One did not just walk into the shadows and let them guide your path. The shadows watched, they waited, they stood fast and patiently held their ground until you showed them that you were worth their time. Elia didn't remember much from the party but she did remember searing pain. Then more pain; a lot more pain. Someone had drugged her? It was the only logical explanation - nothing else could explain the fact that she threw up half a lung and something much darker looking. She remembered stumbling into an alleyway close to Nixus' estate. It was dark and death clung to it like a moth to a flame but strangely, it seemed a suitable place. Elia had never been afraid of the dark nor the impending reality of death. Maybe that's why she survived that night? Whatever it was disappeared with the serenity of her dreams as two voices dragged her back to the world of the living. [b]"I'm telling ya now, I found 'er down 'ere, sleeping with the rats! Looks like some bloke cut 'er up. Real sad, I am, she got some fine tits on 'er! Blood all over the place, there was. And this black stuff but I didn't touch it! You remember what 'appened last time they began spitting black! 'Alf the bloody city did it then 'alf the bloody city all fell down."[/b] Her form lay paralyzed, curled against the dew-soaked cobbles of the alley, finding a strange solace in the shadows where only threats lay. Warmth ignited into her bones and forgot the usurping of the night before - for all intents and purposes, she was still very much alive and still very much Elia. [b]"Shut yer mouth, Butcher! Probably some 'ol dog it was! We all know you don't have a good eye for tits. Ya think ya'd be with that wife of yers then? I've seen goats with bigger tits!"[/b] They bickered on, moving deeper into the alley, allowing the darkness to consume them. Suddenly, she was aware of everything. The first one was fat, not an inch above five feet. The second one was taller, broader - the muscle. The alley wasn't too wide so it would be difficult to slip by in her current state. Finally, their conversation ended rather abruptly as she pushed herself off the ground, shakily rising to her feet and exposing her clothes which were drenched in her own blood. Her frown creased her features as she inspected herself, completely silent as she finally raised her eyes to dart between the two, uncaring. They were not so placid as they watched her, flabbergasted. As she blinked idly, her blood-red eyes were exposed. They should have ended it there and cut the bother. Almost as if nothing happened, she casually began to walk towards them, not bothered by the fact that they blocked her exit. [b]Little lady, I don't thi-"[/b] One of them, the larger one, began before the breath was stolen from his lungs. Her hand had disappeared, replaced by a flickering veil of shadows that seemed eager to envelop all of her. Elia didn't even seem bothered by this as she reached forward. Her hand simply slid through him as their gazes locked and he began to shiver uncontrollably. She eventually found his heart and let the brush of darkness softly massage the excited muscle. He collapsed against the wall after that; not dead but not overly far from it. Taking a slow step over his writhing form, she brushed past the other who was too scared to even scream out and began the long walk back to her Workshop. [centre]***[/centre] Dragging in a deep breath, she bolted upright only to realise that she was in her bed. Unusually, she was stark naked but she much preferred that than the memory of her blood-soaked regalia. Calming her breath down to appropriate levels led to her climbing from bed, finding a spare set of clothes and making her descent down into the humid belly of the beast. Breakfast was a lump of dry bread and some cheese - not a lot but she gorged herself on it. Why couldn't she remember much and more importantly, why did she suddenly feel a lot more comfortable in the dark of her Workshop? [i]Hear their cries...[/i] [color=wheat]"Who's there!? If that's one of those Baye dogs, I swear...[/color] Inhaling deeply, she did a quick investigation of the Workshop only to discover it was devoid of all life. Yet still, she couldn't ignore the nagging in the back of her head that something was trying to reach her but couldn't do so. [i]The shadows hide no lies...[/i] There it was again! Maybe it wasn't a Baye dog? Maybe if was a Hohyener dog? That was probably even worse but all she had to do was scream and someone would come run in to her aid... hopefully. [i]The hour draws nigh...[/i] By that point, she could tell its origins weren't human but she wasn't getting voices in her head just yet - she had at least another ten years before they started kicking in. Groaning in frustration, she ignored the melodramatic thing and set about to business as usual, ignoring the dull aching in the pit of her stomach. It had been there all morning but as time went on, it only seemed to increase before it finally became unbearably - she needed to know what the hell it was that spoke to her. Finding her willpower, she faced what she thought was the origin of the voice, the dark corner of the Workshop and spoke. [color=wheat]"What do you want? What are you? Who are you?"[/color] She had to momentarily remind herself that asking what it was was a stupid question. Suddenly, the pain of the night before reignited in her veins and she squealed out in pure terror, covering her ears and sinking to the floor as a familiar sound etched itself into her mind. It ended almost as quickly as it started but it left her wheezing on the ground, curled in on herself for protection. Out of the corner of her eye, she finally noticed something float from the shadows of the Workshop. It was a small, wispy thing, barely even resembling a living being as it drew closer to her. Normally, she would be terrified, horrified or a strange mix of both but she reached out her arm to it. It responded in an approving buzz before drawing closer and fitting itself into her palm. Suddenly, she saw everything. Her enemies were in the Workshop the night before - they appeared to be armed but she casually brushed that away; she had more pressing matters. [color=wheat]"You can show me how to use this... curse, correct? Surely you can help me find some answers..."[/color] It gave another gentle buzz which she took to be a yes. Looks like she needed to change again. [centre]***[/centre] Along the way, it fed her the images needed to understand what it was she needed to do to get her answers from Nixus. She understood it was dangerous, returning to his mansion, but technically he had already called her back because as she drew closer, she felt the dull ache in her stomach lessening. Avoiding the main entrance, she snuck around the back of the massive manor house and took note of all the available entrances. Not afraid to be a little daring, she climbed to an open balcony and slipped inside, keeping a keen eye on the happenings of the house. Everything seemed much too silent but she slipped onward and before leaving the room she entered, she heeded the wisp's advice and allowed her body to become completely enveloped by the shadows. It was an odd feeling, having to choose to interact with the floor instead of slipping through it but as she pressed on, the old paintings revealed secrets to her that she never would have believed. Finally, she drew close to Nixus' private bedroom and summoning all her courage, she slipped through the door, casting her darkened vision around the room to try and catch him. This was not going to be fun.