Where Light Dies

7. Dayton's Bane

"That- That's a monster."

-- Eden, Dayton, surface -- 2015 --

That woman's voice, thought Reyna as she watched the scene unfold. I can't get it out of my head.

She dropped to her knees, burying her face deep in her palms, How could he just...

She placed a trembling hand to her mouth as she raised her head to look at the monster before her.

Is he, crying?

Reyna merely watched as the teen quietly fell to his knees beside the child's body. His eyes had welled up, but not a single tear made its way down his scarred face. This wasn't sadness. It wasn't guilt. Nor was it suffering.

This, this is... Rage.

Even from this distance, they could hear his blood curling scream. He wasn't just angry. He was about to raise hell.

"We need to get him out of there before they rip him apart!" Mark screamed as he signalled his allies to retreat. Without a second thought, he ran towards Blake.

"WAIT!"

Reyna blocked Mark with her free hand, pointing her sawed off shotgun at Blake with the other.

"What the hell Reyna? The kid would've died anyway. Blake made the right call - "

"Look."

Mark paused instantly. What unravelled before his eyes shocked him enough to send chills down his spine.

"What in God's name ...... "

Blake was screaming wildly, caving into himself. Blood pooled and splattered around him as he rose to his feet, treading on the verge of insanity. Reyna felt her lungs churn within her chest, a feeling of dread spreading from the recesses of her heart. This wasn't something they could interfere in, even if they wanted to.

"Let's stay back Mark," she shuddered, watching Blake as his roars pierced her head. When Reyna opened her eyes, the screams were no more.

Blake stood silently in the middle of the ashen street, his head bent low and arms hanging from his shoulders. The darks were now on full alert, unnerved by their prey. Instantly, his chest arched forward, as if he'd been skewered from behind.

The sounds of bones cracking and clicking back into place filled the air. With each passing second, his screams grew louder and more monstrous than human. Blood kept gushing from the two holes in his shoulders.

Suddenly two bones tore their way out of his body.

"Cursed be he who draws power from pain."

Reyna clasped her palm tightly over her mouth to keep it all in. What the hell is going on?

Two bones in the shape of blades emerged from his chest, followed by a column of bones linked to each other, as though his spine had been pulled right out of him. The glistening silver bones carved through him a trail of flesh and blood, slithering its way down his body. The 'blade and chain' spiralled around his shoulders down to his palm, tearing up everything along the way until the blades came to rest beside his curled fist.

Blake stood there, covered in blood with a face that screamed hatred. His eyes as gone as dark as a moonless night, holding nothing but the reflection of the darks that stood before him.

"I want to protect everybody, like you!"

In an instant, he had disappeared from the spot where he once stood, dashing straight towards a group of darks that had gathered to attack him.

Reyna watched in horror as he jumped straight at them and swung his arms. The blades came loose as the chain that held them drew more length from within him. Like a whip that had been laced with a sword, it lashed right into the monsters, the force sending waves of asphalt into the once calm winter air.

Reyna ducked to avoid the debris, pulling Mark down with her as she bore witness to the dance of the demons before her. Every dark in that cluster was wiped out, all within a single hit.

The rumours were true after all.

Mark helped Reyna up, all the while keeping his eyes fixed at the atrocity before them. "So this is him. Dayton's Bane."

'Humanity's most valuable possession. A bane that followed their will without question. A demon like no other.'

Blake had gone berserk, crushing the darks that surrounded him with sheer strength. His blades tore the earth as they whipped against it, raising a maelstrom of blood, asphalt and dust all around him. In a matter of minutes, every dark in the area was ground to pieces, offering almost no resistance against their slayer. However, Blake didn't stop.

He continued to scream wildly, so loud that the pack could hear his throat split apart. The bane lashed his chains madly at the bodies, reducing them to an unrecognizable pile of gore.

He's gone insane.

"I'm going in!" screamed Reyna as she ran straight for the enraged demon.

"GET BACK HERE! REYNA!"

Blake turned around to face the incoming human, whipping his chains against the ground. Reyna focused on the blades as they crushed the street with every blow, not once slowing down. With all his might, Blake lashed both his arms in her direction, quickly followed by his chains. Reyna dodged both, grazing her shoulder in the process.

"SNAP THE FUCK OUT OF IT DAYTON!"

With everything she had left in her, she dashed straight towards his chest, slamming him shoulder first. Blake had the wind knocked out of him, falling a few feet from Reyna who was now on the ground, struggling to get back on her feet.

His eyes regained colour as he got back up, clenching his teeth as the bones made their way back inside.

He gasped as the blades sunk back into his chest, the two gaping holes patching up rapidly. All the while, Blake didn't even utter a word. His arms trembled as he stared at the ground on all fours, eyes wide from pain. A few moments later, the sounds stopped.

His gaze shifted to the girl who was on the ground now, brandishing a sawed-off shotgun aimed right for his head.

Slowly, Blake brought himself back up. He limped over to Reyna who rose to her feet, trembling as she leaned on the wall next to her.

"Thank you," he whispered through his coarse voice. He didn't even look at her, his dead crimson eyes choosing to stare at the ground instead.

"About that," she replied, holstering her gun.

Blake raised his eyes to look at Reyna, and ended up staring at her wounded form. Blood trickled down her sleeves, leaving a trail of red on her jumper as she clamped the gash down with her palm. She looked like she would fall any minute, the older of the wounds adding to her misery.

"I think I'll need a hand," she said, trying to crack a smile.

For a few moments, he stared at Reyna, not knowing what to make of her reaction. Without another word, Blake walked right past her, cutting through the pack as swiftly as possible. Rivulets of steam rose over his wounds as they started healing slowly.

Monster.

"BLAKE!"

He didn't want any of it, losing the people who loved him, hurting the ones who cared. This wasn't the first time he was breaking the promise. Yet it was the one thing that he longed to keep the most.

"Are you a monster Blake?" echoed the voice of a seven-year old girl.

"No."

"Will you break our promise again?"

"No. Never again."

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