《A moth of winter - A Kammi Kettu fan story》


 Little larva

    I ran.


    Faster than I had ever ran before as the sound of distant gunfire and inhuman screeches permeated the cold air of the rainy night sky. I felt my stomach sink with dread as I turned back for a split second only to spot a large colorful monster plowing straight through one of the large military vehicles that had been guarding the rear of our small convoy of civilians.


    I froze.


    As everyone around me ran for the safe house that we had been promised not too long ago, I could only stand and watch in horror as one of the soldiers who had been protecting us from the beginning was ripped open and tossed aside as if they were nothing.


    ¡°Coward¡±


    The voice of that person reached out to me from deep inside, causing a stream of tears to well within my eyes and mix with the cold rain that surrounded me. A coward was all I had ever been; a liar, a fraud and a worthless piece of human garbage. A true man is he who fights for what is his, or so my dad said, so if I couldn''t do that then what was I? Worthless, was the answer he would always give me; nothing but worthless.


    ¡°What the hell are you doing kid!?¡± A sudden voice penetrated through the dark barrier that I had lifted around my mind and suckerpunched me pack into reality.


    Before me stood an old man, bound to a wheelchair and completely alone. He sat there with a confident grin, only tainted by small hints of worry; probably for me rather than for himself.


    ¡°I can¡¯t outrun that thing on my own, and it seems most of these folk didn''t really bat an eyebrow at me, so I would appreciate a bit of help. Not sure if you¡¯re brave or stupid but I thank you for sticking around none the less¡± He stated befoe turning his back to me and beginning to wheel himself towards the safe house.


    ¡°Hurry it up or you''ll be the one left behind,¡± The man chuckled, as if everything were fine and dandy. I stayed petrified for a few long seconds as I contemplated what had just happened; this man seemed to be the most incredible thing I had seen all day.


    How was this man so calm about everything? All hell was breaking loose; people were turning into monsters left and right and the military was almost as harmful as the monsters themselves but this man, this chair ridden old fart was somehow chipper and determined.


    With a heavy heart I bit my lip hard and forced myself to move. If this old man had the determination to live on, and I could help him, than I just had to. It wasn''t about me anymore after all.


    I walked up to him and began to push his chair with all of my strength, the wet surface of its handles were difficult to grasp but none the less I pushed on.


    After a few seconds of pushing, the two of us turned a corner and finally made it to the safe house; a fairly small mall stood before us with a few military trucks stacked in front of it as a makeshift barricade. We hurried our way inside with little to no questioning from the soldiers guarding the entrance as they directed most of their attention to the various dark streets that surrounded the entrance to the mall.


    ¡°So what''s up with you?¡± The man I had been pushing asked with an easy tone, as if nothing at all had been going on for the past few hours and we had just been enjoying a nice beer at the bar.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± I asked after a few seconds of blank staring, slightly taken aback by the causal question.


    ¡°Well you were just standing there like a statue while everyone else was running for their lives. Don''t get me wrong, I''m grateful for it but I doubt you stayed behind just to help this old man¡±


    I panicked a bit, not knowing what to tell him. The truth was that I was completely petrified by fear and the expectations of people who weren''t even present, but of course I couldn''t just say that. I had to act like a man, and a man in this situation would stand his ground and act tough.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Of course I stayed for you¡± I stated in a terribly weak attempt at a confident voice. ¡°I could never leave someone behind like that¡±


    A small chuckle stopped me before I could continue my lies, the old man forced the wheels of his chair to stop and maneuvered back to face me. He held an amused look but it was tinged with something I couldn''t decipher¡­ concern perhaps?


    ¡°Kid...¡± he began with a stern voice that contrasted his previously chill demeanor, ¡°you aren''t getting anywhere like that. You can''t just puff up your chest and and pretend everything is alright and going according to plan¡­ Sometimes, admitting that you''re scared and need help is the best thing you can do¡±


    I stayed silent for a few seconds, not wanting to be rude to this old man, but I finally managed to speak up.


    ¡°No offense, but we just met, I don''t really appreciate the lecture¡± I managed to blurt out with a wavy voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you don''t, but that''s not really the point¡± he said with another small chuckle that quickly transformed into a loud cough, which subsided almost as soon as it appeared ¡°just remember what I said, and think about it when you get home, okay?¡±


    ¡°Fine¡­¡± I murmured halfheartedly, this man''s grandpa energy was just too great.


    With that he turned his chair back around and began to roll himself through the hallway. I followed closely behind and soon enough the hallway opened up into the main hall of the shopping center.


    It was a large opening in the center of the mall where events and concerts would occasionally be held, the small amounts of moonlight that made it through the thick black clouds shone into it through the massive glass roof and illuminated the few hundred or so refugees that now occupied the interior.


    It was a depressing sight; the sound of children crying and people trying desperately to contact their loved ones filled the air. Looking at them made me feel like I should contact my own family, but on second thought they were probably way too busy trying to stay safe themselves so instead I opted to send a simple message.


    Vincent: Safe at a safe house, stay safe


    I typed rather eloquently into our families group chat, before putting my phone away and looking back at my old comrade only to catch him wheeling himself into the auditorium without me.


    I caught up to him with a quick jog and we both made it onto the ground floor without a hitch, where we were finally able to take a rest. I found a bench and quickly lowered myself onto it with a heavy sigh of relief.


    ¡°So what''s your name kid?¡± the man asked, somehow sounding even more relaxed than before.


    ¡°Vicente¡± I replied with my eyes closed as I leaned back on the bench ¡°most Americans call me Vincent, its a bit easier to pronounce I guess¡±


    ¡°Ah, so that''s What that accent was¡± he said with a cheerful tone ¡°You''re some sort of hispanic?¡±


    I cringed slightly at the straight forwardness of such a question; it was the equivalent of asking an asian person what kind of ¡°nese¡± they were but the old man''s words were genuine, and he probably didn''t really get how that could be perceived as racist in any way so I just carried on like it was nothing.


    ¡°Yeah, Mexican actually, came here a few years ago to finish up highschool¡± I replied.


    The man''s expression lit up ¡°That''s great, You don''t look the part though¡± he said, with the most genuine smile I had ever seen.


    It was true that my accent was light, and my fairly pale skin completely subverted the expectations of any american about what a mexican should or would look like, so he had not been the first to not completely place my ethnicity at a glance. I found it impossible to fault him for it.


    ¡°Lots of folks talk big about how all of you just come over here to steal jobs and cause havoc, but none of ¡®em actually know what they''re talking about. You¡¯d think as a veteran I¡¯d be one of them, but do you know how many mexican kids of seen fight for this nation? Much more than You¡¯d think¡± He said, before wheeling himself next to me and leaning back in a similar way to myself.


    ¡°Course a lot of these kids were there out of necessity rather than patriotic duty, but they still did a lot more than all those stuck up brats who cry about it nowadays¡± he spoke with venom in his voice, as if he was personally acquainted with one of these so called stuck up brats.


    ¡°So you''re a veteran?¡± I asked, trying to steer the conversation away from my people, the memories of stories about old family members and friends leaving for a better life and never coming back left a bitter taste in my mouth.


    ¡°Captain Alexander J. Smith at your service¡± He said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Nice to meet you sir¡­ er, thank you for your service?¡± I said with an unsure tone to my voice, was that how you were supposed to greet a vet?


    ¡°All I did was get my legs blown off kid, I¡¯m no war hero¡± He chuckled lightly before slamming a hand lightly into my back, as if to let me know that it was okay to laugh with him.


    I released a chuckle of my own, even if it was a bit halfhearted, before looking up at the sky. At some point during our conversation, the previously light drizzle had become a full on typhoon as the dark clouds rolled in and covered any smidgen of light that was previously visible.


    The heavy sound of water falling against the thick glass of the skylight became louder and louder, until it completely drowned out any attempts at conversation that could be made. I turned to look around at everyone in the safe house as panic filled my head and I began to freeze up once again.


    Suddenly a loud crash exploded through the room as a bolt of lighting shot down from the sky, engulfing some poor bastard at the other side of the room in a bright light.


    I didn''t have the chance to so much as react before another shock of lighting rained down from the sky, this time towards me.


    Bright white completely filled my vision for a split second, the sounds of screams and panic from the poor people around me filled my senses. The old man''s voice called out to me with panic and fear, the most scared I had ever heard him in the few moments we had known each other...And then there was nothing.


    Not a sight.


    Not a sound.


    Only darkness.

 Cocoon no more

    At first the darkness was overwhelming.


    It was crushingly silent. I couldn¡¯t feel my¡­ anything. Was my heart still beating? Was I even anywhere anymore? was my body just gone? Is this what my life was going to be like from now on? A formless black void of fuck all with only my own thoughts to take up space?


    Time was meaningless in the dark abyss that I now called home. Was time even passing? No it had to be, I was thinking one thought after another. What felt like way too long everything began to clear up. I felt some clarity and control return. Like the frost lifting from a dirty old window suddenly my inner thoughts could be seen clearly, even clearer than I could ever see them before.


    Memories of my past began to flow within me as if the damn that had been keeping them at bay had been broken to pieces, and for the first time in my 18 years of existence, I could see an image of myself, untainted by culture, idealism or outside influence.


    I hated what I saw.


    A tired and  defeated 18 year old boy with boring black hair and sickly pale skin, he looked at least twice his own age, the stress of a lifetime of restless work clearly visible in every inch of his body.


    His¡­ that felt wrong for some reason, looking back it had always felt wrong but I had never really paid much attention to it.


    I had been born a man, that had been the card that I was dealt and I didn''t have time to worry about it when my dad was barely scraping by and, my mother was too weak to work, but now that I was stuck in the darkness with nothing to do, slowly but surely the pieces began to fall into place.


    CRACK.


    A burst of light suddenly exploded into my dark home, illuminating everything around me like a lighthouse on a dark stormy night. I could, for the first time in what felt like years feel my arms, my legs, my entire body. I could feel everything around me and¡­ I felt wet.


    As soon as life returned to my body I sensed myself falling forward. The next thing I knew my body crashed against the cold tiles. I blinked rapidly as my body helped my mind remember what pain was.


    Looking around it was dark. Or at least I assumed it was dark as only the moon hung high in the pitch black sky, visible through the still shattered skylight. But when I looked around the mall instead of the dull, dark, washed out colors nighttime often brought, everything was still vivid and clear as if I was some sort of nocturnal creature.


    I buckled my entire body as I tried to force it to respond in the way I wanted it to and after a few moments of random squirming and slipping on goo that coated the area I was finally able to climb off of the ground and onto my two feet.


    I breathed heavily as I desperately looked around only to notice that I was encased in a secondary cage made of plastic and cardboard alongside my previous home, looking at it clearly it was some sort of egg or sphere made of hard papery stuff that looked organic.


    With a heavy sigh of annoyance rather than exhaustion, oddly enough I felt incredibly well rested, I began to climb up my papery cocoon with the strength of someone who just woke up from a coma.


    After a few minutes of struggling I finally made it up and over the plastic barrier and onto the rest of the mall at large. It was pretty much as empty as you could expect from a shopping center in the middle of the night so I was finally able to relax a bit.


    With yet another heavy sigh, this time of relief I placed my hand onto my hip and allowed myself to take in the fresh cold air on my seemingly naked body¡­


    ¡°Jesus christ!¡± I exclaimed suddenly noticing my own nakedness, only to have a deep but clearly feminine and whispy voice utter the words instead of myself.


    Quickly I threw a hand up onto my throat and was sent into yet another spiral of panic as my previously defined adam''s apple was completely gone. Slowly I removed my trembling hand from my neck and began hook my head downwards towards my upper torso.


    Relief ran through my body as I looked upon my naked form, nothing popped out to me as new.


    ¡°Flat!¡± I exclaimed with energy I didn''t know I still had as I looked upon my completely uninteresting chest, in fact It looked better than before, being much more slender and soft and¡­ Once again panic struck my body. This wasn¡¯t happening, this couldn''t be happening.


    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.


    I had been born a man, it was all I was and all I ever could be. Of course I had a few random fantasies and weird dreams once in a while but who didn¡¯t? And of course I had been having similar ideas while stuck inside that cocoon but that was just me being driven mad by the darkness or something, I didn¡¯t actually believe any of it. I was a man who took care of his family, that was my only function.


    I shook my head with fury, wiping some of the goo off of my face I quickly stormed forward and away from my cocoon, I didn''t have time for whatever the hell was going on in my head, the last thing I remembered was people dying and turning into monsters. My dad and sister were still out there somewhere and I needed to help them in any way I could.


    With new found motivation I took a quick stride towards some of the clothing shops that were conveniently right in front of me. Park lane mall wasn¡¯t exactly known for its fashion scene but that didn¡¯t really matter, all I needed was something quick and practical to cover up my new body.


    Eventually I arrived at two stores, to my left was a hot topic in all of its punky, gothy glory. I scoffed at the mannequins dressed in ridiculous black T-shirts with logos of bands I didn¡¯t know plastered on top of them and terribly adorable pleated skirts that made my stomach churn with envy.


    ¡°Maybe in another life¡± I stated plainly at myself as I took a sharp right towards the camping shop.


    I made my way towards the glass door that separated me from the soft embrace of literally any clothing at all and bent down slightly to look at the lock¡­ Previously I would have had to kneel, I was sure of it.


    Once again I shook my head and looked at the lock, it was a simple heavy duty padlock that forced the two sliding doors together, nothing particularly difficult. Looking around I spotted a conveniently discarded bobby pin next to a nearby trash can. Picking it up I quickly broke it in half and bent it into the appropriate shape.


    I struggled with the lock for a few long minutes as I did my best to recall how I used to do it all of those years back but eventually the lock popped and I was granted access to the haven of camo gear and random camping equipment.


    I instinctively made my way into the men''s clothing section and picked out what was supposed to be a perfectly sized set of urban camo pants. Oh how stupid I was to assume a medium pair of pants would actually fit my seemingly tiny frame.


    With a sigh I threw the enormous pants onto the floor and instead opted for an XS set, these fit almost perfectly if not for how incredibly tight they were near my hips and¡­ behind, but they were good enough. Wasnt like I was about to raid the women''s section, not in a million years..


    With that out of the way and only slightly bothered by my lack of underwear protecting the dark unthinkable void that occupied the space of my old equipment, I moved on to find a shirt.


    I blessed whatever horrible god had designed my new body as I slipped a long sleeved woolen shirt over my thankfully flat chest, I could almost pretend everything was normal aside from the emptiness between my legs and the cascade of hair constantly making its way in front of my eyes.


    I was about to exit the store once again when something caught my eye. On one of the mannequins that I had seen on my way in was wearing an incredible looking poncho style coat. It was black with silver accents around it that made it look awesomely cyberpunk.


    I absolutely loved it with all of my probably now tiny heart, so I did what any desperate kid with a background in thievery would do. With a hesitant hand, I took it.


    Bad Idea.


    I was barely able to swing the damn thing over my shoulders when the room was suddenly filled with the sound of an alarm roaring so loudly that I couldn''t even make out my own thoughts. Long dormant instincts suddenly took over as I looked around for the closest exit, the door I had come in from was a prime candidate for escape and the only one I knew but that would be where the night watch would come from.


    ¡°Fuck it¡± I said out loud before running straight for the exit.


    I only made it a few strides out the door when I heard the voice of some old fart behind me.


    ¡°There it is!¡± the guard exclaimed as he shone a light so bright that I could feel it searing my eyes even as I ran away from it.


    ¡°It has a name¡± I yelled back as I took a sharp turn to the left and towards the depths of the mall.


    If I recall correctly from that one time I worked a part time job here, there was a maintenance room a few meters ahead and inside there should be an emergency exit which I could use to escape.


    My bare feet slapped against the cold tiles of the pristine mall, accompanied by an orchestra of hard soles hitting the same tiles just a few meters behind. The light from their flashlights was almost overwhelming as I took a sharp right only to accelerate while I was in a blind spot and double back through a hallway to my left.


    With that little move I was out of sight of the guards, I pressed myself against the wall in order to look back at what they were doing without being noticed, One of them had gone straight and further into the mall while one of the others had turned left down towards who knows where, only one remained heading towards me.


    The man was grizzled and old, I¡¯d estimate around 45 years of age. He held his flashlight more like a club than a tool as he proweled forward in my general direction with murder in his eyes.


    My breath quickened as he got ever closer. There wasn¡¯t any cover ahead of me so If I ran now he¡¯d see me instantly and call the others, I needed to take him out and quietly but how the hell was I supposed to do that? I was like one meter tall now and it seemed like all of my accidentally earned muscle from some of my lifting and moving jobs had completely disappeared from my body.


    As I debated about what to do the man finally turned to corner and spotted me, he immediately lifted up his flashlight and pointed it directly into my face. The light from that horrifying contraption was mesmerizing in a way, you know if it were a bit further away and not currently burning my eyeballs out it would almost be beautiful.


    The pain grew sharper as I felt the man take me by the neck and push me hard against the wall.


    ¡°A pretty one we got here,¡± I heard him say through the blinding pain of the light.


    My heart began to pound, even faster than it ever had done before. My breathing became staggered as panic and fear circulated through my veins like a terrifying venom. Then I felt it.


    A surge of energy from somewhere deep inside, instinct that didn¡¯t feel like my own took over as I felt my body move. I raised one of my feet and kicked the man off of me with a ridiculous amount of force.


    Without even realizing it I lunged forward and took the flashlight from his hands, quickly clicking it off and bashing him over the head with a brutal sounding crunch that echoed through the halls.


    My heart rate finally slowed, as whatever magic has just possessed my body dissipated from my bloodstream and finally allowed me to act on my own. I quickly turned away from the poor man who laid sprawled on the ground. Whatever I had just done wasn¡¯t good; it wasn¡¯t good at all.


    ¡°The sound came from over here!¡± I suddenly heard one of the guards yell as the sound of boots against the floor became ever louder.


    I remained dumbfounded for a few seconds; parilized by the fear of myself and of what had just happened. I looked down at the man with sorrow; the grisly image of him almost causing me to puke.


    As the men became ever closer I was finally able to pick myself back together and I began to run. It was all I was good for anyway.


    ¡°Jesus christ, is he dead!?¡± I heard one of them scream as I turned a corner and finally made it to the emergency exit I was looking for.


    Was he dead? Had I really done that to him?


    My mind was swirling with images of what I had just done, but my body knew what to do. Putting one foot in front of the other. I crashed through the exit and out into the cold night air.

 Glowstick

    It was cold.


    The freezing air brushed against my rosey cheeks as I trekked through the snow-covered sidewalks of Halifax. I could feel the first hints of dawn beginning to sear my eyes as it  shone from behind the horizon, the city around me slowly transitioning into a suburb I was more or less familiar with as I continued to walk.


    I was still at least an hour off by foot but I was making good time despite my freezing bare feet and my new seemingly tiny frame. It was strange to walk around like that, it was different, sure, but it didn''t feel wrong at all. Almost as if I had been born to use this body, I felt completely at home as I sauntered through the suburbs like I was hot shit.


    I was so comfortable that I almost didn¡¯t notice how inexplicably quiet it was, sure it was pretty early, around six or seven AM if I had to guess, but people were usually already up hanging clothes and doing lawn work by this time.


    Suddenly I spotted a kid out on his own, playing ball on an old run-down house¡¯s front yard. I heaved a sigh of relief as I quickened my pace slightly to catch up with him.


    ¡°Hey!¡± I exclaimed awkwardly in the least feminine voice I could muster as I finally reached the kid ¡°I was walking around and noticed that there''s no one out¡­¡±


    Suddenly the reason for the lack of people became incredibly clear, as something jumped out at me from behind a fence. I dodged back evading the engage as I spotted the kid running back into the run-down old house.


    ¡°Brave for one of your kind to be strolling about a place like this¡± my attacker snarled as I was finally able to take a good look at him properly. He was tall, at least two heads taller than me and built like a rock.


    ¡°Oh I¡¯m sorry is this a shitface only zone?¡± I hissed back in a panic, Making things worse by opening my mouth was a specialty of mine.


    The man gave a cocky smirk as he looked down at my tiny figure.


    ¡°What are you, some sort of bug?¡± He took a step forward, causing me to respond with a step back. ¡°That¡¯s funny, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever seen a bug freak.¡±


    I felt a pair of arms grab me from behind and lift me into the air with ungodly strength. I kicked my legs in protest but that only caused the beast of a man who had taken ahold of me to tighten his grip.


    The first man walked up and extended his hands; I flinched, expecting him to hit me or grab my face, but instead he took a hold of something else. Sharp pain ran through my body as I felt a pull coming from something on my head that I didn''t even know I had.


    ¡°What are these? Like antennas or some shit? Probably hurts like a bitch to have em pulled, don¡¯t it?¡± He said with a smirk as he gave them another small tug, causing another horrifying jolt of pain to run through my body.


    ¡°You know, I hadn¡¯t even noticed I had those¡± I said with a pained expression, fuck just shut up me you¡¯re not helping.


    ¡°You seem a bit lost, a bit new to this neighborhood so let me explain,¡± he said with a malicious hiss to his voice, ¡°Your kind ain''t welcome here, you''re dangerous to all the little kids and women who are trying to live a peaceful life.¡±


    My jaw opened in surprise; this asshole had just used some random kid to bait me in and now he was trying to preach about protecting them? I felt my heart rate quicken as I looked him in the eyes, a familiar impulse of energy making its way through my body.


    ¡°The bitch¡¯s hair is glowing,¡± the man who had been holding me said with amusement in his voice.


    ¡°I can see that, Tanner, I¡¯m not blind,¡± replied the first one with a hint of annoyance, as he let go of my new found feelers and took hold of my icy blue locks of glowing hair.


    The energy within me became stronger and stronger, pulsing and pleading for me to fight back but I couldn''t, not after what I had done to that guard. This power of mine wasn''t a gift, It was a horrible tool that would run rampant if I let it.


    I bit my lip as I struggled not only with the two men about to beat the shit out of me but also with myself. If I let this power out now and I killed them like I had so easily done before than it would all be over. After that I couldn¡¯t consider myself human anymore.


    The man gave a heavy sigh as he forced my head to look at him with a hard tug on my hair, he wore an expression of pure hatred and hurt, It was easy to tell something had caused his unquenchable hatred towards those like me.


    ¡°I ain¡¯t gonna risk just letting you go,¡± he said as he reached into his back pocket and produced some sort of handgun. I saw him lift the thing towards me as the soft click of the safety being released filled my ears. I couldn''t die here. The energy within me grew stronger and stronger as it reached point of no return.


    Boom.


    I heard a small explosion go off in his hand as he pulled the trigger, I flinched, awaiting death to take me but nothing happened, I felt the projectile fly beside me and impact the man holding me. He finally let go and I was able to freely move and look at my surroundings¡­ Geeze was the sun getting bright.


    ¡°You know its not cool to pick on cute girls this early in the morning¡­ actually, on second thought it¡¯s probably never a good idea to do that,¡± I heard a charmingly confident voice resonate through the suburbs, my cheeks flushed at the straightforwardness of such a line¡­ It was kinda nice being called cute.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    ¡°Eyyy it¡¯s that Aegis guy, the hero or whatever,¡± a pained voice exclaimed, looking up I noticed it was the man who had been holding me, the one who had gotten shot.


    ¡°Yes Tanner, I can see that,¡± came the exasperated reply of his comrade as he lifted his head to look at the person who had just saved my life.


    I slowly followed his gaze, careful to keep my eyes half shut to avoid the sun, and that''s when I spotted him. He stood floating a few centimeters from the asphalt, dressed in what looked like a monk''s garb, chest bare and showing beautifully toned muscles that would be the envy of any pretty boy wannabe.


    ¡°So¡­¡± Aegis beckoned for the two mens attention as his short golden locks flowed slightly with the morning wind ¡°Are you going to just stand there or are you going to fight me?¡±.


    He spoke with a beautifully deep yet soft voice and a tone of cocky energy that would fill anyone''s heart with confidence and trust¡­ Anyone but myself of course! Who did this Aegis guy think he was, coming in and calling me embarrassing names in front of the racist assholes I was about to beat up.


    With newfound motivation I shot up and stormed towards the only man that was still standing, With my eyes still half closed I couldn''t exactly see well but nonetheless I allowed my anger (along with a bit of embarrassment) to fuel my fist forward.


    The man didn''t see me coming, he was too distracted with the blond idiot¡¯s speech about all people being important or some shit so I simply strolled forward and landed a powerful fist in what was supposed to be his jaw. Instead, my fist impacted directly into the man¡¯s cranium.


    I released a squeak of pain as the shock of bone impacting against bone ran through my body; fuck did he have a hard head.


    ¡°Ey she just squeaked like one of em shitty butterflies,¡± came the immediate reaction of the wounded jackass.


    Well that was kinda rude, did he mean a moth? Was I a moth? Wait, did moths even make a distinctive squeak?


    ¡°Yes, I heard it Tanner, could you just shut up for half a second!?¡± came the furious retort of his companion as he clutched the spot of his head I had driven my fist into.


    I tried to play off my own pain as I gave both him and that Aegis asshole a cocky smile.


    ¡°Who¡¯s cute now, huh jackass!?¡± I exclaimed at no one in particular as I shook my fist in rebellion against the title I had been given.


    ¡°Definitely you,¡± Replied Aegis without skipping a single beat as he lowered his feet to the ground and thoughtlessly waved his hand at the man I had just punched.


    Suddenly, a bubble of brilliant light materialized around the man''s head. It was a beautiful display of something that looked like magic. It wasn''t like the light from the sun or the shine of a flashlight, slowly opening my eyes, I realized that this light didn¡¯t hurt my eyes; in fact it felt wonderful to look at.


    I took a step towards the light as I stared at it with wide eyes. It really was a beautiful thing.


    ¡°Excuse me¡­?¡± came an echo of a voice that seemed incredibly distant and inconsequential, probably that Aegis guy.


    ¡°Its beautiful¡­¡± I managed to utter as I reached a hand towards the wonderful bubble of angelic light


    And suddenly it disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. My senses returned to me and my eyes were suddenly flooded with the searing rays of the sun.


    I squeaked out in pain as I fell backward from the sudden impulse of pain. Had the sun always been that bright!? Even a few minutes ago the sun only caused a slight burn, not a blistering shock of pain.


    ¡°Woah woah are you okay!?¡± I heard Aegis yell with a drastically less confident voice as I felt an arm wrap around me in a comforting fashion.


    ¡°What did you do!? The sun wasn''t this bright until you did that magic thing,¡± I yelled angrily as I jerked away from his admittedly warm embrace.


    ¡°What!? I just put a light barrier around his head so he¡¯d pass out from lack of air, I¡¯m sorry if it hurt your eyes!¡± He sounded genuinely worried; it was kind of cute how suddenly he had changed his confident tune as soon as things got serious, if I had to be honest.


    ¡°Oh that barrier thing was nice actually, just the sun that''s currently threatening to melt my apparently nocturnal eyes,¡± I said with a huff as I wobbled back onto my feet.


    ¡°Oh that explains how beautifully different they are,¡± he said with that charming voice of his as he helped me steady myself


    ¡°What''s that supposed to mean!?¡± I answered aggressively as I attempted to drive my heel into his foot, sadly my eyes were still closed and I ended up driving my foot into the floor.


    ¡°Oh are you new to this body?¡± he asked with a puzzled voice that seemed incredibly confused ¡°Well your iris is this beautiful shade of red and what''s supposed the whites are this incredibly deep shade of black that just brings them together¡­ they look wonderful.¡±


    ¡°Could you just shut up and get me a pair of sunglasses or something!?¡± I retorted while turning my face to the opposite side from where his voice was coming, there was no way I could let him see my flushed cheeks.


    ¡°Oh right, I think I have a pair on me right now actually,¡± he stated as he took his hands off of me and began to search for them. I swear I could hear the smug smile on his stupid face.


    After a few seconds, I felt him come closer and slide something over my face. I slowly opened my eyes and happily noticed that the sun was no longer actively trying to murder me. I released a sigh of relief and looked up at the blond idiot¡­ He was really close.


    ¡°So what''s the deal with you?¡± I asked in the most casual tone I could muster, ¡°You''re some sort of super hero or some shit?¡±


    ¡°Wow even your accent is adorable¡­¡± he said absentmindedly as he looked at me. Did this guy just have no filter at all!?


    ¡°Hey hey, I''m talking to you!¡± I aggressively snapped my fingers at him in order to get his attention


    ¡°Oh right!¡± he suddenly snapped out of his trance, ¡°I am a hero, they call me Aegis, I¡¯ve been protecting this city from jerks like those ever since I emerged almost two moths ago,¡± He said with a confident grin.


    ¡°Emerged? What''s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You know that thing you and I are¡­ Everyone emerged at once so it isn''t like I¡¯ve had more time to know this,¡± He sounded confused and held an inquisitive expression that would feel perfectly at home on the face of Sherlock Holmes or Batman.


    ¡°Yeah well I think Ive been stuck in a cocoon or something these past¡­ two months did you say?¡± suddenly it dawned on me that I had been gone exactly that time¡­ my dad was gonna kill me.


    ¡°Wait a cocoon¡­ You were the Park Lane cocoon!? So you¡¯re the emerged that-¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s none of your business,¡± I suddenly cut him off before he could continue, I didn¡¯t want to hear what I had done¡­ If I had really killed that guard then I was a murderer, right? Would this hero try to arrest me if he knew that was me?


    It was broad daylight now, I could tell, and the only cover I could hope to run away to was a few meters away in the backyard of the house I had been attacked in front of, fuck what was i going to do!? I didn¡¯t have any cool powers like he did and if I tried to run I would just look even more suspicious than before.


    Fear ran over me, I was so dead if this guy caught me¡­ He didn''t seem all that mean to begin with but still I couldn''t just trust someone who goes around calling themselves a hero.


    Suddenly that fear began to rise within me, There was no way I could be taken down here, not by this done up glowstick and not by the police. After all, I had never been caught back when I was a kid and I wouldn''t start now


    ¡°Hey it''s okay, I¡¯m a friend,¡± the glowstick reached a hand towards my shoulder. Was this where he would try to catch me?


    I dodged to the side at an incredible speed, this power was different from before, it was fueled by the need to survive just like before but this time the objective wasn¡¯t to fight, it was to run far away and never come back.


    I noticed the hair that had draped over my eyes had gone from that brilliant icey blue to an opaque dark marine color, looking down I also noticed my skin beginning to turn an unnaturally dark gray.


    My thoughts were interrupted by glowstick cautiously stepping towards me, he wore a worried expression, I could tell he didn''t mean any harm but still my body screamed at me to run away¡­ And so I did.


    Without even giving myself a second to think, I turned around and decked it at a speed I didn''t even know I could muster. Horrible thoughts of what could have happened if I stayed filled my head as I heard the muffled screams filled with worry and exasperation thrown at me fill the air but I was too scared to look back.


    So once again on the run, I looked towards my home. At this speed I¡¯d arrive in no time at all and once I was there I would have to look face to face with a demon I couldn''t run away from¡­ My father.