My Dearest ShadowIt wasn't the first time Mirskyn was tracking down something sinister and potentially dangerous. It wasn't the last, either. Though, what made this case different was the fact no one had assigned this mission to him, it was something he had decided to do after sensing a malevolent presence. But he wasn't alone with this, a Tideborn assassin Rhynx accompanied him. They had traveled quite a while together and had been on their journey towards the grand city of Archosaur after slaying a powerful Wraith; it was their intention to report this victory to general Summer. Mirskyn and Rhynx had spent one night at Arrowhead Manor while traveling to Archosaur; the head of the manor always let warriors rest there since he enjoyed their protection from the Wraiths. He had, however, mentioned that evening that there hadn't been Wraith activity lately. What Mirskyn and Rhynx detected the next morning lurking near the manor wasn't necessarily a Wraith, but something that had to be investigated nonetheless; you'll never know what could be happening in the shadows, away from the public eye. The two men took the road to the west, towards the Winged Elf territory, although they had just come from that direction. The traces of the sinister presence were leading there, however, which worried Mirskyn a little. He didn't question the skills of Winged Elf warriors, but these were the parts where the young Winged Elves started their training. If the entity they were tracking down was a powerful one… There's no way that inexperienced warriors would even hope to match it. It was important that Mirskyn and Rhynx would find it first, before any tragedies could happen. But as they traversed deeper into the lands of Winged Elves, the trail they had been following suddenly split. Now it appeared that there were two different entities. Or perhaps it was aware that the two men were following it and created one trail as distraction. They couldn't know for sure, but they had to check both tracks. This was where their paths separated; Rhynx followed the tracks that were going toward the River of Tranquility, while Mirskyn focused on the trail that was heading to the direction of Battlemark Village, the place where Winged Elf warriors began their journey. Whatever lay ahead, they both were skilled enough to best their foes. But still, Mirskyn was a little worried for Rhynx, he always was when they weren't together. After all, you'll never know if you can meet your companions again during the times of war. It was nighttime as the Nightshade walked through the Forest of the Plume, stepping from shadow to shadow. The moon was at its highest point, but barely any of its mystical light touched the forest floor. Forest of the Plume was a lush one and vibrant, even a little magical. It may be the most thriving forest in the Perfect World. But that night the beautiful forest was eerily silent, Mirskyn noticed. All the sounds of nature were gone. It gave him a bad feeling and he couldn't help but wonder if the entity he was following was so frightening it caused nature to hold its breath. Then he began to ponder whether it had been a wise decision to part ways with Rhynx. They were stronger together, after all. However, all Mirskyn's thoughts paused for a moment when he suddenly was able to feel a faint gust of wind toying with his hair and rustling the leaves of the ancient trees that had stood here for centuries, some maybe even longer. Winds were something he could understand as a stormbringer, and he could tell that his one was ominous. There was definitely something very wrong with it, it carried a hint of malice. He let it tell him its wicked tale, but Mirskyn couldn't have prepared for some of the words the winds were whispering into his ears. “Kahanmoru… Kahanmoru… Kahanmoru…” The Nightshade's blood ran cold as he heard the name he dreaded the most. Suddenly this whole mission of tracking down a possibly wicked entity got an entirely different tone. Perhaps the being was one of Kahanmoru's underlings, sent to lure out Mirskyn somewhere no one could see. He wasn't afraid of many things, but Kahanmoru was one of them. Mirskyn wasn't sure how to proceed from here; did he dare to find out the true nature of the entity he had been tracking? Or should he just cowardly flee the area? Usually he would take down his enemy, but now… While he was being torn to two directions by his options, he then heard something rustling faintly nearby, like a small rodent. His heart pounding against his chest, Mirskyn took a tight grasp of his scythe, his magical instrument, and stared into the shadows, trying to distinguish who was approaching him, if there even was anyone. The shadows were shifting and dark, but eventually a shade came closer to him. It took Mirskyn a couple of seconds to realize that the shadow moving toward him wasn't dangerous to him. It was Rhynx, who had skillfully blended himself with the surrounding darkness. Mirskyn couldn't possibly be more relieved and happy to see him. He let his guard down, relaxing a bit. He noticed that the winds weren't whispering ominous words anymore, it was like Rhynx's presence had completely banished them from the forest. Before Rhynx was able to say or do anything, Mirskyn had stepped closer to him, dropping his scythe, and he wrapped his arms around the Tideborn in a tight embrace. “Thank you”, Mirskyn whispered into Rhynx's ear. “For what?” Rhynx quietly asked, and he half-heartedly responded to the Nightshade's embrace. “For being here”, Mirskyn responded. He could probably never tell even to Rhynx what was going on because of the great shame he carried. The Nightshade wanted to bury that shame so deep it couldn't be uncovered ever again. He had done a horrible thing, but if he didn't acknowledge it had happened, would it then come undone? Nonetheless, that's how he was coping with it, just ignoring that anything had happened at all. Mirskyn released Rhynx from his embrace and picked up his scythe again. He looked at him and asked: “Did you find anything?” “No”, Rhynx replied. “I followed the track to the shore of River of Tranquility, but it ended there, I found no traces around the spot. Whatever it was, it can either fly or swim.” “I see…” Mirskyn's previous suspicion that the other track was there just to distract them came back. It felt even more likely now since he had heard the winds to whisper Kahanmoru's name. Mirskyn still couldn't be sure if the entity they had been following had something to do with Kahanmoru, but he felt better now that Rhynx was back to accompany him. Mirskyn eyed the Tideborn a little bit. With him, he could surely continue tracking down the being. He trusted that Rhynx would keep him safe – or at least safer. Mirskyn was ashamed that he had allowed fear to tiptoe into his heart and hoped that the Tideborn hadn't noticed this. “So… Shall we continue following the other trail?” Mirskyn suggested. “No, I would rather let all this time go to waste”, Rhynx responded sarcastically. “Just let me take the lead.” “Of course.” Mirskyn had a feeling that something was bothering the Tideborn as well. Maybe the wicked winds had carried something unpleasant to his ears, too. But Mirskyn wouldn't ask about it, he was pretty sure Rhynx wouldn't give him an answer, not a whole truth at least. The Nightshade remained quiet as Rhynx walked past him and began to look for tiny traces the entity that they had been following had left behind. Mirskyn was actually glad that Rhynx was giving him an aid with this, for he was better at tracking down beings, whether they were Wraiths or other monsters or even people. But after all, he was an assassin. Mirskyn couldn't possibly be more impressed by Rhynx's skills. It almost seemed like he could see every footprint, every bended leaf of grass and snapped twigs as if they were clearly drawing him a trail to follow – even more impressive it was because of nighttime. However, Mirskyn noticed something too as they silently walked through the forest. He could suddenly sense small traces of magic. They were faint and he couldn't be sure what sort of person had left them behind; was it a friend or foe? He tried to focus, letting his own magical energy touch the remnants and flow with them. Eventually he was able to distinguish that it was tainted magic, something that belonged to a wicked entity. These traces were probably left behind by the same individual Mirskyn and Rhynx had been tracking all night. And as these bits of magic kept slowly growing stronger, it was a clear indicator to Mirskyn that they were getting close to ending this chase. Suddenly Rhynx stopped, raising his hand in the air as a sign for Mirskyn to stop as well. They were now standing at the top of a small hill and a little bit further away downhill they spotted someone. The two men didn't share words between each other; they knew how to act. At first, they would stay away from sight and observe. Their target was about the same size as them, wearing a black cloak that veiled their body completely. They were currently busy doing something; they were standing in the middle of a purple magic circle, chanting words that ominously sounded like the language of Wraiths. Mirskyn felt relieved; if this entity was in league with Wraiths, they most likely weren't familiar with Kahanmoru. But what were they trying to accomplish here, in the Forest of the Plume? Were they planning on harming the Winged Elves somehow? Though, what could one spellcaster do, dark magic wielder or not, when they were this deep in the Winged Elf lands. Still, there was something sinister about the circle and the one casting it, Mirskyn felt like they had to deal with it. Rhynx appeared to be on the same wavelength as he whispered: “Let's get him.” He immediately rushed toward the dark entity, his daggers out and ready to spill blood. He was like a deadly swift shadow, completely silent as he approached the spellcaster who hadn't even noticed his presence yet. Mirskyn followed behind, but couldn't do much when Rhynx had already stabbed the spellcaster and slit their throat. The magic circle faded away as its master's focus was gone and the spellcaster gurgled a little bit before they fell on the ground, blood gushing from their wounds. The assassin had truly been fast and effective at taking down the enemy, Mirskyn was rather impressed. He walked closer to the corpse to investigate it, wanting to learn about their identity. Mirskyn kneeled down next to the body. Perhaps they had been Human once, but dark magic had mutilated their facial features so they looked dead. The skin had an odd pale green color and they had curvy horns penetrating their skull. The more closely Mirskyn observed their body, the more sure he became that this entity indeed was one of Wraiths; they had this same reeking energy enveloping their body, something that Mirskyn had become too familiar with during his time as a warrior. “Wraith”, he then muttered to his companion and stood up again. “Not a powerful one since you took them down so easily.” He then frowned. “But I'm worried about something.” “About what?” Rhynx inquired. “Even weak Wraiths can be part of something larger, something more awful”, Mirskyn said. “I'm worried that this one was just a piece of a bigger scheme, possibly a fragment of some sort of array that they're planning to establish here in the Winged Elf lands. They could be preparing for an attack against Winged Elves. I can't be sure if this is truly the case, but we should warn them anyway.” Rhynx nodded. “Better safe than sorry. Battlemark Village is near, we should head there. And after that, we can finally get back to Archosaur. I need my payment for the work.” “Yes, let's go then”, Mirskyn agreed and the men began to walk away from the scene, leaving behind the dead Wraith. They traversed through the forest in silence, Rhynx being the lead, but Mirskyn wasn't far behind. Although no words were exchanged, puzzling thoughts were swirling in Mirskyn's head. Not about the plot of Wraiths, not even about Kahanmoru, but something entirely different; they were directed at the Tideborn. This night would have turned out entirely different if the Tideborn hadn't been here. He watched how Rhynx walked, confidently and silently like a shadow. Mirskyn had grown oddly fond of him even though they hadn't known each other that long. He respected and admired Rhynx's skills as an assassin, sure, but there was something else that confused the Nightshade. On nights like this one, he would have loved to just embrace the Tideborn and shut themselves in a world only they shared. Mirskyn found himself pondering about how touching the Tideborn's skin would feel like, how his scales in his Tide Form would glimmer in the moonlight and what his lips would taste like. He felt such tenderness towards Rhynx that it baffled him greatly. But did these thoughts plague the Tideborn as well? What if they didn't? That would probably confuse Mirskyn even more. After walking for some time, the two men got Battlemark Village in sight. It was a small Winged Elf settlement surrounded by steep hills. The area appeared empty, which made sense considering the time of day. There was, however, a couple of guards standing, both women, and they were quietly talking with each other. Rhynx and Mirskyn started to slowly and carefully descend the hill and soon enough they got all the way down. The two guards noticed them approaching and their full focus was on the two men. “What business do you have in Battlemark Village?” one of the guards asked as soon as the men had come closer. It made sense for them to inquire about such a thing, these were the training grounds for young Winged Elf warriors after all and rarely other races had anything to do with the place. “We're sorry to pass through your territory like this, but we have something important to tell you”, Mirskyn answered. The guards looked at them curiously. “Oh? Please, tell us more.” “There has been suspicious Wraith activity in the forest.” Mirskyn pointed at the direction where they had come from. “We took care of the one we encountered and you may find the body from there. We're not sure if there's more, so I advise you to be vigilant and send patrols to the surrounding area, just in case.” The guards nodded in unison. Then one of them spoke: “Thank you for this message. We'll make sure that our Elder hears about this.” “It was our pleasure”, Mirskyn replied. “Farewell.” “We wish you safe travels”, one of the guards said as the two men headed to a path that slithered among the hills. Now that this ordeal had been taken care of, they could finally resume their journey to Archosaur. The men walked in the silence of the nightly forest, however, Mirskyn noted that the life of these woods were back. The crickets were chirping, he heard the hoots of an owl and the slight breeze that blew through the forest was mild and free of the previous malice. It seemed like everything was back in order after the defeat of the Wraith. This brought peace to the Nightshade's mind, but since he was free of worries, his mind was occupied by something else. Of course it was about the Tideborn walking ahead of him. He was close, and yet, Mirskyn craved to be even closer. He wanted to feel the warmth of Rhynx's body, caress his hair, kiss him… He desired for their hearts to beat as one. This night had proved that he felt safe in Rhynx's presence. Perhaps he couldn't even think about a life without him… Why was his heart trembling so? Why did he feel such adoration toward the Tideborn? And why did it feel so warm and right? Mirskyn's eyes were locked at the Tideborn. Should he tell him about his feelings? Before Mirskyn even realized, he had already opened his mouth. “Rhynx. I…” “Yes?” Rhynx inquired without looking at him. Mirskyn froze for a moment. An uncomfortable silence fell between the men. Then he just blurted out: “I'm glad you're here. You did fantastic work.” He couldn't get the right words out of his mouth. He didn't dare. Rhynx sneered. “Of course I did. What would you do without me?” A faint smile appeared on the Nightshade's face. Indeed, what would he do? But he decided that now wasn't the right time to reveal his heart. Surely a better, more suitable moment for that would come in the future. Despite all his desires toward Rhynx, Mirskyn wasn't in any hurry. He could just enjoy Rhynx's company, for now. They were on their journey to Archosaur, but who knows where their path would lead them next – and what kind of experiences they would share. Whatever may lay ahead, Mirskyn was sure he would stay by the Tideborn's side, no matter what.person