Prologue

*Heart Beats Slowly*

'In the year 1514 in England. April 25th, the first sightings of ghouls were discovered. An expedition to a lost nation was all it took for a dark history to resurface.'

'They live amongst us in hiding, they look like us but they are different from us. Beings said to possess supernatural abilities and worst of all... their taste for human flesh.'

'Meeting one will most likely be unfortunate for any of us, but am afraid that won't be the only thing we will be worried about, for an even greater power amongst the ghouls will come to light, I pray what I have discovered will not come to pass, for we will be facing an era of extinction if war emerges from both sides.'

'What I have discovered may be the words of a delusional man, but I tell you, the things we think that are not seen are what is closer to us, the discovery of this lost species is only the beginning of a world of ghouls and humans.'

Jonathan Jonas

***

England

The Year 1807

The ships onshore, the raging cold wind around the country of Great Britain, in a small community, bells banged loudly, scaring the birds away from rooftops. The weather is dim and moody, the carriages passing by, a splash of muddy wet sand everywhere.

"ATTENTION!" an armed scout soldier shouted, the others responded by hitting their boots fiercely on the sandy wet ground, they placed their long shotgun behind and stood straight.

"AND MARCH!" the soldier shouts again and they march forward.

In the distance, a tall man with shoulder-length dark hair watches them from a rooftop as they move away from the building. His black eyes drifted to the concrete building, he placed his hands on the iron roof, and the wind blew harshly around him, he rose to his feet and walked to the edge of the roof, going down in a swift move landing perfectly and putting on his black hat, he walked toward the building.

Passing through the busy carriage road. He walks straight inside unnoticed and undetected, his eyes scanning the wide hall, he catches sight of the stairs and heads for it. He reaches a door in the long lobby, voices coming from inside.

"How many times do I have to tell ya, what I say is final, I will not support this campaign you are trying to create, the internal affairs will not take part in this business," he said finally.

"But sir please, I'm begging you" another man pleaded.

"Enough! Get out of my office before I call the guards" the man warned, angry he stormed off opened the door and shut the door sighing frustratedly.

"If the affairs don't help with the economy then we are at a loss here" he heard a voice, he turned and met a man leaning on the wall wearing a black hat and a long black jacket, and other black clothing.

"And who are you?" the man demanded looking at him strangely, the man in black smiled.

"Someone who thinks people always have a say in matters like this" he smirks.

"Well if you are here for a budget I suggest you're wasting your time" the man noted.

"Oh am not here for the budget--am here for a different matter" he moves forward walking toward the door.

"Good luck with that," the man said walking downstairs.

The man in black opens the door and walks inside the wide office.

"Who are you? I thought I made myself clear the first time, so there's no need of you coming again or most likely sending more of your people" the man on the seat said, lighting up his round brown cigar.

"You must be mistaken, I am not here for a budget," the man in black said, amused walking to his seat.

"Then what do you want?" he hissed.

"Charles Brown, the man who worked his way to progress by the blood of Innocent lives" he began.

"A man like you doesn't deserve the seat you're in, you're stained" he adds darkly.

Charles blew smoke out of his lips.

"Who the hell are you to come in here and say such things," Charles said sternly.

The man smirked.

"I would have left justice to the law but," he said walking around the office as if studying it.

"But when the blood of ghouls is involved, it's my business" he turns.

"I don't know what you are talking about," Charles said, reaching for a gun beneath his drawers, like a blink, a dagger penetrated his hand deeply causing a bloody mess.

Charles shouts in pure pain raising his head to meet the man's eyes. He growled using his other hand to bring out the gun, but once again in speed, the man in black took it swiftly away from him, tossing it somewhere.

"Who are you?" he chokes out in pain.

The man smirks darkly, the white part of his eyes went black and his eyes changed to gold like it was swirling around, a hint of black in them. Charles's eyes widened.

"Gho...ghoul...ghoul" he choked as he gasps in fear, something like a black shadow forged at the man's back like something was coming out.

Like a long extended thread line, it formed a being beside him, not just any being, it was tall and long, skinny, with extended arms and legs, bald head, pointy ears, pointy jaw, the same eyes as the man, the being was covered in black bandages that were faded out.

"Dear God," Charles said, trembling.

The creature snarls out revealing its sharp fangs up and down, Charles shouted as the being's mouth extended, devouring him whole like he was nothing.

"SIR! SIR! SIR!".

They heard banging on the door, it burst open and the soldiers rush in and saw the sight, without hesitation they shot at them, the being stood in front of the man as the bullet made an impact with the skin, it penetrated not making any damage as the bullets drop on the floor compressed, the man ran straight to the window, the being followed behind as they clashed through the glass and jumped off 5 story building, this gained the attention of everyone in the parking lot, the women screamed at the sight.

The man and the being landed perfectly like it was nothing, the being turned to black mist and bandage retreating back to the man's body, he rose to his feet cracking his neck as he rolled up a black material to cover his nose and mouth leaving only his eyes, he adjusted his hat smirking as he walked out of the scene leaving a terrified crowd.

Hours Later

The man was nowhere to be seen as the soldiers swarmed the building, Everywhere around that area was in chaos.

***

The man watched from a distance, he looked away heading into town, a crowd was there leaving him unnoticed by anyone, he walked to a house, looking around before going inside.

He took a deep breath, removing the material that covered his nose and mouth, he walks to a wall embodied with newspapers on it, he rotated his knife and aimed at the paper that had Charles Brown's picture on it, other politicians' pictures was there also with knives on their picture, he folds his arms satisfied by his accomplishment.

Suddenly the hairs at the back of his neck stood up, his eyes widened as he turned in a flash bringing out one of his knives to someone's throat, the woman gasped in fear.

"Who are you?!" the man demands darkly.

"Please I mean no harm," she said, raising her hands slightly.

"Depends on who is talking" the man adds in amusement.

"You're the black ghoul," she said.

His expression changed.

"The black ghoul who watches over us" she adds as her eyes changed just like his. Seeing that the man retreated his knife, the woman was one of him.

He took his time to study, she had brown hair neatly packed, she was dressed formally, and she didn't seem much of harm yet. Her hazel brown eyes fixed on him.

"What do you want?!" he asked, walking past her and gathering his stuff.

"My name is Vanessa Carson," she said, he turns to her

"So?" he shrugs.

"Am from an organization known as the Black Lotus. We are an order created to fight for ghoul's right".

"I have heard rumors about the Black Lotus, nothing to worry about. What does that have to do with me now?".

"I know everything about you," she began.

"Lucas Carter" she adds.

Lucas froze, turning to her.

"I have done my homework. You see Lucas, I have been looking for you" she said.

"Long I have searched".

"Why?" Lucas demanded.  His identity was the last thing he wanted anyone to know.

"The ghouls have a belief about a greater power that lives amongst us, something very ancient and powerful, it was written in Jonathan Jonas' journal and we believe there is" she adds walking toward him.

"Your Claw is unlike anything, it's rare, I can't help but say this but you're our salvation, a way for ghouls," she said certainly.

"Join us, Lucas, join the Black Lotus and help us find a way" she adds.

"A way for ghouls to do what?" Lucas asked, she smiled.

"For ghouls to get our lives back," she said, Lucas sighed.

"Why would ghouls want their lives back, we are nearly extinct as it is," he said, folding his arms.

"But with you, there is a way," she shrugs.

"Join us Lucas and we can set it right, not to set everything but at least a starting point for our future," she said.

Lucas' eyes never left hers.

"Ghouls have no choice Vanessa, we are a race of flesh-eaters" he noted.

"Then let's make a choice, a choice for us to get our freedom back, the coexistence of two species".