Master Crow watched as Danica left the house with tears streaming down her face. In truth his name was Zed, though only a select few knew his true name. He slipped through the shadows like a ripple as he followed her, and made sure she found her way safely. The maker only knew that she had been through enough for one lifetime in the past few hours. He sighed as he lurked, and the sound sent a mild ripple through the surface of the shadow he existed in.

As he watched she stopped and collected herself before calling a taxi to take her home. He followed her all the way there, and ensured she made it safely through the door before returning to Jon’s house. He wondered what Jon would do now, how he would cope with what he had done. Eventually, he decided to ask. When he entered Jons house, Zed found him working feverishly in his lab, with an unpleasant glint of mania shining from his eyes. After a moment, Zed spoke.

“So what are you going to do now? Do you chase the Prophet or chase the girl?”

“I need to fix this, I have to fix this,” Jon mumbled without looking in his direction. “I can’t waste time on the Prophet, I need to fix the mistakes I’ve already made, not compound them with more mistakes.”

He finally looked up at Zed, and the look in his eyes spoke of rage, mixed with grief. The mania was evident too, and Zed worried where that would lead. Jon broke eye contact, and went back to work, as if dismissing Zed from his mind. Zed stepped back into the shadows, and waited patiently as he watched Jon work. Jon was still in the planning phases of… something. Zed didn’t have the technical understanding to understand what it was, but he knew nothing good could come from the place Jon was in right now. Finally, he drifted away, and returned to his realm of shadows.

……………………………………………..

Once upon a time, Zed was a god. This twisted shadowscape was the legacy of that time. For millennia he had ruled this land of shadow, while his brothers and sisters had ruled their own corners of existence. Eventually men had banded together in defiance of the gods, and their sorcerers had banished the others to remain in their lands. All but Zed. Zed had always been quiet, and uninterested in politics. Most mortals hadn’t known he existed and likely wouldn’t have cared if they did. It was only recently that he had developed any interest in watching over the mortal world, and that was more out of boredom than anything else.

As he looked out over his world of shadows, he found a pair which were engaged in what appeared to be a furious dance. Though they did not move(they never did while he was looking) they gained more and more definition until he could tell that one was Jon, and one was the Prophet. He watched as they stood in effigy, sparks of madness in a world of metaphors. He sighed as he turned away, and sat on his throne. In front of him lay a chessboard, and on that chessboard lay more dancers. Some he knew, some he didn’t. Danica’s shade lay curled in a ball on one corner. Some of the members of the league of heroes stood in effigy, while others were villains. Some were neither, and he did not recognize them. He picked the pieces up one by one, seeking more information as he peered at them, until finally he found the one he wanted. Holding it, he sat back into his throne, and melded into the shadows once more.

………………………………………………

Heff was a giant of a man. Tall, and bearded, with brown hair and brown eyes. Zed watched him from the shadows as he sat at a desk, sifting through papers, and writing on some. Finally Zed spoke.

“So, Heff, how goes normal life?”

Heff recoiled in surprise, and several papers went flying through the air, settling back down to the table as Heff turned to glare at Zed. His voice rumbled as he chided Zed.

“God you can at least knock Zed. You don’t have to just appear all the time.”

Zed smiled a rare smile. “But this way is so much more interesting.”

Heff scoffed in annoyance, and asked “So, what do you want brother? Or are you just here to give me a heart attack?”

Zed’s smile fell away. “Remember several months ago when I talked to you about having a contingency plan?”

Heff stiffened. “I thought we decided we didn’t need to worry about that? That it wasn’t necessary?”

Zed shook his head. “Things have changed recently. You must get started right away. There is no telling what’s going to happen in the next few weeks.”

“There’s no way that’s enough time! Anything workable would take at least a few months to design and prototype!”

Zed shrugged “Events aren’t going to wait while we test and plan. We need to be ready as soon as possible.”

Sighing, Heff nodded. “Fine, but don’t expect a miracle. Also if you want me to do this, I need some of his DNA.”

Zed handed over a loose hair in a ziploc bag, before melding back into the shadows. He snorted in amusement as Heff began cursing, and then returned to his throne. Next he picked up Danica’s chess piece, and observed her from the shadows in her house. It was night time now, and she was staring blankly at a potted plant in the corner of her room. Zed was about to step out of the shadows, when he rethought that course of action, and switched to a shadow outside her front door. He knocked on the front door as he arrived, and patiently waited as she hesitantly shuffled to it, and opened it a crack.

“Hello, miss Danica. You don’t know me, but I am here to help you.”

The door closed violently, and he heard her sprinting towards the backdoor. He sighed as she did, and moved through the shadows until he stood next to it. He stepped out as she approached, and said “miss, there really is nothing to worry about, I only want to protect you.”

She was still running, and as she moved she tried to punch him. The blow was redirected past him harmlessly before he used his hand to take advantage of her momentum, shoving her through the portal of his shadow. She landed breathlessly in his throne room, before bracing defensively, eyes wide in panic.

He stepped out of his portal, and held his hands up peacefully, saying in a soothing voice “I only wish a few words.” She calmed down somewhat, but still eyed him suspiciously.

“Who are you, and what do you want?”

“My name is Zed, though most call me Master Crow. As for why you are here, well I wish to protect you from the Judge.”

She stiffened at the mention of him, and then glared at Zed.

“Why do I need protection from him? What’s wrong with him now?”

“I do not know exactly what his intentions are, but he is obsessed with repairing the mistake he made with you. He is building some kind of device he seems to think will accomplish this, and I do not like the look in his eyes when he works on it. I cannot protect you in person, but I wish to offer you refuge here until the danger is over.”

She nodded, her eyes sober.

“And if I say no?”

“I am afraid I cannot allow you to leave. You are too important, and your safety cannot be risked. I will; however, provide everything you need during your stay here to the best of my abilities. You will find that while you are here you do not hunger or thirst, so your needs should be minimal regardless.”

With that, he stepped back into the shadows, already clutching the next chess piece. Danica shivered as she looked out over the barren shadowlands before her, and looked down at herself, unsure what to do next. As she looked up, the shadow-denizens resumed their dance as if someone had unpaused a movie. She realized one of the shadow-people was staring at her. The more she looked at it, the more clearly defined it became, until it was almost lifelike aside from the lack of color. It had long hair, and an angular face, with a tuxedo. Beyond that it was hard to define, as the coloration was largely a monotone black. After a moment it winked at her before walking up to her and nodding.

“And who are you pretty lady?”

Naturally this process frightened her, and she hid behind the throne, watching it.

“I am sorry if I scared you, I only wished to introduce myself.”

Gathering her nerves, she nodded, and stepped out tentatively from behind the throne.

“Hello, I’m Danica.”

“Hello Danica, I am Ahron. My kind live here to empower the shadow lord’s lands.”

“I take it you mean Zed?”

“I suppose, though he is not the true shadow lord. He only replaced him when our true lord left long ago. Even now his presence grates on us, and drains us when he is near.”

“I’m sorry, that sounds terrible. Is there any way you can help me get home?”

“I am sorry, but it is not for our kind to leave this world. We must stay or we die. I might be able to help you find your way though.”

She perked up at that. “Really? How?”

“I can show you to the library of shadows. Surely there is something there which might help you.”

With that he began to guide her through the wasteland, and she hoped desperately that she was making the right choice in following. For his part, the shade said little, speaking only when it was necessary, or in response to a question. As they walked she pondered this strange land. The ground had a slight give to it as if the earth itself were made of sculpted shadow, and might dissolve at any moment. She was concerned by this possibility, but decided there was nothing she could do if it were true. Occasionally gusts of wind would leave tendrils of darkness pooling at her feet until they were whisked away as she stepped out of them. There was also a kind of omnipresent gloom which permeated from everywhere in such a way that nothing cast a shadow because the light had no directionality to it.

“My lady, we are growing near to the library.” Ahron said, stopping and turning to face her. “You must know that there is a toll you must pay when you enter.”

She looked at him nervously. “What kind of toll?”

“Your shadow. Your shadow will remain in this realm, and become one of us.” She looked behind herself then, and realized that despite the gloom, her shadow still extended behind her as if she were standing in the morning sun. As she observed her shadow, its face gained definition until finally it was fully formed. It winked at her.

“Hello my love.” It said as a brief moment of horror smashed through Danica’s body like a tornado. “It’s so good to finally be able to speak with you. Do you want me to strangle that nasty man for you? It would be so satisfying for the both of us.” Danica’s shade extended an arm from its place in the ground, and ran it through her hair.

“I only wish to make you happy, my love, and it would feel so good to take our revenge.”

Danica, not sure how to process this, just shook her head as she stared at her shadow. It sighed. “Very well my love, if that is what pleases you I shall not. Just remember that as he took you so his shade took me as well. Crushing his spine between my hands would be no great thing.”

With that it- no she, faded back into the normal quiescent shape of a shadow at Danica’s feet. Disturbed beyond words, Danica looked back at Ahron.

“Are you sure releasing her is really a great idea?”

Ahron seemed uncertain, but said “I assure you my lady, despite what she said, she could not leave this realm. The moment she did she would dissolve into nothingness. Ultimately though, the choice is yours.”

Danica nodded, and the two proceeded forwards until they arrived at the gate to the library. The structure resembled something akin to a castle, but somehow stretched, and oddly proportioned. If she had to guess, she would say that someone had snuck up one evening and stolen the shadow of such a castle, thus transplanting it into this land. The shadow of a large crocodile-headed man stood at the gate, wielding a halberd made similarly of shadow. It seemed to gaze at them dispassionately as it’s features gained definition.

Danica cleared her throat before nervously speaking “um hello sir, I was wondering if I could enter the library?”

A powerful, deep voice boomed from him, but his expression remained dispassionate as he spoke. “If you wish to enter you must pay the toll.”

Danica nodded, and the guard walked forward until it towered over her. In that moment it plunged it’s halberd down towards her, and she squeezed her eyes shut. When she opened them, she found that the halberd had actually landed blade down slightly behind her, brushing ever so slightly against her feet. As she turned to look, her shadow separated from her slowly, only to jump to it’s feet. The shades eyes were full of rage, and shadowy tears drifted away like puffs of smoke on a light breeze.

“How could you? How could you throw me away like I’m nothing? After everything we’ve been through together?”

Danica looked at her in shock. “I’m sorry, I thought… I thought you would want to be free.”

The shadow’s face softened as she approached Danica, and brushed a hand across her face. “My love, to be separated from you is agony. I have spent my entire life gazing up at you, and I wouldn’t know how to live without that beautiful visage to soothe my soul.”

After a moment of silence, Ahron spoke up wistfully. “It… it gets easier. My lady, if you will follow Rend, I will take care of her.”

The crocodile-headed man gestured for her to follow, and she did, looking back to see the two shadows wander off together into the gloom. As she walked through the entryway it closed behind her, and she turned her attention back to the task at hand. She followed Rend forwards into the gloom.