Dark Faïz ( Book 1 ) [ COMPLETED]

Chapters 4-3

I tried to assimilate all this information, trying to understand this legend that literally terrified me. Despite all this, I could hardly believe it. Myth were just myths. The irrational has no place in the real world. I still ventured to ask questions that burned my lips.

— "And Faïz? What is his role? Why The Black Shadow?"

— "For a long time now, the secret services of each nation have been trying to find a solution to oust this evil that threatens our planet. They have hidden from the whole world the existence of this hunter, who came to destroy our Earth and to create his own kingdom in the midst of chaos. The idea of creating powerful beings, with faculties above normal in order to one-day defeat this evil force, gradually sprang up in their minds."

— "Faïz," I said in a barely audible whisper, understanding what he was.

— "In the greatest of secrets, experiments on human beings began to be carried out everywhere. Leaders of countries around the world turned a blind eye to atrocious practices. They played God, hijacking genetics to create monsters in turn. Us! You have probably already heard about the Nazi or CIA experiences in the 1950s with processes that included many drugs, including LSD. This is not unlike Israel's O.M.R. project. The country wanted to create a vaccine against any bacteriological threat. These are just a few examples that have come to light today, but they are only the tip of the iceberg."

I finally sat down. Dizziness suddenly took hold of my body. He took a breath before continuing.

— "In a Washington orphanage, thirteen children of all ages were selected in 1946, including my father, Harry, who was only six years old at the time, to serve as guinea pigs for experimental purposes. For four months, the researchers, but also chemists, tested different biological components on these kids to make them perfect beings. They were immunized against all genetic alterations likely to cause future health problems over time, contagious or not. At the end of the program, five of them died from serious health complications. The scandal about what was happening at the orphanage finally broke out several months later and was revealed to the general public. The authorities had no choice but to close the facility. Everything that was the origin of this macabre project, from near and far, were judged. Some were sentenced to prison terms of varying degrees. Others committed suicide or took refuge in drugs and alcohol, unable to cope with the atrocity they had inflicted on their fellow human beings, who were only children. For the damage suffered, the American government pledged to donate more than six million dollars to help these children who survived this hell. When he came of age, my father received his entire fortune. In his misfortune, the experiments worked for him. Gradually, it was noticed that his strength was increasing tenfold. He could break a concrete wall without effort. His gestures were fast, his fighting technique infallible. A group of eight soldiers with incredible gifts became the future of a people, the Leviathans. My father grew up like this, preparing himself to respond to the commitment for which he had been conditioned, and the evil he would have to face one day, without knowing its name.

Nevertheless, he tried to build as ordinary a life as possible. He married my mother, Gladys, and with the sweat of his brow and the financial support he received, he built one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world today. Seeking antidotes—cures—has always been his main objective. I was born a few years later. In my first years of life, my father realized that I had inherited his genes, having the same physical potential and gift as him. He decided to put his own strength in the service of the citizens, do good and help the police in their investigations. My father fought the traveler for five years: The Maestro, though it's not his real name. He was very close to defeating it when he lost his wife, my mother. I was only five years old. She sacrificed herself to save what she believed in: life. My father sent this demon out of our world, but he promised to come back even stronger in the coming decades. I grew up with very different ideas from his, hating who I was. So I distanced myself from this destiny, which I refused. Over the years, our relationship deteriorated. My father, refusing to understand my choices, decided to disinherit me from all the property that should be mine, as well as from the position of President of Trac-World. It was in this passage of my dark life that I met Lily. She saved what was still human in me. We had Faïz and then Victoria. Faïz was, in turn, a victim of our genetic code, which is apparently transmitted to male descendants. Victoria was spared. My father and Faïz were inseparable. They loved spending time together. Since his birth, an invisible bond linked them. On my side I tried to set boundaries between the two, but Faïz looked so much like my father and there was nothing I could do about it. The same spirit, the duty to do justice. Except that unlike my father, my son has a large part of shadow in him, unstable. He is impulsive, which is not compatible with the basic spirit of Leviathans. Before he died, my father gave Faïz his inheritance. Next year, so my son will be at the head of Trac-World, and a billionaire. He's also heir to a battle he will have to wage against The Maestro. I have hoped with all my soul that this fight will not take place for several centuries, when we are no longer there to see it. But since the end of the summer, there have been phenomena that cannot be explained, with people falling victim to spontaneous combustion, terrorist attacks, more and more Banshees manifesting themselves, indicating that evil is back among us. The Maestro has gone to Hell to get his black dog back. He is now more powerful than ever. The prophecy speaks of this last war between good and evil in the Callis, a universal, holy book, given to us by celestial beings only eighteen years ago. Faïz will show you. This book is safe, in a place not far from here."

— "What does the Callis say about how to destroy The Maestro?"

— "We have to find the tomb where the traveler is buried. The clues are very vague. Deciphering these ancient writings is quite complicated, which does not help things. Only one person is authorized to do so, a prophetess. For the rest of us, it's an almost empty book. However, he refers to two dogs, Gurt and Meriden, whose role is to protect this divinity."

— "We have an idea where to look for the tomb?"

— "No, not really." Charles sighed, looking so vulnerable.