Life never goes according to plan. All my senses were attacked, my vision distorted, my ears bleeding... Gaia, why did this have to happen? My mind is blanking out. All my cognitive feelings are being drained by every breath I take. Every step I make. Every sound I hear. Collapsing from everything that's transpired is imminent and soon... I gave up. What happened after that was unknown to me. I had to be told what transpired next by a close friend.
The last few moments before my consciousness blanked out were spent on how cold I was. The sharp daggers of rain hit all injured areas; at least it washed away all the blood on me. After a major confrontation earlier, I thought about my parents and how they were doing. Maybe this is my punishment. I've angered the gods somehow. Perhaps my birth did something for that. Sorry, you all must be confused about what's happening. So let me take you back to the beginning of that day.
It was a partially cloudy day on the outskirts of the New Boston area. Humlide Inizio was a tiny town that roughly held around 150 people. This was mainly human territory. Not many demi-humans dwell around this area, but that doesn't mean we don't have any here. The town wasn't as technologically advanced as the places in the city, but we still had simple, convenient tech, such as phones. Humlide Inizio was pretty medieval...mostly.
Remembering the date, it was around a couple of years back. The day was August 25th, 2135. I was eleven years old. It was early morning. I was getting ready for the first day of middle school. I had a flimsy plastic tag that I had to have on my uniform. The label had my name encrusted in it: Daniel Reyes.' Before leaving, I said my goodbyes to my parents and took my usual scenic route. Along the way, I greeted neighbors and such.
It was common courtesy for students to greet neighbors as they headed to school. The board says it is to discipline and shape students into good public servants. It seemed like a load of crap to me. Upon seeing me greet them, the neighbors hesitated before returning the gesture or pretending not to hear me when I did so. My parents haven't spoken to me about why, but I knew, and I think they understand that I knew, too.
When I was born, it was determined that I only had one element—the source of superhuman power. Elements are given abilities at birth based on the table of elements. Some elements can shape a person and turn them into demi-humans. Having one element is relatively standard, and mine was the most common of them all. I had the element of fire. However, something entirely unexpected happened. An event that completely turned my life over. Five years later, an eye appeared on both my palms. I was also cursed with the elements of Dark and Demon. I now had three elements.
This was an extremely scarce situation. It's said that only five out of twenty-five kids are born with two elements. That ratio doubles to five out of fifty when a kid is born with three elements. Finally, there's only a one in a hundred chance that a kid is born with four elements. In my situation, things are different. I wasn't born with three elements. There was only one element of fire. How did I suddenly gain two other elements? And why were the elements chosen, two sinister ones usually given to the hands of demon-folk and monsters? Those answers were left unsolved even to this day. I could only ponder... but I'm getting off track here, so let's continue.
Because of this event, people started to treat me differently. I vaguely remember people greeting me with wholehearted smiles and hugging me. Now, I'd be lucky if I even got to see their eyes lock with mine and give me a friendly gesture. I tried not to let it bother me that much because I get bummed out a lot when I start to think about it. I was a pretty outgoing kid, but that was until I was cursed. I became more of those quiet kids in the back of the classroom. I was staring at the outside world behind the windows, pretending to be like some mysterious cliche main protagonist you see in those Saturday morning cartoons.
I became the last person you'd want to approach. Not all was lost, though. I still had two friends. These were my only two friends in my eleven years of living. Their names were Cynthia and Adrien. Both were initially skeptical of me, but Cynthia opened up to me more quickly than Adrien. I never knew what that girl was thinking. Even when I felt I was saying the right things to please her, she hit me on the head. Adrien was calm and collected, while she was more bombastic but still had a level head.
I was undoubtedly the wilder type with them around. Walking around the corner, I neared the local playground two minutes from the school. I noticed four kids. Three were around my age, maybe a year or so older, picking on a much younger kid. The one in the middle picked on the girl while the others laughed. The kid in the middle was quite large for his age, and the rest were reasonably skinny. All of them wore their school uniforms. The little girl has blonde twin-tailed hair and a cute blue dress with dandelions. She once wore a lovely white dress and loafers, but now she is dirty and soiled from all the jumping and trashing. She tried to grab her stuffed bear from the bullies who had captured the poor toy. "Pwease stop! Give it back!"
The young girl whimpered as she tried to jump and grab a stuffed animal that the three bullies hoisted over their heads, alternating between each other. Not a chance! One of the boys retorts after throwing it in the air and catching it just as the little girl barely touches it. The other two laugh while waiting their turn to do the same. The young girl began to shed tears as she dropped to the ground. The girl seemed determined to grab her beloved stuffed animal, but lost her will after attempting so many times. Typically, in these types of situations, I tend to do nothing about it. Like, who cares if I help? Nobody would care if I were in trouble and would support me. My thoughts stayed the same till I looked once more at the child. She was in dire need of help. Then I thought about how I would love it if someone came to my rescue. How happy I would be. My mind was made up after that. I began to approach the scene.
"Hey! Knock it off and give her stuffed animal back!" I yelled as I went into my hero stance and pointed at the group of bullies.
"Hey... It's that Danny kid."
"Only my friends can call me 'Danny.'"
"Whatever, loser. We can do what we want!"
"Yeah! We're older than you, so get out of here if you know what's good for you!"
The kids all held a front. The little girl behind them looks at me, terrified. She had most likely been told about me and my situation. Probably to never stay close to me and run away. I glanced at her, which caused her to flinch and look away from me. I only gave her a light smile and looked back at the bullies. "You'll give her the teddy bear and leave her alone. I'm not asking again." I flare my flames. The dark purple flames emerge from my arm and dissipate just as fast. The scare tactic worked as the three stepped back with a single sweat sliding down their faces.
They, unfortunately, quickly reassure themselves as they flare their powers. Your tactics won't work on us, devil! One of them shouts as they raise their right arm and swing to their right. I smirked as I got ready to go into a fighting stance. I bring my left foot and right arm out and lean forward. They get prepared with fighting poses of their own. For a moment, it felt like the world paused. Something inside me began to ignite. As I saw one of them throw the stuffed bear into the air, I lunged forward and prepared a big wallop for the big guy in front. Urk! The big fellow yelped as he took a big haymaker from yours truly. The other two tried to pincer me.
You won't get away from this! Said the boy on my left as he lunged toward me, trying to pin me to the ground. I quickly avoided him and helped him reach the ground faster. I shoved him down by the top of his head, using my flames to boost my inertia. Yowch! Yells the boy who fell to the ground. The kid on my right went for a leg kick using his speed from his element. Due to how fast he was, I couldn't break away and connected his foot with my face. The rate pulled most of the weight of that attack and sent me reeling back.
The guy in front went on the offensive and used his earth element to create a stone pillar that hit me below my chin. That caused me to yelp in pain and stagger. The boy who gobbled dirt got up and used his sludge ability to throw it at my feet, which slowed my movements. I was in a tight spot, but I'd sooner be in an even tighter one. I sent a firebolt towards the stooges. I missed it. That's when I felt my hand begin to sting. It was happening again. The edges of my eyes started to darken like a vignette. My breathing was rapidly increasing as I tried to cover my face. I had an uncontrollable desire to bathe in blood. The boys noticed this and quickly began to panic. So, too, did the little girl.
My primary concern was figuring out how to stop myself from 'raging,' so to speak. This increased my problem, which, in turn, increased my desire to rage. Calm down, Danny. I repeated to myself as I tried to hold everything in. It's excruciating. Feeling I would turn soon, I began to cave in till I heard the voice I knew well. This voice would be one of my most lavish comforts and greatest regrets.
"Stop huwting him-!"
"Leave him alone!"
One came from the young girl in front of me. The other came from behind. I turned my head to see that it was my childhood friend, Cynthia, and behind her was my other long-term friend, Adrien. I felt relieved to see them. So much so that I slowly began to calm down and eventually lose my rage. I took a good, long look at both of them. Cynthia wore a stylish maroon and purple rope braid with a large bob on her right side and her sailor uniform for school. Adrien had a brown medium fade hairstyle and wore his school uniform.
She took one good look at me and saw how beat up I was. I knew I was in trouble, and so were these guys. Their faces turned pale as they saw Cynthia, and they all stopped attacking me and stepped back. "Uhh... Cynthia! We thought you were away on vacation...!?" The big kid blurted out as he continued to take steps back, and she took steps forward. Adrien stayed back, only folding his hands, and sighed.
"Yeah, I came back. Ya know...? School?" Cynthia deadpanned as she also folded her arms.
The whole situation became tense. The young girl was looking back at the bullies, looking at Cynthia, then looking back at me. She repeated this a couple of times throughout the tense showdown. Cynthia looked at me and clicked her tongue several times to show disapproval. It did work on me, though. I tried to hide my sadness and smiled awkwardly at her. "Can you help me out here...? Please...?" I pleaded as I was still stuck to the ground by the sludge the bully on the right threw. Cynthia looked at the bullies and gestured to the sludge to release the bind. The kid on the right nodded rapidly before letting go of the element. The sludge rapidly liquified, and I was able to move again.
I sighed in relief. I shook my feet to wake them up as they began to numb. After waking up at my feet, I looked at Cynthia. She clears her throat and then stops on the ground. The whole area turned dark instantly, encapsulating the bullies and me with her. Cynthia has a Super Rare element. That being Aura. The chances of getting a Rare element or higher are low. The chances of getting a rare element are 15 percent. That chance lessens to ten percent for Super Rare, four percent for Ultra Rare elements, and finally, one percent for Legendary elements—the other seventy percent factors from three other rarities. Uncommon is twenty-five percent, common is thirty-five percent, and the final ten percent is for people who don't get elements. Those people are called the Elementalless.
The bullies became severely frightened, and we were encased in this dark purple dome. I glanced at Cynthia, who was fuming but trying not to let it show. She seemed just irritated.
"We're sorry, okay, Cynthia!"
"Yeah! We were only messing around!"
"Only messing around, huh?" Cynthia was exasperated as she clenched her right fist. "I keep telling you boys to knock it off every time, and you lot still continue to harass little kids..." Cynthia paused before beginning again. "This time, I'll make sure this is your last..."
All three bullies yelped as they tried to run away. They all use their elements to try to break the aura that is imprisoning them. However, Cynthia thought she understood her element well and had reinforced her barrier previously. They were no match for her seemingly indestructible aura. "Please! NO!" They yelled in terror before Cynthia gave all of them a good thrashing. It only took mere minutes before all the boys were unconscious. She turned off her aura, and the barrier rapidly dissipated.
As the border came down, Adrien was playing with the little girl. She no longer seemed frightened or was crying. She got up from where she was sitting and hugged Cynthia. "Thank you, Miss!" She exclaimed. Cynthia gave her a gentle smile. "You're welcome, but I'm not the one you should be thanking." Both the young girl and Cynthia turned to me. I awkwardly stood there and scratched the back of my neck. I didn't mind helping, but can I get a thanks at least instead of you just staring? I pondered to myself as an awkward silence broke the noise.
The girl looked at me and bowed. "T-Thank you, miwster! I appweciate you for fighting those meanies!"
I beamed at her brightly and gave her a peace sign. "You're welcome, young lady!" After that, the three of us separated from the little girl as she ran home. Seriously, though, where was her guardian? Did she sneak out or something? I kept asking myself as we all walked to school. My pondering was interrupted as I felt a hand on my left shoulder. I took a look and saw a ticked-off Cynthia.
"You're starting to piss me off, Danny. Like, what were you thinking!"
"Calm down, Cynthia. I'm sure Danny didn't mean to get beaten up. I mean, he can't fully control his powers yet."
"That's exactly why I'm upset with him, Adrien!"
Those two began a quick bickering session about me as we continued walking. The fighting took up the rest of the trip to the school until we were just outside the gates. "Look, Cynthia. I'm sorry. I just saw them bullying the girl, and I couldn't leave it alone."
Cynthia sighed as she approached me and put her hands on my shoulders. "Just promise me next time you'll try to buy time so we can get there. I care for your well-being, Danny."
That remark caused my face to heat up lightly as I promised her I would do so. She smiled and thanked me as she grabbed my hand and pulled me into the school. Our school is combined with preschool, kindergarten, and middle school. All three of us are starting our first year of middle school. I was ready to take on this new year with a stride.
As I made it to my homeroom classroom, I slid open the door, and immediately, everyone looked at me like an animal. I silently waved as I looked at the blackboard. There were assigned seats. My seat was stationed in the third row near the window. How cliche. I took my heart and relaxed. I still had a couple of bruises from the fight, but I didn't look seriously beaten up. I seemed somewhat presentable for the new year, but my classmates still seemed like they wouldn't open up to me. "Whatever," I muttered as I let my head rest on my hand. The classroom looked faded, with beige-green walls that seemed to be painted. The paint job was slop work as only the streaks torn off the walls were recoated, but not the whole room was reapplied.
A couple of minutes went by, and the other students were still chatting with one another. The teacher finally stepped in, and everyone took their seats. The classmates sitting beside me hesitantly took their seats and took out their materials. I rolled my eyes and began to take my notebook and pen out. As I was doing so, the teacher began their lecture.
"Good morning, class. My name is Mr. Hang, and you'll refer to me as that."
Mr. Hang wrote his name next to the assigned seats and put a line under it. "For the next four quarters, I'll be your homeroom teacher, and this will be your homeroom class."
Mr. Hang wrote the classroom number right under his name. He continued lecturing on the course for about five minutes on etiquette and what to expect. Luckily, he was interrupted by a chime from the room speaker. What followed afterward was a feminine voice. "May I please see the following students at the counselor's office? Eric Love, Samuel T, Billy Stewart, Daniel Reyes, and Cynthia Ostra. Thank you." The announcement ended after a second loop, and all the students and even the teacher looked at me. "Oh, brother..." I groaned as I facepalmed. I took my belongings and left for the counselor's office.
When I entered the office, I saw the bullies and Cynthia sitting on the old rusty chairs. The walls were faded purple with floral designs, and the built-in rug was uncleaned and not very soothing. I shuffled into the nearest available chair and took my seat. "Now, everyone, I'm sure you know why I called you here." Without a second thought, I pointed at the bullies.
"It was their fault; they were bullying a little girl, and I couldn't sit by."
"What! No, we weren't! It was your devilish behavior that scared us into it."
"Oh, now that's ironic. Calling me a devil when everyone thinks you're a devilish-"
"Enough!" The counselor slammed their hands on the table. They cleared their throat. "I knew this would happen, so I called in a witness. Miss. Kenya, can you bring her in?" The counselor pushes a small button on their desk and speaks into a tiny microphone. Within seconds, the door opened, and a little girl, the same younger girl from earlier, came in. The counselor chipped in. "Well, I've heard she was more like a victim." As he looks over to the boys.
She had a new dress and shoes on, with her stuffed animal clenched. "This is Lady Lia." The counselor then smiles as she tells her to sit beside his desk. Lia nods and sits on the small chair. "Now, Lady Lia, please tell me what happened." She looks at them and looks at us. She then points at me. I cringe a little, thinking she will blame me for everything. "Miwter Devil Boy saved me fwom those meanies!" She exclaims as she mercies me from her microaggressive pointing and aims it toward those kids. "What!" The scrawny kid in the middle, whom I now know as Samuel, retorted. "Hush now, Samuel. Let the girl speak."
The counselor then smiles at Lia and urges her to continue. She nods again and continues. "The meanies took Snuggles fwom me! These two saved Snuggles! Thank yew, bowth of yew!" I looked at Cynthia. She had been in a sour mood since I had seen her in this room, but after Lia's comment, she began to crack a smile and accepted her thanks. Cynthia always seems grumpy, but there are moments when she shines bright like this, which makes my chest tighten with a weird feeling. I put my hand on her shoulder and smiled. She reacts with a smile of her own. Ahem! The counselor returns our attention to them and re-returns our interrogation.
"So, what were you saying, boys, about Daniel being the cause? 'Cause it seems to me that you three were once again causing trouble to others."
The counselor gave one final stare at the trio of troublemakers before they gave in and told the truth. After considerable amounts of scolding, the meeting was wrapped up several minutes afterward. The trio was sentenced to detention for three days for harassing others. The three and Lia were asked to leave, and only Cynthia and I remained with the counselor. They looked at us and gave us frustrated smiles. "Now, for the two of you." I felt a sweat drip down my face as I thought of what punishment they would give us.
I turned to Cynthia, who also held the same expression. I could probably guess she was thinking the same way I was. "You two have detention for the day for fighting." They presumably wrote what I thought to be our sentence on a sheet. They did the same on another sheet and gave us both one sheet. I grabbed the paper. In it, I wrote the following:
Detention Slip
——————
How long? One day (an Hour and a Half)
Where?: Clubroom MA305
Student Name: Daniel Reyes
Teacher Signature: Counselor. Cleo
Will Parents be Called?: Yes.
My eyes widened as I read the last note. Ah, shit. I'm screwed. Those types of thoughts ran through my mind as we both were asked to leave the room and continue our day like nothing had happened. As I drift off to my mind's nothingness escape, I get pulled back to reality by the feeling of a nudge. I turn to my left to feel Cynthia nudging me with her elbow. "It's okay, Danny. I'm sure our parents will understand." She tries to reassure me with a smile. I can't help but crack a smile and trust Cynthia's instincts. "Yeah... Yeah, you're probably right." I say as she walks in front of me. "Not probably, Danny." She spins back to me. "I KNOW I'm right." She gives me one of her iconic smiles, which quickly dissolves all other fears I once had.
After a few exchanges, we said goodbye and went to our respective classrooms. The day played out like normal. Everyone is trying to avoid their gaze. Being unable to have a whole conversation with someone who wants to talk to me always fills me with sadness. It makes me always appreciate the conversations with Adrien and Cynthia. They always speak to me and defend me when I get picked on. My feelings of happiness always push my other emotions. However, there are moments when negative feelings creep around—the sense of being useless and lonely. By the end of my last class, I quickly tried to push away these feelings as I walked toward the detention room.
I see Cynthia leaning on the wall next to the detention room door. Seems like she was waiting for me to arrive. She quickly noticed me and smiled. "Hey, Danny. Let's get this over with, right?" I nodded as we both entered the room. There were some kids already sitting quietly in separate locations. The three nuisances were already stationed together in the corner of the room. They glare daggers at us but quickly hide their faces as Cynthia retaliates with her own. Nothing eventful happened for the next hour and a half. It was only when we finished that sentence that everything changed.
Once we left the school, Adrien was waiting for us at the gate. He wasn't alone, though, as Lia was also there talking to him. We exchanged our hellos and began walking to our usual hangout spot. "So, how was your short prison sentence?" Cynthia only sighed as she explained our monotonous detention hour. Talking with them brought back all the good, fuzzy feelings. It was a place I never wanted to leave, but instead, I was forced out through a large boom that destroyed the warm paradise we had all escaped to.
"What was that!?" I shouted while looking around.
"I have no idea... but that can't be a good sign." Adrien retorted as he gripped the handles of his backpack.
"We should cancel our plans for today and go home, guys," Cynthia cautioned as we came to a complete stop.
Adrien and I both agreed and decided to head back. As soon as we ran the other way, another explosion went off to the left of us. The three of us jumped as the sound of the boom went off. I felt Cynthia put her hand on my shoulder. I looked at her, and I almost went into shock seeing her. She looked terrified. The Cynthia I knew was dauntless and robust. The person I saw then was a frightened little girl. The complete opposite. I grabbed her hand and told Adrien to run with us. "We're going to drop Cynthia off first. Her house is close by." Adrien agreed, and Cynthia returned to her senses as we started running.
"Wait! W-What about you two? That blast was close. We should stay with my father! He's an officer for the town! Remember!?" She blurted out while we were sprinting toward the end of the road, which led us to her place. I need to check in with my family! I disputed as I continued to race ahead. The houses were symmetrically spread apart, each with a small front lawn and backyard. The houses themselves were enough to fit a family of four.
Some families with more than four members must cram into these tiny homes. Each home looks practically the same, with some changes in the front yard. The same is true for Cynthia's house once we made it there. I opened her gate and banged on the door before letting go of Cynthia's wrist. Seconds later, the door swung open, and I was at the end of the barrel of a rifle by a woman. It was Cynthia's mother. Never had I yelped quicker than that.
"Daniel? Cynthia and Adrien?" she sputtered before lowering her gun.
"Yes, it's us. Take Cynthia," I commanded before moving Cynthia towards her mother.
"I-I'm not leaving you guys," she fretted, grabbing my hand.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Just stay here with your mom and pops."
Adrien let the words pop out of his lips, and the mother spoke up. "Cynthia's father isn't here."
We all turned to face her. "Isn't it here? Where is he?" We all said.
Her mother brought us all in before slamming the door behind us. "Cynthia. Your father is out there trying to help stop whatever is causing this commotion."
Cynthia cried out in confusion. "So he's not here!"
"No, he's not here." She quickly responded. After hearing that, she ran out through the front door. We all shouted her name before she was out of our vision.
There was a change of plans. Follow Cynthia. We told her mother to stay put as we went for Cynthia. However, she wasn't keen on letting us go, so it took some quick convincing. Afterward, we headed in the same direction Cynthia had gone, which seemed to be the source of the first explosion.
We traveled for about five minutes before we made it to the place where it all started. As we were getting closer, the horrors of seeing many people and debris on the floor made me feel sick to my stomach. The stench of blood and iron filled the neighborhood, and the sounds of others screaming and fighting drew near. Adrien and I reached the corner before seeing a young girl being carried under a man's arm. That girl I met before was Lia. She was kicking and screaming for help. Her stuffed bear, now covered in grime, is on the ground.
"Anyone pwease! Papa! Mama!"
"Shut it, you! You're lucky that we need you alive."
Peeking from the corner, I saw others lying near them, still as rocks. Men in suits. "Lia's protectors? Probably not her parents." The man started walking closer to our corner before stopping and looking to his left. He heard a noise coming from the front yard he was next to. He stepped closer to the small wooden gate with the crying child under his arm. That's when a young girl sprang out and sucker-punched him. It was Cynthia. The man yelled as he recoiled in pain.
The intense shock of the burning feeling on his nose instinctively made him clench both hands, letting go of Lia. "Ah!" She yelped as she hit the ground and scampered to the corner we were at. I grabbed onto her, and Lia tried biting me before realizing it was me. She felt relieved before remembering the situation. She lowered her voice to speak to me. "You need to save her, Devil! She's in twuble! Save her like you did with me!" She's right. Cynthia is in danger. I have to help her from that guy. I look over to Adrien to see what he thinks.
He looks at me and nods. "I'll cover you and protect Lady Lia. Go help Cynthia." With that, I charged out. I went through the motions in my head. As a last-minute thought, I couldn't help but wonder what Cynthia was wondering during this event.
——— Cynthia ———
I bolted out the door in an act of pure irrationality. I knew I could do nothing to help my pops, but I knew I needed to help somehow. Hearing my mother tell me that I needed to stay home with her while my father was out getting himself killed was something I couldn't sit idly by for. I ran with all my might around corners and jumped over fences to find my father. That was when I saw a man parading down the street with a young girl under his arm. The young girl was kicking and screaming while other men in suits were yelling and fighting the man as he easily avoided and countered every hit they threw at him.
I quickly hid behind the wooden fence that impaired the vision between me and the man and looked through the small spaces of the wall. The man promptly took care of his attackers, leaving traces of blood on his clothes. The man wore a combat-ready mercenary outfit. He had a blade at his hip that he quickly put away after cleaning the blood off of it with the forearm he was using to hold the girl. I could hear the girl's small whimper as the blade approached her.
Those men in suits seemed like capable individuals, but they lasted seconds against this man. Would I even be able to help this girl? My thoughts wandered to ways to help the girl or sneak away from the man. In almost all instances, I would wind up fighting the man in some way. It seems fate has locked me into this death match of sorts.
I waited until after the man finished looking around. I tried to move behind him quietly, but as I was doing so, I stepped on a branch from a tree nearby. The man heard it. I could hear his footsteps get closer as I quickly hid behind the fence in desperation. A confrontation with the man was now inevitable. I explored the possible ways I could escape from this encounter. I couldn't think anymore; I had to act. Maybe I could help the girl, too.
Once the man reached the wooden fence, I leaped up and punched him square in the nose. The man recoiled and held his face with both of his hands. The girl dropped from under the man's arm and picked up her teddy bear before hurrying towards the corner. "No! Come back here, you brat!" He turned ferociously towards me. It was a face he didn't put on when fighting the men who had been laid waste below him. This guy was now indeed ticked off, and I pulled the pin.
"You! This is your fault! Because of that, I would get a pay raise, and now you ruined it!"
"It's you who shouldn't be kidnapping people! Especially young girls, you weirdo!"
The man scoffs. "She wasn't just some 'young girl!' She's— you know what? I don't need to explain myself. I'll end you as I did to these men."
The man lunges towards me and goes for a swing at my face. I steel myself as I evade this first punch. The man smiled, knowing I would avoid the attack, and used his other arm to grab me and throw me to the ground. The ground was hard and wet. Which could have easily given me a concussion, but thanks to my aura, I didn't take any lasting damage. Concussions are the least of my problems right now, though, as the man quickly goes in for another punch, which he lands. As far as I can see, the man is not using any elements; he is using his raw strength.
Is he underestimating me because I'm a kid? He didn't use his powers either when fighting the men in suits. Elementalless? He could be, but I highly doubted that. As soon as he was going to take another swing, a bolt of purple fire hit the man, letting me go. I only knew of one person with those wicked, dark flames. I got up and saw Danny next to the corner. I called his name joyfully after seeing him, but my mood returned as I heard the man get up from the surprise attack. Another one, huh? Welp, prepare to die as well, kid. I ran to Danny and shielded him with my aura. The man pulled out the sheathed sword on his hip and licked it. There, I felt a sense of dread. This man is pure sadistic.
"Danny. I'm unsure of this guy's Elements, but he's wicked strong. He took down all those guys there."
"I can see that. We need to come up with something fast."
"Oh, don't worry, kids. This will be over soon."
The man walks closer, leaving himself open to any attacks. Danny fires off another firebolt, which the man easily parries. The man then took the initiative and swung at us, but the dome created by my aura warded off his attacks. The man goes for a few more swings, which the shield easily wards off. The man grows frustrated. "Ugh. Damn, your stupid aura. Turn off your ability so I can kill you!" The man goes for one more strike; this time, a flare of green surrounds his blade as he strikes my dome.
This green residue stays on the edge of my dome. After a moment, my shield begins to crack. In that instant, I felt a sharp pain in my shoulder. I examined the green substance. It was Acid, that's the man's element. I yelled at Danny. "His element is Acid! Watch out!" He looked at me, understanding what to do next. My shield broke with one final slash. I couldn't send it out for a couple of minutes. Danny stepped forward and went for a kick, which connected. The man reeled before retaliating with a punch to the gut and a slash to Danny's arm. Danny stepped back in pain. Dang, that hurts! Feelings of anxiety and stress surged, and I could only watch on as it all unfolded.
Danny and I were both injured, while the man seemed bruised. This situation was getting worse by the second. The man began to chuckle. We could only stand there in curiosity as to why he was laughing.
"Oh, man... you, kids, put up more than I thought you would."
This fight had only lasted no longer than two minutes, and he had already seemed impressed. "We're not giving up anytime soon, right, Danny!"
Danny looks at me and smiles. "Yeah, " he turns to the man. "We are still fighting!"
The man chuckles once more. "Okay, okay, let us continue this dance."
The man walks forward, and then he disappears. I quickly looked around to see where he had gone. He vanished faster than we could blink. All around me, I could see nothing but a destroyed neighborhood, dozens of men on the floor with their blood splattered across the pavement, but not the perpetrator. I was getting nervous, which spiraled out of control once I heard Danny yell. "Cynthia, behind you!" I turned around to see him behind me. "Surprise!" I tried to put up my aura, but couldn't summon it.
I then braced myself for the inevitable, and just as suddenly, a stone pillar sprang out from the ground and hit the man right under the chin. The man yelled out in pain. I looked behind him to see Adrien with his left arm extended and the other shielding the girl. Now that I had taken a closer look, I noticed that the girl we were protecting was Lia. This girl has been through so much trouble with those bullies, and now this man. But what did this man want with Lia? Why is he trying to take her away? Those thoughts lingered in my mind as the man began to recover, but Danny went in for a combination of blows before he could thoroughly do so. All of which landed at home.
Danny hit him twice in the face, then kicked him in the gut. The man stumbled down and lost his balance. He dropped to the floor, taking a knee. I knew we had to finish him off and leave now. This is our best chance. My mother told me that every man has a weakness that works on all of them. I took those words to heart as I bet on this final gamble. I ran in and used all my strength to kick the man between his legs. The man drops to the floor, agonizing. We did it, we won. I let out a sigh of relief. The fight was over, but we still had problems to take care of.
I looked at Danny, who was cringing over what I assumed I had just done. I chuckled at him before telling him to be careful around me now. He sprang up and nodded at me rapidly. It was almost like he was scared of me. I looked towards Adrien; he beckoned us both. Danny and I obliged.
—— Daniel ——
A cold shiver went down my spine when I saw Cynthia put the final hit toward our current enemy. Even if the man was trying to kill us, I still felt pity for the man who was currently on the floor, crying in pain. Cynthia turned to me and told me to be careful, and another shiver was sent down my spine. I could only nod repeatedly. As I replied, I began to sweat. Adrien broke my fear when he signaled us with his hand to come close. I looked back at Cynthia, and we proceeded back. The man behind us follows us with his eyes and extends one arm. Wait... come back here... you bastard kids... We looked back at him and stuck our tongues out at him before leaving him to his mess.
As we left around the corner, he screamed to come back again before he was interrupted by a brick breaking. I could only assume it hit his head, and he conked out. I looked at my hands, which were hot from my flames, and squeezed them hard. That was our first real battle. I could scarcely control my flames. My body can barely handle them, so the fire flickers out. Then I get a weird burning sensation on both of my palms. The irritation leaves after a few minutes, but it's still tiresome.
I looked at Lia, who was trying to process everything that had transpired. She was wearing a worried expression. I tried to calm her down by giving her a thumbs up and smiling, which helped slightly. She gave me a half smile back. She must be scared of where her parents might be. We need to find her family quickly. My mind began to wander to other subjects as we continued jogging.
I think of my family and if they are safe. I think of Adrien's family and whether or not they are secure. Adrien's family is very dependable and resourceful, so I believe that all of them are doing well. I like to believe that Adrien thinks the same, seeing how much more collected he's been from this situation. I know what's going on with Cynthia's family. We need to find her father. If we can locate him, we could probably find Lia's family, too.
As we continued to jog by every road we saw. People's homes continue to be ravaged and burned. People were fleeing from their homes into the wilderness, trying to seek some shelter. Men and women in similar outfits to that man we fought earlier, going into people's homes and plundering whatever they could find. We searched and hid when we needed to. We continued this repetition till the sun was starting to set. At last, it was near the outskirts of the village, where we saw Cynthia's dad.
He was helping people flee the village to another village via horse carriages. I've heard that in the cities, the technology is more advanced than ours in that they don't need horses for transportation. I've always wanted to ride one of those machine transports. After pondering quickly, I returned to reality as I saw Cynthia run forward. She screamed out for her father, and he reacted sharply as he saw her run towards him. He screamed out her name before getting on one knee to hug her.
Cynthia's father looks at her with a stern expression. "Cynthia, dear, why aren't you with your mother? And you look beat up? What happened?" he questions as he examines her.
Cynthia reached for her father's arm to pull away. "She's fine. She's back at the house. Let's go; we need to go to her!" Cynthia insisted as she was now pulling on her dad's arm.
"I can't do that right now, Sweetie. I need to get these people to safety first." Her father grabbed Cynthia's hand as she pulled him and forced her to let go.
Cynthia looked back, surprised. "What! But Daddy, we need to go back to Momma!" She beseeched as she put her hands on her dad's arm.
Her father started to get irritated, but he kept calm with his daughter. "Cynthia. I can't. What have I told you when there are people in dire need?" He scrupled as he broke off from her clutches and laid his hands on her shoulders.
Cynthia sighed. "To help them out in whatever way you could." She remarked listlessly as her shoulders slumped.
He patted her head. "Good girl." Her father turned to us and nodded at us before looking at Lia.
"Lady Lia. Are you with these three? Where are your bodyguards?" He asked concerningly.
Lia looked down while embracing her stuffed bear.
"They awe huwrt. Devil Boy and Big Sis saved me! And glasses, too!" she proclaimed. I can almost see sparkles in her eyes.
"Glasses...?"
"Big Sis...?"
She'd already called me "Devil Boy" before, so I wasn't that surprised, but it seems these two found their nicknames interesting, to say the least.
Cynthia's father's attention focused on Lia. "They're hurt? Where? We can send some people to help them."
"I'm not sure," she paused. Hey, she said, "Sure," right? Her pronunciation is getting better. I thought.
Lia then points back to where we came from. "Ovew dere."
And her mispronunciations are back. Oh well, she's only about four years old, so she's still learning.
He only nods before looking at some of his fellow officers and gesturing to them to follow the way Lia pointed. A couple of fellow officers nodded before running in that direction. We should have told them about the man who had done them all in, but they left before I could get out. They can probably figure that out when they get to it. I focused on Cynthia's father, who was rubbing his head. I'm assuming it's to figure out what to do with us.
After a minute, he chimes in. "Alright. I will contact the Lemuria household so they can come and get you, Lady Lia." He affirms her.
Lia points out before compiling. He pats her before standing back up to look at the three of us. Alright. You three stay here. He had a terrifying face that showed the face of a man who was very serious about the current situation. Our village had never encountered such an event, and he handled this situation like a textbook. That's something I admired about this man. Admiration aside, he was still terrifying. I could feel the goosebumps rising. I tried to steel myself as I nodded quickly; his serious face softened somewhat enough for us not to be scared, at least.
We all waited by an empty carriage as other officers rushed civilians to other open carriages. We waited about ten minutes. As I looked at each civilian, I saw the horror on each one's face. At the time, I couldn't imagine what they'd been through. They all wore faces of depression or anxiety. Some lost homes, some lost lives. Worldly things that held deep meaning or people they truly cared for were gone in an hour or so. I also didn't know at the time what I had lost and what I would have lost. I remember thinking about my family once more. What are they doing? Did I lose any folk? I was unsure, but I quickly drove away those thoughts when I saw Cynthia's father approach with another officer in tow. It seemed that they were arguing about something.
"...But Chief, surely you jest." I could only pick up on the last bit of her father's sentence.
"No, Lt. Ostra, I am not joking here. We are out of available wagons. Except for the one over there." The man pointed at the wagon we were leaning on.
"But Chief! There are still other civilians out there! We can't just leave-"
"That's enough, Ostra! These are my orders! You either follow them, or consequences will be issued."
"You wouldn't, Thomas..." Mr. Ostra stops dead in his tracks, and so too does his chief-in-command.
"Try me, Delano... Try me." They stand face-to-face with each other. Mr. Ostra looked almost feral, while the chief looked assertive and composed. The chief then walks away to speak to other officers. Mr. Ostra only looks down after throwing his cap to the floor.
"Father." I look to Cynthia, who seems concerned for her dad. Well, he did get chewed out by his boss. It seemed like they were arguing over something significant if it got Mr. Ostra so worked up. I wonder what it could've been. Mr. Osrta, sensing her daughter's peering, looks over to her. His eyes almost look lifeless. He's thinking of doing something drastic. It could be to disobey his commander's orders, but for what good reason? I wanted to know.
"Mr. Ostra. What's going on? You said something about other people?" I queried.
Still in deep thought, he turns to look at me. "Daniel? I... uh..." he falters, almost as if he wants to say something but doesn't have the will to say it- or maybe he doesn't want to say it to me. As he's trying to find the right words, the sound of someone yelling Mr. Ostra's title fades in. I turn around to see another officer jogging towards us.
"Lt. Ostra! We have the list of the evacuated citizens here." He hands him a clipboard with several pages of names—families who've evacuated.
"There's more. I have another board here on Citizens that is not accounted for. Here you go, sir." He hands him another board of names. It has fewer pages than the other but is still a few pages long.
The other officer turns to me and my friends. He looks puzzled before realizing the situation. "Lia Lemuria, Cynthia Ostra, Adrien Culmac, and Daniel Reyes... Those were names not accounted for. I'll have them added to the list, sir." I raised an eyebrow. How did he look at us and instantly know our names? I think I can understand Cynthia and Lia somewhat, but Adrien? Something felt off. Though I felt weirded off, Mr. Ostra didn't seem so and nodded after receiving the information. "Good work." Those were the only words he said before handing the boards back to his subordinate. Though he seemed suspicious, I wanted to know something now that he had those boards. Which board had my family's name?
"Hold on just a minute, sir!" I yelled out to him just before he was about to leave. He turns to look at me. I thought I noticed his eyes twitch for a split second, but that could've been my imagination. He probably didn't want to speak with the Devil Boy.
"Yes, boy, how can I help..." He almost sounded irritated as he said.
"Where is my family on those lists? Also, his too!?" I asked as I pointed to Adrien and me, who also requested afterward.
He nods before looking over the papers once more. After a minute or so, he gives us an answer. "The Novich's have been accounted for save for the youngest..." He looks over at Adrien. "As for the Reyes family..." he hesitates, "Not accounted for. Save for you, boy."
I grew worried.
Thirty minutes have gone by. However, it has felt more like an eternity. My family has yet to be accounted for by the local law. Where are they? Are they hurt? Are they home? So many questions kept flowing into my mind, but there weren't any answers to piece them together. I felt my heart race and a growing headache. I couldn't think straight. I felt lost. Then I felt a hand. The hand was soft and a little smaller than mine. I looked to see who was touching me. It was Cynthia. She wore a smile, but it wasn't out of happiness; it seemed like she wanted to reassure me, but I couldn't see it as such. I felt another hand touch my unoccupied hand. It was small, way smaller. I looked over, and it was Lia. Then I felt another hand on my shoulder. That was Adrien.
They all tried to comfort me, one way or another. To be honest, it felt weird. I hadn't felt tender care from someone in a while. The last time I had the embrace of my parents was before first grade. Now that I'm in my third year, it has felt like a millennium. I felt a sense of uneasiness. Queasiness? That's a better term for it, or a lack thereof. I held on to the ones who held me by my hands. I wanted this feeling to pass by, but I didn't want them to stop what they were doing. After some internal conflict, I let them try to comfort me for a little longer.
The breeze was getting cooler as the sun slowly began to set. At this time, there wasn't any new information about my family. The ones missing are my parents, my younger brother, and my grandmother, whom I've lived with. My family technically owned two houses right next to each other. One home held my parents and brother, and the other kept grandma and me. I moved in with my grandma a year ago for reasons I wasn't sure of. My parents only told me that I would be living with my grandma, and that was that. I had a room to myself, so I didn't complain.
Anywho, with no new news about them, I want to search for them. But Mr. Ostra said I needed to stay here. Where it's safe... safe, huh? I looked at the village, which was currently being destroyed and in flames. We needed to leave, but he said to stay a little longer. So many questions needed answers, but I couldn't find them soon. No, I have to search for them myself. I stepped forward and broke the silent, touching moment all four of us were sharing—the other three stared at me in confusion.
"What's up, Danny? You alright now?" Adrien asked as he leaned on the side of the wagon.
"Yeah... I'm fine..."
"You don't sound all that fine to me, Danny. What are you thinking?" Cynthia stepped forward as she asked me.
I took a second to think about the words I wanted to say. "I... I need answers. I'm going to find them."
Adrien and Cynthia both looked surprised before returning to their calm demeanors. "Danny... Considering what I did earlier, I shouldn't say this, but I don't think that's a smart idea."
I looked directly at Cynthia, who seemed worried but was trying to hide it with her calm expression. "Yeah, I know it's not smart, but it's all I can do now to help my discomfort."
I glance at them all once more. "I don't want to sit around and wait any longer."
It didn't take much more convincing after that. There were a couple of exchanges of points here and there, but ultimately, they decided to help me seek the truth. Lia also wanted to help. It seems she didn't want to wait for her people any longer. What was taking them so long anyway? Mr. Ostra has also been away for a while. Maybe something happened. I didn't know then, but eventually, it all came together. In some shape or form, it did. The destruction of Humlide Inizio was for something greater. It was to find us. We were the catalysts for something huge. It would bring the peaceful life the world knew to a destructive end.