The Darkness Everlasting

~~~~~~~~~~~~Introduction~~~~~~~~~~~

So, this story is probably going to be really interesting, and I can't guarantee that I'll finish it, but I will definitely try. Also, some of the characters featured in it may share names with characters from the roleplay, but this does not mean that they are the same character. I'm probably forgetting something, but oh well.

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Daniel glanced around at the stone wall surrounding him. There was a large metal door and a small barred window, but other than that the room was plain. It was also rather empty. There was practically no furniture, and he and his roommates had one bed between the three of them. It had been decided a long time ago that Ruby would be the one who got the bed, and he and Felix would sleep on the stone floor. Even after all this time, he still hadn't gotten used to sleeping on the floor.

"316" Ruby said weakly as she scratched another mark into the wall beside the rest.

"What's the use keeping track anymore?" Felix asked. "It's not like we're ever going to get out of here. Face it, once we were captured, he probably skipped town."

Daniel knew that Felix was talking about Bartholomeu, the young Wind Sage who had been traveling with them. Somehow he had managed to avoid being captured and though it was possible that he had ran away after discovering they had been caught, Daniel knew he wasn't the kind of person to simply abandon their friends when they needed him. They would just have to be patient.

There was a noise outside the cell and Daniel looked up to see the door being opened. Bartholomeu entered the stone room and looked around at his friends.

"What are you doing here?" Felix asked, though it sounded more angry than one might have expected.

"Look, I talked to the king and he said you guys could go free as long as you did him a small favor."

"What sort of favor?" Daniel asked.

"No clue, but one of you is going to have to stay here until it's completed. Apparently the king isn't very trusting of you guys."

Daniel knew that out of the three of them, Felix would probably be the one to stay back. Not that it mattered a whole lot, they'd be back for him as soon as the king's favor was completed. He and Ruby got up and followed Bartholomeu out of the dungeon, leaving Felix alone to mutter to himself in the prison cell. They made their way up a bunch of flights of stairs and through some hallways until they stood before the king.

King Lester was pacing the throne room for a good while before the party of three burst in and interrupted him. He nearly snapped at them for disturbing his peace, but then he saw the blond kid from earlier.

"So you brought them... but where is the other one? The rather tough looking fellow? Did you leave him behind? What a shame, he would have been far more useful than either of these two."

"Can you just tell us what we have to do so that we can leave?" Daniel asked. It was clear that being locked up had taken it's toll on his manners, but the king seemed to let it slide for now.

"Oh, of course. As you know, I rule over this kingdom. At least, I used to until that no good Senate came along. They constantly boss me around, telling me how to run my own kingdom. What would they know, they're just a group of filthy peasants. And yet, they have managed to turn nearly my whole kingdom against me. Seeing as the lot of you are heartless scum, I figured you could help me out a little. If you can eliminate every member of the Senate, I will gladly let you go free."

Daniel looked at his companions. None of them were murders, nor were they mercenaries. Felix was probably the only one among them who had willingly taken a human life, and things were different then. None of them wanted to kill anyone, especially if the people they were killing basically controlled the entire kingdom, but they didn't really have much choice.

The king saw that they were pretty much in agreement. "Good. You should be able to find them in the other castle. They meet there practically every day, so it shouldn't be difficult to catch them off guard."

As they left, Ruby stopped them. "You guys can't seriously be thinking about doing this."

"We've got no choice." Bartholomeu said. "Did you forget our quest? We can't afford to get held up any longer."

Daniel remembered. They were on a quest to find the six elemental crystals and restore balance to the world, as well as weakening the Dark Lord so that they could end his reign.

"I know that! But these are real people we're talking about, they aren't like the monsters that we've fought before..."

"We could always just make a break for it." Daniel said. "Felix is probably used to prison by now."

"They'd hunt us down." Bartholomeu said, "and besides the more people we have, the easier it will be."

Daniel sighed. If in order to save the world they had to kill the Senate, then perhaps it wasn't really all that bad.

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That's all for now.

That's cool, two different Daniels and nearly a year of hiding. Nice.

There's more to the story. Chapter 1 coming soon.

That's nice, can't wait. Off topic section now: did you see the Doctor Who marathon or do you not watch it. 'Cause I was watching for 6 hours. And before that, 4.

Oh, I don't really watch Doctor Who, but apparently it's like the 50th anniversary today.

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Daniel noticed white light all around him. What happened? Where am I? He wondered. He tried to speak but found he was unable. He tried to move, but found that he was restricted. Out of nowhere, there was a loud noise, similar to an explosion. He felt a splitting pain in his head, and it seemed to gradually increase until he could take it no longer. The light faded, but everything was going blurry. He saw the sky, the moon seemed to be full, but blackness spread over everything, consuming even the moon itself. Daniel blacked out.

~~~~~~~~Chapter 1: The boy in the meteorite~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Bartholomeu was in his shack reading a book on the lost of matter decomposition when suddenly he heard a low rumbling noise. He looked out the window to see what appeared to be a ball of fire approaching him. It passed over the shack and crashed into the ground, sending out a shock-wave that knocked Bartholomeu off his feet and shattered the windows. When he got back up he noticed the disarray caused by the blast. Venturing outside, he took a look at the object which had disturbed his peace and ruined his house.

There was a large hole in the ground, though it was more of a crater. In the center he noticed a large reflective black surface. He had never seen or read about anything like it before, so he figured it must have come from space. Placing his hand on it, he noticed that it was smooth and that the surface was covered with various debris. As he brushed it off he realized how transparent the crystal was. Examining it more closely, he saw something that he didn't quiet expect, there was a hand, and above it an arm. Brushing off the rest of the crystal, he found that there wasn't just an arm, there was a whole person.

Since this crystal clearly came from space, did that make the person inside an alien? He wondered. They looked so human that it seemed unlikely that they were of a different species, but he wouldn't be sure until he could run some tests. For now he would get some sleep though. It was late and he didn't want to keep himself up all night running experiments.

When he came back out in the morning, the crystal seemed to have vanished entirely, and the boy was left alone in the crater. Fortunately he was still unconscious.

When Daniel finally came to, he found he was in a rather messed up room with many vials and test tubes around him. He saw a small blond kid, probably only eleven years old, examining a syringe filled with what seemed to be blood. He tried to call out to the kid and ask where he was, but he found it difficult to speak.

Judging by these results, he seems to be human, though something is definitely different about him. But if he really is human, how did he get in that space rock? Bartholomeu wondered. He turned around to see that they had awoken.

"I know this looks bad," Bartholomeu said, "I just had to make sure you were human."

Daniel looked down at himself. Of course I'm human, what else could I be? And yet, Daniel wasn't exactly sure.

"Anyways, since you don't seem to have a home, I suppose you could stay here. The nearest town is quite a ways off."

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Over the next two years Bartholomeu shared all of his knowledge with the strange boy. Despite being young, Bartholomeu had committed himself to study and had even separated himself from the distractions of cities and towns. After a while the strange boy learned to speak, but when questioned about himself and his past, or even the strange crystal he was found in, or stated that he simply didn't know. As the boy could not remember anything, even his own name, Bartholomeu selected on for him. He chose Daniel, the name of the unlikely hero who had slain the Dark Lord countless centuries ago.

Hearing of the legend, Daniel seemed to remember something, but quickly forgot it. Bartholomeu took the opportunity to explain somethings about the Dark Lord and the six crystal fragments that fed on the power of light in the hearts of man. The six crystal fragments fed on the light and returned it to the world, growing and releasing more light. One man, who had a very evil heart, saw the continuously increasing power of the crystals and sought to claim this power for his own.

The crystals didn't exactly seem compatible with his evil heart, but he was blinded by his quest for power, and ended up being consumed by the darkness. The crystal were also affected, however, becoming impure and poisoning the hearts of man. As the darkness in their hearts grew, the power was fed back to the crystals, and then through the crystals back to the evil man. Soon he was strong enough to enslave the entire world.

One man, a monk named Daniel, took it upon himself to purify the six crystals and seal the Dark Lord away permanently. Through his quest, Daniel gained much knowledge and even learned to master the elements. Once his quest was complete he began a new journey, spreading his knowledge to all corners of the globe.

As Bartholomeu told him the story, Daniel thought it was quite ridiculous, but as time passed he learned that the legend, or at least parts of it, were true. It seemed that there were indeed people who had mastered the elements, and everyone seemed to believe that the crystals gave them protection from evil, regardless of whether or not they had even heard the legend.

On one day in particular, Daniel was reading a book on the lost art of matter decomposition when he suddenly got a bad feeling. Ominous clouds were forming in the sky. He set the book down. Bartholomeu wasn't there, so Daniel figured that he had probably gone into town or something. Maybe I should go investigate. What he saw that day changed him forever.
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...

This sounds really cool! Maybe if you finish, I can help you edit and stuff and you could publish it! And yes, 50th anniversary.

I dunno, I mean it sounds cool and everything, but I'm not entirely sure I feel comfortable having my work published...
50 years is a pretty long time.

Yeah, really long. Show hasn't changed much though. You could always use a pen name, and if it's a finishing problem, I can assist. I actually want my work published when I'm older.

Yeah.

So, it's like Hanukkah today. Happy Hanukkah.

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When Bartholomeu returned he found Daniel huddled in up a corner. He was visibly shaking.

"What's wrong?" Bartholomeu asked.

"They..." Even Daniel's voice was shaky and he was unable to keep going.

"It's alright." Bartholomeu said. "Whatever happened, it's over now. You're going to be okay."

"No!" Daniel shouted suddenly. He was freaking out. "It's not alright! They killed him!"

Bartholomeu didn't know what to say.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 2: Survivor~~~~~~~~~~~

Daniel headed off to investigate the strange clouds. As he grew closer he heard voices. There was a howl of pain, probably from a wolf by the sound of it.

"Die, you stupid half-breed!" A voice shouted.

Daniel approached slowly. From behind a tree he watched as two men beat down a much larger man. The hit him with their fists, but also with the shaft a weapon. A pike, Daniel guessed trimmed with silver. As he was only a boy there was not much he could do to help the man.

What he saw next filled him with horror. The man fell to his knees, his head lowered. One of the assailants raised the pike up and stabbed the blade through the man's back. He let out a howl of pain similar to the one Daniel had heard before and his body seemed to go limp. His attacker removed the pike and let him fall to the ground. Then he raised the pike and brought it down again. Then again.

"Try regenerating now." The attacker spat.

"Wait a second." The other said. Daniel quickly ducked into the brush.

"I think someone's spying on us..."

Daniel heard footsteps. They'd found him. This was the end.

"Huh. I guess there wasn't anyone here after all." The voice said. It sounded farther away then before. Daniel peeked out from behind cover to see that they were facing the other way, examining a different tree. Not even thinking, he made a break for it.

"What in the-" The murderers had definitely heard him as he took off, running for his life. He ducked under branches and jumped over roots, not stopping until he was back at the shack. Turning around, he saw that he was no longer being followed. Relieved, he walked inside, thinking of taking a quick rest when the reality of what had happened finally dawned on him.

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"Are you certain?" Bartholomeu asked. "People have never openly murdered each other before. Not in this time of peace."

"I know what I saw." Daniel said. "If you don't believe me then I'll just have to show you."

The two ventured into the forest, to the exact spot where Daniel had witnessed the murder. Bartholomeu looked at the scene before him, not sure what to believe. It was not a human, but a wolf who lay on the ground before them. The wounds seemed to match the ones Daniel mentioned, even having small traces of silver mixed in with the blood, but it just wasn't a person.

Daniel was also surprised by the wolf. He knew he had seen a human at this very spot, but now it was a wolf. He stared at it in disbelief until he felt Bartholomeu nudge him. Snapped out of his trance, he noticed a low growling sound. He glanced around and tried to find the source, but it was no use.

A small wolf leapt out of the trees at them, snarling viciously. Bartholomeu realized almost instantly that the body probably belonged to one of it's pack and backed off slowly. Daniel however, didn't.

"You there. Small doggy creature. Did you see what happened to the person who was here? Did this wolf eat him?"

The small wolf didn't answer, oddly enough, it just kept growling.

"Another one!" A voice cried out. Daniel recognized it from earlier. The murderers were coming back.

He would have ran off, but figured that the sudden movement would startle the wolf and it would attack either him or Bartholomeu, so he stayed put. The men ran into the clearing and one of them instantly snatched up the small wolf.

"Great job helping us catch this one, kids. She got away earlier, but this time we'll make sure she's done for good."

The man with the pike raised it up into stabbing position and was prepared to lunge forward when he felt something grab onto the handle. Turning, he saw a dark haired boy holding back his weapon.

"What, you want to kill one? Normally I'd let you, but seeing as she's the last one..."

The man stopped as he noticed Daniel's red eyes seemed to be glaring into his very soul. The seething hatred he felt was unexpected, especially from a child. He was just about to tell him to let go when he felt Daniel release the shaft. A split second later, something hard collided with his face.

The man stumbled backwards from the force of the blow.

"Why?" Daniel demanded. "Why did you kill him? Do you get some sort of sick pleasure from murdering innocent people?"

"Look here you-" The man suddenly found himself face-to-face with the blade of a pike.

"Daniel, just calm down." Bartholomeu said. "I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation for all of this." Just as he finished speaking, the wolf broke free from the grasp of her captor and threw her full weight into the back of the other man. He was knocked forward, into the blade of the pike.

Daniel's eyes widened as the blood splashed his face. He dropped the pike and fell to his knees. How can it be, that even after I saw him take the life of another, I still was unable... and why is it that I feel so empty inside? He didn't understand. Murderers didn't deserve to life, right? So why was it that he couldn't actually bring himself to avenge that man he had seen die.

Bartholomeu saw Daniel fall, but did nothing. After two years of learning, he yet to understand conscience.

Neither of them saw the other man escape, or the wolf run off after him. After a while, however, the rustling of leaves caught their attention. A girl who looked about thirteen, with long brown hair and a red dress, walked towards them.

"So, um, thanks for your help earlier..." She said, almost shyly.

Daniel looked up at her. "Who are you?"

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Whoopwhoop werewolves! The mass murderers!

Werewolves you say?

She is a werewolf...or am I getting everything horribly wrong.

Nah, she's totally a werewolf.

Yeah! Is she violent?

Wait, why do you ask such a question, is it possible that you have a prejudice against Lycanthropes?

No, I just hope that they're not Twilight werewolves.

No, they wear shirts.

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"I asked who you are." Daniel said, almost angrily.

"I, uh..." The girl was hesitating. "My name is Ruby." She said suddenly. "Those men attacked my village and killed everyone." She fell to her knees and was practically crying. "It was terrible."

Bartholomeu instinctively rushed over to comfort the girl. Daniel, however, rose to his feet and turned away. She watched them die and ran instead of doing something... Daniel didn't like cowards, but it was clear that even if she had stayed, a child couldn't do much against armed murderers, especially if an entire village couldn't.

"But why? Why would they kill innocent people?"

None of them had the answer.

"Maybe if we head over to the village we can find some clues or something." Bartholomeu suggested.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Chapter 3: Mysteries~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fortunately, the men who had gone about murdering the villagers didn't think to light the village on fire, for it was all made out of wood and other easily flammable materials.

Ruby went off to search for any survivors and Bartholomeu was looking for clues, but Daniel just stared at all of the corpses littering the ground. There were signs of struggle, and they were wounded in many places, but it was clearly that they were all done in by a pike, lance, or similar weapon. Of course, something else caught his attention almost right away.

They were all wolves. Every last one. Not a single human. What the hell? If this is a village, then where are all of the villagers? He supposed they could have been eaten by the wolves. But then why would the men kill the wolves? They obviously weren't hunting them, as they hadn't harvested the meat or even the fur from the corpses, just left them there to rot.

"Daniel." Bartholomeu's voice broke him out of his thoughts. "Come look at this."

Daniel went to see what it was Bartholomeu was going on about. He was holding up a spearhead. It looked perfectly normal, except it was an odd color and more shiny than it should have been. Bartholomeu revealed that it had been coated in silver for some reason, but neither of them could imagine why.

"Maybe Ruby knows something about it." Bartholomeu said. "I'll go ask, you can get back to... staring at dead bodies or whatever."

Daniel wasn't paying attention anymore. Something else had caught his eye. Etched into a nearby tree was the word 'Vengeance'. He walked over the tree to investigate. No way that had been carved with a spear or pike. Had someone survived and vowed to avenge their friends and family. It was clear that whoever had carved it wasn't here any longer, but Daniel wondered where they had headed.

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"Hey." Bartholomeu said. Ruby practically jumped.

"Don't scare me like that!" She snapped at him.

"Sorry, I thought you could tell I was standing here," he remarked, but she paid no mind to it.

"What do you want anyway?"

"I was wondering if you knew why the people attacking you village would plate their weapons with silver. Me and Daniel found it a little odd, but perhaps you know something."

"What? No! Of course I don't know anything about that! Silver? That's ridiculous!"

"Oh, really. Because I heard it was supposed to work really well against-"

"What are you saying? You must be delirious. There's no such thing."

"So, why exactly didn't you tell us? Why would you want to keep something like that a secret? Surely you must have known we would find out sooner or later."

"I couldn't just tell you that I was... you saw what they did to everyone else."

"And what made you think we were anything like them at all?" Bartholomeu asked. "To be honest, I'm a little offended."

"Yeah, but... and what about that other guy? Does he know? Can I trust him?"

"His name is Daniel. He doesn't know what you really are, but he's a good guy, I'm sure you can trust him."

Ruby looked like she was about to burst out laughing.

"What's so funny?" Bartholomeu asked.

"You humans have such silly names."

"..."

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Daniel wondered where Bartholomeu and Ruby had gotten off to. As he looked around the village for them he noticed a mangled body laying face down on the ground.Turning it over, he saw that it was the man who had gotten away. How come we didn't notice him before? Daniel wondered. He then saw the trail of fresh blood pouring from various wounds that resembled claw marks. He backed away from the body. Was it possible that they hadn't seen it before because it hadn't been their before? Was someone trying to threaten them, to scare them away? If they were it was certainly working.

Dundunduncliffhanger

Yes.

You're good at this stuff.

Really?

Really.

Thanks.

You are very welcome!