Tenebris

Prologue

London, 2004.

The rain was pouring down on Alexander Street, that fateful August night. The darkness overpowered the street lamps, their cone of light limited to a small sphere. The pitter-patter of the rain on roof tiles gave an opening to a rising symphony of music written by nature herself.

Down the street lurked a figure in a trench coat so black it seemed to be made of darkness so deep it sucked in the light of the lamp above them. Their eyes are locked on a building on the street opposite them. Occasionally when the wind blew too hard, their trenchcoat would wrap around them as though the coat was somehow possessed or if they had an extra limb apart from those which they used to hold the basket, clutched firmly in their grasp. As I sit here writing this, I begin to suspect........

With a gasp, Elizabeth withdrew her pen from the paper, as the sound of thunder as loud as a gunshot at point blank range, filled the room. Elizabeth wasn't scared of the thunder but she noticed that during the brief time that she couldn't see, a flash of light reflected from the window pane because of the thunderstorm, and the figure had mysteriously disappeared.

Elizabeth got up from her chair, careful not to spill her papers all over the floor. For the past hour, she had watched that mysterious figure staring into the orphanage, through her very soul it seemed. And just like that, they were gone. It didn't make any sense. She tried to wrap her mind around it as she hurled herself down the stairs. Nothing seemed to fit into place.

As she got to the landing of the stairs, she heard it, a faint whisper. It was coming from the front door. It didn't make any sense that she could hear it through the heavy rain but she couldn't deny what she was hearing

"Keep Him safe, 

From Himself and the world

Let Him go,

When it is His time 

Watch and pray

For it is his destiny

To destroy the Earth"

Elizabeth refused to believe her ears. Surely it had to be some street urchin trying to play a prank, but she knew it wasn't. That wasn't the voice of a street urchin, no, that was the voice of someone who commanded respect. Someone who wielded great power.

She pulled open the door, just in time to see a wisp of dark smoke trail away around the bend. Looking down at her feet, she noticed the basket at her feet. A soft mewling sound came from it.

Lifting up the blanket, which covered the basket, she gave up a gasp of delight. Inside the basket was the most beautiful baby boy she had ever seen. A boy with sparkling red hair and emerald eyes looked up at her with the most wonderful smile on his lips.

"His name is Xavier"

That voice again. She looked around trying to see where it came from but couldn't find anybody near. She picked up the basket, softly closing the door behind her.

On the rooftop, the dark figure slipped into The Blackness.