Shadows Of The Past
1715 Words
"If you continuously focus on what’s behind you, you might collide with something worse ahead. "
I halted my steps.
The trail through the woods lay ahead in thin strands of mist, vanishing amid towering evergreens, yet my gaze remained on the smoke trailing far in our rear.
Sylvan’s Reach was lost.
Not entirely.
Not just yet.
Smoke still ascended into the sky in long dark streaks, swirling above the treetops as if the village aimed to imprint itself on the world one last time.
My heart felt constricted.
Elias adjusted the pack he carried on his shoulder and continued forward.
“Do you hear me? ” he questioned without looking back.
“I do.”
“Then cease looking back. ”
Simple for him to say.
He hadn’t watched his entire existence engulfed in flames.
I took a deep breath and followed him nonetheless.
The stillness that surrounded us lingered for hours.
It wasn’t serene silence.
It was calculated silence.
The type where both individuals were aware that questions lay hidden like daggers beneath each breath taken.
Branches broke quietly under our feet as we ventured deeper into the unfamiliar forest. The atmosphere felt damp, chillier than it ought to have been for early autumn.
Elias moved as if he anticipated danger from every side.
His eyes were always scanning.
His hands stayed near the weapons concealed beneath his coat.
Even when at rest, he appeared ready to flee.
Or fight.
I examined him closely while he feigned indifference.
“You haven’t given any explanations,” I eventually remarked.
“That is correct. ”
“You’re aware of what the Shadowborn are.”
He remained silent.
“You understood that individuals were pursuing me before they showed up.”
Still no response.
Frustration surged, overshadowing my fear.
“Who are you? ”
That prompted a brief glance back from him.
For just a moment.
“Someone attempting to survive. ”
“That isn’t sufficient. ”
“It’s the only answer you’ll receive. ”
I scoffed quietly.
“You take pleasure in being obstinate. ”
“No,” he replied. “I take pleasure in remaining alive. ”
His voice remained steady, yet there was an undercurrent that felt sharp enough to draw blood.
I crossed my arms defensively.
“You’re concealing something. ”
That elicited the slightest twitch at the corner of his mouth.
“Everyone survives by concealing something. ”
His words settled heavily between us.
Because he was right.
The artifact hidden beneath my cloak throbbed faintly against my side.
And my wrist continued to ache beneath the fabric of my sleeve.
We each held secrets now.
The distinction was
He appeared skilled at it.
Around midday, the trees parted to reveal an overgrown roadside shrine.
Time had nearly consumed it entirely.
Stone columns leaned under a mass of entwined vines, and whatever insignia had once been carved above the entrance had worn away into faint lines.
I might have walked by without a second thought.
Elias halted immediately.
Not abruptly enough to signal fear.
Worse.
Acknowledgment.
His body froze.
All trace of dry humor disappeared from his expression.
My gaze followed his towards the heart of the shrine.
A symbol had been deeply engraved into the stone altar.
A crescent divided by darkness.
The identical mark worn by the assailants of the village.
A flicker crossed his face.
Pain.
It vanished almost instantly.
But I witnessed it.
“You recognize this place,” I said softly.
“No.”
“You showed a reaction. ”
“Observation isn’t reaction. ”
I gazed at him.
He averted his gaze first.
His jaw clenched slightly, and his eyes were locked onto the carving as if he wished to shatter it.
For an unusual instant
A flicker appeared in his eyes.
Fire's glow.
Blood.
A cry pierced the air.
Not a true memory.
More like guilt rising too swiftly to be concealed.
Then it vanished.
He moved away from the altar.
“Keep moving. ”
“That symbol holds significance for you.”
His tone became instantly sharper.
“I said keep moving. ”
I nearly protested.
Almost.
But there was an element of danger in his expression at that moment.
Not directed at me.
Toward whatever recollection had haunted him.
So I remained silent.
For now.
The further we went, the more peculiar the forest became.
First, there were dead creatures.
A fox lay by the base of a toppled tree.
No visible injuries.
No traces of blood.
Its body seemed oddly lifeless, withered under its gray fur.
Then came the birds.
Next, the deer.
The stillness surrounding them felt unsettling.
As if the very woods avoided interacting with them.
Elias knelt beside unusual imprints left in the mud.
Too elongated.
Too slender.
Neither completely animalistic.
Nor fully human.
“Are we being trailed? ” I inquired.
“No.”
A sense of relief was almost within my reach.
Then he continued:
“We're being anticipated. ”
A chill ran through me.
Ahead, several trees were adorned with new carvings etched into their bark.
Keen symbols.
One resembled the designs on my relic.
I halted.
“How can that be possible? ”
Elias gradually stood, examining the trees.
“They are aware of your destination. ”
“I don’t even know my destination. ”
His face darkened just a bit.
“That might not be significant. ”
The phrase hung in the air long after we had left the marks behind.
The night descended colder than I had anticipated.
We paused near a slim stream concealed beneath crumbling cliffs.
Elias quickly and effectively started the fire.
Not wasted motion.
Not tranquil motion either.
All aspects of him seemed acquired out of necessity.
I was positioned opposite him, cloak securely wrapped around my shoulders.
The orange glow of the fire cast sharp shadows across his visage.
“Are you always this amiable? ” I inquired softly.
“No.”
“Does this mean it’s worse than usual? ”
That prompted a quiet exhale that might have been a hint of amusement.
Might be.
The fire crackled between us.
I observed sparks ascending toward the dark limbs overhead.
Then I posed the question that burdened me all day long.
“Why assist me? ”
Quiet.
A period so lengthy that I began to believe he would not respond.
Finally, he said:
“Because I’ve witnessed the outcomes when individuals like you are discovered too late. ”
An uncomfortable sensation gripped my chest.
“Individuals like me? ”
His gaze shifted to meet mine.
Overly guarded.
Excessively fatigued.
He shook his head once.
“Forget I mentioned it.”
But I was unable to.
For the way he conveyed it felt less like a caution
and more like sorrow.
Slumber eluded me that night.
When it finally arrived, it transported me to another realm entirely.
Not dreams.
Recollections.
Or perhaps someone else’s recollections.
I found myself within a grand throne chamber hewn from dark stone.
Thousands knelt beneath towering columns.
None of them stirred.
None of them inhaled.
A crown hovered above me.
Darkened metal.
Antiquated.
Awaiting.
Then hands elevated it with care.
Placed it upon my head.
The instant it contacted my skin
Voices roared throughout the chamber.
“Shadowborn. ”
“Shadowborn. ”
“Shadowborn. ”
The echo reverberated through the universe.
A figure stood next to the throne.
Tall.
Motionless.
Recognizable in ways that made my heart skip.
I attempted to discern his face.
Could not.
Shadows enveloped him entirely.
Then flames erupted throughout the chamber.
Cries ensued.
Blood cascaded down the steps of the throne.
And amidst the turmoil, someone shouted:
“He betrayed us! ”
I jolted awake.
Gasping for air.
The fire beside me had nearly extinguished.
Elias was wide awake across from it.
Observing the darkness outside the campsite.
Not resting.
Never truly resting.
“You were mumbling,” he remarked without facing me.
My throat felt parched.
“What did I say? ”
His silence lingered too long.
Then:
“Nothing pleasant. ”
Before I could probe further
Something stirred in the trees.
Elias rose instantly.
Weapon already ready.
Quick.
Too quick.
Three silhouettes surged from the foliage.
No warning.
No pause.
Scouts.
The first assailant lunged toward me
and Elias intercepted with ruthless accuracy.
Not chaotic fighting.
Not frantic.
Methodical.
Measured.
Every action precise.
Military.
The second assailant barely raised his weapon before Elias plunged steel into his throat.
The third staggered backward.
A look of shock spreading on his face.
Then understanding.
“You—” the man gasped, staring at Elias. “Traitor…”
Elias ended his life before the word fully resonated.
Silence returned swiftly.
Only our breaths remained.
I fixed my gaze on him.
On the bodies.
On how he stood afterward—composed, vigilant, practiced.
Not a rebel.
Not a wanderer.
Something entirely different.
He removed blood from the blade meticulously.
Like a habit.
“Who are you really? ” I murmured.
He did not reply.
Naturally, he didn’t.
Instead, he searched the bodies with haste.
I knelt beside one myself.
Within the man's coat, I discovered a letter that was sealed and marked with blood.
Partly scorched.
Mostly illegible.
With the exception of a few phrases.
…bring the girl back unharmed…
…Lord Ashwood commands it…
I immediately raised my gaze.
Elias's face changed for just an instant.
Acknowledgment.
Vanished too quickly to be confirmed.
"You recognize that name," I remarked.
"No."
"You showed a response. "
"I react to threats. "
Falsehood.
I was aware of it.
He realized that I was aware of it.
But before I could press further
miles past the shadowy woods and desolate towns
within a stronghold where flickering candlelight danced on ancient stone
a man examined a map that lay across a dark table.
A servant knelt at a distance.
"The girl has fled," the servant stated cautiously.
The man’s fingers lingered over the map.
Motionless.
Then he offered a slight smile.
"No," he replied.
His tone was steady enough to instill fear.
"She’s taking the route we set out for her.”
Separated from the roads marked by blood and the smoldering remnants of my previous existence, strong forces had started to shape my destiny well in advance of my arrival into this world.
- Writer
