Interlude Shadow Novels & Stories

I barely had time to take a breath before everything twisted, and in the blink of an eye, Northwoods vanished. The Shadow Realm felt… off. The air was thick and heavy. The ground looked like cracked glass, reflecting twisted shadows of ourselves. Black trees reached up into a sky that wasn’t really a sky—just an expanse of darkness and shifting shapes like a dreamland We didn’t have time to feel scared. We moved quickly, with Elira leading the way. Her limp slowed her down, but she kept pushing forward. Once again I commended her strength. The first shard was buried inside a stone arch shaped like two wolves locked in a battle. When I touched it, pain lanced through my arm, it tore my palm a

“The Mask has been unveiled, Aera. The Shadow’s Alliance is in motion, and their leader watches. The ensuing assault will test every skill, every ally, and every ounce of your resolve. Prepare judiciously. For the revelation is merely the commencement.” As the night sky over Eldoria stretched dark and expansive, a faint, distant pulse reverberated—ominous, precise, and relentless. The Shadow’s Alliance had transcended the realm of mere shadows. It was a tempest gathering in the darkness, and Eldoria’s queen would face the ultimate test of her mettle.

She wasn't just countering his cold; she was forcing his threads to expand until they snapped. The courtyard was filled with a blinding, white-hot light. The puppets collapsed as their tethers were incinerated. Lady Isolde fell to her knees, gasping as the vacant look in her eyes shattered like glass. The Shadow-Weaver’s form began to boil, the dark threads turning to steam. "This is the Ridge!" Elara’s voice rose above the roar of the thermal discharge. "We do not live by the design! We live by the work! We live by the struggle! We live by the knot!"

It bathed the entire sky in a reddish light that danced as if out of flames; the sky hosting a dance of lights and shadows from mystical worlds. There was a battle between the day that would not go away and the night that was ready to beautify the entire land with its wonders. The last glimmer of the sun struggled in vain to stay in the blackened sky, but slowly faded into the distance, giving way to the mysterious moon that silently rested in the sky, mirroring its beauty into the dark sea. It was accompanied by the little shining jewels that enriched the sky with their glitter, resembling little marbles of ice.

But the more I pulled, the more complicated everything became. At midnight, my phone buzzed again. *“The mirror shows what’s hidden. Look closer.”* I glanced at my reflection in the windowpane. The woman staring back at me was pale and exhausted, but her eyes burned with a quiet determination. Slowly, I moved closer, finger trailing the cold glass. And then I saw it — a flicker, subtle but unmistakable. A shadow moving just behind my reflection, a shape that didn’t belong. My heart skipped. ---

I demanded, taking a cautious step backward. A low chuckle echoed in the darkness, sending chills down my spine. “You’re not getting out of this that easily, Cassandra,” Marcus’s voice taunted. I swung the ashtray wildly in the direction of his voice, but it connected with nothing but air. “Stop playing games!” I shouted, my voice cracking. Suddenly, there was a sharp sound—a struggle, a gasp—and then silence. “Marcus?” I whispered, my throat dry. No response. The lights suddenly flickered back on, and I froze.

“You think you’re the only one?” “You wound me, Delia,” Gray chuckles. She slaps his arm playfully, letting him know it's time to get serious. He straightens up, as all signs of amusement snap from his face in a split second and holds still while she goes to work on the chain in his hands. She places both of her hands a few inches above the metal and whispers some incantation until a low blue glow can be seen from underneath her palms. When the glow fades she moves her warm copper brown hands and sighs.