the truth about the world

I stand there watching as the darkness looms closer, threatening to swallow me up in it's quest for more. I can see the shapes of those whom it's taint has touched, the corrupted ones. Their eyes are dead, they show no emotion at all, even when standing before me. These are the lowest foot soldiers in his army, I've only seen one who's power was at level two. That was so long ago, before the time when I was contacted, I was just a child at the time. I can still remember the day it happened, a warm spring day, I was just leaving the the school playground. I heard an awful sound just behind me, as i turned a man leapt before my eyes, cleaving the monster in two. After that I began to see the shades shuffling about behind the shadows, almost as if they were unable to reach me. My life had been changed for the worst that day, at first there were only a few shades, but soon they began to grow in number still they reached the crowd stumbling about before me. i could feel my fists clench in anticipation for the impending battle. i swallow hard as the darkness slides across the floor and the shades shuffle closer, looking at me as though I'm to be their next meal. My body starts to get that tingly feeling all over, as if all the pores on my body just opened up. Suddenly i feel something in my right hand, something kinda heavy. I chance a glance at it and notice I'm holding a sword, the blade was only about sixteen inches in length, but it's better than nothing.



"It's your sword, ya stupid ass!" Great I think to myself, The voices are talking to me again, just what this situation needed. "what do you mean 'It's my sword' I've never seen it before." i shout unnecessarily. "Of course you haven't, It's the sword of your soul. All people have a weapon that belongs to them, but next to no one ever calls it out.' An explanation and well spoken, must be Damian. "So how did I call it out?" "It's 'cause ya needed it an' that's all there's to it, stupid!" Tengu can be really irritating sometimes, well always actually "Anything else i should know?" The shades loomed too closer to escape, even if I tried to charge through them. "Ya swing it an' it cuts stuff, stupid!" Like i couldn't figure that out. My back was getting closer to the wall, when I realized I forgot the window just to the left. I could see it was getting covered by the darkness, but enough was untouched i could still make it out. I wasn't looking forward to the three story drop, but it beat getting torn to shreds by the shades. I hopped up onto my desk and smashed the window out with a quick stab of my sword. "Don't run ya stupid ass, FIGHT!" I jumped out the window not even paying attention to Tengu, as I fell downward. I lucked out and landed in a bush which broke my fall nicely. I scrambled to my feet and began to run as fast as i could.



"Go back ya coward, go back an' fight, stupid!" "I couldn't win, I would have been killed!" "You can't very well expect the lad to give up his life in an battle he needn't fight. I, for one, am proud of how you handled the situation." "Thanks Damian, unfortunately the darkness is still spreading and will taint and poison all those whom didn't escape." "You could save them later, I know you can do it." A soft spoken female, must be April. "Tanks April, but i don't understand enough to even consider it a possibility. I don't even know where I'm headed." "Yer headed the wrong way, ya stupid ass!"



I continued to run aimlessly for almost an hour when, tired and confused, I collapsed in to a heap by some rocks. I entered the woods not long before, I hadn't seen or heard a single animal. So far the only places the darkness was having trouble getting a grip on were the natural places, forests and the wilderness seemed to be to strong for the shades to corrupt. It was quiet, the only sound was my breathing, which was slightly heavy. I looked down at my sword, resting it on my lap, so as to get a better view. The blade was was black, the handle was wrapped in the katana style with the predominant color being green, though the sword appeared to be closer to a Celtic sword. The sword bore no cross guard, but it did have a rather intricately designed symbol in it's place. "Have you decided on a name for your blade yet, my young scholarly friend?" "Doesn't it already have a name, Damian?" "course it does, ya stupid ass!" "Unfortunately, that name, as do all, holds great power, that is why you should give it another one for everyday use, or at least til you find it's true name."



I sat for a long while staring at the blade, concentrating on finding a name for it. "Dude, don't stress so much on a name, it"ll come to you, man." A voice i always enjoy hearing, my best friend Paul. He was once a living person, but was illed by a corrupted. "I should still be able to call it something." "Doesn't really matter that much, but I know where we need to go." A wave of excitement rippled though my body, i was beyond eager to head somewhere. "we have to go to the land of the dead, dude." That means a trip to the Island, which would be a problem. Standing up, I turned to the southeast, which was where the Island is a place where things that normal people wouldn't even imagine in their wildest dreams, ran rampant throughout it.



I had been there only twice before, both times were less than enjoyable. The most prominent place on the Island is the land of the dead, an octagonal structure with a door on each side. It's the place where all the dead go so their energy can return to the cycle. The reason I wasn't happy about returning to this seeming paradise, was that upon my last visit I did something that is forbidden. It was shortly after Paul's untimely death, I happened to talk to him by the tree of life. That day i decided to that we could join together and he could live on for at least a while longer, instead of disappearing and nourishing the tree of life. The trek to the Island would take three days, or rather i had three days to get to the shore. It was due to pass by the shore in three days time, after which I wouldn't be able to get to the next place in time. I ran hard in the direction i chose, quickly leaving the woods behind.



Soon after an hours time passed, I ran into a nice family, which offered to take me to the same place I was headed. Climbing into the back of their truck, I made a note to myself that there was a young girl sitting just behind the driver. She was only about sixteen years old, seventeen at most. Her shoulder length dirty blond hair was pulled into a ponytail. As I settled in, leaning against the cabin of the trunk, I could see her glancing at me. The parents were happy people, the father, in his early forty's with dark hair, slightly graying at the temples, was singing along to the radio. While the mother, must have been about thirty five, her hair was the same color as the girl, only her's was shorter, sat looking out the window lazily. I could feel myself drifting off to sleep, as i wondered why they picked me up, despite having a sword in my hand at the time. "They could be shades, stupid!" " I doubt it, I've never seen a corrupted that looks like that girl, they don't show any of the symptoms the others did." "Anyone could be one of the corrupted, my young friend, but that shouldn't cause you to be overly cautious." "I'll try to keep logical when judging the possibility of them being corrupted, but i still trust my gut." After my short conversation with the voices , i let myself drift off as the truck rolled slowly down the road.



I'm standing in a dark room, the only light comes from some sort of flames i can see. Four other people stand beside me, the young girl from the truck is one of them. Ten feet in front of me, his body hidden in shadows stood another, he was our opponent. Then as i charge at him, suddenly I'm running at me and the four others.