The Chimera (Legends of the Dark Creatures Book 2)

Concentrate, Ethan thought to himself.

He took in a long breath through his nostrils and let it out through his mouth. The sun’s warmth caressed his chest as he meditated on the shores of his pocket dimension. With his legs crossed and his palms resting on his knees, Ethan kept his breath steady and focused on the dark power that resided in his body.

Ten powerful seals — each holding one creature that made Ethan what he was — kept his power at bay. Including turning Ethan into a Chimera, these seals were the last thing his mother gave to him before she died. While Ethan could access some abilities of each of the ten creatures, he wasn’t nearly as powerful — or dangerous — as he was when he released any of his seals.

Still breathing calmly, Ethan opened the Seal of Water; one that held his abilities as a Water Element Master. A burning wave of power coursed through him and Ethan remained composed... he was still himself.

A hard breath entered Ethan’s nostrils when he unlocked the Seal of Blood; where the genuine power of his vampire side was sealed. He gritted his teeth and tightly gripped his knees as the power took over him.

Destroy them all

Ethan’s shivered as he quickly rejected that thought. The air surrounding him became vicious; hitting the bare skin of his back and chest. Though his eyes were closed, he could feel his dark aura affecting the elements and weather around him, trying to command them for only one purpose.

Yours is a destiny of death, darkness, and destruction.

Visions of Ethan’s dark past played on a constant loop in the back of his eyelids. He could see the civilizations he had obliterated, smell the blood of the living he had slaughtered, and hear the screams of all who fell prey to him. The dark power was overwhelming Ethan.

Searching his mind, Ethan leaned on the one light he had left; memories of Lenora. His breathing slowed and his heartbeat started returning to normal. The surrounding atmosphere too retained its initial state. Even thousands of years weren’t enough to steal the memory of Lenora’s beautiful smile; Ethan focused on that. He could almost feel the soft touch of her hand, which always soothed his soul. And whenever her lips would meet his, Ethan always forgot who he was... what he was.

“Light cannot exist without darkness,” she would say. “And where there is darkness there is always light... Finding that light is simple... The realization and acceptance of that fact, I admit can be difficult.”

A soft sigh escaped Ethan’s mouth. Lenora had a unique way of viewing the world, he thought. The power surging through his body was now under his total control, and his dark aura remained contained within him. At that moment, he was fully both Vampire and Water Element Master. He didn’t dare unlock another seal, for he knew he would surely lose himself.

Indeed, Ethan was afraid of this power. Not only didn’t he understand it, but he also did not know why his mother turned him into such a terrifying creature. He always thought that it was so he could have his revenge against his father and Richard’s mother. But that was before he learned the truth about what really transpired all those years ago.

With two of his seals open, Ethan continued meditating for hours until he felt the sun’s rays hitting the right side of his face. Slowly, he opened his eyes. Judging by the position of the sun, Ethan deduced that he had meditated for over three hours.

He closed the two seals within him and stood up.

Just as he was about to pick up his coat from the ground, Ethan heard a familiar voice.

“Ethan”

It was Samantha’s voice and she was in the forest on the other side of Ethan’s Pocket Dimension. What Ethan found strange was that she was alone.

Ethan picked up and wore his leather coat. At the will of his mind, a gust of wind gathered around him and took off into the air. He saw Samantha waiting right at the edge of what might have appeared as a cliff to her. At a suitable speed, Ethan flew towards her and arrived in less than a minute. His feet touched the ground and he walked towards the barrier of the pocket dimension.

“Ethan, are you there?” Samantha called out in a low voice. She couldn’t see Ethan in his dimension and kept looking behind her as if she was expecting him to appear anywhere. She was wearing a bright red T-shirt, blue denim jeans, and black sneakers that were covered with a bit of mud.

Samantha sighed and said, “Perhaps he isn’t around.” But just as she turned to leave, Ethan stepped out of his dimension.

“And to what do I owe this pleasure,” he said.

“Ethan!” Samantha exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

Clearly startled, Samantha abruptly turned; her phone sliding out of her hand. Ethan effortlessly caught it in mid-air. Her dark ebony skin was almost turning red. Samantha’s heart was beating frankly— expected, seeing as Ethan practically sneaked up on her— but Ethan found another thing strange about her... There was no fear in her aura. If anything she was... happy to see him.

She is indeed a mistress of many mysteries, he thought.

“You should be more careful with your possessions,” Ethan said in a soft tone as he handed over her phone.

“Thank you,” she replied. “Phew... My mom would have killed me if I had destroyed this phone as well. The one I had before was damaged when the Dark Trinity attacked me and my friends.”

“Interesting that you are afraid of what your mother might do to you when you are standing next to one of the most dangerous creatures on this planet,” Ethan stated.

“From what I have heard, you are one of the most dangerous creatures in all the realms,” Samantha pointed out.

“I see the little mermaid and my brother still have a lot of fascinating things to say about me.”

“Not just Ashley and Richard but also everyone I know who heard about you. But—”

Samantha paused and all of a sudden she couldn’t stop staring at the large scar on Ethan’s chest.

“My God,” she uttered, moving to get a closer look.

When she was so close that there almost wasn’t any space between them, Ethan gently held her shoulders and said, “Trust me, you wouldn’t want to get too close.”

There was deep sorrow in her eyes when she asked, “I have heard that to become a dark creature you have to die first... Is this how you—”

“It was a long time ago,” Ethan said, surprised at how soft his tone was towards her. “So what brought you here?”

Samantha stepped back.

“I came to return this”

She pulled out a small vial filled with a glowing yellow fluid from her jeans pocket.

“I took this out from a chest in your basement,” Samantha replied. “I don’t even know why I did. But I figured you’d notice and—”

“And you returned it fearing what I’d do,” replied Ethan in a slightly darker tone.

“No, I—”

“It’s alright,” Ethan interrupted, not wanting to hear any explanation she was willing to give. He took the vial and placed it in the pocket of his coat.

If she is indeed who I think she is, then perhaps it’s better this way.

Ethan suddenly sensed a very powerful presence enter the forest, and it was approaching them.

“What’s wrong?” Samantha asked.

Ethan raised his hand and opened a portal.

“This will take you near your school,” he said.

Samantha reluctantly walked towards the spiraling fires of the portal.

“Don’t waste your pity on me,” Ethan said to Samantha. He could feel it in her aura; how sorry she was for him.

“Ashley told me that dark creatures can read emotions through auras,” Samantha said with a smile. She turned to look at him. “It isn’t pity I feel for you, Ethan... I just thought I’d never see someone else with so much sadness in their eyes. It appears you and Ashley have a lot in common. Now get why you are so interested in her. Birds of the same feather I guess.”

Samantha walked through the portal, which closed shortly after.

Birds of the same feather huh? Ethan thought. For the sake of the little mermaid and those close to her, Ethan hoped Samantha was wrong.

He, however, had no time to contemplate small matters. The powerful presence he had sensed earlier still lingered nearby.

The corner of Ethan’s mouth rose slightly when three beast-like figures— each surrounded by a thick black mist emanating from their bodies— appeared. Shadow Wisps. These creatures could take on any form they wanted and the dark mist that cloaked them contained the many souls that had fallen prey to them. The fog also shielded them from the sun.

“The Order is wise, the Order is just, the Order is absolute,” they said in unison in their language; one that could have only sounded like piercing shrieks and screams to those who couldn’t understand it.

“The Order must be getting desperate,” Ethan said normally in the common tongue.

“Gandor was but a pawn sent to test your abilities,” one Shadow Wisp said.

“But we— the elite assassins of our supreme master ...” another one continued.

“Will have both your heart and your soul, Chimera” the third one on Ethan’s left finished.

“Earlier I sensed a powerful presence appear in this forest,” Ethan said. “I am surprised that it was your aura I sensed.”

“Our power should be of no surprise to you, Chimera,” one of the Wisps said. “A single one of us is enough to decimate entire armies.”

Narrowing his eyes, Ethan said, “I wasn’t talking about you.”

The Shadow Wisps were taken aback when a woman blurred past them and appeared before Ethan; bowing on one knee. She wore a black cloak and the rest of her body was clothed in fine leather garments and long boots covered her feet. Her face was looking at the ground; afraid to meet Ethan’s gaze.

“Raised your head,” Ethan said.

The woman slowly faced Ethan. Black veins spread across the dark-skinned face. Allison Wilder, Ethan thought. She was the woman Ethan had given the Tormentor’s Touch over four hundred years ago.

The black veins which carried the pain of the touch had already reached her heart so why was she still here? Ethan thought. His question was immediately answered when she reached inside her cloak and pulled out a small wooden chest. The letter E was engraved on it.

" ‘You’ve always known where your heart is,’ " Allison finally said, her eyes filled with tears— tears of joy. “That’s what your letter said, my lord. After my mother was killed by the Trigons in Lideth I pleaded with Marcus to have her remains buried at her home village here on earth; it still remains the only thing I have ever asked of him.” She looked at Ethan. “You remembered my story and hid my heart where my mother was put to rest, knowing it was the one place I had vowed never to return to.”

“And after finding your heart, why didn’t you put an end to your pain?”

“That’s just the thing... This pain is not my own,” Allison replied pressing her palm on her chest.

“All who side with this abomination will share the same fate,” one of the Shadow Wisps uttered.

Ethan suddenly sensed burning anger emanating from Allison.

“My lord,” she said. “I know that it’s not my place to ask this but can I fight this battle for you?”

“And you expect to be victorious in your condition?” Ethan asked.

Allison placed the wooden chest on the ground and took off her cloak. Two broad blades were sheathed across her back and it was then that Ethan realized that both her weapons and her garments— including the Daylight Ring on the middle finger of her left hand— had been powerfully enchanted; a parting gift she must have received from the supreme ruler of Lideth.

“On the day we met— thinking you were only a child— I asked you how you were so sure you could defeat me,” Allison said. “But you said the concept of true victory is only clear to those who believe in what they are fighting for.”

“And what is it that you are fighting for?” asked Ethan.

A glowing white symbol suddenly appeared in both of Allison’s eyes.

Interesting, Ethan thought. “Very well,” he said, looking in the direction of the Shadow Wisps.

Allison stood.

“Insolent wench,” one Shadow Wisp blurted out. “If you value your miserable life then we suggest that you move aside and leave the abomination to meet his—”

A loud resonating shriek came from the Shadow Wisp when Allison dashed at it, grabbed its beastly form, and a blast of fire shot from her hand. The other two watched in shock as Allison’s flames engulfed their comrade, incinerating the creature’s dark mist and revealing its true form as an entity that resembled a spiraling black void. The creature burned until nothing of it was left.

“I may not understand your language,” Allison said to the two remaining Shadow Wisps. “But I can sense the vile disrespect you have for my lord from your auras.”

The other two assumed humanoid forms and attacked Allison. The young elemental vampire displayed amazing skill as she dodged each of their attacks. Allison controlled a gust of wind and blew one of the Shadow Wisps toward a tree. The creature, however, vanished into the tree’s shadow on the ground and came out behind Allison through her shadow. Ethan smirked when the creature plunged its hand into Allison’s back, reaching for her chest. The other came in front of Allison and slashed its hand across her neck; sending her head flying to the ground.

“Pitiful creature,” the Wisp that held the rest of Allison’s body said. “And now Chimera—”

Shock resonated from the two Shadow Wisps when Allison’s body, as well as her detached head on the ground, ruptured into flames. Normally, a dark creature’s body would burn completely once it was destroyed. However, when Allison’s body was incinerated, the flames began to gather; forming a humanoid shape until Allison once again stood in front of them with a new body.

“Can I please have my clothes back,” Allison said, holding out her hand to the shadow wisp that held her clothes.

“Impossible,” one of them uttered. “An abomination created by another. The Order will not stand for this!”

The Shadow Wisp threw Allison’s clothes away and charged together with its comrade.

Allison’s eyes were as sharp as a sword. With incredible speed and agility, she grabbed the arm of one of the Shadow Wisps, threw her legs in the air, and locked the head of the other in them. Her body lit up like the sun when flames burst out of her body, engulfing the two Shadow Wisps and incinerating them to nothingness.

Landing on the ground, Allison sucked in a deep breath. She walked over to her clothes and began to put them on. When she was done wearing her clothes she walked up towards Ethan. The black veins of the Tormentor’s Touch had completely disappeared but Ethan knew they would soon return; and with them, the pain.

Once again, Allison knelt on one knee but no word came from her mouth.

“It seems fate has armed herself with surprises for me today,” Ethan said and Allison still remained quiet. “You obviously returned to me for a reason. So, what is it that you want?”

Allison picked up the chest that lay on the ground and held it towards Ethan.

“In exchange for something, only you can give... I offer my heart,” Allison replied, a statement that once again surprised Ethan.

“And want is it that only I can give?” Ethan asked.

Allison gulped and her lip trembled when she said, “Y-your mark... I wish to have the mark of the Chimera.”

Immediately after saying those words, Allison fell on both her knees and bowed her head to the ground. Her body was shaking frantically and a stench of fear lingered in her aura. She knew the repercussions of asking such a thing from Ethan.

“How you answer my next question will determine whether I will spare you or make the pain you’ve experienced up to this point seem more bearable compared to what I’ll do to you. Do you believe you are worthy of receiving my mark?”

Allison remained silent for a while, unsure of what to say. She gathered the courage to look at him and with eyes wet with tears, she said, “What I believe doesn’t matter my lord... Only you can deem who is worthy of such an honor.”

Ethan moved his hand towards her. Allison tightly shut her eyes, expecting the worst to be done to her.

But when Ethan touched her neck and took away the Tormentor’s Touch, she opened her eyes wide in shock.

“The willpower you have shown is one I have seen in only a handful of creatures,” Ethan said, helping Allison stand to her feet. Though she looked older and taller than him, Ethan felt like he was teaching a child how to walk. Allison’s legs kept shivering from the fear she must have felt earlier and Ethan had to hold her by the shoulder so that she wouldn’t fall.

“Does this mean that I passed your test?” Allison asked. “Will you seal me with your mark?”

“I am sure you’ve heard of the fate that befell all those who— without my knowledge— placed my mark upon themselves.”

“They were fools to think they could bear the weight of your mark my lord,” replied Allison.

“And you are only desperate,” Ethan said, looking into Allison’s eyes. “You have been running your entire life and now you have hope that carrying my mark can end your suffering. You are not ready to receive it.”

“But I can be,” Allison quickly said. “You are right, I am afraid. Fear is the only emotion I have known all my life and running is the greatest skill I taught myself. When I held that chest in my hands I wanted to end it all; the pain that plagued me, the fear that enslaved me, and the guilt I felt about leaving the only two people I cared about to suffer at the hands of Marcus...”

Like a flame, Allison’s eyes suddenly lit up with realization.

“My lord, I—”

“It seems you are more astute than I thought,” Ethan said. He raised his hand, chanted a spell and two portals opened. One burned with hot vibrant spiraling red flames and the other was like a black void, leading to nothingness. Ethan pulled out the vial from the pocket of his trousers. Allison smiled when she saw that it was one of the vials that she had once stolen from him.

“You have three choices, young vampire,” said Ethan, giving Allison the chest that contained her heart. A hot wind raged before them, whipping their hair across their face. “Throw your heart in the portal with the red flames and it will immediately be incinerated; destroying you and freeing you from the troubles of this world forever.” Ethan then held the vial containing the blood of a goddess in his hand. “Or you could ask me to return it back into your body, completing who you are—”

“Or I could throw my heart into the black void,” Allison interjected. “It would go into a realm where everything and yet nothing exists; a remnant of the ancient wars of the Divines.” She smiled widely. “Kyla indeed does know the way you think my lord. Your friend told me you would ask me to make a choice such as this.”

Allison gripped the chest tightly. “And I had already made my choice before coming here.”

With an aura and eyes untainted by doubt, Allison tossed the chest into the black void. She was breathing deeply when Ethan closed the other portal.

“So Kyla was the one who told you about my mark,” Ethan said.

“And she also told me about how important the vial in your hand is to you,” Allison added. “She also said if I chose to have my heart returned she would slice me into infinite pieces before I felt my first heartbeat.”

“And the choice you made... Do you realize what you have become?” asked Ethan.

“I am what I have always been my lord... The Unkillable Vampire. A survivor. I am done running. My father and my friend are still alive and I will free them from Marcus’ clutches.”

“But I promise to return one day. Hopefully, on that day, I will be ready to receive the mark of the one and only Chimera.”

Ethan felt a wave of relief course through his body. As he had hoped, giving Allison the Tormentor’s Touch centuries ago helped her grow, and little did she know that she was ready to face any trials fate could throw at her. She was worthy of the True Gift she possessed.

"Therik Niva Retu," Ethan chanted and opened a portal behind Allison. “Your destiny awaits, young vampire.”

Allison picked up her cloak, put it on, and walked towards the portal.

“Elenora,” she said just before she went through. “Centuries ago you spared my life after you learned that my middle name was Elenora. Why did you, my lord?”

“When we meet again one day, I will tell you everything about that name,” Ethan said. “But remember something... Being indestructible doesn’t mean you are invulnerable to even worse fates.”

Smiling brightly, Allison raised the hood of her cloak.

“I will keep that in mind, Lord Ethan,” she said and walked into the portal.

When Ethan returned into his Pocket Dimension he stared upon the hills in the far distance— particularly the one with a large purple tree going at its peak. He remembered something Lenora had once said to him.

“I know it’s impossible for us to have a child of our own but if we did I think I would name him Rethan if he were a boy or... Elenora if she was a girl. Clever right, I just took a letter from one of our names and added it in front of the other.”

“You were always such a dreamer, Lenora,” Ethan said to himself, staring at the sun as it disappeared behind the hills, its red rays piercing through the spaces between them. “I could not keep my promise to always be by your side but I at least kept that one."

The memory of the day Lenora died played in Ethan’s mind.

“My little brother,” Lenora said, looking at the baby sleeping in her arms. “He has such a peaceful smile and I am glad he was asleep through all this. He is the last of our tribe. Ethan, my love, please promise me that you will look after him as if he was your own... and if you can; his descendants too.”

“You have my word,” Ethan said.

“Do you remember the dream we had of naming our child,” Lenora asked, her lips trembling in pain and her breaths becoming weaker.

“Rethan for a boy... Elenora for a girl,” Ethan replied holding her in his arms.

“With your permission,” Lenora said. “I would like those names to live on through my little brother and his descendants.”

“His bloodline will never fade from this earth for as long as I exist,” Ethan said, holding her in his arms and caressing the child’s cheek.

“There you go again with that word,” Lenora chuckled. “You do not just exist Ethan.” She gently pressed her hand on his chest, leaned closer to him, and bestowed her lips upon his. “See,” she said, her breath hot against his face. “Your heart is racing, your lips are as warm and tender as the sun and in your eyes, I see both pain and the intense love you have for me. You are more alive than anyone I know, my Ethan. And if I would be granted one last wish before I die then my wish would be that one day you find the light and life you so truly deserve.”

Ethan returned his mind to the present.

“My chance at life was forfeited the day I took yours, Lenora,” Ethan whispered, his heart arching so painfully he put his hand on his chest. “My destiny is indeed one of death, darkness, and destruction.”

As the sun was being hidden behind the hills, Ethan stared at the tree on the peak of the hill and said, “But despite the nature of what I am, I have tried my best to keep my promise to you. And that at the very least counts as some good... Right, my little dreamer?”

...

Thank you so much for reading this chapter.

LOTDC Fact:

Dark Creatures have incredible healing abilities. Depending on how powerful they are, some dark creatures can survive even after being decapitated. This, however, is limited to only a few of them as the vast majority cannot live after having their heads sliced off, ripped in half, burnt to ashes, etc.

The most surefire way of destroying any dark creature is by destroying its heart. This means that Allison Elenora Wilder, a dark creature without a heart, can never be destroyed. She can even walk in the sun without her Daylight Ring and still regenerate after burning to ashes. However, indestructibility doesn’t equate to omnipotence. There are fates worse than death out there and they will surely come in Allison’s way.

And you will all see how she handles it all in a side story I will one day srite, which will follow Allison as she returns to save her family from the clutches of Marcus Raze and his diabolical family.

Allison’s story has just begun.