#darkborne arc

Darkborne Arc Chapter 1 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

I kill you, or you kill me. She’s utterly defenseless. Her energy quivers within the sphere, gathering back upon itself in a runaway reaction. I take in the panels and readouts surrounding her. My power shifts restlessly as it recognizes the nature of this chamber’s power. Antimatter. It could undo her. It could end everything. It could set me free. I’ve rehearsed this slaughter countless times. I raise my pistol with an unshaking hand. Bang!

Darkborne Arc Chapter 7 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

Ancient too-familiar walls close in.

Sylus finds a new safe house.

I open my eyes and find myself on the sanctuary floor. Yet again, I search for her traces, desperate to find that all this time alone was the dream all along. But the walls are bare. I haul myself upright from the stone floor beneath the organ bench. I must have fallen asleep. Small drips and pools of dried blood line the stone beneath me, but my wounds have since closed. Scars remain, but even those will be gone by the next sunrise. The physical ones, anyway.

Read on AO3

Darkborne Arc Chapter 3 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

An entirely new creature takes its first shaky breath. Its eyes are sharp as a blade, its heart as hard as steel.

Sylus observes the rise and fall of ambitious humans in the first few weeks of the N109 Zone's existence, before it earns its iconic name.

I browse the aisles, reviewing labels, not even bothering to lift my head to look at the four-legged Wanderer that crashes through the front of the store, knocking over a heavy shelf laden with canned beer before pouncing once again at its foe, a two-legged Wanderer with blades for arms that set its sights on the same prey. Based on the vintages marked on the cheapest bottles… it’s Earth year 2,034. I angle for something older. While I know enough of the language to make sense of what I’m reading, the geography, on the other hand… the countries and continents are entirely different. The climate surely is, too, which means I don’t even know enough to guess at the latitudes with proper terroir. That leaves only one way to assess this wine’s quality. A tendril of mist slithers around the cork, dissolving it to nothingness. I wander until I find a shelf of glassware, then sort around until I find an intact glass. I pour the wine, swirl to aerate, take a sip… And spit it onto the floor. 

Darkborne Arc Chapter 5 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

Even world-ending power has limits. A deadly encounter tests Sylus's instincts.

The click of a gun slide cuts through the background noise and I whirl to see a half a dozen humans—four men, two women—emerging from the forest behind me. The scent of their souls is sharp with greed, and I recognize a familiar tone of desire. These are the Evol-users the Hunters Association has branded as Tenebrae—those who got a taste for hunting Wanderers during the lawless chaos and who have no interest in submitting to some civic authority. That, I can respect. Getting in my way, not so much. One steps forward from the rest—a man with auburn hair and cutting blue eyes. “That’s a lot of Protocores you’ve got there.” I huff, eyes narrowed against the overwhelming light. “Leave it. I’m not in a patient mood.”

Darkborne Arc Chapter 4 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

The relentless conquerer begins a new hoard… As the area under the Deepspace Tunnel stabilizes, Sylus gets established with the local banks.

The owner’s eyes widen, then narrow on mine. “Mr. R, I’m prepared to give you an account, but there’s something I need to be sure you understand. A bank’s value is in its impartiality. This is our first and last deal. I don’t care where you get the credits… but all future deposits need to be through the usual channels.” “Of course. All I ask is that if compromises need to be made…” I give him a look that cuts through his flimsy cover story. The appearance of impartiality and the substance of it are two different things. “Those compromises don’t affect my account.” He gives a tight nod. “You have my word.” “Good. You have my card.” I reach out a hand, and he places a black bank card with gold script into it.

Darkborne Arc Chapter 6 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

“You know, Tarus City can have flowers bloom everywhere, as far as the eye can see…” Her warm breath falls over me, and I’m drowning in the depths of her gaze. My claws slide around and tangle in her silken hair. “But only for one person.” Her heart whirrs like a hummingbird, pulse quivering everywhere we touch. She leans closer, and then her lips brush mine—softer than a flower petal, sweeter than ice wine. My hand tightens in her hair, pulling her closer as her body presses tighter against mine. The hunger that rises is all too similar to the one that drove me mad, but my power has still only partly recovered from her sword through my chest, and the madness remains naught but a quiet whisper. It gives way to a burning heat that sweeps through my veins, sending my muscles tightening and my claws searching.

Darkborne Arc Chapter 2 of 7

New scenes in Cosmic Interlude, a Sylus PoV Prequel Fic

I wander amidst chaos, a shadow within shadow. The Wanderers, spoiled for choice of easy prey, give me a wide berth. Though, when it’s time for me to replenish myself with their Protocores, they never see me coming. My sharp eyes gather treasures from those streets lined with screams and steaming with blood. There’s the chatter of gunfire—stockpiles of illegal weapons forced to reveal themselves by the unending onslaught of Wanderers. There’s that streak of light in the darkness who some call an angel. He’s human, technically, but there’s no mistaking the sharp, sterile scent of his too-old soul. Some way or another, his origin is Philos, just like me. Which Philos, though… And then there’s the cries of despair from the dying who would happily trade their soul for a quick and painless death. I feast.

~*~*~

Why send us out to fight for our lives, to slaughter the ones we slept next to last night? Why not. There is no right and wrong in a vast and unfeeling universe. There is only power and weakness. Control and submission. I don’t care about the deaths. Not when I see her knife deep in the chest of another, their hot blood on her face, her eyes—those beautiful, incomparable eyes—seething with fury and will and sheer desire. She never doubts herself, never falters. Out of all of us, she craves life the most fiercely. Alone, she and I are each formidable. When we move in sync, covering each other’s weaknesses and amplifying each other’s strengths? We’re unstoppable.