The corruption spread as the sun does every day
Slowly making its way across the land
Unlike the sun, it did not go away with the day
Instead, it became more powerful
Wildlife became sick
Plant life withered away
People turned into dark, vile creatures
Nowhere was safe
Least of all the surface

Am I lost?
The hallways and corridors looking the same
Each floor looking like the last
Stairwells that go to certain floors, instead of every floor
The endless wandering
Is there even an exit?

I have been condemned from an early age to be alone
Even when I am among friends, or family
I am soaring high above the ground, the people I know
With each person, or persons, I shift forms
Sometimes a bear, or a snake, or even an eagle
But more often than others, I shift into a statue
A statue that reflects me best
The Thinker

This shroud of darkness is overwhelming
I stumble blindly through it, hoping to grasp onto something familiar
The most powerful of lanterns cannot, will not, pierce this shroud
The darkness, in itself, is alive, moving to engulf this world
Much like light, which only wishes to illuminate this world
But will not, for fear of being extinguished by the darkness
However, there is one torch, one light that defies this shroud
It tries tirelessly to pierce the shroud, continually failing
Until one day, the darkness relents under the powerful gaze, and recedes back
Allowing a single ray of light through
Although the ray is slim and starting to recede, it gives hope
Hope that light will touch this world again
This hope was not just limited to the inhabitants, but also to the lanterns, and torches, and any source of light
This hope became something the darkness feared
It became a force, a force so powerful that is caused lanterns and torches to ignite on their own
Other objects that shouldn't have, emitted a powerful light
The powerful light, which was everywhere, eroded the darkness away
The light triumphing over the darkness
The torch, the one that defied shone brighter than ever in the skys above, destroying any trace of the dark
Soon, the darkness was gone, even the shadows
Save for one shadow, MY shadow
And what a curious shadow it was

The barrier held back creatures of unimaginable power
However, these creatures do not use this power for good
They corrupt, destroy, infect, all that is good
The land upon which they walk, turns to ash and dust
That is why they are held behind the barrier
And I am the Guardian to that barrier
However, over time the barrier has weakened
Cracks now appear all over it
From the continued assualt from them
I fear for the day they overcome this small obstacle
Not for them reaching me, but for ignoring me

I watched in silence, and from afar, as the new lighthouse was being built
I watched as the foundations were laid
I watched as the men, women, and creatures built that damnable tower
I watched them as they built up the first walls, then reinforced them against time itself
I saw a weakness where others could not
I watched as the sleek new tower rose from the ground
I watched as it was completed, the new light giving hope to those you need
I watched in silence, and from afar, as the new lighthouse was torn down by myself
The sleek new tower falling as easily as the original
I watched in silence, and from afar, as the process was repeated
A new tower, an old source of hope
No tower shall exist in the place of the original
For there shall be no hope in this dark corner
I continued to watch in silence, as another tower was constructed...

That which lurks within the abyss has been long forgotten
Only one remains of that knowledge
And that knowledge is power, for it means the end
The end of what is
And what is to come

In the darkness stood a lone shadow
However, this shadow stood out in a unique way
It was darker, yet brighter, than the darkness around it
Acting as a beacon towards unwanted attention
It brought creatures towards itself, unknowing of its uniqueness
They were curious, but in their curiosity, they caused harm
The Shadow retreated, crossing vast distances across the land
Through deep caverns
Scaling impossible cliffs
Until it finally reached the tallest mountain
The creatures did not stop, they hounded the Shadow
Following it over impossible landscapes
Upon reaching the peak, the Shadow had but one choice
It ascended into the heavens above, where it was safe, and could not be followed
Without the darkness around it, it shone brighter, and darker than it
Becoming the Light of the darkened world below

The vault is a mystery
For it stood for millennia
Its inhabitants long forgotten
Inside may lay a vast wealth of treasure
Or the knowledge of gods
Or it may simply be a locked room
We will never know
For it was lost with time
When time existed
Now it drifts
Endlessly through the void of what was, and what is
Though, not of what is to come

I was born from the shadows
What others would see as a curse
I see as a blessing
For it allows me to go unnoticed
To conceal myself from the curiosity from others
And to hide from myself

The box
That dreadful box
It is chained to the floor
And buried under several meters of cement and dirt
Inside the box
The object inside the box
It has no shape
No form
It is a fear
A fear every man
Woman
And child
Fears
It is the truth of who they are
Who they were
And who they are to become
It is this truth they fear
They cannot change what they see

There was a shadow in this light one time
It was a curious shadow, for nothing was casting it
When I moved towards it, it too moved
When I moved away from it, it followed me
Wherever I went, the shadow was there
And then I realized, something so obvious
The shadow, however curious it was, belonged to me

Only once, was there light in this darkness
It was quickly extinguished, for reasons unknown
But while it was a blazing light
I traveled to it, over vast distances
Once I got close, I could see it falter
The closer I got, the more it seemed to
As I was near upon it, it blinked out
The building that housed it, a lighthouse in shape
Crumbled into ruins, into dust, leaving no trace
Only once, was there light in this darkness
And that one time, was the one time I felt hope