Darkest Light Chapter 1

Darkest Light

1

Darkness, complete darkness enveloped his surroundings. He cannot see a single thing after his arrival. In situations like this, it was normal for a Protectorate to be temporarily blind after the Fall, as the harsh atmospheric entry burned his retinas and even in his Angelic Form, did not even helped to protect his vision.

His first instinct was to touch the ground and feel the soil with his armored hands. Smooth ground was immediately registered in his fingertips despite of the gauntlets that covered his hands. The armor itself fed the information directly to his brain for the convenience of it. The texture was unfamiliar; it was soothing to touch. The smell of burnt asphalt waffled in his nose and the sounds of battle filled his eardrums. The sound was not composed of guns and shouting people, but of claws and inhuman roar. Koltraine opened his eyes wide enough but darkness still lingered in his eyesights like a veil. He waited for a few minutes as he stood still, hoping against the stars that no one attacks him.

He envisions the battlefield they were in. Night, darkness, scattered corpses, French citizens running around in complete terror, bloodied highway road and the Eifel Tower standing not far from them, witnessing the gory battle that happened below and around it. His vision returned back to normal and he was right. He could see law enforcers and some Humans in camouflage attire motionless on the ground. Their hearts were scooped and some of them even have missing heads. He ignored the bodies and began to move forward.

He walked in silence; the stars above him were twinkling in the night's voidness. The Protectorate did not hesitated to bring his polearm into bear as he tread across the white dusted road. He heard the rustling noise of the wind brushing against the leaves of the Quinconces planted nearby. He saw patches of grass flanking either side of the path, trimmed cleanly. Plants of different kinds also caught his attention; they were situated in the middle of those patches, sprouted upwards. Lampposts along the path provided light, illuminating the dark parts of the road. He was unsure of where he was. He caught sight of a huge pond or a river in the shape of an octagon. Unsure if it indicated a certain landmark, he ignored it and continued on

Koltraine sensed a familiar energy not far from him. His enhanced hearing also picked up a low rumbling noise. He turned about in a disciplined and quick manner to the direction of the sound. He saw a silhouette of a man lying down on the ground. He walked closely to the figure with his polearm at the ready. As he approached, he quickly lowered his weapon and rushed to the aid of a fallen Protectorate, slowly dying from his wounds.

"Brother," Koltraine called.

"Superiores," The Protectorate replied as he reached for Koltrain.

"Save your strength. Do not speak." Koltrain replied as he lifted the back of his comrade's head.

"It does not matter, sir." The Protectorate replied. By the looks of it, the wounded Protectorate was a Mark 1 like him. "They are...strong."

"Who is strong? Who are they?!" Koltraine demanded as the wounded Hybrid stared at him with dying eyes.

"The Monsters and the Demons, sir. They a-are commanded b-by a--" The Protectorate coughed and vomitted a lungful of blood before continuing. For the first time, Koltraine could see the wound of the dying soldier; a long deep laceration that exposes not only the inner circuitry of the Praetorian Battle Gear, but also the internal organs of the Protectorate, specifically the lungs. It was also punctured as well with a scar opening it up. The armor's fluids had already spilled onto his wounds but failed to heal him. The self-repair unit of the armor itself had already failed hours ago and Koltrainecould feel it. He let the Protectorate speak. He needed the information he knew and he cannot let him die with it. Realizing he was past saving, he snatched the golden cross holstered on the Protectorate's thigh and placed it on his hands; a tradition the Enochian Guards do before dying.

"They are commanded by a Fallen Angel."

"Yes," Koltrain nods. "I see, brother." He paused. "Will you tell me where I am currently?"

The dying Protectorate used his remaining strength to pass an information unto him mentally. Both their skull ached for a moment; Koltraine winced in pain as he suffered in silence. As the pain dissipated, the Protectorate had already passed away. He stood up and whispered, "Rest in peace, Brother Blazestorm."

Koltraine walked away from the corpse with a metaphorical empty hole in his heart. Seeing a brother die also kills a part of him. Maybe it's because of the fact that he was the very first Protectorate in existence and it made him their de facto patriarch? Of all the Protectorates in conscripted service, he was the one who becomes affected the most when a fellow Protectorate dies. Being the first was hard; the Archangels connected the rest of the Enochian Guard Regiment to you.

Taking his mind off the matter, he decided to focus on the information that was passed onto him. He was currently in Tuileries Garden. He was standing in front of the sculpture of Mercury riding a Pegasus which only meant that he was at the West Gate of the Garden. The cacophony of battle had audibly dimmed in volume but the omnipresent guttural inhuman sounds remained there.

His first objective was to find his fellow Protectorates in the area and move out of the gardens, towards someplace else. He was not sure about the mission but his objectives were clear; kill the Fallen Angel that orchestrated the monster invasion.

As he walked past a set of Quinconces, a muffled roar deafened him momentarily. He turned at the direction of the noise and was surprised to see a monster with a furred face and muscular body. Its mane and fur were brown and its humanoid body matches the color of its face. Two fangs can be seen on the mouth of the monster and its hands were sharpened as claws.

"What are you monsters doing here?!" He asked as he aimed his polearm at it. The monster was no doubt, an Aswang. A cannibalistic creature that hailed from the small country of Philippines. He reacted quickly as he slammed the staff of his polearm at its face, stunning it momentarily. It takes a step backwards and swung its left claw. Koltraine replied by blocking off the attack with the staff of his weapon then impaling its face with the sharpened end of the polearm. The Aswang fell on its back, blood pooled at the back of its head. Soon, two more came out of its hiding spot and engaged the Protectorate. Koltraine grinned at the sight of them.

"Bring it on." He whispered.

The first one lunges at him. Koltraine parried the attack with his weapon while spinning in a counter-clockwise to step away of the monster's way. He impaled the enemy at the left ribcage and twisted it, forcing the enemy to howl in pain. He kicked the Aswang away as he engaged the second one. It charged at him; Koltraine smashed the face of the monster by launching the hilt of the polearm upwards. He rammed the pommel of the polearm down its throat, choking it to death. He pulled the weapon out; the staff of the polearm soaked in saliva.

Another roar could be heard and Koltraine spun around. The enemy was so close that he failed to dodge in time. But luck was on his side as its head bursts into bloody pieces.

"Look who owes me." A familiar voice said in the distance.

Koltraine could see a Protectorate on a shooting position with a Designated Marksman Rifle. The shooter was armored from head to toe. Koltrain recognized the headgear module that covered his entire face. His black Praetorian-class Battle Gear Armor hid him under the veil of the night completely but his golden shoulder plates, knee pads and elbow partially revealed him.

"Blackshot." Koltraine called. The Protectorate's headgear opened up, revealing a familiar face. He walked towards Koltraine with the earthling rifle still in his hands. "How long have you been here?"

"Just arrived here. You?"

"I'll tell you everything."