The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 9: One night at Larry's

 "Oh sweet lord Jesus, Mary, and Joseph not this place again..." Muttered Darkness as Lyte made excited little mini stomps while they got a seat inside 'Larry Mallrat's Pizzeria' There were a plethora of arcade games and brightly colored jungle gyms to play on, as well as costumed characters everywhere, consisting of Larry the Rat himself, Frizzy bat, Chompy the Horse, and Studly the Sheepdog. 

Silver gave a light slap to Darkness' arm as she went to say hi to all the workers who knew her by name. "What did I say about being patient with her?" Asked Silver. Darkness just shrugged. "I'm here, aren't I? It's not even her I'm mad about, it's just this place in particular." He admitted, causing her to raise an eyebrow at him.

Darkness took a sharp breath in, and a hard breath out as he looked Silver in the eyes. "Okay, so... When I first got on with Mr. Capryse, I didn't exactly know how body disposal worked... so I grabbed one of the costumes in here, stuffed the guy in the suit, and threw him out in the ocean..." Silver glared at him as her nostrils flared. "THAT WAS YOU?! THEY ALMOST SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN!" She whispered in Spanish to avoid stares. Darkness blushed a bit and looked down as if he were a scolded child. "That could have Devastated Lyte! Oh, we WILL Talk about this later you irresponsible little-" Darkness just raised a hand. "I Know I fucked up... I'm sorry, and it won't happen again." He promised, causing silver to calm down.

After a few minutes, Lyte came back with Pizza and a pitcher of Beer for them all. To her credit, Darkness had to admit the food was decent for a kid's spot, and the addition of beer wasn't half bad either. "Honestly I'm  surprised I haven't been here earlier." He admitted. Silver crossed her arms and grunted. "Really? I'm NOT!" She said as Darkness cleared his throat. Lyte just giggled and nodded, "I used to come here a lot as a kid while Silver attended her classes! I got my first job here as Larry's cute bat girlfriend 'Frizzy Bat!' I love it when Children have a good time!" She said happily.

As Darkness went to speak, A man in a fat rat costume approached. "HIYA EVERYBODY!" He said as he pressed play on a colorful outdated radio before beginning to dance. "I'M LARRY THE RAT! I'M WHERE IT'S AT! I'M EVERYBODY'S FAVORITE LITTLE FUZZY MALLRAT! I DO MY DANCE FROM HERE TO FRANCE WHERE CHEESE FLOWS FROM THE FLOOR UP TO YOUR UNDERPANTS!" He sang before hugging Lyte and running off. Silver smiled as Darkness awkwardly waved to Lyte to try and be supportive.

After a glass of Beer, Darkness looked at Lyte. "So sis... we came here to talk?" He asked. Lyte let out a sigh at his statement and just fidgeted. "You're right... I've been putting this off long enough." She said as she looked to Silver, who nodded at her encouragingly. 'Bro, while you were gone... there was a bit of an incident." She admitted, causing Darkness to tighten his grip on his beer mug. At his reaction, she swallowed her fear and continued.

"My Junior year in High School, there was this Boy... Tommy Shackler... He'd try to talk to me and I was always happy to listen... But he would often comment on my body..." She said as she looked down, Darkness began to glare as he pieced together what happened. "One day... as I was trying to go home... He cornered me and tried to..." She started as she began to breathe in and out as her makeup began to smear, but Silver held her hand and nodded at her. Lyte took a deep breath in and looked at Darkness. "...Rape me" She finished, causing Darkness to crush the beer mug in his hand.

Lyte instantly put her hands up and stopped him. "HE DIDN'T!" She said, causing Darkness to raise a brow. "Okay, so what's wrong? I know that isn't it." He asked. Lyte just fidgeted. She was already letting her mind wonder about all the things she thought Darkness was about to tell her. "He didn't because I accidentally used my Aura to flash my light power so bright in his eyes that I... Burned his eyes out... Permanently blinding him!"She admitted, wincing in preparation, only for Darkness to shrug.

"That's it? That's what you've been afraid to tell me?" He asked. Lyte glared at him. "What do you mean?! You remember what Mom said! Aura isn't supposed to be our sword! We can't just hurt people like that!" She told him with a glare. It was Darkness' turn to sigh. "Lyte... That is NOT what she meant! You clearly weren't using aura as a sword, you were using aura as a SHIELD! Mom would not have blamed you for what you did, and if she did? She'd be a horrible fucking mother!" He told her.

There was a long silence before Lyte Breathed in relief. "I needed to hear that... Thanks, Big Brother." She said as she kissed his left cheek before running off to play some games. Darkness turned to Silver. "How come I never heard this? I get you promised not to tell me, but as her guardian, how was I Never informed?" He asked curiously. Silver kissed his right cheek and got up to join Lyte. "I asked a favor... from your boss' wife Saryn while I tailored her outfit." She said, leaving Darkness to sit and think. 

Meanwhile at a tall skyscraper with 'Farley incorporated' in gaudy yellow flashing lights going down it vertically, a tall slender man with a half-shaved head of white hair flowing down over his right blood-red colored eye in a white suit adjusted his red tie while he observed pictures Mr. Farley's pictures of Darkness. "Yes yes Sir, I'm well aware of the Voidwalker. He said in a bored tone. Mr. Farley stroked his bear. "Of course, you freaks know each other... doesn't matter, I want him DEAD! His whole family will earn you a bonus!" He said as she showed pictures of Silver and Lyte. The young man raised a brow as he saw the picture of Lyte and made a wing of solidified blood pick it up. "Well well well... who have we here?" He asked as he licked where her fishnet-clad leggings were.

Mr. Farley scoffed "Like I said, FREAKS! Do whatever you want with his whore sister, just FUCKING KILL-" But the Man shoved him with a tendril of blood. "Our conversation is over, my lovely little guest here has a date with her Bloody Angel... I'll make sure my dance with Darkness is as poetic as advertised... until then... Mr. Farley." He said as he hummed Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, leaving a trail of blood behind him as he walked off.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 8: 2 misfit 2 spin this shit

 Darkness stretched and sat up in his bed while grabbing a nearby bottle of bourbon. It had been a few days since Lyte had shut herself in her room and Silver was still trying to get her to come out. As he walked down the hallway, Silver stopped him and pointed to Lyte's room. "I need you to get her out please." She finally said with concern in her voice. Darkness let out a nervous laugh. "Silver... I can't just walk through my little sister's room and force her out!" He explained.  Silver's eyes narrowed at him as she poked him in the chest with a finger. "Oh, so you'll do it to kill people, but not to help your hurting little sister?!" She demanded. "YES! Because I don't care about them, I DO care about LYTE!" He retorted.

Silver let out a defeated sigh as she took Darkness downstairs out of earshot from Lyte's room. "I didn't want to do this, but maybe it'll help explain what I'm going through... Have you ever thought about making Lyte look for her own place to live?" She asked. Darkness' aura flared up as he glared at her. "What? Who the hell do you think you are?!" He demanded. Silver just looked him in the eyes. "She's an adult, and she makes good money making music and videos online... Surely we don't NEED her here right?" She asked? Darkness twitched in hurt as he glared harder. "That doesn't matter! She's FAMILY! I love her like-"

"Like a daughter right? Me too, THAT'S why I asked you to go into her room." Said Silver. After a couple of minutes, Darkness powered down. "Why? What do you know?" He asked. Silver just looked at her feet. "When you were gone, I had no one to help me raise a child... so I took a lot of parenting classes so I could be the best parent I could for Lisa... I took even more after her Autism diagnosis... What she's doing right now is using her music to keep her thoughts from wandering too far off... as if she's afraid if she stops, she won't be able to return... I'd like if she had someone to help guide her back on track... Namely, someone close to her who doesn't have to break the door down." She explained.

Darkness grunted as he considered her words... "Christ, you really ARE a mom... Okay, Silver, I'll do it." He said as he hugged Silver tight. "Thank you, my love. Word of advice? Try to be patient with her... I Raised my voice at her once by accident and she didn't talk to me for a week." She said. He nodded and headed upstairs slowly. "I STILL don't want to do this... but I'm a good big brother, time to start acting like it." He told himself as he walked through Lyte's doorway and past her barricade of Clothes and dressers.

Darkness winced at the sight of his Sister. Instead of the brightly dressed bubbly girl Darkness was used to, Lyte was wearing a black tank top and standing there in just a purple thong, it was clear she hadn't showered or eaten properly since she found out about Darkness' attempt on his life. "Hey, Lisa... you okay?" HE asked slowly, but on further inspection, Lyte had her headphones in while she messed with her soundboard.

"Tired of feeling, like I don't fit! But that's okay, Lyte spins this shit!" She sang into her microphone. Darkness reached out to put a hand on her shoulder but Lyte simply smacked it away. "Thought my brother was my buddy, but he decided to quit! He left me all alone just to spin this shit." She said with tears in her eyes. "Lisa again, that's not what-" But he was cut off by Lyte who leaned forward. "All I want is my brother, just to admit, He left me all alone just to spin this shit!" She said harshly.

There was a bit of silence before Darkness backed out of the room, leaving a trail of void aura behind him. He ignored the worried look of silver as he pulled the ladder down out of the overhead attic. He climbed up slowly and brushed past old relics he recovered from the fire of his old home. He casually walked past a picture of a young Lyte and Darkness smiling with their parents to find a Black electric guitar resting on an amp. it was his first ever 'Flying V' that Lyte had picked out for him. "Only one way I know for sure she's gonna listen to me." He said as he dropped into her room using his void.

Darkness plugged in his Guitar and amp and let out a soft strum, Freezing Lyte in her tracks. "I wasn't the best brother, That I will admit, left my sister all alone just to spin this shit." He said as he strummed harder, matching the beat of Lyte's music. "Wanted to give up, I wanted to just quit. Ignored my sister's cry for help while she span this shit." He said while looking into her eyes and changing the song. "If I'm still able to hear my sister I'm all in, it could all be over tomorrow, slay our demons and start again, as I think about what I did tears drip down onto my skin. These demons Lyte, we got 'em by the mile! keep fighting I'll be with you the whole while, until they're slain I'll remain HOSTILE!" He said as he dropped his guitar and squeezed her tight.

Lyte gasped in surprise as She slowly wrapped her arms around her older brother. "Bro you.... should leave the singing to me..." She said with a soft giggle. after a few minutes, Darkness began to chuckle. "Yeah.... I can see why I only ever played the guitar." He agreed. there were a brief couple of seconds before they both broke out laughing as hard as they could. When they were done, they both just sighed happily and sat on her bed. "Listen Lyte... I got a lot to explain, but I'd prefer if you did it first over dinner... deal?" He asked. Lyte just nodded and grabbed a change of clothes. "It's a deal big bro." She told him as she undid the barricades so she could take a shower.

Darkness got up and headed down to Silver. "Thank you, dear... For everything." He said as Silver kissed him deeply. "Thank YOU, Derek! But we are still not out of the woods, She's going to have a lot to say tonight, and you're going to listen, please try not to look at this from just YOUR point of view, I'm literally begging you" She said while looking into his eyes deeply. "Well, now I'm terrified, but deal!" He said as he went to get ready.

The Aurian Chronicles chapter 7: Lunch, Love, Dessert

 "AH! THERE SHE IS! Ms. Amanda Cross!" Said Mr Capryse as he met Amanda while she was admiring the lobby. She had to admit she was slightly taken aback by how beautiful the lobby was. It featured custom engravings that read 'Capryse' along the walls, exquisite paintings, and a golden water fountain. to say she felt overwhelmed was an understatement, and Seeing the man and place together had her swooning quite a bit.

After collecting her thoughts, Amanda eyed the gentleman in front of her and grunted. He was as well dressed as his photo made him look, but she couldn't help but be mesmerized by the piercing look in his crystal blue eyes. She stepped back and blushed before clearing her throat. "Mr. Capryse, allow me to introduce my self, I am-" But she stopped when he nodded in her direction and smiled.

"Lieutenant Amanda Cross of the NYPD! I'd recognize you anywhere! I've seen you on the news quite a few times, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance!" He said as he bowed at a perfect Forty-five-degree angle and kissed her knuckles. Amanda honestly didn't know which to be more caught off guard by, his charm or his manners. "My darling daughter has prepared lunch and snacks... I DO hope you like coffee with your dessert!" He told her while escorting her to the dining room. Autumn happily dashed off to set everything up.

Amanda sat at a small table reserved for casual conversation in the dining room as she and Mr Capryse waited. "Now then, to what do I owe this pleasure?" He finally asked. Amanda nodded and pulled out some files. "Right, we DID get off topic with introductions, didn't we? Well as it just so happens, Your financial restoration has been documented after multiple counts of crime-related property damage... I believe I can guess why Zach Farley showed up, seeing as you paid for the damages caused after his son was murdered." She said while Narrowing her eyes.

Mr Capryse nodded and let out a soft chuckle. "Yes, he was hoping I'd have some knowledge on the killer... Sadly I'm trying to invest in the restoration of the community, not encourage ruthless bloodshed! As for Albert, considering his rap sheet, if I had to wager a guess as to who said killer might be, I'd start with victims... there were quite a few if rumors are to be believed" He responded while a large pepperoni brick oven pizza was served, Autumn casually garnished it with fresh ground red pepper, then parmesan cheese before bowing and taking her leave.

Amanda studied him carefully before nodding and taking a bite. All of her focus evaporated as she took her first bite. "Wow... That... is amazing!" She said as she looked at Mr Capryse who ate happily. "Perks of having the world's greatest chef for a daughter! Ever since I immigrated from Italy, New York Pizza has been there for my ups and downs, Autumn's been a dear about it ever since!" He explained.

"Did you ever find out who her parents are?" Asked Amanda,. Mr Capryse smiled wide, "Why, Myself and Saryn of course!" He answered. Amanda just leaned in closer. "No, I mean who are her real-" But she was cut off by an unnerving Dark laugh from Mr Capryse, she didn't even notice the crystals forming on the floor beneath them. "Please... That's hardly important right now... Let's just enjoy a nice meal and dessert shall we?" He asked. Amanda sensed the closeness he shared with his daughter and decided to drop it.

"So... You really don't have any idea who Albert's killer could be?" She asked. MR. Capryse simply chuckled. "Even if I WANTED to have the man killed, I'm a high-profile CEO! I'd be sniffed out in an instant! You found me just by investing in an area rife with gun violence... Imagine what it takes to stage a murder! No... Organized crime is not for me, my family and my work are too important to give up! I'm not losing sleep over a Child molesting serial killer though I will admit." He said frankly. Amand had to agree with that last part heavily.

After the pizza was finished, Autumn wriggled her cat-like tail and served fresh Cannolis. It was right about there that Amanda noticed the stripes on Autumn and noted she had to be the hybrid of a Tiger and a bunny. She had to admit it was odd considering how rare Anthros were in big cities, but she once again lost focus after tasting her Cannoli. "So... DELICIOUS!" She admitted, causing Autumn to giggle.

After Dessert, she casually sipped her coffee while being escorted to the door. "I just came on a hunch... But I can see I was wrong, I'll have to visit again some time,,, maybe meet your wife?" She asked, though there was some bitterness at the end. "I'd be delighted, Saryn and I are usually apart due to our conflicting schedules, but if the opportunity arises, I'll let you know!" He said as he kissed her cheek and walked her to her car. Amanda just giggled and bit her lip as she drove off, Even running a stop sign on her way home.

About a hundred miles away from Mr. Capryse's home 'Pure Mind Solutions" CEO Saryn Capryse sat at her desk with her feet propped up on her desk. She was busy looking over her files on her latest product when her phone vibrated with a text message. "Ah, so the fabled 'Hound of Justice' is more of a 'Bitch in heat.' Good Tony... I like my stepping stones finely paved BEFORE I walk all over them." She said with a giggle as she made dinner reservations for her new friend and foolish husband.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 6: Crossing Capryse

 Amanda Scouted the area as she pulled into the impressive estate of the Capryse manor. It was at least three stories high, and about seventy-five hundred Square feet. It had recently been painted White with wooden brown trim, and the curtains were all solid gold, made from fabric that obstructed flash photography. The path inside the gate was actually a modified greenhouse with coffee beans slowly growing for harvest. Amanda noted that temperatures were in defiance of the cold weather. It was like Mr. Capryse's home was on a whole different side of the world.

"He certainly has done well for himself... I'd feel like I was in heaven waking up to the smell of fresh coffee." She said while parking into the allotted guest driveway, after stepping out of her electric-powered BMW, she made sure she looked presentable. Rather than coming in her NYPD uniform, she opted for a Lavender Dress and a pair of Yellow pumps. She even undid her bun to let her raven hair flow three inches under her shoulder blades. "Let's hope we can make this all a huge misunderstanding.. he's done too much for this state... Hasn't he? She asked while walking to the front door.

As she approached, she saw a short man pummelling on the door. He stood at about four foot eight and beyond obese his blonde hair was short, and spiky and for some odd reason beyond Amanda's guess, he had frosted tips. From the look of his face and build, Amanda guessed this was Zachary Farley. He made Albert Farley look like an Olympic medalist, and from his mannerisms he made Albert look like the perfect gentleman as well.

"Step off sushi roll, I was here first!"  Said Zach as he spat at her feet while waiting. Amanda just narrowed her eyes at him. "Perhaps, but I called and made an appointment with Mr. Capryse himself three days ago!" She answered. Zach just sneered at her. "And that means what? This is business with men sweetheart, now why don't you go flirt with some other fuckin' billionaire bitch!"  He yelled. Right as Amanda was about to show her badge, the Door opened to reveal a young rabbit girl with a blue chef apron on.

"Daddy will see you now Mr. Farley..." She said with ire in her voice. Amanda studied the young lady carefully, aside from the apron, all she seemed to be wearing was a white T-shirt and a black hairband to keep her blonde and brown hair straight. Amanda had recognized this to be New York's own 'Autumn Capryse' who a few years ago, had competed in and won a Golden Fork chef award.

"Thanks, Rabbit stew. Don't let me catch you skulkin' near your old man's room. You don't wanna see none of this." He said as he marched off. When Zach was gone, Autumn turned her head and bowed to Amanda. "He'll be done shortly, in the meantime... How bout some Coffee and refreshments?" She asked. Amanda's heart beat loudly at the mention of coffee. "I'd love some!" She said happily while following her.

Mr Capryse sighed happily as he finished his paperwork for the day and relaxed in his crystal blue chair. "Getting close to lunchtime! And I saw the brick pizza oven being used! Time to get spoiled againnnnnn!" he said as he saw the door open, his smile now showing teeth as he saw Zach instead of Autumn barging in. "Ahhhh Mr FARLEY! To what do I owe THIS visit?" He asked with a cheerful tone.

"Cut the fucking act Tony, I know it was your Grape-headed lapdog who went after my son! Darkness was the only one working last night, and he only takes contracts approved under YOU!" He said while Mr Capryse shrugged. "You and I both know not to check the names on the reservation list Zach, if his name DID pop up, it's not on me. And if you came here demanding an address... You're in for a disappointment due to the rules of the business!" He said as he sipped his coffee.

Zach growled and leaned forward. "Listen here you coffee-sucking, pizza-eating, Smile faced FREAK! You better play ball, I can make life hard around here, I Know where your wife and daughter are at all times... it's nothing for me to send the boys down and have a little fun with them before they kill them!" He said as he adjusted the Red tie to his white suit. Zach just seemed to wince at the wide guttural laugh that Mr Capryse belted out.

"I Never tire of our games old friend... Reminds me of back when I was a young up-and-comer working under Saryn's father Mr. Agranov! He was a ruthless man, but he taught me everything I know about using Fear as the ultimate weapon!" he said as he got up and pulled a book out of a nearby bookcase, causing the walls to drop sound-dampening sheets over them. He then pulled a mask out from the empty spot behind it. The mask was rusted out and had bandages dangling from behind it.

"You see once upon a time... I was tasked with Disposing of certain kinds of people... They called me 'The bad day killer' or ' Mr Bad Day.' all while wearing this silly little mask." He said as he held it in his hands. "Oh, it was dreadful! All the blood made it rust, so I had to wear bandages to keep it from getting on my face... just a MESS ya know?" He asked as he sat it on his desk facing towards Zach, who swallowed hard.

"So one day, I decide I don't like this mask! so my boss makes me a deal... become scarier than the mask! Sounded easy enough... just kidnap some targets, and torture them! But when this mask was on? Oh, just the soft stuff... A little kneecap bludgeoning and whatnot.. But when the mask came off? THE FUN BEGAN!" He with a bit of saliva in his voice. "I Remember one time I Gouged a man's eyes out and forced his little friends to help him walk his way around the underground catacombs... good times." He said while watching Zach wipe his brow in panic.

"Then I go down in the mask, right? promising to set them free if they cooperate, but if they didn't... I'd send 'the guy without the mask' after them again... They sang like canaries! It was beautiful! Ahhh but when they gave me what I wanted... I took the mask off to thank them... One of them even committed suicide in their cell to spare themselves the pain... Some very good times indeed." He finished as he put his hand on Zach's shoulder, causing him to squirm.

"The point is that today you've come into my home, insulted me, and threatened my family... It is not 'nothing' for you to send your men after my family, it's a DEATH sentence! But I'll tell you what... get your affairs in order, and then get the HELL out of my state! I recommend the syndicate down in Florida, I know a real Slime Bucket lawyer who can get you set up... Last name's Lancaster. He's Slime, but one who can get other Slime off well!" He said as he put the mask and book back, Causing the room to go back to normal.

Zach stood up red in the face and glared. "TH-THIS ISN'T OVER CAPRYSE! YOU HAVEN'T HEARD THE LAST OF ME!" He said as he stormed out. Mr Capryse shrugged and finished his coffee as he saw Amanda Cross on the Security camera feed on his desk. "Oh well... Then let the games begin!" He said while standing up and popping his neck before going down to enjoy a conversation over lunch.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 5: The Sonata Silver lining

 Silver sighed in frustration at her studio as she tried to get her model to hold still. "Do you WANT to look like a melting frosted cake in these dresses?" She demanded while channelling aura into her string, the fabric of the dress seemed to adjust to the form of the young woman. The model had Pink dyed hair worn in a ponytail and a skinny frame from self-imposed malnourishment. "No ma'am." She said meekly as she lowered her pointed chin. 

Silver's attitude softened as she grunted at the recognition of her own coldness. "I'm sorry, dear. Some of that was due to the last-minute time crunch." She told her as she eyed her over. "And what did I say about starving yourself? For the last time, my dress's beauty will shine no matter what you weigh, you're no use to me as a model if you pass out on stage, I'm giving you money for a burger and fries, I EXPECT you to be in better health next time!" She demanded. The young lady made an 'eep' sound and nodded as Silver pulled out a twenty-dollar bill and gave it to her. "We're done for the day, now go eat and get some rest!" She said as she headed to her office.

As she closed the door behind her, she looked at all the awards and framed dresses she had made over the years. While she hated looking at her old work with her mind always on the future, she had to admit how great it felt all those years ago when Darkness had given her a start-up fund and told her to put her work out there. She even had his advice engraved in silver on a plaque on her desk 'If you honestly think your work is so good, then not sharing it with the world is your biggest crime' She looked at it and smiled. "Stupid supportive sappy dork." She said as her cheeks formed a shiny ruby-red blush while she smiled.

Thoughts of Darkness were interrupted by a text from the man himself. She giggled and gazed at her phone. 'Hey Silver, I think something's wrong with Lyte, she Saw what happened on the news and seemed to lock herself in her room when I told her what he-' She stopped reading the rest and Jumped into her Army Green Jeep, speeding home and dodging traffic. She swore in Spanish as she ignored every red light she saw.

A bit of time passed as Silver pulled into the Garage of the Sonata Family's house. She ran upstairs and slid out of her dress and into a pair of light blue Lingerie she used for house clothes. In their room, Darkness was casually folding clothes until Silver grabbed him from behind. "What did you tell her?!" She demanded as Darkness jumped in surprise. "What?" He asked as Silver shoved him. "WHAT DID YOU TELL HER?!" She demanded again.

Darkness just shrugged. "Nothing about us! She asked who would kill Albert, I just said that he was a murderer and rapist and she's been in her room since!" He explained. Silver's eyes widened and she pursed her lips before dashing to Lyte's room. "Lisa sweetie? Please come out, it's okay, I'm here now!" She said as Darkness followed her. "Am I finally going to get an answer for what the hell I Did wrong?" he asked. Silver just looked at him sadly. "Darling I love you... But it's not my place to tell you, please respect Lyte's wishes!" She exclaimed.

Darkness winched a bit at the desperation in her voice. "I Just want to know why she's ignoring me! Does she hate me right now or something?" He asked out of concern. Lyte finally opened her door with a slam. "HOW COULD I HATE YOU?! I barely even know you anymore... We used to be... so close! But then you got back from the war and just... Sat around our old apartment without ever talking to me! Last night was the last time I had seen Derek Sonata since I was a little girl... You used to always help me when I was struggling, you accepted me no matter what... And now we only ever say a few sentences a day..." She said as tears began sliding down her cheeks.

"So what? Am I just not good enough to talk with anymore?" She asked bitterly. There was a long pause in the hallways as Derek struggled to move his mouth and form words. He was able to recognize that Lyte had been holding onto this for a long time. "Lisa... I never meant to make you feel like I didn't want to talk to you, I just... After what I did a few years ago... I didn't know how to relate to anybody.. it wasn't just you."

Silver's eyes widened at the last part of Derek's sentence as he also realized what he said. Lisa's raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Derek? What did you do?" She asked as she watched him recoil, but she walked forward. "Derek? WHAT DID YOU DO?!" She asked louder. Derek just sighed and stood up straight while his Bright green eyes stared into her Dark blue eyes. "I... Shot myself.... in the head." He finally admitted.

Lyte's eyes raised as wide as they could as she began panting rapidly. She began scratching rapidly at her arms while she hugged herself and tensed up as hard as she could before her arms finally hung at her sides. "I don't feel so Lyte..." She said as she walked backwards into her room and closed the door. There was an audible click and the sound of the Door being barricaded from behind.

Silver pressed into Darkness and squeezed him tight. "Sweetie, are you okay?" She asked as Darkness's aura seemed to fade away, leaving him in a panicked state. "I'm exhausted." He admitted to her. Silver nodded and guided him to the master bedroom. "We'll try to talk later... I know of a place she likes to go when she's feeling down... right now, you both need to process everything." She said calmly.

After about half an hour. Darkness' aura slowly came back as he looked at a half-open bottle of Tequila. "You know... it's the funniest thing, I don't really want this right now." He said with a sad chuckle. Silver returned it as well. "Considering I've how much I've watched you consume, that IS funny. " She told him with concern as she sat in his lap. Darkness smiled and slid her lingerie off and pressed into his head into her chest. "She doesn't hate me right?" He asked worriedly, Causing Silver to hold his cheeks.

"No hun... she's just now processing YOUR stuff along with hers... I promised I wouldn't talk about what she's going through until she does... I know it's hard, but I'm going to have to ask you to hold that off and wait... and no more talk about the crimes of the people involved in business okay?" She asked. Darkness just nodded and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Deal." He told her with a nod. She smiled and slid him out of his clothes. "Now if we're all done, I need some venting of my own, if you'd be so kind?" She asked while batting her eyes.

Darkness just rolled his eyes and smiled as black tendrils wrapped around his wife's arms to hold them behind her back as two more tendrils parted her legs spiraling around them to keep them held apart. "Yes dear..." he responded as he pulled her in close while the two lovers enjoyed themselves for the rest of the night, hoping they could at least forget the stress of the day if only for just a little bit.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 4: You and I drink poison from the same vine

Lisa smiled softly as Class ended, She grabbed her backpack and skateboard and left the classroom. On her way out of high school, she adjusted her black t-shirt and Tattered green pants while she reapplied her scene-girl style makeup. While checking herself out, she noticed a boy in a jersey and jean shorts approaching her. he had a nice short black haircut and a gold chain around his neck. "Hey there Lisa, how are you doing today?" He asked as he looked down at her.

Lisa smiled up at him and gave a wide grin. "Hiya Tommy! I'm good! just about to hit the halfpipe before I finish my Algebra homework!" She said as she went to move around him, but he put a hand against the wall in front of her to stop her from leaving. "You know Lisa, I've seen you dancing in your free time. You're REALLY pretty, it's a shame I never got to know you..." He told her with a grin of his own, one that Lisa didn't like.

"Oh... Thanks, Tommy. Maybe we can hang out sometime, later okay?" She asked uncomfortably as she tried to back up, but Tommy boxed her in. "Maybe I want to know you better now." He said as he kissed all over her face. "TOMMY NO! What are you doing?!" She asked as he began reaching under her shirt and pants, painfully squeezing whatever he could touch. "Oooh, you are nice and soft!" He told her as he reached around to squeeze at her buttocks making her scream loudly.

Fearing they'd be caught, Tommy reached through the neck hole of her shirt to put his hand over her mouth to keep her from screaming out while she tried to push his head away from her placing her hands over his eyes. The constant struggle and high emotions in Lisa caused her hands to glow before shining a super bright light directly into Tommy's eyes. Tommy let out a blood-curdling scream as Lisa got free. "Tommy! I'm sorry!" She said as she tried to help him, only to see his eyeballs were gone.

"What did you do to me, Lisa?" He asked in an eery calm voice. Making Lisa recoil. "You're a freak, your brother will hate you, no one will love you, your powers are a gift and you hurt everyone you love with what you've done." He continued, causing Lisa to crouch in a fetal position and place her hands over her head. "I didn't mean to." She said while sobbing as the world around her turned black while she rocked heavily, wishing it all would stop.

Lyte's eyes shot open as she gasped and breathed heavily, she noticed her body reeked of sweat and she had thrashed out of her clothes in her sleep. "Just another bad dream..." She told herself as she grabbed a couple of THC-infused edible gummies and an energy drink from her mini fridge. Waiting to process the world around her as her pupils dilated.

She looked around at her room from the house Darkness bought in New York City. Unlike her room at the warehouse in Long Island, this one was much bigger. It had a bunch of posters of various bands she liked, a plethora of video games and consoles scattered on her entertainment center, and a bigger disco ball a with built-in lightbulb attached to the ceiling.

"Back home? Dang that party drained me more than I thought! Oh well, shower time!" She said as she swallowed down her negative thoughts and went to the bathroom. As she cleaned herself off, she began singing to herself and making funny little DJ scratching sounds, not noticing the rainbow color of her Aura flowing off of her. When she was nice and clean, she struck a pose and flashed the peace sign in the mirror. "Highlyte of my day baby!" She said with a wink before getting dressed.

When she went downstairs, she noticed Darkness was sitting at the living room chair while eating a taco and sipping a bottle of beer. Lyte noticed it was a little bit past noon, she had slept past breakfast. "Little early to start your drinking eh bro?" She asked. Darkness just looked at her. "My boss' Daughter made tacos, and you KNOW I love beer with tacos." He said as he smiled at her.

Lyte rolled her eyes and sat down while grabbing a few from the tray she noticed on the table. "Why DO you like tacos? Ever since you got out of the military you eat them a lot more." She asked while munching one. Darkness swallowed the bite he took and took another sip of beer as he looked at his beer bottle. "Back in the day... used to have Taco Tuesday with my buddies... Fuckin Truck and Golem, they used to compete in eating contests with each other... I guess to answer your question, I miss my friends." He said with a sad smile.

Lisa reached over and tried to tickle him gently, causing him to raise a brow. "What on earth are you doing Lisa?"he asked as Lyte looked up at him. "When I was Little, you used to do this to me when I was feeling down, and eventually I'd forget why I was sad!" She said with a wide grin. Darkness just patted the top of her head and hugged her close.

"That doesn't work for me Lisa, I'm not ticklish in the slightest, but thanks for trying, I'll always have this sadness." He told her, causing Lyte to frown. "Nuh-uh! No one can be sad all the time, ya just gotta find something that gets ya happy!" She told him. Darkness pinched the bridge of his nose and grunted. "Lisa.. just like how not everyone can be sad all the time, not everyone can be HAPPY all the time either! The heck did you get a silly idea like that?" He asked.

Lyte just scratched her left arm. "If I'm not happy... I'm alone with my anxiety.... I hate that." She said weakly. Darkness just nodded. "If you want to drop it for now, we can talk about it later... I'm sorry Lisa." He said as he flipped to the news, which was covering Albert Farley's murder. Lyte frowned and shook her head. "How AWFUL! why would someone do such a thing?!" She demanded.

Darkness flinched and cleared his throat. "I mean he was a pedophile who raped and murdered children, someone had their reasons..." He answered. at the mention of rape, Lisa began to tremble and hold herself as her make-up smeared down her eyes. When she felt the tears flowing, she quickly looked away from Darkness so he couldn't see her. "Thanks for lunch Derek, I got some music stuff I need to do, Jam with me later okay?" She said as she grabbed some tacos and a soda before heading back upstairs to her room.

"LYTE WAIT!" He called as he reached out, but it was clear she needed space. He wasn't sure what she wasn't telling him, but it was clear that she needed time to herself, and pushing the issue would only push her away further. "I hope I can one day get you to trust me as much as I do little sister." He said sadly.

Lyte was leaning against her door as she tried to take her mind off her memories. "He didn't know, he CAN'T know!" She said as she looked at her powers. "Never again, I can only use them for GOOD!" She promised herself while looking at her soundboard. "Time for DJ LYTE to STRYKE back baby!" She said as she put on her white kitty cat ear headphones and got to work on her music.

The Aurian Chronicles chapter 3: CROSS roads

It was Nine in the morning in New York City the next day. A young Asian woman with her hair tied into a regulated bun walked into the reception area in the NYPD with a coffee in hand. She inspected her Police uniform in the mirror and plucked a stray piece of fabric off of it before heading to her office, where a rookie police officer nodded to her. he was a handsome young man with light brown hair and green eyes. He was also incredibly well built, his muscle detail was visible even through his uniform.

"Good Evening Ma'am" He said awkwardly as she fought the urge to chuckle. "It's morning Officer Matthews, those kinds of details will make paperwork hell for you if you mess up." she said as she sat down and took off her shoes while going through some paperwork he left on the table. He just lowered his tone. "Can you just call me Dom? I thought we were much closer after we..."

"After we had sex Dom, and no we are NOT! Had I known you were not only another Officer but one coming in under me, I would not have agreed to it." She said as she looked at him. Dominic lowered his head. "Sorry Amanda." He said softly. "It's Lieutenant Cross right now thank you, I would like to keep things professional while in uniform thanks... Now why are you here?" She asked as she popped her toes with a tight curl.

"Yeah um... The other guys thought it'd be better if a rookie broke the news to you... Albert Farley was reported murdered last night." He told her. Amanda shrugged. "Oh wow, such a shame, I'll have to send roses... To former Sheriff Donald Bradley!" She said as she remembered the look on his face when Albert was bailed out of prison. She was still reeling over his early retirement and the separation of his wife. New York lost a good man and replaced it with an unstable Alcoholic that day.

Dominic scratched the back of his head and looked down at his feet. "About that... Donnie was found dead by his own hand in his home in Long Island last night as well" He started, causing Amanda's eyes to widen as she cupped her mouth. "Apparently after emptying his entire savings account and applying for a huge loan... We're guessing he hired someone to finally end Albert's life over his son, then committed suicide by gunshot." Finished Dominic as he let out a shaky sigh over having to tell someone they had just lost a friend.

Amanda took some time to reflect but saw Dominic was still a bit shaky. "Steady that resolve rookie, You're going to be doing this a lot in your career! Now... any clues on who the killer was?" She asked patiently. Dominic shook his head. "No, we asked the bartender, but he said he couldn't get a good view of the guy, however, we DID see him getting talks of repairing his bar from someone mentioning Mr. Capryse."  Responded Dominic, causing her to look at her coffee cup, which read 'Capryse Coffee' on the side. She held up the cup and pointed to it. "This Guy? The hell is he doing repairing some bar in Long Island?" She asked curiously.

Dominic shrugged a bit and cleared his throat. "He's been doing that in places that get too damaged. Heck, a strip club called 'The Peppermint Pole' was just repaired with his funding just last month." He said casually. Amanda was pulling up pictures of Mr Capryse on her computer. It showed a young-looking man with crystal blue eyes, and messy brown hair in a brown three-piece suit with a solid gold tie smirking while sipping a cup of coffee. 

"THAT'S Antonio Capryse? He's the founder of my favorite brand of Coffee! My PARENTS drank that brand... how is he so HANDSOME!?" She asked as she blushed when she realized what she said. "I mean... young..." She said meekly. "Not so professional now are we?" Asked Dominic with a light chuckle. Causing Amanda to narrow her eyes at him. "Traffic duty for the next week, then you're on detail for 'shop with a cop' the week after, how's THAT for professional? Now get out, I'm busy." She told him, causing him to grumble and leave.

As the door closed behind him, Amanda stared at Mr. Capryse. "So Capryse... I guess I'll just have to see for myself how 'Good' your intentions are." She said though she was unaware of the blush still on her face. She couldn't explain it, but something about his eyes was sucking her in as she gazed at the photo.

After she had everything she needed, she left her office and took an early day from the office to plan her meeting. Which meant setting a time, a date, and even a line of questions she mentally prepared herself to say. "If it's true, and he IS a criminal... That'd honestly be a shame though, He's made my life so much more tolerable with his Coffee..." She said with a worried grunt, but she swallowed it down and gritted her teeth. "BUT THE LAW IS THE LAW!" She said loudly to herself in her car as she headed home in her car.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 2: Lyte up your life!

 Darkness sighed softly as he parked his car in a parking lot near a huge warehouse. The car flashed with Neon lights that read "Sound City" on a rainbow-flashing LED screen. As Darkness and Silver stepped out, Darkness saw a homeless person wearing an ACU pattern poncho sitting by a telephone pole breathing cold air hiding their face in the hood to keep the air off their face. Feeling bad, Darkness grabbed a stack of hundreds from his briefcase in the car and headed over to them. "Listen, it's like thirty degrees outside, why don't you get yourself a nice hotel and-" He started, But Darkness was cut off when the person took off a hood to reveal their disfigured face. 

Darkness recognized the undisfigured part enough to remember someone from his past. "H-Hood?" He asked. The woman just nodded. "Hello, Sergeant Sonata... heard it was First Sergeant before... you know." She said as she cupped his cheek, The purple in Darkness' hair turned black and his pale skin showed signs of permanent sun damage, his eyes sagged and wrinkled from too many nights without sleep as well. Darkness swallowed hard as he began to hyperventilate in the cold night air. 

"L-listen, just uh, take this money, get you a hotel, maybe treat yourself a bit, and see if you can get back on track huh?" He said nervously, Causing Hood to laugh. "That's too much money at once... I waited Sergeant.. I waited for the VA like they said... all I got was a minor stitch job and painkillers... can ya believe that?" She asked as she hugged him tight. "Thank you for worrying about me.. But I'm already dead... I'm just waiting for the body to match the spirit." She said as she took only enough to survive a couple nights and walked off. Darkness had so many questions he wanted to ask, but his brain wasn't able to cope with the stress.

Silver's eyes widened as she recognized the signs of Darkness having a panic attack and pressed her back into his chest, putting his arms around her. "Shh Shh Shh, Derek, breathe.." she said softly. After a few minutes, Darkness cuddled into her tight and closed his eyes. His breathing returned to normal as did his hair and skin. "Thank you, Silver. I REALLY needed that." He told her. Silver nodded, "I Can see that. So who was that woman? Someone you served with?" She asked. Darkness just nodded back at her and pulled out his old Dog tags, attached to it was a secondary tag that read 'I will always place the mission first, I will never accept defeat, I will never quit, I will never leave a fallen comrade'

"Her name was Barbara Hoodington, but we all just called her 'Hood' because she liked wearing a Hood, even indoors, many a time did I make her do corrective training for not adhering to uniform standards... She got sent home after an IED went off and damaged her face beyond repair." He said as he slowly walked to the club with Silver and gripped her close. "To see that she's like this... Hurts... I want to try and help her later if I can... If she's willing to help herself that is." He said. Silver smiled up at him and nodded. "Of course Derek...  if you want we can discuss it privately. For now, let's go see Lisa!" 

Darkness winced a bit at the loud booming of the speakers as he and Silver walked into the club. He never said it out loud, but ever since he had gotten back from the war in the Middle East, loud booming speakers reminded him of all the noises he heard in combat, and gave him sensory overload, but this meant a lot to Lisa, and he cared more about her support. Both Darkness and Silver scanned the area until they saw A young woman with long blonde hair at the bar. She was wearing a White tube top with White daisy dukes and a Rainbow fishnet bodysuit. She was currently barefoot, but her white light-up boots were underneath the stool. Hey Lisa!" Said Darkness as he walked up to her.

As she looked up and saw her big brother, Lyte lit up and hopped on his shoulders. "HEY BIG BROOOOOO!" She said excitedly as she hugged him. Darkness just chuckled and rubbed her legs "Aren't you a little old for this?" He asked. Lyte laid her chin on his head. "Aren't YOU a little old to be making fun  of me for being short?" She asked. Darkness full-on laughed and looked up at her. "NEVER!" He shouted over the booming music. "Well, there you go! grab my boots, we can head to the back room before I go on stage." She retorted. Darkness nodded and grabbed her boots as he carried her to the room in the back of the warehouse. 

Lyte grabbed a soda from the refrigerator and sat in her chair as Darkness just looked around. "Nice place! I can't believe you got your own livable set-up back here!" He said in astonishment as he admired the white room, it had a Disco ball with a flashing rainbow laser pointed at it to turn the otherwise white walls into flashing rainbows. There was even a twin-size mattress in case Lyte partied too hard to get home. "Yeah well when I bought the place, I figured I'd make it my own ya know? Streets around here are dangerous... Maybe if you tried playing guitar again I could let you bring a band back here?" She offered hopefully.

Darkness' smile soured as he let out an audibly loud sigh. "I thought we moved past this conversation... that door is closed, Lyte." He told her. Lyte's smile seemed to fade at his expression and words as she narrowed her piercing blue eyes. "No, it is NOT Derek! You think it's gone, but I can SEE  the spark of a musician dying to burst out of you... Your excuse as a teenager was not being able to find people for your band? Well, guess what? I KNOW people, I could get you some up-and-coming talent to rock out with! Please try to consider it?" She begged. 

Darkness threw his hands up and relented. "I'll think about it Lisa... but whatever you see in me isn't all you think it is." He told her, Lyte leaned in. "No matter what it is, it's better than whatever you're doing now for Mr Capryse, I don't always know what that guy has you doing, but I know what he's known for.`.. you should out there trying to make people happy! Not profit off their misery!" She said as she drained her soda. "You wanna see how fun it is? CHECK THIS OUT!" She said as she attached LED Lights to her fishnets and headed to the stage. Darkness and Silver gave each other a shocked look and went to watch her.

The stage of the warehouse began blowing out a fog as laser lights rained down from seemingly nowhere while a heavy Bass drum began pulsing to the rhythm of a heartbeat. Lyte swayed her hips seductively as she walked out onto the stage towards her equipment and winked at the crowd. "LONG ISLAND NEW YORK! IS EVERYBODY FEELING GOOOOOD?!" She said into the microphone, a huge crowd screamed out and pulled out their glowsticks, some of them throwing them on the stage at her feet."GOOD! BECAUSE WE'RE GONNA LYTE UP NEW YORK BABY!" She said while blowing kisses. Heart-shaped Rainbow prism lights blew out into the crowd. As her Lasers hit them, they seemed to reflect off each other in a spectacular light show.

Lyte began playing her music and scratching her discs with her nails as she chanted into the microphone, she placed a voice-changing device to her neck. "When a hottie with a body's feeling naughty at a party and she steps into the light, better make a move or dude you're gonna lose WE ARE ALL SLAVES OF THE NIGHT! A little ravin' is what I'm cravin' feeling brazen til your ragin? Satisfy my plight! You can't be feeling lonely when I'm the one and only SOURCE OF ALL YOUR LYTE!" She sang, letting it echo throughout the club, the smiles of all her fans made Lyte's smile grow, she even seemed to levitate from the positive energy she was feeling.

Silver by now was swaying and dancing to the music, resisting the urge to go wild in the pit only because she was watching from the staged area. Darkness raised his eyes at all the hype of the crowd. He could practically see all of the aura coming off the crowd, only to squint as he saw a flash of blue. It was brief, but he could see a ghost of a man in an old-looking brown suit with long black hair, his eyes covered by shadows, smiling at Darkness. Darkness felt so many emotions as his own purple Aura seemed to radiate off him, whether we wanted to admit it or not, Lyte's music had gotten to him, causing his heartbeat to match Lyte's song.

As the Concert played out Lyte, watched Silver and Darkness when she could while smiling. She didn't quite know what Darkness was going through at the moment, but right now none of it mattered. Darkness had been to many of her concerts, but now for the first time, Darkness was watching with his entire being, and that had her ecstatic. 'More where that came from big brother.' She said as she continued playing for the crowd.