The Way To Dawn: Ascension Zero

By Charles Lee

The tables have turned... upside down. Greyshio and Demeseus are ever-closer to catching up to the elusive, Derexen. But the cost is rising, and the danger’s frightening. The Righteous Kiras continue to move about within the shadows sending town after town into the darkness. But when the two heroes are finally put face-to-face with their daunting task, something’s a miss. Defeating Derexen. Saving Terra. It suddenly doesn’t seem enough. Resolves are tested as destiny becomes nothing more than a word of legend...

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charles Lee
• Release date: Feb 14, 2017
• ISBN: 9780998738611

Charles Lee

Charles Lee has always been a fan of stories with greater meaning than what the surface portrays. His love for profound fantasy began at a young age. His growing interest in thought-provoking stories ranged from a gamut of different areas of literature. These are experiences he’s cherished and evolved with for over a decade. It’s his key drive for creating compelling, unique, philosophical stories.When he decided to begin his own novel, The Way To Dawn, he originally had no intention of pursuing writing as a career. But when he fell in love with his own characters, he became inspired. He was so proud of his creations that he wanted to share this part of himself with others. In no time, writing soon became more than just his way of expression, it became his wings.

Book preview

Chapter One: Canyon Ruins

It’s been months since Derexen’s decided to use Terra as an anchor to the light realm. The world has been sinking to the rising darkness. City after city, town after town, much of the world is now under the influence of permanent night. And where there’s darkness… there are secrets.

From within his uniship, Greyshio flies high above the lands of Terra with crossed arms and a flat monitor screen mounted and angled between his legs to display coordinates.

He calmly stares down at the dark world below. Being above the murky gray clouds, nothing but blackness blanketed the airspace. If only there was an easier way to track these fiends, Greyshio thinks. How far are we to the nearest disaster? On the computer screen, the ship replies to his question. All surrounding areas have already been connected. This piece of crap didn’t even answer the question. It can’t even hunt a single Righteous Kira correctly.

The screen flashes, Energy signature below matches previous encounter. Land, now, Greyshio commands.

The white uniship gains speed while gradually descending. Breaking through the clouds, the ship lightly lands on rocky ground surrounded by cliffs, hill dips, and wide canyons. The glass cockpit pops open with Greyshio jumping out. He slowly looks around while adjusting Braveheart hanging from his back.

Conceal, he says.

The ship glows with every inch of the craft’s metallic structure shining and spreading across itself before becoming invisible. He continues to silently look around the open area. I may not be the best at picking up energy levels, but the ship is right about someone being here, he thinks. Greyshio begins treading the rocky grounds down the hill.

Moving along the canyon’s high edge, he looks down at the flowing river before looking to the other side of the finely discolored layers on the canyon wall. Many areas of the canyon walls have small and large, hollowed openings. Though the moon and the stars illuminate the area, Greyshio still can only make out so much from his distance.

Suddenly, the narrow path he’s walking rumbles. Greyshio maintains his balance and sees a large, ruby red Demi running up the wall below.

It has a long, narrow head with black eyes to the left and right sides of its skull. The boney, dehydrated Demi scales rapidly toward Greyshio with its four long arms, and curved set of drooling teeth, reaching to the corners of its head. Its stubby tail swings around as it shakes its head madly while climbing and leaping with its hind legs.

Greyshio, without any worry, takes his sword and effortlessly throws it into the Demi’s skull with the flick of his wrist. He causally walks away as it falls to its death with an echoing screech. Greyshio raises his hand over his head to call back his sword before smoothly sheathing it. This should be a good place to start, he thinks.

Suddenly, he stops when the ground rumbles once again. He looks below and sees a countless number of similar Demis rushing out of the hollows of the canyon.

Seeing the sheer numbers, Greyshio quickly begins running down the gradually narrowing path. Unsheathing his blade, the Demis try snagging at his feet while he chops and hops over their needy hands. Like an ant swarm, the creatures follow his every movement from the side of the wall before blocking his path.

He looks back and sees them slowly coming from behind. There are even Demis climbing over each other just to have a chance to eat him.

Hmph, Greyshio grunts before smirking. He turns his back from the path’s edge. I don’t know if it’s wise to use this in such an area, but I don’t have much choice. A Demi rises over the edge and screams at him. Heh, screw it, he says, smirking lightly.

Greyshio jumps onto the wall and leaps far from them as they try desperately to grab him. He turns around pointing his sword at the swarm as light energy begins to build at the tip. Like a ball of glowing yarn, its tangled streams of light formulate as he slowly falls.

Riftazition.

With one mighty shot, hundreds of light streams crash into the canyon wall, killing many Demis on impact. In a descending arc, Greyshio falls headfirst to the bottom while a rock slide is caused by his attack, swatting the remaining wall climbers. Greyshio fires a light string from his hand and attaches it to the other side of the canyon before controlling the wind.

Using the wind, he softly hits up against the wall, moments before a Demi breaks from the wall near him. Greyshio kicks himself off the wall before the creature can finish its strike. When he comes back in, he stabs the Demi in the head. It screams out and continues to swipe at him. Greyshio slashes off its hands and repeats his leaping wall strike three times before bursting through the wall with the creature.

Once inside the wall, Greyshio stands from the slowly graying, crumbling Demi. He roughly pulls his blade from the monster’s head as he notices the inner wall of the canyon is dimly lit by a weak blue light from the other end.

While treading softly, the light that’s barely guiding him is gradually becoming brighter. Greyshio soon passes a large opening to the left of the wall, evidence of where the Demi emerged from.

At the end of the area, the light shines brightest from a narrow passage up ahead. After turning and squeezing through the narrow opening, he finds tubes with glowing blue liquid embedded along the walls; curving around the corner.

He follows the eerie tubes and discovers dozens of mounted glass cylinders held by mechanical structures along the walls leading deeper into the cave. Each cylinder is filled with the same lightly bubbling liquid from the tubes connecting to the back of the machines.

Greyshio slowly walks between the rows of cylinders with a strange expression from what he’s seeing. What is all this?

Inside the cylinders are assorted pieces of flesh, organs, and limbs of once living creatures. Greyshio stops in front of a cylinder where a floating, half whole creature with one arm and a humanlike physique, lightly bumps the glass. It has sharp, long fangs too big for its parted mouth. Its severely damaged skin sticks to its bones and the half curved horns on its head like melted wax that has cooled.

Hideous beast, Greyshio says with mild disgust.

Greyshio continues to walk through the aisle of cylinders until he faintly hears a woman’s voice in the distance. He crouches down and moves quickly, but quietly. He makes it to the end and follows the tubes to the edge of a high cliff.

Below are open hollows, appearing to have been hollowed out manually. Against the farthest wall of the oval passages is a single cylinder with glowing tubes hanging from the wall and connecting to the machine. To Greyshio’s fortune, he spots two members of the Righteous Kiras standing before it.

Perfect, Greyshio thinks. He lies on his stomach and moves slowly to the edge for a better view. That blue-haired woman. She was at Fortlindo. Bonnie, I think. But who’s the other guy?

It’s a shame, Bonnie says, putting her hand on the glass. She looks to the ground. I worked so hard. So hard. And just like that, Derexen dismisses ‘Project Immor’ without any reason or explanation.

And you’re not mad about that? the brown-eyed, muscular man asks.

A-a-a-a. She turns halfway to him. Address me better, please, Bonnie says with a high tone and a smile.

He grunts. And you’re not mad about that—my lady?

Hmm, close enough. She turns back around and looks down. And yes—I’m upset. But no matter. I won’t allow irrationality and fear to be the end of my legacy. Bonnie lifts her head to the glass and grins at the sight of his reflection. Brings back memories, doesn’t it? That nostalgic origin. The others couldn’t even remember theirs. But you do, she says before turning to him.

He looks away from her. What will your next order of business be?

Are you embarrassed, Gabriel? She walks up to him and starts lightly pulling his cheek while he remains unfazed. I didn’t think you could even get embarrassed.

Gabriel grits his teeth and slaps her hand away. Enough! She steps back quite surprised before strongly glaring at him. He lowers his head. Forgive me, my lady. I didn’t mean to be disrespectful.

Tch, damn right you didn’t. Apologize again!

I’m sorry, my lady. I am sorry for my utter disrespect.

Again!

I, Gabriel, am sorry for my despicable actions that led to the offense of my lady.

She smirks. That’s better. Much better. Bonnie pulls out her pocket watch to see the time. I wonder if that girl gave any thought about what I said.

If she’s smart, I’m sure Valerie will come around.

Of course she will. She’s a timid girl, but she owes me her life. Since she’s never been able to find her place in the world, being in the Righteous Kiras will be reason enough. She’ll work toward the cause. But for now, that’ll be all, Gabriel. Go meet back with Aquarius and resume the assignments Derexen has given you.

Yes, my lady.

Gabriel politely bows, but before rising, he clenches his jaw with personal displeasure. He turns to his left and exits the area through the hollowed passage.

Bonnie turns and walks back toward the cylinder. She stares into the glass and prepares to put her hand on it when suddenly, the sword, Braveheart, is wedged deep into the glass after being thrown from a high altitude.

Blue fluid leaks and streams from the glass as the cracks gradually spread. She steps back as the pressure becomes too much for it and breaks. Out from the cylinder is a naked, pasty-skinned, hairless man with glowing blue veins all over. His milky eyes do not react to the fresh air blowing on him.

Bonnie quickly turns and looks up to see Greyshio standing on the cliff. Yoooou! Greyshio just stares at her with no care to her reaction. What have you done, you stupid, stupid, man!? You are destroying delicate research, you imbecile!

Delicate? Greyshio says. He jumps down and uses a wind gust produced from his palms to break his fall. And what possibly could you be doing that’s so delicate?

Bonnie looks as if she’s on the verge of growling with her overly angry expression. You imbecile… Do you even know what these samples are, or how old they are, or how hard it was to collect them!? Or even how hard it is to preserve them and try to use what’s left!?

It’s that important to him, huh? I’ll be sure to destroy everything here then. So Derexen has something else to wish he didn’t lose.

Bonnie looks as if she’s about to throw a fit while stomping her foot. You’re ruining my legacy!

I don’t care whose legacy it is. If you’re with Derexen, then you’re as good as dead. He raises his arm to call back his Empyrean Blade. Bonnie steps back with suppressed fear on her face. Bet you’re wishing you had left, huh?

Bonnie grunts. My research, she says to herself. I can’t let him get away with this. I need to stop him or he’ll ruin everything. Without warning, they hear a groan. They look over to the destroyed cylinder and see the glossy, slimy man trying to stand. He continues to struggle until he’s fully up, shaking just to keep balance.

He looks to Greyshio. Kill… he says in a dry rasp. Kill… Kill…

He raises his arms and slowly walks toward Greyshio. Bonnie glances at Greyshio with a nervous chuckle. Looks like he wants to play with you.

Greyshio turns to the man. Be gone, corpse. Greyshio effortlessly throws a fireball at it. The man screams as the flames engulf him and drops to the ground.

Greyshio looks to Bonnie when suddenly, the man beings to stand again. Kill… Kill… Kill…

All the burns suddenly heal. What the—? Greyshio says. I said die, minion!

He swings his sword into the ground and uplifts a rock that shapes into a spire through magically manipulation. It flies forth piercing the man’s heart, fading the blue from its veins and stopping it from moving. But only for a moment.

The man’s blue veins relight as he continues his approach with the rock spire falling out of its closing wound. Kill… Kill… Kill…

Bonnie smiles and begins walking backward. I surely was not expecting this. Though incomplete, it appears I was able to reactivate the least damaged sample. You have fun with your new friend. I’ll salvage what remains after I make my escape.

Bonnie crouches down and makes an incredible leap into the air and onto the cliff, leading back into the cave of cylinders.

Stop! Greyshio shouts.

Greyshio fires a light string to the rocks above the hollowed opening. But the once slow moving man becomes agile and leaps up to slam Greyshio back to the ground. They roll across the dirt and come to a halt with Greyshio pinned by the slobbering man. The man tries to bite him as Greyshio holds him back from his face by pushing him away with his forearm.

Get off! Greyshio says before swinging his blade across the creature’s face. To his surprise, the attack’s incomplete strike causes his sword to be lodged in its face. But it still did not die. What the hell are you?

It pulls Greyshio up from his arm and tries to bite him. Greyshio pulls away, but the pale creature manages to scratch him across the cheek. Greyshio grunts and steps back before magically retrieving his sword. It does not pursue him. It takes its hand and sucks the blood off its fingers and from under its nails. Shortly after its bloodless injury heals, colorless hair starts lightly sprouting from its head. Its eyebrows grow back in with its glossy appearance dulling.

It looks to Greyshio with brown irises. Kill… Eat… Destroy, it says as the hair on its head stops growing at his shoulders.

Greyshio stands straight. How do I kill this guy, he thinks. Blunt trauma and piercing doesn’t do it. Neither does fire. I’ll try and behead him as quickly as possible. He looks up the cliff Bonnie was on. And if I hurry, they’ll still be time to track her.

Without warning, the naked man runs at Greyshio with more speed and balance than before. Greyshio calmly waits till the last second and does a solid two-handed upward strike, sending the man’s head flying into the wall. He drops to his knees before hitting the dirt.

Greyshio turns to the body. I should’ve done that from the beginning. As he prepares to shoot a light string to the cliff, the body rises again. He turns to it with a surprised expression. Is it immortal? It rises and walks over to retrieve its head. I’m through with you. This will be your last stand, he says with a little frustration in his voice.

Greyshio fires a light string at the body’s back and pulls him down. When he pulls him to the ground, the body’s flesh begins to burn as it desperately tries to get away. That shouldn’t hurt, Greyshio thinks with a slightly surprised face. His stare becomes focused. He’s vulnerable to light magic. Greyshio begins to swing him overhead a few times before hurling it against the wall near him.

It slides down barely moving. Greyshio points his sword at the body and turns the blade flatways. From the base of the blade, to the tip, Greyshio smoothly glides his hand across it, releasing a barrage of silver needles.

Suddenly, it begins to shake uncontrollably as it falls back, thrusting itself up and down from the waist before glowing a bright white and exploding into chunks. That should be the end of it, Greyshio thinks, looking at the dulling remains.

That won’t do, Bonnie says from the cliff with much dismay in her voice. Greyshio looks up at her and narrows his gaze. Bonnie has a bulky, somewhat human shaped cocoon of black paper sheets floating next to her. The papers have red glowing words written on them in a hard to read penmanship and a large strange symbol at the head, connecting all the letters. This is a major defect if it can simply be defeated by exposure to light based particles. Hmm… More must be done about this.

Greyshio points his sword at her. Bonnie tilts her head and smiles with her hand on her hip, glancing behind him. Greyshio makes a slightly confused face before looking back. In mid-jump, the once bodiless man is about to attack Greyshio with its quickly regenerating, skinless body. Greyshio ducks and does a heavy kick to slam the man to the wall.

Fade into the light, fiend! Greyshio shouts as the stringy lights of Riftazition begin to form.

He fires the attack after a light charge and fills the man with holes. Its entire body breaks up into black fragments burning upward as he molts into nothing. Greyshio fires a light string above Bonnie’s head and is quickly pulled up. Bonnie immediately runs off into the cave with the floating cocoon following.

Once at the top, Greyshio rushes into the cave. When he reaches the area with the cylinders, he sees most of them are open. Many of the organs and other assorted flesh pieces were taken, including the half destroyed fanged creature he saw. Where could she have gone? he thinks. Greyshio tightens his fingers on Braveheart’s grip. She isn’t too far from detection. So where? He then notices one of the cylinders ahead is irregularly placed.

He walks toward it and looks in between to see a metal door. As he tries to slide it over, he hears a light ticking from the other side. What is that? He continues trying to move the cylinder until the ticking gets louder. A heavy odor comes from behind the door. That’s gas! he thinks with an alarmed expression.

Greyshio immediately sheathes his sword and runs back out where he came and jumps off the cliff while firing a light string. In mid-swing, a mighty explosion goes off from inside the cave. After hitting the wall, he watches the cave collapse with the sounds of Demi screams filling the air. Greyshio grunts before sliding down the extending light string. He reaches the ground and looks toward the hollowed passage Gabriel took.

He quickly runs into the darkness. Greyshio slows as the light from outside is no longer bright enough to guide him. He fires a light string through the cave and latches on the wall at the end. She isn’t warping, Greyshio thinks. Either there is something else she’s trying to get before going, or I’m walking into a trap. When Greyshio reaches the end, he finds the light string attached to a large rock with two pathways to choose.

He places his hand on his sword’s grip and looks to his left before walking through that route. It’s getting harder to pick up her location. Is she far or is there interference? He uses the same method as before and has his light string be his guide. The passageway he’s chosen requires more turns than the previous areas he’s traveled.

Finally, a bluish light becomes visible up ahead from an opening near the ground. Greyshio cancels his light string and moves on with caution. At the end of the tunnel, he encounters a wall with a half oval curve below where the blue light shines through. He gets on his knees and crawls through.

When he stands, he sees a stream running through the cave and out through a small opening leading elsewhere. The ground near the water has a soft blue glow that appears to be slowly fading in and out in a steady rhythm. Around the stream and in the walls are transparent glowing blue stones with little black essence sacs sloshing around inside like a living liquid.

Along the edge of the running stream are small, white, crystallized looking flowers. They radiate a soft, white glow while pulsing out tiny spheres of light that fade after rising several centimeters from the flower’s pistil.

You’re too late, she says. Greyshio looks up and sees Bonnie across the stream. I’ve collected everything. Next to her are two round spheres wrapped in the same black papers as the other cocoon. She pushes up on the bridge of her glasses before looking his way. Whatever you do now will not slow me.

Nothing besides your death, Greyshio says. Bonnie goes into her robe and pulls out a flask with four colored liquids inside that are separated by a thin structure in between each. Celerity!

Without thinking, Greyshio bolts toward her while unsheathing his sword. When he nears, he slashes downward at her body and the cocoons. But Greyshio and his attack are propelled by an unseen energy, knocking him into the stream. The moment he hits the water, an electrical discharge goes off and he screams out with his body jolting from shock. He groans loudly on his back and pops his chest out as he turns over.

Bonnie grins deviously. Oh, I’m sorry. But when you stood near those stones, the electrons latched onto you. And when you tried to cross the stream, you caused the stones on this side to react to you. Get it? Electrons of the same properties cannot exist in the same space. Such a mysterious section of the canyon this is. To have a stream serve as a divider but not be able to actually pass through because of the cave’s properties. I wish I had more time to understand it. This valley holds some of the world’s greatest unknown secrets. But alas, it is time I bid you adieu.

I won’t let you, he grunts as he forces himself back to his feet.

Bonnie goes in her robe and pulls out a black marble-sized sphere and drops it next to her to open a black portal. The cocoons enter the portal one by one. Bonnie turns her smirking face toward him. Vous serez bientôt tomber. Au revior, she says in a cutesy way while tilting over the flask.

Bonnie passes through the portal, moments before it closes. Greyshio sees the mixture slowly coming together. He turns back and hastily crawls under the hole. He stands and shots a bundle of light strings while running quickly through the dark. Greyshio pulls out the remote for his aircraft and presses the button. As he speeds through the cave, retaking the ways he walked, he feels heat behind him and looks back briefly to the sight of a gradually growing bright red light.

Greyshio races down the final turn of the cave where the outside light is in his sights. He slashes the cave walls rapidly while running, causing the rocky walls to collapse with each strike.

Celerity! he shouts as the heat he’s trying to avoid feels hotter. He sheathes his sword and cancels his light strings. Whirls of wind generate at his hands as he rushes faster. It’s weak! he thinks while looking down at his hand. The moment he exits the cave, he crouches and spins. Uni!

After reaching the middle of the open space, he jumps up, launching like a rocket, using the wind as his propulsion. His aircraft arrives with the ship’s windshield up. Greyshio grabs the edge of the cockpit and pulls himself in. The windshield shuts and the craft takes off with great speed. Suddenly, the canyon he escaped from collapses in on itself with intense red flames heating the air immediately.

Oxygen! Greyshio shouts as a mask with a tube connected to it drops from above. He puts it on and breathes slowly. Warning: Oxygen levels in area have become too thin for survival, the ship monitor reports. Why do you think we’re leaving? He looks straight ahead with a stern pondering expression. I thought it was getting harder to breath down there. A chemical reactive explosion that causes extreme heat with enough recoil to collapse an entire cavern while sapping enough oxygen to end all surviving life. She isn’t one to be underestimated. Take me a safe distance from this place.

The ship breaks off to the east and carries Greyshio above the clouds and out the valley.

Chapter Two: Reunion of the Fallen

Far from other societies lies a city called Orcelin. It’s a large, dark city with buildings over sixty-stories tall. From within this blackened city, only streetlights and a few building lights remain in use.

The sidewalks have a strange sparkle from within the cement. There are few parked cars on the streets after most residents fleeing during its takeover. The city’s color scheme is dark blue, gray, and black.

Orcelin is now a forgotten city that used to have much life. After being seized by the Righteous Kiras, it’s become dark and comatose. Derexen’s reasons for taking the city have to do with Orcelin being Terra’s greatest minds in technology. Over eighty-five percent of Terra’s technology comes from this city alone. But Orcelin’s ever-spanning weaponry advances and trade ports became cause for concern.

This far spread of territory made other neighboring cities fearful of their progression. In time, Orcelin became self-reliant and no longer a valued trade partner with other locations. Even though Orcelin remained on good terms with others in the trading business, it was still rumored as an untrustworthy partner.

Because of this, and many other rising rumors about the city, people’s fears about Orcelin being a major war threat only caused its existing relationships to be strained.

A young woman and a little boy wearing hooded robes enter the city. They slowly explore its dark depths as they walk down the middle of the street.

What is this place? the boy asks.

"This is one of