Onyx Moon

Prologue and First Chapter

Prologue

Doeryan gave one last kick to the Vikt demon slumped over in the dirt wheezing its last breaths.

"This isn't anything personal," he apologized before slicing off the Vikt's head with his segmented blade.

Doeryan braced himself on a nearby tree while he caught his breath in his half human lungs. His gut wrenched from the blow the demon had landed to his torso. Slowly, his tissue reformed and the bruising began to dissipate while he watched his opponent's body shrivel into ash and disperse on the wind.

No doubt the Vikt demon's soul was on its way to the Black Plain to preside with the Dark Lord Izeal. Doeryan took a moment to ponder if his half human, half Sardion demon body had a soul, and where it would go when he was finally defeated in a brawl. Unlike humans, demons had no blood in their veins. Their bodies were empty and cold. Only children of Shadai - the mortals in the twin worlds - were blessed with His blood in true bodies.

He gazed through the thick patch of forest until his dark eyes fell on what he had been protecting. Cleverly disguised with a wide trunk, twisted limbs, and dark buds peeking from the pores of its branches, the Blessed Tree was safely tucked among the ordinary vegetation of Alethia, in the long forgotten Forbidden Wood.

Beneath a subtle radiance that could only be seen by divine and demonic eyes, the Golden Child lay at the base of its sturdy branches. Appearing to be human in every way, the small child was settled in a deep slumber. With a tickle of excitement, the half demon imagined the wars that would rage should any other demonic legion discover the Golden Child in the unguarded forest. But since discovering the angelic babe a few days before, his job was to ensure that didn't happen. He couldn't let any demon from another legion go near the child until the Sardion Lord decided what to do with the knowledge of its existence.

A cool voice emerged from the brush behind him.

"So, this is what everyone is so spooked about? This is Shadai's supreme weapon against the Sardions?"

In one panicked movement, Doeryan sprang up, pulled his sword from the sheath on his back, and spun around to slash the segmented blade across the intruder's chest. But when no blood spilled from the familiar foe, the half Sardion realized the terrible mistake he had made.

"Is that any way to treat the only one who takes pity on you?" The other Sardion spat his words. He accompanied them with a stinging slap to Doeryan's face. "This might leave a scar, and I can't just let someone like you get away with that." He said after his growl fizzled in the air.

"Sorry Krift. You caught me off guard." Doeryan apologized dryly, consoling his swollen cheek and snapping his jaw back into place.

Doeryan may have been more offended if he wasn't already used to being spontaneously beaten. It was second nature to the half Sardion demon, like a disobedient mutt. Being half human in the Sardion legion, Doeryan knew that if he even so much as looked at a line he wasn't supposed to cross, severe punishments would follow. For whatever reason, Krift had always been kind enough to break just a rib or two, which always fused back together in a matter of seconds.

Being half demon, Doeryan inherited all the demonic powers of a full Sardion. Although he was short for someone of demonic lineage, he was significantly faster and stronger than any man. It was nearly impossible for Sardions to be vanquished with human weapons, as most of their wounds healed instantly. Sardions were also one of the demon breeds that could teleport between worlds, leaving only traces of dark smoke in their wake. As well as being able to turn invisible to better stalk his targets, Doeryan could also disguise himself in human form and speak telepathically with other demons, as well as inserting propositions into mortal minds. Sardions, along with the other breeds of demons, had strong persuasive powers over their human subjects. With just a suggestive whisper, a Sardion could weave doubts and lies into a person's mind, completely transforming their thoughts to focus on addictions, sins, and greed.