Chapter 1—The Beginning
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I was born in a glass tube. Literally. I felt myself floating in a liquid, but had breathing equipment hooked up to my mouth and nose so that I could breathe. I could feel needles in my arms. I opened my eyes and saw a blue liquid flowing around my body, which happened to be naked. Bubbles appeared every once in a while, floating past my face. I knew I wasn't supposed to be there, and could somehow figure out that I was older than a newborn. I was sure I knew how to speak, do basic math, and other things like that, but didn't know who I was. I didn't know my name, where I was, or why I was in a glass tube.
A few seconds later, though, I saw figures approach through the frosted glass, so I narrowed my eyes and focused on my hearing.
"It's amazing," I heard the first person say. I'll just refer to him as #1.
"Yes, it is," the second person, who I'm just calling #2, agreed. "Professor Kingsmill, you have done the impossible. It has never been even considered to combine the blood of one of us with a warlock. Warlocks have never been able to reproduce, and to create one alone is miraculous, but to combine it with Nephilim blood as well is even greater. If it survives, we will be able to mass-produce dozens of these creatures."
"Thank you, Director," #1, apparently known as 'Prof. Kingsmill', replied. "It was only through your organization that I was able to do this, though. These creatures will be stronger and faster than most Nephilim and have enhanced hearing and sight as well while retaining some magical powers and extended life from the warlock blood. Hopefully, it will even be able to receive runes."
"Director, we're receiving vital signals from the specimen," somebody that appeared to be right in front of me said. "The machines are sensing a heartbeat, brainwaves, and other information. It's alive."
"Wake it up," Kingsmill told the technician. A button must have been pressed, because the glass cleared up, so I had to quickly close my eyes.
"Beginning awakening sequence," I heard the tech said. I wasn't sure what he was talking about, but I soon discovered it when I felt a surge of electricity surge through my body, causing it to spasm. I didn't know who these people were or what they were doing, but I was determined not to let them win. The entire thing sounded evil, so I kept my eyes shut.
"Sirs, the sequence is not affecting it," he told the Director and Kingsmill when I felt the pain abate. I heard the crank of a lever and a twinge of pain, but it ceased to hurt. "It appears that it is absorbing the energy itself and using it to gain strength."
I could sense what he was talking about. I felt power build up inside me, but when he stopped the sequence it faded.
"We'll need a different approach to…persuade it to wake up," the Director said.
"Remember, we must not harm it," Kingsmill told them. "This is the first specimen to survive to this age."
First specimen. That meant there were others before me to do…whatever I was doing.
"Don't worry, Professor," the Director told him. "I have no intention to harm it, just a little adrenaline to give the body a good shock of energy."
I resisted the urge to open my eyes and look around, and felt a strange liquid enter my body.
"Where is his warlock's mark?" the Director asked suddenly.
"His white hair and, maybe, his eyes. We will figure it out when he opens them," Kingsmill assured the Director.
As they spoke the liquid coursed through my body, making my heart race. My eyes shot open and I took a deep gasp as I felt a power unravel from deep within me.
"There you are," the Director commented. I looked around and saw that the Director is a tall, broad-shouldered man and that Kingsmill is much smaller, wearing a lab coat in contrast to the black gear the Director was wearing.
I looked around wildly as I struggled to contain the mysterious energy inside me, or at least focus it.
"Sirs, we have an energy buildup," another technician a few feet to my right said, pressing a few buttons. "The adrenaline seems to have awakened his magic."
Magic? Cool. I thought as I focused the energy at the glass around me.
"Contain it!" Kingsmill shouted, running over to the computer. The Director just stood there, grinning cockily at me as I gathered as much of my energy as I could.
When I felt the first of the drugs reach my systems I released the energy in a sizzling sphere of blue fire, destroying the tank, vaporizing the glass, and detaching me from the machines as well as knocking everyone else out.
Immediately a siren sounded, shining bright red against the stark white walls.
I jumped off the spot the tube was based in and ran out, shivering from the cold air.
"Stop!" I heard a faint voice cry behind me as I sprinted out the door into a white hallway that stretched almost endlessly both left and right.
I randomly chose the left side and ran as fast as I could until I reached a room full of lockers. They were all locked, but one touch from my hands, still sparking with energy, melted the locks so that I could steal some clothes. It took me several tries to find the proper sizes for me, but finally found an outfit completely of black that was in my size.
As I walked out I looked in a mirror and saw my face for the first time.
I was about 6 feet tall, fairly muscular for being stuck in a glass tube my entire life. My hair was snow white with a strange silvery sheen, and my eyes were even more shocking.
The irises were neon blue.
"That must be what they meant by a 'warlock's mark'," I said, testing my voice for the first time. I had opened the door to walk out when Kingsmill rushed past me, not paying any attention.
I snarled and closed the door, alerting him to my presence.
"If you even think about calling for help, I'll kill you," I said, a dangerous tone in my voice.
"You need to calm down," he said. "We can help you control what you can do."
"Yeah, by sticking me in another glass tube and drugging me," I growled. My voice was kinda gravelly and hoarse from never being used before. I grabbed him by the neck and slammed him against the lockers. "Who am I? Did you ever give me a name?"
"Of course we did," he said. "We give all our subjects names."
"What. Is. It?" I growled, pushing to the point of choking.
"Jacob…" he began. His face began to turn purple so I released my grip slightly. "Jacob…DiCarten."
"What am I?" I demanded.
"An experiment," he said. I pushed harder. "Okay, okay." I lightened my grip. "You are a hybrid warlock/Nephilim."
"What are those?" I demanded.
He stayed silent, so I pushed harder and harder until he passed out. I placed him on the ground and searched him for any weapons. I only found a walkie-talkie, which I destroyed, a key card, which I took, and a strange stylus-like item. It was silvery and had a clear crystal point and wouldn't be much use in a fight, but I kept it just in case it would come in handy.
When I was done in there I snuck out and flipped up the hood on the black hoodie I was wearing. I wandered through the building, always careful to hide whenever a patrol passed by.
Finally, after what seemed like forever, I came upon what looked like the entrance. It was a large room with a desk at one side. Everything was white, from the walls to the color of the guard's clothes.
"Hello," the guard said, trying to be friendly as I passed by. It was raining out, but I would have to deal with it if I was going to escape.
I nodded, trying to avoid suspicion, but met his eyes, or I assumed I did. He was wearing sunglasses. It was either that or he noticed my hair.
"Hey!" he began, drawing a large knife. He murmured a name and it blazed to life as he ran at me.
I drew up the power from before and blasted him with the fire, rendering him unconscious.
The constant use of my magic was beginning to wear on me, but I managed to walk over to the guard and steal his knife, the light on which had gone out, and his other weapons before pulling on his sunglasses.
When I hid him behind the counter I drank the fresh drink on his desk. Don't ask me how, but I knew he hadn't drank from it yet. It tasted horribly bitter, but some energy returned, so I finished it off and refilled it from a pot.
With the pleasant boost in energy rushing through my veins I reigned in my powers and flipped my hood up again. I saw an umbrella hanging on a rack and grabbed it. It took me a couple minutes to figure out how to work it before I popped it open and walked out into the rain.
I was instantly surrounded by noise, the blaring of cars, people walking through the rain and more. Countless skyscrapers surrounded me, so I cautiously walked along the sidewalk.
After thirty minutes of walking I noticed that I was instinctually following a magical trail, probably left by another warlock, whatever those are. Hoping that it would lead me to safety, I followed it until dawn, when I arrived at a large area of warehouses. I still continued, though, until I reached an apartment. The label at the door read 'MAGNUS BANE'.