1 In the Dark

People say that darkness is used to destroy. To create chaos. Let it be known that it brings even the strongest among us to their knees. In the days without light, hope is nowhere to be found.

But darkness is nothing but an absence of light. It is not the darkness itself people fear, but what it hides. Whether that be the secrets that have been buried for ages, or the monster waiting in the shadows for you, darkness is not known for its merciful hand.

Despite all that, darkness is nothing but the truth. It tells you of the trouble you have wrought upon yourself. The judgment. The pain. The terrible truth. It confronts you. Some people turn to the dark for comfort, for shelter. Others use darkness as a mask, as their hail mary in case all else fails. But is the price worth it?

Those who chose the darkness have always paid the price in the end. May it be the death of oneself or the sacrifice of those you love most. The price must be paid. One way or another.

I should know that, as it was the darkness that took me as well. I was always the curiously stubborn one you could say. The one who broke the rules just to see more, to feel more. But back them, I was too naive to know that the rules were there for a reason.

Sea creatures aren't the same as the beings on land. We are formed with the magic of the sea and the pull of the currents. A soul doesn't reside inside of us like they do in the Landers, those who walk above the surface of the ocean. When we fade, there is nothing more left for us, but the memories that we hold. But when the Landers fade, their soul travels to another life, another body to experience love, pain and hope all over again.

It starts over and over again. How you ask, do I know this? Well, the souls inside the Landers are obvious to all creatures formed by the sea. They come in different colors, sizes and brightness. The brighter the soul, the stronger they are. As a mermaid, I may not be alive in the form of a soul, but I do reside in these forms as a spirit.

Life in the ocean never seemed to pull at me like the draw of the Landers. Their music, their exotic food, the graceful way they were able to navigate on two limbs. It was my first trip to the surface that had done me in. I had seen pain, sadness, anger, in the eyes of the person. But there was love, hope, and happiness as well.

In the ocean, the colors that reside far from the surface were dull. All you see are endless blue and grey all around. I never knew what it was like, how it feels live with the emotions and feelings that a soul gives you.

With my mind set, I had went to see the only person who could help me. The sea witch is what they called her. She had warned me against my decision and blinded by my inquisitiveness, I had gone through with it in exchange for my voice. The voice that echoed through the lonely sea to bring stories of those who lived and suffered.

The never occured to me how painful it would be to lose my tail along with my voice. It was then that I had felt my first emotion. Loss. With no soul to hold the emotions I was feeling, my spirit was slowly breaking with the burden it is forced to hold. My spirit was never supposed to be the one to support my emotions, it's sole duty was to hold my consciousness and my thoughts. But with a key factor missing, my spirit could only fade as it could no longer hold the feelings inside of me.

When I first stepped foot on land, it wasn't my intention to draw the attention of the prince. Much less fall for him in the process. I remember, that he had the brightest soul I had seen but that's not why I had fallen for him. He was there to help me learn to walk when I first arrived. He was there to defend me against the scorn of the people when they discovered I was unable to talk. He was there...until he wasn't.

The sea witch, who pitted me told me that I had only a few more months before my spirit will fade. Crushed by my emotions, my spirit was at it's breaking point. I knew it was only a matter of time before my form would fade along with my spirit.

I was offered a deal, kill the prince and I would be awarded his soul and the ability to switch between legs and a tail. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill the one who had taken me in when I was at my lowest. I couldn't after seeing how happy he was to be married to the one he truly loved.

So on his wedding night, I jumped into the ocean to let it claim me again. It was from then, I knew nothing but the darkness that told me of the pain. But I felt nothing. I saw nothing.

Nothing...until now. Somehow, I had come back, and I could feel nothing but the crushing anger and regret inside of me. This time, it would be I who will finally get a soul. I, Evangeline Night, will never fall to the clutches of darkness again.