A Man's Shadow

It was ironic how in order to detect the darkness in people's minds, one had to employ the very power, bend it to their will.

And Valithreas hated it.

Well after midnight, the Inquisitor remained at his quarters in the Spire, an austere chamber bereft of frivolous decorations and furniture which served no uses. Beyond his desk, drawers and endless shelves accommodating tomes, nothing else was of need to him. He did occasionally scowl at the two empty seats meant for guests, yet he had to admit that they were not completely useless when it came to asserting authority. Deny one and have the upper hand. Offer one and dwarf the individual sat upon it.

By now of course, the chamber had long surrendered to moonlight. Only the radiance of the lightstone of the brooch resting at his neck defied the dim atmosphere. These days, he could hardly part with it, for it served as a reminder of his powers' duality now that the less savoury one was required more and more. A necessary evil. One that did not please him.

Files lay across his desk, carefully placed straight and in perfection. Order was a prime characteristic of Inquisitor Morrowsun, as if through enforcing it, he sought to defy the chaos of the shadow that he was capable of controlling to a certain extent. Yet the Light would continue to shine within him, manifest when his will demanded it. In that he could take solace, though its use had become sparse; interrogations were amassing with the awakening of the Ravenfall case. At dawn, a second possible victim of the exiled Magister would be brought before the assembly.

Was the Ren'dorei's influence not a testament to the vile power's corruptive reach? Was it not proof that it needed to be purged? What had the incompetent idiots been struggling to defend? To protect? Was their desire to see the Kingdom surrendered to the Void?

It was indeed happening slowly, he could feel it. His hand brushed the file on the top of the pile aside in order to unearthen those below. Valitheas frowned. The curious reports for which warnings had been issued were amassing. Some seemed harmless, such as that of the guard who had seen peculiar markings on the wall, markings that were not there. Yet others had proven to be more severe, like the jewelcrafter whose sanity had been shaken by deep shock. It was closing all around them, that shroud of evil, patient and scheming. Yet no one seemed to notice. No one seemed to care. Only he. Always he.

A deep sigh eventually escaped his lips as he regarded the distant moonlight and weighed his options. Precious little would be achieved if he remained in the office, going through the same reports. The mind required rest in order to preserve its sharpness. He collected the files, carefully stashing them at the second of the desk's drawers, before securing it with the appropriate rune. His office would be locked next; intruders were far from welcome, especially in the light of recent events.

The hallway in this part of the Spire was bereft of any natural light and windows. Day and night could not be told apart here, where only arcane lanterns ruled, their arcane light usually vibrant, as if to meet the requirements of the prestigious individuals that occupied the certain wing. Yet as Valitheas stepped outside, he was greeted by dim radiance, the shadows of the corners prominent. It did little to improve his already sullen mood. The lanterns were obviously failing; had no one seem to replacing them?

Paying no more mind to such trivialities, the Inquisitor progressed into the hallway, hid mind burdened with the concerns of troubled times. He did not notice the Light crystal of his brooch flaring in the dark. Revealed by the sudden shine, another figure made its appearance at a short distance from Valitheas. Steadily, it continued.

Until the shoulders of the two men collided.

The figure walked past him, but the Inquisitor paused, his features creasing in irritation. "Do you have no respect for a man of my rank, heathen? What where-"

He suddenly paused, as if struck by realisation. Familiarity. His golden eyes widened slightly before he returned to face the insolent stranger, an expression he did not entertain for long. He quickly straightened his back and lifted his chin, proud and defiant.

"So then. It has finally come to this." he spoke to the so well known stranger.

He was no other than Inquisitor Valitheras Morrowsun.

In spite of this, the two men were not the same. Even if their shapes and stances were identical, similarities could not stretch any further. It felt as if staring into a twisted window, offering a glimpse of a twisted reality. The other Valitheas Morrowsun possessed an unheathily pale skin with blue undertones. White eyes flared with amethyst smoke. Where the original's attire was adorned with gold, the other possessed silver. In the place of the Light brooch stood an oozing stone of shadow.

Instead of a stern expression, the false Inquisitor wore a vicious smile of amusement. Behind him, darkness spread unbound. A cloud of black thinly slid across his side of the hallway, born from monstrous tumours clinging on the Spire's walls. Slowly, it was reaching towards the original's side, weakening the already dim light of the lanterns.

"Intriguing." the wrong Morrowsun claimed. "So if you are so certain that the plight of others has reached you and that this is false, why entertain it?" He raised his hands in a dramatic manner, while heaving his shoulders. "Why not keep walking?"

It felt like a taunt, one that the true Inquisitor did not wish to give into, yet he turned around to do so with a growl. It was unsurprising to meet the false image at the other side also, as if the world had shifted. There was rarely an escape from one's mind.

The false man laughed in mockery, which only made Valitheas grunt. "Now, it appears we are to remain together." the afflicted image spoke. "Perhaps as we always have."

"We have not." Valitheas assured him blankly. "You think to toy with me, but it will not work. So let us be done with it."

"Be done?" The shadow of the man craned his head, white eyes looking at golden ones intensely. "Do you believe this to be a mere vision of doubt, Inquisitor?"

He did not answer, though Valitheas' eyebrow twitched. That allowed the other one to take a step further, the darkness following him, seeping from the walls and floor alike.

"Is it so difficult to simply believe that this is what you are?"

"You will not taunt me further." Morrowsun opposed again.

"Of what could be?"

"Cease it."

"You fight it so desperately," the false Inquisitor continued. "yet you cannot deny that your precious Light has outlived its use. It unified your people beneath the promise of the Sunwell, only to do what?"

"Enough." Valitheas demanded, but it did not stop the shadow-wrapped man's speech.

"Divide you anew." He sneered, though the mocking smile was still on his lips, abnormally wide. "Shatter all your people were meant to and could have been. It reduced you to weaklings."

"And what would your shadow do to us?" the Inquisitor asked, refusing to be deterred. "Tether us to that monster of flesh and Void before which the heretics bow. The one you so eagerly name a God, for you cannot fathom a life without slavery. You call us weak, yet you surrender to the commands of another for your true nature is pathetic." He nearly spat. "You crave subjugation and fall prey to your own despair, yet delude yourselves into believing you hold true power. When in truth, you cannot comprehend the very meaning of power. Your will has been forsaken. You stand below filth."

Just like he would not bend, neither did the version encompassed by shadow. He cackled, a terrible sound that echoed in the empty hallway. "Do you truly believe yourself to be better, Valitheas Morrowsun?" he asked, white eyes thinning into slits. "We crave subjugation? What of your belief, your undeniable justice thrown upon your conviction, the brightness of a power? Heretics? Why, what is this stone you wear at your neck, Inquisitor? Do you even pray at it?"

"Silence." Valitheas demanded, all for naught. The cackling continued as the shadows grew around his twisted reflection.

"But could it be that you perhaps know?" the other one pressed, arms rising in triumph. "Could it be that you perhaps question the very power you adore for the other one you also wield, yet so deeply loathe? Perhaps it is the mere truth of it, Inquisitor. Perhaps you are correct and you desire more than anything for your will to be surrendered." The shadow's eyes flashed. "Give it to me, then! Give in!"

"Begone!" the true Morrowsun ordered, still in vain. The other one was now delirious, the dark mist around him growing thicker.

"Do you truly fear me so much, Valitheas? You need but look behind you and you will always find me there. No man can run from his shadow."

"Enough!"

"With every doubt, I will be there." the twisted one assured. "And you will know, oh yes. You will surrender to me."

"I said enough!"

A radiant beam flashed through the hallway, born from the union of the Inquisitor's hand. The blinding Light struck true, forming a fissure of fire onto the location of the false Valitheas. Yet as it faded, nothing stood in its place. No man, no mist. Only a scorched mark on the carpet and the blackened ceiling.

Morrowsun's shoulder trembled; through sheer discipline, he tried to contain this sign of humanity and press forward. He continued walking with an expression of steel across his features, the golden stone of his brooch flaring. Never once did he seek another in the hallway, an enemy unseen. It had been empty all along, occupied only by a man and his shadow.