What's In The Shadows?

Unholy Acts

“You’re back!” Spade exclaimed. “Nice to see my train is still in one piece.”

“Quinn and Valen died.” Bex said, unemotionally.

“Oh dear. Sorry for your losses. May we honour the deaths of the lost warriors.”

“Can’t we bring back Quinn?” I asked. “They can be brought back with the same spell that summoned them before, right?”

“It’s not my choice to make. I’m just in charge of transport. You’ll have to ask Diamond. They summoned Quinn in the first place.”

With that, I knew what I had to do. I went to the castle and asked around until finding out where Diamond was.

In the castle library, I found Diamond on a computer looking at cancer research news.

“Diamond!” I said.

“Yes?” They replied, turning to me.

“Summon Quinn back!”

“They died? Well, I do not have permission to bring them back. I was only permitted to do it once. Even if I did try, I might make a mistake and summon the wrong demon.”

“If you don’t summon Quinn right now, I will kill you.”

“I am not long for this world. Your threats are not scary.” Diamond pointed to their screen which had many details about cancer treatment. My threats meant nothing to them because they were going to be dead soon.

“Damn you!”

I left the castle and wandered the streets of the city. I had no home to go back to and I didn’t want to return to the army after they refused to help me get Quinn back. I went to a bar and stole a couple of bottles when nobody was looking. I wasn’t usually a drinker because of my age and size but I didn’t care at the time. I downed the bottles and fell asleep in the streets.

My vision was blurry when I woke up. I found myself out in a large field. I have a tendency to sleepwalk from time to time so I wasn’t too surprised. When my eyes started working properly, I noticed train tracks running from the city outwards. They were the same ones we had used to get back from Zylten Woods.

After making sure nobody was around to see me, I shapeshifted into a cheetah. Big cats are known for their high running speeds. They can achieve such feats because of their running style. That’s how Quinn was able to catch up with the train that one time. By making my anatomy the same as a cheetah, I forced myself to adopt the running style of one to go faster.

Once I started running, I didn’t stop for hours. The sun set as I followed the train tracks towards Zylten Woods. It was tiring and I got hungry and thirsty but I managed to get there with enough energy to search around. I wandered the woods, calling out for help. It was almost hopeless but I eventually heard a response. As I expected, a darkling happened to have survived the battle.

From the shadows, a voice called back to me.

“What do you want?” The voice asked.

“Are you a witch?” I asked. “I need to speak with a witch!”

“I am.”

“Please! Teach me how to summon a demon and become a witch!”

“You do realise that you will be damned to Hell after you die if you become a witch, right?”

“I don’t care any more. I need to summon a demon.”

“I won’t teach you for free.”

“I’ll do anything.”

“You’ll give me your firstborn child, then?”

“I will.”

I was willing to give up everything I had to see Quinn again. I didn’t want them to suffer in Hell like I was suffering without them. They were the only one who understood me. I was the only one who understood their pain. I couldn’t comprehend how someone could find meaning in such a horrible life. At least my life had the promise of Heaven at the end. Well, it did. That changed.

I became an apprentice to the darkling who introduced themself as Umbra. Day after day, I learned more about what makes witches powerful and how their magic works. Eventually, the day came that I would become a witch and seal my fate to go to Hell after my death.

In a small shelter, Umbra left me alone to perform the ritual. My contract was in my hands, pre-written, to ensure that things would go smoothly. I sat in a pentagram of candles and salt as I closed my eyes. I channelled my magic through the pentagram and felt myself slipping through reality. I opened my eyes to see that a new darkness surrounded me. A pair of lights in the distance shone at me like spotlights.

“Quinn?” I called out to the void.

“Ari?” A familiar voice replied.

“Do you want to come back to Earth?”

“Yes.”

“Even if you have to serve under my command?”

“Yes.”

“Even under all the rules of this contract?”

I held up the contract to the bright lights. The paper turned to dust slowly as it was read.

“Yes.” Quinn answered. “I’m yours.” The lights got dimmer until they were no longer visible. I blinked and the world was normal again. The candles of my pentagram were extinguished and I felt a strange energy flowing through my veins. My shadow had horns and a tail, reflecting Quinn. I stood up and held out my hand, channelling my newfound power into my fingers. I felt a connection. With a blink, Quinn appeared before me, holding my hand.

It was truly Quinn brought back from Hell to live again. Both arms intact, they looked just as they did when I first met them. Red skin, white shirt, black shorts, pointed toes, black horns, large eyes, white hair. 

I pulled Quinn close and hugged them tightly. Their body was still warm like I remembered.

“I missed you.” I said.

“I wasn’t gone long.” Quinn replied. Witches and demons can understand each other perfectly, regardless of the language they speak. It would be tough to make deals through a language barrier.

“I don’t want to be away from you ever again.”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the only person to understand and relate to me in a long time. We’ve felt the same pain. We’ve seen the darkness of mortal souls. You don’t deserve to be in the aftermath of their consequences and I don’t deserve to be left alone in this horrible world.”

“Ari?”

“I need you! You are everything to me now. I gave up on life long ago. Meeting you made it worth living again.”

“Ari?”

“Yes, Quinn?”

They lifted my face up to meet their gaze.

“I love you too.” Quinn whispered.

“Exactly.” I replied.

“I’ve never been in love before.”

“Same here.”

Our eyes closed as our faces came closer and our lips met. I was probably the first person on Earth to kiss a demon. It felt great. Their mouth was warm.

When making our contract, I set a rule that Quinn could never lie to me. They would become physically incapable of it. With that rule, I knew that what we had was true love. You can take away my life, my afterlife, my future children, but you can never take my love from me.

What would happen after reuniting with Quinn was a mystery to me. All I cared about was being with them again. Now that I was where I needed to be, I was lost again. I had no idea what to do next. I’d been lost for most of my life. For once, at least I wasn’t alone. Whatever I chose to do with my life, I had Quinn to support me from the shadows.