Prologue

Aragoth was all smiles as he left the restaurant, hand in hand with his fiance Emma. It was frustrating at first, as people reacted how they normally did when he told them his name.

They always asked, "No, but what's your real name?"

It was a little hurtful, although he guess he could understand. He was adopted, but you never would have known. They loved him like he was their own.

His name was honestly a funny story, and more simple than it would have appeared. They were both huge gamers, and his father always named his RPG characters "Aragoth" because he thought it sounded cool, and even his mother liked it. They both played together all of the time after all. Honestly, it didn't matter to him. It was a little cool, although "Aragoth Douglas" didn't roll off of the tongue very well.

Emmie didn't care, and in fact, she adored everything about him, including his name. Aragoth never really believed in the term "Soulmate," but from the first day he ever laid his eyes on her, he was utterly smitten. He never truly felt like he belonged anywhere, like he was an outcast, but the day he met Emmie, everything changed. After so many years closing himself off, he did the one thing he thought he would never do. He opened his heart, and it was the greatest choice he'd ever made.

They became friends early on in life, as they grew up in the same orphanage together and even after he was adopted, he made sure to go and see her whenever he could. The day eventually came when she too was adopted by a loving family, and they had no qualms about letting their friendship continue.

As the years passed them by, their feelings for one another grew. They had always loved each other, but that love blossomed into something truly special. Aragoth had told her about his feelings for her one night when they were spending time together, and her face was something he would never forget. The tears that poured from her eyes as he confessed his feelings contradicted the huge smile on her face that night, and he didn't even get to finish all of his thoughts before she had kissed him. From that moment on, it was them against the world, and neither of them would have it any other way.

Emma Turgess was a beautiful brunette with long hair cascading past her shoulders halfway to her rear. Her shapely form had curves in all the right places, with her aforementioned rear end being her greatest asset. The girl had an ass, and Aragoth was no stranger to giving it more than just a few playful slaps. She had breasts that were not small by any means, but not too large. The fit the hand very well.

What always captivated Aragoth's attention the most, however, was the deep blue of her eyes. Whenever he peered into them, it reminded him of a calm and peaceful ocean. Everything about Emma to him was perfect, and he didn't really know what he would do without her.

So, hand in hand they walked, heading to their car, intending to return home. They had parked in a parking garage across the street from the restaurant, so they had a small walk, but nothing too substantial.

"Tonight was wonderful, Ari. Thank you." Emma said, beaming at him.

"Spending time with you is the only thanks I need." Aragoth replied, his voice full of love and affection.

Emma smiled but rolled her eyes.

"That was cheesy, even for you." She said.

"Who doesn't like cheese?" Aragoth asked, sounding completely serious.

They laughed together and just basked in each other's presence as they made their way across the street and entered the parking garage. They had parked a little ways further back, as the place was pretty crowded earlier. It was pretty late at night now, so the place was practically empty.

As they continued towards their car, they both caught sound of something that gave them pause. They listened closer.

"Please don't do this." A male voice said, and he sounded frightened.

"Sorry man, but the boss just can't trust you. This isn't personal. Honestly, I kinda liked you man, but it's not up to me. I hope you can understand." A voice responded.

"What the hell is going on?" Emma whispered, and Aragoth just shrugged, also baffled at what they were hearing, but from the sounds of it, it really didn't sound like they should be.

"That's why you can't do this. We-" The first voice replied, but was slienced but a muffled yet still very discernable pop.

"That was a fucking gunshot." Aragoth muttered, now truly beginning to grow terrified.

Emma was shaking, as she too knew what that sound was. A silenced weapon is still fucking loud. Someone was just killed. Aragoth tightened his grip on Emma's hand and gestured for them to back away slowly, and get the hell out of here. He wasn't about to have her so close to this much danger.

However, his backstepping was impeded as he walked right in to something, or rather someone. If that wasn't enough to send his already rapidly beating heart into overdrive, the feeling of cold steel against the back of his neck definitely did the trick. The person behind Aragoth sighed, and another pair of footsteps walked up to them.

Aragoth tensed when he heard Emma whimper in fear, and then she yelped, which angered him deeply.

"HEY! IF YOU TOUCH HER I'LL" Aragoth yelled, then he saw stars in his vision as the man pistol whipped him.

"Shut it, kid. This ain't no movie." He said, then he pushed Aragoth forward, and from the sounds of it, the other was leading Emma forward.

Once they turned the corner of the parking garage, Emma began to sob, and gag, and Aragoth wasn't doing much better. Blood and brain matter covered the ground, pooling around the body that lay in a pile of his own blood. A single shot to the head.

"Jesus fucking christ.." Aragoth said, his limbs beginning to tremble.

A man was standing over the body, gazing at it imperiously. It was as if the sight didn't even phase him, and that only made Aragoth even more sick. His gaze turned to them when he heard their approach. The man frowned.

"Who are these people?" He asked.

The man behind Aragoth spoke.

"No idea. Most likely just some locals out on a date or something."

The man in front of them seemed to think for a few seconds, and then he just sighed.

"Wrong place. Wrong time. Fuck... I never did like this part." He responded, and a cold feeling made its way into Aragoth's chest.

The man looked over at Emma, who was still sobbing and beginning to hyperventilate. He seemed to think for a while before he shook his head.

"No, you don't deserve that. It's already bad enough that I gotta do this. I'll make it quick." He said, and then he turned to Aragoth, "It's not personal, I just want you to know that."

The man said nothing else as he raised the gun to point directly at Aragoth's head.

"How the hell is this happening? Why is this happening? This was supposed to be a good night." Aragoth thought to himself, dread overwhelming him.

"FUCK" One of the men said, and Aragoth risked turning his head to see what the commotion was.

From the looks of it, Emma had bit the guy's hand that was subduing her, and from the blood leaking down his hand, she didn't go lightly.

"ARI!" Emma yelled, breaking away and beginning to run towards him.

"EMMIE NO!" Aragoth yelled, any fear for his own safety gone.

Then, Aragoth's world shattered. His rapidly beating heart seemed to stop as the man who was pointing his gun at Aragoth, quickly leveled it on Emma and pulled the trigger. Once. Twice. Three times, then four. Emma stopped in her tracks, stunned by what had just occured. Aragoth watched in horror as the beautiful white dress she had been wearing rapidly became soaked in an ever growing flow of blood. Her blood.

"EMMIE!" Aragoth yelled, tears escaping his eyes as her blood began to leave her body rapidly.

"A...ri.." Emma said, in a soft voice, yet it was filled with so much pain.

Then Emma collapsed, falling to the ground. Her breathing slowed to the point that it was barely noticeable, and her blood began to pool underneath her.

Overcome by his grief, Aragoth snapped his head back, catching the man behind him in the nose. Aragoth couldn't even be satisfied by the crunch of his nose breaking as all of his attention was on Emma.

"I'LL KILL YOU!!" Aragoth roared, rushing towards the man with the gun.

The pain hit Aragoth before his brain registered the sound of more gunshots. It wasn't just the man in front of him, but the two other men as well that unloaded round after round into his body. His back, his chest, his arms and legs. Every part of him ached, and from how faint he was feeling, he was aware that he had lost a substantial amount of blood.

The gunfire ceased, and Aragoth was left standing there, stunned and in shock. Aragoth's eyes focused on the only thing that mattered to him right now. Emma lay on the ground, her life still pooling out of her. She was still breathing, but it was incredibly shallow. Their eyes met, and the tears leaking from her eyes dripped onto the ground, mixing with her blood.

Aragoth sluggishly limped towards her, unsure of how he was still moving.

"Goddamn it. This shouldn't have happened." One of the men said, but Aragoth didn't even care to figure out which one of them was speaking.

Aragoth's limbs gave out, and he collapsed. Breathing heavily, he did not stop, crawling slowly towards Emma. She looked so terrified, and in so much pain. Aragoth felt simultaneous rage and heartbreak when he looked at her, but currently all he wanted to do was be near her.

The man who had killed the other person stepped past Aragoth, letting out a long sigh.

"I'm sorry, you two. It was supposed to be empty here. No one should have seen this, but you did, and unfortunately, we can't leave any loose ends. If it's any consultation, I do feel bad. You two seem like you really have something special. Still, no use in dragging this on. I hope you both find some peace after this, if that even exists." He said, walking to stand right over Emma.

He aimed at her head, and Emma turned to Aragoth, tears in her eyes, and mouthed, "I love you."

Time seemed to slow down, and while he was pulling the trigger, it was so slow that Aragoth swore that it would take minutes for him to complete the deed. Aragoth's mind raced and panic flooded him.

"No. Not her. Not my Emmie. She means everything to me. I won't let them. They can't get away with this. They won't get away with this." Aragoth said, and then, he felt something.

*Thump.*

A sound like a heartbeat reverberated through his body, and he felt something he couldn't quite explain. It wasn't something physical, bur rather, metaphysical. He knew that didn't make sense, and perhaps he was just delirious from losing so much blood, but anything, any chance he had to save Emma, he had to take it.

A thin stream of what he could only describe as black energy seemed to be connected to him, and only now he could see it.

"What...the hell?" Aragoth thought, wrapped in facisination at what he was seeing.

It pulsed and trembled, seeming to become more solid to his eyes with every passing moment. Then, something seemed to be passing from whatever was at the other end, and was being drawn into himself. Time slowed down even futher, and strangely, Aragoth felt himself being revitalized. It didn't make any sense, but Aragoth was desperate, so he just welcomed it.

It was slow at first, but then, he twitched as something stirred within him. First, it was his head, then slowly, it was his chest, his arms, then his legs. Every part of him that was human skin turned black, just like the tendril that was connected to him. His body pulsed with this black energy, and it vibrated with power.

Time was still slowed down, and even throughout all of this, the trigger was only halfway pulled. Was time actually slowed down for everyone else, or did his perception of time change? Aragoth wasn't sure, but when his eyes landed back on his wounded and bloodied love, unending hatred and rage took over.

He felt something manifest on his back, several somethings in fact. He wasn't sure what they were, but they felt akin to his limbs. He had control over them, and he could exert his will over them with pinpoint precision. Soundlessly, Aragoth rose.

Emma could feel herself slipping away, but she couldn't. She couldn't die. Ari and her had so much they wanted to do. But when she last looked at him, he looked no better off than her.

"Oh Ari.." Emma whined, her chest growing numb.

That's when she cast another look at him, wanting to see him one final time before the barrel of the gun ended her life, and even though she just barely had the strength to turn her head, she definitely had enough left for her eyes to widen.

The man that was holding the gun stared in shock. For one, he was not longer holding the gun. It fell to the ground. And secondly, his entire arm was also lying on the ground, blood spurting from the stump where his arm once resided. The pain hit him a second later and he screamed in agony, falling to the ground while grabbing at his stump.

"What the fuck???! Jared, Hank, what hell are you guys-" He yelled, but stopped upon looking towards his companions, W-w-what the fuck is going on?"

His friends lay on the ground, blood pooling on the ground below them. While their body's were roughly in the same place, both of their heads were no longer attached to their bodies. He didn't even hear anything happen, so how did he not even notice. That's when he looked towards Aragoth, and terror overwhelmed his thoughts, causing him to piss himself.

What he was looking at was not a man, and if he was being honest, calling him a monster wouldn't even do it justice. What he was looking at was like an Eldritch horror made manifest directly from someone's worst nightmares.

Being vaguely human shaped was the only resemblance this person shared with human beings. Where skin once was, now was instead what appeared to be black energy, like something directly from the void of space. Long black tendrils, some like whips, and others with a sharpened blade like end, emerged from his back, and from what the man could tell, there were dozens. So many he couldn't count.

Still, not one of those things compared to this things eyes. The scolera of his eyes were an endless black pit of nothingness, but in the center of each eye were dark red pupils, like the color of blood. And the amount of hatred and malice being directly towards him from that gaze was almost enough to kill him by itself.

Suddenly, Aragoth was no longer dozens of feet away, but directly in front of him. The man tried to scream, but Aragoth's large hand gripped him by the face, completely locking his jaw shut. The man trembled and kicked, but it was no use. He was completely powerless, and he felt akin to a newborn child when compared to whatever the hell this was.

That's when he got pulled closer, and Aragoth spread his fingers apart so he could gaze into the man's eyes. Fear was the only thing present in his eyes. When the monster spoke, it sounded dead, raspy, and almost sounded like multiple entities speaking in unison. It made him piss himself again.

"This," Aragoth said, before shoving his hand into the man's chest. He screamed as Aragoth gripped his beating heart, and with no effort at all, he ripped it from the man's chest, "Is personal." He finished.

The man stared in absolute horror as Aragoth crushed his heart between his fingers before his very eyes. Aragoth wasn't sure when the far off look of death crossed the man's face, he had only hoped that he truly felt hopeless and afraid before he died.

It was then that Aragoth realized the dark energy that his body was made from. He had been so focused on making these assholes pay that he didn't even really take himself in. He acted on instinct, like everything he just did was stuff he'd already done before. He didn't even feel anything after killing three men. A weak cough reminded him of what caused this transformation in the first place.

"Emmie!" Aragoth said, rushing over to his love.

He knelt down next to her, and his heart was gripped by cold helplessness as he took in her state. She had lost so much blood that he wasn't sure how she had held on this long, let alone remained conscious. She gazed upon his form, yet she did not flinch at all, nor did she shy away from him. He gently cradled her in his arms.

"Oh God... what do I do?" Aragoth asked himself, black tears streaming down his cheeks.

Emma didn't even hesitate as she weakly raised a hand to place on his ethereal cheek.

"You look...terrifying...yet I'm not afraid. When did you plan on telling me I was marrying Cthulhu?" Emma said, smiling up at him before coughing out a mouthful of blood.

Aragoth held her tighter.

"Don't speak baby. I need my phone. We need an ambulance. You'll be okay." Aragoth said frantically, fumbling around his pockets for his phone.

He pulled it out only to swear violently as he noticed the giant bullet holes that were through it.

"I need your phone. Plus, I'm sure someone heard all of this. There's probably help on the way right now." Aragoth said, his tone one of pure desperation.

That's when Emma wrapped a hand around his head, and pulled him down for a kiss. It was an intense kiss, her tongue snaking into his mouth. Her sweet taste mixed with the copper taste of blood was bittersweet, but he didn't know what else to do in this situation, so he relented and kissed her back with just as much passion. Of course he would. They broke free a moment later, and she stared into his eyes with that look he loved so much.

"I love you. More than anything else in this world." She said, beaming at him.

"I love you too. More than anything. Please sweetheart, save your strength. I'm sure help is almost here." He said, gripping her hand in his while his other hand searched for her phone.

Even if the noise did garner attention, he still needed to make sure. Someone had to come. Emmie would be okay. She had to be. He found her phone in her pocket, although it was coated in her blood.

He was in the process of fumbling it in one hand to try and operate it when he noticed something that made his stomach lurch and almost made his heart quit beating entirely. Emma had stilled, and even her grip on his hand felt limp.

"Emmie? Baby?" He asked, his voice frantic as he focused on her still form.

Her eyes had glazed over, and she stared not quite at him, just off into nothingness. He checked her pulse and her heartbeat, but was only met with the unsettling stillness that death brought.

"No. No. No. No. No. Emmie, please answer me! Please! I need you, so please..." he said, his voice turning into a whimper as he clutched her to his chest.

She didn't answer him, and while he knew why, his heart wouldn't allow him to tread down that road. She still had the small smile on her face that she gave him before, but no life remained in her body. Aragoth trembled and his body shuttered as he cried, black tears running down his face and falling on to Emma's lifeless body.

"Come back to me baby. Please, I can't do this without you. I need you to come back to me. Please..." He croaked as the tears kept coming.

Aragoth's whole body seemed to pulse with his desire, and he felt something in his senses, guiding him to do...well, he wasn't sure, but with nothing left to lose, he gave into the feeling. Suddenly, he felt something leaving his body at a rapid pace, and when he looked, the black energy that his body was made of flowed from himself and into Emma.

"What is..." He asked, then he grimaced in pain as more of this strange energy flowed into her.

He heard the sound of something small and metal hitting the ground, and when he looked down, he gasped in shock. The bullets inside of Emma were being pushed out by this energy, and then his eyes opened wide, not believing what he was seeing.

Her wounds were visably closing before his very eyes, and when each wound sealed itself shut, perfect and unblemished skin was all that remained.

"This... this is magic..." He said in wrapped facisination.

Being an avid gamer, as well as a fan of anime and manga, as well as many books and light novels, the concept of magic wasn't new to him, but it wasn't real. And yet, this was happening right before his eyes.

He noticed black markings appear on her hand. It almost looked like a tattoo, and when he rubbed at it with his thumb, it remained. It seemed that whatever this mark was, was now a permanent part of her.

He felt his body growing weak, and yet, the part of him feeding this energy to her would not stop, nor would he let it. If there was even a slim chance, then...

Emma gasped for breath, choking and spluttering. As drained as Aragoth felt, his joy couldn't be contained. The tears that poured from his eyes weren't ones of sadness this time, and he waited with baited breath until, finally, Emma blinked, and stared back at him, the spark of life in her eyes once again.

"Ari?" She asked, her voice soft, yet full of life.

Aragoth clutched her to his chest as he sobbed in relief. She was alive. She was back. Somehow, and he wasn't sure how, his desire for her to come back to him let him do something that shouldn't have been possible, but from how he currently felt, he was sure the toll would be great.

The black energy that surrounded his body had disappeared, seemingly all used up, and something told him that it wasn't a good sign. Still, Emma was back, and that's the only thing that truly mattered to him.

"Ari... was I... dead?" Emma asked, and Aragoth just rubbed the back of her head as she began to cling to him. He could hear the fear in her voice.

"It's okay baby. Everything is okay." Aragoth said, his breath slowly beginning to settle.

"I saw... myself. I left my body, and I was rising up into the air, but then, I saw you doing something, and whatever it was grabbed me and pulled me back down." Emma said, shuttering at the memory.

Aragoth wasn't sure what to say, and really, all he just wanted to do was hold her close, so no words were really needed. It definitely sounded like an out of body experience, or her soul leaving her body? Just a half an hour ago, he would have snorted at such nonsense, but after what just happened.

Suddenly, Aragoth was hit with the strongest bout of weakness he'd ever felt before. He collapsed on the ground next to Emma, and now it was her turn to panic. She moved much quicker than he would have expected her to, and she was next to him in a second.

"Ari? Honey?? What's wrong? What happened?? Oh God...." Emma said, noticing the fresh blood now pooling beneath them. Aragoth's blood.

After everything that had happened, Aragoth had forgotten about the wounds he had recieved before whatever happened, well, happened. Emma had tears in her eyes as she pleaded for him to stay with her.

"I guess...that's how it feels..." Aragoth muttered, his voice barely a whisper.

"What??" Emma asked between her sobs.

"Emmie, babe, I love you..." Aragoth said, using all of his remaining strength to say those words to her.

Aragoth didn't hear much after that, his brain far too muttled to think coherently. The last thing he saw was Emma's heartbroken visage, and even though it pained him greatly to see her like this, at least she would get to continue living. He hoped she would find happiness again... he hoped....

Then, Aragoth died.

"You over extended yourself." A voice said.

Aragoth heard that clear as day, and actually, when he thought about it, he had to admit, he felt nothing. No pain, yes, but literally nothing. That's when he looked around and noticed he was floating. Then he looked down and saw his own dead body, with a cry Emma over him.

"What the fuck??" Aragoth asked, his mind whirling.

That's when something pulled at him, and when he looked, he could once again see that strange tether. It pulled him harder this time, and his pace accelerated, leaving hos body and Emma behind.

"NO!!" Aragoth shouted, but it did little good.

Soon, Aragoth's world was nothing but darkness as he was pulled ever forward with no sign of slowing down.