Chapter 79 “Flickering Light”

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Deep in a quaint, old-fashioned alleyway, just a short distance from an abandoned factory, a rundown house suddenly came alive as its oil lamps were lit from within. The dim and flickering light cast shadows, revealing the home’s modest interior: worn-out furniture, a ceiling marred by patches of mold, and walls adorned with wallpaper that had long since started to fade and peel off.

Shirley, a young girl who lived in the house, broke the silence after noting the exhausted expression on her companion’s face. “The World’s Creation is already out in the sky,” she said. “It’s a good thing we made it home before it got dark. Otherwise, we could’ve wound up dead in some filthy gutter somewhere.”

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

“You can still talk?” Shirley shot back, her eyes narrowing skeptically. “You almost lost your life back there when you decided to leap into that shadow rift. Why did we have to run away so abruptly? And why did you use such a perilous escape method like shadow diving, especially when you’ve always warned me about the shadow demons who are just waiting for a chance to tear us apart?”

“Sure, the realm of shadow may be teeming with malevolent entities, but I can dodge them,” said Dog, regaining some of his lost energy as he prepared for another round of Shirley’s accusatory scrutiny. “You should be thankful that I acted quickly when that man, Duncan, turned his gaze away from us. Had I not done so, we might’ve missed our window to flee.”

Frowning, Shirley bent down to meet her four-legged friend at eye level. “What’s really going on here? Why are you so scared? Do you already know this Duncan guy? Is he a high-ranking member of the Annihilation Sect or something? Is he supported by some powerful demon?”

The dark hound shuddered as if reliving a deeply terrifying memory, then softly said, “I’ve never met him before, and I have no idea 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 before, my demon senses allow me to perceive a dread-inducing shadow lurking behind him—a shadow far 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 is enough to push me to the edge of madness. How could I not be afraid of something like that?”

Taking a pause to gather his thoughts, Dog then went on, “When he spoke, I heard a dissonant chorus of voices, a turbulent blend of both life and death. Shirley, you don’t understand. The only other time I sensed something akin to 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 the emotional connection she shared with Dog. She whispered, “Why didn’t I sense anything? I actually thought he seemed rather pleasant….”

“That’s exactly why I sometimes envy your human ability to perceive the world—inefficient and dull as it may be. Ignorance truly can be bliss for you. While you humans can smile in the face of mind-warping realities and die with a sense of contentment, I’m burdened with the ability to sense horrors you can’t even imagine,” said Dog, his voice tinged with exhaustion as he lay back down on the floor. “It’s probably better for you to remain ignorant so your world appears sunnier. I, on the other hand, face terrors that could literally scare the life out of me.”

“Is there really such a cowardly demon in existence?” Shirley couldn’t help but give Dog a disapproving look before an idea dawned on her. “Considering what you’ve said about this Duncan guy being so powerful, maybe we shouldn’t have run away. We might have been better off trying to align ourselves with him. He seemed interested in talking to us more, and he could’ve potentially helped us deal with those Suntists who’ve been after us. I can be pretty charming, you know?”

Before she could elaborate, a sudden clang of chains resounded, startling her. “Stop right there with that reckless train of thought! You’re teetering on the edge of a madness that could open up a doorway to subspace!” Dog’s voice was laced with urgency.

He continued, “Never make deals with entities who disguise themselves in human form. They’re often the most duplicitous and malevolent of beings. They may engage you in polite conversation, but that’s usually the opening act of some darker agenda. Do you honestly think that if you’d spilled all our secrets to him, he would’ve allowed us to walk away?”

Dog’s stern tone seemed to hit home, and Shirley’s demeanor changed. “Alright, I get it. You don’t have to lecture me like you’re my mom or something.”

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

Shirley chuckled dismissively and then walked over to the window, pulling Dog along with her. Darkness had fully descended, swallowing the last vestiges of daylight.

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

“Let’s not forget who did most of the actual fighting,” Shirley retorted as she peered through the smudged window glass. “I’m checking out the situation outside. The street lights have finally come on.”

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

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

Dog grumbled in response but chose not to press the issue any further.

The city’s planners and architects had put a lot of thought into the positioning of street lights, ensuring that they illuminated every household. It was a simple yet effective measure to keep malevolent forces at bay, especially in a world where the darkness harbored more than just the absence of light.

Even in the most affluent and well-planned cities, there are areas that time and progress seem to have forgotten. Take, for example, the squalid neighborhood where Shirley and Dog made their home. The street lights here were gas-powered, older, and noticeably more decrepit than those found even in less fortunate sectors of the city. While they might be adequate for maintaining a semblance of safety during the daylight hours, they offered little solace once nightfall arrived.

As a result, the residents of this neglected enclave often relied on more primitive means of illumination: oil lamps and tallow candles. They would use these until the street lamps finally flickered to life—if they weren’t delayed, which was a frequent occurrence.

Moreover, many families in these underprivileged areas opted for oil lamps and candles because the cost of converting to electric daytime lighting was simply too prohibitive. While electric lights offered a bright and clean alternative, the people living in these deteriorating homes found their only comfort in an aging oil lamp’s dim, fluctuating glow.

“Are you planning to stay up for a while longer?” Dog’s raspy voice broke the silence, reverberating through the dimly lit room.

“Yeah,” Shirley responded succinctly.

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

“I prefer to think of it as gathering intelligence,” Shirley clarified.

“Well, to me, the two activities sound like they go hand in hand. From the snippets of conversation we overheard, it seems like the Suntists are just as in the dark about the events of eleven years ago as we are. They’ve even been questioning local residents about it,” 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 starts to fail mid-mission, like what happened today,” Shirley instructed.

“I just hope we don’t run into that unsettling man again. I have a feeling our cover was blown prematurely today because of his eerie ‘interference’ with the environment,” Dog said, a shiver passing through his ethereal form.

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

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