Gleaming spires towered above the city, resplendent in their dark glory. The streets were paved in cobblestone patterns evocative of the monsters, the hidden things, the secrets in the shadows.
It was a city of darkness, but more than that a city of Darkness, a city filled with elegant design and morbid architecture, of somber streets but welcoming buildings. I had to admit, the city was beautiful. Especially with that lovely murk dimming the lights and softening everything. A shame there were so many lights though, I’d always hated our dependency on them.
My name is Shadow, and on that day I was in Raven’s Shade, the capital of Nyx, my home world. Ah, Nyx. A world that, like all others, reflected its inhabitants. Misty forests, a dark sky so often clouded, and of course home to my fellow Darkness elementals. I’ve always thought that Darkness was just a little bit better than the other five elements. Perhaps a bias on my part, but Darkness did produce the greatest elemental to ever live.
That would be me, by the way.
Of all the dark gods and goddesses, of the majestically caliginous lords and ladies, of the elegant slayers and the magnificent casters resplendent in terrifying glory, I stand as the greatest. And yet I walked in the streets like a common elemental, not like the goddess I was destined to become, no matter what others might say. Commoners, merchants, guards, they all walked beside me as if they were equals, unaware of my true wonder, my unquestionable superiority.
One day that would change. One day soon, if I had anything to say about it.
But for now, I showed respect to those who had earned it, stopping to let a group of guards past. I nodded to the captain, and gave a few tilts of my head in acknowledgement to the guards, and they did the same to me, recognizing my outfit as being unique from that of a commoner or merchant.
A few commoners noticed my show of respect to the guards as they passed, and attempted to get involved by making ridiculous bowing motions and silly gestures they had no idea how to perform properly. As was my right, I sneered at their idiocy.
Turning back to the guards, I noticed that they were all slayers, something very rare for Darkness. Glorious as we are, we have a tendency to produce more casters than slayers.
I suppose I should explain this system we have, or at least touch on it. As far as I can tell from espionage reports, all elementals use the same military and educational systems as we do, likely having copied it at some point; a year after forming from one of the nexuses, an elemental will enter school, where they learn basic knowledge, abilities, and so on, and are tested to see what academy they will advance into once they are nine. These range from the Academy of War where slayers are trained, or the Academy of Magic for the casters, or the Academy of Arts for all the creative types, or whatever else there is for the leftovers. They graduate at fifteen, as full adults.
The military thing is pretty simple. A slayer slays, a caster casts. Slayers fight in melee, while casters fight using spells that manipulate the elements, like physical darkness (which is like inky black energy, by the way) for the elementals here on Nyx.
Of course, I was a bit special in that area, but that will come up quite soon, and I’d rather not have to say it twice, despite allegations that I’m in love with the sound of my own voice. I suppose it is a better sound than most other things in this world though.
Once the guards had passed, I strode forward confidently with a mocking smirk still plastered on my face, which was as midnight black as the rest of my skin. I shook my mane of dusky violet hair, and my amethyst eyes glinted with ambition and the promise of destruction, change, and power.
From the hours I’ve spent starting at myself in the mirror I know I look intimidating, especially when I walk with flair and emphasis. This is very intentional, considering most of my outfits are designed to give off one of two feelings; an urge to bow before me as your new mistress and goddess, or a rakish sense of adventure that inspires you to serve under me as a fellow adventurer.
Sensing a pattern yet?
The outfit I had chosen for this meeting was one of my more memorable ones. As always, it combined style with functionality, featuring a high collar and flowing cloak contrasted with sensible leather boots, trousers, belt, and tunic. All in shades of purple, dark in some areas and light in others. My sword was strapped to my belt, along with a small journal containing various notes about casting, psychology, and politics, letting me manipulate and manage things with greater ease.
Having assessed my appearance and found it adequate for putting fear into the hearts of those that would deny me my rightful position, my gaze returned to the city itself, that murky wonder that so entranced me. The architecture, the colours, the image, everything about it was beautiful. Of course, I couldn’t help but feel it was missing something.
Perhaps make the city more imposing? Yes, add some spikes here, some towers there, and darken the colours even more. But that still would not be enough. Perhaps make some of those buildings more grandiose, more impressive? Yes, add a few levels, some new colours to provide better contrast, and perhaps a balcony here or there. Good. But not enough. It was missing something, something only I could provide…
Ah, that was it. Not enough Me. When I looked around the city, I saw coffee shops, blacksmiths, merchants of all varieties, housing, even homeless shelters built recently for the truly stupid and useless after Darkness’s recent string of defeats in war, but no statues of the goddess Shadow, she who is Darkness incarnate. That would have to change. If I tore down the homeless shelters, I could build statues in their place. A lovely change to the city, and it would encourage them to join my legions of soldiers, to better destroy my enemies. Yes, the homeless would make excellent cannon fodder.
After a few minutes of mentally designing statues that accentuated both my grace and power, I found myself at my destination; the Council Hall. Every element has a Grand Council that rules from their capital city. It is composed of a Common Council representing the interests of the common elemental, and thus formed from those elementals, and the High Council, the truly elite, wise, and powerful.
I don’t like the Council. They make it harder for me to kill things and take power by having all these laws and restrictions, and guards to back those laws and restrictions with deadly force. Not that those guards were any real threat to me. The guard in front recognized me, and let me in without a word. I cruised through hall after hall, before reaching the main chamber, where the Council meets to discuss matters of boring import.
I swept into the room with a magnificent flourish, and loudly announced to the gathered mass of elementals, “I, Shadow of Nyx, do hereby accept the role of Champion of Darkness, and swear to do my absolute best to lead our people in the war against the other elements.”
The most vocal member of the High Council and my most ardent opposition, a bitter old man named Fitzdonald, said, “Now it is all well and good that you show devotion to the elementals of Darkness, but we have not announced that you are the Champion yet. Don’t you think accepting it is a bit premature? Almost arrogant, really.”
“Not really. I’m awesome, beautiful, glorious, powerful, awesome, intelligent, awesome, and pretty awesome. I’m the only logical choice. Plus, I’m really humble!”
This earned a snicker from a member of the High Council, who was immediately death-glared by Fitzdonald. She shut up, but still smiled. Thanks Renessa. That should undermine Fitzdonald a bit and downplay the gravity of the situation. I should thank you out loud later.
“As ever, you display to us that ‘almost arrogant’ is an extreme understatement. Kiana Vessian, the Council has voted, and we have decided that you are not the right choice for the position of Champion of Darkness.”
I twitched at the mention of my old name, which I had made clear on many occasions I did not use anymore. It was the name given to me when I was formed from one of Nyx’s three nexuses, but I had discarded it years ago in favor of the name ‘Shadow’, which inspired fear and respect, and fit as the name of a Champion of Darkness.
“Got any reasoning for not picking me? You know I’m the best caster on this whole wretched rock.”
“I am well aware of your history, Kiana. You graduated the Academy of Magic at the age of thirteen, spent a year at the Academy of War, and spent the two years since then going off on adventures and acting all together quite unruly. You have ambition, intelligence, and incredible power that you openly display any chance you can get, but power is only half of a Champion’s domain. A Champion is a front-line fighter, yes, but she is also a leader, one that can look out for the elementals under her command. And you do not work well with others.”
“Hey, I work great with others! What about that one mission I led, where we killed that grakker pack?”
“You mean the mission where you sacrificed your entire team so that you could exterminate the pack and their neighbors?”
“…at least the mission was a success?”
“It is obvious, even to you, Kiana, that you are not a leader. You are a warrior. Consider joining the military in its next campaign, as a special operative or a member of the Champion’s retinue.” Fitzdonald smiled coldly, knowing what my reaction would be.
I spluttered, and I almost killed them all right there. Don’t let him press your buttons, don’t let him press your buttons, don’t- “Member of the RETINUE!?!? Seriously? Shadow is not a retinue member, she is a goddess, a Champion, a leader, a great being of incredible power! I will be Champion, even if you are determined to undermine your own military trying to spite me! This is not the end of it, you hear me Fitzy? This is not the end!”
With that, I stormed out of the building in a rage, darkness swirling around me in a subconscious reaction to my anger and hatred. Once out of the building, I gathered the darkness around me, flew into the air, and began flying toward the wilderness to the west.
I needed to work off some tension.