The Lighter Side Of A Shadow

[Archer’s POV]

I closed my eyes tightly as I woke up. “Ugh…” I said as I got up. I looked around and realised that I was back in the Dark Lands in spirit form.

“Welcome back home, my lord,” Syschela said from behind me.

“Yeah, I’m…back, I guess. Why am I here?” I asked her. We were beside a silent waterfall. Not too far from our location was the temple that contained memorabilia of my predecessors.

“You had a brief encounter with the Water Elemental.”

“How did you know?” I asked.

“Our shadow people told me. I asked them to watch out for you.” Syschela drifted away slowly. “It seems Light is planning something. What it is, we do not know just yet. What we do know, is that it isn’t happening anytime soon, though it depends on a few factors.”

“A…few…factors? Are you referring to my friends?”

Syschela didn’t nod at all. She never did. Not that I knew though, since she always had a hood to cover her entire face. Her voice was whispery as ever. “The Sound Elemental and the Fire Elemental, yes. Light wants rid of the red-headed one first. That’s what I can conclude based in what has happened so far. My assumption is that he feels she has not fully comprehended her powers. Your other friend, the one otherwise known as ‘Miles’, seems to be a natural at his powers. Mentioning his name brings me to something I would like to notify you upon.”

“Which is what? I’ve known Miles for a long time. I don’t think there’s any more to him left.”

“Oh, but there is my lord. I assuming that you already know that your powers work better against those filled with either fear or lies.”

I thought about it for a moment. “I…actually never knew that.”

“Do you remember that skirmish you had with him several years ago? You might not, though there may be some scraps of memories of that night. The reason why he defeated you so easily was because he is the few that walk the Earth that have neither fear nor dishonesty. He fears you not, because he sees his best friend in you, not a demon, unlike others. He lies not, because he never has, unlike others.”

I was quiet for a moment. “Could we go back to the reason why you brought me here?”

“Yes, my lord. You see, I feel that you do not know the deeper realms of your powers. I could tell what I feel is right but it would be foolish of me to advice on something I have never been myself.”

“Are you saying I need help from someone like me?” I asked her.

“Yes.”

“But Syschela, in case you haven’t noticed there’s only one Elemental of each time at any given point of time. Do you see any other Darkness standing here right now?”

Syschela maintained her calm, whispery voice. “Not right now, but I can show you a way. Follow me.”

She beckoned me towards the temple and I followed her without hesitation. I walked up the steps and entered the hallway with glass displays on either side of the walls. The items looked like they had not moved for a long time.

Syschela stood beside me. “What you see before you are more than just dusty, old things. These contain the…recorded personas of past shadow elementals. Not the actual elementals since they died long ago at different times but you would still be able to interact with them. When you visit them, they may or may not be at the height of their power, but they should be able to teach you a thing or two, by book or blood. Not all of your predecessors are here. Some wanted to be forgotten. The powers of darkness were never meant to be a gift after all.”

I was about to reach out for one of the displays when Syschela spoke up again. “One more thing, my lord. Some of your predecessors are not very welcoming while some can teach you more in a day than you ever will learn by yourself in a lifetime. Choose wisely. I will not decide on who you choose but make sure you think first before throwing yourself into unknown places.”

I gulped and took a deep breath. I got up and looked around. It took a good ten minutes or so. Ava had appeared beside Syschela and both watched me intently. I was really nervous. I didn’t want to meet a previous Dark Lord who was tyrant. At the same time, I didn’t want to waste time with one who could not careless about anything.

At long last, I found a lone, old Chinese scroll. I read about these when I worked at the library. Made from bamboo, writers wrote vertically, from top to bottom in ones like these using Chinese characters. This one was empty. Nothing was written on it. As I stared at it, Syschela floated beside me.

“Ah, I remember him. He liked to keep his thoughts to himself whenever he could. Even I labelled him a mystery.”

“Should I meet him?” I asked her.

“I told you, my lord. This is something must decide by yourself. You are the lord and I am your servant. It is not my place to tell you what to do. I cannot be a factor in your decision.”

I observed the display further. “It doesn’t say who he was.”

“Ah, then it will be a surprise to you. Unless, of course, you are not one to appreciate surprises, my lord.”

I clenched my right hand into a fist and reached out to touch a display. Closing my eyes, I felt energy flowing through me. it filled my body with a cold, dry feeling. I tried opening my eyes but I couldn’t. Suddenly, it felt like I was falling. It just went on and on forever.

Just like it seemed like nothing would happen, I found myself opening my eyes. Bright morning light welcomed my eyes. I was lying down on large land of grass. The blades of grass danced as the wind blew about. I stood up and scanned my surroundings. To the southeast of my location was a small village with farms about.

There didn’t seem to be anything else about so I decided to look for my predecessor there. The locals gave me strange looks as I passed them. Based on their common physical appearances, I assumed that I was somewhere in East Asia.

Two men were having a chat alongside a dog. When I came closer, the dog began barking. The two men stopped talking when they saw me. One of them hushed the dog while I approached the other.

“Excuse me, I’m looking for…somebody,” I said. ‘Oh, wow. That’s really helpful information.’ I thought to myself.

It didn’t matter though because the man began muttering something. I didn’t understand him completely but I recognised the tongue as Mandarin Chinese.

Communication was not getting through here so I just thanked him and went on my way. A small shop selling things was not too far away. A woman was carrying a basket of fruits when some kids ran about and bumped into her causing her to drop her basket.

I immediately went over and helped her. At first she gave me suspicious looks, probably because she assumed that I had something in mind that she would not like. I gave her the basket and nodded my head. She said something short to me and went off. I felt slightly hungry so I made my way to the said shop selling things. A man was chatting with an elderly man who had eyes as dark as night, just like mine.

I stared at the fruits that were on sale but I could not afford to buy anything because I did not have any money to buy it with. Suddenly, the woman from before appeared from inside the store and muttered something to me as she pointed at one of the fruits. I just nodded my head and she gave me the fruit and smiled at me.

“Umm, thank you, miss but I think you do not have to repay my kindness. I insist on paying.” I said to her. These were people who were living honest lives and I did not want them to go to bed on an empty stomach because of me.

The elderly man beside me placed a hand on my shoulder. “A good deed always get repaid with kindness eventually.”

I looked at him, surprised that he understood me. “You…understand me?”

“Come on, boy. Let us talk.”

As we walked through the village, he spoke to me. “You look like a good-hearted young man but I have never seen anyone like you in these parts before.”

I was not sure whether he would understand what really happened to me since I didn’t know who he was.

“Well, sir. Do you believe in elements of nature? Wind, fire, water and air?”

He nodded. “Those are the few main elements of nature but I like to think that the other elements play their important parts too.”

“Like light?” I said.

“Yes, light.”

“What about…darkness?”

He was quiet for a while. “Darkness is a mysterious thing. The element of darkness is neither good nor evil. It is how it is used that determines its qualities, much like a sword. A sword can be reserved for ceremonial purposes, giving a person a better life with a better status or it can take a life on a battlefield.”

“May I ask something? Do you believe in spirits that control the elements and that these might spirits walk among humans, living harmoniously with them?”

The old man stopped in his tracks. He gave me a hard look. “Your question interests me, boy. There is…something to you that you are hiding from me. If there is something that needs to be said, say it. This old man has seen plenty in his life that nothing will surprise him anymore.”

“Well, you see…I’m actually not from around here,” I started.

“That I can see,” he said.

“That’s not what I meant. I don’t know what year it is here, according to the Gregorian calendar, but where I’m from, there are metal structures that carry people and a world that can only be seen through a special kind of window.”

“So what you’re trying to say is that you are not from this time and era?”

“Yes. I’m not crazy by the way.”

“Interesting... So you say that you are not from this time, how did you get here?” he said with great interest.

“Well, I touched…glass.”

“What kind of glass?”

“It’s…I’m not too sure really. It’s in this dark place.”

“Dark place… how would you describe this…dark place?”

“The waters make no sound. The faceless people roam the area. Wolves as dark as night linger around every corner.”

The old man nodded his head. By now, he was a little suspicious of me. “Now, how did you end up in said dark place?”

“Okay, how do I put this? I’m not…human. Not entirely, anyway. I have this ability over nature…”

The old man held up a hand. “That’s all I needed to hear. I know what’s going on already. You’re an elemental from the distant future who somehow made it into the Dark Lands of the Shadow Elemental and got transported back into my time. The only way you could have made it into the Dark Lands was if you were the Shadow Elemental himself. Anyone who is native to the shadows will not last long in there.”

I was surprised at how quick he figured things out. “You must be an elemental too. I need help looking for the Shadow Elemental from this time.”

“I have a pretty good idea who sent you here…it was Syschela, wasn’t it?”

“How did you…know?”

He looked up at the sky. “It is tough being who we are. Such power comes at a cost. You should count yourself fortunate, my boy. I did not have the privilege to do something like this when I was younger. Sure, I learned many things from experience but I could have learned more things quicker if I had someone experienced to guide me on this trail.”

“So…you’re the Dark Lord of this era? Wow, what luck! May I know your name?”

The old man sniffed. “The power of darkness is not a toy. It should not be held by anyone. I’m sorry, my boy, but I do not want to be responsible for the mistakes that you might make.”

“How will I end up making mistakes?” I spoke.

Just then, horsemen rode into the village. They wore uniforms indicating that they were trained men, not outlaws. One of them began shouting something as villagers crowded around them.

“What’s going on?” I asked the old man.

“Trouble is what’s going on. Keep yourself hidden. They will surely take you in for questioning if they see you.”

I hid behind one of the houses and watched from around the corner.

The old man approached the horsemen and one of them began shouting at him. The others drew their swords. I gulped. This was not going to end well. The old man calmly replied back at whatever the horseman asked him. As I was watching, one of the horsemen sneaked up behind me and grasped my shoulder. He shouted something to the one that looked like the captain.

I had no choice but to move. The villagers looked at me and whispered amongst themselves. I looked up at the captain who glared at me with a menacing expression. I was not daunted by him though. He shouted to something to me.

The old man spoke to me. “He wants to know who you are and where you come from. I told you to hide yourself, boy. Now, only you can get yourself out of this.”

I looked up at the captain and stared him in the eye. Suddenly, I felt myself going into the captain. I could see all the bad things he had done. All the lies that he told. It was despicable. I felt myself going back into the real world. The lies in him were plentiful. Plentiful enough to turn…snakes. However, I could not kill him here. Otherwise, the locals might burn at the stake or what is the equivalent of that here.

The captain suddenly started coughing blood. He tried speaking but he coughed up more blood. The old man spoke something to the captain. The other horsemen started asking what was wrong with their captain. The captain managed to mumble something and ride off. His soldiers followed him.

The villagers were confused at what happened. Most of them shrugged their shoulders and went back to their daily lives. As we watched the horsemen ride off, the old man spoke to me. “He will live. I told him to be careful with his diet. Nothing was wrong with his health though it is known that the captain tends to eat rich food.”

The old man patted me on the shoulder. “You are starting to interest me, boy. Maybe you are not as inexperienced as you seem. You do have a few tricks up your sleeves. Said tricks actually avoided what could have been bloodshed. Well, aside from the captain’s bloody cough. He will be back to bully the people another day.”

“Thanks. However, I must be going back now.” I said.

“Are you sure don’t want me to teach you how to control your powers?”

“But you said…”

“That was before I saw how you skilfully avoided a nasty seen. A few clever tricks with words and a little bit of the power the darkness and you avoided what could have been an ugly seen. I will teach you if you are willing to learn only passiveness from me.”

“How will that help me?” I asked.

“Mental and psychological attacks can be as deadly as sword combat, boy. It can avoid blood from ever dripping onto the ground if done correctly.”

I was relieved. “Thanks. However, I still need to know how to get back in my own time. Syschela forgot to tell me how.”

The old man did not reply. I had to figure this one out by myself. I guessed that all this must be like a dream. All I had to do was wake up. I closed my eyes and imagined myself back in my own time.

“I will be back.” I said as felt myself going back, eyes still closed. “Oh, wait. I did not get your name, sir.”

The old man chuckled. “I am known by many names in many lands. I usually just accept what people called me wherever I am. There was a time, however, whenever I was known by one name throughout the lands. One that I try to leave behind these days. Few people know that the owner of that name still exists, not a myth like I am now. Remember this name when you return, boy. Sun Tzu…”

I woke up on my throne. Syschela was floating next to me.

“Was it enlightening, my lord?” she asked.

“I’ll be going back soon.”

“Did you not learn anything?”

“He was a little reluctant at first but he will teach me what he can.”

“That is good to hear, my lord. I do hope that you will show respect to your predecessors however…unpleasing they may be. Some will offend you but all understood the power they wielded.”

“Of course, of course. I need to get back to my friends now. I’m not sure where Miles…I mean the Sound Elemental is driving us to.”

“Ah your friend. Yes, you might want to return now, my lord.”

“Why?” I asked. Before I could get an answer, my eyes were greeted by an intense bright light.

“Ah crap! Why does this bloody well have to happen now?!” I heard Miles’ voice shout. This can’t be good.