DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

Welcome to Chapter 6 of A Tale of Self-Inserts, and the final chapter of the Incipient (beginning) arc.

Enjoy!

Chapter 6

The Incipient: Akzhol Bay

"Because I had killed myself just before."

Gasps were heard all around the table. Noel, Melissa, Alex, and Oliver shared concerned looks.

Akzhol, meanwhile, was trying to process what Cygus had said. What did he mean that he killed himself?

"What happened?" started Noel. "You didn't seem like you were depressed or anything. What happened for you to want to kill yourself?"

"Yeah," agreed Oliver. " You've always looked calm and happy every day."

Cygus gave a sad smile. "We were in drama class, Oliver. Of course I'm able to look different than how I actually am. Truth is, I've been depressed for 6 months now, starting when I had to move from my old school-"

"Cygus," interrupted Dumbledore. "This is a personal issue that I believe is best for you to share in privacy."

Cygus nodded. "Alright. Let's talk in the hallway."

The teenagers (minus Neville) got up out of their seats and followed Cygus to the hallway.

"Poor lad," muttered one of the elderly Order members.

While Akzhol was moving, he couldn't help but think. While he knew his friend was sociable and calm, he remembered noticing that Cygus had become near silent and stone faced, only putting any actual effort when forced to act.

The group of teenagers stopped right outside of the dining room, stopping just behind Cygus in order to give him room to speak.

He put his hands in his pockets. "So I take it you have questions."

"What made you want to kill yourself?" asked Alex softly.

"Like you heard from earlier, I was depressed. Obviously to the point where ..." He swallowed. "Where I went through with shooting myself," said Cygus.

The group of listeners gasped softly. "W-where did you find a gun?" whispered Alex.

Cygus snorted. "Got it from some sophomore who was planning on getting revenge on someone. Managed to take it off of him for a few hundred bucks."

Oliver raised his hand, then spoke when Cygus nodded to him. "When did you...go through with it?"

Cygus closed his eyes. "About a week after we did Murder Mystery." He took off his glasses. "I've been depressed for 6 months now. I had to leave what was then my favorite school, and it felt like my happiness had been ripped away from my hands. At the time I killed myself, I felt that I was never going to be happy again, that...I would forever be alone in the world."

He looked up. "Professional Drama has made me forget about it from time-to-time, but it was 3 days after Murder Mystery, when the depression came back full force, and then some. You remember the day when I sent you guys away when you tried to talk to me?" Seeing nods, he continued. "That was because I didn't want to do anything that would make me change my mind. I thought that I was, and would always, be forever alone."

Akzhol walked up. "You're not alone. You had us then, and you have us now." He put both hands on Cygus's shoulders. "You had us then, and you have us now. Whatever you thought about yourself there, it doesn't matter anymore. You have a purpose now, a reason to keep going and living your life. You're not alone, man. You have a family: us." He gestured to the others. "We will stand by you to the end. All of us. Now come here."

Akzhol hugged Cygus, followed by Alex, then to the point where the five teenagers surrounded their lost friend in a group hug.

As they parted, Cygus smiled. He wiped his eyes, which were crying tears of joy. "Thank you..."

Akzhol put a hand on his shoulder. "Now let's go inside and get to business."

"Alright. Let's go."

Akzhol was born to a couple whose roots came from Kazakhstan. The couple were part of the Chains of Washington, a group that dedicated itself to watching the New World Order's moves and tactics. Their goal was to prevent, and if necessary, to neutralize any and all threats to MACUSA.

Both organizations were largely spy-based, having executed numerous espionage missions throughout MACUSA. While aware of each other's prescence, the two groups never directly confronted one another. That changed when Akzhol's parents were murdered by one of the Order's assassins, who was only known by the codename Praxulon. It is unclear as to why his parents were targeted, but Akzhol had sworn vengeance on the New World Order ever since he found out how they died.

The news of his parents' deaths had also triggered a strange ability. If he were to concentrate hard enough, Akzhol would be able to cancel out any magic in an area for a brief amount of time (otherwise he would get a splitting headache). Surprisingly, Akzhol's ability only seemed to amuse his uncle, who took guardianship of him.

Akzhol's uncle decided to raise him in the non-magical world, in order to escape the eyes of the corrupt magical government.

Akzhol first met his friends Noel and Oliver on the way to his first year at Ilvermorny, when he had been confused on what building he was supposed to go to for the transportation.

MACUSA was a heavy enforcer of the Statute of Secrecy, so transportation to Ilvermorny involved a large number of students gathering into one building, then one of the government workers would use a teleportation spell to transport them to one of the large caverns in Mount Greylock, where Ilvermorny stood.

Since they both had No-Maj backgrounds, Oliver and Akzhol hit it off immediately, with Noel tagging along because of an interest in non-magical animals.

Their first and second years went off smoothly, with only minor incidents happening. It was in their third year, however, when things got interesting. Noel had confessed her ability to speak to animals, and Oliver demonstrated his "psychosis" effect by appearing as someone else.

Akzhol, however, kept quiet about his magical cancellation, worried that his friends, along with the whole school, would reject him.

Though it would seem that one way, or another, they would find out.

Akzhol had been walking to the boys' bathroom, when he heard a girl crying and saying "please" over and over again. Thinking he had just overheard someone having a bad day, Akzhol was about to go on his way, when he heard a deep voice grunt in the room the girl was in.

Fearing the worst, Akzhol hastily cancelled the magic of the locking charm, and saw a seventh-year boy holding a fourth-year girl. In his haste to rescue his fellow student, Akzhol thrust out his hands and concentrated as hard as he could, making the seventh-year scream in pain.

Akzhol would never know what he did to the seventh-year, but it was in prison that the criminal discovered that he was no longer able to feel his magical core, effectively reduced to a squib.

Akzhol was awarded Special Services to the School for preventing the near-rape of a fellow student, and he was forced to explain to his friends how he had undone the locking charm.

They had accepted what he could do immediately, for they saw him as their friend first. One time, Oliver would joke around about the three of them forming a vigilante group, Noel took it with a laugh, but Akzhol was intrigued by the idea.

And that concludes the Incipient arc! Next chapter will introduce another face, as well as the beginning of the Reunion arc!