Post by Lone Dancer on Nov 2, 2022 4:03:34 GMT
Prologue
Avalon, the Corporate City
The slums of Avalon were utterly desolate compared to the rest of the gleaming city. The dilapidated home of the downtrodden and poor, swept under the rug by Avalon. It was a place of indebted misery. A place of rundown apartments, only maintained by the middling magics of its inhabitants. The place where dreams went to die and debts piled high.
But to young Carlos, this was home. And today was an exciting day for him. He eagerly slid out of his frayed sleeping bag, almost bouncing off the thin walls as he made his way to the tiny kitchen across the small hallway. The smell of bland oatmeal filled his nose, but it might as well be a veritable feast to Carlos.
Munching away on the oats, he swiftly inhaled his fill before getting distractedly chastised by his mom that he would get hiccups. She appeared worried about something, but Carlos was ignorant. Putting his bowl in the sink with a quick rinse, he asked his mom where his coat was.
A look of weariness overtook her wrinkled face for a moment, but it was quickly replaced with a tired smile. She headed back into the hallway before reemerging with his tattered jacket. Slipping it on, Carlos fumbled a bit with the zipper before pulling it up.
Before he could make his way out the door after slipping on his shoes beside the door, his mom pulled him aside. With a wave of her hand, he felt his coat straighten out, and his shoes became tied correctly. Kneeling beside him, she spoke.
“Stay safe, dear.” She paused before adding, “And remember, don’t accept deals from strangers.”
Carlos mumbled a quick “I will; love you, mom” out, before heading out the door, leaving her standing up with a sad smile. He heard the door close behind him with a quiet click.
He was now alone in the connecting hallway of the apartment complex he lived in, rushing down towards the stairway. Buzzing fluorescent lights kept him company as he went. But mostly, however, he was looking forward to the event of the day.
Today was a very exciting day! The older kids told him that people would be arriving with free food and, more importantly, candy.
And he didn’t want to miss out. While his mother’s warning rang around his head, he was more concerned with the idea of sugary sweets.
The sound of shoes slapping against linoleum stairs filled the stairway. Carlos was almost gliding down. Using the handrail, he’d make giant leaps and land with a bang. Finally, he made it all the way down.
Thoughts consumed, he exited the dilapidated lobby with a thankful nod to the one person that worked down here, a nice enough old lady. She gave him a lazy wave, but he was already at the exit. Pushing open the doors, he tumbled through. He was on the sidewalk, the sun now upon him.
Other kids were present, all as equally excited as Carlos was. One of the older kids, Patrick, a large red-haired boy with an eyepatch, was building up the hype with details on the treats the people would bring. Carlos didn’t like him too much due to earlier incidents, but Patrick didn’t tell lies like the other kids.
Few adults were around, most trusting the kids to care for themselves. Or in too much of a drunken stupor to care. Still, a few parents remained nearby, watching. The buzz grew to a clamor once the children saw the fleet of fancy cars make their way to the street.
Pulling up to the apartment, a man in a colorful yellow suit stepped out of the lead car, a sleek grey vehicle. Grey eyes and coiffed blonde hair, he, with a beatific smile, surveyed the group with a sweeping gaze.
He chuckled to himself. More men and women poured out of similar cars, carrying bags of candy and other goods. Identical to the lead man, each had their own cheerful smile and colorful yellow suits. But the smiles didn’t seem genuine.
The lead man finally addressed one of the kids. He spoke with a smooth timber, clearly articulating every word.
“Well, Patrick, you certainly brought quite the crowd.” The man’s voice was approving. Carlos didn’t like that. The man didn’t feel genuine.
The older boy with the eyepatch stepped up, facing the man.
“I did my best, sir.” The boy seemed proud of himself. The man nodded in response. He pulled something glowing from his pocket, which Patrick greedily scooped up from the man’s hand. Carlos only got a glimpse of glowing squares before Patrick shoved them into his own pocket. Then he left down the tattered street, leaving the confused kids alone.
Now the kids weren’t stupid and figured something was up. The man noticed this and moved his attention to the group of kids who were now muttering among themselves. Waving over the other suited folk, he tended to the situation.
“Well, I shouldn’t leave you all waiting; I’ve brought quite the collection of sweets for you all to try. Free of charge, of charge, but if you want more, you can do us a little favor.” The mention of candy tided over a lot of the kids. This time the murmur was approving.
Carlos wanted to go to the candy, but an inner voice told him to wait.
Now that attention was entirely on him, the man brought out a small form with a fanciful pen made from a golden light.
“Sign your name on this paper, and you can have as much candy as you want.”
The earlier warning from his mom rocketed forefront of his mind, and Carlos froze. He looked around with his eyes and noticed the parents were as still as statues, like they couldn’t move. Not even their eyes. One of the kids near the front seemed hesitant but reached for the pen. Candy was rare here, and to have as much as you wanted to seemed amazing.
Carlos wanted to reach out and warn the kid, a small girl with blonde hair and a patchwork dress, but someone else interrupted before he could.
Stepping out from within the shadows on the other end of the street, a duo stepped out. Covered in heavy, dark leather robes, and wielding silvery staffs, they called out to the man in the suit;
“Preying on children now? Disgusting swine, you lot be.” Even young Carlos could feel the sheer venom dripping from those words. The young girl about to sign dropped the pen in surprise and fear.
The angelic smile was now wiped from his face, and the man in the suit turned around. The other suited people seemed equally agitated.
Behind the enrobed duo, more and more people filtered out, filling up the street with their own robed numbers.
“Oh how fun, the Defiant Guild is here. How like you to show up and meddle with things that don’t concern you.” The man spat out. Carlos couldn’t see his face and could only imagine the glare. What he could see was the fists of the Defiant(?) clenching tighter against the staffs they wielded. They seemed restless, waiting for some cue.
Scoffing while turning on his heel, the suited man addressed the other colorful people. Gone was the kind smile; only a cold, impassive face remained. That face scared Carlos and the other children. The words that fell out of his mouth even more so.
“I deem this a lost cause. Move on to the final step; we can finally purge this filth. We can manage the losses. Children make for poor employees anyways. Raze the Defiant, burn the building. We don’t need witnesses.”
Carlos could feel more than hear the thrum in the air as the people in their colorful suits became equally as cold as their leader, magic springing to life in their hands. Arcane blue flashed out from some, along with fire and lightning streaming from others’ gloved hands.
It was a heavy moment as both sides stared at each other, the silence only broken by the quiet cries of a few scared children.
The people wearing the robes obviously disagreed with the suited man’s verdict and burst blazing into action. Before Carlos could blink, the world grew dizzyingly bright as opposing magics clashed. Strange creatures were summoned, and the streets erupted with enchanted light and fire, melded together by chaos.
The sudden cacophony of screams, explosions, and the sound of reality tearing rushed to fill his ears. Panicking, he tried to back away. While doing so, Carlos felt something knock him down to his feet. Despite blinking through the tears, he couldn’t see much. Trying to stand back up, he bumped into another kid. Distracted, he noticed they had dark hair like him, albeit with blue eyes. But he was more focused on another detail. They were also distraught, crying.
Turning around, he saw the apartment complex burn in a rainbow of flames, smoke pouring out broken windows. Reaching out, he screamed for his mom.
He felt someone hold onto him, and he turned once more to face one of the enrobed people. He could barely make out their face, but the saddened look was still apparent. All he could hear now was the whisper of I’m sorry, before everything flashed white and blue.
Carlos was lying on the cold, stone ground when he came too. Staring upwards, he could barely crane his neck as people bustled about. Each had a pendant, a shield with a triangular emblem. They were shuffling kids out of the room, along with injured robed people. He wanted to cry out more but could hardly make a sound beyond a quiet whimper.
Shadows danced in the corners of his eyes as movement was a flurry around him. He could hear words but couldn’t decipher their meaning. Just empty babble and pointless chatter. He hurt all over, similar to the time he got kicked and beaten by one of the older kids. His mother fretted over him the entire day after, tenderly caring for him and making sure he was alright.
That memory only caused him more hurt. He was young and confused. But he knew he wouldn’t be seeing Mom again. He could feel the tears streaming down his face. It was all just so fast.
Carlos was just too tired to care anymore as someone picked him up, carrying him to an infirmary. The only thing he could think about was the apartment complex set ablaze and his cries for Mom. The scene was on eternal repeat in his mind, looping over and over.
Until someone gently brushed against his forehead, and he was put to a dreamless sleep.