Glow

PROLOGUE

The day that the Eternal Night fell, the world was plummeted into chaos.

The Sun disappeared with the moon, replaced by an unending sea of stars and nebulae. Temperatures dropped, and the sky's clouded over. Snow fell in sheets, and the weaker of us died within the first few days.

Strange entities came from the darkness. Demons, as they are called today, rose from shadows to hunt for us. Creatures who defied the known laws of physics, the Demons outmatched humanity, and before long we were hunted down to endangerment.

We waited and waited, awaiting the return of the Sun. But it never came.

We hoped and hoped for things to get better. But nothing changed.

Animals who didn't adapt died. Those who could went into hibernation, but they didn't survive for long either. Game became a rarity, and plants died long before anything else did. The narrow variety of crops that survived existed penned up in greenhouses and other private facilities, where artificial light was used to keep them going.

The Sun never came back, and the Demons never stopped their advance. It seemed as if humanity was at its end when a miracle occurred.

The light returned. Not from the sun, not from anywhere that one might expect. Instead, it came from us.

Individuals known as Summoners came forth, using Demons who formed 'Contracts' with them to battle those who opposed humanity.

By now, the human race had been pushed into five isolated colonies, pockets of life and light where we thrived and survived. The only places on Earth where the older forms of life still existed. The colonies were Japan, India, the United Kingdom, Washington and Australia. Crossing the boundaries between the five colonies was impossible, but contact was still within reach by utilizing radios.

The small colonies held their own, and before long Summoners were strong and skilled enough to pull miraculous feats. The best of them built up walls of light, forever sealing in the people of the colonies and sealing out the demons.

Of course, it doesn't end here. The story must always go on. Ours, particularly, picks up two hundred years after the fall of Eternal Night...

CHAPTER 1

"Take it," he pushed the bundle of notes into my hand, "Now scram, you son of a-"

"Watch your language." I interrupted him, my eyes flitting to the creature sat in the corner of the house. "You'll upset Jinji."

My father's eyes narrowed at the rebuke, but he didn't say anything. He feared the nekomata as much as I did. But he didn't feel gratitude towards it, not like I did.

I turned on my heels and headed for the door, tripping over something in the shadows of the house. A single fluorescent lightbulb wasn't such a great source of light, but we couldn't afford much else. Despite this, though, the house was filled with all sorts of other junk. Mismatched second-hand furniture, religious and mystical ornaments, even a shabby little water-purifier in the puny kitchen that we had.

"Come on, Jinji, we're heading out!"

The little creature scampered out of the darkness, its tiny paws padding along the wooden flooring. The nekomata cat-like, with black fur all over, save its chest and paws, which were white. The tail that sprung from its hind was elongated impossibly, stretching out over a two feet before forking into two and extending another foot. He pranced over and waited beside my feet as I pulled open the door, rubbing his neck on my calf.

I grabbed the icy-cold copper door knob and twisted, pulling open the door. The cold air rushed in, followed by a draft of dead leaves and whatnot.