Day of Dancing Darkness

Prelude

Shadows weren't a part of the original ecosystem that supported life and encouraged evolutionary progress like elementals always have done. They came to Khzandithri by one big mistake, a security breach of sorts... And they spread like a disease, corrupting the whole spheres one after another, turning living creatures into Shades - dark deformed monstrous versions of themselves.

Shadows are the descendants of a very dark plane of existence, they are invisible entities that prosper by feasting upon the fears, darkest desires, and life energy itself. They don't just consume the body, that would be too easy to replace here, instead they inject destructive feelings into their victims, and as time passes, little by little, their influence puts creatures into disarray and madness. 

Those affected are manipulated to do their bidding: to act as a balance force to counteract everything living: bring hate where is love, bring war where is peace, bring despair where is happiness...

While the influence can vary between cases, if the influence is strong and prolonged enough, the prey will eventually lose their self and become one of them. This is how Shadows procreate - by consuming their victims and creating easy to control Shades. After the conversion, creatures don't have consciousness of their own anymore, such horrible fate is more permanent than death. 

The corrupted creatures deteriorate, their bodies transform into dark gooey substance with bones (or armature) shining through and eye sockets glowing with hunger. 

It would seem that there is nothing anyone can do to save them, their consciousness is lost, forgotten, it's drowned in the bog of their screaming soul.

The Day of Dancing Darkness

However once in a cycle, an unusual event takes place: a rare alignment of spheres blocks the Shadow influence for one day... The Day of Dancing Darkness.

That day Shades are no longer vicious hunters seeking destruction, for a short time they regain a glimpse of their lost consciousness, and they return back to their homelands, places where they had the most memorable experiences in their past existences.

The living folk are waiting for them; not with weapons to defend themselves, but with festivals and celebrations, because during this special time, the truce of life and dark is established due to the inevitable cosmic events. When Shades appear at an appropriate hour, they stand silently and watch, their silhouettes quivering on the wind, just like if they were dancing. 

And so do the living creatures, they "dance" along. Different cultures have different rituals, but they are common in nature - all dedicated to help the sorry souls passed into the Shadow realm. 

They believe that by caring, loving, giving treats, telling stories, showing spectacular events and performances, they can ignite the beacon of life within the Shades once again. Those, who lost their loved ones to the corruption, carry the stories of how they could recognize their dear ones in these motionless dark silhouettes. 

But regardless, these lost souls are always alone, their consciousness is deeply submerged into an endless loop of torment. Living can only try to send them a message, a small hint that must go through the thick fog of their nightmares, to help them remember, and give reason to resist. 

Only very few could ever come back, and they tell that they could make it only because something or someone has shown them a path...

Conclusion

Some do return from the shadows, but for how long will they stay? It's just the question of time how long will anyone be able to avoid such fate. 

Darkness is always waiting to snatch and corrupt every single mind it can touch. Is it now an eventuality to become like them at the end anyway? 

No one can die, but with the eternal cycle of lives, no one can also escape the darkness forever... 

One can only hope that there is a guaranteed way to return...