What's Done in the Dark (Part 1)

Cher eventually awoke in a bed that wasn't hers. Jerking her body in a sitting motion, caused her head to spin dizzily, her hand cradling her head as she began to get her bearings. The room was dark and uninviting, as if whoever owned the room itself, was unwilling to share its interior secrets. However, when her eyes turned towards the abnormally large gothic styled window, her breath had been stolen away by the sheer beauty of the garden that seemed to span for miles. As the moon hung over the garden, bioluminescent flowers of indigo, red, and white showered the grass with bright splashes of color. A brilliant looking waterfall stood to the right of a cliff side that connected to a lake that sparkled like diamonds. Cher never knew such a magnificent place could exist in a world built so heavily around technology and alchemy powered machinery and vehicles.

"It would seem like you're enjoying the view." admired a dark voice from within the shadows of the rooms.

Cher whirled around from the window fast. Through the dark and terrifying shadows of the bedroom, appeared a red eye. And from this red eye, a series of heavy footsteps struck the hard wooden floor. As the figure stepped into the pale moonlight, the scientist was in the presence of...a beast? A man? Cher didn't know exactly who she was looking at, but she couldn't deny the intense feeling of lethal bloodlust.

But as her head began to become clearer, Cher began to figure out who had spoken to her.

It's… Lord Masahiro. she gasped internally, as her mouth couldn't form the words she wanted to say.

Lord Masahiro was a man of legend and myths. She long heard rumors and stories of the Big Three from those who she knew quite well and from eavesdropping on conversations at the local bar and in the streets. But standing in front of the actual figurehead was an experience she couldn't believe would ever happen. The Kabuki mask had fully been removed, revealing a strong and surprisingly gorgeous face, with sharp almond shaped eyes, one of which was covered by a black eye patch with an intricate looking golden pattern, and a sharp nose. His mouth traced the ghost of a smile. He now wore a cranberry red suit, finely pressed and creased, completely void of wrinkles, and a black tie. Matching his suit were a set of fingerless gloves on his large, yet well manicured hands.

I need to get out of here! Cher shouted within her own head, before realizing she couldn't move her body willingly.

"The moon is beautiful tonight. Isn't it, Dr. Harrison?"

Cher gasped, as she felt her skin run cold, as a large hand and a set fingertips descended on her cheek. How did he accurately assume what she was thinking? However, it wasn't until Lord Masahiro removed his hand and stood in front of the window to look at the garden, did he began to speak again.

“The world we live has neither perfect happiness, joy, or life.”

What is he talking about? Cher asked, as she found herself listening intently to the strange words he was speaking.

" 'This world once belonged to the Wolves. And Man became their messengers.' Those are the words told by the Oracle of Wolves."

"Wolves. You know about them?" Cher managed to ask.

He seems to know something about Tazuna. Or at least, the implications of their existence. Cher thought to herself. If he does know something, I will never forgive myself if I let this opportunity slip by.

Lord Masahiro sauntered down the hallway, the moonlight plastering the walls and floor with a pale glow. As Cher walked at a respectable distance behind him, she stopped in her tracks. Spanning over the entirety of the wall on her left, was a glorious, art nouveau portrait of the whimsical mural. A Wolf howled on a ledge. Below this ledge were tens of thousands of, what appeared to be, human hands, reaching and struggling to find their freedom. The background resembled the Northern Lights, as detailed depictions of other animals ranging from domestic to wild, could be seen within the confinements of these lights.

"The Northern Lights." Cher spoke, as she reached up to graze her fingertips over the painting. "So the rumors about them are true."

"Because of the Spirits that resided in the Northern Lights, caused a shift in the world that couldn't be reversed." Lord Masahiro explained, as he stood beside Cher. "Just their very existence cursed the future of the world's inhabitants."

"I've only heard of the Northern Lights only one other time before. Being a scientist, I've never been the type to believe in things that couldn't be explained with science. But seeing as the Northern Lights had only just reappeared again, I wonder what the reason is this time."

Lord Masahiro kept his eyes on the image of the howling wolf, as if he'd been lost to the passage of time.

"Belief is often seen as strong as the person who thinks of it. Our very own, so-called 'beliefs' were eventually lost and forgotten. As if the world itself had been aware of this."

"The world seemed to cater to the animals. I've noticed this, as I've lived alongside Tazuna and his friends. When I found him, it seemed like the world had protected him. As if his bigger purpose in life had yet to have been discovered."

"And when you did so, how did it make you feel?"

"I don't know what it was I felt. Happiness? Guilt? There were emotions and feelings that I'd never been aware of. Emotions that seemed so simple to understand, had begun to feel foreign to me."

"The curse that has plagued this world has to be ridden of. Only then, will we be able to search for our own paradise. Because in the end, it was the Wolves who altered humanity and destroyed paradise in their efforts to create their own."

"Is that what being speculated now? It feels like I've been living in another type of paradise. A separate, yet strange, type of comfort with Tazuna."

"It doesn't matter how many changes you make or decisions you decide, the world never bends to the will of a mere human. Unless you're willing to betray your own beliefs."

Lord Masahiro left the conversation on a cryptic note and continued walking down the hall, leaving Cher to ponder over the words of the strange aristocrat.

Lord Masahiro walked into a large room, a large plexiglass lidded coffin positioned in front of a stained glass window. Cher gasped audibly, her hand instinctively covering her mouth, as understandable shock crossed her face. The glass lid coffin was made of expensive quality, gold trimmings. Several fluid and IV tubes, drips, and plugs surrounded the piece of oversized furniture. However, it wasn't the physical representation of the coffin that caused the scientist to be mortified with shock. Inside the coffin, her widened eyes fell upon a corpse.