Sunlight disappeared under the horizon, the land being thrust into darkness. Creatures stirred, their beady eyes following the lone traveler in the woods. Some tagged along, a sense of curiosity striving them onwards. The traveler was unaware of them, walking cautiously through the dark land. Fear ebbed it's way into his mind as he looked around, catching the moon's light bouncing off the shining eyes of things around him. He had left on his trip early that day, and had intended on making it to a nearby village before nightfall, but a wrong turn left him helplessly lost in the woods.

As he treaded on, he could feel the soreness of walking all day, wanting badly to stop. But with his knowledge of this forest, and the dangers that lied within it, he refused to give in. Minutes dragged on like hours, his single good eye searching around him for some sign of society. At the slightest sounds, his ears would perk up, body freezing in a temporary paralysis. It was only when he learned that the sound was not a threat would he continue to walk.

After what seemed like forever, his eye caught a glimpse of light not far ahead. With high hopes for society, he ran towards it, all four legs pounding down onto the earth below. In seconds, he burst out into a clearing, stopping as he did so. Rising to his hind legs, he looked around. No village. No town. No home. No society whatsoever. All that was there was a glowing spot in the center, occupied by some sort of stone.

The traveler crept closer, tilting his head to one side to inspect it fully. The stone was all black, though white light shone from it. It held the form of a star, the pointed tips all curving to the right. Though the traveler had never seen it before, the stone sparked a sort of, familiarity, in him. Suddenly, he realized why. It was a stone known as the Dark Stone, a commonly told legend throughout his entire world.

According to the well known story, it was a stone created many years ago by the most powerful and dangerous of all creatures. Imbedded in it was negative energy, known well for its ability to turn one blackhearted and cruel. It was rumored that this stone was the very reason this world existed, only for the sole purpose of keeping it out of the wrong hands. But to many, the stories were merely a myth, a legend, a story, nothing more than someone's imagination.

Even though many thought that, this traveler believed in the stories, and had spent his life moving from place to place trying to avoid it. From what he knew, it seeked out those who possessed a darkness within their hearts. And though he tried to be as nice a creature as possible, he was afraid that he wasn't good enough, and that he would come across the stone.

Now, here he was, standing mere feet from his greatest fear. Paralyzed, he stood, looking at it with a mix of dread and newfound curiosity. He wanted to run, but something was holding him in place, strapping his feet to the ground. That same something told him to grab the rock, to take it as his own. Little did he know that it was the stone itself that was keeping him there, calling out to him with a plea to pick it up.

Hesitantly, his hand lifted from his side, reaching towards the stone. But as his claws nearly brushed its surface, his hand flinched back. His mind restated what he was doing, rethinking his actions. He wanted to leave, but a greater part wanted to grab the stone. Torn apart by the two sides, he decided to follow the one with more power.

Softly, his clawed fingers brushed across the sleek surface, feeling the inviting heat of the object. As they closed around it, he felt a warm gust blow up his arms. Through his delight given by the rock, he failed to notice the dark substance crawl up him, engulfing his entire body. His claws grew long and sharp. His knifelike teeth curved backwards at the tips, his mouth curling up into a crooked smile. Dark, pointed wings sprouted from his back. His one good eye turned to a slit of red surrounded by black, while the other became white, the scar through it outlined in purple.

Slowly, his hand lifted, causing nearby darkness to collect into various spots. From these spots emerged shadowy figures in all shapes and sizes, watching him with non-existent eyes. The traveler stared at his creations, before a laugh escaped his mouth. These were his doing. He had created creatures of darkness. Because of the stone, he had powers he never before had.

"My shadows," he said, voice darker than it should have been. "I want you to go, and bring this world to oblivion! Then I will rule a world of darkness, where only my creations and I exist!" Psychotic laughs rang from his throat as the shadows scattered, willing to carry out their master's wishes. But as the final shadow left, he remembered something. Something his previous mind had locked away. He recalled learning about a powerful race of creatures belonging to another world from a dragon tribe.

"Those monsters may be of use to me," he said to himself, conjuring five more shadows; these, however, were different from the others. They had shadowy, catlike body structures, large fangs like a saber tooth cat, a helmet like structure on their heads, and waterlike wings sticking out of their backs. But what really set them apart were their red eyes, glimmering with the life the others didn't have.

"My Shadow Warriors," he called them, "I need you five to hunt down any dragons who know about humans." The five nodded, melting away into the ground, their dark essence slithering away. The traveler smiled in approval, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. As he looked up at the moon, glistening through the dark clouds that had collected above him, he muttered, "Goodbye Mythania."