The World Beyond the Shadows: Prologue

Devon jolted into painful consciousness. Every inch of his body screamed. Deep lacerations covered him from head to toe. One leg was broken, jutting out unnaturally from his pant leg. His breathing was labored. Each inhalation carried a strong smell of earth and blood. The frigid fall air transformed his breath into small vapor clouds that hovered over his face for half a second before vanishing.

Devon slowly opened his eyes. He could only make out blurred silhouettes. He blinked a few times and his vision slowly sharpened. It was night. He tried to sit up but pain overpowered his efforts. Wincing, he turned his head. Devon let out an anguished cry as he recognized the almond shaped eyes of his 10 year old sister, Leela, staring lifelessly back at him, encircled in a pool of her own blood. With great effort he rolled onto his stomach and pulled his mangled body over to her. He touched her bloody cheek, and placed his finger over her lips, hoping for a confirmation of life. Nothing. He had failed. All these years as her guardian and it was over. She was dead.

Hot tears blurred his vision. Overcome with grief and weakened from his injuries, his arms buckled under the weight of his pain and despair. He eased himself on to his back at Leela's side. Above, the inky black sky glittered with stars, indifferent to the carnage had just been unleashed on their small village.

Devon knew death was near. Tears streaming down his cheeks, he weakly grasped for Leela's tiny hand and interlocked his fingers in hers. "I'm...sorry...." He breathed. His eyes fell shut, hiding the dark sky and its unfeeling stars. The sensation of pain and sadness began to fade as death tugged at Devon, pulling his soul from his body. "I’m coming, Leela," He whispered.

Slap!

Death released his grip and Devon was painfully conscious once more, his left cheek stinging furiously.

Slap!

He gasped and opened his eyes, cheek stinging. Perched above him was a woman in black robes, arm raised for a third slap, but hastily lowered at the sight of the rudely revived Devon.

“Oh, good!” She exclaimed, relief washing over face, “I’m not too late!”

Her concerned jade eyes locked anxiously onto his. Her face was pale, framed by thick brown curls that were tucked under a black hooded robe with a few stray locks dangling in front of her face. She had strange faintly glowing blue marking across the left side of her face and ran down her neck.

Anger flashed in Devon's eyes. In a burst of strength his arm shot up and he grabbed her throat and squeezed. "You!" He yelled. "You're one of them! I'll kill you!" A flash of panic crossed the woman's face but quickly dissipated as Devon's arm went slack and fell weakly to his side, unable exert even the slightest force. He resigned himself to angrily glaring at her, who or whatever she was.

"I’m not what I seem, I swear! You must believe me. Devon, we don't have much time- do you want to stop the monsters that murdered your family?" she asked.

He winced in pain as his attempt to laugh failed. "How? Woman, you are mad! I’m dying! I’m not in any state for vengeance." Devon wheezed.

"I can save you!" She insisted, looking anxiously left to right, then back at Devon. “Please, we don't have much time, hear me out!"

Devon struggled to make sense of this bizarre situation. In the last two days his parents were killed someone-or something, dark and strange--not human, that appeared after dusk, accompanied by a handful of robed and marked people like the woman crouched at his side. The following night “it” came back for Devon and his baby sister, Leela.

Now he was being assaulted by a strange woman, trying to enlist him fight, when his broken body clearly showed death was the only thing he was capable of, now.

"How?!”Devon asked angrily. Do you not see the state of my body!? I'm beyond repair!"

"I have a remedy." She whispered, eyes nervously scanning the surrounding area. "When you drink it you will die and then return, stronger and more powerful than a normal man. You will join others like you with power to stop this force taking over this land." She continued, "Hurry! You need to decide quickly! We're running out of time! Do you want to avenge your family? Your sister? Or do you want to die a useless death and leave thousands to experience the same fate?" He eyed her skeptically, then turned his head once more to face Leela. His eyes stung with fresh tears the sight of her lifeless body.

"No," He choked. "I'll do it. Give me your drink."

Relief flickered across the woman’s face. She shot a pale hand into a pouch around her waist, fumbled around until her fingers wrapped around a cold, clear vial with a glowing blue liquid. She whipped it out, hurriedly popped the lid and held it to Devon's lips. She tilted the bottle and poured the potion into his mouth. The liquid was cold and sweet. It made Devon’s mouth tingle as it passed his tongue and flowed down his throat. He turned to look at Leela one last time. In a few seconds Leela’s face, the world and its pains faded once more. Devon was dead.