Prologue

35th of Enous, the Waxing, 4th year 11:35 p.m.

       The bright day was oppressive, torrents of rain battered the police station while peals of thunder sang an overture of destruction. The summer Solstice was in full swing as Alice sat in a cushioned office chair, hot chocolate in hand as she shifted through the day’s files organizing them and ensuring all the evidence had been placed and categorized correctly by the day shift staff. when she received a message on her Nexitech Device, which wrapped from her right ear to her right eye. The message was from Rick, her husband, who was currently engaged in a low-risk stakeout in the River District; He had picked up a bit of evidence of drug smuggling and needed her to come out and pick it up. Alice groaned, stretched, downed her hot chocolate, and stood up; this was not particularly unusual for someone who worked in evidence especially if you happened to be married to the officer, most likely Rick had hit a dead end and instead of coming back to the police station to fill out paperwork like a proper officer of the law he instead wanted her to go to him for a quick tumble in the back of the cop car, and who knows she may say yes, as an early birthday present, and a good way to welcome in the Waning year.

       She grabbed her Guardian pendant, made from real gold which she had received from her mother-in-law. It was shaped as a circle with two spears piercing it. She took it and held it close to her chest as she worked up the courage to enter the storm. Fortunately, being the solstice when the Guardian was out all day she did not fear nearly as much though there was a passage from the Bronze Book which said, “The storm will not allay until the demons finish their play.” She had never experienced a demonic experience in a storm though she had heard of some who had yet the book also said that “they fear the cleansing light of the Guardians might”. So, steeling herself she rushed for one of the spare patrol cars. Praying they were more scared of the Guardian’s light than the prospect of playing in the storm.

11:40

Rick wanted to scream, but his mouth refused to budge, every one of his muscles denied any commands he gave them. This was supposed to have been a simple stakeout. They had been given a tip off from Fringe, a reliable source. All Rick had to do was watch for a barge called the Eternal Memory that was going to be unloading boxes of pomegranates. Some of the boxes were supposed to be hiding eaiz, an illicit drug made from various fruit seeds native to Seffalon. Rick had sat for a couple of hours, waiting, attempting to see through the sheets of rain, when he had seen Fringe wrapped in a raincoat come up to his driver side window yet before Rick could ask what he was doing, he felt a fogginess creep over his mind. His muscles had acted independently of his mind. His legs had led him into the abandoned warehouse and his hands had messaged Alice. His hands then drew his gun and had aimed it at Fringe, Fringe looking behind Rick began whimpering, apologizing, bargaining, and promising that he would keep his mouth shut about everything.

And now he stood, waiting, Fringe and his gray matter laying lifeless at his feet. He felt the presence of people near him, a shuffle here, warm breath on his neck there, he was sure there were three or four of them and yet he could not communicate with them, and they would not communicate with him. He was just stuck, looking at the door, with blood on his shoes.

11:50

Alice pulled up to the warehouse her husband had indicated in the message. The windows were shattered and boarded up, graffiti crisscrossed the walls, old trash buzzing with gnats overflowed the dumpsters, and yet there was no one, not the typical homeless hiding in shelters or even a scurrying rat. There were no ships on the water or docked at the pier. The rain had abated some, and the thunder had quit, the demon’s must be finishing their play, but the midnight day felt so… eerily quiet. Alice clutched her pendant of The Guardian, and sent up a quick prayer, just in case. She was not particularly worried though; she had had to go to some rough looking parts of town before. She reached back and felt the grip of her small Pelk Model 22 Powdergun, a simple, old-fashioned weapon that used loose powder. While it was technically inferior to a railgun it would kill someone just as quickly.

11:57

After what felt like hours of nothing but standing in place, Rick heard the distinctive tap tap-tap tap of Alice’s footsteps. She could not, should not have come! He had to warn her. He had to scream, or struggle, or even reach for his gun. His mouth would not scream, and his body would not move but his finger on his right hand that was near his now holstered gun… twitched, he was praying to the Guardian that he wasn’t going mad, and he truly could move his finger. So, he reached for his P.M.9R. Hoping that if he reached it, he could do something, anything.

11:58

Alice moved quickly, repeating over and over in her head that she was safe, Rick would be just inside, and everything would be fine just like every other time she had done something like this. She turned the corner from the hallway and into the main warehouse section. She met eyes with Rick standing a way off with indistinct shadowy figures outlined behind him with a glowing green object held behind his head, and a body on the floor in front of him.

11:59

Rick saw her step around the corner, and he tried in vain to scream. Her mouth opened and called his name, it sounded as though it came from a great tunnel. Rick struggled to regain control of his hand, to grab his gun. As he stretched his finger, he felt it brush against the polymer handle, he was so close. Then he lost all control of his empty right hand as his muscles spasmed and forced it upwards, away from the gun, and pointed towards his wife. He knew what was about to happen and it felt as though his heart was slowly ripping. As power raged up from the ground, into his legs, through his torso, across his chest, down his right shoulder, and into his arm, then his hand began to emit a green glow.

12:00

Alice saw him raise his arm; she felt her chest tighten. What was he doing? In the back of her mind she knew, but it did not feel real. A green bolt lept from her husbands’ hand and pierced her to her heart. Anguish. Her memories left her slowly starting with childhood, she lost memory of, parents, friends, crushes, and grudges. Her heart spasmed, she collapsed. From the floor she looked up and saw Rick also in a heap. “My love,” the words crept past her lips “Rick.” She then blinked and found herself staring at a man she did not know in a heap in front of her, yet she knew she loved him. She tried to pull herself forward, but she found no purchase on the concrete, the cold unyielding concrete. Darkness then enveloped her vision, and she knew nothing.