Excerpt: Beneath the Dark

Tom Riddle knew he was a special person. Oh yes, indeed. Better than all the others, placed on a pedestal so high that no one could even see the toes of his boots. But to be contacted by Cain - Cain the creator of all things dark upon the planet, the opener of Pandora’s box...well, it had been humbling and ego-stroking to say the least. Dark Cain, as he was now known, was interested in him. Wanted to...oversee his progression. Riddle smirked. Oh, he didn’t mind at all. The idea that his foremost predecessor in changing the world was vesting time in him only spoke that his plans for a better, brighter future for the planet were bar none better than those who came before him. The thought filled him with glee. Minor...setbacks had occurred in the past, but this was a sign that only good was to come.

But when Cain had whispered in his ear on what he needed to do to better place himself on a bigger stage, Voldemort was a bit...apprehensive to say the least. Using dark creatures was not that unusual, as Fenrir and Severus had always been loyal to him. But to twist them, torture them into his servitude...while the ideal was not all that unpalatable, supernatural forces were something that was not easy to reckon with. His own ventures into these had not gone without consequences. When Cain had spoke of a clean, new darkened world, where only Voldemort would rule, and everyone and everything would bow to his name, it had been no less than orgasmic. The thought brought him sheer joy, and he relished in it. And all he had to do was accept and accomplish a few simple tasks. With his Death Eaters, that would be easy enough. Just a few more things to ensure that his run for total domination would be as smooth and disaster free.

He had begun to think of it as an insurance policy.

Voldemort turned the blade over and over in his hands. Golden tendrils of carefully crafted metal wrapped around the silver blade, with a large red orb surrounded by rubies were inset into the golden encrusted handle. It was almost otherworldly, something welded by a prince on the battlefield while heading into battle.

This was Cain’s sword, and it trembled with power.

Tom Riddle didn’t believe in faerie tales.

But this one was real.