Nocturne Chronicle

2:42 am. Feb 18th.



A small town on

the western coast.





         The fog had just set in on a small town nestled on the Oregon coast, rising from the ocean to slowly make its way up the craggy rocks to the quiet little town. A town where nothing big ever happened, a town that even tourists coming to and from the beach would pass by in search of something more exotic. A nice, quiet town. The kind of place where everyone knows everyone. Everyone that is, but the man who stood alone on the dark road on the outskirts of town.



The man stood silently staring out towards the wooded back roads that led towards the town. Silently he waited, watched, and listened. His attention seemingly centered on everything around him and yet, nothing at all. The hum of an engine far off into the distance finally caught his attention. His head lowered, he let out a sigh before stepping calmly forward and positioning himself carefully into the center of the road. His attention fixed on the headlights of a truck that was approaching at an alarming speed. Although still some distance away he could hear the empty beer cans and bottles rattling around in the back of the truck, he could smell the sickening intoxication coming off of their bodies. Feel the beating of their hearts quickening and reducing as the adrenaline began to subside as the small twinkling lights of the sleepy town told them that they were almost home. He knew what was coming, He knew what had passed, and for an instant… wished that they did as well. His muscles grew tight and he braced himself as the truck came into sight heading straight towards him. He almost expected them to slam on their brakes but knew that it was too much to hope for. Taking one more deep breath he closed his eyes as the truck slammed into him and sent him violently into the air.



         The truck did stop then, screeching and sliding to a halt on the slick road. Time seemed to stop for several seconds as the truck remained stationary, askew from the center of the road. Cautiously an older man and what appeared to be his son emerged from the vehicle. The father cocking his rifle, he stepped from the cab not knowing what to expect. His thoughts scattered with random images of their hunting trip and of the events of the night. Cursing himself for his luck he stepped around the side of the truck to investigate and froze in place at what he saw. In the middle of the road was a man standing there, simply standing as if nothing had happened. The father didn’t recognize this man who stood quietly in front of him. He would have been hard to miss. Dressed in all black the man made the goth punks at the local skate park look like angels. But that was not all, He could feel this man’s presence as if it were tangible in the air. An aura that made the hairs on his body stand on end as if the air itself were charged with energy. There was something very wrong about this man. “You alright?” Called the father as he silently motioned for his son to arm himself. “Didn’t see you there, Me an the boy just getting back from a hunting trip and with this fog…” The man in front of them finally moved, he cocked his head to the side as if analyzing them, and they could finally make out some of the details about him. He was tall, seemingly well built from the look of him although the dark clothing made that fact all the more visible even wearing several layers. His hair was long and covered one eye. At first glance he thought it was black but he could sworn that it glistened silver in the dim light. When they finally made eye contact his blood ran cold and every fiber of his being grew tight, paralyzed.



A single golden eye peered back at him in the darkness. It burned into him fully, as if something inside of him had just tore a hole through his chest. He could feel his strength leaving. Every breath he drew became increasingly difficult and he began to struggle to keep himself upright. The eye looking into him shined preternaturally in the night and almost seemed to be made of golden fire swirling within it’s socket. He forced himself to look to his side to see the terrified look on his son’s face. The unknown man remained composed, even taking the time to lightly brush the dirt from his clothes before setting his golden gaze back upon them. They just sat there staring at each other for some time before the father caught a sign of movement out of the corner of his eye. It was his son taking aim with his rifle. “NO!” Shouted the father but no sound came out. It was too late. The shot rang out through the night. His gaze frozen on his son. He couldn’t bear to take his eyes off of his son who just stood there, shaking from the terror of what he must have been feeling within himself. Slowly lowering the gun he gasped in shock. The golden eyed demon was still standing exactly as he had been before and if he didn’t know any better, he could swear he saw a slight smile on it’s lips. “D-did I miss?” asked the son fearfully. The father forced himself to break his gaze from his son to the monster that stood before them to see a large wound on it’s chest. His heart instantly froze.  “Run!” He began to say but as he did his legs buckled and his elbows caught the ground hard in an effort to protect his face and keep his own gun from going off. He frantically tried to push himself up only to realize that he couldn’t. He was paralyzed. It felt like gravity had suddenly collapsed onto him. He felt the weight of every breath in his chest, felt the strain to lift his head. Each breath shallow as if he couldn’t keep the weight from crushing his lungs. He forced himself to one knee although a severe pain tore through his body. “Greg!?” He struggled to get the words out as he lifted his head just enough to see his son still standing there, simply clutching the gun with white knuckles, a look of fear spread across his features. “Greg!… Where…” He gasped for breath with each word and the pain that was enveloping him was more then he could bear. He turned to look back to whatever that thing was and he knew that he needed to put an end to it. He finally gathered enough strength to twist around to face it. The monster was gone. He thought to himself for a moment that maybe the man had been hopped up on drugs and couldn’t feel the shot. That maybe when he had realized what had happened he had ran. Feeling a bit better he turned with relief towards his son. The relief evaporated instantly as he noticed the beads of blood slowly appearing around his son’s throat. He just stood there for what seemed like forever yet just an instant at the same time. His body suddenly twitched and began to slump as his head fell free of his body.



Overwhelming fear rushed through him as his sons body hit the ground with a sickening thud and the head landed and rolled a few feet away, the look of terror still frozen upon his face. The father roared in fury as he pushed himself up in one motion. Realizing that whatever was holding him down was now gone, he retreated to the cab of his truck, threw the gun into the passenger seat and slammed his foot down on the gas. The truck came to life in an instant and whined as he threw it into drive and sped away as fast as it would take him. Completely sobered now, The image of his son rushed through his mind. “Fuck!!!” he screamed as he beat his fist against the steering wheel. “ Not even a drop of blood….” The tears began to fall as he continued to scream and rant. “If only it weren’t for that…Aaaaargh!” He flew into town in his rage, not caring what happened anymore. If anyone else was stupid enough to walk out between his headlights then hope they were the religious sort because there was no stopping this time. He had to get to the police. He didn’t care if everyone knew what they did. His son was dead and whatever that thing was needed to pay. He never lost the feeling of being watched as he sped through the early morning and could have sworn he could see shadows flittering above the rooftops as he drove. But none of that mattered now, he had to get to the police before that thing could reach him. Both of the right side wheels left the ground as he viciously turned into the police station lot. He didn’t even bother putting the truck in park as he left the cab and sprinted up the sidewalk and began to pound upon the metal doors on the side of the building. “Please!, Let me in!“ The cold air stung his cheeks where the tears had fallen. It didn’t matter now, nothing mattered but to get rid of the psychopath who had just killed the one thing in this world that he still gave a shit about. He kept pounding on the door, pleading for someone inside to notice his pleas for help. Someone to finally acknowledge him. But the welcome wasn’t one he expected. Four policemen came from the side of the building with their guns drawn. “ Get on the ground Now!” They ordered but before he could reply he was forced to his knees and pulled by his hair (The little he had remaining) to look into the eyes of the policeman in charge. “Leo Martin, You’re under arrest for the murders of Sonya Trent and Greg Martin. You have the right to remain silent.” The policeman continued to read him his rights but he couldn’t hear them, couldn’t understand, couldn’t believe what he was hearing… “Murder?” He mumbled but was struck across the face by a baton. He tasted the blood as it trickled from his nose and pooled upon his lips. “That was quick, didn’t even get the chance to hunt you down.“ one of the cops remarked although it made no sense to him. He tried to lay his head against the cement but was pulled back up by his hair and led back towards the building. He should have known he couldn’t trust the cops. He had all but known that he couldn’t trust anyone in this world. The only one who he ever had was now gone and even then…he turned as quick as he could and grabbed at the nightstick the cop closest to him held but before he could get to it his body tensed and straightened. Pain shooting up through his back as he realized what had happened, They’d used a tazer on him. He tried to grunt a “fuck you” but couldn’t before everything went black.





         Golden eyes glistened from the rooftop overlooking the scene. The cops in the city rarely ever got a chance to work a murder case and therefore seemed to take their frustration out on the man now being led away. It wasn’t fair, nor was it something that had been anticipated and for a moment he felt compassion for the man he had just sent away. He closed his cell phone and took a seat along the ledge, gazing upwards to the stars the shined so far away. Why did this matter? He knew that by intervening he was setting the stage for something much bigger. Fate always needed an audience. It’s the main reason he never got involved… Why now? He didn’t even really know why he was out here in the first place. It was just as if something had called to him. And by listening it was beginning to feel as he had sealed his own fate. And he was sure that this wasn’t going to turn out well for him.







         Leo awoke in a dimly lit room which was nice considering the massive migraine he had. His body ached all over. Wasn’t sure if it was from the alcohol or from getting tazed but he didn’t really care. He didn’t care about much anymore. Everything he loved was being taken from him. His daughter had disowned him over a year ago because he didn’t approve of her “boyfriend”.  He remembered that day like a video playing in his mind. The anger in her eyes as she screamed and bolted from his front porch and jumped into that punk’s car. The words that were exchanged vague now but the look of betrayal on her face, the anger that she put towards him what was what really hurt. The way he smiled as they drove off. That was the last day he ever saw her. He balled his fists as another memory washed over him… His wife, drunk and passed out in front of the TV with the home shopping channel blaring from the surround sound she had bought with his money. His credit card sitting in it’s “rightful place” next to the phone. She had taken his money and used it to dose herself into oblivion whenever he was home from work. Took his car to meet up with her friends for gossip and whatever the hell else women do when they’re around other women. He had worked every single day of his life just to have her take away not only his money, but also his pride. And for what? The hopes of trying to give her the life that she wanted? In the end only his son had stood by his side… “Greg…” He felt the tears welling as he realized he wasn’t alone in the room anymore. “Who the hell are you!?” He tried to jump up but his wrists and feet were secured to the metal chair bolted to the floor. The unidentified man stood back in the shadows leaning against the wall. From what he could tell it didn’t look like he was from around these parts. He was wearing a dark suit with a deep red dress shirt and black tie. His long dark hair was pulled into a clean ponytail. He also appeared to be looking through some documents. He straightened himself and walked to sit at the other side of the table. As soon as he was in the light Leo gasped.



Leo’s eyes were staring to the same odd golden eyes that he couldn’t get out of his mind. The eyes of the freak that killed his son. But they didn’t seem to be glowing the way they had been, Now they seemed more amber then gold. They almost seemed sad in a strange way. But what was odd was his left eye, the one that had been covered by his hair. While it was the same shade of amber, it had a crimson ring around the pupil. The man looked through the paperwork before meeting his eyes again and began to speak in a low, smooth voice. “Mr. Martin I’m here to discuss your case.” He said calmly as he organized his papers in front of him. “You son of a bitch!” Leo forgot about his bindings and leapt for the man who didn’t do as much as twitch. “You’re the one who should be in shackles freak, Not me!” The man cocked one eyebrow before responding. “Listen, I don’t know what possessed you or your son whichever the case may be to rape and murder this young woman, but to then… kill your own son as well? What could possibly have led you to that decision? Was he going to turn you in? And if so…” “I didn’t kill my son you did!” The golden eyed man paused, took a breath and pushed the file over to Leo. “Mr. Martin, we have confirmed that both you and your son were at the crime scene. You raped, gagged, and then dismembered this woman using a serrated saw blade. After which at some point you turned against your son and severed his head from his body using the same blade. Your prints are all over the handle of the weapon and at the crime scene. We also recovered a rifle from your truck which seems to be missing a round. According to dispatch, a call came in reporting a single gunshot. A wound that matches the one on your son.” Leo wanted to scream, he knew the truth. He felt the heat in his face and tried to keep his composure knowing that this maniac must be performing for someone watching from another area. He pulled out the photos and placed them one by one in front of him. Leo froze over the one of his son. “….No….”  He had seen it himself, whatever had decapitated him had been so cleanly done that it didn’t even bleed. More to the point, it was as if the blade had been red hot. What he saw in this picture couldn’t be possible… There was blood everywhere, all over the pavement and down his son’s chest. What appeared to be a bullet wound covered his stomach with blood. And a few feet away… The knife they had used to kill that woman…But… that wasn’t possible. They had driven out of their way to throw the knife into a stream miles away from either town. It couldn’t be there. This was a set up. The panic and anger within him mingled and he shifted back and forth trying to regain his composure.  Finally, he straightened up and locked gazes with the man who had been sitting in silence merely watching him. The man who killed Greg. “We haven’t killed nobody. And my son… My son was killed by some sick nut-job who can’t even fight a man to his face.” A corner of the mans mouth turned up. “Sir, I don’t know what you have against me or how you feel I’m involved in what you can’t seem to see as delusions but I’m the only one who can keep you from going to state for the rest of your life so you might want to be a bit more respectful.” Not wanting to play into whatever game this man was playing he found his strength. “Oh yeah? And just how are you going to do that?” The man took a breath and rose from the table. “Listen Mr. Martin, I believe that you have a severe mental disorder and I do believe that you think you didn’t kill your son, But the unfortunate thing is that I haven’t heard you say a thing about the girl. Why delude yourself with one and not the other? Guilt works in strange ways Mr. Martin, perhaps you really didn’t want to go through with any of this? Perhaps the guilt of not stopping his actions actually turned you against him but your mind just couldn’t deal with that justification? And yet you are blaming me now, someone whom you’ve never met? Can you say with all certainty that it’s not possible that you are simply adding me to this delusion because we are now face to face and you’re trying to fill in the holes of what happened because you can’t deal with it? And please, for your sake, be honest. I may be able to get you off for temporary insanity and you won’t have to spend any more time behind bars then you have to… but you have to remember what you have done. You have to admit to the pain you have made these people suffer.” Was it true? Leo scanned his memories and tried to find the truth. He saw the woman in his mind, that he remembered clearly. But his son… Everything became grainy, fuzzy, he couldn’t find the details anymore. What was happening? Then he remembered. They had been driving home when they almost hit someone, They had gotten out of the truck to see what was going on. Leo’s head began pounding as he tried to remember. “Mr. Martin? It’s been a long night and we both need our rest. If there’s anything you need or remember, give me a call. Your binds are electronic, I’ll release them when I shut the door so you can stretch out a bit. I‘ll leave my card at the end of the table.” The man got up and walked towards the door, stepping back into the shadows and for a split second Leo could have sworn that he saw a pair of golden eyes watching him from the darkness before he realized that the room was empty.  All of a sudden pain raked him hard. He tried to grab for his head to make the pain lessen. At that moment the shackles released and he almost fell out of his chair while images of his son’s body started running through his mind. He wanted to scream, wanted to run but as he tried to look around his vision blurred as the images and memories tore through him. The look of terror on that woman’s face as his own son had beat her again and again before… And for what? What was the reason? He couldn’t even remember what had caused this. A voice in his head screamed at him to stop it and he had just sat there anyway. The smile on his son’s face as they drove home like nothing had happened. And then… The image of his son, covered in blood. He could feel his own hands shaking as the images focused and he saw his own hands covered in blood. The blade falling from his fingertips to the ground below while his sons body lay just feet away. But… This isn’t what had happened? Is it? No it was that monster… He tried to delve but couldn’t think straight. His face was growing numb but the pulsing wouldn’t stop. “Just… make it stop….” He gasped as he reached for the side of the table. He could have sworn he could hear laughing from the other side of the glass. He reached for the chair but remembered that it was bolted to the ground. He had to make this stop. The laughing grew louder and louder in his head. He could hear the voices mocking and laughing at him. Echoing throughout the room and within his mind. He ran forward to the mirror and plunged his hand straight through the glass. It shattered instantly revealing the faces of three men. Their faces twisted into tight, vicious smiles while their red eyes gleamed as they stared at him in triumph. Grotesque they contorted and laughed as their limbs flailed around them. They reached out and grabbed Leo by the throat and began to shake him as their entire bodies twisted around. He could hear the bones snapping as they contorted and shifted places but their smiles and razor sharp teeth continued to mock him. Laughing in his face. Just when he felt like his head was going to be ripped from his shoulders they were gone. He held his eyes closed to re-center himself and he opened them again only to be met with his own reflection cast in the unbroken mirror. He tried to scream but choked as no sound came from his lungs. Instead, he heard the screams of the woman and his son dying thundering through his head. Deafening, he began to claw at his head but the screams became louder and louder. He fell to his knees, his tears falling freely as he wished for the pain to end. He needed something to just make it all go away. He reached for the table and fell against it’s surface. Scrambling to reach the card the man had left him. He reached for it only to find that it was blank, or at least he thought it was until slowly writing began to appear faintly. And when he read what it said, everything suddenly became clear.







         The golden eyed man walked unseen out of the police station. Passing by several officers that failed to notice his presence. He had always found it somewhat amusing. Several times when he was younger he would stand there and wave his hands in front of people’s faces as they sat there oblivious to him. But those days were so far behind him that it was a miracle that he even remembered. He glanced back towards to the police station and wondered about what was to come from this interaction. He had recovered and altered the evidence enough to know that the man inside would most likely spend his life in jail. Why did he bother getting involved further? He began to question his own motives when something caught his eye. A streetlight several blocks over flickered and he sensed a strange charge in the air. He watched the light closely as it seemed to dance to an unknown rhythm. And then realized that it was. The changes in the static enlaced airflow began to sound like music, Like a song he had heard on the radio a few nights ago. He watched as all of the other lights along the street started to flash in unison. He almost wanted to smile at the sight but knew that he was being watched, being read for a reaction. “Sorry Lexia, I forgot my glow sticks this time. Rain check maybe?” He called out towards the sky. A voice called back behind him. “Oh Azry… You know how hard I try to amuse you? And what do I get? Nothing..” He ignored her fake pouting as he turned towards her. “How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that…” Lexia’s golden eyes played with amusement. “ But everyone calls you Azriel, I think I’m special enough to call you something else.” He took a moment to study her. She had a habit of changing her appearance just as often as a normal person would change clothes. But at least for now she seemed to be as close to her natural look as he had ever seen her. Her golden eyes were rimmed with dark brown eyeliner and a soft brown eye shadow. Her golden hair, which shimmered under the streetlights, held back into a ponytail that fell to the small of her back. She wore a white sweater and dark blue jeans with white sandals. She looked every bit as ordinary as someone should. But he knew better. She was much stronger then many of his family. But of them, she seemed to be the only one who felt anything other than anger towards him. “No nicknames, and what do you mean it’s what everyone calls me? I don’t talk to anyone other then you, and that’s only because you seek me out.”  He turned away from her, he couldn’t let her know that their meetings had meant so much to him over the years. She got on his nerves often and acted like a wide eyed child despite her age but she was the only person who came to see him. No matter the reason, and for that he was grateful. “Why are you here Lexia?” He asked as he took a few steps and turned back to look at her. “Do I need a reason to come see you?” She stuck her lip out to emphasize the hurt look they both knew she didn’t feel. Azriel cocked his head. “Oh I’m sure you have many.”  She flickered for a second and vanished from sight before a car came around the corner. The occupants stared as they drove by obviously not liking the look of a stranger in their town during the early hours of the morning. He began to wonder whether he should take a more private route when Lexia walked out from an alleyway patting her shirt which had a large stain across the right side. “Heh, still haven’t learned how to land?” Lexia cut him a glare before responding. “I can land just fine thank you very much, I’m still working on the WHERE I land part…” She looked somewhat disgusted before in an instant she was wearing a black jacket over a tank top. “So… What are you doing here?” Azriel asked again as he stared up at the sky which was beginning to lighten. She looked around before answering, “I’m hunting, I got word of a Reaver sighting a few states over. I figured since I was in the area I’d swing over.” Azriel had heard of the reaver a few days ago so it must have been pretty common knowledge for him to know about it which means that if she was actually after it then it would have been dead by now. Azriel’s face showed nothing of his thoughts. “Sounds fun, I had figured you were here because of the murders.”  Her eyes darkened for a second but she quickly recovered and smiled sweetly. “Yeah, I heard. Wanted to come see what was the big deal. You usually don’t involve yourself in such matters. I always figured you for the brooding sit alone in your cave eating pork and beans out of the can sort of guy. Or are you actually trying to put yourself back into the world? And if so? Murdering people, no matter how badly they deserve it, is no way to make friends. By the way, How did you cover up the son’s death to make it look like the saw?” It was Azriel’s turn to smile. “You do what you gotta do.” Her face grimaced as she realized what he had meant. “Um…Ew? And what of the father? Is he gonna go away for awhile?” Azriel straightened and looked towards her, Not at her but as if he were listening to something. His face grew hollow and haunted. He turned and began to walk down the street. “He’s dead.”  Lexia hid her disbelief as she followed. “Dead? What do you-” “ I didn’t do anything, He made his choice. Free will in tact.” Lexia scowled as she stopped, expecting him to do the same. He didn’t.





“Where are you going? You going to crawl back into your hole and never join the real world? What happened to you?” He gestured a goodbye with a flick of his hand. “Nice seeing you again Lexia, Next time you’re in town we should go for coffee.”  Anger flooded through her at his dismissal. She should have been used to it by now though. He was always like this. If only things had been like before... She chose to let him be for now. Closed her eyes and disappeared.











         Azriel made sure no one was around before he took himself to the old lighthouse. A place in which he had lived for many years now not that he ever really noticed the flow of time anymore. It was dilapidated and the inner staircase had collapsed a few years back. Not that it was a problem, if anything it was a blessing to not have to worry about people sneaking in and finding his home. He entered to find everything as he had left it. Happy that Lexia hadn’t shown up beforehand to “decorate” again as she had a few years back. It had taken him months to get the smell of her burning teddy bears out of his room. Although the look on her face as he had engulfed her assortment of flowers and stuffed animals she had filled his room with in flames amused him to no end. He laughed out loud as the memory filled him. He walked over to his makeshift bed and grabbed a first aid kit from the nightstand. He glanced at the TV which turned on by itself as he waited for the local news program to begin. He settled himself down onto the bed and removed the dress shirt that he had been wearing and tossed it to the floor where it disintegrated instantly. He looked down and sighed at the bullet wound In his chest. “Doesn’t anyone use knives anymore?” He muttered to himself as he pulled a pair of tweezers from the case and set it down. The bullet had lodged itself within one of his ribs after bouncing around a bit. He soon realized that he wouldn’t be able to reach it through the entry wound. He reached under his pillow and pulled out a small ornate dagger that he had kept there and plunged it into his chest. He stared down as he pulled himself open and used the tweezers to dislodge and pull the fragments out. He studied the pieces before rolling his eyes and wondering why people used things like this anyways. People were fragile enough. Surely things like guns are just a bit of overkill and for people like him, irritating to say the least. He had just begun to close up the wounds when the news report came on.





“Early this morning police responded to reports of a gunshot. According to eyewitnesses upon arrival at the scene police found the body of a  young man who has yet to be identified with unknown injuries. Accounts speculate that the man may have been mutilated. This is rumored  to be in connection to the murder we reported on earlier tonight who has been identified now as one Sonya Trent. The police have informed us that they have taken a suspect into custody but are not releasing any info at this time. Now we have chief detective….”





         The TV shut itself off as Azriel stood from his couch and walked towards the window overlooking the beach. For some reason he couldn’t understand, the ocean calmed him and yet he felt a tinge of something foreign every time he looked out upon the waves. As if something important lay just beyond them. That’s why he lived here. There was so much he just couldn’t understand, so much he couldn’t remember. What had happened to make him this way? And how had he been before? He had hoped that since the ocean was the only place where he felt anything other than this numb existence that was life perhaps being here could help him recall whatever it was buried within him. He thought of Lexia, remembering the one time he had asked if she knew anything. She had said that she didn’t know all the details but couldn’t tell him what she did know because it would upset the order of things. He knew that she had more insight then she led on but didn’t push her. Doing so only would have made both of their situations worse. He understood why she couldn’t talk and he respected it. He watched as the sun came up across the surf and brought life into the new day. He felt the sun feed into him and he felt warm. But this was no longer his domain. He had made a promise to himself not to go out during the day. He couldn’t afford to make friends… He couldn’t afford to let himself fall in love. The thought pierced him. He had always wanted to love another. It was why he believed himself cursed…He could feel the scars that lay dormant upon his heart and knew that his current state was probably caused by the love of another. He braced against the unwelcome feelings filling him. He pulled back from the window and settled onto the bed. Taking one more longing look over the beach. Then he simply laid back and fell asleep.







                                         Chapter 2









Unknown Time.  Feb 18th.





         Azriel shifted in his sleep as a daze encroached upon whatever minor dream he may have been having. He was used to this by now. Even In his dreams he was but a prisoner. Just as every day spent had left him emptier then the last, every time he fell asleep he was taken away from his rest by something so familiar, yet so far away. A light in the mist, a random memory that burned just out of his reach. Flickering forever just out of reach it came and went as he tried to reach out and grab it. How long had it been since he had remembered anything of his life before this? What he would give just to know the truth. He felt like he was drowning beneath the waves of this vast emptiness. A soulless ocean that existed beyond human reasoning. Silence echoed around him, not even the ebb and flow of the depths reached his ears. His breath, crushed from his body as he gasped for breath. His eyes burned and he could feel the weight of chains wrapping themselves around him. Rising from the depths to coil and restrict him from reaching further. Binds in which he felt he would never escape. The light faded farther and farther as he sank. Unable to cast the chains aside and regain control. He finally stopped fighting. Every time he slept it was always the same. And every time he had fought with everything in him trying to break free. But now he was sick of fighting. If there was anything left worth fighting for, He didn’t know what it was. He relaxed and felt his body give in to the weight. He closed his eyes and waited for everything to end. He opened them just once more to just look out at that pinpoint of light that was so far away now that he knew he’d never reach. A final goodbye of sorts. If only he could die in this dream, maybe it would take him from the world of his waking. Maybe he could finally find his peace. The water, or whatever it was, invaded his lungs, he choked as everything began to grow dim. He smiled. This is what he wanted. This is where he could rest.







         It seemed like he’d been drifting for a long time. Suspended in this tranquil place. Why had he fought so hard against this? He could feel the calmness of death surrounding him. The tranquility of the unknown known weighing heavily upon his soul. Sheol at last. But just then he felt his body begin to shake violently as the atmosphere suddenly shifted. His body became cold in an instant, He felt crystals of ice beginning to cling to his skin. Like tendrils they formed and wrapped their way up his limbs and into his mouth and filled his insides, so cold that he felt as if he were burning from their touch. He opened his eyes to the blackness around him. Nothing but the crystalline glass encompassing him welcomed his presence. The pain again began to overtake him as his organs froze and burst from within. His blood ran cold and his muscles stiff. He struggled to move in an effort to keep himself from this feeling of helplessness. A presence surged in his mind and distracted him momentarily from the pain. He could see a faint image as it moved out of the corner of his eye. He turned his head to face it but the ice wall surrounding him shifted and reflected his own image over and over again. He felt the agony returning to him as he became painfully aware that he would find no rest here. Even the embrace of death was too far out of his reach now. He tried to roll and break free from his bonds only to come face to face with a thousand eyes staring back at him through crystal. But they were not his own. Piercing and blue, they burned into him just as much as the ice around him. A deep sorrow raged through him as if he were feeling not his own emotions, but the emotions of whoever was looking in on him. “Help me” a voice pleaded from somewhere distant. His heart rose in his chest as something inside him began to stir. He felt his arm begin to burn with a familiar power. One he had thought long taken away. He closed his eyes and let it overtake him. His body surged and ignited. The ice that held him melted away in an instant. His shackles disintegrated away as he roared out. His body began to burn with a white hot aura that emanated from within him. He again saw the shape moving within the darkness. He wheeled on it and reached out as a bright light overtook him.





         “Ack!” a female voice cried out as his vision began to return. He quickly realized that he was awake, In his home, and holding a very surprised and angry Lexia by the throat. He instantly released her as she fell backwards and landed on the floor. She leapt back up and cocked a brow. “Remind me never to try to wake you up again…” She rubbed at her throat as she made some distance between them. Azriel felt anguished by the look on her face but hid it well below the surface. “What are you doing here?” He asked nonchalantly while he yawned and looked around to make sure nothing of his was altered in any way. She glared at him a bit before relaxing. “Why are you here? Is that really all you can say to me after nearly choking me to death? No… Hey wow it’s Lexia come to save me from my pitiful life here on mars would you care for a muffin? Or a spot of tea? Or how bout just a simple I’m sorry I tried to kill you. Yeah… that might be nice.” She stared for a moment as if she was actually waiting for him to say one of those things. He ended up ignoring her as he rose and walked over towards a mirror and dressed himself in a dark red sweater and black coat. He glanced in the mirror to see her still staring at him. “Let me rephrase then if you have a problem with my question. Why do you grace me with your presence this wonderful evening oh beautiful mistress?” She beamed and put her hands on her hips before replying “That’s more like it Azry!” She narrowly had time to duck as a blast of white flames flew past her head hitting the stone wall in a shower of burning blue embers. She glared at Azriel who looked less then amused. She decided not to push him further. She knew that he had intended for her to dodge the blast but the fact that he had actually used it made it clear that he wasn’t in the mood. “Anyways, I was wondering something… About this morning…”  He knew what she wanted to know but he just couldn’t open up. He felt like he should trust her but also knew what was held over his head and the dangers of doing so. He just couldn’t afford to trust anyone, Let alone her. “What about it?” He asked as she walked over and inspected the large scorched mark on the stone wall. “Well, I was just curious… I looked into the pervy father guy and yeah… You were right. He’s dead. But just what was your involvement in this? I know why you killed the son, I do understand that part. But why let the dad live? And if you didn’t….”  He turned to face her. He approached slowly until he was standing over her. She looked up at him without fear. “I already told you I didn’t kill him. He made his own choice. As you no doubt heard, he hung himself from a ceiling fan. That was his choice. If you’re wondering the why? It’s simple. He not once talked about the girl that they had tortured and killed. No remorse, no guilt for the life that was taken away. Only the loss of his son… So I gave him something to think about.” She actually gaped at that. “What is your problem?! So you made a man hang himself just because he didn’t feel guilty enough?” His features remained calm but she could hear the anger in his voice. “What Lexia? What should I have done? Should I have just taken it into my own hands and bashed his head into the metal toilet until he could taste his own brains leaking from his skull before I let him die? Would that have been more appropriate? Or what? Should I have just let him go to kill off someone else because he couldn‘t deal with the stress that he put upon himself? Just what the hell was I supposed to do? From my standpoint, I did what I felt was right, and if you have a problem with that miss high-and-mighty then just go. Hopefully you‘ll do us both a favor and end up stuck within a brick wall this time.” He didn’t really know why he was snapping at her. In truth he had no idea why he had done the things he had in the first place. He just felt like it was the right thing to do. He looked down at the floor and walked towards the window as Lexia’s face shifted back from shocked to disgusted. “Seriously… Do you have to be so damned morbid?” He actually laughed at that. Turning, he looked back at her. “Figured it was the easiest way to get it into that thick skull of yours. Plus I know it’s engraved in there so for future visits so I can bring it up at will and watch you squirm.” She tensed a bit before shaking her head and turning towards the door. “Well, I guess we’ll see who ends up squirming huh? Anyways I have a reaver to kill and you have your…. Well, whatever it is you do…” She turned to look at him once more before shimmering and disappearing from his home. Azriel relaxed a bit as he walked over and stretched back out across his couch. The TV came on with it’s volume blaring in his ears. He glanced up to see a bunch of puppets dancing while singing the ABC’s. He tried to reach out with his mind to turn the television off which worked about as well as he had expected since Lexia was manipulating the energy to keep it on. He on the other hand, had a better solution.  Picking up the remote he hurled it straight through the screen which exploded in a shower of sparks. He could almost swear he heard one of the puppets scream even though he knew it didn’t. Although the thought still made him happy. Reaching out with his mind he waited for Lexia’s powers to fade from the area. When he was certain he was alone he walked over to the window and looked out across the ocean. The moon shone bright in the night sky and there was a chill in the air that made him feel more alert, and yet more weary of another night alone. He looked out towards the horizon and wondered to himself who it was that had called to him. Was it just his imagination? Or a sign? He tried to just call it for what it was. A dream. But somehow… He felt like there was something more. Even now he could feel something out there beyond the waves reaching to him. For how ever many years now he had spent his life alone, without memory of his past. Maybe, just maybe, this could be the key to finding it all out. If only he knew what to do. What was to come.





Azriel sat alone, searching for anything he could pull from his mind that could be of some use in regaining even a single memory to go off of. The hours drifted by and soon it was night once again. Azriel spent most nights walking along the shoreline, Every now and again he could feel Lexia somewhere close by but made no attempts to contact her. He wondered whether she was watching because she was concerned about him or if she was more afraid of what he was capable of. She had been his lifeline too long and he knew that the roles that destiny must have in store may just hurt them more in the end and so he kept her at arms length no matter how badly at times it pained to do so. In the end, all he really had in this world was the sound of the waves forever crashing against the shore and the daze of a memory that was just out of his grasp. He knew it was all there just slightly out of reach. He knew that in his heart… if he had such a thing, that he knew who he was and at this moment that was all that mattered. Even if the world fell down around him. Which somewhere in his mind he knew that he secretly wished that it just might. Each night he would find himself here, staring calmly out into the horizon, His own personal abyss. A timeless example of destiny flowing swiftly back and forth through the reaches of time. Unknowingly vacant and yet filled with life. So many stories untold underneath the surface. He knew that this was how it was going to be. He had no happy ending, no future, no past. Wearily he returned to his home to rest, uneasy at what dreams may come to light this time. As he laid back and closed his eyes he said a prayer to himself that maybe he could finally find peace. When the dreams finally came he found himself beneath the waves once again, the light of the surface fading to black as he felt himself being pulled down into the depths. He made no effort to fight. Perhaps somewhere within this vast darkness he would find what he had been looking for all along. Perhaps the reason he was drawn here so often was so that he could find himself in the only place he had ever felt at home. No more fighting. And yet as the darkness engulfed him he knew that this time he wouldn’t be caught unaware. He watched every angle as he could feel the cold drifting in. Tiny shimmers of crystal reflected around him as the water began to turn to ice. He could hear the clanking of chains rising from the depths to meet him. Feel them brush past his ankle as they worked their way around, soon to embrace him in their hold. But as they approached Azriel pulled within himself and ignited his power. He knew that he couldn’t use his fire in this state but he could at the very least emit enough heat to keep the ice at bay. Nonetheless, the chains wrapped themselves around him, burning into his flesh as they heated from his own being. The pain of the chains was almost unbearable but not enough to make him give in. He was not about to give up if this was how it had to be. He would hold onto his life, even in searching for death. Shadows began to circle him although he couldn’t make any of them out or even venture a guess into what they were. And then one of them rushed towards him moving faster then his eyes could trace. He felt what he could only describe as a hand brush his face before a light engulfed him. The environment changed, He could feel the wind whipping around him and found his bindings gone. He fell to his knees with what he felt to be earth firmly underneath choking and convulsing trying to rid himself of the water that still sloshed about in his lungs. Azriel felt lost, This dream was different then anything he had experienced before. He could feel unrest within his body, could feel his own emotions tearing through him and yet they somehow felt so far away. He began to feel the wind shift around him. Could see the outline of trees although everything seemed like it was covered in a heavy fog. He heard voices in this darkness, some that sounded like his own and yet were not and then… the screaming began. He felt his muscles tense up and was suddenly knocked backwards landing hard against what he could only assume was the shaft of a tree’s trunk. He was being attacked. He felt each blow and the intense pain that accompanied it. Dream or not he felt as if he was going to be torn apart. He tried to pull his strength but he was no longer in control of his movements, tried to pull himself awake from the pain that seemed so real. Time was rushing by so fast that he couldn’t keep track of whether it was seconds or minutes going by. He felt helpless within his own skin. He continuously struck out against his unknown enemies but was not in control of these actions. It was as if  he was just a puppet and someone else had control of the strings but yet an energy burned inside him that seemed all too familiar. Before he knew what was happening he was in the air and for moments it seemed like time had stood still. And just as he drew breath pure white energy erupted all around him, Blinding him and forcing him to shield his eyes in fear that they would burn out of their sockets. In an instant it was over. The screaming stopped and everything went quiet again. Azriel dared not open his eyes in fear of being blinded by the immense amount of power that had manifested. His arms began to burn as if he had acid flowing through his veins. And just as quickly as the pain had come so too it was gone. Bringing back the darkness and the silence of whatever corner of his mind he now existed within. But he knew he was not alone here. He could feel himself being watched. Shadows ran throughout the trees and the snapping of twigs could be heard all around him. But he just didn’t want to move. Every night… Was he truly bound to suffer from within his own mind? What was the purpose? What was his brain trying to convey? Was this the memory that he had spent so long reaching for or something else completely? He came awake within his room, Alone, as always… Or at least that’s what he thought until he realized that a powerful presence made itself clear in the shadows.





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©Ryan Smith 2011