Tantibus Shadows | Teen Ink

Tantibus Shadows

June 30, 2014
By ImagineUs BRONZE, Independence, Missouri
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ImagineUs BRONZE, Independence, Missouri
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Author's note: Honestly, this was kind of inspired by the Kane series. The character Falla was actually based on one of my friends who we all know and love as Edge, or Shattered (online name) I hope you enjoy, and give criticism.

It happened quickly. A single step. And I knew. I KNEW what was about to happen, but I didn’t stop it. I was powerless. I was scared….I was…. getting ahead of myself.
My name is Xenon Nathiar . I’m telling you this story with my sister, Falla. At the begining of our story, I didn’t even know I HAD a sister, which was fine by me. I liked being an only child.But i got stuck with a 5’3, black haired, green eye’d annoyence who calls herself my sister.. (Trust me, the feelings are mutual for my brother, who’s 5’8, feathery blond, with the same green eye color. -Falla). We look nothing alike, which is strange since we’re twins. But I’d gotten my mothers soft pale appearence, and she got our fathers darker more exotic looks. The only thing we shared, was our eyes.
We told you this information so you’ll know us when you see us. To anyone else, we’d be just two more kids, wandering around alone. But by the end of our story, if this gets to the right hands, then you’ll know who we are, were we are, and what we need, without us even telling you. I know all of this sounds far-fetched. Two sixteen year old twins, running around trying to save the world from Daemons. Yes I said, and I mean, Demons. Falla and myself are Daemon hunters, and also maybe part fey. Yeah, and you thought YOU had strange heritage.
But, you MUST know what to look for, if you want to get out of this alive. Follow our story, and follow our steps, and you may just survive this. If you’re reading this, then we know that our story got into the right hands. And it must stay in the right hands. When you read it, leave it anywhere you can. On a park bench, under a slide, in a tree. I don’t care, just leave it for someone else. You may just be saving lives.
We’ll start at the begining. When a Daemon broke into my room and my dog tried to eat it. Oh! Yes, quick thing. Take your pets with you. Animals are….different. We used to think of them as pets, but they truly are protectors. You’ll see. Welcome to Tantibus Shadows.



You know, i’d never thought of our Groenendael shepherd being much of a guard dog. His name was Jaxun, and he was on of the biggest babies i’d ever met. The minute you’d sit down, he lay on top of your lap, all 66 pounds of him wanting attention. It’s cute the first few times. but when you’ve had to shove a dog that big off of you eight times, just to get three problems done on your homework, it becomes a bit….annoying.
“Jaxun! Shove. OFF!” Jaxuns ears drooped, and he clambered off of me and, looking dejected, layed down in the corner of my room with his back to me. I began to feel guilty. He just wanted some attention and, with dad at work, I was the only one here to give it to him. My dad studies and teachers anything and everything to do with the fey. Yes, he was into fairies. But not those cute little ones like tinkerbell. The wicked, mean ones. The ones that’ll sooner trick you into drowning with the nymphs than give you any help with the rain.
My mother had disappeared when i was young. I hadn’t even turned a year old yet. Dad never talked about her, or about anything. The only reason I knew what she looked like, was because dad let me have a single photo of her holding me. She was gorgeous….Dad said i had gotten blessed with her looks. She had light blonde hair, that was swept over her shoulder, in a tumble of waves. She had a soft smile, which made her hazel eyes twinkle with mischeif, as if she was forever planning a prank.
The only feature from my dad that i had inherited, were his jewel like green eyes. I’ll admit, I liked my eyes. They were mysterious. And…. they were staring guiltily at the groenendael in the corner of the room, when my window exploded inward. Glass shattered down around me, knicking me here and there as i threw up my arms to cover myself. When it finally stopped raining glass, I looked up from my arms, trying to figure out what had made my window shatter. There were no rocks or bricks on the floor. I didn’t see anything until I looked at my wall.
Realize that, I don’t scare easily. But when I stared into the eyes of that...thing that was plastered onto my wall, I nearly took off. It was dark and wispy, easily mistaken for a shadow if you hadn’t looked into its twisted gouged out eyes, and the dark smile it had. Its hands were tipped off in shadowy claws, sharp like talons. It took a step towards me, and in my terrified state, I just sat there, mouth open like an idiot. (You mean like you always look? -Falla). Sarcastic marks from my sister aside, I should have been dead by now.
The minute it moved, Jaxun had leapt to his paws, and launched himself at the demon. Only then did i scream, in fear of him being hurt. Funny how things work, right? If i’m in danger, I just sit there dumbfounded. But if my dogs in danger, I go wild. Jaxun clamped his jaws around the arm of the shadow, making it screech and howl. You wanna know what it sounds like? Take a large bird, mix it with a prehistoric bird, then with a donkey, and make it scream. There you go.
Seeing my dog clamp his teeth around the shadow made something in me click. I leapt to my nightstand, ignoring the glass on the floor, and pulled out the dagger my dad had given to me for my tenth birthday. The dagger was silver with a golden handle, inscribed with some ancient languange. Tugging the blade out, I quickly tested the blade, then satisfied it would cut, leapt at the shadow. The knife slide through easily, like it was fog, and at first I thought i’d done nothing to it. I didn’t understand how my dog could keep a grip on the thing, but my knife would just slide through. But then, the design and inscriptions on the dagger started to glow, softly at first then brighter. Red glowing twine whipped around the shadow, making it screech louder than ever. I leapt back, and Jaxun let go. At that same moment, my dad busted into my room.
“Xenon what in gods name is-” I looked over, and saw him staring at the monster, his face pale. The red twine stuff seemed to be tightening around the demon, and slowly it dissapated. My dagger fell to the floor. “D-dad….w-what the hell was that thing?” I felt shaky, and it was hard to breath. I felt physically drained, like i’d just run four marathons without a break. The room started spinning, and my eyes slipped close, and i welcomed the darkness that tugged at me.

My name is Falla Mercer. Yeah, yeah I know. ‘But you and Xenon are twins, why the different last names?’ Probably to keep us apart. We weren’t suppose to know each other. Not now. Not yet. It was too soon.

Anyway, while my brother was battling a demon with his dog, i was laying on my bed blasting music when the doorbell rang. Now, in our little apartment building, everyone knows everyone. Nobody ever knocked or rang the doorbell. That was my first hint that something was wrong.

Slowly I made my way to the door, tilting head. Cautiously I called out. “Who is it?”
A few seconds of silence passed by, before “Electrical guy. I need to check for faulty wires.” Sounded resonable. I unlocked the door and slid it open.

What happened next was SO not my fault. A blast of black energy slammed into my, hurling me across the room, slamming me into the back wall. My head smacked against it, making my vision go fuzzy. Holding my head I clambered to my feet, and caught a look at myself in the mirror hanging on the opposite wall.

Just the first blast of whatever the hell that was, left mwith somenasty scratches and bruises. My black hair was tangled and dirty, and my eyes were…glowing….? I felt power flow through me. This…..this eletrical guy….Had broken into OUR house, attacked me, AND made a mess. Anger coursed through me. Who did this guy think he was?! He just EXPLODED my front door!

The man stepped into the room, and I finally got a look at it. THAT was no guy. It was tall, and black, made out of what looked like slimey, shadow-like tendrils. The beast opened its mouth, showing me a long row of razor like teeth, before his image rippled, and changed. Standing before me now was my mother. She looked frightened and in pain. Bile rose to the back of my throat and I choked.

“M-mom….?” I hated how weak my voice was, and the way my knees shook. Looking back on it, i’m honestly surprised I didn’t pass out. (No need for snide remarks from YOU. We don’t all have magical daggers or guard dogs. Some siblings get ALL the luck.). I took a step towards my mom, hands outstretched to grab her. Instantly the beast let the image of her go, and it slapped its tenticle thingies around my arms. (Yes. Tenticle thingies is a scientific term.)

I heard this animalistic screaming, and it took me several moments to realize it was….me. White hot agony ripped through me, making my vision go blurry. Where ever this things tenticles touched, agonizing burns shredded through the skin like acid. My throat began to feel raw, but it wasn’t even to distract myself from the pain in my arms. I thrashed and thrashed, but it kept pulling me ever closer, snapping its mouth open and shut hungrily. This was it. I was going to die. And then….nothing.
I fell to the floor trembling in pain and exhaustion, which confused me. I hadn’t DONE anything besides struggle. So why was I exhausted. I hadn’t yet mastered enough of my will to get my eyes open, when arms encircled me, pulling me off the dirty floor. A kidnapper? Seriously? First I get attacked, and then I get kidnapped? Man, mom was so going to murder me….If this guy didn’t. Except….this guy….I smelled the soft scent of spices and pine trees….it was familiar. Friendly, SAFE. Relaxing from the warm scent, I fell into the inky darkness that was waiting for me.

While was sister was playing the weak damsel in distress which, may i warn you, she is NOT, I was being bundled out of my room and into the yard of our house. I had woken up not long after collapsing. Dad had shoved some chocolate into my hand then ordered me to get packed immediately. Lucky for me, with dads work, we’re use to traveling. ALOT. Silently, I tugged the suitcase out from under my bed, switching out the clothing.
After a moment, I paused and sat down on the edge of my bed. My gaze swept the room. Dad had cleaned up the glass, leaving no sign, save for the broken window itself, that anything had happened. What HAD happened? One minute I was sitting there doing my homework, and the next my dog and I were fighting a shadow. It was all like a really bad horror film from the 90’s.
Shaking my head, I clambered to my feet looking around for anything I needed to take with me. Dad had always taught me to travel light, never taking more than the necesseties. My gaze landed on the dagger that now lay abandoned on the floor. When I stooped over to pick it up, a soft green light shone out from it. Snatching my hand back, I uttered a soft hiss. My eyes widened. Did I just...hiss? Shaking my head, I laughed nervously. I was imagining things. The shadow had just been an intruder. I hadn’t hissed, I had gasped.
The more I repeated those thoughts, the more I felt like a liar. the window was too small from a grown person to fit through, even a teenager couldn’t wiggle through unless they were tiny. And the shadow had been anything but. And what I had just done, was not a gasp. It was a hiss. A menacing one at that. After a moment, I slowly reached out again, picking up the dagger. Again the soft green light shone brought. Tilting my head curiously, I leaned closer, though warily keeping my face out of range.
Red to bind, Green to heal, yellow to strenghten, dark blue to kill.
With a yelp, I turn and flung the thing onto my bed. Whosever voice that was, it wasn’t from in this room. It was as if the dagger had...spoken to me. Through my thoughts. I turned at the sound of my door being pushed open. “Xenon? Everything alright?” My dad stoof in the doorway, with Jaxun, who was staring at me with this kind of peculiar look. He was looking at me with a gaze that was almost...well...human.
The dog flicked his eyes towards the dagger, then back to me as if urging me to move. “Xenon….?” Quickly I turned my attention back to my dad. “Y-yeah. Why?” I fought to keep the tremble out of my voice, slowly inching in front of the dagger, hiding it from view. Dad watched me with a suspicious look in his eyes. “I heard a yelp. What was it?” His voice was worried, but also tense, as if expecting me to say I had found another demon under my bed.
Thinking quickly I blurted out the first thing that came to my head. “I almost knocked my lamp over. Heh...sorry dad” I forced out a laugh, and waiting until my father nodded and departed the room. “Jaxun...here boy” I called softly. The Groenendael woofed softly, padding over and, the moment I sat down, leapt onto my lap. I didn’t shove him off this time, instead laughing softly and stroking his long fur. “Good boy….hm...why didn’t you want me to let dad see…” I mumbled thinking. Then it hit me. Dad would think that the dagger was dangerous. Heck, I thought it was dangerous too..but I knew, I KNEW, somehow and sometime, i’d need that damned thing. This was going to be a long trip. Groaning, I lay back on my bed, with the dog ontop of me, and somehow managed to doze off. And the dreams that accompanied my slumber, were anything BUT fun.
After what seemed like an eternity of dark, and suffering and chaos, Jaxun began to bark, waking me up just like an alarm clock. Sitting up and rubbing my eyes, I looked around for the dog. Jaxun stood by my door, my bag in his mouth, the dagger neatly tucked into the side pocket. Shock coursed through me. I hadn’t put that there, and dad would have taken it had he saw it….
Finally shrugging it off, I clambered to my feet, head still heavy with sleep, and stumbled over to the door to take my bag back. Instead, Jaxun turned and trotted down the hall with my bag, heading for the front door. Dazed and sleepy, I slowly followed. The dog led the way out of the open front door, (yes I closed and locked it behind me Falla.) and to the started car in the driveway. The side door was open, and Jaxun just climbed in like this was all natural. Slowly I climbed in, looking at dad. “We never bring Jaxun on trips” I said, flashing him a quizzical look. “Well, this is no normal trip…. We’re going to see your sister.”

Leave it to my brother to take the short chapter, leaving me to write the loong one. Oh well, he wouldn’t tell it right anyway. So I was being kidnapped. I woke up slowly, my head throbbing and my thoughts muddled. The first thing I noticed was that, it was warm….Not like that overly stuffy warm where you can’t breath, but that nice warm like curling up under a blanket on a cold night. Sighing happily, I nuzzled closer the black, before noticing that the bed was moving. No, not a bed...a car. And then the blanket licked me.
Yelping, I leapt up, and vertigo hit me and I felt myself being lowered back into a laying position. Opening my eyes, I tried to see the people around me, but my vision was still blurred. My hearing wasn’t much better, sounding muffled, as if by cotton. Struggling to understand, I slowly began to make out the conversation.
“-don’t care if she’s my sister. She screams loud enough to wake the dead.” Sister? Who did this kid think he was?! From the sound of it, he was about my age, an obviously confused. i was an only child. And besides, mom had NEVER mentioned any family outside of my grandparents, who weren’t around anymore.
“Xenon, be nice...she could be awake and you’ll hurt her feelings.” A snort came from the boy, apparently named Xenon, which I located next to me. That voice though….Slowly I sat up. “M-mom….?” My throat was scratchy, and i felt like i’d walked through a desert with no water for DAYS. My eyes finally cleared, letting me see the scene before me. In the drivers seat, was a man with dark skin, black hair, and fiery golden eyes. He had a nice smile, and looked a little silly with his goatee. My mum sat next to him, with her hand on the mans leg, looking back at me, her emerald eyes flashing worriedly.

“Lay back down sweety. You took a nasty blow to the head.” Immediately, I felt compelled to lay down, and started to before noticing the boy. He was blond, and looked like the male version of my mother. Glancing at the man driving, I saw that we shared the same features. Head spinning, I closed my eyes to lay down, only to once again be licked in the face. Eyes flashing open, I stared at the big dog in front of me, panting happily in my face.
“Er….Hi doggie….?” I mumbled hesitantly reaching out to pet it. “Jaxun. Lay down boy.” I glanced at the boy once more, and found him staring out of the window looking bored. It pissed me off. I had just almost been KILLED by this...THING, and the kid who was suppose to be my brother was bored. Just to spite him, I scooted away from him, and thumped the seat whistling. “come on pupper, come on Jaxun.” With a happy woof, the dog leapt up next to me, laying his head in my lap, wacking Xenon in the face with his tail. He flashed me a disgruntled look, before pinning Jaxuns tail down. “Traitor…” He muttered.
Feeling triumphant, I turned to look at my mom, and I found her and the man, my...father, sharing an amused look. “Just met, and already have that twin rivalry” She said laughing. Confusion flashed through me, and my gaze automatically turned to Xenon. I found him staring at me with the same dumbfounded expression. “We’re WHAT?!” Again we turned to look at each other, seeing as we both shouted the same thing. Laughter bubbled from our parents again. “Yes, you two are in fact twins. Faternal twins.” I looked at the man, slowly asking “A-and i suppose youre…?” His gaze found mine in the mirror. “Your father? Yes.”
I was still thinking of what to say when it hit the car. One minute we were driving down the highway with nothing but open road around us, and then the next minute, our car was skidding before we were suddenly in the air. Fear crashed through me, but my throat closed around the scream. I heard my father cuss loudly, my mom crying out in fear, Jaxun whimper, and Xenon cursed before begining to mumble something. A strange calm washed over me suddenly. Everything would be fine. We were still in the air, and I realized my thoughts had taken less than two seconds. Slowly I raised my hand to the roof of the car, focusing my eyes on my ring.”Contego!” My ring flashed suddenly, and then….it was still. We were sitting safely and neatly back on the road. Slowly I took in the expressions around me. My mother was holding her chest, breathing a sigh of relief with her eyes closed. My father sat with his hands clentching the steering wheel, while Xenon was staring at me, his eyes calculating and curious.
“Well….THAT could have gone better.” I looked back to my father to find his head out of the window. “Samael! Come.” I turned to look at Xenon, silently asking if he knew what was going on. He shook his head, holding his finger to his lips. “Children, this is Samael. He’s a young dragon, who was kicked out of the dragon court by his Drakamakki, the Dragon King” Mom spoke, looking back at me with a feircly proud look. “We wanted to test your abilities. Albeat you scared us at first when no one did anything, but I just KNEW you’d come through dear.” She reached back taking my hand, and I realized how exhausted I was. Trembles ran through my body, and I was HUNGRY. A loud thump sounded outside my window, and I turned to find myself staring directly into the eyes of a dragon the size of the car.






“Er….H-hi?” The dragon gave a soft chirp at my greeting, nosing the window. “Go ahead, roll it down.” The gentle coaxing came from my dad, and I slowly hit the button to roll it down. Immediately Samael stuck his nose in and nuzzled me happily. “He likes you. He can smell your Takarras..” Xenons voice was soft, and everyone turned to look at him in shock. “How did you-” “You can see her-” everyone started trying to talk at once, but my voice rang out. “What the hell are my Takarras?!” They stopped, and turned to me. “Falla, language” My mother chided softly. Leave it to my mother to reprime me for my language when there was a friggin DRAGON outside of our CAR!

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes. “What is going on? I DEMAND to know NOW! You Never told me I had a brother, or that I could do THAT!” Albeat i’m not sure I even knew what that was. And at that moment, the sun disappeared.



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