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Xeros let out a sigh. He spread his wings out, and held up his lantern. "I see nothing in here." He looked around from one end to the next, having a sense of frustration. "Are you happy? I looked. Now let me go." He awaited a response, yet received none. He sighed and rolled his head. "Fine. More proof." He shined the lantern in every spot of the room. "See? Absolutely nothing. Now let me go for the night at least."

A voice let out a grumbling sigh. "Fine. Just the night. But you can count on my return by daybreak." Something emerged from Xeros's shadow, then swiftly whipped away into the night. "Good night Xeros!" The being laughed demonically, then soon became too far away to see.

"Why Kage? What is the reason you wish to make me find this for you? The amulet is gone. It was destroyed thousands of years ago in order to keep the Ketetsu hidden," Xeros said. "They're gone. Either that, or it is impossible to find them. I understand your eagerness to escape your curse, but there is no way to contact them. I wish you would give up. It would save the both of us..." He walked out of the cave and through the bitter snow, relying on only his lantern to guide his way through the night.

Xeros is a man who is tall, skinny, wears blue and black robes, silver armored boots, has very long black hair with many thin strands, silver horns, and large black and silver feathery wings. Long ago, he was cursed so that anything meant to be good in his life would go wrong. And any happy thoughts he had would within seconds of thinking of that happy thing make something tragic happen to it such as making it catch on fire. Shortly after his curse, a shadow named Kage came by and forced him to help find something to help break his curse. Shadows are the souls of people who lost sight of who they were once they died, and they are forced to stay on their planet until they can find who they were once more. It is considered a curse.

Thousands of years ago, a mysterious group of people called the Ketetsu existed. They were so well hidden that if you were not one of them, you would never know where they were. There was an amulet that was hidden within a nearly impossible to find place, and if any outsider found it, they could enter, and they would get whatever they need most no matter how impossible it seemed. But one day, when the amulet was placed down and someone found it, they supposedly destroyed it. To this day, many search for it in hopes they can reach the Ketetsu and have their help to make their lives better. Kage wishes to find it, but he claims he cannot do it without Xeros's help, so he forces him to search endlessly for it. And if Xeros attempts to give up, Kage hurts him until he agrees to go on.

Xeros trudged through the snow and back to a nearby town. The light in his lantern was dying out, and the air bit at what skin on him was shown. He pulled out a tattered blue scarf and wrapped it tightly around his face. He worked his way over to the inn, and at last, he opened up the door to walk inside.

A fire blazed in the fireplace in the inn. It felt welcoming, and it made Xeros smile. He blew out his lantern and walked up to the innkeeper. "One room please," he said. The innkeeper went below the desk and pulled out a key, then placed it on the counter. Xeros pulled out some money and placed it on the counter, then grabbed the key and walked upstairs to the room labeled on the key.

"I'm so cold. I need sleep..." Xeros said. He placed the key in the keyhole, his hands trembling from the freezing air, and opened the door. He shut it and locked it behind him, then went up to his bed. He pulled back the covers and flopped down, letting his whole body lay limp. "I don't know how much longer I can keep up with this..." He pulled up the covers and rolled onto his side, then huddled up to keep himself warm. "Why Kage? Why did you have to choose me? And only a day after I was cursed?! Why?! Why did you have to do this?!" He began screaming. "Dangit why?!" He slammed his fists against the bed and sniffled. Tears ran down his face. "Why Kage?! You're heartless! You're so heartless to force me to do something I have no interest in doing so shortly after what I went through?! Why?!" He slammed his fists on the bed again, and tucked them underneath his body when he was done. "Why dangit? Why?" He was quiet as he asked for the last few times.

That night, Xeros fell asleep asking "why" endlessly. By the time he fully fell asleep, his pillow was soaked. The moonlight that shined through the window made things at least slightly more relaxing.

When Xeros awoke in the morning, he heard someone speaking.

"I hear you're awake Xeros. I think it's that time again. What about you? Shall we go?" someone asked. Xeros looked over to his shadow and saw Kage hiding in it. "Well, do you think we should get going?"

A cold feeling ran up Xeros's spine. He never dared to defy Kage as he knew if he did, Kage would hurt him. He gulped, then responded, "Yes. We should get going." Kage smirked.

"Great! The sooner the better!" Kage said as he hid himself completely within his shadow. "We have no time to lose! But you should eat something so you can go for the next two days. I gained more information on where the amulet might be, and it will take three days minimum to get there. I'm sure that this is where it is this time!" He smiled.

Xeros sighed. "Can I rest for a day. You said you were sure it was in the cave this time, yet it wasn't. So I think I just need to rest for a day." Suddenly, dark energy wrapped around Xeros, binding him tightly. He screamed and howled in pain. He couldn't breathe. "L..... le........... let go of me!"

"If you agree to go today and go on for the next two days straight, then I will let you go," Kage said. "We need to find this thing... and soon."

Xeros managed to open up his one eye and forced out of himself an agreement. He fell to the ground with a limp body. Kage stretched up out of his shadow and sighed. Xeros grunted. "You're so heartless..." He breathed heavily, attempting to go back to a normal pace.

"Oh. Is that so?" Kage asked. "Well maybe I can just cause you more pain then!"

"N... no! Please don't. Anything but that..." Xeros said. Each word was quieter than the last since he realized he was doing exactly what Kage had wanted out of him.

"Good. Now go eat. I'll be hiding."

Xeros walked down the stairs and up to the eating area. He sat at a table alone, unlike all of the other people who were there. Everyone else was with at least one other person and socialized with them or just sat together silently. "I wish I had someone to be with..." he said softly.

"I'm sorry. What was that?" someone asked. Xeros gasped and turned around to see a waitress. She looked ready to take his order.

"O.... oh..... oh. Sorry. That was nothing. I'm just thinking out loud to myself," Xeros hesitantly responded. The waitress nodded. "I'll just have some bread please." The waitress walked away.

Time passed, and the bread finally reached Xeros. He paid her, then quickly began eating. I have hope this will be the end of our journey. It has been several years after all... Maybe it will be....... Just maybe. He continued to eat. But I wonder what Kage plans to do when his life is back in place. Will he go on or will he stay there, just as a real person once more?

"Hurry!" Kage urged. Xeros quickened his eating. "Today marks day one, tomorrow day two, and the day after will be the day we may just find this thing!"

Kage forced Xeros to continue as quickly as possible. Once he was done, he was rushed out the door and forced to once again walk through the ice and snow in the middle of a blizzard. The air was still bitter cold and harsh winds would not stop blowing. It made everything no easier.

"Which way?" Xeros asked when he reached a split in the road. He saw a shadowy hand come from the left side of his shadow and point to the left side of the road. Xeros nodded and waited for Kage's hand to retreat, then walked on down the left road. The snow was thicker and the air was harsher down there, and it obviously did not take lightly to those who attempted to pass through it.

"Just up that mountain and you're good for today. It should only take you until around this time tomorrow morning," Kage said. "I suggest you hurry if you wish to rest more tomorrow night. You may not even make it there if you continue at this speed."

"Shut up. I'll make it up there in time," Xeros said. He was getting angry. He forced himself to suppress his emotions so Kage wouldn't injure him and make him feel horrible.

Xeros knew it was a risk, but he jumped up and spread his wings, then began flying. He flew quickly so he could avoid his wings getting frozen. The harsh snow coming down blocked his view and made it difficult to maneuver. I'm going to have to speed things up. If I don't then I'm never going to get to the top. He flew even faster.

"Eager to get there I see?" Kage asked as he popped up from a shadow underneath Xeros. "Nothing wrong with that! Like I said, the quicker the better. If you get there early then you'll have tons of time to relax. But I doubt you'll get any."

Xeros rolled his eyes. "I'll make it to there," he said. He continued to fly until he reached the tip of the mountain.

By the time Xeros reached the top, he collapsed on the ground, limp and panting. "I'm half way there," he said while breathing heavily. "Can I please take a rest for just two minutes?" The darkness within seconds bound him tightly and lifted him up into the air. Xeros screamed, and he looked at Kage emerged again.

"You're weak! Do you honestly think you can stop for two seconds when there is a chance someone else out there will take that amulet?! Do you?! Answer me dangit!" Kage urged. His eyes were angry and full of the deepest rage imaginable.

"I....... I a............. I am not...................... weak....." Xeros managed to get out. "I am just........... tired......." He was let go of and fell down onto the ground, his face in the snow. He was on his hands and knees, panting. "S... stop that!"

"The need to rest is a hindrance for you humans," Kage said. He pushed Xeros up onto his feet. "Come on and get going. You'll need the rest for the third day, so if you can get there quicker, you will have more of a chance to rest."

"Just remember that you used to be human once as well," Xeros said.

"I remember nothing of that. No shadows do, and therefore, we have no idea that it is true," Kage said. He pushed Xeros forward.

"Get back down and I can get going!" Xeros said. Kage sighed and hid himself in Xeros's shadow again. "Good. Now I'll get going." He looked up at the moon that was setting in the sky. It was very slowly lowering, and the sun was about to come up. Another twenty four hours without sleep. I have a feeling I will never get a full day to rest... He jumped up, spread out his wings, and began flying.

The way down the mountain was much easier, especially because the blizzard had let up. It was much more dangerous though as there were multiple avalanches that occurred and narrowly missed engulfing Xeros. He continued flying without hesitation though, and eventually, he reached the bottom.

"Finally!" Xeros said. He looked up at the sky, and the sun was setting and the moon was rising. The air was still cool, but it was warmer than it had been. I just hope that I can sleep until tomorrow morning without waking up once... He looked ahead at the town full of people. He smiled.

"Hurry! You will need your energy for tomorrow because the amulet is very hard to pull from the place it resides!" Kage urged as he pushed Xeros even more. The wind almost got knocked out of him as he had almost no breath left. "Hmph. You're weaker than weak if you cannot take the pain of flying up and down a mountain."

"Shut up! You have no idea how hard it is to do that without that much...." He was suddenly cut off as it was made completely impossible to breathe from the tight grip Kage now held on him. Xeros was motionless, unbreathing, and almost all feeling drained from his body.

"I know what is best! We only have so much time until yet another finds the amulet, and I need this thing and fast! You just think you need lots of sleep, but when you finally see how much energy is required to pull that amulet from the place it resides, you will think back to this day and realize it is nothing! Now get going weakling! I will be back tomorrow morning!" Kage raged. He slammed Xeros into the snow and darted away.

Xeros was in the snow, weak and unbreathing once more. He couldn't feel anything. He fell face-down in the snow, and he couldn't move at all. Out of nowhere, everything went black, and all feeling left his body.

Xeros slowly opened his eyes. He sat up and groaned. "W.... where am I?" He felt tired and weak, but spent his energy looking out the window only to see the moon was high in the sky. It was late into the night. He figured it was about eleven or so.

"Hey. You're up," someone said. Xeros turned around to see who it was and found a person who was short, skinny, had short blond hair, bright green eyes and glasses, wore a torn red shirt and brown pants with fur on the inside. "I saw you laying in the snow, but you seemed to have no injuries. I brought you here just in case." He seemed kind.

Xeros sat up. "Thank you. I'm not injured, I'm just terribly out of energy. I was flying through a blizzard for two days straight and I couldn't stop..... for reasons I would rather not explain." The boy nodded.

"Then just stay here for the night. It's fine. There's an inn upstairs, and you can stay for free even!" the boy said.

"Wow! Thank you. That's ver....." Xeros paused. "I mean... Ok. I'll stay. Thank you..." He sounded as plain as he possibly could when correcting himself. He turned away from the boy, and the boy gave him a strange look.

"O...... k. Well just stay in room 221B. It's empty," the boy said. Xeros nodded.

As tired as he was, Xeros managed to make it up the steps to the room he had to stay in. The flopped onto the bed, quickly placed the covers over himself, curled up, and closed his eyes. "I need to get as much sleep as I can. I'm going to need it. Tomorrow I'm going to see if that dang amulet is where Kage thinks it is... I'd better get to bed." He stopped any further thoughts and slowly drifted off into a peaceful and deep slumber.

Sunlight broke through the curtains and hit Xeros's eyes. He groaned and rubbed his eyes, then sat up. "Morning already?"

"Yep! Time to get going!" someone said. Kage was leaning up against the wall with a smirk on his face, and his eyes looked bright and happy. Xeros suddenly felt a huge rage growing inside of him. He stood up and stomped in front of him.

"You nearly killed me back there!" Xeros yelled.

"No. You just were weak and ran out of energy. But no matter what, today that'll end since I know this is the place," Kage replied cockily.

"Shut up!" Xeros screamed. "I know what you did, and I ended up laying on the ground nearly dead because of that! It's all your fault Kage, and you know it too! Don't try to hide it because it's pointless when the truth is so clear that it's clear as a mirror reflecting it right in your face!"

Kage remained silent. His eyes were wide and his mouth was like a drawbridge that was just opened. Both of them were silent for a long time, just staring at each other. Kage soon wiped the look off his face and hid in Xeros's shadow. "Let's just get going... I would prefer if we didn't wait..." His voice was soft. Soft in a sad sense.

Xeros walked in the thick snow that went past his knees. He and Kage spoke not a word as they walked. The only words spoken were Kage's responses on where to go. Neither of them looked at each other at all as they walked. Eventually, Xeros reached a large cave that must have been thirty feet tall and many miles in length.

"Just keep going straight and it should be at the end of the cave. To get there quickest, I suggest you fly," Kage said.

"And you promise to leave me after I find this for you?" Xeros asked to clarify.

"Yes. I promise," Kage replied. Xeros nodded, jumped up, and quickly began flying down the cave.

The cave seemed endless, and there was no light to guide their way. Xeros just continuously flew, hoping he would reach the end at come point. He spent over an hour flying through it, and he was barely out of energy. He liked it since he knew it would be difficult to pull out the amulet if it really was there. The cave was too dark for anyone to see though, so it would be nearly impossible to locate it.

"Xeros! Down there!!! I see a light!!!!!" Kage yelled in happiness. The brightest smile came across his face. Xeros gasped, and his eyes widened in shock. "Land now!" Xeros landed.

Xeros looked around, and Kage separated from him. They walked forward toward the golden glow, and both of them stood in complete silence, unable to move a muscle. A gold necklace with a large pendant that had a blue stone in the center that was surrounded by a gold rim with ancient writing was laying down in a stone.

"The amulet!!!!!!!!!!" Kage yelled. He jumped up and down with a huge smile on his face and was so beyond overjoyed that he felt nothing but his happiness. He practically bounced off the walls since he couldn't contain himself! It was there after so many years of searching!

"It's....... real.............." Xeros said. He walked over to the rock and looked at the amulet. "I can't believe it..... It's real!" He tried to touch it, but the moment he did, a shock came to his fingers and he jumped back, clutching his fingers since they hurt so much. "How will I pull it out?"

"Just pull it out. It will shock you at first, but then it will just consume lots of your energy as you pull it out. It will stop consuming it when you pull it out, so pull it out as quickly as possible," Kage said.

Xeros was iffy about everything, but he sighed and held his hand out in front of him. He leaned down and clutched the amulet. A series of powerful shocks pumped through his body, and he screamed.

"Calm down!! You can pull it out!!" Kage encouraged.

Xeros continued to try. The shocks stopped, but then he felt massive amounts of energy being ripped from his body. He gasped, but yanked the amulet as hard as he could. His legs went limp, and he collapsed to his knees. He continued to pull. He loosened it from the rock.

"Yes!! You can do it Xeros!!! Just a little bit more!!!" Kage yelled. His heart began to race at the speed of light, and his body was full of even more joy.

Xeros became determined. He pulled harder, but then everything from his stomach down became limp, and his arms became very tired. He leaned the amulet up most of the way, and his eyes widened in shock. Suddenly, his neck became limp, and his arms had nearly no energy left. He could barely hold onto the amulet.

"You almost have it Xeros! You can do it!!!" Kage yelled.

Xeros grasped the amulet as tightly as he could, and with whatever energy he had left, he ripped it out of the stone and fell onto the floor of the cave, the amulet laying in his hand. He breathed heavily, and his whole body felt so tired that he couldn't move anything at all.

"Relax now. You did it. You found the amulet, and you pulled it out," Kage said. He was smiling and he sounded happier than ever. He held out his hand for Xeros to grab on. Xeros weakly lifted up his hand and grabbed Kage's, and Kage tried to pull him up.

"I don't think I can....." Xeros fell limp, ready to pass out, and Kage caught him to make sure he wouldn't hit the ground.

"It's ok Xeros. Don't worry about it. Can you at least sit up?" He tried to place Xeros against the wall, but he fell down, and Kage grabbed him again. He placed him in his lap and held up his head. "Are you ok now? Is any of your energy coming back?"

Xeros sighed. "I wish..." he said in a whisper. He could barely do anything, but he felt his energy coming back to him. "When are you..... going?" He was smiling.

"When am I going?" Kage asked. "I wasn't planning on going." Xeros gasped. He watched as Kage opened his palm and placed the amulet in it. "You're going."

Xeros's mouth dropped open. "W...... what do you mean?"

"This whole time I've been doing this because I wanted you to go and break your curse," Kage said. Xeros gasped.

"But what about your curse?"

"That's not one that can be fixed. Not unless I do it. Nobody but yourself can find who you truly are. Your curse is just the most dreaded one. Not being able to feel happiness or loving anyone is just dread. If you go, they can break your cruse. You can be happy again. And I'll be happy for you."

Xeros flipped over and with whatever energy he had left in him, he threw his arms around him, hugging him. "But I've been going all this way for you."

"No. You've been going all this way for yourself. Now go. Go find the Ketetsu and rid yourself of that curse. I'll be fine. I'm now going to try to find a way to break mine once and for all. I just couldn't stand to see you give up all those times, and it always sickened me when I saw you give in."

"Kage, I regret everything I've ever said about you. I was completely wrong. I'm going to miss you so much. Maybe.... maybe you can join me someday," Xeros said.

"Maybe. 'The one who finds the amulet is the one to hide the amulet.' Maybe I can find it, and then I can join you and we'll be together again," Kage said. Xeros nodded. "But promise me one thing, ok? You have to make it a challenge for me to find it for one thing. And secondly... will you still recognize me when I'm not like this anymore?"

Tears of happiness ran down Xeros's face. "Of course I will. I'll do what you ask, and I'll be ready for the day when you come. I don't care if I wait ten days, ten months, or ten thousand years! I'll be waiting for you, ok?"

Kage cried. He hugged Xeros back. "Ok. The moment you hide that thing, I'll be sure to begin my search. Now go. You'll be free once and for all. Good luck Xeros." He moved back.

Xeros clutched the amulet tightly in his palm and sat up. He placed it against his heart, and he began to glow. He looked up at Kage, smiling. "See you soon Kage."

"See you soon Xeros." Kage waved as Xeros faded away, and soon enough, he disappeared completely. "I'll be seeing you soon." He smiled.

Xeros lived from that day on in the society of the Ketetsu and had an eternal life given to him. He hid the amulet in a place that was important to him, and that Kage would be able to find, but only if he thought to the most important moment of his life. Kage did find out who he truly was, and he searched endlessly for the amulet. He eventually thought of an important place to be, and went to the place he first met Xeros. In a large rock, a gold amulet was placed. He pulled it out, and with almost no energy left, he placed the amulet against his heart, and he began to glow and fade. When he opened his eyes next, he looked up at a man who wore blue and black robes, silver armored shoes, had long black hair with many thin strands, silver horns, and black and silver feathery wings.

"Long time no see Kage," Xeros said. He bent down, and both he and Kage hugged, crying tears of happiness. They never left each other again after that moment.
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Update: AAAHHH! I forgot to give credit to the drawing that inspired me to make this! I'm so sorry!!! >_< When darkness comes III ~ Details mosaic Once again, sorry for not giving you credit.