It all began with a car crash. That was the day my parents died, and when I first heard Him. I was standing in their hospital room, between their beds, powerless to save them. I sobbed, they were drifting off. 'Give in Soma. Fall deep into despair!' The voice was deep and gravely, and pushed me further into self-loathing and guilt. "S-soma..." My mother called weakly, causing my dad to stir. I stood there, and cried. "Son... We love you..." My Father coughed. I fell to my knees, I couldn't take it.
"You Are Our Final Hope, Soma. We want you to be happy..."
Those words gave me strength. I couldn't lose hope, I couldn't let them down! With my parents gone, I had been put in foster care and had stayed in an orphanage for a year. I was picked up by a loving family, and had lived there till I graduated. During my days in middle school, word first broke out about the monsters. "Phantoms" they were called, they caused ceaseless destruction. Despite they're power over humans, they were always defeated by...something. No one knew what though. I was a quiet child, but that changed on the day of our graduation...
I stepped out onto stage as they called my name, I shook hands with the principal, and then it went dark. The moon had covered the sun, a total solar eclipse. A massive deep red circle began glowing on the ground under the ceremony, as phantoms surrounded us. Purple cracks began covering people's bodies. A girl screamed as she exploded into a phantom. 'Fall, Haruto. Fall into despair.' I heard the voice again. "No..." The cracks covered my body. "No...!" I was going to finally see my parents.
'You Are Our Final Hope, Soma.'
"Noooo!" I shouted out as a bright light emanated from me. 'So you have managed to push it back? You are strong boy...' The voice chuckled darkly as his voice faded. I yelled out as I shone, I fell to my knees. It was then when he appeared, he struck down a few phantoms. "Arcaniss Drevab!" He yelled out as more phantoms were blasted away. He picked me up and carried me away. As we left the circle, I stopped glowing. The world whizzed by in a blur, and he set me down in what seemed like seconds.
"You were able to hold back your phantom, impressive for a gate." He handed me a strange contraption with a large black hand icon in the center. He also handed me a ring bearing the same icon.
"I gift you this, so that you may fight the phantoms and give people hope." He was gone again, in a flash of white. My vision faded into a swirling pool of darkness...
I woke up in the hospital, the same one my parents were in. 'I really need to move here soon.' I thought to myself. A familiar face walked into check up on me. "Nurse Itoh!" I smiled weakly at her, she had become the closest thing to a family friend I had. She had attempted to save my parents, before they passed. "I'd say it was nice to see you again Soma, but it seems you were in some terrible attack!" She became very worried as she read the hospital report. "You survived a phantom attack?!" She was shocked.
"I...don't really remember much..." I decided not to mention the figure who saved me. It was then I remembered his gift. "My belt!" I frantically began looking for it. Nurse Itoh produced a belt buckle, it was the same black hand icon. "That contraption you had, it turned into this belt buckle when I found you." She handed it to me, and smiled. "I don't know why but I have a feeling you'll be leaving soon, I'll go ahead and check you out." She left the room and closed the door. I stood up, I was in my normal clothes, and the ring was on the counter next to me. I put the ring on and held it over the buckle.
"Driver, On." it morphed into the large contraption again. I put on my waist and a belt shot out. On my left and right side two chain loops formed, the right one had three rings in the chain links. I grabbed the red one, it had more of it's gem showing, and had a sort of visor on it. I flicked it down and put it over the icon. Nothing happened, and that's when I say the switches. I flicked one up and the other down and the hand swapped to the right side. "Shabadoobie toucha Heshin! Shabadoobie toucha Henshin!" The belt chanted, and I placed it on the icon again. "Error." I furrowed my brow and tried again.
"Error."
And again.
"Error."
And again.
"Error."
"What the hell am I missing?!"
'Listen to the belt, Boy.'
"Shut up. You're not real."
I took a deep breath, and flicked the switches again, and listened to the belt's chant. I placed the ring on the icon. "Henshin."
"Flame, Please!" The ring began to glow as I held my hand out to examine it a spell circle appeared in front of me, and began advancing toward me.
"HiiHii, Hii Hii Hii!" the belt sang as the circle covered my body in an intense heat, that tingled it's way up my spine. Memories and images began filling my hand, as I suddenly understood my new found powers. The spell circle dissipated as my body was covered in armor, it hugged to my body, but it filled me with strength and stamina. It was then an explosion rocked the ground floor of the hospital. With out even thinking I jumped from the fifth story room I was in, the glass shattered as I plummeted towards the monster. I flicked the switches twice, and pulled out another ring. "Connect, Please!" Another spell circle appeared as I pulled out a strange looking Blaster. I flicked open a folded hand causing the gun to chant, "Come on Shoot-ing Shake-uh hands! Come on Shoot-ing Shake-uh hands!" I placed my flame ring onto the gun hand, causing it to glow red, heating the air around it.
"Flame Shoot-ing Strike!" The gun rained down blasts of flame on to the monster, getting it's attention and caused it to drop it's guard. I flicked the switches again, and cast another spell. "Chouine! Kick Strike!" I flipped over, kicking forward, my lower leg engulfed in flames. "Saitoooo!" Large red spell circles appeared that shot me towards the monster, as I slammed into, he was shot back dissipating into a large fiery explosion. I stood up and looked to the stunned doctors, nurses, patients, and workers. A nurse ran up to me and fell to her knees. "Thank you! Thank you so much!" She was crying, the ad reline of the situation had probably worn off. I crouched down and gently guided her face up. "It was no problem Miss." I stood tall and addressed the crowd. "None of you need to fear the phantoms anymore. I will fight them, and protect this world." I displayed my henshin ring for all to see. "I swear upon my ring, upon every ounce of magic in my body, that I will defend this world from these monsters, I will bring hope to this world!" The crowd hung onto my words. "When you lose sight of what's important, when you decide life isn't worth it anymore, I will be there. To keep you going, to be your driving force." the woman smiled up at me as her tears fell. "I will be your final hope!" The crowd cheered, as I cast another spell. "Connect, Please!" I reached into the circle and pulled out an intricately designed motor cycle, I set it on the ground and sped off into the distance. As I left, I heard them chanting one word, over and over again. "Wizard."