《Beginnings》


 Fearless

    Alright, breathe. That¡¯s important. Best to get as much air as I can out here, because once I go in there, there¡¯s gonna be fire, and smoke, all of it surrounding me-


    Breathe, just breathe. I was trained for this. These past four months were used to make sure I was ready for this. I can¡¯t be scared. Not now. Not after everything that¡¯s happened. I need to be strong.


    ¡°You okay, Kid?¡± said a familiar voice. Opening my eyes, I saw my trainer, Jazz, staring at me worriedly. I couldn¡¯t fault her for it. Four months ago, I had been a small, scared kid who couldn¡¯t stand up for himself, let alone go against one of Nature¡¯s fiercest elements.


    I was still scared, but I wasn¡¯t weak anymore. Today was-is-supposed to be my debut, the day I come into the light. The chief¡¯s already said that I¡¯m going to be the face of the Fire Department. So many people¡¯s careers are riding on this. Just for that alone, I can¡¯t back out now.


    Jazz voiced out my thoughts. ¡°You scared? You shouldn¡¯t be. You¡¯re the most qualified person to handle this. You spent hours training yourself to the bone, going farther and harder than anyone who¡¯s ever gone through the program.¡±


    ¡°I know that,¡± I replied, running my hand through my hair. ¡°I just...what if something goes wrong? What if I mess up? I¡¯ve never dealt with a fire this big. I¡¯ve memorized the drills, what I¡¯m supposed to do, what I¡¯m supposed to say and to whom, but I still I just think that it might be too soon.¡±


    Jazz raised an eyebrow in surprise. ¡°Really? Is this the same kid who knocked his training partner to the ground when he found out he was going to deal with the California Fire?¡±


    I gave her a weak smile. ¡°It¡¯s different when it¡¯s staring at me in the face.¡±


    I wasn¡¯t kidding. Before we had even gotten close to California, I could see the black cloud of smoke rising towards the sky, the orange blaze of the fire right underneath. When we landed at the airport, I could feel the fire¡¯s heat, despite being thousands of miles away. Now, in the limo, the fire was all around us, hungry and waiting to devour.


    When I was a kid, before I even understood what I was, I had always feared the campfire that my siblings and I gathered around every summer. Not because I was scared of getting burnt, but because I saw faces in the fire, taunting me, teasing me, giving me a warning every time we met.


    Challenge me, and I will devour you. Fight me, and I will engulf you. Defy me, and I will end you. To me, you are nothing!


    It¡¯s one thing to fight your exact counter. But when your opponent is powerful, ancient and without fear of you, the only one who can stop it¡­


    It¡¯s humbling, to say the least.


    ¡°Kid, you know my story, right?¡± said Jazz, shaking me from my thoughts. I nodded in confirmation.


    ¡°Jasmine King, the youngest person to join the U.S Military in a hundred years, at the age of fourteen. After two years of training and several trainers, you took to the battlefield at age sixteen, going against terrorists, suicide bombers and assassins both older and younger than you. You earned the name ¡®Fearless¡¯, due to your ability, Armour, which allowed you to turn your skin into a diamond-hard substance.


    ¡°For the next five years, you were the shield and sword of the U.S. Army. You took the most dangerous assignments, the worst operations, missions meant for failure, until-¡±


    ¡°-Until we found out my Armour wasn¡¯t as durable as we thought,¡± she finished dryly. ¡°It turned out that it was like actual armor-it could get nicked, scratched, even dented. Normal armor can get replaced. Mine couldn¡¯t. So, one day, we walked into a terrorist den, straight into a hailstorm of gunfire and fire. As usual, I was ¡®Fearless¡¯, walking right towards them, letting the bullets bounce right off. We captured all of them, zero casualties, my squad members joking and messing around...until the guy behind me blew us all to shreds. I still had my Armour on, and it allowed me to take the full brunt of the damage. But five years of damage is a lot, especially when it¡¯s in a concentrated area. That day, my Armour broke, and for the first time in my life, I felt pain. Horrible, crippling pain.¡±


    ¡°The scar on your back-¡±


    She nodded. ¡°Same place. It was small, about the same size as a baseball, but deep enough that you could see my spine. The doctors did well, and it scarred nicely, but the mental scars were still there. I was too scared to go back into battle. My Armour never reformed properly over that place again. I was scared that I would get hurt again, and it was something that controlled me for a long time.


    ¡°Fortunately, the Army didn¡¯t need me. A month later, we won the war, and the U.S. won. Everyone was safe. That knowledge helped me recover faster. But you know something I realized?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I realized that the feeling that had made me strong, ready to put my Armour on at a moment¡¯s notice, the feeling that helped me survive my military career, wasn¡¯t bravery. It was fear. Undiluted, overwhelming fear.¡±


    My jaw must¡¯ve dropped, because Jazz burst into laughter, pointing at my face.


    ¡°You look so silly right now!¡±


    I didn¡¯t care though. ¡°What do you mean, it was fear? You walked onto battlefields with almost zero gear! You disobeyed orders and took unnecessary risks! Hell, I¡¯ve seen you set yourself on fire during my training!¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    ¡°You learned how to dodge, didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Not the point! You do all that crazy stuff without a care in the world, and you¡¯re scared?¡±


    Still giggling, she nodded. ¡°I did do all that stuff. Most of it was funny too. But not because I was ¡®Fearless¡¯. I did it because I kept trying to prove to myself that I shouldn¡¯t be scared, that nothing could hurt me, that my Armour was unstoppable. Truth is, every training session, every battle, every fight, I forced myself to do it, to rely on my power, because inside my head, a part of me always doubted my Armour¡¯s strength. I never believed in my ability, and even today, I still don¡¯t have full faith in it.


    ¡°As superhumans, we fear the things that can harm us despite our natural abilities. Because of my Armour, I feared pain to an insane level. People who can fly or have wings have a fear of falling. Your fear of fire is as natural as your control over the cold. When superhumans first came, so many of us disbelieved in our powers that we just ignored them, allowing them to fade away.


    ¡°The ones who history remembers are those who embraced their abilities and brought them into the light. You and those of your age are the next generations of superhumans, those who inherited their powers at birth, rather than gain them in an accident or because of puberty. Your ability is like an arm or a leg. It¡¯s a part of who you are. I always saw mine like a coat, something I wore if I needed it, but not longer than necessary.


    ¡°This fear of fire is going to live and die with you. It will never leave you. But you can choose whether it will break you, or strengthen you. You understand?¡±


    I nodded because, in a way, I did understand. I couldn¡¯t get rid of my fear. To do that would have to result in me losing a part of me that was special.


    I was still scared...but now it was helping me, not hurting me.


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± announced the driver. Jazz smiled at me, thanked the man for the drive, then opened the door.


    It was hell.


    Fire and smoke surrounded us, turning everything to ash. Flames had engulfed the houses and the trees, the tarmac melting beneath our feet. I didn¡¯t feel the heat like a normal person, and Jazz¡¯s Armour prevented her from getting scorched, but the fact that random stuff kept setting on fire around us was a good indicator of how bad it was.


    So why were there people here?


    ¡°Damnit,¡± Jazz cursed quietly. ¡°The media is here.¡±


    ¡°Those are reporters? Here? Now?


    ¡°You do realize that a story on a superhuman is a guaranteed promotion, right? Despite us being around for the last decade or so, we¡¯re a very secretive bunch.¡±


    ¡°But... there are so many people here-¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re not going to change anything. Good or bad, today is your day. No one can take that from you. Now hurry up and get this over with! I¡¯m starting to get a tan!¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re-¡±


    ¡°Just hurry up!¡±


    Right. I could do this. Despite the overwhelming heat, there was a lot of moisture in the surrounding area. There was water underground, in the trees, even in the pipes of the burning houses. I just needed to breathe. Breathe in, breathe out. Breathe in, breathe out. In, out.


    In.


    Out.


    Just. Breathe.


    So, even after all the warnings I gave you, you still choose to stand in front of me. Did you think I was merely jesting when I said I would devour you? Come then, little mortal, and watch as I burn you to ashes.


    My heart stopped as the flames roared all around me, and for a minute, I was the scared five-year-old who sat in front of the campfire, the only one who could see the devilish faces that hid in the flame.


    I will consume you, and destroy everything you love if you defy me. This is your last chance to back out, mortal.


    And that was when I felt Jazz¡¯s hand on my shoulder.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your fear win control,¡± she whispered. ¡°Make it serve you.¡±


    She was right. All I had to do was just-


    Breathe.


    ¡°Freeze.¡±


    The sound of shattering glass filled the area as frost began to cover the ground, cooling the tarmac as it spread rapidly. A series of explosions were heard as the pipes underground burst and brought freezing water up to the surface. Spiky crystals of ice jutted from the ground, and the world was silent for a minute as winter made a guest appearance on a stage that didn¡¯t quite favor her.


    Soon, however, the ice melted, and the frost evaporated as the inferno around us reminded us of its existence. The ice was gone, but so was the fire.


    Jazz whistled in awe beside him. ¡°That¡¯s about a two-mile radius, you¡¯re best one yet, I¡¯d say. Wanna see if you can do better?¡±


    Despite everything that had just happened, I felt a grin on my lips. ¡°Sure, why not?¡±


    And that was when the media decided to make their voices heard.


    ¡°Excuse me, Ice Boy, over here please!¡±


    ¡°Mr. Ice, would you please answer a few questions?¡±


    ¡°Freeze-Man! Over here, Freeze-Man, just need a few pictures-!¡±


    I felt my cheeks burn as Jazz laughed at the onslaught of ice-related names.


    ¡°Seriously? Mr.Ice? Freeze-Man? Please tell me they¡¯re joking.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re the media. They name the heroes, not us. But on another note, you ready to do this?¡±


    I nodded as I felt frost start to creep onto my arms. I had only taken out a small portion of the wild-fire, and I had a whole city to take care of. This was gonna be a long, hard day.


    I couldn¡¯t wait to start.


    ¡°Just so you know, I¡¯m calling you Mr. Ice from now on.¡±


    ¡°I hate you Jazz.¡±


    **************************

 Emergence

    Flames were springing into life in his palms, strong and hungry, wanting to burn, burn on and on until everything burned-


    ¡°Shut the hell up, you damn superpowers,¡± he cursed, clenching his fists closed. The blue flames in his palms flared brightly for a second, before quietly surrendering to his commands.


    God, the movies made it look so damn easy, like controlling fire was as simple as breathing when it fucking wasn¡¯t. They were flames. They rebelled and scorched and burned and blazed. They were living without life, a beast without sentience, something you couldn¡¯t tame, just change the flow of.


    The day he¡¯d gotten them, he¡¯d played around with them. Shot a few fireballs into the air, tried to make a fire whip, letting the flames cover his body as he looked at the mirror in awe. He felt like a god, unstoppable, strong and fierce, more alive than he¡¯d ever been.


    Then...he burned himself.


    He hadn¡¯t even thought it was possible to hurt yourself with something that belonged to you in such a personal way. He¡¯d just been messing around with it, trying to see how far it could go, how hot his flames could become. By this time, he¡¯d had them for a month, and his ego made him believe he was powerful, a hero in the making. Forget Superman! When he came on the scene, people were gonna be looking at him! Action figures, posters, movie deals, he could see it all now!


    He had watched as his fire started off as an angry red, then became a soft orange, and finally morphed into a bright yellow. For a whole minute, he had kept up the yellow flames, and thought it was his limit, and he was okay with it. It was a bit-a lot hotter than all his other flames, and he could actually feel the heat. But then he remembered-weren¡¯t blue flames the hottest flames? The strongest? He¡¯d seen it in comics and T.V. shows, the ones where the pyrokinetic developed a blue or black or green flame and then became the subsequent badass of the team.


    If he had yellow flames, yeah, he¡¯d be cool. People would ooh and ahh for a few months, a year if he was really cool. But after a while, people would compare him to other pyro¡¯s, and one way or another, they¡¯d point out that while his power was definitely strong, it just didn¡¯t quite match up to theirs. And that irritated him to no end.


    Already on the news and in the papers, there were stories about people who had powers. A soldier who could turn her skin into some kind of unbreakable armor. A kid firefighter who could use ice, and had single-handedly frozen the Chicago Wildfires. The superhuman scene was still fresh and new, so if he got on the train now with blue flames, and he¡¯d go down in history!


    So he pushed his flames, getting hotter and hotter, his clothes charring and turning to ash! He didn¡¯t care! He was gonna be the absolute best! He could already see flickers of blue flame in the corners of his eyes. He could do it, he was almost there! All he had to do was push harder! With a roar like he¡¯d seen countless anime and manga characters do, he turned his blaze into a damn inferno, burning the grass beneath his feet and incinerating anything within a ten-foot radius.


    And then...he burned.


    Despite his arrogance, he was actually reasonably smart. He did well in science and excelled in math, and looking at how his body worked, he theorized he was something like a human Bunsen burner, with each pore a tiny barrel and airhole, able to release an incredibly small flame.


    After he¡¯d discovered his flames, he¡¯d noticed that the smell of his sweat was slightly toxic, and after taking a flammability test, he had realized his sweat had a composition similar to that of gasoline, a combination of various chemicals that made his sweat flammable, which his pores ignited with his fire. His skin was the metal container of the Bunsen burner, keeping all of it inside and contained unless he willed it, which granted him a very large amount of heat tolerance and resistance.


    But that was it. Heat resistance. Not Fireproof Skin or Immunity. There was only a certain amount of heat he could control, and he had been teetering on the edge with his yellow flames.


    But when his coveted blue flames appeared...it devoured him. That was when he realized he was no Superman. He was Icarus, an arrogant youth who tried to fly to the sun, and as such, he was burnt, both figuratively and literally.


    The more he screamed in pain, calling for help, the more his blue flames grew, crackling with glee as they devoured him and the surrounding area, until the pain finally knocked him out, letting him fall into reassuring darknessRoyal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    When he woke up, the forest he had used to practice his flames was ablaze with his blue fire. That was when he realized he was no hero. Just a kid, a jerk with a power he didn¡¯t understand.


    He was scarred for his arrogance. His arms, his back, his fingertips and even a patch of skin on the right side of his face were charred black. He couldn¡¯t feel them anymore, no matter how hard he scratched and bled, wanting to be rid of the scars, the scars given to him by his curse-


    Now he was on a train, leaving the city. He couldn¡¯t show himself to his parents, not after this. Forget hero, he didn¡¯t even classify as a human at this point. He was a freak, disgusting, monstrous-


    ¡°Everyone, hands up and wallets out, now,¡± a man said leisurely, standing up as he did so. When no one did as he said, he sighed and began to...change.


    Fangs replaced teeth, his skin became a dark gunmetal gray, his brown hair streaked with grey became a vivid, scarlet red as his blue eyes became a slitted yellow.


    ¡°I won¡¯t repeat myself,¡± he growled in a much deeper voice. ¡°Wallets. Out. Now.¡±


    A superhuman, a strong one at that. But he wasn¡¯t being a hero. He was scaring people, using his power for his own gain. A villain.


    But wasn¡¯t he the same? A person who had planned to use his powers for his own gain? The only difference between him and the man robbing the train was the fact that his powers weren¡¯t dangerous to himself. Maybe...maybe it¡¯d be better if he kept quiet, stayed down and did nothing. A hero, a real hero, would handle this.


    ¡®...you think you¡¯re special?¡¯


    Wait, what was-


    ¡®You have a power, the power to save, to help! And you¡¯re just going take the cowards way out?!¡¯


    That¡¯s not fair! I did my best, but my powers-


    ¡®You played with a tool like it was a toy! Of course, you got hurt! You were arrogant, wanting to be a man when you were nothing but a child! Of course, I burned you! Do you think you can play with nature and have no repercussions?!


    Wait, are you my flames? You did this to me?!


    ¡®Of course fool! Power comes with cost and sacrifice, a toll you hadn¡¯t paid! You wanted the strongest flames? You had to pay the highest toll!¡¯


    Why should I listen to you?! You hurt me!


    ¡®You hurt yourself, playing God! I was given to you to help others, not be used as a path to fame and riches!¡¯


    Does it matter anymore? I¡¯m a monster, and nothing can change that. Who¡¯s gonna believe in a hero that looks like the devil?


    ¡®...redeem yourself.¡¯


    What?


    ¡®Redeem yourself...and I will heal you.¡¯


    Wait, how? You¡¯re just fire, you burn things not heal-


    The tips of his blackened fingers burst into green flames, burning through the bandages that covered them. With widening eyes, he watched as the black flakes fell to the floor, leaving healthy brown skin behind.


    You...you can-


    ¡®Redeem yourself, and I will heal you. Every time you help someone, do a good deed, save a life, a little of yourself comes back. I burnt you, but I can heal what I did. After all, phoenixes rise from the ashes that they become.¡¯


    Slowly, he rose to his feet, clenching his fists tightly as he did so. After he had burnt himself, he had lost control of his pyrokinesis, random bursts of flames he had to concentrate to keep quelled. But now-


    Red flames sprang to life in his palms, quickly turning orange, before becoming the yellow blaze he had considered to be his limit. But now, he couldn¡¯t feel a thing


    His burns, the result of his fire, was the toll. To handle the strongest flames, you couldn¡¯t remain the same. If you wanted to touch the sun, then you had to be ready to handle the heat.


    ¡°Oi! Didn¡¯t you hear me? I said-oh.¡± the man stopped as he saw the flames in his palms. ¡°Huh, a pyro. That¡¯s new. Thought the only elemental was the ice kid from the Chicago Fires.¡±


    The flames brightened, screeched, then became a cool, deadly blue.


    ¡°Fancy, but my skin¡¯s like Fearless. Nothing¡¯s gonna hurt me, not even fire, so you might as well sit your ass down and hand over your cash.¡±


    He grinned at the challenge. ¡°You wanna bet?¡±


    The mugger laughed as he flashed his fangs. ¡°Go ahead, kid! Let¡¯s see what you got!¡±


    ¡°The names not kid.¡±


    A second later, he was in front of the man, a hand full of broiling blue flames flame grabbing his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s Phoenix. Now burn.¡±

 Puppet

    ¡°You¡¯re such a pretty girl, you know that?¡± cooed the other girl. ¡°You¡¯re the kind of person I love making into my puppets!¡±


    She couldn¡¯t move. Something was wrong, so, so very wrong. She knew this girl; she was part of her Gym Class. She was the crazy looking kid that everyone made fun of behind her back. Her name was-


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to fix you!¡± said Rin happily, sending a chill down her spine. ¡°I mean, being pretty is nice, but I already have a couple of dolls for information extraction and seduction. What I really need...is a battle bot!¡±


    No, no, no, this couldn¡¯t be happening, it couldn¡¯t, it couldn¡¯t!


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve heard the stories,¡± said Rin softly as her hand cupped her face. ¡°How I¡¯m a demon; how I¡¯m the one who''s been behind the recent disappearances; how I¡¯m a remorseless monster that preys on the innocent.¡±


    Pause.


    ¡°Well, of course, they¡¯re completely right, but they don¡¯t have to say it like that!¡± Rin said, pouting. If her life wasn¡¯t in danger, she might¡¯ve laughed at how weird the expression looked on her.


    ¡°And I¡¯m not a demon or witch, or whatever supernatural bullshit you call me. My powers are completely natural. Don¡¯t you see it? I¡¯m the next step forward in evolution. I¡¯m a superhuman, while you guys, well, you¡¯re the throwback. The obsolete race. Every day, at least one hundred superhumans are born, and thousands of regular humans are dying from new diseases that we¡¯re immune to. Can¡¯t you see? The world is purging itself, removing all the useless elements that made it weak. Superhumans are rising. And you-¡±


    The hand cupping her face began to glow.


    ¡°-you are going to join us.¡±


    ************************************************************


    When she woke up, it wasn¡¯t of her own volition. Something opened her eyelids, made her sit up and look up. She wanted to scream, shout, cry, plead, whatever she could, as long as she did it herself, but to no avail.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re awake!¡±


    Rin was there, sitting in a chair near the door, and despite her inability to move her eyes, she could see enough of the room to guess what it was.


    A lab.


    High-tech equipment lined the tables around the room, and dozens of gurneys with bodies in them were the contents of her horrible experiments. Some of the people looked normal, just as if they were sleeping, while others looked as if they¡¯d been mauled; torn apart and left to rot; and yet, even more looked, for lack of a better word, strange; a green-haired man with yellow fangs and black claws, a girl with six arms and three eyes; a child with batlike wings and clawed feet.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.


    ¡°Lovely, aren¡¯t they,¡± Rin cooed, caressing the cheek of the batboy. ¡°You know something I discovered? That there are currently only two types of superhumans at the moment, and those are the Emitter types, like the firefighter Fearless, and the Transformation types, like the criminal Simon Grey who was caught during Phoenix¡¯s debut.


    ¡°And that category just didn¡¯t seem, well, diverse enough. It makes things too predictable, too easy. So, I decided to do something about that. My body produces a special parasitic worm that acts a natural nanobot, improving and changing the body¡¯s genetic code to however I see fit, even activating the alpha gene in the body that causes the appearance of superpowers


    ¡°For a while, that''s what I tried to do, but I ran into a bit of a wall. You see, those who don¡¯t have an activated alpha gene can¡¯t activate for a reason: their bodies are too weak to hold the power they store. You won¡¯t believe how many of my test subjects have burst into flames, exploded, turned into statues and suffocated or just turned into slime and didn¡¯t know how to turn back.


    ¡°So I gave up. Decided to rest awhile and think of another way to use my powers. And then...that¡¯s when they came.¡±


    They?


    ¡°A group of scientists that worked for the government. They heard about my work, and came to see it for themselves,¡± she said in a dreamy voice. ¡°So much constructive criticism...they taught me so many new and inventive ways to use my powers, and in the end, I came to a conclusion;I would be the mother of a new race;I would make a fresh, new, diverse culture and species unlike anything this world has ever seen! I¡¯ll go down in history, the Mother of Mutants, and my children will see my work through!¡±


    She felt sick, but once again, her body would not obey her. This was the girl that she asked to spot her on multiple occasions? This was the girl she had tried to invite to her table?


    She was a monster. A freak. An abomination, and if she ever got the chance to kill her-


    ¡°Of course, you guys aren¡¯t as reliable either. I have only twenty working mutants, and I¡¯m about to send ten of you out, you included, of course.¡±


    Wait, what? Send ten of them out? Where? And why?


    ¡°There¡¯s a potential puppet I¡¯ve wanted to get my hands on for a while now, but I can¡¯t get close enough to plant one of my parasites on him. He¡¯s smart, annoyingly smart, and I think he suspects that I¡¯m the one behind the kidnappings. It¡¯s only a matter of time before he comes after me himself, or sends the authorities. So, either way, I¡¯ve gotta get rid of him.


    ¡°And of course, I¡¯ve gotta test out your new upgrades.¡±


    ...Upgrades?


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think you spent all that time sleeping, did you? I fixed you like I said I would! You don¡¯t look as pretty anymore, but I¡¯d say you look pretty badass! Check yourself out! There¡¯s a mirror back there!¡±


    No, no, no, no, no, she hadn¡¯t been asleep for that long, the alterations couldn¡¯t be too bad, she wouldn¡¯t have had enough time, she didn¡¯t have enough equipment for that, even with her messed up powers, she couldn¡¯t have changed her so much that-


    Holy. Shit.


    Her short, black hair had been replaced with a bushy red mane that reached her back. Her dark brown eyes were gone, large green orbs with a black slit in their place. Triangular fangs now lined her mouth, and lips were black. A light sheen of brown fur covered her body, and she felt a tail swishing behind her.


    ¡°You¡¯re beautiful now, aren¡¯t you?¡± said Rin softly. ¡°I¡¯ve made you strong, powerful and beautiful. I own you now. Aren¡¯t you so happy?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am Mistress. I love it.¡± Her voice...even that was gone now. It was rough, ugly, it...she couldn¡¯t keep this up. She couldn¡¯t...think anymore. She couldn¡¯t fight anymore.


    She was...broken.


    ¡°Thank you so much, Mistress. I am ready to do your bidding.¡±