Four Shadows
There were four types of shadows known to man, but Ulu had seldom encountered any, and he lacked the skill to combat them; they often disguised themselves as humans…
Warriors of Transcendence, Part 9
For many days, Ulu waited for a sign. Finally, one evening, as he sat by the sea watching the waves roll in, he sensed a familiar luminous Transparent One standing by his side. “It is time,” said the Transparent One, with urgency. “They are waiting for you in the White Desert.” He remained nearby for a long instant, as if transferring strength into Ulu, and then he disappeared. Ulu was left in the sand, deep in thought.
According to legend, the desert did not always exist. Many years ago, the desolate region was full of life. Evergreen forests flourished full of wild birds and animals. Rivers flowed, gardens and orchards bloomed, and the sunlight was bright and pleasant. Now it had become a vast White Desert, eerily silent and devoid of life… No one desired to cross the vast barren region leading to the Valley of the Shadows and to the scorching slopes of Fire Mountain. Wild beasts inhabited the depths of the white sand dunes white scorpions as large as donkeys and enormous white snakes. Even the Shadows resided in the desert.Shadows!
The mere thought of them reminded Ulu of his first encounter with them, years ago His mind traveled back to a time when he viewed the borders of the Green Lowlands, watching, from a distance, as a group of men harvested the Fruits of Oblivion. Suddenly, for no apparent reason, he had experienced a feeling of discomfort. He glanced behind him and noticed smoke rising from the hill he had descended. This was peculiar, as no one had been there earlier, and the Descendants of the Emperors were unlikely to cease their work in the middle of the day to build a fire.
Ulu felt tense and searched for a hiding place. But when he turned again to face the smoke he realized that its height had diminished, and the remainder was now close to the ground, expanding and crawling towards the slopes, as if it were a living being, pursuing him. Ulu, at that time, was unaware that a Cloud Shadow was making its way towards him. His entire body became weary so he sat down to rest amidst the trees.
The approaching cloud appeared as a long, thin layer of fog hovering over the land. The Cloud Shadows would typically appear in clusters, clearing the ground for more dangerous shadows or warriors departing for battle. But fortunately, this Cloud Shadow was alone. Suddenly, the sound of trumpets was heard from the Valley, summoning the harvesters to assemble in the City. The Cloud Shadow, assuming that he was being summoned as well, halted his search, and began to ascend and creep towards the City. Only then, when Ulu recovered his strength and his clarity, did he understand what had been pursuing him.
There were four types of shadows known to man, but Ulu had seldom encountered any, and he lacked the skill to combat them. They were, in order of descending strength: Shadows of Illusion, Shadows of Fire, Cloud Shadows and Shadows of Light. The Shadows of Illusion were tall and thin, dark and fast. They usually wore gray capes; their faces were hollow and blank, almost expressionless.
They knew how to alter their forms and disguise themselves as humans, Transparent Ones or any other form they desired. The Whistle dialect, used by all other shadows, was only one of the many languages they spoke; they were fluent in every language spoken in the Land of the Ancient Progeny, with the exception of the language of man. Their methods were cruel. With the use of deception, disguise and erratic behavioral shifts, they created confusion and doubt in those they encountered. The shadows were unidentifiable and made use of this quality in order to seize the souls of their confused victims intensifying their doubts, until the hapless souls questioned their own existence, losing their minds and becoming slaves of the Shadows forever, until death.
The Shadows of Fire, with their red skin and dark capes, appeared as humans. They, too, were fast, but made no sudden movements. They had to gradually gain momentum before they could pick up speed and begin to move rapidly. When they attacked they located the natural center of warmth in their victim, and intensified it. They circled around each other in the form of spools of red and blue fire, and if their victims were unable to defend themselves the heat would cause them to dry up, with the spools of fire continuing to hover over their parched bodies.
The Cloud Shadows were large and heavy, as formless and as dense as fog. Slower than the others, they lacked the power to kill, though they had an affect on their victims even from afar. Those caught in their net would easily fall into the hands of the other Shadows, or warriors of the Towered City. The Cloud Shadows, besides having the ability to blur visibility, were able to create weakness and fatigue even paralysis, in all who gazed at them. Recovery from paralysis was impossible.
The Shadows of Light were the smallest of all. They were shorter then men, had human-like features and dressed in yellow garb, a light glistening from within. Their power was activated by those who gazed at them for a prolonged time. They would penetrate their light into their victims, blinding those who did not have the fortitude to escape rapidly.
All Shadows shared some common attributes: They were disloyal to each other, fearful of direct light and preferred nocturnal activity. Most of them resided in caves, crevices and hidden places in the mountains, mainly the Southern Mountains, which lacked plant growth. Their existence depended upon their ability to paralyze the growth centers in those they encountered, and they, therefore, despised all living organisms.
Ulu still immersed in his memories recalled that shortly after his encounter with the Cloud Shadow, he had departed for his desert training. He had walked for many weeks until he finally reached the White Desert. As he walked, the days became increasingly hot and windy, and the nights grew colder. Surprisingly, he felt no fear, only an ever increasing inner excitement. Thoughts of his ominous destination were countered by confidence that he would find Warriors of Transcendence along the way.
To be continued.
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