Afraid of Your Own Shadow

Afraid of Your Own Shadow is a High Elven story of a man who was hunted by a Shadow Mage.

The Tale of Yorrian

Yorrian was a High Elven nobleman, proficient in Light Magic. He always showed off his power to others, even claiming that there was no one who could rival his Light.
Many people disliked the boastful Yorrian, but with his position in society, there was nothing they could do about it.

Shadow of a Man

The man that entered town that fateful day was said to be a Dark Elven assassin. No one knew his name, or what he intended to do. They only knew that he did not belong in Camor, the city of the High Elves.
Yorrian gladly took the duty of dealing with the Dark Elf. He was the most powerful Light Mage, and Dark Elves normally had Dark Magic, which Light countered.
The assassin, however, was undeterred by Yorrian. He made a construct of Darkness beneath Yorrian's feet, prompting Yorrian to make Light around himself. However, no matter what he did, the Darkness on the ground did not go away.

Following Fear

The assassin then left the city. But the construct did not, following Yorrian wherever he went. As Yorrian continued through his life, he swore he would see the assassin everywhere, in mirrors, in reflections in the gold of the city walls, and at the foot of his bed.
Yorrian was unable to get it to go away. Overtime, he began to doubt his Light Magic that he had once been so proud of. How was this Dark Elf able to stop Yorrian? How was he able to follow him?
Finally, the High Elf confronted the assassin again. He was losing sleep and was unable to use his Magic. But faced once more with the assassin, he asked him a question. One simple question. What was the name of the man that tormented him?
The assassin replied:

"I am Nairroy. I am the torment you brought on yourself."

Scared to Death

Yorrian fled that day. Unable to use his Magic, unable to do anything to Nairroy, he went home and never opened his door. No longer did his boastful cries echo the streets of Camor, instead replaced by mournful wails of agony and grief.
His neighbors wished to thank the assassin who had caused such a thing, yet they knew not what he looked like. They knew only that his name was Nairroy, as Yorrian cried it out from his home.
Finally, the day came when the neighbors decided to check up on Yorrian. They broke in, after knocking seven times to no answer but the crying of Yorrian. Here, they found a Light emitting from the room of the cries, and no further cries. Expecting Yorrian to have come back to his senses, they entered the room.
However, they did not find Yorrian happy and healthy there. No, his body had been dead for months, looking down to the ground in fear at the construct of darkness at his feet, which still lingered there. His shadow.
But Yorrian's Light shown it now, in its full glory. The shadow was Nairroy. Not a Dark Elf, but Yorrian's ego made manifest. That was what a shadow was. And that truth had scared Yorrian to death.

Story Behind the Story

Afraid of Your Own Shadow was published in an Elven newspaper in -238, written by Walurian.
Walurian wished to poke fun at the Elven nobles with such high and mighty attitudes, so he wrote a story about the self destructive nature of ego. A story that would make them fear the large shadows they cast on the ground that they held themselves so high above.
He did not expect to receive death threats the next day. He did not expect to have to fend off attacks from even the newspaper company, who stopped publishing the story and put a hit out on Walurian. Walurian did not expect the King himself to capture him and toss him over the edge of the Golden Castle of Camor.
Walurian died on the street of Camor, in the shadow of the King's Golden Castle. Onlookers say he died with a smile, saying the same line Nairroy ends the story with.

"I am just the shadow. I was never more than what you made me... and you made me evil."

— Walurian

The King died not long after from an assassin. It is said to have potentially been a Dark Elf, though some say he, like Yorrian, died to his own shadow.

Posthumous Reception

Other cultures took to the story when it was found and translated by Draconian scholars from Yirthum, who get Elven newspapers for being a proxy of the Elves.
It was especially loved by the Dwarves, who considered it a genius parody of Elven society that struck a serious and somber note. Still, they laughed at every single word of it knowing how pissed it made Elves.
Dwarves have taken to, on the battlefield or on the Elven border, playing games with their own shadows. They pull out decks of cards, playing a game with the shadow and moving the cards of the shadow as well.
Conversely, Elves have taken to truly fearing their shadows more. They worry of what kind of shadow they are casting on the world around them, though caring more about what it means for them rather than what it means for the people around them. Still, in a way, Walurian got what he was aiming for.