Embrace the Darkness- The Dark Caress

So as it stands, my Embrace the Darkness (ETD) yaoi novel stands at 16 chapters.  I've only posted the first chapter since that one I reviewed and edited it a lot.  Right now, I'm hoping to have chapter two up by this weekend.

Just to give you a brief idea about the story, I'll try to break it down.

The story takes place in fictional Tokyo City and involves two main characters.  Whether one is the protagonist and the other is the antagonist, is up to the reader.  The two main characters are Kaworu Hiyuu and Ryozo Takai.  These two boys are students at the prestigious Kohaku Akatashi Academy.  Kaworu has returned for his first day at school.  Prior to moving back to Tokyo City, he was taken away after the death of his parents to a secret monastery somewhere in China.  At this monastery, he was trained to be one of the monks assassins.  The enemies of the monks are called Yokai (Vampires, werewolves, zombies and other unnatural beings).  The monks use these "demons" to combat the Yokai.  Each demon is confined in a "cursed seal"  These "cursed seals" are then embedded on the bodies of those that are trained up to become the monks appointed assassins. When Kaworu was younger, one of these "cursed seals" was ceremonially embedded in him.  When needed, the seal becomes active and Kaworu is possessed by the demon that had been confined in the "cursed seal."  Kaworu's particular demon is the demon, Biis.  When Biis takes over, Kaworu is the vessel of Biis' incarnate, the Soul Reaper Sai.

Kaworu begins school and eventually befriends Ryozo Takai.  Kaworu knows that this boy is different and that deep within the boy was a darker evil.  This evil is a hybrid of sorts.  A vampire and demon mix.  Kaworu longing for friendship and love begins to fall in love with Ryozo.  This of course against everything the monks stood for and what Biis demanded.

Eventually several other Soul Reapers arrive in Tokyo City because it is found that one of the grand vampire lords is their raising an army of vampires and werewolves.  The story becomes more detailed in the fights between the Soul Reapers and the Yokai and in particular the fight between Ryozo and Kaworu (as Sai).

There are a lot of other characters introduced on both sides of the battle and they are all somehow involved with the fight between the Soul Reapers and the Yokai.  As with any naughty yaoi story, romance and M/M relationships happen.

This eventually culminates with Kaworu and Ryozo going their separate way after a falling out (mostly because it was Kaworu's unwillingness to kill the boy that he loved).

Here is a little explanation of some of the terms I have used in this story to hopefully give the reader a better understanding of what the hell I am trying to get across.

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Chi-Chen:  The Chi-Chen monastery is an ancient organization that sought to protect humankind from the evils of those that aligned themselves with the forces of darkness.  The primary monastery is secretly located in the mountainous regions of Central China.

From its beginning Shoalin Buddhist monks fought to protect mankind from an increasing number of Yokai that began terrorizing the region.  One monk in particular is particularily important.  Master Po.  Master Po discovered ancient parchments buried deep within the mountains.  These parchments were known as the curse seals.  The curse seals contained the souls of powerful demons that could be used to fight against the rising number of Yokai.  When Master Po found these curse seals there were more than 1,000 demons sealed within these parchments.  Master Po spent the majority of his life understanding these parchments and how they could be used by the Chi-Chen monastery to fight against the Yokai and protect humanity.

As Master Po began to discover the secrets of these parchments he broke monastery rule by using a fellow monk named Kwai Chang as an experimental subject.  Master Po knew that Kwai Chang was one of the most disciplined and skilled monks in the monastery and that Kwai Chang's ability could be used for the good of the monastery and mankind.  Master Po conducted the curse seal ceremony with Kwai Chang being its first recepiant.  Through the ceremony Master Po embedded one of the curse seals into the chest of Kwai Chang, thus unleashing the demon Dumas. 

The curse seal allowed the demon Dumas to possess the body of Kwai Chang, giving the monk extraordinary skills that could be used to defeat the hordes of Yokai threatening mankind.  Possessed by Dumas, Kwai Chang became known as the Soul Reaper Dumas. 

As the Yokai increased in numbers, the monks and the Soul Reaper Dumas needed more help fighting the overwhelming number of creatures of darkness.  Master Po then began selecting skilled monks to serve as other subjects to be embedded with the cursed seals.  The number of Soul Reapers increased over the next several years. 

As the number of Yokai began to dwindle, the elder monks of the Chi-Chen monastery began believing that having a large number of Soul Reapers was becoming a liability for the monastery, since their numbers were not needed anymore.  One night, the chief elder monk, Yashamaru Xian and a group of monks took the opportunity to seize Master Po's parchments without his knowing and uncovered a ceremony to remove the curse seals from the bodies of their fellow monks.  After the ceremony was conducted and all the curse seals removed, Master Po discovered how the monks went behind his back and how they betrayed his efforts to fight against the Yokai. Master Po then burned the parchment that detailed the ceremony to safely remove the curse seals.  With that parchment destroyed, the next time the seals were embedded in a monks body, the monk would have to die in order to have the seal removed.  Little did the monks know that once a seal was removed from their bodies, the seals would have to be immediately placed onto the body of a new monk or the demon that was captured within the curse seal parchment would be destroyed.

Two hundred years had passed, and the Yokai threat had once again overwhelmed the monks from the Chi-Chen monastery.  Seeing thier only action to protect humankind was to release the demons of the curse seals once again to fight the creatures of darkness.  The great great grandson of Yashamaru Xian, Yashamaru Kwai began once again the ceremony to unleash the sealed demons.  Yashamaru selected himself as the first subject to be embedded with the curse seal.  Yashamaru chose to embed the demon Choronzon within himself and serve as the leader of the group of Soul Reapers he had chosen to release.

Yokai: There are a wide variety of yōkai in Japanese folklore. In general, yōkai is a broad term, and can be used to encompass virtually all monsters and supernatural beings, even including creatures from European folklore on occasion.

Some yōkai possess part animal and part human features (e.g. Kappa and Tengu). Yōkai generally have a sort of spiritual or supernatural power, and so encounters with human beings tend to be dangerous.

In this story, Yokai refers to the creatures known as vampires, werewolves, zombies, farbauti and other creatures that the Chi-Chen have labeled as evil.

Vampires: Beings who subsist by feeding on the life essence (generally in the form of blood) of living creatures. Although typically described as undead, a vampire could be a living person.  

It has been generally accepted that there are a few vampire families.  One of the more notable was the House of Aramis.  

There are currently two vampire clans living in Japan.  One lead by the vampire lord Haru.  The other by Yashamaru.

Farbauti: Creatures still human in general appearance and form but their skin resembles worn and torn leather with black empty eyes sunken into their sockets.  They were once bitten by either vampires, werewolves, or zombies but were for some reason unable to change into the forms that had bitten them.  Their only reward was an immortal life filled with pain and suffering.  Most nocturnal clans use the Farbauti as servants.

Werewolves: Humans with the ability to shift shape into wolves or anthropomorphic wolf-like creatures, either purposely, by being bitten or scratched by another werewolf, or after being placed under a curse. 

Many werewolves serve as protectors to vampire families.  There are several werewolf clans that exist to serve their own purposes.  Often being used as mercenaries by vampire clans to "do their dirty work."  

One particular werewolf is Dmitri.

Zombies:  A zombie is a mythical creature that appears in folklore and popular culture typically as a reanimated corpse.  Zombies feast upon the flesh of the living and are often used as soldiers in vampire armies.  A person bitten by a zombie is often turned into one.

Juntendo University Hospital is the largest trauma center located in Tokyo City.

Danse Macabre is an underground vampire rave club owned by Remi.  Entry to the club is strictly secret and guarded.  Often used as a vampire feeding ground of unsuspecting humans.

Fortress Kidd was the final stronghold of the vampire Aramis.  The Fortress was located in Austria and was the site of the war of 1322.  After the fall of Aramis, Fortress Kidd was demolished.  An underground labyrinth was never discovered and remains secret to this day.

Tokyo City: Central location and setting of the Embrace the Darkness Book 3 The Dark Caress story.  Fictional but inspired by the modern day Tokyo.

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Until I figure out a way to keep my chapters a little better organized, the link below will take you to my wikipages site, where you can click on the pdf file to read the story.


Embrace the Darkness Book 3
The Dark Caress
Chapters: