《Legends of Faye》


 Chapter 1 - Asuras Beginnings

    It''s strange how pleasant a snowstorm can be after living in the desert your entire life. The feeling of the soft snow melting onto my skin was an appreciated change from the harsh sandstorms I was used to. However I did have to admit, I''d heard it was colder east of my town, but this was a bit excessive. Was everywhere like this? I stumbled through the bustling cobblestone streets of Artis - a relatively small village in the centre of Faye making it an ideal centre for trade - and smiled as I noticed the floating orbs lining the sides of the path, lighting the streets and melting the snow beneath them. Children played around the orbs; leaping over them and throwing snowballs at each other. Meanwhile their parents sat at the local caf¨¦, sipping their drinks and shivering. They were clearly not dressed appropriately, wearing hot pants and crop tops. No, everywhere was not like this. This place had a unique atmosphere. An eager feeling of anticipation filled the air as if the town itself was waiting for something incredible to happen. I smiled and stared down at my right hand, stroking its palm with my left and smiling. I couldn¡¯t believe I had been lucky enough to have an ability. It had been unheard of in the Deadlands for centuries and I of all people had received this gift. It still hadn¡¯t quite sunk in yet. Some people treated me differently once my magic had been unleashed, whether it was jealousy or fear I wasn¡¯t sure, but the one person who would always treat me the same was my mother. As soon as I had told her what had happened she shooed me out of the house with a bag of supplies, exclaiming ¡°Don¡¯t you come back till you¡¯re a legend!¡± Her smile as dazzling as the golden sun that bore down upon the desert. I had vowed to make her proud. I was going to help as many people as possible and the best way to do that was by joining an Order ¨C a sort of club for mages of all kinds ¨C and the one located in Artis lay before me. It was smaller than expected and seemed to be crumbling under its own weight. Snow completely covered the roof ¨C as it had with every other building I¡¯d passed ¨C so as far as I knew the roof could¡¯ve been beautifully adorned with gold and jewels of all kinds. Red rubies. Saxe sapphires. I highly doubted this was the case. The walls were moulding and had been dyed a dirty black colour (though it was clear that this was not the colour they were intended to be). Even the sign advertising the guild was decrepit, having once read the name of the guild but the font was too faded to make out. Hesitantly, I stepped closer to the building and placed my hand against the oaken double doors. ¡°Even the greatest heroes have humble beginnings¡­¡± I grumbled. I pushed on the doors and stepped into the guildhall.Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

 Chapter 2 - Asuras Beginnings

    Surprisingly, the outside of the guild didn¡¯t do justice to how appealing the inside was. The ground floor was small. Barely large enough to contain four tables which themselves could only seat about ten people each. The walls were decorated with cream wallpaper that reminded me of the sandstone buildings back home. Even the intricate patterns that covered the paper were similar to the symbols scattered across all the structures there. At the end of the hall was what I assumed was a bar ¨C though no one was attending it at the moment ¨C and further beyond that was the staircase leading to the first floor. Though the hall was empty it was clear that this shouldn¡¯t be the case. Mugs of mead had been left half empty and platters of various exotic foods were strewn across the tables; uneaten. ¡°Hello?¡± I asked the silence. Nothing. I began to walk towards the staircase to see if anyone was upstairs but was momentarily obstructed when one of the plates, barely clinging onto the table, fell to the floor. It fell with such a clatter that I would be shocked if the droves of people outside hadn¡¯t heard the crash. Nothing still. Where in the world was everyone? While cleaning up my mess ¨C picking chicken bones from between the floorboards was not how I thought I¡¯d be spending my day ¨C I felt a tap on my shoulder. Spinning on the balls of my feet I turned in order to meet my new acquaintance. ¡°Oh uh¡­.¡± Again, I was met by only silence. I scratched my head in confusion. Something was definitely wrong. I ceased all movements ¨C only moving every so often for a breath ¨C trying to sense if someone or something was nearby. Ever since my magic had developed everything seemed more... sensitive to me, as if all my senses were more focussed, like a magnifying glass under the Sun I couldn¡¯t see anything out of the ordinary that much was clear, just the usual floating chandeliers and self-stacking bookshelves, and could only hear my own thumping heart-beat. The air smelt and tasted how you would expect a place with a bar to smell, like alcohol, only in one area of the room the smell was much more pungent. Following the trail to its conclusion led me to under one of the four tables and I crouched down to confront the prankster. To my surprise, I was met with the face of an older man, appearing to be in his late twenties, staring back at me. His face was half shaven, as if during the process he¡¯d became bored and began to do something else, and his blond hair lay shaggy and uneven. I wouldn¡¯t have been surprised if he had cut it himself. His grin was wide like a demon¡¯s though that was where the comparisons ended. ¡°Damn you were quick!¡± He exclaimed, laughing through his yellowing teeth. ¡°That trick even took Melody a while to figure out!¡± Suddenly, the man was gone. He just vanished, leaving no trace. I felt another tap on my shoulder but thankfully when I turned to meet the culprit I was greeted by an actual face this time, as unpleasant as it was. ¡°I¡¯m rather impressed,¡± He extended a long arm out towards me and I stood up straight, my nose barely reaching the tip of his chin. ¡°Loki.¡± He said. Hesitantly, I shook his hand though my grip was weak and flimsy. He took notice of this and his expression changed. ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m just messing with you. Welcome to the guild! Well actually that¡¯s not my decision but that¡¯s cause I¡¯m too easy to please!¡±


    ¡°As you can see,¡± He gestured towards his clothes. A typical waiter¡¯s uniform with an apron wrapped around his waist and a matching black tie and waist coat. ¡°I am the bartender here.¡±That explained the smell at least.¡°If you¡¯re looking for the rest of our members they¡¯re upstairs. There¡¯s another new recruit that required their full attention¡­¡± He paused mid-sentence, staring off into space before hitting himself on the head, like it was a punishment for forgetting something that he had been explicitly told not to forget. His eyes grew wide and he leaned in close, his breath reeking of booze. ¡°You are here to join right?¡± I nodded in reply. My lips failing to move and formulate the various sentences I had in my head.Damn nerves.¡°Great!¡± He exclaimed, before again vanishing into nothing. He reappeared at the top of the staircase and smiled, gesturing for me to follow.


    ***


    I could tell why they had Loki be the first face you see when you walk in. Though it may not be the prettiest to look at, he produced a welcoming aura familiar to everyone in the world no matter where they¡¯re from. His smile was a warm smile that you only find once in a lifetime and once you do, it instils you with the faith that everything will be okay. It reminds you of your safe haven. Of family. Of home. Just the thing that both avid adventurers and those leaving home for the first time need. A reminder that they are safe and welcome. Upon reaching the top of the staircase, Loki placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on the golden door knob attached to one of the many doors that inhabited the upper floor. ¡°Alright.¡± He said, looking down at me with his cocoa coloured eyes. ¡°Don¡¯t be nervous. I¡¯ll do most of the talking. Just don¡¯t touch anything and don¡¯t ask any stupid questions. Oh! And uh¡­¡± He leaned in close. I could feel his heavy breathing in my ear. ¡°Don¡¯t touch the Master¡¯s staff when she tells you to. It¡¯s a test.¡± Although it didn¡¯t seem fair for Loki to help me cheat on this so-called test all help was appreciated. Twisting the knob, we headed into the Master¡¯s Office.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.


    The office looked just like any other stereotypical office. Stacks of worksheets and books were dotted around the room, all of which were over a meter high and precariously balancing on the line between being stable and collapsing completely. A large wooden throne like chair lay behind a run of the mill desk which had your usual run of the mill stationary sat atop it. In fact the only thing out of the ordinary was the amount of people who had filed into this one tiny room. I counted four people, all surrounding something in the centre of the tome towers. Not something but rather someone. A young girl stood in the middle of the group, the only colour in her face being the red emanating from her rosy cheeks. That made it five. She was small in everyway imaginable. Her snow-white hair was extremely short ¨C just touching the top of the white scarf tied around her neck - and her eyes only just met the neck of the next smallest member in the circle. I wondered what the two of them looked like next to Loki. Her clothes were as white as the rest of her but occasionally contained tinges of blue like they were made of crystals. A smidgen of a smile was visible from beneath her scarf; though it was less pleased and more embarrassed. A silent cry for help. However, that was strange as none of the faces staring at her looked malicious, simply curious. ¡°Master,¡± Loki said, his booming voice echoing around the room, ¡°We¡¯ve got another new recruit!¡± All at once their heads rotated towards me ¨C except the girl¡¯s as she stood frozen ¨C and I received a forceful shove from Loki, causing me to stumble forward until I too was in the circle of shame. I glanced towards the girl but if she saw me out of the corner of her eye she gave no hint of it, instead choosing to simply stare at the ground and hang her head. The group circled us, like vultures around a dying animal, not acting just observing. Finally, one of them broke the silence. ¡°The girl¡¯s adorable!¡± This did nothing to aid the situation as it only further embarrassed the poor girl next to me, who was now clutching her scarf in mortification. From this one statement erupted a tsunami of speech, with two of the remaining members battling it out with the each other for supremacy. ¡°Nice going Mel¡­¡±


    ¡°Hey, I didn¡¯t do anything! I was just...¡±


    ¡°You were just what? Just saying? Typical¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!¡±


    The girl ¨C Mel ¨C took a step closer to her opponent, allowing me to have a closer look at her. She was gorgeous. Her face was perfectly symmetrical save from a singular freckle above the left side of her luscious lilac lips which perfectly complimented her barely visible purple dress which itself was concealed by a magenta raincoat. Her eyes were strange, shifting between a pale blue and a bright green, like the sea. She walked with grace and purpose and carried a tremendous amount of vitality in her visage. Her sandy blonde hair flowing behind her with every step. A kite in the wind. She stormed up to the man across from her, that once beautiful face now stretched into a scowl, and placed the tip of her umbrella (a matching set with the coat and wellies) against the tip of his chin. The man was unfazed. Unfazed until a small smirk emerged onto his face. Calmly, he placed on finger against the umbrella and slowly pushed it aside before taking a step towards Mel. He towered over her; a mountain against a molehill. In appearance he seemed very similar to Loki, if Loki actually gave a damn. His blond hair was combed back ¨C not a single hair out of place - and his bright white teeth gleamed in stark contrast to Loki¡¯s, both in terms of look and the impression it gave. While Loki looked like a waiter this man looked like someone a waiter would be thankful to work for; with his garish yellow suit and shining black shoes adding to his aristocratic appearance. He seemed to look down upon Mel, as if he too realised how silly it was to be threatened by a petite girl with a bright pink umbrella. However, the strange thing was that he was the only other person who seemed to feel this way as everyone else¡¯s faces were stoic and serious. Even Loki¡¯s unbeatable grin had faded. ¡°You know what,¡± said the blond haired boy, looking down at Mel and grinning a devilish grin, ¡°I bet you couldn¡¯t do it, not even for a second. You lack the nerve.¡± He stared at her intensely, his eyes daring her to make a move, silently egging her on, attempting to push her over the edge. For a moment, Mel held her resolve but you could see behind her own eyes that she didn¡¯t have it in her to go any further. She lowered her umbrella. ¡°Tsk. Knew it.¡± Theblond haired boy pushed past Mel, who had retreated back to her original position, her head held in shame like the crystal girl beside me. He began to make his way towards the door, giving no indication that I even existed in his world, only to be stopped by Loki. Theblond haired boy was the only person in the room (perhaps even the whole town) that came close to rivalling Loki¡¯s height though he missed out by a hair. Loki placed a hand on his shoulder, the barman¡¯s eyes fixated on the man¡¯s face. ¡°You sure about this?¡± asked Loki, as if this event was inevitable. Without a word, the man brushed off Loki¡¯s hand and exited the room, lacking the courtesy to even close the door. ¡°I apologise for you having to see that,¡± I turned to face a woman, who had remained silent and unnoticeable for the entirety of the conflict, sitting on top of the run of the mill desk, her legs crossed over each other in a relaxed double helix fashion. A gnarled wooden staff sat comfortably across her lap. ¡°He can be difficult to manage don¡¯t worry,¡± She clapped her hands together and tilted her head, smiling a toothless smile and shutting her eyes. ¡°Welcome to our Order!¡±

 Chapter 3 - Asuras Beginnings

    With little effort I quickly discovered that the crystal girl didn¡¯t particularly like me. As we walked down the now sunny promenade it was clear to see that she had only one objective; finish the job. She didn¡¯t want to make friends no matter how much I tried to talk. ¡°S-so¡­¡± I said awkwardly after about ten minutes of courage conjuring, ¡°What do you think happened back there?¡± She didn¡¯t reply and seemed to speed up, widening her strides. For such a small girl she moved very quickly. I understood why the Master had sent both of us, considering we were both as wet nosed as each other, but she could¡¯ve at least sent that Melody girl to lighten the mood a bit. To be honest it would¡¯ve taken a lot more than that to lighten the mood following the blond boy¡¯s exit and the events afterwards. The atmosphere had turned tense and though the Master had tried her best to cheer everyone up even her efforts were in vain. She attempted to move past the event but everything seemed awkward, as if she wasn¡¯t used to being the centre of attention. ¡°So you two want to join us?¡± She said with false glee, ¡°That¡¯s awesome!¡± She leapt off her makeshift chair in excitement before quickly readjusting herself, regaining her composure. ¡°Ahem. Well with the power invested in me by¡­ me¡­ I hereby pronounce you¡­¡± She lifted her branch over my head. I closed my eyes, bracing for whatever crazy magic she was about to unleash. Donk. The branch had been brought down with a surprising amount of force, causing me to clutch my head in pain. I stared up at the girl who was clearly stifling a laugh. ¡°Trainees.¡± A smirk emerged onto her face but vanished just as quickly as she realised that she had actually caused some pain. Pulling her pointed black hat over her face, she proceeded to murmur what I guessed were apologies but they were difficult to make out. She spun towards a man stood in the corner of the room, covered head to two in shining silver armour, and began shouting at him aggressively. ¡°AC please help I don¡¯t know what I¡¯m doing I suck at this I don¡¯t know why I took the job from that crazy buffoon!¡±


    "This lady is nuts! Does she ever slow down?" I thought. I turned to Loki, silently pleading for help, but from his reaction I could tell that this was completely normal for their all powerful Master. I turned back to face the girl but was instead met with the head of her staff, the groves in the wood appearing like streets in a mini metropolis. I stepped back in an attempt to avoid another smack but the Master¡¯s face was no longer showing amusement or grief. No, the Master was smiling, her green eyes wide and glistening. ¡°I¡¯m sorry kid, what¡¯s your name?¡± I heard a loud crash coming from behind me as if someone had just remembered something they should¡¯ve asked immediately and were punishing themselves for forgetting. I didn¡¯t turn to look. Sheepishly, I hung my head low and stared at the ground. ¡°Asura.¡± I mumbled unsure if anyone had heard me.


    ¡°Well Asura,¡± Slowly I lifted my head to face the woman again, ¡°I¡¯m the master of this order Master Thorne, but you don¡¯t have to be that formal with me.¡± She wiggled the staff in my face, clearly in a much calmer mood than she was a moment ago. ¡°Grab it.¡± I reached out for the staff, my fingers only a hair away from its tip, before remembering the advice Loki had given. Quickly, I retracted my hand and grabbed it with my other behind my back and again hung my head. Hopefully I had passed this so called test I had been warned about. ¡°Uh¡­what are you..¡± Looking back at their Master revealed all I needed to know. Her face was red with embarrassment and her eyes were moving erratically, unsure where to look. Her mouth hung open in a confused and slightly shocked manor though there were still hints of a smile, now nervous instead of calming. Another sound came from behind me, as if someone was giggling under their breath. Making a mental note to never take anything the damned barman says at face value again I grabbed the end of the staff. Suddenly a white light enveloped the staff and the Master had her eyes shut, her mouth moving as if she was murmuring something to herself. An enchantment of some sort? I wasn¡¯t sure, I had never heard anything like it before. Never except from one time. The white light began to expand making its way up the Master¡¯s arm and eventually covering her entire body. Panicked, I looked around. No one seemed to be reacting strangely to this so I tried my best to do the same. Looking down at my own hand I saw that I too was about to become engulfed. Taking a cue from the woman across from me I shut my eyes. Soon the feeling of the coarse wood vanished and was replaced by a warm sensation, like holding your hands near a fire. We regularly did that back home. Living in a desert meant that though the days were scorching the nights were just as freezing. I cautiously opened my eyes and was taken aback. I was no longer sitting in the quaint little office but was instead back in my home town - well the outskirts anyway - my hand out stretched towards the campfire in front of me. It was dark though I could make out the faint shape of what appeared to be a cave in the cliff beside me. ¡°This place is nice.¡± I turned around to see Master Thorne sitting across from me, poking the fire with her staff and watching as the cinders danced across it. ¡°Its peaceful. Isolated. I see why your people are so reclusive.¡±


    ¡°What did you do?¡± I asked her, lowering my hand and resting it on the warm desert sands.


    ¡°Oh you don¡¯t know? Figures. I¡¯ve read about the Deadlanders they don¡¯t tend to dabble with magic.¡± She was still staring at the fire, her head resting on her knees, her other hand acting as a support for the rest of her body pressing hard into the sand. ¡°You much prefer the old ways. If you have to know it was a simple detection spell.¡±This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ¡°Detection? For what?¡±


    ¡°Your magic power.¡± She looked up and smiled her original smile, eyes shut and toothless. ¡°Gauging your potential. Don¡¯t worry we won¡¯t be here long.¡±


    I got a strange feeling in my stomach. The Deadlands was a desert so naturally everything looked similar, the same sand and dunes, but this place seemed too similar, as if I¡¯d been to this exact spot before, which was strange. Children were rarely allowed to leave the village. ¡°Where is here exactly?¡± I asked.


    She had stopped poking the fire and had instead begun to draw spirals in the sand. Her pointed black hat mostly obscuring her save from her cropped purple hair. ¡°We¡¯re still at the office. This is just a side effect of the spell, it puts us in an environment familiar to the person it¡¯s being used on.¡± She lifted her head to give another smile. ¡°Though I can tell that you aren¡¯t all that comfortable. Relax it¡¯ll be over soon.¡± Suddenly her expression changed. Her brow lowered to create wrinkles in her otherwise flawless face. ¡°This is new.¡± I turned to face what she was looking at. In the centre of the arch leading to the cave stood a figure, barely taller than a child, waving and walking forward. "It¡¯s¡­ not possible," I thought, "Is it really him?" The landscape around us began to crumble with boulders falling from up above and landing between the figure and I, appearing to crush him. That¡¯s why that place had put me on edge. It was where that cursed event had happened. Master Thorne was clutching her head, writhing on the ground in pain, burying herself in the sand. I tried to run over to her but my legs wouldn¡¯t move, just like they had back then, as if I had none. I was paralysed. She reeled back in pain as the last of the landscape vanished and we were back in the office, the Master lying in a pile of books that had previously been stacked into a tower. Everyone was frantically trying to help Master Thorne. The armour guy, AC, was holding her by her shoulders while Melody sat on her knees and fanned her fainted Master with her hands. Loki was beside them holding the staff, a massive crack having now appeared. The girl beside me seemed just as confused as I did. This clearly wasn¡¯t supposed to happen. Suddenly, Melody shot up and marched towards me. ¡°What the hell did you do?¡± She barked, reaching for her pink umbrella. I stuttered trying to think of something believable to say. What had I done? I couldn¡¯t answer her question if even I didn¡¯t know. ¡°Leave him Mel.¡± Master Thorne was now conscious and sitting upright, with help from AC, her face as white as the sheets of paper scattered around her. ¡°He¡¯s clearly just¡­ a lot stronger than I anticipated, yeah¡­¡± She said it with little conviction. As if she was trying to convince herself that this was the reason. She tried to stand up but stumbled. Both AC and Loki attempted to catch her but she brushed them off instead gesturing for her staff and using it as a cane. ¡°Do you mind taking Asura and Miss Aurora to the job room please Melody, pick them out something easy, one ¨C two stars maximum.¡± Reluctantly, Melody ushered us out of the office but not before the three remaining members had started to have a discussion. The door begun to swing shut by itself and all I could here was an unfamiliar voice, assumingly AC, saying ¡°I¡¯ve never seen¡­¡±


    ***


    Melody had given us our quest but I may as well not have been there. We had walked around to the outside of the first floor towards a large bulletin board with flyers on it. There was a large hole in the centre of the first floor so you could see down onto the ground floor. Though a neat design choice, it made a awkward trip longer than it had to be as we had to walk around the outside of it, passing what felt like hundreds of identical doors until we reached the board. Melody didn¡¯t say a word to either of us though she did interact with the crystal girl Aurora and even that was brief. She removed a flyer from the board ¨C I saw none of the detail on it except for a large half star on the bottom left of the paper ¨C and handed it to Aurora before heading back across the room and re-entering the office, immediately beginning to shout. Aurora had clearly taken the hint from the other members that I wasn¡¯t exactly in people¡¯s good books at the moment and refused to talk for the whole trip. I didn¡¯t even know where I was going. How could everyone have gotten so mad at me over something I had no control over? More importantly, why was he there? Starting to regret joining this Order I decided I at least needed some answers, anything to clear up even a tiny amount, so I continuously pestered Aurora. ¡°Did that happen to you?¡± She again didn¡¯t react. Why would she? The answer was obvious, no it didn¡¯t. I stepped closer to her, my strides matching hers, and asked another question. ¡°What did it look like to you guys?¡± Again nothing. This was getting frustrating. I stepped in front of Aurora, blocking her path, and pleaded that she at least told me something. She looked down at her white shoes and clutched her scarf over her mouth. She struggled to find the words but eventually said; ¡°We are here.¡± She pointed to an alleyway at the side of the road, placed in-between a tailor¡¯s and a caf¨¦, and began to walk in its direction. I followed her but stopped when I realised something, an answer to my own question. Something strange had happened back there, an unnatural event even in a world of magic, and it was because I did what Loki jokingly said to avoid. I grabbed the staff. I looked down at my palms. I¡¯d grabbed it with my right hand.

 Chapter 4 - Asuras Beginnings

    At first, I thought she was joking. After catching up to my would be partner there was no conceivable way she was being serious. She was talking to a brutish looking man, his bald head appearing like the peak of a mountain, who seemed to be guarding a wall. His arms were crossed, his brow furrowed and his black shirt concealed what looked like the outline of a sword. This wall was clearly very important. Dwarfed stood in front of him ¨C dwarfed by his enormous stature ¨C and held up the note with the half star to his face. He took the paper, revealing a large sweat patch beneath his armpit, and proceeded to struggle to read. After an eternity he finished and handed the note back. The guard rapped his knuckle on the brick wall behind him and astonishingly one by one the bricks began to vanish, eventually creating a pathway into what should¡¯ve been the caf¨¦ but certainly was not. I could hear the faint sound of music and see the dim shine of bright lights; each of varying colours. Aurora stepped inside, disappearing from my view and as I tried to round the corner to join her I was stopped in my tracks by a long piece of razor sharp steel. My shirt was not enough to protect my chest from the cold that emanated from the blade. It was different from the regular cold of metal, as if the sword had been stored in a freezer for years or rather the sword itself was the source of the cold, freezing the air around it creating an icy vapour. I looked at the bouncer and saw the seriousness in his eyes. Cold. ¡°Hey uh¡­¡± I stumbled, trying hard not to focus on the ever-increasing pressure being applied to my chest. ¡°I¡¯m uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, he is with me,¡± Aurora had reappeared from behind the wall which I could now see led down a long spiral staircase. ¡°Although I would much rather he would stay and keep you company.¡± The bouncer sheathed his sword and quickly apologised in a deep rumbling voice almost sounding like the humming of metal. I began to walk down the staircase and could see the tip of Aurora¡¯s white beret disappear into the darkness below. I followed her down the staircase, only slightly concerned about the clunking of bricks behind me. The sealing of our exit.


    ***


    As we neared the bottom of the staircase in the pit ¨C which creaked and shook with every step making the journey feel much more perilous than it was - I decided to try and make conversation with Aurora again, maybe start afresh. ¡°So, uh Aurora is it?¡± She said nothing. It didn¡¯t matter it was just a stupid opener. ¡°What are we uh actually doing here? I mean, w-what¡¯s the job?¡±


    ¡°We are guarding.¡± I was so shocked she¡¯d replied (or maybe because I hadn¡¯t passed out) I nearly fell down the remaining few steps. We stepped out into a massive room which must¡¯ve been covered by the caf¨¦ above as we had only went downwards. The place was packed with people of all different shapes, sizes and colours jumping in rhythm to the beat of the deafening music. The majority of people looked human ¨C not that image is an indicator ¨C but every so often someone stuck out. A woman with fins and gills. A man seemingly on fire. I¡¯d never seen anything like it before, a melting pot like no other. A large glass sphere floated below the ceiling and contained a glowing orb, like those found on the street only considerably larger, which was every so often alternating between the colours of the rainbow, going through them from red to violet and then back to red. The sphere caused the orb¡¯s light to fire out around the room as beams, following the spin of the ball. The floor they were dancing on (if you could call it dancing) was similarly coloured only each square on the floor was a different colour and would change slightly before (or long after) the orb had. It was almost comical seeing Aurora there. She stood out from the crowd completely; her long blue and white trousers and jumper against their skimpy shorts and tank tops - which left little to the imagination. Her snow boots clunked against the vinyl of the floor when she walked. It was helpful as it made it difficult to lose her as we made our way through the crowd towards the DJ¡¯s platform in the middle of the dance floor. She tugged on his shirt and showed him the note. Unlike the guard, the DJ was clearly extremely lax and didn¡¯t even bother to read the note, instantly nodding and yelling instructions at the two of us. ¡°THAT¡¯S AWESOME DUDES. IF YOU TWO COULD LIKE JUST KEEP YOUR EYES OUT FOR ANY SHIFTY LOOKIN FELLAS THAT¡¯D BE SWELL ALRIGHT!¡± I nodded in reply and the DJ put his headphones back on and went back to work. I could tell from her face that Aurora on the other hand had no idea what had just happened. ¡°He wants us to patrol the area and look for anything suspicious.¡± I kindly told her, choosing to not shout over the music but instead lean in closer. She nodded and decided we would cover more ground if we split up so she took the left side of the club and I the right. ¡°Remember,¡± She started, pulling me back as I began to walk away. ¡°We are here together even if I would rather we were not so if you see anything come get me okay? Do not be a hero. That is not our job here.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡± She spoke slowly and methodically, carefully annunciating every syllable as if each one required her full concentration. She walked off towards her side and it was the last I¡¯d see of her in that club. I followed suit and ushered myself through the crowd ¨C treading on multiple toes and mumbling many apologies ¨C eventually reaching a set of stairs leading to a first-floor balcony. I sat at the foot of them after deciding that this would be a good vantage point and that I needed to sit. Enhanced senses are great until they give you a headache in a rave. I had a full view of the area, from the toilets to my right to the entrance we¡¯d used on the far left. The job wasn¡¯t exactly difficult. Essentially, we would just be sitting around for hours and dealing with the occasional idiot or two. No, the job was meant to be simple, a trial. That or an excuse to get the uninitiated out of the way. Something told me it was a bit of both. It became clear to me at that moment that Aurora had a reason for being there, one that she was willing to work with the outcast of the group - if I could even be considered a member - to achieve. Even though she knew I was disliked, even if she didn¡¯t know what had happened either, she knew to succeed we would have to work together. Though saying that, splitting up is one of the few ways of working together with minimal contact. She had spoken at least, to me that was progress. As I sat watching the shifting sea of people, rising and falling with the melody of the music, I began to think back. The dream. The boy. It had to be him. It had to be Micah. It was just him and I there that day. I hadn¡¯t thought about it in so long, in fact I think part of me had forgotten but I knew the rest never would. I had to keep telling myself it wasn¡¯t my fault, it was my only option. I sat there in silence, stroking my right hand as the people around me continued to mingle.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    ***


    Time passed. I¡¯m not sure how long; an hour or two at an estimate. Nothing interesting had happened. Every so often there was a drunken scuffle that resolved itself or I saw the flash of a white hat but nothing out of the usual. Bored, I headed for the bathroom. I didn¡¯t need it I just had to move. I walked into the bathroom, nodding at a fellow toilet goer leaving the toilet, and stared at my reflection, only then realising truly how much I stood out. My brown hair was a bird¡¯s nest, with random strands sticking out in indiscriminate directions and I was covered head to toe in dust. I needed a bath. I filled the sink with warm water and began to ineptly scrub myself down. It wasn¡¯t a great wash, but it would suffice, and it was boiling in the club, so the cool water was much appreciated. Just as I finished washing my face and had begun to clean out my goggles (everyone in the Deadlands was given a scarf and googles at birth instead of toys my mum had joked) another person entered the room. I had been alone up until then. He stood a few sinks away from me and didn¡¯t move for a while. I didn¡¯t look up ¨C whether it was nerves or fear I don¡¯t know ¨C and continued to wash my goggles. The man began to cough violently. ¡°Are you okay?¡± I asked, slightly regretting saying anything. Silence for a moment. ¡°Yeah. Just peachy.¡± The sound of water running amplified as the man ran the water at his sink. His voice was low and gravely, though not like the metallic hum of the bouncer¡¯s. I couldn¡¯t decide what it reminded me of. The silence was again interrupted by coughing, as if something was lodged in his throat. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re okay? I can go get some he¡­¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Another cough. ¡°No that¡¯s quite alright. Thank you.¡± He spoke eloquently, the way you would when speaking to royalty (though I was the furthest from that anyone could be) but it didn¡¯t match his voice. It was almost like a constant grumble or growl. A pungent odour had filled the air since the man had entered though I only just noticed its presence. It reeked. A combination of sun spoiled meat and vomit. I¡¯d never smelled anything like it before and I hoped I never would again. Stifling a gag, I glanced up at the mirror in front of me, trying to get a look at the man without him knowing. He had long yellow finger nails, chipped, and equally long fingers, bruised. He was tall ¨C about the height of the bouncer outside ¨C so tall that I couldn¡¯t see his face from the angle. However, I could see the sink, bathed in a crimson liquid. Blood. It stained both the bowl and the man, completely covering the front of his grey trench coat in dried blood. I was petrified. Unable to move due to sheer fear. Whose blood was it? His? If not, why was it on him? I dared to look further up the mirror, trying to get a look at his face but immediately regretting the decision. His nose was long and black, like a snout, and it was difficult to tell where his shadow black hair ended and his beard began. As if his face was covered in fur. His mouth was wide but tightly shut His lips rough and scarred. Everything covered in congealed blood from the bottom of his pointed chin to the tip of his top hat. Most frightening of all, one single silver eye was staring directly back at me. I knew I had to move. To get away and find Aurora but I was stuck, rooted to the ground. ¡°Oh dear,¡± He said in his growling voice. ¡°This is a surprise. I don¡¯t believe we¡¯re intended to meet just yet.¡± His mouth twisted into a wolfish grin, revealing terrifyingly large teeth the size of daggers. The air fell cold as it had outside with the bouncer and my heart felt like it was about to burst. He stepped away from the sink and stood right next to me. I closed my eyes afraid of what I might see. ¡°Oh well, plans can change. I¡¯m sure he wouldn¡¯t mind if I had, a little fun while I was here.¡± He leaned in close, his noxious breath causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand up. I heard the slapping of lips and the flap of his long red tongue. ¡°On the other hand.¡± The breath vanished. My heart rate slowed. ¡°I am feeling rather full. That brutish man was awfully large, not very bright either.¡± I looked at the mirror once again to see the wolf like man standing with his back to me, one hand on the door handle the other cradling a long steel sword, with icy vapour wafting from it. He turned to look at me once again, his silvery eyes piercing into my very soul. ¡°We will meet again don¡¯t you worry. My superiors have great plans for you though next time I do hope you¡¯re a bit more interesting because I for one,¡± He grinned his malicious grin, ¡°Will certainly be off the leash.¡± He tipped his hat and opened the door. ¡°Ta-ta Asura.¡± With that the man left and the only sounds left in the bathroom were the swinging of the door and the sound of the running sink. The bathroom had been mildly flooded with bloodstained water.