Dark Skies

First written by Splitheartwarrior

Re-written by CyberNinjaKat

Summery: Even the strongest can break. Having caught the attention of a dark being, Guin suffers torment both physical and mental. Roles now reversed and a dark path on the horizon; it is up to Rinda, her guards, and a grizzled old doctor to protect and heal the wounded warrior.

Rating: M for gore, non-con, violence, and other mature themes. Readers' discretion is advised.

Updated 05-25-2021

My first rewrite felt rushed and only half done. I hope my second attempt is better.

Author's note: To those who don't know, Splitheart and I were friends in college. We both were interested in having a career in art and pushed each other to strive for new heights in our skills. She mentioned her writing hobby to me and asked me to be a sounding board for some of her ideas. Even challenged me to try making my own interpretations of her story ideas, as she did the same for mine. I was beginning to beta read some of her old stories when she was killed in a car accident. I am sorry it took me so long to say anything.

Since I couldn't bring myself to change her writing, I decided instead to do a rewrite of her stories while leaving the old versions up. Well, more like my version of the story while following the original premise. Kinda like she'd asked me too in the past. Not sure how consistent I will be with this since I'm currently job searching and will likely have less time to write once I get one. I guess I just want to keep this page alive, and maybe adopt it as my own over time. We'll see how things go.

Hope you all enjoy it.

Prologue

Fate can be a cruel thing, such is the common belief in the world. Letting out a huff in discomfort, a young red haired man turns over on his cot. It is hard and worn, but he manages to settle into a slightly better position than before. He tries to get back to sleep while his mind wanders back to the nature of fate. As a child he'd been naive, like most children, and saw the world in an innocent and hopeful light. His innocence started to fade much sooner than most though, and he couldn't help but think that maybe that had been a blessing in disguise.

The clattering of wood and rusty metal broke his train of thought. Groaning in frustration he huddled further under his threadbare blanket, his pale skin barely visible in his curled position. The clattering was soon followed by a grating squeal as a rush of stale but slightly fresher air whooshed into the musty chamber. At the steadily approaching sound of footsteps drawing near his resting place, the young man let out a resigned sigh as he turned to squint at the source of the noise.

With grey scaled skin and slit yellow eyes, the being approaching was reminiscent of some strange cross between a goblin and an elf. Imps, they call themselves. Personally he thought they were too big to be considered imps. They typically ranged between 4'11" and 5'8", which put them on equal footing with most humans. The creature looked at him with an apathetic and bored expression as it moved to the iron bars that kept him in his cell.

"Get up," it said over the jangling of the keys as it unlocked the cell door, "time to get to work." Turning to leave now that the cell was open the creature peered back over its shoulder, "The halls need cleaning. Especially the eastern wing."

He waited until the Imp left the stone chamber before crawling out from under the sheet. After stretching to ease the stiffness of his limbs the redhead adjusted the rags he wore and stepped out to look around the rest of the room. Grey and brown stone made up the walls of the large chamber, though years of dust and grime made them a uniform ashen color. The room itself was divided into twelve separate cells with a path down the middle. Each cell had stone sides and an iron barred front. Every cell was occupied by at least one person, though some held two. There were no windows to provide light or fresh air, only a cracked hole in the wall separating them from the rest of the fortress and torches between each cell.

With the imp gone the other prisoners began to rise from their huddled or hidden positions. A few of the men and women in the cells across from his own glared at him as they sat against the walls, their jealousy at his being allowed to roam the halls making them bitter and angry. He couldn't blame them for their view of him, but wished they'd at least understand he was just as trapped as them. The rest of the occupants were at least neutral or even grateful to him, since he was usually the one to bring them food and, when able, provide some medical aid to any wounds they had sustained. Nearing the chamber's only exit, he paused at the soft voice coming from the cell nearest to the door.

"Koga!" The feminine voice weakly called his name. A young brunette of about 19 leaned against the bars to her cell, wrapped in her thin blanket from her cot. Her hair covered half her face, hazel eyes full of anxiety and dread. "She hasn't been brought back yet," she said barely above a whisper before huddling into an even tighter ball, as though she was trying to escape reality. "You don't think…" trailing off, she turned away from the bars without waiting for a response.

"I'm sorry," was all he could say, for he did not yet know of the fate of the girl's cellmate. The two girls had been captured together, their only comfort being each other once they were brought to this hell on earth. With nothing more to say to the distressed young woman, Koga left the prison chamber.

He moved on autopilot to collect the needed tools for cleaning the halls while his mind wandered to the demon that kept them all prisoner. The monster was a being of lust and violence, sending his minions to collect any human that caught his eye. Male or female made no difference to it, so long as they satisfied whatever struck its fancy at the time. Koga shuddered at the memories, nearly dropping the bucket of water he just retrieved. He, like every other human brought to the demon's keep, had been used as a means for pleasure during his first few months as a captive. The demon was rarely gentle, more often prone to enjoying its victims' screams of pain when in the mood for violence. He was thankful to no longer being used for that, even though it was just a trade off. Starting in the south most point of the east wing, Koga began mopping the flat stone corridor.

The sound of something being dragged behind clacking and weighted footsteps drew his attention to the other end of the quiet corridor. He immediately regretted looking, but now he knew the answer to the brunette's question from earlier. One of the larger imps, slate black with pale almost white eyes, was dragging the body of the other girl behind it. Her pale porcelain skin was mottled with purple and black bruises. Deep lacerations trailed from her chest, down her sides, and towards her inner thighs. Blood flowed in crimson rivers down her body and onto the floor, mingling with her once blonde wavy hair as she was dragged along. Her mouth and eyes were wide open from what Koga knew had been her dying gasp for air. Unable to take in the sight any longer he turned his gaze down to the mop in his hands. Closing his eyes briefly, Koga sent a silent prayer that she find peace in the afterlife.

Shoving what he'd just witnessed to the back of his mind he quickly resumed cleaning the corridor. That sight wasn't overly common, but occurred often enough to not be surprising. While that vile demon preferred to indulge in its lust, it also enjoyed violence. The woman's demise was not the worst he'd seen, having seen the disemboweled body of a man about a few weeks back. Despite their captor's love of hearing their pain, it was usually careful not to outright kill its prisoners. There were only two reasons for the demon killing its prisoner, well three if he considered the ones that died in their cell instead. Either it grew bored with its current victim, or was angered enough to kill them in rage. Koga was the not so lucky exception.

He was dying, or going to die sometime soon. Born to an innkeeper who was also a doctor, he'd been a sickly child. He became exhausted easily and was far more prone to illness than his siblings. The only reason he even survived childhood was because of his medically skilled family. Even now he grew tired easily, and could collapse if he strained his body too much. His heart and lungs were weak, and this was what the demon had discovered a few months after taking him prisoner. Koga suspected that the only reason he hadn't been killed then and there was because of his medical background. People were less likely to die on accident if they got treatment after all, and when he wasn't acting as a healer he was made to maintain the fortress to keep busy.

Letting out a tired sigh, Koga paused his cleaning to take a short breather. Unfortunately when he looked up from his work, he realized he was standing outside the demon's so called throne. The only location in this hell hole that he hated more was the chambers in which the creature carried out its favorite pastime.

Rapid footfalls snapped him to attention. Quickly resuming his cleaning Koga kept his head down as a small brown imp darted passed him into the throne. He kept an ear towards the room, trying to keep the imp at least in his peripheral sight. The demon's scouts had been unusually busy lately, and any information on what was going on might prove useful to either himself or the others.

"My Lord Zinran!" The little imp called as it skidded to a halt in front of its master, "I bring news from the southern scouts!" It bowed low before the shadowed being sitting on the throne, its forehead nearly touching the ground as it gasped for air after the long run.

Two amber eyes opened slowly before peering down at the brown messenger in bored curiosity. "Speak then," Zinran said in a smooth, lightly baritone voice, "what news do you bring me at this time?"

The messenger hopped to its feet with a barely concealed grin as it practically quivered in excitement, "We've found him my Lord! The one you've been seeking!"

Outside the room Koga cringed as the Demon began to rise from its seat. That didn't sound good. Zinran never actively sought out his prey, simply taking the people who happened to peak his interest.

Keeping his expression neutral, Zinran's gaze bore into the messenger below him, "Are they certain it is him?" At the little imps affirmation a pleased smile replaced his blank expression. "So he's finally been found," Zinran chuckled softly, "finally."

The brown imp stood with a baited breath, awaiting its new orders.

"Gather the elite to rendezvous with the scouts," Zinran ordered as he resumed sitting on his throne, "I want no time wasted in bringing him to me."

Koga stood frozen in place as the messenger sprinted past him to carry out its mission. A chill ran down his spine at the quiet words the demon hummed after the imps' departure.

"Soon you will be mine, my precious gem."

Body numb, Koga continued his task by muscle memory alone. A single tear streaked down his face for the poor man the elite were sent to capture. He was reminded of his first thoughts this morning, and found the saying to be horribly true.

The God of Fate is a cruel being indeed.

—-scene break—-

"Hello?" A platinum blonde teenage young lady called out cautiously. The area around her was shrouded in a heavy fog, what little light that shone through appearing a grey-blue. Walking forward she tried to see where she was, but had no luck in the low visibility. A shadow slowly formed off to her left, the tall figure coming into view as she approached it. Her violet eyes widened in recognition as a smile came to her lips.

Before her stood a tall warrior, taller than most human men, clad in black armor and a purple cloak. His head was that of a leopard instead of a human, golden eyes practically glowing in the dull light. His imposing figure screamed power, but this did not frighten her. She knew of his compassion, for it was he who had saved her life and ensured the safety of her and her twin brother on their journey to Parros.

"Guin," she said with a smile before trying to move closer. Her smile fell when her legs refused to move. A quick glance down revealed that the fog had moved to encircle her feet, trapping her as though chained to the floor. Alarmed, she looked back towards Guin. He was no longer facing her, instead staring off to the side where an even larger shadow stood.

The shadow moved, looming over the leopard warrior, and only now did the teen notice his wary stance. Guin's eyes were wide with fear, his teeth bared and ears flat against his skull. For as long as she'd known him, she had never seen him afraid. Concerned or worried sure, but never so truly terrified as he appeared now. He was unarmed, but she could see his fists clenched and ready to fight despite the way they trembled. The shadow shifted slightly before lunging forward and snatching up the warrior. A pained animalistic scream rang out, echoing as he was pulled into the shadow's larger form.

"No!" She lunged forward with a scream of her own, arm outstretched in a desperate attempt to help him. Breathing heavily she looked around herself, realizing she was in her room. A light sheen of sweat coated her skin, her whole body shaking as she pushed herself back to the headboard of her bed.

"It was just a dream," she tried to reassure herself while pulling her knees to her chest, "but it didn't feel like a dream." Hugging her arms to herself, she felt tears gather in the corners of her eyes as realization dawned. It had the same feel as the dream she'd had before the Mongauli Kingdom had attacked. What she had just witnessed was not a dream, but instead a vision.

Beside her under the satin sheets a small form stirred. A monkey-like child poked her head out from under the covers, wide innocent brown eyes looking at the blonde in concern. "Rinda ok?" The young sem girl asked softly as she sat up and hugged the teen.

Before Rinda could respond the door to her room burst open as a guard rushed in, followed closely by a maid with braided dull blonde hair. The guard moved swiftly through the room in search of any possible threats while the maid ran to her side at the bed.

"Lady Rinda are you alright?" The woman worriedly asked as she assessed her for any signs of injury.

Finding no visible threat, the guard approached the foot of the bed, "Are you unharmed princess?"

"I am fine, but…" Rinda trailed off while addressing them both. Breathing deeply to calm herself she looked directly at the guard. "I have had a vision," she stated with firm resolve, "alert my brother, and the captains if he agrees. We cannot waste any time."

"Of course my Lady," the guard bowed slightly before swiftly moving to carry out her orders.

The maid headed to the wardrobe to retrieve a robe for Rinda to wear over her nightgown.

As the adults left to carry out their duties, the Sem girl tightened her little arms as she continued to hug the princess, still looking at her with worry. Rinda leaned over to hug the girl back. "I will be ok Suni," she said softly to her companion, "I just pray that this time I won't be too late."

-End Prologue-

Notes: I wasn't happy with how my first rendition of the prologue and chapter one turned out. It was too short and way too rushed. There were too many things left unexplained that I felt were needed to make the story more fleshed out. While I don't think I will be able to do epic length chapters, I do hope to make them longer and more interesting. Hopefully once I rewrite chapter one I will no longer be stuck when it comes to the rest of the story.

Updates will be sporadic, so please be patient. Life is hectic.

Thank you.