Chapter 1
A KILLING LIGHT
The Mysterious Boy
The night was dark. Darker than any night has been in a while. Overhead, a gentle breeze flew by, tickling the trees and causing their leaves to stir in muffled voices. Their shadows danced under the faint glow of the white moon, painting a picturesque scene. Everything within the forest was still yet alive.
It was peaceful.
There under the full glow of the moon, a very young boy (no bigger than a dog) sat upon a large boulder that sat at the bank of a large lake. He laid there. Just staring up at the sky, his tiny hands in his pockets. His eyes large with wonder and amazement, without a care in the world.
Maybe it was foolish youth. Or a hardy bravery that came with the night's dark embrace. But whatever the case may have been, the young boy felt no fear as he sat there alone, in the openness of the lake with the protection of the trees a little farther out from the shore.
He whispered a tune that his mother had taught him not too long ago. Tracing his fingers in the air, a white sliver of light trailed after his fingers. A tiny muted melody could be heard as he hummed along with the musical spell.
"In darkness, I'll be safe.
Within the forest, I'll take its embrace.
Like a mother's womb, I know where I belong.
In darkness, but not for long."
He continued humming the rest of the words to himself, closing his eyes. The moon was as beautiful as ever. Even more so at this lake. The lake was one of the few open areas within the forest that made it easier to gaze up at the moon's greatness and it was his favorite spot.
The bubbling brooks as it crashed against the rocks, hissing softly and turning into a slight mist was a melody unmatched by any other tone except the soft lullaby of his mother's tongue as she sung him to sleep.
But that was long gone now.
A single tear trailed down the side of his face.
His parents were dead.
Killed by Lucifers.
They were monstrous beings that have existed for as long as humanity could remember. Creatures of pure light that held the intensity of the sun within their very being. And just as deadly. Usually standing over 10 foot tall with metallic white and gold flesh. Faceless eyes that glowed red from their hood-like heads. And three pairs of white wings that swallowed the sky.
Hiro couldn't help but shudder as he remembered the image. The blood, the screaming...all of the dying. They were creatures that seemed to have one and only one desire: the entire destruction of all human life. It was something that no 5-year old should have been privy to. But God was cruel. He takes away everything and leaves nothing. Just like those heartless Lucifers!
He opens his eyes and innocent eyes turn hard and cold, staring up at the moon.
"I'll kill them! I swear..." He declared loudly, raising a fist into the air. "I'll kill them all! Every last one of them!"
The shuffle of leaves brings him out of his thoughts and Hiro immediately jumps up and looks around in fright. This was a secluded part of the city. No one but him knew about it!
"Who's there?!" He roared out. His agitation and bravado belied the insecurity in his chest. Was it a Lucifer? The possibility wasn't farfetched. While he was scared, maybe it would give him the opportunity to get revenge.
He jumped down from the boulder and picked up a nearby stick to use as a weapon, slowly walking towards the sound.
His ears picked up something behind him and he whipped around in time to see a shadow racing through the trees. Frowning, he chased after it.
"Come back here!" He screamed at the fleeing figure. As he got closer, though, his feet began to slow to a halt. His mouth gaped. Staring out in wonder.
The figure hesitated before turning back to look at Hiro. Just a small light from the moon washing over it. No. Him. A boy, around the same age as Hiro but with hair that was shorter and spikier. A small blue cap donned his head but Hiro could still see the golden brown eyes clearly that stared back at him.
The boy was holding onto one of his shoulders, in pain. A black fire-like shadow was covering his entire body. Consuming him. Which made Hiro quirk an eyebrow, spellbound.
"W-What are you?" Hiro said but no words came out. It took a moment before he realized that it was the other boy that had spoken. The crickle crackle of the flames seemed to drown out Hiro's ability to think.
The other boy looked hurt.
He reached out a hand to help but the boy backed away in fright. He was afraid. Afraid. But why?
"Stay away!" The boy sobbed, shaking his head furiously. "Stay—Stay back! Whatever you are!"
Hiro bit his lower lip. He didn't understand why the other boy was acting like that. Like he was a monster.
"I just want to help..." Hiro started, not sure of what else to say.
"No! No... You're just a Dharka!" The boy said, shaking his body side to side. Hiro froze at the words. It sounded foreign. He's never heard that word before. "Stop pretending and just kill me already!" The boy added.
His earlier tenacity and desire for escape seemed to have left him. He stepped back until he was against the bark of the tree and slumped down to his butt. He shook his head again. Then he bent forward, crying. "Please, if you want to kill me, don't pretend to be a boy." He said, sobbing. "Don't look human. Be a monster... I don't want to die like this. I don't want to forgive you..."
Hiro stood there, speechless. He wasn't sure of what to say. Everything the boy was saying made no sense. Dharka? Be a monster? What did all of that mean? Realizing that he was still holding onto the stick and that it would only frighten the other boy more, Hiro tossed it aside before crouching over in front of him.
"I'm not a monster," Hiro said slowly. He reached both hands out again and the boy shook in fright but made no motion to escape. Those brown eyes stared back at him like a lost little sheep. Eyes that revealed a lost soul. Eyes that mirrored his own. When his hands almost touched the other boy. He hesitated. Unsure of the dangers of the flames but the boy needed him. So he gathered up the will and courage. Grasping him by the cheeks. Then moving the cap out of the way so that he could lay his forehead against the other boy's.
Unbeknownst to him and the boy, the flames slowly drowned out, flickering into nonexistence.
"You're warm," Hiro commented. He smells like sunflowers.
"You're cold," the other boy said. He closed his eyes and smiled. "In a good way."
They laid there like that for a while. It was so natural. Like it was a normal occurrence between them. Though they had just met. It felt like they had known each other all their lives. At least, to Hiro, but he felt that the other boy had probably thought the same.
"...ashi," the cap-wearing boy suddenly mumbled.
"I'm sorry?" Hiro moved his head back so that he could hear more clearly.
"Tadashi," he said. He smiled cheekily. "My name. Yours?"
Hiro was stunned by the introduction. The name was so fitting for the other boy. He couldn't imagine any other name that would have given him the same justice.
He smiled back at the boy, giving a light chuckle.
"I'm Hiro."
Tadashi looked at him, his mouth gaping slightly. Then a huge grin plastered on his face from ear to ear.
"That's funny," Tadashi says with a laugh. Like he had heard the funniest joke ever told. It made Hiro feel embarrassed by the other boy's reaction. And he looked away ashamed. "Is your name really Hiro?"
"...Yeah," Hiro mumbled, facing down.
"It's so perfect." Tadashi said. "I feel like you really are my Hero."
Then Hiro's face blew up red. His face burned hot at the boy's declaration. It was just an innocent and sweet comment but Hiro didn't know how to react. It made him feel so special.
I want to keep being your hero, Hiro wanted to say but he was much too embarrassed to voice his thoughts.
Tadashi thinks nothing of Hiro's silence and reaches over to grab his wrists and place them onto his chest.
"I don't know why, but I want you to touch me. Over here." Tadashi said, nodding at his heart. He blushed and looked away when he realized his own words.
It was Hiro's turn to laugh at Tadashi's words.
He wiped a tear from his eyes. A happy tear.
"Can we be friends?" Hiro asked.
Tadashi looked up at him with eyes as large as plates. He seemed to be thinking the same thing. He opened his mouth to speak but then he was caught off guard by something.
"Oh, the sun's out now. It's so beautiful." He sighed blissfully, looking up.
Hiro's breath hitched.
He stood up abruptly, also pulling Tadashi up to his feet.
"Hiro? What's wrong?"
"We've gotta go!" Hiro yelled.
They were at the edge of the forest. They had to return back to the city!
He turned and started running. Dragging Tadashi along with him.
"Hiro. Wait!" Tadashi asked in shock. "Where are we going?"
Hiro ignored his friend and just kept running. Dodging a few trees and other obstacles that blocked their paths, going deeper and deeper into the forest.
"We're going deeper into the forest!" Tadashi said with a whimper. Nervous. But that was the point, they had to go before the Lucifers showed up. "Please! Stop!" The other boy screamed and whipped his hand back. Backing away from Hiro. "Why? Why are we heading into the forest?"
Hiro looked at Tadashi, dumbstruck. The other boy shouldn't need to ask. It was obvious! Wasn't it? They needed to get away from the Lucifers!
"Tadashi! What are you thinking?!" Hiro roared in a panic. I don't want to lose you to those monsters like my parents!
"The Dharka live in this forest..." Tadashi whimpered. He backed away more and more. Dark flames slowly surrounded his body and Tadashi cried out in pain. Hiro stood there, not sure of what to say. His body seemed to turn translucent, clear. He was fading away.
"What's wrong? Tadashi, what's happening to you?" Hiro panicked and cried.
Tadashi ignored Hiro's pleading and ran backwards. Towards the light.
"Wait, Tadashi don't!" You'll burn!
Hiro ran after him in horror as Tadashi stepped into the light. Without the protection of nature as the sun burned down on him. But instead of his flesh turning a bright white and orange flames consuming his core, the black fire was merely extinguished.
Hiro stopped, stunned. He walked a few steps towards Tadashi with his hand out, trying to reach for him but quickly pulled his hand back when the sunlight scorched his skin.
The two of them looked back at each other.
Both were filled with fear and horror.
With the sun slowly rising into the sky, the land that the two were standing on were split in two. One half was shaded under the trees in the darkness of the night while the other was brightened in the openness of the blazing sun. It was as if they were in a portrait of black and white, split down the middle. Tadashi on one side and Hiro on the other.
From where Tadashi stood, hurt filled his eyes. He gave Hiro a look before he turned back and ran further into the light. Disappearing in the distance. Just a dot in the background.
"What are you?" Hiro couldn't help but ask out loud, despite knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer.
That was almost 8 years ago.
It was nothing but an empty blur now. Did any of that even happen? Hiro went back to the lake whenever he could, even around sunrise but to no avail. Tadashi never showed up again. Was it possible that in his moment of distress that his young mind had imagined the entire thing? There was no humanely possible way that Tadashi should exist. It was unthinkable for a human to walk in the light without the protection of the nighting trees or some other form of protection.
Even if Tadashi could walk into the light without turning into ash, there were still the Lucifers to deal with. And he let the other boy leave! Just because he was so scared of him! The only friend that he had ever had and he let him walk away and disappear! Just like his parents!
But what if Tadashi was all just a figment of his imagination and he was worried about nothing? The pit in his heart only grew as one worry only went against the other. Neither quelling the turmoil inside his heart. He didn't want to think about Tadashi not being real.
He sighs and leans his head down propping his head up by his hand and elbow over the table. Turning a page on the book he was reading. After a while, he sighed again and slammed the book shut before pushing it away from him. He holds his head down and lies his chin on the table. Stacks of books laid strewn all over the table.
He couldn't find anything about walking around in the light, though there were many theories and extensive research going into it, most of which were either impractical or involved a special suit of some kind. None of it even came close to what Tadashi did.
"Everything alright, honey?" His aunt, a beautiful young woman with curly auburn hair, came up to him. She was holding a platter of chicken wings and laid it down next to him. "Here, eat up."
"Thanks, Aunt Cass." Hiro smiles at her but she frowns, clicking her tongue.
"Oh, Hiro..." She reaches over and palms him by the cheek. Turning his head up so that she could get a better look at his face. His eyes were red from the lack of sleep. It was forever since she could remember him ever getting a good day's rest.
"I'm fine, Aunt Cass." Hiro said. Slapping her hand away not meaning to come off as rudely as he did.
"I know it's tough on you sweetie but it's time to let it go." She looked at him, hurt. And his eyes softened at the image. She leaves without another word, tending to her customers.
Aunt Cass was the only living relative that would take him in after his parents had died. She was his mother's younger sister and was barely old enough to take care of herself, being only a young adult with no prior experiences of taking care of children. She lived and worked her entire life, already trying to make ends meet by herself at her cafe before he was pushed onto her. But despite all of that, she tried to be the best parental figure she could be for him. Never bothering him and letting him have his own space, trying not to invade his privacy.
She wasn't the best person in the world for the job, but she tried. And he loved her to death for it even though he only caused her trouble time and time again.
He eats the wings in silence before he leaves the cafe.
Outside, the moon was shining as brightly as it ever did though most of the light was blocked from some of the trees. Around him, the hustle and bustle of busy citizens filled the air. Everyone only concerned with getting from one place to the next.
Bits and flakes of snow covered the rooftops of the buildings and some of the grassy streets. Not quite drowning the world in white yet.
I wonder if Tadashi likes the snow, Hiro wonders to himself. He looks at his watch and sees that it was around 1:00am. It was getting slightly late but with the winter solstice coming, the sun would take a bit longer to come out. He considers going to the lakeside again, in the slimmer of hope of finding Tadashi again but pushes the thought aside. Deciding instead to go to the gaming center in the downtown area to get his mind off of Tadashi.
He waited at the bus stop in silence. It wouldn't be around for another hour, unfortunately. So he took out his cell phone and started playing Candy Crush. It was a stupid game but Aunt Cass thought it would've been nice for him to have so she bought the app for it. Although he didn't want her spending money over something so mundane (not to mention 20 dollars for a game app was way overpriced). He mostly played it as a token for her.
"Aunt Cass..." He should get her something nice while he was in downtown.
–
Sometime later, with the sun barely shining overhead, a small head peaked out from over one of the trees, walking into the clearing of the lakeside.
It was a young boy, barely 14-years old. He was wearing an open white jacket that was a bit too big over his shoulders with black rims and large white cargo pants. Under the jacket was a plain black T-shirt with a white open circle that clung tightly to his somewhat muscular chest.
There was a cap over his head, a shade of dark blue with an orange explosion in the middle, drastically contrasting with the rest of his uniform. He tilted it upwards to reveal chocolate golden eyes. Staring into the distance, looking for something. Or rather. Someone.
"Hiro?" The young man whispered aloud.