The soul is dyed the colour of its thoughts. Think only on those things that are in line with your principles and can bear the light of day. The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny ... it is the light that guides your way. - Heraclitus
Chapter I - Deep Sleep
Lightning. That thing so feared by men and creatures alike, it strikes quicker than the eye can see. Blink one second, and it is gone. "He's getting away!"…"Sir, we can't keep up…"…"Shut up you fool! Don't tell me what you can and can't do! JUST DO IT!"
Lightning. That thing that passes unnoticed day by day, until it takes the life of another. Growing with intensity in both power and sadness. "Sir! We've located her position!"… "Damn it! Don't come to me with such useless information, come to me with results!"
Lightning. The power to kill a being, no matter how strong they make themselves out to be. Strength does not matter, only the Truth. "Sir…"… "YOU ABSOLUTE IDIOTS! How many times do I have to tell you that…huh?"
As the captain turned around to catch a glimpse of the presence behind him, he was caught on the tip of a sword. "Rest easy, captain. It's all over now…" the mysterious voice whispered, lowering the captain down as he struggled to find words. "What…why me? What have you done-?" As the voice of the captain of the 8th Regiment of Celeste breathed his last, the figure behind him, masked and unemotional, waited for the uproar to begin.
As the soldiers under the command of the captain slowly turned around to see why the captain hadn't shouted at them for once, they each took a gasp of breath, the sounds building up into one unanimous cry. "Captain…CAPTAIN?" As the figure made his way to the back of the room, the soldiers left their Security Terminal Matrix and followed the stairs up to the raised platform where the former captain had been.
"So glad you could join me. Sorry about the mess, I just thought the room could do with a little colour. 'Tis a bit bland, don't you think?" The figure smirked, showing no remorse for the killing of the regiment's captain. As one fury stricken soldier picked up the deceased captain's ace card, he could do little else but sacrifice himself to summon it. Unfortunately, the sacrifice seemed not to be enough, as a few of the man's fellow comrades collapsed to the floor, blood draining from their skin. The soldier screamed a blood curdling howl, as he was disfigured, deformed and then reformed into the terrifying shape of a humanoid reptile, with a giant scythe. Finding its feet, it managed to crush a few of the STM terminals and stumble backwards down the raised platform, its scythe taking a huge chunk out of the ceiling.
Bodies fell with a sickening squish, the research laboratory had been upstairs and now the corpses of some techies were embedded into the ground. The monster cried once more, almost in sorrow, as it looked upon the body of it's former master. "Things have gotten way too serious," the masked figure said, removing said mask to reveal his true identity, his blonde hair shimmering in the dim light given off by the remaining STMs. A CIPHER, sent to survey the source of the alarm, almost captured a sight of the figure, but he swiftly drew a card and drew on the energy required to summon it. The door opened, and a hand reached out to grab him. "LIGHTNING!" the girl screamed, as Lightning, with his signature smirk, clicked his fingers.
"Transformation Summon!"