A cold wind blew across the halls of Castle Fireclaw, the small but prominent fortress on top the beach cliffs of the City Hellious. The staff was bedded for the night and the halls masters were away. It was here in the darkness he lurked searching for his prey, watching from shadow to shadow as he looked feverishly for the demon lord Chaos. His breath cursed the name with every empty hall as he slid across the inky blackness of the corners, rounding stairways, and peering from under empty beds. He would find the answers he was looking for, regardless of consequence.

Wood stirred in his bed, the warm hearth of the room threw shadows over the luxurious barracks, making it seem larger and more comforting then it truly was. In truth the room was small and cramped, with the 16 beds lining three of the walls. The other held the room’s only entrance, along with the hearth. An ornate rug covered the middle of the floor, its frilled edges clashed heavily with the stone floor underneath, barring its cold touch to there toes every morning.

Wood sat up, seeing a figure by the fire. Long thick white hair draped down to her back, as the fire’s wavy light played delicately across her dark skin. She was staring into the fire in almost a trance. Wood threw his covers off and slowly walked to the figure sitting by the floor. He smiled and leaned close, breathing gently on the back of her neck.

“Evening lover” He said, deepening his voice slightly.

The woman turned around “Flint? What are you…” she caught site of him and almost stifled a laugh. “Wood, what in the world are you doing up”

“Who is this Flint you speak of, some other man in your life.”

“The only man in my life, boy.” She laughed, turning her back to him and looking towards the fire.

“Well, I see how it is. I know when I’ve been beat.” He said, sitting down beside her. “Cant sleep either?”

“It’s not that, I just got cold.”

“Well I can’t sleep. I keep feeling like someone’s watching me.” He looked over at her, “In fact, I keep seeing something things too.” He shakes his head and laughs. “I’m seeing ghosts again I know it.”

“There are no ghosts in here, Wood, you’re just imagining things. This castle is only a few years old… not enough time for spirits to find this place as home.”

“With what father does here, I’m not so sure. Besides, If its not A ghost, why do I keep seeing it appearing off and on, both in and out of my other vision.”

“Could Mother be checking in on us?”

“No, I doubt it… I think it’s a man.”

“Found the man of your dreams little brother?” A voice spoke from behind them made them turn there heads.

Spirits eye’s lit up and she smiled, “What are you doing up, lover?”

Flint sat down and curled up on the opposite side of Spirit, giving her an affectionate hug. “Somebody woke me up with there ghost nonsense,” he teased to Wood. Wood playfully turned his nose up at him.

“Well I can see I’m not wanted here. I think I’ll go to bed. May the ghost haunt you all night for all I care,” He stood up and headed back to the bed. He froze halfway; staring into a shadow above his bed “The ghost wares a red bandana… and has some real wicked looking eyes…”

Flint gave him a questioning look,”And how do you know this?”

“Because he’s smiling at me right now,” His breathing slowed and he squinted, “no, no… it can’t be a ghost... it’s got to be…” He stopped mid-word, falling to his knee’s. His left arm sticking supporting his top half, he shivered for a moment and collapsed.

Flint and Spirit stood alarmed, Spirit ran quickly to his side, her face went pale, “He’s… oh god,” She looked up to Flint, tears already forming in her eyes. In the dim light of the fire he could already see the pool of blood. Wood was dead.

It was a voice that whispered from the shadows “I am no ghost.” The voice moved from one side of the room to the other, “ghosts don’t kill. But I do.”

“Team,” Flint shouted, echoing off the stone walls it sounded hollow, almost unthreatening. A few heads rose from beds. “Wood has just been killed! Get the fuck up! Full alert!” Flint shouted, the room seeming to raise 10 degree’s as he yelled. Almost at once everyone was jumping from there bed’s. The voice laughed.

“Children, this doesn’t have to be repeated.” The voice jumped, heads turned and followed, all were at there ready. Spirit’s tears seemed to be held back, as a soft blue glow of an ethereal sword lit from her hand.

“Where is your father children?” The voice moved, coming next from besides a giant black man, Stone. “I just want to have a talk with him. You don’t all have to die.”

Stone’s fist flew into the wall beside him, the stone cracked beneath his mighty blow. The laugh continued from that spot. A shadowed hand reached from the blackness and grabbed his hand, pulling him into the darkness. Only to be launched out from the wall across the room into Ashe. Ashe let out a cry of alarm before his head hit the stone floor and silenced him, a small trickle of blood trailing lightly from his head of blonde hair. Stone stood wobbly and stumbled towards the fireplace, unsure of what just happened.

“Allow me to introduce myself, children.” A figure walked out from where stone had flown from. He was tall but thin, and very pale. His eyes glowed with an uneasy red. He wore a red cape that draped around his front side, covering a suit of leather and black chain mail. His feet were capped in Silver sharp boots, and upon his left forearm started a silver gauntlet that curved into a wicked clawed hand, its razor edges glinting in the firelight. His smile was small but evident. And his two large black wings almost seemed angelic in appearance. “My name is Vincent. Vincent LaSoul… and I am looking for Chaos. We can do this the easy way... or the hard way. It is your choice.”

The children gathered closer to the fire now, trying to stick together. Spike was attempting to steady Stone, while Flint stood in front of the others. A fierce look of hate splashed across his normally calm face. “Our father is not here, nor would we bring you to him monster. We know your name well enough Vince, and we are not afraid!”

Vincent chuckled to himself momentarily, before running a gloved hand through his long black hair, pulling it back behind his shoulders. “Very well, I shall have to kill you one by one until I get my answers. I’m so tired of being in the wrong place at the wrong time to get these answers.” He looks back and forth between the children and slowly reaches towards the inside of his cape. As the children tense he slowly draws out a black rifle that looks to have been sawn off so short that it was almost a pistol in size. He smiles and aims it into the crowd and fires.

It was spike who moved first, throwing flint out of the way to take the bullet in his chest. The metal round stuck to him as he laughed off the blow, plucking it out and dropping it on the floor. “You’ll have to do better then that to kill us Vincent.”

It was with these words that the group seemed to jump, all coming at Vincent at once, Needles rushed his front side, with Spirit right behind, from his left came Diamond, Dirk, and Lithe came from his left, with Fate, Edge, and Kata on his right. From behind Dagger and Shadow had managed to attack, and the others piled in behind the others. Vincent let off a fierce yell as his eyes glowed white and he struck them down one by one, Kicking Needles hard across the jaw, knocking him into the fireplace. His claw came around first to his right to strike Fate in the stomach, doubling her over, then using the momentum he drew it back in a flash of blood to catch Diamond across the throat, her body twisting as she landed, her body on its stomach but her head unnaturally snapped to the side.

He twisted in a duck to miss a blow by Spirit, upper cutting her with his right, and throwing an elbow out to catch Kata’s Jaw and throw him into Edge, sending them tumbled backwards. He spun around to catch a knife inches from his face, and fired it back at Dagger, catching the boy in the throat. He gurgled a cry of surprise as he clutched his neck, blood pouring in spurts over Vincent. He then dodged a blow from Dirk now on his right, and laid into him with a blast from a hidden firearm on Vincent’s belt. It knocked him back past Lithe, who stared wide-eyed at him. Her hesitation gave him an opening as he gave her a two step charge and thrust his claw towards her abdomen, only to take a blow from his side.

Shadow had taken his gift and concealed himself, and it had given him the opportunity to stab Vincent in the side of his ribs with his katana.

The entire battle had taken less then 10 seconds, and now Vincent stood, impaled from his left side, and out his right, diagonally across his chest. Shadow breathed heavy, Lithe stood terrified. Needles screamed as he rolled around on fire and Fate franticly cried to him as he as she tries to put the fire out, getting herself burned in the process.

Vincent slid off Shadows blade as he pulled it up and out, sheathing it back in its place. He shook his head. “Our brethren, your murders have been avenged.”

Flint shook his head. “Father told us stories of this man, he cannot die so easily. It’s a trick.”

Spirit took his arm and held close to him. “But Father also said that he was mortal now”

Edge crawled over to Kata and embraced him, while Shard and Spike saw to Lithe, who was a bit shaken about how close she had come. Stone was curled in a corner, the big man’s eyes were wide, no doubt trying to fight for sanity at what he saw in the world between shadows. No one consoled the dead. They had known for many years that when death came there was no pity for those who died. For it was as natural to battle as birth to a midwife.

Needles was finally put out, and Dirk, who had moaned out in pain, was bandaged up. They had yet to see to there other fallen comrades, and were making sure each other was ok. Needles was bandaged practically from head to toe, but didn’t seem to mind the sympathy fate was showing him. And no sooner did she turn her attention away then he decided to survey there fallen. He looked to Diamond, and dagger, a small tear rolled down his cheek as he let out a grunt of pain. He turned a growl to Vincent and moved on all fours to him, crouching over to sniff him. Vincent’s claw flinched, and Needles let out a shout of alarm, as The claw came up and grabbed him by the crotch, the razor sharp fingers flexed and twisted, then pushed upwards twisting back and forth as it drilled a hole through his front side, shattering through his chest cavity and sending bone and sinew flying. Fate screamed and Spirit launched forward, her blue ethereal blades glowing as she charged Vincent, who was standing to his feet.

Vincent seemed to float back as she charged, her blades always missing him by inches. He disappeared into the wall as her blades seared through the stone. She cursed his name and turned quickly, just in time to see Vincent’s are poke through the wall and wrap under Spike’s arm, gripping his chest on the opposite side and digging in with his gauntlet. Spike was forced against the wall and held there as the gauntlet started to glow. He struggled and fought but was pinned as it grew to a bright white light. The light seemed to make his whole body glow from the inside, and rays of light shot from his eyes and mouth. The arm retreated to the wall and Spike fell to the ground as a lifeless corpse.

The remaining 9 children gathered in the center of the room, those with weapons had them drawn, those without stood at the ready. The soft glow of the hearth cast frightening shadows everywhere. It was dead quite.. so quite that they could hear each other breathing. The only other sound was the fires hissing and popping.

There was a distinctive metallic click that seemed to come from every corner, followed by a low chuckle

“Are you ready to talk yet?”

“We shall never submit to you. You are vile in every way…” A shot rang out then and flint was silenced. A blast of blood erupted from his throat as Spirit screamed in shock behind him, her own chest shooting a quick splash of blood. Flint’s body fell back into Spirit and they fell together. His mouth moved as if to say something but no sound came from him. Spirit looked down on him, her blood soaking her nightdress and mixing with his. She held his head in her arms as he closed his eyes, her sobs filling the room. The others moved in a perimeter around her, shielding her from the dark corners of the room.

“I can keep this up all night children, but by the way your numbers are dropping, I doubt you can.” There’s another metallic click. The children eyeball each other nervously.

Another shot fired out into the circle, this time striking Lithe in the shoulder as she tried to dodge the round. Her Red eyes lit up dangerously, “Coward, show yourself! You are a weakling to fight this way! You cheap son-of-a-whore!”

Vincent walked out the shadows and strait for the crowd. The braced defensively for some sort of sneak attack but he was far to upfront and caught them off guard with it. His fist flew into Lithe’s stomach, while his knee came up to break her nose and send her backwards to the ground. Edge struck a blow to the side of his face, for which there was a quick retaliation of his right hand reaching out and grabbing edge by her throat. Kata screamed and kicked Vincent in the groin, while reaching out towards his right arm. Vincent didn’t even flinch and caught his hand. He flicked his wrist and twisted, throwing Kata’s arm out of its socket. As he did this Shadows Katana burst through Vincent’s chest. Vincent Spun Kata by his arm and shoved Kata’s back into Vincent’s chest, impaling him. Edge, who was turning pale and gasping for air pounded her fists against his arm as tears streamed down her face. Vincent laughed and twisted his hand, snapping her windpipe and threw her to the ground to die, followed by Kata’s warm body on top of her, his eyes already rolled into his head. He turned to face Shadow, planning on returning his sword to him and was met with a wrecking ball of a fist to his face as stone, now with his senses together, round housed him across the jaw. Vincent staggered back 5 or 6 steps and seemed to be fighting consciousness, when stone stepped up and barreled him again in the face. Vincent spun to the ground with a flash of blood from his face. As he tried to lift his body Stones foot met his stomach. Vincent lifted a foot in the air and hit the ground vomiting. Stone gripped him by the hair and picked him up. Looking him in the eyes while he pulled back for the final blow.

Vincent’s eyes went wide and slammed his gauntlet into stones stomach. Stone grinned as he looked down, the gauntlets sticking only inches into his flesh, small rivulets of blood coursed down the gauntlet as Vincent frowned, looking frightened. Vincent mouthed a word in panic, and the fire blew out. The room went dark. Stones hands were now empty. There was a bright pink light as two large shields were formed from ethereal energies. It was shard, tears streaming down her face as she looked at fate stone and shadow.

“She… she was on her last breath,” she choked out in sobs, “she told me… to take her… her life for the light…” Her lips quivered as she spoke. It was obvious what she meant, she had taken spirits soul in exchange for her power, which lit up the room enough to afford them a safe circle of light.

They stayed in that circle for the next several hours, until daylight broke through there window, Shard, Stone, Fate and Shadow huddled together. Lithe, Dirk and Ashe crawled to them during the night and joined them. There family had been shattered, and these seven were all that were left of the Children of Darkness. Chaos needed to be warned. It was only a matter of time before Vincent struck again.