The Darkened Saga
The Darkened
Part One: Rise of a Fallen God
Joel Klinkner
Chapter: Introduction
Introduction
There are three worlds that coexisted with each other, each one linked by the continuous cycle of life known as the Grand Stream. When in the mortal world a mortal dies, the soul sheds the physical world and flows into the world called the Umbra, the world of the spirits. But there is another part of the soul that is left behind, just as equal as the spirit, but another half given new life retaining the remaining essence of who we are like a remaining half of the soul, that flows into the world called the Nexus, world of the demons. The spirit retains the memories of who they once were on earth the mortal world, while the other part of the soul becoming the demon, retains the spark of new life. Demons are not evil, not devils, not fallen angels, but simply the other part of who we once were. Then there is the ones known as the Devils, when a mortal dies with so much rage and hatred, the demon half that splits then devours the spirit half becoming a powerful Demon entity built on nothing but rage and hate and often they become Demon Lords. Demon lords however do not have to be a Devil, a normal demon can developed Demon Lord powers as well. These worlds however once existed in a perfect balance of harmony, all beautiful, and flourished with wondrous life until there was a day such a balance was tipped, and began the Demon/Spirit war over the mortal world… Earth….
3000 Years ago from the present day…
“Shea Run!!! Take the book and Run! Don’t look back! Just Run!” A young wounded man, covered in blood yelled in desperation pushing a young dark haired woman out through a door way. “Keep my son safe!” he added, as the woman cried holding tightly a book in her left arm and a gold bracelet around her other wrist. “No Dash.. Please don’t make me! We both can do this! No! No! Please No-ooo-oooo..” Shea pleaded as a round stone door rolled shut separating Dash and Shea. Shea then tried to wash away her own tears, and reminded her self what she had to do. She ran out from the Temple of the Moon into the cold rain and into the dark cold night, and then through the harsh weather she traveled through the woods running as Dash had instructed her to do. She had to be quick not just for Dash but for the future of all things. Dash stayed behind at the temple, holding onto his badly wounded right arm, but he was not ready to give up. Standing before him now, was a dark man in a black cloak that was soaked in blood of the people he killed, the torch lights reflecting off of it revealing the repulsive bloody mess on his cloak, and at each step he took towards Dash, he left a bloody trail. Dash could not help but feel repulsed by the cloaked man, and haunted forever in his memories would he remember all those who was killed by him, his family, friends, and people who never deserved to parish.
“You killed many of the people I knew… You killed so so many people… and many fellow chosens… and now you’re before me… And it will end here!” Dash shouted, as he held his wounded right arm up revealing a bracelet quite similar to Shea’s, but his revealed to have a wolf head engraved into it, and a blue orb, held in place tightly by 3 claws. A trigger then formed in his hand as if the bracelet had grew it, that was a extension to the bracelet, and when he squeezed the trigger, a blade came out from the Wolf shaped head. He stood in front of the bloody cloaked man in battle pose, staring deep into the darkness that was beyond the bloody hood. Dashes blue eyes where focused, with the desire of one goal and that was taking the cloaked man down “You who is only a mere weak man.. Do you honestly think you’re going to kill me here? And sending that female mutt out to hide my book… As if I won’t be able to track it down. That book beats with my heart, my soul… finding it will be easy, it is a mere extension of me… Just as the Armlet is to you...” the cloaked man rambled on stepping forward towards Dash, unafraid of the bracelet and its blade. He raised his hand, that was pale and dead like, and long fingernails that were more like decaying claws, and pointed a long bony finger at Dash, and a red stream of light erupted from his finger tip and hit him blasting him back into the temple walls, and blood pored out and soaked into his long brown hair. The impact had dazed Dash for only a moment, but despite every ounce of pain that coursed through his body, he refused to fall so easily.
As if she could feel the pain, Shea stumbled and fell into mud, and cried out for Dash. The book she carried fell into the mud soaking it up. She feared losing him and the thought of seeing Dash happy again, before all this blood shed had started, remembering the Hansom, Smart, and Happy Dash she once knew, now forced to die for everyone. She could not take it any more but she had to continue and so she forced herself back up and grabbed the book. She did not care about the condition it was in. To her it had no value, but to the Blood soaked Man it was his life, and she could not allow it to go into his hands ever again. She only hoped Dash would succeed.
“Stand still and ill make this quick and painless as possible for you…” The cloaked man stepped even closer, and despite he had the power to kill Dash in a instant, he preferred torture, to make everyone who faced him wish they were dead. “Funny really… You have that demon girl now… so quick to replace Maggie… I enjoyed watching her die… Her blood tasted wonderfully…” “Be quiet!!! Don’t you ever use her name!” Dash quickly readied his blade and charged at the cloaked man. The cloaked man quickly grabbed the blade with his bony hands, and then through Dash up in the air with inhuman strength, who this time landed in a cushion of manipulated air, just moment away from hitting another wall. “What’s wrong, why don’t you try your power on me? I want you to hate me… I want you to despise me… Just like I hate and despise the human race! I want you to fight, so I have more reason to torture you.. Or are you just a coward who wants to die along side your family…” Cloaked man then sent another stream of the red light was shot at Dash, but this time Dash used the same cushion of manipulated air, to bounce upward into the air, and back down upon the cloaked man, and sent his Blade strait through him and then he turned it, twisting his insides. “That tickles… Grah!” He snapped Dash’s blade and then ripped it out from him self and through it. “How many times must I explain to you, I am a God…. I am the Demon God of Destruction.. I am the Grand Demon! No one can kill me but I can kill you!”
Suddenly the cloaked man was being engulfed by shadow masses of darkness, that slowly changed his appearance as he was engulfed within it. He started to become behemoth size, and turned into a Black Demonic Dragon as the darkness began to fade revealing his new form. “That not a god… just a lonesome miserable man hiding behind a mask.” Dash quickly looked around, plotting a way to seal the demon. There in the center of the same room was the Forge the created the Armlets. The very bracelet that Shea and him wore along with the remaining chosens. The forge was big enough for the behemoth to fall, and was more like a well that focused the energy of the life stream, powerful enough to use to seal the grand demon in. That was the plan, but it was getting him into it now.
Dash’s armlet glowed blue, the spirit inside it was preparing to release as needed energy to take the Demon down. Dash once again charged, and using the power to manipulated air, he leaped up at inhuman heights, and plunged what was left of the broken blade into the beasts neck, as he held on to continue stabbing its neck. The beast quickly took its long massive hands and flicked Dash off. Instead of him falling, the demon had quickly grabbed him with tentacles that shot from its back, and appeared to be covered with eyes and thorns that he felt rip into his stomach, leg, arm, and back. “Ahh…. CORAGEM!!!!” The tentacles suddenly ripped apart as Dash himself was engulfed in bright white light. Pieces of armor appeared swirling around and then joined together covering Dash’s body, while other pieces of the armor, seemed to fold, and shift, constructing its self together, till it covered his body completely with armor that was white as a pearl, with gold and silver rimming, and a black micro-chained suit of some sort underneath. There was shoulder plating, that stretched outward, long enough to cover his arms, only they held its self upward on there own, so they wouldn’t restrict his movement. There was a gold silky cloth that formed from his back that became a cape of some sort and a helmet that resembled a head of a wolf. Dash instead of falling to the ground, was hovering in mid-air, pieces of tentacles surrounded him on the ground. This armor was a embodiment of the Armlets power, that protected the chosen or user of its power, but required the use of tremendous energy, that often, it even used the life force energy of the chosen in order to summon it, but in return it would protect the chosen and grant tremendous power.
“Ah so finally you bring out your toy. I was beginning to wonder but something like that will not keep you alive for long. I will slay you!” The Grand Demon hissed. “Not before I kill you!” Dash yelled behind the armor, and triggered his blade, that had reconstructed its self, now a incredibly sharp blade again, capable of cutting through almost anything like butter; he flew to the demon, attempting to swipe at him, but the demon only released more tentacles to get in Dash’s way, as it began to draw manifested dark energy thoughts it mouth that generated a large sphere of pure demonic energy, and once it was ready to be fired it sent it flying at Dash, and as it shot Dash sliced the wave of tentacles that became nothing but a annoyance and attempted to deflect the Ball of energy being fired with his powerful blade.
The armor was not only a embodiment of the armlets true power but, also was a extension of Dash’s body as well. He could feel the stress being placed heavily on the armor that felt as if his skin was going to be ripped apart as he held the ball of energy backwards with his blade. The Grand Demon was already generating yet another sphere, and in lightning speed regeneration dozens of more tentacles grew back and managed to now grab hold of Dash. The second ball of energy fired and merged with the original doubling its destructive force, that then engulfed Dash completely. He felt his body become paralyzed and watched as the energy slowly began to tear apart his armor revealing his bare skin and clothes underneath. A gentle blue barrier formed in every spot that the armor was damaged which was the armlet using whatever energy it could use to keep Dash safe. “It.. cant end like this… Maggie…Dameon.. Shea…. My.. son… Ah….” “Yes.. feel my wrath… my hate.... and suffer as I have suffered! You will die, slowly as I rip every piece of you starting with that miserable white wolf… Then I will go after Shea… and retrieve my book… Then I will kill the rest of every stinking chosen that remains… along with your child.” The grand demon then sent yet another ball of energy that merged with the one engulfing Dash, that increased the pain and destructive nature that was being dealt upon Dash.
“Shut up.... You talk to much!" Dash said as a blue aura like glow surrounded the armlet, and the sphere that was held by the three claws on it began to glow brightly, pulsating like a gentle heart beat. “Whats that Coragem?... I.. Understand… We cant allow the grand demon to roam free…” Dash forced him self to move his arms, to reach for the blue sphere on his armlet. The claws released it and the sphere was now held gently in his hand. “We could both die but you are right if he continues to roam free Earth will lose the fight for sure. There has been enough suffering and I am prepared to die… Ill… see you.. in heaven… friend... Release all of your power onto me! Spirit Fusion!” Dash yell and then plunged the sphere that was the very heart of the armlet, the soul of the white wolf, into his chest. Once again another bright light engulfed him, and the demons energy seemed to become absorbed by the light, and the Tentacles quickly released as they burned and turned to red ash being absorbed by the blinding Light. “What power is this?!” The grand demon cried out watching his tentacles finally dissolve into nothing but red ash. The light faded and in Dash’s place was a white wolf anthro humanoid. A white werewolf in appearance, with golden wrist bans and arm and leg bands, and a set of white angelic wings appeared before the grand demon. He looked elegant and beautiful…. His silky white fur shined angelicly, and his eyes where a bright glowy blue, the same shade as the orb of the armlet. This beautiful beast like warrior was Dash and Coragem the white wolf fused as one being. Coragems soul flowed fully through him, as did there conciusness flowed smoothly within each other as one syncronised force. Each moment they remain fused however meant that Dash’s soul would become start to drain and he would slowly die but the white wolf Coragem too suffered the same and eventually they would both risk shattering there very souls.
“You will never harm another being ever again!” Dash screamed who’s voice was now not his alone but also Coragems.
Shea stopped in her path and looked back. She felt a chill run down her spine, not caused by the harsh conditions of the weather but she could feel Dash’s presence powerfuler then ever but at the same time felt his life force slowly slip away. She quickly stumbled towards a old tree, and placed the book inside it, and began to run back for Dash. She loved him, and somehow she could feel every breath he took, and could feel every ounce of life that flowed within him. Perhaps it was because she was part demon, capable of feeling energy of those around her.. or perhaps it was some how her love that could make her feel. Regardless, she was now running back for Dash refusing to let him die, she was going to get inside the Temple some how, and get to him. She refused to lose any one else she cared about. “Dash.. I’m coming…” She cried and ran.
Dash was now fighting the Grand Demon with every bit of energy he had, from firing balls of angelic like energy, to trying to cut the demon up, ever attempt pushed the demon backwards towards the forge. Finally he flew and hit the Demon square in the chest and dug his claws and fangs into it, as the demon fell into the well like forge. As the demon fell he quickly grabbed Dash/Coragem, and began to drag him down with it. Using his inhuman strength he grabbed the edge of the Forge and held on the best he could. “You are foolish, I can not die You think pushing me into this bottomless Well is going to kill me!!?” The Grand Demon growled. Dash now began to reach a lever that was close by. “No… But I can do this!!!” Dash finally had the lever and he pulled it as for pieces of a door began to close from all sides of it. The demons eyes widened as it released Dash and began to try to keep the door from closing. Dash crawled out and collapsed on the surface. Every attempt the demon made to keep it open failed, as the forge drew all of its energy directly from the life stream, a force in nature that surpassed the power of everything. Finally it closed and echoes of the Demons scream and cries bounced from every wall and room in the temple. “This is not the end of me! Some day I will return, and I will bring the end of all things! I shall be not just the god of Destruction.. but the God of Suffering! May your blood be cursed, forever, for one day, it will be your blood that brings me back!" Was the last words that the demon spoke as it perished within its tomb.
At last Shea found a way into the heart of the temple only to see Dash who was now turned back to normal, near dead on the floor. “Dash!” Shea screamed in horror and ran to him and held him tightly in her arms. “Please don’t die.” She cried, as Dash looked up at her. “Shea… We did it… He wont… harm any one any more…” Dash said and smiled a bit looking up at her. He could see the light from the torches bouncing off her dark near black hair revealing a beautiful redness to it. For a moment she almost looked like a angel to him. “Dash don’t speak.Your going to get better. Just hold on.” She cried still holding him. “I’m sorry.. its too late… I.. felt him Shea.. I felt Coragem… His mind with my mind.. his.. soul with my soul… Such sadness… and yet.. such loyalty and trust… Ever wonder what the twelve spirits felt like… They are beautiful Shea... The Chosen Spirits... there beautiful...” Dash was slipping away fast. “Dash.. no please stay… Coragem do something?” Shea yelled at his Armlet, but she knew that there was nothing that could be done. The life stream was now beginning to pull him away. “I need you to promise to watch over my son…” “I will” Shea cried. “Don’t.. cry Shea... I want you to be happy now... I want you... to find a reason to smile... A reason to live...” Dash finally passed on and Shea rocked and held him in her arms cradling him. “I will.. I will dash…I will” she continued to cry. Suddenly something caught her attention as a single black spark seemed to squirm out from the Sealed Forge, and vanish within wall. “Damn you… Leo...”
5 Years Ago from Present Day…
A young fourteen year old boy stood crying next to his deceased father in the open casket. His father had died in a car accident and he remembered the day like it was yesterday. He came home from school excited to inform his parents of his grades, and there stood his mother crying and holding his young sister Marrie who too was crying. He dropped his book bag, and asked were Dad was. But he knew the answer to that with the expressions on their faces. Now there he was, wishing so hard that his father would get up and surprise everyone, that the funeral was a mistake and that he was really alive. He would do anything for his father to live. It was a outdoor funeral, and it became cold, and began to rain. His mother came and tried to pull him away, but he refused to go any were.
Suddenly a single black spark came out from his father’s hands and zapped him. This startled him, and even more startling was standing next to the casket was a grey wolf staring at him with grey eyes. He backed away, walking into his mother who was now pulling him back more and leading him to the car. He pointed but no words could come out. Suddenly the wolf was gone in a single blink of a eye and he began to wonder if he even saw a grey wolf, and why no one seemed to notice. His mom finally led Brandon to the car along with his sister Marrie. After sitting in the car, they sat there for 10 minutes not going any were, but cried for there loss. Suddenly the grey wolf appeared in the back seat between
Marrie and him, and this startled him so much he screamed, and this caused Marrie to scream.
After a week had went by, Brandon realized that he was the only one who could see the wolf, and his mother began to take him to clinic for tests as she now believed Brandon to be delusional. The doctors believed it to be caused from trauma of his fathers loss. After time continued to go by, he decided that it was best to tell his mother that he no longer saw the grey wolf. Reality, he saw the grey wolf almost every day.. staring at him with his big grey eyes… Medicine or no medicine, he always saw the wolf, and so he stopped taking the medicine and would pretend to take them to humor his mother. He found it was best to keep it secret and to possibly ignore the wolf.
But it was more than that… Brandon began to have the same nightmares over and over again; nightmares that showed him monsters rising from the black sea of darkness and would have visions of a city and a mirror glass building exploding and become taken by the monsters. And then there was the final part of the vision that always scared him awake in cold sweat. A man with long dark blond hair and grayish eyes, with a large scar on the left side of his face would grab him by the neck and would say with such hate and malice in his voice “I will rise again, and I shall destroy the world in hells fire, and all shall witness my hate, and shall suffer as I have suffered, and all of heaven and hell will feel my wrath, as they shall be the cause of the destruction of this world…. And from the ashes the world will be reborn in my image, as I shall become God.” Brandon then would be thrown over a ledge from a very high tower and as he fell, he would suddenly wake up. Same nightmare.. over.. and over… and over… He never understood who the man was but something about the nightmares, he felt was linked to the grey wolf.
Present Day….
In the hands of Gabriel, a tall middle aged man, with grey hair and a beard, a man with wealth and power and a taste or hobby for collecting the old and ancient, he held a statue of dragon like skeletal beast, clinging onto a large stone. This was known as the Seal of Garrion, a prison that supposedly held a wicked Demon Lord, known as Garrion. But in the eyes of Gabriel, he saw a fascinating artifact. He had travel far to a desert land in the middle of nowhere on a hunch or more so a hint given to him, were he found a forgotten temple, lost by the wrath of time. This was were he made his discovery were he officially found with his hired team, the Temple of the Moon, once created by the people known as the Nagali or Ancients, or also known as the Dragon people. He stood there wiping sweat off his face inside his tent, studding the ancient relic. Staring deep into the eyes of the statue that he suddenly swore, they stared back at him. No, more so.. they stared straight through him, piercing his very soul… and sapping away all of his human thoughts.
Few Days Later....
A demonlord named Ragnagon stood on top of a large skyscraper looking down upon the city. He was in his human form, jet black hair, emerald eyes, common among demons, and he appeared as young as his late 20's in human years. He was doing more then just sight seeing, he was waiting. Suddenly a black fire appeared behind him and then transformed into a mass that then took form of yet another human, who too was a demonlord. He looked old, and somewhat sinister. "What is it you want Darkguinose?" Ragnagon turned to face the old man, seeming outraged and yet expected darkguinose presence. "Is that any way to greet a friend?" He asked chuckling. "You and me will never be friends... You wanted to tell me something.. So here I am.. Do not make this a waste of my time..." Ragnagon growled. "You will be interested in the fact that despite my warnings and attempts to persuade the human Gabriel to give up his little treasure hunt.. he managed to find Garrions Seal..." Darkguinose explained. "I see... and.. is he--" "Yes it would seem that Garrion is now asleep inside him now... no longer locked away but growing within Gabriel. Its only a matter of time now. We have a common enemy, you and me...When he awakes he will be after the Darkseed and...” Darkguinose paused for a moment. “...The Demon Book of Shadows. All he is going to want is to revive the fallen demon god." He explained now standing by Ragnagon’s side looking down upon the city. "That abomination is no God.” He growled still looking down upon the city. “A what of the Darkseed? Do you know who it is?" "No but I belive I know some one who does And I belive you know who that is too..." Darkguinose said now getting Ragnagons attention who gave a quizative look at him. "Shea?..."
“To become a soulless demon is far worse then death to a chosen” ~Dash
