Chapter 1 - Rude Awakening
21/07/2079
Selentia woke up to the late evening waves crashing against her, laying down onto the sand helplessly. Disoriented, whilst struggling to gather her thoughts, the events that just occurred are playing in her mind like a broken record…
It all started just innocently where she, her sister and her friends were onboard a yacht celebrating a milestone. But then, seemingly from nowhere, the mercenaries stormed the yacht holding everyone at gunpoint and taking control of the yacht. It became evident that it was hopeless to call for help, they were all in the middle of a vast sea with nothing to see for miles but the deep blue void.
Amid the chaos going on, a flash of bright lightning came out from nowhere. But… how? There was no clouds, it was a clear day.
As Selentia tried to understand what was going on the ship was destroyed in just that split second as if the yacht was swallowed by the light itself. The impact sent her flying back, her body crashing down into the sea with everything else soon becoming a blur.
The world around her was fading away, her body was only just feeling the sharp pain caused by the lightning and the shrapnel only for everything to go black whilst the cold water was pulling her deeper into its depths.
Finally somewhat understanding what just happened, Selentia finally realised it, her sister, her friends, they were nowhere to be seen. Scanning across the shore only thing to find was the few remains of the yacht. There really wasn't any sign of a soul… not her sister, not her friends.
Selentia was alone.
The realisation of this hit her like another wave crashing down onto her. An overwhelming feeling took over her whole body, her vision blurring with tears. "No... This can't be happening... this can't be real..." she blubbered.
Tears streaming down her face, the fear and confusion of the last few moments overwhelmed her, and she buried her face in her hands, her sobs muffled against the sounds of the waves. Her sister... her friends... they were all gone.
After crying for what felt like an eternity, Selentia finally managed to open her eyes. Picking herself up, she found herself in agony only to find the wounds from the incident. She knew she had to do something about herself before anything else, but it was seemingly impossible with the physical and mental state she's is in.
Gritting her teeth, she needed a moment to focus on the environment around her. Against, the dusky sky, she could see the outline of a distant town. Civilisation. A glimmer of hope, she might actually be able to find help, maybe even find her little sister.
After a good while of trekking whilst in constant agony, Selentia finally managed to get to the edge of a town, however, due to the darkness of the night it was hard to make out her surroundings, even the welcome sign. The town felt oddly quiet, sure it was late at night, but even there would be some activity from its residents. In the pursuit of a motel or a hospital Selentia continue to trek on forward hoping for any chance to make it through the night. She later then noticed a flicker of light in the distance, a small glint of hope for Selentia to check out.
When suddenly she felt a hand clamp down onto her, yanking her into the shadows. It all happened so quickly, Selentia was in a daze. When she finally came back to reality, she noticed she was in a dimly lit house with a man berating her in a hushed tone, "Are you fucking mad, being outside during curfew?", with the man in her view, Selentia could see now that it was a relatively older man as hinted by the few wrinkles and the greying hair.
"What are you talking about?" Stammered Selentia, her head still trying to snap out of the daze she's been in. "I was just trying to..."
"The curfew" the old man interrupted. Finally getting a good look at Selentia, "Although it looks like you've already been done in by them, it's only a matter of time they find you here."
"Who's they? What's going on?" Selentia asked.
"Were you born yesterday or something? The bloody Angels"
"I'm sorry but I don't think I'm from around here, I just want to find my sister... What are they? Aren't they just religious figures?"
Confused at Selentia's ignorance, the old man scowled. “Fine… If you really don't know what they actually are. Just a few weeks ago, the Angels came to this area, descending from the skies with bright flashes. At first, people thought they were here for some divine intervention, just like the books say. But it didn't take long for that illusion to shatter…” He paused, as though the memory itself pained him. His voice dropped lower. “I think this is one of the first places they've invaded. If you haven't heard of them yet, then count yourself lucky. But what they're doing will bring about the end of the Earth as we know it. They're not saviours. They're enslavers. Parasites. They came to strip us of everything...our freedom... our resources... even-”
A deafening crash erupted, shaking the entire building. Selentia shrieked, stumbling backward as a blinding white light burst through the roof. Dust and debris rained down, and when her vision cleared, she saw a jagged hole in the ceiling.
Hovering above it, bathed in a radiant glow, was an Angel.
“Found you,” the Angel remarked, its voice having inhuman authority. “Took you long enough to show yourself.”
"Run!" The old man screamed at Selentia whilst grabbing her by the arm leading her towards the same door that the old man took her through.
Before Selentia could take a step towards the door, the Angel outstretched its arm and a blinding white glow enveloped its arm. "Running only prolongs the inevitable". It's voice showing no signs of emotion.
As the glow faded away, what remained was a sword, Selentia had never seen anything like it before, it looked like it was made out of solidified light. The weapon's existence alone defies the laws of reality.
As the old man and her got slightly closer to the door. And then it happened. Faster than what Selentia could comprehend, the Angel moved and turned into a blur of light and motion. A swift slash sliced the air echoing throughout the building.
The old man stumbled forward, his mouth agape in silent shock. For a moment, he seemed to stand unnaturally still... Until his head slid cleanly off his shoulders and hit the floor with a dull, heavy thump. His body followed a second later, collapsing in a heap, blood pooling rapidly beneath him.
In shock, Selentia screamed in fear and desperation having just witnessed a murder in front of her. Selentia felt paralysed, she couldn't do anything. She looked up to the Angel standing in front of her, sword in hand.
The Angel tilted its head slightly, as if examining her reaction. “Running is futile,” it said, its voice devoid of malice, a simple statement of fact.
Selentia's legs moved before her mind could catch up. She bolted toward the door, her vision blurred with her tears. Behind her, she could hear the Angel's blade slicing through the air as it began to move again.
A flash of light filled the room, and a searing pain tore through her abdomen. She staggered, gasping as she looked down to see a blade of light protruding from her stomach. The Angel withdrew the blade, and Selentia collapsed to the ground, her blood pooling beneath her.
Her vision blurred, and the last thing she saw was the Angel standing over her...
Then, darkness consumed her.