The Dark

I clutched my suitcase tightly. Everything I owned was in my hands. Or rather, everything I wanted them to know I owned. My other possessions were long gone. Ever since the attack on my village, I had been running, both from the mechs and from the government's special "research gathering and civilian enforcement" squads, or as we magicians call them, "hunters". I can only be thankful it wasn't them that slaughtered everyone I knew. Now I'm truly on my own.  I'm one of the last shadow wielders and only person in known history (at least to my knowledge) that showed affinity to two separate classes of magic. I sat in the outdoor waiting area for the local transit station, having entered with a ticket the young man with the suit had foolishly kept in his hand. I never wanted to be a thief. None of us ever did. I would almost feel bad, if I didn't know he was part of their society. He deserved what he got. The night sky was cloudy, keeping the area slightly dark and very cold. I opened my suitcase hesitantly. Inside laid my two other sets of clothes, a few small books of magic, and my prized knives. The latter two would be especially useful and I knew it. Owning a book of magic was dangerous, and they fetched a high price on the black market. But only after I memorized their contents cover to cover. I tried to stay inconspicuous in the back corner, closing my suitcase silently and attempting to look busy with a string on my shirt. 

"Hey kid!" I looked up, and noticed two hunters approaching me.

"C-can I help you?" I squeaked, attempting to look scared. They usually leave you alone sooner that way.

"Well... I'm afraid we're in need of some extra funding." the first said. "And you can help. We'll just be taking your suitcase, and taking what we need, then returning the rest."

A robbery. Just what I needed. First day attempting to start anew in a civilized area and already getting mugged by the government. "I... This is all I have... Please sirs..."

They grabbed my suitcase, tearing it open. I smiled. The perks of the great outdoors... "You can drop everything right now." I said darkly, twisting my hands into a simple casting stance. "And that does include compensation for your troubling me. 

One turned. My smile turned into a feral grin. "Vengeance for my fallen friends, hunters. Nothing personal."

His gun came out of the holster, and his arm stopped suddenly. "What the-" 

"Shado-" the second fell silent as I cast my second favorite spell, binding him with his own shadow.

"Hush..." I said in the most derogatory voice my angered self could manage. "I just need a bit of metal. Your guns will do nicely." Taking their weapons, I gave their ranks a glance. "Fresh out of the academy, eh?" I put the barrels to their heads. "Pity. I suppose that explains your inexperienced attempts though." The fear in their eyes was disturbingly refreshing. "Best nobody knows this ever happened." I sent a burst of electricity through the guns, effectively knocking them both unconscious. They wouldn't remember this night well. If I was correct, they would only remember a vague bit about a magician almost killing them, and likely quit their jobs hunting my kind and move on. It will suffice. I thought as I collected my bag and moved on into the station. The time for me to show the enemy why the feared the dark was near.