Black Winged Angel

Second Edition Published by TekTime All rights reserved. Prologue – Darious The monastery bells rang like an alarm, though no one was in the bell tower to pull the ropes. Lightening flashed across the courtyard as the storm appeared out of nowhere. The wind whipped mercilessly, bringing with it the harsh stench of death. A dark ominous cloud appeared on the horizon, racing toward the monastery at breakneck speed. The monks, who made this monastery home, fell in like soldiers with their weapons of wood, bone, and gold at the ready. They had trained all their lives for this war… this moment in time, as their ancestors had for over a millennium. Sacred scrolls of power and magic were unearthed from the vast library and brought forth to do their work. Dark blue and amethyst cloaks billowed violently as the monks stood ready to fight a war they each had secretly prayed would not happen in their lifetime. Trained archers stepped forward first, their arrows strung and glowing with heavenly blue energy. They were silent, standing tall against an enemy none of them were able to truly defeat. As the cloud came closer, it was apparent that it wasn’t a cloud at all, but a whole legion of demons set on destroying mankind. This monastery and the monks within were humanity’s last and only hope. A deep, almost calming hum could be heard in the air as the monks cast their spells of protection, determination shining in their eyes. The sacred scrolls had foretold of the coming darkness that would unleash a plague of demons in their world. It was prophesized that once this battle was over the surviving demons would scatter to the four corners of the earth, following the mystical guardians that had once protected this land as they protected the seal. Why the guardians and priestess had not yet appeared was a mystery to some, but to the elders it was no surprise. This was something that even the fates could not detour. An unspoken command was given and the archers released their arrows into the plague that was bent on eradicating the world. Demons fell in the first wave and the first archers fell back, only to have others step forward to take their place. More arrows flew over the once green fields, disintegrating demons in their wake. Their efforts, however, were fruitless. It seemed for each demon they destroyed, ten would take its place. The archers fell back completely and the sacred scrolls were unraveled. A barrier appeared around the monastery but no one had the ability to call upon the complete power of the scrolls any longer. The ancient ones had written the scrolls and through the centuries their full understanding had been lost. However, it was enough to buy the monks some time. Orders were given and the gates of the monastery were closed, locked with a seal of protection to give them a few more minutes. Each individual looked from one to the other, knowing this would be the last time they would see each other on this plane of existence. They all clung to the legend spoken of in the scrolls of the one bound in chains by the demons searching to kill this world. It was written that during the time of the uprising, the demons would mistakenly turn their backs on him. Him… a child of untamed rage and melancholy, with the temperament of the darkest of angels and the power to close the portal, sealing the demons in this world but keeping others from following. It was this child that would hunt down the demons one by one and send them back into the realm of darkness where they belonged… claiming his vengeance against those that had imprisoned him for so long. Some legends in the scrolls describe him as a god, while others say he is a devil that seeks to kill the gods to gain his freedom. They had given him a name, if for nothing more than to voice it in their prayers… Darious. The gates to the monastery groaned under the strain as the demons finally reached them. The thick wood cracked and splintered while the seal holding it closed slowly weakened and finally broke. The gates opened and, like a tidal wave of death and blood, the demons swarmed in, claws and teeth ripping into human flesh. Oil drums lighting the torches fell over, covering some who were unlucky enough to be battling so close to them. The walls caught fire… creating an inferno that may have rivaled hell itself. The ground cracked open and more demons poured out from beneath the monk’s feet. The rain had begun to fall, sleeting over the fire-engulfed monastery that refused to bend to the whim of the elements. One by one the monks fell, choking on their own blood as they prayed for their salvation… for the prophecy to be released. Thousands of demons had already come through the portal and the monks had no knowledge of a barrier strong enough to keep them from invading the lands around them. A great c***k of thunder followed by a bright lightening burst across the sky caused a furious shockwave, which sent the monastery crumbling to the ground. The following silence was deafening as the wind died down to nothing and the rain abruptly stopped. The calm eye of the storm had settled over the remains of the monastery; its walls surged around it, trapping the demons and the monks as well. Those of the monks who were still alive turned their eyes toward the sky and muttered prayers of penance. The one they had thought was a savior was far more frightening than the demons that had come before him. He stood in the eye of his own storm, with the chains of his imprisonment dangling from his feet and wrists… the thickest of the chains still wrapped around his neck. They clinked ominously in the silence, covered in the blood of the demons he had slain during his escape. His long flowing black hair lifted slightly, whether from the storm around him or from his own power, it was impossible to tell. His lethal body was unclothed as all who are suddenly born into this world. Blood glistened from the fresh wounds he had received, telling of the battle he’d fought to make it this far. Two wounds cut across his back where magnificent wings had once been. Lifting his perfect face to the sky, blood-like tears fell from eyes the color of mercury. The ground beneath his feet quaked once more and rose up, trapping many of the demons and mending the portal, sealing it. A bright white light shattered and streaked across the landscape, scattering what was left of the multitude of demons to the far reaches of the world. The prophecy, Darious, lowered his gaze to the center of what had once been a grand monastery. There, encased in a soft angelic glow, was the statue of a maiden kneeling, her hands outstretched as if asking him for something that he could not give her. With the next streak of lightening, the maiden statue vanished. Chapter 1 “Evil Laughter” Normally the movie, ‘Evil Dead 2’, scared the hell out of her. But thankfully, Kyoko was so sleepy she could hardly even see the TV screen, and that was saying a lot since it was a 73-inch surround sound theater system. She blinked a couple of times then jerked awake, lifting her head up to glance at the digital clock on the front of the DVD player. Three in the morning! That last blink had been her downfall. She’d been asleep over an hour. She had a habit of staying awake till she knew everyone had made it home safely, so she quickly started counting heads. She tried to sit up but realized she was sandwiched between the back of the sofa and Toya. Looking down, her cheeks went up in flames. His face was buried against her lower stomach and one arm was thrown across her hip. How was it that she could fall asleep with him clear across the room, and then wake up in the strangest positions with him? It was completely unnerving. If he weren’t sound asleep, she would have shoved him in the floor. Kyoko rolled her eyes knowing she had thought the same thing many times, and so far… he had never hit the floor. Her expression softened seeing his dark hair and all the silver highlights spread out around him. He always looked so sweet when he was asleep… it really was a shame they couldn’t keep him asleep at all times. She smirked at her own mental joke. But what the heck, it was true. Toya, as sweet and loving as he secretly was, would be the first one to start a fight with her. Pulling herself up and over the back of the sofa so she didn’t have to crawl across him, she got her footing and looked around. Kyoko shook her head, wondering why so many of them had made it a habit to sleep in this huge living room, almost every night, when they all had their own rooms with king sized beds. Quickly glancing around, she noted everyone she had been waiting on was accounted for, except Kyou, which was normal, and Tasuki, whom she knew had the night shift this week. With Kyou being their boss, she guessed it was too much to ask for him to hang out with the cops, private detectives, and psychics that worked for him. A very wickedly funny thought slipped into her head and she smiled. Had anyone been awake to see it, they would have run in fright. These guys had been teasing her so much lately that Kyoko believed it was time for payback… ten-fold. She silently walked over to Shinbe, who was asleep on the loveseat. Carefully, she extracted the TV remote control that had somehow ended up lying across his lap. Kyoko froze when Shinbe shifted and muttered something about rabbit fur and chocolate syrup in his sleep. Shaking her head, Kyoko got the remote away from him and muted the television. Adrenaline rushed through her body, giving her a lightheaded feeling. A very tiny part of her started to feel bad, but she viciously jumped up and down on it, until that part of her conscience was beaten into silence. After Kotaro’s underwear incident, and Toya’s sudden urge to streak the halls and into her bedroom… they so deserved this. Besides, they thought of her as the baby of the group. She always had to fight with them to get to do any of the hardcore paranormal jobs. Her only real power was the fact that sometimes when she touched something, or someone, she would get flashes of the past that would help them solve the cases. It didn’t always work though. It wasn’t like she could just walk up to a demon and touch it to see if it was going around killing people. Maybe by getting the jump on all of them at once, she would be proving to them that she could hold her own. Plus… revenge was sweet. With the television still muted, Kyoko cranked the volume all the way up. There was one part in this movie that made her cringe every time she heard it. So, she rewound to that part… the part where everything in the room started laughing at the main character in the most demented of voices. Sneaking over to the door, she opened it and took a single step out into the hallway before turning and smiling at the peaceful scene. Hitting the mute button one more time, Kyoko tossed the remote in the general direction of the sofa and ran like hell. The loud noise startled everyone into action, and therefore creating a domino effect that would have everyone not involved laughing for weeks. Kotaro was the first to react. He’d been sitting in one of the recliners, dreaming about a certain auburn-haired angel, when the loud creepy laughing surrounded him. He bolted to his feet, pulling his Beretta at the same time and shot the television. Being an officer with the local police force, it was instinct that made him react so quickly. Yohji, Kotaro’s partner at the precinct, was sitting in another chair. The noise caused him to jump, which in turn made the recliner flip over backwards. He was up in less than a second, using the fallen recliner for cover and pointing his gun at the remnants of the television.