Orpheo: Shadow Melting Assignment 3

Orpheo: *The shadow fiend hummed happily has he walked down the hall of the Skull Dorms. It was getting near the end of the year and he would have to move out soon, however, that really didn't matter much at the moment. He'd learned a lot in this first year and he was now going to test how much he'd learned in his shadow melting class. After turning down another hallway, he stopped in front of a door with a smile on his face. Then, he knocked.* Hey, Zaephyr, it's me... I'm here!

Zaephyr: *She was in her dorm room, sitting on the edge of her bed with a book. She perked at the sound of a knock on her door and grinned when she heard her shadow fiend friend's voice. She wondered what his visit was for but didn't mind as she always welcomed his company at any time. The succubus rose from her bed, set aside her book, and opened her door.* Hello Orpeho!

Orpheo: *He gave her a wide smile before giving her a hug upon seeing her. After a moment, he let her go and entered, the smile still on his face.* So, Zaeyphr, I was wondering if you could help me with my assignment for Shadow Melting *He looked around the room for a moment, pinpointing all of the shadows that were in the room. He then looked back at his friend with the smile still on his face*

Zaephyr: *She hugged her friend back tightly, stepping aside to let him enter, returning his smile.* Of course I'll help you. I'll be glad to. *She tilted her head curiously* What do we have to do for your assignment?

Orpheo: *He paused for a moment as he thought about the assignment in question. He had to remember the details of it before telling her.* Well... let me think... *His face then lit up, as best as an pitch black face could, as he remembered.* Oh yeah, well, I have to melt you into a shadow and then melt myself too. And then... *he paused for a moment.* Then... Oh right! I have to take you and me into the shadow realm and back through a shadow into another part of the academy. *He gave her a smile.* Sounds fun, right?

Zaephyr: *She shudders inwardly at the mention of the shadow realm. Though the idea of begin turned into a shadow sounded..interesting. She nodded as he explained.* Alright then, we can give it a try. *She smiled at him, trusting him that he wouldn't let her get lost, or hurt.* It does sound fun.

Orpheo: *The fiend's face beamed with glee as he hugged her once again, a little tighter this time.* Oh, Zaephyr, you're the best. I knew I could count on you. *He giggled a bit before letting go.* So then, first we need a shadow and this room is full of them, so that's good. *He grins and goes over to one of them.* I've gotten so much better with shadow melting over the last few months. This'll be great. *He tired not to get across how he was suddenly getting butterflies in his stomach. After a moment, he looked back at his friend.* You ready? We can do this now.

Zaephyr: *She hugged him back, happy to help him. The succubus walked over to the shadow he had picked, after dimming her lights to make the shadows more solid, but enough light was left so they could see the outlines, and what they were doing.* I'm excited to experience this. *She said brightly, hiding the slight looming feeling of fear she had towards the realm that had stolen her memories. Zaephyr was willing to do this for Orpheo though.* Yes I'm ready. So what place will we go from here?

Orpheo: *There was a pause in his actions as he was asked that question. Where was he going to aim for in the academy?* Oh... well... actually, I guess I should've thought about that. *He thought for a few moments, now sitting cross legged on the floor. Then, he looked up at his friend.* How about the library? There are a lot of shadows there... it should be easy to get there, right?

Zaephyr: *She thought for a moment,* I suppose the library should work, far enough away from here to meet your assignment requirements. *She looked at him.* Should I sit down with you? Would it made it easier?

Orpheo: *He thought for a moment before nodding.* Yeah, how about you sit down. I need to be closer to the shadow so that's why. *He gave her a smile as he watched her sit down.* Now, let me explain what I'm going to do. I'm going to send you to the shadow realm and then meet you there, ok? We won't be spending too much time there. Don't worry, I accidentally went there on my own while practicing my shadow melting a few times, so I can get there ok. *He continued to smile, hoping that she wasn't getting too scared.*

Zaephyr: *She sat down with her legs crossed within the shadow with Orpheo. As he explained, she nodded taking in the information. She squashed the little fear creeping up on her.* All right.. I hope the realm doesn't play tricks on me.... *She breathed in deeply then exhaled.* Okay, I'm ready. *She said this with confidence,*

Orpheo: *He nodded at her and placed his hands on the shadow. They seemed to almost blend in with it. Then he shut his eyes to concentrate. From how it looked, his face looked blank, which his eyes and mouth closed. After a number of moments of nothing happening, the darkness of the shadow started to creep up the legs of Zaephyr. As this started to happen, Orpheo opened his eyes and watched as the darkness slowly flowed over her skin and clothes. Once it reached the halfway point, he looked up at her face, hoping that she wasn't getting too scared.*

Zaephyr: *She studied her friend, her silver gaze curious about how this would work. She felt tendrils wrap around her feet, then work up her calves to her thighs. Soon it encased her legs in black, and began working on her torso. She was looking down and watching it, reminded of the Harry Potter movie where they get stuck in vines that try to suffocate the group of friends before dropping them into the room below, and finding the chess board. The succubus relaxed as they worked their way up. She felt Orpheo's gaze on her, and she looked back, smiling.* Don't worry.. I'm fine.

Orpheo: *The shadow fiend smiled at her weakly before getting back to concentrating on the shadow melting. The shadow crept over her chest and then her shoulders. He calmed his breathing and caused the shadows to climb onto her face. This continued until she was completely covered by shadows. From looking at her, she looked like a silhouette of what she was. Concentrating even more, the shadow slowly began to pull her in. As he watched her, he called out.* I'll be right behind you. Then we'll head to the library. *Once he had said that, he concentrated more and the shadow pulled her in. There was a momentary pause while he breathed out, resting for a little.* Ok.... my turn. *He sat down in the shadow*

Zaephyr: *She remained relaxed, though the weak smile didn't add to her confidence though she had much of it. She closed her eyes and mouth when the shadow reached her face, and let herself be pulled into the realm. She heard her friend say he'd be right behind her. She trusted that. She dropped into the realm and looked around. She wasn't covered in shadow anymore, and he was in the dull, yet scary shadow realm... How lovely.. And she was alone.  She waited for Orpheo, trying not to tremble and wonder if the winds would get her*

Orpheo: *The shadow fiend was seated on the same shadow that Zaephyr had been sitting on just moments before. With his hands hovering above the shadow, he concentrated, this it was a little less hard than with his friend. The shadows soon crept up and over his figure. He knew this sensation and had grown rather used to it. A grin tugged at his cheek as the shadow came over his chest and finally surrounded all of him. After a moment, he was sucked, much more quickly, into the shadow where he dropped down into the shadow realm. He paused for a moment, looking around, until he spotted his friend a little bit away from him.* Zaephyr! *He called out as he ran toward her.*

Zaephyr: *She stood still in the spot she was placed in. To her, it seemed like a long time till Orpheo appeared out of the black. She perked, and ran to him, she hugged her friend.* I'm glad you're here.

Orpheo: *He smiled as he was hugged by Zaephyr. She must have been really scared. Well, I guess that was to be said due to what happen to her the last time she was here. He looked at her, the smile still on his face.* Of course, I wouldn't just leave you alone. I said I was right behind you. *He looked around the realm they were in, cautious to the signs that the shadow realm might attack his friend.* Ok, lets get out of here now. To the library, right?

Zaephyr: *She didn't really like being here, but it was okay right now.. Currently not trying to kill her. She nodded to him,* I'm glad you wouldn't leave me.. *She glanced around* Yes, to the library

Orpheo: *He gave her a wide smile before wrapping his hand around her own.* Ok, so... um...  *For a moment, he looked around the realm, trying to pinpoint a way to get back. There were a few moments where he stayed still before remembering what needed to be done.* Over here. *He pulled her over to a darker area of ground before pulling her closer to him. With his hand grasping hers tightly, he concentrated on the shadows and they soon started to twist up and around the two of them. After a moment, he glanced over at her, still concentrating and grinned.* This'll be fine, ok? *He was rather confident, since he brought her there, he was sure he could get her back.*

Zaephyr: *She held onto his hand and allowed him to lead her through the shadow realm. It was still an interesting place to her, even if its somewhat terrifying to her. She stood in a dark shadow with her friend, watching as the tendrils of black started to wind up her feet again.. It kind of tickled. She held tight to the shadow fiend's hand* Alright *The succubus gave him a smile*

Orpheo: *With that reassurance, he concentrated harder and the shadows crept up faster around them. Soon, it encased them completely. Quickly afterwards, the shadow pulled the two of them into the depths of the darkness. For the shadow fiend, the trip seems a tad bit bumpy, which was odd, but after not too long, he emerged into one of the aisles of the library, clumsily falling on his face when he came out of the shadow. It took him a moment to regain himself, before he looked around. He had done it, they were in the library. He'd gone from his friends room and made it safely to their destination. With a glee filled squeak, he spoke.* Hey, look where we are. We made it. I told it I could... do.... *When speaking, he turned to face his friend, or he meant to but he found that she wasn't there. Instead, where her hand had been in his own, he held a pentagram necklace.*..... Zaephyr? *However, his friend was gone.*

Zaephyr: *She had relaxed when she was covered in shadow. This trip seemed to be very rough on her but she figured it may be because of the distance. It wasn't until it stopped and she opened her silver gaze to find herself still in the shadow realm... Alone. Though there was a chance he was close  by. She called out* Orpheo?! Orpheo! *She didn't get an answer.. And that she didn't like.. Some how despite holding his hand she got lost.. She reached for her necklace and found it gone. She wondered where it went, and looked around in the immediate area for it. She didn't find it.*

Orpheo: *He didn't know how long had passed as he just sat there, looking at the emblem in his hand. It didn't really matter at this time anyway. His head slowly lifted up and he looked at the shadow that he'd come through. What had happened? He was holding her hand, in fact, he was so certain that he still felt her hand when he arrived in the library. His eyes darted around, trying to imagine what had happened.* She... she must have... let go... yeah, that's what happened. She must be back in the shadow realm. *His mind concluded this and he got to his feet, stuffing the pendent in his pocked.* I better get back to her, I can't have her getting hurt. *With a move toward the shadow, his placed his hands on it, slowly melting back into it.*

Zaephyr: *She eventually sat down with her head in her hands, the stone of being alone rested heavy in her chest. She hasn't noticed that this wasn't the shadow realm yet but rather she was stuck in a dense black. It didn't quite matter to her.. She didn't quite know if she would be found at all. There was no sound to meet her sensitive hearing, and surely nothing to see. It felt as of there was a ground beneath her, be in truth she was just weightless here, she could go up, down, side ways in every direction without a limit. She hasn't the ability to shadow melt herself out, or even know how.*

Orpheo: *The shadow fiend popped out and into the shadow realm once again, landing with a soft thud in the world. He quickly got to his feet and jolted is head from side to side, looking for any sign of his friend.* ZAEPHYR!!! *He called out. There was nothing. He ran for a little bit, trying to find any sign. However, there were not even shards of forgotten memories, no remains that could have been something. Not even any signs of shadow beasts around. It was empty. His breathing started to quicken in panic.* M... Maybe she arrived after I left... like a delay... yeah... *He turned quickly and ran to the nearest dark space, almost jumping into it, the shadow melting happening faster than last time. He emerged in the library, just a few rows away from his original space.* Zaephyr! *He called, disturbing some students who were already there. He ran to where he had first came through. Still no one. The panic started to well up in his chest. He spent the next minutes running through the library, searching every aisle, going down every corridor, nothing. His breathing quickened again. Until he thought of something.* She went back to her room... maybe she emerged there... yeah, she did. She couldn't get here so she went back to where she started. *Then he dashed from the library. He ran across campus, not stopped for anything, his breaths shortening by the minute. Bursting through the doors of the skull dormitory, he ran up until he came to her door. He flung it open.... and there was no one there. The shadow fiend dropped to his knees, his eyes wide and tears starting to swell up in them.* N.... no..... *He looked down at the pendent he removed from his pocket as a tear trickled down his face.* Zae.... *But he couldn't finish as a lump in his through kept him from speaking.*

Zaephyr: *She lifted her head after what seemed a long time. Her gaze unfocused as she gave her surroundings a look. It took a minute to register that she could see no shapes, no different shades of grey or black as she would in the realm of shadow. It was an endless sea of dark in every direction. This seemed to be a comfort.. She could wither here without any interruptions, be an ever living  succubus skeleton in a comfortable blackness that consumed her. It seemed like a good plan if she needed any. Zaephyr couldn't hear Orpheo even has he melted into the different places, briefly passing through the black abyss that she was stuck in. She decided to get up and walk. She shoved her hands in her pockets and began to wander*

Orpheo: *There was no such thing as time anymore, not for him. He sat stunned on the floor of Zaephyr's room, tears streaming down his face. How could this happen? He was so confident, he knew what he was doing. Where had she gone? Not in this world and not in the shadow realm. And from what he'd seen, there was no connection from that shadow realm to any other realm. Where had she gone? What had he done to his friend? Had he.... killed her?* NO! *He screamed as he slammed his fists down on the ground, his head following as he finally moved, laying his head on the ground.* No... not another.... *The tears dripped off his face as he lay his head on the ground, not knowing what he was doing. Images of Zaephyr and what the two of them had done together flashed through his mind, his heart ache. Suddenly, these images were accompanied by memories of Mimir, who had apparently vanished, leaving only a note behind. His whole body began to ache with sorrow. Then, his mind went blank and a specific memory came appeared, one that had nothing to do with his lost friends. It was his brother. He was injured, looking up to Orpheo, dying after being fatally wounded in the crossing. Telling the younger twin sibling to survive and comeback, to run away and hide. Orpheo leaving his brother behind.... loosing him forever.**The shadow fiends eyes and he slowly lifted up his head.* Not.... another.... I'm not going to lose another. *His voice was fully of rage that was never present before. His crawled over to the shadow they first went through and slammed his hands down onto it. Just as he did that, the shadow began to creep over his being, differently than when they did for shadow melting.* Ok, you damn stupid shadows, you are going to give me my friend back, or I will take her by force. *Upon reaching the end of the sentence, he was completely covered with the shadow, except for two glowing yellow shape eyes that were where his eyes usually were. He had changed, taking the shadows into his being, becoming a living one. Apparently fueled by rage.*

Zaephyr: *She walked the empty space of the in between realm. She wondered the possibility of being taken from here. The succubus sighed she held onto the hope that somehow Orpheo would find her.*

Orpheo: *There were no more tears. No more emotions besides focus and rage as the new shadow fiend turned living shadow came closer to the patch of shadow that had started it all. He looked down with his unchanging harsh eyes at it for a moment before rushing his limbs into the shadow. There was no pause for the darkness to creep onto his being, it was like he was diving into a pool of water. And then he was gone, into the darkness, swimming through a world of pure darkness, not inside the shadow realm, but something in between. Had he been in his normal state of mind, Orpheo might comment that it was similar to the place where shadow fiends dwell when they enter this world without a form. However, he was not exactly himself. At this time, he appeared to blend with all the darkness, his yellow eyes being the only indication that there was anything there. With only direct movements, he made his way through the inky realm until he found what he was looking for. It was Zaephyr, wondering aimlessly through the darkness. There was no glee, or shouts of joy to indicate that he was there. There was only direction, and purpose with a lack of positive emotion. He came to her and grasped onto her arm, pulling at her. It was nothing gentle and friendly, more mechanical as he pulled her up through the dark void. Then they were back in Zaephyr's room, just like that, standing on the shadow they came through. With what appeared to be little concern, he almost threw her into her room, away from the shadow. Then he just stood there, looking at her, a living shadowy figure, the darkness not leaving what had formerly been Orpheo.*

Zaephyr:*The succubus was taken by surprise when she felt herself being grabbed and taken from the abyss she had been thrust into. She wasn't sure what it was, but she didn't struggle. It was only moments before she was tossed into her dorm room that she was going to move out of shortly. She landed almost up against the firm bed frame. Her silver eyes gazed at her friend... Though he didn't look much like her friend right now. In a soft voice she said his name.* ..O..Orpheo?

Orpheo: *There was little to no response from the living shadow as only his head moved slightly to gaze down at her. There was also only silence. He didn't speak or perhaps, he couldn't speak. He looked down upon her with harsh glowing yellow eye. The shadows had a tight grip on him, the darkness not appearing to want to peel away.*

Zaephyr: *She got to her feet, a little shakily, seeming to find her weight again. She steadied herself, and walked to him slowly to not find herself across the room again. She wondered how he had managed to become this.. She felt as if she was the cause. She hoped she could find her friend in there somewhere. Her thin fingers reached to touch his shoulder, cautiously but no fear was shown.* Orpheo?

Orpheo: *The being looked forward, not acknowledging that she had moved. It was only when his shoulder was touched that he slowly turned his head and looked down at the hand touching the shoulder. The harsh yellow eyes looked down at the hand for a moment before gazing upward and into her eyes. Still, little changed in how he was acting, remaining stoic, though there was a glimmer of what could have been recognition inside his eyes.*

Zaephyr: *She looked up at the shadow creature her friend had become, her hand remaining on his shoulder. She lightly squeezes before hugging him tightly. She knew her friend was in there. She herself would reach in and drag him out if she had to. He had saved her life, twice already.*

Orpheo: *There was no reaction at first when he was pulled into the tight hug. The face of the living shadow as harsh as ever. However, has her warmth encased him, feeling started to return to him. The darkness slowly started to melt down his body, flowing out of him and back into the shadow from where it came. As the last bit of the shadow left his body, he went limp in her embrace, exhausted from the ordeal he went through. After a moment, he opened his eyes weakly and looked at her with his normal eyes. It took him a little to comprehend but soon, he smiled.* Zaephyr? *His voice held weakness.* Y...you're here.... you're ok....

Zaephyr:*She held tight to the shadow fiend, her body not wavering as he went limp in her grasp. She wanted to sob, but in happiness to have her friend back. Though the tears never broke from her eyes. She simply held his exhausted body* Yes Orpheo.. I'm here, I'm okay. I'm okay because you found me.

Orpheo: *He heard her words but they didn't make sense to him.* I... found you? *His voice was soft. Any memory his hand stopped after he had crawled over to the shadow and only began again in the arms of his friend.* I don't understand.... I.... don't..... remember... *As he spoke this sentence, his voice became softer until it was a whisper by the end and he drifted off into a exhaustion induced sleep. He lay on his friend, passed out from an assignment that had gone terribly array. And yet, it had awakened something within him that he yet to know about.*

Zaephyr: *She nodded to his question. Though she wasn't surprised that he didn't remember what had happened to him. She was still grateful to him, whether he remembered or not. The succubus gently picked her friend up from the floor as he feel asleep from exhaustion, he didn't need to sleep standing up. His friend laid him in her bed, and she laid beside him. She would make sure he was okay too, and that he wasn't alone when he woke up.*