Prologue: Uninvited Guests
Ariel went to his room upstairs after eating he lept on the chair next to the table and sat in front of his computer.
An article came up as he scrolled through the internet, 'A man with a mask and hood has been seen saving people, he saved me from being robbed but, he wasn't human that's for sure. There were five of them and this dude threw them like they were made of cotton. It's happening again. They are coming back and you know what I'm talking about no matter how many times we try to forget, we can't. This man in the hood is a sign that they still live among us without us knowing. Yes, you guessed it, I am talking about The Curs---' Before Ariel could read the post any further, the post suddenly got deleted. Ariel sighed and rested back on the chair then turned his computer off and stood up. The room had a window right next to the table, Ariel looked out from the glass window.
The cricket ground behind his house stretched vast and empty, unlike Ariel's mind, which was filled with thoughts and doubts now.
The weight of recent events pressed upon him. "Maybe Danish was right. Am I truly responsible for those innocent lives lost? No, I cannot bear that burden. No, I must not deceive myself. Am I truly cold-hearted? However, I love my friends, and I value every life. I am just a nineteen-year-old. How can I be expected to be a superhero? But, Dad says I should help anyone I can even if it means interfering in others' matters. Ahhh, these thoughts are overwhelming. I need to find a way, something that controls me. I want something that drives me mad too, like Danish's resolve. I need my resolve, may it be saving others or something else." Ariel murmured to himself, it seemed like all the questions he asked his father and the reason he didn't want to interfere in that school matter just because he wanted to find something he truly believed in. He didn't want to find out what was wrong or right, he just wanted to find out what could be his way.
At the end of the day, he was looking for the answer to the question we all have. 'Why was I even born?' In his case, his being unique made this question matter even more. 'Why did I get these powers? Why me? Where do these powers come from?' His mind had been occupied by such questions for two years now. He tried saving people as Danish asked him to, but it didn't make him feel any better. A sense of loneliness remained in his heart.
"I need to get some air," He turned back faced the door, and started walking towards it. He pushed the door open and he just had his right foot out of the room when a voice suddenly pierced the silence.
"Are you Ariel?" The voice said, Ariel stood in shock and couldn't move for a second but he mustered the courage and swiftly spun around, his eyes falling upon the two men standing before him. Ariel tried to stay calm but his voice seemed rather distorted as he questioned them, "Who the hell are you?"
One of them was Ihaan and the other one had light red hair and red eyes as well. The red-eyed man named Masir calmly replied, "I am Masir, and he is Ihaan. Are you Ariel?" Ariel's surprise turned into curiosity, and he responded,
"Yes, I'm Ariel. But who are you, and how did you get in here?" Masir snapped his fingers twice, and a door-shaped hole of blue light materialized out of thin air, standing eight feet high and four feet wide.
"Alright, come with us," said Masir. Ariel was taken aback by the suddenness of the invitation, as anyone would be. His mind raced with questions. Overwhelmed by curiosity, Ariel mustered the courage to ask burning within him, "What are you?"
Ihaan stepped closer to Ariel, he was smiling. "We are Aurians. In addition, you are an Aurian yourself. You don't belong here, and I don't like explaining things, so just come with us," Ihaan revealed with a mix of assurance and intrigue. Ariel's astonishment grew with each passing moment. His mind was a whirlwind of confusion, desperate to grasp the reality unfolding before him.
Unable to contain himself any longer, Ariel mustered all the courage he could find and posed his most pressing query, "You said I don't belong here. What does that mean? Elaborate on what you are trying to say or do."
In response, Masir snapped his fingers twice again, causing the Warp gate that brought them to Ariel's doorstep to close shut. Ihaan let out a sigh and spoke with a tone that carried a sense of urgency, "Will you come with us or not? If you choose to join us, we shall reveal everything. However, if you do not intend to leave, we cannot disclose any more details. We need your answer right now. Time is not on our side."
Ariel's troubled expression reflected the turmoil brewing within him. Should he venture into the unknown with these strangers who seemed to know his extraordinary powers? He has been wondering why and how he got this power. These questions have made his life miserable. It's been two years since he got this power. Alternatively, should he continue living his life as a superhero, as his friend Danish had urged him to do? The weight of the decision bore down on him, and he replied hesitantly,
"I want time to wrap my head around things. You cannot just come into someone's house and demand they go with you. I do not even understand what is going on. If you tell me everything, I can provide an answer promptly. However, you refuse to share until I agree to come with you. That doesn't seem fair." Ariel answered after thinking everything through, his voice was calm and he didn't seem startled by any of this. He was waiting for something like this to happen he had imagined hundreds of scenarios in his mind about this moment.
Without turning back, Ihaan retorted, "You are a cool-headed kid. Any other kid would be screaming by now. Anyway, we cannot reveal everything at this moment. Just know that if you remain here any longer, death will follow. I will return tomorrow before 8. You turn twenty tomorrow, and I need an answer before you turn 20. And I will come and get you doesn't matter if you wanna go or not. One more thing, I am giving you time, not a choice." Ihaan turned around and faced Masir, who eyeing Ariel. There was anger in his eyes and clouds of pity as well.
"We'll be going for now," Ihaan raised his hand high, Masir snapped his fingers twice once again, and the portal to another realm opened before them. Ihaan entered the portal, as soon as he set foot in the portal he vanished from sight, and Masir swiftly followed suit, after giving Ariel a cold eye.
Ariel stood in the doorway, his mind consumed by a mix of puzzlement and confusion. "What the hell just happened?" he whispered to himself, the weight of the decision looming over him like a stormy cloud. His mind still trying to comprehend what just had unfolded, but his heart knew it would happen one day. He thought of it as a small event in his life, he thought of it as just another bump up the road. But, little did he know that this unexpected encounter was merely the beginning of a journey that would push him beyond the limits of his imagination, where the answers to his questions awaited, and where his destiny would unfold. As he would travel to the realm beyond imagination and dreams, The Prodigy Realm…---…