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Andrion Wilgor
The shadows embrace closed around Andrion, and he found himself in a cocoon, which closed off all light from the outside, yet strangely that did not trouble the mage. Any normal man would have been scared out of his wits by such an enclosed space, but not Andrion Wilgor. Not after all he had gone through, and the hope he had just been given.
His body, although a feeling of familiarity hung on the muscles, and every twitch of the nerves brought a new feeling of déjà-vu, was vastly unfamiliar. It was his own body and at the same time was not. But still, it was a kingly gift, and Andrion was not prepared to lose it to a prison of shadow, which threatened closing in on him.
His thoughts were wrenched off their course by the pressing matter at hand. Already the walls were moving towards him, and Andrion had no doubt that the Mage spoke truthfully, and indeed he might find death between them. Several times before had he felt the influence of shadow on his deeds, but not once had he been the master of this strange power. Instead it had been it, adding unforeseen effects to his spells, or lending a helping hand in a moment of need.
But now, Andrion had to demonstrate his mastery over it. After his brief bodyless spell, it was not hard to find the shadow influence he had felt then. The almost invisible presence was barely discernible in the utter blackness, and Andrion felt it more than seeing it, as he stretched a hand out and made contact with the shadowy wall.
To his surprise the wall did not push him back but instead let him enter, already ready to devour his flesh. With enormous willpower Andrion withdrew his hand from the wall, his will battling against another. As his hand left the wall, the shadows clung to it, and once the contact was broken, the sinking back of the shadows sent out concentric ripples on the dark inner surface of the wall.
His curiosity aroused by this strange event, Andrion drew a finger along the wall, and again observed the hungry shadows clinging to his flesh, unwilling to let go.
With a sudden push against his will, the shadows tightened, reducing his space even more. But Andrion was close to the solution. As one of his hands was plunged fully inside the wall, the other continued exploring the shadowy surface, until they found a small snag in the fabric of shadow. The power battering against Andrion's will recoiled in a sudden moment of surprise at Andrion finding the small snag.
It was all Andrion needed. His mind guiding his hand he grabbed hold of snag, and pulled, putting his whole willpower behind that simple gesture. With that amount of pressure applied at the wall's weakest point, not even the shadows could resist and in a matter of seconds light started breaking through rapidly widening cracks, and before even Andrion realised what had happened, the only remnants of the shadowy prison was a handful of shadowy substance held in his hand.
Andrion glanced up at the Mage, and turning his hand palm down released the shadows, which crept back to where they belonged, behind objects and in dark corners.
Hanging his head slightly, Andrion awaited his master's judgment.
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