The Tales of the Shadows

15. Crimson Comprehends

Conrad walked amongst the tall trees with a solemn expression, the gentle breeze rustling through his neat, fawn hair. The dusk above him stirred an appreciated quietude within him as he made his way towards his home, taking a small detour to walk in the open forest. His mind was free of all thoughts and emotions as he let no worldly affair affect him, his exhaustion serving as a mode of immense comfort as Nature's air appeased him.

The pace of the wind, suddenly carrying with it an emotion from a lost, from a moment where nothing was clear, nothing was sure. Conrad remembered his first scouting with the group and Ava, that cold blade which let his energy leak out to form a bond...

He had almost fully understood how the bond was formed across the Shadow Dimension, but that uncertain feeling remained. He was able to only tell Evelyn about that event, but everything surrounding it was simply so... ominous. He knew nothing.

Suddenly a heavy aura dropped on his mind, gradually lulling him to a needed rest at the wrong place. His senses dulled and he didn't even try to remain awake, falling softly on the green and cool ground as the soft sunlight slowly faded out of his sight. He no more felt the cold breeze, completely slipping out of reality, his vessel laying on the ground.

The different waves of the aura now completely filled his mind, letting the Shadow decipher it's signals. He had no eyes and the light did not reflect that in existence because he saw something greater, the crimson fragments carrying lost information.

"Conrad."

Just that single thought reverberated through the space and the signal was recognised by the Shadow. No tone of any sensation or sound, simply information.

Still he knew who it came from.

"Understand the being, realise the name. You know him more than anyone else does."

Conrad was bewildered by those impulses but he remained patient, registering each word with absolute attention.

"You understand Vlad, because you are like him. You are connected by the land of Chaos.

"You are order, he is disorder."

Conrad's eyes opened suddenly, the bright stars sending a wave of relief through him. He sat up slowly to see a group of humans sitting on the ground, their eyes closed and their postures attentive with a fire burning within their circle.

"How do you feel, young man?"

Conrad looked at them with curiosity, wondering who their question was directed to. Only after a long moment did he understand that the young man was him.

"I! I'm... good, thank you sir."

The words came out on instinct, surprising Conrad. The old man who had asked the question still let his eyes remain closed, a gentle smile now appearing on his expression. His aura comforted the Shadow and oddly reminded him of his brother, if only a little.

"What troubles your thoughts?"

Conrad hesitated, not knowing what to say or if he should even speak. Something within his thoughts was enkindled and he spoke without being conscious, or perhaps he was then fully conscious.

"Someone dear to me tells me I am similar to someone who harmed him, in a positive way. Something has been odd for a while and now I simply do not understand it."

Conrad did not know why he spoke, even though realisation dawned somewhere in his subconsciousness.

"How do you know the one dear to you was harmed?"

Conrad's thoughts paused, pondering over the question to reach an... answer.

He did not know. He knew nothing.

"Understanding comes with time, son, and understanding is powerful within you."

Something stirred within Conrad. A connection to an enigmatic existence.

"It is important to be patient and sometimes silent, almost hidden. The one dear to you may be talking about the far past, the future, or both. Do not associate it with what you see and remember, for understanding goes beyond."

Conrad remained motionless. The notion perhaps stirred the ends of the thread of understanding within him, and the Shadow now wore a smile.

"Go home. Your dear ones will be worried about you."

Conrad nodded, turning towards the glimmering night. A crimson light now glowed in his eyes as he murmured a simple notion of gratitude towards the humans. He understood why they saw him and why they found him before his friends did. Evelyn understood him and Elek knew something about the minds of the humans. His friends knew when he a Shadow needed solitude, and this was his moment of solitude.

The Shadow began to walk towards his home with a new notion in his mind. He respected time and time would show him what he needed to perceive, what he would understand.

For now, he would remain silent.