{"sf1_id":877066,"sf2_id":null,"title":"King of Dusk - Chapter 1","author":"Kyran_","words":4171,"posted_at":"2015-06-23T12:34:00.000Z","tags":["Dark","Desperation","Fantasy","Human","Suicide"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/877066-king-of-dusk-chapter-1","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/view/877066","image_url":"https://www.sofurryfiles.com/std/thumb?page=877066\u0026ext=.jpg","description":"#2 of King of Dusk\n\nChapter 1 of King of Dusk.\nKing of Dusk is a dark story set in a world a little like our own, but where strong powers can arise from nothing, engulfing the world in darkness. There is no evil, there is no good, survival in the end is all that matters, but maybe a better world can be achieved.\nIf you want to see a clearer, pdf version of this, you can check out my furaffinity account.\nHere: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/16539271/","content":"### Chapter 1\n\nHe closed the door behind himself with relief, leaning against the wall to rest a moment. His breath began to normalize again thanks to the sweet warmth inside his home.\n\n«Lewis, is it you?» asked someone from the living room.\n\n«Yes... it's me.» he answered while taking off the jacket. Then he entered the living room just to find his mother stretched on the sofa, watching the TV.\n\n«Hi. How did it go?»\n\nA single moment was enough to kill the words in Lewis's mouth. Even if he had the intention to tell her about what happened, after that gaze upon her he had no more. Lewis felt like he couldn't be trusting his own family, no, not only his family, it would have been better to not tell anyone.\n\n_Who could even believe this?_\n\n«All fine...» he answered in the end, but he couldn't bear her presence any longer. «I'm just a little tired; I think I'll have a shower and then go to bed.»\n\n«Alright then, good night.»\n\nLewis nodded his head, then he went to the kitchen to drink a glass of water. The moment he put it back on the table his body shivered, while his mind returned on those few moments before he blacked out.\n\nHe closed his eyes and saw again that powerful light, the void, and then the darkness. He couldn't withstand it for long, that was enough to make him feel dizzy. He was standing there, just about to fall. He couldn't believe nothing happened.\n\n_No, it cannot be an hallucination. It can't be just a dream, I passed out, it was real..._\n\nHe took some time to pull himself together. He never felt so much fear before in his life.\n\n_That light and that darkness._ he shacked his head, trying to forget about it, but he knew it wasn't going to be easy.\n\nHe continued thinking about it while he was showering, so many thoughts were consuming his mind. He let entire minutes pass by, doing nothing. Steaming water flowed on his back, almost burning his skin, but it was a relief.\n\nWhen he finally got out of the shower the steam had blurred the window and the mirror over the sink, but the air was still cold enough to give him goose bumps. His messed up hair was dripping water all over his back but. He approached the mirror and then wiped the vapor off.\n\nA shock made him shiver. He jumped back in fear, retracting his hand, staring at his own image.\n\nFor a moment he saw a flash in his own eyes, something strange, like it was not him. It lasted for just a second, an heartbeat, then it was gone.\n\n_What was that?_ he thought, struggling to keep himself calm. _It can't... it was not an hallucination._\n\nBut it was all so real. He was gripping the edges of the sink with all his strength.\n\n_I am going insane? Is that what's happening? I'm losing my mind?_ There was only fear left. _No, let's not get carried away. I'm tired, it's the truth, that's all. A night of rest will get things back into shape._\n\nHe stopped watching the mirror and began to dry himself off as fast as he could. When he got to bed his hair was still wet, but he didn't care. All he wanted was that day to end. He completely forgot about his time spent with his friends.\n\nFear had wiped everything else, and, before falling asleep, Lewis saw again that image beyond the mirror, that creature with red eyes.\n\nIn his dreams darkness began to grow.\n\nWhen he woke up there was something strange, an oppressive feeling permeating the air in his bedroom. There was something with him, he could feel it, right around him, a creature crawling on the floor, hiding in every corner, in the dark.\n\nIt was like a perfume in the air, or a really soft noise, except he was not smelling it, nor hearing it, nor seeing it. It was something that goes beyond the normal feelings.\n\n_And what now?_ he said almost desperate, trying to find it. But how? It was everywhere and nowhere at the same time. Only on one thing Lewis was sure, himself only could feel it.\n\n_Well, from bad to worst. Yesterday I blacked out in the middle of the street, then saw my own eyes change in color. And this morning I can feel the presence of something around me..._\n\n_What comes next?_\n\nIn fact he didn't feel very well, but he couldn't tell if it was real or just a trick of his brain. How could someone possibly avoid any possibility when facing all of that nonsense? It was like is entire world was going to hell, and it wasn't going to end anytime soon.\n\n_And now, what the hell do I do?_\n\nIt may have looked like a stupid question, but he felt the real gravity of the situation. That was not a game, not his life anymore, everything was going to change.\n\nHe looked over the night table and took the mobile: it was nine and an half of Saturday. His parents were both at work but he was free for the entire day.\n\nIn front of him there was a choice, the choice to tell someone about what was happening to him, but still he didn't think it was a good idea. No one would have believed him.\n\n_But keeping the secret seems just as bad. In either case it may not go really well for me. At least I'm not panicking or something like that..._\n\nHe stood up and dressed up. He wanted to go out, even if only to calm down and to distract himself. It looked like the best thing to do, in fact after breakfast he already felt a little better and that feeling of him was not so strong anymore.\n\nHe prepared to get out, took the mobile and his wallet. When he came out of the main door the morning air gave him shivers. He fixed the collar of his jacket to protect himself from the cold, looking along the street.\n\nThe sun lighted up the road; it was a great morning, but it was rare for good weather to last in Faeras.\n\n_Let's go then..._\n\nHe started walking without even having any idea where to go. Maybe he could have gone to one of his friends, but he wasn't sure; he wasn't in the right mood to meet with someone. And he wasn't the kind of person who immediately asks for help whenever he's in a tight spot. It would have been better not to count on anyone.\n\nHe was confused, he never felt so lost before. He would have wanted to leave everything behind, to overcome the fear that he couldn't still explain.\n\nThat presence around him continued to follow him, it was something that infested every being, even himself. It was in his body, in every single bone and muscle, like a liquid in place of his blood. There was another heart beating alongside his.\n\n_It's inside me..._\n\nRealizing that gave him an headache. He felt a stab of pain in his stomach, enough to make him want to throw up.\n\nHe wasn't so far from home, but he felt like he couldn't make it to there. He would have fallen after a few steps, so he reached for the wall, leaning against it.\n\n_That monster is inside me..._\n\nIt was it, he could not lie to himself. He felt it.\n\n_And now what?_\n\nTo fear was added terror. Every last hope he had was slowly fading below the brutal strikes of truth. It was difficult for him to remain standing. That moment for the first time he felt the desire of giving up.\n\n_How could it possibly get better? It can't, but there are thousands of ways it could get worst. From what I've seen anything could happen, imaginable or not._\n\nSomething lightened his mind. If what he thought was true then there was a chance. He would have not gave up, but he needed some time to pull himself together, and he knew the perfect place for that.\n\nHe walked till the end of the road and found before him one of the largest park of Nethir. Of course it was not something amazing like the great gardens of the capital city of Gelr, on the shore of the eastern ocean, but it was still pretty cool.\n\nLewis got in from one of the main entrances and followed the gravel road.\n\nThe evergreen trees were all whitened by the snow, still in the silence inside the park. The snow muffled the noise of the city, that and the absence of anyone make that park a place detached from the world.\n\nLewis arrived at one of the plazas inside the park, a big open area surrounded by trees with many others roads spreading from it. In the middle there was a fountain but the water was completely frozen.\n\nThere were even some benches and Lewis sat on one of them, even though the metal was icy cold. It was a pleasure to sit for a second and relax the muscles, releasing the tension accumulated before, but it was not for long.\n\nAnother stab of pain hit him, beginning from the legs and extending to the entire body. He almost cried out in pain while falling on the ground, his head was exploding, his body shaken like hit by a lightning.\n\nHe was face on the snow, his hand clawing the ground. The time slowly passed by while he was unable to control himself, then, minute after minute, the pain faded. Only then he was able to get his face of the ground.\n\n«What is happening to me?» he said, his hand holding his head. He was almost going to cry.\n\nIf before he was able to ignore that feeling, now it was stronger than ever. He could feel that creature inside him, but this time there was something more.\n\n_Is this darkness that permeate everything..._\n\nHe was alone in pure darkness, nothing else was there but an endless void. That was the true nature of his monster, that only he could see and see through.\n\n_It's consuming me like a disease._\n\nHe remembered about the eyes he saw in the mirror.\n\n_It was my creature... He's winning against my body, little by little he's defeating me..._\n\nIn that moment he understood everything. No more lies, no more hope. There was nothing to do. He was a fool to act like that, now it was clear. Now the problem was the same, what to do?\u0026nbsp;This time he was sure.\n\n_I cannot continue alone... If these attacks continue to worsen, and they will do, then I will not say anymore it was the right choice not to say anything._\n\nHe needed to explain everything to someone as soon as possible, no matter how difficult that would have been. He had no other choice.\n\nHe took a deep breath, then he sat again on the bench. He took the mobile searching for a number on his contact list.\n\nAfter a few second someone answered, a friend of him.\n\n«Hello?»\n\n«Hi, Matt, it's Lewis. Would you mind if pass by?» he asked without wasting time.\n\n«Ok... when?» he answered, taken by surprise.\n\n«In twenty minutes, I'm already on the way.»\n\n«Well... fine, I'm waiting for you.» he was a little suspicious about that. Maybe he understood there was something wrong, but he couldn't imagine the gravity of the situation.\n\n«See you, then...»\n\nHe returned to his steps until he got out of the park, from there he needed to walk another quarter of an hour. He's only hope was not to get stabbed by pain again.\n\nWhile walking Lewis began to question his courage, he didn't want to go forth, but going back was even harder. When he finally arrived in front of Matt's doorstep he just wanted to run away, but he couldn't.\n\nHis friend opened the door, welcomed him and let him in. It wasn't the first time Lewis went there, so he proceeded to the living room and took his jacket off. It was so warm he was almost suffocating.\n\nMatt followed him and sat on the couch, then he watched him worried and asked:\n\n«Are you ok, Lewis? You look terrible.»\n\n_Yes, it must be true._ he thought trying to visualize his own face: the one of a man hiding a monster inside.\n\nLewis was about to answer Matt, about to say that he wasn't feeling good at all, that he feel something strange in his body and around himself. But the moment he watched his friend he felt the creature in his heart roaring stronger. It was going to attack again soon.\n\nHe was in a cold sweat, he felt the pain coming. He had to go away, now.\n\n«Yes, yes, I'm fine. It's just... I need to go to the bathroom for a moment...» he said, then, without waiting for an answer, he ran away.\n\nJust in time. A moment after he closed the door he was stricken with pain. This time he didn't fall on the floor, but only because he grasped onto the sink. The pain was even stronger than before, but Lewis focused all his strength to control himself, to prevent any sound to leave his mouth.\n\nHe suffered in silence to not give Matt any clues about what was happening to him. He didn't know why he changed his mind, he didn't trust his friend anymore.\n\nHe was out of breath, watching himself in the mirror.\n\n_There is it..._ watching his monster answering his glance. _I'm losing control of myself._\n\nHis eyes were bright red, surrounded by many shades. They were not cruel though, or merciless, they were desperate. It was shocking at first, but after a while it was just sad. There was something human in those eyes, but he wasn't human anymore.\n\nSlowly that image faded to normality while pain decreased.\n\n_I'm becoming a monster, Lewis won't be alive for long._\n\nThere was no more choice, nothing remained.\n\n_I'm lost._\n\nWhen he got out of the bathroom he wasn't prepared to face his friend. He couldn't answer his questions, the only thing he could do was to find an excuse to go away.\n\n«Are you sure it's everything okay?» asked Matt. He was even more worried than before.\n\n«Yeah... everything's fine... I haven't sleep well this night.» he said, but he wasn't very convincing. «I'm sorry, I thought about stay here a little longer, but now I must really go.»\n\nMatt wasn't sure at all, but he didn't want to insist. He knew that Lewis wasn't the kind of person that explains everything that came to his mind; surely there was a right reason for him to behave like this.\n\n«Well, see you then...»\n\n«Sure...» he whispered.\n\nThe moment he turned his back to his friend something inside him began to scream to not go away. He was hoping in the impossible.\n\n_Please Matt, stop me..._\n\nBut it was too late, he was already outside, the door closed behind him. There was no one to ask for help, he was alone. In just a few hours he saw so many doors closing on him, now only one way remained, the one Lewis always hoped not to take.\n\nHe swallowed all his regrets and all the fear that paralyzed him. He took his decision.\n\n_Now it's just me and my monster._\n\nWhile he watched the view moving outside the window he thought about how far away he got. He was far from home, and he was going even farther.\n\nThe bus was taking him out of town, to the north, driving along a road of trees covered with snow. The forest of Arka.\n\nLewis remembered when his parents brought him there, many years ago. It was summer at the time, there wasn't any snow, but it was still cold. They walked a lot in the part of the park that was open to public, near to the city. He remembered those trees so tall they prevented to see the sky, and a carpet of leaves and sticks that covered the ground. Those were happy days, not like today.\n\nToday it was different, there were gray clouds darkening the sky, the shadows of the trees began to lengthen. The sun would have set in a few hours, a storm was going to strike during the night. Lewis didn't know what time it was, but he didn't care; in that situation time was only an enemy.\n\nHis goal was far away, but he wasn't even sure to have one.\n\nWhen he got out his friend home he began to wander, until he decided on the direction. With the subway he reached the northern train station of Nethir, where he stopped to eat. Then he took a bus that went back and forth from the cities on the coast of the western sea.\n\nIf he wanted to be safe though, then he'd had to go even far north. The forest of Arka covered hundreds and hundreds of kilometers of land: from the city of Nethir towards the wasted ice lands of the north and from the shores of the sea west to the mountain chain of Narsa to the east. It was an area so huge that no one would have ever found him.\n\nThere was loneliness up there, he could have stayed hidden. Beyond the strait on the arctic sea, after the last city, in those uninhabited lands, if he hadn't the strength to contain his   \nmonster then that was the right place. There was nothing to   \ndestroy, no one to hurt, his beast wouldn't have caused any problem.\n\nTwo hours were passed from when he got on the bus and he already began to feel the pain of an animal scratching his   \ninside. Lewis was praying for it to stop while concealing   \nanyway possible what he truly felt.\n\nThere were four persons on the bus beside himself, he didn't want to draw the attention.\n\nMinutes passed slowly in that suffering, to resist he focused on the darkness itself. It was a presence so strong that he   \nactually was able to hold onto himself. But with the pain   \nwithering away he realized something terrible.\n\n_I won't make it, I won't arrive at the end of this journey._\n\nIt was like an ice bucket right in the face, after all was   \nhappened that day it seem that there was something more. He realized that he couldn't make it to the end, his creature would have taken him earlier. He couldn't have stayed any longer on the bus, his secret was to be revealed.\n\nWithout thinking a second he pressed the buzzer. It didn't matter where he was, only to escape. Lewis spent the little time remaining before getting off the bus really worried, but he   \nfinally was free when he saw a small parking lot on the side of the road right in front a couple of wooden cottages.\n\nThere were not houses, but one of the entrances to the park. Lewis was never there before, it was too far away from the city, but fate brought him there, and there was something   \ntelling him that it was not a bad route to take.\n\nWhen the automatic doors opened before him the cold air   \nrevived his body, then he get off the bus and after a few   \nmoments he was alone, on the wayside many kilometers from home, with a monster inside.\n\nIn the parking lot there was not a single car, probably because of the weather. Better like this, with no one around.\n\nLewis went forth to the entrance, the gate was opened and he thought about sneaking inside without being seen by anyone, but after a couple of meters a voice called him from behind.\n\n«Ehy, you, where are you going?»\n\nLewis stopped mid sentence, his heart beating like crazy, then he turned around. A door was open on the cottage on the left, and standing on the doorstep there was a guard, watching   \nLewis as he was investigating him.\n\nLewis was about to lie, but it wasn't necessary.\n\n«The park close at 18:00. Be back for that time.» he said, then returned on the inside and closed the door.\n\nLewis was still watching, surprised by that. He was waiting for the guard to return, or a figure watching him from the   \nwindow on the side, but nothing happened. Then he answered, whispering:\n\n«I'm not going back...» and he ventured into the forest following a dirt road.\n\nNo more plans to follow, nothing to do but escape.\n\nHe got up from the ground, with a taste of bile in the mouth and his legs shaking. He vomited that last time, collapsing on the ground with convulsions. And there it go his last meal.\n\n_Why? Why can't it stop soon?_\n\nThe pain has not going away, it remained after the last time, a constant presence like his creature. Together they reminded him every moment about his state, slowed down his steps; they didn't stop, only grew stronger and stronger, with every attack they destroyed every last hope he had.\n\nHe himself didn't knew how he was able to go on, how could he get up after every attack despite the pain. Sooner or later he wouldn't have got any strength left.\n\nThe sun set hours before, disappeared behind the trees. The road he was following went deeper and deeper in the forest. He remembered there was a map of all the roads at the entrance, but he saw that for just a second and forget the details soon.\n\nHe continued to go north, that what's matter. Sooner or later he would have arrived somewhere, but more important, his true escape was going to begin.\n\n_By now they will be searching for me, I'm really close to the end then._\n\nForced to escape and now hunted. He didn't feel any different from an animal. He was behaving like one, he had his fear and desperation, there was little left to make him human, his beast had killed everything inside him.\n\nAnother shiver down the spine, maybe only because it was really cold, maybe because of what he was thinking.\n\nIn fact he had thought it was going to be worse than that,   \nbecause of how dark it could have been in a forest at night. But the light of the Maelstrom seeped through the clouds and the leaves and lightened the path.\n\nAfter a turn he began to hear the thunderous noise of a river, then the trees thin out. For the first time he entered the park he was able to see clearly the sky and the majesty of the eye of the goddess, filling half of the sky.\n\nThe sound of the river covered any other. It was right in front of him, cutting through the forest from west to east. Fortunately there was a bridge, and the sign at the beginning of it said that was the river Colwak.\n\n_Here everything begins._\n\nThe gray waters were moving with torment, dragging   \nanything they found on their way with the rumble of a   \nmountain river, a restless river of fire.\n\nLewis began to cross over the bridge knowing that, once on the other side, he would have been free and nothing of him was to remain. At every step he felt the darkness grow.\n\nHe walked to the side of the bridge, near the parapet, watching the current dragging itself downstream, and the sky declaring storm over men.\n\nHe was almost to the middle of the bridge when darkness fall over him. In a few seconds he found himself destroyed by pain, the monster growing even stronger. This time he couldn't have won, he couldn't have withstand any longer. He lost his battle, that moment Lewis ceased to exist and another creature came to life.\n\n«You! Stop! Stay right where you are!» somebody shouted at him from the end of the bridge.\n\nLewis was terrorized, his worst fears were becoming true.\n\nTwo men were at the end, pointing flashlights at him. They were coming for him, fast. One was talking in a radio, probably to advise the others they found him.\n\n_No! they can't take me!_ if they did it would have been the end for him.\n\nHe looked for an escape route behind himself, but the bridge was long, and he was too tired and aching with pain. He was already feeling his body changing, running away was not an option.\n\nHe looked to the only way possible. The guards began to run, but they were too far.\n\nHe already accepted it, Lewis was no more.\n\nHe gathered his last strength and stand on his feet, leaning forward.\n\nHe closed his eyes.\n\nThe he fell in the stream.\u0026nbsp;\n\n  \n  \n\n"}