Four Years Later...

Cherry blossoms sucked up into a whirlwind of excitement and noise in this bustling city. Exhausting moans bloom out from the pipes to the carbonized vehicles running on the last bits of dried out gasoline. Time had not favored this method as the nations of the world grew sullen with the fear of western influence. All the while a great star creeps just over the shadow of clouds joyously pronouncing its presence blaring a ghastly light over the windows waking few not already standing.

Warmth.

A warmth he hadn't felt in years.

Just as the cold breeze passed across his cheeks, he blew out his cigarette, chalk white with its burnt tip dusting off a smidge of the crumpled paper along with tobacco squeezed within. The tips to his fingers rolled it a bit before tossing it to the abyss of honking cars and laughing children far below.

For a moment he wished for the lit end to burn someone below. Maybe catch them into a blaze.

That would be entertaining.

"KAGE!" came a feminine yell from further in the apartment. Quickly Kage wafted away the smoke and fled from the balcony hiding the cigarettes in his sewn pocket. With a second to spare, the girl, who had yelled, entered Kage's room without any prior warning.

Her attire, atrocious. Matted down by a gray sleeveless undershirt that barely covered her naked breasts yet never reached the button to her toned stomach. Further down he almost looked on in disgust. Her so-called 'shorts' showed the under cleft of her bottom which threatened his eyes' attention. The curve of her skin was smooth forcing her to adjust the edge of her 'shorts' in an attempt to hide more than possible.

The stare caught her attention.

She surveyed the messy interior, turning the criticism on Kage. Clothes strewn about, books opened and flooded the floor while bags of snacks littered the shelves in their place. With a disgusted look the girl stared daggers into Kage.

*The mask fell back into place.*

"What's the matter, sis? We still have an hour left before school? Must be pretty important if you haven't even put your prosthetic on yet." Kage said motioning to his sister's left arm. He hid the smirk.

Flustered, her face turned a deep shade of red. Despite the years having passed, she commonly forgot when caught up in the moment. Her left arm was devoid of any appendage. Having been sliced due to the bone being all but ripped from its socket, not even the doctors at Harper General could save it.

In retaliation for his mockery, she threw her toothbrush at his head. "Ow!" He exclaimed feeling the welt it would ultimately produce.

"Don't be an ass! You haven't gone to see Father Bentley in a month or so. He's gotten worried because you won't answer his calls, let alone call back." Rubbing his forehead, Kage picked up his sister's toothbrush, wiped it with a Kleenex, then placed it on the nearest towel he could find. He looked at the toothbrush making sure that no dirt or grime had stuck to it from hitting the floor.

The sister slapped Kage on the shoulder, "HEY! Are you even listening?"

Her touch degraded him. It caused tremors within himself. An intense urge to silence her came over Kage. To punch and beat until she would not speak another word.

*It began to slip.*

However, he calmed his nerves by breathing in the cool morning air. Readjusting his persona. "Fine, I'll go see him after school soon enough. Just, make sure to be here when I get back. No staying out with friends and the like. Too many people are disappearing nowadays."

Waving Kage's warnings away she pouted, "Whatever old man. Just make sure you keep your top position!" She slammed the door behind her leaving Kage alone to ruminate. On the other side he could just hear the faintest of sighs as if a volcano released great pressure before an explosion.

'What was she stressed about?'

*The mask is put on standby.*

Kage Tesler glanced about the room. It had grown more cluttered in the past years since their removal from their family. Granted by the government's recent Housing Evolved Act of 2056 giving all evolved humans separate housing in order to cultivate their abilities at a steady enough pace for the nation's inevitable call. As per the decree. Yet, Kage understood it only to be another measure to quietly watch over him just as the big brother would and will continue to do.

Another break of wind passed over Kage's bare chest. Long dark pigmented scars crisscrossed over his torso and face subsequently contrasted by the paleness of his skin. They ate up much of his chin and right side of his face with a few making their way horizontally across the bridge of his nose and forehead. Even now he still felt the sting of the burning perspiration that hit those spots. Of course, them being his life-long acquaintance from now until the end he had grown accustomed to their pain. Long raven black strands of hair wavered over his eyes. Although Kage enjoyed his hair's length and how wind would seamlessly whisper through, the mop reaching near his chin held the potential to obscure much of his vision if not styled correctly. Once completed for the morning it would be drawn back through the use of a band or simply parted left then right curtaining the sides of his face.

Yet, what left most stricken by his appearance would be the unnatural red irises that grew brighter with each passing year. At first it had been detailed as an effect of his declining sight in which more red blood cells than usual existed within the vessels causing the pigment, many worried it could lead to blindness. After much deliberation as well as advanced study of the phenomena led to the same genetic fault appearing in his sister which led the doctors to assert it was a hereditary gene caused by the process of evolving. Due to the corresponding relation with his sister, Kage made the connection a secret through the use of colored contacts changing the color to a bright blue.

Few knew of their existence.

Part of this Housing Act was the requirement for all evolved to attend a school of other evolved, designated to aid them in adjusting into society. This subsequent school provided these children with a choice of careers.

Kage's 2nd year at the renowned and prestigious Petell Academy left him at the tail end of his 16 years on this rock. Kage stood at a moderate height, nearly five feet and eight inches but saving a few for later growth but was supplied by the vague presence of his aura. Although minuscule as it had not fully formed, anyone with enough experience, and certainly humans, noticed the intense pressure inflicted on them when near.

Among the academic category it was understandable that Kage could attend the academy being not only among the top at the school but in the higher five in the entire nation. Acknowledged by the city's governor himself, Kage knew his worth… a worth that would not sate his thirst.

Labeled as a low-tier D rank, his presumptive powers amounted to basic strength, endurance, and stamina greater than the regulars, yet his growth would unnoticeably improve further. All of this listed on his school documents with the caption "Defective" stamped at the top signaling to observers that he had no potential in the career of heroism. And above all else, unable to control his ability making him a danger even as a government pawn. Someone who was at risk of falling to the depths of the Call who should focus on survival rather than saving.

He gritted his teeth at the thought. Not even those in charge believed he had a path other than one as a desk merchant.

Kage looked toward his dresser catching sight of the pocket-sized photograph of him and his sister embracing the other, back when her arm had been intact. Lisa was two years younger than Kage, planning to attend the same institution as him in a year's time. As of now she attends a basic middle school for the assistance of evolved humans. Her talent eclipsed that of Kage's at the mere second of birth. Established as a High-B tier candidate she was born gifted with an ability to manifest another's bloodlust into a physical form. Her hair, once the same shade of black, had been dyed a honey blonde. Surely her dainty size brought onlookers' eyes which made Kage fearful. This was of course camouflage as she could easily dispatch anyone that dared.

The room was littered with books, both fictitious and historical. Some were news clippings detailing heroes old and new, their battles, triumphs and losses, abilities, ranks, and events. Of all those that coveted the area were magazine clippings and textbooks on the study of the newly titled "Evolved Humans" which have taken on the other term as Heroes and Villains. Labels employed by the Agency of Evolved Protection and Security, in other words, big brother himself.

Kage locked his door then returned to the side of his bed. There stood an object draped over with a blood-stained cloth that extended to the floor. He took deep breaths in and out. After sixty seconds, Kage finally built up the courage to remove the cloth. His fingers clawed into the towel; they shook. With one quick tug it fell revealing a rather plain mirror. The edges were lined with wood emphasizing the glass piece in the center. However, the glass had been shattered, making Kage appear in 20 different fragmented perspectives. Still, he could see the burns that shone brightly on his body. Kage reached for the plastic container capped with a black lid, the lettering on the side read "Premium Scar Cover by Rele Fele." A woman caked in makeup and beauty products, clearly The Rele Fele, smiled giving her approvement of the item.

He took another glance at the glass. Flinching, Kage threw the towel back on. There was no point in relying on it.

Once done with the container Kage proceeded to dress. The men's uniform for Petell Academy consisted of black dress pants, black dress shoes, and a black suit with an embroidered Cosmos Atrosanguineus on the left breast. The tie was left to the student's choice, yet Kage always chose the same white one. The undershirt could either be black or white. In which case Kage always chose white as well. Whether or not this was a subconscious idea buried deep in Kage is unknown even to himself. It is merely a task with no importance. Something else which existed only to annoy.

Kage Tesler was always ready 45 minutes before the first class at the academy began. Lisa Tesler would not have to leave for another hour or so with her classes ending later than at the academy. 2nd years must attend an hour before 1st years, while 3rd years either arrive with 2nd years or stay after another hour. This convoluted scheduling was maintained in order to sanction time and aid the 3rd years with exam preparation as well as study preparation for those wishing to take the BAR license which inevitably led to a government sanctioned Hero's certificate. From there all that remained was for an organization to pick them up and toss them back into the machine of production.

Kage stepped out of his room, taking a shot at the calendar bolted to the right of his door. On it were several spots held blank and a dozen or more fervently filled with his cursive handwriting. It was a system he had created where the two of them would write their plans for the day ensuring success by the end. Of course, Lisa never did her share.

Some days Kage could not help but to worry for his sister. She was extremely clumsy. Days like this she might forget her prosthetic until half-way to the academy. Kage tore the corner from the top page of the calendar writing a reminder for Lisa before she left. He walked to her door and slipped it underneath.

Cocking his head around, Kage seized the dimensions of their home. The apartment was small. It consisted of 4 rooms of which being 2 bedrooms, the bathroom, and a separate area used for studying. The main foyer was also cramped. They had barely been able to get a table and couch inside, at least there was a kitchen in the place.

Kage knew he should be grateful. Afterall, the government was supplying all of this for them and even paid for their attendance at their schools.

Even so, Kage only felt frustration. This frustration drove Kage every morning on his walk to the academy. Sighing to no one in particular, he exited from the apartment. The moment the door closed he heard Lisa's open.

'Peculiar.'

Every day, on his walk, Kage would carry his metal case filled with books neatly packed beside an enclosed back of writing materials in his left hand while he read a novel in his right. The book on the docket today: Cosmosis' Eternal Plight written by: Cov R.T.

It wasn't an interesting read. Just something to pass the time. Kage had read most of Cov R.T.'s library. Most, like this one, consist of a moral theme involving the human condition. Love, right to murder, and the like. Kage had his own morals with a steadfast belief compelling him to examine those of another in an attempt to understand others more clearly. How to speak with someone suffering a loss, how to interact when they express worry, and what expression to wear when they display a grimace. Yet, again, this book was not interesting in the slightest.

On occasion, people would whisper how his appearance made him look like a professor. Kage's hair carefully lined his face with its long strands covering just below his ears hiding the rather youthfulness of his face. Their words were barely noticed by the boy. He was too engrossed in his uninteresting novel to pay a second of worry to such words.

Just before reaching the academy's steps; Kage deposited the novel into a trash can. It had ended with the main character living a happy life with the one he loved. Despite the man torturing his friend by dipping his lower half into molten steel, ever slowly entombing the man, followed closely by the corruption then execution of his own blood. Even after, he was still granted happiness.

Two students were walking from the front gates to Kage. On the right stood a paper-thin boy with dyed blonde hair while a girl stuck to the boy's left arm appearing equally as thin and delicate. She wore heavy coats of makeup to emphasize her unnatural powder-white hair. Unlike Kage's, her eyes were real oceans of blue. Due to their abilities ranging at the tip of the A-tier their restrictions were not so limited. "The pride of the school!" they are called.

His eyes were set solely on the girl. The two of them came closer to Kage and were now waving at him. They were excited to see him. Summer vacation had just ended and today would be filled with renewing their continued friendship.

Their eyes were radiantly bright and yet Kage knew his had been grayed a long while ago.

Why would a man…

Filled with anger and murder…

Get the woman of his dreams…

'Yet, I can't even have her.'