Comets Grace: Rise Of The Shadow

The Messenger

Boom! An explosive sound tears through the night sky, followed by blue flames descending rapidly. In the midst of an open field, Lucien Carlyle stands, overwhelmed by shock. Beads of sweat trickle down his forehead as panic takes hold. He attempts to move, but his body resists. The flames intensify, almost performing a majestic dance across the grass. Dark smoke billows from the blue flames as they advance. Lucien sees his friends fleeing in the distance. He opens his mouth to shout and get their attention. Yet no sound emerges. Growls and snarls escape the mouths of these monstrous shadowy figures, scattering in every direction. Preying on the paniced and unsuspecting spectators who had gathered for the comet. He watches helplessly as their screams pierce the smoky air. Glowing debris from the comet comes crashing down on his friends, leaving their bodies motionless. "What is happening?" Lucien wonders in turmoil. Overwhelmed, he falls to his knees, feeling vanquished. The heat from the flames teases his skin as they draw nearer. Lifting his gaze skyward, he braces for the end. Yet, something catches his eye. A figure approaching through the dense smoke and flames. A cold shiver runs down his spine, and his chest begins to tighten. As it nears, a skeleton clad in black robes becomes discernible. It points one of its bony fingers at Lucien and speaks in an ominous tone, "Lucien, the time draws near. Your world is on the brink of transformation. Trust in your abilities and prepare for what's to come. Be wary of those you call allies." Wide-eyed, Lucien inquires, "Who are you? What's happening?" The skeleton slowly begins to kneel in front of Lucien and replies, "I am the Keeper of the Crystal; this is your destiny." Before Lucien can react, the keeper places its skeletal hand on Lucien's forehead. Suddenly, he is jolted from his nightmare drenched in sweat. As he tries to catch his breath, a knock is heard at his bedroom door. "Yeah?" Lucien called out. "Dude, are you ok? Your yelling woke me up." A voice says. Lucien opens his door to find his roommate Alex standing there. In a white tank top and basketball shorts. Alex has been my best friend since we were kids.  He always looked out for me like familyshould. Unlike my actual brother Michael. Who always acts like im a burden. It's not my fault our parents disappeared all those years ago. Yet I'm the one he always wants to blame. Thankfully, Alex's family took me in. I guess that solidified everyone's thoughts on us being related. Even though we don't look alike. Alex has a more athletic build. With shaggy red hair and hazel eyes. I, on the other hand, have a scrawny build. With short black hair and blue eyes. "Are you sure you're ok?" Alex asked questioningly, bringing Lucien back to his senses. "Yeah, I'm fine, just a bad dream. Sorry for waking you, and thanks for checking on me," Lucien replies, brushing past Alex towards the bathroom. "No problem. Just get some sleep, all right? And no more waking me up," Alex requests as he starts to disappear down the corridor.  "Understood. Sorry again," Lucien assures as he shuts the bathroom. He takes a glance at his reflection and takes a deep sigh as he turns on the faucet. He lowered his head and splashed water on his face. As he raises his head, drying off his face. Glancing at the mirror again, something seems off. The lights begin to flicker, and a shadowy smoke like figure begins to emerge from the mirror. As black smoke slowly pours from the mirror to the floor, the shadowy figure slowly grows a smile. Lucien recoils, slipping on the rug and pulling down the shower curtain. "What's going on?" Alex inquires from down the hall. "It's nothing," Lucien dismisses, picking himself back up. Looking back at the mirror once more, he sees everything has returned to normal. "What was that? Am I going crazy?" He wondered silently. Dismissing it as a figment of his imagination, he straightened the shower curtain before proceeding to the kitchen.
Upon arrival, he found Alex there sipping tea and gesturing towards another cup. "That's for you." "Thanks," Lucien replied, taking the cup and inhaling the aroma before having a sip. Opening the cupboard, Lucien looks around. "Hmm. No more honey. I'll have to get some tomorrow." He said out loud. "I can grab some tomorrow morning. I have to run a couple of errands anyway. Besides, we know you won't be up in the morning," Alex chuckled. "Yea, yea very funny. I can't help it. I'm a night owl most of the time." Said Lucien. "Alright, I'm headed back to bed. No more nightmares tonight. We gotta meet everyone at Sky Fall Peak tomorrow afternoon." Alex said as he finished his tea. Placing his cup in the sink and ascending the stairs. Lucien savored another sip before returning to his room. At his bedside, he took a final sip and set the cup on the nightstand. As he began to lay back, he realized his pillow was missing from the bed. He shifted his dark blue comforter aside in search of it, assuming it had fallen when he leapt from bed. Spotting it peeking out from underneath his bed, he retrieved his pillow. As he placed it back on his bed. Small crunchy bits fell onto his hand. Puzzled, Lucien turned on the bedside lamp and observed the black specks and dust in his palm. "Is this charcoal?" He thought, beginning to examine his pillow. Suddenly, fear washed over him as he jumped out of bed. Lucien couldn't take his eyes off the pillow. It bore a singed imprint of a burnt  bone hand print in its center.