Kenum was always familiar with the light. It always appeared whenever he cast a spell, used it to help his neighbors find their way home, and had a night light for his youngest. He was no stranger to it, even welcomed it in many cases. But even though he was friends with light, he was in love with dark.
During his worst times, of stumbling out of bars, high and/or drunk off of whatever he could get, the darkness always lead him home. His clothes of travel were always black and brown, or even shades of dark green. And most importantly, he always found comfort in the darkest of places.
Oh yes, my fellow reader, he was in love with the dark. His signature spell demanded it, in fact. Creating what someone's worst flaws were with a simple flick of his hand and the simplest of words that could be uttered by anyone, he needed that dark to guide him away from what could be his downfall. The only way to continue the spell would be to use more darkness.
But with any good thing, there must be a balance. So Kenum chased the light, fell for its charms again and again, playing by the rules that so many others have played. But when it called for it, when there needed to be darkness, he used it, commanded it, to hurt those who would dare hurt his loved ones.
You would think this makes him a villain. Only a man tainted by the darkness would do those things! If you listen to his stories, told by the millions he had saved all by using this darkness, they will tell you the truth. No villain uses the darkness. Only anti-heroes do.
As with the regular challenge, post your story and submit the link to SFWC; we’ll reblog it to our followers. The main prompt, posted Friday, still includes two featured previous prompts.
Happy writing!
This week’s Blast from the Past prompt:
Forever Will It Dominate Your Destiny - Darkness is the figurative and literal opposite and complement to light. Whether it's the physical state, the Dark Side, or some kind of ignorance, we may find darkness concealing what we need, dirtying what it touches, or hiding on the unexpected flip side of something. Write about your character's interaction with darkness.
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