The Riddle of Dark

Chapter One: Primal

             I see his piercing blue eyes every time I sleep. Savage. Burning. Insane.

             His presence causes me great unease, filling me with a sense of dreadful longing. I am afraid to see him again, but it feels as if I am being pulled towards the darkness of his soul. Part of me wants to reach into that blackness, to touch what could eventually be my own downfall. The mention of his name tenses my body, as if an icy hand caresses the back of my neck and slowly passes down my back, as invisible lips barely touch my ears, whispering dark secrets to my soul. Sweat begins to form upon my body; cool droplets upon my face, down the small of my back. It is as if I am standing naked in the cold wind, the icy fingers touching enough to cause feelings of dread, but to also deliver just the slightest tinge of excitement. The fear is primal, untamed; my dreams are becoming the same, if not more so. There is a fine threshold between fear, and of passion. Both exhibit that all-consuming grasp over the senses, bringing about the most animalistic of responses from within.

             I fear that perhaps I am being seduced by the darkness.

 --=}-*-{=--

             The town hall of New Malstron, much like the rest of the city, was not a completed structure as of yet, but it was functional. That did not make a difference to the citizens of the city on this particular evening. After the guerilla assault by the K'Yrrel earlier, Prince Baptiste himself had called an emergency meeting. While close to a hundred or so citizens managed to squeeze into the modest building that night, there were at least twice as many that had surrounded it and were attempting look inside. Even more still remained in their homes, still in a state of shock after the attack by the spider-men, and fearing the prospect of a second assault. While everyone else in the house was attempting to get into the meeting, or at least find out what was going on, Natalie elected to stay and do something she had not done in a long time. In the darkness of Mei-Lynn’s new domicile, Natalie found herself balled up on her friend’s couch, crying her eyes out.

             She honestly could not recall a time she had been so scared in all of her life. Even the events that had brought her to Haven seemed so distant, and she had been so young when it happened… it had taken some time for the realization to sink in, but Natalie knew and realized that she could have died tonight. No matter how highly she thought of her skills, even she had to acknowledge that being unarmed against two K’Yrrel would have been fatal under normal circumstances. Just thinking about what had almost happened sent a chill down the young woman’s spine; she began to cry once more.

             Why did Kaiser Dark save her? She was grateful for the act, but it still made no sense to her why a man that had been terrorizing the region would choose to save one of its inhabitants. He could have easily let her die- hell, he could have probably helped- yet he chose to kill the creature instead of letting it shed her blood. Natalie felt another chill as she remembered his eyes, intense, enigmatic, like a flame that had been frozen mid-sway. She remembered his kiss, and she remembered his words. “I lay claim to my prize,” she repeated within the empty apartment. She tensed, as if a cold hand had just brushed the very back of her neck. There was suddenly a sound outside of the apartment door, immediately bringing Natalie out of her trance. There was a shuffling of keys, and a moment later the wooden door creaked open, heralding the return of Mei-Lynn, Kobi, and Darren. With a quick motion Natalie managed to wipe her face, and with her other hand undo her hair, which fell from its normal ponytail into a mass of dark strands. She was surprised, however, to see that it was only Mei-Lynn that had returned. The young lady paused as she took a look at Natalie. “How are you feeling?” she wondered, closing and locking the door behind her.

             “I… I just woke up,” Natalie explained, turning away slightly. Mei-Lynn nodded slowly and didn’t say a word. After removing her shoes at the doorway like she would do back home and setting them next to Natalie’s boots, she glided over to the couch and took a seat next to her. “Um… what happened to Darren and Kobi?” Natalie asked, looking about the room.

             Mei-Lynn shrugged. “A couple of the citizens are helping keep watch tonight,” she explained. “You know those two had to volunteer.” She turned her attention back to Natalie, who turned away slightly as she felt Mei-Lynn’s eyes on her. The Evandalian leaned in a little closer. “Are you sure you’re ok?” she quietly asked.

             Natalie nodded slowly. “I’m fine. Really.”

             Mei-Lynn quietly smiled as she stood to her feet. “All right, then.” She turned to go towards her room. “I’m going to bed, but if you want to talk about anything…”

             “Thanks.”