Moonless - The Eternal Night

Prologue

A huge, flaming ball, that's how they described it to him, hanging in a sky of bright blue, escorted by white cotton clouds, bathing everything in light and warmth. Beautiful. That's how it must have been. The sun. Stories about the sun. They had always been his favorite. But he loved the other stories too. The ones about the time when this world was still whole. When it belonged to them. Not the creatures, but the humans.

His father was a stoic man of earthly nature; he had little patience for dreams, as for him, only actions mattered. And yet, even this hardened adult with the tough face and wild brown hair had a glimmer in his eyes when listening to the elders' tales. A glow. One that never showed itself otherwise. Not when he looked at his wife, or his son; no, this glow was reserved solely for the stories. The only thing left from the previous world. And on his deathbed, Orion promised him to restore this glow to the people. This was the destiny he chose for himself. To give something that had long been lost. Hope. Light.

Orion turned to his men, the soft rustling of their clothing silenced as he faced the group. Warriors. Soldiers. Born into a fight, a fate none of them had chosen voluntarily, for them, there was only the battle or death. Or, worse, slavery.

They looked up to him. Even those who were taller than him. Many of them were young, barely leaving behind the softness of youth; among them, the older ones stood out. Veterans of many battles, their faces adorned with scars. More than he had himself. Stark differences, illuminated by their glow sticks, a faint, greenish light, just enough to recognize them but not too bright to lose the protection of darkness.

Despite the different ages, the varying sizes, different features, their eyes were the same. Directed at him. Gleaming with loyalty and trust. In him. With hope.

Doubts that had been gnawing at him ever so lightly, he had barely noticed, receded from him, replaced by determination. By strength. Tonight, they would slay the Duke, free his slaves, and eliminate a powerful ally of the vampire coven. It would be the first real blow against the overpowering darkness since the last coup attempt one hundred twelve years ago.

Those before him, the owners of those glowing eyes, more magnificent than any light that existed in this forsaken world, were his stars in the night. His men. His brothers in arm. "Today, it begins."

This moment called for a great speech. But Orion was not a man of great speeches. He was a man of firm nods, his hand closed around the UV stick, the strongest weapon against Gargoyles and vampires, and lowered his chin.

They followed suit, reaching for their weapons, not firearms, not swords, but also UV light, the last remnants of the sun that remained to them. Almost impossible to obtain, these things were highly regulated and controlled, but if you knew who to ask, anything was possible.

Knowing that his back was covered by every single one of these soldiers, Orion turned away and led his men onward.

Plants softly crackled under his boots. Even they were different from those in the stories. Infected by the power of eternal night, which had changed them, like it had changed so much else.

Carefully, they stalked through thorny undergrowth, where a narrow path had been cleared, thanks to their contact.

Few guards were positioned over the grounds surrounding the estate, and Orion knew the position of each one of them, while cameras played a loop of nothingness, a slight manipulation by their allies outside the rebellion; no one would hear or see them coming. Even the wind was on their side, carrying the scent of the soldiers away from the estate; none of the Duke's pets would smell them.

The Duke was known for his obsession with shifters; as far as Orion had heard, he owned several stuffed specimens of rare animals, and he even ate their flesh and kept many as guard dogs.