Darkness Illuminated

By J.C.M

It’s said she possesses the light of the sun inside of her heart.  If it wasn’t for her being in this world, we would be in absolute darkness.  Mankind would be lost in its own hopelessness and the evil that has engulfed parts of our fair Paragon, would consume us all… Leaving nothing but ashes of a once truly noble city.  Fortunately for us, she is on our side of this war against all that is evil.

The citizens of Paragon have come to revere her as a goddess.  Others believe she is an angel sent from heaven to protect them.  As her silent luminescence leaps across the rooftops, people stare in silence, wondering who she’s off to save next.  Never would they believe what dark, evil, history their beloved heroine holds deep in the shadows of her mind…

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Thirty years ago, there was a promising young doctor, a prodigy some would say, at the University of Paragon.  His theories and experiments were fascinating to his mentors, peers, as well as the media.  He formed cures for all sorts of diseases, viruses and even some cancers.  He was indeed an icon in the medical community.

As the years passed, he became obsessed with outdoing his previous discovery or cure.  His goal was to create an elixir that would give mankind everlasting life.  His attempts to do so, again and again met with failure.  His test subjects ranged from laboratory mice to men and women that were dying simply from old age. 

Greatly depressed by his failures, he began to research the darker practices of medicine in ancient cultures, and even more disturbing modern practices.  He studied the works of Dr. Vahzilok religiously, and even met with him on several occasions. 

His experiments and entries in medical journals rapidly lost popularity.  His colleagues began to spread rumors that he had gone insane, publicly mocking and humiliating him.  Finally he all together lost touch with the world, never allowing anyone into his laboratory, and he never left…  Except in the dark of night to collect “specimens”.

He never gave up.  He never grew tired.  Early experiments involved trying to enable dead tissue to start reproducing cells if fed living ones.  Then he moved on to attaching those dead tissues to his own body.  But his obsession with the ancient art of necromancers was constantly at the forefront.  Months went by, with no success…

Until one night when the moon was right, and the fog was low in Dark Astoria.  No living persons were stirring, for they feared the spirits that roamed the streets at night.

The once good Doctor Bozrath made his way to the cemetery with his shovel, weathered books of sorcery, a goat to sacrifice, and a vile containing a strange mixture.  This mixture contained boiled blood, minced brain of pig, heart of a dove, graveyard mud, and chrysanthemum petals.  After digging up his still decomposing specimen, he put his hands on it, and breathed heavily.  Taking in the stench of death, he grinned and giggled like a child.  He had come to love corpses as if they were his children, and in some cases, as his bride.

He closed his eyes, and smeared his dark brew all over his face, and chest.  He began mumbling something over and over.  His mumbles grew louder and louder, until he was shouting, commanding, the corpse to rise.  He was speaking in a tongue Dr. Vahzilok had taught him. 

After ten minutes of chanting, the lifeless creature began to stir.  First what was left of its fingers, then its legs, and arms.  Its movements were harsh and unstable.  It sat up, and then stood as a drunken man would.  At its master’s command, it kneeled before him.  The Doctor began to laugh loud, and hysterically, knowing he could wake an entire army that would do his bidding.  He collected his new servant, and returned to the laboratory. 

Although this attempt was successful, he wanted to take it further.  He never intended to have thoughtless creatures serving under him.  He wanted to create beings that would think, feel.  This was just his first success with the dead.  It was just enough to fuel his creative fire. 

Dr. Bozrath soon after upgraded his laboratory to a new, unknown location.   He was finally able to build what he had envisioned.   He was able to merge science with sorcery, a truly devastating combination.  Many of his creatures were extremely similar if not the equal of Dr. Vahzilok’s.

Some of his creations were created as embryo-like beings, that grew as a normal child would, except these “children” had the ability to summon dark powers from the netherworld, and were of the undead.  Other creations of his were as his first servant, simply zombies that did nothing but fulfill his every wish.  Since these could not tend to their own needs, he created beings that served as keepers over them.  None of his “children” had names, they were only numbered.

He had indeed created a great army.  An army that would do his bidding against the beautiful city of Paragon… Against all those living that mocked him.  He was going to show them.  All of them…

82384 was one of the beings raised in Section C of Dr. Bozrath’s facility.  She was destined to be a Luminous Eidolon.  She acted, dressed, and was trained just as the rest, but she was indeed different. 

The Doctor had found her abandoned, and very ill when she was an infant.  He took her back with him to his laboratory and replaced the necessary tissues and some organs with those of his own creation, or that he had taken from corpses, to make her what she was...  She really was a human afterall... She had a soul.  Under her mask, despite being partly undead, she was truly beautiful.   

She went through the training as well as the everyday functions of an Eidolon.  Bozrath released her and the others in Section C on the citizens of Paragon when they reached ten years of age.  He liked to release them in Perez Park.  He thought it was amusing to watch the happy, unsuspecting families and lovers perish at the hands of his children.

Although she did what she was told, 82384 hated herself for it.  Her heart broke every time her Father demanded the deaths of humans.  She never understood why there was so much hatred in her Father, or her brothers and sisters.  It wasn’t until she reached the age of seventeen that she gathered the courage to leave the facility.

Late one night, when her Father did not give her an assignment, she snuck out through the ventilation system.   When she finally reached the outside, she breathed in all of the fresh air she possibly could.  She had never been outside of the facility without a mask on.  It felt wonderful.  The air smelled sweet.  Everything about being outdoors was amazing.

She walked all around the city, dodging her brethren when she saw them.  Her favorite thing about Paragon was the monuments dedicated to the heroes there.  She could feel the appreciation, the warmth… the LOVE… that went into making them.  She’d never felt any of these emotions before.  She was completely overwhelmed and the rush caused her to collapse under Atlas. 

She awoke in a shelter, where the people there fed her and gave her fresh clothes.  Humans are so wonderful…

Fed and clean, she set out again to tour the city.  She couldn’t get enough. 

While walking passed an alleyway, she heard a woman scream.  She got closer, and saw that it was a group of Hellion gang members harassing a little girl and her mother.  Anger burned in her heart…  She summoned the darkness within and hurled blasts of dark matter at the men.  The hellions though injured, managed to get away. 

Seeing that the woman and the girl had been hurt, she kneeled next to them, touched them softly, and closed her eyes.  The compassion she felt for them converted her dark powers into those that healed their wounds.  She opened her eyes, and the two were staring at her in awe.  It took a couple minutes for the woman to speak. 

“Thank you so much!  What ever can we do to show you our gratitude?”  

“No need”, said 82384.

“What’s your name, miss?”

“Name?” 82384 knew her title as a Luminous Eidolon, but she dare not say that was her name.

“Yes your name… Mine is Kate, and this is my daughter Jessie.”

“Jedgie!” yelled the little girl, as she jumped into 82384’s arms.  She couldn’t have been more than 2 years of age. 

“I don’t have a name”, said 82384 feeling awkward with all of the physical contact.

The little girl started to sing a song, “Skida marinky dinky dink, skida marinky doo, I love yoooou!”

Kate interrupted, “I’m sorry, it’s from a television show she watches.  I can’t get her to stop singing it.”  Kate smiled wide, and grabbed Jessie out of 82384’s arms. 

“Skida Marink….”, 82384 said under her breath, and started to smile too. “I love you….  I like it.  Call me Skida Marink.”

Since she didn’t have anywhere to go, Kate insisted Skida go home with them.  Kate’s husband had passed away in a construction site accident.  It was just the two of them since Jessie was born.  She really wanted the company.  Skida was thrilled at the suggestion.  And she continued to stay with Kate and Jessie for three years after that night.

Kate’s brother turned out to be one of the heroes of Paragon, a famous Tanker who went by the name Mason.  When Kate told him of what Skida had done that night they met, he wanted to meet her.  Upon meeting her, he knew he wanted to be the one to train her.  Mason knew she had the potential to be something truly awe-inspiring. 

He could tell she had been trained in managing her dark powers, but never thought it appropriate to ask where she had received it.  He taught her how to sharpen her more empathetic abilities, and use her powers for the Good of the City.  She was soon fighting the evil of the city by his side.  She was finally able to realize what it was like to have a real Father, and what her true destiny was.

Mason introduced her to many other heroes in the community.  She even met a young man who struck her fancy.  He was a mysterious Tanker named Celsius.  The butterflies in her stomach made her worry at first, but being near him made her feel so calm and warm.  It wasn’t just the fact that he was a Fire Tanker either…  She was falling in Love.

One day, while visiting Kate and Jessie, the face of her first Father, Bozrath had flashed on the television screen.  She about dropped the glass of water she was holding. 

“The infamous Dr. Bozrath has met his demise today.  Police believe Dr. Vahzilok is responsible….”

“What’s wrong?!” Kate asked with wide, worried eyes.

“That was my Father”, Skida said with a single tear rolling down her cheek. “I must go.”

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