Deep deep deep deep beneath the earth were no ounce of light dared shine laid a lifeless sea of shadows.
Still and
Quiet
A shadow rose from the depths, it's body a formless fog pulsating upward, sending tiny ripples across the dark waters mirror like surface.
The fog stood on the black sea, it's body unnaturally still as if frozen in place.
The dark water's had become stagnant once again peacefully reflecting the abyss above whilst hiding the countless corpses that hid beneath its surface.
The ghostly fog calmly swayed around as if being moved by the cold bitter breeze and then it's darkness grew fainter and fainter eventually becoming nonexistent revealing a shadow in the image of a man.
It's skin was dark and faint almost transparent revealing the darkness born from emptiness.
It's eyes were hollow.
it had no face just a pristine white mask that hid nothing.
It could neither hear nor see anything but it could feel everything
It felt the sea that seemed to stretch endlessly.
And it felt the countless shadows that hid beneath it's dark waters, all strung up by silver ethereal thread that stretched forth into the abyss above.
Rays of soft moonlight, travelled through the silver threads as beams of light piercing through the abyss.
And each time it felt the thread gleam, it also felt the life force of each shadow grow fainter.
A sickening feeling of weakness suddenly came over the shadow forcing it to it's knees, the shadow stared at his hands , then it's legs and neck.
It too was held hostage by the threads.
Standing back on it's feet the shadow tried to sense what was beyond the veil of darkness that stood above it but there was nothing.
No there was definitely something, something was feeding of the shadows like a parasite.
It was just too far away.
The shadow stared at the threads then ripped them off one by one even clawing at it's arms, legs and neck with ferocity his action unwillingly portraying subtle anger and hatred for the vile things.
Each time it ripped one off, it seared it's dark flesh but it didn't scream it had no mouth nor did it have a voice to do so.
Such privileges were not for mindless beings such as it.
Soon the torn threads vanished, losing their light and their form.
The shadow hollow eyes stared at them as they disappeared and thought.
"Good riddance"
After that it peared into the dark sea and what it saw made it's mask chip.
The countless shadows were all slowly desolving into the black sea their very being becoming substance for some being beyond the abyss, they were all in so much pain but too mindless to understand or have the will to fight back.
The shadow unknowingly plunged it's hand into the dark sea reaching out to a dying shadow but then....
An image crept into it's mind.
A man, no, a hero held a limp child in his arm's, a bright smile stood on his face but his tears betrayed his expression and he said
"I really wanted to save them all.....I really did but.....not everyone can be saved"
The shadow slowly retracted back then turned away from the waters, it felt the world around it, all there was, all that surrounded it was a dark sea that cradled death, silver threads that fed an unknown creature and countless shadows that were dying beneath it's feet.
Was there really a purpose to living in such a world
The world was nothing like how the beautiful reflection portrayed it to be.
Instead, it was dark and miserable.
It was always dark and miserable.
The shadow lowered it's head as silver string slowly lowered themselves from the abyss, softly wrapping themselves around the shadows body.
Hopeless
Meaningless
Nothing
An image suddenly carpet into his mind.
A beautiful young lady with chestnut hair dressed in a flowing white gown wearing a straw hat ran across a patch work of sunflowers, her smile more radiant than the sun that shined above her.
She turned around and stared at him, then asked.
"What do you want to do"
A crooked smile stood on his pale face, the words seemed to just slip out as his mind went silent.
"I want to be with you"
And then the girl's smile grew even brighter blinding him.
"Good answer"
The shadow snapped back to his grim reality but her words still stuck to him like melded metal.
"What did he want to do"
The shadow thought for the second time.
He was going to leave this dreadful place to somewhere more vibrant, with more colour.
He was going to experience alot things
Then he would kill whatever was feeding on the sea of shadows.
It stared up to the abyss, it's pristine mask a web of cracks and clenched his fist.
It had fallen once, now it wished to soar.
But lofty dreams remained dreams if there was no way to birth them to reality.
Especially in a world such as this, we're hope was never even a concept.
The shadow surveyed the area, his senses stretching far in all directions like a wave and then it froze.
There was something behind him, towering over him like a mountain.
How could it not have noticed
How long had it been there.
The shadow turned around slowly, the web of cracks on its pristine mask receeding.
Behind him stood the avatar of the black sea.
A beast of pain.
And a devourer of nothing.
A.....a bear