The shadows of the town writhed and squirmed, something alive was moving through them. No matter how much the sentient life of the universe grows and learns, there will always be the unexplained. It has reached a point where they started making their own mysteries. The Shadows That Watched was just another one of those manmade enigmas. 

It was attracted to the fascinating and the new. What was happening on this world at the edge of the frontier was going to change the course of history for humans. It was once a human too, so it looked keenly upon the going ons of this tiny rock.

A story during lunch

An underground laboratory filled with secrets, both physical and metaphysical shadows. The Watcher thought it would feel at home here, but it was instead strange. It was nothing like the secret cults of yore nor like the palaces filled with fake smiles and foul deceit. It was more like a boring office building where the everyday dredge weighed on your soul.

What puzzled it was that despite being a secret organization hidden from even the highest levels of the government with its headquarters deep underground, it still followed government regulations in regard to worker health and safety. The employees had a break room and more importantly, a water cooler to gossip around. The watcher loved gossip and so it snuggled into a quiet corner and waited.

After the immediate crisis was over, the higher-ups instituted a break rotation to increase the amount of rest everyone got during and after the all-hands-on-deck scenario. Two senior scientists were down the hall from the lounge having a not-so-lively discussion.

“I feel so bad for V. His situation keeps degrading.

L4892 was a young and brilliant scientist. A human in his mid-20s, his height was average and his hair dark. He looked nothing like a prodigy that others relied on. His only shortcoming during this project was his tendency to be overly empathetic with the subjects. 

“He’s still alive, ain’t he? What are you so worried about?”

D5820 was brought onto the project for her aged experience and involvement with the Recompense War some decades past. Despite being the exact opposite of the young man, the two were frequently seen together.

“How can you be so dismissive? He’s fighting for his life and for ours too.”

“It’s proof that the system can’t be controlled. Why even support this project anymore? It’s just going to get us all killed.”

“I’d rather be killed fighting than die laying down.”

The war that killed their planet left behind dormant calamities. The supposedly-accidental awakening of some of those weapons is what caused the Recompense War. D5820’s children were killed by those weapons, magic weapons made using the system. L4892 was born after the war and didn’t share his senior's fear of the system.

“You kids just don’t understand how profane it really is to manipulate the system. The consequences are always far worse than you can imagine.”

“Then why did you sign up?”

“I’m just a soldier looking for a place to die. When the planet finally dies, my kids will go with it.

L4892’s face scrunched up into a grimace. Followers of the Founder’s teachings weren’t particularly fond of other religions that don’t have proof of their god, but they held particular contempt for the Cult of Oblivion that holds everyone, including the Founder return to the soil and join together.

From there, their conversation devolved into an argument about which human faith was the correct one, as it almost always does. No one knows why the two are such close friends, but it is certain they make a good team on the project, so everyone else just stays out of it.

The Watcher prowled the building’s many floors and corridors, learning all it could. The Old War had devastated their world and the Recompense War tried to fix it with violence. Now the mortals were trying yet again to save themselves. It studied the people working on the project. Everyone had their own reasons for joining the project, most were after a new home, but no matter the reason, they were in this together, fighting for survival.

Instead of violence, their goal was to unite the world for a brighter future. But, that did not mean the road there would be any less dark.

A story off the streets

The Shadows That Watched had grown bored of the banal chatter of the scientists and left for the sunny city streets draped in shadows. Surely it will find that insignificant moment that changes history. Those were the moments it craved most. The unrecorded that no one knows the importance of.

The greatest city in the world, Titan once was a bustling cacophony of smiles. The capital with its millennia of history has stood stalwart against every tragedy the world has faced. Every wave of refugees expanded the city with new markets and opportunities, supported by the progressive food technologies of the planet.

This time, the great defender can’t protect her people from the crumbling world. The mega city is ghostly with only half its population. Those that remain struggle every day to survive. Kids no longer play in the streets. Instead they either steal to survive or work to put food on the table.

“That’s way too much for bread! Sell it for this much.” 

“I ain’t lowerin' it lil' lady. Either ya got the creds or you don’t get the bread.”

“Oh, come on. No one has that much.”

An increasingly common occurrence on the streets these days. A kid is spending her entire day haggling over the price of food. It’s not like she’s an orphan or destitute. This is just a part of how the world is crumbling. Food shortages have driven prices ever higher and even well-off families have to send their kids to do this all day long.

The city known for its prosperity was a far darker image than the secret organization underground. Those working to save the world, didn’t have to feel the pains of hunger. Perhaps that dichotomy was the darkness that the shadows craved.

The young lady left without any bread but she did get the attention of a small woman in a frilly pink dress. The older girl followed the poor girl for someways. She was, of course, not a skilled spy, a very obvious tail. The child ducked into an alley and hid. When the older girl followed, the younger one jumped out and confronted her.

“Why are you following me‽”

“Cuz you’re cute, and because it looked like you were hungry.”

The younger girl felt weird that someone was following her because she was “cute”. There have been more kidnappings recently. Even though this woman didn’t look like a criminal, her instincts were telling her to be careful.

“If you wanted to buy me lunch then why follow me?”

“What a silly question. I’ve never been to this part of town before and was curious, so you’re my guide.”

“Guide?” What a strange reason, if she wanted a guide, then hire one! Her instincts were no longer telling her the older girl was dangerous, but something kept yelling at her that being near this girl would get her in big trouble.

“Yeah. So how many people are in your family?’ The older girl either ignored the younger one’s confusion or just didn’t notice how weird she was being.

“It’s my mom and me, and my two younger brothers.” Her father had died during a recent rebellion. Her family had plenty of money before everything went wrong and her father’s pension was good too, but the food prices kept rising and soon it was almost gone.

“Will four million be enough?” The older girl pulled out her phone. Was she intending to transfer that much with mobile banking!? What kind of bank even does that? Who was this girl?

The younger girl was left speechless. She didn’t even consider the older girl was lying, it was all just too weird and she was just too confident, too self-assured to be trying to trick the kid.

“N-no. We couldn’t take that much.” Once again, her instincts told her something was wrong. She desperately wanted that money. It might soon be worthless, but for a few days, they could eat their fill. The only problem was, she was certain something bad would happen if she took it.

“It’s fine, really. My family already maxed out our local-to-federal credit transfer limit. It would just all go to waste.” She was incessantly carefree as if nothing was wrong.

All of a sudden, the worry and confusion swirling in her head vanished, replaced with anger. Her father had always told her she was smart and enrolled her in a nice school they couldn’t really afford. So when her mother explained why they couldn’t buy food despite all their money, she could understand. This girl was the reason her money was worthless. If she kept throwing that much around like nothing, then it really was nothing.

“NOO! It’s all your fault. Because people like you are so reckless, my brothers are starving.”

The older girl changed completely. She was no longer smiling, instead, she was serious and had a scary look in her eyes.

“You’re far smarter than I thought. I figured you would just be a street kid I could use, but I was wrong. You’re much more valuable.”

“Wh-what?”

“How about this. I’ll hire you for a fair and honest wage. Real food. Does that sound better?”

This girl. Everything she says and does is confusing. The younger girl’s mind started to go numb from all the swirling emotions.

“Hire me… for what?”

“It’s simple. I need information, so you’ll be my guide and protect me on these dangerous streets.”

“Honestly, I don’t like you. Even if it’s for food, how can I trust you?”

“I’ll bring the food to your house, then you can be my guide. How about that?”

The girl’s family would be fed before she even had to do any work. Even if something bad happened later, if she did nothing now, they would starve.

“Ok. I’ll do it, but I need to know what you’re looking for.”

The older girl paused for a moment. Considering just how much to disclose. The younger girl could be very useful for more than just the current mission. Being honest would be the smart option.

“I’m looking for someone very close to me. It was years ago, but he used to play here. Help me find his base and then him, and you’ll family will never be hungry again.”

A search for someone that disappeared years ago. Normally that would be impossible, but there are some old folk that kept a nose to the ground for centuries. What’s a quest at the end of the world if not an impossible one to save her family?

“I’ll do it.”

The shadows were ecstatic. These two girls were so strange. It had seen their like before, but not often, and never together. They were gonna do something reckless and the shadows loved it. It kept flowing the girls for nearly a month before the unthinkable happened.

The two girls had struck a deal with a third party. The older one achieved her goal of finding that certain someone while the younger girl’s family was fed and well taken care of until the world’s end. The only cost was their lives.

The shadow couldn’t help but laugh. When was the last time it did so, it couldn’t remember. Something about this planet makes people crazy.