- Prologue -
One calm windy spring night, the trees stood still, like the air itself was afraid to move. The animals fled in fear, they could feel it. Yet an old farmer sat on his porch not budging, unknowing what he would witness, unknowing his fate.
The farmer looks to be in his mid 70's yet built like a rock, with a mindset to match, Hard headed to put it lightly, always with a double barrel in hand. He was always ready to put down anything that messed with his animals. He's killed more wolves, coyotes, foxes than he could count, but on this night, this predator, to say they are not on the same level is to say a tree and a flower are the same.
Around this time of year, the old man is in mourning. It's the anniversary of the death of the love of his life. He lost her to cancer, so he isn't in the best mood. Even the kids that live across the field leave him alone, it doesn't help that he was in Afghanistan 3 times during active duty, he lost friends, came home alone the third time and brought the shrapnel with him.
"Nice night isn't it Lucy"
The old man said aloud in a calm voice while looking at the old shotgun, then the man barely saw a glare out of the corner of his right eye in the field, he had the sensation to jump to the floor. If he had PTSD from the war he might've but the only thing that sets him off his loud sounds he was never pinned by a sniper in the war. At first he had the thought that it was a neighboring kid pulling a prank but the glare never reappeared even though he was looking right where the glare came from like a mirror.
It appeared in front of the old man, like a bad dream. Unbelievable, that's the only though that went though the old man's head, but then the shadow spoke in a stern voice without a trace of compassion
"Leave or die insect"
The man was stumped not a word would come out of his mouth he couldn't move, with all that combat that experience, it meant nothing in the face of this evil. The man raised his gun and fired in a panic both barrels but to the mans surprise they went through like a mist, it grabbed the gun, so strong, thought the old man as he couldn't pull the gun back no matter how hard he tried it was over 6'5, it looked down on him like a ant in the grass. It opened its mouth to speak but said nothing. Then one hand broke the shotgun in half, like it was a mere twig.
"Put him with food storage"
The shadow said with no hesitation, who was it speaking to? The soldiers then appeared out of the dark, with some type of rifles in hand they then replied
"Yes my lord, should we tell the workers to go ahead and start?"
The shadow then answered just before it vanished
"Start the preparation, secure the area. No Blood until it is finished"
"You heard lord Zenis, secure the food I will secure a perimeter, then we will bring out what workers we have to unload the equipment and start digging"
The old man was still paralyzed in fear, in a cold sweat wondering what just happened, he only could understand them when they spoke directly to him. To him their voices were not a voice at all, more of a vibration or a click, an annoying sound like a strange whistle.
secure the site? The man thought to him self.
your not taking my home! the home me and my wife built together, the house my kids grew up in, and with a battle cry he shouted
"DIE MONSTER!"
unsheathing his knife from his belt he went straight for one of the creatures neck he felt the blade enter, it was a clean hit, dark blue blood gushed out of the wound
"your gonna have to try harder than that"
the creature said in a calm voice before grabbing the mans hand with a crushing grip and removing the knife. The wound healed in seconds with black mist around it, only the blood remained
in the blink of an eye the stock of the other soldiers rifle hit the old man strait in the nose knocking him unconscious.
The soldier wipes the blood off his neck and without a word grabs the man by the feet and drags him to there food storage on the ship while the other secures the area
They will now have to let all the animals on the farm go, while the workers start construction and bring equipment out. They only have a few years before their main fleet arrives with the rest of the army along with the lord of their clan. The shadow, shadows are one of the highest "evolution" you can obtain as a Xerankari.
When Zenis arrives Despair will follow….