Chapter 79: Flickering Light

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Deep within a quaint, old-fashioned alleyway, just beyond an abandoned factory, a rundown house suddenly came alive as its oil lamps flickered on. The dim light cast dancing shadows, revealing a modest interior: worn-out furniture, a ceiling marred by patches of mold, and walls adorned with peeling, faded wallpaper.

Shirley, a young girl who lived in the house, broke the silence as she noticed the exhaustion on her companion’s face. “The World’s Creation is already in the sky,” she remarked. “It’s fortunate we made it home before dark. We could’ve ended up dead in some filthy gutter.”

Her companion, a gaunt hound named Dog, replied immediately, “Choose your words carefully; don’t lump dogs into such grim scenarios.”

Shirley’s eyes narrowed skeptically. “You can still talk?” she shot back. “You almost lost your life leaping into that shadow rift. Why did we have to flee so abruptly? And why use such a perilous escape method like shadow diving when you always warn me about shadow demons waiting to tear us apart?”

“The realm of shadow may be teeming with malevolent entities, but I can dodge them,” Dog responded, regaining some of his lost energy as he braced for more of Shirley’s scrutiny. “You should be thankful I acted quickly when that man, Duncan, looked away from us. Without my quick action, we might have missed our chance to escape.”

Shirley frowned, bending down to meet her four-legged friend at eye level. “What’s really going on? Why are you so scared? Do you know this Duncan? Is he a high-ranking member of the Annihilation Sect? Does he have a powerful demon backing him?”

Dog shuddered, as if reliving a terrifying memory, then softly said, “I’ve never met him before. I don’t know who he is.”

A puzzled look crossed Shirley’s face. “Then why are you so afraid if you’ve never even met the man?”

“Even though I haven’t met him, my demon senses perceive a dread-inducing shadow behind him—a shadow more terrifying than death itself!” Dog’s hollow, red eyes flared up as he continued. “Behind his human appearance is a turbulent vortex of light and darkness. Just a glimpse of it pushes me to the edge of madness. How could I not be afraid of that?”

Dog paused to gather his thoughts. “When he spoke, I heard a dissonant chorus of voices, a turbulent blend of life and death. Shirley, you don’t understand. The only other time I sensed something like this was during an audience with the Nether Lord himself! But even the Lord is stationary, unlike this man!”

Chills ran down Shirley’s spine, amplified by her emotional connection to Dog. She whispered, “Why didn’t I sense anything? I actually thought he seemed rather pleasant….”

“That’s why I sometimes envy your human perception—inefficient and dull as it is. Ignorance is bliss for you. While you can smile in the face of mind-warping realities and die content, I sense horrors you can’t imagine,” Dog said, his voice tinged with exhaustion as he lay back on the floor. “It’s better for you to remain ignorant so your world appears sunnier. I face terrors that could literally scare the life out of me.”

“Is there really such a cowardly demon?” Shirley gave Dog a disapproving look before an idea dawned on her. “Considering what you’ve said about Duncan’s power, maybe we shouldn’t have run away. We might’ve been better off trying to align with him. He seemed interested in talking and could’ve helped us deal with those Suntists chasing us. I can be quite charming, you know?”

Before she could elaborate, a sudden clang of chains startled her. “Stop with that reckless thought!” Dog’s voice was urgent.

He continued, “Never make deals with entities disguised as humans. They are often the most duplicitous and malevolent beings. They may engage you in polite conversation, but that’s usually the start of a darker agenda. Do you think he would’ve let us walk away if you spilled our secrets?”

Dog’s stern tone hit home, changing Shirley’s demeanor. “Alright, I get it. You don’t have to lecture me like my mom.”

Dog huffed indignantly. “Someone has to, and who better than me? I practically raised you!”

Shirley chuckled dismissively and walked to the window, pulling Dog along. Darkness had fully descended, swallowing the last daylight.

“What are you doing? Can’t Dog rest? Today was exhausting with all the running and fighting,” Dog complained.

“Let’s not forget who did most of the fighting,” Shirley retorted, peering through the smudged window glass. “I’m checking outside. The street lights are finally on.”

“In this rundown area, it’s a miracle we even have working street lights to ward off evil spirits,” Dog said, glancing at the oil lamp on the dining table. “We should turn off the lights here. Oil isn’t cheap.”

“I’ll extinguish it before bed. Otherwise, it’ll be pitch black,” Shirley shot back.

Dog grumbled but didn’t press further.

City planners had thoughtfully positioned street lights to illuminate every household, a simple yet effective measure to keep malevolent forces at bay, especially where darkness harbored more than just the absence of light.

Even in affluent cities, some areas seemed forgotten by time and progress, like the squalid neighborhood Shirley and Dog called home. Here, gas-powered street lights were older and more decrepit than those in less fortunate city sectors. They might maintain safety by day, but offered little solace after nightfall.

Residents of this neglected enclave often relied on primitive illumination: oil lamps and tallow candles, until the street lamps flickered to life—if not delayed, a frequent occurrence.

Many families in these underprivileged areas chose oil lamps and candles as the cost of converting to electric lighting was prohibitive. While electric lights were bright and clean, the people here found comfort in an aging oil lamp’s dim, fluctuating glow.

“Are you staying up longer?” Dog’s raspy voice broke the silence.

“Yeah,” Shirley responded succinctly.

“You’re scheming more problems for the Suntists, aren’t you?” Dog probed.

“I prefer to call it gathering intelligence,” Shirley clarified.

“To me, they seem linked. From the conversations we overheard, the Suntists are as in the dark about the events of eleven years ago as we are. They’ve even been questioning locals,” Dog observed.

“That’s because the group we encountered today was from Lansa. We might gain different insights from another group,” Shirley pointed out.

“If you say so,” Dog conceded.

“Focus on improving my camouflage spells first, Dog. I can’t afford another incident where my disguise fails mid-mission, like today,” Shirley instructed.

“I hope we don’t encounter that unsettling man again. I feel our cover was blown prematurely because of his eerie ‘interference’ with the environment,” Dog said, shivering ethereally.

“Alright, alright. If that’s what you want to believe, so be it,” Shirley said, half-amused, half-anxious, considering Dog’s description of the man they encountered. It was hard to know what was more unsettling: the dangers they understood or the ones they didn’t.

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