Welcome

Chapter 1:

"It's bright today, "a male voice spoke, his voice calm and distant. The sun was shining brightly and then were brily any clouds in the sky.

There was a boy sitting under a free on top of a small hill which had risen above the land, surrounded by tall grass.

The boy had bright blue blue eyes, silk black hair, which was jelled to form a tip at the front, which was dyed in dark bule. He wore a black full-faced nose mask, a dark-peached hoddy with 3 black stripes evenly spaced out at its sleeves, a black inner-shirt, black cargos and wore sandals on his feet.

He sat cross-legged, leaning back on the tree, closing his eyes as if -

"Quit it with the commentary," he said, opening his eyes in slight annoyance. As he said that, another voice laughed from above him, some leaves falling on him. He looked up.

A head popped out from the cluster of leaves that swarmed the branches. Laughing cheerfully as more leaves kept falling on the boy with blue eyes. He looked down and rubbed the dust out of his eyes. "Hahaha, I knew I'd find you here, Konin."

Konin looked back up and saw the boy smiling happily as he hung down from the tree. "Get down from there, Tenya."

"And with a giggle, the boy fell off the tree and unto the ground, landing on his feet." Tenya said as he did just that. Backing Konin.

"I told you to quit it," Konin said, throwing a rock sitting beside him." "Okay okay," Tenya said, dodging to the left, catching the stone with his right hand; bringing it in front of him, inspecting it.

Konin glared at him for a second, then started brushing off the leaves that fell on him, Tenya, turning to him, looked at him, then began to smile.

"Hmmm, you look annoyed. Is there a problem?" he talked as if he was trying to hold back a laugh as he raised and caught the stone in his hand repeatedly. 

"No!" Konin replied sharply as he took to his feet. Once again, Tenya laughed aloud, folding his arms around his stomach as he bent, laughing even harder.

It wasn't even that funny...Konin thought to himself.

The boy called Tenya wore nothing other than a yukata and wooden sandals, though he also carried is a giant wooden gourd on his back, with a black strap that was wraped around the center of the gourd that he used to hold the gourd on his back. He had black hair, commed neatly, reaching to the pointed tip of his ear and stretching to the base of his neck. His eyes were dark brown, and because of his long eyelashes, you could barely even tell the colour.

Konin walked past him, and Tenya followed right behind him, apologising repeatedly, trying to calm Konin down.

"What are you even doing here?" Konin asked.

"Hm? Oh, your mum told me to get you."

"Why?" 

"Why do you think?" He asked, smiling.

There was a moment of silence, and then Konin let out a heavy sigh. Tenya laughed, placing both of his hands on the back of his head as he smiled. "You're not gonna go to school today?"

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm busy."

"With what?"

"It's none of your business."

"Is that why you're carrying that dogger around?"

There was another moment of silence, both of them still walking together. After taking a few steps, Tenya put his hands down.

"I think you should go to school," he said as he stopped walking. "Your mum's worried, you know? He turned around and walked off in the other direction.

"And what are you going to do?" Konin asked as he stopped walking and turned back to face him.

"I'm gonna go play a little!" Tenya replied, in a voice almost like he was laughing.

He threw the stone in the air one more time, but instead of it falling back down, it floated in the air for a few seconds before shooting at Konin like a bullet. 

Konin caught it with one hand.koni opened his hand again, and the rock swiftly flew out of his palm and went back into Tenya's.

"Nice blade," Tenya said as he waved away.

Konin looked at the inner pocket of his hoody where he hid the dagger and saw a tiny stone stuck in a hole formed at the steel part of the dagger that grew out from the small pocket

Konin looked back up, and Tenya was gone. He stared at the scenery for a few seconds, then resumed walking forward. The wind blows calmly on the tall grass and slowly raises the ends of his clothes as he walked away.

He walked for about 30 minutes before he reached a more than urban looking area. He sat on a bench at the bus stop as he began calling someone on his phone.

The street was a one-way on a hill, and they were only a few pedestrians on both sides of the road, all who looked like they had places to be for the day. There were no trees, only shrubs and garden plants outside a white house besides the bus stop, to Konin's right.

Aside from him, there was also a woman who was there. 

She had smooth red hair stretching a little past her jaw; she wore a peach coloured hat with a light pink ribbon tied to it , a white button shirt, a light brown crop top blazer and the round buttons were a darker brown, she wore a trouser the same colour as her blazer, with a dark brown belt and well polished brown padded shoes.

She gave out a sigh and carried her head on her fisted palm, staring to the left at nothing in particular. 

The bus arrived, and only Konin got in. He sat 2 seats behind the driver. He lowered his head slightly as he placed in another call. 

The bus doors closed and drove off. The person he called, once again, didn't pick up. He sighed and began texting someone. Once he finished, he got up, he turned around, and he clicked on the stop button, leaving his back facing the bus driver until he got off the bus.As he got out, tons of other people started coming in.

Throughout the ride, the bus driver never saw his face.

The place was crowded as it was a city as well as a festive season undergoing the early morning rush hour. A cluster of cars on the 4 way road. An endless swarm of citizens.

Konin moved naturally within the crowd as he crossed the road and as he passed the stairway for the underground train station, glancing at the hanging clock besides the steps.

10 minutes. Konin said to himself. Walking a bit faster, he took a turn away from the crowd into a less dense, put still packed road. The cars at the end of the road moved more freely than the others.

He reduced his pace as he walked past a bank sandwiched between 2 tall buildings. They were fully packed with cars and a luxurious gate guarded by security men.

Reaching the centre, he counted in his head. "3,2,1..."

Immediately, a loud explosion came from the bank. Heavy fumes of white smoke burst out, destroying all the windows and bursting open the entrance door before it raced down to the gate and doing the same it did to the door.

The guards coughed roughly, and some were already lost in the heavy smokescreen.

2 people emerged from the smoke, both masked. One was riding on a slim surface of cement and rocks that remained attached to the ground as it stretched outward; the person was riding it like he was surfing carrying what looked like a laptop bag around his shoulder while carrying his associate in his arm as he kept spraying out white smoke from his hands until they had reached a distance. 

Everywhere was a smokescreen. Cars crashed into each other, and in the distance, the sound of sirens could be heard, and people ran. Screaming. Coughing. Covering their noses as they ran for safety; but Konin kept walking naturally, no anger, no fear , a face of a doll as he put on his hood.

7 minutes. His blue eyes glimmering beneath the waves of smoke.

Eventually, he walked into a building. The bell rang as he opened the door. 

It was a café. 

The people inside looked pale, their faces covered in fear. As they stared at the large glass windows blocked by smoke. All of them looked too scared to even go outside.

The cafe itself wasn't that big. The counter is the first thing you'll see as you come in. The cashiers were wearing a short sleeve button shirt, black trousers and a green apron. The counter itself was made of dark wood, but the top was made of a grey coloured ceramic with millions of black spots.

There were 2 round wooden tables with 4 wooden chairs nicely carved with beautiful floral designs surrounding both tables, filling up the space at the end of the room, and aligned vertically from the counter. 

Behind them was a wide red long back sofa that was attached to the ground and another directly opposing it with a rectangular table, made of the same ceramic as the counter, separating it. They were arranged end to end in the same pattern, filling up the back and the same for those at the window side where the café's logo was advertised on the large screen covering the bottom half of the glass; the logo being a white painted, embedded in a circle of the same colour that from the point of its diameter, everything underneath it was painted white.

Konin took a seat on the middle sofa, closest to the logo, passing a family trying hard to calm down their crying son.

There was a person seated diagonal to him; a man, staring blankly at the window. His black puffy hair created a shade over his silver eyes.

"Strange of you to call me out," the man said, still staring, frozen like a statue. "You finally coming back to sch- -"

"It's even more strange that you actually came out here," Konin replied, closing his eyes as he took off his hood, resting his head on the back of the sofa.

"Just to pass the time." Pulling out his phone as he turned away from the window. "5 minutes."

"I'm aware."

"And who do you think gave you that awareness."

"..."

"Please deal with all matters calmly."

"...noted."

"Okay." The man said, giving out a light grunt as he stood up to leave. "I'll see you at school." 

Konin closed his eyes for 2 seconds, and as he opened his eyes, the man was gone. 

Not even a creak. Sitting upright, pulling out his phone from his pocket...

He pressed his phone as someone came into the café coughing slightly, the bell rang as he walked in. 

It was an elderly man. Gray-haired, tiny eyes, wrinkled skin, bushy eyebrows, and the rest. He wore a brown suit and brown trousers with a white shirt and red tie.

He adjusted his belt around his waist as he scanned the café, looking for a place to sit. He sat in front of Konin, seeing that it was the only free seat. His shoes clanked loudly as he did so.

Taking a seat, he gave out a heavy sigh, grunting as he murmured something beneath his breath.

Konin, still pressing his phone, paid no notice to the man; it was only after, when the man had calmed down and carefully wiped his glasses that he just taken out of its case, did Konin glance at him. 

The old man noticing the glance then smiled at him warmly as he put on his glasses. "And who might you be?" He asked in a croaked voice, his eyes looking more squinted as he smiled.

But Konin didn't reply. He just gave him a blank stare and then went back to pressing his phone. 

The man gave a chuckle that sounded like he was choking. The smile on his face became even bigger. "That's a good habit; your parents would be proud."

Konin looked at him again, his eyes slightly brighter. He turned back to his phone, and in a low, sweet voice, he said, "Thank you."

The old man chucked again as the waitress served a glass of water, he fingers trembling as she placed the cup, trying her best to give us words of encouragement.

"Hahhh, this truly wasn't how today was supposed to go." The old man said, ruffling what little hair he had on his head with a slightly worried expression on his face as he reached for the cup with his other hand, but he stopped when he touched fingertips with Konin who was also reaching for it.

"Oh! Sorry!" The old man said as he pulled back his hand.

"No. No problem, you can have it."

"Oh, thank you." Taking the water, his face was filled with relief. "Ah! It's been a while since I've met such a nice boy. They aren't common in this generation."

"Hey, can I ask you something?"

"Yes? What is it?"

"How are you so calm right now, with everything that's going on outside?"

"Humhumhum. You see, we adults have a duty to always make sure that kids like you are kept safe. That's why I'm so calm. So that I can proudly tell you that everything's gonna be alright." His eyes looked so bright as he said that, no ounce of fear or doubt. He truly wanted to instil hope into the young boy that was in front of him. Gently, his words could take away all fear and fill you up with courage.

"I see..." Konin said, his voice uneven as his eyes were shaking. "You must have..the healing touch, old man."

"Hahaha! I get that a lot." He closed his eyes as he laughed some more. Konin looked as if he was dozing. He leaned back on his chair, his head facing downward. He could barely keep his eyes open.

"Hey, old man..." Konin said in a weak voice.

"Yes?" The old man asked with a smile, an innocent smile on his face.

"Is this when the poison kicks in?" Konin asked normally.

There was silence.

The old man looked at him wide-eyed. "Eh?"

The old man's eyes were wide open as he stared at Konin in confusion. "Poison? What poison?"

Konin raised his head. His eyes were cold as he stared at the man. "Richard Vos," Konin said in a deep voice.

"And who is that?"

Konin picked up his phone from the table and showed the man a picture of a young man with brown hair and dark eyes staring downward as he tried to conceal his face with his hand. "He's an unknown serial killer who disappeared 2 years ago."

The old man stared at the picture blankly and then looked up at Konin without saying a word. His lips tightened.

"You understand now, don't you? There's no need to pretend." Konin said, placing his phone on the table.

The old man remained silent as he leaned back on his seat. After a moment, he gave a chuckle.

"Alright, alright. I know when my clock runs out." The old man wore a devilish grin, which changed everything about how he first appeared, the features that made him look kind, warm and even old all turned into a young, cruel man who takes joy in watching others despair. 

"So please tell me, who might you be? And how the fuck do you know me?"

"No, and I don't know you." 

Richard stared at him with squinted eyes as Konin turned to face the rest of the café, Richard's gaze following. As he turned, he saw the people that were seated staring at him, all of them with a pistol in hand, aimed at him. All of their eyes like that of a predator.

Richard jumped up, swearing and shifting to the glass widow to maintain his balance as he rested his left knee on the cushion of the sofa. His eyes actually had a true hint of fear, and he began to sweat lightly.

Richard heard whimpering from the family behind him. He turned to look at them. It was the family that was trying to calm down their child. They huddled together, holding each other tightly as they equally trembled in fear. It seemed like they were the only ones who had no idea what was going on.

He looked back at Konin, his breathing getting heavy. "When did all of this happen? Did he do this? Why? And he's really going to satisfy an innocent family? No, it's impos--, " Richard said to himself.

"It was since you came up with this plan."

"Excuse me?" Richard asked bewildered. Konin looked up at him. The same coldness in his eyes, but still his face remained blank.

"When you paid off those rookie thugs to rob the bank, till when you came here to meet up with the person who had what you needed. Oh yeah, he's dead, by the way." Konin said, pressing his phone.

Richard glared daggers at Konin, his face reddened with rage. They saw through everything. The meeting point. The decoy, even the exchange...Even if I get out of here, it would be pointless... This island..." Riichard jolted as if he had just remembered something.

He gave a thorough look around the café, and the man at the counter smirked at him. He looked back at Konin this time, half terrified but with a crooked smile stretching his face. 

"Hahaha... so it's you guys, the yakuza and the young prodigy." He said in a mocking tone. "The rulers of the island... you worthless pieces of shit!" His voice deepend.

Konin paused, looking back at him. 

"You people think you can stop me..." Richard continued. He knew it was pointless. At one mistake, it was game over. But he still needed to try, even if it was pointless. He needed to do anything possible to keep himself alive, even if it was just a little bit longer.

"You kidnap people and capture them. You drain their freedom with the false belief of the paradise that you believed you'd made.

Your disgusting! All of you are disgusting! I'll kill you! I'll kill you all!!!" Richard gripped and squeezed his face, his mask peeling off as his heart beat increased. Rage filled his eyes. He became bigger, and his muscles grew thicker. He had become a beast. "Just a little more..."

Richard knew that if he made one slip, he was done for. "I need to do something. Talking gibberish isn't going to buy me enough time to get out of here. Just a bit more."

Konin stared at him blankly. "Give up." He said, getting up.

Richard waited cautiously, slowly knoting a fist.

"Goodbye."

"Now!" Richard thought to himself quickly punching his fisted hands together and immediately There was a massive explosion the nearby buildings came down and everyone around him was reduced to a pulp as a result Richard had lost all his skin but it didn't matter to him he could always get a new one from someone else. He walked away laughing wildly from the wreckage as a living corpse to a place that would lead him out of the island that he had managed to locate.

At least, that was what was meant to happen.

As Richard clashed his fists together, there was a burst like an explosion around him. Richard smiled maniacally. Then vomited blood.

"Eh?" Richard leaned to the side, then fell to the ground. His body turned to its side. 

"W-what?" He vomited blood again. His mouth agap, his lips shaking, his eyes swayying vigorously, his body trembling, he couldn't move. 

"I-I can't b-breathe. My bo-dy fe..feels. so heavy." Richard tried to move his arms in a failed attempt to get up. A pool of blood was slowly growing around him. He took short heavy breathes.

"Th-there's...a whole...in my body....through my lung?" He coughed up more blood. Richard looked up at the looming shadow covering him. Koni stood there with the same plane expression on his face, looking down at him.

"No one shot me.... was it him... was it his (coughs)ability?" Somehow Richards thoughts were becoming clearer. 

Richard's eyes got heavier, and the way he looked at Konin was as if he was begging for mercy.

"I'm not an angel." Konin said, turning away from him, walking to the family that sat beside them. "And your fate isn't in my hands." Ushering the family out of the restaurant.

Behind Konin, one man aimed their gun down at Richard and shot.

"Don't tell anyone what you saw today; this isn't a threat, but it's better if you forget about this." Konin said kindly to the family he had ushered out of the café.

They looked at him, all except the child, in disgust and fear like he was a monster and quickly turned tail.

There were still a few remnants of smoke. Konin watched until the family was out of his sight, then kept his hands in his pockets and walked in the opposite direction.

"Man...what a kid. I know he was helping us out, but..." One of the men at the restaurant said, ruffling his messy hair.

"You're the newbie, right?" One of the women said, placing her gun on the table as she lit a cigarette and took a seat. "That kid's special, don't treat him like an enemy, you'll regret it later." She said with a cheeky smile.

The man was confused. The others laughed and smiled as if they were someone had done something funny or cracked a joke, it was later the man realised they were smiling because they each recalled a happy memory that only they and Konin shared.

Konin walked along the paraded streets, crowds of citizens gathered together, cheering and applauding the heroes who had captured the robbers that were making a ruckus in the city. The heroes stood there in the centre of the crowd waving at the citizens, giving every one of them a warm smile and a reassuring smile. Their little action was like telling everyone: "it's alright, you're safe now."

The police took the 2 robbers into custody.

Konin glanced at the heroes from the crowd as he walked past. We're not heroes. There are no rewards for our efforts, and we'll forever live on with our sins.

We're nothing but murders. 

"Yondu City, like any other city in the world , is filled with modern technology and with the latest weaponry. It's a large city with anything you could cer want in the world; but what makes this place so special is that it can't be located anywhere on the planet, not in any map nor satellite. No one knows about the city from the outside world, but the inhabitants of the island know that the outside world exists. 

The reason why most of them don't leave is because if they do, they will lose all memory they had of the island and it's residents, but no one really knows why you lose your memories. You'll have to start afresh at a random place in the outside world; but that's only if you leave the island legally, no one knows what will happen to your memory If you leave illegally which of course is taboo. 

People from outside can come into the island only by randomly venturing in the sea. Upon sighting the island from sea, you immediately wake up in Yondu City, unable to turn back.

Finally, inhabitants of the island seem to follow the world rating where only 1٪ of the world doesn't have powers. So basically , it's safe to assume everyone on the has powers. That's all." The woman with thick red hair said as she closed her journal, the same woman Konin had previously met at the bus stop.

She sat down at a water fountain in the park, beside her wa a man dressed in a suit whose face was concealed beneath the umbrella he held.

There was a silence, then a voice spoke. "Did you run into anyone today?"

"No?"

"I see." The man said, getting up. "Another time then." He took one step, and at his next, he vanished.

The woman sighed. She looked up at the sky. "I hope everything works out."