Shadow Slave: Possibilities Without Meaning

To Aldric, the story of the Forgotten Shore and the demise of its civilisation posted more questions than answers.

However, he could recognise sheer determination when he saw it. To not succumb to the literal darkness. Striving to bask in the light once more. At the cost of everything. 

A rush of exhilaration spread through his body. As he imagined what life must have been like in that dark epoch. Forming a collective with a single purpose and doing whatever it took to reach that goal. That was what the core of legends were. Winning against all odds. 

Those seven were world shifters. Changing the trajectory and future of a whole civilisation. 

His attention went back to the alien being of light. Some people theorised that it was a Nephilim based on the reaction of Nephis. What rank must it have been? To be able to snuff out the stars. It must have been a divine being. To be able to cover a whole realm in complete darkness with no challenge; the darkness still alive and adapting to the present world thousands of years later. 

Honestly, his knowledge of what transpired in the Tomb of Ariel put a lot of the Forgotten Shore's history into question. Which God did this realm belong to? Why did they abandon it before the corruption took hold? Did the nightmare spell take hold here as well? Was it truly a Nephilim? Questions were assaulting his mind, and he had no answers.

Given his opportunity to be here in the flesh, Aldric would try his best to find out as much as he could. 

The group continued onwards and descended the pit at the end of the tunnel towards the entrance of the mine. 

After landing, the group's luminous memories uncovered a giant skeleton of a snake-like creature. Assuming this was the work of the first cohort, they carried on without the risk of danger. 

----------

Finding one of the abandoned camping sites of the First Lord's cohort, they quickly settled down and started their rota of keeping watch. With Kai covering the first shift, the rest of the cohort fell asleep.

Opening his eyes, Aldric was met with the familiar sight of his previous dream but different. Knowing how rare dreams were in this realm, he focused on what was shown to him. 

The same dark clouds that blotted out the sun met him only this time he was above it. Descending at a rapid rate, he took a measure of himself. 

No limbs or even a body. It was as if he was a disembodied spirit or even a ghost. He did not know how he was even viewing the world without a set of eyes, but nonetheless there was an incandescent glow emanating from him that shifted colours like a kaleidoscope. His descent grew faster as he broke through the clouds and met a cityscape. 

Guided by an iota of familiarity, a small patch of greenery began to expand in size as it drew closer. A black dot was stationary, looking up. Slowly, the picture of a woman holding something came into view. 

Dropping at earth-shattering speeds, Aldric's senses were shutting down as he came to his destination; the bulb of light burnt the last of its energy and embraced its chosen mortal coil.

In the blackness of his mind shutting down, an elated voice spoke above him.

"What a weird day."

----------

Aldric had no time to muse over the cryptic dream as they arrived.

They were finally here. After a long walk, they found the next part of their journey. A solitary old boat in a sea of dark water. Just beyond it was a wall of mist. The boundary to the underworld, so to speak. Waves of coalescing white emanated in the air with no start or end. 

Having been warned of the fate of those that peered into the mist while inside by Cassie's vision, Nephis had prepared countermeasures. 

One by one, she applied a seal of hot wax over the cohorts eyelids with a cloth to cover their eyes. This twofold protection protected them from the chance that they forced their eyes open by instinct or had their cover removed. 

Aldric was comfortable in the dark. Unlike Sunny's vision, which was tied to the balance between light and the shadow's cast, Aldric's vision improved the more he was in the dark. In dimly lit rooms or a moonlight night, it was just as normal as a human. But during a moonless night or in the pitch dark, he could see just as clearly as he did in the day, but in a black-and-white gradient. 

Leading the charge was Sunny. With his ability to sense the shadows around him, he would be able to guide them through the mist. 

Aldric felt a small bony hand lead him to the boat. It was times like this where he wondered how trust really worked. Sunny could easily kill at least two of them before they realised anything was wrong. How did characters like Nephis and Caster deal with the contradiction of putting their lives in the hands of others while not trusting them or even actively planning on their downfall? 

Even Aldric suffered with this. Having to trust Caster to watch his back while also knowing what he thought of non-legacies and what he had planned for Nephis. It was jarring. 

'There is nothing to worry about. This cohort will only last so long.'

He reassured himself.

As he sat down on the boat, the mist engulfed his whole body. The elusive manifestation of nothingness sent a pulse through him. A metaphysical feeling in a part of his body that he could not explain. Beyond his soul, as if it were touching the inner workings of his place within the fabric of reality. It reminded him of the feedback from his flaw. He wondered if anyone else felt this esoteric touch. 

At its core, it felt as if it was inhibiting him. Not all of him, but a small slither that he could not feel or locate. 

Slowly, Sunny began to row the boat and guide the cohort along the river. To Aldric, it felt like Sunny was the god of death. Ferrying them across the Styx and into the underworld. 

An introspective thought came to mind.

'I wonder how I would be judged. Given the chance to live in this world, have I made the most of it?'

He knew others in his shoes would use this chance to fulfill all their desires. Maybe a heroic soul would tell the cohort of his future knowledge and help them reach their goals in the safest way. Hoping that it would gain them trust and a place in their lives. Or even tell someone like Jet so that the government can plan for the inevitable war between the clans. 

The thought crossed his mind occasionally but was immediately shut down. Besides everything that could go wrong with such a naive decision, it was complacency at its finest. It was giving someone else the reigns of your agency. Actively deciding that Sunny or Nephis were your superiors and trusting your future with them. It reflected a lack of ambition and desires. It also showed humans desire to fit in. Desire to be liked by those they deem their betters. 

To Aldric, it was revolting. In his life prior to the transfer, he spent his teenage years as a people-pleaser. Making small decisions to validate the people around him that aggregated together to form a lifestyle that he did not want. Through advice and introspection, he moved on from that stage of his life and slowly developed a more internal locus of control. Making small choices for himself that combined to form a lifestyle that he desired.

A jolt in the boat ended his train of thoughts.

The boat came to a stop.

**********

Thanks for reading people.

I hope you are all doing well. 

Any new anime releases that you are looking forward to.

Till the next one.