled under his breath. “Don’t talk to her. You want me? I’m right here.”
The voice ignored him. *“You let your heart guide you… how human. You’ve forgotten what you are.”*
Kael’s flames sparked higher. “I haven’t forgotten. I’m *choosing*.”
Then came the reply, cruel and cold: *“Then you choose *war.*”*
The shadows burst outward—dark tendrils swirled around us like serpents. Kael pulled me close, his warmth shielding me from the worst of it. His eyes flared silver as he roared back at the dark.
“Then so be it!”
The shadows recoiled slightly. Just slightly. Enough for me to breathe again.
When the storm passed, we stood in silence, hearts pounding.
“He’s not going to stop now,” Kael said. “He’ll try to tear us apart. Turn the town against us. Use my own power to destroy everything I care about.”
I looked up at him. “Then we stand together.”
He touched his forehead to mine. “I don’t know how this ends.”
“We write the ending ourselves,” I whispered.
But even as I said it, I knew the next move wouldn’t be ours.
The Devil had been watching.
And now... he was coming.
- Writer
