2 ☾ Erebus
Shadow of Destiny
☾ Hyun.Ra ☽
"You look like a mess," my best friend greets me with books in her hands. Jieun sits next to me, glancing at me with worry in eyes, "Actually you look like a panda. Did you even sleep last night?"
"Barely," I answer truthfully, taking another sip of my coffee. I don't even like coffee but I really need it today after what happened last night.
The man -- or whatever he is -- named Yoseob didn't return to my room. After he left to only God knew where, I just sat on my bed, stunned with whatever just happened.
Someone who could read my mind. Monster in my room. Shadow, Bogeyman, and more terms I can't understand.
I tried to sleep and it only worked for an hour. When I woke up at five this morning, my body felt like it could break into pieces if I moved too much. It's irritating.
There's nothing I want more than an explanation about what just happened at midnight before...
...or perhaps everything was just my silly dream.
"Jieun," I turn to her as she reads through one of her books. "Yesterday's lecture... Professor Choi talked about shadow, didn't he?"
"Hmm," she responds, flipping the page calmly. "The one when you were scolded and then you walked out just like that? Yes, I was there. It's an interesting topic."
Jieun shifts her gaze from the book to me, "Why? Do you want to borrow my note?"
That's not my intention but, really, I can't tell her about such nonsense thing -- which could also possibly just a dream -- I experienced, can I? "Of course! I need your note!"
Considering that the whole eclipse has ended, I actually think no such weird thing will happen again...
...but I am proven wrong.
I just left the campus by myself since Jieun has left earlier for her part-time job. Slinging my backpack with earphone in my ears, I assure myself that everything is just a nightmare and I don't need to give it a thought.
Not even noticing there's a man with white coat standing metres away from me, I walk pass the campus gate while humming a song.
"A pleasure to finally meet you, Min Hyunra."
I stop my steps immediately when I hear the voice. I turn around to look for the source but a question hits me: I am listening to iPod but how did the voice reach me so clearly?
My eyes find a man around my age, standing alone with long white coat. His hands are inside of the pockets while a smile decorates his face.
"You're definitely a beauty. It's really my pleasure to meet you in person."
His lips don't even move. Not even for the slightest. Then how can I hear his voice?
"Who...," I press the 'stop' button on my iPod, taking off my earphones. My heart beats faster when I ask him, "Who are you?"
He chuckles and his voice echoes in my head again even though his mouth doesn't move at all, "I believe it's not 'who'. It should be 'what am I'."
The guy takes his hand out of the pocket and snaps his fingers loudly. Suddenly the atmosphere around me changes.
I don't know how to explain it but the air feels so much heavier to breath. More importantly, there is no one around as if they're just vanished to the thin air.
It's just me and him. Alone.
"Welcome to Erebus," I can hear the voice in my head again. "Please let me introduce myself. My name is Myungsoo but the Shades go with L for my nickname."
The Shades. That word again. What is he talking about?
He steps closer to me, still putting a sly smirk as he reaches out his hand to touch me. I stand still, frozen on my spot because I am suffocated by the heavy air.
When his fingers are only centimetres away from my face, I close my eyes, shivered by the thought of what can possibly happen to me next.
However his hand never reaches me.
My eyes open up, looking at Yoseob who is standing in front of me with the same black jacket he had when I saw him for the first time last night.
"Yoseob," the guy who called himself as L speaks. This time he really speaks, moving his lips to mention Yoseob's name. "How are you?"
"Don't you dare to lay your hand on Hyunra," Yoseob warns him. "I'm not going to let you have a chance, L."
L chuckles but it becomes a laughter. He heaves a sigh, smirking, "Can you even stop me, Yoseob? I did it before and I don't think I can't do it again."
He looks at me and, without moving his lips, his voice reaches to me, "I'll see you again, Hyunra. You will miss me soon."
Before I could ask him anything, L bows to me and snaps his fingers again. The heavy atmosphere is lifted and, the next thing I know, both Yoseob and L have disappeared.
People walk around me, obviously didn't see what I just saw.
Without even wasting another second, I return straight to home, locking myself in my room with lights on. I pull my blanket close to me, suddenly become aware of alll noises in room. Am I going crazy?
"Hyunra?" my mother knocks my door. "Dinner is ready. Why do you lock your room?"
"I'm studying!" I blurt out the lie smoothly. "I'm not hungry now. I'll go downstairs if I feel to have one!"
Fortunately my mother takes my alibi. She eventually leaves me alone, totally in fear of whatever that can come to me this time.
Am I still in a dream? This Yoseob guy can't be real but... What is it really? Yoseob can read my mind and L can actually do telepathy?
With the paranoid thoughts, I don't know since when but I fall asleep while hugging my knees. My eyes feel so heavy that I just want to take a quick rest for myself.
When I open my eyes, I quickly sit up because I notice someone else's presence in my room, standing only two metres away from my bed.
"You look so peaceful whenever you sleep," Yoseob speaks, answering the question I have in mind: why did he just stand there in silence? "I don't have the heart to wake you up, especially when I'm also the reason why you always feel awfully tired every morning."
I frown and gather all my will to speak, "I need explanation. Even if it's just a dream, I need an explanation about this strange dream or I think I'll go crazy."
He crosses his arms, studying my face, "Even if you will not like my explanation?"
I gulp, feeling nervous with his question. I give him a nod, "It's better than me to guess what's going on around."
"Fine," Yoseob shrugs, straightening his body as he throws a quick glance at the window. It's already night time because I can see the moon shining on the sky.
"Everyone in this world has a shadow, your counterpart. Just like everything in this word which has a counterpart, just like the light and dark, water and fire, it's the connection between human and shadow. A human can't exist without a shadow and vice versa."
"Just like what I said before, when you're conscious, shadow is just nothing but shade of the light. When you're asleep, I gain my own conscience. However when the total lunar ecplise happens and the Individu -- that's what human is called -- is awake at midnight, the Encounter between the Individu and Shadow can happen."
"So here's the thing...," Yosoeb's gaze pierces into me. "Every shadow needs an Individu and some Shadows are just uncontrollable at night time, the time when Shadows are free to leave their Individus. The stronger the Individu is, the more dangerous Shadow might be attracted by the Individu."
"Shade is what I called as the Shadow Thief, the action to take over Individu's original Shadow," Yoseob steps closer to me. "Erebus is the Shadow Realm, meaning the world where Shadows can be theirselves in it."
"Not every Shadow has the power to create their own Erebus whenever they're going because, with this power, the time stops for the world but the pain is real for them who are inside. When the Shadows are also in the Erebus, they don't need to wait until night falls, when the sun is hiding. That's exactly the reason why I could appear before you just now but I needed to disappear when the Erebus is gone."
"As for now...," Yoseob pauses, waiting for my reaction, "...do you have any questions?"
With dropped jaw, I mumble with confusion, "Why me? I mean.. You said every Individu has their own Shadows so why..."
Who is that L? Why do the monsters want me?
"Because you have a strong conscience," Yoseob answers the lingering question. "The stronger your conscience is, the more difficult for a Shadow to control it..."
"But," Yoseob's face turns slightly serious. "if it can take the place and win the Individu's heart completely, it will take your light and become real."
I clench my fists, "Then... what will happen if the Shadow take my light?"
"You'll be the shadow," Yoseob answers calmly. "Since it takes your light, you'll become the shadow for it. Forever, I guess."
A strong conscience? Me? Seriously? This must be a mistake!
"As your own Shadow, I must say you really have a strong conscience," Yoseob comments. "And L... No, Myungsoo. He is the strongest Shadow Thief out there. That's all I can say because-"
He stops on his words when both of uf realize there's a new presence in my room. He sighs heavily before turning to face the man in white, "What are you doing here?"
L grins, walking closer to us, "I just miss Hyunra. I don't expect you to introduce me as the strongest Shadow Thief, you know."
He glances at me, looking directly to my eyes when he echoes his words inside of my head.
"I'll be your shadow, Hyunra. It's my destiny."
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