Blood red waves crashing against a rocky shore, a drowning sun casting shadows like a dying flame, and the boy of prophecy with glowing blue eyes to save it all. His eyes, like none ever seen before, and his smile, so calming and hopeful, unknown to the dangers that lurked ahead, yet ever hopeful he would remain. This boy, this Savior, is none other than Keno Sol. He is destined for greatness, a legend among heroes, he would save this world, and he would bring about peace for ages to come. Like many others, he has secrets, secrets that if known would bring this world into ruin, catastrophe, destruction, and herald the end of time itself; However, this is not just his burden to bear alone, for no quest is complete without companionship, friends, love, and truly, without a story. This is his tale and the adventures that happened along the way. This is the legend of Dæmons Arising.

[1]

Keno, sitting atop the rocks of a towering cliff, stared out at the crashing waves; reminiscing of the past and contemplating what the future held in store. He would often find himself falling into a deep reverie, and it wasn't uncommon for these trances to last hours at a time. This was cause for much concern in his early life, and upon countless visits to therapists, psychologists, and specialists alike, it was ultimately determined that there was nothing wrong with him. He was perfect in every aspect, or so he liked to think at least. His hair, a deep brown that took on an almost golden hue in the sunlight, curled just around his ears but reached no further than that. His eyes, bright rippling blue oceans that one could become lost in, would often glow with this piercing light that could penetrate any mundane darkness. He was considered the perfect scholar, as his intellect was unmatched, but would one day become an even better Shinigami.

He was not on this rocky shore for no reason, as there was a reason, although not an entirely good one according to some. Three years ago, he lost someone dear to him. A close friend, Hakan Takao, died on this very spot, and tomorrow just so happens to be the anniversary of his death. The local authorities deemed the cause of death as a murder-suicide, but that never stopped Keno from visiting this place. His friend had run off with some girl from school and they had both lost their lives that day, but he wasn't blissfully ignorant of his friend's innocence like everyone else. No, there was more at work here, and he knew for certain that what had transpired was no accident. He did the math and realized; they were now the same age. Both seventeen years old, but Keno would keep aging, and would soon surpass his late friend in age. This was unthinkable, the very thought almost unbearable. Keno never really cried in his life, but even with what he knew of the future, he couldn't help it.

A familiar hand fell on Keno's shoulder, but he didn't jump. He knew this hand, it belonged to his dear friend that had practically begged him on her hands and knees to come along but refused to tell why. He found this slightly irritating, and there weren't many things that bothered him, so this was a rather surprising feeling. He was always calm and collected, probably the reason this girl had a crush on him. He could tell, and she was pretty, for an English girl at least, but he knew that they weren't meant to be. She had a beautiful name as well, Jaclyn Hyde, the Flower Girl he liked to call her, something he had picked up from his favorite videogame, but one that hadn't quite been released yet. Jaclyn just had this fascination with nature that Keno couldn't quite understand. Regardless of that, he enjoyed her company, and loved listening to her ramble on with her enthralling accent. He didn't know what it was about her, but the way she could prattle on about the local fauna and flora was hypnotizing.

The Hyde family had moved to Japan for business a few years ago, but Keno knew the real reason. Jaclyn's older sister, Katheryn, had passed away while on vacation here, so her family had relocated from England to Japan to feel closer to the daughter they had lost. Keno himself was not Japanese, but he had been raised here for as long as he could remember, or at least that's what he would say. The truth was much more complicated, but he was glad that he had ended up here. Jaclyn had helped fill the void in his heart that losing his friend, Hakan, had left. While he leaned on her, so too would she lean on him. It was almost like fate that they had met. Just two souls struggling with loss, but at least they had each other.

Whenever Jaclyn spoke, she somehow always managed to drag Keno back to reality, no matter how lost in thought he was. "Hey Mizu-chan, it's starting to get dark out. We should head back soon." Her voice was sweet like honey, and as warm as spring.

Keno absolutely despised the childish nickname that she always called him, but he would often choose to ignore it. Maybe he secretly liked it, but that would just be weird, and even if he did, he would never admit it. Jaclyn offered him an innocent smile to emphasize her suggestion, but he could see the worry in her eyes. He ran his hand through his hair and sighed, a habit he didn't even realize he did so often. The day was hardly even over, and they had maybe 20 minutes of light left based on his estimates. Then he remembered, and about smacked himself over the head for forgetting something as simple as the lunar cycle. Tonight was the New Moon, so that meant complete and utter darkness. He quickly made up his mind. "I see where you're coming from Jackie, let's get going." He stood from where he sat on the rocks, brushing himself off, and gave one last look over the crashing waves before taking Jaclyn's offered hand to climb down.

Wind. No not a slight breeze, not even a gust, just pure Wind. It caught both Keno and Jaclyn by surprise. It's almost like they were hit with a solid wall of air, but surely that would be impossible. Before either of them could react, they were already falling over the rocks, and into the raging sea below. It was at least a 15-meter fall, but it lasted an eternity. Keno looked deep into the water, silent and observing, as if searching for something that wasn't there. Jaclyn on the other hand, well she screamed. She screamed until she hit those murderous waves, she screamed as she was sent crashing against the rocky seabed below, and only stopped screaming when she succumbed to the icy grip of unconsciousness. Keno, despite the situation, remained calm and collected, and somehow managed to perfect a forward dive into the wild sea. His immediate urge was to get out of there as quickly as possible, but he needed to save Jaclyn first, so he pushed those survival instincts as far back into his mind as he could and focused on the task at hand. His eyes glowed brightly as he scanned the seabed, searching for his friend. It only took a few seconds to find her, and he could tell from the blood in the water around her that she had suffered an injury. This was bad, he thought to himself.

A few minutes passed before Keno finally surfaced, and in his arms, the body of Jaclyn Hyde. She wasn't breathing as far as he could tell, yet he somehow continued to remain calm and hopeful. It took a while, but he got her onto the shore. His eyes quickly scanned her drenched body, a little perverted sure, but he was searching for answers to the numerous questions currently bouncing around in his head. There. A flicker of her eyelids confirmed that she was still alive. Her breathing was shallow, almost unnoticeable at first glance, but she was alive. He sighed, relaxing a little, and began to think. That wind. It wasn't natural. Not in a short burst like that. No, that wasn't just any other gust of wind, it was Wind, the pure Element of Wind, which meant they were in more danger than he realized. He cursed himself for not realizing it sooner. His friend had also lost his life on the night of the New Moon. This must be why Jaclyn had begged to come along tonight. She must have known somehow, but that wasn't presently important.

Keno knew countless secrets about the world they lived in. He was aware of the existence of the Soul Society, Hueco Mundo, and yes, even Hell, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Their universe consisted of multiple universes overlapping each other in a way thought impossible by modern scientists, but it was true. It was all true, and Keno knew it. These universes were referred to as Realms by some, and the empty void that separated them all was Chaos. Keno knew of many Realms, and in one of these Realms there existed a species known as Dæmons, spiritual beings capable of manipulating the Elements, but they rarely crossed into the other Realms. Why would a Dæmon target him and Jaclyn? Maybe it was a mistake, or perhaps not. These types of things always happened around him. Hence why his friend, Hakan, ended up dead. He cursed himself once more. How stupid could he be? Jaclyn shouldn't be around someone as dangerous as him. If she survived all this, he would make it up to her. She deserved so much more. He looked down at her frail form, and for the first time noticed the unnaturally dark fog that was rolling in.

Fog, a deep, pitch black, impenetrable fog. This wasn't Wind or Water. No, this was something much worse. "Oh, by the gods no… Jaclyn, if you're going to wake up anytime soon, I would suggest sometime between now and 30 seconds ago." His voice was shaking, for reasons he couldn't understand. His mind was clear, yet he couldn't shake this chilling fear that was gripping his heart. His gaze was concentrated on the unmoving body of Jaclyn at his feet. No, not entirely unmoving, he noticed. She was beginning to stir, as good a time as any he supposed.

Jaclyn, despite her injuries, was back on her feet with surprising agility, and she began to look around like a frantic rabbit surrounded by a pack of starving wolves, so Keno, being the gentleman he was, grabbed her hand, and held on tight to calm her nerves. She whispered quietly, as if afraid they would be discovered if she spoke too loudly. "Mizu-chan, w-what's going on...?"

The darkness was now up to their waist, and it showed no signs of stopping as it rose to swallow them whole. The more Keno tried to find the source of this fog, the more he realized he couldn't see through it. This was impossible, or so he thought. His eyes could see through any darkness, it was his inherent gift, just as his friend, Hakan, was impervious to any fire. He supposed Jaclyn must have some sort of connection to all this, and her gift had to have something to do with her fondness for nature. That or he was just overthinking it due to the situation they found themselves in. Surely The Dæmon at work here wasn't after people like him and Hakan? Though it was extremely possible, he had lost many people close to him, and he never knew why, but he was always careful not to let the same thing happen to him. Some would just disappear, and others would be found in their houses killed in the most unimaginable ways. Was this what the gods had in store for him? To take away all those close to him? He sighed, knowing they were powerless against this foe. "I'm sorry, Jackie…"

Shadows darker than the deepest black, air thicker than any liquid, and… silence? Not a whisper upon the wind, buzzing among the grass and trees, or the call of a bird from above. What happened to the stars, to the open air, to the harsh ocean breeze? There was only the impenetrable darkness that remained. An unspeakable darkness, suffocating them from all directions. Was this death? Was this Heaven, or was it Hell? Fear took its deathly hold once more, and began to gather for one final strike, that much Keno could tell. This was a nightmare, or at least he silently hoped it was. Was it the thought of not knowing where they were, or was it the feeling of the unknown that caused this fear? Stop. He ran a hand through his hair in an attempt at calming his nerves. This is what it wants. It feeds on fear, thrives off it, and lives for it. This shadowy fog was driving them mad, almost to the very brink of insanity. There was only one thing that could be manipulating this darkness, this Element of Shadow.

[…]

The Primordial Dæmon of Shadows, the last of his kind, the Fallen, The Dark One, The End Bringer in flesh and blood. These were his many titles, for no living or dead soul knew the name belonging to that murderous fiend. Such a powerful foe, such a dark story behind his many titles, and such sadness, despair, and anger beneath that mask and cloak.

[…]

Keno was incapable of perceiving the danger they were truly in, but he knew they weren't going to see another day in this world, so he turned his attention to his friend, oh his dear friend. Why did this have to happen today? Jaclyn Hyde, a girl of no more than 16 years of age, would also die this day. He remembered every detail of her, unknowing if he would see her again. She had brilliant whitish blonde hair, decorated with intricate braids, eyes made of the purest jade, and porcelain skin as white as snow. Truly beautiful. He prayed more than anything that at least she would survive, but he knew this was just wishful thinking, as no god could hear his prayers in this darkness. He didn't know much about who or what they were dealing with, and it would be decades in the future until he would come to know the true nature of his death that day. It was unpreventable and written in stone. This was when his story would begin to unfold, page by page.

Jaclyn grew ever more frantic, "W-what is this feeling?" She was scared, terrified, as the shadows seemed to curl around her every curve, entangling her in a prison of ever shifting darkness. It happened so fast, and she had no time to react. There was a deafening roar, and then nothing. She was gone, not a single trace left behind, and nothing to prove she had even existed. The shadows ended her life quickly, but it had not been painless. It was the most excruciating thing someone could possibly experience. That night would haunt her for years to come, for life did not truly end after death.

Her disappearance had gone completely unnoticed by Keno. He couldn't see anything, hear anything, or let alone smell anything. The only sense he had left was touch, and that did him little good. He tried to walk, but it was like wading through a bog after heavy rainfall. The more he moved, the more the Shadow seemed to thicken around him. He soon found himself unable to move, and only then did he truly know fear. He was trapped, and with desperation he tried to yell out for help, but his voice seemed to catch in his throat. Then there was pain. It was small at first, but as the minutes passed, the pain intensified. It was like being stabbed in every possible place, body, and soul.

The pain surprisingly helped more than anything. It helped Keno concentrate on the goal, to find out who was behind this. He focused, and slowly his eyes began to glow their usual blue. Two sapphire search lights pierced through the darkness, enhanced by his desperation, and focused on the center of all this Shadow. There he stood, cloaked in black from head to toe, and an incorporeal mask covering his face. The Fallen. He just stood and watched, completely unmoving, as still as a tree, but sturdier than a mountain. It was the scariest sight Keno had ever seen, and for a moment, he relished it. This was the last sight his mortal eyes would ever see, and it would stick with him forever. His life ended slower than Jaclyn's. The reasoning behind this was most likely due to him seeing The Fallen's form. That vile twisted Dæmon preferred to live his life in secrecy. Then he was gone, and so was Keno.

[TO BE CONTINUED…]

A story doesn't truly end, not even after death. For there is always the afterlife. No, not Heaven, nor is it Hell. Not yet at least. There were other Realms. Ones developed for the Humans after the death of their mortal bodies. The Soul Society as they have come to call it. Let the story unfold, and the adventure continue. The Soul Society is a completely different place from before. Are the Gotei 13 alone capable of defeating the Dæmons that threaten the balance of the universe as they know it, or will they fall like those before them?