The Ghost and the Darkness
Author's Notes: My main OC is named after Light Yagami, the main character of the anime/manga Death Note. The title of this story is a reference to the 1996 movie of the same name.
One final sacrifice, this night belongs to me
Turn back before the dawn of winter
So far away the cries set fallen angels free
Through my mind our journey ever after
~ DragonForce, The Fire Still Burns
Chapter 1: Avarice
Nights in Treno were never silent. Amid the sounds of people talking amongst themselves at the café or walking through the dark streets, one could not even hear a cricket chirp. The scent of water was everywhere, drifting from the canals that bordered the various avenues. It was the town that never slept, bathed in what seemed like eternal twilight, earning its nickname as the Dark City.
The moonlight, reflecting on the surfaces of the canals, shone down upon the urbs, illuminating the thoroughfares and yet casting shadows throughout the back alleys. It was an oddly quiet night aside from the usual city noises; there had not been a single fight to break out, nor a theft to be reported. But all was not still in the mind of a silver-haired youth, who sat perched on a rooftop, basking in the glow of Gaia's twin moons.
Light, as he was so named in an ironic fashion, appeared to be seventeen years of age, and possessed long hair that fell to the middle of his back, and the ears and tail of a silver fox. A dark blue band was tied around his head, knotted at the right side, easily keeping his bangs out of his haunting red eyes, which were, at the moment, closed as he enjoyed the radiance of the celestial satellites.
A faint sound of splashing water reached his ears. They twitched once, and he opened his eyes to glance over his shoulder with a sly, knowing smile. He kept up his countenance as he watched a humanoid otter, dressed in the robes of a White Mage, emerge from the canal where he can been swimming, just as his kind often did, regardless of whether the water was meant for that sort of thing. Light watched as the otter shook drops of water out of his fur and continued along his way, grabbing a staff that he had previously set aside.
The plan was set in motion. Light got to his feet and stretched, then flicked some hair over his shoulder with one hand while the other fingered the sheathed dagger at his waist. Soundlessly, he leapt down from the roof and into the alley next to it, where he vanished into the shadows.
Drake the otter reached the outskirts of Treno. He was still soaked. Like all his people he preferred to stay wet as often as possible, even while fully clothed. It made him comfortable, as he was, of course, a creature known to be semi-aquatic. With his tail gently swaying from side to side, he fully left the city and wandered into the surrounding plains, high above the Mist that covered the continent. There was little sign of monsters about, and that suited Drake just fine. Battle was not his strong point.
A rustling of grass alerted him. He turned, but found nothing. He looked around, then continued along his way, albeit wary that he was being watched, or followed. Still, there was not a trace of another being aside from the occasional rabbit ducking into a burrow as he passed.
And that was when his fate was sealed.
The assassin dashed almost silently, stealthily, across the grassland toward Drake's unprotected back. Blood flew as the otter fell forward, stunned by the sudden assault, a deep gash on his shoulder. A wave of pain shot through him like a wild, rushing flood. The ground beneath him was stained crimson as he lay there, bleeding profusely. A startled gasp caught in his throat as he became aware of someone stepping in front of him. Weakly, he lifted his head to look up. Above him stood the fox boy, holding a bloody dagger, the very weapon that struck him down.
"Light!" Drake cried in alarm mixed with horror and fear at the sudden realization. "You...!"
"Such a pity, isn't it?" the thief said coolly, a hint of mocking in his tone. "Betrayed by someone you trusted-you never should have let your guard down, Drake."
The otter shifted as the light in his eyes gradually began to fade. He felt drained, unable to cast even a simple healing spell to save himself, and barely capable of movement. He stared up at the other with blurred sight. "How - - how could - - I thought - -"
Light smiled cruelly. "Farewell, 'friend'."
That was the last thing Drake ever saw as his eyes clouded over in death, and his vision darkened to nothingness. He lay still, wet and soaked from the pool of blood that formed under his gruesome wound. Light knelt beside the body, ignoring the red fluid that stained his vest, barely showing on the black fabric. He into the collar of his shirt and pulled out a golden chain bearing an emerald amulet set in the same valuable material. With the object hanging freely around his neck, he placed a clawed hand on the dead otter mage. A white, mistlike substance flowed forth from Drake and was absorbed into the amulet-it was his very life force, his magic and entire being.
The amulet glowed momentarily before returning to its normal level of glimmer. Light wiped the blade of his bloodstained dagger on the grass. He stood, looked over the body, and then, uncaringly, he turned and walked away.
The house was now deserted, having once belonged to Drake. Light studied it for a short time, then casually shifted his gaze to the lock on the front door. He reached into his vest and pulled out a hairpin that he had previously stolen from an unsuspecting priestess. He inserted it into the lock and jiggled it around, until he heard a faint click. Withdrawing the hairpin, he pushed the door open and stepped inside.
The furniture was neatly arranged, but Light paid it no heed as he searched through the house for objects of value. Finding nothing, he mused silently and turned toward the basement entrance. Drake had never thought to lock it. It was no matter, as the otter was dead now anyway. Throwing caution to the wind, Light stepped down the dark steps into the blackness, which was broken only by the glow of a single candle.
The room was full of crates, many of which contained items of little value or use. One in particular, however, caught his attention. It was filled with precious stones and trinkets that Drake had collected over the years, many of them given to him as payment for his services. Light smiled in satisfaction. It was his desire for such items that drove him to steal and murder, and he had long ago found that he enjoyed it. He usually made friends with his victims before killing them, often making the death appear as an accident, but there were exceptions, such as Drake's demise.
Light looked around. An old, discarded pack lay against the basement wall. It seemed to be in fairly good condition. The fox took it in one hand and brought it over to the crate, where he began filling it with the valuables. As soon as it was full, he closed it and slung it over his shoulder. He ascended the stairs and left the house.
With his prize in tow, Light made his way out of Treno and to the South Gate, where he boarded the cable car that would take him to the country of Alexandria. It was easy for him to not draw attention to himself, as to the unknowing passersby he looked like a mere traveler with a bag full of supplies. Little did anyone suspect that he was in fact a murderer, a thief and all-around criminal who tended to absorb the powers of his victims.
As the cable car came to a stop, Light stood and exited the vehicle. Confident in his skills as a fighter, he was not at all concerned with the threatening presence of monsters in the Aerbs Mountains or the surrounding terrain. It wasn't long before he reached his lair, a cave in the mountainside along the edge of the Gunitas Basin. Most would be wary to live so close to the Evil Forest, but not Light. It was overconfidence, one might say.
After disarming the hidden traps he had lain around the entrance, the fox went inside the cave and approached his hoard. It was full of jewels and gold and other valuable objects. Light emptied the pack into a pile at the back of the cavern. He began to sort through it, separating the trinkets and jewelry from the golden items. Once his task was complete, he settled down, satisfied with his gains and previous bloodshed, and fell into an easy sleep.