Hello, everybody! Terribly sorry this took so long, won't make excuses. This here is what I consider to be my first full-length 'mainstream' fanfic. Not that my others aren't mainstream... or bad. I just want to make an impact here. Not necessarily a big one, but I want people to know I was here. So I'm gonna be writing more mainstream stuff from here on, for the most part. If you dislike that, my deepest apologies, but I feel like this is something I have to do.

Without further ado, enjoy The Shining Seventh.

The Shining Seventh

Chapter One: Shattered Pedestal

My name is Alken. Well, at least it was Alken. Maybe it still is. For so long they all called me Zenta, and I think it stuck after a while. Technically, I guess Demio still called me Alken, but only sometimes... and he called himself Zavok. Still, between Alken and Zenta, I'll take the former.

Confused? My apologies. I'll back up a little.

Ever heard of the Deadly Six? Well, people say that they were monsters, horrible creatures who tried to leech energy from this world to strengthen themselves from within their prison of Lost Hex. They nearly succeeded, too; only through the efforts of a "Sonic," a "Tails," and an "Eggman," whatever those are, were their plans thwarted. Good thing, too; if the Deadly Six hadn't been stopped, they could have escaped to take their revenge, and I really don't want to think about how they would've done that. (Assuming they could have; as far as I know, none of them possessed the knowledge of how to bridge the gap back to our dimension... except maybe Master Zik.)

But they used to be different. They weren't always monsters; they used to just be ordinary Altheumans.

...I should probably explain that, too.

The Altheumans are creatures from a dimension quite close to this one. Millennia ago, the Altheumans discovered the existence of spirits that lived among them, powerful spirits capable of feats that could only be called magic. The spirits and the Altheumans developed a symbiotic relationship; during the birth of an Altheuman, a spirit would volunteer or be chosen to intertwine themself with the newborn, granting him or her amazing magical power. In return, the Altheuman's body would serve as a vessel for the fragile spirit, protecting it from harm. Once the Altheuman died, the spirit would be released to preside within a new host. With the combined power of the Altheuman technology and the magic of the spirits, a grandiose empire was created, spanning an entire continent.

However, the balance between the spirits and Altheumans is quite delicate. It is a sin of the highest order to try to tamper with it in any way, whether it be removing a spirit from its host, inserting multiple spirits, or anything else of the sort. The punishment for breaking this law is beyond death; transgressors are transformed into monstrous, ageless beings known as Zeti, and banished to a prison in another dimension, specifically this dimension, known as Lost Hex to exist alone for all eternity, slowly going mad from the isolation.

How do I know all of this?

People know of the Deadly Six; Zavok, Zazz, Zomom, Zik, Zeena, and Zor. But there was one more, one who overcame the poison of hatred and was freed of his curse, only to be cast aside by his brethren when he tried to help them do the same.

His name was Alken, and then Zenta, and then Alken once more. This is his story.

This is my story.

The metropolis was busy at this time of the year. People of all shapes, colors, and creeds mingled in a large, morphing crowd, voices intertwining into a senseless jumble of noise. Vendors ran their businesses on the sides of the roads, calling out to people to buy their goods and competing ferociously with the other vendors operating nearby. Pedestrians ducked in and out of buildings as necessary, some looking to purchase something, some trying to get out of the crowd, and still some trying to get out of the sun; it was an unseasonably hot summer.

Unfortunately, not all of the people within the crowd were looking to acquire something. At least, not through legal means. This particular city (Cleybsol, for those wondering) had something of a problem with thieves. Most of them were pretty young, kids with no parents who were looking for a way to survive. They formed into a bunch of independent packs, kind of like an adventuring guild from those fantasy stories I used to read, living and working together to scrap by in a land that rejected them like a virus. The vendors were their prime targets, and I'd heard more than one story about how they'd sometimes poison their food to get back at the people who stole it, something I wholly disapproved of.

I'd stumbled across one of the thieves' hideouts once by accident. It was a really sad sight, the way they were all crammed into such a small, dark space. Didn't exactly smell like a bed of roses, either. Sure, I barely escaped with the clothes on my back, but it gave me a lot of sympathy for the less fortunate. I made sure from then on to give a little food every now and then, whenever I stumbled across one of them.

On the other end of the spectrum, there was me. My dad was a governor for the trading city of Cleybsol, so we were pretty damn well off. I mean, we weren't exactly royalty, but we were only a few rungs down. We lived in a huge house, full of beautiful things like paintings and really old furniture and all that crap. It was usually pretty empty, though. My dad was always out on business, traveling to other city-states within the Altheuman Empire and making sure diplomatic relationships were still in good shape. At least I'm pretty sure that's what he did. I never really understood it all that well, just that he was always out of the house.

The only other person in the house I could really talk to (I used to talk to the servants, but Dad got really angry at me for doing it, and they never really talked back) was Demio, my older brother. I loved Demio with all that I had back then. He wasn't just my older brother, he was my best friend, and my protector. Whenever I was down, he'd always go out of his way to try and cheer me back up with some reassuring words or a funny joke. Demio always tried to protect me from harm, even if it meant a greater punishment for himself. I didn't always understand why he cared so much, so one time I asked him why and he bent down, looked me right in the eye, and said this:

"Alken, do you know why older siblings are born first? It's so they can protect the younger ones that come after them. I came first, so it's my job to protect you. That's all there is to it."

And that was it. As far as he was concerned, that was all that mattered. And I accepted it.

I never imagined that one day, I'd be protecting him...

It started just like any normal day. I awoke to a damn ray of sunlight shining full blast in my eyes, just like everyday before. Pain, by the way, is a great way to get someone to get up and get up fast. Probably a good thing, too; I'd sleep in until dinner if I could hold out that long. With as much effort as humanly possible, I dragged my heavy-as-lead body out of the big, soft, luxurious... no, no! Bad Alken! You're awake! Stay awake!

I staggered, still half-asleep, to the bathroom. Built into the wall were a pair of sinks with a large rectangular mirror on the wall above them, and just outside a door on the other side of the room was the outdoor bath. I trudged over to the sink and turned on the faucet, feeling drops of cold water strike the bowl and bounce back up onto me. I plunged my hands into the stream, cupping a good amount of water in them, and swung them back toward myself, the water splashing into my face and shocking me into a fully awakened state, and I stared into the mirror like I'd done so many times before.

Before I go on, I think it'd be a good idea for me explain here the appearance of an Altheuman. Altheumans possess largely cat-like body structures; tall, slender bodies, paw-like hands and feet, albeit ones with human-like toes and thumbs, long tails that jut out of our lower backs, and long ears not unlike those of a bobcat. We're also covered in coats of short fur, which leads me to another part of our appearances.

When Altheumans are born, their furless bodies are usually a dull gray color, and are quite frankly rather disgusting-looking. However, when a spirit binds itself to an Altheuman, its skin changes color to signify the type of spirit bonded to it, and any fur that it would grow henceforth becomes that color as well. For example, my brother Demio had red fur, as he has a fire spirit bound to him. My spirit is a light spirit, so my fur is a bright snow-white color. Apparently I caused quite a tizzy when I was born; light spirits are exceptionally rare.

Aside from that, the devilishly handsome Altheuman in the mirror possessed no real traits that would differentiate it from any other Altheuman. He was – I was a bit short for my age, and had wide hazel eyes and a mop of cyan hair. If I wasn't the son of one of the more important people in the city, most people wouldn't even give me the time of day. Honestly though, I'd almost prefer that; I've been dressed up and taken to more "important soirees" than I'd care to count, and every single one of them was boring as hell, with people as boring as hell and annoying as hell and uppity as hell... it was pretty much hell.

But I'm really digressing here.

"Morning, Alken," a deep voice yawned, jolting me out of my preening. A smile spreading across my face, I turned to see a most familiar red figure standing in the doorway, looking upon me with tired eyes.

"Hey, Demio! Have a long night?" I chirped back.

Demio yawned again and slung his arm around me in a one-armed embrace. It felt really good, snuggling up against his broad, solid chest, covered in bright crimson fur. "Yeah, work's been piling up lately." Demio was an assistant to my father, and his duties often involved things like filling out paperwork and taking messages for Dad. He always had a pretty heavy workload, but recently it'd gone into overdrive. I was lucky to see him a few times a week, if that.

"I was hoping we'd be able to hang out sometime soon," I looked up into his amethyst eyes, which usually sparkled with a brotherly light but lately were dim from lack of sleep.

Demio groaned. "Actually, there's still a lot I have to do. I'm sorry, Alken." Demio gently stroked my back with his other hand, the way he always used to do when I was younger. "It'd be nice, but time's a luxury I'm running short on."

"Yeah, you've had a lot to do recently," I agreed, pulling back to get some distance between us. "It just... it doesn't seem right."

"Well, we've all got our parts to play," Demio replied forlornly. "This is mine, and it kinda comes first."

I frowned. "Hey, what've you been doing recently? It seems like your work only just started getting so heavy."

Demio blinked, and looking back I think I'd rattled him a little. "That's... nothing you need to concern yourself with, Alken."

"But I'm worried-"

"It's fine, Alken," he replied, voice still gentle but with a slight edge now. It was jarring; I couldn't remember a time when he spoke to me like that. Then he continued, voice soft once more. "Now go get some breakfast. The day's just begun."

It went on like that for about a month. Demio kept coming in early in the morning – sometimes not until the afternoon – and then caught as much sleep as he could until he had to go out again. I wanted more than anything to ask him again what he was doing, but I knew he'd probably get angry with me if I did, so I held my tongue.

Still, it broke my heart. Ever since I was just a kit, Demio had been there by my side. He was like a loving, protective shadow who always kept me at the forefront of his mind, and I loved him for it. I loved getting to see him and have fun with him. In the winter, we'd walk at night through the streets when everyone was inside and just watch the snow coming down, with no one to bother us. In the summer, he'd take me on a trip – swimming in the ocean or hiking up in the mountains. One time we went camping, and I'll thank you not to ask me about that. But we had fun. I had fun with him.

Now he was gone, drifting further and further away. I realized just how much I'd been taking him for granted, how much effort he'd made to make time for me. It made me feel terrible, like I didn't deserve to have him as a brother. Maybe I didn't.

Eventually, against my better judgment, curiosity got the best of me. I decided to follow him, to see just what he was doing every day that kept him away for so long. I tried to assuage my doubts by justifying it to myself; I wasn't going to bother him or ask him not to go – that would be stupid and foolhardy – so it wasn't that bad, right?

I still don't know if it was the right thing to do, but it's too late to change anything.

All I can do now is reminisce...

…

I don't know how I expected it to go, but it started pretty well. When Demio left the house, I slipped out a window and tailed him from afar. I'd been home alone for enough hours to figure out ways to leave the house without the servants or anyone else noticing, so it was far from difficult. Plus, I'd informed the staff that I'd be out the whole day, so that they wouldn't be suspicious when I missed coming home for meals.

For a while, Demio didn't do anything that warranted suspicion. He simply traveled into the city and entered the governmental office that served as his placed of work. His work day, even before he started staying late, was pretty long, and since I had no idea when he'd leave, that only left me one option; sit in front of the exit the whole day and watch for him.

On the positive side, that incident granted me a whole new depth of respect for statues, for all the good that did me.

Around lunchtime, I decided to take a little gamble. The way I saw it, if Demio was actually still working here, it meant he still had his job. If he still had his job, it meant he still stayed the whole work day. Knowing that, I realized that I only had to come down here when he was about to leave for the day, and that my coming down here so early was a colossal waste of time.

I followed up this realization by strolling into a public bathroom and smashing my head into the wall repeatedly.

All right. Figured I'd skip ahead a little, spare you all the agony I had to suffer.

Around seven at night, just after I'd walked out of a satisfactory dinner at a certain overpriced restaurant (you know the one), I returned hastily to my post outside the office when...

A flicker of red crossed my view! Brain leaping into hyperdrive, I whipped my head around, searching frantically for that flicker. Gods, what if I'd just imagined it? What if Demio had already left? What if he hadn't left yet? If I missed him now, there was no way I'd find him again. The whole day would've been wasted! Those long, pointless hours of sitting around and staring at nothing and-

There it was again! Careful not to lose it, I honed in on the precious crimson flicker. As it came into view once more, I could recognize other familiar traits; a tall, muscular frame with long black hair.

It was him. I finally found Demio. Keeping my eyes locked on him, I weaved carefully through the crowds, mirroring every single move that he made.

I thought waiting for Demio was difficult, but staying on top of him was another story altogether. I swear to the gods, he must've gone back and forth across the entire country while I was tailing him. Hell, he probably did it repeatedly! He walked for almost an hour, and the whole time I had to stay in that little "safe zone" in which I was close enough to stay on him, but not close enough so that he'd detect me, and on top of all that, I had to make it looks natural, so that no one watching would suspect anything or do something to interfere.

And of course I couldn't just use light magic to make myself invisible – I'd used magic around Demio enough over the years that he could sense it, even from a fairly long distance. If I used even a small amount, he'd catch on,

Yeah, not something I'm looking forward to doing again.

And yet, the whole thing was just way too suspicious... I mean, more so than it already was. Demio'd always been so upfront about everything he said or did. He wasn't the type to hold anything back, no matter what the subject. What could he have been hiding that no one was allowed to see? It made my skin crawl and my mind race.

After what felt like hours (hours!) of sneaking after Demio and praying to the gods for aid – although I'm pretty sure they don't really approve of things like this – he finally left the city and came to a small cove hidden away in a nearby beach. To my surprise, I actually recognized this cove; Demio and I had found it several years ago. We'd deemed it our "secret place," and every time we came back to this beach we made sure to stop by it again. It was pretty well-hidden, so I always figured no one else would find it. What was he doing here? Was he just clearing his head?

Hiding behind a nearby boulder, I watched with great interest... and that interest quickly turned to shock when I saw the others.

Yes, other Altheumans. Four of them, in purple, yellow, green, and grey fur. They all watched Demio come to them with great annoyance on their faces.

"What the hell TOOK you so long?!" The purple Altheuman shouted. "If they find us, we're DEAD! Don't you GET that?"

"I know the risks we're taking here," Demio snapped back, his face an angry, spiteful mask. I could feel my stomach ache nervously. This was wrong. Demio didn't act like this or talk like that, and he certainly didn't hang out with people like this. He was my brother. I knew him... right?

"Why don't we just get going?" The grey Altheuman added nervously. "We've been cutting it close recently, and I don't know about you people, but I'm getting tired of pressing my luck."

"Oh, be quiet," The green Altheuman rolled her eyes and snipped back. "It'll be fine. We've been doing this for over a month and no one's found us out. I hardly think Demio's little mess-up will ruin anything."

"It's Zavok," Demio seethed. "You know the rules here, Zeena."

"Yeah, yeah. Don't talk about what we do here, don't talk about our home lives, and don't use our real names. I know 'em just fine."

"Then let's begin. Now." With that, Demio joined the other four Altheumans as they stalked further into the cove, leaving me alone in my confusion.

No... 'confusion' wasn't the right word. Gods, was there even a word for this in the first place? What was this feeling? Sure, there was confusion, but that wasn't nearly the only thing I could feel. Fear? There was certainly some there. Sadness? Maybe... maybe a little.

But there was anger, too. Plenty of it. And betrayal. A lot of betrayal. How could Demio lie to his family like this? How could he lie to me? I was his brother... I thought we could trust each other. I didn't even know at the time what he was doing, but the fact that he would lie about it made me burn.

He lied to me. Strike one.

He decided to join up with people like this. Strike two.

And worst of all, whatever they were doing, they were using our cove to do it. Strike three.

Screw the consequences, I was going to follow them, to see what they were up to.

...

Looking back, I think I got a lot angrier than I should have. It was a grave mistake.

I should have calmed down. I should have just left then and there.

Should have, should have, should have...

The apparently-not-so-secret-anymore cove was pretty deep – deep enough that very little outside light could reach the farthest point in. There, it was pretty much pitch-black. That, combined with its out-of-the-way location, meant that a person could hide out in there for a pretty long time and have a very, very good chance of not getting found. As disgusted as I was by whatever Demio and the others were doing, I had to admit that they picked an excellent place to do it. Realistically, the only way they could be outed was if one of them ran their mouth off, or if someone – like me – followed them there.

Making sure to stay a safe distance away from the group, I tailed them further and further into the cove. It quickly became dark, dark enough that it was hard to see, but I'd been in and out of that cove enough times that I didn't need to see my path. My feet knew the way to go, and so I walked on without fear of stumbling or tripping.

Just before reaching the deepest point of the cove, I saw a faint light just around the edge of a corner. As the five Altheumans rounded that corner, I instead hid behind it and peered out discretely.

Carved into the floor was a magical seal, its complex design ominously glowing a bright crimson color. Positioned around the outside edge at semi-regular intervals were four of the Altheumans; the green female, the grey male, a larger yellow male, and Demio. The purple male stood in the center of the seal, within the circle that the others had created. Looking upon the seal, something clicked and I realized with horror what they had created.

It was a conjuring circle. The kind sages used to summon spirits so that they could be bound to infant Altheumans. To create and utilize one without official authorization was among the gravest sins one could commit. I could only think of one reason it was here, and it repulsed me to the core...

"Hey, come ON!" The purple one shouted, breaking me out of my reverie, and I can't quite say I wasn't relieved at that. "Are we gonna DO this soon or WHAT?!"

"I'm with Zazz," chimed in the grey one. "I'd like to get this over with. Less chance of getting caught, y'know."

"All right then," Demio replied. He turned slightly to face the larger yellow Altheuman. "Zomom, I gave you the easy job here. Try not to mess it up this time."

Zomom glared daggers at my brother, but pulled a sheet of paper from his pocket, unfolded it, and after scanning it for about a full minute, started to read it slowly. The resulting syllables were strange and unnatural; it was like the speaker was jamming together syllables that had no place with each other. As a result, the ensuing speech was eerily broken and hard to follow, filled with breaks and hiccups in the strangest places. It didn't even remotely resemble speech, more like letters were being poured onto a table and arranged by a creature with no knowledge whatsoever of spoken language.

And yet, as the words – and I use that term very loosely here – were spoken, the sigil carved into the ground began to glow brighter and brighter. The eyes of all five Altheumans lit up with excitement and anticipation as the incantation slowly carried onward to a climax. When the final words were spoken, the seal erupted in blinding white light, forcing me to avert my eyes for almost a minute before they could readjust. And when I did look back, I could see just what had happened.

And in that moment, which remains crystal clear in my mind even though a century has gone by since then, I could see what my brother had gotten himself into, what all five of these people had done. And it was a sin of the highest order.

In the middle of the seal, swirling around Zazz, was a newly bound spirit.

The purple Altheuman began to cackle excitedly, and as he swung his arms I was caught off-guard by a sudden burst of air. He was channeling a wind spirit, there could be no other explanation. Creating a miniature cyclone at his feet, Zazz lifted himself higher and higher into the air. He threw back his head and laughed maniacally whilst conjuring powerful gales and tornadoes that blew through the cavern, howling as if they possessed their own minds.

"HOO! What a RUSH!" Zazz shrieked ecstatically. "I LOVE this part!" With that he swung both of his arms to the side, creating a colossal sphere of wind that surrounded him completely and buffeted the entire cavern. This was beyond sinful; it was getting downright dangerous! With such power in such unstable hands, people could be-

"ZOMOM, NOW!" Demio roared over the wind. Without hesitation Zomom whipped out the paper and read one quick sentence, and immediately the seal's glow ceased and Zazz fell back to the ground, landing harshly on the stone floor. The conjured wind spirit had been dispelled.

"Damn it, Zavok!" Zazz shouted, eyes bulging. "I was having FUN! Don't RUIN my fun!"

"Your fun-" Demio snapped back coldly. "-could have killed us all. We did not agree to start coming here to endanger each other. We agreed to come here for release from our stressful lives. Calling spirits may provide that release, but that is no excuse for putting everyone else in peril. If you cannot comprehend that, then you may leave."

Zazz just growled and stormed out of the seal.

"Right then," my brother continued. "Whose turn is next?"

But I wasn't there to hear the response. I wasn't there at all. I was running, running as fast as my legs would carry me and praying to the gods to run even faster. I felt sick, genuinely sick, and I needed to leave. I needed to get out and go some place else. I couldn't care less where.

My brother was a traitor. A criminal. Demio had taken one of our society's cardinal laws and dashed it ruthlessly against the earth like a flawed clay pot. And worse? He enjoyed it. I could see it in his eyes, and the way he spoke to the others. Demio truly didn't care if he was breaking laws, he just wanted to keep doing it.

Before my eyes, all of the beautiful memories I had built of my beloved brother had shattered. The countless, precious hours we had spent together playing and laughing were gone forever. All I could see now was that cold look on his face as he spoke to the others. The Demio I thought was real was gone. Only Zavok remained.

I didn't even realize I'd gotten home until I was running up the front steps. Even as I ran through the door and down the halls everything was a blur. Even as I burst headlong into the bathroom and sank to my knees, my view was unfocused. Just as it had always been...

All right then. I'll definitely try to get the next one out faster. Since it's summer vacation, the odds should be in my favor here. See you next time!

Tomorrow's Hero, signing out.