Shadow Slave

The shadow stared at the tattered doll in complete incomprehension.

It was all very peculiar.

Why was Snuggle suddenly moving and talking? The last time he checked, it had definitely been a mundane doll. The only unique thing about it was its unusual longevity.

Countless years had passed since Snuggle had been sewn. Entire kingdoms had been founded and collapsed, the bones of their rulers turning to dust. Humanity had endured the countless trials of prehistoric times and entered a new, enlightened era. The Age of Gods had even come to an end, but the ugly doll was still here.

Snuggle had already been close to four hundred years old by the time the shadow brought her to this cave, and more time had passed since then. At first, it had persevered because Tatal wanted it to ... and after Tatal died, it was because the shadow willed so.

But despite that, it had been a simple doll. Now, however...

Peering into the depths of the ugly thing, the shadow was blinded by the pure radiance of a brilliant soul.

Now, Snuggle seemed to have become a living being.

She was a Transcendent Beast.

The shadow frowned.

‘Since when?’

For a moment, he entertained the idea that Snuggle had somehow come to life. But, naturally, that was not the case. It was the light — the one he had been chasing for the last few days. The strange thing had turned out to be a naked soul that was somehow able to wander the world without a physical body, and now, it had hidden inside the ancient doll, using it as a vessel.

The shadow...

Was greatly displeased.

A dark feeling of dismay and anger rose from the depths of his being, and he considered ruthlessly destroying the audacious soul. What right did it have to touch that doll, after all? That doll was the only memento of Tatal he had left. Any being who touched or damaged it without the shadow’s permission deserved to suffer his wrath.

But, in the end, he did not move to destroy the brilliant soul.

One reason for his inaction was that, despite having eradicated all life in this kingdom, the shadow felt a faint reluctance to kill anyone without cause.

The main reason, though, was that he was not entirely sure how to destroy the odd being without damaging Snuggle. After remaining silent for a few seconds, he reached down to pick up the doll. However, it let out a stifled squeak and dashed away, escaping his grasp.

Due to Snuggle’s form, her attempts to run away looked very clumsy. The doll swayed and wobbled from side to side as she ran, raising her arms to keep her balance. Despite that, though... her speed was quite surprising. She was so quick that her hair, made out of coarse black fur, fluttered in the wind. Her crude dress rippled.

The shadow sighed.

‘Does she really think that she can outrun me?’

He took a step and appeared dozens of meters away, directly in front of the running doll. She let out another squeak and desperately tried to turn, only to slam into his shin and bounce back.

As the shadow leaned down to grab her, the doll reached for the closest thing she could find and shielded herself with it, turning her head away.

”Please, don’t eat me!”

A clear, melodious ringing resounded in the dark cave.

The shadow froze.

In front of him, held between Snuggle’s small hands, was a silver bell...

And as soon as he heard it ring, he was overwhelmed with memories.

The memories of meeting Tatal for the first time. The memories of her introducing the ugly doll to him. The memories of finding the doll in the silent room, beside Tatal’s deathbed.

And many more, as well.

Tatal...

Probably wouldn’t have wanted him to kill this lost soul.

Or anyone, really.

She had been kind, after all — unlike him. Suddenly, a mournful feeling welled inside the shadow’s soul. He missed his friend... but, more than that, he was saddened by the understanding that Tatal would not have liked to see him the way he had become.

She probably would not have liked him at all.

So what right did he have to hold on to this doll?

‘How many children were there in the city I destroyed?’

The shadow had never once considered this before.

But now that he did, suddenly, he felt a bitter taste in his mouth.

The shadow was nauseated.

He straightened and pulled his hand back, staring at the cowering doll with a distant expression.

His heart felt heavy.

‘Since when do I have a heart?’

The shadow threw one last look at the familiar form of Snuggle, then silently turned and walked away. Soon, his figure dissolved into the darkness.

A minute or two later, Snuggle carefully lowered the bell and peeked from behind it. Then, she hesitantly rose to her feet.

”It... left?”

Her squeaky voice was full of surprise. Exhaling in relief, the crude doll then leaned on the bell and glanced around. After a few seconds, her voice resounded once more, full of trepidation:

“But... where am I?”

***

The shadow dismissed his physical manifestation and returned to his usual state — passively observing his kingdom. All across it, countless shades began to move once more, simulating mundane actions of the living.

The people went about their business. The birds flew from branch to branch. The trees swayed, and the insects crawled in the mud. Shrouded by darkness, all of them were flawlessly black and silent.

However, their silence did not bring him peace anymore.

The shadow felt lost.

He did not know what to do. He did not know who he was, who he had been... which was nothing new.

He had never known that. But now, for the first time, he asked himself a new question.

‘Who do I want to be?’

There was no answer.

The shadow did not know what he would become, either. Without knowing who he had been and who he was, how could he? Letting out a sigh, he concentrated on the silent tranquility of his dark kingdom.

..Only it wasn’t that silent or tranquil anymore.

A few hours after he had encountered the doll, she tentatively glanced out of the cave, turned her head this way and that, trembled, and quietly stepped out.

It was just that that silver bell she was dragging behind her caught on a stone and rang, its ringing spreading for many miles. Snuggle fell to her knees and covered her head with both hands.

The shadow grimaced.

Not knowing that the darkness surrounding her was the shadow, Snuggle gathered her courage and glanced around once more. Not noticing any movement, she sighed with relief and ventured down the mountain. She was brazen enough to make herself glow, even, illuminating her path.

The shadow had decided to ignore the strange being, but still. Wasn’t she a little too bold, shining so brightly in his lightless realm?

‘Insolent...’

Despite not wanting to pay the doll any attention — the shadow only hoped that she would leave his kingdom of her own accord — he could not help but trace her every step.

The damn thing was walking around within him, after all, pouring luminous radiance everywhere she went. How was he supposed to ignore her?

Eventually, Snuggle reached the city. She seemed cautious at first, hiding in the shadows for a while and observing the shades.

Then, she seemed terrified.

Still carrying the silver bell, the small doll sneaked through the quiet streets, looking up at inky-black people who went about their business in absolute silence. Apart from the unnatural darkness and the lack of sound, the city seemed like a normal city at first glance... but once one looked closer, its eerie nature was revealed.

The inky-black people were not really alive. They did all the things that living people were supposed to do, but it was all pretend. A peddler offered his customer fruit, and the customer tasted it... but he only brought the black fruit to his mouth, never biting into it. A young couple enjoyed a stroll, holding hands — but when they glanced at each other, there was only hollow indifference in their empty, glassy eyes. A worker was repairing a cracked wall, but there was no mortar in the bucket he used — instead, the wall mended itself as soon as he pretended to move his trowel.

The doll pressed herself against a wall and squeaked in a terrified voice:

“What... what kind of hell is this?”

Finally, the shadow’s patience ran dry. Suddenly, a cold voice resounded from the darkness:

“You’re quite rude, aren’t you?”

The doll shuddered and glanced around in panic, her beady eyes reflecting the soft radiance emanating from beneath the coarse fabric of her sewn body.

The shadow scoffed and added, his voice full of contempt:

“And you must not have been to many hells, either. My kingdom is very peaceful and serene. How can you compare it to hell?”

The doll tried to back away, but there was a wall behind her. She froze for a moment, then bravely raised the silver bell and put it in front of her.

”D—don’t come near! Or I will ring it again!”

The shadow studied her, completely baffled.

After a while, he asked in an even tone:

“And what do you think will happen if you do?”

Snuggle hesitated, then asked in a voice

that sounded less and less confident with each word.

“Of course, it will... it will scare you away... like the last time?”

The shadow fell into silence once more. Then, cold laughter resounded from the darkness.

“Why would the ringing of my own bell scare me?”

He shook his head mentally.

That doll did not seem particularly bright.

’Well, what did I expect? She’s a mere Beast. It is already a miracle that she knows how to speak.’

Come to think of it, why was a mere Beast speaking?

He hesitated for a moment, and then added:

“And it is my bell. So you are not only rude, but also a thief. How untoward.”

The doll froze for a moment, then squeaked:

“At least... at least I don’t harass complete strangers wanting to snuggle! Who’s untoward now, huh, you creepy demon?!”

The shadow chuckled menacingly.

“First of all... I am not a Demon. I am a Titan.”

The doll hiccuped and fell on her backside.

”Second of all — don’t flatter yourself, little Beast. Snuggle is the name of the doll you stole.”

The shadow fell silent for a moment.

”It belonged to a dear friend... so treat her with care.”

For the first time, there was a tiny hint of emotion in his voice.