《Mana apocalypse book one becoming mages》 Chapter 1 A planet that has hosted life Spacetravelhadevolvedtothepointwhereinterstellartravelwaspossible. Evennowtheyhaveyettofindotherlifeforms.Withtimethatwillchange. Wouldweacceptotherlifeforms,evenifwedidfindthem?Onlytime couldgiveustheanswer. ¡°DetectingnaturalH20,oxygen,andvastvarietiesofminerals.¡± RyanLandHeartlistenedtotheA.I.¡¯smessage.¡°Didyouhearthatteam? Thiscouldverywellbetherealdeal!¡±¡°Isuredidcaptain!¡±Ayoung womanknownasAprilDayrespondedtohim.Hermediumlength dirtyblondhairblowsintheartificialwind,asshepullsuphersunglasses toherforehead,revelinghervioleteye,whicharenatural,agenetictrait herparentsgavetoherfromgeneselection.Herparentshavealwaysbeen kindofobsessedwithanimehencehervioleteyes.Welltheyareasnatural aseyesthathavebeenmodifiedbeforeconceptioncouldbe. ¡°Ryan,Aprilcouldyoupassmetheinformationonblackholesinthisarea?¡± RyanandAprilanswerhiminunison.¡°JusthavetheA.I.tellyouBill.¡± TheyneverunderstoodwhyBillalwaysneededthingstobewritten physicallydown,itwaslikehedidnottrustinformationthatcamefrom amachine.¡°Ugh,fineBillgivemeasecond.¡±Apriltellshimwithasigh. Aprilheadstothebackroom.(WhatkindofmessisBillkeepingbackhere.) Aprilcannothelpbutwondertoherself.Thefirstfileshepullsouthappensto beBill¡¯ssecretporncollection.(DammitBill,whydoyouhavetokeepthese withimportantfiles!)Aprilfeelingbothangry,andembarrassedatevenhaving tothinkaboutthisinthefirstplace.(Nothisisnotiteither.)Apriltucksaway thelitrpgthatshejustfound,somethingtodowithmagesfightingforcontrol overislandsasapowersource.(Mageshavenorelevanceintherealworld Bill,andtheyneverwill!)¡°Ah,hereitis!¡±Aprilquietlytellsherself. ¡°HereitisBilltakeit!¡±Aprilpushesthefileintohishand,angerstillwithin fromwhatshefoundprior.¡°Whatisherproblem?¡±BillwhisperstoRyan. ¡°Isithertimeofthemonthorsomething?¡±Ryanputsthebackofhashand onhisforeheadatBillswords.¡°WhydidyouwantthefileBill?¡±Ryan wantingtochangethesubjectasfastaspossible.¡°Iwantedtomakesure wewereintheclear,anditappearsweare.¡±¡°Good!¡±Ryanfirmly SaystoBillbeforesettingacoursetothelocationofthenaturalH20 andoxygen. Theyarrivedatthelocationtofindaplanetthatlookedmuchlikeearth, theonlydifference,wasthatweretheearthshowedgreen,thisplanetYou could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story. showedalightvioletcolor.Thatisnottosaythegeographywasthe sameasearth,thatwouldbetounlikely. ¡°Scanningplanetforunknownbacteria,nonefound.Scanningto seeiftheplanetisinhabitable,planetmatchesearthsinhabitable rateonehundredpercent,infactitmaybeevenmoreinhabitable thanearthitself,basisforthisconcept,zeropercentradiationdetected.¡± BilllooksatRyan.¡°Whatintheworld,thatisnotpossible?¡± Aprilistheonetoask.¡°Shouldwegodowntogether,orshouldonlyone ofusgo?¡±Ryanasthecaptainmakesthedecision.¡°Onlyoneofusshould go.¡±Billtakesoutthreeportablegamingsystems.¡°Racingorfightinggame todecide?Lastplacegoes?¡±Aprilvotesforthefightinggame,Ryanfeels thesameway.¡°Threelives,battleroyal,notagteaming.¡±theyallagreeto theseterms.Beingraisedbyanimeobsessedparent,Aprilcomesinfirst, beingtheownerofthegameBillcomesinsecond,andRyaninlast. ¡°Lookslikeitisyoucaptain.¡±Billsmirks.¡°Whoiscaptainifsomething shouldhappentoyouRyan?¡±RyanlaughsatApril¡¯squestion.¡°Youare April,Billistodisorganizedandscatterbrained.¡±¡°Heyjustwhodoyou thinkyouareyoucallingscatterbrainedcaptain?¡±¡°Heisrightyou knowBill,Imeanwholeavespornwithimportantfiles!¡±Thelast bitofherwordsshowingslightagitationinthem.¡°AnywaysIamoff.¡± Thevioletplantlifewasevenmoreamazingtoseeupclose.Ryan waswalkingthroughthewoodswhenheseenit.¡°Holyshitguys, thereisacastle,thereisafuckingcastlehere!¡±¡°Youarejustpulling ourlegrightRyan?¡±Aprilthinkitwasajokeasks.¡°HavetheA.I. scanformoreinfrastructures.¡±¡°WaitaminuteRyanyouareseriousthen?¡± ¡°Yes,justconfirmitforyourselfApril.¡± TheA.I.Scanstheplanetforanymorebuildings.¡°Aboutthreehundred villages,andninecastlesfoundacrosstheplanet,includingtheone foundbythecaptain.¡±¡°Ryanthereareaboutthreehundredvillages, andninecastlesacrosstheglobe.¡±BillrelaysthemessagetheA.I. justtoldthem. ¡°Iamenteringthecastlenow.¡±¡°Pleasebecarefulcaptain.¡±BothBill andAprilsay,worriedaboutanyofthedangershecouldface.Opening thecastledoorbillcanseeamassivepaintingofamanfightingadragon, onlyhehasbluehair,andsomesortofawhiteglowaroundhim. Uponfartherinspection,themanappearstobeusingmagictofightthe dragon,itmusthavebeensomesortoffairytale.Ryancantellfromother paintingsthatthehaircolorinthefirstportraithehadseen,wasoneofthe naturalhaircolorsofthisplanet. Ryanstumbledthroughadoor,whichleadhimintoalibrary.Ryanpulls downoneofthebooks,andthentakesapictureofthepageswithhis mobilecommunicationdevice.¡°BillhavetheA.I.searchthetextfor patterns,seeifitcantranslatethetextintoEnglish.¡°Willdocaptain.¡± Ryancontinuedwonderingaroundthecastlewhilehewaited.Ryan tripsoversomethingontheground,hisbearhandtouchesit.Ryan feelssomethingakintostaticelectricity,barleynoticing,aswhat hetouchedwasaskeleton,theremainsofaformerperson.Now thathethoughtaboutit,shouldtherehavenotbeenpeople,orsome formoflifearoundthisplanet,ifacastlewashere,thenthereshouldbe, yettheworldwassilent.¡°AprilhavetheA.I.Scantheplanetforlife.¡± Aprilcompliedtothecaptain¡¯sorder.ShelistenedtotheA.I. ¡°Onlyonelifeformdetected,RyanLandHeart,however billionsofdeadspecieshavebeendetectedacrosstheplanet.¡± RyanlistenedtotheA.I.Inthebackground.(Sowhathappenedon thisplanet?Itdoesnotseemliketheywereadvancedenoughtodevelop weaponsofmassdestruction.¡±Ryanreturnstotheship. ¡°WellRyandoyouthinkthisplanetwillbeinhabitable?¡±Billwanting toknowimpatientlyasks.¡°Morethenlikely,butIamkindofconcerned astowhathappenedthere,thewholeplanetslifeformsbeingextincted, couldhumanitybeatriskifwemovedthere?¡±¡°ComeonRyanyou worrytomuch.Ohancouldyoupassmemytea?¡±Billtriestosubdue Ryan¡¯sworries.¡°HereyouareBill.¡±RyanpassesthecuptoBill. Whatseemslikeastaticshock,zapsBillsfingersfromthecup. Laterthatnight.¡°Aprilcouldyougetmethenavigationfiles?Ineedto markthisareadownonthemap.¡±¡°Getityourself!¡±¡°SorryIneedthe washroomatthemoment.¡±¡°Okayfine.¡±OnceAprilfindsthefiles, Billreturnsfromthewashroom.¡°Heretakethem.¡±Aprilpasses thefilestoBill.Therehandstouchandshefeelsasmallshock. (Man,Ihatestaticelectricity,butwhatcanyoudo?) Chapter 2 Welcome back to earth Theteamplacedtheirfeetonthefamiliarsoiloftheearth.Itfelt likeaneternitysincetheyhadlastbeenhere,butinrealityithadonly beenaboutthreemonths.ForApril,Ryan,andBilltheplanetsgravity feltoddlyheavierthentheyrememberedfrompriorspacetrips,but whatdiditmatterifitwasnotcausingthempain. ¡°Welcomebacktoearth,howdidthemissiongo?¡±Cameracrewswere recordingtheevent,asthiscouldbehistoryinthemaking.Theoneasking thequestionwasthepresidentofearth.Aboutfiftyyearsago,anewcontinent wasforming,thiscontinentwasintheverycenteroftheearth,andiswhere mattersfortheentireworldwouldbedealtwithinthefuture.Itwasonly abouttenyearsagowhentheworldsbaseofoperationswasformed. ¡°Wefoundaplanetthatcan,andhashostedlife?¡±Ryanasthecaptainanswers theworldpresident.¡°Thatisgoodtohear.Themissionshallbegininthreemonths time.¡±Ryanwasstillworriedaboutwhatcouldhavehappenedtotheformerlife onthatplanet,buthedidnotmentionhisworriestothepresident. Ryanandthepresidentshookhands,bothRyanandthepresidentfeelasmall staticlikeshock,butneitherofthemgiveitanythoughts.Ryanreturnstohis team,AprilhasofferedtogivebothBill,andRyanaridehome. Fivedayspassby,eachdaytheteammembersfeelalittlebitheavier,and cannotunderstandwhy.Theyhavenoticedhoweverthateverytimethey comeintocontactwithanewperson,orotheranimal,asmallstaticshock isdischarged.Throughouttheworldsparkslikethesestarttospread,and themajorityofpeoplenoticethat,itfeelsliketheyweighmore,butchecking theirscales,thisisnotthecase.Thosethatdonotfeelheavierfeelmore energeticandfulloflife,likeneverbefore. Amonthgoesby,manypeopledie,anditisnotknownwhy.TheremainingThis novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. people,asidefromtheoneswhofeelmoreenergeticthatis,canbarleymove now.Aprilisoneoftheonesthatcanbarleymove,bothRyan,andBilldied fourteendaysago.(RightRyanneverdidreadwhattheA.I.translated.) ThinkingofBillAprilsendsamessagetotheA,I.¡°A.I.pleaseprintoutthe translatedbookfromtheplanetthathostedlife.¡±¡°Willdo!¡±Afterthemessage hadbeenconfirmed,Aprilfeltafamiliarstaticdischarge,andsuddenlyall thepowerinherhomegoesoff,andhercommunicatorstopsfunctioning. (Maybesomedaysomeonewillfindtheprintoutofthebook.)Therewas notmuchAprilcoulddobutthinkthat.(MaybeBillhadbeenrighttohave physicalnotesandfileslayingaround.) Amongtheoneswhodiedwhereallformsofgovernment,healthprofessionals, whothoughtthatdrugsandmedicationweretheonlywayapersoncouldbe healed,andallleaders,whichalsoincludedcrimeleaders.Theworldwasleft withonlytheonesremainingtotakechargeofthemselves,andtheirfamilies iftheyhadanyleft. LuckyforAprilthatshehadagreenhouse,whichdidnotrelyonpowerand hadfruitsandberriesthatwouldgrowbackeveryday,thankstosomegenetic alterationstothem.Beenbarleyabletomove,sheknewthatthiswasthebest spotforher. NoteveryonewasasluckyasApril,andsoonerorlatertheywouldendupdying ofeitherstarvation,ordehydration.Amongthepeoplewhofeltmoreenergetic, itwassoonrealizedthatallofthemhadsomeformofpsychicabilities,prior towhateveritwasthathaddonethistotheworld.Thiswasbroughttoattention, whenpeoplenoticedthatalotofprofessionalmediumswerestilldoingtheirjobs. Italsoreviledwhohadbeenfrauds.Alotofpeoplewhereangrywiththemoney theywasted,butwhatwasthepointofworryingaboutthatnow. Whywasitthephysicswhocouldmovearoundfreely?Thiswasthequestion alotofpeoplecouldnothelpbutaskthemselves.Whyweretheyblessedlike that. Unlikewiththehumans,theanimalswerenotreallyaffectedbywhateverit was,alltheydidwasspreaditlikewildflower.Theonlyexceptionwaswhen thebirdsmigratedtoacertainuninhabitedisland,andeatplantlifethere. Somethinginthesoiltherewasdifferentfromthesoilacrosstherestofthe globe,whichcausedthebirdstomutate,andsoonallthelifeonthatisland aswell.Forthetimebeing,thenewlymutatedbirds,andotherlifeforms ontheislandwouldremainthere. Allformsofelectronicssoonstoppedfunctioning,justlikewithApril¡¯s home,itwaslikesomeonejustswitchedthemoff,oranelectromagnetic surgewasreleasedacrosstheplanet.Onlymechanicaltechnologycould functionnow.Bothsadly,andluckily,anyoneneedingelectricaltechnology inthehospitaltolive,haddiedwaybeforethetechnologynolongerworked. ItallstartedtoclickinApril¡¯smind.(ThisallstartedafterRyanwentdown tothatplanet,andthenwereturnedtoearth,butwhydidtheA.I.notdetect anydanger?Waitcouldtheirbesomeinformationinthetranslatedbook, ifthereis,IamgladIhadtheA.I.printitout.Ihopesomeonefindsit someday.ThankyouBillifthatreallyisthecase.) Thebookstranslationliesjustundertheprinter,butwhoistosayif anyonewilleverfindit.Coulditevenreallyhelpiftheydid? FromwhatRyantoldBillandApril,thisdidnotseemlikethesamething thatwipedoutthelifeontheotherplanet.ShouldAprilbeworriedabout somethingfarworsthappeninginthefuture? Chapter 3 Death of his family, memories in rain LyleMazewassitingattheedgeofhissistersbed,hisparentshadjustdied yesterday,andhecouldtellthathissisterwasattheendoftheline.¡°Lylemake meapromise,helppeoplewhenyoucan.¡±Lylelistenedcloselytoherwords beforeheanswered.¡°IwilldoeverythinginmypowertohelpthoseIcan.¡± ¡°Goodtohear!¡±Asmallsmilecrossingherlips,beforehereyeswentdim. WiththatLylewasleftallalone. Lylewalkedaroundhishome,searchingthroughpocketsizedphotosofhis family,andoncefound,placingtheminhiswallet.AdeepsighescapesLyle¡¯s mouth,hissisterwasabouttostartherlife,shehadjustafewmoremonths ofhighschoolleft,andthenshewouldhavegonetocollage. Lylecarriedhissistersbodytothebackyard,wherehehadduggravesfor hisparentsyesterday,hewouldnowdothesameforher.Lyletooktheshovel, pushingtotiptothegroundhebeginstodig.Whenheisfinished,hedrops hissistersbodyintoherfreshnewgrave.Tearsstreamdownhiseyes,as hecovershercorpsewithsoil.SomethingwasbuggingLyle,whydidit takelongerforhisfamilytodiecomparedtoeveryoneelse. Lylewentbacktohisroom.Memoriesoftripswithhisfamilyfilledhismind. Thecarnivaltheywentto,atthetimehissisterwasjusttwoyearsold.,now shehadbeenseventeen,Lylewascurrentlytwentythree.Backthenhewould havebeeneightyearsold.Hehadplayedagamethere,andhadwonabigpink stuffedrabbitforher,thethingwasmassive,Imeanshestillhadit,anditwas stillbiggerthenher.Lylewentintoherroomtoseethestuffedrabbit,hepulled itclosetohim,andheldittightly.Awaveoftearsstartedtofallfromhiseyes, hittingthefloorinarhythmicpattern. Lylepickeduphissister¡¯sdiary,heknewdiarieswereprivate,buthewanted moreofhissistertocarryinhisheart.Lylebeginstoreadthepages. ¡°Deardiary,todaymybrotherLylesavedmeandMeghanfromthemeancat nextdoor.¡±¡°Deardiary,Lylegavemehispopsiclewhenminefelltothefloor.¡± ¡°DeardiarymybrotherLylemissedhischanceathavingagirlfriend.¡±Lyle readoverthelastparthejustread.(WhenwasthisIwonder?)Lylewasshocked hemissedachancetohaveagirlfriendanddidnotevenknowit.¡°Deardiary, Lylehelpedmewithmyhomework.Heisamazingwhenitcomestomath.¡±Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. ¡°Deardiary,IgotLyleaportablegamingsystemforhisbirthday,butIhavelost itsomewhereinthehouse.¡±(Really,thensheneverfoundit?Coulditstillbein thehousesomewhere?) ¡°Deardiary,todaywewenttoapettingzoo,wesameawhiterabbitwithpinkeyes. Lyletoldmethatitwasandalbinorabbit.Iaskedhimwhatalbinomeantandhe saidtherabbithadnopigment.Ithenaskedhimwhatpigmentmeant,andhetold methat,thethingthattellsyouwhatcolorsomethingshouldbe.¡± ¡°Deardiary,mymothertoldmeLylegotintoafightwithabully,andnottogo inhisroom,sinceheneededtoresttorecoverfromthepain.¡±Lylelaughs,he remembersthatfight,thebullywashurtingachicken,andLyletoldhimtostop, butwhenhewouldnotlisten,Lylepunchedhimintheface,thatiswhenthecounter attackbegan. ¡°Deardiary,MeghantoldmeshehasacrushonLyle,Ikeeptryingtotellher,Lyle likeswomanolderthanhim,ifnotolder,thewomanshouldatleastbeverymature. MeghanisinnowaymatureShefightwithhermotheroversomethingasstupid asapopsiclestick.¡±LylerecallswhenMeghanhadaskedhimout.¡°SorryMeghan, butyouarenotmytypeofwoman.¡±Thosewheretheexactwordshespokeback then. ¡°Deardiary,todayLyletoldmewewouldsoonhaveababysister,ourmother toldmethesamething.Dadwasnothomeatthetime,andwhenhegothome Iaskedhimwhatwewouldnameourlittlesister.Dadwasconfused.Both Lyleandmymotherburstoutintolaughter.Aprilfools!Theybothsaidat thesametime.Thatwasmeanofthem,notonlyformebutfordadaswell. Igotthembothbackthenextday,whenImadethembreakfast.¡±(Thatis right,sheputadropofhotsaucesinallthefood.Ourfatherleftearlier,so hedidnothavetodealwiththatmess.)Lylecouldnothelpbutlaughat alloftheirbehavior,forthatmonth.Theprankswentoutofcontrol, thefiredepartmenthadtobecalled,afteroneofthemputatonofoilin theeggs,andanoilfirestarted. ¡°Deardiary,IcameouttoLyletoday,hewassosupportive,andIknow hewillhelpmehavethecouragetotellmyparents.Itrustandlovemy brotherforallhehasdoneforme.¡±(Shewasgoingtotellthem,the daythatthisallstarted,butnowitwastolate.)Lylethinkingback onthis,thetearsflowinglikeawaterfallnow. Lylewalkedupintotheattic,searchingthroughboxes.Drawingsmade bybothLyleandhissisterwereinonebox.Evennowthedrawingshis sistermadewhenshewasfouryearsold,wasstillbetterthenanythinghe coulddraw. Lylefoundasmallwhiteboxhiddenunderadresser.Hepulleditout,opensthe boxandfindstwothings,acard,andasmalldigitalpet.Lylereadsthecard. ¡°HappythirteenthbirthdayLyle,fromyourlittlesister.¡±(Iguessbackthen, shewastoyoungtoknowthedifferencebetweenaportalgamingsystem,and adigitalpet.)ThisisLyle¡¯sthoughts,asheretrievesastringfromthedresser, andcreatesamakeshiftnecklace,sohecanalwayscarrythisgiftwithhim. (Sureitdoesnotwork,withallelectronicsnownolongerfunctioning,but itwasagiftafterall,frommyonlylittlesister.) Lylewalkedintothekitchen.Ithoughtaboutthedaytheyallwenttothe beachtogether.Ithadstartedtodownpouroutofnowhere,butthismade bothLyleandhissisterwanttogointheoceanevenmore.Lylevividly rememberedthefeelingoftherainasithithisface.AsLyleimmersed himselfinthememory,itwaslikehecouldreallyfeelthecoldrainonhis face.Lylestepsinapuddlethatwasnotinthekitchenafewsecondsago. (Dammit,wheredidthispuddlecomefrom.)Lylecheckstoseeifany ofthewindowsareopened.Whenhelooksoutsideheonlyseessunlight. Lylesuddenlyfeelsadroplethithishead.Lookingupheseesasmall raincloudabovehishead.(Whatthefuck!?)Thesamewordsheisthinking alsoescapehislips.¡°Whatthefuck!?¡± Chapter 4 Mercy to his family Hisparentswereinagony,theywereoneofmanywhocouldbarleymove. Shadecouldtellhisparentsconditionhadworsened.Hefeltlikeaservant tohisparentssincethisallstarted,anditwasstartingtogettohim. ¡°Hun,couldyoubringmeabanana,butteredtoast,andsomeorange juice?¡±Shadecouldhearhismotherfromdownthestairs.Thiscame asnosurprise,buttodaysomethingfeltdifferentinsideofShade,it waslikeaswitchhadbeenturnedon,andhehadtodosomething abouthisparents,afterallhedidnotwanttoletthemsufferanylonger. ¡°Shadewouldyoubekindenoughtobringmesomepotatochips?¡± nowhisfatherwantedsomethingaswell.(WhydoIhavetokeep servicingthemlikethis?Willallthepeoplewhoareincapableof movingneedsomeonetotakecareofthem?)Shadethinksthisto himself,whiletearsoffrustrationbuildupinhiseyes. Shadesearchesthecupboardforthefoodhisparentshadaskedfor. asheispouringhisfather¡¯schipsintoabowl,onefallsoverthecounter. Beforeitcanhitthegroundhestopsitinmidair.Shadehasalwaysbeen abletomovesmallobjectswithhismind,butsomehowitfeelsmuch easiertomovetoday,likesomethinginsideofhimhaschanged. WhenShadearrivesbackdownstairs,hehandsthefoodhisparents askedhimtogettothem.Finishedeating,Shadegoesaheadandwashes thedishes.Nowthatthedishesareclean,Shadeforthefunofit,senses whathecanfeelaroundhimwithtelekinesis.(Waitwhatwasthat?) Shadefeltsomethinginsidehisparents,likestillwater,butwarmand electrical. Shadebeginstomovewhateveritis.Hemovesituptheirbodiesand totheirheads.Inaninstanttheydie.Noscreams,nocomplaints,they arejustdead.Shadefeelsasenseofrelief,nolongerwouldhehaveto beaslavetohisparentsdemands.Hedoesfeelremorseaswell,butnowIf you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. hecanendthesufferingofthoseintheworld. Shadewalksdownhisstreet,hecanseeayoungtoddler,andherfamily, theymusthavebeenoutsidewhentheylosttheirabilitytomove.(Igive youmercy.)Shadethinksashebringsthestillenergyinsideofthemup intotheirheads,causingthemtodie. Shadefindsayoungcouplelyingnexttoabench.Itwasobviousthey hadbeenonadate,andhadbeensitingonthebench,thatisuntiltheir bodiescouldnolongerremainseated.(Inthenameoflove,Igive thiscouplemercyasone.)WiththatthoughtShademovedthestill energyinsideofthemtotheirheadsinunison.Nowtheyweregone, freefromtheirsuffering. Shadecametoarestauranthehadbeentomanytimeswithhisfamily. Insidewherestaffmembers,andcustomers,noneofwhichcouldreally move.(Youcanallhavemercynow.)Thesethoughts,somethingwas wrongwithShade¡¯smindnow,buthedidnotseeit.Thestillenergy wasmovedtotheirheads.Deadinaninstantlikesomanyothers. Somewhereinthedistance,ayoungwomanthesameageasShade followedhim.ShehadalwayscarriedstrongfeelingsforShade,but nowthosefeelingswerefading,moreandmorewitheveryonehe killed.Therewasnodoubtinhermindthathewastheonecausing theirdeathsoncehereachedtherestaurant.Herheartbreakingfor everydeathhecaused. NextShadewenttothegrocerystore.(Mercyisyoursalvation.) Shadenowfeelingprideinsuchthoughts.Everyoneinthestore, hadtheairleavetheirbodies,asthestillenergyhittheirheads. (MygodShade,thegrocerystore!)Nowtheyoungwomencould onlyseeShadeasamonster.Nolongerwashethatsweetboy whohadstoppedhertearsbyreadingalovelystory. NextShadeheadedtothebank.Itseemedlikearobberywas takingplace,butnoweventherobberswereontheground. (Mercytotheinnocent!)Everyonebuttherobbersdiedinan instant.Shadewouldleavetherobberstosuffertheirfate. (Shadewhathashappenedtomakeyouthisway?)Thewomanfollowing himcouldnothelpbutquestionherself.Shepullsoutapictureofthetwo ofthemfromaschoolplayinfifthgrade.Inthepicturethetwohavesmiles thatcouldlightupanyroom,butnowShadehasacoldsmileonhisface, makingtheroomfeeldarker. Shadeendupatadogpark.Hecanseethefencedindogstryingtomove theirmasters.(Sorrypups,butIgiveyourownersmercy!)Withthatthe stillenergygoestotheirheads,deathinaninstant.Shadeuseshistelekinetic abilitiestoopenthedoor,sothatthedogscanrunfree. (Wellatleasthedidnotleavethemcagedinthere.)Asmallsmileappearingon thewoman¡¯sface,butreplacedbyafrowninseconds.Somethinghadmade Shadethisway,shewantedtofindoutwhat,howevershedidnotwantto askhimthereason. Shadecametotheparkwhereheplayedasachild.Parentsandchildren alllayingontheground.(Forthesefamilies,Igiftthemwithmercy.) Allatoncethelifelefteachofthem. Shadeenteredtheelementaryschoolhewenttoinsecondgrade.Iwalks intoafamiliarclassroom.Hisformerteacherisstillteachingsecondgrade, orrathershehadbeen,nowherandherstudentscouldbarleymove. (Ms.Rain,andyourstudentsaswell,Igiveyoumercy.)WiththatMs.Rain wasnowforevergone. Peakinginfromthesideofthedoor,thewomanfeltafloodoftearsfalling fromhereyes.(NotMs.Rain,Shadehowcouldyou!)Shefeltbothsad, angry,andfrustrated,whatcouldshedotohelpShadenow?