Shadows : Chapter 1

Warning in advance, chapters are usually split by scenes, swap in characters, or swap in groups. So, when you go to a different chapter, you aren't continuing from the last chapter but another portion of the story. Sometimes you do, sometimes you don't. Also, I wasn't sure where this was suppose to go so I just put it in this category. Let me know what you think and what could be improved upon. Thank you and enjoy. :]

There were many things wrong that it didn't require an inhabitant of the city to recognize these palpable signs such as the lack of food savaging birds, the full ten degrees drop of the city's normal chilly temperature for a Mid-November night, the scarcity of people occupying the usually over populated streets. It was appalling enough to slap you in the face with the reality. It was apparent that New York City, a naturally bustling city full of life and havoc, was silenced by an unnatural force.

A dull yawn escaped the thin lips of the poorly amused man. His limbs had begun to grow stiff as the sheet of snow continued to blanket him. Absentmindedly, he slid off his suit jacket in one majestically swift move and folded it neatly so it hung from his crossed arms like it would on a hanger. He took a slow inhale of the ice-cold fresh air and relaxed as the refreshing chill traveled down his throat. The cold was his warmth. It made him feel at peace and even as his body tried to fight the cold, it managed to relax him.

He knew the sight was probably ridiculous to behold. A man in his mid-twenties standing on the edge of the roof of a God-knows-how-tall building wearing only a black tank top and slacks while the only source of warmth was folded neatly in his arms was definitely not something you would expect to see everyday.

His gray eyes gazed down at the lifeless city. It was a shame his short visit wasn't going to be as lively as he had hoped for. Although he was more than capable to "provoke" some havoc of his own, he knew better from experience not to create attention. Plus, the time wasn't right. He resumed to stand waiting for something to entertain him other than his half an hour check on his limbs capability to function.

Time slowly moved forward and his mind began to drift. A multiple number of concerns occupied his thoughts these days. Too many lives at stake; too many memories eating at his consciousness and forcing him into anxiety. Every second seemed to be reminiscent with the face that tore at every living fiber of his entire being. It was never to leave him until he was fatuous with guilt.

A warm aura melted away all his other concerns, managing to break him from his dazed mind It seemed to turn his emotions and thoughts to a more malicious and maniacal mood. A sadistic grin slowly emerged from his lips. The thoughts enlightened him and made him hunger for more. His mouth poured saliva as the taste of something sinister stirred. He had to get closer to this amount of darkness. Just the thought of it made him vertiginous from lust.

Slyly, he moved his body back into a wall hidden by shadows and allowed himself to be swallowed by the inviting warmth of the creatures of darkness and reappeared from the shadow of a lamp post, causing a taxi to screech to a stop at the man's abrupt appearance. He ignored the many stares he received and the vulgar language the taxi driver graciously preached to him. Moving over to the sidewalk, he began to stalk the illuminating aura that called to him.

It didn't take long for the possessor of the aura to take notice of him. It appeared to be a male with choppy straight white blond hair and when he turned around, the enchanted one felt an even stronger presence of darkness that sent a slight shiver down his spine. He grinned and realized the blond was capable of controlling emotions. While he slid his suit jacket back on, his curiosity began to wonder what the extent of the man’s abilities were.

As he continued to trail the aroma, it grew stronger and its taste almost blinded him with delight. It wasn't the strongest scent of darkness he had ever encountered but it was still thick enough to entice him. He wondered if the blond was even aware of the amount of evil he possessed. This was the scent the man had sensed for a few days now. It was one of the reasons he decided to stay in this pathetic city.

The blond man made a slick turn into a fancy restaurant with a posh French name and the enthralled man followed behind. When he entered, he looked around the semi-crowded room but there was no trace of the blond except for the strong aura that burned at the man's temples.

Someone tapped his shoulder and when he turned around, there stood the blond man. His face held no emotion as he stated placidly, "Let's talk."

He took the opportunity to examine the man's physique. He had a broad look that gave him a mysterious and wealthy businessman apparel. He was dressed in a gray suit that brought out his broad shoulders but hid the length of his legs. He had a long face with a firm jaw and a narrow chin with a five o'clock shadow. His hair was slightly unkept which meant that he probably had a rough few days of work or something of the sort. His narrow, oval shaped, dull blue eyes were staring tediously at something behind the man's view. When the blond spoke, "Table for two," the captivated man turned around to find a waiter standing there with no more emotion than the blond man.

He trailed behind as the blond was led to a table near the window but before the waiter could place the menus down, the blond spoke, "Could we have something near the middle?"

The waiter moved towards the middle of the room with no sign of irritation as he found the closet table to the middle unoccupied and placed the menus down. He glanced up at the two men and after no comment was made, he returned to the front near the door.

The blond sat down first and the other man sat across from him. The blond spoke immediately, “What do you want?”

The other man scoffed, "You were the one who arranged this chat."

The blond didn't even consider to recognize the response, "Why were you following me?"

The man grinned, "I wasn't aware at the time that you were obliged for a chat."

The blond responded as if every word he spat was obvious, "Well, I am. So, why were you following me?"

The man shrugged, "I thought it was obvious."

The blond narrowed his brows, "This wouldn't happen to concern sexual preferences, would it?"

The man starred at him in confusion while trying to fathom where the comment had derived from. Then after a few minor flashbacks, he realized his appearance did manage to cause many question upon his gender or sexual orientation. He had always kept his hair long. Currently, it reached the small of his back and he had left it down. Not to mention he had a frail, lanky body and with his porcelain like skin, he looked like a fragile mannequin. On top of that, he tried to take care off his appearance such as making sure not to gain any fat and keeping his hair combed neatly. He wasn't a homosexual but just a very feminine man.

The response held no hint of his opinion toward the previously question, "Is that really what you think this is about?"

The blond, for once, considered his words before speaking, "I suppose I have my other suspicions."

Before the other man could speak, a waiter came and asked for their order. The blond ordered a cup of coffee black and the other ordered ice water. No carbs, no calories, no fat. They sat in silence and waited for the waiter to return with their drinks. They both refused any food, forcing the waiter to stride back into the kitchen, mumbling about something similar to, "better get a tip".

As the blond stirred his million calorie serving cream into his brain cell killing coffee, the other man asked, "So, am I to guess your other suspicions or will you grace me with the answers and save me from the hassle?"

The blond sipped his coffee then answered, "Let's just have you bluntly state your business so I may return to my usual dull life."

The man mumbled, "I'm sure blunt wouldn't be the most preferred." He took a moment to think, then started in a voice low enough for just the two of them to hear, "Have you ever felt…strange?"

The blond moved the coffee from his face and stared at the man as if he had just uttered the most ridiculous question known to mankind, "Define strange."

The man took a moment to himself before speaking, "Like…it's like you know something others don't. That everyday you follow what life gives to you but what you're really trying to figure out is a life aside the world that everyone else belongs to."

The blond slowly placed down his cup and laid his hands carefully upon his lap, "I see," he closed his eyes, "I felt your presence. I knew eventually you'd come and find me." He opened his eyes and appeared to look intrigued but it was only a small emotion that was barely noticeable, "So, you have some sort of plan that requires me?"

The man smiled, "May I inquire upon how you figured this out?"

Whatever sign of emotion that was once there was now gone, "Similar to your ability to sense darkness in a person, I can read souls. I feel what a person's nature is but I can also see through them as if I am them."

The ability was stimulating to the man but didn't appear to be useful. He returned to his plan, "Stay open minded when I explain. It may pertain to you as well to the rest of the people like us." When the blond didn't respond, the man continued, "I'm tired of hiding myself from the world. I want to be honest with my whole self. I'm tired of letting these humans deal with the world. They are clueless of how to use it properly. I want to solve everything. To make it perfect for everyone." He paused for a minute, then finished his sentence, "I want to make a new Earth."

The blond returned to stirring his coffee, "And how are you to accomplish this feat?"

The man grinned, "There is a legend about seven orbs called The Seven Shadows. It's the story about an orb made by the heavens used to balance evil and good but in the making, a member of the darkness was greedy and placed too much dark energy into the orb, causing an imbalance between the two forces. They fought each other inside the orb and eventually, the orb couldn't take that much power and broke into seven pieces. They were scattered all over the world so no one could find them. If found, just think of the power that we could gain."

"And what makes you think you will?" the blond stated casually.

The man shrugged, "I simply believe it's worth a shot."

The blond began to consider it as he stirred the remaining contents of his coffee, "I'm not into groups searching for lost treasure that might not even exist." He finished off his coffee, returned the cup to the saucer, and pushed it to the side, "But I have nothing better going on in my life. So, I guess I'll go for it."

The man smiled, "Great. Then there's no longer need for the informalities. I'm Artemis."

"Adrian."