The Greed of Kronos

The Shadow

Two: The Shadow

The night was still young, yet it was as if someone devoured the moon by how dark Dylan’s room was. He was born in the middle of the summer, yet the wind that was brushing through his skin and face was harsh and cold. The presence was a blurry, but a shadow was highlighted amid the darkness. It was a shadow that held no shape. Nevertheless, one could actually pinpoint that it was watching Dylan sleeping in his crib.

As one of a child’s instincts, Dylan should have cried because of how dark his room was, how noisy the curtains were as they flapped nonchalantly or how disturbing the sinister aura was in front of him. However, he was no ordinary child. Dylan clearly remembered his past life, and that alone made him have the upper hand. 

And as a person who remembered his past life, Dylan was unbothered by the things that were happening inside his room.

Definitely unbothered-

'Ay, what the f**k is wrong with this room? Who opened the f*****g windows?! I’m freezing, dammit. Close it, now!'

And with Dylan pretending to be asleep while ranting on his mind, the shadow perked up and looked closely at him. 'Oho, what is this? Normally a child is ignorant about thoughts, and their minds are always hazy. What an interesting fellow I got here.'

Its voice was hazy as if he was talking to an old microphone that was not used for years. Moreover, it does not have a mouth, and the way the words were delivered was like an announcement that came straight to his consciousness. Thus, Dylan assumed that it could only communicate through his mentality. 

In addition, he was also convinced that a ghost was visiting him and forgot to close the windows. That was why he paid no mind to the unusual things and exclaimed angrily.

'So, you can hear me? Get the f**k off and close the window! This body can’t withstand the coldness!'

And with that, the shadow flinched as he soon moved away and faced the open windows.

'I can’t believe this, you are just yet to be my master, but you already gave me my first errand?'

Hearing this made Dylan to open his eyes and felt the sudden change of temperature together with the overwhelming presence of the shadow. As the warmer temperature enveloped his tiny body, the sinister aura, even though a blurry to him, was displaying a cold and dominating feeling. Which he was not interested in. Instead, Dylan reacted in a curious manner.

'Master? What the f**k do you mean by that?'

Being called master was too much for a newborn baby to handle. If he were in his previous body, Dylan would not have to make a comment. Moreover, he does not wish to mingle with some ghost.

'Ghost, you say?' The shadow replied as it shifted its gaze towards Dylan.

'By your manners and attitude, you are reborn into this world, are you not?' The shadow continued.

With that being said, Dylan mentally rolled his eyes. 

'So what if I am?'

The shadow laughed, 'Say, when you realized that you were reborn, have you thought of your regrets in your past life?'

The strange shadow holds a very suffocating aura, yet his words hold no malicious intent. It was like a child who saw something interesting and was giving all of its curiosity to that certain individual. Dylan thought of the shadow as a nuisance and a threat. However, when it started to converse with him, he absentmindedly let his guard down.

Regrets in his past life? There was one. And that was to live under his father from the day he was born until the day he died. Had he known that would happen to him, Dylan would have chosen to hold his mother’s hands the moment they separated.  

Sometimes when he’s on a mission, he would usually ponder over thoughts like, ‘Can I smile like those ordinary people? What does freedom feel like?’ 

He was given another chance to live. Was it for freedom that he was once curious of in his past life?

Dylan pondered for a long time while the shadow patiently waited for his answer. Like a father educating a son. And when Dylan had looked at him as if he was ready to give the shadow an answer, the shadow looked at him intently, as if he was to judge Dylan.

'I want to live freely and peacefully. I regret not having that kind of life in the past. I want to be away from violence and the likes.'

That’s right. He would live peacefully and cherish his mother. He would also smile as much as he can. It was a promise that he made for himself. If he had the wrong decision in his past life, then he would make sure to pick the right decision this time. 

As Dylan was pondering with the future ahead of him, the shadow was silent. The shadows were made out of living thing's negative feelings. And they were to mature whenever the moon loses its borrowed light from the sun for a split second. Once a shadow matures, it then would travel the other worlds besides them to find its desired master. 

The shadows won’t make a contract with their title, behavior, etiquettes, and attitude as merits. For the shadows would find species who have the grudges of the soul. If a person were to kill another person, the shadow would make a contract out of the soul’s grudge against that person. The shadow then was to control the grudge and help their master to sleep at night without nightmares and the likes.

In a shorter explanation, the shadows are the neutralizer for the people who might possibly lose their minds once haunted by the grudge. 

As the shadows were from the living thing’s negative feelings, they were molded and made by the Shadow King, who wanted to balance the world of the dead and the land of the living. 

And that Shadow King, who did not have a master for a long time, ascended at the mortal realm for the first time as he followed a powerful stench that led him to a three days old baby.