Long Ago, in ancient times when men feared the darkness, Life and Death watched over the day and night, though as life grew more complex, they gave this power to other deities. However, only the Goddess of the Moon watched the night and often took time off to be with her followers in person and hunt with her sisterhood. Unknown to them all, humanity's fear of the darkness and what lay within did something, unique.

After only a couple of decades since humanity began to fear the dark and become more civilized in nations and with worship, the Darkness felt more, dangerous. Every New Moon small settlements vanished and cities were left still. Creatures of magic, vampires, and other beings were blamed, though in these ancient times that wasn't so odd. What was odd was that every Lunar Eclipse, when the Moon turned red, and when the Goddess became Spiteful of humanity for their crimes in her night, that was when Death noticed it.

The number of souls his youthful reapers had to collect was insane, and some reapers couldn't find souls lost in the darkness. The shadows themselves seemed to be alive, and halted them from doing their jobs. Death wondered what this was, and sent his best Reaper to handle this. The Collector was the oldest Reaper, a human man who was murdered for the valuables and goods he traded. He was soon sent out to find the one stopping souls from reaching their end and a new beginning.

Thus Collector took to the darkest winter night of the land and found an unnerving sight. The shadows moved in a mass, snuffing out fire and light, as humans hid and flee, only to be taken in it like the others. Collector landed, and drew out his weapon, a simple scythe used to reap grain, a tool the humans use to live, he uses to help them begin anew.

The shadows came at him, and so he fought them off, easily as he was a collector of many things. One of these things was a drop of Sunlight from the God of the Sun himself. This light cast the shadows back and trapped them inside of a small hut, as the Collector used his powers, and grabbed onto the shadows, collecting them up into a jar he found, trapping them. However, when he closed it up, suddenly the night's darkness vanished, into a twilight state, as if all the darkness and shadows of the world vanished.

This brought the attention of the Angels, and three came to the Collector, who told them of the shadow being and him capturing it. They then realized that this was a new god in a sense, the god of shadows, and they must teach it the ways of their duties and processes. Thus, they name the being Darkness, and freed them, knowing its name letting them control it, and help guide it safely.

Darkness however never liked the Collector, or the Angels, but preferred the reapers and supernatural who lived with it. However, it still hunted and claimed souls. Until the day Death called for him into his domain.

Darkness walked into the Shadowlands of Death, a place welcoming to him. The Library was not, for it was newly made of Moonlight, Magic, and Knowledge, growing with the knowledge of all living things. He disregarded it, and the fallen souls helping here. They are but his prey, delicious and empowering and nothing more. He arrives at the desk of Death, who stands there, tall and imposing as he looks at him.

"You still hunt I see, every night 10 souls are lost. What do you think you do? Destroying her creations? If you not made by humanity and their fears I would show little restraint in correcting you." He begins, before sitting down and sighing, "But you are born to prey upon them, though how you do it is my problem."

"WELL, They are fools to believe light can save me, and none worship me by name, only by the other begins under me. I have been here far longer than many, and I am due to offerings I deserve." He says, holding his ground, unafraid of death. Death looks him down with glowing eyes, the dark mask of patience cracking.

"You...deserve anything? What do you deserve if you kill and take? Obedience and Respect are needed first before you are given anything child. You kill these creations and hurt Life herself, harm her vision. You are nothing more than a parasite to this world and its order." He shouts, echoing as his voice carries force beyond Darkness's own, but still, he holds firm.

"I was not made by her, I am made by humanity, they shall suffer than for making me wish to kill and harm, wish to allow the evil to get close, to blind and take them in the night. Their Moon is their only grace from me, and why should I not take advantage of nights where she turns her back? Their torment and pain fuel me." Death looks on, before he sighs, and pinches his brow.

Darkness watches on, before Death speaks softly, "you lack to know what it is like, to be like them. You lack understanding and that is the problem. You fear the light and do not see what they do without your darkness. I have an offer for your child. You accept a gift, and walk the world like mortals do, in the light, and the night. See what they do, and why, they fear yet respect you, and maybe you shall respect them."

Darkness ponders this, his unconfirmed shadows dance, and soon he finds this enticing enough to accept. "Very well then, but if you are wrong, every time the night outlasts the day, it shall be a new moon, and I shall roam it free." He offers, as Death chuckles. "Deal," he says, as both shake, and Darkness grunts and shifts, his form becoming condensed. A head, arms, and legs form from his shadows in pale skin. He can feel his dark power is contained, and Death soon snaps, as Darkness stands now before a small city in the morning, and has clothing and a small tablet of writing on it.

Darkness scoffs, as it shows he is a trader and has a small cart of goods. Soon he figures out how to move it, and begins to head inside. He is amazed at how many beings can live here, humans, ents, mages, everything is so, different here. This city has blazing torches never dying and guards well armed with Bronze tools. He walks and is given shiny metal things for goods, and finds this to be, silly and yet funny. He soon finds these humans not too stupid as he thought, though also smelly and weird. He feels hungry and confused until a woman with brown hair and green eyes walks over to him.

"Hello, stranger, you selling those bricks? I need some for my home." The dark-skinned lady says as Darkness blinks. 'Uh..yeah sorry, just, pain." He says, holding his midsection. She blinks, and then chuckles, "Here, I'll cook you some food, come." She says, as he blinks, not sure what food is, but reluctant and wanting the pain to leave, he follows. Soon he walks into a home with several folks making, weird things from the flesh of animals and plants. It smells, weird and they use fire to make these things.

He soon is told by her, whose name is Anatu, that this is making food. He soon begins to eat some food and finds it delicious. He spends his time during the day with her before at night they go to sleep, but he wanders. Guards talk to him, and seem not afraid of him, though soon beasts of the night attack, though many mages cast spells and fighters battle them, he sees one rush in, a main with twin blades and a scar along his face. He uses the darkness to hide and attack from the flanks of the enemy, along with many folks with spears and shields.

Darkness smiles at this, and helps, as he feels some power here, and casts out from himself, a long black rope, which wraps around the alpha of this pack, and entraps it, allowing them to pick him off and kill the alpha, making the pack flee. The guards and mages thank him, though soon grow weary of him, until he talks to them more.

This continues for days, him helping folks and living as mortals do until he is asked to help the guards hunt down a dragon, who endangers their lands, to which Anatu worries for him, but he tells her he will be fine. However, upon this hunt the ones there are actually enemies of the city, and it is a trap. They ambush them in darkness, but that is his domain. He knows it, and soon speaks, "You wish to attack us...ATTACK ME. YOU VILE BEINGS SHOULD BE WEARY OF WHAT LURKS IN THE DARKNESS." He says as he calls forth the alpha whose soul he stole, and released upon them.

Their victory came at a cost, as they soon saw in the light of dawn their city burning, left in ruins. They fell upon the straggling enemies and found many survivors, and Darkness found Anatu, dying and being taken from him. He felt pain, in his deepest part. Collector walked over, and put a hand on his shoulder, as he spoke. "You two will meet again, as you walk among mortals, you can find her again, reborn as all shall be." He states as Darkness holds her close.

"Is this my lesson? Being human is pain?" He asks, but Collector shakes his head. "No, it is that maybe one day, folks will use your darkness for good, just wait, and you'll see." He says in both parts, Darkness helps bury the dead, and Collector guides them all to their next life. The soldiers with Darkness asked him what to do, as his divinity returned to him. He looked at his friend, the warlock, and speaks. "Join me in a grand march, against those who destroyed our homes. With new tools and weapons let us descend upon them and make those who did this pay. But do not butcher or maim, for, in the dark of the night, justice shall be given." He says as they all raise their weapons with him.

On that evening, each man and woman was given a piece of Darkness' power and became his fury. They transformed into beasts and dark beings, with nightmarish faces and abilities. Darkness led them against the attackers, traveling along the lands, but not like monsters. No, like fury they sought out and killed criminals or evil beings, and soon formed the race known as the Nightdwellers. Over eons Darkness helped and saw what Death promised, humanity changed accepting the darkness and using it for both good and evil. He saw armies fallen by ambushes, robbers, and murders stack the streets with guards and supernatural. He saw how humanity is so complex, and yet neverendingly silly in its behaviors and fears.

Thus Darkness decided to love his silly creators, and accept them as they are, becoming humble and wandering the world as a living god in disguise. However, one day, the Foundation asked him for help, and he came to them. He arrived in the year 2017, nearly fall, his favorite time, to find them all freaking out, as a group of young girls sat together, with chaotic powers flowering through them.

He recognized the green eyes and presence of his long-lost friend, and smiled. "I finally found you Anatu, and your wonderful." He says as he walks into the room to help them all.

Author's Note

OKAY...So this was a spur-of-the-moment chapter for insight on one minor character in Shimmering Hope, not very well made probably. Just a rough, weird thing I made with no plan. Is it canon? Maybe?

Should it help you all understand the backstory? I hope. But it is just for fun. So enjoy it.