The World Beyond Ours

Chapter 1. Introduction

When most people think of darkness, they think of the absence of light. Most think that being in the dark means "i can't see" due to lacked illumination. Not being able to see in the dark is true; but the darkness I'm referring to, is much more complex than that. Imagine living day by day, night by night, in constant fear. The fear that you're always being watched; but there's nobody around...

It was mid Summer Solstice, in the year of 2355. My Aglér and I were somewhere on base, at the time. I was in a different section of the base, than he was; and i knew this because i never saw him, while i was growing up. Growing up on a military base was pretty tough; and in fact, it was pure Hell! As i grew older, I became vicious; hostile; and even explosively volatile.

My name is Volephanie Jay Galorrill. I am what some would call a shape shifter. Unlike the shape shifters in movies that I've watched, my kind do not manipulate our bodies. Some of us have flat chests, while others have more developed breast tissue. There are many different terms with which we go by; and some of them have upset me, over the past years.

Growing up on a military base everyday was a battle for me: from base raids, to ambushes; and from stealth missions, to full frontal assault. During frontal assault missions, there were fireballs whistling past me, hotter than a thousand red suns; and if those fireballs were to have touched me, they would've fried my entire body on the spot; and I would've been burnt to a crisp. Alongside the fireballs, there were also dark pits, which were not something you would've wanted to walk into. Dark pits are like a mass of dark energy; and i have walked into them. They are full of Dark Spirits, which will corrupt your mind. I have watched, helplessly, as these dark pits devoured my fellow zemah; and there wasn't anything I could do about it. Even I have fallen victim to these dark pits; places where Deceitful Spirits reside; and I've seen innocent children used as warfare; sent on stealthy recon missions, to gather Intel from our enemies and vis versa; and when they had gathered the Intel that was needed, the enemies were held captive as prisoners and questioned by the commissioner. I'm not saying I've seen it all; but i am saying I've seen a lot.

I mentioned that the darkness I'm referring to is much more complicated than the absence of illumination. I have lived, and still live, in a world of the following: Spirits, both light and dark, Werewolves, Vampires, shape shifters such as myself, and Hybrids, which were werewolves with dark red or dark blue bat wings, and a wingspan of thirty feet. The red winged Hybrids are the ones I've encountered quite often; but I've also encountered dark blue winged Hybrids, as well. The battlefield is not an environment for a young being; but since my father was the commissioner of God's Truthful Shape Shifting Avengers, i kind of had no choice.

Out of all the things i do remember, I still remember my junior survivalist training days.