I came back from hunting in the forest—it was the only way I use to get by. These days it’s hard to get a successful hunt.
After a harsh day of getting nothing, I went back home—to my cave. As I get close to the cave I hear a dull thud inside. At first, I am filled with smiles because I thought a bear or some animal was inside resting—they do it sometimes.
I tiptoe to the entrance not to scare the animal and that’s when I see the sound was made by something that has a human figure, standing at the entrance with a disappointed look, I shouted
“Who’s there!?”
I waited for a reply but nothing came. The shadowy figure is sitting inside the cave with unsteady breathing—you could tell whoever the breath is coming from is injured
“From your breathing, I can tell you are injured...” I said as I walk into the cave
“This is not a hospital... Leave or I will speed up your death”
“Y-you talk as if you have any strength in you to end the likes of me...” the figure manages to speak while coughing out blood
“You are already at death’s door killing you will be easy” I pull out a knife with dull edges strapped around my waist and run at the man to slice open his throat but I am overpowered with ease.
Before I could blink the knife I am holding is already on the ground and I am flying out of the cave. I landed head first on the ground groaning loudly. Still, on the ground I look up to see the unknown figure standing above my head—he now looks like a slender man with spiky hair, dark brown eyes and he has a square beard. He introduces himself
“My name is Seth Remmick” he collapses shortly after introducing himself.
I get up and stare at his unconscious body—this is the right time to kill him but looking at him takes away my intent to kill him so I drag him inside my cave to clean his wound
Two days later he regains consciousness. His eyes slowly open as he grunts trying to sit up
“I wouldn’t do that if I were you”
“You patched me up, why?”
“I don’t know. I did it on a whim”
Seth forces himself to sit up
“If you move around you will open your wound and I don’t intend to patch you up again” I said with my back facing him
“I need to get back to my Realm...” he said
“You won’t last two minutes with that injury. Stay and regain back your strength”
“I didn’t know you care about me”
“I patched you up cause I figured you wouldn’t leave and no one likes to have a corpse on his front porch”
Seth laughs hysterically with tears rolling down his cheek
“Funny how you used porch for a cave” he pulls up his shirt to see the stitches I did on him “Wow! You are very good with your hands ain’t you?”
“One of the perks of living alone” I serve him a bowl of soup with rotten meat
“Thanks but that will kill me” he rejected
I poured some for myself and started eating. He uses his eyes to inspect the cave
“This is the only cave around here without bats nesting...”
“I killed them all” I said with my face focused on my food
“You are joking right?” he asks
I raise my head to give him a flinty stare
“Ugh... Okay... He’s not joking. Can I at least have some water?”
“No water” I said getting back on my food
“You are not a conversationalist, are you?”
“What’s that?”
“Never mind” he sighs “What’s your name boy?”
“I don’t have a name...”
“Come on everyone has one”
“If I had one I can’t remember what it is”
“Then I have to give you one...”
“I am not your pet”
“No one would want you as a pet anyways. I will still give you a name though. Let me think of a fine name” he said feeling his jaw
I stare at him with distrust
"What's with this man? Haven't I seen this face before?"
“Don’t give me that look, Limbo” he said smiling at me
"Who the fuck in his right mind would agree to answer such foolish name?" I sigh
“I see you don’t fancy the name. What about Quattro, Benjamin, or Amino?” he laughs “Amino is a pretty name and suits you just fine”
“Are you trying to annoy me?” I ask glaring at him
“At least I got your attention, Liam”
"I will always love you, Liam. Live for me" memory of my last moment with my mother flash through my head at the moment he said the name, Liam
"Who the hell is this man?"
“I will take your silence as a yes. From now on your name is Liam”
“Who are you?” I ask confused
“I’m Seth. I told you before didn’t I?” “You look a lot like him. Poor Shayla” he stares sadly at me
“You look like you are saying something in your head, what’s that?” I ask
“It’s nothing important” he answered with a smile
“Do you kn—”
“What’s that?”
“It’s nothing. Forget it” I said looking away
“Okay. Thanks for looking after me, Liam” black particles start forming in front of him, within minutes it takes the shape of something that looks like a portal
“What’s that?” I ask
“It’s a transportation mechanism, a portal”
“Are you leaving already?”
“Yea. Adios” He gives me a wave before going through the portal. It disappears seconds after he ambled into
Somewhere in the Shadow Realm; Shadow Realm is a place full of beauty and dangerous planes. It is the home of Shadow—they are people born in the Realm. The Realm is accessible to outsiders through portals.
But if an ordinary man or a non-Shadow steps foot on the soil of the Realm, his shadow will be instantly drained from him causing immediate death. It is a protective mechanism set up by the first Guardian of the Realm; Alphonso Remmick.
A short old man with a Bandholz style beard is peeping through the hole on the wall outside the women’s hot spring bath. He is watching young women with voluptuous boobs take their bath
He giggles silently shaking his butt with excitement and unknown to him is Selena, Seth’s daughter standing behind him with a hateful gaze ready to pounce on him
“What do you think you are doing?” she grits her teeth with her fists clenched
“Selena?” Henri ask with his body shaking with fear
“Stupid old man!” she strikes him repeatedly to her content “I can’t believe you are a Sage” she said looking at him with resentment
“This is not how to take care of an old man. Don’t you know my body is fragile? Handle me with care” he said pouting
“Then stop being a pervert”
“You are the worst!” She said, frowning
Henri with his bruised face ignores her and ask about her father
“Has he returned from his battle with Steve?”
“He hasn’t. What if he doesn’t come back this time?” she looks away seemingly worried
He hits her gently with his staff
“Don’t doubt the powers of the Kovo in the Realm. He will be back”
“Yeah!” with a satisfied look she stares at the sky.
*****
Selena and Henri are still arguing with each other when a gust of wind starts to blow. Fixing their attention at the direction of the wind, a portal takes shape. Not knowing who will walk out from the portal, Henri tightens his grip on his staff, combat-ready to attack“Sage!?” Selena calls for him as sweat drops from the side of her cheek“I know. Stay focused” he saidSeth comes out of the portal with one hand in his pocket and the other waving at them “Yo!”Selena being angry for worrying about nothing shouts at her father“Can’t you just appear as everybody does? Is it really necessary to blow things away”“It’s called dramatic entrance and since when did you become concerned about how I appear?”“She almost wet her pants because she thought the portal was Ste
On a chilly night lit up by the full moon, Seth and Steve are sitting on a cliff enjoying the cool breeze caress their soft skin. At the cliff, you can see all of the Realm at its finest. This is the place they first met each other. “I hear you are going to be a father soon” Steve said “Yeah, I guess” Seth said sounding depressed “You don’t seem too excited about it” Seth sighs ignoring what he said “You are gonna be called Father” Steve said trying to get him to talk but Seth chuckles sadly “What’s on your mind?” “A name for the baby...” “You know you suck at naming” Steve said with his face burning with laughter “I do not”
As Selena is training in an open space I fly out through Seth’s portal landing with my face first, eating the Realm’s dirt.“Welcome to the Realm kid” he said with an evil smirk on his face “Meet your nephew, Selena”I get angry, ready to fight him ignoring Selena’s presence“Why the heck did you kick me into the portal?”“It felt like the right thing to do and I must say it felt good”“You must be Liam, ni—”“Not now kid” I ruddily caught her off and turned my attention back to Seth “I hurt my nose you old fart”“I will kick you harder next time till you learn how to open one”“Hey!” Selena holds me by the shirt collar and draws me close to her “Who are you calling kid?”“You ar
A young boy with blond hair sits on the cliff side of the mountain staring at oblivion when a young boy with messy spiky hair walks over to him with a smile on his face “Yo!” “What?” Steve asked with a frown“With that attitude you are not gonna get any girl to fall for you” Steve ignores him and fixes his eyes at the blue sky“I am Seth Remmick but you can call me Seth” he said extending his hand for a handshake butSteve keeps watching the sky“What’s your name?” Seth ask“If you don’t want to die, I suggest you move”
CHAPTER SIX–> REUNIONA great explosion occurs in the Shadow Realm and Seth goes to see what caused it. Steve sits on a rock playing with pebbles in his hand.“Now that should have woken them” he grinsSeth comes running after he heard the explosion, he stops few meters away from him“Hello old friend?” Steve said with a smirk on his face“S-Steve?” he asks with a shocked look on his face“You look like you just saw a ghost bro”“What are you doing here?”“Come on that’s not how to talk to an old friend. If you won’t say it, I will. It’s good to see you again” He said with a stern look“We both know why you came and it isn’t just to say hi”“True” he nodded looking at the floor then looking up at him again“Might it be you’ve come back to your senses?
CHAPTER SEVEN -> ECLIPSEI am training with Seth’s clone when it disappeared without a head’s up. A gush of wind blows carrying with it a bad feeling just after Seth’s clone disappeared, so I stop my training and quickly get ready to return to the Shadow Realm. Selena is having a mother and daughter moment, drinking tea with her mother while talking about Seth, I and the Realm when her cup of tea crack on the side all of a sudden without coming in contact with anythingShe and her mother recognize the omen. Selena says goodbye to her mother and opens a portal back home. Back at the Realm, Henri has Seth’s ash in a jar. Because Shadow Phantom is a special grade technique used to eliminate a group of people within seconds, it also consumes the user’s lifespan and taking into fact that Seth used this technique to absorb the energy Ex Calibur got from the Realm's Earth, Seth's body turned into as
CHAPTER EIGHT -> OUTSIDE WORLDIn a hot burning desert a portal emerges as I gracefully step out of it. My face is burning red, my brows bent in rage as I find myself in the middle of nowhere—opening portals is still giving me a hard time. I sigh heavily and cover my nose with her scarf, protecting my lungs from the hot suffocating air. Every step I take through the sand feels like I’m dragging all of the Shadow Realm with meI’m dehydrated and my leg muscles will probably give up on me—"I’m not gonna make it” would always run through my head.A tall, long limbed, broad shouldered man that is in his 45’s wearing a charcoal suit, leather riding boots and an intricately knotted red cravat, covered by a full-length and red frock overcoat that is similar to a duster coat with a cape, jumps down from an animal with hunchedback. I shake my head severally to make sure I’m not seeing a stupid mirage
THE FALSE FLOWER From the desert I made my way into a city with very tall buildings—each building looked like they are competing on who’s going to touch the sky first. It is a beautiful city, nevertheless. I arrived in a market crowded with people going about their daily business. You would get nudged here and there without the offender showing any remorse This is a perfect opportunity for a pickpocket to strike without getting caught—I for one as a kid wouldn’t miss this kind of opportunity although I was never good at pickpocketing. I had my valuable tied around my wrist with a rope then drop it deep in my pocket. The rope tied to my wrist should stop anyone from running away I walked a few miles before my stomach started rumbling and I decide to stop at a shop selling apples. Drool dripped from my chin to the floor as I stare hopelessly at the magnificent reddish seductive skin of the apple “Welcome