Exorcism of the Hollow: Like a Shadow: Chapter 1 – Limitless Power in a Nobody’s Hands

Chapter 1 – Limitless Power in a Nobody’s Hands

While working on the farm, what seems to be a young brother and sister approach me. They’re dirty and skinny, and their clothes are nothing but ripped rags.

“Could you please give us a few pieces of fruit?” the brother asks.

Without thinking about it much, I take a bunch of fruits from the trees, put them in a sack, and give them to the siblings.

“Now, head off before you’re caught,” I tell them.

They smile at me and run away as fast as they can. Before I know it, my boss approaches me with a scowl on her face.

“I was watching you give those two fruit from a distance. You know you’re not supposed to give out food for free,” she says.

“I know, but they were poor and starving,” I say.

“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t have given anything to them. The stuff grown on this farm is worth a fortune to those in the inner city and I intend to make every piece of gold that I can with it, especially with the stiff competition during this dry season. If you run over and bring back that fruit, I’ll cut your pay in half for the day, but you’ll get to keep your job.”

“No.”

“What? You’re not even going to think about it for a second?”

“No, I’m not.”

“Then get out of my sight before I have my guards kill you. It’s no wonder why people call you Ruin.”

I run away and sit down in a secluded alley. It’s a good thing that she didn’t check my pockets since I already took part of my pay. I eat apple after apple until I notice the poor in the alley with me. Feeling guilty, I give them everything else I have in my pockets before walking away. Now I have to find another job before going hungry again. Heading to my favorite place outside of the city, I take in the view as I think of what to do next.

Under the shade of a tree, I look at the majesty of this city where heroes and legends reside. The castles seem to reach past the clouds and look like they’re designed by angels. This sight never gets old and allows me to reset my mind every time. It’s also a personal place for me to pray to God. In the city, various gods are accepted besides mine. From here, I can even see the many statues and churches they’ve built for their gods, but nothing for my God. Other versions of Him are worshipped, but all of them are perversions. The only other people that I know that worship the same God were either forcefully converted or are building some kind of boat that they say is for a flood.

“Mar,” I hear a familiar voice say.

“Yes, my God,” I say as I pick myself up and get on both knees while not daring to look into the eyes of God.

“It is time for you to do more than odd jobs around the city just to survive. I have a new purpose for you.”

In an instant, I feel a surge of power enter into me. My dirty rags turn into a long black coat, pants, and boots and a mask covers my face. Fire then bursts from one of my hands while my other hand has metal spikes coming out of it all of which I don’t feel at all as if they were natural to my body.

“Woah! What is all this?”

“A blessing of power I have bestowed upon you so that you may accomplish My will.” Finally! A reward that legends get because of my years of service and good deeds. “That power of yours is subject to My will and changes accordingly.”

“As all things do, my God. What do you wish me to do?”

“To be a conduit of My will. First, I will have you go into the city to bring certain so-called heroes to justice. I will allow you the choice in terms of approach. Do you want to fly or should I bring you there in an instant?”

“Since it’s my choice, I choose to fly!”

“So be it.”

Before I can prepare myself, I am instantly thrown into the air. Despite not having any control over where I’m going, this still feels exhilarating and amazing at the same time. I fly through the city and spin myself in midair as I have the time of my life. Somehow, no one seems to notice me despite how close I am to the biggest buildings and how I stick out. My flight ends at the gates of the uppermost building at the top of the city. Guarding the gates is a single man, a legend, Uthman the Unyielding.

Uthman spent his entire life training his body in training and battle and spirit in long nights dedicated to his god. His training has allowed him to conquer many in battle and to defend every place he’s been hired to defend. It is well known that no one has been able to get passed him no matter how much political or physical power they wield. He is wielding two large hammers and is clothed in silver armor that shines in the sun. Just like everyone else, he doesn’t take note of me until I approach him.

“Small shadow man with hands of steel and flame, you are not expected to be here. Leave,” Uthman says as he glares down at me.

As I stumble backward at the surprise of Uthman seeing me, I hear my God say from behind me, “Do not back down. I will help you defeat him.”

“What? How?” I ask.

“Trust in Me.”

“Oh. Just like always then.”

My next movements are not my own as I let my God take control. The arm that I have that's on fire thrusts forward in Uthman’s direction before he burns to death from inside his armor. Everyone around the gates sees this and wonders how this could’ve happened despite me being here.

“Do people not see me?” I wonder out loud.

“No, they don’t. You’re an Ombra, a shadow. You walk in the spiritual realm,” my God says.

Oh, I see now why Uthman was able to see me and others couldn’t. Heroes like him are gifted with the ability to see both realms.

“Okay, now what?” I ask before I am flown inside the palace temple.

Inside the palace, I stand before another hero of legend who sits in silent adoration of her goddess with her defender. Zyaire is the defender who is said to have suffered the blows from many weapons to protect his wife and somehow lived. His wife, Ysolda, is known to calm the hearts and minds of many with only the words that she’s learned from her goddess. Ysolda’s words are how she managed to tame the bestial heart of her husband and sway him to become the city and her goddess’ defender. Seeing me, Zyaire stands up, puts on his golden helmet that still has cuts and bits broken off it, picks up his spear and shield, and stands in front of his wife like an imposing wall. I know that I’m supposed to allow God to act through me so I don’t do anything as my arms and legs move on their own as they ready themselves to fight.

Ysolda stops her adoration, stands up, and steps in front of her defender. She hardly has the chance to open her eyes as my one arm jolts forward with lightning flowing through it and now into Ysolda and blows her up. Both Zyarie and I are at a loss for words for a few moments that feel longer than they should have. He then yells out in anger before dropping his spear and shield and charging at me with his hands reaching out to me. My body sidesteps his charge, grabs his arms, and blows it up before my hand which has metal spikes jutting out of it touches his chest and blows that up as well.

The people from the outside are now in and are appalled to see their two heroes reduced to nothing more than bone, flesh, and pools of blood. Now, of all times, my appearance changes back to what it once was and everyone notices me.

Thinking on my feet, I say, “I defeated Uthman, Zyarie, and Ysolda! The gifts given to them by their god were no match for the gift given to me by mine.”

This situation reminds me of the stories where one hero would overcome another figurehead and be praised as the best of them all and their god would be worshipped instead of the other, but that doesn’t happen. Instead, insults are hurled at me before the chairs in the palace are thrown at me. My mask and black outfit return and the things thrown at me go through me as I disappear in the eyes of the crowd. I am then flown out of the city and put back under the tree where I was.

“If I may ask, what was the point of that?” I ask while not expecting an answer.

“You’ll see. I know what you were expecting to happen, but that was never going to happen. These people are stuck to their gods of gold, stone, and worldly pleasures. More will have to be done for their dead hearts to be converted,” my God says.

“I get it.”

Still, I expected some kind of reward not just from the events of today, but from everything I’ve done in my life. Despite how nice these powers are, they’re a bit bittersweet to have since I don’t have much control over them. Speaking of which, one of my arms moves on its own and touches the nearby tree to make apples, oranges, strawberries, and fruits of all kinds sprout and fall from it. Now that’s what I’m talking about!