PROLOGUE
Punishment
Punishment
The room was dark. Perhaps though, it could not even be considered a room. It was, in fact, a cave of gargantuan properties. The stalagmites and stalactites hung from the top and bottom of the rocky mouth as teeth, ready to devour a lost soul that would be so foolish as to wander into its clutches. The dark walls were encrusted with years of granite and lime. Every so often, moisture would drop off one of the jagged rocks above, creating a slight dripping noise. Throughout the stone walls of the cave, an emptiness rang out, creating stinging silence. Not even a rat dared scatter across the firm floor. However, the intense quiet was disrupted with a loud crack, and a flash of white light.
Several figures now stood atop the once empty floor. In the very center was a woman, bent on her knees, her hands bound by chains. She had golden locks, now dirtied, and creamy, tanned skin, now mucked and mudded with filth and blood. Her deep blue eyes, which at one time could have produced elegance and divine happiness, now were demented and frightened, dashing about from one place to another. Upon her shapely body, she wore dented and tainted golden armor, which hung from its bare hinges off of her pitiful form. And from her back sprouted large, pure white wings, which were now soiled with red and lay useless at her sides. But despite her poor persona, the woman’s face had upon it a grin more chilling then the icy pits of Hell. Around the woman stood several other hooded figures, all whose faces were hidden by shadow. Some wore robes of black or dark brown. Others, of white, gold, and delicate blue. One of the dark figures took a step forward, taking off its hood. A bald man with sable eyes stood there. He had a slim neck, with markings all over his stark pale skin.
“Sanctimonia of the Light Realm,” he said in a low, smooth voice. “You have violated the treaty for peace between the Shadow and Light Realms. You have committed heinous crimes against humans, using humans. Your actions now, I fear, will plunge Earth into darkness for nearly a hundred of their years. It is for this reason that you have been brought before both Councils, and shall be sentenced to the proper punishment.”
The woman now known as Sanctimonia gave a breath filled laugh, in which held deep insanity and mania. She looked up, her eyes dancing. “Well then?” she said slowly. “What are the Councils waiting for? Kill me.”
Another figure, this time in white robes, also stepped forward, showing their face. A second man now stood there, in complete contrast with the first. He, like the woman, had golden hair as well as a thin beard, and calming, sapphire eyes. Unlike the pale man beside him, his skin was rich and tanned, glowing even in the darkness.
“We shall not allow you to get away with such a meager consequence,” he said coolly. This man's voice had leonine tendencies, and had a noble air about its growling tone. “Therefore, we have come up with a different solution.”
“Spare me your solutions, Caelum!” Sanctimonia spat. “Either way, my followers will find me, and when they do – !”
“Your ‘followers’ are either captured or dead,” interrupted the pale man. “Every renegade Light Angel and Shadow Demon have been apprehended and dealt with accordingly. But it is you who has caused the true treason here. So, you shall – ”
“What treason?!” Sanctimonia shrieked. “Earth was a failure from the start! The very idea was laughable, and yet the Councils created it none the less! It is blasphemy! It must be destroyed!”
“Enough!” barked Caelum. He motioned a couple of servants to come forward. They had with them a book. It was leather bound and thick as well as wide. On the top was an elegant golden cover, and on the bottom, an intense black color, just as romantic. The robed figures set the book down, opened to the middle page. They bowed and stepped back, allowing the two men to stand side by side and moved their arms upward. Out of each page, a stream of bright lighting shot out. One side came out a vibrant, purple glow, the other, a bright gold. The two lights then merged to create a shockingly green ray. It twisted in the air and then dove for Sanctimonia, grabbing her by the torso. She screamed and flailed, her body and limbs whipping in every direction. The green pulled her towards the open pages, her voice piercing the walls around her. Then, in a flash of white, the book slammed shut, and Sanctimonia was no where to be found. Caelum picked up the leather bound object, pressing his palms to either side.
“I shall keep this, Liderazgo,” he said, turning to the pale man. “She is the Light Realm’s responsibility.”
“I believe it would be the Shadow Realm’s claim,” Liderazgo replied. “Seeing as it was my Shadows who caught her.”
“But surely you do not intend to keep her in the Shadow Realm?” Caelum continued.
“I have a compromise,” said a voice of one of the dark hooded figures. A woman, pale and black haired, stood. She lifted her dark eyes to the head Councilmen.
“Illi,” said Liderazgo. “Speak.”
“What if,” Illi began, “we were to hide her on Earth? That way, the two Realms could both look after her.”
“Absurd,” said one of the hooded Lights.
“Is it though?” said a hooded Shadow. “Earth was originally a compromise, after all. Why would it be such a leap of faith to use it for the same aspect?”
Liderazgo made a thoughtful noise, looking at the book. “The argument seems rational,” he said, looking at Caelum. “What say you?”
Caelum looked at the book and then looked over at Illi. “Very well. We shall hide the book on Earth.”
Liderazgo nodded. “I elect one of my own to be the temporary care taker of it. Do you object?” Caelum shook his head, as it was the idea of a Shadow. Liderazgo then turned. “Viator!” A Shadow stepped forth, taking his own hood off. A firm young man now stood there, also with deathly pale skin and black hair and eyes. He had a strong jaw line and well balanced neck, held up under equally strong shoulders, hidden under the cloak at the moment. “You shall be the care taker of the book. Do you object?”
“No,” said Viator, bowing his head.
“Very good,” said Liderazgo, stepping closer to him. He placed the book into his hand. “Hide it on Earth. Make sure it will be safe.”
“You can count on me.”
With another reassuring nod, Liderazgo rounded up the other Shadows and slunk into the granite filled wall. Caelum and the Lights, on the other hand, evaporated into a cloud of bright white. Viator looked down at the book, running his hand along the spine. He then moved his hand towards the left of him, a large shadow resting on the lime wall. He jumped through it, disappearing from the mouth of the cave.
The silence soon returned to its home.
