Prologue
The Darkness is...comforting...
The boy thought this as he drifted slowly through an endless haze of shadows.
Where...am I...?
His violet eyes shifted to and fro lazily, but so far, they had seen nothing but Darkness.
I feel like I could float here...forever...
Slowly, he felt his momentum shifting downwards. He turned upright, his feet toward the ground, and waited for his leisure ride to end. Finally, he felt solid ground beneath his feet, although he couldn't see anything visible. Everything was still an expanse of misty shadows. He ran a hand through his messy, black hair.
What...now...?
As if answering his question, Light suddenly pierced through the Darkness. The boy recoiled as if in pain. He covered his eyes and stumbled back.
The Light is harmful...is it not?
The boy, still covering his face, nodded dumbly.
It...hurts...
Yes, the Light is evil. It only wants to hurt.
Suddenly, the Light shined even brighter, driving the boy to his knees. The Light grew more intense and he cried out in pain as his body became wracked with pain. Tears ran freely down his cheeks as he screamed in agony.
Fight it! Fight the Light! Do not let it beat you!
The boy shook his head wildly. He had never felt such pain before. He wasn't strong enough. Surely, this light would destroy him. The pain raced up and down his body in fiery jolts, and he finally succumbed, collapsing face-first to the ground.
No.
H-have...have to...get up...
Gritting his teeth, the boy struggled to one knee, trying to stand.
Yes, stand! The Light cannot destroy you! You are strong!
Finally, he stood and stared defiantly into the Light. It grew even brighter, driving away all of the Darkness. The only thing that remained was the Light, white and intense.
I...won't submit...
He looked all around him. "Do you hear that!" he yelled aloud, his voice echoing throughout the Light. "I won't submit! The Light will never destroy me!"
In an instant, the Light disappeared, replaced by the cool, calm Darkness. The boy stood there, his chest heaving, the only sound, his loud breathing.
You are...special.
...special...?
The boy looked doubtful. No one had ever called him special before, that was sure.
Oh, but you are. You are a child of Darkness, and you do not belong with the Light.
I'm...a child of Darkness...?
He looked down, not knowing what to think. Him? A child of Darkness? As far as he knew, he was the child of no one and nothing. He had been on his own for as long as he could remember. If his own mother and father hadn't claimed him, then why would the Darkness?
Because, you are the one. The one who will banish the Light once and for all.
But...why...? Why should I banish the Light when I've been alone all this time? Now, out of nowhere, I should just obey you?
How do you think you've survived for this long, moving from town to town? By your strength alone? Ever since you were a baby, the Darkness has taken care of you, protected you. Strengthened you.
The boy was silent at this. It was true, wasn't it? Even at a young age, he had felt different from other kids, not that they accepted him anyway. No one really wants to play with the poor, orphaned kid.
In your heart, you know this to be true. We have protected you since birth, when your parents left you alone. We have watched you grow and mature, we strenghten and look after you now, and we will always be here.
"Then why weren't you there!" the boy exploded, unable to stop the his voice from wavering. Unable to stop the ache in his heart. "Why weren't you there all those times the other kids ganged up on me? Or the times when the adults would run me away from their houses as I looked in, yearning for what their kids had? Or when I would cry myself to sleep, alone in the Darkness."
Where, did you say?
"The Darkness..." he trailed off before looking at the ground.
No matter what, the Darkness has always been there to protect you. And now, you are the only one who can stop the agents of the Light.
The boy's head snapped up.
The agents of the Light...?
The ones who wish to banish the Darkness, and unleash the horrible Light upon the world.
The boy stood there, lost in a turmoil of emotions. One side of him wanted to believe this, that he was important. That he was loved. That he was a child of Darkness. But, he had been hurt too many times to remember. Growing up in the streets had left him colder, wiser, and more untrusting than the average fifteen-year old. No matter what he said, there was still that part of him that wanted to protect him from ever feeling such hurts again.
But.
I...think I want to...
He shook his head. Did he? Did he really want to stop these "agent's of Light"? They had done him no wrong.
And why should I care about the world anyway? It's never cared about me.
You are right. The world doesn't care about you and the Light harms you. The Darkness embraces you.
The boy took a startled step back as a pair of bright, yellow eyes appeared in front of him. The two became four, the four became eight, and soon the boy found himself staring into a writhing wall of small, dark creatures.
He took another step back.
Don't be afraid.
The creatures began stalking slowly toward him, and his mind screamed at him to flee. Instead, he took a hesitant step forward.
Don't be afraid.
He reassured himself as he took another step. Then another. Into the Darkness. The creatures crawled around him, staring at him with those yellow eyes. He closed his eyes and let them roam, feeling the cold, comforting Darkness envelope him.
Then.
He felt cold breath on his ear. "We will protect you."
The boy slowly opened his eyes to find himself staring into his own. Two pairs of dark, violet eyes stared at him. Two beautiful identical sisters, each with pure, snow-white hair. One with the slightest of smirks, the other with a face as expressionless as the Darkness around them.
"Who...are you...?" the boy asked, awestruck.
The one on the right, the one with the smirk. She said, "We are your bodyguards. We are your friends. We are your family." She gestured toward herself. "I am Consonance." She gestured toward the other girl, the impassive one. "Our dear sister here, is Disonance."
The boy shook his head slowly. "I...don't understand."
"I know." The girl, Consonance, said, her smile disappearing. "I know that you are torn. I know that you do not want to open yourself up to anyone, for fear of the hurt. But we...are family. Kindred spirits and hearts intertwine us in a bond that goes much deeper than just blood. We are brothers and sisters, children of the Darkness. We will never hurt you."
She held out a hand. The boy reached out, his hand shaking slightly. It hung in the air, the boy hesitant. It was hard to let go of the fear.
Don't be afraid.
Slowly, his hand became still and put his hand in her's. She smiled. And he smiled.
"Welcome home. Brother."