[i] The setting sun cast long shadows on the courtyard. People were retiring to their rooms for the night, while others hung around and chatted. It was a peaceful environment, if it wasn't for the darkness. The darkness meaning the shadows. They seemed stretch unnaturally, like they were peeling away from their hosts and reaching for Alyssa. The air seemed to drop ten degrees, the air seeming to get thinner and colder in the blink of an eye. The people around her didn't seem to notice anything. They didn't even notice the air rippling in front of her eyes, like someone had tossed a pebble into the fabric of reality. No.. someone was causing it. And whoever it was, was powerful. Alyssa could feel the very aura around her, suffocation and pressurizing like she was being smothered in power. This, the other residents seemed to feel. They shifted uncomfortably and said their goodbyes to their friends, leaving for the comfort of their rooms. Until Alyssa.. was the only one left in the courtyard. The sun seemed to sink ever faster below the horizon, making the shadows all the more eerie and the air even more stifling and suffocating. [/i]