CHAPTER 5: THE SHADOW CALLS

Elliot’s POV – The Briefing

Elliot gathered the team in a small briefing room later that day. The mood from the rec room incident still hung in the air. “Okay, guys, cut the internal drama. We’ve got a real problem developing, and it’s time for a history lesson.”

Classy, now more engaged, leaned forward. “What do you mean, problem?”

“It concerns the reason for our little forest alert earlier,” Elliot said, bringing up a blurred, ancient-looking symbol on the screen—a shadowy figure between two opposing forces. “You all know basic myths. But this one is… specific. The tale of the Shadowalker.”

To everyone’s surprise, it was Emma who piped up, his voice hesitant but clear. “I… I’ve read about that. In a banned manuscripts forum. He was a demon… created by Lucifer not as a torturer, but as a ultimate weapon. A being designed to wipe out all life on Earth in one go. But Lucifer messed up the primordial spell. A variable was wrong. Instead of a mindless destroyer, Shadowalker became a demon bound by a paradoxical imperative: to save people.”

Elliot nodded, impressed. “Correct. When Lucifer realized his ultimate weapon was a failure—a demon that preserved life instead of extinguishing it—he tried to unmake him. But the creature’s ‘chi,’ its core life force, was too strong, forged in the same abyssal fires as Lucifer himself. He couldn’t be destroyed. He became a cursed immortal.”

Classy connected the dots. “So he’s forced to save people, but he’s still a demon, with a demon’s nature. That’s one hell of a cognitive dissonance.”

“Exactly,” Elliot said. “The texts say he wanders, a consciousness of immense power with no true form of its own. He can’t operate sustainably without anchoring himself to a living host.”

Bryan frowned. “So we find this ghost-demon and… what, offer it a timeshare?”

“We want him to find a host,” Elliot clarified. “But therein lies the ‘problem.’ The host must have a very specific, nearly impossible psychic constitution: a perfect, balanced bond with both light and darkness within their own soul. They must harbor equal capacity for profound hatred and profound love for humanity. The vessel must be a true neutral—a living gray area.”

Bryan shook his head. “Why does it have to be so complicated?”

“Because the Shadowalker itself is a paradox,” Elliot explained. “It is neither good nor evil. It is a force of preservation born from a source of annihilation. The host must be a mirror of that contradiction. Someone who belongs to neither side but contains the essence of both. Such individuals are… exceptionally rare.”

Amy, who had been quiet, spoke up. “Sir… I might know someone. From before I joined you. There was a guy. He… hated me. Or acted like he did. Bullied me, even. But once, when I was in real trouble—a car was skidding right toward me—he shoved me out of the way. Saved my life. And when I tried to thank him, he just looked at me with this… empty anger. He said, ‘I’m sorry I saved you.’ He always sat alone. In the park, at school, on the bus. Headphones on, world off. I never saw him with friends or family. Ever.”

Bryan’s eyes widened, a memory clicking. “Wait. The guy who always wears the black hoodie? Sits on the bench by the old oak tree? Never talks to anyone?”

Classy nodded slowly. “Yeah. I’ve seen him. He has this… vibe. Like you look at him and feel either really sad or really scared. No in-between.”

Emma gasped, putting a hand over his mouth. “Could it be… no, it couldn’t be him.”

Bryan, Amy, and Classy all said the name at the same time, their voices overlapping: “Northstar William.”

Elliot’s brow furrowed. “Who is Northstar William?”

Bryan explained, his usual bravado replaced with something like awe. “He’s like… an urban legend at our old schools. The coolest, most isolated guy you’d ever see. But not cool like ‘popular.’ Cool like… untouchable. He associates with no one.”

Northstar’s POV – The Cabin by the Lake

The sound was not loud, but it carried through the quiet pine forest—the melancholic strains of Lil Nas X’s “Tales Of Dominica” coming from a small, well-built log cabin.

I've been living in my lowest, it's safe to say

Hope my little bit of hope don't fade away…

Inside, the cabin was sparse but clean. Northstar William, a lean teenager with sharp features and eyes that seemed too old for his face, was not singing along. He was listening, his gaze fixed on the ceiling, as the lyrics filled the space.

…Scary things in my head, I kept dreaming again

Woke up on the floor…

In the control room back at the base, Amy had patched into a passive audio sensor near the cabin. The haunting melody filled the speakers.

“Those are the lyrics he plays,” Amy said softly. “Sometimes, when the wind is right, you can hear him singing them. Not like he’s performing. Like he’s just… reminding himself.”

Classy, listening, nodded. “That dude’s got the voice of a rockstar and the sadness of a fallen angel.”

Suddenly, as if he had heard them, Northstar’s voice cut through the music, clear and directed, though he hadn’t moved. It was as if he was speaking directly into their microphones. “To all of you spying on me… if you’re brave enough, make sure you show your face. Don’t bother hiding in the digital bushes.”

Bryan’s eyes went wide on the monitor. “Whoa, how does he know?”

Elliot’s expression was grim. “Telepathy. Or advanced empathic projection. That confirms it. He’s already a host, or he’s becoming one. He can sense directed attention, thoughts focused on him from a considerable distance.”

Emma wrung his hands. “So, how do we even approach him? He looks damn handsome from the satellite thermal, but that just makes him scarier.”

Classy raised an eyebrow. “Is he, like, an emo? Goth? What’s the deal?”

Amy shook her head. “Don’t think it’s a style choice. He just looks… emotionally shipwrecked. There’s a difference.”

Bryan smirked, trying to lighten the mood. “Nah. He’s a goth. A natural one. The forest-dwelling, possibly-demonic-host kind.”

Elliot shot him a look. “This isn’t about subcultures. Arnold,” he said, turning to the security chief who had just entered, “what’s your read?”

Arnold, still nursing his bruised ego from Bryan, grunted. “Can we forget about labeling him and think of a way to approach without getting our minds scrambled? Sir.”

Elliot made a decision. “We do it simply. Directly. I’m going to just ask him.”

A chorus of disbelief erupted from the team monitors.

“Whaaaat!” “Are you out of your mind?” “He’ll vaporize you!”

Elliot’s smirk returned, the one that held no warmth. “Absolutely not out of my mind. It’s the only play. Paradoxical beings often respect blunt honesty over elaborate schemes.”

Amy stepped forward. “Why not, Mr. Elliot? I’ll go with you. He… knows me. Or knew me. It might help.”

Elliot considered, then nodded. “Alright. The two of us. The rest of you… stay here. We’ve got a lot of potential power in this room, but also a lot of scaredy-cats. We need to move fast. Historical data suggests the Shadowalker’s influence—its conscious control—peaks during the night, under the moon. If he’s not in full control now, he will be soon.”

The two of them left the control room, heading for the surface transport. The unspoken question hung heavy in the air, on every monitor and in every mind: Would Northstar join them? Or would they be walking into a trap set by an ancient, tormented demon wearing a teenager’s face?

Two Hours Later – Forest Perimeter

“We’ve got to hurry,” Amy urged, checking her wrist-mounted scanner. The forest was unnaturally still. “It’s already 5 PM. Light’s fading.”

Elliot nodded, his eyes scanning the dense tree line. “Hmm. The coordinates lead right to the lake’s edge. Let’s check that cabin.”

Amy adjusted her gear, a hint of her old civilian skepticism showing. “Who still lives in a cabin in this day and age? Voluntarily?”

Elliot’s reply was quiet, almost to himself. “A guy with no hope for the world out there. A guy who might be the only container strong enough to hold the end of the world inside him.”

Meanwhile – Inside the Cabin

Northstar was lying on his simple cot, the music now off. A sudden, violent cascade of thoughts—not his own—flooded his mind: images of labs, of worried faces, of strategic maps centered on his location. It was a chaotic psychic broadcast from multiple sources, all focused on him. The mental intrusion was so abrupt, so loud in the silence of his own psyche, that it triggered a defensive shutdown. His eyes rolled back, and he fell into a deep, immediate sleep.

In his nightmare, he stood in an endless void. On each finger of his outstretched hands, he balanced a glowing orb. Each orb contained a swirling galaxy, teeming with life. As he watched, horrified and mesmerized, one orb slipped from his grasp. It didn’t fall; it unmade. The galaxy within winked out of existence without a sound, as if it had never been. A profound, cosmic grief filled him.

Northstar woke with a gasp, sitting bolt upright. Cold sweat soaked his shirt. “What a nightmare…” he muttered, his voice rough. He focused inward, sensing the lingering traces of the invasive thoughts. A cold, familiar detachment settled over him. “Guess we have unwanted visitors in the forest. And they’re bringing their fears with them.”

In the Forest – The Dark Soldiers’ Team

Elliot and Amy were not alone. A squad of six elite security personnel, including a still-sulking Arnold, moved with them through the thickening woods. Elliot had decided backup was prudent.

“Stay sharp, and stay together,” Elliot warned, his hand on the energy pistol at his hip. “We don’t know what to expect. The environment itself may be hostile.”

One of the point soldiers, a woman named Reyes, suddenly stopped. “Sir… the forest is changing. The landmarks… they’re repeating. That twisted birch, the rock formation. We’ve passed them three times now. We’re not moving forward.”

Elliot frowned. “Spatial loop? A perception filter? Everyone, hold your position!”

Before anyone could react, the world blurred. It wasn’t like moving; it was like the scenery was yanked from around them and replaced. In the blink of an eye, they were no longer in deep woods. They stood at the edge of a perfectly still, dark pond. Sitting on a large, flat stone with his back to them, a young lad in a dark hoodie watched the water, utterly still.

The lad spoke, his voice calm and young, yet carrying an impossible weight. “I wouldn’t move if I were you. The ground here is… particular about its guests.”

Soldier Reyes, trained for threat assessment, instinctively took a half-step forward to get a better angle. The moment her foot touched a different patch of moss, her body seized. Her eyes flew open wide, pupils dilating in sheer terror. She saw something—a vision of herself being torn apart by shadowy claws, her screams silent in the vision’s void. She stumbled back with a choked gasp, falling to her knees.

Elliot raised a hand, halting the others. He took one careful, deliberate step forward. “We come in peace. We mean you no harm.”

Northstar finally turned his head to look over his shoulder. His eyes, a stormy gray, swept over the armed squad, then settled on Elliot and Amy. There was no surprise in them. Only a deep, weary recognition. “And you brought troops to capture me. ‘Peace’ doesn’t usually require that much firepower.”

Elliot shook his head, keeping his hands visible. “We thought you might… not be yourself. We thought you might go berserk. The precautions were for everyone’s safety, including yours.”

Northstar turned fully now, swinging his legs around to face them. He offered a smirk that didn’t reach his eyes. “Well, no. I’m just a kid with no particular emotions for humans, but who’s stuck with the inconvenient full-time job of saving them. So, do you really think,” he said, his gaze piercing Elliot, “that if I intended you harm, you would have even seen the cabin? You would have made it past the first tree line?”

Elliot was at a loss. “Umm…”

Northstar interrupted him. “About what you want to ask me… I accept.”

The simplicity of it stunned everyone into silence.

“You… accept?” Amy finally managed.

Northstar stood up, brushing non-existent dust from his jeans. “Yeah. I want to see how this thing ends. I’m tired of the forest. The werewolves have been howling too much lately, and the pixies keep stealing my socks. Your base has to have better laundry facilities.”

He snapped his fingers. The air in front of him rippled like water, then tore open, revealing a swirling, dark blue portal. On the other side, the familiar sterile lights of the Dark Soldiers’ base corridor were visible.

“You guys coming,” he asked, “or what?”

Soldier Reyes, still pale from her vision, eyed the portal with deep suspicion. “Is that… thing safe?”

Northstar’s smirk returned. “Yeah. You watch too many sci-fi movies. It’s just a shortcut.” Without waiting for a further answer, he stepped through the portal and vanished.

After a moment’s hesitation, Elliot followed. Amy and the rest, with varying degrees of trepidation, stepped through after him.

At the Dark Soldiers’ Base – Main Entry Hall

The Yelena AI’s voice blared from every speaker, calm yet urgent. “Alert. Unauthorized spatial anomaly detected in Sector Alpha-1. Security breach in progress. I repeat, a security breach.”

Arnold’s voice, from the control room, barked over the comms to the response teams already mobilizing. “All available security personnel to Sector Alpha-1! Intruder protocol! Prepare to open fire on my mark!”

Amy’s voice cut in, sharp on the same channel. “Hold your fire unless the intruder is not recognized by any of our team! I repeat, do NOT shoot unless absolutely certain!”

They all converged in the large main hall just as the air in the center began to warp. The same dark blue portal spiraled open, emitting a wave of cold air and a faint, dark aura that made the lights flicker.

Arnold, leading the tactical team, raised his rifle. “Target the portal! Prepare to engage!”

Northstar stepped casually out of the vortex. The portal snapped shut behind him.

Arnold didn’t wait. “FIRE!”

A hail of non-lethal energy pulses and rubber bullets sped toward Northstar.

He didn’t flinch. He simply raised his left hand, palm out. “Puny insects,” he said, his voice echoing slightly. “You won’t let me live in peace, you won’t let me die in peace. Make up your minds.”

An invisible, dome-shaped barrier shimmered into existence around him. The projectiles impacted it and disintegrated into harmless puffs of light and dust.

Elliot, emerging from a side corridor with Amy, shouted at the top of his lungs. “HOLD YOUR FIRE! STAND DOWN! He’s with us!”

The shooting ceased. The hall fell into a tense, ringing silence.

Northstar lowered his hand. The barrier faded. He looked around at the assembled soldiers, their weapons still trained on him, and let out a dry chuckle. “Guess that’s how you welcome someone to your abode. Charming.”

Amy rushed to Elliot’s side. “Are you alright, sir?”

“I’m alright,” Elliot said, waving her off, his eyes fixed on Northstar.

Arnold lowered his weapon, his face a mask of professional apology. “Sorry for the misunderstanding, Mr. Harvard. We were following breach protocol.”

Elliot nodded stiffly. “No problem, Arnold. You were doing your job.” He turned to face the room, raising his voice. “Everyone, stand down. This is Northstar William. He is our newest recruit. More importantly… he is the host of the entity known as Shadowalker.”

A murmur ran through the assembled personnel.

Amy managed a small, cautious smile. “He looks… young.”

Northstar met her gaze, and for a second, the weary mask slipped, showing something almost like recognition. “Actually, I’m 17,” he said. Then he added, the cryptic edge returning, “I’ve been 17… like forever.”

Amy just nodded. “Cool.”

Northstar looked past Elliot, scanning the base. “So. Who am I working with? The other ‘special’ kids you rounded up?”

He snapped his fingers again. This time, there was no portal. Instead, with a series of simultaneous thumps and yelps of surprise, Emma, Classy, Mello, Bryan, and Willz fell out of thin air, landing in a heap on the floor right in front of him. They had apparently been teleported directly from their rooms or the rec area.

Bryan groaned, untangling himself from Willz. “What the heck just happened?”

Classy rubbed his head, looking around in bewilderment. “We were just in the game room. There weren’t any stairs beneath us two seconds ago.”

Emma frowned, picking himself up. “This is highly disorienting and uncool!”

Northstar looked down at them, his expression unreadable. “Stand up. Form a line. Let’s get this over with.”

Elliot quickly stepped in, gesturing to each as they scrambled to their feet. “Bryan—pyrokinetic and elemental control. Mello—reality manipulation through artistic medium. Emma—temporal manipulation under specific emotional stress. Willz—can summon a psychopomp weapon, traits of a reaper. Classy—matter manipulation and restructuring, ‘overhaul.’”

Northstar’s eyes swept over them, pausing for a fraction of a second on each face, as if reading a file only he could see. His gaze lingered on the empty space at the end of their ragged line. “One is missing.”

Elliot nodded. “That’s Cara. She’s being briefed at an auxiliary site. She’ll be arriving tomorrow. Her abilities are… complementary.”

Northstar gave a single, slow nod. “Well, everyone,” he said, his voice flat, devoid of welcome or hostility. “It’s… something to meet you. I’m the Shadowalker. And for now, that’s all you need to know.”

He didn’t wait for a response. Turning, he looked at Elliot. “Which way to the quarters that don’t have pixies or werewolves?”

As a security officer nervously led him away, the rest of the team was left standing in the hall, staring at the spot where he had been. The air still felt colder. The chapter of their simple recruitment had just ended. A new one, filled with ancient demons, gray morality, and a boy who carried the weight of a paradox, had just begun.

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