The Darkness Behind the Light

Chapter 1

"Another restless night?"

I turned to see Cathy emerging from our small farmhouse. "So much for a nice vacation away from the city," I replied.

I had wakened up before the sun after getting sick of tossing and turning in the bed. I had a full list of morning chores to do and there was no sense lying around pretending to sleep. Of course, as soon as I stepped out of the house and into the fresh, country air, I decided to stop and wait for the sunrise.

My restless nights were caused by the stresses of my job as the King's advisor. Every time a group of people brought up a new problem, two other groups had a problem with the solution. It was a constant feeling of trying to walk forward but only moving backwards and it was driving me up the wall.

The King saw that I needed a break and gave me a week to stay home and recharge. For the most part, the farm work had given me a welcomed chance to clear my mind but the second my head hit the pillow, my mind became active with thoughts of how the King was doing with the Nesqian border issues.

Cathy stepped away from the house to join me. "It's been good so far. Maybe we won't lose half the crops to bugs and animals again this year. We could have enough to actual sell and make a profit this year."

I shook my head. "I don't think that'll happen. We're not cut out for this life. 'Kairu Korn' just isn't going to ever be a thing."

We didn't have the largest farm in the province but our duties always kept us busy and away so it didn't matter; we only grew corn, had no livestock and the house always seemed to remain a mess despite barely owning anything and living in the place for six cycles. It was part of my plan to look like a normal married couple. I was shocked Cathy went along with it because she never enjoyed staying in one place for too long. Before the adventure that led to me meeting King Markus, Cathy and I lived in the Szwen Forest with the Nao for two cycles and she complained nonstop about it. Maybe she grew up. Or, like me, she gets a weird gnawing feeling in her chest when we are apart.

Our relationship was a bit out there.

Cathy and I met when I was eighteen during my first Demon Dream, a coming of age ritual that pits you against a demon and lets you know when you magic has fully developed. She was a pleasure demon who entered my mind to possess me but I beat her and prevented the possession; the first time. When she entered my mind a second time, I trapped in her my subconscious to interrogate her but she became stuck; at the same time, I was assigned as an apprentice to the Keeper of the Archives. Using the new position, I found an ancient exorcism spell and instead of risking letting others know, performed it by myself. The spell didn't work properly and Cathy was weakened to a state where her soul wasn't banished but bonded to mine.

At the beginning it was a struggle while we both inhabited the same body but she helped me overcome some self esteem issues and I helped her understand humanity a bit better; or a like to think I did. We formed a strong team and went on an adventure that ended with the destruction of the Order of Magic and its base: the Tower of the Watchful Eye.

After that, we spent two years in hiding until we were dragged into a conflict between Balendar and an ex-Tower Mage named Desroche. To complete the mission, Cathy had to be transferred into the body of the dying Lady of Davalin and use her influence to rally Balendar and Nesqa into an alliance. We stopped Desroche but I discovered that if we get too far away from each other for too long, I would develop a weird feeling inside that gnawed away at me. The Nao believed that because Cathy and I's souls were once bonded together and then split apart, the gnawing feeling is just the yearning to be reunited again. For this reason, we stay close together in everything we do. Falling in love with each other was an added bonus.