THE MAPLE TREE
Chapter 1: Pull Down the Shade
Hey guys! I'm back after what seems to be forever and I'm happy to say that I have a new story for you all! This story is a high school AU, but it's still going to have ties to Maple World. Rated T for language and some mature themes. All rights belong to Nexon. Anyways, please review and enjoy!
I awoke very suddenly as an alarm clock blared on a nightstand. I reached over to silence it before lifting myself up and climbing off the bed.
"What... how am I still alive? I remember... the Black Mage... the Maple Alliance went to the Temple of Time to fight him. I... sacrificed myself... to save the other Heroes. But then... if I'm supposed to be dead... where am I?"
I took a look around the room. The walls were ghost-blue, bare, and perfectly pristine. Aside from the large four-post bed and nightstand, the room was completely empty. There was a closet opposite to the bed, its door slightly ajar. Next to it was a mirror, slightly cracked on the edges. I walked toward it and took a good look at myself. I was wearing a simple grey shirt and drawstring pajama shorts. Interestingly, my skin was completely healed of all the scars and bruises I'd accumulated in all my battles. But what shocked me was that I seemed to have shrunk about half a foot.
"I don't think I've been this tall since I was... fourteen?!"
I rushed to the door and ran downstairs to the living room. The house looked extremely expensive - the chandeliers were made of crystal, the appliances were cutting-edge, and the backyard had a - "Oh Rhinne, is that a pool or an ocean?"
I looked at the (diamond-studded) grandfather clock: 8:15 AM. Just then, I heard someone come down the stairs.
"Darling, hurry up! You're going to be late for school." the voice said.
I looked at the source of the voice, and the blood in my body chilled. A tall red-haired woman with golden-flecked eyes towered over me. Her blood-red lips and pointed teeth were formed into a crooked grin, and she was garbed only in black lingerie. My face burned red and I immediately turned away as she gave a wicked laugh.
"I'm afraid your father and I were a bit too loud last night. I hope we didn't disturb your sleep." she said. "After all, today is a very special day indeed!"
"I'm sorry, what?" I croaked, my face still turned away.
"Your first day at Maple High School! Oh, my darling baby is growing up so fast!" she exclaimed. "You're running a bit too late for breakfast, so I'll have the maid pack a bigger lunch for you. You should go and get dressed."
Nodding silently, I quickly made my way upstairs, my mind working furiously.
"That was Hilla. Hilla. The Witch of Azwan. One of the Black Mage's commanders. What in Rhinne's name is she doing here? And where the hell am I?"
From my closet, I quickly threw on a red T-shirt, a pair of black jeans, and high-top sneakers. I went downstairs, where I saw Hilla, who thankfully had the decency to put on a pink bathrobe, sipping a cup of coffee. Seeing me coming down, she smiled.
"Since it's your first day, your father says that he'll be glad to drive you to school today."
"Oh. Um... great!" I said uncomfortably.
I walked to the front door, noticing that she still kept smiling at me. I hurriedly opened the door and walked out to the driveway. A black Jaguar was parked on the sidewalk, its windows tinted so that I couldn't see inside it. Hesitantly, I approached it and opened the door, taking a seat in the back.
"Did you sleep well, son?" the driver asked.
"Um.. f-fine. I guess." I stammered.
"Ah, did your mom and I keep you up last night?" he chuckled.
"N-no. I slept straight through all that."
"Heh heh, we'll try to tone it down next time."
"All right, I guess."
"This is getting me nowhere."
"Hey, listen... dad. At school, y'know how have to fill our those emergency contact forms? Well, I kind of - forgot - what to fill out for those. So could you give me a quick run-through of what to put down for it?"
"School's got you already panicked, huh? Well, I suppose you already know who your old man is - Magnus Nova, founder and owner of Heliseum Motors. And your mom - Hilla Nova - is the best homemaker, wife, and mother in any world!"
"Magnus and Hilla Nova- they're married? And that means - oh Rhinne, am I their son?!"
"Well, here we are! Maple High School: the best school in the state!" Magnus exclaimed. "Now, don't forget your backpack, and give Principal Black my best."
Still dazed, I stumbled out of the car with my stuff and walked towards the school, my mind working furiously.
"Okay, okay, calm down. So somehow when I sacrificed my existance to activate the time seal, I was sent to some alternate reality where I'm the only one who seems to remember life in Maple World. I can't use any of my powers, and this fourteen-year-old body really hinders my hand-to-hand combat skills. But if Hilla and Magnus are here, then I'm sure that the other Heroes must be too. I just hope that someone else has their memori-"
"Hey watch where you're going, freshman!" a girl snapped.
I looked behind me to see a tall, blonde girl standing with her friend. She wore a simple white top and denim skirt, and was staring at me with intense, angry sky-blue eyes.
"Mercedes..."
"These are the latest Gucci mid-heel pumps in metallic silver, and now you've gotten your filthy shoeprints on it!" she angrily exclaimed.
"Oh my god, Merc!" her friend exclaimed. "Those aren't even supposed to hit the shelves until December!"
"Don't you think I know that, Danika?" Mercedes snapped. "This was an early birthday present from Daddy - what am I supposed to tell him now?"
"Wow. Who knew Mercedes could be such a total bitch."
"What did you just say?" Mercedes hissed.
"Oh snap, did I just say that out loud?"
"Danika, I think the freshman here needs to learn his place." Mercedes said.
"Yeah, I totally agree!" Danika exclaimed sycophantically.
Mercedes grabbed me by the front of my shirt and slammed me into the lockers behind me. Pinning me against the lockers, she raised her purse to strike, when suddenly:
"Woah, what's going on over here?" a voice called out.
We turned to see a tall tanned girl walking up to us. Her hair was dyed a snowy silver and worn in a long ponytail. She wore a revealing green top , a skimpy short skirt, and black leather combat boots. Her icy-blue eyes narrowed at the blonde as she shoved past Danika.
"So this is what it's come to, Sylvia? Picking on freshmen?" she asked calmly.
"Shut your mouth, Evergreen. Or I'll clamp it down for you." Mercedes snapped.
"Aw, that's cute." the girl rolled her eyes. "You actually made it sound like you're gonna do it yourself. Instead of getting your jock boyfriend to do everything for you."
"Keep Mihile out of this." Mercedes said.
"Keep me out of what, babe?" another voice called out.
We turned once more to see a large, surfer-body boy walk up to us. He was extremely handsome, with golden hair and sea-blue eyes on his chiseled face. His tank-top revealed his muscular arms and the outline of his well-toned abs were quite prominent as well. Mercedes immediately let go of me and jumped into his arms, giving him a passionate kiss.
"Ew. Mercedes and Mihile? Gross."
"It's nothing, baby." Mercedes said. "Just some stupid freshman. Walk me to class?"
Mihile turned to look at me, and he scowled at me.
"Listen, freshman. You bother my babe again, and I'm gonna pound you. Understand?" he said coldly. "Babe! Let's go."
Mercedes made sure to flip her hair in my face before turning on her heels and walking away with Mihile, with Danika following suit.
"You all right?" the girl asked me.
"Yeah, f-fine." I stammered.
"Don't worry about Mihile." she said to me. "He's on the football team, and my best friend is the captain. I'll make sure he doesn't give you any trouble."
"Thanks." I said, giving her a smile. "I'm Shade."
"Shade Nova? So you must be Magnus Nova's son. My name's Aran. Aran Evergreen. Nice to meet you."
She grabbed my hand and crushed it in what she probably thought was a friendly handshake. I tried to bite back the cry of pain that was coming from my mouth, but I still let out a small squeak. Aran looked fairly amused.
"Sorry 'bout that. I'm pretty strong for my age." she laughed.
"I noticed." I said.
"I remember that you once wrestled a Crimson Balrog to the ground just because Phantom dared you to. That poor Crimson Balrog..."
Just then, a loud bell rang. The students who were still lingering in the hallways started racing to class.
"Woah, is it time already?" Aran asked. "Hey, what's your first class?"
"Um..." I quickly checked my schedule. "I have English with Mr. Tristan."
"Oh, me too! Race you to class!" Aran laughed.
She quickly pushed past me and started sprinting down the hallway. I smiled and shook my head a bit, before running after her.
After English, I had Geometry, History, and Biology class. I saw a few others familiar faces along the way. But something was very wrong. After Mihile, I met Oz, Irena, Hawkeye, and Eckhart, but they all seemed unaware of each other, as if they'd never met at all. I saw a boy walking in the halls, and he looked a bit like Phantom, but I couldn't find Evan or Luminous anywhere.
"It's as if all of Maple World's friendships and relationships were torn apart."
What was more, I met another one of the Black Mage's commanders - or at least his former commander - the Demon. He noticed me, but didn't seem to acknowledge me at all. Or anyone, for that matter. His eyes were sunken and gaunt, as if he hadn't slept in days. And his brother, Damien, wasn't anywhere to be found. I wanted to talk to him, but without more information on what happened to everyone, I decided against it.
"I really need to find someone who remembers their life in Maple World. Or at least someone who can help me figure out what's going on. I wonder if Zero, Rhinne, Alicia - any of the Transcendents - are here. Maybe they could tell me what happened. But more importantly, I need to make sure that I'm not in danger here. I know that I can't use my powers, but if the Black Mage is here as well, this whole world I'm in could be one of his plots. I remember Zero telling me that the Black Mage created a Mirror World to imprison him. Could this be another world that he created to imprison all of us? Or is this something more complicated? Ugh, this is so confusing! I need answers!"
Just then, the bell rang to signal the end of class. My stomach grumbling meant that it had to be lunch time. I walked among the sea of people headed towards the cafeteria.
"Shade! Hey, Shade!" a voice called out.
I looked around to find Aran sitting at a table, waving her hands at me. Grinning, I pushed past the crowd to sit with her. There was another person who sat at the table as well: a scrawny boy with dyed light-blue hair that matched his eyes. He wore a red shirt and worn-out brown cargo shorts.
"Shade, this is my friend - Kyle Helios. Kyle, this is Shade Nova." she said.
"Nice to meet you!" Kyle exclaimed, shaking my hand eagerly.
"Kyle... that name sounds familiar. Wasn't there a Kyle from Pantheon? He said that he was something called a Kaiser."
"Nice to meet you too, Kyle." I said.
"Maybe he knows someone else from Pantheon here. Wasn't he going out with some pink chick with that perverted dragon spirit? Angelic Buster, I think. But what was her name? I think it was Tea. Or Tinsel. Tear! I remember now!"
"Hey, Kyle. Do you know a girl named Tear?" I asked.
"N-no! Why? Do you know her? Did she mention me?" Kyle said, his face reddening.
Aran giggled, "No, you idiot. Didn't I tell you last period? Shade just transferred here. He doesn't know anyone. Much less your cru~ush."
"S-shut up, Aran!" Kyle squeaked. "I don't like Tear. I just think she's really awesome. And she has really nice hair that bobs whenever she walks. And she likes shiny things. And she has a cute little laugh whenever she hears a really funny joke. And her eyes are green like perfectly cut emeralds..."
"Damn, that kid's got it bad."
"Whatever." Aran stuck her tongue out at him. "Anyways, I'm planning on heading to the park afterschool. You guys wanna come?"
"Sorry, my parents are making me go to some fancy restaurant tonight." Kyle said glumly.
"Yeah, I can't come either." I lied. "I have a lot of chores that I need to do before my dad gets home."
"Boo, you guys are no fun." Aran pouted.
Just then, the PA system turned on, and a raspy female voice said: "Attention students. Please make your way to the auditorium immediately. Principal Black has an important back-to-school announcement regarding a major policy change. Thank you."
There was a clatter of noise as the students got up to throw away their lunches and leave for the auditorium. Aran, Kyle, and I silently got up and made our way to the auditorium with the other students. After a few minutes, all the students had been seated and the noise died down. A tall, thin man walked up the stage and stood behind a podium. He wore a pitch-black suit with a blood-red tie and leather gloves. His face was pale and grey, but the most shocking features were his fiery orange eyes.
"The Black Mage..."
"Good afternoon, students. For those of you who don't know, my name is Principal Black. Now, you must all be wondering why I called you all here. I have an important change in school policy which will undoubtedly affect each and every one of you. Some time before the school year began, school administrators received death threats from an unknown person or persons. And so this year, the school will be conducting random and mandatory interrogation of every student and staff member in the school while the local police investigate these threats."
There was immediately an outbreak of muttering among the students. A frown creased on Principal Black's lips.
"Silence! Now, this policy will be rendered effective immediately for the protection of all students and faculty. Starting today, suspicious characters will be called to my office to determine their culpability. In light of this announcement, you are all dismissed early today."
There was a general cheer from the students as they scrambled to leave as quickly as they could. Aran and Kyle walked out the door with me.
"Death threats? I never heard anything about this from the news." Aran said.
"Maybe the police kept the media quiet about it so that people wouldn't panic." Kyle explained.
"Or maybe this is a cover story he made up to hide his real goal. What if he just wants to interrogate us to see if anyone has their old memories?"
"Excuse me." the raspy voice of the PA announcer called. "Shade Nova and Aran Evergreen?"
"Yeah." I said hesitantly.
"Principal Black would like to see you both immediately in his office."
My heart pounded hard in my chest. Apparently, Aran's was too, because her tanned face completely paled.
"Follow me, please."
We followed the secretary into the office, where she led us to the principal's door.
"He's waiting for you inside." she said curtly.
Aran softly opened the door and we both walked inside. Principal Black was sitting on his desk with a tiny smile on his face.
"Ah yes. Take a seat, both of you." he said. "Now, there's no need to panic. I have not called you in regard to the announcement I made earlier. I believe we have a lead in the identity of the person who made the threats. I am going to show you three photographs, and I want you to tell me if you know these people."
He showed us the first one: a middle-aged woman with grey-blonde hair in a white dress.
"Rhinne... so she is in this world."
Aran shook her head, and I did my best to look equally confused.
Principal Black's eyes flickered to me for a second before showing us the second picture: a little girl with flowing golden ringlets of hair, adorned in a green dress with her hands folded in prayer.
"Alicia..."
This time, I was sure that Principal Black was looking at me. Slowly, he took out the last photograph: a tall, menacing figure in a black and gold robe, with glowing orange eyes.
"The Black Mage! So he does want to see if we remember. That's why he called me and Aran. I wonder if he called the other Heroes as well."
"Do any of these people seem familiar? Perhaps a memory? Even a small one may be helpful." he pressed.
"Um..." Aran softly breathed.
"Yes?" Principal Black urged.
"Nothing." Aran said. "It was just... I think I might've seen the last one... in a dream. But that's stupid, right?"
"Damnit, Aran! Why'd you have to say that? Now he's gonna be even more suspicious of you."
"Yes... probably." he sighed. "But if you really don't remember anything substantial, then that will be all."
Aran got up and immediately left the room. I started heading for the door, when suddenly: "Mr. Nova, a word please."
I turned to see Principal Black staring at me with deep intent.
"Bear in mind, as you spend the next four years in this school, that I am a very powerful and intelligent man. Whatever lies you may tell me, however you may attempt to deceive me, I will always know. And some consequences for your actions may very well transcend academic discipline. That is all."
I nodded before leaving as quickly as I could. And as I lay awake in my bed that night, the shades pulled down, I wondered not about how I got to this world, or what the Black Mage's plan was, but about my new life here - and how I hoped that perhaps I wouldn't be forgotten here, that perhaps I could finally be the hero that everyone would remember.