The Simplest of Emotions

The Simplest of Emotions

By: Lance Walker

Prologue

A Call to War

The early March sun was slowly setting beyond the horizon, its flaming colors blazing across the sky in a final tribute to the day. The light, however, did nothing to light the dim conference room in which the group of fifteen delegates sat. Around a table they were, each shadier than the one before on up to the head where a man in black robes occupied a throne like onyx chair of gargantuan proportions. An overhang in the wall above him left his face in shadow, and the light from the sun, barely illuminating the room, did nothing to illuminate his cold features.

Each delegate sat before a plate, and upon each plate was the symbol of their various organizations. The symbols were dark, evil, and filled with a seething hatred. Here a sword, curved like a scimitar dripping with blood, and there a demonic angel with one tattered wing of black feathers. The man at the head of the table, however, sat underneath a crest on the wall. An enormous scythe, onyx as the chair, crashing into a ball of pure light, and engulfing it in darkness. These were symbols of evil, and these men were agents of the purest form of the word.

After an eternal silence, as the sun finally gave up its fight to light the world and extinguished its flame from the contours of England, the man at the head spoke from his now even deeper darkness. "The world is ripe for the taking. The governments are under an illusion from the destruction of their foe, and the peace they so wanted lasting for these three years. They do not see us move in the shadows, building alliances, and forming a threat. They will, however, feel us when we break our silence. When we finally speak they shall tremble in their halls of gold and ivory, and the world of onyx and darkness shall take hold." His voice had built up into a crescendo, but he suddenly stopped. When he continued, he was almost whispering, but every ear was so acutely listening to him that all heard as if he were yelling into the night. "Our men and women are waiting for our word. They have made their beds in the Ministries and businesses of the glorified world, and are now ready to move on towards its destruction. The world is ripe for the taking, and it this council that shall be the strong right arm for the swinging of the scythe of Gaea's Scar. We shall cut down our opponents and the world will be ours. If you are with me, say your pledge to Her. Tell the Darkness that She is your lord, and may your powers grow by Her ever watchful gaze." A hand grasping a black wand reached from the darkness, and a thin red beam of light lanced out of it and hung over the center of the table.

Around the room, the cloaked figures each took out their own wands, and fourteen more beams of red light met the first over the table. Once they were connected by their spells, they all spoke in unison. "We accept the Darkness. We become one with Her, and She with us. Her power will grow within our hearts and devour our souls. Our power will grow through Her, and we shall strive for her return by the works of our hands. We shall be the scythe of Gaea's Scar. The world shall tremble at our combined voices." The lights coalesced over the center of the table into a floating, blood red ball of light. Slowly, it descended on the table, and turned into a single red candle with a burning red flame.

The voice from the darkness spoke again. "As long as this flame burns, we are united in our cause of destruction. She will be watching as we do this. She will be watching as we go to war."

The lights in the room went out completely, but the red candle continued to burn. When the lights finally returned, the room was empty except for the man in the shadows. From behind his onyx throne, a voice rang out as another figure walked out of the darkness. "Your return has been prophesied, and now the only path to be laid is that for Her return as well. The Muggle and Mudblood lovers won't know what hit them." The glint from the red light shone in the whites of his eyes and off a single earring in his left ear.

The man in the shadows was silent for a moment, but when he spoke the lights in the room dimmed and finally descended completely into darkness again. "All that is required now is the death of the Bright Shiner and his Trinity. With those three lights extinguished from the world, Darkness will truly rule. With the destruction of the Princess, only the other two remain. You are taking care of her, are you not?"

The room was still ensconced in darkness. The man with the earrings voice came out of it from all directions filled with reluctance and fear. "There has been a problem...the Princess has escaped."