Welcome to Gaia! ::

Near the theatre sat Charlie and a child. The splendid architecture of the theatre made a sharp contrast with the poverty and corruption creeping around it. The child was a boy about the age of 8, but age to children living on the streets meant nothing. Charlie was twirling a coin in between his fingers seamlessly. The boy was fixated. "You need to learn a trade or trick soon, Gibbly." Gibbly was a young vampire, broken fang and all. "Stealing eventually gets you killed. You don't see too many old thieves do you?" He asked with a concerned look in his eyes. "I ain't good at nothin' cap'n. But stealin' is so eeeeeeeeeasy! And I'm good at it too!" And then the child said something that reminded Charlie why he liked the boy so much. "You probably don't see any old thieves cause they're robbin' you without you even knowing it to this day!" Charlie gave a light chuckle. That managed to make the boy smile himself. Charlie never laughed. Always a closed vault of emotion, but lately things had changed. Times were changing. Nearby glass broke and he could smell smoke. The kid's smile faded as the bitter taste of his reality came back. "I'm kinda scared, Cap...Two of my friends already disappeared. They didn't say anything about leaving so I know something bad happened." In the chaos, people disappeared as if they never existed. Being a shade put Charlie in an interesting perspective. He wasn't one of the dominating races controlling the world he was willed into. Yet ever since he began fighting he realized how frail their existence was. He was immortal and didn't age. People he'd known from centuries ago are no longer around and neither are the ones that came after. They know this and they still decide to throw away their short lives for things that in a couple hundred years no one will even remember or care about. How many warriors have fought by his side for a cause that no longer exists? Land that doesn't even speak the same language as he once did? For Gods that are no longer worship. And for the most pathetic of all. Money. They took it for granted in his eyes. But who was he to judge? The smoke getting thicker. He sighed and ruffled the boy's hair before giving him the coin. "If anyone touches you, tell me ok? And don't go sniffing around for your friends. Otherwise, you'll end up just like them." He wanted to tell him 'if you find out what happened to them tell me' but it would be an incentive that leads to his death. The boy grinned at the coin and then at Charlie. "Where you goin', Cap?" He asked as Charlie got himself up. Soft blurs surrounded his body if a keen observer paid enough attention. Maintaining a physical form like his had to be maintained. He was only darkness after all. "I'm going to find out what is burning inside the theatre."

"WELCOME ONE AND ALL TO THE GREATEST EVENT OF YOUR PATHETIC LIVES! TONIGHT I PRESENT TO YOOOOOOOU- Hold up." The theatre was a mess. Organized seats with the sweet aroma of perfume had been swapped for the smell of piss and destruction. Dead men and women were pinned to the walls. By their clothing, Charlie assumed they worked there before. The man at the center looked like a young demon. Pale skin and dark horns. Tattoos and a hair cut that most of the anarchists donned. "Chet." Charlie spat with disdain. A teenager who Charlie had the unfortunate luck of raising for a time. Until of course he grew tired of the boy's antics. Last he heard of the boy he'd been in a raid against a prison to liberate the filth. At first, Charlie thought that Chet had paused the little spectacle for him but it was apparently some production problem. Burnt corpses piled up beside him. A crowd of crazed citizens cheered with joy as if in some trance. "AH, HERE SHE IS! SHE'S A REAL SQUEEMER THIS ONE!" Charlie tried to bring back memories of Chet as a little helpless boy on the streets fighting for his life against dogs twice his size. He tried remembering the good days. The days where he tried fooling himself into believing he could fill the void left by Leila with anyone else. But he couldn't. The blur around him became unstable now. "YOU GUYS READY TO WATCH THIS FILTH BUUUUUUUUURN?!" Chet was holding the girl from the riot in the air like swine from her leg. She was a noble or at least was. The burnt bodies were all probably of the same birth. He was burning them alive. Charlie didn't care for the nobles and even left the girl to die before but this was too much. This was steeping into a place that had no return and Charlie knew it. His mind raced back to a time when he was naive and innocent about the limits of man's perverse nature.

Charlie was in a squad of 5 led by their captain. They were to scout a village that had been ravaged by a tribe of barbarian lycans. The depravity he witnessed is something that will always stay with him. When people were met with no alternatives to despair they embraced it wholeheartedly. The Goddess of Madness was surely somewhere in that village on that day. He whispers of madness attempting to filter their way into the mind of the young shade. But even back then his will was unbreakable. His purpose clear and his focus resolute. Nowadays he can hear her calling for him more often than not. Yet the lace on his right arm protected him. Given to him by Raphael. But that was long ago and contact has never been made again. The God must've grown disappointed in Charlie's progression through life. If Charlie wasn't so irritated at his b*****d of a son he would've laughed at the continued irony of his own existence. He judged humans for their corruption and there was wondering if Raphael judged him for his own corruption. He returned his attention to Chet and his display.

"LOOK AT THIS LITTLE BEAUTY! PROBABLY WORTH A LOT IN THE BLACK MARKET BUT NOWADAYS IT'S A FREE FOR ALL! YET THIS GIRL IS SPECIAL MY FAITHFUL AUDIENCE! SHE WAS BORN IN A CRIB OF GOOOOLD. WHILE WE WERE BORN IN THE WARM EMBRACE OF DEATH AND POVERTY! SHE IS THE SEED OF THE MEN AND WOMEN THAT EAT THE FRUIT OF OUR LABOR. THEY BATHE IN THE BLOOD OF OUR ANGUISH AND LAUGH! NOW THEY'RE IN DISARRAY NOW THEY'RE IN PANIC! THIS IS OUR MOMENT TO SHINE! ******** KINGS! ******** QUEENS! WE ARE THE RULERS OF THIS HOLE KNOWN AS NOCTURNE. WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT THAT SEND CHILLS DOWN THE SPINES OF OTHER NATIONS. WE'RE THE BOOGEYMEN OF OTHER NATIONS. WE ARE THE ENVOYS OF DARKNESS INTO THIS WORLD!" Something was odd. The crowd was no longer incoherent and drunk. They were all cheering the boy on. And more people were filling the theatre to hear him rage. His words carried weight. They weren't mindless anymore. He could see tears streaming down his cheeks. With a calmer tone, Chet concluded "We're going to burn them all. The corrupt foundation of this nation." A fire formed beside Chet. Someone backstage was a mage. "Tsc" Charlie had to move. In a blur, he disappeared and manifested himself in front of Chet. The boy's eyes widened in panic before shifting to anger. "WHAT'RE YOU DOIN' HERE YOU F-" A swift jab to the throat, leg sweep and kick disabled him in a matter of seconds. The girl fell flat on her face though. A shade soldier grabbed her by the arm to keep her from running away into more danger. The crowd wasn't too pleased with Charlie's action. Some knew who he was and stayed quiet although the numbers weren't in his favor. "You all are here because you're angry. Because you think killing these nobles will bring some semblance of peace. You all deserve to die if you've allowed yourselves to become so deluded. Look around you. The bloodshed and destruction. Do you really think this is the future you want for yourselves? This nation knows adversity. It is a part of it's culture-" Someone attacked him with a knife but simples phased through his body. A soldier stepped out of Charlie's shadow and snapped the individual's neck. Charlie himself had no idea why he was doing what he was doing. But he was tired. Tired of pointless death. Death in the current numbers should at least have a purpose. Like in war men died to obtain victory in the end. So if these people were so keen on dying they should at least die for someone greater than just nothing. He continued speaking naturally as if someone hadn't tried to kill him. "The idiot behind me that spoke before me had a point behind his madness. We don't need to be lead by those who consider themselves above us to rule us. We can take the reigns over this kingdom ourselves! Take back all that's been taken from us!" The crowd was silent and not as thrilled as they had been when Chet was speaking. They wanted blood, violence, and death. So a shade soldier closed the entrance to the theatre.

Darkness swallowed everything within the theatre except for the flame. Although the only reason it still existed was that Charlie willed it. He wanted the flame to stay to serve a purpose. As people ran towards it they were met with pain. No one could reach the light and would stay in the unforgiving darkness. "You all have a choice today," Charlie announced. "Accept the fire. But you will accept it with dignity. You will not lust over it. You will not give up who you are to the darkness. Those worthy of following me in rebuilding all of this will succeed. The rest will die in the dark. Never to be seen again." And so Charlie waited. Slowly people started to join him by the fire. One by one they calmly joined him. He asked them their names. Where they came from and their desires for the future. About 30 people all joined him. When he released the theatre from his darkness there was no one else. The only spared were Chet and the noble girl.

The soldiers all instinctively looked at the newcomer in unison. Charlie was no longer the only one in the room with a high energy level. The robbed figure immediately posed several questions in Charlie's mind. Who he was didn't matter he would probably introduce himself. Charlie took note of weapons, armor, height and the amount of time it would take for him to approach him and land a blow. This was in the mere fraction of a second because by the time he had made his conclusions the being would take off his hood to reveal a mortal. His first words struck Charlie as odd. The shade had a very small pool of people who actually knew him. He'd go by different alias' and shift his appearance constantly in order to stay one step ahead of the government. But this man knew him. That meant that he was someone from Charlie's past. He decided to stay silent through the amiable introduction and watch the man from where he stood surrounded by his supporters.

He listened to the counter speech with the eyes of a tired man. It was as if the 'old friend' had listened to only part of what had happened in the theatre and then drafted a poorly thought out counter argument. Anyone else would scoff and dismiss the man for an agent of discord but Charlie saw opportunity. The people behind him were expecting something out of him now. They were all his followers in a sense. But they weren't followers in the sense that most people would assume when talking about a leader. They followed his idea and not him. He continued in his silence patiently waiting for a moment to speak. His eyes watching carefully for any sudden movement. This was nocturne after all.

"Hehe." Now the shade could not help himself and allowed for a light chuckle. The man had gotten everything wrong. His resolve was questioned and it made him laugh. His mind raced back to the day he met Raphael. The day he slaughtered his army in a fit of blind rage. Raphael questioned why he had done it. Charlie had no answer. Raphael asked him if he regretted it. Charlie had no answer. Then Raphael asked him 'what would you do if you had more power to lead a much greater army?' And to that Charlie replied, 'I'd lead. That is what I was created for.' He slumped over and passed out. That was the only contact the God had ever made with Charlie. He never quite understood it. But in his experience questioning the Gods was a good way to lose your sanity. So now there he was. Crawling out of his self imposed muck to gain the army Raphael had foreshadowed and someone comes along to tell him he does not have the resolve.

Charlie sighed when the speech ended. Rubbed his temples and looked at the palm of his right hand. He observed it for a while and then looked back at the people that had cast aside their madness for the light of civilization. "So? What do you all think?" Charlie asked them. They reacted all in the same way. Some confused and others trying to come up with answers on the fly. "It seems to me that he thinks I am your leader." Charlie continued. "Is that true?" He asked again. "The 30 individuals all replied with a resounding no. The shade turned around to face the man again. "I don't remember your name, but you've got everything wrong. Me ruling? We as the people of Nocturne will rule. There will be no more convoluted hierarchies. No more stockpiles of wealth. Those that decide to oppose us will most definitely be the ones that already oppose us. And you've seen how well the nobles are treated. I will lead these people but do not fool yourself. Nocturne will no longer be ruled. As I lead them so will they lead me." Charlie turned around to face the people behind him. "Now if you don't mind. I'm quite busy. We are only the start of change and must discuss how we'll continue to grow. You can join if you like but pessimism isn't what we really need at the moment." The man could join if he wanted. Charlie didn't mind. He did, however, dislike the idea of someone constantly undermining him at the start of everything. Charlies shades would approach the man from all corners. One gestured for the group and one gestured towards the exist. All silent and in sync.