Darkness never kept The Boy away, his Golden eyes allowed him to see through the night almost as clearly as the day. On this evening, the darkness was thick like mud. It swirled with the breeze of the evening, it whispered to him, called him until he found himself before a small campfire. The fire glowed gently in the night. It was inviting, the closer he moved to it the more inviting it seemed to become, like magic. The air slowly began to warm around him, a roasted garlic and herb smell off a rabbit on spit filled the air. The Boy sat at a log just before the fire, and then he jumped when he noticed someone sitting on the far side of the fire. They just appeared from darkness. It was the never aging Komodo King. The Komodo King looked at The Boy; he smiled and stood to bow to his guest. The Golden chest plate he worn shined in the fire's light, it moved and glowed with magic. The King offered The Boy wine from his flask and half of the fresh rabbit. He told the Boy that he was an adventure, set off to free two twins he imprisoned against their will by two dark an evil Guardians. The King then told the tale of how a mighty and power Man-Animal like Kingdom once ruled the land. How when that Kingdom wanted nothing more than peace, the evil forces of the Mother and Father invaded and destroyed all the animal kingdoms. Enslaving the survivors, forcing mankind into eternal darkness. Boy listened closely to the tale, drinking deeply from the flask. The King had the flask enchanted to help influence the drinker's mind. The Boy heard these tales an instantly knew these tales were of his own parents. He wondered why Mother and Father never spoke of the past. Now he knew. Anger welled in his chest, blinded by the Kings tales, the stories he heard from his nightly visitors, the wine, the enchanted flask, and a sense he needed to fix the world's problems; he requested to join the Kings quest. The King acted surprised to hear how eager he was to join him. The Komodo King told The Boy that while he could sense the power The Boy had, it would not be enough. He needed more and the King swore he knew how to increase the Boy's powers. The Boy remembering the tales he heard from the Kings creations every night on how heroes would seek out new powers to help vanquish evil, so of course the Boy pleaded with the King to help him increase his powers. With a sneer, the King produced a golden chalice; it held a thick red fluid inside. The King told The Boy not to worry this would not hurt, much. The Boy heard brush break from behind him, The Boy turned just in time to see a Vampire slash his throat with a single finger. The Boy fell to his knees, his hands frantically trying to hold his golden blood. The Vampire was holding him by a handful of hair. The King held a wooden goblet under The Boy's chin and filled it with his blood. The Boy was dying; he could feel death spilling out of his body. The King forced the Golden Chalice to the Boy's lips, once the red thick iron tasting fluid hit his lips he felt the change begin. The Boy felt his neck begin to stitch back together then his stomach retched. Pain followed through his body, so much pain that his raven black hair developed a single white stripe. His olive colored skin, which had matched his Mother's since birth faded a few shades. The Boy felt a hunger unlike he had never known. He could feel the power pulsing through his body.
Within the stonewalls of the Castle Mother watched into the night from her chamber window. Wondering where her not so little boy had ventured. Mother felt a small amount of sadness; even she could not remember exactly why they had fought; or what about, she realized it was not worth a night of not knowing where he was. Looking from her window, she noticed the guards where in a panic. She did not have to wonder why for long. The gates exploded and a wave of beast entered the courtyard. She watched in horror, as one by one her guards fell. Some twisted and warped on the ground and then rose again to join the beasts in their attack. Shadow Demons, Were-animals, Vampires, all the horrors they believed were nothing but myths, now stood within the castle and were killing Mother and Father's Guards.
Mother waved her hand, the ground of the courtyard lurched into a wall. Dividing her Guards and the Beast. That is when winged monster and fanged men fell from the heavens over the wall to continue the slaughter of the Blessed Guards were not ready for such a power for assault. Father joined Mother at the window. Father noticed a figure in the distance on a hill commanding the attack. Father vanished then reappear on hill to face the attacker. Once he appeared he knew who led this charge, he never forgot the new face of the Komodo King. The King release a dark and deep laugh, one that sent a small chill even down Father's back. He raised a single finger and pointed back at the castle, Father turned and watched as a shadow of a figure punched through Mother's back, shattering the window glass. Father watched in that moment as Mother went limp. Never seeing her attacker. Once the murder pulled his arm back from Mother's now lifeless body, she fell from the window. Father vanished from the Komodo King and caught Mother before she ever touched the ground.
Back in Mother's Room, peering out the window was The Boy. His newfound Vampire powers allowed him to appear in Mother's room without detection. He had enjoyed the look of confusion, however brief on her face once he tore her heart out. What he did not account for was at the same moment he stuck down Mother, his sister had entered the room. The Boy tossed Mother's heart at her feet with a wicked smile and stepped out the window. Rage, sorrow, confusion, all washed over The Girl. What had her brother done? She followed him out the window; he landed on his feet with an unnatural grace; just short of where Father was grieving for his beloved. Father looked up and noticed it was his son, before he could even ask why; his daughter was on the attack against her brother. Wild with fury her attacks were, energy missing the Boy but hitting everything around them. Guards, Friends, Allies, Enemies, all were falling from her strikes but him. He taunted her. Frustration and hate fueled her attacks, her brother dodge with ease. His newfound powers made him far more dangerous than she realized. When her next attack again missed him, he used all of his newfound speed to surprise her with a backhand so hard she awoke in a large crater in the castle wall, she did not even feel the strike, the flight, or the impact when she hit the wall. Her brother taunted her again, this time by licking Mother's Golden blood from his fingertips.
In that moment Mother's blood unlocked all of her memories of the first Great War between the Blessed and the Animal Kingdom and shared that knowledge into his mind. Through the taste of her blood, he could see the world as she lived it. He felt her grief, sorrow, and pain over how she had to end the War. He stumbled from the wave of sadness that washed over him, his heart nearly exploded over the joy Mother had at their birth. Tears welled in his eyes over how pure honest and true Mother's heart was. A hundred life times of memories and feelings struck him all at once. In that moment, his sister lifted herself out of the wall. A dark aurora of magic carried her through the air. Rage poured from her like a disease. When she passed over the Blessed Guards who had been her friends and family, they became blinded with rage, attacking each other. Biting and snarling like rabid dogs. The monsters of King Komodo's Army began to hollow in pain, melting away in the most stomach retching ways. The Boy looked at the horror around him; in this moment, he realized he the King just used him. Father watched, broken-hearted at how yet again their perfect world was falling apart.
Father with his eyes locked on his daughter, noticed she was so corrupted by her grief; destroying everything around them, he watched as his son turned to ash with remorse in his eyes. Her power pulsed through the land corrupting and killing all it touched. Father knew what he had to do. He closed his eyes.
"Stop" he whispered. All those in the castle walls died. His daughter fell to the ground. He scooped her up in his arms. With tears in his eyes, grief in his heart, he divided the worlds. Sending all the Blessed into their own realm, while resetting mankind back to the beginning. Placing a veil between the two worlds. That was the last anyone saw of The Father. In the beginning, only the most power of the Blessed could find a way back across the Veil to help mankind like they promised all those lifetimes ago. Over the years however, certain parts of the Veil became thin, allowing for easier travel between the two Realms. The Afflicted who managed to survive, crossed the Veil, spreading in small numbers. They stalked and hunted Blessed and Mortals alike.
End Chapter 17