Disclaimer: I don't own this story. It is originally from a roleplay created by the west winds.
This paragraph below is just a reference to the original plot and characters I have in mind.
Therefore, it isn't plagiarism of any sort if I stated that it wasn't mine.
However, the rest of the remaining chapters are created, edited, by my hand.
The year is 2040.
In the world that we live in now, there really isn't much that surprises the general public these days. Our technology so advanced that the human element is hardly necessary and the desire for an individual to push his or her intelligence past the breaking point for self-achievement has dwindled. Inventors are simply building upon previous enlightened minds' design. We have created machines that can perform amazing feats of super-strength at the push of a button and computers that do all of our thinking for us. However, with this technology comes a grave price not noticed by most people. Pollution caused by our very own innovative technology has endangered the delicate balance that is our ecosystem. Our water, the air we breathe, and even the animals and trees have become infected with this dangerous enemy that is of our children, the ones who were born at the beginning of this scientific revolution, became mutated because of this, their DNA strands ripped apart and put back together, all jumbled up and misaligned.
This caused amazing abilities to suddenly emerge. Newborn children were able to spontaneously combust, communicate with animals, lift things weighing hundreds of thousands of pounds. Those without these special talents became horribly frightened. What if one of these monsters were to suddenly decide to steal money from a bank? No one would be able to stop them. Or an even scarier thought, what if their own children turned out this way? Ignorance ran rampant through the public, and most of these freaks of nature were exiled, never to return to the places they once cherished as their homes.
A man, one who had powerful geokinetic abilities, decided that enough was enough, and a century ago founded Mythica Boarding School, which was meant to be a safe haven for young mutants in need. The school acted as a barrier to not only keep undesirables out, but to keep the powerful and still-developing mutants contained. Most of the children quickly adapted to their new lives at Mythica and once news of it spread along the mutant underground, children of all ages swarmed to the school. Those without abilities did nothing to stop them, nor did they search for the school. Their fear kept them from ever becoming involved.
A group of radical mutants soon formed, naming themselves The Dusk.They not only hated themselves for having these freakish powers, but hated those who wished to nurture them. Shortly after the school first opened, they disguised themselves as eager students and infiltrated the building, attempting to bring it to its knees. The old leader and most prominent member of The Dusk had come up with a nefarious plot to take down the school. Fortunately, their plans had quickly been foiled by a group of guardian students chosen specially by the headmaster, aptly named The Dawn. They acted in opposition to The Dusk, and had successfully protected the school from anarchy.
A new wave of rogue Dusk members, their efforts funded by a private source, have a brand new scheme to take down the school. They've learned from their past errors and will stop at nothing to annihilate the current headmaster and discontinue Mythica Boarding School's efforts to provide a safe haven for mutants. The new members of The Dawn must now step up against an even greater threat, and with all of their newly-developed abilities, the battle will quickly become bloody.
Aaron never knew his father. As far as he knew, he never had one in the first place. At least, that is how it seems. Because he couldn't remember any dad being around since childhood, or even when he was born. Aaron just knew that all of a sudden he just up and went off by his own. His mother, Calia Knight, however, believed that someday his father will finally come back home to preserve the family once again. But now and again, there became fewer mentions of him, and seldom do they talk about him. He believed that she even lost hope. Calia loved him. He was perfect; he was successful in every way. A shadow of doubt started to form, questions nobody could answer for him. Was he really perfect? Was it for mother? Or was it for him...?
Pressing matters had started to form on their own. It all began when his so called classmates were playing soccer outside. The boy, never using much of his time to associate much with the outdoors, had never experienced such a simple game. He would always be having a nap under the huge tree during lunch break, remaining in the wide open shade. Besides, he preferred solitude with him alone. Aaron would've preferred to go back and revert to closing his eyes and drift into a dreamless daydream. In which was to be peaceful and undisturbed by noisy children. The constant shouts and laughter was enough to shatter his restless state and break his concentration to remain deeply focused by his own thoughts. He wanted to be able to sleep. To sleep without any distractions.
"Look out!" a voice called out. What was...? A sudden flicker of eyelashes... before lifting them wide open. A ball in mid air was about a meter away from his face and was about to collide. Aaron raised his arms, fingers sprang out in defense. It was not long before the soccer ball made contact with the palm of his hands. Through his slender fingertips, a faint glow emanated and surrounded the round object. Then it turned gray and it slowly descended towards the ground with a sudden crack! Immediately, the ball eventually turned to dust that spread out across his feet. Aaron's eyes widened in surprise, as the rest of the kids stared back at him in shock. He looked up at them, and saw that their faces turned frightened. Eventually they all ran away. Aaron didn't even bother to run after them, didn't at least apologize for ruining their own ball. Heck, they probably didn't care anyway. He was dumbfounded. Somehow, Aaron knew that it must be more than some magic trick. Somehow, he didn't want to believe what had just happened.
His powers were abnormal, unusual and... horrific. They were enough to make anyone fear him greatly. Enough for anyone to not hang around him, or even be near him for that matter. A great deal of people were aware of the monster living in this town. Aaron didn't care about those... those indifferent people, or think better about interaction with them. It wasn't worth his time. Or so he made himself believe. He knew that even his mere existence was a nightmare. No one wants to be around someone like him. It already became obvious. Too obvious for them to continue maintaining their act. Lies mixed in with reality that nobody would ever accept him and those freakish powers he possessed. Those truths buried inside of his heart, forcing him to carry such a heavy weight. The nonexistent pain that insists on living inside him. The anger and hatred he had for people... he could never forget it, even as boys began throwing rocks at him, in fear, as he happened to approach them. Aaron chose to ignore it, but couldn't stifle a glare among their way. Everyday, he couldn't get a huge grip on reality... why it was that he had this ability to turn things into stone.
While he was returning from school one day, he stumbled upon a boy his age. Projecting his power upon those rejects who dare contradict those who they think weak. A mixture of lightning flashes and a mysterious blue aura... he just watched from a distance, a little bit amazed.
The victims turned tail immediately, scrambling away in fright. The boy slowly turned his head around, his almond eyes catching sight of him. But by that time, Aaron was already turning his back away. After all, he couldn't care less if he had powers too... none of that mattered to him. It would be better not to be involved with such burdens that he too carried. Besides, he surely did not want anyone to have the wrong idea of thinking that he would be part of such a worthless thing called friendship. Nevertheless, he chose to consider there being such a thing between humans. But with him, it simply never existed in his world. He just didn't like to think there was this "friendship".
Aaron stood motionless in front of the plain old house that he and his mother lived in. The hair tucked beneath his brow gave way by the wind, flying in all directions. His gaze never lifted to the place he always called home. And now... he was home at last. Where his mother resided. She was always busy either doing the dishes, doing laundry, or occupying herself with work. Her refreshing smile never seems to fade, even when undergoing lots of pressure. When Aaron offered help, obviously worried about her, Calia would assure him that she was fine, flashing him with one of those smiles, and was already off and about.
"If you keep on working your self like this... chances are you'll break down into a fever! And... its just not good for your health. Please let me handle the chores..."
Calia smiled, and she shook her head gently. "I'm absolutely fine... so... you don't have to worry about me...!" she answered softly, lowering her back a few inches as she bent down to the same height as he was and ran a hand through the few strands of hair popping in front of his forehead. Aaron just watched, bewildered. She was close enough for him to smell the faint aroma of her shampoo. It smelled of strawberries mixed in with coconuts, yet it was a bit quaint. To this day, he would always be able to remember this scent, forever being imprinted in his memories.
It was long ago, very long time now. For some reason, there wasn't any way it could cease off his memory. He could never forget her, regardless of how he wanted to. To leave everything, every single thing about his past behind. Even now, he could never forgive himself for leaving someone as important as her. Thinking back then , Aaron regretted it. He wanted to break off the huge gap between them, how she seemed so far away for him to even reach.
The boy slowly made his way to the door, inhaling the stiff air around him. As he now stood a few inches away from it, he placed a firm hand on the knob and twisted it ever so slightly. Sure enough, it opened, allowing him to enter through the house. The wind ruffled behind him, making contact with his back. "I'm home!" he announced. A woman with long black hair turned away from ironing the piece of clothing spread out before her for a moment to register the appearance of her very son. Her lips curled into a smile. "Welcome home! Why don't you come in and make yourself comfortable...?" she responded in a rather shrill voice, once again returning to her ironing. Aaron closed the door behind him, and tucked his feet out of his finely polished shoes. "Yes... mother..."
There wasn't anything wrong. Nothing whatsoever that might've had him in a bad mood. After two days passed, it happened like some sort of unexpected collision. It hit him off course, and drove him in an annoyed state. He just couldn't believe he was completely caught off guard.
It started out as a normal day... a completely normal day that wasn't worth describing.The discovery of his new ability to conjure strong earth magic wasn't even within interest. At least, it didn't have much impact on him. Aaron put one foot in front of another, and all of a sudden stopped. His senses were somehow telling him that things weren't quite right, that he would instantly leap into danger if he even took another step. Aaron's lips deepened into a frown before his eyes locked towards the 70 inches hole. He sighed. It was a good thing that he was watching where he was going or otherwise he might've slipped and who knows what else might've followed after that? It was a pretty steep hole, and whoever builded it, was certainly responsible. Construction was still in progress, but they clearly didn't put anything on it to replace the ground. Aaron let out a deep sigh. 'It just couldn't be helped then...' he thought after he was pretty sure that no one was around, and stooped low, taking care to be a few inches further off from the hole. There, he lowered his hands gently, and released what little energy was required.
A new patch of earth began to cover the ground at swift speed. He was about to pull himself up from his kneeling position when all of a sudden, he heard some sort of soft rustling sound. Whoever it was seemed to be trying so hard to contain himself in order not to obtain attention of any sort. It seemed like it to him. Aaron was shocked. A number of questions popped into his head. How long did that someone was watching? How much did they exactly saw? He was panicking; he just didn't know what to do at the time. Having someone see him was one of the worst things that could happen to him.
"Um..." a nervous voice started right behind him. Wide eyed, Aaron stood and whirled around, bringing his body to an upright motion. He was so fast that whoever it was flinched and shrank back a little. His eyes narrowed to slits after recognizing the slightly round face and thick strands of brown hair that could only belong to that boy he caught sight of on his way home one day. He was frightened by the looks of it, his tiny fingers tightening against the edges of the bush he was previously hiding in, his face peeking out. Aaron could tell that he was shaking halfway to his shoulder down to his knees. He gave out a snort, one of annoyance. Apparently, it made him shake even harder. 'Tch! How pathetic...' he thought, his attention focused on him. 'Just how long is he going to stand there and stare at me?'
"You were following me... weren't you?" His voice was stern as he came to that conclusion. The boy now looked confused when he pointed an accusing finger at him. Then he waved his hands in a disagreeing fashion, to deny his beliefs that he was the one following him. "N-N-No! I.. I.. it... it was an accident! A.. an accident I tell you! I..!" he stammered through his words, nervous and already out of breath. Aaron only gave out a sharp "hmmpth!". "You stalker." he said with a straight face and turned to leave. His eyes shut, the utter blackness devouring his sight, while a soft breeze gently floated past his face. He was walking at an overly fast pace, taking a few collected strides forward, while walking over the newly filled hole proven to be sturdy. It was then that the boy decided to follow him. Hesitantly at first, but the steps he took quickened with a brave manner. Aaron pretended not to notice that the boy was side by side to him, that their shoulders were practically touching each other, that they might leave some sort of impression. But sure enough, he simply couldn't take it anymore. "You... don't you have parents that are worried about you? I'm sure that they would worry about their little boy." he said, silently mocking the younger boy that was with him. "Y-yeah, but... th-the thing is, I don't really h-have a home, o-or parents that are around." was his reply. At this, Aaron stopped.
The other boy did the same, beginning to bite his nails nervously. "...How could you not have a home? Could you be homeless...?" he asked. The boy looked at him for a moment, then nodded. "Y-You see, I'm an orphan. I'm s-supposed to be at Cavendish Orphanage, b-but... w-well, its a long story." he explained. "So, you were hoping to follow me... and get a home, just like that. Am I right...?" he answered coldly. The boy opened his mouth to speak, but he silenced him. "You were hoping a pathetic tale like that would make me pity you...? Well, guess again, lover boy." He stared at him in shock. Aaron continued walking. Just as he was about to disappear from his life forever, the boy spoke up. "Y-You could n-never understand th-the pain I underwent! H-How everyone at th-the orphanage treats me a-and everyone e-else like d-dirt!" he shouted after him, an attempt to make him change his mind to let him take refuge to his home. Aaron stopped, curious to hear what the boy had to say. "I d-decided to come t-to you, b-because we were s-so similar! I just d-didn't want to g-go to anybody, y-you know!" Aaron's eyes widened. How could a complete stranger say something like that to him? He would have no way of knowing if they were similar or not... the powers the boy might have weren't equal to his own. He had such nerve to say such things!
Overwhelming silence engulfed the tension between the two. Aaron clenched his fists tightly against his knuckles, then loosened his grip. "As much as I want you to be gone from my sight, I seem unable to get through to that thick head of yours..." he began, turning around so he could fix a glare directed his way. The boy only blinked in confusion. Man! How annoying. He couldn't believe he gave in to this dimwit's cheesy words. Who would've known that it had such a big effect on him... to put it another way, it was annoying him a great deal. "Very well. You can come with me." Aaron spoke once again. Just like that, his face brightened. "But, only in one condition..." he started. "Keep clear of me. In other words, do not speak to me, do not hang around me, and try to stay away from me as much as possible... have nothing to do with me. You got that?" The boy looked hurt, almost, as if being slapped in the face. But then he nodded hesitantly. "I-I understand."
After the problem was dealt with, the two continued walking, just as they had been doing previously. Except that this time, he allowed the boy alongside him to follow him. And he willingly accepted just as he anticipated. Aaron did keep in mind the face he wore when he confronted him. It was an expression he'd never expressed that much emotion to. He didn't know how to explain it exactly, but the feeling he had... it was almost as if the boy was taken over by the devil himself. His eyes started to burn with such intensity that Aaron himself was almost at the point of taking back his words that he had said. Maybe he should've apologized, but he'd never did. Now he knew why. It was because he refused to even acknowlege him. Because of the fact he was so stubborn, he refused to open up to anybody. Never mind her. In any case, he'd never learned to appreciate people.
Sure enough, the house came into view. The boy was dazed for a moment and kept on walking to who-knows-where, but then he was brought to attention by Aaron who pulled him back by the collar using the little force that was needed. "Pay attention." he didn't even bother to add a name at the end, because he had enough insulting out of someone like him. The boy uttered an apology, in between stutturs. By now, he was already used to it. Aaron already made the decision to proceed, and he quickly followed suit. This time, he firmly knocked on the door two times. "Coming!" Calia called, rushing to the door, her resounding footsteps thudding! against the concrete floor. The door opened, and out stepped his mom, an apron strapped across her waist. "My... you sure took your time! To tell the truth, I was actually a bit worried that my boy wouldn't come home..." she sighed in relief, and brought him to a tight embrace. "M-Mother!"
She let go of her grip on Aaron, and stared at the younger boy that was with him. "Aaron... c-could th-this be your friend?" she asked, her tone turning to surprise and one of growing excitement. She'd been waiting so long for this moment to come; the day where her very own son invited a friend over. But she was also at the point of shock since it wasn't like him at all. Calia was so happy that she might've bursted into tears of happiness had she not held it in. Aaron sighed. Having to explain all that was such a pain. However, once he finished talking, she chose to ignore the details. "Thats fine by me! In fact, I don't care if he stays forever!" was what she said. He couldn't believe what came out of his own mothers mouth. Once again, Calia turned to the boy. "A-And you? What is your name?" The boy blinked several times before breaking into a small smile. "O-Oh! My n-name is Lenith. Th-Thank you very m-much for your hospitality!" he said wth a small bow. Calia's eyes widened for a bit, then she recovered. Lenith looked worried for a brief moment, then looked puzzled as she ushered them in hurriedly. "I-In any rate, lets get you inside. I-I'm sure you two are v-very cold! Come along now!"
Aaron couldn't stand him at all. Him... Lenith. The way he speaked in such a manner, the way his face overshadows the nervousness and worry - the different emotions and expressions that were seen. Most of all, he hated the fact that Calia didn't mind Lenith at all. She actually liked him a whole lot, maybe more than him. He wasn't jealous. Not at all. If anything, it was the last word in the world describing what he was feeling. Aaron was angry at himself that he allowed such a person into the house, never mind the fact that Calia accepted him as one of her own. Why did he agree to give him a place to stay, when he never liked him in the first place? That was the question he didn't know how to answer. He couldn't understand his own feelings. To start with, they were always complex. Could it be, that in his own heart, he accepted him without knowing it? Should he just accept that fact too?
His mind was brought to an earlier memory, when Lenith had spoken his name... Calia acted in a different way. What was it that brought her attention to somewhere else? Could he somehow be connected? Aaron simply scoffed at the mere thought of it. He was standing near the doorway, eying the room that lay before him. Specifically, it was Mother's room in which everything laid in a mess. Mother was already out shopping, with Lenith tagging along. 'That little snot must've messed it up again...' he thought irritably. He had seen Lenith digging inside the shelves, putting back one book after another, meanwhile paying no mind to the pile of books he left lying on the ground. And since he was so clumsy, he knocked off several of the bookshelves too. Aaron guessed that he started to panic about the mess he just left, and that was why he was desperately trying to keep Calia from knowing. Of course, she remained oblivious, and never learned of what he did. Aaron knew that Lenith's cowardice came from fear of having to leave the house and for a certain someone to be mad at him. The fact that he left him to clean up his very own mess maddened Aaron even more. "I am in no way his servant! He is old enough to clean something up, without in need of someone else's help!" he muttered under his breath, fuming. Thoughts of revenge made its way into his head, how he so much wanted to stuck Lenith's head into a lion's mouth... but Aaron knew that it wouldn't make his mother happy. If anything, it would make her disappointed to know that the two of them actually never got along. That she got her hopes up for nothing.
With a satisfying kick at the door, Aaron then proceeded further into the room. He decided he should clean it up. But he didn't really want to, but it didn't matter anyways. As Aaron neared the fallen books, he glimpsed something. An object...? No... the thing was brown, with an unnatural shade of yellow with it. Aaron turned, and then he saw it. The brown book, with yellow pages... it looked as if it was old, and had at least lived through a couple of hundred years. Whatever it was, it definitely had seen better days. But the matter still remained in hand. Should he or should he not...? It certainly was tempting. However, he still had something to do right now, rather than leafing through books. No. He would surely regret it later on, if he hadn't investigated further. Perhaps the book wouldn't be here another time. And now, his decision was already made.
Aaron cautiously crept closer to it, and bent down to pick up the fallen book, then froze in place. He stared hard at the plain, dark cover before he actually touched it. During the remaining seconds, there was empty silence. It was then that Aaron slowly moved his fingers along the binding of the book, further tightening his hold on it, treating it as if someone was after it. He lifted it up, and began scanning through the pages. He stopped. Aaron's eyes widened in surprise, discovering that all the entries were blackened out, where the words had once been. As he tilted the book side ways in total astonishment, a single photograph tumbled out...
Footsteps were heard, ehcoing along the hallway. With speed as fast as lightning, he quickly grabbed the photograph and waited.
I finally completed the first chapter... whew, that sure took a long time. I think it started this one at the beginning of September. Either way, I've waited so long for this moment where I actually publish this thig in. I want to move on to writing other different stories, so I decided to wrap it up. Get it over with, you know? Yeah, so this is my first story ever. And holy... I never knew it was so long either.
Um... please review. Add any feedback or suggestions. Though I still would be happy to know your opinion, what matters most to me is that you enjoyed it.
