The silence of the library was shattered as Alex and Sophia hunched over the ancient texts, searching for any pieces of information that could help them stand against the shadow people. Stacks of old books lay between them, their fragile pages filled with strange symbols and unsettling descriptions.
"Listen to this," Sophia whispered, running her fingers over a brittle page. "It says shadow people aren't just spirits or ghosts—they're a dark force, sustained by fear. They manipulate, torment, even possess to survive."
Alex's face tightened. "They've been feeding off my fear since I was a kid. But if that's how they work, maybe we can find a way to starve them."
Sophia nodded. "It could be like a curse that can only be broken if we sever their hold. But look—" She leaned closer to a passage. "This part mentions that each marked person has a tether—a connection—that keeps the shadow people bound to them. If we find that tether, we might break it."
Before they could say more, the lights flickered, the library's warmth draining in an instant. A creeping, icy chill spread through the air, filling Alex's chest with a familiar dread. Shadows inched closer, pooling around them, thick and black as oil.
"Do you feel that?" Sophia whispered; her voice barely audible.
Alex nodded, every instinct telling him to run. But something dark and sinister was already taking shape—a massive, monstrous figure emerging from the shadows. Its form was indistinct, shifting like smoke, yet powerful and terrifying. Its eyes glowed a sickly yellow, and its elongated fingers reached out like claws, curling toward Sophia with menacing intent.
She stumbled back, her voice trembling. "Alex, what is that?"
"A shadow demon…" Alex breathed, barely able to believe the words himself. He'd heard of them when the shadows around tormented him, seen hints of their presence in his dreams, but never this close, never this real.
In an instant, the demon lunged, its clawed hand seizing Sophia's arm. She screamed, trying to wrench herself free as it began to drag her backward, shadows spiraling around her. Alex watched in horror as Sophia struggled, her terror echoing in his mind.
"No!" he yelled, surging forward to grab her. But before he could reach her, the demon lashed out, throwing him back with a powerful force that left him sprawled on the ground, dazed.
The demon loomed over Sophia, its hollow, menacing laugh filling the room as it tightened its grip. The sight sparked something deep within Alex—an anger so fierce it ignited his fear, replacing it with a hot, raw fury. The shadows around him seemed to ripple, stirring in response.
As he staggered to his feet, his hands tingled with an unfamiliar energy, a strange dark power stirring within him. He clenched his fists, feeling the energy growing stronger, darker, like a storm gathering inside him.
He barely had time to think before he charged at the demon, unleashing a shadowy blast from his outstretched hands. It collided with the demon, forcing it back with a furious roar, but the creature didn't disintegrate. Instead, it reared up, its eyes narrowing with rage as it released Sophia, turning its full attention on Alex.
The demon launched itself at him, claws slashing through the air. Alex dodged to the side, barely missing its strike, his heart pounding as he felt the dark power within him surge again. He extended his hand, trying to summon the energy, and this time, shadows coalesced around his arm, forming a dark shield that absorbed the demon's next attack.
The demon roared, its claws colliding with Alex's shield, sparks of shadow energy bursting in the air. Alex gritted his teeth, feeling the strain as the demon pressed down on him. His shield began to crack, the dark energy wavering, but he refused to let go. With a fierce cry, he pushed back, throwing the demon off balance and hurling another wave of shadow magic directly at its core.
The demon staggered, letting out a monstrous scream that reverberated through the library. Alex felt his power intensify, his connection to the shadows growing stronger, almost natural. He didn't understand it, but he embraced it, channeling everything he had into a final blast of energy.
Dark tendrils of magic erupted from his hands, wrapping around the demon, binding it. The creature struggled, thrashing wildly, its form flickering and writhing in agony. With a last desperate roar, it began to disintegrate, its body collapsing into wisps of smoke until it was gone, leaving only silence and shadows lingering in its wake.
Alex dropped to his knees, panting, his hands still crackling with dark energy. The power faded slowly, the room settling back into an eerie quiet. He looked over to see Sophia staring at him, her eyes wide with shock and relief.
"What… was that?" she whispered, her voice trembling as she held her arm where the demon had grabbed her. "How did you… do that?"
Alex shook his head, still in disbelief himself. "I don't know," he murmured, staring down at his hands. "I didn't even know I could do anything like that."
Sophia took a shaky breath, a flicker of realization crossing her face. "Maybe you have more of a connection to them than we thought. But… if you can harness that power, then maybe you can use it to stop them."
The thought both terrified and excited him. If he could control this power, if he could use it to protect the people he cared about, then maybe he stood a chance against the darkness. And for the first time, he felt like he wasn't just a victim of the shadow people—he was their equal and he felt maybe he could just might even be stronger than he thinks
The library held a heavy stillness, its silence deepened by the dark knowledge Alex and Sophia sought among the shelves. Since the attack by the shadow demon, their determination to understand the nature of Alex's powers—and his connection to the shadow people—had only grown stronger. Yet every resource they found seemed to lead to the same conclusions: half-truths, vague warnings, and riddles about the shadow people's origins.
But then, Sophia stumbled across an unmarked journal wedged between two dusty volumes in the occult section, as if hidden from sight on purpose. The cover was worn, and inside, the first page bore a name: Elliot Green, followed by a single sentence:
"If you can see them, then the truth has already taken root within you."
"This journal—it belonged to a student, Elliot Green," Sophia murmured, her brow furrowed as she flipped through the brittle pages.
"Let me see". Alex said and Sophia handed over the book to him.
As they skimmed through, it became clear that Elliot had also been able to see the shadow people. His entries were chaotic, filled with jumbled phrases and sketches of shadowy figures with twisted faces. Yet amid the terror-filled descriptions lay something extraordinary—encrypted passages, written in a strange, looping code.
"Look at this," Alex said, tracing his finger along the symbols. "This isn't just a random diary. He was hiding something, like he didn't want anyone else to understand what he'd uncovered."
Sophia nodded, her eyes gleaming with excitement and trepidation. "If these symbols are about the shadow people, they might reveal what they want—and how to stop them."
The further they read, the darker the entries became. Elliot's fear and paranoia grew, his words describing encounters similar to Alex's own experiences—visions, voices, shadowed figures lurking just beyond sight. One passage chilled Alex to the core:
"The shadows demand loyalty from those they mark. They are relentless, feeding on our darkness until there's nothing left."
Sophia's face paled. "It sounds like he was falling deeper into their grip. Maybe he was close to discovering something they didn't want him to find."
Alex looked down at the strange symbols on the pages. "We have to find Elliot and ask him what this mean. If he's still around, he might be the only one who can help us."
Their plan settled, Alex and Sophia spent the following days scouring university records, tracking down any lead that could point them to Elliot. Through old yearbooks and records, they learned he had once been a bright, promising student in the psychology department, but he'd vanished under mysterious circumstances a few years ago. Some students recalled whispers about Elliot's "paranoia," while others mentioned that he'd spent hours in the darkest corners of the library, muttering about shadows.
No matter how hard they searched, they found it difficult to track down Elliot because no matter where they searched, they always seemed to come to a dead.
Finding Elliot Green was far more challenging than Alex and Sophia had anticipated. They searched through old university records, online databases, and yearbooks, but it seemed as if Elliot had vanished without a trace, his entire existence shrouded in mystery. Frustrated, they combed through his journal again, hoping for any clue. Then Alex stumbled across a peculiar line buried in the encrypted passages: "Only the king of shadows and the shadows themselves may locate those chosen to see." The words struck a chord, and he froze, remembering how the shadow people had whispered to him over the years, calling him "their king".