Rising Angel Act 1: Ashes of the Named - Notes

Prologue

The sky is broken with remnants of lost civilizations drifting aimlessly. A lone young man stands on the edge of existence, accepting the cosmic wreckage. He speaks of the balance between peace and war, questioning if peace can ever truly exist when conflict is demanded by existence itself.

Flashback

A boy runs through the wreckage of a burning city, pursued by Syndicate enforcers. He collapses. The boy hears whispers and sees a vision beyond reality—an ocean of eyes and shadows moving with hunger. He remembers a name, Ciaran, and then is faced with the solider.

Chapter 1: Ash and Silence

A boy walks alone through a desolate world, haunted by distant whispers of a woman’s voice and memories of warmth and safety. He observes the inhabitants. He finds a stale ration and some tainted water, but feels nothing. He glimpses an inhuman face in his reflection. He feels a need to push forward.

The Hunt

A predator emerges, killing a creature and then turning on the boy, Ciaran, who uses his speed and agility to evade it, though he is wounded. He finds still water and sees that the wound is gone, and he remembers his name. The boy is pulled by the voice towards a temple hidden in the fog.

The Temple

Ciaran enters the temple. Images carved into the walls depict a war between towering entities of light and darkness, fought across infinite realities. He encounters Vorrath, a man who speaks of chaos and invites Ciaran to eat and warm himself. Vorrath then challenges Ciaran to act.

Action

A creature emerges, and Vorrath offers Ciaran a rusted blade, testing him to strike first or hesitate and die. Ciaran initially hesitates but ultimately attacks and kills the creature. Vorrath then reveals his views on chaos and order in the universe.

Revelation

Vorrath shows his true power and warns Ciaran. He disappears, and the universe shatters again, returning to the present with a Syndicate attack.

Escape

Ciaran escapes through the ruins, hunted by Syndicate enforcers engineered for anomaly hunting. He skillfully evades and eliminates pursuers. As he gets overpowered by enforcers, he is subdued.

Capture

Ciaran wakes up aboard a Syndicate ship, bound and suppressed. He converses with an officer who acknowledges his unique resistance and reveals he will be processed. Ciaran sees his dying home planet fade away.

Aboard the Ship

Ciaran arrives at a research facility and is subjected to experiments.

Experiments

Ciaran endures seemingly endless experimentation by Doctor Elias, revealing unnatural abilities such as cellular regeneration, temporal instability, and precognition. The Syndicate logs document those anomalies.

Anomaly

His presence disrupts reality itself. During experimentation, Ciaran unintentionally fuses a scientist with a wall. He continues to endure and adapt, undergoing experiments with spirits and otherworldly entities.

The Power

He taps into Origin Energy, accidentally erasing Doctor Elias. He is being moved and is warned that “they” are watching him before the scientists vanish.

Claimed

Unknown entities attack the ship, breaking reality. Ciaran is pulled toward them. He resists them by touching one, causing it unspeakable harm. Vorrath appears and is revealed to be a trap. Ciaran breaks it, but The Unknowns still seek to claim him.

Resistance

Ciaran fights back, unmaking soldiers. He breaks free as the ship is destroyed in space.

Questions

Ciaran is adrift in space, questioning his purpose. A distress beckon appears.

Discovery

Sol and Hendrix aboard The Aether's Whisper discover the distress beacon and the drifting Ciaran in the void. They initially hesitate due to distrust and fear for the safety of their crew. Then they decide to rescue him.

The Aether's Whisper

Sol and Hendrix discuss the situation. Sols starts to question Ciaran and the Syndicate. An attack ensues on The Aether’s Whisper.

Syndicate

Ciaran attacks Sol and is detained. Hendrix sides that keeping the kid is best way to discover The Syndicate’s reasons for wanting Ciaran.

The Aftermath

Syndicate Command reports the ships demise via holographic transmission. The order is passed to find and retrieve Ciaran.

Decision

Sol is told of his destination. The order to rest is given to Ciaran aboard the ship.

Unseen

Unseen, a signal is calling, a memory is returning, and a journey has only just begun.