Um... whoops? Sorry? Lo siento? Two years ago I published a story called Creation with the full intention of seeing it through to the end. Well, look how well that worked. Well I'm back with a vengeance. So I was pretty unhappy with a lot of my work, and while I may not take it down, disregard a lot of it. I'm reworking this whole Heroes of Creation world so there's going to be a lot of different stuff. Most characters will stay the same, but a lot of things that I planned on will change. I think part of the problem was that I was just really excited to contribute and I didn't think things through. I'm thinking now (mostly), and my big plans are no less big, just practical. Another thing was that I only wrote when I was hit with the sudden urge to Drawn to Life. I'm proud to announce that this story now has an update time! Every Thursday, or Friday, or Saturday if I don't have time during the week. Hey, I'm not perfect, just doing my best. On the profile it says this story is part of a series. This will be the longest one, covering a brief journey through Autumn's less than perfect childhood, and the first Drawn to Life DS game. The second book is just a short retelling of The Next Chapter, the third book and fourth book must remain secret for the time being. No, I know what's going to happen. Don't doubt me. Anyways, the whole multiversial thing takes a step back in here, but be warned. This is't your average Drawn to Life story, and it's as scatterbrained as my first attempt. Enjoy.
Once upon a time is no way to start this story. Once upon a time implies that there will be a happy ending. After all, most fairy tales that start with once upon a time usually have a happily ever after. This isn't a fairy tale, and I can promise you that it won't end well. Most things never do. So instead I'll just say a long time ago.
A long time ago there were two gods.
A long time ago everyone was happy. And then it all went wrong. These two gods were brothers, but unlike most siblings they never fought. One loved to create things, and the other loved to watch his brother work. He found it fascinating that someone could have such interest in something. At the time this brother hadn't found his calling. The two stood together through everything. All they needed were each other. Then the Creation happened. What was the first creation? Some say it was the planets, others say the sun. I know better. It was the stars. He painted them across the sky. Then the sun, and then the planets. Then he gave life to his most important creations. The Raposa took to calling him the Creator. The Creator loved what he had made and treated the Raposa kindly. His brother grew jealous, as most do. Nothing good lasts forever. The still nameless brother took the form of a sea serpent and terrorized villages, knowing that his brother would not harm him. He became the Destroyer, the dark stain against the Creator's light. It was with a heavy heart that the Creator threatened his brother. If the Destroyer didn't stop what he was doing, he would be killed. The Destroyer responded with a challenge, and so the two gods faced each other on the field of battle. It was a long war with many losses. In the end the Creator was victorious, and he killed his brother without remorse. Thus the world lost its balance, and the Creator was forced to step into shoes he knew he wouldn't be able to fill. He needed help, support even. That was when he decided to take a bride. None of the minor gods he had created were willing to leave their lives behind, so he turned his sights elsewhere. He found a woman from an insignificant species, the human race. While watching this woman he fell in love with the free will of humans. He liked their spirit and inability to listen to the voice of reason. He left his own world and found the woman- named Angela, wooing her with red roses he made himself. She must have seen something in him, because eventually she accepted his love. He whisked her away to his world and made her a goddess. She became the Gardener, the one in charge of maintaining the realm of Creation. She and the Creator lived nine months of bliss, and then reality came knocking. The Gardener wanted to name him Hiro, and the Creator wanted to name him Drew. They both had plans for this child, but only one plan came into being. The first Hero of Creation had been born. Years later the Gardener bore twin girls. I've been told that the Creator made those girls a promise, as he did their older brother. Legends say that he told them, "From me you inherit the power to rule worlds, but from your mother you inherit the strength to do what is right. I will always be there to help guide you." I'm here to debunk that myth as bull. What the Creator really did was take one look at his precious twins, swear a little too loudly, and pass out. Fatherhood was not kind to the Creator. Now, you may be asking yourself, who is this strange person and why does she keep going on about fairy tales and happy endings and babies? My name is Autumn. Autumn of Creation. This is basically the story of my life, which doesn't seem all too exciting, but trust me. I guess I'll start with the basics. I have a twin, Summer of Creation. Yeah, I know, creative names right? Summer has always been my closest friend and confidant. She may have been sweet, innocent, and not at all ready for the harshness of this world, but she could listen. My older brother Hiro however… it's not that he couldn't listen to people, it's just that he chose not to. He was the Hero of Creation, Summer was the Musician, and I was the Artist. From a young age our roles were chosen for us. I mean, at least they fit. Hiro loved to be the center of attention, Summer loved to sing and listen to music (though between you and me she's only good at playing the piano when it comes to instruments). I loved art. I was never any good at sculpting or paper mache, but I could draw and paint. That's where I was similar to the Creator. In all other ways we were different. I guess that's why I didn't get along with my father, we were just too different. Conflicting personalities in a house that you can't really leave don't make for a lot of happy times. Hiro told me I provoke the Creator. I believe my eloquent five year old ass responded with, "You provoke me." Summer usually said the same thing. There was just something about me that the Creator didn't really like. Well that's fine, he was a crappy father anyway. All business and rules and don't put forks in the microwave you're going to blow something up. A kid shouldn't have to grow up with a scheduled nap time at three years old. Three year olds should be able to take naps any time they want. Either way, the Creator made sure we were educated and fed and dressed nicely. He showed love in his own awkward way by making flowers out of thin air or doing other little magic tricks. Summer loved it when he would do that old coin behind the ear thing. I liked it when he would bring his drawings to life. That's actually how we got our first pet. A little goldfish that died within a week. We blamed Hiro for it because we were so scared that we had screwed up. Mom then sat us down and told us that things die, and goldfish don't last long. We felt a little better knowing that we didn't kill Clementine, but Hiro always kept the blame. Even when eating clementines we would give him little looks like, you fish murderer. He eventually started making his own jokes about it. It was a good life, just us three kids and our parents. Unfortunately our mother was young, our father was a timeless god, and they just had to procreate. That was how I ended up with a baby sister with unnerving purple eyes. Mom and Dad called her Reine, the Dancer, and dance she would, but not yet. For now she spent most of her time sleeping, crying, and crapping. I remember the first time I went to get her to stop crying in the middle of the night. I opened the door to her room, "Hey little Reine, what's wrong?" Of course she didn't answer, and I walked over and leaned over her crib, "Kiddo, you have to shut up. Seriously, I'm tired." Reine seemed to scream louder and I rolled my eyes, "Okay smartass, you want to lose your voice? That's fine by me." She seemed to be glaring at me and I grinned down, "Come on. Just go back to sleep, everything'll still be here when you wake up." She hiccupped and I reached down. She grabbed my hand with her pudgey baby one and smiled, a much younger version of my grin. I pulled away quickly, "You're not getting me in a sappy moment thank you very much! Go to sleep Reine." She didn't cry for the rest of the night. After that Mom made me go deal with her when she cried in the middle of the night for no reason. Gee thanks Mom, way to get me ready for parenthood. I was six years old for crying out loud. Six years old, and a god. I guess you could say I really was smarter than a fifth grader. I mean, I was smarter than Hiro so that was something. Speaking of Hiro, he had to have been the best older brother ever. He was perfect target practice, he could braid hair better than even Mom, and he encouraged Summer and I to break the gender stereotypes. He used to tell me, "Autumn, there comes a time in every person's life where they have to decide whether to follow the crowd or go their own way. You take your shovel and you dig your own path through the snow. Just go for it. Be a tiger in a world of trees." To which I would respond, "What did you take from the medicine cabinet this time?" He was the kind of guy you could joke with unconditionally. Summer was his opposite. Where Hiro was all sharp colors and contrasts, Summer was soft pastels. I mentioned how Summer was good at listening, and she really was. She was the kind of person who would take your secrets to the grave for you. It always made me feel better to talk to her. She'd have a small smile and a "what's on your mind" for me every time I opened my mouth to say something. A lot of nights she and I would stay up late reading to each other or sharing gossip we overheard Mom and Dad talking about. She was a bit more wise than Hiro.
"We're like Rapunzel, and this house is our tower." I nodded, "Yeah?"
"Yeah. We can't leave. Only difference is that no one's going to climb up to save us."
"My thoughts exactly."
"Nope, I claim this deep thought."
"I'll fight you for it."
"No, it's mine and it's name is Harold." We were a strange family, but we were happy. Key word there is were. When shit hits the fan, it hits hard and gets everywhere.
I'd beg for reviews but I don't want to sound too needy. So instead I'll leave you all with a simple "don't die." See you all next week for chapter two.