Me: Welp…here's the surprise and compensation for you peoples who have been waiting oh so patiently for my lazy ass to update ^^
Zack: *head pops up from the cheez-its* What's the surprise?
Me: Don't worry about it, you'll see soon enough…I'm not gonna say what it is in this conversation, so just read =w=
Ally: *head pops up* uhm…it's a bit late to say this, but seto here does not own anything in the Fairy Tail universe :x
Me: *hangs head* You're darn right I don't. Now without further ado, read on for the surprise!
Chapter 6-Oblivion's Prologue
? POV
All my life I've been an outcast. That weird kid who sits in the back, that kid no one wants to talk to, that teen that has "issues", that teen who'll never fit in, and that man…who can't seem to go anywhere without disaster following him. And it's all thanks to this…THING…this tattoo that has been etched on my left arm for as long as I can remember. The people here view it as a curse, an object that makes the wearer have great power over an art that is taboo. That art you may ask? The art of darkness, of consumption, of destruction. Sometimes…I wish that I could never have been born. Then I wouldn't have had to suffer through two empty promises, two vows I could never have kept. One to my little sister…and one to my beloved. They're both dead now. Collateral damage in this world's and its inhabitant's crusade to erase me from existence. They bit me where it hurt…so I devoured them in every way possible. You really want to know my story? It's a tad depressing I must warn you…that doesn't worry you? Very well then. I shall start from the beginning…where the long road to my oblivion began. Oh, where are my manners? My name is Zane…Zane Buster. I am 23 years old and my story begins…
18 years ago
The earliest memory I have is a mixture of happiness and pain. The memory is of my little sister being brought into the house. Of course, my parents held her in high hopes because she didn't have this tattoo on her arm. How could they hate me for it? I don't remember where this tattoo came from or, at least at the time, what power it possessed. It crisscrossed my arm in jagged seemingly random patterns, starting at my fingertips and ending at my elbow. My whole left arm was covered in this tattoo. All I did know is that it caused my parents' social status to plummet and now, they were rejected from everywhere they went. We used to be a respectable and powerful family. We had (and still have) a mansion with dozens of servants and so many rooms, I lost count. Whenever I got the nerve to ask my parents where it came from, they'd tell me to shut up and proceeded to beat me half way to death, as if it was MY fault that the tattoo, which I knew nothing about, caused so much shame to my family. Then she came along, my little sister with the perfectly normal left arm. SHE would restore honor into the family, SHE would make things normal again, and SHE would bring a sense of normal back into my parents' heads. Don't get me wrong, I didn't hate her for it, in fact, I think out of all of us, I loved her the most. While dear old mom and dad trained her to be a classy young lady, I treated her like a normal kid, like a big brother should. It wasn't the word "mom" that was her first, it was "oppa". (A/N: Korean for big brother for younger girls)
It was like this for the next couple of years. She received her name; Sierra. She would receive all the higher education, attention, and praise while I was left in the shadows, in the dust, and left all by myself to learn how the world works. Even before my little sister was born, my parents often neglected me. But I was never mad at them. I understood because the shame and dishonor that came with the Buster name was my entire fault. And it was up to me to bring honor back. I studied like mad, teaching myself math, language arts, and history to name a few. However, after Sierra was born, it gave me a reason to sort of…step back and enjoy my position in the shadows. The pressure was off and I could start building something for myself. An object that would trap me and keep me away from the world but allow me to be happy, my own cage of happiness. In this cage, I would learn about the tattoo and the powers it granted its user. That was the plan until I noticed that, right around when she turned five and I was ten, Sierra was starting to crumble under all the constant demands and exercises that our parents demanded.
Every day was the same for her: wake up, get dressed, and it was studies until lunch. There, she would practice table manners to become a "good little girl" and afterwards, it was back to studies until about 3:00. Then, she would learn ballroom dancing and other things that should make her look more "elegant". Then it was dinner, more table manners, and more studies until bedtime. Unknowingly to our parents, because they NEVER paid attention to me anymore, I was starting to realize that the tattoo gave me powers over shadows, manipulating them to serve me, and allowing me to see the hearts of individuals. I saw it in her heart. A weariness and lack of social care that would kill Sierra in less than a year unless something was done. Our parents, hell, no one else could see it, so I had to do something. She already knew me because of the way I held her and talked to her when she was an infant and it wasn't unusual for me to enter her room. I got lonely, ok? I woke her up (man did she look haggard) and told her, "Listen, tomorrow, I'll slip some sleep potions into mom and dad's drinks. They'll be knocked out for the whole day after that. I'll take you, and we'll go see the town, ok?" Her face lit up with the most gentle and beautiful smile I ever saw in my life. "Yes, thank you Zane-oppa" I told her to endure one more day, and the next will be fun. The next day went the exact same, but I drugged our parents' tea when lunch came around (I didn't eat anything, but that's fine since the shadows sustained me). As expected, the following day, our parents were knocked out and didn't awake (they weren't dead, mind you) and I grabbed my sister and we headed for the front gate. She wore a simple dress and I wore a simple shirt and short pants along with a cloak to cover my head, and most importantly, my tattoo. Our gate guarder looked at us as we approached and with a curt nod along with a, "Mistress Sierra...Master Zane" allowed us to pass. After that was a straight shot into town. You should have seen her eyes; they grew as big as dinner plates when she saw the town.
"Wow! Look at all the people! And listen to all the noises! Oppa, I never knew that a big place like this existed outside our home!" I smiled, a genuine smile for the first time in my life, "Yes, lil sis, this town has been here this whole time." She looked at me, "Oppa, why are wearing that cloak over yourself? It's hiding your face." I gave a stern look at her, "You must understand. If anyone saw my face, they'd chase us back home and our parents will NOT be pleased." After some consideration I added, "And don't call me by my real name, just stick with Oppa, and don't mention that your last name is Buster, ok?" She looked up to me, "Ok Oppa, but why must you hide your face? Will everyone get jealous cause it looks so nice?" I chuckled, "No lil sis, it's for another reason. I'll tell you when we get home later and if you're good and stick close to me the whole time. I don't want anything bad happening to you." She nodded, "Ok Oppa, I know you'll protect me if anything bad happens." Of course. She knew I learned some fighting moves while she was studying during all those years. And with that, we explored the town, her hand in mine and my whole body covered by the cloak.
"Wow! Look at all these items Oppa!" We had stopped at a souvenir shop for wayward travelers and she was looking at the items the shop offered. "Look!" She picked up a snow globe and turned to me. "What does this do Oppa?" I smiled she makes me so happy… and took it from her "You just gotta turn it upside-down and…" The snow began to fall all around the little house inside. She looked at it in amusement, like a cat would look at a toy mouse. "Oooooh…" I smiled at her, "Would you like one to keep?" Her face lit up "Ok then, that's a yes." I turned to the shopkeeper. We'll be taking the snow globe. The shopkeeper was a happy elderly man whose face also lit up when he saw Sierra, "Of course young man. Might I say that you have a lovely little sister there." I smiled back, "Yes, she's my little ray of sunshine" He bagged the snow globe and handed it to me. I paid him (I worked odd jobs, under a pseudonym of course, along with learning how to fight) and we were back on the streets. After a bit of walking she looked up to me again, "Oppa my feet hurt and my tummy's grumbling" I looked back at her, "Well, we have been walking for a bit. How about a break?" We walked into a nearby café and grabbed some menus. "Anything you want lil sis." Her face lit up and she glossed over the menu. After a few minutes, she settled on a crab pot pie (it was her favorite back at the house after all) with lemonade and I ordered a sandwich with water. The food arrived shortly afterwards and midway through the meal, she asked "Oppa…could we do this again…tomorrow?" I looked back at her, "I'm sorry, but the drugs are too powerful. If our parents eat them again, they'll probably die." It was a half-truth. Instead of a drug, I had used a bit of my darkness that induces sleep. It was the most a human body could handle and if taken again within 24 hours, it would kill the person. She seemed disappointed so I added, "But for sure. We'll do this as often as the drugs allow" with that, her face lit up again, this time with hope. After our meal, we headed out, this time, to a park located near a pier.
"Oppa, where are we going?" It was taking a while and no doubt that her feet were starting to ache. "Don't worry lil sis, we'll get there soon and you can rest once we arrive." We finally reached the park and headed up a hill. I had to carry her for the last bit because she was exhausted. When we reached the top, I set her down and I lied down next to her. "Sierra, look" I pointed to the sunset. "Whhhooooaa! So pretty…" She was completely enticed by the sunset. Heh…I usually just see this by myself, it feels nice to share it with someone else. When he looked back at Sierra, she was looking down at some kids playing in a jungle gym. I smiled and told her, "Why don't you play with them?" She looked at me, "Do you think they'll like me?" I nodded reassuringly. She smiled and ran down to the kids. I noticed that there were adults already watching the other kids play and that the other children had accepted her and she was happily playing a round of what I believe was called tag. I was comfortable and fell asleep.
I awoke to a terrified Sierra. I jolted awake and asked her what was going on. "We started talking about older siblings and I told them about you. When I mentioned your name, they ran up to you and removed the cloak around your left arm. Now they're running to they're parents to tell on us!" Oh no…nononononononononono no no NOOOO! I grabbed her hand, "Sierra, jump on my back, we have to run back home." "We're not gonna make it Oppa!" I smiled confidently at her. "I'll use a bit of my powers…just hold on tight, ok?" I opened a portal of shadows and teleported home. Only to see the villagers have spread word and were now at our gate…along with two VERY unhappy parents.
Oh shit…
Me: And that's where we is gonna leave off!
Zack: So…the surprise was another OC?
Me: YUP! And a long chapter ^^ Side note: He'll be entering our conversations shortly…probably next chat with seto ^^
Ally: Hooray…I guess?
ME: YOU BET IT IS HOORAY! And don't worry, your stories intertwine…eventually…till then, the format will be: 5 chapters Zack and 5 chapters Zane with some Chats with seto in between. Soooo…R&R for feedback and some (Constructive) criticism! See ya! *walks out a cod
