Chapter 1: Shadows of the past
The shine of the full moon rises over the barren trees of winter's days. The shine illuminates a small town of red brick houses. The town is ghostly quiet with the only the sounds of crickets filling the air. Torch lights illuminated a snowy road leading up to a large building with stain glass windows of varying designs. One was of a sword, another seemed like light was being brought to the world by a messenger. These beautiful pieces of art surrounded a symbol of a black moon with six swords crisscrossing it in every direction. The building was made of stone with a large wooden door and as the light of the moon rose to an even greater height over the town it illuminated a wooden sign that read "The Black knights of Order."
Inside the building, within the main hall which was only illuminated by the small fires around the perimeter of the room and the light of the moon shinning through the small windows, stood a man around the age of seventeen who had blue eyes, spiky black hair and wore black pants, and a white long jacket with a symbol of the black knights of order on his back. He held a finely crafted katana in his right hand. In front of him was a much older man who seemed to be in his forty's. He was sitting down at a desk in front of the black haired man. His face was unseen by the shadows of the room and his clothing only seemed like a silhouette.
"As you may have noticed, Soren, there have been numerous disappearances in this town as of late. One of them being of your beloved older sister, Paula" said the silhouetted man.
Soren was silent as the silhouetted man continued. "I know you feel troubled by that but you shouldn't worry anymore." Soren looked at the silhouetted man as if he could see his face with a strong look on his face. "Our scouts have recently tracked down a small cathedral secluded from the rest of the world where they have been hearing screams in agony coming through the walls of the structure" continued the man. "This can only mean that we have located the person of these kidnappings. Soren, as a black knight of order I order you to go to this place and stop whatever is going on there and bring all the innocent lives back to town safely."
"No problem" said Soren in a soft yet calm voice. Soren turned around and exited through a large wooden door. The silhouetted man grasped both his hands together on the table and sighed. "It's for the best that he doesn't know who Soren is hunting this time. He would probably still go though even if he knew" said the silhouetted man.
Soren traveled miles away from his home. The paths of snow changed to a stone road. Soren began to see glimpses of the cathedral. The cathedral was large, circular and white with an archway overshadowing the doorway. Soren began to climb the many steps leading up to the entrance to the structure. As he reached the top he gazed at the place he was entering and notices that a thick fog surrounded the perimeter of the cathedral. Soren then began to walk towards the entrance. As he approached a large metal doorway he noticed a dog like figure over in the distance of the fog. The dog like figure began to approach him and as it came closer to Soren's view Soren began to notice that the dog that he saw approaching him had no eyes, a fur less body, and razor sharp claws and teeth. The demon dog began to growl and in an instant tried to pounce on Soren. But Soren already knew what the dog was going to do and so he quickly slashed at the dog that was still in midair causing it to slam into the ground hard.
Not moments afterwards Soren heard growling of two demon dogs from behind his back. Soren was calm and didn't make a move. One of the dogs ran up to Soren ready to bite him but Soren did a quick one eighty degree turn slashing and stunning the dog. Soren quickly followed up with a combo of slashes killing the demon dog. The demon dog turned to ash but not moments before the second demon dog tried to slash Soren with a claw. Soren quickly dodged the attack and then counterattacked when the demon dog was defenseless and caused it to turn to ash. Soren then relaxed for a moment. But all of a sudden he was attacked by the First demon dog he failed to kill but Soren quickly dodged the attack and slammed the demon dog back into the ground. Then while the demon dog was still on the ground Soren walked up to it and stabbed the demon dog through the neck with his sword. "Return to the darkness" said Soren as the demon dog turned to ash.
Rain started to pour across the land. Soren calmly stepped toward the gate of the cathedral and opened it. Inside he found rows upon rows of benches all leading up to an altar in the silent cathedral. Standing in front of the altar was a man with long black hair and red eyes. The man was garbed in a black robe and wore black pants. Soren stood where he was as he looked into the eyes of the man. "So Soren, we meet again!" said the black robed man. Soren was silent as he stood still. "Still working hard for the black knights of order like a puppet on strings?"
"So you're behind those kidnappings….Lloyd!" exclaimed Soren.
"Yes, Soren, I am" said Lloyd.
"Why are you doing this!? We used to be good friends!"
"Because Soren I can never forgive you for what you have done"
Lloyd appeared in front of Soren in seconds and slashed at him. Soren didn't have enough time to respond to Lloyd sudden appearance and was quickly overwhelmed and fell to the ground. Soren quickly got up and tried to slash at Lloyd but Lloyd quickly moved out of the way of his attack smiling and appeared behind Soren. Soren tried to defend himself but Lloyd was able to slash Soren so hard he sent him across the cathedral and smashing into the altar which shattered it upon impact. Lloyd looked at Soren with a smirk.
"You really let yourself go Soren" said Lloyd as he laughed. "While you were doing all the dirty work for the knights I have been training myself within the dark arts and have even grown stronger then you!"
Soren tried to get back up but was shot back down by a ball of dark electricity. "Don't get up" said Soren.
"You monster!" exclaimed Soren.
Lloyd chuckled at the response and then walked closer to Soren. "You know Soren I didn't just kidnap those people to make you suffer. You know why I really kidnapped them?" Soren clenched his teeth. "I did it so I could have more subjects for my experiments!"
"What!?" exclaimed Soren.
"You see Soren I had this feeling that besides creating an army of the underworlds monsters that I would create an army dragons too that would do my bidding. Unfortunately all the dark dragons I tried to obtain for my army only attacked me and the good dragons are immune to any kind of mind control spell so I had to find other means to make my army."
"No….you didn't!"
"Oh but I did Soren. I used all the people I kidnapped to transform them into my army of dark dragons! Unfortunately there were a few defects that ran away but I didn't worry since the only ones that escaped were of the age of Thirteen and Fifteen so they didn't become the full size dragons I wanted them but when they escaped they didn't pose much of a threat either. Especially since they were as scared as hatchlings and had no clue how to be a dragon in the first place!" Lloyd begins to laugh as Soren looks away from the person he had once called a friend.
"I almost forgot Soren about the little surprise I had waiting for you" said Lloyd as he snapped his fingers. A large black dragon came crashing into the cathedral. Stones flew in every which way as dust filled the air near where the dragon had emerged. The dragon roared at Soren. "You haven't forgotten about your sister have you?"
"My Sister….what have you done to her!?" said Soren.
"I already told you Soren. But let's cut this little reunion short I am finished speaking to the likes of you!" Lloyd put out his right hand and called upon a ritual circle which appeared below Soren. "You shall join me now Soren and repent for Sins by doing my bidding and then you shall be the sacrifice that will bring the apocalypse upon this sinful world I live in!"
Soren began to feel pain strike all through his body as the ritual ring began to glow a bright red. His skin began to change into scales. On his head he could feel horns growing. Soren screamed in agony.
Lloyd chuckled. "That's right Soren join me and become the key to ending this world!" exclaimed Lloyd.
"I will never let you control me!" exclaimed Soren as he bit his finger and drew in blood a circle with seven intersecting the center of it. Then Soren quickly put his hand which had now turned into a claw on the symbol. "Teleport!" Soren vanished in a ray of white light.
Lloyd smiled. "Nice move there Soren you may have escaped my dark infection but now that your body is changing into a dragon what will you do now!?"