The house on River Red Lane

    Samantha sighed softly as she refreshed her phone constantly to check her bank account. After an exploration of an allegedly haunted house caused her to knock over and destroy a hundred-year-old library case, she had maxed out both her allowance AND a credit card to pay off the damages. “Come on, Dad, please put the money in!” She whined as she waited outside her dorm. After about ten minutes, a text flashed up.

    “Dear Sammy, your credit card has been paid off, and enough money for food will be added tomorrow; however, we will be holding off on your Dorm payments for a solid year. If you wish to continue making us worry about your supernatural investi-whats-its, you can do that on YOUR dime! I recommend a decent job near the school.” She read out loud, slowly getting more frustrated as she let out a crestfallen sigh.

    “Oof, rough!” Said a voice behind her. This was Josh Spindle, he shared a few classes with her, He’d even covered for her a few times when she did her investigations, and although she wasn’t thrilled that the nickname he teased her with, ‘Thelma Dorkly’ stuck with her, she had to admit he was kind of cute in a mysterious way.

    “Yeah… no idea what I’m gonna do, I think they freaking expect me to crawl home with my tail between my legs.” She admitted while chewing her lip. Josh sighed and nodded. “Well, if you need a place to stay, you can stay at a house where a few friends and I live… Heck, you can even earn a bit of pocket money helping with a few…. Odd jobs here and there!” he told her with a half smile. She blushed a bit at the offer. “Long as I don’t gotta get naked, I’m totally in!” She answered quickly, trying to rile him up.

    “Well, shucks, there go all of MY odd jobs!” He teased back, causing her to blush and puff her cheeks out hard. He just chuckled, “Only kidding! It’s on 13 River Red Lane when you are ready. Grab your stuff and I’ll get your room ready!” He said as he headed out.

    Samantha breathed a sigh of relief. As she got packing. “Oh…. em…Gee-OODNESS! WAS THAT EFFING JOSH SPINDLE?!” Asked Samantha’s now former Dorm roommate. Samantha just grumbled. “Yes, Alex, that was him, he even offered me a place to stay! Hopefully, I can just hitch rides with him now that I don’t have a dorm.” She answered with a smile. Alex just squealed. “Little Sammy is growing up! Soon you’ll be having a supernatural-themed wedding and a honeymoon in the Bermuda Triangle!” She teased. “SHUT UP AND LET ME PAAAAAAAACK!” Whined a red in the face, Samantha, as she finished loading her stuff. 

Samantha used some money to take a Taxi to her new home. “Alright! Here we are at 13 River…Red…Lane….. Wow!” She said that as she looked at the house, it was about three stories and looked even older than the mansion she explored. “How can a few college kids afford all this?!” She asked aloud. “Simple, it originally belonged to an owner who sold it as soon as he got it in his name, he said he’d sell it cheap if we erased all records of his family name… something about a crazed killer in his family heritage” Said Josh as he appeared.

Josh just smiled and grabbed some of her stuff. Samantha smiled and took the rest as she followed him. “Really man… I can’t thank you enough for all this, so when do I get to meet the other housemates?” She asked curiously. He led her to her room and set her stuff in the walk-in Closet. “We all sort of have conflicting schedules, I’ll try and pencil you in for a meeting, just… You might have to be cool real fast with what you see.” He explained with a nod. “I’ll be out back cleaning the hot tub, I recommend a dip later if you are up for it!” He said as he headed out.

Samantha just smiled as she unpacked while setting her bikini aside. “Hot tub, eh? NICE!” She said as she opened a desk for her notebooks. A stack of Newspapers greeted her, a few headlines caught her eye, they were all about murder victims with carved smiles on their faces. “Mr. Bad day strikes again, fifteen casualties by Lakehouse… killer never caught and remains at large… this must be that killer Jason was talking about… Wait, this was last summer!” She said with a bit of fear. She set the papers under her bed and fully unloaded her stuff. “Maybe Jason can clue me in over dinner…That’s just creepy!” She said while slipping into a small tank top and some loose-fitting Jammies.

Feeling a sense of Exploration, she decided to check out the rest of the house, making sure to AVOID the Library. She checked out the kitchen and made a quick sandwich while she watched the news, a stash of human body parts had just been unearthed from a sinkhole in the woods. “My……god… WHAT’S WITH ALL THE DEATH?!” She whined as she shivered a bit. Trying to shake it off, she saw a girl with blue hair come in in some cute, stylish, gothic hand-stitched pyjamas.

“Oh hey! You must be Josh’s Vi… girlfriend! I’m Megan!” She said with a wave. Samantha blushed hard. “Nonono I’m just his friend! I’m Samantha! Friends call me Sammy!” She said while trying to catch her breath. Megan just giggled and nodded,

“Whatever ya say! I was gonna hit the hot tub, wouldn’t mind a cute girl joining me later!” She said as she winked. “Uh… sure… so are you a college student too?” She asked, Megan just smiled and brushed her long blue locks back. “Oh yeah! I WAS taking Business and fashion classes, but recently I have been trying to get into Medical school!” She explained.

Samantha nodded, “I have been floundering since I got my Photography classes out of the way, I think I am gonna finish my Master’s and go from there!” She replied, though she was noticing Megan was checking her out in a weird way, it was clearly not sexual, but more of sizing her up. “Interesting! I am sure it’ll all be over soon before you know it! If you ever need help with your classes, lemme know! Ciao!” she told her as she grabbed some cookies before heading out. Samantha saw her drop a knife and pick it up before heading out. “She didn’t put the knife back? Wait… all she got was cookies! Why did she even need a knife? Weird…” She said as she went to check on Jason, who had just dropped something heavy out of the hot tub.

“Oh heya, Josh! How’s the tub coming?” She asked. Jason looked at her with a bit of a glare. “It’s coming! Sheesh, gimme time!” He said with a bit of a snippy tone, causing Samantha to huff. “Hey, I was just checking, no need to get all huffy! What even is the holdup?” She asked as she went to look at what he got out of the hot tub, he quickly tried to shove her back. “Just some trash okay?! Look I’ll be done soon, just… HEY!” He tried to reason, but Samantha just brushed by him, seeing the remains of a dead, horrified-looking girl in a bikini.”That’s Becky Bronson! She was a cheerleader at my high school! I hadn’t seen her since she locked that Sophomore in the freezer! WHAT THE HELL?!” She asked in horror as Josh sighed… “It’s… a long story… look, I know you are about to try to call the police… so let me just say right now… Don’t!”

“AND WHY THE HELL SHOULDN’T I, YOU PSYCHO?!”  She demanded as she backed up, unfortunately, into Megan, who was now in a black bloody nurse outfit. “Because we have your address, your family’s entire list of names and work schedules, and you really have nowhere else to go…. So I’ll make this simple: Either try to run and join Becky before your family follows suit! Or…. Join Josh and me in the hot tub tonight and learn about those Odd Jobs Josh talked about.” She told her. Samantha just gulped and nodded. “Hot tub night with two cuties? That’s all you had to say!” With a terrified giggle.

Later that night, Samantha sighed as she slowly slid up her yellow bikini bottoms. “This has to be a dream… No, a NIGHTMARE! Why would they do that to Becky? Are they responsible for all those other murders?! What am I gonna do???” She asked herself as she headed to the hot tub, where Josh and Megan were casually chatting and munching on pizza. They waved to Samatha as she slowly sank in, doing her best to avoid them on the far side of the tub. “Well, hey there, cutie! How ya gonna talk all the way over there?” Asked Megan with a wide smile. “VERY LOUDLY!” Yelled Samantha, causing Josh to pinch the bridge of his nose while Megan giggled. “Suit yourself!” She replied as she stood up, revealing her curvy body, with surgical scars all over it.

“Anyway, as you have guessed… This house is full of killers, Josh, me… and a few others you’ll meet later! We will not try to harm you as long as you do not try to harm US, which includes contacting the police, or telling people about what we do… Now, as you can tell, this job can be messy, so you will have to help hide bodies from time to time and learn how to falsify information that would otherwise incriminate us, as well as other tasks that require on-the-job training. We will teach you, heck, we’ll even PAY you!” Explained Megan, though the more she talked, the more Samantha wanted to protest.

“Why? Josh… I thought I liked you, but you all are monsters!” She said as she looked at him, his green eyes pierced hers and turned to slits. “The girl Becky locked in a freezer and killed was my sister. I wanted to hurt her a long time ago, but my journal was found by my father, and I spent the rest of my Grade school years in a mental institution… Becky was one of many by the time I got to her… hell, until you reminded me, I had almost forgotten WHY I killed her… For what it’s worth, I liked you back, still do even! It’s just… this is one of my many quirks… I hope you’ll warm back up to me later.” He replied as he looked at her, though it was clear she just wanted to run as far as she could. “I… I don’t know how, but I’ll find a way out of all this… but until then, I expect to be at college on time!” She said as she stormed off. Jason just looked down and sighed while Megan giggled. “I LIKE her, she’s very spunky! That’s the kinda girl you need, Josh!” She said as she made cute eyes at him, causing him to grumble.

Samantha sighed in her bed and tried to take her mind off the situation by playing a JRPG. A notification went off that a deposit had been put into her account. She paused the game and checked her bank before widening her eyes. “This is…. Twice what I need for housing allowance!” She said before a text from Josh came. “You still can’t leave, but I thought this might cover your living expenses… sorry again…” She read with a sigh. “I still hate this with every fibre of my fucking being…. But it’s better than any other option I had… I’ve just got to wait for them to slip up!” She said as she went back to gaming, but was still completely terrified for her life.

Webknot the origin of Spider-Wrath Chapter 1: The bite

 David Ranger sighed softly as he walked through the Local museum with his College class, His headphones blasting Nu-Metal music at full volume. He let his black and red hair swoop over his left eye, and was wearing a 'SLIPKNOT' Shirt. He had a pair of black pants on and red Sneakers.

"MR. RANGER!" Yelled an authoritative female voice. A Blonde woman in a lab coat glared at him through a pair of rounded spectacles. "I'm sorry if this tour is too boring for you, but if you would be so kind as to inform the group as to what species of spider this is?" She asked sternly while pointing to a nearby exhibit.

David rolled his eyes and put his headphones around his neck, and looked at the small spider housed inside the glass container. "Why certainly, Professor Octavia! That is known as the 'Spitting Spider'. It uses venom-infused saliva to subdue its prey... This particular exhibit is using a new form of Radiation to see if it can-"

"Reverse engineer a new kind of anti-venom that can be altered to match the other type of venoms we have on file, yes... Very good, Mr. Ranger... But please try to pay more attention... You were very lucky to be enrolled in UCLA after some high recommendations from your previous school.. I suggest you don't squander your chance to learn and better yourself!"

David just lowered his eyes at her. "Oh gee, and here I thought it was because of my four years of being on the honor roll, and Community service FOR UCLA... Silly me." He said with sarcasm dripping from his voice. It was clear he hated being talked down to.

Professor Octavia simply turned her nose up at him. "That might be good enough for a NORMAL student, but normal students don't go around getting into fights or taking extended leaves from school now, do they?" She asked as she walked with the rest of the class, leaving David to Sulk.

David just stared at the Spitting Spider with a glare. He hated being reminded of his leave from school, or all the jerks in his High School who bullied him until he eventually snapped and started fighting back. "Not sure which I'd rather be remembered as... The Wuss... Or the Crazy violent thug..." He said with a sad sigh while the spider made a web.

As he got ready to leave. The wall next to the Spider exhibit broke down. A pair of costumed people came crashing through. One of them was Big and Muscular, in a black full-body costume with a White Spider on his chest. The other was a shorter, curvaceous woman in a red Costume that looked like it was made of blood, with long flowing, blade-like dreadlocks coming out of her head.

"Holy shit, that's Venom and Carnage!" David shouted as he watched the two punch each other with full force. Carnage used the Dreadlocks on her head to slash at Venom, who simply backed out of range and fired webbing at her. Out of instinct, David pulled the nearby fire alarm, causing a loud, blaring siren to go off. Both Venom and Carnage screamed out and flailed around, wrecking everything in sight before Carnage broke the glass housing the Spitting Spider. David watched red slime ooze from Carnage onto the spider, with black slime from Venom chasing after it. He tried to shoo the spider away, only for it to slash his Right eye with a long tentacle before biting him. 

David screamed out in pain before dizzily collapsing by a Blonde man in a black jacket and blue jeans who had formerly been Venom. "E-Eddie?" asked David. David had remembered from High School Eddie Brock, A kid in his graduation year who had defended him from a fight that nearly put him in the hospital.

David grunted as he looked over and noticed a naked woman with Red Hair shaved on her left side with Dreadlocks on the other.  She slowly looked up at him with a grin and squashed the Spitting Spider, the Red Slime slowly returning to her. "Hello little David... You never called me!" She said as she crawled onto him and sat on his lap, extending her long symbiote tongue out to lick where his eye was slashed.

"S-S-Skarlet NO!" He cried out as he froze up when he made Eye Contact with Carnage as she bounced seductively on his lap. "My my, David... How you've grown!" She teased as He weakly tried to shake her off. David began to cough up black slime as he cried out for help.

"THAT'S ENOUGH CARNAGE!" Roared Eddie as black slime latched onto him, turning him back into Venom. Carnage looked up to him and roared as she quickly got up and jumped outside. Venom slowly turned back into Eddie and knelt by David. "David? Is that you?" He asked.

David didn't answer; he seemed to be in a near catatonic state as he cried out in terror. Eddie just hugged him softly, recognising the signs of shock. "David... what did she DO to you?" He asked with concern. David only looked back at him. "She's not supposed to be near me, they promised she couldn't be near me any more!" He cried out until the Venom from the spider caused him to pass out.

Eddie picked David up and walked him toward the exit. "Come on, man. We'll get you to a Doctor... we can talk later." He promised as he tried to avoid the now gathering crowd.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 18: An unholy alliance

Blood Angel grunted as he slowly woke up. "Ugh, I can't believe I lost...And he didn't even finish me off in a spectacular way!" He muttered in disappointment. All of his thoughts and dreams about the killer he idolized were shattered like a rock through the stained glass of a cathedral. He simply shook his head before he looked around to see that he was in the middle of Central Park. "Huh... I'm nowhere near Lyte's club." He noticed.

"Yes, I felt the separation was pivotal to introducing our alliance!" Said a female voice, causing Blood Angel to turn his head to a pink-skinned, demonic-looking woman. She had red eyes and sported her blood red hair in a straight, brushed fashion. Her dress was the same color as her hair and cut off at just above her feet, which were sporting black heels.

Blood Angel looked at her as she walked to him. "And who might you be, madam?" He asked politely. The woman smiled and curtsied. "You may just call me Kayla!" She told him. Blood Angel kissed the back of her hand "Vincent Verikoff at your service!" He told her with a smile, one that she mirrored while looking him in the eyes.

"It's actually good to hear you say that! The reason I've healed you is because I've a proposal for you!" She said as she grinned hard enough to show all of her teeth. When Blood Angel raised a brow at her, she just continued. "You see, Vincent. I saw your fight with Darkness... and I feel both of you would make SPLENDID knights in my army... You'd be rewarded beyond your wildest dreams!" She told him calmly.

Blood Angel merely chuckled. "I can't speak for Darkness, only myself... but there is no reward you are capable of that surpasses the thrill of hunting down a victim and witnessing the honesty of the terror in their soul as the light leaves their eyes... That everlasting thrill as they die in my embrace... Delicious!" He said as he began to drool.

Kayla merely frowned and huffed at him. "So you are turning down my offer?" She asked as a ball of flame formed behind her. Blood Angel wagged his finger and made a 'Tsk tsk' noise at her while shaking his head. "I said no such thing! The idea of slaughtering for a cause greater than that of a fat fuck upset over his pedophile of a son sounds FAR more enticing! Lay it on me!" He said with a smile.

Kayla's eyes lit up with glee as the Red ball of flame in her fire turned into a black ball of chains. "GLAD you understood me, Vincent... now... Welcome to the shadow dominion." She told him as the chains seemed to go right through Vincent, anchoring him to her hand.

Vincent laughed maniacally as a blood red armor grew out of him, making him look like a Royal knight, a long sword formed in his hand that resembled a large spinal cord with veins embedded into it. The sword seemed to extend like a whip, leaving a trail of blood that Blood Angel could easily control. Finally, Bloody angelic wings grew from his back. They were bought eight feet in both length and width, and folded to form a cape for his armor.

Vincent smiled as he admired himself before banishing the armor and grinning at Kayla. "This is AMAZING! I was strong before... but this power... It's almost overwhelming! So tell me, my lovely queen... Do we go and recruit the Void Walker now? Because I doubt he'll be so thrilled to join alongside ME!" He told her.

Kayla giggled and shook her head. "No... I've watched him for a while now... trying to recruit him would be a waste of time, and would also be showing my hand far too early... Besides! I've noticed his powers are evolving... I think for now... we shall observe his growth and watch in secret... I have big plans in store for that man... And I want him at full potential before I make my move... For now, you may return to your home... I will call on you if something comes up!" She explained. Blood Angel nodded and stood upright "Then I shall take my leave. Until we meet again, Milady!" He said as he walked home.

Kayla simply folded her arms behind her back and floated into the air. "And so the pieces are all forming into place..." She said while turning her skin white and banishing her demonic appearance. "For now.. I shall keep my eyes on you, and the games you're involved in.... My Void knight!" And with that, she pulled out a picture of Darkness... giggling to herself as she imagined him slaughtering countless men in her name.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 17: Count me in

Lisa sat there as she studied Darkness. "I.... REALLY wish I knew all that a long time ago, Derek." She admitted. "And I wish I had known about Tommy a long time ago, Lisa." Said Darkness with a shrug. "BUT, we are flawed beings... I'm sorry this whole thing caused this rift." He admitted. 

Lisa nodded. "Well, then I'm in." She said with a nod, causing Silver and Darkness to raise a brow. "With whatever this stuff you're doing... I'm IN!" She added. Darkness shook his head. "Absolutely not! You are not working with-"

"Yes DEREK! I AM!" She said with a determined glare. "I'm not losing my brother to this bullcrap! I may draw a line at killing, but I am helpful in other ways! I can gather information! My powers are a lot more developed and keep me safer than you! AND, I have my engineering degree! I'm a lot better with technology than you or Silver, I want in on this!" She said as she sat fully up straight.

Darkness' eyes narrowed. "And what happens when Blood Angel strikes again, Lisa? Where were your powers when he-" But he was cut off by Lisa slapping him with a hand made of pure Light. "That happened because I didn't know my older brother was doing what he was doing! Do NOT go there!" She fired back.

Darkness rubbed his cheek. "Is this going to be so you can tell me I should be making music again? Because that song and dance is getting old... Why do you even keep pressing that anyway? You've been doing that since I got back from the Middle East." He said as he crossed his legs.

Lisa raised her left eyebrow. "Are you... KIDDING ME?! After that story? You even brought it up that you felt you should have had a band by now! You gave that up at the time over supporting a family, and I get that! But nothing is stopping you now! I just... want the big brother who sat me in his lap and played the guitar to cheer me up... Wrote that love song for Silver that he stayed up all night learning how to sing in Spanish... And even played with MOM!" She said as she began to breathe rapidly.

Darkness' eyes rose as she rattled moments from his past off. "I... Don't remember any of that." He admitted. "I guess I really put a lot of thoughts aside in my quest to further my Military career... Honestly, that just makes me more sad that it all went south." He added as he laughed bitterly. "But I'm going to let you know right now, I still am not comfortable about you joining us." He added.

Silver stepped forward. "I'm not either, but if she wants to, she doesn't have to get involved like I do." She said as Lyte nodded, but Silver held up a finger to her. "That said, you had a chance to defend yourself and got dealt with easily, young lady! So if you want to join, you'll be training with ME first!" She said as she let out her aura and showed off her muscles, causing both Lisa and Darkness to gulp.

Lisa nodded after a moment and shrugged. "Fine, but it's not Lisa anymore, I'll be the LYTE to your DARKNESS!" She said, causing Darkness to give her the thumbs down. "Christ and I thought it was dumb when my friends called me that... That is the corniest crap ever." He said with a laugh, one shared by Lyte, and eventually Silver as well.

"Fine then... Lyte, you want in? I'll see about having you work when you can on trial status... But also, you might get your wish on me working on music again as well... I feel my aura resonates best when working with it... which I guess is why Dad always agreed I study with Mom more... it's in our blood." He said with an affirmed nod.

Lyte's blue eyes lit up as she hugged him tightly. "YAYYYY! That makes me happy, big bro! I can get you a studio if you ever need time to yourself! And even people, and equipment, and-" Darkness just chuckled and rolled his eyes as he looked at Silver, who was hiding a giggle. But then he looked up and saw the spirit of the Composer, who smiled down at him with his arms crossed. 'I've made a deal with the proverbial Devil.' He thought to himself in a joking manner.

A day later, Lyte was out at the gym going through a hellish exercise program with Silver. "Silver, how long have we been running?!" She asked between pants. "Only a few miles... I can run over ten without breaking a sweat... if you think THIS is bad, wait until the self-defense classes start!" Answered Silver with a wide grin. Lyte grunted and tried to focus 'This is all for big bro' she told herself while she tried to keep up with Silver.

Derek stared at the mirror. His aura was powered down, and he had gone through a full bottle of Bourbon and a few painkillers. The sight of ghostly figures were looking back at him. He could see that his dead friends were both glaring at him.

Derek rubbed the spot where he shot himself a few years ago and sighed. "Sorry boys... But I can't move on to the future... Without letting go of my past..." He said as he stuck his fingers into his head. Derek winced in pain as he grabbed hold of the slug in his head, trying to ignore the blood leaking out. "FUCK!" He screamed as his fingers pulled the bullet hard.

As he inched the bullet out of his head, He could swear he saw Truck and Golem saluting him back and fading away as the bullet was now fully removed from his head. "Goodbye, my friends... While I'll never forget you... I will never let myself be shackled like this again. I'll make sure I get Xaldin back somehow while I'm at it." He promised while he went to treat his head injury, the bullet from his head was lying on the table in a pool of blood.

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.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 16: Three years ago part 2

"Alright, that looks like about it." Said Derek as he finished drawing a 'sector of fire' sheet for Xaldin to glance at. They had just gotten done setting up a good point of a few hundred meters out after discovering what looked like a worn-out shack with footprints in the sand leading in and out of it.

Xaldin smiled and took a good gunner stance, lying in the sand. "This should be over quick. Darkness! Good thing we spotted that shack! It's on the underside of the base, but close enough to where they can watch us move... crafty bastards." He said as he looked through his iron sights.

Derek sighed at his nickname. "Xaldin, I know we're gonna be here a bit, but what'd I say about that nickname?" He asked. Xaldin just rolled his eyes. "Hey, you earned it from all the nights of drinking and edgy voice using... The voice I get, you don't like the sound of your southern accent... but since we deployed, you've done nothing but pound bottle after bottle... What's up?" He asked.

Derek just grunted. "It... helps me sleep. When friends started dying, the nightmares grew... Old heads just told me to drink until they stopped... Now I just like how numb it makes me." He admitted. Xaldin sighed and shook his head. "Uh huh... and in the history of ever, has that really helped ANYONE ELSE you know? Don't bother, it hasn't... You've got too much empathy for this job, is all... no shame in accepting that." he told him.

Both men just looked at each other before Derek lowered his head. "I didn't... want to be here... I wanted to be a musician. rocking out on stage with my band. 'Safe Haven In Valhalla', everyone else gave up... and after my parents were gone... I just chose a job that would keep me financially secure enough to keep them afloat." He said, thinking of his wife Silver and little sister Lisa.

Xaldin nodded and looked at him. "Truth be told, I wanted to join the Yankees! Rejection after rejection though, I was just a young punk not knowing how to deal with my Autism, and parents who never cared where I was or what I did.... I just sort of found my way into the military," he said slowly.

Derek just raised his brow. "Autism? There's that word again... Lisa was diagnosed with something called 'High functioning Autism' The heck does that mean? Smart but a little dumb?" He asked. 

Xaldin just glared at him with pure anger. "It MEANS She struggles with certain points of social interaction, but is better at handling it than most you insensitive asshole! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Who talks like that?!" He practically yelled.

Derek put his hands up defensively and raised his eyes. "Sorry! I genuinely don't know... I've spent so much time doing all this mandated training over the years, so I could keep my mind busy... I guess I haven't really experienced much else." He said softly. There was a hint of bitterness in his voice.

Xaldin just blinked and nodded. "I get you... Sorry about that, some of that just sounded a little close to when my dad compared it to Mental retardation... drunken bastard kicked my ass and then wondered why I stayed out all night... At least you have the excuse of not knowing." He said with a deep, focused breath. "I still struggle with Social interaction myself, you know, it's why I never got to go to sniper school... Hell it's why I was never able to fully accept myself for what else I am..." He said as he ignored the look of Confusion on Derek's face.

"... Derek... I never... Felt like I belonged with any groups I was in. I never felt Manly enough to hang out with the other guys... or charismatic to converse with female soldiers... and I kind of feel like I'm... Non-binary.... and because I know you're going to ask, it means I don't identify with either gender." He admitted.

Derek raised a brow. "Huh... Didn't even know that was a thing... How come you're telling me all this?" He asked curiously. Xaldin shrugged. "A multitude of reasons, you never made me feel like an outcast, even after finding out I wasn't just into women, and when you drunkenly slurred my name 'Xavier Aldin' into just one word... I felt like a new person... Thank you, Derek." They admitted.

Derek nodded and smiled. "I See... Thanks for confiding in me, man... I'm gonna try and get some rest for now, I'll cover your watch after I wake up." He said as he closed his eyes. Though without alcohol, he found it hard to avoid the nightmares of Truck and Golem blaming him for his failure to protect them.

The days turned into a solid week as both men watched very little action progress. And Xaldin had barely slept at all. "I think we should call this, it was a mistake to even try this, supplies are low as is" Said Derek as he looked to Xaldin, who was grinning in a dehydrated daze. "Gotta shoot them First Sergeant, I wanna hear the soft 'plink' My firing pin makes when it touches the bullet! plink... plink... plink.." Responded Xaldin. The sun had burnt his face to a reddened crisp.

Derek let out a shaky sigh and patted his back. "I'm gonna have to go investigate, if nothing is there... We'll ruck back." He said as he grabbed his rifle and left the supplies behind. As he neared the entrance. He noticed the inside was just a hollowed path all the way through. "Shit, THEY PLAYED US!" He said as a bullet went through his right shoulder.

A few enemies in hijabs rose up from under the hill on the other side of the fake entrance and rushed to where Derek was retreating. The last thing Derek saw before the butt of a rifle connected to the back of his head was The dune Xaldin was at.

Derek screamed out in pain as he tried to pull out his sidearm, an M9 Beretta, but one of the men grabbed it and hit him in the forehead with it as the other two men laughed. Derek spat in his face as they pointed AK-47 Rifles at him. Derek glared dizzily from his wounds and dehydration. "WHAT?! YOU THINK I'M GOING TO BEG FOR MY LIFE YOU BASTARDS?! WELL I'M NOT! SO GO AHEAD AND PULL THE TRIGGER! I AIN'T AFRAID TO DIE YOU FUCKS! I AIN'T AFRAID TO DIE!" He screamed out.

As they started to pull the Trigger, a bullet shot one of them in the head.  The other two men raised their rifles up, but were instantly shot down in rapid succession. Derek grunted and crawled his way back to Xaldin. The pain of his wounds made it feel a mile long as he lay down by Xaldin. "Who was saying 'PLINK!' Over and over. Derek radioed in his location that he had written down and let the Darkness claim him.

Derek grunted as he heard voices over his head. "Where the... Fuck am I?" He asked as he saw that his bullet wound had been stitched up. "Back where you belong! On the base!" Said a thin man with a captain's rank on his chest. "Lieutenant Bradley?" Asked Derek. 

"CAPTAIN BRADLEY, Now! And I can see you had a nice, lovely nap on duty!" He said with a sneer. Derek rolled his eyes. "Lovely as always, sir. Where is Xaldin? I need to make sure he's alright after-"

"Staff Sergeant Xavier Aldin has been medically discharged and sent back to his home in New York! Looney bastard just kept saying 'plink' over and over again" Responded Bradley as he saw Derek look horrified.

"Sir... I never got to say goodbye, he was one of my last-" But Bradley stomped his left foot and glared. "Nobody cares about your little romances! You violated protocol to wage a two-man war on a three-man group just because two soldiers were killed? I KNEW it was a mistake to promote you so fast! You'll be lucky if I can't get you written up for a court martial after this, you sorry excuse for a-!"

But he was cut off with a left hook from Derek in a blind fury. Captain Bradley howled in pain as he felt his jaw crack, and medical staff flooded in. "YOU'LL BE SORRY FOR THIS SONATA! I'LL HAVE YOUR RANK! I'LL HAVE YOUR JOB! I'LL HAVE YOUR EVERYTHING!" He screamed while a doctor escorted him from the room.

A few months later. Derek had a hollowed-out stare on his plane ride home. The Army had given him a choice. a few years in a military prison, or a dishonorable discharge, and with his men gone, the answer was clear. "My whole career... Gone... whatever..." He said as the plane landed.

As Derek stepped off the plane. Silver and Lisa stepped forward to greet him. Lisa had grown up so much and so fast, Derek barely recognised her. "HEY BIG BROOOO!" She said as she skip-walked to him and threw her arms around his waist. "I missed you SO much! How have you-?" She started to ask, but Derek only looked at her. She gasped as his eyes had dark circles. like some kind of monster had sucked his soul out.

Silver ran forward and hugged him as well. Derek tried to say something, but he could only squeeze both of them tight as he broke down sobbing. Both women looked at each other in a panic as they just tried to console what would be the first of many of Derek's Panic attacks. "Don't worry, my love... You're home now." Said Silver as she pressed her smooth body against his. This caused Derek's body to relax and calm down.

Lisa grunted as she recognised all too well what Derek was going through. It reminded her of what had happened not too long ago with herself 'Later... he needs me right now!' "She thought as she helped Silver guide Derek to the car, ready to help Derek adjust back to the regular world. 

 

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 16: Three years ago Part 1

The hot winds of the Middle East blew strong gusts of sand as an M1151A1 Military Humvee zoomed across a sandy road. In its gunner turret was a Soldier in desert camouflage. He was a tall, lean, and muscular man with his hair grown out of regulations as it flapped in the breeze while he swivelled the 50 Caliber Browning machine gun from left to right of the front of the vehicle. "Unce Unce, 3-5 five round bursts delivering hurts! Yeah, Xaldin droppin' pain puttin' them all in a hearse!" He said while rapping and beat boxing to his own beat.

"Ey, Staff Sergeant MC fuck face! You're hot-micing into the headset again!" Said Derek as he sat in the back passenger seat with his M4 Assault rifle pointed upward by his side. "Sorry, First Sergeant! Just a little happy to have my favorite asshole out roaming with us again! Hey Truck? Golem? Y'all gotta admit it's just like old times, right?" Asked Xaldin.

The Driver, Staff Sergeant David "Truck" Pluckett, smirked. He was a six-foot-tall, muscular man with a crew cut and a mole on the corner of his right lip. Truck looked over to the TC in the passenger seat at Staff Sergeant Gary "Golem" Giant, who was also smirking. He was also Six Feet and built the same as Truck, except he was African American with a shaved head.  "Ain't nothing wrong with being a little overzealous, First Sergeant! Ever since your ass got promoted... only time we get to see you is when you're barkin' orders at us!" Said Truck.

Derek Sonata sighed and nodded. "Fair, ever since I got this promotion, the Officers have been breathing down my neck! That's why I had you all squad leaders in different platoons! Just so they wouldn't think I'm playing favorites... The ONLY reason we're all on a team right now is because of all the moving around... and the Casualties." He admitted.

There was a brief silence before Golem cleared his throat. "Damn, way to bring down the mood again Darkness" He said with a laugh. Derek just glared at him. "I thought I said to stop calling me that!" He said with annoyance in his voice. "Hey, you earned that name fair and Square, Darkness... all those morning shifts you got out of so you could drink during the night shifts! Barking orders the next day in your Dark raspy zombie voice! And hey, at least your nickname didn't come from SOMEONE drunkenly rasping your name!" Calle Xaldin.

Derek's face flushed red, and he grunted. "Still can't believe they promoted me in spite of all that." He said as he looked down. Truck chuckled. "Hey, that's because we ALL put in a good word! You may drink and yell a lot, but you're a good leader, you have the most training... and most importantly, none of us wanted that job... Plus, your little sister could use the money! She needed funding for her studio, right?" He asked.

Derek nodded a few times before pausing. "Wait, how do you know that last part?" He demanded. "Guiltyyyyy!" Said Xaldin in a falsetto voice as he looked around. "Saw on her website she was looking for one! I'm a huge fan of her videos!" He admitted. That made Derek smile with pride as he thought about his sister Lisa back home. "You did it, kid..." He muttered as he looked down happily.

"Now, who is talking into the microphone?" Teased Xaldin, causing Derek to glare up at him. As he was about to retort, an explosion caused the truck to flip on its side. Derek quickly grabbed Xaldin and pulled him into the truck as he handed him his M4. Everyone in the truck crawled out of the truck and ducked for cover.

"IED IED! EVERYONE OKAY?!" Asked Derek as he checked his team. They all nodded as Derek called a report in on his phone. "Fuck... signal is busted... Base is ten miles out, we got enough water and supplies in the truck... we can make it back by nightfall!" Said Derek. The others salvaged what they could and got ready to ruck back to base.

Derek led from the front as he had Xaldin scout for any attackers. "Keep sharp... where there's explosions, there's gotta be some of these asspukes around here!" Said Derek as he spat and stared ahead. The sound of a bullet hitting the sand by his boots was heard a few minutes later. "I had to open my mouth, GET DOWN!" He screamed out as they returned fire. Derek and Xaldin quickly returned fire. Xaldin dropping a few enemy combatants as he nodded "Plink plink motherfucker" He muttered as Derek scouted around.

"All Clear! Truck, Golem! On me!" He called, but no one came. "TRUCK! GOLEM! ON ME!" He called again as he looked around, only to see a couple of bodies not far off. Xaldin and Derek ran up and applied Gauze to the bloodied wounds on their chests. "Fuck! Don't worry, guys, just a few more miles to go!" Said Derek as he lifted Truck into a Fireman's carry, with Xaldin doing the same for Golem.

Truck grunted and laughed. Derek nervously chuckled. "What's funny, man?" He asked as he walked. "Darkness will be coming with us back to base." He said. Golem and Xaldin slowly chuckled as well. "But I heard footsteps, First Sergeant... I think... someone was out of sight... I think there's an Ambush a few hundred meters off where you shot!" He admitted.

"You sure about that?" Derek asked as he heard a loud drop. "Truck?" He asked as he jumped a little bit to shake Truck awake. He slowly turned back to see Xaldin with a dark shadow over his eyes. Derek nodded. "Our best friends died in our arms, didn't they?" asked Derek. "Yes, First Sergeant." Answered Xaldin.

Derek laid the two bodies next to each other and stripped them of any supplies he could salvage. He then broke a chemlight over each of them and used what signal he could to report their bodies on a digital grid back to base. Xaldin's eyes raised. "You gonna report back to get a truck to get us?" He asked.

Derek just shook his head. "Too risky right now, if Truck is right... An ambush is lying in wait... I'm not about to risk more dead bodies until we've verified it is safe to come out here." He said as he bowed his head to Truck and Golem. "Don't worry, boys... Your families will see you one last time." He promised.

And so First Sergeant Derek Sonata headed out to investigate Truck's suspicion. Xaldin carefully watched from behind to make sure no one would sneak up from the rear. The memories of Truck and Golem were still fresh in their minds as the sun began to set.

The Aurian Chronicles Chapter 15: A Lyte conversation

 Darkness grabbed some rainbow sherbet out of his kitchen's freezer and loaded a few scoops into a cup. He then filled it with blue raspberry soda and stuck an ice cream cone on top before pouring rainbow sprinkles on it. It had been only a few short hours since his battle with Blood Angel, and he hadn't slept a wink since returning home.

He slowly opened Lyte's door to see her angrily staring at the ceiling. "Hey Lisa! I made your favorite! A Unicorn float!" He said carefully as he sat the cup beside her on her nightstand. He noticed her Desktop was glowing, and what looked like a rainbow Disco Ball was charging on a USB port.

"So uh... you doing okay?" he asked carefully. Lyte's angry stare turned into a bright joyless smile as she looked at him. "Oh I'm just OKIE DOKIE LOKIE BIG BROOOOOOOOO!" She said as she grabbed the Disco ball and pressed a few buttons. Darkness raised a brow. "What's that?" He asked curiously.

"Glad you asked Derek! This is my Drone Glitter! She's been installed with an AI I made! The drone itself has been outfitted with Speakers for my concert... And most importantly! An ULTRA HIGH DEFINITION CAMERA! Let's watch some footage shall we?" She asked as she pressed a button, her TV showed the full fight between Darkness and Blood Angel, as well as their conversations.

Darkness scratched the back of his head and gulped. "Shit..." He muttered to himself. Lyte just glared at him. "IS THAT ALL YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF?! YOU'RE A KILLER!!!" She screamed at him, her breathing was beginning to deepen and the sound of her heartbeat was audible.

Darkness just grunted and closed his eyes. "I've been dreading this conversation since I Started... Lyte I've been a contract killer for-"

"Mr. Capryse since you started, I know." finished Lyte. Darkness just raised his eyes at her. Lyte blew a puff of air. "Well I Fully know NOW! You always used to stay out late and claim you were a security guard, but you never stated where... I've been to his social functions, never seen you there so I know it wasn't his personal staff... incidents happen and he donates to fix the damages, but they are so infrequent no one really puts it together because Mr. Capryse does a LOT of charity work... But when those incidents happen, YOU are gone the night before. That's what happened to Albert Farley, which is why Blood Angel mentioned his dad." Said Lyte.

Darkness just winced as she casually put together everything like that. "And I take it now you're mad knowing I kill-" But Lyte rose her hand at him. "I Know you mostly kill... BAD people... The first thing I did when I woke up, was look up who Albert was... what he did to the former Chief of Police's son... I can relent that he deserved to die."

Lyte just rose her head up to Darkness. "What has me angry is that I offered you a chance... To live your DREAM! I could have you meeting musicians who would foam at the mouth over a guy who can play the guitar like you! Or the piano... Or anything that has strings! But THIS?! THIS IS WHAT YOU'D RATHER DO?! You told me when I used aura I was using it as a shield... But here you are using it as your SWORD! And for what?"

Darkness glared at her and gritted his teeth. "BECAUSE I'VE SEEN WHAT THEY THINK OF A MAN LIKE ME LISA!" He yelled at her. Lisa looked confused. "A Man like what... Derek?" She asked while putting her drone down.

Darkness sighed and powered down, showing his black hair and sagging eyes. "A dishonorably discharged veteran... Killing wasn't my first choice when I got out... I thought I might work on cars... or something calm... But they took one look at my discharge, and the reason for it, and it was like I was a common thug." He admitted.

Lyte looked shocked and sipped on her float. "So are we finally going to talk about what happened in the war?" She asked. Darkness powered up and swallowed hard. "I suppose... I owe you that" He said. Lyte sat up and nodded.

As Darkness opened his mouth, the door was kicked open. Silver ran in and squeezed them both. "You didn't answer my calls what happened? are you okay?!" She asked in Spanish as they both hugged her. Lyte simply pushed replay on her drone to get Silver caught up. The look of guilt on her face did not go unnoticed by Lyte. "So now after Derek's war story... you owe me one too." She told Silver directly, Causing Silver to bow her head and nod.

With no more distractions to rely on. Darkness simply just sat on Lyte's bed and looked at Lyte. "Alright Lisa... you really want the whole story? Fine."