AN: Yeah hi there! Welcome to my first attempt at writing. I, uh..hope you like it and, um…*nervous*….so yeah XD
I plan on making this a longer story, cuz frankly I like long stories with plots and developments and stuff. This is going to be an AU with many, many characters, though I'm not too sure on any pairings yet.
Pandora.
A strange world full of strange things and even stranger people. A wonderful place where fantastic things can happen and adventure lurks behind every corner.
At the heart of Pandora lies Latowidge Institute, a school created to train young men and women to protect Pandora from the demons of Abyss. These demons rip through their dimension in order to feast on the flesh of Pandorians. This has been going on for a millennium.
One thousand years ago, the gateway from Abyss to Pandora was opened by a traitorous man, allowing the demons called chains to cross over and wreck havoc. A group of four warriors joined together to stop the chains and seal the way to Abyss. In order to seal the way and prevent it from being opened again, a young hero was forced to kill the traitor, his best friend. His minions, the red reapers, were to be thrown into the Abyss so they could never revive their master and open the way again. However, the plan wasn't fully successful, and a few of the Baskervilles escaped. To this day the Baskervilles search for their master, leaving chaos in their wake.
-present day-
"I'm leaving!" shouted an energetic young boy. Running down the stair case and through the foyer, he quickly dashed into the kitchen to grab some toast.
"Onii-chan! You should eat more than just toast for breakfast!" a sweet looking, young blonde girl scolded while pouring a bag of cat food into a few bowls on the floor. As if on cue, a mob of little fuzz balls attacked the bowls of food.
"Sorry, Ada, but I'm in a hurry. Oscar oji-sa-…erm, I mean Vessalius-sama asked me to meet him. He said it was important." The blond boy kissed his sister on the forehead and continued on his way out. He walked quickly back to the foyer, grabbed his coat off the rack, and slipped his shoes on. Swiftly buttoning the coat, he hummed a cheery tune. Then he was out the door, leaving his sister in the doorway waving goodbye.
"Oh! And can you feed Gilbert for me? I might be home late. ~" Oz called back quickly, hand to the side of his mouth in hopes she would hear him better.
"Alright. Have a good day onii-chan! Try not to get into too much trouble!" Ada yelled out the door after her brother, ignoring the cats rubbing against her legs.
Oz jogged quickly down the path to the street, picking a bright red rose on his way. He sniffed the flower gingerly and smiled one of his brilliant smiles. Today just felt like a great day.
The walk went by quickly and soon he arrived at his destination. He skipped up the stairs giddily. 'My fifteenth birthday is in a week. Ah Latowidge, soon I'll be of age and can wander out on my own to seek adventure.' Oz laughed as he continued skipping along, the bubbly, excited feeling in his stomach increasing the more and more he thought about it.
He headed down the winding hallways, straight towards the main office. As he entered the room, closing the door with a soft click, he spotted his favorite secretary. Miss Kate always looked after him like he was one of her own.
"Ah Oz-kun. You're late," she said in a dry, scolding tone. She looked up in acknowledgement then went back to her papers.
"Hahaha~ Sorry Miss Kate. Ada held me up a little this morning." the blond chuckled. He reached into his bag and tenderly pulled out the red rose he plucked that morning.
"A beautiful rose for a beautiful young woman," Oz said smoothly, brilliant smile lighting up the room.
"Save it for the girls your age," she responding, not once looking up from her work. "Vessalius-sama is waiting for you in his office."
The blond sighed dejectedly and placed the flower down on the side of her paperwork. "So cold, but I like it when you play hard to get" he said with a wink.
"NOW, Oz-kun, and be quick about it. You already know the way."
"Yeah. Bye Miss Kate!~" the young boy laughed as he dashed off to meet his uncle.
"AND NO RUNNING IN THE HALLWAYS!"
He continued laughing but slowed down. He was just so excited, the butterflies in his stomach taking off once more. Walking down the long hallway, tacky blue carpet disappearing under his feet, Oz quickly arrived at his uncle's office. The energetic boy rapt twice on the door and let himself in.
"Oscar oji-san? It's me, Oz. Sorry I'm late, I…." the blond trailed off. The spacious office was empty and almost completely dark, except for the few rays off sunlight barely breaching the edges of the blinds and a small bowl of water, glowing a soft blue on the desk. He slowly approached the water, curiosity getting the best of him. When he reached the desk he leaned over the bowl, and as he did it glowed stronger. It was so bright Oz had to shield his eyes for a moment until it died down to a soft glow again. As the young boy uncovered his eyes he felt a presence behind him. Turning, he was greeted by the sight of a large demon in a black cloak. Sharp teeth jutting out from its mouth, eyes blood red, the demon loomed over Oz, menacing aura seeming to ooze from its every pore.
"There you are, Oscar oji-san. It's rude to keep guests waiting," the blond boy teased, wagging his finger and shattering the previously menacing aura. The "demon" in the black cloak sulked in disappointment. It removed the very realistic mask to reveal a large blond haired man with glasses.
"Damn, and I thought that one would scare you for sure!" Oscar whined.
"Ha-ha! Are you kidding? Your silly pranks never scare me," Oz boasted. "Gil is always the one scared out of his mind." He laughed, remembering his uncle's past attempts to scare him and poor little Gil's panic.
"Yes, and speaking of which, where is that adorable little chicken? You usually bring him with you."
"Oh, he fell yesterday and got a little banged up. I figured it would be better to leave him at home to rest than risk him getting hurt worse." Oz explained a little gloomily. Gilbert and him were practically attached, and he always felt a little lonelier without his companion. "OH! So what did you want to talk to me about?" the young boy asked, though having an idea of what already.
"Ah yes. I'm sure you already know what it's about, you clever little brat." He said, ruffling his nephew's blond locks affectionately. "In one week you'll be fifteen. On that day, you will attend the Coming-of-Age ceremony and after be sent off to master your skills and learn the ways of the world." He said in an obviously rehearsed tone. 'And God help whatever poor town Oz is unleashed upon' the man thought wryly.
"Ahh~ I cant wait to get out of this town! I've been dying to explore Pandora, have an adventure, fight some monsters, and rescue fair maidens!" Oz gushed, lost in his fantasies.
WHACK!
"Ooouch. What was that for!" the young boy pouted and rubbed the growing lump on his head, violently ripped from his daydreams.
The man chuckled. "Just knocking a little sense back into you. You know, it isn't supposed to be all fun and games. You need to practice with your powers and gain experience, so you can protect the people of this land from rampaging chains and-"
"-and stop the Red Reapers from finding and resurrecting their master and tearing open the way to Abyss once more. Yeah, yeah. I remember Oji-san." Oz rehearsed in a bored tone, effectively cutting off the older man. " That doesn't mean I can't enjoy myself along the way," he claimed with a big smile, practically glowing.
"Yes, yes. You should enjoy yourself. Just don't slack off too much." He ruffled the blonde's hair once more. "OH! Look at the time. You better hurry off to class. You have the next week to pack and prepare for your journey. Don't wait until the last minute."
" I know. I'm not a child anymore, Oscar oji-san."
" Make sure you spend time with Ada before you go." he continued.
"Yes, I know I know," the boy sighed.
"-and make sure you pack enough clean underwear" he added with a big grin on his face.
"OSCAR OJI-SAN!" Oz yelled, exasperated. He dashed out the door before his uncle could continue his lecture.
"And take Gil with you! I don't need to have to baby-sit that depressed thing while you're gone!" Oscar yelled good-naturedly at Oz's retreating figure. When the boy turned the corner, Oscar's huge grin quickly fell.
"I pray you can handle what's coming next."
-That Evening-
" Ada! I'm home!" called a cheerful voice. Oz stepped through the door and removed his shoes. He slung his bag off his shoulders and hung it up on the rack by the door along with his coat. Suddenly a weight latched onto his back.
"Onii-chan you're back! Welcome home. I missed you. How was your day? Dinner's almost ready. We're having grilled pork chops with mashed potatoes, corn, and apple sauce," the little girl babbled excitedly. Ada was only ten, but she was already cooking, cleaning, and taking care of her big brother. The two siblings basically lived on their own. Their mother had died long ago and their father had walked out on them when they were young. Now they lived with their Uncle Oscar, but he was working or away on business often. He left early and usually came home after dinner was over. That left the siblings to take care of themselves. Oz was very busy with his studies, so Ada took care of the house and their stomachs. She couldn't make anything too fancy, but what she could make usually came out pretty good.
Suddenly, there was a loud commotion coming from a room upstairs. The two looked at each other for a brief moment, emerald connecting with emerald. Then they bolted upstairs, Oz in front. He wretched open the door and was met with quite a sight. After a short moment to process what was happening, he started laughing.
Hanging from the ceiling lamp in the middle of the room was Gilbert, panicking and making all kinds of funny noises. Below him, sitting on a high oak table, were three of Ada's cats. Each one was meowing, eyes intently following their prey. The black one crouched down, rolling its tiny shoulders slightly, then….POUNCED! Gil cried out in fear, his terror swinging the lamp from side to side, but the little hunter missed its target. Oz let out another laugh, but finally took pity on poor little Gil.
"Alright, alright, you silly little creature. Calm down and I'll get you down from there. Ada can you take your cats downstairs please." Oz said, trying to quell his giggles.
He stepped towards the center of the room, Ada following behind him. She shooed the three mischievous kittens out of the room as Oz reached upwards. He tenderly cupped the soft, fluffy mass of black and lowered his hands. The boy sat down in a nearby chair and gently laid the fragile, still slightly terrified, puff ball down on the table.
"It's alright, Gil. The cats are gone. You can relax, you little scaredy-bird," the blond laughed lightly as he smoothed down the baby raven's feathers. Gil flapped indignantly, then turned his little body away from his master and curled in on himself.
"Aww~ Don't be like that Gil. I'm sorry for laughing, but…you know, you're so cute when you're scared." Oz said, head leaning against his hand. The small raven chick puffed up angrily, and turned farther away from the blond, embarrassed. Oz stared at Gil for a moment before reaching forward.
"Let's check how that wing is doing. You were supposed to avoid flying for a few days to rest it." He tenderly scooted the injured bird closer and gently extended its wing. He was no bird expert, but the wing didn't look any worse for wear. The little raven looked up at him for a moment before flapping his wing softly to free it. He then hopped onto his masters hand and cooed.
" Haha~ You never could stay mad at me for long. Such a sweet, loving pet." the young boy praised, petting the bird's fluffy head and standing up. He walked over to the gilded birdcage hanging next to his bed and slipped the raven chick inside.
"Now you stay here, and for goodness sake, stop trying to fly around. I'll be back right after dinner." Oz slipped a small treat inside and closed the door on the cage. He made his way out the door and down the stairs back into the foyer. Taking a right, he sat down at the dinning room table, ready to enjoy the delicious meal his darling sister made that evening.
So yeah, there's chapter one I guess. Reviews and comments would be loved. If anyone can give me advice or constructive criticism I'd really appreciate it. I want to get better D'=
For anyone that liked it, I hope Gil being a bird messed with your mind a little =P