CHAPTER ONE: THE SHADOWED DAWN
The night was still, save for the distant rumble of thunder, a warning that echoed in the heart of eight-year-old Alex. He lay in bed, clutching his teddy bear, his wide eyes fixed on the dimly lit corner of his room, where shadows danced and flickered. To him, they felt alive, swirling and shifting, whispering secrets meant only for him. But tonight, those whispers turned sinister.
From the living room, muffled shouts echoed through the walls of their mansion. Alex's heart raced as he strained to listen. His father's voice, usually warm and gentle, thundered with rage. Squeezing his eyes shut, Alex hoped to drown out the chaos, knowing all too well that when the shadows grew restless, darkness descended upon their home.
Suddenly, a loud crash shattered the silence, followed by a scream that sliced through the air like a knife. His mother. The sound pierced the fabric of his innocence, pulling him from his bed and into the hallway. As he crept towards the commotion, an oppressive energy thickened the air, a dark presence that tugged at his very soul.
In the living room, the scene unfolded like a nightmare. His father stood over his mother, who was struggling against the shadowy figures that had enveloped her. The shadows twisted around them, writhing like serpents, whispering promises of power and control. Alex could see them—the shadow people, their laughter echoing in the back of his mind, feeding off the chaos they had sown.
"Stop! Daddy, please!" Alex cried, his voice small and trembling, swallowed by the consuming darkness. His hands shook as he stepped forward, desperate to reach his mother.
"Join us, little one," the shadow people hissed, their eyes glinting like shards of glass. "You are destined to be our king. But she must go."
"No!" his mother screamed; her voice filled with desperation. She lunged to protect Alex, but the shadows pulled her away, wrapping around her like a shroud. "Run, Alex! Don't look back!"
As the shadows engulfed her, Alex felt a cold dread wash over him. He watched helplessly as his mother was dragged into the dark void, her eyes wide with fear and love, leaving him alone with the man who had once been his hero.
The shadows turned their attention to his father, their whispers growing louder, insistent. "You must do it. To save him, you must end your own life."
In horror, Alex realized the truth. The shadow people had manipulated his father, twisting his mind with dark promises. Alex's father staggered back, tears streaming down his face as he struggled against their influence. "I… I can't," he stammered, shaking his head.
"Do it!" the shadows hissed, their voices a cacophony of malice. "Or you will lose him forever!"
With a devastating cry, his father raised a trembling hand, a knife glinting in the dim light. "I'm so sorry, Alex!" he shouted, the love in his voice drowning in despair.
"Daddy, no!" Alex cried out, but it was too late. In a swift, heart-wrenching moment, his father succumbed to the darkness, the blade plunging into his own heart.
As Alex watched in horror, his father fell lifeless to the floor, leaving him alone in a world filled with shadows. The room fell silent, the whispers of the shadow people fading into the dark corners of the house.
For years, Alex would run from those entities, haunted by the memory of that night—the night the shadow people took everything from him. He had narrowly escaped their grasp, but their presence lingered, always just beyond the edge of his vision, always reminding him of his destiny—a king of shadows, a fate he never wanted.