Book 1 Chapter 01
The Knight Who Wield The Sword
Shine the light in this dark world: a beautiful oath yet full of heavy consequences, and a mission too noble for a man so corrupted. Shine the light in this dark world: the purpose of Sermo and each of its knights, from generation to generation. Shine the light in this dark world: words of bravery that echoed every night and day in his mind since his redemption, in the mind of Valdenn, the knight who wield the sword. A fight still at its very dawn. A fight he leads in a place he thought he knew better than anyone else.
Under a cloudy sky and on the roof of the highest building, Valdenn towered over SonnSol City, the place where he first opened his eyes. The city that shaped him and saw him turn into the monster he became and still was several months ago. The same town, that witnessed him rise from the water and be reborn as one the noblest knights, something he could have never expect or imagine in his past, oblivious to a reality he first chose to ignore, but was now an important part of after his awakening. A reality stained by forces much darker than his past crimes, subtly merged to and greatly influencing the normal realm every people know and see.
As the midnight moon glinted on his silver armour, Valdenn looked down on the city, his lit blue eyes catching a glimpse of the town’s multi-coloured lights and its carefree citizens drowned into their usual nightlife full of excess. Like every single Saturday in SonnSol City, as if it was a law or any kind of commandment, people overcrowded bars and night clubs, while the darkness the knight vowed to fight rose again at one of its favourite times.
Conscious of the spirit realm, the knight set his eyes on the evil at work, spotting a group of bipedal creatures unseen to everyone, rushing to an unknown destination on their short, vigorous and clawed legs.
“Zeraks!” Valdenn whispered almost inaudibly, his mouth covered by his helmet. “Six of them.” He added.
The knight watched each zerak running and jumping from surface to surface, each of them formed with a different, almost human face distorted in a very angry and horrible expression. They had a simple yet disturbing anatomy: one head, a greenish skin, two legs replacing the two ears, and a fairly long reptile tail mounted from the occipital region. After a few seconds, their number increased as many more appeared all of a sudden. Their impressive pack of parasites swarmed right in front of the eyes of the unsuspicious humans who cannot see them, in an almost taunting fashion.
“Something is up.” said Valdenn.
A blue light emanated behind him, emerging from his back and spreading side to side from him to at least three meters, before it turned into metallic, silver and majestic eagle wings. The knight let himself fall from the skyscraper’s roof he stood on, thus embarking in a diving flight just like a hunting eagle. Several lights from the neighbouring buildings flashed in front his eyes as the wind blew stronger with his increasing speed.
One of the parasites stopped its run, completely ignored by its fellow creatures, and sniffed all around with an expression of disgust as if a nauseous smell suddenly arose. The zerak then looked up, only to see Valdenn flying in their direction. It then let out a loud and angry growl, alerting all the other zeraks on the spot as they stepped up their already fast pace.
Another blue light appeared again on each of his arms, and formed a sword in his right hand, and a shield on his left forearm. The sword had a sharp blade and a silver hilt. The rain guard was the head of a dove, the cross guard was the wings of the dove and the pommel its tail, whereas the grip of the sword was brown and ringed. Concerning the shield, it was a heptagon handled with the four angles on top and the three other ones at the bottom. There was a crystal at each angle and only the very bottom one was lit with a blue light, and at the centre of the shield was a dove with its wings spread, the symbol of Sermo, despised by the evil forces.
Engaged in an alley, seven zeraks turned towards the knight and attacked him, jumping in his direction with their sharp claws forward. With precise, quick and timely sweeping moves from his sword, Valdenn silenced their deafening growls, slicing each of them in half as they turned into a black smoke. Following a left turn giving on a highway, two tens of them made the same move as the seven previous ones and attacked Valdenn with twice the rage and the hatred on their faces and growls. The knight placed his shield forward and an immense blue light identical in shape with his defensive weapon appeared in front of him, blocking all the attacks of the zeraks. As soon as it disappeared, the knight turned around himself with his wings wrapped around him, and spread them again to resume his flight. The special move released many blue light feathers which pierced the twenty zeraks, immediately turning into a black smoke.
The thirteen remaining parasites, realizing the gap in power between them and the knight, decided to scatter with the hope of making him lose their track. Valdenn, aware of their plot, repeated his previous move and killed ten more on the spot before they join their fellows in another alley on their right. He then proceeded to reduce the distance with the three remaining zeraks and sliced the closest one with his sword. They all arrived in the municipal pound where the two last zeraks started feeding, completely ignoring Valdenn who landed right behind them. His wings and his shield shone with a blue light then disappeared as he calmly walked to a zerak and pierced him from the top of its head. He then walked to the other one which attempted to escape his sword but got one leg cut off his body. The creature crawled toward its food, deeming it more valuable than its own life but got sliced in half on the ground.
In the middle of broken and abandoned vehicles stacked all around him, Valdenn kept his eyes on the ground, not to see the last zerak turn into a black smoke but rather to analyse the situation at the sight of what the creatures were running after during all this time: their beloved food, not liquid nor solid, only visible in the spirit realm and tangible proof of evil activity.
“Dark energy.” the knight whispered.
Understanding that one or several ill willed people performed a ritual at this place not long ago, Valdenn looked around him, only to see more dark energy scattered on several of the vehicles. It looked like a dark gray matter motioning like fire. Once again, standing before a proof of evil, Valdenn realized the great importance of his mission as a light pilgrim first, and as a knight of Sermo, eager to spread the light he received in his heart. He, She or They should not be far from here, Valdenn thought, so with the intention of inspecting the area before heading to his hideout, the knight took his flight as fast as he could.
“Well, Astin. We should admit that this one was pretty close. Right?” calmly said a man dressed with a long and dark gray cloak, appearing few feet away from where Valdenn stood, and several seconds after the knight’s departure.
“Mere hindrances shall not stop our plans. We are completely ready now Marcel.” Astin said, appearing next to the man, and dressed with an identical garment.
“Let me congratulate you on your camouflage technique first. Who could believe it was possible to hide in the spirit realm where everything is revealed?”
“Please, why being impressed by little tricks? After the success of the ritual, we shall possess powers far greater than these.”
“And what if the knight intervenes? Or the old man?”
“They shouldn’t be a problem for Lissya. She can handle both of them.”
“But where do they come from?”
“Their origins bear no importance Marcel. They’re nothing compared to our master.”
“You’re right. Let our master be praised, and may his return be full of might and triumph.”
“And it will. Tomorrow is a glorious day for us Marcel. No one and nothing will hinder the return of Orozias.”
Tears from the sky fell on the city as if it cried on the sad truth that became its reality. Nice conclusion for a failed patrol night, Valdenn thought. The heart still heavy like a rock because he did not find the perpetrators of the ritual, Valdenn landed on the roof of a three story building. A blue light lit his whole armour which completely vanished except for a bracelet at his right wrist, in which the blue light completely entered. A pair of black shoes, blue jeans, a black jacket with a hood and a white T-shirt underneath, Valdenn calmly opened the emergency door and took the stairs, on his way to the second floor.
Under the dim light of the building and escorted by the creaking sound resonating at each of his steps, the knight did not pay much attention to the noises arising from the apartment of a couple engaged in an intense argument. Head down, lost in his thoughts about the residual dark energy at the municipal pound, he did not bother about the loud heavy metal music playing in a known drug dealer’s place, as well as the squeaking sounds of the mice running away as he approached his front door.
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Number twenty five. Valdenn stood still a moment at the entrance, looked right then left to make sure the coast was clear at that moment, before using his favourite and secret mode of opening. A blue light appeared at the tip of his right index finger, and he drew a strange pattern that resembled a capital ‘J’ on the door and it opened widely. The fresh lavender scent of the apartment welcomed him, and once he got completely inside, the door behind him closed and locked itself.
Despite the disturbing memory of the dark energy eating him from inside, the knight began to feel a river of peace gushing from the depth of his heart, in that environment strongly contrasting with the corridors of the building. Everything from books on the shelves, sculptures of his own creation, to furniture was well placed and perfectly clean as he left it. Valdenn switched the light on which blended nicely with the white paint of the place, and took the direction of the kitchen to have a glass of water.
Suddenly, he felt an airstream right behind him. The leaves of the apartment’s plants slightly moved, the knight froze, before quickly turning around and dodging a long wooden rod attack initially aimed at his spine. Hidden in the spirit realm, an old man had arisen and proceeded to launch a second attack aimed at Valdenn’s legs. The knight jumped while simultaneously turning on himself and a blue light, rapidly forming one of his armour’s wings appeared on his back to hit the assailant’s head. The old man blocked the attack with his rod and tried to hit Valdenn’s head with his weapon, but the knight seized it with one hand.
“Nice reflexes. But you still have a long way to go.” said the old man.
“Nice to see you too, Eli.” Valdenn replied, annoyed by the old man’s remark and removing his hood.
“We don’t have enough time Greg, evil is expanding at a fast pace. You have to be ready to fulfil the mission perfectly.” Eli said, approaching the young man.
“And I am! Speaking of evil, I found dark energy at—”
“The municipal pound tonight. Yes, I know.”
“You know?” Greg asked, puzzled by what he has just heard.
“You seem to always forget it Greg.”
“Please, not the same song again, I know. I’m the 7th Valdenn and the trainee but you’re the 6th Valdenn and my mentor, yes I know.” Greg said, rolling his eyes.
“The situation is far worse than I expected Greg. She is the darkest shadow lurking at the door of our world, she is closer than ever. You have to be ready in all aspects, but especially in the mental and spiritual ones.” Eli said, going towards the coat rack.
“You told me about that so called witch many times, but you never take me with you on your secret little trips to get me ready for her.”
“Patience, Greg. Don’t forget any of the virtues listed in the sacred scrolls. What is written in those scrolls is the real source of the powers we possess.” Eli stated, wearing his black coat.
“You think I earned the right to go with you tonight?”
“Patience. The time for this will come.” The old man said, knowing that his answer is bitter for his young apprentice. Eli then walked to him and placed his hand on Greg’s shoulder. “Look Greg. I can understand the eagerness that animates you since you discovered the spirit realm and the hidden reality. I know you want to spread the light, and make people aware and safe. But you know the sacred scrolls say that there is a time for everything. And remember, obedience is a key towards your growth as a light pilgrim, a knight of Sermo, and success for your mission.” Eli finished explaining, as the noise of the thunder’s crash tore through the brief moment of silence.
“Obidience? Under all that ton of conditions and restrictions? Why The Highest had to set all these barriers? What’s the purpose?”
“There’s only one answer to all your questions for now: obey, and in due time you’ll understand everything.”
“Yeah, of course. You know, there’s one more thing I don’t understand old man. You can at least take the armour when you go out on your trips, why risking your life going with your—coat and your curtain rod?”
“You’re my successor, 7th Valdenn, and this armour is yours. Mine is already stored where you know it is, for my departure is closing in each day. And you know, I’ve more than a knight’s armour.” Eli said, walking towards a window.
“At least, think about coming back with some snacks.” Greg taunted, still annoyed about Eli’s protective attitude toward him, especially knowing that he could not even tail him, because of his mentor’s acute senses.
“Snacks are not what you need right now. Stay inside for the rest of the night, and rest.” Eli ordered, as a blue light outlined his entire looks and weapon. He levitated and passed through the window, flying toward an unknown destination.
“That old man can be scary sometimes.” Greg whispered.
Astin looked through the window of his living room while Marcel, among several other people dressed in an identical cloak as theirs were celebrating. The lights were off, and the fairly small room was only lit by red candles. Too busy with their daily attempts of perfecting their summoning rituals, the group was unfazed by the scandalous disorder that reigned in the place. Walking through the candles, the open books, as well as some bowls of blood on the floor, a woman discreetly approached and joined Astin in his contemplation of the storm.
“Lissya, my favourite disciple.” Astin praised.
“Master. Marcel told me you had a plan for the knight that requires my abilities.”
“Do you know what this storm means for us?”
“No, Master. I don’t possess your immense wisdom.”
“Well, Lissya. This storm is a symbol of the power we will unleash on this world. Once, we summon Orozias, he will grant us far more capabilities than we expect.”
“May he be praised.”
“But of course, there’s something we all need you to do for tonight. That so-called knight and that flying old man need to have a foretaste of our storm of power.”
“Yes Master. I shall obey to fulfil your plans no matter the cost.” Lissya replied, making Astin display a malicious smile.
Protect them, I have to protect them at all cost. Visions of a woman playing with a little boy both dressed in white clothes flashed through his subconscious, quickly replaced by those of a car with its hood crushed and stained with some blood, its front glass shattered, and a man lying dead on the highway. The mission comes first. A vision of zeraks followed; the creatures growled all at once before being burnt by a humanoid figure made of fire.
Greg woke up from the strange dream, immediately taking a look at the clock. Three in the morning, and the old man was not back yet even though his nocturnal getaways were not usually long. Greg passed all his fingers through his short black hair already thinking that something worse than he could even imagine may have happened to Eli this time. To make things worse, as the television set was on, he just woke up to something he would have preferred not witnessing:
“Law enforcement secured the perimeter after the discovery of the young lady’s body, as many bystanders could not hold their understandable fear and resentment, proportional to the gruesomeness of the crime scene. This is already the thirteenth victim in only six weeks of the brutal serial killer or maybe group of killers only known to this day as Pain Rain. Following the first—”
The young man switched off the television, as if he could not bear to listen further to the news reporter, but instead, there was a faint yet ominous feeling that prompted his reaction. Greg tried to listen closely to something with not much success than he wished. Soon, his face wore a clear expression of disgust, invaded by the stench of an old foe. Stung by what he considered an imminent danger, Greg grabbed his jacket, wore it as he ran to the door, and made sure he had his hood on before even opening the entrance. Since he could not see if anybody was in the corridor, he normally opened then locked the door before rushing to the roof.
If it was not for the squeaking sounds of the mice and his steps, a dead silence would have ruled the entire building. Greg reached the roof in less than a minute, immediately noticing that the smell grew stronger. Wishing in the depth of his heart that he was mistaking it, but still convinced that he could not, he walked to the edge of the building’s roof and used his spirit vision. A blue light lit his green eyes, allowing him to witness what he feared. Once again, several zeraks were heading to somewhere and this may mean one thing: the perpetrators of the ritual at the municipal pound were at work again.
His zeal for justice and the mission got the best of him almost right at the sight of the parasites. He fully stretched his right arm as if he intended to do a bump fist and a blue light recovered his whole body. After three seconds, the thunder crashed once again under the heavy rain, and the blue light disappeared to reveal Valdenn in his silver armour, wings spread and sword already in hand. With a brief impulse that pushed away all the rain drops and garbage around him, the knight took off and flew in the direction of the creatures.
This time, he did not consider taking care of the parasites, but rather dealing with the source of the dark energy that attracted them in the first place. Valdenn went at full speed, only glimpsing some of the raindrops on his path, snaking through the buildings as he followed the creatures’ route. It led him at the Crescent Park, one of the biggest of SonnSol City, where he spotted a small group of zeraks gathered around something that could be their meal.
Valdenn landed in the middle of the group of zeraks, blasting away those around him and crushing two of them, but soon realized the scope of the mistake he made for not following Eli’s instructions. His feet in the black slime he supposed they were feeding on, Valdenn stood slowly, looking around him as hundreds and hundreds of the parasites surrounded him and were approaching, ready to launch a massive and deadly attack. The shield of the armour appeared and the knight firmly gripped his defensive and offensive weapons, ready to fight for whatever ordeal the creatures reserved him.
However, he could not even imagine what followed, as even Eli probably never knew about that particular behaviour from the creatures. The zeraks began to climb on each other, slowly turning into a green slime and progressively merging. In less than a minute, the multiple parasites turned into four giant creatures that could only be described as an amalgam carelessly made of zeraks, round in shape, and with countless arms, eyes and mouths, as well as one massive tail.
A sheer feeling of fear invaded him at the moment he tried to take off to no avail. He looked down at his feet only to realize that they were stuck into the black slime he landed on. The dark and extremely cold substance then began slowly climbing on his armour, a clear sign that he had to think of something fast before the situation worsens. He tried to exit the spirit realm and return to the normal one where he could escape the creatures, a clever plan that did not work either. The monstrous amalgams surrounded him, and he looked at them once more as they prepared to give him the final blow.