Vanishing Light

Giulia Wu

 

            As the mountains devoured the sun and light gave way to Darkness, I checked for my equipment: daggers, a bow and some arrows, and a shotgun, just in case things didn’t go as planned. Since I’m a regular human, my lack of night vision wasn’t ideal—in fact, nothing about this situation was ideal. The seed had already spread its Darkness far beyond the town, killing all of the plant life on the surrounding hills. With no other cover nearby, I was forced to leave all of my extra equipment, including the orb, in a small cave behind one of the hills. 

 

            But I’ve dealt with many tough jobs, and this was only a reconnaissance trip, one of the hundreds that I’ve carried out over the years. The chances of me messing this up were next to none. The real challenge would only begin on the next day.

 

            Taking a deep breath, I set out for the eerily quiet town. Though heavy clouds danced around the sliver of the crescent moon, its light still stood out starkly among the blackened, barren ground and the starless sky. With no rustling of leaves or chirping of crickets, my footsteps and my heart thudded like thunder in the still air. 

 

            But I continued on.

 

            Then, I had arrived, the buildings looming over me. Though the town was blanketed in a heavy silence and the Darkness threatened to swallow everything in sight, I knew better than to attribute it to a lack of activity. The Shadows were nearby, I could tell.

 

            The Darkness only deepened as I forged on, fear dancing within me every step of the way. Finally, I came to a stop at my destination: a tree towered over the entire town, its limbs tearing at the sky. Even at this distance, my eyes could barely perceive it, the Darkness seeping out of it protecting it from my unfriendly gaze. Its tangled roots clawed at my feet as I drew closer, entranced by the intricacies of its magic. 

 

            I stopped abruptly. This was too easy. Something was wrong.

 

            As I spun around to assess my surroundings more closely, the curtain of Darkness unfurled to reveal humanoid silhouettes.

 

            I blinked. 

 

            And they were upon me, their gaping maws flashing in the wispy shadows. In a panic, I fumbled for my shotgun, hitting one, then two.

 

            I blinked again.

 

            Where there were figures just a moment ago, there was emptiness. Without lingering for a moment longer, I bolted for my cave.

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            Even through the sound of my footsteps echoing around me, of my heart drumming in my chest, of the blood roaring in my ears, my thoughts whirled. How did such a simple part of the mission go so wrong? When did they discover that I was here? Had they been watching me this whole time?

 

            When an eternity had flashed by, I finally found myself back at the cave. As the adrenaline and fear let go of their hold on me, I began to take stock of my belongings. Daggers, bow, shotgun. All there. 

 

            As much as my body screamed at me to stay for the night, to shed off the exhaustion that had begun to drag down my movements, I knew that it wasn’t safe to do so. My cover had already been blown; there was no point for me to try to do anything with the orb now. The world would have to hold out for just a little while longer.

 

            After packing up my supplies into my backpack, I picked up the heavy case that held the orb—and then I froze, dread settling in my stomach. The case that had once been a struggle to carry with one hand was now significantly lighter. Dropping it onto the ground, I slammed it open... and sure enough, the familiar glow of magic was absent.

 

            I had to go back into town. I had to. The only way it could’ve gone missing was if the Shadows stole it, if they’d discovered this cave. And there was no way that I was going to let them possess the only object in the entire world that could breathe life back into this planet.

 

            Pulling out my shotgun once more, I marched into town, my backpack secured on my back and the case swinging wildly in my grasp. Without any hesitation, I strode towards the tree. If they were to destroy the orb—and I knew they wanted to—they would have to use the strongest counter-magic possible, which meant that they’d have to be here, at the source of the Darkness.

 

            Which led to the next part of my plan: I would activate the orb now, no matter the cost. Theoretically, it would be close enough to the tree to serve its purpose. Whether I made it out alive did not matter.

 

            As I neared my destination and the Darkness thickened, my limbs began to act on their own accord. My walk turned into a run, then a sprint. My hands exchanged the shotgun for my daggers. And as my eyes locked onto the concentrated pocket of huddled Darkness, I leaped, slashing wildly at the wispy cloth that drifted around me.

 

            Gasps of pain grated my ears, no longer human. I didn’t dare stop.

 

            Then, finally, through the Darkness, my gaze fell upon a blinding glow. Without any thought, I seized it. Immediately, white-hot pain coursed through my veins, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air around me. 

 

            Pain and desperation squeezed out of me the activation words necessary to complete the ritual. 

 

            And a wave of light pulsed through the Darkness.

 

            But instead of the warm, nurturing yellow glow that had been packed into the orb, a harsh, cold white erupted out. 

 

            Then, nothing.

 

            Instead of infusing the area with a sudden burst of life, the light merely dissipated, as if it were smoke from a dying campfire.

 

            I was too late.

 

~ ~ ~

 

            The young woman lies limply in the cot, her eyes staring blankly at the moonless sky. The dirt around her stirs in the warm breeze. Soon, she knows that it will be gone, too.

 

            A thick layer of gel coats both of her hands, though a prickling pain still calls forth a wince every once in a while. Patterns of Darkness branch across her skin, invading her bloodstream. Soon, she knows she’ll become one of them, too.

 

            An old woman stands beside her, a gnarled staff placed firmly on the ground in front of her. Though her limbs shake with age, magic and power still course from her, keeping the encroaching Darkness at bay. 

 

            “And that’s how I got here,” the young woman’s voice pulls at the druid’s concentration, but she does not stop her. She knows that she is only delaying the inevitable.

 

            “I’m sorry,” comes a weakening whisper, as if the Darkness has already taken her voice.

 

            “It’s alright,” the old woman replied, “You can rest now.”

 

            She does not receive a response.

 

            And finally, she lets her magic fade away, and she surrenders the last spark of light to the all-encompassing Darkness.