《Gift of the Goddess》


 Chapter 1 - The call to action

    I stood beside the rest of the class and watched as a lone turd floated down the halls. It was carried on by a river that I could only assume was toilet water. Not even our teacher had anything to say. She just stared with her mouth wide open. Clearly debating if she got paid enough for this.


    Sadly, I think I know who did this¡­


    "Hey Einstein, why don''t you part the sea with some math?"


    One of the kids in the crowd said, followed by some laughter. I turned toward the noise and found a group of guys trying to shove Richard, our resident know-it-all, into the flood.


    "No, what!?" Richard sneered.


    "Yeah come on, math is everything right? Show us degenerates how useful math is." Another student shoving him said.


    Can''t say I was surprised though; he did call them degenerate apes for laughing in class. My eyes lingered on them as they shoved and picked at Richard. I started to move towards them, but stopped. They all suddenly halted, and I noticed Richard was now near the doorway.


    The group of guys snickered and nodded to one another. Oh crap, they were gonna knock him in! Should I tell the teacher? No, there¡¯s definitely not enough time for that. I picked up the pace and rushed over, just as they leaped and knocked Richard at the water. I dove just in time and grabbed his wrist, then yanked him back into the classroom. However, I tripped on my own foot. So as Richard fell inside, I fell face first into the water.


    It soaked me from head to toe and it even got into my mouth! I sat up and spat the rancid water out, while the class erupted into laughter.


    "Bruh! Look at him!"


    "Tryna be a hero!"


    "Oh my gosh! I think he swallowed it."


    My heart bashed against my chest, I could barely breathe. It was like I was choking on air.


    Everyone was looking at me, their eyes tearing up from their laughter. I tried to move, but I was frozen in place. My eyes glued on their faces, permanently recording this moment.


    Move, Stryder! Move! I managed to bite down on my lip, and the coppery taste of blood flowed into my mouth. The warmth came back into my body and I stumbled to my feet. I dared a glance back at my classmates, who were still laughing. I can¡¯t, I can¡¯t go back in there. I turned around and raced down the hall.


    Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Why are you so stupid?!


    The laughter of the kids danced around in my head and the scene kept playing over and over again. I shouldn¡¯t have ran in! I Should¡¯ve just stayed put! The teacher would have handled it. I¡¯m so stupid!


    I saw the bathroom to my right and flung myself inside. Immediately I pressed my back against the tile wall and just tried to breathe. It was like the air was running from my lungs. Calm down, just calm down. I closed my eyes and took deep breaths. It took awhile, but eventually I calmed down enough to stop trembling. So much in fact, I started to feel just how drenched my hair was.


    I pushed off the wall and walked over to the sink¡¯s mirror, praying that I didn''t see poop stains on my face. Thankfully my peach skin was blemish free, however, my hair was dripping with this mysterious liquid. I grabbed a few paper towels and started to dry off. Unfortunately, my clothes couldn¡¯t be saved. Looks like I''d have to sneak into the gymnasium and get my gym clothes¡­


    Just as the thought came, I finally recognized the sound of rushing water. I turned toward the noise and saw every toilet and urinal was overflowing like a waterfall.


    "I swear; if he''s the cause of the flood, I''m gonna strangle him¡­"


    ...


    I leaned back against the huge tree in our school''s courtyard and tried to relax. The complete lack of people genuinely eased my heart. At least here there wasn¡¯t another whisper about the guy who drank toilet water. I picked up the grocery bag that held my normal clothes, then glanced down at the gym shorts I had on.


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    "This better not have been you..¡± I mumbled.


    "And what if I did!?" A voice screeched into my ear.


    I squeaked and turned around, my fist aiming to deck whatever made the noise. However, I came to a halt once I saw who it was.


    "The hell Zack!? I almost clocked you!" I complained.


    But Zack just keeled over and laughed.


    "Oh my gosh you squealed like a little girl!" He snickered. "So much for the mighty Stryder!"


    He looked up and moved his chestnut hair from his jade eyes. There was a moment of silence, and he just smiled.


    "Don-"


    Before I could even finish he just started laughing again.


    Should I hittem? Nah, I''d probably knock him out if I did. Then I''d have to carry him¡­ I took a breath and walked away from the school grounds. Zack rushed up ahead of me and spun on his heels, then started to walk backwards.


    "So, were you the one who flooded the halls?" I asked


    "Oh, absolutely." He replied.


    Without a second thought, I punched him in the gut. He dropped to his knees and I took a few steps past him.


    "Ah! What the hell man!?" He whined.


    "Don''t ¡®what the hell me!¡¯ I fell face first into your pee water prank!¡±


    "Oh my gosh that''s hilarious!" He chuckled and held his stomach. "It''s a sin that I didn''t see that."


    I grumbled.


    "Do I even want to know why?"


    He slowly stood up straight and went into his pocket, pulling out a crumpled five dollar bill.


    "A buddy of mine bet me five bucks I couldn''t do it."


    I pinched my brow and shook my head. "Did you seriously flood the school for five bucks?"


    "Five bucks and clout, but yeah."


    "You''re actually insane..."


    "Anyways!" Zack said as he faced forward again and we continued to walk. "Wanna hang at your place today?"


    "Not unless you''re gonna help do chores."


    "I guess the mighty Zack can help poor Stryder with meaningless tasks for a while."


    I scoffed, "Translation: flirt with my sister while I do all the work?"


    "Bingo!" He cheered.


    I rolled my eyes and sighed.


    "She''s too old for you man."


    "Love has no age; Besides." He stopped walking and pointed his thumbs toward himself. "She can''t resist this sexy beast!"


    My eyes rolled even harder than before as we kept walking.


    "There''s not enough water on this earth for all that thirst you got."


    "Like you don''t ogle at Alexis!" Zack snapped


    "Shut up..."


    As we continued down the road, Zack so wonderfully explained how he got all the toilets and sinks to overfill. He was especially proud of the turd that flowed from the private bathroom in the principal''s office. I started to chastise him for flooding the school, and we got so caught up in our heated debate, some rando bumped into Zack.


    "Watch it dude." Zack snapped.


    I stole a quick glance back at the guy and my breath was snatched away. My eyes froze on the familiar red bandana that hugged around his neck.


    "Hey scrub! Do you know who the hell you bumped into!?" The large man barked.


    We both stopped walking and turned our attention towards the guy. He snickered and tugged on the bandana.


    "What?" Zack spat out. "Judging from that pin head of yours, I¡¯d say we got ourselves a walking Patrick star."


    I watched as the man''s face scrunched up like a prune and turned pink. Which made Zack snicker. "Even better now!"


    "I''m from the Red Steel Gang, dick!" The man yelled. "Drop down and beg for forgiveness, and I''ll think about forgetting that Patrick joke!"


    ¡°Oh my gosh, who actually talks like a generic villain. Seriously dude? Drop down and beg for forgiveness?¡± Zack was pushing it.


    ¡°You got three seconds!¡±


    Zack smirked and turned back around, then pointed at his butt.


    "You can shove your forgiveness right here chunks!" Zack said before continuing on as if nothing happened. .


    "Zack!" I yelled.


    "Alright kid! I''ll? Remember that!" The bald man croaked, his seedy eyes marking us both with a promise that this would not be forgotten. .


    The Red Steel Gang, Zack just pissed off the Red Steel gang. The most powerful gang in the city.


    I glanced back toward the bald man, and tried to think. Was there something I could say? Something I can do? It wasn¡¯t long before the man had disappeared down the road, and not a single idea graced my mind.


    ¡°Yo! What¡¯s the hold up! My Darling is waiting for me ya know!¡± Zack called out to me.


    Which melted the ice that had frozen my legs. Does this idiot seriously not know what he just did!? I ran up to him and snatched his arm.


    "What the heck is wrong with you? Do you have a death wish or something!" I roared and glared a hole into his eyes.


    Zack looked away from me and yanked his arm back. For a moment he was silent, then he clenched his fist and glared back.


    "I¡¯m sick and tired of the Red Steel Gang thinking they own the damn place! I''m not going to let them push me around!" He snapped.


    I blinked a few times, this was the first time in a long time I¡¯ve seen him this serious.The rage I had inside slowly began to fade, and I took a breath. I guess I can see where he¡¯s coming from.


    "Look, I don''t like it any more than you do, but making enemies with a whole gang isn''t wise. We can''t fight all of them at once.¡±


    He grumbled and scratched at his head.


    "I know! I know! I just hate it. It''s like I''m trapped in my own damn city."


    ¡°I get it, and regardless of my disappointment. If anything happens tomorrow, I got your back.¡± I assured and gave him a smile.


    He smiled back and held out his fist.


    "Hell ya! We''ll kick their-¡± He was cut off.


    "Five dollars a mask, sunny!"


    Zack stopped talking, and we both turned toward the voice. There in the middle of the alley was a small old man with a cardboard stand. My heart sank looking at his frail thin arms, it''s like he hadn¡¯t eaten in days.


    ¡°Oh, dude! Look at that demon mask!¡± Zack cheered and excitedly nudged me.


    I scanned over the worn cardboard box, and noticed the mask Zack referred to, plus another. One mask was plain and white with a downward sword painted in the middle. While the other mask was red and built like a Japanese demon. It had huge teeth poking out from its mouth, and two horns.


    I went into my pocket and pulled out a twenty, then placed it on the old man''s stand. I grabbed the red mask and tossed it to Zack, while I took the white one and put it in my jacket pocket.


    "Keep the change." I said.


    The old man smiled, but it wasn¡¯t heart warming. It was like his lips stretched ear to ear, and he just stared at me. I tried to ignore it and turned back around toward Zack.


    "Such a hero, Sir Stryder," Zack mocked as he put his mask on.


    I just rolled my eyes and waved the old man goodbye. Then we started walking away.


    "Thank you, my knight." I assumed it was the old man, but I was puzzled by the tone. It sounded...feminine.


    I turned to say no problem, but the man and his stand were gone. Goosebumps crawled up my arm and I desperately looked around for him.


    "Where did he go?" I asked.


    "Who knows, I bet the old guy had the munchies or something." Zack assured.


    "Right..."

 Chapter 2 - Reunion

    "Damn that was a lot!" Zack complained and dropped back onto the couch.


    "Dude, you literally only took out the trash." I replied and walked over to him.


    "And I helped clean out the fridge!" He pointed out.


    "Yes, because eating our stale food is work."


    "Be grateful the mighty Destroyer of Worlds was kind enough to grace you with his presence!"


    I scowled and decided to reward his cheekiness by  plopping down right on his stomach.


    "Ah-! The hell!?" He coughed and shoved my waist, but I didn¡¯t budge. ¡°Get off!¡±


    "Oh what? When did we get a talking couch?"


    "Fine! Fine! I''ll move!"


    He tucked his legs in and I stood up. However, before I could even sit down a knock came from the door.


    "Ugh, who could that be¡­?" I grumbled.


    "Probably some ghetto kid selling candy," Zack suggested.


    I rolled my eyes and walked over to the door. When I opened it up, I was met with a pleasant surprise.


    ¡°Hey bro! You''re a lifesaver! I left my keys again.¡± My sister Lux said with an infectious laugh.


    She had bags upon bags racked up her arms. I stepped closer and started taking the bags from her.


    "What? Is that the third time this week?" I asked.


    "Shut it! Nursing school fries my brain, alright?"


    I chuckled and carried the bags off to the kitchen.


    "Oh, my sweet Lux has arrived! My darling, how could you keep your future husband waiting!" Zack cheered and exploded to life.


    "Oh, I''m sorry. How could I ever leave poor old Zack waiting? However shall I make it up to you?" My sister replied sarcastically.


    "It''s okay, my dear. I''ll forgive my darling this time," Zack hummed and skipped over to her. "Come; let''s watch a movie together on the couch."


    Lux laughed and walked further inside. She took her hair tie out and let her raven locks cascade down onto her shoulders. I swear I could see Zack drooling as he watched...


    "Give me a call when you''re legally allowed to watch R rated movies, okay hun?" With that, she walked off to her room.


    "Does buying a rated R movie from a shady Puerto Rican guy count?"


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    "Are you talking about Sarah''s Game? Dude, you almost pissed yourself every time one of those dolls showed up." I started laughing at the memory of Zack''s girlish screams.


    Zack spun around on his heels and glared at me.


    "Hey! When the dolls start taking over, and eating your flesh, I''m gone!" He spoke so seriously, I had a hard time telling if he was joking or not. He turned back around toward my sister¡¯s room , and suddenly dropped and started to scream "Kill it! Kill it!"


    I walked closer and saw my sister holding out her old baby doll. It was no bigger than her hand, and had curly matted brown hair. Which was complimented by a worn out blue dress and a single cracked green eye. She tore the left one out a while ago.


    "Oh, my darling Zack, did my friend Emily scare you?"


    My sister laughed like a wicked witch and shut herself off inside her room.


    Zack sat up."She knows she wants me.¡±


    "I don''t think she''s into seventeen-year-olds," I muttered.


    ...


    We sat back on the couch and started up a movie. An hour into it, I could barely keep my eyes open. The darkness from outside started to flood into the room.


    I tried to struggle against its snare, but the darkness just lulled me away, until there was nothing. There was a flash of light, and the pictures started to form. I was standing on a sidewalk, and my skin started to tingle from the heat of the sun. That''s when my eyes found her. The deep ocean eyes, her long raven locks. It was mom. Without a word, I wrapped my arms around her.


    "Mom!" I cheered into her side.


    She slowly snaked her arms around me and a warmth rose into my chest.


    "Oh Stryder, if only you really did love me,." Sshe whispered.


    Her words were like a cloud that blocked out the sun, sending a chill down my spine. I let her go and stepped away. My heart raced and I couldn''t stop trembling. I moved my hand up to my lips and nibbled at my nails.


    "That''s not true. I do love you Mo-"


    BAM!


    My mom''s body rocketed forward as something exploded against her back. Sending her body forward like a lifeless doll that dropped to the ground. There was a faint ringing in my ear, and the wind got knocked out of me.


    Her back was bathed in crimson red, it pooled and streamed onto the ground. My eyes stared at the river of blood that flowed down to my feet. I looked up from the scarlet river and stared at the barrel of the gun. My eyes trailing down to the misty figure who pulled the trigger.


    From the snarling mist, the words "all your fault" appeared around me. I stumbled back and looked around, trying to avoid the words. But they were everywhere I turned! I even started to hear it whisper into my ears. My legs buckled and I fell onto the ground. The smokey words pounced upon me and I closed my eyes.


    "Stop it," I begged, but the voices just got louder. "I said stop!"


    Suddenly there was a flash of white. I sat up on the couch, my heart practically beat its way out of my chest. Sweat ran down my back and face like it was raining, and I desperately tried to catch my breath. I looked around for mom, but I just found Zack drooling on the couch, mumbling something about chickens in his sleep.


    "It was just a dream¡­" I mumbled.


    I wiped my face and felt something cold on my hands. Must''ve been tears...


    "Stry I- Hey are you okay?"


    I jumped at her voice and turned around. There was Lux, wearing her nurse scrubs and oversized pink backpack.


    Without a word she dropped her backpack and ran over to me. Her azure eyes stared into mine, then quickly pulled me into her arms. And I just melted.


    "I can tell you had that dream again," she whispered and ran her fingers through my hair. "Remember, it''s not your fault."


    And there she goes, telling me sweet lies again...


    "Yeah..." I mumbled.


    She let go and took a step back.


    "I love you Stryder, no matter what that dumb old drunk says. Now go take a shower, and make sure this idiot does too." She said and pointed at Zack.


    "Gotcha," I replied and painted on a smile for her.


    "Oh, I bought some breakfast burritos for you guys. There in the microwave.¡± she called out as she rushed back out the door.


    I walked over and shut the door behind her.


    With her gone, I finally let the smile fade and I pressed my head against the door.


    ¡°You¡¯re such a bad liar¡­¡±

 Chapter 3 - I become a clown

    ¡®I love you Stryder, no matter what that dumb old drunk says¡¯ My sisters words kept floating inside my head. She loves me? She says that so often now. I leaned over the sink and listened to the rushing faucet.


    ¡°I wonder, is she telling me that? Or herself?"


    I closed my eyes and just focused on the water. Letting it drown out my thoughts.


    "Stryder, Stryder..."


    I opened my eyes and looked around. But, I didn¡¯t see anything, or hear anything but the water. Did someone call my name? Great, now my anxiety is making me hear things.


    "Stryder... Stryder.."


    I jumped from the sink as something whispered into my ear. I scanned the bathroom, expecting to see Zack. But my heart skipped a beat when I saw no one was there.


    "What...?" I mumbled.


    "You have been chosen by fate¡­ by fate," the whispers echoed and bounced off the walls. The voices surrounding me.


    My heart bashed against my chest and I desperately looked around the room. This doesn''t make any sense! Where is it coming from!? Suddenly the voices all stopped and a warm breath caressed my neck.


    "You shall become our knight!" The voice roared into my ears.


    I jumped and leaped out of the bathroom. My eyes scanned around for anything or anybody. But again, nothing was amiss. The apartment was quiet, and everything was still. Just the sound of my ragged breath, the trembling in my knees.


    Did¡­did I imagine that? My skin prickled as the memory of the warm breath came back into mind. I reached back and placed my fingers against my neck. Either I''m skitzo, or that was a ghost¡­


    I took a few deep breaths and started searching around the house. Looking for anything that could''ve caused the sound. Or even an open window, or flowing air vent for that ghostly breath. But there was nothing.


    As I searched I remembered something. That voice I heard, it called me Knight. Just like the old man did yesterday. Is this connected? Or am I just out of it?


    "Mmmrrm.."


    My thoughts came to a stop as Zack''s obnoxious yawn ripped through the room. I turned and watched him sit up and stretch his arms to the sky. We made brief eye contact and he cracked a smile.


    "What?" I asked.


    He didn''t say a word, he just got up, and walked to the bathroom. And that means he''s gonna take one of his beauty showers. Which means I definitely won''t have time for one. I huffed and grabbed a fresh pair of clothes and deodorant. Maybe I can borrow some of dad''s cologne. As the thought came in, my arm trembled. Maybe that was a bad idea¡­


    I got dressed and slid on my jacket. I noticed there was something fat stuffed in my pocket. I went in and pulled the thing out, and found my mask. Which puzzled me, I could''ve sworn I took this out last night¡­


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    I sat back on the couch and started to examine it. Definitely looked a lot creepier then I remembered. Upon first glance, it looked like it was made from plastic. Yet the material was cold and heavy, like it was metal. I flipped it around and tried to find a watermark of any kind on it. But I had no luck.


    That old guy didn¡¯t make this, did he?


    "And the devilishly handsome Zackeriah is complete!" I heard Zack cheer as he flung the door open, letting the steam fall behind him like it was a scifi movie.


    I rolled my eyes and stood up, dropping the mask on the couch.


    "Whatever, come on let''s go. Lux left us breakfast." I replied.


    "Ah my sweet love left me a gift." Zack hummed as he strolled over to the kitchen. "I forgot something at home. So I''ll just meet you at school!" Zack cheered as he snatched his food and zipped out the door.


    ''I forgot something at home.'' That was Zack''s code for ¡®my mom isn''t home so I''m gonna skip.¡¯ I debated if I was gonna be a parent and make Zack come to school. But the last time I did that, we got into a fight with a guy he was beefing with. Definitely don''t want to get caught up in his mess¡­. So I guess that meant I was on my own today.


    ....


    "Check it out, it''s pee drinker."


    "Like that special lemonade huh!"


    "Slurp! Slurp!"


    I sat back against the gymnasium floor and tried to ignore the other kids. That video went all around the school¡­ I lifted my fingers up to my lips and started to chew on my nails. Not only was everyone looking at me for a reaction, but everyone pretty much knew who I was now. Great! So much for passing under the radar. I couldn''t even walk down the halls without people pointing and laughing at me. Some people even took pictures!


    "Alright! Coach Tevin is sick today. So he''s given you all permission to do as you please." Our sub announced to us and I immediately shot up.


    Sweet! I can run away! I turned toward the door and froze in my tracks. My hand dropped from my lips once I laid eyes on her. A goddess among common girls, a beauty undefined by earth who could only be appreciated right by the heavens¡ªAlexis Summers.


    Her amber eyes met mine and she gave me a sweet smile that made me want to melt. She happily skipped over to me, but once she got close, she started to laugh.


    My stomach dropped. Oh no! No! No! No! I need to run, teleport away. But I couldn''t just leave, that be rude. She probably thinks I drink pee water now! No wait! What if I look ugly! I never even looked in the mirror this morning. What if I look like a hobo! She''d never love me if i¡¯m a hobo.


    My thoughts came to a screeching halt once Alexis stood before me. She giggled and shook her head.


    "Zack gotcha good!" She said between chuckles.


    Alexis went into her pocket and pulled out her mini makeup mirror thing. For the first time today, I saw my reflection. Zack had drawn all over my face! He drew a kid twerking on my cheek and had, ''YOU GOT ZACKED'' boldly printed on my forehead. Something was drawn on my other cheek and under my eyes. But my tears from this morning smeared it.


    Lux saw me like this... Everyone saw me like this... Alexis saw me like this.


    "I''m gonna castrate him," I grumbled.


    Alexis laughed.


    "Come here, let me clean you up." She said,


    "T-thanks."


    "Hey, did you have that dream again?


    She leaned in close and the heat rose to my cheeks. I quickly averted from her gaze and stared at the floor. However, I inevitably stole a glance at her, and something just felt calming. There''s no way I can lie to her.


    "It was¡­the dream about mom again. Where she was shot in the back." I mumbled.


    She chewed on her lip, and I could see the concern resting in her eyes.


    "I''m sorry Stryder, you know, it''s not your fault what happened-"


    I watched her lips move, but I didn''t hear any words coming from her lips. It was just buzzing in my ear. I''ve heard it so much now. I wonder why everyone tries to sugar coat it? Like I''m some kind of child? I know what I did, I don''t deserve pity.


    "Earth to Stryder!"


    Alexis huffed and flicked my nose. I jumped and refocused myself.


    "Oh, sorry! I was lost in thought. What''s up?"


    "So, Homecoming''s happening soon, I was wondering..."


    She suddenly stopped, and I could see her cheeks becoming as red as the streaks in her hair. She moved her hands behind her back, seemingly trying to hide her fidgeting.


    My entire body warmed up and suddenly nothing else mattered. Not the eyes on me, not the jokes, not the writing that was on my face. Was she gonna ask me to Homecoming!? Me? Stupid old me!? Pee boy!?I took a breath and tried to compose myself. Doing my best to conceal my smile.


    "Yes?"


    "Could you.....drop a hint that I want Zack to ask me to the dance?" She blurted out.


    My eyes were locked on her, I wanted to say something. But I couldn''t get my lips to move. Zack, she liked Zack... Zack. I pushed on a smile and just buried my feelings.


    "Definitely! I can totally do that."


    "Ooh thanks, I''m so shy. I don''t think he would go for a girl like me, but maybe if his other half tells him, maybe he will!" She cheered and playfully punched my shoulder.


    "Hey, any guy would be lucky to have you.You''re great."


    Why couldn''t I just disappear?


    "Aww thanks. I''m glad we''re friends. Now come on, let''s play some basketball or something," she said and turned toward the basketball hoops.


    Well, I guess I was right. There was definitely no way it was gonna be me.

 Chapter 4 - I beat up some thugs

    I hurried out from the school grounds and finally had a weight lifted off me. No more pee boy, no more laughter and no more Alexis. I chewed on my nails and tried to hurry home. However, no matter how far I got from the school building, my mind hadn''t left. The kids'' laughter replayed in my head over and over again. Then there was the cherry on top. Alexis finally admitted it after months. She likes Zack.


    I really should¡¯ve seen this coming. I''m so stupid for thinking I had a chance. I''m just the weird quiet kid. No wait, I''m the weird pee drinker kid now. I''ll never compare to him. Zack was cool, he had style, he could dance, and he''s funny!


    Like someone as cool as her would date someone as lame as me¡­


    I looked up and my hand dropped from my mouth. All my thoughts came to a stop and I just stared. There before me, was Zack himself, who waved excitedly at me. Huh, come to think of it. All of the problems I had today were because of him¡­ A flicker of rage hit me and I stomped over to him, forcing on a big smile.


    "Hey Stry¡ª!" He stopped and squinted his eyes. "Oh, this isn''t good," he mumbled and started to take some steps back.


    Before he could run, I grabbed his shoulder and kneed him in the nuts. He dropped onto the floor and whined.


    "Ah! Can''t you take a joke!?" He yelped and curled up into a ball.


    "That''s for the face paint, and oh yeah, Alexis wants you to ask her to Homecoming " I said cheerfully.


    "Oh come on man have mercy! I can¡¯t control my devilish charms!¡±


    I looked him over for a moment. Even if I can knock him to the ground, it''s not like it changes anything. I sighed.


    "Alright, get up."


    Zack managed to struggle to his feet, but stayed hunched over.


    "Look man! I can''t control my sexiness!¡±


    I grumbled.


    "Look, I know I may seem a bit mad-"


    "A bit? You crushed my walnuts!"


    "But! All I want is for Alexis to be happy. You talk about her enough, so I know you have a thing for her too. So don''t worry about me. Just take her to the dance, alright?"


    A pit formed in my stomach and I suddenly felt sick. Even the smile I had on was beginning to feel like a workout. But I needed to keep smiling. This wasn''t about me, it was about her and Zack. Besides, this isn''t that big a deal right? It''s just a girl.


    I looked him in the eye and he looked back into mine. We stared at each other for a moment, until Zack finally looked away.


    "Fine!" he groaned. "Man, I don''t think I''ll ever win one of those."


    "Good. Now let''s get out of here."


    With that, we headed out of the school grounds and started our trek down the road. Most of the walk was me yelling at Zack over the face paint. But as we were about halfway to my house, we saw two Red Steel gang members walking toward us. One was tall and had a Red Steel beam bandana tied to his arm, while the other guy had his hood up and a bandana covering his mouth. As we got close, they stopped walking and blocked our path.


    "Hey kids, remember me?" The guy with the hood said.


    He reached up and pulled his hood off, revealing his shiny head. Then it clicked.This was the same guy from yesterday! Before I had a chance to say anything, Baldy ran in and buried his fist into Zack¡¯s face. Zack instantly dropped and I charged in, but Baldys friend anticipated me. He leaped forward and dropped his fist on my head. I stumbled back and grabbed my face, damn that stung! When I looked forward again I saw the tall guy running into the alley, while Zack and baldy were gone. I took a breath, then darted toward the alley.


    When I turned the corner, I saw them both atop of Zack, beating the crap out of him. I charged in and tacked them off. Then rolled to my feet and hopped up. I turned back to check on Zack and I lost my voice. Zack was up, and running away!


    The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "He didn¡¯t just¡ª"


    I didn¡¯t even have time to worry about him. Baldy was up and running in at me with a raised fist. I moved forward and held up my guard. He started to throw punches and I decided to just dodge and wait for my opening.


    He swung like a child and stumbled with almost every strike. So I took advantage of that. I ducked a right hook and came up with an uppercut. He stumbled back from my strike and I followed up by punching him in the face over and over again. His blood painted my fist and I went in for what I hoped was a finisher. But right before I could get him, his friend ran in and sucker punched me.


    I exaggerated my stumbling and got some distance between us. I could taste that familiar coppery taste in my mouth. I eyed the two men and spit the blood out.The big guy just glared at me.


    "Bet you think you''re tough huh?" He growled. I didn''t respond. Which seemed to piss him off even more. "You speak when spoken to brat!"


    He ran at me and his friend followed behind. I darted forward at baldly and kicked him in the nuts. He dropped toward me and I grabbed his body, shielding me from his friend. I stepped back with him and then kicked him at his partner, who hopped back.


    "Ahh Danny¡­kill this kid.." The big guy whined.


    "Low blow." His friend snickered.


    I couldn''t help but smile. The stinging on my knuckles, the back to back blows. This felt amazing.


    "A fight¡¯s a fight right?" I said.


    "Smiling, what a freak." The tall man said and went into his pocket, pulling out a switchblade.


    Damn, you¡¯ve gotta be kidding me¡­


    I tried to think of a strategy, but something stole my attention away. From out of the corner of my eye, I could see Zack at the entrance of the alley. He was making gestures for me to come back to his end. That knucklehead didn''t leave me after all!


    I took a step back and the man suddenly lunged at me. My eyes traced over him and my body just moved. I let the blade stab into my arm, while I got ahold of his. Then, I turned and flipped him over my shoulder, slamming him into the pavement.


    "Come on! Get back!" Zack yelled.


    I turned back to him and charged.


    As I got closer to him, I could see he was holding something up in his hands. I couldn''t make it out at first, but when I got to him, it all became clear. Zack was holding a lit molotov! I started debating if this was even real, but my heart almost pounding out of my chest answered that for me.


    "Suck it you freaks!" Zack roared.


    He leaned back and chucked the bottle at the two mens feet. As soon as it hit the ground it erupted to life. The crimson, white flames blanketed the alley. The men''s silhouettes flailed around inside the fire that worked desperately to consume them whole. I tried to get myself to move, but my entire body was frozen. The bodies eventually lost their will and just dropped to the ground, the flames picking at them like Vultures.


    "Z-zack, we need to hel-"


    My words were suddenly ripped from my throat. There weren''t just two figures in the fire anymore, there were three. The figure of an angel appeared behind the men. Its wings stretched out and curled around the two. Then, they were just gone. The weight that was holding me down vanished and forced myself up.


    "Zack did you s-"


    "Yeah I did."


    We both watched as the fire rapidly began to die down. Till there was nothing left. Leaving no sign behind that it had even happened.


    "No, it can''t be. The fire...it''s...it''s gone!" Zack croaked.


    He darted back into the alley and started running his hands over the brick walls. I followed behind and looked around. As far as I could tell not a thing was out of place. No ash, no scorch marks, just some old dirty alley. That''s when I had the realization, this was the same Alley we saw the old man in.


    "It''s cold," Zack muttered.


    I wanted to believe I was hallucinating. But Zack''s reaction said it all. We both definitely saw this.


    My thoughts were interrupted as an intense stinging pain shot through my arm. The knife wound cut deeper than I thought. As I focused on the pain, I could feel the cold trail of blood that raced down my arm. I moved my hand over the wound and tried to add pressure. But it didn''t help. I grunted and walked over to Zack. The pain reminded me.


    "Hey, you alright?" I asked.


    "Yeah, I just got a few bruises," he muttered, his eyes still glued to the walls.


    He seemed lost, like he had seen a ghost or something. But then again, we just might have.


    ......


    Zack sat back in the chair and tried his best to not leave blood stains on our kitchen table. He had a bloody nose and a few cuts and bruises that I decided to wrap up. As I put a bandage on his arm, his eyes were fixated on mine.


    "Woah, Woah dude, your cut looks pretty bad. Fix yourself first."


    I ignored him and continued to patch him up.


    "Don''t worry about me; you know how I am."


    Zack sighed and shook his head.


    "My hero..."


    After I finished with him, I sat back and wrapped up my arm the best I could.


    "So let''s talk about what''s been happening," I blurted out.


    "What''s there to talk about? I''m sure you know just as much as me," he shot back.


    "Well, after what just happened, I don''t think it''s a coincidence anymore."


    "What are you talking about?"


    "Think, who else suddenly vanished out of nowhere on us?"


    "Every girl you come in contact with."


    "Focus you dunce, the old man, remember?"


    "Oooh right, the old geezer. I thought he just had the munchies."


    "Even if he did, it doesn''t add up. Unless he was Houdini."


    "What do you mean?"


    "Think about it. He just so happens to be in the same alleyway the gang just jumped us at? And vanished too? It was a dead-end area, and he vanished as soon as we turned our backs, with no trace. Did you ever stop to think about how random it was for him to have only two masks? And for them to be in perfect condition? He also seemed really poor and frail. I''m sure we would''ve seen him begging before."


    "You have a point, I guess. But what does it mean?"


    I sighed and leaned back in the chair.


    "Zack, yesterday, do you recall any odd voices?"


    "Now that you mention it." He sat back and hummed in thought. "When I went home, I kept hearing these voices saying ''you will be our w-i-z-a-r-d''." He mimicked the words like he was telling a ghost story around a campfire. "I thought it was the TV, or some druggy outside."


    "I heard something really similar, they were calling me their knight."


    "So Sir Stryder the knight? What a fitting title for you. But anyway, what''s your verdict on all this?"


    "Well, in every way I look at it, I think something wants to use us for something. The titles I can''t figure out. Maybe it''s something with our personalities? I don''t know."


    It was silent for a minute. My mind raced with ideas and possibilities. The knight and the wizard, but why? Why the fire. Why the masks? And why save the thugs? Then something else hit me.


    "Zack, what the heck were you thinking!"


    He jumped like a startled dog.


    "What, what?" he spazzed.


    "You brought a Molotov! We could have been killed if that went bad!"


    "Well, you always told me to start thinking ahead, so I did," he said with a nervous laugh.


    "Not like that!"


    "Well, I thought since you''re a ninja or whatever, you could handle it, but all I saw was you getting your ass kicked."


    "Don''t turn this around on me! And watch your language!"


    "I thought you said you did martial arts for thirteen years; why the hell did you lose so bad?"


    "Shut the hell up. I''m rusty okay!? I can still kick your butt any day!"


    "Ha! I got you to say hell," Zack snickered.


    I didn''t respond. I was going to kill him.

 Chapter 5 - Like a cloud

    It wasn''t long before Zack''s short attention span got to him. He decided to head out and find something more ''fun'' to do. I told him it might be a little dangerous, but he didn''t listen. So, I decided to just sit back and let things mold over in my mind. I had no idea what to make of things. I was wondering if more gang members were gonna start showing up, or maybe, whatever was messing with us was manipulating things? Great, now I have more questions than answers...


    My thoughts came to a screeching halt once I heard the door click. That must''ve been Lux. Guess I can take a break. I sat up from the couch and watched her step into the apartment.


    ¡°Hey sis.¡± I called out.


    "Oh hey Stry-" Her big smile dropped as soon as she laid eyes on me."Stryder! What happened to your face!?"


    Oh right, I did just get jumped didn''t I? She dropped her backpack and ran over to me, snatching my cheeks into her palms.


    "My bad, sis.." I mumbled.


    "What happened!?"


    I glanced away from her. Crap, I suck at lying¡­


    ¡°Zack and I got into a fight with the Red Steel gang..¡± I mumbled.


    Which wasn¡¯t a lie, so that wasn¡¯t too hard to say.


    ¡°You what!¡± She shrieked.


    Maybe I should¡¯ve just lied about everything.


    I chuckled and scratched the back of my head. ¡°Yeah, but it¡¯s cool because we won.¡±


    "Lucky I wasn''t there. I''d bust a cap in the-"


    "We can take care of ourselves, Lux."


    "I know, I know, but they''re messing with my boys! I got my pistol under my bed, Stryder. Remember that."


    "I know sis."


    "And who tried to fix you up? A monkey?"


    "We all don''t get to go to med school ya know.."


    She laughed and shook her head.


    ¡°So, what? You and Zack jumped the guys?¡±


    ¡°I fought them both mostly.¡± I glanced to the ground. ¡°Zack was umm, pretty beat up. They got to him before me.¡±


    Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t... over do things did you?¡± She mumbled.


    I looked back into Lux¡¯s ocean eyes, and it was like she was trying to drown me in them. Her soft tone, her tinted gleam into my eyes. She wasn¡¯t seeing me, she was seeing the past. Before I could even say anything, a loud laugh ripped through the room. We both jumped and turned toward the sound, and my stomach dropped.


    My father walked deeper into the house and shut the door behind him. All the while carrying a hearty laugh and a wide grin. It was almost like looking like an alien, his smile was so foreign. I wasn¡¯t even sure this could be real. My skin crawled and I sunk back into the couch.


    "Look at that, the damn gorilla kid is bullying people again.¡±


    "Shut it Dad..¡± Lux grumbled and glanced toward me.


    Our eyes met, but I quickly looked away.


    ¡°Why are you taking up that waste of space again? What changed?


    "I said shut up! You''re drunk." Lux roared.


    She shot up and glared at dad, while I sank more into the couch.


    "I''m perfectly sober. Don''t make up lies so that demon will feel better. He''s nothing but dead weight and it''s about time someone told him the truth."


    ¡°Leave him alone! He¡¯s suffered enough of your drunken abuse alright!¡±


    ¡°Oh! And what makes you think you''re any better? Are you letting that demon manipulate you?¡±


    Lux was trying, she was doing her best, for me. Every inch of me was frozen, like I was freezing to the couch. Just the idea of moving made me think my heart would leap from my chest. But still, I needed to speak. I needed to say something, for Lux.


    ¡°E-enough! Just leave me alone alright!¡± I forced my voice out. It was like I ripped a bandaid off, just as the words came out. My body was lit on fire, my mind focused, and I knew exactly what I wanted to say. ¡°I know I¡¯ve messed up! I know I¡¯m worthless. But that doesn''t mean I can¡¯t change! It doesn''t mean I can¡¯t become something. Something mom would be proud of.¡±


    I stood up and clenched my fist, glaring at my old man. My knees buckled and my arms wouldn¡¯t stay still. But I stood firm. Lux had to believe in me, she was standing with me after all.


    There was a moment of silence, my fathers fat grin slowly faded. He didn¡¯t glare at me though, nor did he frown. It was just a look of disappointment. He walked over to me and stared me down. My stomach swirled and my arms shook without any control. Then, he lifted up his glass of budweiser and poured it over my head.


    "You¡¯re trash, and you¡¯ll always be.¡± He muttered.


    Once he emptied his beer all over my face, he just stared at me. His uncaring eyes soon became that glare I was all too familiar with. He raised the glass toward me and I froze. I see, even with Lux. I wasn¡¯t strong enough to stand up to him. He swung his arm at me and I flinched. However, there was no impact.


    ¡°Ack-!¡±


    My father croaked and I looked over, but I couldn¡¯t believe what I saw. Lux had ran in and punched my dad square in the jaw. He stumbled back and dropped against the wall. Lux panted hard and stared at dad, no sarcastic comeback, no smile on her face. She looked genuinely horrified. She raised her hand up and stared at it, while dad pushed himself off the wall and rubbed his cheek. He squinted and looked back at her, like she was a stranger. Nothing but silence filled the room, until dad moved from the wall. His eyes met mine and my body trembled.


    ¡°See, what I tell you? He¡¯s nothing but a troublemaker.¡± He mumbled and trudged off toward his room. Before he walked inside, he turned back and faced Lux. ¡°Traitor..¡±


    With that, he slammed his door shut. I watched as Lux dropped to her knees and started to shake. I staggered my way over and placed my hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°H-hey Lux I-¡±


    ¡°Get away from me!¡± She yelled.


    I jumped and stumbled back. Lux quickly shot up and turned toward me.


    "I''m, I''m sorry," I mumbled and stepped back.


    ¡°No, No! Stryder I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t mean- I -¡± She stopped talking and tears started to come down.


    I did it again, I ruined her life.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    I turned and ran out toward our back window. Her voice called out to me, but I didn''t let it reach. I opened the window and hopped out onto our fire escape, then rushed my way down.


    Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! Stupid! I¡¯m so stupid! What¡¯s wrong with me! I got halfway down and kicked off the railing, then I dropped onto the ground. I didn¡¯t roll like I was supposed to and almost face planted. My ankles screamed at me and I dropped to my knees. Then my eyes suddenly became blurry. I wiped them off and realized I was crying. Why was I crying? I didn''t have the right, what the hell was wrong with me?


    ¡°Stryder! Stryder! Come back!¡± Lux yelled into the night.


    Her voice gave me the energy, I forced myself up and just ran. Don¡¯t look back! Don¡¯t mess up her life anymore! Just go away! Just disappear! I ran through the streets and headed off to the woods. I ran as hard as I could, getting lost in the darkness that lurked deep within the trees. I kept going and going, my legs started to ache and my feet burned. The adrenaline was starting to fade and I could barely catch my breath. I started to slow down and the sweat that covered my body felt like weights pulling me down.


    Then suddenly my foot caught into something that hooked around it. I dropped down and noticed I tripped over the root. Immediately I ate dirt and I started to tumble in the grass. Twigs and rocks stabbed into me and I tried to stop myself, but I could barely move my arms.


    It was like the grass dragged me down this hill, getting faster and faster. Then I suddenly dropped into the ground and the wind got knocked out of me. I coughed and felt the nature that blanketed over my body. Slowly, I managed to roll myself over onto my back, and I was met with the big open night sky. Just a few clouds sailing across it. For once, everything was silent. No voices in my head, no rustling of animals. Just silence. My eyes focused on the clouds in the sky and I felt an odd peace from it.


    ¡°Man, I wish I could just disappear like a cloud..¡±

 Chapter 6 - A gift

    My eyes shifted from the clouds to the stars. It was like they were raining down. Like, actually raining down! Couldn¡¯t be stars, that must¡¯ve been snow. Wait, snow in this season? My body suddenly jolted and it was like static ran through my veins.


    That light, that light was for me. I couldn¡¯t explain it, but I knew the glitter that fell from the sky. One of those was for me. My body became warm and I slowly sat up. The closer the snowflakes came, I noticed that they weren¡¯t actually snowflakes. They were silver cards that floated down from the sky. I pushed myself to my feet and I reached my hand out.


    The card danced its way down to my hand, and tapped against my fingers. A blinding light shined from the card, but it was only for a moment. The light vanished, and I was left with the card in my hand. But now it had the word ''Knight''(make cursive font) burned into it.


    "Again with knight¡­" I mumbled.


    Then, something blue zoomed past me. I turned to where it went, but nothing was there. I caught the same blue light from out of the corner of my eye, I turned toward it, and my words were stripped away. There was a horde of azure lights swarming around. They swirled around me like a tornado, until I couldn¡¯t see anything but blue. Then the swarm exploded, the azure fireflies dispersed and left me in the dark.


    An ominous violet light came from the sky, and scattered black apparitions appeared all around me. They all started to panic, running around and acting sporadically. Were they all dragged here just like me?


    The temperature started to rise, and I tried to stay away from the figures. As I tried to wrap my head around this, a rainbow flash appeared in front of me. In the light''s place stood twelve giants! They all looked the same, but with different colors. They had long flowing hair, and long elegant dresses, each shining in their respective colors. The red giant moved forward, and started to talk.


    Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit.


    "Everyone, may I have your attention." The one with a red dress stopped and the one in the blue took over.


    "You may call us whatever you like¡ªgods, goddesses..."


    Another one picked up from the last giant, and they all continued to talk like this. Taking up for one another.


    "Witches, monsters, demons, etcetera," the other said.


    "We''re not even entirely sure what we are.''''


    "What matters is your purpose here."


    "We have grown bored and wish to play a game."


    "We have chosen each of you specifically to participate in our game."


    "And shall grant you all Imperiums."


    "You are free to do as you please with these Imperiums."


    "Also, if you entertain us enough."


    "Or defeat another player."


    "You may grow in power and be given upgrades."


    My mind was racing, Impeuriums? Upgrades? And now goddesses...what the heck was happening? Maybe I was dreaming, had I become so stressed that I started to hallucinate?


    "Now, there are rules to this game."


    "One, you are not allowed to tell anyone about us except the other players. Lies and other excuses are allowed."


    "Two, if you kill another player to gain an upgrade, said player shall be revived unless that child''s owner says otherwise."


    "Three, we are not allowed to see future events."


    "To check your skills, focus on your card, and it shall appear in your hand. It grows as your skills grow."


    "We also have enhanced your body''s natural durability and physical fitness."


    "Now have fun our children, with our gifts."


    A blinding light shined from behind the goddesses and started to consume the area. I looked around at the shadowy figures, and I was speechless. My eyes landed on Zack, just a few feet away. We stared at each other, not saying a word, till the light consumed us all. Then, I was suddenly back home. Standing in front of my couch.


    I blinked a few times and rubbed my eyes, making sure they weren''t playing tricks on me. I pinched my arm and felt a sharp pain shooting through it. "Guess it wasn''t a dream..."

 Chapter 7 - Lets be heroes

    Every inch of skin was burning. It was like I was sinking in a hot spring of darkness. The black water ran over my skin and irritated my chest. Suddenly a light flashed from above, and everything faded.


    I shot up from my couch and gasped for air, sweat raced down my face, and It was like my lungs were being choked. Once I managed to catch my breath, I could feel my heart pounding against my chest. It was hot and scolding. However, what really took my attention was the light that shined beneath my shirt.


    "Ah! What the hell!?" I shrieked and grabbed at my chest.


    But the burning didn''t stop. I threw my shirt off and tried to get a better look. The light was beginning to fade, and so was the heat. When the light was gone, it revealed a mark. It was a tattoo of the number three.


    "What¡­?" I mumbled.


    I jumped a little as I heard a crash come from my sister''s room. I didn''t even have time to react. She swung her door open and slid on the floor toward me, still in her pajamas and rocking a wicked bed head. I crossed my arm and tried to hide my fresh tattoo from her.


    "Hey, you came b¡ª"


    She stopped and squinted her eyes at me. I was starting to think Zack pranked me again.


    "Hey your face; it looks fixed," she mumbled.


    I grabbed my shirt off the floor and crept toward the door. I needed to get out of here¡­


    "Well you know¡­puberty," I said as I slipped on my shoes..


    "What? What does p¡ª"


    Before she could even finish, I ran out the door. Thankfully I had passed out in my clothes. I slipped on my shirt and hurried down the steps. Zack''s face came to mind, I definitely needed to find him. I need to make sure I''m not crazy. Then again, a magical tattoo just appeared on my chest. Not like I really need another explanation.


    I raced down the road to Zack¡¯s and ran as hard as I could. However, once I turned the corner for his street, I went head to head with somebody and dropped on my butt.


    ¡°Ah-! I¡¯m so sorry I-¡±


    ¡°Damn dude, what is your head made of?¡± Zack complained.


    I looked up and saw Zack sitting across from me. Our eyes met and he gave a devilish grin.


    ¡°So, was that really you I saw last night?¡± I asked.


    He chuckled. ¡°As if someone else as handsome as me could exist.¡±


    I pushed myself up and shook my head.


    ¡°We should go somewhere private and talk about this more.¡±


    Zack nodded. ¡° I know just the place.¡±


    ¡­


    We decided to go check things out behind this abandoned factory at the edge of town. It recently got crossed off by the police for a shoot out. So we figured the gang and other passersbys would be hesitant to be back here, or we could totally get mugged. The entire way there Zack just went on and on about how cool his super power was. Saying how it fit his aesthetic just perfectly.


    So when we finally made it to the back, Zack leaped ahead of me with excitement.


    ¡°And now! The mighty Destroyer of worlds will now blow your mind!¡± Zack cheered.


    I sighed. "Whatever helps you shut up faster."


    Zack closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. He raised his hand up and held it out to me. As he did, smoke began to secrete from his palms. Then flares of jade embers sparked to life, until it erupted into a huge flame. The smoke consumed the fire and suddenly blew away from the flames, leaving two balls of fire in its place, rotating around in Zack''s hand.


    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!


    ¡°Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! DUDE! You''re like the human torch!¡±


    "I know right? As if my devilish charms and smooth voice wasn''t enough. I get even better."


    "So, it doesn''t burn at all?"


    "Not even a little. Now, more importantly, show me what you can do!"


    ¡°Right! I haven¡¯t checked my card yet.¡±


    They said just think about it right? I closed my eyes and held out my hand. It was almost immediate that something cold began to graze against my skin. I opened my eyes and watched a silver card materializing above my palm. Once formed it gently dropped down into my palm. Zack came close and peeked over my shoulder. The words, ¡®Chrono Stasis¡¯ were written in fancy cursive writing on the card. I turned it over in my hand, but all it said was accelerated perception.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± I mumbled.


    Zack leaned against me and started to wheeze like a hyena.


    ¡°Damn! I guess I really am the cool one!¡±


    I grumbled and shoved him off.


    ¡°What does Chrono stasis even mean?¡± I mumbled.


    Suddenly Zack¡¯s laughter stopped. I took a glance and noticed he had his signature ¡®I¡¯ve got a bad idea'' smirk on.


    "Zack¡­" I said and backed away.


    "Stryder, if I''m wrong, you get a free hit," he said with a crazy look in his eyes.


    "Zack, don''t you d¡ª"


    He aimed back his arm like a baseball pitcher and chucked the fireball at me. It was fast! Like watching an actual pitcher throwing a fastball! Zack shouldn¡¯t be this athletic!


    My heart raced and my mind went blank. But, something strange happened. The ball that was just racing toward me, was now just hovering toward me. My mind and my heart eased a bit as it came closer. I just stepped to the side and dodged it, Zack hurled another death ball my way and I dodged it just as easily. Once it zoomed past me I relaxed, and everything went back to the normal.


    Wow, it was like time slowed down for me¡­


    "Dude! Your eyes started glittering blue. That was cool!"


    And as soon as I heard his voice, a flame ignited in me.


    "Zack! What if you had been wrong!?"


    "Details, details. Sometimes you just gotta take risks."


    I groaned and pinched the bridge of my nose. Don¡¯t kill him, don¡¯t kill him¡­


    "I hate you sometimes; you know that."


    "You know you love me. Without me, you wouldn''t know how to have fun."


    "Without me, you''d probably be in jail," I muttered.


    "And that¡¯s why we¡¯re soul brothers!¡±


    I smirked."Just imagine, we can change so much with these gifts."


    A rush of emotion bubbled in my chest and I laughed. This was totally awesome!


    "I can get women," Zack retorted.


    "We can fight for justice."


    "I can burn that guy who stepped on my jays!"


    "Zack, haven''t you ever dreamed of being a superhero?"


    "I''ve dreamed of being a superstar, making money, oh and the ladies." He growled like a tiger and I punched his shoulder.


    "Zack, people die every day to people like the Red Steel Gang, people who''ve done nothing wrong. We''ve been blessed with abilities that can make a¡ª"


    "Look, I''m not like you, Stryder. I''m no knight in shining armor. Just because I was blessed or whatever, doesn''t mean I owe anyone anything."


    "How selfish can yo¡ª"


    "But! I can work to make things better for my sister. So when she gets better, she has a place she can explore without fear."


    He gave me a big cheesy grin, and I couldn''t help but smile. He held out his fist and I reciprocated by holding up mine.


    "We can do it together.¡±


    We bumped fists and laughed a little. It may not have seemed like much, but from that point on, I knew things were gonna be different.


    Clunk!


    Something hard fell over from around the corner. I jumped and looked over at Zack.


    "What was that?" I whispered.


    "Maybe someone''s getting it on in there," Zack snickered.


    "Do you have a filter?"


    "It is time to test your strength, young heroes," a disembodied voice called out around us.


    It sounded familiar, like one of those goddesses.


    Then, from the corner of my eye, I saw three people emerge from around the building, each a Red Steel gang member. I almost forgot to breathe as I saw one of them brandishing a gun. The others seem to have knives in their hands. This was real, this was really happening! We were going to have to fight!


    "Who the hell are the two of you!" The one with the gun barked. "Whoever you are, you better get ready for a beat down."


    I took a deep breath. This was it. Our first test as heroes. I activated my eyes and charged at the gunmen. He seemed to panic and shot rapidly at me. I dodged it with ease and came in close. He moved to reposition himself, but I snatched his wrist and shoved his arms down to the ground, making him shoot the dirt. Then, I moved my leg behind him and swept him to the floor. As he fell on his back, I stomped on his wrist and made him drop the gun.


    "AHH!" I heard agonizing shrieks coming from behind.


    I hastily turned around to a shocking sight. There was Zack, holding the ''I don''t know pose'' while the other two gang members were engulfed in his unholy emerald flame.


    "I tried to warn ya. I''m hot." Zack said smugly down at the soon to be Red Steel kabobs.


    "Hey! Don''t roast them alive!" I yelled.


    "Oh crap right!" Zack yelped.


    He quickly turned around and held his hands out to them, I guess trying to turn it off. When that didn''t work, he tried stomping on them. Then, poof. The fire just magically disappeared. I just gave him a look. The two didn''t seem too intensely burned. Maybe he could control the heat level of his fire?


    "What, what are you?" The guy I was standing over stuttered.


    ¡°We''re the heroes.¡± I said and kicked the guy in the head.

 Chapter 8 - Tag

    Zack and I basked upon the rusted metal doors and stared into the dark abyss of the factory building. I glanced at Zack and saw he had the same excited look in his eyes as earlier. Which eased my heart a little.


    Right, I''m not running in alone. We''re both doing this, together.


    I took a step forward and walked inside. ¡°Let''s see if we can find more of them.¡±


    Zack snickered. ¡°Yeah! Let''s snuff out more of those roaches!¡±


    Zack hurried ahead of me and held out his hand. This time however, I noticed something odd. Right before Zack summoned his flame, he tapped his middle finger to his wrist. Then the familiar emerald spark erupted and a floating ball of fire came to life.


    Oh? I wonder if that''s a prerequisite for his fire? I''ll have to ask him later.


    Zack held out his hand and illuminated the areas that weren¡¯t bathed in the sun''s light. Then we started our journey around the old dusty factory. The place was eerily silent, with only the sound of Zack¡¯s crackling fire and our steps keeping us company. However, a while of searching. I was starting to believe those were the only things keeping us company.


    Damn, were the ones outside really the only Red steel gang members?


    ¡°Here steely steely!¡± Zack called out. ¡°I''ve got some balls you can play with!¡±


    I stopped walking and looked back towards him. He looked back at me and laughed. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Some balls you can play with?¡±


    ¡°I''m hilarious and you know it.¡±


    ¡°You''re something alright¡­¡±


    We kept walking through the factory and eventually found an assembly area. Where a crane was stationed next to it! Why haven''t I explored this place before!?


    I raced over to the wall near the crane and ran up it a few steps. Then I kicked off towards the crane and latched onto it.


    ¡°Man! Can''t find dick here!¡± Zack yelled and kicked over a box.


    I focused on climbing up the crane and once I got to the top, I sat criss-crossed on top of it.


    ¡°Ya know, the shooting here probably made the gang scatter.¡± I pointed out. ¡°The Goddesses voice came in just before the Red steel gang showed up. So I''d assume that means the Goddesses might¡¯ve sent them.¡±


    ¡°lame!¡± He huffed.


    I looked around the room some, taking in the railing across from me, the assembly line below, and another crane a few meters away. Sweet! I can totally do a parkour run around here.


    I stood up to leap. But just before I did, a bright green light flashed from out of the corner of my eye. I quickly jumped down and grabbed the sides of the crane, just barely dodging the green hell flame that exploded against it. The crane shook and I held on tight as it skidded against the ground. Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.


    What the hell!?


    ¡°Hey! Stryder! I just had an idea! Why don''t we play a game of tag.¡± Zack called out.


    I hung off the crane to look at Zack, who had multiple balls of fire in his hands now.


    ¡°What the hell are you talking about!?¡±


    ¡°I wanna try my powers out!¡±He complained. ¡°And shooting around town isn¡¯t a smart idea.¡±


    ¡°You''re kidding...¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you don¡¯t wanna test your powers too.¡±


    I looked away. Well, he¡¯s not wrong. The best way to gauge my abilities is to use them in combat. Especially if I plan to use this to fight the Red steel gang in the future.


    I sighed. ¡°Yeah, well, I guess that makes sense. But I¡¯m making rules.¡± I held up one finger. ¡°One, we can tag each other with anything thrown from our hands as well as touching.¡±


    ¡°Wimp.¡±


    ¡°Two! We need three tags to win, and three, if you kill or severely maim each other, they lose.¡±


    He scoffed. ¡°Yeah, yeah, whatever mom, fine. Let¡¯s go!¡±


    ¡°Fine, lets-¡±


    ¡°Iron man!¡± He yelled.


    What?


    Zack¡¯s hands erupted in an emerald spark and he blasted towards me. I activated my eyes but it was already too late. He bashed his fists into my face and I flew off the crane. Damn, that¡¯s what he meant by Iron man. I looked up and saw him blasting towards me for another strike. However, I activated my eyes this time, I could see his body moving in slow motion. As his fist came in I blocked his arm with my own and spun around onto his back.


    ¡°What!?¡± He screamed.


    A smile tugged at my lips and as he went to twist his hand around to blast, I yanked his arm up and threatened to break it.


    ¡°Tag!¡± I cheered.


    Then BAM! I slammed him down onto the concrete floor. As we crashed Zack croaked and I immediately sat up and stomped on his back.


    ¡°Ta-¡±


    I choked on my words as the world seemed to change. The gritty floor of the factory had morphed to that of soft matts of the martial arts dojo. While the loud echoes of distraught families swirled around me.


    ¡®Oh my gosh what did he do!?¡¯


    ¡®His arm! He broke my son''s arm!¡¯


    ¡®What kind of monster is he!?¡¯


    ¡°I-i¡¯m sorry, I didn¡¯t mean to-¡± I started.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologize now!¡± Zack screamed.


    The world quickly came back and I was greeted by Zack¡¯s fast movement. He blasted up with fire from his hands and knocked me off him. I stumbled back and saw Zack spinning around on his hands, making a tornado of fire.


    What!? How does he have such control over his fire already? Mixing his breakdancing with it so easily! That''s not fair. Wait, maybe I should do that too!


    The raging tornado exploded and I guarded my face. The flames splashed over my skin and I was shocked by how gentle it was. I lowered my guard and I immediately met Zack¡¯s jade eyes. His nose was bleeding and I could see a crazed look in his eye.


    ¡°As if I¡¯d lose to a loser like you!¡± He yelled.


    Then his fist slammed into my stomach. I croaked and flew back, skidding on the floor. My lunch almost came up. What? Since when did Zack hit this hard!? Did those modifications change us this much!?


    Zack kept forward and went to strike at me again. He held his hand out, making flames erupt, but nothing happened. Only small farts of flames spat out this time. What? Wait, was he trying to change his flames? Or was he running out of fire?


    ¡°Damnit!¡± He yelled.


    I took that moment to lunge for his arm, but he immediately blasted fire out from his hand and sent himself backwards and blew smoke in my eyes. I coughed and jumped back, as soon as I could see again I saw Zack summoning more balls of fire. That familiar feeling of a smile etched itself onto my face. Damn, I''m gross, so gross. This is getting me hype! Zack is someone I can cut loose with! I pushed my eyes and watched as green flames rained down upon me. I dove to the side and dodged a flame while grabbing a pipe. As I rolled to my feet I immediately popped up and batted away flames coming towards me.


    ¡°Bring it!¡± I yelled.


    More flames rocketed forward, this time they were much more focused on me, like a mini gun! I raced forward and smacked the flames aside again and again, slowly growing closer to zack. However, the low moan of machinery bounced off the factory walls. I glanced up and saw the top of the crane falling down onto me. Damn! He stole my focus with his flames! I can¡¯t even see where he went! He¡¯s probably behind me to fake me out! I spun around and leaped backwards. Our bodies are modified to be stronger, so I should make this jump!


    As I turned and jumped, I saw Zack coming behind me, stumbling forward. He shot a fire ball out and the falling crane smashed it as it came down. I skidded to a stop and laughed.


    ¡°Nice try!¡± I yelled.


    As I relaxed, my whole body grew heavy. Sweat ran down my face and I desperately tried to catch my breath, but I was exhausted. W-what? Why am I so tired?


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna remind you why they call me, The destroyer of worlds!¡± Zack yelled.


    I looked ahead and saw Zack slap a chunk of metal off the crane top. A bright red spark came from the metal, and I swear he was melting it. I tried to activate my eyes, but I immediately became more exhausted as I did. My concentration broke and I couldn''t hold it, I dodged the piece of metal and turned it off. Just as I did, a red converse smacked my face. I stopped and watched the shoe fall to the floor.


    ¡°Ha!¡± Zack screamed. ¡°Take that Stry-dork!¡±


    ¡°Seriously? A shoe?¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°Hey! You were the one who made the throw rule and didn¡¯t throw anything!¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go again! I-¡±


    Suddenly the door to the warehouse was slammed open. We both jumped and looked over, seeing two men in uniform storming in.


    ¡°Hey! Who''s in here!?¡± An officer yelled.


    ¡°Crap the cops!¡± I whispered.


    Zack held out his hand and threw fireballs rapidly in their direction. I jumped in panic to help them, but saw they all crashed into things around them, creating a nice cover of smoke and falling debris.


    ¡°Move hero boy!¡± He yelled.


    ¡°R-right!¡±


    We both turned around and raced off! Man! Day one with these gifts and we were already almost caught!

 Chapter 9 - The blue ranger

    -Dans accounting office-


    The echoes of clicking keyboards danced around the office, playing an all too familiar tone. Even Gregory¡¯s grunts of anger sounded off from the back corner, a sign of another annoying customer on the other end. The day was just like any other for everyone else, and yet.


    My whole world was just shattered.


    I stared at my phone, unable to tear my eyes away from the video playing before me. There they were¡ªmy wife and my boss¡ªentangled in my bed. Our bed. My heart hammered against my chest, and a knot twisted in my stomach, making it hard to breathe.


    Our home, our special place. The place I told her all about work, where I complained about my day, about my boss. The home we raised our kids in¡­


    My phone rang but the sound soon became muffled.


    The phone rang, but the sound felt distant, almost like I imagined it. She said she knew him from college. Has this been going on since the beginning? Did I start this by bringing her to the company Christmas party? She said I was enough, didn''t she¡­?


    ¡°Oh, Dan, she''s always been a liar,¡± A feminine voice whispered into my ear.


    A chill ran down my spine and I frantically looked around, but no one was there. My phone rang again and I looked over to it, my eyes staring intently at the vibrating handle. Right, I''m still at work. I should answer that¡­


    I reached out, and as I did, the soft laughter of a woman echoed out behind me. My whole body froze and a hand gently rested against my cheek. I jumped and looked up, and there she was, the goddess. Her never ending cosmic eyes locked onto mine, intense and unblinking. She leaned in slowly, her cool breath caressing my skin like a fall breeze as she rested her head just beside my ear.


    ¡°There you go working for him again. Is that the life you want?¡± She whispered. ¡°Even after I gave you a blessing, you still haven''t looked at it.¡±


    ¡°I-I thought that was a dream¡­¡± I stuttered.


    ¡°It is a dream, your dream coming true.¡± She whispered and reached down, running her fingers over my own. ¡°You''ve been through so much, Dan.¡±


    ¡°B-but, what can I do?¡±


    ¡°Take your life back.¡± She whispered. ¡°You work to put food on the table, to pay for the dresses your wife wears to meet with him, to give your son a better future.¡±


    My heart suddenly stopped racing. Her words, it was like they connected the dots for me. She heard me, she saw me, everything I said, everything I did.


    ¡°You''re right¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°You always drank to solve your problems. You kept your mouth shut for so long. Now it''s time you fight back.¡±


    As she spoke, a loud DING! pierced the air, I turned towards the sound and found my boss stepping out of the elevator. He adjusted his tie with a smug grin, clearly entertained. Without a glance in our direction, he strolled down the aisle of desks, completely ignoring us. And then it hit me¡ªhe''d spent his lunch break... screwing my wife.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    He walked past me, making a point to glance over at me. As we locked eyes, a smirk played on his lips before he turned away and continued toward his office.


    ¡°That bastard,¡± I growled.


    ¡°Are you going to continue this cycle? Sit back and let another opportunity fly right by you?¡± The Goddess whispered. ¡°You let it go back in college, you let it go everyday, you sat here and took his abuse. Will you continue?¡±


    I looked from her, to my phone. Seeing the frozen frame of her and him together. My heart raced again and a fire burned in my chest.


    ¡°No¡­not anymore.¡± I said and stood up.


    ¡°Good, then go, my child.¡± She whispered.


    I stood up from my desk and stomped down the aisle. Then I held out my hand and summoned my card. The hard material formed in my hand and I lifted it up to look it over again. As I read the words, a smile adorned my lips. This is truly it, I''ll win with this ability for sure!


    When I arrived at my bosses door I reached out for it, but my whole body froze. My wife and my little boy''s face came to mind. I stared at the handle, and the fire inside me started to flicker.


    If I go in there, everything is gonna change. For me, for my wife, and for my son¡­


    The image of my boss and my wife came to mind again. And that dwindling flame reignited like a roaring flame. I snatched that handle and yanked that door open. My boss jumped in his seat and looked at me with wide eyes.


    ¡°Mr. Jennings? What''re you doing here?¡± He demanded.


    I walked inside and slammed the door behind me.


    ¡°Sir, I need to talk to you about an important matter.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Mr. Jennings, I am far too busy to speak, why don''t you make an appointment?¡± He said dismissively.


    ¡°Sir It''s-¡±


    ¡°Jennings, no offense. But a simple number cruncher can¡¯t possibly have something that important to say.¡± He chuckled.¡°Unless you''re falling behind again because you can''t count. If that''s the issue, just wait till your lunch and come find me then.¡±


    ¡°No, I think you''ll talk to me, right now.¡± I demanded.


    He looked from me to the phone. There was a look of shock in his eyes and then he started to laugh. He grabbed the phone and played it, letting the wails of my wife''s voice fill the room. After a little he paused it.


    ¡°So, what? You gonna report me?¡± He asked.


    ¡°I want to know how long.¡±


    He laughed. ¡°Well, Jennings. How long have you been working at Breaks?¡±


    My stomach dropped. ¡°What¡­?¡±


    ¡°You know, damn well you didn''t have what it takes to work here.¡± He snarled and glared at me. ¡°Leya called me and asked if I had any open positions and after getting your abysmal resume, I gave her a chance to get you hired.¡±


    My body ran cold and I stepped back.


    ¡°S-she wouldn''t do that¡­she believed in me.¡± I mumbled.


    He laughed. ¡°Yeah, believed in you enough to get down on her knees.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± I yelled.


    ¡°And you know what''s funny? She liked it so much she called me to come back, again and again.¡± He smiled and got up from around his desk. ¡°She confided in me, told me how embarrassed she was to be with a man who let himself go, a man who still collects power ranger action figures, she wanted a real man.¡±


    He walked over from his desk and stood inches from me. My body trembled, and tears began to blur my vision. My wife¡¯s smile, her face, her laughter¡ªit all suddenly felt like a lie.


    Everything was a lie.


    ¡°You''re a villian¡­¡± I whispered.


    ¡°Here''s how this is gonna go.¡± He whispered. ¡°You''re gonna go back into that office, sit down and scrape by making your quota. I''ll still help push you along, and you won''t say a word to Leya about this. It would be a shame if you lost your ability to take care of our son, oh! I mean your son, of course.¡±


    He laughed and turned around, then suddenly the world froze again. Our son, he said our son¡­


    ¡°What did you say?¡± I mumbled. ¡°Did you say¡­our son?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I mean, after all. I don''t think blue eyes run in your family, right?¡±


    My son''s face came to mind. And then, something snapped.


    ¡°Let''s get one thing straight.¡± I whispered and held out my hand.


    I summoned the Blue Ranger¡¯s morpher watch and held it out. My boss looked at me with confusion, then started to laugh.


    ¡°Is that one of your dumb power ranger watches?¡± He laughed. ¡°You''re so pathetic¡­¡±


    ¡°Jason is my son!¡± I yelled.


    I strapped the morpher onto my wrist and pressed the button. A blinding azure light erupted from the watch, and my boss staggered back onto his desk


    I strapped the morpher onto my wrist and pressed the button. A blinding azure light erupted from the watch, and my boss staggered back, shielding his eyes, before crashing into his desk. Meanwhile, the blue light wrapped around me, swirling and tightening like a living force.


    The weight of the suit settled over my body, conforming to me as it grew heavier, but I felt an immense surge of strength. A belt materialized around my waist, and a helmet slid over my head. Then, as quickly as it started, everything stopped.


    I was the Blue Ranger.


    My boss slowly pushed himself up, still chuckling. As his laughter echoed, I reached for the blaster holstered at my side, drew it, and aimed it at his amused face.


    ¡°I quit.¡± I said and quickly pulled the trigger.


    A bright blue blast exploded from the blaster and shot out. As soon as it came in contact with my boss''s head, it exploded. A splatter of scarlet covered my helmet and the walls.


    I panted hard and my arm started to shake. My boss''s body fell limp and dropped on top of his desk. His blood gushing out from his skull, making a small river across his desk.


    ¡®Target neutralized.¡¯ A robotic voice in my helmet spoke.


    I did that, I did it. I started to laugh and stumbled back, falling against the door. Slowly I slid down and pressed my hands against my helmet and kept laughing.


    ¡°Congratulations, Dan Jennings. Your life will never be the same again.¡± The Goddess whispered.

 Chapter 10 - Rankings

    -The next day-


    I sat back at my desk and stared intently at the clock. Mrs. Drenz was going on about something with fractions, but my attention was focused on the window. Man, I wonder how fun it would be to climb up the roof from the window. Yeah, but I''d totally get caught¡­


    Suddenly the click of the door sounded off from the other side of the room. I glanced over and choked on air as I saw Zack walk in. Mrs. Drenz glared at him as he strolled inside. He looked at me and winked, then approached Mrs. Drenz.


    ¡°Hey, hot stuff,.¡± Zack said and held out a sheet for her. ¡°Principal wants to see Stryder about the toilet incident.¡±


    The class slowly started to snicker.


    ¡°Toilet boy strikes again¡­¡± A classmate snickered.


    ¡°Bet he needs his daily conditioner of piss water.¡± Another kid laughed, which caused the class to erupt into laughter.


    My heart raced and I slowly sank in my seat. And they''re all looking at me now¡­


    Zack tilted his head. ¡°Damien! I know you not talking. This the same guy who got dumped last week because he stank? Same guy who wears Walmart-brand shoes? Same guy rocking the Vegeta hairline at seventeen? The-¡±


    ¡°Mr. Grendel!¡± Mrs. Drenz snapped, however, the class still erupted into laughter. ¡°Please be on your way with Mr. Beowulf, and stop disrupting my class.¡±


    ¡°You''re gonna get it Rapunzel!¡± Damien wailed.


    ¡°Yeah, just call me when your ex isn''t over,.¡± Zack said and went out the door.


    I sighed and glanced at Damian, who was practically foaming at the moment. Yup, gonna have to stop Zack from burning a man alive now.


    I got up and walked out behind him. As the door shut he immediately pulled out his cracked cell phone.


    ¡°Dude, I found this app mysteriously-¡±


    ¡°Did you have to roast Damien like that?¡± I huffed. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.


    ¡°Huh? Yeah, duh. Guy thinks he can talk looking as ugly as he does.¡±


    ¡°He''s been taking that break up hard ya know. I think he''s been humiliated enough, after all his ex called him out in the middle of the cafeteria.¡±


    He groaned. ¡°Cuck energy detected.¡± He said in a robotic voice. ¡°I''m Stryder and I''m a Cuck.¡±


    I grumbled. ¡°Just get on with it! Tell me why you got me out of class.¡±


    ¡°Before you rudely interrupted me with your cuckery. I was saying a mysterious app appeared on my phone.¡± He said and started walking again.


    I walked beside him and looked over at his phone. He had an app that looked like a glittering star, he clicked it and it opened up to a white forum page. Where Zack clicked a bunch of stuff I didn''t understand and got to a small page, where it read: Territory Leaders.


    ¡°What''s that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°So, apparently we got gang wars in this game!¡± Zack cheered.


    ¡°Gang wars?¡±


    ¡°So, this app shows me who owns every city in the United States. Each person is gifted.¡± He explained.


    ¡°Oh, seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and I can even go international!¡±


    ¡°Wow, so this game¡­is worldwide?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, if only you weren''t poor and had a phone.¡±


    I grumbled. ¡°Not like, I know how to work one anyways¡­¡±


    ¡°So! We also get these cool nicknames. If you type your name in, you''ll get a cool info card on you with your nickname. But they call your nickname a Cognomen or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah, it''s Latin,.¡± I said.


    ¡°Don''t care.¡± Zack Said. ¡°What''s important, is our Cognomon-¡±


    ¡°Cognomen.¡±


    ¡°Our COGS! Are, Knight of the Alley and the Wizard of the Alley.¡±


    ¡°Wait, we have info cards!?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but like. It''s just our Cogs and our theme on our cards. Your knight title and my wizard one.¡± He explained. ¡°However, yours has something else.¡±


    He held out his phone and showed me a screen that looked like a blank license. Just my Cognomen and seven Swordsman, then the letter D.


    ¡°Seven swordsmen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but you don''t matter.¡± He said and clicked off. ¡°What I called you out for is this!¡±


    He changed to a more alphabetic form of list. He scrolled down to D and I found our Cognomens there.


    ¡°Oh, we''re D rank?¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± He cried. ¡°Can you believe it!? And check out who owns our city.¡±


    He scrolled out and went to the territories again, finding our city. Where an image showed up, an actual picture of the person. It was some guy in what looked like a bloody blue ranger suit, taking a picture in a bathroom mirror. His Cognomen only confirmed the sight: Riot Blue Ranger.


    ¡°Riot blue ranger¡­¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Yeah! Can you believe it!? Some soft blue ranger owns our spot? Losers not even good enough to be a red ranger. So I say, we find this reject, jump him, and-¡±


    I stopped walking. ¡°Wait, did you break me out of class to convince me to jump a guy?¡±


    He stopped and looked back at me. ¡°Duh! We own this block.¡± He said and patted his chest. ¡°Like I''d like some ranger dork to take it.¡±


    The image came back to mind, all that blood on his suit. For all I know that''s just another Red Steel gang member. After all, anyone could''ve gotten powers¡­


    I sighed. ¡°Look, I''ll investigate it with you. But if the dude happens to be a decent guy, I don''t care about territories.¡±


    ¡°Cuck detected! Cuck detected!¡± Zack called out.


    I just rolled my eyes. ¡°Bloodstains really don''t scream ¡®Good guy¡¯. But then again I have no idea what circumstance he''s in.¡±


    As I spoke a screen popped up in front of me. It was a bright blue and was see-through, it reminded me of stuff you''d see in a video game. The words:


    TERRITORY MEETING


    YES OR NO


    ¡°The hell¡­?¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Aye! Those Witches must''ve been listening to me!¡± Zack snickered.


    ¡°Right now!?¡± I squeaked.


    ¡°Yeah, here.¡± He reached under his vest and pulled out our masks.


    ¡°Why did you bring those?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Just shut up and press yes!¡± He huffed and tossed me my mask, then pressed yes.


    As he did he disappeared. I jumped and caught my mask, then looked around. Finding nothing but the screen. I sighed.


    ¡°Welp, no choice¡­¡± I readied my mask then clicked yes.


    ¡°Do not fear my knight.¡± The Goddesses voice whispered behind me. ¡°I''ll make sure the cameras don''t see you. Besides, I think you''re needed much more, with the Rangers family.¡±


    ¡°Wha-¡±


    Before I could finish, my whole body felt light, then, everything went white.

 Chapter 11 - Second chances

    I dropped down from the sky and my feet immediately hit the pavement. As I landed something snatched my collar and yanked me back. I spun around and grabbed the arm that snatched me and pulled them in, preparing to sweep their legs. However, I cooled down once I saw it was Zack.


    ¡°O-oh it''s you,¡± I mumbled and let go.


    He shoved me back. ¡°Yeah, cool it Kratos!¡±


    I looked around and noticed we were hiding on the side of a small home. Then came the screaming.


    ¡°How could you do this to me Leya!¡± A voice wailed out.


    ¡°What was that?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Don''t know, I was waiting on my human meat shield to come before I Investigated,.¡± Zack said.


    ¡°How thoughtful.¡± I huffed.


    I crept around the corner and I saw the door to the home was completely blown to smithereens. Dark burn marks littered the broken wood. Did someone break in?


    ¡°It''s not my fault you changed!¡± A woman yelled back. ¡°I hope he actually is his father! So maybe then he won''t turn into a loser like you!¡±


    Are we intruding on a family affair or something? The Goddesses said this was the Riot Blue Ranger right? The door has burn marks after all, definitely not normal.


    I walked over to the door and peeked in, and I saw two people standing in a hall next to some steps. One tall man holding a blue gun and a woman. She was glaring up at him and he raised his hand and slapped her. The woman flew and slammed into the steps with a loud thud.


    ¡°Dad?!¡± A voice screeched from the top of the staircase.


    I looked up and saw a little boy watching. My blood boiled and I stomped forward. However, before I could do anything else a bright green flash exploded to life beside me.


    ¡°Dibs!¡± Zack yelled.


    He blasted forward and slammed on the steps beside the woman. Then he snatched her up and blasted up to the boy. The man looked surprised and gave all his attention to Zack. Which gave me a free chance to strike. I rushed in and bashed my fist into the man''s face. He flew back and crashed into the railing.


    ¡°Zack, get them out of here,.¡± I demanded.


    ¡°Don''t gotta tell me twice!¡± He yelled.


    ¡°You brats! This doesn''t concern you.¡± The older man yelled and pushed himself up. ¡°We''re not done talking!¡±


    He turned around and I froggy leaped over his back and onto the steps.


    ¡°Don''t ignore me,¡± I said.


    He pointed his gun at me and I activated my eyes. The world slowed down and I saw him shoot. I easily dodged and kicked him in the face and he fell on his back. He tried to sit up, and I quickly leaped down and stomped on his chest and wrist, making him drop the gun.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    He croaked and glared up at me. ¡°Get off me! That Sow needs to answer me!¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what''s going on. But that kid up there called you dad.¡± I said. ¡°How do you think your kid feels seeing you beat on a woman!?¡±


    His eyes flickered for a moment, and all that hate and rage slowly faded. The resistance I felt vanished and he looked away.


    ¡°Shut up¡­¡± He mumbled.


    ¡°Listen¡­I''m-¡±


    As I spoke, I noticed something red came from out of the corner of my eye. I could see it, but I wasn''t fast enough to react to it. It shot into my shoulder and I fell back and dropped onto the steps.


    ¡°That must be the knight and wizard.¡± A voice spoke up from the doorway.


    I pushed myself up and my stomach dropped. There at the doorway were two people. One man with tan skin and hundreds of tattoos all over him, while his dreads were pulled back by his red steel beam bandana. While the other walked in holding out his hand towards me. His fingers were bleeding and I could see he was missing a fingernail. But the Red Steel beam bandana around his neck was much more concerning.


    Two Red Steel gang members!? What!?


    ¡°Mr. Joe, it''s so awful!¡± The bleeding man said and buried his hands into his palms. His messy blonde hair covered his face and he cried. ¡°There''s so much sin!¡±


    This Joe fellow stepped forward and the older man sat up, looking between us all.


    ¡°W-who are you, people!?¡± He demanded. ¡°What''s going on!?¡±


    ¡°Daniel Jennings,¡± Joe said and stepped towards him. ¡°I may not know everything going on, but I can say without a doubt, you''ve been dealt a bad hand. It''s unfair what Leya did to you with your boss.¡±


    ¡°....How do you know about that?¡± Dan shuttered.


    ¡°It wasn''t hard to figure out after I had my people work,.¡± Joe said. ¡°But don''t worry, I''m on your side. The Goddess has offered you a new chance, right? Well, they sent me here to help you out.¡±


    ¡°Don''t listen to him,¡± I said and sat up. ¡°I don''t know what''s going on either. But I can promise you whatever the Red Steel gang is offering isn''t worth it.¡±


    ¡°How dare you speak to our savior like that!¡± The crying man screamed and glared at me, with tears still falling from his face.


    ¡°Easy Algea, it''s fine,¡± Joe said. Listen, Dan. The cops are gonna find you eventually. You didn''t exactly do a great job at hiding your evidence. So I''m here to offer you a choice.¡±


    ¡°Don''t listen to him.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°Let me help you out.¡± Joe continued. ¡°I promise I can help you start over, after all. Don''t you wanna see your son again? Not from behind bars?¡±


    ¡°Listen, Dan,¡± I said and stood up. ¡°You should know these guys are a part of a gang that kills and steals whatever they want. They''re not good people and they are not-¡±


    ¡°Shut your dirty philistine mouth!¡± Algea screamed at me.


    ¡°Relax Algea.¡±, Joe said and stepped forward. ¡°Knight, listen. I don''t know what my people have done to you, but I promise. There''s more than meets the eye with us.¡±


    ¡°I seriously doubt that,¡± I grumbled.


    ¡°You were here long enough to hear what his wife said, right?¡± Joe asked. ¡°She''s not completely in the right either. After all, she had an affair and potentially a child with another man. How is any of that poor Dan¡¯s fault? He''s just reacting how any normal person would, especially after she responds to the allegations with insults.¡±


    Dan had sat up completely now. He was still eying us, but I could tell his gears were turning. I glanced back up the steps and saw Zack was definitely gone. Stalling is probably my best bet, no matter what this psycho says, Dan here is unstable. And from what he just said he''s done some other crazy thing warranting him potential jail time.


    ¡°You''re only proving my point,.¡± I said. ¡°No matter what, there is no excuse to just lash out at someone.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Joe asked.¡°Our paragon of justice is here, are you telling me you''ve never done something like that?¡±


    As he spoke the voices came back in my head.


    ¡®Oh my gosh, what did he do!?¡¯


    ¡®His arm! He broke my son''s arm!¡¯


    ¡®What kind of monster is he!?¡¯


    I opened my mouth, but the words didn''t come out.


    ¡°You seem lost child, come, Lord Joe can bring you back to salvation,¡± Algea said to me.


    ¡°After all, everyone deserves a second chance,.¡± Joe added.


    A memory of my mother came to mind. The scene of her lifeless body pouring out blood on the dirty asphalt. Then Annual''s face followed and my stomach dropped. I looked over them both and balled my fist.


    ¡°Sometimes, we don''t deserve second chances,¡± I said.


    ¡°Heartless¡­¡± Algea sighed.


    ¡°It''s not my fault.¡± Dan shuttered. I looked down at him and saw his arm shaking. ¡°I went to work every day!¡± He yelled and looked back at me. ¡°I took abuse from my dickhead boss! I worked extra hours to get my wife what she wanted! I stopped collecting and hid my figures because I saw my wife hated it! And she cheats on me? She lied and got me a job with a man I hate. She looked me in the eyes every day and said she loved me.¡±


    ¡°I-¡± I stammered, but I had no idea what to say.


    ¡°And she had the nerve to tell me, my son! My joy!¡± He started to cry. ¡°She wishes that he wasn''t even mine? For that fat monster!¡±


    He wiped his eyes and Joe walked over and patted his shoulder. ¡°Don''t worry, the goddess promised you a new leash on life, right?¡±


    ¡°Dan, I know things are hard. But think about your son, what example do you wanna set?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Imagine what example your wife has already set,¡± Joe added and I growled.


    ¡°Maybe you''re right, Knight,.¡± Dan said and took a deep breath. ¡°I''ve given Leya many chances, I''ve changed everything for her. Maybe it''s time I drop being so forgiving.¡±


    ¡°I''m glad to hear it,¡± Joe said and looked up at me. ¡°Well, how about we get your son?¡±


    ¡°Right,.¡± Dan said.


    ¡°I''m not letting you pass.¡± I insisted.


    ¡°You don''t have the right to say that.¡± Dan snapped.


    As he spoke, I saw a vase suddenly flying towards me. I swung my arm and smashed it, making it shatter in my face. At that same moment, Algea tried to race past me up the steps. As he did, I reached out and grabbed his head, and slammed it into the wall.


    Dan raised his gun and shot and I dropped down and just narrowly dodged the blue blast that raced out. I pulled Algea down with me and threw him at Dan. Then I hopped up and went for Joe. As I did, I spotted Joe flicking his wrist, and Algea''s shirt was suddenly yanked and he flew away from hitting Dan, which made me pause.


    Damn, does he have telekinesis!?


    ¡°Alright, new plan. We take down the Knight.¡± Joe said with a smirk.

 Chapter 12 - Hypocrites

    Dan held out his gun and shot at me again. I leaped over the railing and evaded the blast. However, as soon as I landed I saw Joe holding out a gun towards me. He didn''t waste time and immediately fired off round after round at me. Thank god my eyes were activated, I barely dodged the shots even with them on. I moved down the hall and moved through a doorway that led to a kitchen. As I arrived I heard loud footsteps following behind, I turned and saw the blue ranger was hot on my tail!


    How did he get so fast!?


    He reeled his arm back and swung at me, I ducked and dodged and watched his arm swing through a cabinet! That was almost my head! We danced around the island in the kitchen and I ducked and weaved his strikes. However, nothing was helping my cause. I was only dodging and the guy was practically punching through everything that could slow him down. From out of the corner of my eye I noticed Joe coming in. He held out his gun and immediately started to fire.


    ¡°Ya know Knight! It¡¯s not too late!¡± He called out.


    I focused on the bullets and dodged them, the fire made the Blue Ranger halt. I took that opportunity to grab a knife from the counter and rushed at Joe. If I can take out his arms I can move a lot more freely! However, Joe just smiled at me and flicked his wrists.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you surrender.¡± He said.


    As he spoke a sharp pain suddenly burned through my shoulder, and I could see it was a bullet that blew through me. What!? Did Joe telekinesis a bullet he shot and missed through me!? I stumbled and grunted and as soon as I faltered the Blue Ranger came up and punched me. I croaked and my lunch came up, I went flying back through the kitchen doorway and slammed against the wall. The wind was ripped from my lungs and I gasped for air.


    A click sound came from the kitchen and I recognized it as the sound of a gun clip being unloaded, he must be changing his clip. So, a blue ranger who can break rock with a punch, and has a suit that can protect him while he does it. He¡¯s strong and tanky, but he swings with no form. He probably doesn¡¯t know how to actually fight. Then there¡¯s Joe, it seems like he can only move one thing at a time, and those things have all been small, even with Algea he chose to grab his shirt. Judging by the bullet and Algea, he can move small things pretty intensely.


    The child¡¯s face came into mind, then his mother. I slowly pushed myself up and I saw the two walking out of the kitchen to meet me. Joe, just now putting his clip back into the gun.


    ¡°Ya know Mr.Knight, if you were to take off your mask. I¡¯d be open to another conversation.¡± Joe said.


    ¡°Blue Ranger, you can still pick a different choice. This doesn¡¯t have to be it.¡± I said and discreetly let my jacket fall down my arms.


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand anything.¡± He grumbled. ¡°You want me to go to jail for reacting to losing the most precious thing!¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lose anything because of your wife, you lost it, because of your choices.¡±


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    I threw my jacket at Joe and rushed at the blue ranger. I slid underneath the ranger''s legs and popped up behind them both.


    ¡°I¡¯m not letting you hurt anyone!¡± I demanded.


    Joe was busy moving my jacket and as he did I snatched his gun from his hand. The ranger spun around and swung his fist at my face, I dodged and turned my eyes off, grabbed his arm, spun around, then used his force and flipped him over my shoulder. As he slammed against the floor Joe spun around and I hid the gun behind my back and jumped away. He held his hand out, but just as I thought, nothing moved.


    Ah, so he really can only move small things he sees. He was probably aiming to grab his gun back. That means I have a free moment to test another thing!


    I moved behind the island and hid my hand from him. Then I shot twice at the Ranger, who cried in pain as the bullets pierced his defense. He rolled over and tried to sit up.


    ¡°Damn, my health''s low!¡± He complained.


    Health running low? Does he mean his suit? Or does he have a health bar?


    Joe raced in and I held the gun at him, which made him stop.


    ¡°You have to move your hand to use your ability,.¡± I said. ¡° So, if you move even a finger. I¡¯ll shoot. I can dodge bullets, but are you sure you¡¯re fast enough to do that? And I know how your buddy swings now. This is over.¡±


    Joe smirked. ¡°You think so? So what? You''re gonna stay there forever?¡±


    ¡°I could kill you first actually. One shot for you, two for your friend''s health bar.¡± I said.


    Joe chuckled. ¡°Weren''t you the one speaking of morals before?¡±


    I bit my lip. I don¡¯t have a right to make these kinds of choices, I don¡¯t have a right to teach about pride. But even so, I have to do something¡­


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do it, but if it means stopping you from killing someone else, or him from beating his wife. Then I¡¯ll do what I have to.¡±


    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t..¡± The ranger started. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to hurt her. I just¡­I just didn¡¯t expect her to be so heartless.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re a villain yet. But you did hurt people, you did hit your wife, and you did that in front of your son. Don¡¯t pretend like you think that¡¯s all fair, just because you were upset. If you keep that up, you¡¯ll lose yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to this fake news, people make mistakes. That¡¯s all one bad day can make anyone do something they regret. That doesn¡¯t mean you should be crucified!¡±


    ¡°Says the heartless gang-¡±


    I choked on my words as a popping sound came through the wall. Before I could react, these red bullets shot through my body. I stumbled back and Joe reacted, flicking his wrist and sent the past bullets he fired out at me. I barely dodged as one grazed my cheek.


    ¡°Lord Joe!¡± Algea called out.


    I looked up and saw the two standing together in the doorway. Damn! I forgot about him!


    ¡°Well, well, looks like you forgot somebody,¡± Joe said. ¡°Seems like you probably do that a lot huh? Mr. Hypocrite?¡±


    Annuals'' face came to mind again and my stomach dropped. I know that already, shut up! It¡¯s not like I think I deserve to be here! As the panic started to set in, a miracle happened. I saw Zack behind the two Red Steel gang members. He tossed a bottle of alcohol at them and held out his hand.


    ¡°And you seemed to forget the Alley of Justice''s strongest member!¡± Zack yelled.


    The two spun around and I ducked behind the counter, then I heard a huge explosion erupt. The spark of bright green flames illuminated the room for a moment and quickly faded, leaving the sound of crackling fire in its wake. I shot up and saw the blood man was over Joe''s body, and the Ranger was cowering in the corner.


    ¡°Yo! Knight, we should get the hell out of here! The Po Po coming!¡± He called out.


    ¡°R-right!¡± I said and raced over to him.


    I leaped over Joe but froze.


    ¡®I didn¡¯t want to hurt her!¡±


    The Ranger''s voice rang in my head.


    What should I do? Should I just leave him? Is that the right answer?


    ¡°You all have been very entertaining.¡± A soft voice whispered from behind.


    Zack and I both turned back and I froze in place. There, floating in the sky was the Goddess. She smiled at me and her dark blue galaxy eyes stared deeply into my own.


    ¡°What?¡± Zack stammered.


    I glanced at him, but he was looking down the hall, where another Goddess was floating. Instead of her being blue, she had skin like Lavender, and I saw hell in her eyes.


    ¡°Now, good luck to you all.¡± My Goddess said.


    ¡°For the next time you meet.¡± Zack¡¯s Goddess continued. ¡°You all will surely bring death.¡±


    Then the world went black. As soon as the light returned I was greeted by the setting sun. The wind came in and the trees began to sing. I looked around and found myself in a forest.


    ¡°She, teleported us?¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°Seriously!¡± Zack yelled. I looked over and saw he was sitting up against a tree. ¡°I was this close to getting that mom''s number!¡±


    I took a breath.


    Today, I officially failed at being a hero.

 Chapter 13 - A trip down memory lane

    I slowly pushed myself off the ground and started to look around. The trees held a dark red shade and painted the forest. For some reason the sight of the scarlet leaves made my stomach twist into knots. That''s when her face came into mind, Annuals.


    ¡°Yeah, what the hell happened to you by the way?¡± Zack blurted out.


    ¡°Huh? You mean with Joe?¡± I asked.


    ¡°Yeah, you looked like a busted-up Kool-Aid man when I came back.¡±


    I huffed. ¡°Yeah, it''s almost like I fought three guys while you flirted with a mom!¡±


    He waved me off. ¡°You didn''t die, it''s fine.¡±


    I should kill him.


    ¡°You know I-!¡±


    ¡°That kid was really freaking out,¡± Zack mumbled, and slowly his smile faded. ¡°That lady couldn''t even see she was making it worse. I don''t get parents, man. It''s like she didn''t even care that she was freaking him out.¡±


    I sighed and sat back in the grass. ¡°Yeah, the guy had a moment of clarity with me. But I totally messed it up¡­¡±


    ¡°That sucks.¡± Zack huffed. ¡°Those two were real pieces of work. And that Red Steel guy. I can''t believe they got powers too.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and now The blue ranger is on their side¡­¡±


    ¡°Pppfft, whatever, you would''ve kicked his butt if you weren''t jumped. That guy''s trash.¡±


    ¡°He''s incredibly strong.¡± I insisted. ¡°He mentioned a health bar, so he''s got defense armor, enhanced strength, and a gun that seems to shoot some kind of heated blast. That''s strong enough to blast through walls like a regular gun.¡±


    ¡°Well, next time will be ready,¡± Zack said and went into his pocket, he pulled out a wallet and tossed it to me.


    I jumped some but caught it. ¡°U-ummm?¡±


    ¡°That''s the mom''s wallet.¡±


    ¡°You stole her wallet!¡±


    ¡°Easy Captain America,¡± Zack said and stood up. ¡°Tell me, do you know any actual information about the Blue Ranger? Besides what he looks like?¡±


    ¡°W-well¡­¡±


    ¡°If we''re gonna take this S.O.B down and protect the hot babe. We need to be able to find them again.¡±


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    ¡°I¡­suppose that''s fair.¡± I sighed. ¡°He seemed like he wanted his son. And I can''t imagine his son getting dragged into gang affairs is gonna end well.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t personally care. But if there''s a chance to sliding into this babes D.M¡¯s I''m here for it.¡± Zack said and snickered.


    I got up and rolled my eyes. Yeah right, I know you''re worried about that kid.


    ¡°Well anyways, let''s get out of here,¡± I said and stretched. ¡°Will need to plan and strategize. I was completely useless against them until I stole their gun.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry, I know a guy named Queen. He''ll get us good.¡± He said.


    I started to walk and followed an almost faded-out man-made trail. Zack followed behind me and I glanced back at him.


    ¡°Queen?¡± I asked.


    ¡°You''ll understand when you see him.¡±


    ¡°Okay then¡­¡±


    ¡°Anyways, where are we exactly? How do you know where you''re going?¡±


    ¡°Hey, Zack. Remember when we took Annual out on these trails?" I asked.


    He blinked a few times, his eyes darting around as he finally came to the same realization.


    "Oh yeah! This Is totally the place!" He laughed. "Where you sucked at making a raft for Annual."


    I grumbled. "Like you could''ve done better!"


    "Never underestimate the power of partying in the country. Hillbillies know how to get real crazy." He snickered.


    I rolled my eyes and suddenly my thoughts began to wander. Annual¡¯s smile and her forest green eyes scratched at the back of my mind. There was a twinge in my chest. Just like that, I was brought back to reality, the reality of my sins. Maybe this was a sign, maybe I needed to face my fears. After all, my sins made me stumble today.


    "Hey, do you think, I can see her?" I choked out.


    Zack suddenly stopped walking and spun around on his heels. His face lit up like a Christmas tree.


    "Yeah of course! She''s pretty weak now, so we can''t take her out. But all she does is talk about you! She''s still totally in love." Zack said with a laugh.


    I began to pick up some flowers as we walked. Remembering how much Annual liked them.


    "I''m nothing special." I hadn''t intended on it, but my words came out more bitter than I expected.


    "Says the guy with superpowers." Zack retorted. "Besides, you were the brave one who got her to a doctor."


    "Don''t be too hard on yourself, you were doing everything you could."


    "I guess, my old man still looses his crap when it looks like I''m taking her to the hospital again. But I can''t be too mad this time around, we definitely can''t afford any more medical bills." Zack sighed.


    "Wait, is nobody helping her anymore?"


    "No, no, Mom''s at least getting her medicine still. Plus occasional urgent care visits are¡­. semi-affordable."


    "Man, that''s rough."


    "Yeah, things were a lot easier when your mom was around."


    "Yeah, you''re not wrong at all."


    Zack suddenly came to a stop and gasped excitedly. "Dude it''s a frog!"


    I stopped and watched him run over to the edge of the lake, and I decided to take a break and leaned back against the tree. My heart raced and I lifted my fingers to my lips, then started biting at my nails.


    ''If only you loved me.''


    My mom''s sweet voice echoed in the back of mind. I couldn''t get the image of the dream out of my head. Just what would she think of me? My thoughts ran to earlier, with Joe and Dan.


    ¡®Our paragon of justice is here, are you telling me you''ve never done something like that?¡¯ Joe''s words echoed in my head.


    I''ve done horrible things, I''m a monster. I got mom killed, I abandoned Annual when she needed me most, and today, I failed to reach Dan and help that kid. Someone like me doesn''t deserve this opportunity. Why was it me? Why not Lux? Anyone else honestly¡­


    ''Looks like that damn gorilla kid is beating people up again.''


    Suddenly my dad''s words hit me and my heart started to hammer against my chest. Back at the warehouse, I let my lust for war come back. That was sick. I''m a sick person.


    "Why is it that someone like me has these powers¡­" I mumbled.


    "Who''d be better!?" Zack''s voice suddenly snatched me back to reality.


    I jumped a bit and moved my hand down. Now finding Zack walking over to me with a frog on his head.


    "W-what?"


    "You heard me, who''d be better?" He asked again. "It''s not like anybody else in this crap stain of a city would actually wanna help people."


    I looked away. "I don''t deserve this. Not after what I did, what I keep doing. Maybe I should just pretend like I didn''t even get these powers."


    "What? What are you talking about?"


    "If Mom was alive right now, she''d be here to help you. If I just¡­didn''t run in blindly. If I wasn''t such a freak. I don''t deserve this gift."


    "Stryder, your mom died to protect you. She made that choice for herself, didn''t she?"


    "If I could''ve just controlled myself she would be alive right now! I don''t deserve to be alive! I''m not good enough, she was better."


    "Stryder, that girl was probably gonna die if you didn''t do something! If I know your mom as well as I think I do, I''m sure she''d agree. And she''d probably want you to make that decision all over again."


    "And how do you know that!?"


    "Because you''re just like her. The day we met when I tried to rob you. You both decided to help me instead of turning me in. I tried to rob you practically every day, and you''d let me keep the stuff half the time! Not to mention your mom helped Annual all on her dime. You two are like one and the same, and my life wouldn''t be the same without her for sure. But it wouldn''t be the same without you either. And you can bet Annual feels the same too."


    He reached his hand out to me, and suddenly the broken record in my head had stopped. I stared at his hand for a moment. I hadn''t even realized I slid down on the grass. Slowly I raised my hand and took his hand into my own. Then he pulled me up.


    "Crying about it isn''t gonna make anything better you know. If you wanna prove you''re alive, then you gotta go out and live." Zack said and looked me in the eyes.


    A warmth came into my chest and I nodded.


    "Right, you''re right," I said with a chuckle.


    He let go of my hand and turned back around.


    "Now! Onward to the princess¡¯s castle!" Zack cheered.


    "Yeah! Let''s do it!"

 Chapter 14 - The princess of flowers

    The farther we walked down the dirt road, the harder my heart pounded in my chest. I started nibbling at my fingernails, but they were slowly becoming scarce. Should I really be seeing her? Did I have the right to just show back up in her life like this? I mean, I abandoned her. Come to think of it, I''m surprised Zack''s so okay with this. After all, it was his sister I hurt.


    I looked over at him and saw there wasn¡¯t a hint of hesitation in his eyes. He just kept forward, not worried about a thing. Then again, when is he ever really worried?  I took a breath and tried to relax. No turning back. If I want a life, you gotta try and live. Even if life''s scary.


    By the time we arrived at Zacks''s apartment, I had successfully bitten off all the excess nails on my fingers. My heart had reached a critical point where I figured it jumped up to my throat.


    "You can do this..." I mumbled.


    My eyes focused on the scratched-up door and the faded cream-colored walls of his unit. It amazed me, not a thing changed since the last time I was here. Zack walked over to his doormat and picked up a key from underneath it. Then, he unlocked the door, quickly shoving it open. And that''s when everything became real for me.


    A faded beep played in the back of my mind, and my legs felt heavy like cement. The bitter smell of the chemicals and cleaners barged their way into my nostrils. Just like I was there again¡­


    "Well come in!" Zack yelled, which snatched me back to reality.


    "R-right!" I stammered.


    I followed behind into the house, and the scent of cigarettes wrapped itself around me, the sound of rustling wrappers came from beneath my feet. I looked down and saw I was stepping on a pile of Twix wrappers. Upon looking around, I noticed the whole place was just a sea of trash. Drinks, food, clothes, it was like someone had a frat party.


    "I''m not liable for whatever you step on. That may include and is not limited to, crusty underwear, soda bottles with pee, and maybe lost kittens." Zack called out.


    "Lost kittens?" I asked.


    "Yeah, you don''t wanna know."


    Zack trudged his way through the mess, not worried in the slightest what he''d step on. I attempted to watch where I stepped, but I inevitably stepped in some questionable green substance. Once I made it past the living room and got to the main hall, it was just, suddenly clean.


    I looked over and saw Zack holding the door knob. A chill ran down my spine and I froze. He gave me a huge smile and winked. Then he flung the door open so hard it slammed against the wall.


    ''What did you do?''


    ''Mom''s not gonna make it!''


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    ''It hurts! Baby it hurts!''


    The voices from that day flooded my mind. While the soft beeping echoed around me. I started to pant and my arm shook. It''s not real! It''s not real!


    ''She''s lost too much blood!''


    ''Stryder what did you do?''


    "Hey Gnome! Guess who I brought!" Zack''s voice boomed over the memories.


    He looked over to me as if to say, this was my cue. However, every part of my body felt heavy. She''s gonna die like mom. She''s gonna-


    ''Crying about it isn''t gonna make anything better you know. If you wanna prove you''re alive, then you gotta go out and live.''


    Zacks''s words came back to mind. I looked into his eyes for a moment. They were confident still, even though I probably looked like I was gonna cry. This is it Stryder, your moment. Are you gonna choose to live? Or stay frozen in death''s grip? If you can¡¯t do this, how do you expect to stop Joe and Dan?


    I clenched my fist and walked forward.  The beeping grew louder, the voices shouting in my ear. However, I pushed forward. No more being scared, no more letting this control me. I was gonna choose to live!


    So, I stepped through the door. And suddenly everything went silent. My eyes laid on the forgotten princess, who just smiled at my presence. Her tangled brown locks looked as if they hadn''t been brushed in ages, and her bold green eyes still shined like emeralds.


    "Stryder!" She cheered weakly.


    I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. My eyes froze on her like I saw a ghost. She was okay. In fact, she was smiling.


    "H-hey, Annual." I stuttered out.


    "My knight has finally returned to me," she proclaimed.


    I walked over to her bedside and laid the flowers next to her. Her big emerald eyes grew wider and she seemed more alive than even a moment before. She lifted the flowers and took a whiff. And I just stared at her.


    This is what I''ve been avoiding? This is what I''ve been scared of? This wasn''t nearly as bad as I thought it was. She''s just the same old Annual. She didn''t end up like mom.


    "Mmm, Hyacinths, you must''ve walked that trail coming here." She smiled and ran her fingers along the petals. "These flowers kinda remind me of you. I think they''re a good representation."


    I chuckled.  "Well, I do like blue a lot."


    She nodded and pointed to the many jars on her desk, all holding different flowers in them.


    "The red spider lily I have over there reminds me of Zack." She said.


    "Isn''t that thing poisonous!?" Zack complained.


    "Yeah, just like how staring at you too long can make me sick. Definitely dangerous." Annual said sweetly.


    "Says the Gnome who hasn''t brushed her teeth in three days!"


    "It''s not like I can get up and buy toothpaste! Isn''t that your job? Supposed to be taking care of me? Gremlin."


    And here we go. The two went back and forth roasting each other. Eventually, Annual stumped Zack and left him simply glaring at her. With a triumphing smile, she faced me again.


    "By the way, Stryder, I want these flowers for our wedding."


    My face got hot and I immediately looked away.


    "Wh-what!?" I stammered.


    She giggled and faced the flowers again.


    "Whenever I get better, I''ll make you a great bride. I promise." She said softly with a cough.


    She set the flowers down and covered her mouth. As she started to have a coughing fit. Zack rushed over and laid her back.


    "Okay, okay, you need to rest. You can talk all about your wedding plans some other day." Zack said.


    She nodded and looked toward me.


    "Thank you for coming. Please, I''d love to see you again." She said and coughed again.


    "Yeah, I''ll be here."


    With that, Zack and I took our leave, shutting the door to her and heading outside. We leaned against the walls of his apartment.


    "Man, I haven''t argued with her like that since I spilled soup on her." Zack laughed.


    I smiled and looked at him.  "Yeah? Well, I''m glad."


    "Thanks, I could tell you were nervous. But you really breathed some life into her."


    "Yeah, I''m starting to see. Maybe everything I was worried about was just in my head."


    He looked over at me and smiled. ¡°Well, how about we get serious then and look up info on Mr. Blue Ranger.¡±

 Chapter 15 - Red steel city

    -Dans perspective-


    I quickly followed behind Joe and Algea as they trekked through the woods. Joe was on his phone, tapping and occasionally looking around. I tried to just stay quiet and followed behind them. The two of them, they couldn''t be over twenty could they? As I focused more, I noticed the red bandanas on their bodies. That stuff the Knight said, they are a part of a gang. I bit my lip and just ignored it.


    Jason is the only thing that matters. If I can use these guys, I can get Jason. Then I can figure out where I''m going from there.


    ¡°Algea,¡± Joe spoke up. ¡°Call the others and tell them to meet us at the warehouse.¡±


    ¡°Of course lord Joe,¡± Aglea said.


    Joe then finally glanced back at me and smiled.


    ¡°We''re gonna have a meeting and introduce you to everyone.¡± He said. ¡°Then will get you settled into a temporary home.¡±


    I nodded. ¡°Right, I appreciate this young man. I need to know, will I be able to see my son anytime soon?¡±


    ¡°I promise, we can get your son.¡± He assured. ¡°Just a matter of planning it out. You worked with numbers, right? Well, we gotta crunch those and set up a plan.¡±


    ¡°Right, of course,¡± I said.


    Yeah, I did kill my boss in a building full of people. Just like the goddess told me, my life is forever changed. These guys are my only option as of now. But even then, does this brat even have connections like that?


    Guess it doesn''t matter. Not like there''s another option. My wife''s face came to mind, and a tingle brushed over my arm. The sound of her body crashing into the steps reverberated in my mind.


    I grabbed my arm and squeezed it. My stomach turned into knots and the urge to vomit came up. I didn''t mean it, did I? She said such horrible things, she lied to me, she took advantage of me. Did she ever love me? Is Jason really not mine? My world? Yeah, it''s understandable I''d lash out¡­


    My son''s smile came to mind, and the words of the Knight filled my head.


    ¡®What example do you wanna set?¡¯


    My hand tingled more and I squeezed it harder. I did that in front of my son, my baby boy. What kind of man does that at all? What kind of father am I?


    Maybe the Knight had a point. What example am I setting? I looked up at Joe and Algea. The reality set in of what I was doing with them.


    It doesn''t matter now, all that matters now is survival. Jason is my son. No matter who he came from. I''ll have to worry about morals later.


    ¡­.


    Soon we left the forest, but the roads before looked different. The streets were cracked and trash was littered all over the place. The buildings before us looked decayed, and sunken in. Like a disease had ravaged the structures. There weren''t even signs of life in this place besides us.


    The two before me kept walking, not saying a word. They walked through the corpse of a city with ease. Knowing every turn and every direction to take. I stayed quiet and just followed.


    Stolen novel; please report.


    Man, I''ve had it easy. I can''t fathom coming from a place like this¡­


    We walked to the other end of the town and made our way to a building. The place was a huge warehouse, the gigantic metal doors were broken and barely hanging onto its hinges, looking like a solum crypt. However, I could hear voices echoing out from the bowels of the building.


    Joe and Algea headed inside confidently and I slowly followed behind. As we grew deeper and deeper into this crypt, I started to see them. One by one, I caught glimpses of the people around, scattered about like spiders. They were in the rafters, on the walls, even dangling from the ceiling.


    ¡°W-woah¡­.¡± I mumbled.


    As we walked deeper into the building, people started to whisper.  The whispers soon turned to stomps and the stomps to claps. And soon the quiet horrors turned into a loud symphony of cheers and banging. Joe and Algea soon stopped in the center of the area, and the room went ballistic. The two looked around at the crowd and Joe had a huge smile on his face.


    ¡°Well, don''t be shy, not Riot Blue Ranger,¡± Joe said. ¡°After all, this is all for you.¡±


    I blinked a few times. ¡°H-huh? For me?¡±


    I looked around and the room was all staring at us, smiles adorning their faces, cheers bouncing off the walls. Were they excited? For me?


    ¡°Alright! That''s enough!¡± He called out. ¡°So as you can see, we didn''t come back empty-handed!¡±


    The crowd erupted into cheers again.


    ¡°Woah¡­am I that popular?¡± I mumbled.


    ¡°I know we''ve been growing steadily since the goddess bestowed gifts upon Algea and I. But They''ve given us another opportunity! Blessing us with the strongest! The blue ranger!¡± Joe cheered.


    The crowd went wild again and he looked over to me and pushed me in front of the crowd. I stiffened up and I got to see them, truly see them. The crowd was so vast, people of all sizes, people of all ages, there were even people holding babies.


    What is this group¡­?


    Joe raised his hand, and slowly the group quieted down.


    ¡°Now, we''re going to discuss our plans moving forward,¡± Joe said. ¡°For one, we need a place to keep the ranger and his son. Preferably on the east side. So after the rest of the discussion, I''d like to see volunteers.¡±


    ¡°He can stay with me!¡± Someone yelled.


    ¡°Nah let me do it!¡± Another screamed back.


    ¡°Me! I got space!¡±


    Soon the crowd was full of offers.


    Joe chuckled and shook his head. ¡°They never listen, do they?¡±


    ¡°Lord Joe has not finished!¡± Algea demanded.


    The whole room slowly but surely fell silent.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Joe said. ¡°Now, as I was saying. We have a problem, two problems to be exact. Two more people other than us three have gained powers from the goddesses. The two are unidentified, and have already declined my offer of partnership.¡±


    ¡°That philistine¡­¡±  Algea growled.


    ¡°According to the information on the app, it says their titles are Knight and Wizard. They both wear masks and hoods, Algea will send out a picture soon so we''re all on the same page. But, the mission is to find their real identities, and eliminate them.¡±


    ¡°They''re formidable opponents,¡± Algea spoke up. ¡°The Knight was able to dodge gunfire, and the other could produce flames from his body at lightning speeds.¡±


    ¡°We''re going to move more carefully from now on,¡± Joe said. ¡°The ranger here even struggled with the Knight. The wizard seems more like support. So if possible, divide and conquer, and never engage alone.¡±


    I see, I''m a war chip now¡­


    ¡°What!? I thought the ranger was the strongest!¡± Someone yelled.


    ¡°Yeah!¡± Another screamed.


    The crowd moved into an uproar. Algea screamed and tried to get their attention, but not a soul was listening. I glanced at Joe, and he looked completely calm. I''d say he looked excited by this.


    Slowly Joe raised his hand and the crowd started to quiet down until it completely stopped. Joe stepped forward and held out his hand to them.


    ¡°Don''t misunderstand, he is indeed the strongest,¡± Joe assured. ¡°I saw him with my own two eyes. Alas though, the circumstances weren''t in our favor. After all, we fought right in front of his dear son and I assume, ex-wife.¡±


    ¡°That Knight was heartless.¡± Algea continued. ¡°We did what we could, but the Wizard abducted his son. Lord Joe and the Ranger were emotionally suffering!¡±


    The crowd all started to get uppity again. People were screaming, throwing apologies at me, spouting hate for the duo. However, I didn¡¯t feel good at all. Yeah, he''s not lying. Everything he said was true, and yet¡­


    ¡®What kind of example are you setting?¡¯ The knight''s words echoed in my mind.


    I''m almost happy they took him away from all that.


    ¡°So!¡± Joe called out. ¡°We''re gonna show those two who the Red Steel gang are!¡±


    Then the crowd erupted into cheers. My eyes ran over them but soon stopped on Joe. He looked over the crowd with a huge smile on his face. It wasn''t one of someone determined or even one of anger. He looked genuinely excited.


    I wonder, what have I gotten myself into?