Kyro (Original Version)

Part 1

Melissa and Vincent were very close together as children, almost inseparable.  Ever since Melissa had moved in to the neighborhood, and she had started going to the same school that Vincent did, they simply got along more than anyone could have imagined.  Both of them having very different desires on what to do in life, this didn't stop them from being the closest friends, and no one else would be able to stop them either.  As children in elementary school, they stood up for each other.  No matter what stood in their way, they always showed the upmost strength in their friendship.  Their friendship seemed like an endless plain...with no beginning or end.

           

As they grew up in the small town of Derby, Kansas, they began to see more and more of the town that they called their home.  As they made their way through elementary into middle school, they began to encounter bullies, gossipers, and just obstacles in general.  However, they never let anything phase them. They stood up for each other in their times of struggle, helping each other to overcome bullies, and were able to put and end to gossip that arose around them.  All in all, their lives were simple, but as they grew older, they began to be surrounded by more and more mysteries that their other friends would present them.

             They were sitting together one day during their 7th grade lunch outside, and their small group of friends began to talk about rumors of a kidnapper going around the town.  Their friend Kelly decided to start it off, "I heard the other day that that girl Tiffany got kidnapped last week."

             Of course Melissa, Vincent, and the others all gasped in unison, but then immediately began to chuckle.  Chuck let out a snarky response, "Yeah right!  She probably ran away from her parents again.  Dumb bitch!"

             Vincent was about to jump at Chuck's response, but Melissa beat him to it, "Knock it off Chuck!  You're such a jerk!"

              Chuck just started laughing again and then Vincent spoke up, "Seriously dude!  Tiff's gone, and nobody knows what happened to her this time."  Everyone looked up at Vincent, even Molly, the last member of their little group who hardly ever talked looked up at him.

              Chuck was irritated at this moment, "And how would you know that, Vincent?"

              Vincent was getting even more irritated at him.  "My dad looked over his report...and they haven't found anything on her whereabouts."  Everyone fell dead silent.  Even the police were familiar of Tiffany's habit to sneak out, and would often escort her home.  But it was very unusual to hear that they had no idea where she was.  It was more than taboo to them.  They could sense something that something was terribly wrong.  Could Tiffany have been kidnapped?

              Molly looked up from her book to speak, "It's too early to know anything.  Vince's dad is a cop, so it shouldn't be long for him to find something on Tiffany's whereabouts."

              And it was in that moment that they heard the deafening echo of a large explosion in the distance, towards the woods of their hometown.  That sound filled all of the kids with dread every time that they heard that sound.  It was loud enough to shatter the tension between the group and they began to complain again about the sound.  Kelly was first, "Ah!  What makes that loud sound!  I hate it!"  Everyone had their suspicions, but no one had a decisive answer.

             However, that wasn't going to stop Chuck from making his assumptions sound like a decisive answer.  "Come on guys!  Everyone knows that's the sound of Kyro."  Everyone except for Vincent rolled their eyes at Chuck.

              Kelly was apprehensive at his seemingly foolish remark, "Oh come on, Chuck!  Everybody knows that's just a story our parents told us to stay away from strangers!"  The story of Kyro was well known within the community.  The legend went that there was once a man who traveled into the town of Derby during the 1970s and his car broke down.  He tried to call for help, but no one paid him the attention of mind.  He wore an old and somewhat tattered suit, he had a creepy face, and made those who saw him feel uncomfortable.  There was a group of teenagers who got out of their truck to make it seem like they were gonna help him, but then pulled out pipes and bats from the back of their truck and began to beat the poor man.  They left him bloody on the side of the asphalt.  Some of the versions of the story say that he was beaten by the young boys for looking like a pedophile, others say they did it just to be mean, and even others say that the man was evil, and wanted to get across the state into some area in the forest to do horrific things.  In any case, every story ended with him being left for dead by his broken down car and dying from his injuries.

        Some of the legends say that his spirit haunts the nearby forest, and that whoever gets kidnapped by him will be brought to the forest and killed.  They claim that the sound is of the spirit sounding off each kill, but nothing has been confirmed.  Some others say it's the sound of a serial killer who shoots his victims in the forest, but no bodies have been confirmed.  Others say it's the slam of an old rusted door to a hidden bunker underneath the forest floor, where the spirit lures the kid into, and each slam echoes through the forest as to signify the next doomed child to his clutches, but no hatch has ever been found.

                The others all started to butt in with agreement to Kelly's objection....all except for Vincent.

"I don't know you guys...It could be possible."  This was a sickening thought to them.   The others tried to argue with Vincent, but Melissa stopped the argument before it could persist further.

                "Look, guys!  We don't know if it's true!  Let's stop arguing and talk about something else." Chuck had a little snarky objection, but quickly took it back as to not seem like the "bad guy" in that situation.  Melissa decided to move on to talking about what they wanted to do after they got through high school, by which they referred to as the "hell hole".  Melissa wanted to be a famous painter.  Chuck wanted to be soldier in the army.  Molly wanted to be a writer.  Kelly wanted to be a rich makeup designer.  Vincent wanted to become a famous detective.  They each began to debate on which one would be more successful.  The occasional argument sparked, but the lunch bell called them in before they could finish their discussion.  That was the last day that there was even talk of a search for Tiffany.  She was added to a list of other kidnapped teenagers, and was somewhat forgotten along with the other teenagers in the community.  Other people slowly began to find their names written on the same missing person board within the town of Derby, and it would only continue to grow for the many years to come.

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Part 2

        Fast forward now to high school, we've seen our two main characters move forward into high school, all the while some friends are lost, while some new ones are gained.  But with all good things, some must come to an end, and others will find their new beginning.  And our story follows the same rules.  We continue now during the freshman year of high school, where Vincent and Melissa have explored more of their desires beyond their time as students, and where they planned to take their lives.  

       It was a cold Friday in October, and most of the classes wanted to let out early to prepare for Halloween that night, which was Melissa's favorite time of the year.  Vincent wasn't very keen on Melissa wanting to go and explore with their friends into the small forest on Halloween night, but that wasn't about to stop her.  She had already got an approval from Kelly, Chuck, Molly, and their newest friend Henry, and they all said that Vincent's vote against it should be counted null and void.  It was, and their eagerness truly distressed him.  What did they exactly aim to gain from going into the forest on Halloween night?  That's something he would have wished he knew at the time. 

       Their plan was to head out to the entrance of the forest at 10:30 at night.  That way, if anyone was late (which they knew a few of them would be), they would be able to make it there before midnight.  All of them were supposed to make it there before the stroke of midnight, according to Melissa's plans, which she kept from Vincent on purpose.  As frightened as Vincent was at that moment, he trusted Melissa enough to stick around with her.  He cared for his friend too much.  Melissa and Vincent were the first to arrive, right at 10:30.  Molly followed in shortly afterwards around two minutes later.  Henry followed up Molly's arrive five minutes later.   Kelly got there fifteen minutes later, dragging Chuck along with her, both of them the last to arrive.  Chuck was squirming in Kelly's grasp, "Oh!  Come on Kell!  Why do we have to be out here on Halloween?!"  

      Kelly finally released his hand, Chuck releasing a false sigh of relief.  "You don't have anything better besides playing video games!  Besides, it's a boyfriend's duty to accompany their girlfriend on a scary venture."  The others squirmed a bit at that remark, especially Vincent and Melissa, both of them not having revealed their more intimate feelings for each other.  

       Vincent tried to break the silence amongst them by taking sides with Chuck, "I'm with Chuck on this one."

        Melissa objected against Chuck's and Vincent's complaints, "What are you afraid of Vince? We've all been through these trees before..."

        Melissa was interrupted by Henry, the newest member of their little group.  "Actually guys...I've never been through these woods.  They always freaked me out.  This is the place where everybody says Kyro lives."

        Melissa cut him off there, "And that's exactly the reason why we're here!"  Everyone else was in agreement, except for Vincent and Chuck.

        Chuck was first to respond, "Really?  That's what you dragged me out here for?  Everybody knows that's not true!"  Chuck said this while still trying to leave Kelly and run.  

        Kelly reattached her hand to Chuck's wrist firmly, "You're not going anywhere, Chuck!"

        Vincent was frightened as well, "Why did you want to find Kyro?!"

        Molly broke the argument between them, "Because we want to put the myth to rest by proving that Kyro is not real."  It was then that Molly pulled out a small video camera from her purse and hit the record button.  "With this, we'll capture real footage to prove that he isn't real."

        Melissa added on to Molly's explanation, "Exactly!  And we're also hear to have some fun guys, so try to relax." 

        Everyone had calmed except for Vincent, still feeling quite paranoid.  "I don't feel that this is safe.  You've heard the legends.  We all have!  I don't think we should be messing with Kyro."

        Melissa then wrapped herself around Vincent's arm, "I wouldn't suggest something like this if it wasn't safe.  And I didn't tell you because I knew you wouldn't come.  So could you please stay...for me?"  Melissa showed puppy dog eyes to Vincent, knowing that this was Vincent's weak spot, and would get him to relax.  

        Molly let out a taunting, "Awww!" and began to giggle as Vincent stared into Melissa's eyes.  "Let me get that on the camera!"  

       Vincent was not amused.  "Knock it off, Molly!  It's not like that!"

        Melissa, unfazed, continued to try to convince Vincent to go, "Will you come with us, for me?"

       Vincent finally agreed.  "Fine.  I guess we can go and find this evidence." 

       Melissa hopped up with glee, "Awesome!  Everyone's in!"  She immediately wrapped herself around Vincent's arm, and Vincent tried to shoo away Molly's camera.

       And with that, they all proceeded forward onto an open path through the trees and into the forest.  The leaves had all fallen, and the forest floor was littered with red and orange leaves.  Finding clear footing was rather difficult, so most of them proceeded with caution, all except for Kelly.  She continued to hop around over holes and around branches until she tripped and fell over.  Chuck helped her up, but she had already done damage to herself.  Her ankle was twisted, but she insisted on continuing forward, as long as Chuck would support her.  Chuck agreed, and hoisted her arm over his shoulder.  They proceeded forward to a clearing in the forest.  

      It was then that Melissa began to lay out the groundwork for her plan.  "Alright everyone, here we are!"  They all proceeded to the center of the clearing.  "Now, everyone spread out into a circle."  They began to spread out, all except for Chuck and Kelly.  "Kelly, can you stand on your own for a few minutes?"

      Kelly tried to place her foot down solidly, but was met with a large amount of pain.  "Ahh!"

      Chuck tried to appear more concerned than he was, "Are you okay Kell?"

      Kelly placed her sprained foot down gingerly on her large toe for balance, "Yes!  I'm fine Chuck."  She said with a bit of irritation in her tone.  "Listen to Melissa.  We've got to do this right."

       And with that, Melissa began to explain the plan in detail.  "We've gathered out here on Halloween night, to summon the spirit known to us as Kyro."  Molly began to focus her lens on Melissa.  "Tonight, we settle once and for all, the age old myth of the mysterious killer known as Kyro."  Molly handed Melissa a very old and worn looking book, and Melissa opened it and flipped through the pages to find the one she had bookmarked.  "I will now chant a summoning incantation.  Everyone else will need to join in.  This is a simple summoning spell, but should work."  She began to read a short summoning spell from the book.  

Spirits of the night, I beseech thee,

Find favor with mine call and summons,

On the seven winds I beg thee travel,

And greet me in mine presence,

For a speaking of things that need bespoke,

From this moment hence,

Thy powers do I wish invoke,

For things that need be done.

     The others began to echo this spell in a chant.  They other's chanted this three times, until they began to hear voices.  Some of them were small and others were loud.  Lots of laughter could be heard, as the voices began to surround them.  Henry and Vincent were beginning to feel fear and paranoia.  Henry spoke first.  "What is this, Melissa?"

      Melissa tried to answer Henry, but was slowly being drowned out by the voices.  "This is supposed to summon all spirits here, including Kyro."  Wind began to lift the leaves around them, swirling around them in a large vortex of decaying plants and vegetation, forming a moving mass or red and orange around them, forcing them closer and closer together as a circle.  Chuck lunged to catch Kelly and keep her from falling over.  Molly was spinning the camera around to show the strange occurrences that the six teenagers were experiencing.  

      Vincent tried to speak above the swirling leaves and voices, "Melissa make it stop!"

      Melissa was freaking out at this moment as well, "This shouldn't be happening!  Kyro isn't real!"

  

        And with that the wind stopped and the leaves fell.  The voices got quieter as well.  They all gave a sigh of before they were interrupted by one final voice.  The voice was raspy and sounded like it spoke through gritted teeth.  "You called upon me....yet you did not believe I was real."  All of the teens were silent with fear.  The voice chuckled at the thought.  "Well, I'm more real than you might think, and I do not take kindly to strangers in my woods."  

        Vincent still doubted the voice, and spoke through trembling fear, "Who are you?"  

        The voice spoke once more.."I am KYRO!"

         

     Suddenly, the leaves began to lift up, and formed the shape of a large humanoid figure, with a height above twelve feet.  The figure stood tall in the center of their circle.   It's eyes were revealed to be deep pits, with yellow ravaging pupils inside of them.  The figure then showed a massive maw of jagged teeth, and the leaves began to give way to reveal a large and slender pale body.  The monster was quite menacing in appearance, having matted hair at the base of it's head, it had long slender arms with claws at the end of it's hands.  It was slender, but muscular at the same time, and was frightening to all of the teenagers.  The voice spoke again, "Now run!"

      All six of the teenagers began to run out of the trees, screaming in fear.  Chuck couldn't drag Kelly on, so he stopped and tried to fight the beast.  The beast, with little effort, pinned Chuck to the ground and began to bite into his face, ripping chunks of his face off as the beast ate Chuck alive.  Kelly's screams of terror were quickly drowned out, as she sank immediately into the leaves.  Vincent wanted to stop to help, but Henry grabbed his arm and dragged him forward, "It's too late to help them now, man!  We've gotta get out of here!"  All of the teens ran out to the exit of the forest, and onto the nearby sidewalk.  They all circled around a light post and panted as they tried to catch their breath.  

     Vincent was the first to speak, "What the fuck was that thing!  It ate Chuck!"  

      Henry spoke next, "Yeah!  I thought Kyro didn't exist."

      Molly included her input.  "I couldn't get a clear image of that thing.  What was it?"

      Melissa, was baffled.  "I.....I don't know....I don't know what that was.  We need to get out of here."

      And with that, all of the teens went home.  A missing person's report was made for both Chuck and Kelly, but neither of their bodies were ever found.  The remaining four teens lived out their lives through high school, not quite sure if they would ever see their friends again.  But one thing for them was certain, Kyro was real, and he did not take kindly to visitors.

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Part 3

       We again move forward in time to the end of high school, where our four remaining characters have all finally moved on from their experiences that fateful night....all except for Vincent.  Vincent had become obsessed with understanding criminal nature, understanding the occult, and understanding demonic rituals and knowledge about spirits.  He had allowed himself to become engulfed in a pursuit for the entity known as Kyro that claimed the lives of Chuck and Kelly three years ago.  That night was never at the back of his mind and was part of Vincent's continuous desire to become a detective.

        Melissa and Vincent had been dating and had been a couple of two years, thanks to the efforts by Molly.  The others were set in their plans on where they wanted to take their lives were decided, except for Henry.  Henry was always changing his mind about what he wanted to do, even though everyone else thought he would be an awesome game creator, having created a small horror game about what they experienced that night.  But even with the constant encouragement from his friends, Henry was still unsure of whether or not he would become a game creator.

          Melissa and Vincent grew past their little crushes over one another and became a couple.  All of this, of course, with the help of Molly and Henry to finally push them to actually start dating.  And, as a result, Henry and Molly became somewhat of an awkward couple as well.  All four friends were actually more unified by their new relationships, rather than driven away by how "awkward" they may have seemed.  But as good as life was for them, and how well prepared they all were to take the next big step in their lives in heading off to a university to study, all except for Vincent.   They all wanted to go to the same university, but Vincent wasn't quite done with his own investigation of the being known to them as Kyro.

         One Saturday night in January, when Melissa was out of town on a trip, and Molly and Henry were busy, Vincent decided to head down to the local library in hopes of finding more information about Kyro.  He went up to the front desk of the library and asked the receptionist if there were any books available on the topic of Kyro.  The librarian was a bit hesitant, but she eventually gave him a card with the key location within the library that might have the book that would provide him with some new information.  He decided that it was better than nothing and proceeded forward into the library.  Vincent was not expecting anything truly remarkable in terms of new information, but he figured that possibly finding some new spare details was better than not knowing anything new.

         Vincent proceeded forward into the library towards the back to where the librarian indicated that the book may be located.  He came across a book about the local folklore of his area and scoffed with a hint of anger.  "As if this is gonna be of any help to me!  This thing isn't just some myth, and legends aren't gonna do anything to prove what happened to be true."  But after verbalizing that thought for himself, he decided to pick up the book and examine it.  As he had assumed, there was no new or useful information about Kyro within the book.  But as he slammed the book shut and was about to shove the book back into the slot, he noticed a strange switch behind the book.  It was rather late that night, and the librarian didn't seem to care that he was back there, so he flipped the switch.  The bookshelf moved over slightly and revealed a small door entrance into a hidden room.  Vincent proceeded into the room and looked for a switch that would allow for him to conceal the door, and found a liable switch that did just that.  The bookcase moved back in front of the opening to the door and shut the entrance.

       Lights came on and illuminated an old library, full of dusted books that were categorized by topic.  Vincent had never seen any of these books before, or this area of the library.  He began to examine books related to old legends....until he came across a book with the single title of Kyro.  "Finally!  Something that shows some actual promise!" This was the thought that he voiced as he examined the cover of the book.  After fully admiring the old leather cover of the book and admiring its stitching, he opened the book up to examine it.  The book did not have an author, but it did have an interesting note from whoever the author was.  The text read as follows:

Beware those who pursue Kyro

For he is a malevolent being who only

Seeks to harm and maim.

If you dare to open this book past this page, 

you will insight his unholy wrath upon you

and those you love.

You have been warned.

        This text unnerved Vincent a little, as he never read a book that did not have an author's name or credentials within it....or a book that gave a clear and concise warning to any readers who would dare to dive into a book's contents.  Vincent wanted to put the book away, but his desire to solve the mystery behind Kyro became too great.  He had already lost two close friends, and too many people were disappearing.  He had to know what was inside of that book, so he decided to flip to the next page.  Kyro:  The True Story Behind The Legend.  From here, he dove into the details of the legend that he heard as a kid.

        The word Kyro was an ancient and lost word used to describe the unknown or "ideas of mystery".  The word Kyro was adapted by a local secret society that was made over two centuries ago during the American Civil War by a group of men who wanted to overthrow both the United States government as well as the Confederate government.  When people in modern times like to think of the old secret society, known as the Illuminati, was a society that aimed to control the world, they actually had a closer idea of what this particular society was like.  The goal of the secret society known as Kyro was to gain power over other world governments by mastering the secrets held within the unknown and the occult.  Inside of the book, there were many rituals, spells, incantations, and written documentation that described the lives that the members of this organization experienced.  

          Each member was entitled to their own opinion, no member could interrupt another member during mid statement, and no one was to disrespect the code of honor with stupidity.  Those were the three cardinal rules of this organization, and each of the members lived, ate, and breathed the ways of this society.  Wiccans and witches were both welcome, as well as warlocks and sorcerers.  Any member of society that had some potential to contribute to the society without revealing the information to outsiders was welcomed, regardless of race or gender.  In terms of how progressive this secret society was, it was far ahead of it's time.  Yet, in ambition, this society wanted to drive everyone else into the dust.  They wanted to make everyone and everything in the world into their little puppet show, and would only give so much "strain relief on the strings of each person" as the book described it.    

           These people were a new kind of supremacist; a kind of supremacist that revolved around following only ideology that was supported by the founder of Kyro, John Hudrey.  The name of this man didn't seem familiar, as there was no record in any major articles about him.  This organization was functioning and plotting smoothy, until they came to a realization one day that through their union and utilization of magic, they had innately created an entity that they officially claimed to be Kyro, and became a deity in their eyes.  Through their belief and praise, Kyro grew stronger.  All until one day, when Kyro's hunger became too great, and he wreaked havoc upon the members of the society.  The last page was a letter written in blood by John Hudrey, warning of anyone who would try to pursue Kyro.  Apparently, Kyro had convinced one of the members to cast a spell to enable it to create physical manifestations of itself, and it created a monster that appeared through a crude drawing to be very similar to the monster that killed Chuck.  This monster apparently devoured the other members, and a dark experiment that one of the warlocks was successful, where Kyro could store the souls away in a glass ball.  He made a crude drawing of that as well.  And shortly after, Hudrey was the last victim of Kyro's rampage. 

            As Vincent turned to the last page, he read the same strange text that he saw at the beginning of the book, and it had reappeared at the end of the book.

You did not heed my warning did you?

You simply needed to know

more about me.

Well, I don't like my secrets to be 

disclosed.

You have invoked the wrath of

Kyro

You will suffer a slow

and cruel fate.

Vincent wanted to curl back in fear, but as he looked up, he saw an odd spacing between two light posts and a wall.  One of the light posts was crooked to the side.  Vincent closed the book and walked over to the light to twist it back into place.  It was then that a major part of the floor gave way and formed stairs that descended further into the library.  Vincent's curiosity got the better of him, and he journeyed down to investigate.  He noticed that there was an old torch along the wall, and pulled out his pocket lighter to see if it would ignite.  Luckily, the torch bursted into a bright and continuous flame and illuminated Vincent's long path down to the bottom of the library.  But what Vincent saw next was something that he could not believe.  Before him was the laid out tables, tapestries, experiment rooms, and main meeting halls of the Kyro secret society.  The banner with the name Kyro draped over the main meeting hall. 

       Vincent went about and examined each and every room, studying the contents of each one.  Some of them contained black magic research, others contained,  stacks of papers with written fortune predictions that actually happened in recent time to events that were recorded during modern history.  And even more of them contained other books and testing tubes for magical formulas and different spells.  Vincent then returned to the main meeting room and proceeded towards the pedestal, where he saw a single glowing orb, sitting in what appeared to be a metal hand.  The orb has small blue streaks flowing around within it.  As Vincent grew nearer to the orb, he became startled when he realized that the streaks in the orb were actually moving faces in a blue hue.  Once of them came close to the glass and spoke aloud.  "Hello?  Who are you?"

        Vincent was hesitant to answer, but decided to answer with a concise response, "My name is Vincent.  I am from a different time."

         The voice responded smugly, "Well of course you're from a different time!  You look ridiculous my dear fellow!  What is that strange coat you have on, and why are you wearing pants that are so blue?"

           Vincent tried to move the conversation along, as he began to hear a strange humming within the room.  "Never mind that sir!  Who are you exactly?"

            The voice responded with prominence, "I am John Hudrey, founder of Kyro!  Or....at least I was, before Kyro betrayed us and killed us for his selfish cravings."

             Vincent tried to bring the conversation back to a more common note, "What can you tell me about the monster called Kyro?"

              This was when the voice became nervous, "Did you read the book?  No one was supposed to read that forbidden book!  Oh no!  You've doomed yourself and your loved ones to a terrible fate!  Kyro is relentless, and will not stop until everyone you know and love is gone."

               Vincent grew nervous as the low humming was beginning to sound like a roar, "What do I do?"

               The voice now grew panicked, "Quick!  Grab the book next to the orb, it contains a spell that will help you to destroy Kyro!"  

                Vincent grabbed the book, "Now what?"  And as Vincent said that, a shadow appeared behind the pedestal.

                 The voice was now screaming, "RUN!"

                 Vincent began to race out of the room, while he heard demonic laughter behind him, followed by a deep voice, "You can't escape me!  I am Kyro!"  Vincent raced up the stairs, and as soon as he got up to the top of the stairs, he immediately ran and twisted the light lever all the way to the side, forcing the steps to close up in the direction that they originally fell, trapping Kyro down below in the original meeting chamber of the Kyro secret society.  With Vincent's newfound discovery of what Kyro was, and what he was now capable of, it became Vincent's duty to one day eliminate this monster.  He had the secret to eliminating the monster that had terrorized his town for decades, and he wasn't about to give up so easily.

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Part 4

  Once again, we have taken another step forward in time to witness our story unfold across the stretch of time where our characters must confront their horrors once more.  Molly and Henry ended up breaking up within the first year of college.  However Melissa and Vincent were still a close couple.  All four of them had decided to start attending the University of Kansas, but Henry was still contemplating on whether or not he should transfer over to Kansas State to further pursue a career in software engineering and give up hopes of becoming a game creator.  Molly was planning on earning a bachelor's degree in writing to help her strengthen up her vocabulary for when she published her first book, "Volvox".  Melissa was working on strengthening her talents as a painter, and had already sold a few commissions.  And Vincent was working on earning a degree in Psychology, for which he would apply the knowledge from his major towards his career as an investigator.

           It was spring break, and everyone had their plans for their one week of freedom during the spring semester from college.  Henry and Molly had decided on going to a concert in Kansas City for the week, and Melissa had convinced them since Molly and Henry were single again to try to get back together.  Vincent was baffled when Melissa explained her plan to get them to make up and be a couple again, mostly because he thought it was more cheesy than a reality television show plan to "reunite two lovers who have drifted apart".  But after hearing Molly's slightly romantic ideas for Volvox, and Henry still wanting them to be back together again, the plan sounded somewhat feasible, so they were heading out for that.

            Melissa had a couple of commissions to take care of during break, but she had promised Vincent that they would have a private night together towards the end of the week.  So, with everyone else out of the way, Vincent dove back into his hobby:  trying to uncover the truth behind Kyro.  Vincent had already learned so much from the book he ran off with that night (him having snuck the book into his jacket), but was still confused about the spell that John Hudrey told him would be able to destroy Kyro.  The spell was written in the form of a riddle as follows:

One friend must perish

One love must die

One friend will lose more than an eye

Family will pass

Under the sound of brass

As onlookers weep and cry

To kill a beast

Who is already deceased

You will need to win a brawl

But to defeat nothing

But what you used for your hunting

Both of you must fall

                This riddle didn't make any sense to Vincent, and after having done countless hours of research on what it could mean, the only conclusion he could come up with was that it was a series of events that would dictate everything that lead up to the defeat of Kyro.  This riddle did not provide any type of guaranteed and proven method to destroy Kyro, and continued to frustrate Vincent.  He spent quite a bit of his free time in the university library, trying to uncover what the answer to this riddle was.  From reading about occult rituals, to learning how to make up the best riddles, to understanding the fundamentals of rhyming, to reading about pseudo-psychological and pseudo-scientific research studies, and to reading about the hidden history of Kansas.  But after all of his research had been done, nothing conclusive on what the riddle meant came up.  

              However, Vincent did read about some legends that told of a cemetery in Stull that held the most tortured spirits in all of the midwest.  Not only that, but that it was believed that there was a direct gateway to Hell, and that demons could be summoned from there.   And on the Friday before the start of Spring Break, Vincent noticed a hidden card that fell out of the spell book.  He picked it up, and read out a simple sentence that was written across it. 

For those who suffer a fate so cruel

You will find their souls dwelling at Stull

              Vincent was packing up his backpack with supplies, cameras, and his books when he received a text from Melissa. "Hey be careful this week.  I know that you're still looking after Kyro, and I'm not gonna be around you.  Please stay safe."

              Vincent texted back, "I will babe.  Don't stay up too late on this painting."

              Melissa followed him up with an annoyed response, "You know that I have to work late on this commission, or I'll never get it done!"

               Vincent shrugged and just accepted that Melissa was gonna stay awake for awhile.  He thought of in that moment about what he was gonna have to do to try to unravel the riddle, but he wanted to make sure that somebody knew to check up on him.  "Hey, babe!  Do you mind doing me a favor?"

                Melissa texted him a photo of her canvas, already having been primed.  "What's the favor?  As long as it doesn't interrupt my painting."

                 "Do you mind calling me at 2 in the morning, when you'll take you're break?"

                 She laughed and answered him,  "Sure!  I might be done by then, but I'll call and check up on you anyways.  Love you."

                 "Love you too."

                  And with that, Vincent was ready to head out for Stull.  He had planned to take the shorter route, but it was nighttime and there was a big accident blocking the main way out of Kansas City, so he decided to take the hour detour.  He arrived in the town of Stull, and after having missed the cemetery a couple of times, he arrived at the cemetery at 11:17 P.M.  The air felt a bit chilled, so he put on his jacket.  He grabbed his backpack, and his phone and proceeded in.  He thought that he was gonna be stopped by the graveyard worker, but the one that was there was sleeping.  He had fallen asleep inside of his office, unknown to Vincent.  Vincent crept his way through the graveyard, looking for a grave marked with the name John Hudrey.

                 After about twenty minutes of searching, Vincent's eyes finally fell upon a small headstone with the name "John Hudrey" engraved into the top.  Vincent felt sad when he saw the headstone, because it was so small, it had no quotes or decorations around it, and part of the stone was already chipped around the edges.  He had passed the stone three times because it was so nondescript and damaged.  But after having found the grave, he sat down in front of the head stone and began to search through his book for the information that would tell him about to summon John Hudrey and communicate with him.  He flipped through the pages of the book until he found a note in the book that fell out that said at the corner of the page "Call if you are in need."

                  Vincent assumed that this was John's way of saying "Just ask for me at my grave and I'll talk."  So Vincent decided to do just that.

                  "John Hudrey, I need your help."

                  Vincent waited for a moment while growing ever more impatient.  He was about to stand up when he heard the familiar voice of John Hudrey "Don't leave yet!  I don't mind you sitting on me!"  Vincent nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard the voice of John.  He stepped back from the grave, and an image of John Hudrey, in a bloody robe appeared in front of him.  "You do not have much time.  You needed my help?"

                 Vincent decided to ask why he did not have much time left first, "What do you mean I don't have much time left?"

                 "Kyro may have not have been a living thing, but he is a demon just the same, and will have an easier time killing you here.  We don't have much time."

                 "Then what can you tell me about this riddle.  You told me that it was supposed to be a spell that would defeat Kyro."  Vincent showed John the page with the riddle on it.  

                 "It is, but it is also a fortune.  For this spell to work, everything within this fortune must fall into place.  Only then will you defeat Kyro."

                 "But the fortune says that my friends and family will all perish before I defeat him."

                 "Yes, what he craves is power, and only when you have understood true darkness will you be able to defeat him."

                   "And how do I do that, John?"

                  "The tools have been there for you all along, you just need the right sequence of events for true darkness to emerge.  You must experience total loss before you can embrace true darkness."

                  "But that means that I'll-", before Vincent could finish the sentence, a low rumble could be heard all around them.

                   "He's coming.  You need to run young man!  Only you can stop Kyro!"

                   And with that Vincent ran with his backpack and phone to the exit of the cemetery, but was immediately thrown back by a thick cloud that was forming right at the exit.  "You have escaped me too many times!  But now, you are in my clutches, and I won't be letting you go!"  And at that moment, the graveyard worker emerged from his office and began to call out to Vincent.

                   "Run!  I'll keep him at bay!"  The worker pulled out a rather large wooden cross from within his work shirt and began to run towards Kyro with it.  He began to speak in tongues and Kyro moved in fear of coming in contact with the cross, all the while uttering inhuman high-pitched screaming noises.  Vincent ran for his car and rammed his key into the ignition slot.  The car roared to life as Vincent took notice of the worker having fallen over at the gate and Kyro had knocked the cross away from the worker.  "Grab the cross!  It'll protect you!"  Vincent got out of his car and lunged for the cross as Kyro lunged for him.  Vincent held the cross out and Kyro retreated back.  Vincent got into his car with the cross around his neck and drove away from the cemetery.  

                    Kyro's voice could be heard in the distance, "You may have escaped from me, but you're friends won't!"  Vincent keep speeding off away from Stull back towards Kansas City.  Five minutes after having made it out of Stull, Vincent received a call from Molly.

                   "Vince!  Vince!  We were in a bad accident!  We crashed into another car on the train tracks and police haven't arrived."  And as Vincent heard the terrified screams of Molly over the phone, Henry could be heard over the phone.  The sound of a train's horn could be heard through the phone.

                   "Molly!  We have to ru-", and the phone signal cut off.  Not long after, Vincent received a message from his aunt that his parents' house had been run over by an 18 wheeler truck as they were walking across the street to their favorite restaurant.  The truck flipped over and brass instruments and other instruments tumbled out of the rear end of the truck, leaving onlookers in tears and shock.   Vincent later received a call from Melissa at 2 A.M., as he was barely making it back into the city.

                   "Vincent!  Are you ok?  I heard that Molly and Henry are dead."

                    Vincent was terrified at this moment, his parents and friends were dead, but he didn't want to lose Melissa, the one person he loved the most.  "Melissa!  Get out of there!  NOW!"  Melissa heard the terror in Vincent's voice and began to run out of the apartment.....but then there was the sound of an explosion.  Vincent tried to call out to Melissa in terror, "Melissa!  MELISSA!"  Vincent dropped his phone and began to race towards Kansas City, terrified and horrified at the thought of Melissa having died in the explosion.  He made it to the apartment twenty minutes later, only to be met by the fire department, hosing down the apartment complex.  He saw  ambulance vehicles all around the apartment.  Vincent raced out of his car calling out for Melissa.  "Melissa!  Melissa!"

                     Police officers tried to hold back Vincent, but he quickly told them that his girlfriend was in there, and proceeded through the blockade around the apartment.  Vincent continued to call out to Melissa, but was met with no answers.  He began to ask around and ask the emergency responders, it came down to one worker who had heard her name mentioned.  "Melissa Gomez you say?"  Vincent replied with a yes, but was only met with a body in a body cover.  Vincent began to break out into tears.

               "Melissa!  Melissa, no!  NO!"  Vincent had just lost the one person left who gave his life meaning, and now he had nothing to lose.  He finally understood what John Hudrey meant by him not being capable of fighting Kyro without having experienced total loss.  Vincent had lost everything that gave his life meaning.  He lost his friends, his family, and his one true love.  Vincent now knew how to embrace the darkness, and was going to make Kyro pay.

__________________________________________________________

Part 5

  Our timeline is being interrupted by the events of recent past.  It appears our story is nearing its end.  We are now back at the scene of the explosion where Melissa has perished, and where Vincent is in absolute disbelief at the destruction that has ensued within less than the span of a single night.  He had just lost everything that had given his life meaning.  His family, his friends, and the one person he ever truly loved.  All of them were now gone, slain by the entity known to him as Kyro.  He couldn't call Kyro a demon, or a ghost, or even a monster, but rather an entity of pure evil, that took pride in every twisted act it did.  Kyro took great pride in its name, its reputation, and in its disturbing acts of torture and death.  Vincent understood very well what Kyro was, and what it would take for him to defeat Kyro.

           Vincent was asked by the medics if he wanted a ride to the hospital so that he could wait for Melissa's family to arrive, but he knew that sending condolences to Melissa's parents would not help.  They would likely become Kyro's next target, and he was sick of everyone he cared about becoming a victim of Kyro's schemes.  Kyro couldn't attack Vincent directly with the cross that he was wearing around his neck, but Kyro could destroy everyone and everything he cared about.  Vincent had seen enough of the carnage that Kyro could inflict on anyone he loved and anyone he cared about.  He had learned from the books that he had studied on the occult that he would be safe as long as he wore the cross, but none of the people he cared about would be safe from Kyro.  So, with the heavy cross, he was bearing, he decided to march on and carry the light.

           Vincent walked back to his car and decided to drive back towards his hometown.  But all of a sudden, he heard the voice of Kyro ring in his ear again.  "You won't be leaving me again!"

And without any accord or warning, Vincent's car flipped over, sending the contents of his car flying and twirling around him as his car rolled to a stop, back on top of its wheels.  Vincent was trying to recover but began to smell the scent of gasoline.  He realized that there would not be much time for him to try to drive away before his car exploded, so he grabbed his backpack and his books and jumped out of his car.  He began to run down an alley to escape his car, which had just caught flame.  After a few seconds of running, he heard the explosion of his car and heard the low humming of Kyro quickly pursuing him.

          Vincent scrambled trying to flip his book open to the page that held the spell on it, but ended up tripping midway in the alley and falling against the side of a dumpster, and caught a glimpse of Kyro pursuing him.  He quickly regained his running pace and began to run again.  He ran down the end of the alley, and began to run for his life down another road, and tried to proceed towards Mount Calvary cemetery.  Kyro could easily catch Vincent, but he couldn't make contact with him, long as he held the cross to his chest.  Vincent ran the long distance to the cemetery, in spite of how long the chase ensued.  Kyro created destruction and mayhem throughout the streets of Kansas City as he pursued Vincent, flipping tables, breaking windows, busting street lights, and causing mayhem with traffic.

           Vincent eventually arrived at the cemetery, where he ran up to the church within the cemetery, surrounded by dozens of graves.  Kyro began to laugh, "I've got you now."  And that's when Vincent pulled out the cross within his shirt.  Kyro let out a slight shriek of pain at the sight of it.  Vincent could see it now, two eyes within a swirling dark mass of energy.  Vincent dropped everything he was carrying except for his spell book.  And then....Vincent did the unthinkable.  He tore the necklace from his neck and tossed aside.  Kyro began to laugh, "You've made this too easy for me."  But before Kyro could lunge, Vincent spoke out a short spell.  Kyro began to laugh again, "No protection spell will be strong enough against me.  I'm Kyro!  I'm too powerful for simple protection spells."  But that's when Vincent shocked Kyro.

              Vincent dropped the book to the side, "I didn't cast a protection spell, I cast a specialty contact spell."

               Kyro was a bit confused, "But why summon me when I'm here?  There's no one you can call on to help you now!  I've consumed all of your loved one's souls, oh how they were delicious!  The only one who could free them would be someone with power over me, and that isn't you!"

               Vincent chuckled at this, "I don't intend on calling for help.  I cast a contact spell that will make allow me to make physical contact with you."

                This statement disturbed Kyro.  It struck a nerve in its face.  Vincent could now see Kyro begin to take shape into its true form.  It began to extend it's body into a tall, humanoid figure.  Kyro maintained its shape and took on a lean form.  It remained faceless, except for two deeply dark and glowing purple eyes that seethed with fury.  Kyro's arms had long, extended fingers, long reaching arms, tall legs, and a tall torso.  The entire figure loomed over Vincent, but Vincent was unphased by the size of Kyro.  "If physical contact is what you desire, then I will be more than happy to oblige.  It's not every day that I get to tenderize a meal before I eat it!"  Kyro let out a chuckle, and that's when Vincent made his first strike.

                Vincent lunged at Kyro's chest with a sucker punch, forcing Kyro back.  Kyro regained its focus and began to fight as well.  Kyro swept towards Vincent with its left arm, but he dodged it.  Kyro threw a punch with its right arm, aimed directly at Vincent's chest, but Vincent deflected it and laid a direct punch to Kyro's torso.  Kyro was taken back again and began to grow more infuriated.  Kyro landed a kick directly to Vincent's chest and sent him flying back several feet, and slammed him against the side of the church.  Vincent's breath was taken away by the power of Kyro's kick, but he was determined to continue his fight against Kyro.

                   Kyro began to charge at Vincent, and Vincent began to dive low to tackle Kyro to the ground.  Vincent straddled Kyro and began to lay several blows to the head of Kyro, continuing to beat Kyro's head.  Kyro laid a punch solidly against the jaw of Vincent and sent him flying several feet into the air, making Vincent land on the roof of the church.  Kyro jumped onto the roof of the church.  Kyro bellowed out a screech of satisfaction.  Kyro marched over to Vincent, gripped him by the collar of his shirt, and hoisted Vincent above its head.  Kyro released a sinister laugh, "I finally have you!  I FINALLY HAVE YOU!"  Vincent trembled with fear at the sound of Kyro's laughter.  "I have you now, you worthless scum!"  But as Kyro began to open it's mouth to reveal sharp, jagged teeth, and a long tongue, Vincent began to recite the spell that John Hudrey told him would stop Kyro.

One friend must perish

One love must die

One friend will lose more than an eye

Family will pass

Under the sound of brass

As onlookers weep and cry

To kill a beast

Who is already deceased

You will need to win a brawl

But to defeat nothing

But what you used for your hunting

Both of you must fall

          Kyro dropped Vincent onto the roof.  Kyro began to tremble at those words.  "Where did you learn those words?  Where did you learn them?!"  Kyro slammed it's foot against the roof of the church, and it collapsed, sending both Vincent and Kyro tumbling to the floor below them.  Both of them hit the floor with a loud thud.  Vincent felt two of his ribs and realized that they were broken.  Kyro looked badly beaten as well.  Both of them slowly rose to their feet to meet each other's gaze.  

           Vincent answered Kyro's question.  "I learned that spell from your creator, John Hudrey." Kyro became enraged.

            "I have no creator!  I AM KYRO!  I am above all men and women!  I am higher than all creation!"

            "But how can you be above all creation if you yourself were created?"  

             Kyro began to trudge towards Vincent, "It will be so satisfying to devour you."

             "Oh, you will!"

              Kyro was confused.  "Why would you surrender yourself so easily?"  

              "I would sacrifice myself for the spirits of others, that way they can be free, and you can have the one that you cannot have otherwise."

              "I require nothing of you, you worthless worm!  I am Kyro!"

              "But this spell is a prophecy spell, and will protect me from you, as long as you are unwilling to fulfill it."

               

               Kyro lunged at Vincent and tried to bite him, but was met with a force that forced Kyro back away from Vincent.  Kyro tumbled to the floor in disbelief.  "What is this spell?  Why can't I fucking eat you?!"

               "You won't be able to devour me until you surrender yourself to the spell."

               "But that means that I lose all of my tasty souls and that we both are dragged down to hell.  Why would I surrender myself to that fate?"

                "Because you're Kyro, and you wouldn't miss a meal for anything."

                 Kyro was still not convinced, "Then why would you sacrifice yourself and not someone else?"

                 "Because I know that you only want me and that your selfish desire for power and superiority will not let you harm anyone else when the person you desire to devour the most is right in front of you."

    

                 Kyro hung it's head in disbelief, and in defeat.  It let out a horrific screech, shaking the very walls that surrounded them.  And then Kyro fell silent.  It finally understood what this spell meant, and what he would have to sacrifice to gain the one soul that it fought for and craved the most.  It walked slowly towards Vincent, stared straight into Vincent's eyes and spoke once more.  "Do the spell, and I will release the others."

                 Vincent then began to recite a short spell that sealed their fate.

After both sides have cleaned their slates

Both of them must accept their fates

                  Vincent watched in awe as all of the spirits, in blue lights fleeted from the maw of Kyro.  Flowing like fresh water and floating freely through the hole in the church roof and out into the early morning sky.  Dawn was just starting, and Vicent knew he was at his end.  Kyro became mist once more and traversed down Vincent's throat into his body.  As Vincent slowly saw the sky turn from dusk to dawn, he began to feel reality fade away.  He knew that both his fate and Kyro's fate meant eternal damnation, but it was worth it to him to end the suffering of those that he loved and to free anyone else from the monster known to them as Kyro.  Vincent felt a sense of relief, having purged the world of darkness, even if it meant sacrificing himself.  Ironically, Vincent finally found peace, after having long searched for a solution to the monster that plagued him since childhood.  Vincent accepted a fate of damnation, knowing that the world was safer with Kyro was gone and that the legend that had plagued everyone he knew had finally come to an end.  

The End