Chapter 1: Darkness (Zepher)

I can see. I think I can see. A blinding light is the only thing I can see. Is this real? Is this a dream? Thoughts rush through my head as I try to find reality. I can't see. I've always been in darkness. I'll never be able to leave.

I reach out to see what my own hand looks like. Unfortunately, everything turns black but a red stain on my leg.

Snapping back into reality with searing pain in my thigh. Of course it was a dream. I've always been clouded pain, sadness, and darkness but this was real physical pain. I hadn't received a blow like this in a long time.

Gathering my thoughts as I sit against a wall, I realize I'm in basement of an abandoned building on the warfront. I was escaping from an Empirical patrol when I ran into a soldier. The fight ended in my victory but I still suffered a knife wound.

I look at my leg where the knife is still lodged into my thigh. If I'm going to escape, I'm going to have to pull that knife out and I begin preparing for the torment to come. I put a bit of cloth in between my mouth as I grip the knife handle so I don't bite off my tongue. I can feel the sweat dripping from my forehead and I know I have to do it now.

The next seconds go by so fast I can't even remember what happened. Did I really just pull out that knife? Or was I just dreaming again? No, I did pull out the knife and as my adrenaline retreats back into hiding, I feel an onslaught of pain shoot through my leg. "Fuck", I let out a quite yelp of pain knowing that there could be patrols looking for me, but the throbbing is unbearable and I feel as if there are a million needles stabbing my thigh.

After a couple minutes that seem like hours I take the cloth I used to bite down on and wrap it around my wound. I pull as tight as I can to stop the loss of blood as I wince in pain.

Just then I hear boots crashing the street above the basement I'm hiding in. My instincts kick in as I jump to my feet. One step and I come crashing to the ground. I hold my cries in, but inside my head I'm screaming from the sharp stabbing pain coming from my thigh. I realized I put to much pressure on my wounded leg. This may complicate things a bit, I think to myself.

Usually I'm fast on my feet. A prestigious member of the deadly Shadow Company. The Unions most lethal death squad. I wasn't always this way though. Most of my childhood is a blur to me... But I can't think about that now. I push those memories to the back of my mind and prepare my escape.

As of now my luck may be running out. Soon Empirical soldiers will be swarming the area looking for me. This is one of my more difficult missions so far. I was ordered to sneak into enemy territory and steal plans on an advance weapon that Empire is supposedly creating to ensure their victory, but I couldn't let that happen. During my raid I was even able to kill a commanding officer. Although my flames may have reached his family as well. This is no matter, all of Empire are enemies of the Union and the Mentor.

I've succeeded in completing the first half of my mission. Now I just need to get the hell out of here. I wait until the sound of boots are far gone to make my move. I grip the black handle of my sword and unhook the sheath from my back. The cold metal of the handle sends a shiver down my body which makes my leg throb even more.

I use my sheathed sword as a crutch to take the pressure off of my right leg. I start to walk to the stairs leading up to the street, moving as fast as I can. With each step comes a shooting pain up my leg. I almost feel as if I'm about to black out again, but I have a mission to accomplish.

I stick to the shadows and the alleyways as I slowly walk towards the extraction point. Every once once in a while I hear shouts and boots on the ground, but they are growing fewer which means I'm getting closer to my goal.

I slip into the last alleyway before the extraction building and I am greeted by a dark figure lurking in the shadows. I'm so exhausted that I think I'm seeing things but whoever it is starts to take a run at me. He's wearing a dark suit with a red stripe running down the left arm and a metal armor piece over his right shoulder. I can tell he's a higher up agent from the Eura Empire.

He wields a custom made short sword. I notice the sword has a star armory crest on top of the handle. He swings at me and I block it with my sheathed sword. The blow throws me to the ground and the pain in my leg brings me to the brink of throwing up. My opponent jumps up to slam his sword into me, but I put the pain in the back of my mind and roll out of the way. I grab my handgun out of its holster and pull the trigger before I can even aim. I miss and he jumps towards me and kicks the gun from my hand then kicks me in the head.

My head slams into the wall behind me and my vision is turning blurry. I can feel my blood run down my face but I can't even move to wipe it. I feel like a fog has moved into my eyes making it impossible to see what's actually going on.

I try to see what happens next but I'm losing conscious quickly. I think I see another figure out of the corner of my eye, but it doesn't matter I'm already a goner…

We're all born from darkness. We all die in darkness. Most of us get to leave it for awhile and enjoy the light of life. Unlike me, I've lived in darkness for my whole life. Even after being rescued by the Mentor. Everything I've done has only grown the pain in my heart. The people I've killed, lives I ruined. There is no happy end for me. Despair is the only thing I have.