Of Mist And Shadow Novels & Stories

Fuck. Something runs past me hiding in the shadows of the woods. I stop in my tracks, scared of death. I can almost hear my heartbeat. My blood is raging in my veins. "Show yourself," I yell angrily. I hear a low growl and see strange eyes focused on me for a second. I scream and fall to the ground. "Alice! Alice! Alice!" The voices have gotten closer. Something is definitely following me in the woods. I stand to my feet hurriedly. My cloth and shoes have mud stains on them. "Fuck," I grunt. The midnight bell rings from afar in the village. What a hell of a way to start my eighteenth-year birthday. I hear the growling clearly as it draws closer to me. My hands are shaking as I grab the dagge

“Then we fight. I won’t run.” Ryan’s lips curved into a faint, approving smile. “That’s the spirit. But remember you’re not alone. I’ll be right here.” As the sun struggled to pierce the mist, figures began to emerge from the forest. The Shadowborn had returned, larger in number, their shapes more terrifying and grotesque than the night before. Limbs stretched at impossible angles, faces half formed, eyes glowing a malevolent violet. They advanced like a living tide, silent and deliberate, yet brimming with lethal intent.

Maybe I could put some of my shadows to rest while also helping the villagers face the dawn rather than hide under the weight of their stories. It was time to face the brewing storm and spark a change that would either tie our fates together or let us scatter like leaves caught in a wild autumn wind. With a pounding heart, I prepared to reveal those secrets as we aimed to confront the shadows like mists between us. Today might hold the promise of something extraordinary.

I craned my head over my shoulder, casting one last curious glance at the silver fog curling between the trees like beckoning fingers. “Mama, why can’t I go into the woods when the mist is out?” I asked. “Mists are not what they appear to be, Sera,” she gently replied. “You might think it’s harmless. Maybe even fun to play in. But there’s an old tale about the fog. About the Mist Forest. Do you know it?” A flicker of excitement stirred in me. “No… what tale, Mama?” Her wolf paused. Slowly, she turned her head, her amber eyes locking with mine. “Sometimes, the mist opens a path into forbidden lands—places we are never meant to cross. And if we do… we see things no one should ever see. Truths

“We’re not here to cheat anything. We’re here to fix what’s broken.” The shadow laughed, a cold, hollow sound. “Fix it? You don't fix it. fractures can only but be sealed.” Before anyone could react, the shadow vanished, leaving behind an ominous silence. --- The group pressed onward, their steps heavier with doubt and fear. Soon, they arrived at the forest's edge, where a vast meadow lay under a sky marked with shades of gray and gold. In the distance, a majestic spire towered, its sharp outline piercing the horizon.

"But we need to be prepared for anything." Morgana led them to a clearing where the trees grew so close together that their branches intertwined, forming a natural archway. A thick, swirling mist obscured what lay beyond. "We're here," Morgana announced, her voice echoing in the sudden silence. "The Veil of Shadows." Isabella stepped forward, the relic pulsing warmly in her hand. "Let's go. Together." They entered the archway, and the world shifted around them. The mist enveloped them, and the air grew cold and heavy. The path ahead was barely visible, and strange, whispering voices echoed through the fog.

Darkness wants to join light and live in her embrace, but the moment darkness makes contact it destroys all hope which created her beautiful state. The Shadow Lands were toxic, shades of grey and ethereal shapes. The water burned skin like acid and the sky’s rained ash, fires that never gave light burned the trees into ghostly haunting corpses, mocking any living thing that dare spare a glance. As if the environment wasn't harsh enough, the shadows had mobility there, had some solid grip. They could pick a person up and fling them into the lake, attack them and drag them off. They existed everywhere, but in a state of comatose.

But who was daring enough to fall in love with her? Rose spun one last time in her red exquisite gown to have one last look at herself in the mirror. Satisfied, she put on a small grin, and without a word to the whisper present with her, she vanished. The shadow land was a grim, dark place. It was a place born void of hope. With the dark clouds settling around it, a strong wind howled in a circular motion all around it. This air was poisonous, killing everything it touched, not making room for water, turning the ground dry, and hard that it was unable to conceal what man would hardly call secrets...thanks to the scattered bones and skulls of animals and men that lay all around.

I gripped the fabric of the world and ripped it open with my bare hands. A wave of freezing, black mist rolled out, hitting my face like a physical blow. It smelled of rotting flowers and old, dusty paper. It was the smell of things that were never meant to be remembered. I stepped into the mist, and for a second, the world vanished. The Shadow Realm wasn't a place. It was a mistake.

“It’s not just the altitude. Something’s creating it.” From behind them, Valeria, the witch who had joined their group, spoke up. “The Shadow Order often uses environmental magic to disorient their enemies. This mist is meant to confuse us, perhaps even divide us.” “Then we stick together,” Kane said firmly. “No one breaks formation.” The mist thickened as they pressed on, reducing visibility to mere feet. Lyra tightened her grip on the reins, her wolf restless beneath her skin. Thalia growled in her mind, a low rumble of unease.