Chereads / Xera / Chapter 3 - Night of the Black Star

Chapter 3 - Night of the Black Star

Kilmen's world falls apart. All he loves has been taken from him.

Under a bright moon, with the cover of darkness, an immortal stands before him.

Kilmen looks the creature in the eyes, anger covers his face. The Kilmen that had been locked away for so long comes forth.

Kilmen speaks with hate in his eyes, voice, and body Kilmen asks the creature.

"Why would I make a deal with the devil?"

Every part of him wanted to move and kill this monster, he wanted to take from them what they took from him. He swears to himself. If he makes it out alive he will kill as many as he can.

Kilmen, full of rage, spoke out loud again before the creature could speak

"I'll kill you all. All you monsters need to die…"

It interrupts Kilmen and speaks softly with contradiction in it voice like it was mocking Kilmen

"Are they really any worse than you? Kilmen Obice."

Kilmen's face fills with shock, not able to comprehend the fact it knows his full name.

'Does it know what I've done?' Kilmen asks himself while looking at the ground and the holes in his gut and barely any feeling in his body.

Kilmen looks back up and notices It's smiling. It's sharp teeth showing, they are all canines. Except for 4 of them, they're longer and sharper. There's 2 on the top where the human canines would be. The 2 teeth on the bottom were in the same spot but these were shorter and seemed to fit around the 2 on the top.

The creature speaks with a proud deep tone

"That's exactly the kind of attitude you need, The kind of man I need. One that will kill as many monsters as you can and grow stronger while doing it. I want to take your anger and aim it. I want to give you power, but with power comes sacrifice. With sacrifice comes at the cost of a life"

Kilmen responded quickly

"What life is that? mine?"

The creature found the human's self-sacrifice humorous.

'These humans wasted so much of their planet's life span doing nothing while the Xerankari were brought into existence due to us doing the opposite?'

The creature thought to itself but quickly erased the thoughts from it's mind.

It looks back at Kilmen with a super serious look and spoke with truth In it's voice

"Kilmen I have been alive for over 672 years, I have witnessed and fought in countless battles, wars and exterminations."

Kilmen looked at the creature's now physical body. The hard black scales are covered in scars. 100's, maybe 1000's of cuts. Kilmen once heard of a ritual while he was overseas in Asia. Death by 1000 cuts. This creature must have experienced something similar.

The creature looks to the right, out the window into the dark, then continues speaking

"The Venarii Clan, They are the enemy of your enemy. I have not fed in 50 years. We are the opposite of all they stand for. Kilmen, we fight for Humans and so will you"

The creature brings its face closer while it looks Kilmen right in the eyes and speaks with its heart

"End this nightmare we brought on ourselves."

The creature then looks at the palm of it's hand. It was almost an X shape, but moving from the middle like it was alive. From the center of the X you could see black mist and an endless abyss.

Kilmen, barely clinging to life, closes his eyes knowing he is fading away. He thinks back to that last dinner with his wife and son, wishing he could see his baby be born. Wishing he could see Oliver grow up and have kids.

A tear runs down Kilmen's eye, the pain of loss strikes his heart, all the suppressed emotions from his whole life come to the surface

Kilmen feels a hand grab him by the mouth palm over his mouth he feels the mist going down his throat.

Kilmen's eyes open wide with surprise. The color changing in his eyes from brown and green to glowing blood red, Kilmen feels the power enter his body.

The creatures speak one last time

"My memories are now your memories, we are now one. Save your family, save the earth. You now have eternity and infinity on your side"

The creature body turns back into the black mist know as 'Xera' and enters Kilmen's body

A sharp pain starts in Kilmen's body, the pain of 'the Change'. His organs felt like they were being dissolved by acid from the inside.

He felt like everything in his body was moving by force. It felt as though this went on for an eternity. Kilmen's vision blurs, ears ring, for him the pain was too much, as it is for everyone.

Everything went black for Kilmen.

2 months later…

Kilmen awakes in shock. He grabs his stomach in a panic looking for the wounds wonder what it was that happened to him and more importantly his wife and son

Kilmen reaches up to his mouth and feels his teeth. As his finger meets his tooth it cuts his finger like a Sharp Knife.

Kilmen looks around the house, it's all still broken so it was no dream, although he wishes it was, he sees a broken picture frame with a picture of Himself, his wife and his son he takes the photo out of the broken glass, folds it and puts it in his back pocket

Kilmen grabs his black jacket and throws it on. He picks up his holster and straps it around his dark blue jeans on his right leg, and attaches it to his belt.

He reaches up and grabs the 1911 out of the top of the wardrobe and slides it into its holster, perfect fit. He then grabs the 2 spare mags. He has exactly 22, .45 bullets for his 1911. After a weapons and equipment check he heads out the front door.

He walks out into the yard and notices, nothing looks the same. Houses half burnt down or still burning, bodies still in the street.

'No one came to clean up bodies? Their families didn't want to bury them? What would make people leave their loved ones' bodies in the street for the vultures?'

Kilmen's sight has improved; He can see even though it's dark out. Kilmen spots some people gathering around a barrel fire yelling and talking. As he starts to walk towards the group of people one of them spots him.

The man calls out to his group as soon as he sees Kilmen

"Hey boys we got us a pretty boy, bet he has a bunch of goods for us"

Kilmen interrupts the man

"I have nothing for you I just want to pass in peace"

For a man in his mid 30's, Kilmen was a good looking guy. His hair, although some grey on the sides, was cut short . The top of his hair was black and about an inch or two longer on top but is combed over to the side. His now glowing blood red eyes seemed to complement the grey and black hair.

His eyes put fear into many of the hearts present.

"What's wrong with your eyes man they're red"

One of the other men yells out

"He's one of them! One of the Demons!"

All the men at the campfire turn towards Kilmen with hateful and angry looks on their faces.

As all the men raise their weapons, Kilmen puts his hands up. He speaks to the group while looking around to see what weapons they have, and who he will have to kill first.

"I just wanna pass, no one has to die today."

There were about 6 of them in total. One of the bandits walks out, Kilmen quickly determines that this man is the leader of the group. The man had a bandana on his head sideways and a mustache. He wore black pants and a white tee shirt under a vest, almost looking like a biker, although all the other bandits had more casual clothing on.

The bandit leader finally speaks to Kilmen in a cocky tone.

"You're the only one that's gonna die today, freak."

The leader pulls out a Glock 17 while he walks up to Kilmen who is still slightly holding his hands up.

Kilmen, knowing he might need to draw his gun, starts to lower his hands but the leader brings his glock up in response.

Kilmen was forced to put his hands back up. 'I'm not faster than a bullet.' Kilmen thinks to himself as the man stands in front of him with a glock pointing at Kilmen from about 15 meters away.

Kilmen finally speaks after realizing the danger.

"What's going on here anyway, where is everyone?"

The bandit leader is speechless and confused.

Then the bandit leader finds his words and responds in an irritated and angry tone.

"The same thing that is gonna happen to you if you don't fuck off."

Kilmen's face filled with anger, he looks around at the other bandits.

Most of the 6 looked away in fear as their gaze met Kilmens.

The leader's finger meets the trigger of the glock. Most glocks have a two step trigger as a safety, so a slow pull is required for an accurate shot.

Kilmen's eyes watching the leader's finger pull the trigger, it all slowed down. He could see the slide rock back on the glock. The muzzle flash of the barrel. The empty brass leaving the chamber.

Watching the bullet move closer and closer speeding up more and more. He barely moves his head out of the way to avoid a headshot.

Kilmen could see it all, but he couldn't move fast enough.

The bullet hits Kilmen in the front of the throat. He feels it break through layer after layer of skin, then muscle, and then the top of his spine; back out the other side. The blood filled his mouth and throat.

Kilmen falls back and hits the ground with a thud. Like a plank of wood that was knocked over by the wind.

His blood, now blue, pools around him. The smell of gunpowder fills the air and the sonic crack of the gunshot echos out into the dark.

One of the men screams out in panic.

"Ferals!!! Run for your lives!!!

Everyone panics, fear fills their eyes and hearts.

screeching hisses Echoes throughout the neighborhood.