All right! I'm finally here with the next chapter of "Dark Angel"! Sorry this took so long to post. I was feeling kind of out of focus when I wrote most of this chapter, so hopefully it turned out okay. Thank you again to everyone who's been reading, reviewing, favoriting, and alerting this story. I'm very happy with the response it's been getting so far! :)

GUEST REVIEW CORNER:

Soto- Thank you for your review! :) I read all the short stories from "Remember", and they ended up helping me a lot with this story, so I'll probably incorporate some information from those, too. They also explained some of the loading screens (like the one you mentioned about the Turkish delight, and also some of the other Algeria-based ones), so a lot of them make more sense now. I've also been rereading a few books that I have at home that take place in Victorian England, and I remembered one of them mentioning how wealthy Mayfair was, so you're right that the game probably implied that Daniel grew up in Canterbury. I might go back to "Not Like Them" and fix that. :)

DISCLAIMER: Only any minor OCs that might show up in the story, as well as some of the plot ideas, are mine. Everything else belongs to Frictional Games.


It wasn't long after Daniel's geology lesson with Sir William Smith that the nightmares began.

He had often had nightmares when he was a child-mostly about the dark basement or his archenemy, Henry Bedloe-but even those were nothing like the ones he was experiencing now. The first one came two days after he had spoken with Smith, and although he couldn't remember a lot of it, there were two details that stuck out like a sore thumb.

The first was the pitch black void he had ended up in. Daniel's heart had instantly begun to beat faster just because of that, and he spent the next few minutes trying to find a way to escape. He stumbled around blindly, holding his hands out in front of him in case he collided into something. But nothing was here-just Daniel and the darkness.

The second was that awful voice that sounded like a cross between two pieces of metal being scraped together and a low-pitched hum, and just the sound of it had sent shivers down his spine. It didn't sound male or female-or even human, for that matter-and even worse was that there was no physical form to go with it. It was simply a voice that seemed to appear from thin air.

"Soon, Daniel," it whispered, "Soon, it will be your time."

That was the last thing Daniel had heard before he woke up, sweating and panting as he tried to stop his heart from beating so fast. He didn't know what any of that meant, only hoping to never have a dream like that again.

In the meantime, he had given up on trying to repair the Orb. Every day, the pieces continued to change in such a way that attempting to put them back together almost seemed pointless. There were times where he wondered if the relic in its entirety was just something he dreamed up, and if it had even existed at all. He could barely remember the brief time he had been trapped in the burial chamber, so perhaps he had imagined the whole thing somehow.

Even so…there was still something about those Orb fragments that bothered him. Although Smith had been more than helpful, Daniel still didn't think that the changes were natural. They were happening too quickly, unlike the gneiss Smith had shown him a few days ago, and they were not being subjected to heat or pressure like the rocks had. He remembered how superstitious the Arab men had been before the incident in the tomb, and at the time, Daniel had casually dismissed their concerns. Now, however, he was beginning to feel the same way. He didn't believe in ghosts or anything else supernatural, yet he couldn't help but wonder if there was something…well, something otherworldly about the fragments. It was a silly idea, but one that definitely ate away at him whenever he thought about it.

This was something he was going to have to look more into. But how?


The next week passed by without any incidents related to the Orb, but the Shadow never grew bored watching over Daniel. The young man still had no idea that he now had an invisible guardian angel, and part of the intrigue was wondering when and how he would realize it.

Meanwhile, it got a glimpse into the kind of life Daniel lived when he wasn't preoccupied with the Orb. During the day, he worked at the British Museum, maintaining the exhibits and answering any questions that visitors might have. He didn't seem to be very comfortable with the second task, the Guardian noticed, but he plodded through it with a smile on his face and a sigh of relief once he was able to take a break. It wasn't sure how long he had been working at the museum, but perhaps it could help remedy his social anxiety. As much as it resented Herbert for the way he had behaved over the other Orb, at least it had no trouble communicating with him.

Besides, anything to dissuade Daniel from revisiting Sir William Smith would suffice. So far, nobody else he spoke to brought up any questions that could possibly point to the Orb, so the Guardian didn't have to mark them.

For now.

In the meantime, it visited Daniel whenever it could, waiting for him to fall asleep before entering his dreams. He had a very active mind, between dreaming about his time in the desert, the Orb, Hazel, and several other unrecognizable images. The broken jar was something that came to mind, and even now, the Guardian could see how distressed Daniel was about all this. It was what compelled the entity to try and eliminate some of that, completely taking over his dreams until he ended up in the void once again. It was here that it attempted to talk to him-not about the Orb, but in general. There was so much it wanted to know about him in order to see if he really had what it took to be a Carrier.

Plus, it was just genuinely curious as well.

Although Daniel could not see the Shadow, it could see him as he stumbled around, trying not to panic as he felt his way through the darkness. He hugged himself and closed his eyes as if he was trying to make the void disappear, and the Guardian could have sworn it saw tears rolling down his cheeks. For whatever reason, he seemed to really hate the dark, which wouldn't do at all if they were going to start talking.

"You needn't be afraid, Daniel," it spoke up, its voice reverberating all around the young man as he jumped, "I control the darkness, and it will not hurt you here."

Daniel shivered as he pushed some hair out of his eyes, looking around wildly for the source of the cringe-inducing voice. "What…who are you?" he asked timidly, "I've heard your voice for a few nights now. How do you know my name?"

The Shadow remained silent for a minute or two before replying, "That's not important. Right now, I'd like to focus on you. There is a lot going on in your waking life that you seem to be having trouble dealing with. You may ask how I know this, and it's quite simple: I've looked into your mind the other times you've been asleep."

Daniel's eyes widened at that, his heart beating faster now at this revelation. "F-forgive me for saying this," he replied, "But that seems rather…rather invasive."

"Not really," the Shadow said in response, "I've only seen brief images. Nothing more. But that's also why I'm here: to let you know that this void is a safe place. You may not see it now, but you will over time. This is a place for you to talk about anything that's bothering you, and I consider myself to be patient and a good listener."

Daniel shook his head and backed up, trying not to trip on his own feet. He was still terrified, the entity realized, and still not sure what to make of all this. "T-thank you," he whispered, "I appreciate the offer, but why me? What if I were to refuse?"

The Shadow paused, allowing the archaeologist's response to sink in. It could already see him constantly questioning everything, given his curious nature, and it was a little surprised at how difficult this was proving to be. Again, it was not expecting this based on what it had heard about him in the past, but at the same time, it was not one to shy away from a potential challenge.

"You won't," it promised, "Trust me." It didn't wait for Daniel to speak up before continuing.

"Do consider my offer, Daniel. You will not regret it."

And with that, it ended the dream, exiting Daniel's mind as the latter woke up in a cold sweat, gasping as he clutched the blanket covering him even tighter. He immediately went to light the candle on the nightstand next to him, seemingly wanting to do anything to banish the darkness after what he had just been through. The Shadow had never met anyone with such a crippling fear before, and although it didn't know why Daniel was so afraid, it figured it was time for him to get over that.

One way or another.


July 2nd, 1839…

After returning from the British Museum for the day, Daniel was surprised to find a letter from the Algerian government among the rest of his mail. After not hearing from Herbert for so long, he wondered if this was his way of letting him know that he was on his way back. On the other hand, he felt a strange sensation in his gut that was starting to give him a bad feeling for some reason. If this was the professor's way of contacting him, why would he not do it himself? Why go through the government?

Once he was settled in with a cup of tea and a heated plate of leftover food, Daniel sat down at his desk, took a deep breath, and opened the letter, his hands shaking in nervous anticipation. Outside the flat, the Guardian dutifully watched over him, zeroing in on the neat half French, half English script that filled the paper.

Salutation,

I hope this letter finds you in good health. It is to my understanding that you were a member of Professor Simon Herbert's desert expedition in May of this year, and it is also to my understanding that you were ordered to return to England after a few days of being there. By the time you receive this letter, you should be home, and I am afraid I must inform you of the unfortunate circumstances that befell the expedition shortly after your departure.

About a week after you left, one of the other men that was part of your group, Abdullah Nassar, was found with life threatening injuries outside his home in Algiers. At first, the authorities assumed he had been maimed by a lion, but when they began healing him and questioning him, he began to repeatedly mumble about something that allegedly attacked the entire expedition. When asked what it was, he simply answered that it was so horrible that he could not describe it, although we could not accept his testimony at that time, as he was delirious and appeared to have been driven mad by his stay in the desert.

Nevertheless, we sent a search party to the last known location of the expedition, and after a few days of searching, they found the camp site in a state of disarray, which appeared to partially match Monsieur Nassar's story after all. Unfortunately, they were unable to find any signs of Professor Herbert or the rest of the men in the area, so the search was called off after another week. They did, however, manage to recover his bag, which we have arranged to be delivered to London's Custom House for you to retrieve. Although we could not find Herbert, I hope that giving his belongings to you will help bring some much needed closure, as well as an explanation as to what might have happened in the desert and whether or not Monsieur Nassar's story holds up.

Cordialement,

Pierre Devereux

Governor of Algiers

Daniel put the letter down, losing his appetite as he allowed the words to sink in. He had been expecting that it would somehow be related to Herbert, but not this. What could have attacked him and the others? What could have driven Abdullah, one of the most grounded members of the expedition, to near total insanity?

Whatever it was, it must have been something big if it managed to almost completely destroy the entire camp site. That was what made Daniel think that maybe it was more than just a lion. Perhaps it was a whole pack. Or a group of thieves and bandits. What if Herbert and the others had been kidnapped and dragged further into the desert, with Abdullah being the only one who managed to escape? What if the trauma from the experience was one of the reasons why he couldn't talk about it?

Daniel shivered. He didn't want to think about it. He hated to think of Herbert trapped somewhere that he couldn't escape, and knowing that there was nothing he could do about it on top of that made his stomach turn. He didn't know how he felt yet about collecting his colleague's belongings, but he figured he'd do that tomorrow once he was finished at work.


The next day passed much more quickly than Daniel and the Shadow thought it would, but for both of them, the true highlight was Daniel's trip to the Custom House. As his coach traveled along the bank of the River Thames, he couldn't help but go back to being worried for Herbert. As morbid as it sounded, he would have preferred to hear that his colleague was dead, rather than simply missing and unable to find him. At least then, he'd have a little bit of closure.

While it waited for Daniel to take care of business in the Custom House, the Guardian wondered if it should inform him about Herbert's fate yet. Although it didn't regret what it had done to the professor, the young man still had the right to know the truth, no matter how awful it might sound. But was he ready for it? Although he was radiating more and more of the Orb's power every day, he still didn't know how to put it back together, let alone what it even was! And even if he was ready, he wouldn't understand the reasoning behind why the Shadow had done what it did.

No. Daniel would not find out the truth yet. At least not until he showed more signs of becoming one with the Orb.

After a few more minutes, it noticed that Daniel had finished dealing with the Custom House, carrying Herbert's trunk in his hands as he climbed back into the coach, doing his best to hide the anguished expression on his face. The entity didn't understand how a human could still be worried about someone as unpleasant as the professor, but it didn't matter. All it cared about was wondering how much information its latest Orb Carrier would get out of going through the trunk.

Once he was finally home, Daniel sighed as he set the trunk by his desk, removing the ropes so that he could open it. He shook his head as he wondered how many people had come in contact with it, and he prayed that nothing valuable had been stolen.

He'd worry about that later.

Once he broke open the rest of the lock, Daniel began to go through the different items, ranging from clothes, to a pocket watch, and finally to various papers related to the expedition. He spotted the map Herbert had used to find the tombs, and after digging a little further, he felt his hands close around the professor's journal. It was covered in sand, and he could have sworn he saw a few drops of blood on the pages, but he forced himself to ignore that as he wiped it off, took it back to his room, sat down on his bed, and opened it to the first page.

Daniel sat like that for the next few hours as he read every single journal entry, including one about how Herbert had gotten the map from his old friend, Faraj. He continued flipping through the pages, which mostly contained to-do lists and little reminders for himself, and the archaeologist was about to take a break when he suddenly caught sight of an entry from the day of his incident.

17th May 1839

Early afternoon. It has come to my attention that there has been an accident. Daniel, my research assistant, has been trapped inside the burial chamber. All men are ordered to lift the massive stone hinder.

Recovered Daniel after one hour of entrapment. After some preparation, the workers hoisted the heavy stone with block and tackle.

Daniel is delirious and his mind is slowly recovering. I have decided to have him leave for England. It would be foolish of me to risk not just his life, but the expedition's success by keeping him here.

Daniel put the journal down, becoming more and more confused as he processed what he had just read. Aside from noticing that Herbert didn't put much emotion into whatever he wrote, he couldn't stop thinking about how long he had actually been trapped in the burial chamber.

"An hour?" he muttered to himself, "How is that possible? Everything happened so quickly! I thought I was going to suffocate in minutes!"

He glanced in the direction of the drawing room, watching the currently dark blue glow from the Orb pieces cast shadows on the walls. If what Herbert had said was true…did the artifact somehow save his life? It was the only explanation he could come up with, and it would at least put his mind to rest about whether or not the Orb was real.

Daniel shook his head and turned his attention back to the journal, flipping over to the next entry that seemed to reveal a lot more frustration than the previous one. From the other snippets of text in between the two major entries, he deduced that the group had found an Orb very similar to the one he remembered, though it had apparently taken a toll on everyone's sanity. His gut instinct was telling him that this story was about to go in a bad direction, and he gulped as he began reading the next paragraph.

20th May 1839

Those imbeciles! How dare they sacrifice my expedition to their superstition? The camp is in chaos, and they blame the Orb. They won't get their hands on it. I shot one of them to put them in their place. It can't be helped; they are animals. All of them. They killed four men in the most gruesome way, their skinless bodies torn apart. They say the desert took them, but I know murder when I see it. I have sent Abdullah to contact the French in Algiers.

Daniel shivered, despite the fact that his flat was warm from the summertime air. He knew Herbert wasn't the nicest person around-he could think of more than a few times the older man had mistreated him-but he never thought his boss would actually murder somebody in cold blood. He needed to carry out the expedition that badly? Suddenly, he wasn't so eager to turn the page, especially after reading that horrifying description of the four murdered men, but he forced himself to anyway, taking in the writing that appeared to be even more frantic now.

22nd May 1839

That thing is after me. It has been hunting me for days. But I keep out of its trail, so I will persevere. I can see a settlement at the edge of the desert. I'm getting closer. I can see it. But it is not me, it is Abdullah. Through his eyes I see, his mind I hear. Confined to myself, I see only death dressed in the Orb's darkest shadow.

It was the last written entry in his journal, Daniel realized, and with a melancholy sigh, he closed the leather book, mulling over everything he had just read. He turned his gaze towards the shimmering blue light in the drawing room, confusion continuing to settle in. How could Herbert have the Orb at the same time the broken pieces lay right on his desk?

"Unless…there's more than one," he whispered to himself, another thought suddenly hitting him as he grabbed the journal again, rapidly turning the pages as he skimmed the last few entries about the Orb Herbert had found.

Wait a minute, he thought, something else coming to mind the longer he considered what he had just read, Is this what he was keeping from me in the first place?


"You seem troubled by something tonight."

Daniel groaned under his breath as soon as he fell asleep and began to dream, not in the mood to be accosted by the disturbing voice that had been haunting him for the last week. Although he was slowly growing used to it, that didn't make his dreams any less frightening.

"And what if I am?" Daniel asked nervously, folding his hands as he gazed into the darkness.

"Then you must want to talk about it," the voice replied, echoing all around him, "I couldn't imagine keeping something to myself until it was too late."

"I've done that for my whole life," Daniel said, glancing down at his feet, "Keeping things to myself, that is. I've never had anybody I could truly count on to help me or my sister, so I simply don't tell anyone what's on my mind."

He felt a breeze ruffle his hair as the whole void appeared to sigh, which sent another chill down his spine. "Then perhaps it's time for you to break that habit. You are not a child anymore, and you shouldn't be afraid to talk to people. Sooner or later, you'll have to, so why not start with me? You don't know me, so I cannot pass judgment on you."

Daniel bit his lower lip as he hesitated. He still had no idea why this voice kept taking over his dreams, or why it was so invested in him and his inner demons in the first place. They were nobody's business but his, and because of that, he still refused to delve into his past, no matter how many times his mysterious new acquaintance tried to get him to open up.

"Well, if you insist on having me talk about myself," he responded, clearing his throat, "I'm just worried about a friend of mine, that's all. When we were in Algeria a few months ago…he seemed like he was searching for something specific, but he wouldn't tell me anything, no matter how many times I asked. Not long into the expedition, I nearly died in one of the burial chambers, and he decided to send me back home so that I could recover. Now, he's missing, and after retrieving his trunk and reading his journal, I'm worried that he's gotten himself into some kind of trouble. If he had told me what it was he was looking for in the first place, and if I had fought harder against his decision to have me leave, I might have been able to…" He didn't finish his sentence, clenching his fists as he realized he'd said too much. He hadn't meant to reveal what he had been thinking since receiving the letter from the Algerian government, and he glanced down at his feet again in embarrassment.

On the up side, though, maybe his invisible, self-appointed psychologist would finally leave him alone after this revelation.

"See?" the voice piped up, "That was not so difficult, was it? But Daniel, whatever you're thinking…none of this is your doing. You have nothing to feel guilty about except for being caught in the wrong place at the wrong time. You mustn't blame yourself for what has happened to somebody else."

For some reason, something about those last words bothered Daniel, but he brushed the concern away just as quickly as he felt the darkness somehow change. "Umm…thank you, I suppose," he stammered, "So what happens now?"

"I'm afraid I must leave now, but in the meantime, I will give you something to think about until the next night I choose to return."

Daniel exhaled. He was hoping there wouldn't be a next time, but he was afraid to say that out of fear that he would end up angering the voice, as he was starting to get the feeling that that wouldn't be a good idea.

"Look closely," the voice whispered without waiting for the archaeologist to respond, and soon, Daniel began falling through the void, his stomach zooming up to his throat as he eventually found himself surrounded by a shower of Orb pieces. They were all different shapes and colors, the fragments glowing brightly until they made his eyes well up with tears. He reached out to touch one, only for the scene to change until he was back in the burial chamber in Algeria, dragging himself to the familiar pedestal as he felt like he was going to suffocate.

Above him, the Orb pieces continued to rain down on him, clattering to the ground intact as a select few landed on the pedestal, fusing themselves together as he watched with wide eyes, as if he was being hypnotized by them. With nowhere else to go, he extended his hand and touched the cool, glassy surface, a burst of wind filling the cavern as the dream abruptly ended, leaving him in a cold sweat as he gasped and sat up in bed. Just like after the last nightmare he'd had, he immediately lit the candle on his nightstand, grateful for the little bit of light as he looked around his flat. Something seemed different about it now, but he couldn't put his finger on it until he glanced in the direction of the drawing room again.

Frowning, Daniel threw the covers off himself and grabbed the candle, heading to the kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. Once he did that, he carried that and his candle into the drawing room as he studied the ever-changing Orb pieces, now apparently giving off a dark red light. Although the dream he'd just woken up from still left him shaking and sweating, he suddenly felt the familiar sensation of having an epiphany, as if remembering something once forgotten. He glanced from one Orb piece to another, the wheels turning in his head as he reached for a bucket of tar, placing it on the desk as he sat down and hovered over the cloth once again. All other worries were temporarily forgotten.

From outside, the Shadow simply watched him, taking note of the careful way he lined up specific pieces before coating them with tar. "This one goes…here," he whispered under his breath, "And then this one is…there!" He connected another fragment, all three of them changing to the original light blue color they had been when they weren't broken.

The Guardian had to admit it was impressed once more; not only was Daniel's intuition very high, but he also clearly paid attention to what it had shown him in his nightmares, even if the young man was scared and had no idea that it was connected to the very artifact he was fixing. The more pieces he fit together, the more they continued to push out all the tar, rendering it unnecessary as they began to stick to each other on their own.

And after a few more minutes, his work was finished, leaving both Daniel and the Shadow to gaze at the very same Orb he had found in the burial chamber, only this time in its entirety.