Strange Tales #2 (V2)

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The issue opens with Dagger reunited with her father; and her father telling his disciples to rejoice, for the Lord of Light has been reunited with his daughter. Dagger explains she never thought she’d see her father again, and he explains that his wife (Tandy’s mother) was obsessed with worldly possessions and he knew he was destined for something better; and at his whim, his disciples begin to dance and twirl about, emitting a light show as they do.

Tyrone, now free of the “curse of the cloak” (see the previous issue) thanks to the Lord of Light, notices that Dagger’s father seems to be siphoning off Dagger’s light that she emits as she also dances about throwing her light daggers. Tyrone also notices that several of the Lord of Light’s disciples also look weaker when they stop dancing and stop emitting light. Tyrone realizes that he may just be looking for a reason to dislike Tandy’s father, because while he’s free of the “curse of the cloak” – there is a wedge that has been driven between him and Tandy now. He is comforted by the Lord of Light, who watches as Tyrone takes leave. Dagger notices and reaches out for him, but her father grabs her and explains that Tyrone is free of his darkness and needs time to rediscover himself. He leads Tandy to his Inner Sanctum, which is full of lavish items. Dagger questions it (since he had said he left his mother because of her obsession of Earthly possessions). He dismisses it, and explains that after he left her mother and came to India, he eventually stumbled across a train that had derailed and left many dead or dying; and suddenly found their light being pulled into him. He then believed that it was their way of being able to release this hold on life, and yet somehow live on through him. He explains that together they can ascend to godhood; and as he massages her shoulders, he absorbs more of her light. She stands up and explains when she’s too full of light, she becomes aloof and needs Cloak to absorb her excess light. With that she runs out, leaving her father frustrated.

Later, Tyrone observes Tandy’s father siphoning off the light of others and tries to explain to Tandy that he father is some kind of “light vampire.” But Tandy refuses to hear it. Tyrone continues to spy on her father and sees them send their “light discs” away and decides to follow them to a scene of an accident where a horse pulled cart has fallen into a ravine, pinning the mother and child. Tyrone attempts to save them, but the brightest light disc strikes him and causes him immense pain and drains him of his light, while the other light discs absorb the life essence of the woman and child. Tyrone merges back into his cloak, now devoid of light and teleports inside the temple where he explains to Dagger what just happened. Dagger finally begins to understand the truth, just as her father and his followers come out of their trance. Her father has his followers attack, but Cloak pulls them into the folds of his shadows, and releases them immediately, devoid of light. Her father then says that he must banish the darkness – and Tyrone’s life – forever.

He begins channeling all of his light into Cloak’s darkness, and as he does, the burden of what he’s done all those years, absorbing the light of the dying and the dead; and even those that could have been saved – he knows what he’s become, the horror, the monster – and leaps into Cloak’s shadows; the result is his death, lost forever in the shadows of Cloak’s robes, and Tyrone, once again freed from the “curse of the cloak” with all the light he absorbed from her father’s demise. Dagger explains that her father died long ago, and that Tyrone is not responsible. Tyrone actually saved what little was left of her father and helped set him free; and for that, she says, she will love him forever.