Infinity Blood: Book One- Hunt For The Divine

Ephesians 5:16

And Christ shall give thee light. See then that ye walk circumspectly,not as fools but as wise, Redeeming the time,because the days are evil.

Prologue

Existence began with a flash of light that pierced the black vastness ofspace, bringing forth a billion stars. And the world as we know it came tobe––suspended, breathing, becoming life. Magnificent oceans, brilliant blueskies patchy with sheets of white vapor, animals from the humble mouse to theprideful lion arose, as did all forms of flora that sprouted up from beneaththe dirt and soil, spreading across the lands culminating in lush jungles andforests, providing refuge to the fauna from the ever-changing elements.

Onthe seventh day came man and with man came the original sin. As Eve plucked theforbidden fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and Adam partook, they were cast outfrom paradise, condemned to fend for themselves in an imperfect world filledwith struggle and hardships––a reality to which man grew all tooaccustomed.

Castout from paradise, existence no longer felt like a blessing but a vile curse.Scornful towards his Almighty Creator, Adam's hatred brought forth theembodiment of malice––creatures with an insatiable thirst for vengeance againstthe God who seemed to have forsaken them. This rage was passed on to his twosons, Cain and Abel, who themselves committed the second sin and unleashed the maligusonto the world.

Fromthen on, man's soul was thrust into a ceaseless war between good and evil; Proelium in Principio Esse had begun.Only the Angelix, warriors of the holiest order, wielded enough power tochallenge the growing threat of the demon maligus. Armed with the DivineItems––the Saber of Sovereignty, the Dagger of Divinity, and the Armament ofAuthority––the grand battle seemed all but won. But as civilization grew, sodid the sins of man, and soon, the scales between good and evil becameunbalanced.

Thechosen Angelix relinquished paradise and descended to Earth to continue theirduty of bringing balance to mankind, to finally rid the world of the fouldemons. And so, they remained on Earth, living as humans, learning to love theever-fleeting imperfection that was humanity. Passing on the lessons of the RitefulFite to their descendants, calling themselves Pharus Spei, theyfought on, awaiting Proelio Finem Temporis––the final confrontationbetween the forces of light and dark.

Theend will be ushered in by the union of three prophesied warriors, each of whomwill once again wield the Divine Items, lost for millennia throughout the longstretches of time. They shall bring an end to this war and, at long last, bringforth an everlasting peace for mankind.

Theywill be the Infinitrinity.

Chapter 01

He was beinghunted. No sooner had the sun retreated behind the city skyline than thecreatures came pouring out from within the shadows, trailing after the youngboy. The boy cut through alleyways and a vacant lot in a panicked frenzy, lungsburning and heart racing; he felt their desperate hunger careening down at hisback. Young as he was, his primal instincts for survival, mixed withadrenaline, kept him pushing forward, trying his damndest to lose the ravenouscreatures. He knew they wanted nothing more than for him to take a wrong turnor to trip and lose his balance. These mistakes would be all they needed toguarantee an easy meal.

They were swift and nimble things. Their bodies were thinand their appendages long. They were quick and light on their feet, barelymaking a sound as they leaped above, from rooftop to rooftop. The darkness hidtheir viler details. But he’d seen them before. The image of their hideousfeatures haunted his dreams almost every night. Their jagged teeth protrudedfrom their enormous, unhinged mouths. Their scale-covered limbs werereptilian-like. But it was their eyes that clung most vividly to the forefront ofhis mind. Those wide, scarlet eyes. They were so full of equal parts malice andinsatiable hunger. Existing only to feed on the innocent, to cause misery. Hehad unfortunately borne witness to these things.

He took a hastened turn, leading him to a concrete wallfar too tall for him to climb over. This was the mistake they had hoped to preyon. It was a dead end. He turned on his heels, eyes swollen with tears, inhaleddeeply, and prepared to meet his fate head-on. A boy only twelve years of age,living on the streets. Alone. Scrounging for food in dumpsters and takingshelter wherever he was able, now being forced to face his mortality.

I don’t wanna die. God. I don’t wanna die.

The herd of demons huddled around thechild. Salivating. Their long, serrated teeth readied for the taste of theboy’s tender flesh.

A shrouded figure suddenly materializedfrom the darkness and into the moonlight, placing itself between the creatures andthe boy.

It was a man. He was draped in a long coat, wearing awide-brimmed hat. The boy noticed the demons suddenly begin to place distancebetween themselves and the mysterious man.

No sooner did he appear than he charged them, a longsword in hand. Within what seemed seconds, the demons were torn asunder,becoming only clouds of ash and smoke.

The man turned to the boy. He was an older-lookinggentleman, with a long grayish beard falling from his chin and a silver manepouring out from beneath his hat.

“What is your name, boy?” the man asked. His voice wascalming.

The boy spoke.

“Nathaniel, sir. Nathaniel Lumen.”

There was a brief pause. The man spokeagain.

“Where are your parents? You are muchtoo young to be out here alone at this time of night.”

“They’re dead, sir. Those things killed them. A yearago.”

The old man took a moment to survey the child. He was ameek-looking thing. Thin and malnourished, appearing to barely be there at all.His tired eyes suddenly caught sight of something familiar. A blotchy and oddlypigmented blemish on the boy’s right forearm.

“It appears you have a choice to make.You are of course free to stay here and live your life as you choose, fightingfor survival in this city rampant with those foul creatures. Or you can comewith me and never fear again.”

The boy looked on at the stranger in the billowing trenchcoat. Perplexed. This offer had a weight to it unlike any he’d been givenbefore. Was such a decision truly his to make? A boy of twelve years old givensuch reign over his destiny, expected to make this life-altering decision forhimself.

The man said nothing further. Simply slipping his swordback into its sheath, he began to walk away.

The boy watched as the stranger walked out of the dimlylit alleyway and into the lightened streets. His silhouette was statuesque asthe shadows bent around him. Whoever this man was, he felt certain wherever hewas headed would be a place filled with purpose. There would be light.

The boy followed after.

The Distant Future, the Year 2307

The Cathedral of Kayn

"Theperimeter is secure."

"Noheat signatures are showing up on our end."

"Copythat, we're moving in."

TheFaction 7 infiltration squad had managed to make it through the mountainsbordering the outskirts of the once-great city of Edenlore. After an arduousbattle that left their ranks severely diminished, they had finally breached thehard light barrier, an omnipresent protective shell surrounding the cathedral.Exhausted and running low on supplies, they were weak in body but strong inspirit. Their mission was to breach the heart of the cathedral and locate thethrone room.

"Hurrydown the left corridor; there should be a flight of stairs to the right!"Vector Lux, a young Pharus Spei soldier, recited aloud, providing theinfiltration squad with the intelligence that had been gathered by the lastplatoon on their prior mission.

SergeantLancer nodded. "You two, you're with me. The rest of you men cover ourend."

PrivateVector Lux obeyed Sergeant Lancer’s command and followed closely as they madetheir way up the stairwell. This was the opportunity they had long fought for;all the lives lost, all the bloodshed, all the years he'd spent training—it allled to this moment.

Theysprinted up the flight of stairs. Vector glanced to his right, locking eyeswith Private Sands. Both had been enlisted into the ranks of the Pharus Spei atthe age of thirteen, and both had spent years on the battlefield, bearingwitness to the horrors of the ceaseless war, the countless deaths of lovedones, and the all-consuming dread that governed their entire lives.

Thismission's success would make all the difference and could very well bring anend to all the suffering. Peace could finally be achieved at long last. All ofcivilization’s fate depended solely on this success.

Hordesof maligus––winged, bloodthirsty beasts––trailed behind them, existing solelyto feed on the fear and flesh of men, of which their jagged teeth made shortwork. They were under his dominion.Hundreds of them stood watch over the cathedral through the night, evervigilant. Throughout the long hours of the night, they were his enforcers.

Severalsoldiers had managed to fend off a portion of the maligus, allowing SergeantLancer and his team to break from the group and move toward the objective.However, they were severely outnumbered, and before long, they were overwhelmedby the malevolent beasts. Vector could hear their blood-curdling screamsechoing through the stairwell as the Faction 7 soldiers were torn apart in theensuing battle.

SergeantLancer led the two soldiers up through the stairwell and into the grand hall,where they were met with a mighty staircase leading toward two large doors.

"Intelsays that's the entrance to the throne room." Sergeant Lancer activated adevice on his wrist that displayed a holographic map of the cathedral’sinterior.

"What'sour next move, Sarge?" Vector asked. Suddenly, Lancer's device emitted analarming beeping sound.

Adeep, unsettling, booming voice filled the hall.

"Impressive,humans, making it this far, and only at the cost of your entire fleet."Lum was its name; a behemoth of a bestial form emerged from behind thebanister.

"Wasit worth it? The annihilation of all your comrades?" Another demon, femalein appearance, with long flowing hair and an alluring presence; its name wasLangu.

"Food!"shouted another voice, raspy and excited. Esu appeared, its long and thin bodydwarfed by Lum's broad and massive form.

"Letus gift them a quick and painful death as a prize for making it this far,"Morto, the final demon, said as it walked forth, unveiling its massive bat-likewings, sneering down at the three intruders.

TheFour Hellsmen, the deadliest of his enforcers. Sergeant Lancer engagedhis mechanical wrist gauntlets, setting them to incineration mode. He looked tohis right. His fellow soldier stood there, trembling, trying to keep a braveface. His teeth clenched, his left hand on the hilt of his sword, stillsheathed. Fear radiated from him.

Hethen looked to his right and saw Vector with his sword at the ready, his facestern, unshaken, and full of resolve. He had made his decision.

"PrivateLux, when I give the order, move for those doors. We will cover you. Getthrough those doors and complete this mission. That's an order. Do youunderstand, soldier?" Sergeant Lancer had given his final order, andVector nodded.

"Now!Move!" Vector ran for the staircase, only to be blocked by the wingeddemon Morto, who dove downward with a sweeping strike of its claw.

Vectorsprung backward narrowly, evading the demon's attack. Grasping hold of hisextendable sword, he began blocking a barrage of strikes from above, his steelblade clanging against the demon’s talons. Like a hungry vulture, the demonattacked relentlessly, swooping up and then back down with violent vigor.

Astorm of bullets pelted the demon's body, causing it to collapse to the ground.Sergeant Lancer readjusted his gauntlets and readied himself with another roundof ammunition.

"Go,that's an order!"

Heset off another round of shots; the bullets sprayed both banisters, heaving acloud of debris into the air. Lum jumped from atop the banister and landedheavily on the marble floor below, fracturing it with its tremendous weight. Itheaved its neck back, puffed out its wide-breasted chest, inhaling deeply, andthen exhaled a large wall of flames. Vector, using his jet propulsion boots,propelled himself into the air.

Vectorlaunched himself forward in the direction of the throne room doors. Suddenly,swarms of flies appeared, obscuring his sight. He felt something grab hold ofhis left ankle and begin to pull him down. He looked down to see a dark and greasymass of hair had wrapped itself around his leg and was pulling him down.

Langucackled, using its tendril-like locks of hair to further ensnare the slayer. Anameless soldier lunged at the demon with an arching slash of his steel blade,severing the wretched tendrils and allowing Vector to escape.

"Go,Lux, go now while we hold them off! Go!" he shouted, desperately fendingoff the demon Esu, who had gotten the upper hand. The demon had managed to pinhim to the floor and had begun draining him of his life essence. His vitality.He shrieked in terror until all that was left was a withered, lifeless husksprawled out on the floor.

In astate of desperate rage, Vector engaged his gauntlets and shot Esu with apinpoint hit to the head, causing it to explode on impact. Lum leaped into theair, wrapping its massive arms around the slayer, and they came crashing down.Now, Vector was at the mercy of the demon. Staring into its eyes, he could seenothingness, only hatred and malicious intent glowing in those red pits whichwere its eyes.

"Lethell have you, Pharus Spei," the demon said, raising its head andpreparing to unleash a blast of its fiery breath. Suddenly, a gleam ofshimmering light tore through its chest, moving upward and splitting it downthe middle of its massive torso.

Lancerstood triumphant, his plasma saber in hand. He had sustained noticeable burnwounds to his right arm; even so, he wore a face of gratification as he watchedthe beast fall to pieces. The three remaining demons gathered around theshredded corpse.

Havingfaced the Hellsmen numerous times before, Lancer knew it wouldn't be longbefore the beasts would regenerate and return to fighting form.

Heknew he had to do whatever he could to allow Private Lux a chance to reach thethrone room. He ignited his plasma blade, flipping a switch on the blade’shandle. It began to grow in length, losing its straight shape, resembling thatof a loose line of wire, glowing and growing into a whip made of pure lightenergy.

Thenit began. With the flick of his wrist, the plasma whip looped outward and theninward, and suddenly, in a flurry of movements, it had begun to move in everydirection, cutting through marble pillars, the banister above, and everythingin its path. The demons backed away, doing all they could to avoid its wrath.

"Onyour feet, Vector!" he commanded, his voice still strong andfocused.

Vectorrose, regained his focus, and turned toward the two large wooden doors. He ranup the steps, hesitating for an instant at the top. Sergeant Lancer called outto him. Turning, Vector met his gaze––a look of reassurance, pride, acceptance,but most of all, hope.

Withthat, Lancer deactivated the plasma weapon and tossed it to Vector Lux. Theyexchanged nods.

Vectornow knew with all certainty that the fate of the world was in his hands. For aninstant, he found himself unable to move forward. He turned once more, glancingback at Sergeant Lancer, fully aware of the fate that awaited him once hewalked through those doors.

It was a feeling of hopelessness.

But maybe...

Summoningall his resolve, he pushed through the heavy doors and into his throne room.

Thethrone room of Kayn.