Chapter Two: Raymond. The Sun Gets In My Eyes, And Everywhere Else

This is the second chapter of Heroes: The New Level, the first book of the Heroes fan fiction series by DarkCyberWolf. If you haven't read chapter one, follow the link at the end of this page.

The Sun Gets In My Eyes, And Everywhere ElseEdit
Wandering around town can get really irritating when a lion woman attacks you.

It was three in the afternoon, and the sun beat down on the pendant I wore around my neck. A last gift from someone I can't even remember - a necklace with a pair of wings on it.

The ground started shaking. Earthquakes were far from rare in Denver, but I'd never actually seen one this close. So close that I could actually see a fissure in the ground.

From deep inside the crack in the earth came a deadly claw. It was soon followed by a lion's form, mounted by a woman's head.

"Greetings, Raymond Tarry," the beast said in a gentle voice. "Welcome to my challenge."

"Challenge?" I asked it.

"Yeeessss." It spoke slowly, as though I was a moron. "If you wish to pass me, you must answer my riddle."

"Gee, thanks, but I think I'll just..."

"Too late," it scolded. "You've seen me now. Now you must answer my riddle if you want to live."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"I never joke," it said solemnly. "Only riddle. It cannot be seen, cannot be felt, Cannot be heard, cannot be smelt. It lies behind stars and under hills, And empty holes it fills. It comes first and follows after, Ends life, kills laughter."

I stared for a moment. "Umm... can you repeat that?"

The beast stamped two legs. "They always want me to repeat my riddles these days!" But it repeated anyway.

"Okay, so under hills... that's the ground. And you can also fill empty holes with dirt... But behind stars? That's um... outer space, and I guess space could also be what's inside a hole."

'Tis the great enemy, a voice in my head said. ''You know what it is. The opposite of the sun.''

Then someone else came out from the fissure, a human girl. At least, I think she was human. The creature hissed at her.

"Rashid."

The girl never took her eyes off the beast. "Sphinx! What do you want with this mortal?"

"Ha! Mortal!" the sphinx laughed. "This is more than a mere mortal. His immense power is exponentially greater than that of the entire Kane line! He will be the one who drives the Merge!"

The girl - Rashid, was it? - looked at me in surprise. "I sense no power from him."

"That is just proof of how powerful he truly is."

The voice in my head suddenly made sense. "Darkness. It's beyond stars, inside an empty hole, can't be heard."

"Correct. Now I must be off." Before Rashid or I could object, the sphinx went back into the tunnel and vanished.

"What was that all about?"

Rashid took a closer look at me. Her eyes widened in shock. "What is your name?"

"Raymond Tarry. What was...?"

"My name is Zia Rashid," she interrupted. "That was a sphinx, an old Egyptian monster. And you, Raymond, are hosting the spirit of our greatest god, Ra, god of the sun. I need to get you to the Kanes immediately."

Additive Words
Questions to ponder after reading this chapter.

Who is Raymond? How is he so powerful that he can host Ra, yet Zia was unable to sense any power from him at first? What is the Merge that the sphinx - and the griffin from chapter one - talked about? How does Raymond's story relate enough to Tara's to warrant being in the same story?

And the big one: What will happen in chapter three? Find out by following this link: Chapter Three: Eddie. A Wolf Leaves Me To Die

Or... You could get the full scoop at Heroes: The New Level.

But, if you have yet to read chapter one, follow this link. Chapter One: Tara. Some Weird Kid Fights Something