1 Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"The Earth. A planet that supports life, and though much struggle has occurred, we have endured. We have striven to become better, to become greater, and we have become more evolved with each passing generation. That is how it's always been...until 78 years ago, when that asteroid shower fell from the heavens. To call it so...it was no shower. They came in waves, fifteen waves that rained upon the Earth, as if to punish the life that dwelled upon it, though for what, we couldn't say. The devastation did not end there. Within these asteroids were creatures: goblins, trolls, ogres, dragons...all manner of fantastic beings emerged from their wreckage, and we could only stand and watch. They seemed to be sleeping, at first... And when they awoke, it was the strangest thing. All of them marched towards a singular place, with news helicopters following, and then..."

"That was when we saw *Him*."

"He didn't tell us his name. All He said was that we humans had started this war, and now we have no choice but to accept our new reality. And He had a message. 'To all those who will receive gifts, strengthen yourselves. Challenge yourselves, this world, and transcend both, for if you don't, you have no hope. This is your future now.' And then He opened the portals, and the monsters marched straight through them."

"The surprises didn't stop there. People around the world began to display strange symptoms. Some would vomit. Others passed out. But regardless of how it manifested, each of those people found when it was over that they had gained some new ability. Some could fly. Others could breathe fire. And still others gained the power to do almost anything else you could conceive—and some things you couldn't. But enough, as it would take forever to even begin to describe them all. It was as such that the Awakeners' Association was born."

"The Association provides support to the ones who have 'awakened' these strange abilities. There wasn't much time, or choice, in organizing such people, as portals began to appear all over the world, and the monsters who had so recently marched into them without so much as a glance at the people in the streets were now attacking them indiscriminately. But one man...one single awakened man saved us all that day."

"His name was Martin Davis, otherwise known by his hero name, King. King was..."

The old man's voice droned on, but I couldn't care less what he was saying. All I cared about was getting out of this building.

*Ding, dong...*

(I wonder where James is? He's always 'doing something.' I think he's avoiding me... Whatever. Who cares about him, anyway?)

People brushed past me, all exiting the building at the end of the day.

(Damn... Those awakeners sure do have it easy, though. Being awakened really is crazy. No one tells you what to do, and you don't even have to worry about bills.)

"Hey, bud!" An arm appeared around my shoulders, and James' cheerful voice sounded in my ear.

"Hey, dude. What's up?" I pushed his arm off.

We passed by a windowed storefront, and I spotted a man running. Not very quickly, and when I turned my head to look behind us, he was nowhere in sight.

"Dude, do you remember Chad?"

"Yeah... Why?" (They say people can tell you're not interested when you answer their question with a question, but I guess "people" doesn't include James.)

"Well...I beat him up." James announced with pride in his voice. "But then he said something that's been on my mind."

"What'd he say?" James' arm was around my shoulders again, and I was again trying to remove it.

"He told me he was going to get his boys, so I should watch my back... But where is he now, huh?" James scoffed.

I remembered the man I'd seen in the window.

(Wait. If that man was one of Chad's "boys...")

"Hey, James?" I spoke through an awkward smile. "Have you got a mirror?"

"Of course not. What am I, a girl?" He laughed, then spotted my odd expression.

"What's wrong?" He reached into his bag.

"Run!" I told him, as he pulled out his phone.

"What?"

"I said RUN, you idiot!" This time I added a shove, pushing him forward.

James knew I was a careful guy, so wherever I told him to do something, he did it. This time was no different.

He took off, and after I made sure he was a safe distance away, I turned around. The faces I found leering at me weren't unexpected, but that didn't make them any less terrifying.

"Hey, kid." One of the men spoke, his voice so deep he could have been an ogre. "You James Brown, or was that your pal?"

"What's it to you?" I'd read in a book once that if you sounded confident, anyone wanting to mess with you would think twice.

"Well, well...lookit what we have here, eh? This kid's got some balls." The sneer on his face made him look even more ogre-like. I was going to sue that author.

*SLAM*

I was backed against a wall. Nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.

"I'll ask you again. You James, or aren't you?"

"Y-yes, I a-am." I was scared, but I wanted to protect James. I instantly regretted it.

A fist slammed into my face, so hard that I barely registered what had happened before I got hit again.

"So you hurt one of our guys, huh?" The words reached me through a haze as more and more blows struck me. Then one of them found a bottle. Glass. He smashed it against the ground, then slowly moved towards me. The others grabbed my arms, holding me in place.

*SLASH*

The jagged edge caught me right across the eye. They let me drop, leaving me lying there on the ground like garbage, and walked away. I couldn't stand. Couldn't even make a sound, let alone move.

(At least if I die now, I can finally rest in peace. It's not like I have anyone waiting for me at home, anyway. No mom. No dad. No siblings, either. Just me against the world... And maybe now I won't have to be against the world anymore.)

"Ahhhh!"

An unfamiliar voice pierced my thoughts.

"Is that a boy?!" The voice came again, but it sounded distant.

"Call an ambulance!" A different voice this time, but I didn't care. Didn't want to hear anything anymore.

"Has anybody called the ambulance?!" It would be so peaceful if they would just stop shouting...

"Call th—"

End of Chapter 1

Writer: Sectra

Proof-reader: YukiKirikaya

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