Most monsters are not active. They just… “are”. It is their potential that terrifies. Sitting, invisibly, out there in the dark. Allowing you to convince yourself that you are safe where you sit.
They do not have to do anything, really. Just exist. Quietly living their lives. Usually, they are oblivious to your fear as they matter far more than you do. You have placed them in that position of status. You are meaningless to their existence.
Until you decide to do something about them. Then you are reminded why you did not stray into their bailiwick. So you, unable to tolerate their quiet existence, prepare yourself. You learn to tolerate venturing into the darkness. Build your strength. Your resources. Accept the pressure and the shift in thinking.
You try to become the hunter of hunters.
But as you train, and modify the neural pathways to accept the reality of what you want to do, you begin to have an understanding. An “endarkenment”. The frightening shadows that once repelled you, now call to you. A cool, embracing comfort. The dark feels more home than the safety of the fire. That warm ring of light you have clung to for so long leaves you feeling naked, and exposed. Like ice on an exposed nerve in a broken tooth.
So you retreat more often into the cool, dark, but alive nights. You begin to witness the savage beauty that surrounds you. The visceral reality of the rest of the world. And the truth begins to dawn on you. You are no longer interested in monsters. You need to expand what you know about this broader, more vibrant world.
As you walk away, you hear the whispers of those still imprisoned by that blinding, searing ring. They no longer comfort you. They are almost silent, against the call to hunt. Fading quietly into distant memories. Because, now, you can truly begin to live.
