Hello again, my friends!
As promised, I’m back with part 2 of The Weight of Shadows. I hope you enjoy this as much as I enjoyed writing it!
Without further ado, I bring you, the conclusion:
THE WEIGHT OF SHADOWS
PART 2
The sensation of transitioning beneath the material could not have been more familiar. The reversion to a state of plurality from the anchor of a single, three-dimensional existence felt like coming home.
Maalintryuul’s consciousness spread far and wide. His essence diffused through the spaces that existed between the material plane, the negative, and the demi-planes of the elements. Slivers of him touched all the planes that brushed against each of them. While a shadow of his being remained in the places beyond sight even on the prime material plane.
Here, reality was a fluid, malleable thing. A tapestry of pure potential where thought and will held more sway than any rigid laws of material physics.
For most beings, this place was lethal. And historically, even those who could survive would find only madness.
For a Shadow Dragon, however, it was the natural homeostasis that their forms continually tried to revert to. The unseen corridors through which they moved.
But this time was different.
As he navigated the twisted, inexplicable geometries of interdimensional space, he felt Thhaaruu’s presence. Not her mind or essence, but rather the steady, resonant pulse of her crystal network whose influence somehow spread across the planes.
The anchor points she established on the material plane shone like distant lighthouses in the churning chaos of the in-between, giving him stable reference markers that made his navigation easier and more precise than anything he had experienced before. The transition, usually a brutally disorienting ordeal, felt almost controlled. Smoother, if not actually smooth.
He barely noticed the ever-present nausea this time. And his sense of dissolution into the ether diminished to almost nothing by those faint, persistent points of light.
How is she doing that? he wondered, a sliver of his mind detaching from the immediate task of navigation. Crystal Dragons are bound to the material plane, to the logic of gem and light. They shouldn’t be able to touch this place.
Yet the evidence was undeniable. Her array was a net of crystalline awareness cast across the northern valleys, and he could feel its structure even from here.
It was testament to a mastery he couldn’t begin to comprehend.
The trail of the disturbance grew stronger as he moved north, a festering wound in the fabric of the planes. It pulled him through dimensional layers that pressed closer and closer to material reality, each one thinner and more fragile than the last. Whatever had crossed over was not content to remain in the fluid chaos of the in-between. It was actively trying to anchor itself in the physical world, an act of such profound arrogance and danger that it spoke of either supreme power or utter ignorance.
Neither possibility was comforting.
As he neared the source, he began to understand the urgency that had gripped him. The interloper wasn’t just present on the prime material plane; it was feeding on it.
This being, whatever it was, consumed the very fabric of the local planar separations, growing stronger by devouring the barriers that kept the material world stable.
With a final, wrenching pull, he gathered his essence from the planes and rematerialized his physical form, anchoring himself back to the material world.
The transition back to solidity jarred his senses, but far less than usual. Thhaaruu’s crystal anchors gave him a stable re-entry point, a metaphysical handhold that made the process less like a fall and more like a deliberate step.
He stood at the edge of a high mountain valley, his claws sinking into solid ground. Below him, the world looked deeply, fundamentally wrong. It wasn’t the obvious devastation of a battle or a storm, but a more insidious corruption.
Trees grew in slow, impossible spirals that hurt the eye to follow. A stream flowed uphill, its water shimmering with colors that were not part of the natural, material spectrum. The very air vibrated, thick with a low hum that was not a sound but a pressure against the mind, a constant, low-grade violation of sanity.
At the center of it all, a presence stirred.
A being composed of geometric contradictions. It possessed angles that folded in on themselves, surfaces that were simultaneously transparent and opaque, edges that existed in more than three dimensions.
Had he not been accustomed to such things from his dimensional jaunts, the sight of the being alone might have driven him mad.
As it was, looking at it directly caused a spike of pain behind his eyes, a neurological revolt as his brain tried to process visual information from too many conflicting perspectives at once.
This was not a creature of flesh and bone, but a living equation, an axiom of a hostile mathematics that was actively overwriting the familiar physics of his world.
Worse, it was growing. With each passing moment it spent anchored in material reality, its influence spread. The spiraling trees, the defiant stream, the stillness that violated nature; these were not random acts of chaos. They were symptoms of this being’s expansion, the first steps in terraforming this valley into a landscape that obeyed its own alien logic. If left unchecked, it would eventually create a zone of permanent dimensional instability, a cancerous growth in the flesh of reality that could spread across entire mountain ranges, consuming everything.
The familiar, leaden cloak of cosmic responsibility settled across his shoulders. This was it. The manifestation of every warning, every lesson, every lonely vigil. This was the threat his kind existed to face.
As he prepared to launch his attack, to use his own dimensional abilities to disrupt the entity’s anchor points, a voice echoed in the depths of his consciousness. It was not a thought, but a transmission, carried along the crystalline threads of Thhaaruu’s network.
Maalintryuul, can you hear me? I just saw your material form stabilize. I’m detecting massive spatial distortions, but they’re not random. There’s a pattern. It’s following some kind of geometric template.
Her observation, so calm and analytical, stopped him cold. And not only from the shock of hearing the voice of a non-shadow dragon in his head.
Although he had never known telepathy to cross the shadow species barrier, this shock was of another order entirely.
A pattern?
He forced himself past his initial alarm, pushing his dimensional awareness to study the distortions with greater care.
She was right. The reality-warping wasn’t chaotic. It followed complex mathematical principles he didn’t recognize, creating intricate structures that existed partially in material space and partially in the spaces between planes that of all Earth’s denizens, only shadow dragons could perceive.
It’s not just feeding, he thought, hoping her crystal network could receive his thoughts as well as sending hers as a new wave of horror washed over him. It’s building something.
What kind of something? Thhaaruu’s mental voice sounded sharp, the scientist in her demanding data even in the face of such existential threats.
He focused on the geometric patterns, trying to comprehend their purpose. They were complex, interlocking, and self-reinforcing. They seemed designed to… create pathways. Stable, permanent pathways between dimensions. Not the controlled, temporary transitions that he used, but wide, immutable bridges that would allow unrestricted movement between its home plane and this one.
A gateway, he sent back, the thought a shard of ice in his mind. It’s trying to build a permanent gateway.
The implications were terrifying. One such entity was a catastrophe. But a permanent gateway could allow an unlimited number of them to cross over. It would be devastation not by armies, but by alien physics. A hostile reality bleeding into their own, replacing it piece by piece until nothing of their world remained. It would be the victory The Consumed had attempted, not through direct assault this time but rather through a back door no one had ever thought to consider.
Then we need to stop it before it finishes, Thhaaruu’s thought sliced through his horror with the clean, cold edge of a diamond cutter. What do you need? What’s the plan?
Her offer, so direct and unconditional, still felt alien to him. A contradiction to the solitary nature of his existence. But as he studied the entity and its burgeoning, impossible architecture, he was forced to admit a terrifying truth:
his usual methods were insufficient.
Raw dimensional force, the brutal application of negative energy he typically used to shove minor incursions back into the void, would be like trying to demolish a mountain with the tail of a wyrmling.
This foe was too complex, too sophisticated, and too deeply anchored.
I don’t know, he admitted, and the thought was a confession of failure that burned in his consciousness. It’s too… elegant. My abilities are chaos, disruption. This requires precision.
Instead of the disappointment or criticism he might have expected from a more conventional dragon, Thhaaruu’s response was a cascade of thoughtful analysis. Then let’s approach this systematically. We’ve established that it’s building with a geometric template. All geometry is based on mathematics. All mathematics has rules. And all rules can be broken if you understand them well enough.
A new thread of thought, a possibility he hadn't considered, began to form in his mind. But he didn’t have the analytical brain to follow it to conclusion. How do you propose we do that? he asked.
You can perceive the entity directly from multiple dimensional perspectives, she sent, her mental voice a rapid-fire sequence of logical steps. I can analyze the mathematical relationships in its constructions and look for harmonic frequencies that might disrupt them. You can be my eyes, Maalintryuul. Not just the material, but in every locality where you can discern this thing. Describe the geometry to me. Not just what you see, but what you feel. What you sense. The way the dimensions twist and connect and separate.
The concept was revolutionary.
For his entire adult life, he had been a lone warrior. Now, he was being asked to be a sensor, a scout, a part of a team. He took a deep, shuddering breath, the corrupted air of the valley grating in his lungs, and pushed against centuries of ingrained instinct.
His first thought was to deny. To refuse. How could he do this? He didn’t have the language. Didn’t have the capacity. How could he possibly give her what she was asking for.
No.
This was impossible.
He couldn’t do it.
Yes you can, she interrupted, her mental voice turning patient and gentle. I understand, Maalintryuul. I get that you’ve never had help. You’ve always been alone. Trauma has taught you that you can’t trust anyone. That you can’t work with anyone.
He nodded, but kept his mental voice silent. Her simply understanding these facts about him didn’t help that much.
Even if it did make him feel remarkably seen.
Please, Maalintryuul. Trust me the way I have trusted you. I know it’s hard. I’ve been alone most of my life too. My analytical mind is far too much for the chaos of most crystal dragons. I was ostracized. I was the pariah of my entire clan. So please believe me when I say that I know exactly how you feel. But we have to do this! If we don’t try, then that thing wins. You don’t want to let that thing destroy everything, do you?
Alright, he projected, breathing a deep sigh of resignation as he focused his multi-dimensional senses on the core of the entity’s construction.
He still didn’t believe this could succeed. He wasn’t capable of giving her what she needed in order to help him. But she was right. They had to try.
The central node… it’s not a sphere. It’s a tesseract, constantly shifting, moving, folding and unfolding, phasing in and out of three-dimensional space. But the planes… they intersect at irrational angles. They pulse. There’s a rhythm to it, a sequence. There’s a pattern, I just can’t pin it down.
As he fed her the information, he could feel her crystal network processing the data, her brilliant mind translating his abstract perceptions into concrete, actionable intelligence.
I see it! Her excitement was a palpable thing, a spark of light in the oppressive gloom of the valley. The geometry requires precise harmonic relationships to maintain stability. It’s a house of cards built from impossible math. If we can introduce discordant frequencies at specific nodes in the matrix, we might be able to create a cascading failure that collapses the entire structure.
A flicker of hope, the first he had felt since arriving, ignited within him. Where would I need to strike?
That’s the complicated part. Her voice was incongruously bright and optimistic.
We’ll need to coordinate perfectly. I’ll generate the disruptive frequencies through my crystal network. You’ll need to act as the delivery system, using your dimensional nature to carry those frequencies and deliver them to the precise geometric nodes I designate. It will require a level of cooperation that… well, that I’ve never even imagined attempting before.
He understood, though a part of him wished he didn’t. It was a plan that required absolute trust, a fusion of their disparate abilities into a single, cohesive weapon. He would have to let her mind guide his power, a thought that was both terrifying and exhilarating.
Ready when you are, he sent, gathering his will.
He let his material form dissolve, his consciousness plunging into the roiling chaos of the in-between. The transition was flawless, guided and stabilized by Thhaaruu’s network. From this perspective, the entity’s true form was a symphony of terrifying beauty. A living meta-organism composed of sentient equations, its intelligence expressed through the constant, intricate rewriting of local reality.
As he approached, its defensive structures activated. Not physical projectiles, but targeted distortions of space-time designed to trap him in recursive geometric loops or phase him into null-space where his consciousness would unravel.
The defenses are based on spatial harmonics, Thhaaruu’s voice reached him, clear and steady despite the dimensional chaos. Don’t let its attacks touch you, but focus on the core. I’m sending you the coordinates for the first node.
A thread of pure, crystalline data entered his mind, a three-dimensional targeting solution of elegant simplicity. He moved, dodging a vicious attempt to fold him into a pocket dimension, and positioned himself.
Now!
He struck, not with raw power, but with a focused burst of negative energy precisely modulated to the discordant frequency Thhaaruu supplied. The effect was immediate. A section of the entity’s geometric lattice flickered, wavered, and then shattered like glass. A cascading failure ripped through a portion of its defensive matrix.
For a moment, he felt a surge of triumph.
This could actually work.
But the entity’s response was swift and intelligent.
It adapted.
Instead of rebuilding the broken section, it rebuilt the pathways for its energy, sacrificing a portion of its overall structure to reinforce the core gateway. The tesseract at its core ceased its rhythmic folding and constricted into a new, more aggressive shape. It became a fractalized pyramid of impossible angles, its surface shimmering with a sickly purple light that pulsed with a new, more complex harmonic.
It’s learning, Thhaaruu’s thought was sharp with alarm. It analyzed our attack and altered its base harmonics. Its intelligence… I underestimated it. The frequency I gave you is useless now. It’s reinforcing the gateway, abandoning everything else in a desperate gambit to open the door.
The gateway at the center of the entity pulsed, a gaping maw of non-reality that seemed to drink the very light from the valley. Maalintryuul felt a wave of despair. Their one perfect shot had failed. They had merely provoked it into accelerating its efforts.
How do we stop it?
Thhaaruu paused, a moment of focused, deliberate silence. When her voice returned, it had lost its scientific confidence, replaced by a grim determination laced with a thread of something he’d never heard from her before.
Doubt.
I… I’m not sure the harmonics will hold. The admission was a stark moment of vulnerability.
Any single attack will be analyzed and countered. But… if I can synchronize my entire network with your disruptive abilities… if we can merge our efforts… we might be able to create an interference pattern so complex it can’t adapt in time.
It was a plan born of desperation, a final, all-or-nothing gamble.
It would require more than coordination; it would require a temporary fusion of their consciousness, her analytical mind guiding his raw, chaotic power directly.
It was an act of intimacy and trust that went against every instinct he possessed. Every fiber of his being, every lesson from his sire, screamed that this was the ultimate vulnerability, an opening of his solitary self that could lead to his dissolution.
But the alternative was the void. Not his void, but the absolute, hungry void of utter desolation, pouring through the gateway to unmake everything.
With a supreme effort of will, he mustered his courage and made his choice.
Do it, he sent with a deep shudder at the thought of relinquishing control. Of accepting the formation of a bond he never thought possible.
On my mark, she commanded. This will feel… a little strange.
And then her mind touched his. It was not a thought or a voice, but her entire consciousness, a torrent of pure, crystalline logic and light that flooded his shadowy being. He felt her analyze his own chaotic nature, her intellect mapping the pathways of his power with breathtaking speed. And he, in turn, felt her.
This being of boundless curiosity, yet with a flicker of fear tinging her unwavering resolve. For an instant, he saw himself through her eyes.
Not as a monster or an anomaly, but as a beautiful, powerful, and untapped force of nature. And he recognized her joining his vision of her through his eyes.
A being of pure, brilliant light, undaunted by the darkness. A dragon of nearly limitless potential.
Then, together, they struck.
Contrary to his expectations, it was not his power being guided by her intellect. It was their intellect and their power. A single, unified wave of existence. They channeled every ounce of their being into a focused assault on the gateway’s dimensional foundations, while their combined mental force shaped the raw, negative energy into an infinitely complex interference pattern, a discordant symphony of harmonic-shifting chaos.
The effect was devastating.
The entity’s gateway, moments from achieving self-sustaining stability, convulsed. Its elegant geometry, unable to counter a billion simultaneous, contradictory frequencies, collapsed in on itself. A dimensional implosion ripped through the heart of the valley, a silent, violent snap as material reality reasserted its dominance. The entity, its anchor severed, was pulled back through the wound it had created.
Its final, silent scream echoed not in sound, but in a wave of pure, mathematical negation that washed over them.
And then, silence. The trees un-spiraled. The stream remembered the pull of gravity and flowed downhill once more. The air cleared, losing its oppressive, sanity-bending hum.
Maalintryuul materialized back into the valley, his form solidifying with a shuddering exhaustion that went deeper than muscle or bone.
But alongside the exhaustion was a profound, quiet satisfaction.
They had done it. Somehow, they had actually won.
That… was incredible, Thhaaruu’s voice whispered in his mind, no longer a transmission, but a gentle echo of their recent connection. The synergy… I never imagined…
As he flew back toward her mountain laboratory, his wings heavy but steady, Maalintryuul reflected on how everything in his life had changed, almost in an instant.
The weight of his cosmic responsibility was still there, of course. It would always be there. But for the first time, it did not feel like a burden that would inevitably crush him. He had faced the void not as a solitary shadow, but as part of a cohesive whole. He had learned that his nature was not a curse to be hidden, but a strength to be understood.
But it was more than that. As he flew, he could feel a new, permanent change within himself. A faint, crystalline resonance that now hummed in the quiet spaces of his own consciousness. It was the echo of Thhaaruu’s mind, a trace of her light left behind in his darkness. He was no longer completely, utterly alone, even within his own thoughts. The discovery was startling, terrifying, and in a way he was only just beginning to understand, profoundly comforting.
The weight of shadows was still his to bear, but he was no longer a shadow alone.
And for the first time, it felt like enough.