Darksun - Volume 1: Neco'ma

Prologue

Los Angeles –

The City of Angels at night can be a dangerous place, although no one really pays attention to any of that unless it involves a drunken pop star or a gangland shoot out. While the media is distracted by the glorified triumphs and tragedies of daily life, it gives the perfect opportunity for those that lurk in the shadows to sneak around without being noticed by even the cops. Hidden in one of the forgotten corners of Hollywood boulevard, far from the lights, the infamous walk of fame, and the piercing glares of every individual passing through the streets, waits a hooded figure huddled near a graffitied dumpster. The darkness protects his anonymity, his identity, and his reputation, but fate seems to have alternative plans for him.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from behind him, and a girl sprints frantically and hurls herself at an exit door that backs onto the alleyway. He couldn't understand what the commotion was about but he could read her body language. Judging by her desperate attempt to open the door, shouting for help and the tears flowing down her delicate face, he could tell she was trembling with fear, and clearly in trouble.

Her fear escalated with the presence of a group of young men who arrived from across the other side of the alleyway. The loner quickly pieced together that she was running from them.

One of them grinned menacingly at her, 'hey come on chica, we were only gonna have some fun.'

The girl shrieked back, 'NO! Don't come any closer! Leave me alone, I'll call the cops, HELP ME!'

As the gang creeps closer, the loner saw one of the men reach for her neck. At first, he didn't want to get involved, but he felt obliged to protect her from them. He took out from his pockets what looked like a pair of broken umbrella handles. Only once he put one in each hand, the concealed blades hidden from their hollow casings instantly sprang out.

The loner had finally had enough. He raced towards the gang and threw himself at inhuman speed, his right leg straightening into a kick directly to the thug's stomach, pushing him back to a wall, knocking him unconscious.

All but one of the gang members ran straight back to their cars, 'you're gonna pay you little sonova bitch!' The last thug went into a frenzy and started to attack the loner, unaware that the loner, despite his appearance was faster and stronger than him, avoiding and anticipating his every move.

Finally, the loner had the upper hand. He grabbed the thug's throat, and with one of his concealed daggers, he stabbed him in the right side of his chest. The man screamed in agony as he felt the dagger slip from the puncture wound as he slowly started to bleed out.

'Who? What are you? Some kind of freak?' the man yelled to his tormentor.

The loner finally spoke to his victim, 'you want to know what I am?' He paused, with his victim still tightly in his grip. He slowly eyed the thug, 'I am the being that can strike fear into your corrupted heart. I have been given many names over the years, one being the Angel of Death, but I will tell you my name.'

'Are you gonna kill me?' the thug asked, trembling before him.

'No, you'll live - but when I'm done with you, you'll wish I had killed you instead.' Suddenly, the thug saw the loner's eyes for the first time, a strange set of eyes that look like the eyes of a cat but with a shade of purple. He then saw the white sclera turn black, as ash coloured tears flowed down his face. The purple irises began to glow, the thug's head was ringing with the screams of the victims he had tormented in the past.

'Please! Make them stop!' he pleaded but it fell onto deaf ears.

The loner answered aggressively, 'for your sins you will hear their screams. You didn't stop when they screamed at you! You will forever be blinded by your guilt!'

The thug's pain grew worse as he felt his eyes burning and then his tears began to turn black, his eyes growing dark and hollow. As the loner dropped the thug helplessly to the ground he declared, 'my name is... Darksun.'

As the thug continued to bleed, Darksun's eyes returned to their normal shade of purple as he finished off with the phrase, 'remember it well.'

The girl didn't run from the scene but she hid from their sight and had heard everything. As she stepped out, she saw the two thugs on the ground; one sitting near the wall unconscious and the other bleeding out in pain, his eyes blackened enough to render him blind. The selfless vigilante who had saved her was nowhere to be found.

'Thank you... wherever you are,' she whispered.

Unknown to her, the warrior watches afar on the rooftops, knowing she is safe and a satisfaction fills him. For now, he remains concealed but his presence has struck fear.