The Aurian Chronicles Chapter Chapter 16 part 3: All that is left is Darkness

 "Silver, this is stupid! Why am I doing all this?"  Asked Derek as he walked into a building with Silver. It read "Pure Mind Solutions" In the main lobby and showed videos of people talking about how the company helped them overcome their problems with their families. There was also a beautiful water display with a light-up brain and fountains of water spraying against it.

Silver narrowed her eyes at Derek. She was in a teal T-shirt and designer blue jeans as she looked at him. "What other choice do we have? The therapy hasn't been helping you, and I can tell you right now the increased DRINKING hasn't helped you either... All you do is sob into your drink and blame yourself... Look in the mirror, do you think Xaldin would want this kind of life for you?" She challenged.

Derek looked in the mirror; his eyes had begun to sag from too many sleepless nights. His skin was discolored due to both too much and not enough sunlight. Even his wardrobe suffered; all he wore were tattered jeans and an army green jacket with a tank top underneath. his black boots were worn out and needed to be replaced.

"I guess, if it works... I could stand to fix myself?" He admitted. Silver just kissed him and nodded. "Don't worry, Derek. I'll be with you every step of the way!" She told him as they walked in to meet the doctor. A russian woman smiled sweetly at them as she stood up. Derek thought her black leather outfit looked like something out of a dominatrix shop, and the white lab coat over it all wasn't helping her case at all.

"Good afternoon! I'm Doctor Saryn Capryse! Your recent therapist tells me they were one of many doctors unable to help you adapt to society and move on! And that you might be able to help test my new product! NNI!" She said as she looked Derek in the eyes, causing him to feel like a piece of meat left out for hungry wolves.

"Yes, NNI... Or, 'Neural Nirvana Injection' Is a drug I've developed to help take natural dopamine generated from the body, and use it to help heal the negative patterns of the brain in troubled areas! My goal is to help struggling PTSD survivors get that extra push to conquer their mental illness and adjust back into society!" she said while walking them to her lab.

Silver listened patiently and smiled as Derek nervously took off his Jacket. "So if I do this... I can be normal?" he asked. Saryn blew a raspberry at his words. "There is no such thing as Normal, Mr. Sonata. If this works, the goal is to fix your mental health, nothing more, nothing less!" She told him as a bunch of doctors had gathered while she took a syringe out.

"Welcome, Mr. Sonata... to your new life!" Saryn said as she injected Derek with a purple vial of liquid. Derek winced a bit at the needle as he instantly began to feel calm. His smile began to grow wide as his eyes narrowed. Derek now saw himself on the battlefield as a soldier without a weapon and grinned as he grabbed one soldier and broke his neck.

"THIS IS WHO I AM! THIS IS WHERE I BELONG!" He said as he quickly tore through the soldiers. Derek screamed happily as he punched multiple soldiers in the face until they bled and bashed their skulls into the floor. Finally, he advanced on the last one and lifted them by the throat.

Derek's triumphant smile slowly began to wear off as his vision returned to normal. The battlefield he thought he was on turned into a now destroyed lab room, most of the doctors were dead by his hand, and to his horror, he had Silver by the neck, gasping for air.

"Silver!" He screamed as he dropped her, leaving her to cough and take in deep breaths of air. He began to see himself murdering innocent people and gleefully trying to finish off with his wife. Tears began to flow from his eyes as he sprinted off. "DEREK! WAIT! WE CAN-" Screamed silver, but Derek was already gone.

Derek cried out in frustration as he punched a hole in a back alley brick wall, mangling his own left hand. "HOW COULD I DO THAT!? MY OWN WIFE!! ALL THOSE PEOPLE!" He said as he sobbed. "All those people... I'm sorry." He said as he pulled out a handgun and pointed it at his left temple. "I'm sorry." He said one final time before firing into his own head. leaving a spray of blood against the brick wall.

'My hand has been forced... There is more to be done' Said a voice as Derek's body glowed purple, healing his head as black tendrils grew from his back. "Ah, my head... what the-?" He asked as he saw his tendrils. "No fucking way! Is this Aura?! I HAVE AURA?! THIS IS AWESOME! I gotta show Silver!" He said as he took off.

Silver was a nervous wreck as she tried calling out to find Derek; she even had Lisa looking for him in the local bars. Derek ran in happily with now purple hair, "SILVER LOOK!" He said as he showed his black tendrils. Silver gasped in shock, "Derek! There you are... the Aura is nice, but I'm more just glad you are okay! Where did you go?" She asked as she kissed his cheeks rapidly.

Derek smiled and looked at her. "I felt bad because of what happened, and I shot myself in the head! But with this, I feel better! Like all my thoughts are clear and-!" But he stopped when Silver dropped the phone. Her breathing was ragged, and tears were forming in her eyes.

"You... You tried to kill yourself?" She asked in a panic. Derek shrugged, "Who cares about that now? If I had known it would lead to this, I would have tried it a long time ago!" He said. The thought of what he just said struck him at around the same time Silver did as she punched him hard enough in the jaw that his back slammed into the wall, leaving a hole. 

"YOU SELFISH BASTARD! WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF I LOST YOU?! WHAT WOULD HAPPEN TO LISA!? WHAT WOULD...? What would...?" Silver began to yell before she finally buried her face into Derek's chest and began to sob. For the first time since she was a child, Silver wasn't her normal beautiful self. She was a mess.

Derek hugged her close and rubbed her back. "I know... I'm sorry, Silver... I fucked up badly this time... Drugs aren't going to help me... Neither is the bottle... I'll try to find something that takes my mind off things... Maybe a job... I don't ever want to make you feel like this again." He promised. Silver just nodded as she continued crying into his chest.

A couple of months had passed, and it was proving to be easier said than done to find a job. All of Derek's military experience was overshadowed by his dishonorable discharge and the reason for it. Acting on a bit of advice he had overheard from a bar, he had found his way into an arranged meeting with some rich guy who needed security work. 

Derek walked into a lovely two-story mansion, and found himself sitting in the office of a man in a brown suit with a golden vest and brown tie. he was wearing a bowler hat and happily sipping a thermos of coffee. "Well, Mr. Sonata, I've read your training, all looks good... And you even admitted to some of your mistakes in the past... I think I can use a man of your talents! Call me Tony!" he said as he shook Derek's hand.

"Uh, right.. So what am I guarding?" Asked Derek. Mr. Capryse just chuckled and shook his head. "Oh no no NO! None of that... I'll be introducing you to the fun and exciting world of contract killing!" he explained with a gleeful smile.

Derek's eyes widened. He was going to start to protest, but the thought of all those failed interviews was still fresh in his mind. "I'd... Be happy to get started." He finally relented as he signed every paper that was sitting in front of him.

"EXCELLENT! Now, while on the job, I'll be needing you to adopt a new alias. You got a name for yourself?" Asked Mr. Capryse. Derek closed his eyes and thought really hard, but all of his thoughts kept drifting off to drinking with the friends he lost in the Army. "My name... Is Darkness." He said with determination.

"Darkness, eh? Ooh, that's edgy and mysterious! Well, welcome aboard, Darkness! Your first kill is a man who strangled the contractor's wife, he lurks around the local mall! There's a pay bonus if you have it done within the week!" Said Mr. Capryse Cheerfully.

Darkness sighed and nodded. "Whatever, consider it done." He said while walking through the hallway. He stopped as he looked in the mirror. He had to admit, he was looking a lot better with the updated wardrobe Silver had made for him. He was sporting a black jacket, black cotton pants, a red shirt, and brand-new black boots. "Goodbye, Derek Sonata... Hello Darkness..." He said as he went out to start his new life.