Days of Darkness

Prologue

This world is a sight that many do not ever have the chance to see. Cool, soft grass covers the area around my feet and spreads down the trail towards my favorite lake. Vibrant flowers line the edge of the bluff I now inhabit. From my spectacular point of view, I am given the gift of seeing every lake, cliff, tree, and waterfall before my eyes. Not many are given the chance to witness such a dramatic and vast landscape full of wild beasts and rushing waterfalls. The knee-high grass gently swishes in the breeze, as if they were ocean waves breaking upon the shore. From my vantage point, everything is perfectly calm and peaceful. No one can even fathom where I now sit; no one can disturb me in my beautiful world that I call home. As of now, home is behind and the world is before me.

You would think that I am enjoying the view and the breeze, the flowers and exotic plants. You would think that I am lifting my face to the sky to soak in the rich warmth of Phoenix's light. You would think that I am merely visiting this land for a short while, and then I would return home.

The thing is...you'd be wrong.

I am not enjoying the wondrous view, nor the weather or the plants that inhabit this humid ecosystem. I don't plan on returning home for many weeks either. I am not closing my eyes and inhaling the dreamy scent of the Sunleth Waterscape's flowers.

I am, in fact, observing a dark shadow that is hovering hundreds of miles into the sky, near the outer rim of my planet. I watch as it twists and turns slowly, as if looking for something that is difficult to reach. It has scanned the outer shell for many days now, but it is only now that I notice the size of the shadow has increased at an alarming rate. It cannot sense my watchful eyes inside of Cocoon's protective shell, and it continues to probe the shield with ghostly fingers. After every touch from the shadow, an invisible force of Cocoon deflects the touch, but I know that she can't keep this unknown enemy at bay forever. The shadow will eventually discover a hole in Cocoon's shield, and he will creep in unnoticed.

Even here in the safe haven of Cocoon, the shadow lingers, ever watchful and waiting. Cocoon remains strong for now, but in the end, when faced with the fear of death, she is nothing more than a child in the face of an angry adult. When Cocoon averts her eyes, the shadow will strike the heart of Cocoon. The shadows of death and darkness will overwhelm the forces of good in this world, and Cocoon will crumble into ruin. Life as we know it will be shattered.

Softly I chanted an ancient song, one so lost in history that the ones who know it are far too old to utter its words anymore. It came by me as I traveled across Cocoon to my present destination.

"Home is behind,

The world ahead.

And there are many paths to tread.

Through shadow,

To the edge of night.

Until the stars are all alight.

Mist and shadow,

Cloud and shade.

Hope shall fail.

All shall fade."

These days are cold.

These are days of darkness.


~To be continued~