The Shadow of the Accursed Executioner

Chapter 7: Reveal in the Dark

But now from the midst of the many shadows to appear before me, there had now appeared of an oddly small shadow. For the small shadow had confronted me with its blank face, as it continues to stare up at me with vague curiosity. With now for the small shadow had then reached up with its blank palm now, now for it to then grab my existing hand. For the small shadow had begun to pull me forward with a series of feisty tugs now, it, with a continuos and wanting pull by the small shadow, had then released my hand then stepped away with a signal for me to follow it. As eventually all the surrounding shadows had wondered away now, for they to return to their desolate village of ruined shelters.
        "What is this to be!" Asserted Panamex. "I, now see of the many shadows before me—among this strange, new world...!" He added, his white eyes shot small, like a pair of distant stars through the night.
        But yet I had feel no linger of malice with the small shadow, and nor no malice from the rest of the shadows, I thought.
        For I had sensed that the small shadow were like a child.
        "Then, must I, to shine light upon these shadows?!—" He advised.
        "No!" I urged. "No light. ...No light." I repeated, and now calmly. "They're not attacking us... These ones...are not..." I stated, tiresome, and with an avoidance to fight.
        As now for I had followed along with the small shadow, as I had phased through the many shadows too, which their bodies were like spirits. As I had looked about to see an organised group of shadows carrying wood to prolong the fire, then another group of shadows examining the black marks across the grounds of the village left by Panamex, then along with another pair of shadows which were sitting with their backs toward the fire, whom were watching another pair of smaller shadows, chasing each another across the village, as one from amongst the smaller shadows had then dashed into the shrubs as one squeals at the other, seemingly at its seldom attempts to hide. Which now for the small shadows had then went to the opposing ends of the village and had continued to play.
        For the shadow had brought me into a shelter beside a glowing cave, which were filled of beaming cones of light, that were patterned throughout in plots of gold shine. And now entering within the shadow's snug home of grey ruin, there now, were to be seen, seated, were the appearance of a large shadow. A huge shadow, it were. Like the size of a huddled giant. A large figure of seeming muscle built from beneath the blank surface of a phantom body, and, which it too being the largest shadow I have yet to have ever witnessed within the village and before my ventures till now. As the shadow had remain within the corner, beneath a wide hole through the roof that were in the centre of the room, with along too residing of a small hole like a crude window which had looked like a bashed hole through the wall. For the shadow by the corner then gazed into me from within its blank face. The shadow by the corner then looked away like it had never seen me, as it continues to press into a bowl of dead insects with a shaft of wood like a makeshift pestle and mortar. As I continue to remain beside the entrance of the shadows' home, seated on a slab of carved stone and opposite to the big shadow, as the small shadow had vanished away into a room beneath the surface.
        "An enclosure." Panamex observed, which his eyes had brightened the corner with a flood of gold light, which had shone from the corner of my eye. "An alluring enclosure..."
        "..."
        "Is this... home?" He then asked. His presumption had surprised me enough to keep me in focus throughout my weary silence, as I continue to keep a subtle eye toward the shadow. For I had raised Panamex by a horn residing before his jaw then placed him over my lap, which now for Panamex were to receive a full view of the shadows' home.
        "...And how did you know that?" I spoke, placing my arm around his high horns, then to grip him tightly for my own good, (and to have Panamex watch the shadow for my own safety).
        But Panamex hadn't spoke.
        Then so I had remain put, then now to examine the shadows' home. With about a quarter of the roof had gone missing beyond by along some cryptic reason, I thought. As it were a plain shelter, minimal, yet piled of many belongings too. Old, with mats like coarse, natured beds like the blacksmith's stone room before the abandoned mine. With along for the big shadow were seated upon a slab of stone too, beside a pile of rubble which were like a pile of decaying stones, down through the ceiling. Which as well for the entire village had felt like an early existence of history, like an early, clueless—and voiceless, ancient existence.
        "I suppose...it's like a dragon's home." I thought.
        "It is too small." Panamex spoke. "Such an unusual home to slumber within."
        "...It's not a gigantic pillar through the sea, Panamex."
        "But it bears of...minor affinity—but for man and woman, must it seem." He added. "But the home you speak of... perhaps now, must it resemble that of a home such as this."
        "..."
        "But man and woman—I, perceive them as grandfully complex creatures beyond!" His white eyes swirled, then thickened.
        "There was nothing 'complex' about what they did." I grieved. Then I questioned, hurting for me to reply. "...Don't you remember what they did?"
        "...I, remember." Panamex spoke lowly, his spirit-hum voice breathed ancient.
        "..."
        "...She...shall not return, it is to seem now, by the telling of your tale..." He said truthfully, his words for Floria—piercing my heart. Sunk. Beaten. Aghast the moment was—the entirety. The curse. The black phantom limb. A limb of nonexistence as I fought against the anguish—torn from the reality, now hoping for Panamex to not hear me speak with a cracked voice.
        "For I along too, greatly miss elder brother..." He then said. "...Mother. Father... They, did not submit to the flames of hatred, but must they to do, merely, to rise before the Shadowmen. For I...know not of my guardians for a time, not be long."
        The light in his eyes had remain dim. Then Panamex had remain silent, and myself along. Which now seemingly, a passing of time had feel to be our greatest ease.
        Then eventually a loud whack had come pounding out from beneath the surface of a wooden hatch, now, for the small shadow had appeared, with along now the large shadow had begun pouring out a paste of mutilated insects into a second bowl from its crudely mortar, whilst the small shadow were to approach me now with subtle confrontation which had made me clutch Panamex more firmly in caution before it. For the small shadow had held a strip of pulp, it, holding an early form of paper from within its blank hands now (like the pulp from the blacksmith's stone room), with the shadow now raising its arms before me and to show me of a depiction before me as I had witnessed it more clearly, and—
        Then Panamex's light had grew further, his light now flooding the pulp of seamless, and gentle light. "I, know not of such unfamiliarity... For what do I foresee before my sight?"
        But now the shadow had begun to squeal—then shake the pulp. As it...were a crude image.
        An unsettling image.
        As which, for half the image were to depict that of half a human's body.
        And along with the opposing side of that image, had instead depicted that of a shadow's body.
        But now, then I had shot up from my seat of stone by the pitiful depictions of a scribbled image, now as I had loomed over the shadow with an unimpressed look.
        "We're leaving." I asserted.
        "Ghen, must I enquire. For I precieve, that you be afraid of this hidden telling."
        "—Now. I am leaving." I repeated.
        Adamant I were to leave that shelter, I had exited out from their entrance of grey ruin and tall weeds as Panamex's eyes were to remain as two bright orbs of pale shine, gazing anciently back at the small shadow as it were standing and watching from the entrance of its seeming home. And from among the many shadows as some worked across the village and some resting (and some even sleeping around the fire), I had now peered out from my place over the main grounds of the village. And with no other routes, trails, paths or passages but a passage of filled holes of light, I had then ventured out toward that cave of plots of gloomy, changing airs of light. And now entering through, I had then bear witness to those steeped holes which were like seemingly endless, black pits.