11 Zackary Nacht: Dark Baptism

Zack:

I sit in my room, my sanctuary, in shock. My head spins as I try to wrap my head around everything. My best friend is the Savior, a figure revered by my parents' cult. Not only that, but apparently he's going around KILLING people!

From the news it seems he has killed three people, all of whom's blood turned to ash, sport large stab wounds, and have strange cataracts in their eyes. The first victim seemed to be a kindly old man, but turned out to be a murderer. the second victim was the heir to the Bradford family fortune, but was also known to assault woman and kill them. However, the third was a petty thief who was trying to get money for his daughter's surgery. This doesn't fit the pattern of the previous two people.

I need more information on the Savior; but to do so requires talking to my mother who, quite frankly, is insane. She is in charge of this murderous cult for Reficul's sake! I decide that this must be done, so I go downstairs to talk to her.

"Mom, I was wondering if you could tell me more about the Savior, like what he actually does? And why the Society reveres him so?" I ask nervously, there's no telling when she'll snap.

"I would love to, Sweetie! But I can't, because you aren't a member of the Society..." she frowns at that, looking pointedly at me.

I sigh, and think of Michael. How far would I go for him? Would I be willing to kill for him? The answer is yes, and that I would do anything for him. He is my first true friend, the only person that I can count on in this world. I need to find out what is going on with him, and this may be the only way to do it. "How would I go about becoming a member of the Society if Darkness?" I ask my mother with resignation. She squeals in delight at this and gets a manic look on her face.

"Let's have your baptism tonight! Then you will be initiated and can begin the process of joining the Society. Afterwards I can answer any questions you might have." she says, speaking quickly and with excitement. I nod in affirmation, dreading what is to come.

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I sit blindfolded in an enclosed space, where I am supposed to be meditating on my devotion to our Dark Overlords. In reality I am just trying not to puke from nervous tension. I had vowed to never join the Society when I was just 10 years old. That was the year that I was first allowed to witness a divination of the future. They sacrificed some poor young woman from off the street. The sound of her screams have been seared into my brain ever since. Then they burned her entrails in copper and fire which supposedly showed the future. I hear a door opening behind me and then the voice of my uncle, Focalor.

"Zackary, it's time," he says as he takes me by the arm and guides me.

I have no idea where I am, I've never been allowed this deep in the basement. I can't see, and all I'm wearing is a thin, white, cotton robe that looks similar to a night shirt that girls wear. Eventually I hear murmuring around me and I am forced to kneel on a cold, hard stone. The hairs on the back of my neck prickle with nervous energy. Suddenly the murmurs disappear as my mother begins speaking.

"Disciples of Darkness, this meeting takes place to finally baptize the lost child of Natas and Reficul. He kneels here in reverence, ready to begin his journey on the path of night. What say ye!"

"Yes, mistress!" the crowd chants.

"Begin the baptism," she tells someone. I notice a new sound, something that sounds like muffled screams. They cut off with a gurgling noise and the sound of pouring liquid. I suddenly get a VERY bad feeling about this.

"Child," my mother jolts me out of my rising horror, "do you swear to stay loyal to the Society of Darkness and to always follow its teachings?"

I steel my nerves before replying, "I swear."

"Do you swear to forsake an ordinary life in order to worship our true dark Gods, Natas and Reficul?"

"I swear."

"Do you swear to do anything, even kill, for this Society."

I hesitate, but force myself to answer, "I swear."

"Good, begin the ceremony."

Eerie chanting begins to resound around the room, "Natas, Reficul occurre obsecro hanc potestatem super puerum tenebris. Natas, Reficul occurre obsecro hanc potestatem super puerum tenebris."

A weird feeling wells up inside me as a warm, thick liquid is poured over my head. It trails down my face, neck, and back. Some of it gets in my mouth and I taste copper. It's blood! I freak out internally, careful not to let it show. Fingers begin tracing symbols in the blood on my face and I smell something burning.

My mother speaks again, "Fate has spoken. This child, now an initiate, shall henceforth be known as Caim. He will now be trained in our ways and be accepted into the fold."

The blindfold is removed from my eyes and I see that I am in a dark, underground room lit by candlelight. There is a mutilated body on the altar and entrails aflame with green fire. A crowd of people in hooded black robes look up at me. Some people are very familiar. A see a teacher here, my dentist there, my neighbor, a classmate or two. I look down at myself to see that I am absolutely DRENCHED in blood. The blood of the body on the altar. A teen boy, I think.

My mother stretches out her arms, "Welcome to the fold, my child."

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The next several days are spent learning the rules of the cult and the names of major demons (like Malphas, Asteroth, Beelzebub, Belial, etc.). Some of the rules include: "Don't speak of the Society to outsiders" (already broke that one) or "don't do anything to incriminate the Society". They finally talk of the Savior near the end of the third day.

My uncle preaches to me of our beliefs and prophecies, "The Savior is a previously ordinary human who dies and is then chosen by Natas and Reficul to come back to life as the one who balances the world. A Reaper of the pure and corrupt. He shall cleanse the world and herald the coming of the Dark Gods to this realm. He will hold powers that mankind can only dream about. He can only be identified when he is in human form by the Mark of Death over his heart. His coming will be the beginning of a new age of enlightenment. He will be the Savior of us all."

I raise my hand to interrupt my uncle. "Does the Savior have any choice in this?"

Uncle Focalor sighs with exasperation, but still answers my question, "Other than the original choice of whether to return to life or not, the Savior must fulfill his duties or return to the fiery pits of Hell to become a full demon. When he returned to life, any time he invokes his powers, he becomes more demon than human. Even when his powers are not in use, he will remain partially demonic. This means his life is no longer his own, and he can never return fully to the life he once knew. This makes his contribution to our cause all the greater," my uncle coughs a bit before continuing, "We are done for the day, but tomorrow I will teach you some beginner magic and rituals."

I bow my head in contemplation. It seems my friend Michael is in worse trouble than I had thought.