DARK FAÏZ Book 1: Every hero has his legend

by Sandra L. Kiss

  "It took you long enough, Zoe," he sighed, relieved. "I knew you'd sooner or later discover the secret that's eating away at this family. It was only a matter of time."

  I was paralyzed with fear. No sound came out of my mouth. I remained nailed to the place. My legs refused to obey the orders given by my brain. I would have liked to run away from this room, this house. Lily appeared in panic in the doorway: my scream must have frightened her. She was surprised to find me and her husband in the same room. She immediately questioned Charles with a worried look.

  "Zoe discovered everything...about Faïz," he explained.

  "No, Charles, I'm begging you. Leave her out of it!" she cried, standing in front of me as if to protect me.

  "It's our only chance, Lily. It's all up to her. You know that!"

  He turned to me again, his eyes torn by the choice he had to make.

  "What do you believe in, Zoe? Good and bad? Myths and legends?"

  "Uh... I don't know. I don't understand," I stammered.

  "I'll tell you the legend of the traveler. Most people have forgotten it over the centuries, even forgetting the name of the person concerned. Sit down, will you?"

  I shook my head, preferring to stand up and listen to the rest.

  "No one can say when he was born, several centuries ago. A man, a peasant, and of southern American origin, picked up a black puppy one stormy night. This man had a darker soul than any human being on this earth. He loved evil and killing for pleasure, women, men and children. A cannibal in nature, he fed on his victims, invoking Satanic rituals. There was nothing worse than him. He was arrested and hanged in the public square for his many crimes and heinous acts. At the time of his judgment in the afterlife, in front of the Eternal himself, the verdict came as no surprise: Hell would be his only refuge. Unfortunately, at the gates of the place, Lucifer himself refused this too abominable soul within his own kingdom. The darkness was far too afraid of it. His dog, Gally, just as evil as he was, was kept in the kingdom of Hell to weaken him in his demonic intentions. The peasant was sent back to Earth as a hunter of solitary ravelers. Now he feeds on the souls of explorers who travel the world, such as captains sailing on their ships in search of New Worlds and who disappear at sea. There is also no shortage of stories about many hikers that we never see again. This is the work of this evil hunter."

  Charles paused, I looked at Lily, leaning against the wall with such sadness in her eyes.

  "How does the story end?" I asked.

  "You have to understand, Zoe, that in the fight against evil, there is also good. Celestial beings were sent to Earth to restore balance. These women were called Fairies, or Sylfides, and the men, Sylphs. In other words, elves whose mission is to protect the nature of this world. Sylfides live among us and blend in with the population. Their mission is to prevent imminent danger with a scream, which triggers in our hearts the intuition that there is a threat. This kept the hunter away for a while, but unfortunately, he found a breach in these celestial beings and rushed into it. The Fairies lost, one after another, their halo of divine protection. Most of them fell, becoming insensitive to the fate of humans, letting darkness gnaw at them from within. They then became the prophets of death by announcing unhappiness with cries of nameless savagery. They ruled on Earth alongside the hunter with the name of Banshee."

  I tried to assimilate all this information, trying to understand this legend that literally terrified me. Despite all this, I could hardly believe it. Myth were just myths. The irrational has no place in the real world. I still ventured to ask questions that burned my lips.

  "And Faïz? What is his role? Why The Black Shadow?"

  "For a long time now, the secret services of each nation have been trying to find a solution to oust this evil that threatens our planet. They have hidden from the whole world the existence of this hunter, who came to destroy our Earth and to create his own kingdom in the midst of chaos. The idea of creating powerful beings, with faculties above normal in order to one-day defeat this evil force, gradually sprang up in their minds."

  "Faïz," I said in a barely audible whisper, understanding what he was.

  "In the greatest of secrets, experiments on human beings began to be carried out everywhere. Leaders of countries around the world turned a blind eye to atrocious practices. They played God, hijacking genetics to create monsters in turn. Us! You have probably already heard about the Nazi or CIA experiences in the 1950s with processes that included many drugs, including LSD. This is not unlike Israel's OMR project. The country wanted to create a vaccine against any bacteriological threat. These are just a few examples that have come to light today, but they are only the tip of the iceberg."

  I finally sat down. Dizziness suddenly took hold of my body. He took a breath before continuing.

  "In a Washington orphanage, thirteen children of all ages were selected in 1946, including my father, Harry, who was only six years old at the time, to serve as guinea pigs for experimental purposes. For four months, the researchers, but also chemists, tested different biological components on these kids to make them perfect beings. They were immunized against all genetic alterations likely to cause future health problems over time, contagious or not. At the end of the program, five of them died from serious health complications. The scandal about what was happening at the orphanage finally broke out several months later and was revealed to the general public. The authorities had no choice but to close the facility. Everything that was the origin of this macabre project, from near and far, were judged. Some were sentenced to prison terms of varying degrees. Others committed suicide or took refuge in drugs and alcohol, unable to cope with the atrocity they had inflicted on their fellow human beings, who were only children. For the damage suffered, the American government pledged to donate more than six million dollars to help these children who survived this hell. When he came of age, my father received his entire fortune. In his misfortune, the experiments worked for him. Gradually, it was noticed that his strength was increasing tenfold. He could break a concrete wall without effort. His gestures were fast, his fighting technique infallible. A group of eight soldiers with incredible gifts became the future of a people, the Leviathans. My father grew up like this, preparing himself to respond to the commitment for which he had been conditioned, and the evil he would have to face one day, without knowing its name.

  Nevertheless, he tried to build as ordinary a life as possible. He married my mother, Gladys, and with the sweat of his brow and the financial support he received, he built one of the largest pharmaceutical industries in the world today. Seeking antidotes—cures—has always been his main objective. I was born a few years later. In my first years of life, my father realized that I had inherited his genes, having the same physical potential and gift as him. He decided to put his own strength in the service of the citizens, do good and help the police in their investigations. My father fought the traveler for five years: The Maestro, though it's not his real name. He was very close to defeating it when he lost his wife, my mother. I was only five years old. She sacrificed herself to save what she believed in: life. My father sent this demon out of our world, but he promised to come back even stronger in the coming decades. I grew up with very different ideas from his, hating who I was. So I distanced myself from this destiny, which I refused. Over the years, our relationship deteriorated. My father, refusing to understand my choices, decided to disinherit me from all the property that should be mine, as well as from the position of President of Trac-World. It was in this passage of my dark life that I met Lily. She saved what was still human in me. We had Faïz and then Victoria. Faïz was, in turn, a victim of our genetic code, which is apparently transmitted to male descendants. Victoria was spared. My father and Faïz were inseparable. They loved spending time together. Since his birth, an invisible bond linked them. On my side I tried to set boundaries between the two, but Faïz looked so much like my father and there was nothing I could do about it. The same spirit, the duty to do justice. E
xcept that unlike my father, my son has a large part of shadow in him, unstable. He is impulsive, which is not compatible with the basic spirit of Leviathans. Before he died, my father gave Faïz his inheritance. Next year, so my son will be at the head of Trac-World, and a billionaire. He's also heir to a battle he will have to wage against The Maestro. I have hoped with all my soul that this fight will not take place for several centuries, when we are no longer there to see it. But since the end of the summer, there have been phenomena that cannot be explained, with people falling victim to spontaneous combustion, terrorist attacks, more and more Banshees manifesting themselves, indicating that evil is back among us. The Maestro has gone to Hell to get his black dog back. He is now more powerful than ever. The prophecy speaks of this last war between good and evil in the Callis, a universal, holy book, given to us by celestial beings only eighteen years ago. Faïz will show you. This book is safe, in a place not far from here."

  "What does the Callis say about how to destroy The Maestro?"

  "We have to find the tomb where the traveler is buried. The clues are very vague. Deciphering these ancient writings is quite complicated, which does not help things. Only one person is authorized to do so, a prophetess. For the rest of us, it's an almost empty book. However, he refers to two dogs, Gurt and Meriden, whose role is to protect this divinity."

  "We have an idea where to look for the tomb?"

  "No, not really." Charles sighed, looking so vulnerable.

  Lily broke her silence. She came up to me and laid a hand on my head. Her voice was filled with such emotion.

  "Prophecy tells us that a young woman with hair as dark as night and rare, exceptional eyes will show the way to the sanctuary of darkness. She will be the key, the new emerald."

  "But who is this woman?"

  Lily gave her husband an anxious look before answering me.

  "We didn't immediately understand, Zoe. We didn't look for you, you came to us. That first day at the airport, your look... And when I see all Faïz's efforts to try to keep you as far away from him as possible, it's obvious. He knew it the first second he saw you."

  A breath of terror overwhelmed me as I heard these words.

  "Why is he acting like that? What is he afraid of?"

  "He only wants to protect you, to spare you all this," Charles intervened, as my father should have done with my mother.

  "What really happened to your mother?"

  Charles hesitated to answer me, looking at Lily. After a few seconds of silence, he resumed.

  "She found the stone that held the power to destroy The Maestro. This emerald of rare beauty had been given to mortals by the creator of the universe himself. It is said that it contains all the praises of each of this world's religions. Prayer is the most powerful weapon against demonic spirits, and has been since the dawn of time. This gemstone had to be placed inside the traveler's tomb in order to eradicate it. But he found my mother before she could do it. To prevent the emerald from falling into his hands, she decided to sacrifice herself by throwing it into McWay Falls. This act weakened The Maestro, and we no longer heard from him. To avoid repeating the same mistakes, the prophecy says that the stone, this emerald, has this time materialized in a human. A woman. You."

  Sitting and completely overwhelmed by the story I had just heard, I had the impression that I had discovered the Mattew family a second time. I understood many things now, including Faïz's distant and cold behavior towards me. Lily, who was always standing by my side, leaned towards me.

  "Zoe, prophecies do not always have stated purposes, and can be interpreted in different ways. That's why Charles and I didn't want you to know."

  "Yes, protecting you is our only concern, whatever it costs us," Charles reassured me.

  "I need time to assimilate all this information," I stammered in shock.

  "You're right. It's late. You need to go to rest now. If you have any questions, we'll answer them," Lily said with a worried pout.

  She was trying to stifle her anguish with a kind smile. Charles hugged me warmly and asked me not to worry. I rushed into my own room, my heart accelerating again. I sat on my bed and closed my eyes. I felt like I was entering reality. Why had I taken them seriously? I didn't know.

  Then the truth came to me. I received it like a slap in the face. Everything had already been written since before I was born, as had the choices I had to make in my short life. My arrival at the side of this family was therefore not a coincidence. Would I be willing to give my life to save others? The answer was obvious to me. I tried to pull myself together by taking a deep breath. I still couldn't believe all that. What would have happened if I had stayed in Paris? Despite all the events of that evening, I collapsed from fatigue and fell into a restless sleep where I hastened to tell my mother everything.

  "Finally! What's with that awful expression this morning?" grinned Lexy when I settled next to her in geopolitics class.

  I looked for Asarys. When I found her, I gave her a big smile to make her understand that everything was fine between us.

  "My awakening was more complicated than usual."

  "You get up to mischief last night?" Lexy asked with a spark of curiosity in her eyes.

  "No!" I sighed, looking irritated. "But there was an interesting conversation with Faïz."

  "Reyes! Terranova!" Mrs. James said. "Maybe you have something to share with us?"

  I blushed, shaking my head, uncomfortable. Lexy and I then immersed ourselves in this rather interesting course. The three hours went by quickly, to my great surprise. When the bell rang, everyone rushed outside the classrooms, running to the display board in the lobby, which listed the couples for the Friday ball. On the way, Asarys grabbed me by the arm and the three of us headed in the same direction.

  "Are you all right?" she asked me timidly.

  "Yes."

  Well, no, apparently I was created from a stone and I have to help save the world!

  "Everything is fine," I said again, "yesterday I was the one who was too sensitive. You were right, life is too short to feel sad. I understand him even better today."

  We arrived in the middle of the gathering rushing about in front of the display.

  "So?" she whispered to me, excited, referring to Faïz.

  "Well..."

  "Zoe!" interrupted Lexy unexpectedly.

  Asarys disappeared among the crowd, leaving us far behind, eager to discover her Friday rider.

  "I ran into Victoria this morning, she was finishing posting couples in the lobby with other high school students. You owe her one now, from what she told me."

  "What do you mean?"

  Suddenly, Asarys screamed with joy and threw herself at me.

  "You're with Faïz," she cried, strangling me.

  "But it was supposed to be a random draw. How...?"

  Under the shock of the news, I did not realize the importance of this opportunity.

  "Victoria must have given a boost to fate, hence her comment this morning," Lexy whispered to me.

  A feeling of joy was mixed with a feeling of fear. Millions of questions, although insignificant, jostled about in my head: my outfit? Slow dance? How to behave? Rachelle?

  "And you girls?"

  "Mine is named Calvin. Oh, I hope he dances like a God," Lexy begged, hands joined.

  "Calm down, miss," said Lucas, who appeared behind us at that moment.

  "But don't worry, baby. I'll leave this Calvin as soon as I can, to join you," Lexy said.

  She tenderly surrounded Lucas with her arms. Asarys came back to me, and I noticed her embarrassed look. I could swear she was blushing.

  "Why are you so upset?" I insisted.

  "I'm with Ray," she whispered.

  "Fate does things well for you too."

  She shrugged in response. Her tone betrayed the uneasiness of the feelings she felt for him. Baudoin and David joined us shortly afterwards. We decided to eat outside, on campus, to enjoy the sun.

  "I'm just going to wa
sh my hands. You coming with me?" Asarys addressed Lexy and me.

  "I never understood girls' obsession with going to the toilet with each other," said an amused Baudoin.

  "That's right," added Lucas. " Seriously, what the hell is going on? You need help getting undressed or something?"

  We laughed some more.

  "We'll let you get over your little joke and meet you outside," Asarys assured them.

  There was no one in the bathroom. Lexy went into one of the stalls. Leaning against one of the walls filled, with messages and tags from the students of this institution, I took the opportunity to confide about last night's evening with Faïz to Asarys, and loud enough for Lexy to hear me on the other side of the door. When she came out, we stayed in the toilet for a few minutes until I had finished my story.

  "At least you made it clear to him, Zoe," Asarys said.

  "But, did he seem receptive? I mean, does he feel the same way about you?"

  "In fact, it was the first time I felt that something could have happened," I admitted, with my eyes lost in my dreams, a smile on my face.

  "Well, let's go." Asarys got impatient.

  "Wait, I'm just going to go to the bathroom," I told her.

  Once inside, I heard them fighting again.

  "Stop it! Damn it, you're crazy!" exclaimed Asarys.

  "Leave me alone. It's to give Zoe a hand. Relax."

  "She's going to kill us! That's completely stupid!"

  Lexy was giggling about a situation that I would soon discover. When I went out to wash my hands, I saw her with a black felt pen in her hand. My eyes immediately turned to the wall behind her. In the middle of the various messages from people who had left a trace of their passage in these places, I saw Lexy's message: "I love Faïz, Z." My blood boiled