I came back from hunting in the forest—it was the only way I use to get by. These days it’s hard to get a successful hunt.
After a harsh day of getting nothing, I went back home—to my cave. As I get close to the cave I hear a dull thud inside. At first, I am filled with smiles because I thought a bear or some animal was inside resting—they do it sometimes.
I tiptoe to the entrance not to scare the animal and that’s when I see the sound was made by something that has a human figure, standing at the entrance with a disappointed look, I shouted
“Who’s there!?”
I waited for a reply but nothing came. The shadowy figure is sitting inside the cave with unsteady breathing—you could tell whoever the breath is coming from is injured
“From your breathing, I can tell you are injured...” I said as I walk into the cave
“This is not a hospital... Leave or I will speed up your death”
“Y-you talk as if you have any strength in you to end the likes of me...” the figure manages to speak while coughing out blood
“You are already at death’s door killing you will be easy” I pull out a knife with dull edges strapped around my waist and run at the man to slice open his throat but I am overpowered with ease.
Before I could blink the knife I am holding is already on the ground and I am flying out of the cave. I landed head first on the ground groaning loudly. Still, on the ground I look up to see the unknown figure standing above my head—he now looks like a slender man with spiky hair, dark brown eyes and he has a square beard. He introduces himself
“My name is Seth Remmick” he collapses shortly after introducing himself.
I get up and stare at his unconscious body—this is the right time to kill him but looking at him takes away my intent to kill him so I drag him inside my cave to clean his wound
Two days later he regains consciousness. His eyes slowly open as he grunts trying to sit up
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”
“You patched me up, why?”
“I don’t know. I did it on a whim”
Seth forces himself to sit up
“If you move around you will open your wound and I don’t intend to patch you up again” I said with my back facing him
“I need to get back to my Realm...” he said
“You won’t last two minutes with that injury. Stay and regain back your strength”
“I didn’t know you care about me”
“I patched you up cause I figured you wouldn’t leave and no one likes to have a corpse on his front porch”
Seth laughs hysterically with tears rolling down his cheek
“Funny how you used porch for a cave” he pulls up his shirt to see the stitches I did on him “Wow! You are very good with your hands ain’t you?”
“One of the perks of living alone” I serve him a bowl of soup with rotten meat
“Thanks but that will kill me” he rejected
I poured some for myself and started eating. He uses his eyes to inspect the cave
“This is the only cave around here without bats nesting...”
“I killed them all” I said with my face focused on my food
“You are joking right?” he asks
I raise my head to give him a flinty stare
“Ugh... Okay... He’s not joking. Can I at least have some water?”
“No water” I said getting back on my food
“You are not a conversationalist, are you?”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind” he sighs “What’s your name boy?”
“I don’t have a name...”
“Come on everyone has one”
“If I had one I can’t remember what it is”
“Then I have to give you one...”
“I am not your pet”
“No one would want you as a pet anyways. I will still give you a name though. Let me think of a fine name” he said feeling his jaw
I stare at him with distrust
"What's with this man? Haven't I seen this face before?"
“Don’t give me that look, Limbo” he said smiling at me
"Who the fuck in his right mind would agree to answer such foolish name?" I sigh
“I see you don’t fancy the name. What about Quattro, Benjamin, or Amino?” he laughs “Amino is a pretty name and suits you just fine”
“Are you trying to annoy me?” I ask glaring at him
“At least I got your attention, Liam”
"I will always love you, Liam. Live for me" memory of my last moment with my mother flash through my head at the moment he said the name, Liam
"Who the hell is this man?"
“I will take your silence as a yes. From now on your name is Liam”
“Who are you?” I ask confused
“I’m Seth. I told you before didn’t I?” “You look a lot like him. Poor Shayla” he stares sadly at me
“You look like you are saying something in your head, what’s that?” I ask
“It’s nothing important” he answered with a smile
“Do you kn—”
“What’s that?”
“It’s nothing. Forget it” I said looking away
“Okay. Thanks for looking after me, Liam” black particles start forming in front of him, within minutes it takes the shape of something that looks like a portal
“What’s that?” I ask
“It’s a transportation mechanism, a portal”
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yea. Adios” He gives me a wave before going through the portal. It disappears seconds after he ambled into
Somewhere in the Shadow Realm; Shadow Realm is a place full of beauty and dangerous planes. It is the home of Shadow—they are people born in the Realm. The Realm is accessible to outsiders through portals.
But if an ordinary man or a non-Shadow steps foot on the soil of the Realm, his shadow will be instantly drained from him causing immediate death. It is a protective mechanism set up by the first Guardian of the Realm; Alphonso Remmick.
A short old man with a Bandholz style beard is peeping through the hole on the wall outside the women’s hot spring bath. He is watching young women with voluptuous boobs take their bath
He giggles silently shaking his butt with excitement and unknown to him is Selena, Seth’s daughter standing behind him with a hateful gaze ready to pounce on him
“What do you think you are doing?” she grits her teeth with her fists clenched
“Selena?” Henri ask with his body shaking with fear
“Stupid old man!” she strikes him repeatedly to her content “I can’t believe you are a Sage” she said looking at him with resentment
“This is not how to take care of an old man. Don’t you know my body is fragile? Handle me with care” he said pouting
“Then stop being a pervert”
“You are the worst!” She said, frowning
Henri with his bruised face ignores her and ask about her father
“Has he returned from his battle with Steve?”
“He hasn’t. What if he doesn’t come back this time?” she looks away seemingly worried
He hits her gently with his staff
“Don’t doubt the powers of the Kovo in the Realm. He will be back”
“Yeah!” with a satisfied look she stares at the sky.
*****
A sharp inhale.Ken's chest rose in a shallow breath, air scraping against his dry throat like sandpaper. His lips cracked as he parted them, but no sound came. He tried to swallow, but his mouth was parched—bone-dry, like he'd been lying in the desert for days. His body felt heavier than stone, weighed down by an exhaustion so deep it threatened to pull him under again.Blurred light burned through his eyelids, too bright, too overwhelming. He winced, head throbbing with a slow, torturous pounding that sent sharp pulses through his skull. His ears rang with a high-pitched hum, but beneath it, there were voices—muffled, distant, warping in and out like a bad frequency. He couldn't make them out, but they were there."Where am I?"The last thing he remembered was... the fight. The pain. Shadows twisting around him. Selena's voice, calling him back. His breath hitched as fear clawed its way up his chest. The nightmare. It had felt so real—the suffocating darkness, the weight of death pr
Darkness. Suffocating, endless, and hungry.Ken found himself standing in a wasteland of shifting shadows, the ground beneath him cracking like dried bone. The air was thick, like tar, crawling down his throat, making every breath a struggle. A low, guttural whisper slithered through the silence, circling him. He turned, but nothing was there—only the writhing darkness stretching infinitely in every direction.Then, the whispers turned to screams.The ground beneath him erupted, and from the cracks, hands shot out—blackened, gnarled, clawing at his legs. He staggered back, only to feel something coil around his throat. His own shadow had risen, strangling him, pulling him into the abyss below.Pain. It seared through his veins, his muscles spasming violently. His own body was betraying him, the foreign Shadow raging inside like a beast trapped in a cage. His skin cracked like porcelain, dark veins pulsating underneath, threatening to consume him whole.A presence loomed ahead.A figure
Helen folded the last of her clothes into her bag, smoothing the fabric down with a slow exhale. The room was eerily quiet except for the faint rustling of fabric and the occasional snap of a closing buckle. She had packed efficiently—only the essentials. Nothing here felt like home, and she was eager to leave the Demon Realm behind.Near the door, Nicole stood with her arms crossed, already packed and waiting. Her expression was neutral, but Helen could tell she was anxious to leave.A sudden knock at the door broke the silence. It was firm, but far from the harsh pounding she had experienced before. Helen's brows furrowed in mild surprise. She glanced at Nicole before approaching the door.When she opened it, a guard stood outside, his posture stiff but respectful. He bowed slightly."The King requests your presence."Helen studied him, noting the stark difference in his tone compared to the last time he had come bearing the King's summons. No trace of disdain, no mockery. She narrow
The sound of gunshots echoed through the ruined safe house, each shot from Ken's handgun punctuating the tension in the room. His eyes were sharp, calculating, his every movement precise, but the smoke swirling around Shane made it difficult for the bullets to land cleanly. Ken's shots were quick, and his aim was deadly—but the smoke, it blocked them, diffused their power. Each shot that missed added more pressure on Ken, his breathing becoming shallow, his fingers tightening on the gun's grip.He hadn't seen a fight like this in years.Shane laughed, the sound eerie and unsettling. "Is this really the best you can do, Ken? Just a gunman and a brat with shadows? You don't even know what you're up against."Ken's jaw clenched. Brat with shadows? He didn't care about Shane's taunts, but they gnawed at him. His gun clicked empty again, forcing him to reload quickly, eyes never straying from Shane.Across the room, Selena was locked in her own battle—dark tendrils of shadow clashing again
Helen had only just settled into the stillness of the room, the quiet night wrapping around her like a thick blanket, when the door creaked open without so much as a knock.A tall, armored guard stepped into the room, his face blank and impassive. Helen's brow furrowed slightly, but she masked her surprise quickly. She had already grown accustomed to the unexpected—if there was one thing the Demon Realm's people were proficient at, it was making their entrances without warning."Lady Helen," the guard said in a firm, emotionless tone, "The King requests your presence. There is a feast in your honor tonight. He expects you to join him."Helen sat up in the chair by the window, her fingers curling into the fabric of her gown as she processed the abruptness of the invitation. She narrowed her eyes slightly, her expression cool, though a faint flicker of irritation bubbled beneath her composed exterior."And you couldn't bother to knock?" she asked, her voice smooth but edged with a hint o
Helen stood before the towering obsidian gates of the Demon Realm’s royal palace, the ever-present heat pressing against her skin. The air crackled with tension as two guards clad in dark armor swung open the gates, ushering her inside. Despite the grandeur of the palace-adorned with crimson banners and gold-trimmed pillars-there was no mistaking the hostility in the air.It wasn't her first time stepping Into enemy territory, but that didn’t make it any more welcoming. The Shadow Realm and the Demon Realm had long been rivals, and while they weren’t at war, the lack of trust was palpable.She was led into the throne room, where King Valtoria sat on his massive throne, his presence alone commanding the space. His piercing golden eyes studied her with the sharpness of a blade, and his expression twisted into something unreadable. Beside him stood his daughter, Nicole Valtoria.Nicole was unlike what most imagined a royal of the Demon Realm to be. Her long white hair cascaded down her ba