Thread: Shadows in the Light: Prologue

Because I was asked so nicely. I expanded on the story some time ago, but without any real interest, I didn't bother updating it. So...here's some more! The tea was poured, and Sarah was staring at the now dressed Nicolas, while April was playing in the next room. Sarah spared a glance at the young girl. Is it safe to talk with her this close? I can call her mom, send her- She started, but Nicolas waved her words away. It's fine. Most of it she won't get. But the rest...she should be able to hear it too. He replied, not talking at quite the normal volume, but enough that Sarah didn't have to strain to hear. O...kay. What just happened down there? I fought and bound a spirit. A Lilim actually. Not a very powerful one for their kind, only a class 4 spirit. But I've already lost you, haven't I? Sarah nodded her head, and drank some tea. Her hands were shaking slightly and he wondered if there was more than sugar in it. He sighed. Okay, time for some basics, as best I can tell you. You know how you can see spirits? She nodded eagerly. Yeah. So you mean...you actually believe me? Always did. I can get a pretty good read on someone's ability to pierce the Veil. And don't worry, I'm about to get to that. Sarah settled back. April seemed to ignore them, which suited Nicolas just fine for the moment. The Veil is a barrier. It keeps the realms beyond out. And it does more than that. Just beyond the veil is the First Layer. There's another veil beyond that, which leads to another layer of the world. And so on. Each layer has things that live in it, just like this one. The deeper you go the less...recognizable things get. And dangerous. Some people have the ability to See through the Veil. Some people are born with it. Some gain it later in life. Some people can train themselves to See. But it's from these people who can See, one way or another, that they draw recruits for the Order. Nicolas told her with only a few pauses to enjoy his tea. The Order? Sarah asked, taking in as much as she could. It was a lot to process all at once. Well, it's as good a name as any for it. People from around the world that hunt down and fight the spirits that are bent on causing harm to people. Like that Lilim. And you're...one of them? I was. I retired about four years back. But...well, it's not something you forget. And I wasn't about to walk away with a Lilim in the house. If he didn't kill April, he'd take some time to seriously hurt or kill you. So I took care of him. Sarah was quiet a bit more. Why couldn't I see him? I mean, you said it yourself, I can see spirits! Why didn't I see him? He was hiding too deep. And he was putting up a kind of shield to hide himself even more. That's what the chant does. It forces them to come closer to the surface, and out from behind any shields. Once he was revealed like that, anyone could have seen him, gifted or not. So...how deep can you see? She asked him. I've trained hard to see the way I do. I can See six layers in. He answered. She smiled. And how far do I see? She was eager, likely happy that a person completely believed her. He sighed. About a quarter of a layer. She froze, and cocked her head. What? You can see through the Veil in places that it's weakened. Frayed. It's why you see a lot of gates and the like. Those gates aren't fake, they're just...shortcuts from one layer to another. If you know how to Step, they make things a lot easier. I'm sorry Sarah, but while you can see some things, you don't see as much as you think you do. She flushed red, either embarrassed or angry, he couldn't tell. He finished his tea. Sorry. But I've got to go. And trust me, in a few years, I'll be around to talk to April. She'll need the help. Nicolas stood, and showed himself out. He looked around the street, seeing the ghost echoes around him of people and buildings. They were a greyish haze, no colour to it. But it was there. He'd spent years suppressing the Sight, and it had been gone for a year now. But now that he'd needed it again, it was all back. He could See a layer deep without trying, without wanting to. It was always distracting, and hard to process at times, but he'd gotten used to it back when he was active. He looked down at his boot sheathed knife. He'd left because he'd been sick of the fight, of the hunt. He'd seen too many things, lost too many friends, and nearly lost his mind. But there were things he'd forgotten about. He'd forgotten what victory tasted like. The feel of doing the right things, saving an innocent life. And now that he remembered, he wasn't sure he could just walk away from it again. He took a deep breath, and looked around, seeing that the street was empty. He crouched, and drew out his knife again. He readied himself, keeping his breathing even, when he saw Sarah on her front porch, watching him. He waved to her, and then swept his knife in a vertical line in the air. The path of the knife glowed with a greyish light, and he put his hands to the line, and pulled, Stepping forward. The line expanded, and he passed through the grey light, and into the First Layer. The world didn't look too terribly different. Only one layer deep, things did tend to resemble the more familiar material realm, and Nicolas shook his shoulders, taking a deep breath. The air was always clearer here. Crisper. Somehow less...tainted. He began to walk, the ground was reassuringly firm under his feet. His mind drifted back to some of the times he'd fought in the deeper layers, facing down spirits on their own ground, and regretting it each and every time. But it was what had to be done, and he'd taken the plunge without a second thought. He wondered if he'd be as brave this time around, or if the previous reasons that he'd left, all of them still very valid, were simply waiting for him in the back of his mind, to be ready to overwhelm him when he let his guard down. Taking a breath, and letting it out slowly, he looked around him. Here, his Sight was even more cluttered, Seeing what was happening in the Material Realm, as well as the Second Layer. He closed his eyes, concentrating, and managed to force one of the Layers out of his mind's eye, until he no longer looked deeper. He had a long way to go, and didn't want to be overly distracted while he walked.