The False Book of Darkness: Prologue

Prologue

Quiz Time! What's the first thing you should do if you somehow find yourself in the fictional setting of Brockton Bay? That's right! You keep your head down, avoid eye contact, and generally stay out of trouble. That should at least get you enough time to get to a police station to sort things out cause lord knows the city is cursed.

From the random druggies in the street to superpowered neo-nazi's lording over entire neighborhoods, danger lurked at every corner. It's as if this city was made to cause as much misery to its people as humanly possible; Something which wasn't too much of a stretch given her involvement in everything.

This place was just too dangerous to cause trouble without powers. Hell, even with powers I'd hesitate, so why on God's Green Earth did I decide that stealing this cursed book was my best option, and right out of an ABB hideout to boot!?

"There he is!" One of my pursuers shouted, making my blood run cold. Without a second thought, I dropped down, landing atop a puddle as the air cracked before dust and rubble rained atop my head; I was getting shot at.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

With my heart leaping up to my throat, I scrambled up to my feet, lifting up the book over head before making a run for it. "Don't let him get away!" They shouted as the sound of dogs barking mixed with the gunfire.

"Run! Just keep running!" I cried in a haze of panic as I rounded the corner. "You're just what, a mile or two away from the docks?" I thought to myself as I headed deeper in the maze of alleys, "You ran further than that, so just keep running!"

Already, I could smell the putrid scent of sewage runoff and the salty air of the sea. The docks were just a few blocks down. If I could just reach the docks, I knew I could lose them. "There's probably hundreds of abandoned warehouses there," I thought to myself as I threw the book over a chain link fence, before climbing over it, "Plenty of places for me to hide in."

I'll figure out how to contact the PRT later. Right now, I just need to survive. Pushing myself hard, I ran as fast as my short legs could take, slowly gaining ground. Soon, their voices started to fade and I felt hope.

"Where the hell's the little punk!?" An angry voice echoed out down the alley as I raced through its maze-like pathways every which way. "He should just be around here somewhere!"

"Just shut up and find him or we'll all be toast, literally!" Another voice shouted back as the bark of dogs nearly drowned them out, "Do you want to be the bastard that tells Lung we lost his fucking Book!?"

With a pained chuckle, I stumbled onwards, my steps faltering as my breath came out in short strangles gasp. "They don't give up easily, do they?" I wheezed out with a voice not my own as I kept moving, making sure I kept a tight grip on the Book of Darkness while ignoring its poisoned whispers.

I wasn't sure why it was here or if it was the genuine article, but as I clutched it close to my chest, I knew I wasn't dealing with a mere prop. Just the feeling of its unnatural warmth against my body and the way the shadow clung to it like thick cloying film sent alarm bells ringing inside my head.

The thing was unnatural, twisted even, and no one should ever have to wield such a thing without a will of steel. Heck, I shouldn't be even touching it, lest I somehow activate it by accident, but I couldn't risk anyone else having it, much less the likes of Lung and the ABB.

If they found a way to activate it, or if it fell into even worse hands, it wouldn't just be this world that would be in danger, but worlds beyond where the Entities dwelt. I had to take it, knowing I'd be hunted down for crossing them. It was either risking my own life or risking everyone's life and I knew what I had to do.

Right now, my priority was getting this Lost Logia as far away as possible, preferably some place away from this city. I need to find some place to hole up, but I can't do that when my pursuers are closing in. With the sound of barking getting louder, I picked up my pace.

If I stop now, I'd die and I'd die and I'm not sure the ABB would go easy on me even if I looked young. I needed to keep moving, but I'm not sure how I could keep going as my side was cramped up.

Stumbling to a stop, I grimaced as I leaned up against the wall. "Just a second," I coughed as I tried to catch my breath. Every lungful of air felt like agony while my heart felt like it was going to explode with how fast it was beating. "But not yet."

Pounding my side, I straightened back up as I hobbled on. One step after another, I walked forward, keeping my gaze towards the light at the end of the alley. I just need a few more steps, and I'll be in the home stretch. "Come on, not yet…"

I could already see the lights up ahead. Rows after rows of abandoned warehouse stood derelict while towering stacks of containers lay abandoned. I was finally there. I just need to get over a highway and one last chain link fence. I actually got away, I'm going to live-!

BOOM!

With a strangled scream, I sailed across the air before landing hard on the ground, knocking the air out of my lungs. Dazed, I laid there, wondering what got me before my gaze slowly came into focus as a masked figure stepped out of the dust cloud. "Oni Lee…"

Pain half forgotten, I climbed back up to my feet, holding the book tightly as I stared right into the leering smile of his mask. "You guys really want this book huh?" I said, voice shaking as I found myself face to face with Lung's pet psychopath. Life truly was a cruel bitch, giving me hope only to snatch it away as the man stalked forward, knife in hand.

With its edge glinting cruelly in the dim light of the street, I knew that the chase was over. There was no place to run, nor any place to hide, not when the man could move faster than I could blink. It was now truly and utterly over. The only question now was how much time I still have.

Taking a shaky step back, I clutched the book tightly against my chest and forced a shaky smile on my lips as I taunted the man, "If you want it, then come take it!" If this was how it was going, then I'd just have to go out swinging.

Before I could blink, the man collapsed in a wave of ash before I felt a blow behind me, driving the air out of my lungs. Numbly, I stood there, eyes wide as I felt something warm flowing down my back before my world exploded into pain as Oni twisted the knife he had buried in my back.

All I could let out at that moment was a strangle grasp before the man's arms clamped over my mouth as he pulled out the knife before driving it back in. It hurts, it hurts so much and I cried helplessly as the man kept stabbing until he finally let go.

Falling bonelessly over the book, I laid there, my vision wavering as my life blood spilled over pages and the cold hard street. This was it huh? The end of the road, and I hadn't even spent a day in Brockton Bay. Talk about a pathetic showing.

Forcing a smile on my lips, I stared up at the cold hearted bastard and spat out, "Just let me bleed out in peace…" My words however, would come out as a wet gargle. Not that it mattered as the man just stood there, watching me bleed out.

Good, at least I could die with my thoughts. Growing cold, the world started to shrink around me, fading away like a bad memory. Everything was starting to slip away and soon, even the pain was gone, only to be replaced by the cold dawning realization that I was going to die.

But this couldn't be the end of it, right? I still had some much to live for, so many things I still wanted to do. I can't die now, not when I just got here. "Please…" I whispered half deliriously, praying for anyone to hear my plea, "I don't want to die..."

"Is that what you wish?"

God, Buddha, Demon, it doesn't matter. I'd accept anyone, just please don't let it end like this, don't let me die like this. "Save me…" I gasped out, reaching for that tiny light up ahead. It felt so warm, so inviting. Was this the end?

"It's not yet over, my master~"

The last thing I felt as my vision finally faded was the soft embrace of a lover and strangled cry of a man, silenced by the sound of bones crunching and flesh tearing.

A/N:

So about Empress, I got a bit distracted. Here's three chapters for a fic. I thought I could finish Empress and surprise you guys with this, but I was a bit too optimistic. Sorry for the delay