Bleeding both inside and out, he shed tears of pure crimson. Vision blurring, he reached out to his future…or was it to become his dark past? A million questions raced through his cluttered mind, distorted truths creating a new reality.
Damn him. Damn his haunting smile.
Whispering pleas, tears ran down his pale face as he lay on cotton clouds, Heaven above and Hell below him. The reality he lived in now…what was it? Was it all a sham?
"You never were fit to be King…"
"Why?" he choked on his words, willing away the tears sparkling in the eerie moonlight filtering through his windows.
A beautiful woman…the woman he loved and believed loved him back. Her indifference disgusted him. He reached out to her with a shaking, bandaged hand, but the darkness around him swallowed her. What was this? What did the darkness represent? The confusion weighing his heart down?
And again his smile—his evil smile. Damn him.
"Father?"
There was his son standing beside him, a small, black-winged child whose eyes resembled his.
The curse…damn him.
They welcomed the storm forming above them, the darkness slowly slipping away from his sight.
"Father, what happens now?" He looked up to him, big black eyes gushing with tears. "Where is Mama?"
He clenched his fists, looking up at the steel gray clouds. He told him the only thing that came to his mind, "She's not coming. From now on, it's you and me."
"Because you weren't fit to be King…"
The sudden change of son's voice and his eyes…he lost his breath as he backed away. "What?" he shuddered. "No, son. That's not--"
His son wore the same smile, the smile he despised ever so. "You were not worthy."
A shattering of glass, the world around him fell apart and he fell into darkness once again. No one but the demons inside his heart heard his screams.
"Please…," he uttered.
And the one troubling him ever so was there once again when he opened his eyes. They stood face-to-face, but they were worlds apart. His adversary's side was the life he took away from him. She was there, standing by his side.
Damn him and his smile. "You have nothing but darkness now, Artemis."
He loathed that name almost as much as he hated the one he called, "Erebus…"
Artemis' side was nothingness. Erebus was right. He was left with nothing now. Broken, confused, and disgusted he had nothing to lose.
"Do you hate me?" Erebus asked him, mocking him once more with his evil smirk. "Do you have the resolve to kill your own brother?"
Artemis' hands tightened around his weapon.
Malicious mauve eyes widened at the soft, battered face of Artemis. Erebus reached out to him, offering a way to free himself from the nightmare. There was only one path to take.
"Kill me."
Wrapped in blood-soaked bandages, the phoenix trembled with rage. His brother's words failing to reach his chaotic mind, he read his lips perfectly.
"You are afraid, as I thought."
Only one thing ran through his mind that he truly desired. It wasn't his brother life. No, that would be too easy. He wanted that which was unreachable.
His past.
Damn him. Damn Erebus and his smile.
"As long you harbor that fear, you can never touch me…phoenix of the sun…"
"Good morning, Artemis City! This is Scott Bailey with your morning weather! Looks to be sunny today, highs in the upper 80s! A little bit of humidity, but that's--"
Smash!
As if the alarm wasn't frightening enough, Jin Phoebus shot straight up from his bed from the ear-shattering noise. After realizing the culprit, however, his shock quickly dissolved into irritation. "What're you doing, son?" he asked him in a low, growling tone.
Caught with his hands in the cookie jar, Blade Phoebus lifted his boot off the shattered alarm clock, and gave his father a stern look. "You serious? This thing has been going on forever. I can even hear it in my room."
Jin sighed. "Still, was that even--"
"I sleep three freakin' rooms away from this one!" he cut him off. "You, Dad, are a heavy sleeper."
Jin ignored his son's ranting as he scooted out of his bed, grabbing his robe from the nearby coat rack and slipping into his slippers. He swore Blade really knew how to run at the mouth, and he certainly didn't get that endearing quality from Jin. Even while Jin tended to his morning tasks, he continued ranting.
He tuned into his griping as he started brushing his teeth.
"…I don't know. Maybe she can get a life and stop acting like Miss High and fuckin' Mighty around here. If it weren't for us, she would still be hung up on that whole world domination bullshit she was spouting two months ago! Man, I can't stand women like her, ya know? Always bossy, never giving and always expecting something. Shit, someone stick something in that girl's mouth before I stick something she doesn't want in it."
Jin spit and rinsed before turning to Blade as he pat-dried his mouth with a towel. An aggravated expression pasted on his face, he could say only one thing. "Son, if you have a problem with her, how do you expect to get along with any future members?"
Blade regarded him with the same face. "As long as they're not bitches like her, which she is. And why the hell do we need new members anyway?"
Jin tuned his son out again whilst pushing him out of the bathroom door. Slamming it shut, he could still hear him complaining. Even when he turned on the shower to full blast, he could hear him. Telling his son to shut up directly was not in Jin Phoebus' nature. He was soft-spoken—unlike his son, which went with his delicate yet handsome appearance. Slightly muscular but athletic enough to lift more than his body weight, he founded the organization known as the World Heroes three months ago around the Sorcery Seven incident. Since then, they've grown very popular, recruiting hundreds of soldiers every week, though none has shown the potential to join the World Heroes Elite. So far, the Elites only consisted of three members: Blade, Jin, and her.
Gods,her.
Sitting between the two bitter enemies, it was surprising the scorching heat between his son Blade and the beautiful yet spiteful sorceress named Maelstrom didn't affect Jin. Appealing to any man's eyes, the blonde-haired, blue-eyed sorceress was Blade's mortal enemy and she knew it. Personally, she didn't like him either, but Jin wasn't sure why.
A sip of tea later and the sparks began to fly.
"So, who the hell said you could rearrange my personal gym area for your sorcery crap, woman?" Blade fired the opening salvo.
Another sip of tea. Jin needn't worry as he was tucked away in his bunker of obliviousness.
"Well, I have no room in my bedroom, and plus I need to keep my books somewhere," she countered.
"Put them in the library then. I need space in my gym, and your stuff is in the way when I start to get serious."
Another sip.
"I'm not mixing up sorcery spells and history with human literature. Are you crazy?"
"Not as crazy as to what you've done to the lounge. Why do we need wind chimes? We're fucking inside a base fifteen thousand feet in the sky!"
"We do have central air circulating, so why not? Is that a problem?"
And yet another sip. It was good tea.
"Damn right there is. It's annoying. Put them in your own room."
"I already have. This place could use some renovating anyway."
"Not from you it doesn't!"
That shot sparked more than what Blade hoped for, the pupils of Maelstrom's blue eyes grew smaller as she rose from her chair. "Your attitude is really pissing me off, bird boy."
As did Blade. "And your renovations are striking my last nerve,Princess."
"Careful, Blade. I'll have you hacking up piss when I'm done with you."
"And I'll have you in pieces. Try me, bitch."
"You first, bastard."
He placed his cup on the saucer and smiled. "Maelstrom?"
Gasping upon hearing her name from his sweet voice, she quickly returned the grin. "Yes, Jin?"
"Do you mind turning up the TV? I'm interested in the news coming on now."
"Of course." Grabbing the remote from the kitchen counter, she pointed it at the plasma wall television placed on the refrigerator, the volume gradually increasing until the male announcer's voice became audible. She and Blade silently called a ceasefire…at least until Jin finished watching the news.
"And today is an X-treme sports fans' holiday as the EX-Games kick off at Artemis City's Athena Stadium. Local and National professionals from Earth One and Two will gather here in what critics say will be an awe-inspiring display of talent and speed."
Maelstrom couldn't help but shake her head. "Jin, I highly doubt this is worth your time," she commented, laughing a little. "I mean, what do sports have to do with our mission?"
Jin's smile remained, despite the sorceress' doubts. "You will see, Maelstrom. Just listen."
Listen she did as the telecaster approached a trio of teenagers wearing high-tech gear. "And we're just in luck. I have here with me one of the teams that is said will dominate the speed events today. Excuse me, could I have a moment of your time?"
The teens stopped, noticing the cameras watching their every move. A colorful bunch of goggle-headed boys, the obvious ringleader offered the man his time.
"Oh, this is a treat. A resident of Earth One's South Island resident, Olgilvie Maurice, Team Captain of the Blitzkrieg Bomb--"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," the blue-haired boy cut the news reporter off with authority. "Dude, don't use that name. Use the one advertised."
"Oh," the reporter chuckled, loosening his collar. Maurice's emerald green glare wasn't welcoming and neither was the tapping of his red and white-streaked shoes. He corrected himself immediately, "Okay, South Island's own—Maurice Blitzkrieg."
Maurice's thumb-up of approval signaled the reporter to continue with his interview.
"Alright, Mister Blitzkrieg. What're your thoughts on coming here to Artemis City to compete in this star system's greatest extreme sports event?"
"It's an awesome experience. I see it as the chance of a lifetime for a new adventure around popular cities such as this city."
"Yes, I'm sure Artemis City is a definite change of pace from the usual, relaxed beat you and your brothers follow on South Island. Tell me though; did you realize you and your brothers had so many fans?"
Maurice noticed the fan-girls behind the barricades in the background and laughed, "Honestly, no. I'm not used this big of a crowd and a fanbase? Kinda overwhelming, ya know?"
"Hah, well hopefully it doesn't affect your team's concentration in today's race?"
"No of course not."
"That's good; because I'm pretty sure the world wants to know if the rumors are true."
The team captain's smile of confidence said it all. He clenched his fist. "Don't worry. Today, I plan on putting the rumors to rest and showing ya'll what racing is all about."
"And there you have it, folks," the anchorman concluded as Maurice turned back to his brothers air-blading in the bowl, "the team leader of the Blitzkrieg Bombers promising us quite a show here in a couple of hours. Back to you--"
The television screen faded to black and Jin tapped the remote on his chin, his smile growing ever so slyer. "And there you have it. Our newest member of the Elite."
Blade tucked a strand of his long, black hair behind his ear as he passed a glance at Maelstrom before giving his father a stern look. He and Maelstrom both had to ask, because frankly, the whole thing reeked of conspiracy.
"Are you serious?"
A/N:Well, here it is. The prologue of the project I've been working on for the past few months. And some old readers of my fanfics may be wondering themselves, "Are you serious?" Yes, I'm rewriting the story from a different plot, but I hope you can still enjoy it. I will try my best to update daily as well—if not almost daily, and at the most weekly. Anyway, there's more to come. :
Jin: "Why yes. Yes, I am serious."
Disclaimer: Though in an Alternate Universe personality or whatever my twisted mind may come up with, I do not own Sonic the Hedgehog, Yu-gi-oh, Squaresoft, Jak and Daxter, Inuyasha, Bleach characters in any way, shape or form. I will extend the disclaimer as more fandoms come into the story.