Days of Darkness: Awakening

Chapter 15: Comprehending the Unknown

Back at the lab, Diamond and Cyris spent the next hour cleaning up. The encounter with the hoard of Night-stalkers left the laboratory in complete disarray. Not to mention, the battle exhausted them to the point that they could barely stand. Most of all, however, the encounter also proved that the wormhole device worked. And for that reason, they had reason to celebrate. Deep down, however, they knew that more work had to be done to get the device field ready. And while this may have been a plus in their book, one thing remained, though, that gave them pause: What exactly happened with Damien?

It was all strange to them. The electrical energy, the fiery aura that surrounded Damien - everything that he could do was anything but normal. His speed, power, and tenacity were unlike anything they had ever seen.

Diamond walked over to the wormhole device. "So," she started, "am I the only one confused even a tiny bit by what just happened? I mean, nothing about what he did was, in any way, normal or within reason."

"There are clearly forces at work here that we don't fully understand," Cyris said. He walked over to Diamond and stood next to her. "Perhaps, there's more to Damien than we initially thought."

"You think?! Who can do things like that? Who moves that fast? And his eyes – who is he? What is he?"

"He's still one of us. He's one of the Pack. That hasn't changed. The way he fought to keep us safe – how he saved your life – it shows that he fights on the side of the people with us." Cyris rested his hand on her shoulder. "Look, I'm sure Damien is trying to figure out all of this as well. God, the boy is probably scared out of his mind right now."

Diamond took a deep breath and exhaled. "I know you're right. I guess it's just my nerves are bad right now. This was all too close. I'd hate to think of what could've happened if Damien hadn't been here."

"It could've been much worse," Cyris said. "Thankfully, we managed to get out of it with only some minor cuts and some damaged equipment. This could've ended a lot differently."

At that moment, Christian walked in. "Jeez, what in the world happened in here?"

Diamond looked at Christian and answered, "The portal, Night-stalkers, Damien. Take your pick."

Christian was confused. "Come again? What happened with Damien?"

"Well, you saw him," Diamond answered.

Cyris stepped in. "It's what you both didn't see that concerns me."

Christian sat down. "What do you mean?"

"The day of the Event, I saw some things. A lot of strange and... unexplainable things." Diamond stopped what she was doing and sat next to Christian. Cyris continued, "I was there when the first Night-stalkers came through the portal. By now, that part isn't news. They ripped through everything breathing. It was sheer madness... and terror... My entire squad perished in a matter of minutes. I was only knocked out. I woke up not too long after that. Probably within minutes. And when I finally woke up, Dante was standing there. He stood right over me as he just decimated everything in his path. But this is the part I never told anyone. After he told me that the world would end, he made sure that it happened. God, I remember it all too well. Once he was done taunting me, Dante stretched out his hand. The next thing I know, the entire world was on fire. He had power unlike anything I had ever seen. Fire came straight from his hands, and he controlled it, manipulated it. It was the most terrifying thing I had ever seen. And I thought that I would never see that kind of power again – that is, until today. What I saw in Damien was so familiar, so vivid. The literal fire that came from him, the lightning-like speed that he showed, the electricity, all of it, I'm convinced, is tied to Dante in some way."