Title: Legacy of Shadows
In a world torn apart by the remnants of a long-forgotten war between good and evil, the legacy of that fateful Blood Moon night looms large over humanity. Shadowhunters, the ancient protectors of the realm, fight tirelessly...
"You never told me where you belong." As I approached the lily plant, I inquired. I picked up some flowers and walked over to the grave, where she was poking holes in my body. The way she stared at me so intently that it unnerved me, I reasoned that perhaps she didn't hear me. It appears she is searching for something, but I'm not sure what.
"You ask too many questions, don't you?" She stated this as I finished putting in all the flowers, and I glanced at her in confusion. "I don't belong here in this world." She paused briefly but resumed, her voice sounding far away. "My soul is a prison, shackled to the darkness I abhor." She chuckles darkly. This is when I become confused. I didn't know how to respond to her enigmatic statements.
Was she speaking metaphorically, or was she being serious? The intensity of her gaze made it difficult to read her emotions. I began to feel a sense of unease, unsure of what to do or say next. It was as if I had stumbled into a world I didn't understand, with no way to navigate my way out. Before I could say anything more, she came forward and reached for my hands. I was frozen, as I had never felt this electricity spark inside my body.
"You didn't kill them; just know that," she said as she clasped my hands and cracked into a smile I hadn't realized I'd learned to enjoy. With that, she released my hands and passed me, heading deeper into the temple before vanishing into the darkness.
I stood startled. I don't know this girl, and I have no links with her, but she seemed to know a lot about me, and the consolation she provided was wonderful, even if it appeared to hurt her to say all those nice things to me. Now I'm left with more jigsaw pieces that I'm not sure where to put.
I am at a loss for words. All I want is for this to end as quickly as possible. I was always told by my mother to avoid these responsibilities, but now? I wonder myself, "Why did Dad make me do such a duty?" as I glance up at the moon. "Why do I feel a connection to it?" I said to myself, My life has never been normal, not since my birth on this earth. My father was not a loving father to his children. He would often argue with my mother and beat her to death. Once he pushed her in the tub with hot boiling water. We didn't know much at the time because we were young, but it only took one mishap to completely alter my life's course. I took my eyes off the moon and sat on the ground, looking down at my friends' graves. I knew deep down that I was frail. Despite the strength of my façade, my heart was weak. I had spent the last fifteen years honing my skills as a skilled shadow hunter. Maybe because my father is a shadowhunter as well, I never understood why he had me do it. I let out a sigh and placed my right hand on the spot where the hole had been formed. I'm a human, powerful in form yet fragile within, with strength masked by vulnerability.
As I traced the outline of the hole with my fingers, memories flooded my mind of all the battles I had fought and all the lives I had saved. But deep down, I knew that every victory came with a cost. My father had always told me that strength comes from acknowledging our vulnerabilities, but it was a lesson I had yet to fully grasp. And as I sat there, staring at the graves of my fallen friends, I realized that my battles wouldn't end fast at least not now, not here.
"Why did you have to come here of all the places? Calvin is worried sick, you know." I jerked my head upwards to see a figure crouched down on the broken roof of the temple.
"Luca, what are you doing here at night?" I asked him, surprised, as I stood and looked at him. He raised his eyebrows and said, "I could ask the same of you, Alexius. Why are you here instead of being at home?" He asked in a tone of scolding but mixed with concern. I shrugged and sat down again.
"Alexius, I told you never let the guilt of an action that you didn't commit consume you." As Luca said he came and kneeled beside me putting his hand on my shoulder blades.
"Sure, an action that I didn't commit," I said sarcastically while rolling my eyes and taking off Luca's hands. Luca sighed and sat down beside me as he also looked at the graves.
"Honestly, it wasn't your fault. You were in control and what you did was done by someone else," He stated it as if I didn't just kill my friends; I allowed the powerful relic to be stolen, and all of this happened because an evil spirit gained control of me despite all of my training. It is something I could never forgive. I need to find a way out of this situation and recover the stolen artifact before the Queen exploits it for an unknown purpose.
