Her Light - Chapter 2

En Glory of Her Light Index

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Kaela’s eyes fluttered open, her vision blurry and fractured, as though she were staring through shattered glass. The world around her seemed steeped in shadow, punctuated by flashes of light that reflected off alien, angular structures that felt wrong—impossibly vast yet suffocatingly close. The air itself seemed to hum, a low, oppressive vibration that crawled beneath her skin and settled deep in her chest.

Her chest ached, a strange warmth radiating from the center as if her heart pulsed with its own faint glow. She tried to move, but her limbs felt leaden, uncooperative. Panic rose in her throat, sharp and choking. She forced herself upright, her movements jerky, the motion dragging her out of the numbing haze.

Yet, just as her terror peaked, light cut through the suffocating darkness. Two figures stood before her, their presence arresting, as though the entire world had stilled to honor them.

The first was a man whose very aura seemed to blaze. His dark hair, streaked with silver, caught the shine of the light surrounding him. From her angle, she glimpsed golden eyes—brilliant, unwavering—burning with a mix of compassion and unyielding resolve.

His armor, etched with glowing sigils, pulsed faintly. He held a massive mace, its head shaped like a rising sun, illuminated with brilliant energy that cast the surrounding shadows into retreat. His presence was a wall, immovable and commanding, yet tempered by the weight of a father’s care.

Beside him stood a woman, radiant and fierce. Her golden hair framed a face both serene and stoic, her emerald eyes sharp and bright with determination. She held a luminous staff that shifted and pulsed, radiating sanctified light that pushed back the creeping darkness.

Her lighter armor glimmered with faint sigils, and a bright sash around her waist shimmered with divine energy. Despite her grace, she stood firm, a protective force as immovable as the man beside her.

Kaela’s breath hitched as she stared at them. For a fleeting moment, the fear ebbed, her focus entirely on the two figures. It was like the fog veiling her mind had been lifted, and she recalled a woman’s voice…but one she’d never heard.

Their light filled the void, offering a fragile, tenuous hope. Strong arms wrapped around her. She felt herself lifted, her weight cradled as though she were nothing. But her gaze never left the two figures standing resolute against the monstrous form looming before them.

An entity of shadows towered before the pair, a shifting amalgamation of limbs and void. Its form defied her thoughts to place it in any category, tendrils coiling and writhing in impossible directions. Its eyeless face bore down on them, and a low, bone-deep hum emanated all around the area directly into her mind.

Yet the two figures did not flinch. They stood, defiant and unyielding.

Kaela’s vision blurred, the light fading as darkness encroached. Her body went limp, and the fear returned, an all-consuming abyss dragging her under. Her mind reeled, grasping for something—anything—to hold onto. The warmth in her chest flickered and dimmed.

Where had the comfort gone?

The moment she sat up, the air seemed to thicken, her surroundings pressing against her like an unseen tide. The edges of her vision rippled with streaks of crimson and silver, shapes moving just out of focus. She shuddered as an overwhelming sense of something wrong washed over her. The shadows twisted, breathing with a life of their own.

“No…” The whisper barely escaped her lips, trembling against the oppressive silence.

Her hands fumbled across the ground beneath her, finding nothing but smooth, featureless void. It was as though she sat on the surface of an infinite black mirror, reflecting no light. From the void, a voice emerged. It was rich and warm, like the deep resonance of a distant bell.

“Do you remember?”

Kaela froze. The voice was neither threatening nor familiar, male or female, but it carried a disarming lilt of comfort. The warmth in her chest flared, and her breath quickened. “Remember what?” she choked, her tone defensive, fear sharpening her edges. “Who are you?”

A soft laugh followed, like leaves stirred by a gentle breeze. “Everything, child. Where you came from, why you’re here. I can show you, if you wish.”

Her fists clenched, nails digging into her palms. The weight of the voice, the enormity of its offer, clawed at her composure. This is insane. It’s a dream—it has to be.

And yet, the pull of the voice, the tantalizing promise of answers, gnawed at her resolve.

“I…” She hesitated, her voice trembling. “Show me.”

The darkness shifted. It surged around her like an incoming tide, dragging her down. She felt herself falling, weightless and adrift in an endless abyss. The warmth in her chest burned hotter, brighter, until she gasped, memories flooding her mind in jagged, disjointed flashes.

She saw herself in a sterile academy hallway, her fist slamming into another girl’s face. The sting of authority figures’ shouts echoed in her ears. Her father showed up at the school. A briefcase. The box with AEGIS plastered across it… What was inside.

A sharp, bitter laughter tore through her thoughts, followed by the jarring screech of metal against metal. Each memory struck her like a hammer, building to a crescendo she couldn’t comprehend. Then, the tide stilled. The memories faded, replaced by a vast, yawning silence.

Kaela hung suspended, her chest heaving, her body trembling. A presence loomed in the black, and for the first time, she became aware of a new terror.

“I… I didn’t understand. It was too fast! Hello? Are you…still there?”

Something moved beyond her sight, vast and unending, its form impossible to define. Tendrils of shadow reached toward her, accompanied by a sound like distant weeping and the scrape of claws on stone. The air around her froze, chilling her to the bone. Dread, unlike anything she had ever known, swallowed her whole.

“Wait, wait, wait!”

The blackness swirled, enclosing her. She felt utterly alone, suspended in nothingness, when the voice returned.

“Do not fear, child. I am still here,” it said, softer this time, a gentle murmur in the void. “You are not alone. I can help you. You resisted me…but accept the Truth. I can show you how you came to be here…if you let me in.”

Her thoughts spiraled, voice small and trembling. “That sounds really weird? Uh. Let you in…where? I just want to go home… I want to see my parents.”

The voice sighed, a sound heavy with sorrow. “I am sorry, Kaela, but you cannot go back. This…this is where you are meant to be. Let me remind you… Do you see it? It’s familiar, yes?”

She hesitated, fear and isolation gnawing at her. Her fists clenched against the unyielding void. “I…” she hesitated, but she needed something to ground herself in other than the black. “Show me.”

Darkness shifted, surrounding her like a tide. She felt as though she were falling, weightless and adrift. The warmth in her chest flared, and she gasped as memories rushed to fill the void—stable, tangible things she could understand.

Disjointed flashes—the shriek of authority figures echoing in her ears—flooded her senses. Each memory struck her like a hammer, building to a crescendo she could not comprehend.

And then, a jarring silence. Her body felt heavy, her limbs sluggish as though she had sunk into molasses. When she opened her eyes, the scene before her was all too familiar.

Kaela blinked, her gaze focusing on the dimly lit dorm supervisor’s office. The suffocating darkness was gone, replaced by the mundane—the prestigious pictures on the walls of past students, the faint buzz of fluorescent lights. She slumped back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest.

“So,” the dorm supervisor—a woman with greying hair and a perpetual look of exhaustion—began, rubbing her temples, “you started a fistfight with Debby? Again?”

Kaela’s lips twisted into a defiant smirk. “Started? That implies she had the guts to finish it.”

The supervisor’s expression darkened. “This is your second violation for fighting, Ms. Evren. I don’t have to remind you what’s on the line here. You’re sixteen.”

She picked up a file from her desk and tapped it against the surface. “The court is already working with your parents. If you get expelled, your shoplifting, vandalism, underage drinking, and joyriding charges—yes, those charges, too—will go forward. Do you care at all about the trouble you’re causing your family?”

Kaela snorted, leaning back in her chair. “Family? That’s a laugh. They’re too busy fighting over who’s the most miserable about their golden child kicking the bucket. Like they’d even notice what I do.”

The supervisor’s face softened, pity creeping into her eyes. Kaela’s smirk dropped, her annoyance flaring. What’s with that look? Don’t give me that look!

It clawed at her nerves, reminding her that she was nothing more than the messy, inconvenient reminder of what her parents had lost.

“Save it,” Kaela snapped, pushing herself to her feet. “Spare me the therapy session. Just tell me what my punishment is.”

The supervisor sighed, clearly wrestling with her own frustration. “As of right now…none. Not until your father arrives and we can talk over our next step.”

The words hit Kaela like a punch to the gut. A nervous twist coiled in her stomach as she forced out a scoff. “There’s no way he made time to come,” she muttered, folding her arms tightly across her chest. “He was too busy with his important research to even remember my birthday was last week.”

As if the universe was determined to prove her wrong, a knock sounded at the door.

Her throat constricted. She turned sharply to see the door swing open, revealing her father. He looked like total shit. Dark rings shadowed his eyes, his skin pallid and stretched over sharp cheekbones. His clothes were rumpled, as if he’d slept in them, and he moved with the lethargy of someone who hadn’t eaten or rested in days.

But it wasn’t just his appearance that made her chest tighten with anger and worry. It was the briefcase handcuffed to his wrist. Of course, you’d bring your precious research… It’s never out of sight. It might as well be your daughter.

Her eyes locked onto the briefcase as a sour taste filled her mouth. Rage and disgust simmered alongside an ache she couldn’t quite name.

“Dr. Evren, thank you for coming,” the dorm supervisor said, rising from her seat and extending a hand. Kaela’s father shook it with a faint nod, his movements stiff and mechanical.

He turned to Kaela, their eyes meeting briefly. His gaze held exhaustion, disappointment, and something else she couldn’t place. It wasn’t concern—not really.

Yeah, I suck. Don’t I? Wish you could get rid of me? Not like Mom’s much better, though. So it doesn’t matter who gets me when the divorce is done… Life blows either way for everyone but the one who gets rid of the extra fat.

He sighed, his voice low and scratchy. “Let’s get this over with.”

Kaela’s jaw clenched as he shuffled into the room. He sat beside her, dropping the briefcase onto the floor with a dull thud. The weight of it seemed to fill the space between them as she fell into the chair beside him with a grunt.

“Now,” the supervisor began, her tone formal and even, “Dr. Evren, I’m sure you’re aware of the pattern we’ve been seeing here. Fighting, insubordination, repeated graffiti, and property damage…”

Kaela tuned them out, her gaze fixed on the briefcase. Her father’s shoulders sagged as he leaned forward, his hands rubbing at his temples while the supervisor droned on about the details of her latest fight. The sight of him—gaunt, worn, and desperate—sent a pang through her chest.

She shoved it down, trying not to remember how amazing her parents were a year prior. What is so damn important in this stupid case that has to be dragged everywhere?

The thought burned in her mind as her fingers twitched against her thigh, plucking at her skirt with agitation. Anger pushing her over the edge, she glanced at him—he didn’t have the energy to put his attention on anything but one thing at a time.

Carefully, she slumped in her chair, sliding her hand toward the briefcase. Her big sister’s birthday was a curse in her mind. It had to be the code. She punched it in as quietly as she could, her heart pounding. To her shock, the latch released without a sound.

Keeping her movements subtle, she opened it just enough to reach inside. Her fingers closed around a small box—smooth and metallic. Quickly, she slipped it out, hiding it behind her back as she eased the briefcase shut.

Her father’s voice barely registered as he tried to reason with the supervisor. Something about community service and detention…the same spiel she’d heard before. The rest of the conversation blurred into meaningless noise as it came to a close, and she made the excuse to go to the bathroom.

The supervisor gave her a narrow-eyed stare, but with her father here, it wasn’t like she could call her out. Her dad sighed and gave her a tired smile.

“I know things have been hard, Kae…”

“Kaela,” she interrupted with a tight jaw.

“Right… Sorry, I know you’re not a little girl anymore,” he said with a strained laugh. “How about I take some time off this weekend to come by and—”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t want to take you away from your busy research shit,” she huffed, carefully shifting the box to the opposite side as she rose to her feet. In that split moment, she turned her back to them and slid the small box into the strap of her bra, the cool metal pressing against her skin. “Can I go to the bathroom now, or should I go here?”

“…Sure, but I’m serious, Kaela. We can spend some time…”

She adjusted her jacket, hiding the outline of the box. “I’m fine. You should go back to your research. Maybe get something to eat on the way home,” she added, her voice sharper than she intended. “I won’t punch anyone. Scout’s honor.”

Her father hesitated, his mouth opening as if to speak, but he said nothing. With a weary nod, he turned and left. Kaela watched him go, not expecting him to be the first to leave. The briefcase swinging at his side, the ache in her chest threatening to break through.

She shook it off as the supervisor sighed. “Would it kill you to be a little nicer… You aren’t the only one who lost your sister.”

Fingernails digging into her palm, she bit back a nasty response. Yeah… Well, I didn’t only lose my sister, did I? Don’t act like you give a shit or know how I feel…

Her fingers brushed against the hidden box as she stepped out into the hallway, doing her best to reign in her anger. Maybe I’ll finally see what all the hype is about.

The fluorescent lights of the hallway buzzed faintly as Kaela made her way to the bathroom, pulling the box out from within her shirt. She pushed the door open, letting it creak shut behind her, and headed to the farthest stall.

Once inside, she checked to make sure it was empty. It wasn’t. Moving to the side, she waited until the two girls left, which didn’t take long with the scowl on her face. Her reputation for being a powder keg was probably spreading.

Whatever.

She locked the door and leaned against it, her heart pounding in her chest. Her hand trembled slightly as she studied the box. AEGIS? Is that the company Dad works for? I thought he worked for the government.

The cool metal seemed heavier now. Kaela searched the outside until discovering it twisted; the lines were so fine, she’d missed them on her first inspection. Twisting it around for a few minutes, she paused as grumbles came from some girl outside who tried to open it up.

How am I supposed to open this…

“Three to the left, five to the right, and eleven to the left…”

Needles pricked the back of her neck as she looked around, but no one was there. Shaking it off, she breathed out sharply and smiled. I guess it’s worth a shot…

Following the instructions, she shivered as a soft click sounded. Her breath caught as the top portion slid away like water falling over stone. What…the hell?

Inside was…a finger. A human finger, shriveled and rotten, its surface mottled with decay. The scent punched her in the nose. Recoiling, a strangled shriek escaped her throat as the box fell from her hands.

The finger hit the tile floor with a sickening thud, rolling a short distance before coming to rest. Black tendrils of darkness seeped from its base, curling like smoke that carried a sinister weight. Kaela pressed herself against the locked door, her breath coming in sharp gasps as the shadows coiled around her feet, slithering upward.

“No! No, no, no!” she cried, her voice trembling as she kicked at the darkness. It was futile. The tendrils snaked higher, cold and unyielding, wrapping around her legs and torso. She clawed at the lock to open the door, panic overtaking her, but the shadows tightened, dragging her backward.

The bathroom dissolved into a void, the familiar tiling replaced by endless black. Kaela felt herself falling, weightless and unmoored, her screams swallowed by the abyss. The warmth in her chest flared briefly, but the void pressed in, extinguishing it.

Then, the realization came. A veil parting to reveal the unholy place she’d been dragged. This…has already happened. That was my memory…which means…

Her surroundings shifted again, an alien wasteland sprawling around her. The ground beneath her feet was jagged and sharp, an unearthly landscape of impossible angles and shifting shapes. Forms loomed in the distance, towering and incomprehensible, their movements defying logic. Fear gnawed at her as she stumbled forward, her voice cracking as she shouted into the void.

“Help! Somebody, please! Anyone!”

Her voice echoed, fragile and small against the oppressive emptiness. The world seemed to close in around her, shadows growing deeper, more oppressive. Just as despair began to swallow her whole, a voice answered—calm, steady, and radiant with warmth.

“Be still, Sister. You are not alone.”

Kaela’s knees buckled, and she collapsed to the ground, her head snapping up toward the sound, only to see a colossal metal door, brimming with light. And then a figure emerged from the darkness, her form radiant and otherworldly. She was cloaked in golden rays, her presence an anchor against the chaos. Kaela blinked, her breath hitching as the woman knelt before her.

The figure’s gaze held infinite compassion, her eyes shining with a brilliance that seemed to pierce through the fear clutching at Kaela’s heart. Her voice was like a hymn, carrying a strength that demanded attention.

“You are lost,” the woman said, her tone neither accusing nor pitying. “But not beyond salvation. The way home is not closed but obscured. Do you seek the light?”

Kaela opened her mouth, but no words came. It was as if something had been stuffed into her mouth—a gag. Yes! she internally screamed. Help! Save me! Anyone!

As if waiting for that very moment, darkness erupted out of her, and a spear of golden brilliance descended. Her shadow lengthened, and creatures emerged to rush the gate.

“Help!” she shouted, tears leaking out of her eyes as chaos erupted around her, a colossal titan forming from the darkness she spread. “Please, someone, help me!”

The warmth in her chest flickered weakly, a tiny ember against the surrounding void. Tears welled in her eyes as she shook her head, unable to scream anything when the giant stepped over her to pound against the metal barrier.

Where…the hell am I?! What should I do?

Yet, the woman remained by her side, the escaping blackness shrinking away the moment they left her to evade her brilliance. She held a perfect hand over Kaela’s chest, the warmth there intensifying.

“Take heart. The Seed of Darkness lives within you, but so does light. The path is dim, but faith will illuminate it. Help is already on the move. Do not let the Shadowed One claim you.”

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