"1059 days left" by Duvencrune, Edgar O. Diary of the Long Night, 111th Edition

In the eerie landscape of the Shadow World, Shuri found herself enveloped in a scene that defied her cold blood with this bleak desolation. The world around her was a monochrome panorama, every shade of grey imaginable blending into a picture of perpetual decay.

The ground beneath her feet felt unstable, fragments of the earth peeling away into the void as if the very fabric of this world were succumbing to an inexorable entropy.

Shuri's heart raced as she absorbed the unsettling tranquillity. Her history was rife with encounters of terror and the macabre, yet nothing had quite prepared her for the existential dread that this place evoked.

Beside her, Zora moved with familiarity. The Mere watched the elf as she deftly wove her Coldweb traps, the Spider Spirit aiding in the delicate task.

Shuri finally broke the silence with a false casualness that did little to mask her unease.

"So this is where you come to hide, Little Spider?"

"Hide is a strong word," Zora responded without looking at the Mere's direction. Her focus revolved around the patterns of the web that she pulled over the branches of the trees.

"It's so creepy. No wonder you are always so tense, Little Spider." Shuri attempted a joke, hoping to lighten the mood, but her laughter was a hollow sound that quickly died. She studied the scenery, her discomfort growing as the silence stretched between them, filled only by the soft hiss of the Coldweb being spun.

Shuri shifted uneasily. She was unsure why the dark elf had brought her here. Was it merely a strategic location for their traps, or was there something more, something personal, in the choice?

"Why did she bring me here? Am I in danger?"

The Mere started to feel like a spectator in a play she barely understood. The doubt began to creep in, a growing worry that perhaps her presence here was not as an ally but as a potential sacrifice or a pawn in a larger game she couldn't see—a fishbait.

They finally shushed when Zora finally broke her focus from the trap-setting to address Shuri. Pointing towards a swirling black shadow that marked a portal at the camp's centre, Zora outlined their strategy.

"So we go in with that portal, and at the end of this path, we escape the other way, on that arch you see between those two trees. You got that?"

"Yeah, but..." Shuri frowned, her confusion apparent as she struggled to make sense of the tactical layout in this unfamiliar terrain. "Wouldn't it make more sense if we get out from the same portal?"

Zora shook her head, her expression serious. "Not if some of the Lamias have a delay; we don't know how fast they can be."

"Well, that archway exit goes where?"

"To the camp, where else?"

"Well, wouldn't it make more sense if it was in that direction?" Shuri gestured uncertainly towards a different route. "Because that one is completely opposite from the camp." Her suggestion hung in the air, but to Shuri's understanding, the exit that Zora proposed seemed to point to the beach.

She couldn't help but second-guess herself. Unlike Zora, who moved through the Shadow World as if nothing, Shuri felt like an outsider, constantly trying to orient herself in a landscape that defied all normal perceptions. But Zora wouldn't try to set her up, would she?

As Shuri's objections tapered off into silence, Zora experienced a surprising change. A rare and unexpected smile curved the corners of her lips. The simple gesture seemed to soften the harsh lines of the environment around them, and for a moment, the Shadow World felt less oppressive.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

Zora reached out and took Shuri's hands in hers. The contact was startling, just because it was unexpected.

"Don't you trust me?" Zora's voice was soft, almost vulnerable.

"Well, of course, Little Spider, it's... everything is strange here," Shuri replied. "You don't think so?"

"Trust me, you trust me, right?" Zora continued, holding Shuri's gaze with an intensity that bordered on pleading. "Once we bait the nightmares here, they are caught in the cobweb, we run away back to camp, and my Spirit will close the portals for good. And you'll be safe." And she added, "With me."

The plan was a gamble, reliant on precise timing and the unpredictable nature of their foes. Yet hearing Zora lay it out with such confidence gave Shuri conviction that they could pull this off. So, she nodded slowly while her earlier doubts melted away.

The Mere's fingers got cocky and traced the familiar warmth of Zora's skin as her thumb caressed the elf's hand.

"I thought you would be mad at me." The words slipped out. "That you hated me."

Zora's reaction was immediate, though subtle. Her eyes widened just slightly, a flicker of surprise—or was it discomfort?—passing over her features. An "oh" escaped her lips, soft and almost inaudible against the backdrop of the crumbling world around them. "Why so?" she asked, her voice steady, but her body spoke another language.

Shuri released Zora's hand, the movement abrupt, and rolled her eyes, a gesture more to herself than to Zora, marked by shame. "Well… I was kinda, you know, like… I was kind of rough on you."

"I didn't notice, didn't feel a single thing." Zora's response was flat, her tone giving nothing away. Her face remained impassive, betraying none of the emotions that the conversation might have stirred within her.

"I'm sorry, I let myself get carried away." Shuri's apology crumbled in the air. "Is a good thing you can't feel, I guess." The mere said, releasing a nervous chuckle.

Zora, however, did not respond immediately. Instead, she turned her back to Shuri as she scrutinised their surroundings. "Well, we should return to camp and help Mediah and Jaer prepare on their end," she said, redirecting the conversation.

"You think this will be enough?" Shuri asked, trying to follow Zora's lead into safer territory, yet her voice betrayed a hint of her embarrassment.

Zora turned to Shuri with a broad, albeit somewhat forced, smile, "Well, as long as the pirates don't know about our plan, we are good to go. What else could go wrong?"

Shuri, though usually comforted by Zora's smile, could only feel a hollow ache this time. Something was bothering her. There was something different.

The real numbers of the Pirates, their ruthless strategies, and the chilling descriptions of the Nightmares they wielded—all painted a picture of impending doom that no amount of planning seemed sufficient to avert. She knew their plan because she made the plan.

Shuri knew this was a lost cause; a handful of mages armed with blades and cobwebs seemed almost trivial in the face of such overwhelming odds.

The thought crossed her mind, a desperate idea—to come forward, to urge Zora to flee with her, to leave it all behind and save themselves from what she saw as an inevitable catastrophe. It was a fleeting temptation, driven by fear and a deep-seated desire to protect what she cherished most.

However, before Shuri could voice her fears or make any impulsive decisions, she felt Zora's finger lifting her chin, "Don't worry. Everything is planned. They will fall like fishbait."

Mapping the Shadow World is a task that verges on the impossible—I know because I've attempted it, much to my dismay. Zora, despite her considerable expertise, struggles to elucidate the mechanics of how these portals align. Consider this: a simple bike ride between the shadow portal of Pollux to Regulus takes merely an hour, yet a journey from my home to the nearest grocery store could span several days. The cardinal directions? Utterly nonsensical. The Dream World, at least, is somewhat more graspable; no matter where I wander within it, I remain fundamentally tethered to my point of origin. But the Shadow World? It defies even the most creative comparisons. I once asked Zora if it was akin to ocean currents—she dismissed that with a laugh. Her analogy involved a dollhouse, where, typically, there are no stairs connecting the floors—just a magical doll that levitates up or flies down at will. Logically, the kitchen should adjoin the dining room, yet to access it, the doll must soar through an inexplicable vertical maze. And as for locating the bathroom—well, we accept it exists because the doll uses it, though its precise location remains a mystery. Thus, navigating the Shadow World seems to hinge on the traveller's imagination more than any reliable map could account for. I might tell you the next portal leads directly to the Ostesh train station, but if you are convinced it will drop you into the fiery pits of Cragua, then prepare for a rather warm welcome.

Zora is an incredible and terrifying strategist and beautiful inside out, but you do not want to be on her bad side. She is scary... ——The Hexe - Book Two by Professor Edgar O. Duvencrune, First Edition, 555th Summer

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.