Chapter 1-Depart to the Future

He woke up on a warm summer morning. Yawning, he walked out of the cave not noticing the note near the entrance and started his morning routines. He was a 5 foot 6 inch 16 years old with midnight-black hair. His pupils were jet black, his skin a milky white, and he was relatively fit. He gathered the firewood, caught fish in a nearby stream, checked the traps designed for him that he laid out last night, and started cooking breakfast for himself. Afterwards, he checked the traps he laid out for his master. "Speaking of which," he thought, "He isn't here…I guess he went out to scout out an area or destroy a village…" He dismissed his master's absence and continued his task. He was lucky! There was a great elk deer snared in one of them. Of course, it was difficult to take it back to camp, the deer weighed over 500 pounds but his master trained him well. He left the deer in the open and started his morning training. His master has told him to start off with 100 pushups on his right hand, then 100 on his left. Then he would do a run around the mountain which covered a distance of 10 miles. When he completed his run, he noticed the deer was in the same spot and his master was STILL nowhere to be found. "This is strange…he usually leaves a note when he's gone for more than a day…maybe he left one?" he thought. He started his search and found the note he didn't notice in the morning. He opened it and read;

I am leaving for a while on an urgent matter. I will never return to the camp. I'm sorry to leave so suddenly, but I'm sure you'll understand. Besides…I have trained you enough to face the outside world and I am confident you can handle it. Remember…do not get weaker…or I'll kill you myself!

-Acnologia

He thought to himself, "Acnologia…heh heh…don't worry. I WILL survive in this world and get stronger. Besides…I still have to kill you for what you did to me" He reminisced about that day. The day when his whole life changed eleven years ago.

*Flashback eleven years*

Acnologia stood above the village satisfied with his work. The villagers laid everywhere in pit, crushed houses, speared against pillars, trampled, and burned to a crisp. The foolish villagers who tried to fight him were quickly crushed, whipped into buildings, torn in half, or charred to their bones. He had found what he was looking for, a power core brimming with darkness which would amplify his abilities over dark magic. He was about to absorb the essence when, all of a sudden, it channeled to another location. It went under a house, to a small wailing boy. Acnologia quickly uncovered the child and was about to kill him for taking his essence when he noticed something. This "house" was more like a jail cell. It had reinforced steel with a floor resistant to digging. The top was made of a strange material, a steel that when the Black Dragon tried to break, quickly reformed itself. What was even more bizarre was the "metal" was magic resistant. Not even his Death's Roar could destroy the cage. He cursed himself "Hmmm…they must have placed this child here for a reason. A last ditch attempt at protecting it? Damn it…it doesn't matter. NOW I'LL NEVER GET BACK MY ESSENCE!"

He turned to leave when the child within, using the dark essence, destroyed the cage with just a touch. Sensing the immense dark energy behind him, he turned around to see a blast of dark energy that was just as, if not more powerful than his own. The child roared, "YOU KILLED MOM AND DAD! DIE MONSTER!"

He quickly unleashed a volley of dark blasts from his hands which Acnologia easily dodged but the child continued his assault. Acnologia thought "This child…is amazing, he is not afraid of dark magic in fact, he channels it in a fierce manner and unleashes it with skill almost equal to my own. However, while his skills are impressive, they are raw and unrefined. A potential asset to me…I shall train him and hone his skills."

With that, he unleashed a powerful claw attack, knocking out the child. He approached him and picked him up. With his valuable "apprentice" in tow, he flew off to train the boy.

*Five hours later*

The boy groaned. His head pounded and his body drained of all energy. He sat up to see he was in a camp, a plate of hot food in front of him. Realizing how hungry he was, he devoured the food and checked his surroundings. He didn't recognize the area and decided to just eat and wait. After about an hour, he saw the being which attacked his village. It landed and approached him. "I'm out of energy…I can't fight this monster…but I HAVE TO TRY!"

He readied his dark energy but the monster just laughed. "WHAT IS IT YOU MONSTER?!" he shouted at the creature. Surprisingly, the animal replied, "Do not try to hurt me boy. The only reason I have let you live is that you hold something valuable to me. Also, your powers over dark energy intrigue me. I have never seen someone with such mastery over the dark or someone who is unafraid of it. In fact, your powers nearly equal my own. The reason I say nearly is because your skills are raw. However, with my help, you can master your powers and maybe one day kill me thus avenging your fellow villagers. What say you?"

His head was in turmoil. Train under the one who killed your parents, the only ones who ever loved you? He must be joking! But…he knows my powers; he knows what I must do in order to master them… Mom…Dad…I WILL avenge you along with everybody in the village. He looked at Acnologia and stated, "I will join you monster. But know this. If I EVER get the chance to kill you…I'll take it."

Acnologia smirked. "Fair enough. Another reason I chose you is because you have spirit, a necessity to complete my training. However, know this my training is anything but easy. Every day, you'll run the risk of dying. You'll climb mountains and fight beasts with powers that exceed your own. But your skills will grow faster than you could dream of with regular training. Do you still accept?"

The boy just sighed and stated, "Yes monstrosity, I still accept. I swear I'll kill you one day and I can't do that without you."

The dragon replied, "Excellent. Three things though. First, I am not a monster. I am a dragon, a beast with more strength and elegance than you filthy humans. Second, I have a name. It's Acnologia. Third, what is your name?"

The boy replied, "My name is Zack, Zack Aeterna"

*Flash forward to present*

Zack lay in thought for a few more minutes. Then he said to himself, "Well, no more dwelling in the past. It's time to depart for the future. And Acnologia…I will exceed you in strength and mastery over the dark" With that thought, he left the camp, and departed for the first time into the world outside.