The Dark Sire Issue 1 (Fall 2019) | Page 95

Kyuuketsuki By S.M. Cook Prologue I remember it well, the night that I first saw the jaws of Satan. The vision is still clear, the idea insane. It was but a mere few moments, yet it changed my life forever. Now, one may ask how such a thing is possible; but let me tell you, it is… very possible. How does one explain one’s own transformation? To go from the quiet, reserved, diffident person I was born, to the stealthy, capricious, subtle hunter I became that night. The first thought which comes to mind in such a situation is, ‘Who is at fault?’ Was I so vulnerable? How could I be overcome so easily? I had never thought myself weak, but in fact stronger than average – not so much physically but emotionally, mentally. Perhaps, it was not my fragility that made me the target, but my strength. After all, strength too can be a weakness if one is not careful. It is a lesson that I have had to learn through the more than 200 years that have followed. Chapter 1 Part 1 “Damascus! Where in the hell are you?” My voice echoed hollowly, as I kicked in the door of an elegantly aged ballroom leaving the lock warped and unusable. The 93