3 ☾ Shades
Shadow of Destiny☾ Yo.Seob ☽
Years before now or, to be exact, hundred years before I became Min Hyunra's Shadow, I lived a pretty comfortable life.
Acknowledged as one young genius at the time, I didn't have any problem of getting what I wanted. The problem was I didn't really know what I actually wanted.
While most young men around my age were seeking for women to be their life companions, I buried myself with more books, being greedy to consume all knowledge in the world.
All of those knowledge, including my painful memories, remain with me even after hundred years passed. This makes me know almost everything about the world.
Even as a Shadow, I have my ways to learn about the never-stop-changing world. The invention, technology, languages, politics. All of them.
As time goes by, it's not only the Human Realm which keeps evolving. Shadow Realm also changes, developing an even stronger connection with Human Realm.
Shadows call the aggressive ones as the Shades, stronger Shadows who have the urge to take the light from their Individus, to engulf their perfectly and shrug the Individus to be Shadows instead.
The Shades are Shadow Thief, taking what are not supposed to be theirs. They're supposed to remain in dark but they want the light that is never meant to be theirs.
Humans, of course, do not call them as Shades.
As far as I know, humans think of the case where Shadows overtakes the Individus as dissociative identity disorder, a rare mental condition where within the same body there exists more than one distinct personality.
I remember reading a book titled "Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde"[5], telling there are two personalities within Dr Jekyll, one apparently good and the other evil; completely opposite levels of morality.
This story has been the influence for more literature creations all over the years. It represents a concept about inner conflict of humanity's sense of good and evil.
Little did they know it's the first notable case of Shadow taking over Individu. I was there during the era, witnessing how the Shadow fought mental battle with its Individu, causing them to switch positions most of the times.
This is written as a fantasy by the author without telling the world that this is actually based on true events[6].
If one Shadow trying to overwhelm its Individu is bad enough, there are some cases where humans named it as Multiple Personality Disorder, the case when multiple distinct indentities control one person.
It is what happened when more than one Shadow wants to win an Individu's heart.
The stronger conscience an Individu has, the more dangerous Shades will be attracted to the Individu. Because they can sense how powerful the Individu is and they want to take over his or her place of light.
Mostly Shadows just stick with their status quo, understanding their positions perfectly.
However, just like how Individu and Shadow exist, how light and dark are counterparts, how good and evil are true, when there is a wise Shadow, there will be a wicked Shadow as the counterpart.
Without a written agreement, every Shadow knows we should protect our Individus if we don't want Shades to knock us out.
Often at midnight in Erebus, the Shadows try to figure out the way to stop the Shades but they know it's difficult when a strong Shadow Thief stands behind them as the mastermind.
Myungsoo is a genius and, as much as I hate it, I admit he is way smarter and also slyer than the other Shades. Therefore the Shades call him as L which stands for 'Lord' because of his power.
He is strong enough to create his own Erebus whenever he is going. He was not this strong before but, now, he even came up to the extent that he doesn't need an Individu to exist.
I don't want to be involved with his issues but, with this curse, I just keep getting an Individu with strong conscience.
Meaning she is the best prey for strongest Shadow Thief like L.
"Don't you miss me, Yoseob?" my archenemy chuckles, smirking confidently. "When did we last meet each other for an Individu? Thirty years ago?"
"Thirty two years, four months, two weeks, six days ago," I give him the details, staring back at him. "You should leave. I warn you beforehand, L."
I'm not sure if I can win from him tonight. Not when Hyunra's heart is wavering because of confusion. This will affect me somehow.
L doesn't reply me. Instead he keeps his sly smile, looking directly to Hyunra's eyes. I know exactly what he is trying to do.
"And stop trying to send messages to her mind, would you?" I block his sight to Hyunra. "She is not a property for you to play with."
L laughs, "Oh, I think my ability is better than someone who keeps intruding her privacy with mind reading, isn't it?"
It's exactly what he loves to do. He likes provoking me, wondering how long my patience can stay before I take my sword to attack him.
He doesn't change at all.
"I wonder...," L doesn't bother to lower down his cocky tone. "How long will it take for me to overwhelm her? A year? Five months? Two weeks? Or perhaps one night?"
He is really trying to provoke me.
"Stop!" Hyunra yells out loud, pulling my jacket sleeve. "Stop, you two! Can you two stop talking as if I'm not here?"
L chuckles at her reaction, "Don't worry, sweetheart. You have the spotlight. Soon, you'll be unforgettable for me."
Just like that time, he always has his own way with the sweet words, lowering the Individu's guard. He's dangerous. Not only with his sweet talk but his power is not something to be looked down.
I know it the best when he took my Individu one hundred years ago.
Hyunra tightens her grip on my sleeve, staring back at L. She is shaking a little but tries her best not to show it.
"I don't like him."
It's what she has in mind.
"Well then, I will take my leave for tonight," L gives a small nod, still putting up the smirk on face. "I would love to make the process short but..."
His grin turns into a wide, evil one, "Let's make it interesting, Yoseob."
After that, within a second, L disappears to nowhere.
"What is...," Hyunra lets go of my jacket, losing all the power she used to stare back at L just now. "What is this all really? Am I going crazy?"
Now I must go with a good, understanding approach or she will lose her insanity like others who went through the same cases.
Most people, who encountered their Shadows and found out there were Shades who targetted them, went insane with the reality they never imagined before.
"Hyunra," I call her name and, when our eyes meet, I can feel how afraid she is.
"I don't want this to happen. This is not real, isn't it? Why should it be me? Will I disappear? What should I do now?"
Those questions keep running inside of her head. I take a deep breath before asking her to keep calm because I will explain everything.
"It will be alright," I assure her calmly. "Now all you have to do is just listen to me and try to keep yourself composed. If you are questioning your conscience, I'll be affected as well."
"But I'm afraid," she thinks to herself.
I extend my hand to hold her hand which is trembling, embracing it gently, "Min Hyunra, I will not let any Shade harms you."
Slowly the tremble stops and she looks at me, having one question in mind, "I can trust you, can't I?"
I nod, smiling to convince her that she can have faith in me.
Now where should I start to explain the Shadow's existence to her?
I remember she once read a book about a young woman who manifests sixteen personalities[7].
I guess Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a good start.
☽ ☾ ☽ ☾ ☽ ☾
Author's Note:
[5] Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, written by the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson. First published in 1886.
[6] This is pure fictional for the sake of the story.
[7] This refers to Sybil, a 1937 book by Flora Rheta Schreiber.
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