You can’t avoid it forever.

Oh? Watch me.

I sighed as I walked down the street, leaving town. Everywhere I went, I saw Shadow. And that topic was just too stressful right now. I needed to do something… No, I needed to stop thinking about it. My head was hurting just thinking about this.

What are you afraid of?

You know what I’m afraid of. Drop it.

I sped up, almost running to get out of Widow’s Dusk. I breathed a sigh of relief once I entered the forest, and took a leisurely stroll to the glade I’d found not long ago. It was serene, and beautiful, and perfect for painting. I set up my easel and paints, and sat, meditating to get a clear picture of what I wanted to make.

It formed in my mind, slowly. Elegant trees, a graceful, winding river. Silvers and blues, dark greens and greys, purples and blacks… yes, the picture was there now. I stood up, and went to work.

Painting always helped to clear my thoughts. With each brush stroke my worries fell away, and as I painted the river and the trees, I smiled. Next came the dark parts of the painting, which were less cheerful, but still more calming than the things in reality.

I debated as I worked whether I should make this a personal piece, or sell it. It was turning out nice, but business had been slow lately. I mentally shrugged, and continued my work. After another hour, it was finished, and I stepped back to survey my creation.

Titled Light in the Water, it showed a silvery river flowing through a dark forest, with shadowy creatures watching, creeping towards it. I put a cover over it, and leaned against a tree, pulling out my journal full of notes on monsters. I flipped through the pages until I found what I was looking for; there was a canyon not far from Widow’s Dusk that contained ravagers, nasty beasties that liked to swarm. That might serve Shadow’s tastes.

And what else would serve her? You?

Leave me be, shade.

I glared at the shade in question, a creature that looked just like me, but seemed to be made of pale, flickering, cold light. It whispered in my mind, and I whispered back, a sure sign of my fracturing sanity.

You continue to ignore your own feelings, your own thoughts. This will destroy you.

I’m going to end up destroyed either way.

So faithless.

I just know what’s going to happen.

Then why do you avoid it? Why run?

I’m not running. I’m deciding.

THEN DECIDE!

I know what my fate is. I will walk down this path with that knowledge burning in my mind, and you will not dissuade me.

But which path?

I took a deep breath and let it out before saying aloud, “The safer one.”

The shade scowled. Unacceptable. It stretched out its hand, and a sword glowed into existence. You shall suffer for this decision.

You’re just a shade, some sign of fracturing sanity, you can’t hurt me.

Oh? Watch me. The shade slashed out, and pain erupted in my chest, as I screamed and fell to the side. I scrambled for my sword, and brought it up to meet the next strike. I managed to shove the shade back and jumped to my feet, ready to fight. The shade snarled, and made a slashing motion with its other hand, sending excruciating pain through me.

I yelled in pain, but recovered in time to block the next sword strike and counter it with one of my own, slashing into the shade and dispersing part of its arm. “Hah! Fall to me, shade!” I pressed the attack, slashing again and again, forcing it back against a tree.

Arrogant fool. The shade vanished as I struck again, and my sword became lodged in the tree. I tried to get it out, but screamed as the shade’s blade stabbed me through the gut from behind. Inky shadows spilled out of my abdomen, the energy that was the lifeblood of all Darkness elementals pooling around my feet.

With force of will and force of arm I managed to recover my blade, but the shade scored me again, this time on the leg. I crumpled to the side, slashing as I fell.

I got lucky, and my sword swept out to cut through the ankles of the shade, dispersing the light there and sending the shade falling. I stumbled to my feet, and with a shout I swung my blade down, decapitating the foul being.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the light faded away, and dropped my sword. I took a step forward, expecting pain, but realized that I felt fine. In shock, I looked at my body and saw that there were no marks, no spilt darkness, not even tears in my clothing. “What… where are my wounds?”

Your mind cannot make the wounds real, but they can make the pain more real than your reality itself.

I spun around to see the shade standing there, unharmed, unchanged, smirking. “How are you- I just killed you!”

Did you really think it would be that easy to get rid of your doubts and your fears? Just stick them with the pointy end and bring an end to your strife? Life isn’t that simple, Malk. It never is.

“What are you?”

Is it not obvious?

“No, it isn’t. You don’t act like I do. You may know my thoughts, but you don’t know me.”

The shade smiled. Or perhaps, dear slayer, you simply do not know yourself. Then it faded away like the corpse had done. But I knew it would be back. It always came back.

I sighed, and packed up. Back to Shadow now. Back to doubts.