Umbra and the Shadow Hunter Read online



 

 

 

 

  Umbra and the Shadow Hunter

  By

  A.L. Svartz

 

 

 

 

  Copyright Addison Svartz, 2014

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents in this publication are products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, or locales, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved. The moral rights of the author have been asserted in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  Cover image copyright Karen Ronan from https://coversbykaren.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  CHAPTER 1 OLD MEMORIES

  CHAPTER 2 A NEW ENEMY RISES

  CHAPTER 3 GOODBYE SHADOW

  CHAPTER 4 A LITTLE MORE KNOWLEDGE

 

 

  CHAPTER 5 VOG'S VIEW

  CHAPTER 6 A HUNTER AND A SEEKER

  CHAPTER 7 SEEKER'S ASSAULT

  CHAPTER 8 A QUICK EXCHANGE

  CHAPTER 9 ALONE AGAIN

  CHAPTER 10 WAITING IT OUT

  CHAPTER 11 MORE HELP

  CHAPTER 12 THE FINAL FACE-OFF

  CHAPTER 13 A BIGGER THREAT

 

 

  Chapter One

  Old Memories

  ...The past is something that everyone carries around with them. No matter where you are, or who you are, the haunting memories and emotions follow you. Letting go is hard, but reliving these nightmares are even harder. Each second spent on a bad memory is a knock on the door to an uneasy mind.

  Darkness was all around him. No walls. No floor. Nothing at all. Floating in the vast darkness, he drifted to the left, searching for anything that might be present. He reaching in front of him, grabbing at nothing. It was cold.

  "Hello?" He whispered out. It echoed all around him. He looked around, seeing where his echo travels. "Where am I?" When silent, he thought he could hear his own heart beating.

  A slight hissing sound echoed around. He flipped around, not knowing what made the eerie sound. A confused look slapped on his face.

  "Pen?" He questioned. "Is that you? Have you come to warn me about something?" He awaited an answer.

  The hissing continued. It started to hurt his head. He covered his ears, the sound piercing through his head. Shutting his eyes, he only hoped that the noise would stop and that he would leave where he was. The hissing grew louder. Him covering his ears did nothing to prevent the hissing from slithering into his head.

  "Ahhh!" He screamed. "Ahhh! Make it stop!" As soon as he yelled that out, the hissing halted. He slowly unblocked his ears. Looking around, he wondered what made it stop. Was someone listening to him? "Whoever's here with me, show yourself."

  "Hello Umbra," a calm and familiar voice echoed out. He frantically looked around as he didn't think anything would happen.

  "Who's there?" Umbra hollered out. He was trying to pinpoint where he had heard that voice before. For him, it has been so long since he had made any contact with familiar faces. "I said show yourself!"

  "How do you not recognize my voice?" The familiar feminine voice said. It was very calming to Umbra.

  Umbra continued to look around, hoping that whoever it was would show themselves. "Come out from dark! Face me in the light!"

  "It's me." She appeared right in front of him. The dark mass pulled back, revealing her. "Remember?" The tense feeling that he had suddenly changed to a much softer tone.

  The first thing that he noticed was her long blonde hair. He slowly muttered her name. "Katy." He reached out his hand, and so did she. It seemed like she was making the same movements as him. As they grabbed each other's hands, they pulled themselves together. "Wha...what are you doing here?"

  "Do you not want me here?" She asked. Her face went from gentle and happy, to frustrated and confused.

  "No, no, it's just..." Umbra started. "It's just, I haven't seen you in a while. That's all." They pulled closer to each other. He could feel her breath hitting him. Placing his hand on her cheek, he moved it up and down, feeling her smooth skin. He knew that this moment had to be real. As their lips were inches away from one another's, Umbra suddenly remembered something. "The diary," he whispered. He gave Katy a forceful shove. "The diary!"

  "What was that for?" Katy said. She faced both her palms up at she gave Umbra a disgusted look. "What diary?"

  "You damn well know what diary I'm talking about!" Umbra yelled. His face starting turning red. "That night our town was evacuated. I didn't leave with everybody else. I stayed behind." There was a brief moment of silence before he started up again. "Once everyone was gone, I went to your house. I went to your room. And I found your diary. I read what you really think about me." He started to float closer to her. She started floating back.

  "Umbra, just wait a second," Katy said. An ashamed look fell upon her face. She knew exactly what Umbra meant, but wouldn't admit it. "I'm still confused about what your talking about. I like you. A lot."

 

  "Stop with the lies!" He shouted. "You think I'm weak. You think I'm a wimp. But let me tell you, I'm the complete opposite." A purple mist started forming around Umbra's hands. It traveled up to his elbows. His red necklace started to glow. "That night everyone left, I fought something that shouldn't be real. Something that is found in myths and movies."

  Katy was still very confused on the whole situation. "Umbra, what are you talking about?"

  "I fought a monster!" He yelled out. "I fought a monster and you know what. I won! I fought a monster and I won! And the best part was, I didn't need anyone's help. Not even from your boyfriend."

  "That's a lie!" A voice that was not Katy's yelled out. Umbra was shocked when the voice escaped her mouth. "You don't know it yet Umbra, but you lost. You didn't win anything." Again, the deep voice sounded familiar to him.

  "You're not Katy," Umbra said. "Who are you?!" Realizing that he had been tricked, Umbra began to grow irritated. Balling his fists up, he raised one of them in the air, again shouting, "who are you!"

  Katy's body quickly flew back towards the darkness, disappearing. Umbra was alone again. The purple mist that formed around his arms faded away.

  "Show yourself!" Umbra shouted. "Your true self!"

  Like what happened to Katy before, something formed in front of Umbra. As the dark mass started clearing up, a familiar, evil face was staring at him.

  "You!" Umbra yelled as he pointed at the large head that had finished forming. He recognized the dark hair that fell from the head. The purple mist again appeared around Umbra's arms.

  "So I have not been removed from your mind," The Prophecy Destroyer said. Under his head was a dark mist that kept it afloat.

  Umbra lunged at the giant head, raising one of his arms and striking down in they center of The Prophecy Destroyer's head. His entire arms was now stuck. The purple mist attached itself to The Prophecy Destroyer. Umbra pulled as hard as he could, his arm not budging.

  "The next time we meet Umbra," The Prophecy Destroyer started. "Will be the last time."

  As Umbra gave one last tug, his arm released. He floated away f
rom the head. "Good luck Umbra. I'll be awaiting our final visit." The Prophecy Destroyer's head started to disappear. The head was becoming transparent. As his head was nearly gone, The Prophecy Destroyer gave out one final laugh before disappearing completely.

  Umbra was trying to understand what The Prophecy Destroyer meant. He had already trapped him back in his prison. There was no way he could escape. Something in the book he had would've told him. His uncle would've told him also. But he still pondered on the words.

  "It's nothing," he told himself. "Uncle would've said something. He warned me about a lot of things that The Prophecy Destroyer would try to tell that weren't true. It's probably another one of his riddles."

  "A riddle and the truth," another dark voice called out. The voice Umbra heard this time didn't sound familiar to him. "I have found you!" His voice echoed around Umbra.

  "What do you mean you've found me?" Umbra questioned. The other voice's echo completely blocked out Umbra's question. It continued to echo and ring around him. "Who are you?!" He tried yelling louder but still couldn't hear his own question.

  "Finally, I have found the last Shadow," the dark voice said. "Peace will be restored to both of our worlds. You may not know it yet Shadow Keeper, but your end is nearing. And I will redeem myself."

  As there was finally some silence, Umbra decided to ask his question again. "Who are you?" He asked. No response. The dark void that Umbra was floating in remained still and silent. "Hey!"

  The darkness that surrounded Umbra began to change color. He watched as everything around him turned a blinding white. Not noticing the figure that was appearing behind him, Umbra floated forward. The figure was dark, nothing but its yellow eyes were in color. A faint mist was also coming off the eyes.

  "Don't fight Shadow Keeper," the dark figure said. Umbra quickly spun himself around. "You will learn soon enough that you are fighting on the wrong side." The dark figure started floating towards Umbra. The figure was very bulky, spikes shooting off his shoulders and two long horns coming off of its forehead. It was also carrying a dark staff with a ball on top. A small flame was in the center of the ball.

  "Shadow, what is that thing? He whispered. Looking down at his necklace, he noticed that it wasn't glowing like it usually does. He lifted it with his hand, getting a better look at it. After staring at it for a second or two, he dropped it, letting the chain catch it. "Shadow? What's going on? Answer me."

  "That pathetic necklace will never tell you the truth," the dark figure said. Umbra snapped his head back up, the dark figure now closer than before. He waved his hand in front of Umbra. Both of Umbra's hands started to twitch. His arms swung up in front of him, his wrists coming together. Umbra then fell to his knees. Having no control of himself, he looked up at the dark figure. It lifted its staff above its head, about ready to bring it down on top of Umbra. "Just remember Shadow Keeper, that your demise came at the hands of me!" Swinging the staff down, Umbra shut his eyes. As it nearly made contact with him, he awoke from the nightmare.