Hey, guys, I might set Katie up in a relationship later, but I didn't know with who. So, I was wondering what you guys thought. Who (if anyone) should Katie be with? Leave your answer in the reviews (6/13/16).
Seto's POV
This is really not good. I was going to ease her back into society, not shove people in her face the second she wakes up! Oh man, what am I going to do!
"Oh no."
Really, me! That's it! Way to go there, Seto, just tell the world that there's a problem using your all powerful words of wisdom!
"I, uh, I need you guys to leave, now."
They seem hurt and confused. Great going Seto, you messed up again!
"Please, just leave, I need to work this out."
I basically shove them out the door and shut it. I turn around and lean against it.
"What was that about?"
Sky.
"I don't know."
Jason.
"Maybe we should go back?"
Ty.
"No, we better leave him alone. Something's obviously wrong."
Mitch.
"So, um, back to HQ then?"
Sky.
They walk off and talk about Hunger Games or something. I look up to find Katie in front of me.
"I thought you'd want this back."
She hands me my cloak.
"Thanks."
I take it and clip it back on. I look at her.
"I take it you recognized them?"
"Yeah, they were strangers at first but once I got names it all made sense. I just played dumb to be as convincing as possible. Didn't want to jog their memories."
"If they remember then there would be questions and accusations. Let's not do that now. I'll stop administering the amnesia potion to the city. We want them to remember, just not yet. It'll wear off slowly too, so don't be alarmed if they start remembering in a month instead of tomorrow."
"Yeah, I know. I mean, I'm the one who came up with the recipe."
"And I finalized it."
We shared a short laugh.
"I forgot how good it feels to have someone on the same level as me."
"And I forgot what it feels like to not be containing energy."
We laughed again.
"So, I take it you need glasses?"
"How could you tell?"
"A. You used to wear them, and B. We're not even a foot apart and your squinting."
"Oh," she blinked, "sorry."
"It's fine. Let's go get you some new glasses and clothes while I catch you up on what's been happening."
"Sounds fun."
"We can teleport."
"Even better!"
"Okay, hold on to me." She grabbed my forearm, which I was holding out. "Lanuae Magicae!"
And in a flash of purple we were sent from my foyer to just outside the optometrist's. Katie seemed a little off balance at first.
"Wow, I forgot how exhilarating that is."
"It's nothing much, just a little bit of this." I hold up my hands and snap, causing purple whisps to erupt from them and then disperse. She looks on in amazement and laughs a bit.
"You!" Someone, a man actually, standing near us shouts and points. "You almost gave me a heart attack! Don't you care?"
I turn to face him. He's a little shorter than me but obviously stronger physically. He has a decent muscle build. "Well, you would just respawn, so there wouldn't be a problem." My voice is cool and level.
"You don't care! That icy voice of yours matches your heart!"
I was taken aback. "I'm sorry, sir, I was just-"
"Don't you sir me you dirty sorcerer. Just because we aren't magical doesn't mean you should treat us differently."
"I try to treat everybody the same."
"Oh just shut it! And you!" He points towards Katie and walks forward. I had stepped in front of her slightly, tried to make myself look strong and assertive, which didn't work because he just kept going. "You don't seem to be magical, so why are you with him?"
"We're, uh, we're friends."
"Don't you know that sorcerers can't feel? They can't have friends."
"Yes he can."
"I guess he makes it look like it, but it's all. an. Act!"
The man was practically in our faces now. Other people had stopped what they were doing to watch this unfold. I felt awful. I was nervous about what I could do, I was upset at myself for letting Katie see this, I was angry with the man for putting us through this, and his words actually did hurt, but I had to remain stoic. I didn't want to hurt someone.
"The only emotion he can feel is bitter hate. He-"
"That's not true!"
Katie stepped out from behind me. His eyes widened as he saw the similarity between the robes we were wearing.
"Oh! Well, well, well, what do we have here? Another sorcerer?"
"No, actually, I'm just borrowing his clothes."
"I see… That's still no excuse to be with him of all people."
"So what?"
"I bet you're with him for sympathy."
I bit my lip.
"Sympathy? Because everyone's mean to him?"
"Oh, so you don't know?"
Don't ask.
"Know what?"
Don't say it!
"That he's"
Stop!
"the last"
Please, I'm begging you!
"sorcerer."
I lower my head.
"Seto? Is that true?"
"Yeah, it is."
I glance up to see the man smiling smugly as he turns and walks away from us. The small crowd began to leave as well. I just stood there, immobile as Katie looked at me.
"But before I left there were at least fifty."
"Well," I looked up, "Erebus had one last trick. He poisoned the food at the victory feast before we sealed him."
"Then how come you're…"
"I was at the seal, finalizing it. When I returned, all were dead except for my master, who warned me and died in front of me. He… He used the mortem potione." She gasped and I looked down again and took a deep breath as I heard the sound of pebbles rolling at my feet.
"Are you-"
"I'm fine now."
The pebbles stopped.
"How many people are like that?"
"Very few are as extreme as him. The hate was always there, but the extreme despising started around ten years ago, which was when I turned twenty and stopped aging, but it started to slacken about three years ago."
"Why?"
"Well, it started because of an incident I had ten years ago."
Flashback to Ten Years Ago
Seto was walking down the street, minding his own business as other people made snide remarks or sneered at him.
"Heartless."
"Cold."
"Cruel."
Those were just three of the insults he was met with daily. Not to mention the signs or notes he occasionally found at his house. Sometimes even his property was damaged. Once he found someone trying to light his house on fire. The person quickly ran away and Seto repaired the little damage, as he always does.
Seto was going to meet with his friends at the city TC base. Although it was small, it was furnished enough to sustain a few members for a few days if they needed a place to stay. Also, it was very central, so if an emergency meeting needed to be called that's where they'd go.
As usual, Seto was the first to arrive since he teleported or flew most of the way. He went in and went to the top floor, which was twenty stories up, making the TC city base the tallest building. The other floors were lounges, meeting rooms for the various armies, armories, supplies, bed rooms, or whatever else was deemed necessary. Each even had their own specialized floor. They added stories sometimes, but the main TC conference room was always on the top floor.
Seto sat down at his usual chair at one end of the table. Sky had the other end with the seats filled on his right by Ty, Mitch, and Jerome. The seats on his left belonged to Jason, Ian, and Quentin. He normally has to wait five minutes for the others to enter the building, so he does.
Seto sat in silence, quietly meditating, when he heard a soft beeping. He opened his eyes and glanced around but saw nothing and continued to meditate. The beeping was still there and it grew faster. He opened his eyes. This time he checked under the table. There was a very small but highly destructive tnt pack there and it was counting down.
3
He guessed there were more in the building.
2
He got as far back as possible and cast a quick but weak protection spell.
1
BOOM!
The entire building shook and began to sink as blasts went off at major structural points. Seto's weak shield was broken down a few mere milliseconds after the blast. He was thrown back against the wall, ears ringing, and was sent falling twenty stories. Sharp pain emerged from everywhere as the roof came down on him when he stopped falling. Luckily, his head was out in the open so he could see everything.
People had gathered, but none moved. They must've been in shock. He slowly opened his eyes and saw the rest of the team at the front of the crowd looking on in grief as their base lay in rubble. Then Sky practically jumped as he spun around and did a head count. Obviously not pleased, he counted again and became worried. He said something and everyone looked around frantically, all yelling something. They appeared to be saying the same thing. His ears will still ringing slightly. What were they saying? Zero? Cero? Seno? Seto? That's it! They were looking for him! He tried to speak, but all he could manage was a whisper, if that.
Just then, one thought occurred to him. This was an attempt on his life. No, he would just respawn. Someone wanted to incapacitate him. Just then the man that tried to burn down his house came forward from the crowd. Everyone noticed and looked at him as he kneeled over a pile of rubble. However, under that pile of rubble was Seto, and on top was his head.
"So the sorcerer has fallen to the hands of me! HAHAH" He spoke with a thick accent and his laugh was borderline maniacal.
"Y-you?" His voice was weak and barely above a whisper now.
"Who else do you think planted the bombs? I've been watching you, sorcerer, and when I heard there was to be a meeting today, I couldn't help myself. Strategically planting my bombs to hurt you, but not kill you."
"Y-you're in-insane."
"So what? Hehehehe"
By this point the rest of the team was storming over, finally taking notice of the insane guy, and they heard every word. Sky was at their front, and he was fuming.
"You. Did. WHAT!?"
"Oh, uh, Sky! Hey, this is unexpected hehe…"
"Guys, get Seto out of there."
Not once did Sky look away from the insane man. He kept his eyes, which were full of anger, locked on to the guy.
Then the others reach for the large ceiling piece on Seto.
"Ahh! Stop! Stop! Put it down!"
Seto was filled with pain as everything shifted. The guys put the stone down.
"See? Perfectly executed. Right Sky? I trapped him for you." The insane man sneered at Seto, who was on the verge of passing out.
"For me? You did this for ME? Why the Nether would I want this? Dear Notch! You just crushed one of my friends! Why would I like this?"
"Because you were faking, of course! He's not really your friend. He's just a pitiful sorcerer. The last sorcerer" He dragged out the last two words.
"Faking?! You thought that since I was a child- no, since we were children, Seto has been nothing but a FAKE FRIEND?!"
"I guess not, but, now that he's, um, unable to perform, I was hoping you'd have an opening in your group?"
Sky facepalms. "You. could. have. asked!"
"Oh, I, uh, I'm sorry, I didn't know."
Two others walked up to Sky, each having accents like the insane man.
"No, we're sorry," one says. "We shouldn't have taken the ransom."
"Ransom?"
"Yeah," the third man spoke now. "Some guy sent out a city wide email saying that whoever took out Seto gets a spot on Team Crafted and a lot of valuable stuff. It was a huge list."
The insane man spoke, "we thought that it was someone on the team that did this since only you guys can give and take positions."
"Levate petram! Sana me!" Seto raised the stone and healed himself. He finally saw the three men properly. One wore a basic black suit, an orange tie, and sunglasses. Another wore an orange shirt with a blue S, gray pants, black gloves, and a melon on his head. The third was a snowman with a red scarf.
"Don't worry, I'm fine." Seto's voice was as cool and level as usual, if not colder now. He looked at the three men. "Who are you?"
"Bodil," orange tie.
"Simon," melon.
"Baki," snowman.
"Foreign?"
"We're from the other side of the map. We just moved to this city a few weeks ago," Bodil said.
"I see, so you don't really know me."
"Not really. We just new to call you those names and say those awful things because it said to do that in the email. Sorry..." Simon.
"We just knew a way to become powerful and get lots of money." Baki.
"We came here with nothing." Bodil.
"I see… Well, I don't blame you for the accident. You three didn't know better."
They looked relieved but the team sent Seto looks that could be summed up to-
"Why would you let them go?"
Sky spoke, voicing the thoughts of everyone.
"We have no quarrel with these men. Our efforts should be put towards finding the person who set the ransom."
"Well that shouldn't be too hard because here I am."
Sorry I had to cut it off, but this chapter is already over 2,000 words. All criticisms are welcome.