The Starlight Lancer

Chapter Four: Into the Light

"Of these ancients, little is known. Perhaps that is for the better."

—Historian Kalma Nereyda in a letter to Professor of History Inkhai Solmun discussing prehistory

Zaina stood in a world of pure shadow. She groaned and grabbed her head. The gnashing voices were back and louder than before, fading in and out, repeating themselves and crisscrossing each other.

Don't you want to stay forever, Zaina?

Don't you want to live forever?

We can keep your memories of this world intact...

All of it, forever...

A whole world, just for you...

The helplessness, the cacophony of voices, and the infinite darkness only fueled the anger taking hold within. A surge of heat rushed her body, followed by a wave of energy—the sensation made her feel powerful, like she wanted to make something bleed.

A growl escaped her lips. She closed her eyes and focused on moving a single finger, then moved her hand, and finally her entire arm—with pure will, she broke free.

The hatred buried within was satiated for the moment. Two-dye Tohm was pulling at Beni's arm—his head was still trapped inside the dark, tentacle-like shadow, his body completely stiff. The other guards were madly firing off rounds from their birifles, joined by the Demelia Defense Force squad, but their barrages of explosive scrap beads were having no effect. The shadow was spreading.

Another swarm of heat inside her body almost made her collapse; she stumbled as a ravenous desire to kill, suffused with red-hot malice, surfaced. She shook her head—this wasn't her. It wasn't possible; she had never wanted to hurt anyone in her life. Her fingers curled into fists as she gritted her teeth and forced her body and mind to ignore the strange sensation.

Zaina glanced toward the hovering lights ascending in the distance—two of the buzzards were taking off. Her family was likely still in a grounded transport, given her father's pace. She turned back—Beni's head was emerging from the shadows, but it was—wrong. His eyes were red and had deep, black marks around them. He crumpled to one knee once the shadow released him.

Two-dye Tohm stooped down to help his friend. "B—Beni? Are you all right?"

One of Beni's hands surged forward, clamping onto Tohm's shoulder. Two-dye Tohm helped him stand, but once they were up, deep echoing chuckles emanated from Beni. Even through the hyper-glass covering his eyes, malice burned in his gaze.

Two-dye was trying to pull Beni's hand away. "Beni? You can let go now. Beni—BENI!"

"Beni, stop!" Zaina took a step forward, reaching out to help.

Beni gripped Tohm's neck with his other hand. With a growl, he pulled, prying Two-dye Tohm apart. With a succession of fleshy cracks, his head, spine, and half his torso were ripped from the rest of his body, splattering Tohm's insides on the town circle pavement. The broken corpse's halves were dropped, landing with a wet thump on the street.

"No!" Zaina cried out. "What the fuck!?"

Beni tore the metal mask from his face and ripped it in two as easily as he had his friend. For a moment he appeared lucid, his head moving to and fro in shock, horror flashing in his gaze. He winced and put a hand over one eye—then, darkness swept over him again. A smile crept across his face as he turned to Zaina.

Beni extended his arm toward her—ash swirled from the air and formed a black sword in his grasp. With a wolfish smile, he turned and charged toward the guards, still distracted by the floating phantasmal shadow. Zaina tried to shout a warning, but it was too late—Beni was too fast.