Red Sun and Moon Colliding: Chapter Zero
#2 of Lunar Aria
This is the log of Doctor Artemicias Kirre. I am, as the name suggests, of the species 'felinus athas psionum', or the kirres. I am writing this because I fear the coming days are going to be a time of difficulty for me, nay, our whole world. At least this may survive is catastophe strikes....
January 8th, 2009 (Strikedown)
A large object collided with our planet today. None of our technology can produce more information on it besides the obvious: It is devoid of life. But, at the moment of impact, it wasn't. Whatever WAS inside, is not. I do not know what they were, but I cannot suppress this sense of... forboding. Something is happening. Something we may already be too late to stop.
January 15th
Nightime is no longer a time of peace. It is one of fear. Our people have been plagued by these... creatures. We think they are from the meteor, but are unsure. They prey on us at the only time we cannot defend ourselves. They strike fear into our hearts, our very souls quake at the thought of them. These hellish beasts seep into the very shadows, and somehow claim our very minds as dens. So far, it's only been nightmares they cause. But it's not right. They've spread so fast, well beyond the compound- we think they become one with our very THOUGHTS to do this. I have been chosen as part of "Red Sun", a group formed by the government to find out more about these horrors. I almost wish that we fail to find anything conclusive, lest a panic form if the information is leaked. Maybe there is hope though. Maybe they are just nightmares, nothing more.
January 17th
Isolating the creatures has proved troublesome. They seem only able to possess our minds during times of darkness, when no lights of any kind are near, and when we are asleep. Thankfully, one of the other members of our group is a somnologist, and knows how to work in these conditions. I cannot pronounce her name at all, but she is a white tiger from the northern regions. She's truly beautiful, and has a way with the volunteers that sets them at ease. It won't be long until the proper equipment is moved in; until then, we are learning how to function as day-sleepers. To study sleep, one must be awake. At least, that's what she says.
February 19th
Aaah, it's been far too long since I've gotten a chance to write. We have learned much in the past month; it's simply astounding. The creatures, 'shadowkyn' as we have come to call them, have no physical form. As for how they were transported here? The object was no mere chunk of metal. It was an AI, specifically designed to dream. We know this through the one intact circuit we could find. All of us were amazed that it was compatable with our tech. It just sort of... fit. Oddly enough, only me and Dime (the somnologist- it turns out that she hates her full name anyway and prefers the nickname!) are unsettled by this.
Not all news is pleasant, though. Much of what we have learned is incredible. The shadowkyn leech into their victims through their minds. They feed on pain, on anguish, on despair. We cannot see them, but our volunteers all say they're blacker then blackness itself. And terrible, terrible beings. They call up their host's worst fears, most hellish memories, and craft them into a dark tapestry that has caused them to be ripped out of even a drugged sleep from the raw agony of it. Noone in the team has succumbed to them; it's odd, because we have no common factor that could be preventing. Although... nevermind. It's nothing.
February 20th
It's one in the morning. I am writing this early because a terrible, terrible event has occurred. Dime is asleep next to me; she tired herself out crying. One of the volunteers, a young lion... he died. We couldn't do anything to stop it. He was thrashing in his sleep, and no matter what we tried, he wouldn't awaken. At 11:02, his vitals peaked, then completely crashed. It's like the terror burst his heart. The poor kid was an orphan, who came to us both to help and to get a decent meal for once in his life, and just when he's thinking it'll be okay, this happens.
In the morning, he will be buried just outside the compound. There was a patch of flowers he liked out there, and...
(tearstains coat the page, ruining most of the text from here)
....e them. I hate t... he..ish things. I'd... e my very soul to st.. s pain. To mak... ll end.
March 7th
I've had it.
THIS MUST STOP.
Another cub died today from these accursed beasts. We have found out all we can. There is no vaccine. No cure. No immunization. No supression. All of us are in agreement. We have to do this. WE MUST. Reports of deaths from these are pouring in. Dime is depressed, incredibly so- thank the gods I found her last night. She had slashed herself. She didn't want to see the pain anymore. She's under constant watch now, but isn't improving. I hate this. Everywhere is pain. And there is but one way to stop these god damned demons. We will do what has been forbidden. Screw the laws. Screw the fact that we'll all be executed for this. I don't care. These fucking things must be stopped. They WILL be. It seems there is one thing all our group has in common after all- mods. I was flooded with nano in an accident at a young age. Phage is a master of genetic virii. Rin... we don't know how she does it, but she calls upon the world itself. Nikki is a master of cybakinesis. And Dime is a telelink mute. We will band together and stop the virii. Nothing can stop us now. We are going to create a bloodline. We will use what we learned from the shadows to make it unstable. It will be impossible to eradicate; it will pass on to those who can carry simply by knowledge of it's existance. The bloodline must be one of strength. It must know pain, but must tolerate it. It must have power, and control. And most of all, it must have compassion, never losing it's ability to care even in the most hellish conditions. We will succeed. Nothing will stop us. Nothing.
June 1st
It has begun. Our project. Dime has been improving again, with the knowledge we won't fail. I.. I think she's starting to take a liking to me; she always seems happier when we're together. And I think I like her too.
July 8th
We've compiled a basic outline for the bloodline.We are calling the project 'ELNA'. E(nergy/Lemental) Nocturne Augmentation. All of us have been giving our all on it, and finally, it is coming to fruition. It will work! It will! All we need is to grow the origin. Phage and I will work on that. The others continue to research; the more we know, the more effecient this will be.
December 25th
All is going remarkably well. Our project was interrupted however. Not by anything bad! No, by something very, very good. I haven't been able to stop smiling all day, and I doubt I ever will. We celebrate Christmas here, as the cubs we've taken in seem to like the holliday. I expected it to be fun. What I didn't expect was the gift from Dime. She.. she wants me to be her mate!! Of course I accepted; how could I not? The ceremony is going to be performed on-site, by Nikki. NIKKI! Who would've thought he was ordained?
April 1, 2011
How odd, the way things work... on the day of fools, the day of tricks, something that is of utmost seriousness has occurred. ELNA is ready. All of us have granted it out greatest gifts.
Phage gave it life; it is a virus that fuses with DNA. Without him, this would be impossible.
Rin gave it the power of the magi. It's user will be impervious to the dark arts; we all know this is an important factor, as those who give in to the Shadowkyn willingly gain... power. Any inflicted by a curse will suffer an odd side-effect of this; the physical effects will manifest, but that is all. No mana links.
Nikki gave it what he calls 'the light system'. The user will be able to call upon his mind and the minerals in his body to create armor. The energy expenditure on the body is mind-numbing; but since the user will be fighting in the realm of the mind, it is possible.
I have given it my nano. ELNA took it, modified it. The nano will form in the user's brain, granting him not only vastly enhanced reflexes and emotional stability, but immense strength of heart.
Dime has given it two things. Blackout, and Lucid. Shutdown prevents the bearer from dreaming. Alone, it would just blank them out. Lucid gives them awareness and control of their own dreams. Useless for the cause- IF alone. Paired, however... they give the user the power to sense the dreams of others, and to enter them. The user will be a warrior, who will protect.
All we need now is a way to start the bloodline. To begin it all.
November 18th
A more perfect day has never happened. Never. Today was simply wonderful. Dime gave birth to a beautiful baby boy today. Our son... our first son. And he's 100% compatable. I don't think it'll ever cease to amaze me that, mere hours after giving birth to him, Dime has given him ELNA. We have named him Alundra; in the tongue of Dime's homeland, it means 'The Walker'. It is a glorious day indeed!
January 20th, 2012
Red Sun has been disbanded. We were not found out; we were merely deemed 'a complete and utter failure'. We were able to purchase the compound from the government, provided all technology was returned. We couldn't have been happier. It's in the process now of being converted into a small village; the primary cause of which is the orphanage. Any and all who have lost their parents from the shadowkyn, or any cause, are welcomed. I fear I will be far too busy to write for many a month! But it is, perhaps, for the best.
October 31, 2020
I am writing this as we run. It's over. The worst has happened. To.. to prevent the spread.. we're being purged. Our entire hemisphere. Alundra is in safe hands, along with Noctis, our second child.. Phage, Rin, and Nikki gave their lives to protect them, giving their life energy up to stabilize the long-range transporters... they're only supposed to be used for base elements, but they were stabilized... our children are safe.. far, far away from here. ELNA will live on.. Dime and I are going into the cryo-shift chambers. We be... frozen. Not in ice.. in time. When exposed to the ELNA, we will revive... and the bearer will learn his true potential. I can only pray that they do not use nuclear purgers... if they do, the continent is lost...
It is here that the journal ends. The only other things are a pair of gems; a brilliant red sun, and a pale red moon. The journal is in possession of the elderly human who discovered it, back in his youth. He is the operator of an orphanage, located in the small town of Kyr.