Prologue

Months of living alone, in the dark, simply trying to cope with what he had gone through had eaten him up. Love was a horrid thing. It took pieces away from him, until he felt he was not his own anymore. 

Even after it had gone away… When love had twisted to hurt, then anger, then a deep sadness. It still haunted him. Once, solitude had comforted him, but now he was terrified of being left to himself. 

Kage could take the pain no longer, and finally he had set out to find some sort of relief. Physical things had no effect anymore, distractions were fleeting. 

He had searched and searched, and finally he found what he believed to be the answer to his problems. Now, he stood on it’s doorstep. He knocked on the door and patiently waited. His eyes would wander skyward. 

It was gray. Dark. Cold. Kage pressed his lips together. He had hoped that, perhaps, the day he rid himself of his trouble would be a nice one. That the world would seem brighter again. Not that he was fond of light…

It is not a happy day, only fair that it should not look like one either. 

After a few minutes, the door would be pried open, and a wiry, but imposing man would peek through. He was silent at first, which gave Kage a few moments to look him over. 

He was old, that was the first observation he made. He had pure white hair, like a sheet of snow which seemed almost unearthly in texture. It looked both harsh and gentle, as it cascaded down his back and over his shoulders. His eyes however were a stark contrast to the his hair. They were dark, wide, round. There was an infinite depth to them that one could feel if they took a moment to look into his eyes. 

“I dreamed of you.” The man said, suddenly, tearing Kage out of his observations. “Come in, it will snow soon.” 

Kage blinked for a moment, but dips his head respectfully and, as the man turned aside to make room for him, he would step through the doorway. He mutters his thanks before glancing around the room. 

The man’s home was hewn out of the mountainside and turned out to be much bigger on the inside than what it had appeared. 

It was warm and homey inside, there was a hearth with a roaring fire, which both heated and illuminated the room. Near the fire, there were pads on the floor with pillows and blankets tossed over them. Off to the other end of the room, there was a kitchen of sorts, with dried meats and herbs strewn up to dehydrate, and several cooking utensils scattered about. 

“I trust you brought payment.” The man says quietly as he settles onto one of the piles of bedding. 

“Straight to the point, I see…” Kage mumbled, following the man over and shrugging off the pack he had. He set it in front of the man, in arm’s reach, and then stepped away. 

“Of course. I would not have any business if not. Not many come to my door looking for my services, but all know what I require, and it is not much.” The man chuckles. He reaches out and feels for the bag, then brings it closer to himself and reaches in to examine the contents. He pulls out a piece of dried meat and takes a bite out of it, chews, then nods. “This will do.” 

Kage nodded with a small sigh. 

“Now tell me, Shadow, why are you here?” The man’s eyes flicked to and fro, never seeming to focus on anything. Kage took note of this as he took a deep breath and prepared himself for what was to come. 

“I thought you had dreamed of me. You ought to know why I’ve come.” He said with a slight scowl. 

“Humor me or find another who can help you.” The man scoffed, gesturing once again to the second pile of bedding. “If you have come to me to ask a favor, you are in no place to be glib.”

Kage sighed again, but finally took a seat, curling his tail over his lap once he was comfortable, so that he could braid the hairs at the tip. He stared down at his tail, the black scales on it both impossibly dark, but also catching all of the light in the room. He found himself trying to follow the reflection of it with his eyes, as a way of distracting himself from the current topic, but he knew there was no getting out of it. 

The man was patient, he didn’t stare at Kage, or snap at him. He only waited for him to speak, and picked at the piece of dried meat absently. 

Tension built up in Kage, until finally he felt forced to speak. This is why he was here. 

“I’ve… Lost something. I can never get it back, so there is no point in remembering it anymore. I’ve come to give what is left of it to you.” He says, speaking harshly, as if being harsh would make it hurt less. 

The man’s face would shift into a soft smile. “Tell me about it.” 

“I did not come to relive it, old man.” Kage snaps. “Take it and be done!” 

The man waves his hand dismissively. “You are in pain, I get it. But know that I do not want your memories if they are incomplete. You have spent a long time trying to toss them out, no? You cannot. You can tear them apart, suppress them, cover them up, but they are with you forever. I will not take memories that are incomplete or damaged.” The man’s tone would harden finally. He would have no compromise, that was clear. “As I said, humor me, or find another who will help you.” 

Kage’s lips curled back so that he could bare his fangs at the man, but the anger subsided after a few moments. He would hang his head, and his fingers would curl into his hair, tugging lightly at it. 

Just the thought of reliving it was almost physically painful. He gave himself time to work through it, a small tear seeping out of his eye and running down his cheek as he did. Kage made sure to wipe it away before the man could see. 

Eventually, he looks back up, sighing and nodding his head. 

“Are you ready to begin?” The man asked quietly. 

“I guess…” Kage whispered, trying to keep his voice down so that it wouldn’t catch, but it did so anyway. 

“Start from the beginning, then.” He says, reaching over to hand Kage a piece of meat to snack on. 

Kage nods slowly, nibbles on the meat, and lays on his back. He’d stare up at the stone ceiling, which, to his surprise, was painted with stars, clouds, a moon… It was masterful. It felt like staring up into the actual night sky. 

Up with the stars, there were two dragons intertwined with each other. One off-white and serpent-like, the other stocky, muddled with an array of colors, but no less graceful than the first. 

Kage considered commenting on them, but decided against it, and instead he closed his eyes. 

“It all started in The Evergreen City… I never intended to toss myself into the fray, but I suppose Fate would have her way, no matter what I intended…”