The Night Crawler

Prologue: The Black Book

A distant light lifted the clouds of darkness, like a hand rising out of quicksand. The Goddess of Time stepped out of that ethereal light and grasped Derek's hand.

"Derek, before I let you go, there is something I wanted to show you," she whispered faintly, her moonstone-shaped eyes shining onto Derek's face. And he was lost in them, the same way he was lost in the warmth of his mother's embrace. Lost, and then found again.

Lux's voice, like the sound of a snow drift brushing against town houses, felt familiar. He had heard it as a child when he was growing up. A gust of wind driven snow hitting the roof. Derek felt his childhood innocence come to the very surface of his soul. The part of him he left inside his parents' home, among the toy soldiers, and early morning breakfasts. It showed for just an instant, as if Lux had brought it with her, a perfume of his memories.

"It's about your brother, George," Lux said, and the snow fall inside Derek's mind suddenly ceased.

Derek eased the collar of his shirt and looked down at Lux's dress. It sparkled like snow in a cold winter sun, and it soothed him. He wanted to replace the memories of his brother with it. It was easier to think of the snow than to reminisce about the things his brother had done.

A flash of iridescent aquamarine cut the air, leaving trails of pixie dust. A winged frog landed on Lux's shoulder, and it rattled close to her ear.

The creature stunned Derek. He had never seen a flying frog, let alone one with chalky-white wings that resembled silken fans.

Lux studied Derek's face with amusement while he scrutinized the frog. She had spent so long as a time goddess that she had forgotten what it felt like to experience something new for the first time. She enjoyed seeing that elation glow inside Derek's eyes.

Derek reached for the frog, and it slowly inched closer to him, shedding its dust. The frog then pressed its head against Derek's fingers, and the heat of its body brushed against Derek like sunlight, making his skin glow from within.

"It's magnificent," Derek whispered, admiring the frog's intricate composition. He caressed it, ever so gently.

"This little creature is my Emissary; he is a map through the fabric of time. I made him a frog because he could easily slip into the past without aging. But it hasn't always been this way. Right, Emi?" she asked the frog, skimming the black dot design on its back.

"I was a human once," the frog responded, and Derek leapt back, locking his eyes with the frog. "Now, I'm a prisoner of my own reflection," the creature added, raising its wings, like a butterfly perched on a tulip.

"I could say the same about myself," Derek admitted, looking at Lux, who listened intently to their conversation.

"I'm here to remind you what it takes to be human," Lux whispered, and magic from her fingers shot into the air, creating bright waves of color.

Somewhere in the distance Derek could hear the chirping of birds, the same birds he and his brother used to chase when they were growing up. It was as if Lux was reminding him of the good times they used to have.

"What Emi will show you, may change the way you see George. He might not be the evil you believe him to be." Derek heard Lux's voice travel inside his thoughts, but he couldn't decipher what she was telling him, at least not yet.

"I don't think it's possible," Derek said, thinking about all the times his brother hurt him. "Whatever good that lived inside my brother, is long gone."

"He is lost, Derek. He has fallen victim to the Night Crawler's curse, and for that, I'm sorry. But it's not over for him, and it's not over for the others. There is still a chance... A great chance for you to get him back," Lux murmured, and Derek smelt the lilies from his childhood garden.

"Emi, show him what you have seen," Lux hummed into the frog's ear. "Show him where it all went wrong."

"As you wish, goddess," Emi flew off Lux's shoulder and remained static, mid-air, beating his wings. He shed blue pixie dust until it began to dissolve the fabric of time around Derek. "Remember that you will be observing George's life as a spectator only. It's like watching an old film. Interacting with the past has consequences beyond our understanding," Emi reminded Derek. "Please don't try to change anything."

Derek nodded and his heart pulsated inside his chest when a portal illuminated in front of them, and its swirling watery core shined bright, blinding him.

Lux eased closer, her soft curls falling down her gown: "You're not going to remember any of this when you leave here. But my hope is that you will find your way back to your brother," Lux said as her fingers wrapped around Derek's shoulders, making him flinch, before she pushed him inside the portal.