Chapter Text
(Chapter 1: Prologue)
The tour bus hummed beneath her feet; the low vibration soothed her body after a long week of performances. Outside, the world moved quickly; streaming lights flew past her, creating dark streaks of gold and white light slowly fading as the bus drove onto the highway. Clio sat curled up on the leather couch that pressed up against the window, her guitar resting across her lap as she quietly strummed the strings. Melodies came to her easily; they were soft, practiced, and catchy. From the front of the bus, her manager’s voice carried and drifted to the back. Schedules, interviews, tours, award shows, but as always, Clio had no problem tuning it out. She leaned her head against the window, and she stared into her reflection. It was perfect, always perfect. Her hair was deep, mahogany brown with subtle notes of black and glossy; it was always parted and looked neat no matter how badly she tried to mess it up. Her eyes were gold but had hints of greens and teal when sunlight it her face just at the right angle. Her face was slim and sharp; Clio was perfect, and that was all that she needed to be.
Her hands still strumming the guitar, staring at her reflection. But for just a moment, the window did not reflect her; it had moved. The reflection twisted slightly, but just enough for Clio to know it was not her own. She frowned, leaning closer,
“What the-”
The window exploded inward, and glass shattered everywhere; something massive had forced its way through the broken frame, but it was too large and too fast, its claws scrapping against the bus's interior. Clio barely had enough time to react before she was thrown backward, her guitar clattering to the floor. The creature was wrong; the only word her mind could grasp. The creature appeared to be a human bat, its eyes beating red with huge wings sprouted from its back. Its eyes were locked on hers,
“Oh my!” Her manager screamed. “What is that?”
The creature turned and launched at the manager, and Clio scrambled backwards, her heart slamming against her ribs, her body moving just on instinct alone.
“Stay back!” She shouted, though she had no idea what she was doing.
The creature did not hesitate; it moved fast. Pain exploded across the right side of her body as she hit the floor hard; breath knocked out of her lungs. The world tilted, spinning, sounds muffled as though her head was trapped underwater.
Though her vision blurred, the creature reared back, ready to strike again- and then a flash of bronze flew at the creature. A blurred moment, a voice shouting something she did not understand. The creature recoiled, screaming, as a blade struck it. Another figure had darted in from the side, faster than humans, driving the creature back towards the shattered window.
Two silhouettes fighting, moving as though they had done this before. As though, fighting this monster was not impossible, as if fighting this monster was normal. The monster let out a shriek and dissolved into pure dust, like it never even existed. Clio was fading fast and was losing conciseness; her vision blurred, her ears rang, and she was numb from all the pain. But one of the figures turned to her, a boy with dark hair and eyes that looked concerned
“Hey-stay with me,” he said, his voice full of urgency.
“She’s hurt. We need to move now, before anyone else finds us. “Another voice spoke, it sounded sharp and focused.
Clio tried to speak, but nothing came out. The last thing she felt was someone catching her before she fell. And then darkness washed her senses.