Desolate Future

With great struggle I forced my eyes open.

"I'm alive?"

I was still groggy after my awakening. I looked down at my wound. It was fully bandaged up with something green under it. I pushed myself to the side positioning my back on the rock wall behind me, grunting in pain and the discomfort of moving.

After changing positions, I looked around my surroundings. 

A cave?

But surprisingly, moonlight shone into the cave. The openings on the cave walls were the cause of that. The openings were quite distinct, not something that could be found naturally, they were more like claw marks.

GRRRRRRR

A low growl came from above.

I swiveled my head in the direction of the noise.

Looking down at me was a beast that brought out fear from the depths of my very being, its body was covered in shadows but I could clearly make out its eyes. The fear it brought out was more instinctual, bestial, not like that of the soul sucking monster in the Hunter family, that creature was just an amalgam of horrors causing a mental fear. This was primal. Not only my soul but my body was reacting to it. I knew what this meant, there was nothing I could do to beat this creature, simply because it was higher up on the food chain.

"Name?"

The creature spoke. It's eyes calmly glowing a ghostly green.

"Gen." I whispered.

I just couldn't find it in myself to speak properly to this creature. My hands were shaking and my feet trembled, being seated didn't help this at all.

"Louder."

Mustering up some courage, I replied a bit louder, "Gen."

"No family name?" The voice asked.

"No." They had thrown me away and in return I did the same. Regardless of what happened in the future, Gen Hunter had died in the forest. The only thing that remained is the Gen answering questions for a higher being.

"Hmm." The creature stopped its questions for a moment to contemplate something. And then it continued, "What is the reasoning behind the Hunter family attacking you?"

This was a question with a long answer but I knew what to say.

"I pissed them off in many ways and if I make it out of the Desolate lands alive, I will destroy that family."

"You do know that they are contracted to me? Boy." The voice came again.

As I answered the creature's questions, confidence sprouted within me. If it wanted me dead, it would have easily killed me already, why go through the trouble of bandaging me up and waiting till I woke up. What useful information could I even provide? And since it asked me questions, that meant that it wanted some specific answers. Lets hope I had the answers it required.

"Not anymore. The big creature very clearly claimed that they broke the deals of the contract."

"Huhu a smart one aren't you? So tell me..... what is your story? Don't leave a thing out."

At this point, I had placed the voice as that of a female. Creature or not. Its voice was feminine. And just as it asked, I told my story. From beginning to end.

The one sided story telling went on for a while, the entire time the creature didn't try to interrupt at all. I was left to tell my story at my own pace, pausing when I felt uncomfortable and continuing when I felt better. At random points however, sounds of struggle came from the creature's area.

And when I finally reached the point to when I got my Waking removed, the beast got up and roared.

"Boy are you sure that was what you saw?"

"Yes. It took my Waking."

ROAAAAAAAARRRRR

"The hunter family went that far? It seems the Desolate Lands will be going to war. It's time to hold the next call." It spoke calmly but I could feel the fury underneath. This beast was at odds with that monstrosity.

As the beast stood up, I could make out its features. Moonlight shining on its body. The beast was a white tiger. It had green accent running down its side and gold claw like extensions in various parts of its body.

The creature was born to kill. A creature who only existed to destroy its enemies. My instincts were right, I stood no chance against this beast. It was surprising how it seemed like this creature was a higher dimensional being.

Its tailed then flicked to the side knocking something over and it went back into the shadows. A few sounds of struggle could be heard but it stopped after a growl.

"Continue.."

And continue I did. I told everything from that point till losing consciousness in the forest but I left out the details of my Waking. I don't think that would matter and my Waking had been strangely silent since I had woken back up.

"Finally. Boy what is your Waking now?" 

I flinched at the question. That was a secret I wanted to keep but I had to reveal it. I was to afraid to say to this being.

And so I told it, "Absorption. I can absorb anything but I can only do it once."

"Did you absorb anything yet?" This time the follow up question was instant. 

"No."

"Ahahahahah!" The tiger let out a loud peal of laughter and continued. "Those idiots. Hahhahaha. This is really funny."

Then it finally stopped and stared at me, "Gen, would you like to be the Desolate Land's champion?"

What?

Desolate Land's...….. Champion?

What did that mean?

"You will represent the Desolate Lands, to the outside world and essentially become our public spokesperson."

I had gotten an answer without asking a question. I guess my line of thought was that predictable.

"Why.... Why me?" My voice went back to being mere whispers, as I pushed the words out of my mouth, my lips quivering.

This time the creature just answered, not asking me to raise my voice, "Your story is good and your Waking is a requirement. So you tick all the necessary check boxes."

My story was good? I fit the criteria? That's all?

"Wha.."

I heard a voice from behind the creature.

"I can't hear you boy." The tiger said.

"WHAT ABOUT ME DAMN TIGER? I DON'T FIT THE MOULD?"

The voice turned into a yell in response to the tiger's teasing.

"His Waking is perfect for us, you can check with Dragoon." The tiger replied, almost teasing.

"FUCK YOU DRIGGER! LET ME OUT!"

"Huhu. Oi Gen." 

I looked at its piercing eyes. I watched as its feline face sprouted a smile.

"So, what's your answer?"

Clenching my fists, I gave her, Drigger, the answer.

"I accept."

"Welcome to the family boy, you have a lot to learn. But first, here is a little gift." As the words finished, it raised its tail which had something wrapped around it. No. Someone wrapped around it.

"No. NO! DON'T THROW ME! I CAN GET DOWN THERE MYSELFFF!" The figure was human like and despite being wrapped by the tail, it waved its arms. It wasn't human like. It was human.

The tail then flicked downwards in my direction shooting the figure down at an immense speed.

BOOOOMM

Rocks and dust flew up into the sky. I raised my arms defensively to cover my eyes from the debris and out of the new crater on the ground climbed out a black haired boy raising his fist and shaking it in indignation at the tiger above.

The boy stood up to his full height. He was at least a full head taller than me. His eyes were a dull grey. But the truly startling feature on the boy was the multitude of scars on his body. Whatever he had gone through, it probably was quite painful and deep enough to leave that many prominent scars.

But something about the boy felt off. Something inside me was reacting to the presence of this boy. He felt familiar. 

Did I meet him somewhere before?

And as I thought about it, I felt two trails of warm liquid drip down my face. I was crying? But why?

"You are crying?" The boy asked startled.

I didn't reply as I kept looking at the boy, trying to recognize him.

"Well well well. Crybaby Gen still remains." He said, a wide smile appearing on his face.

Crybaby Gen.

That nickname, it had been ages since I had heard it.

Everything clicked into place. I remembered this boy.

"Stryke?" I asked sobbing.

The boy's smile widened, "Yeah? Miss me?"

I scampered to my feet. Pain and exhaustion be damned. And I rushed to Stryke and I gave him the tightest hug I could muster.

"I missed you so much." I spoke, fully crying now. "I missed everyone so much. I tried calling but no one picked up. I thought I would never see you again." My words came out interrupted by the breaths I took as I cried.

"I missed you too Gen. I missed you too."

I stayed like that for an indefinite amount of time. Stryke held me with a tight grip not saying anything.

Eventually, I stopped crying and pulled away from the hug.

Sniveling, I asked, "Where are the others? Take me to them. I haven't seen them in so long. The babies would have grown up so big now."

But Stryke didn't reply. I looked at him in expectation. His head was down and I saw tear fall from them onto the ground.

My heart dropped.

"What happened Stryke? Where is everyone?" He was probably separated from them.

"They are gone Gen. Everyone." He said, voice shaking.

"Where did the go?" I asked. I mean they probably got separated.

"No Gen. They all died. I'm the only one alive. Everyone died. Our family. The town. Everyone." He said, struggling to push the words out.

A lump formed in my throat, tears threatening to rush out again, "How?"

And then he told me everything that had happened from the point I had left to his current state.

The whole time I believed I had gone through the worst experience but I was instantly proved wrong. Stryke had gone through a worse one.

He looked at me as if to find some hate toward him. Something he could use to hurt himself further but I couldn't bring myself to hate him. Because I was just like him. We both were the only family the other had.

But that didn't mean I couldn't grieve. I missed my family. And I didn't expect the last time I spoke to all of them was when I said goodbye. I spoke to Mama, Stryke and James but not everyone. I loved them all and my chest hurt as I thought about them. It hurt more as I thought about Stryke who had been living with the guilt of not being able to keep everyone safe.

He had told me about his Waking as well. Something with that much power and still he failed. I could see how much he blamed himself as he spoke.

I rubbed his back, "It'll be fine brother. We will avenge their deaths. Don't worry."

"Yes. Yes we will." Stryke spoke through gritted teeth.

I looked down at my pendant. The logo that had symbolized freedom, respect and a high position turned out to be the organization which had killed Mama. Clutching the pendant, I vowed. I vowed to destroy all my enemies. 

I looked at Stryke, who dropped his head again.

Our enemies.

I will kill them all.

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Well that's it folks. First volume done. Now I'll be on a two week break to stock up as well as plan chapters. If everything is as expected, the next volume should be twice the size of this one. And the final one being a smaller one tying everything up neatly.

Now, I have decided on the League fanfic as my side quest. And the plot I am going with is from the perspective of Annie's father. He had left to find his other daughter who had gone missing in the rapids and returned to find his house burning, wife dead and Annie missing (Originally he dies along with his wife in the fire) . Now alongside one child, he will roam throughout Valoran to find his daughter.

Finally, thanks for reading all this while. I know this is not the best written story, so you sticking with me for this long is something I appreciate. Thanks again and as always hope you enjoy the chapter.

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