“I'm…….going to die?” Axel said not able to fully grasp the situation.

The floating silver haired girl closed her eyes and nodded once. When she opened her strange yet dazzling eyes, she rested her crystal like pupils on his person and focused on him intently. Axel stood completely still and didn’t say a word as he was not really sure what to do.

“Axel Ison, I’m going to be very straightforward here. In short, you’re an utter disappointment.” she finally said after many moments. Axel shifted his face from confusion to disappointment, as he had been called by this angel. He lowered his gaze and did not retort.

“You see? There you go! Raise your head boy! You’re just going to let a complete stranger put you down?! It’s no wonder you’re in this mess!” the angel yelled at him causing Axel to raise his head.

“But it’s true! I can’t do much of anything right!” Axel said as he held his head and sat cross legged on the ground. Seeing him cower pitifully like that, the angel showed clear anger and ordered him to stand.

‘I’m sick and tired of seeing you act like some pushover, kid. Come here.” The angel instructed. When she saw that Axel wasn’t going to move, she placed her barefeet on the ground and walked over to him. When she reached him, she gave him a roundhouse kick straight to the jaw while keeping her dress from revealing anything. Axel rolled on the ground multiple times and held his aching cheek.

“How does that even make sense!!!?! Figments of my own imagination shouldn’t be able to hurt me!!!!” He yelled in pain.

“I won’t say it again, come here” She said. This time, Axel quickly jumped up and went to stand in front of her with a red mark on his chin. The angel smiled in satisfaction and once more got serious.

“I’m sure you’re wanting to know how all of this came about and what exactly you can do. Well, to be honest, there’s nothing you can do. Even if you somehow manage to break free, you will die here in Miami one way or another” She told him in a cold voice. Axel once again went to lower his head in anguish but was stopped by the soft but firm hand of the angel floating before him.

“At least, that’s what will happen if you continue how you are now.”

“W-what? What are you saying?...” Axel asked in a defeated voice.

The angel released his cheeks and allowed him to stand up straight. Axel did so but continued to point his gaze to her feet.

“I’ve been watching you since the day you received this power, and right from the get go I knew that you were going to be an issue. Do you want to know why?”

“Yes” Axel replied without even thinking about it. The angel smiled and turned in mid air. She floated over to where Axel’s actual body was in the incubator and spun around it once. “Then we must first visit your origins. We must learn who you are, what you are, and what has molded you into what you are today. In order to do that, we must start from the very beginning. If you are not afraid, if you are truly seeking to understand yourself, then come here, follow me and together we will find the answer.” She said as she jumped into the incubator and disappeared the moment she came in contact with Axel’s real body. For a moment there, he was skeptical. Visiting his origins meant going going back in time through his memories, reliving past moments. Was he truly ready to do that? Was he willing to make a change for the better? Was the angel even legit? At this point, the only way to know would be to follow her.

(Okay…...let’s do this) he thought to himself with confidence. He slowly approached the container that held himself and slowly reached out. His hand slipped right through and he was able to place his hand on his own abdomen. Immediately as he did so, he was pulled in by an external force and flushed away. He was pulled into a portal of memories quickly flashing by. They were so fast that they appeared to be shooting stars soaring the heavens as he seemingly fell down the bottomless abyss that was memory lane. Then, all of a sudden he was able to see ground and face planted on the cold hard concrete. Or, so he thought. Instead, he floated mere inches above it, stopped by an unseen force.

“W-wow….” He softly said with his eye spread wide. The angel like being soon appeared next to him and lightly tapped his feet which caused him to float upright.

“Are you amazed that I stopped you from falling?” she said, Axel shook his head.

“No….I literally just saw my life flash before my eyes, I don’t know how to feel about that.”

When Axel said that, the angel released a slight beautiful sound which was what humans called a giggle. It made Axel feel somewhat happy.

“Mhaha, looks like you do have some redeeming features…” She said which made Axel feel a bit more comfortable with himself. He then took a full look around at his surroundings. He was in the backyard of a very familiar looking house, and for some reason everything was colored in black and gray.

“Is this place ringing a bell?” She said.

“That tree over there, I broke my arm there once trying to climb it…..that little sandbox, I used to pretend it was a beach…….This is Casey’s backyard, right?”

“Correct. Interestingly enough, this is the farthest back in your memories that I can go.” The angel said as she floated high above the house in search of something.

“Why is that? What day is it today?” He asked with and idea of what day it was already.

“April 17th, 2015, it would seem.” The angel said as she spotted something on the front side of the house. She floated down and rejoined with the boy who now had his eyes wide with awe.

“It’s today! It’s my 6th birthday and also the same day I met Casey!!”

WHOOM.

Time exploded and the scenario changed, the night set in and rain poured down on Sonic City. Thunder and lightning ravaged the heavens as he was teleported to a different position. He was in the middle of the street directly in front of a couple of stores that were now closing for the night. Out of one of them ran out a small young boy in a raincoat desperately trying to not get swept up by the wind.

{In real time, Axel’s real body suddenly gurgled and his heart rate accelerated.}

“Th-this is…..” he started.

“Be honest with yourself. The day you fear the most, the day you hated. You say that you rather not remember, but the reality is that you cannot even if you tried. Isn’t that so?” The angel said from behind him with words filled to the brim.

{Despite already soaked, sweat released from his glans and his body temperature rose.}

Axel felt his heart try and make a break for it and uncomfortably staggered.

“I….that’s not tru-”

“Do not lie to me.” She struck with a tone that made him wince.

“I…...I don’t remember…..I don’t even know what’s going on…..but I know that’s me” He said as he followed the small young boy running away. They followed him and watched as he took a detour into a building that was still under construction. If memory served, this would’ve been the fastest way to get back home. However, the building was still a whole lot bigger than he originally anticipated.

“A fateful encounter, the main reason, among many others, of why you want nothing to do with the blessing bestowed upon you.” She said behind him as Axel continued to follow the boy.

The boy ran and ran through the maze like building until he had to stop. It wasn’t that he was tired, it was because he had realized that he wasn’t alone. He quickly hid behind a large crate as he observed the many men dressed in black that were gathered around something.

“Little lady, you have given us plenty of trouble. Tracking you down wasn’t easy….but now that we’ve got you right where we want you, it’s time you come with us” One of the men said. It was then that a squeal of a young child was heard from the center of the group.

“N-no1 pwease! I….I wanna go with mommy!!!” He heard a desperate cry.

“Oh no….”

“Oh no….”

Both young and old Axel’s said that simultaneously as they both continued to watch in fear. When they looked through the gap in between the legs of the men, they were able to see a small young girl the age of Axel sitting and holding her knees while tears flowed out the sides of her eyes.

“Shut the fuck up, kid. I’ve worked way too damn hard for you to start crying, now get your ass over here!”

“W-w-w-w-w-wait!!! Pwease let me goah!!!!! You’re hurling me!!!!!” The young girl squealed as she desperately tried to break free of the powerful grip holding her. However it seemed that her efforts would be in vain.

“Stop it!!!!” Full grown Axel yelled as he raised his fist and charged at the men holding her. He threw a punch at the man but only to have it slip right through him. The realization that this had already happened poured over him and he looked back with eyes filled with horror. It seemed bad until boards of large plywood suddenly started toppling over each other like dominoes and eventually they fell over the men. The men exclaimed and threw the girl down and attempted to save themselves.

“What the?” One of them yelled. However, when they looked back at the girl, they noticed that she was gone.

“Fuck! After her!” The man that dropped her in the first place yelled to his men. They all quickly looked at each other as they wondered where on earth they were supposed to head toward.

“It has magical traces you buffoons! Follow that!” The man yelled. The group quickly took out a small device from their pockets and then immediately took off in the same direction. Elsewhere, Axel and the small young girl were in the middle of sprinting as fast as their little legs could carry them.

“Who awe you? You came to help?” She said to the boy dragging her away.

“Yah!! Those men were goin to hurt you!” He responded.

Mere feet in front of them, the wall off to the side exploded and dust blew their small frames back.

“Wah!”

“Aaah!” they yelped.

The small boy Axel fell back but quickly rose to his feet and grabbed the closest thing at hand which was a large metal pole. It was heavy but not heavy enough for him not to be able to swing it around. The girl also fell back and quickly scurried away behind a pile of sand bags.

“Kid, you could’ve walked away and we would’ve never noticed you. So, what in the world do you think you’re doing?” one of the men from before told the boy.

“I’m not afraid of you! You’ll all just big meanies!!!!” He yelled while tightly holding onto the metal pole. He looked back at the girl to make sure she was okay, he saw her staring back at him with large fearful eyes and tears welling up. It was the face of a girl wanting to go home. So, the boy confidently smiled and tried to put her at ease.

“You want to go home, so do I…..but we gotta fight….If we want to win….we have to fight!” The small boy yelled before charging head first into the fray. He swung the staff back and threw it forward but it was stopped with little to no issue by one of the men.

“You asked for it kid.” He said seconds before he ripped the pole from the boy’s hands and kicked him in the stomach.

“!?” The small boy felt his lungs forcefully eject some air as he flew back a couple feet.

“No!” The girl yelled in fear.

“Go get her, I’ll put out the kid” The man in black that kicked Axel said to the others. Those men nodded and surrounded the girl in no time. The girl quickly hugged herself and started crying frantically.

Meanwhile, the man in front of the boy approached him. He was face down and didn’t appear to be moving. He reached down and easily scooped him up. He held him by his collar and dangled him there. He thought he was knocked out until,

*Ptooo*

“My eyes!!!!”

A sudden wave of dirt that came out of the boy's mouth was sprayed over his eyes.

“Boss!?” the men yelled.

“Just grab the fucking kid already!!” the man yelled not letting go of Axel.

“R-right!” they said as they grabbed the small screaming girl.

“Nooooo!!” She fought.

Axel watched as they grabbed her and held her in their arms. He bit on the hand of the man holding him and tried to run to her. However, the man was not budging. He wiped away the dirt on his face and looked back at Axel with furious eyes.

“Alright you little shit, you wanna play? Here’s a fucking treat!” He said as he punched Axel in his face. The small boy felt his nose break under the sudden pressure and fresh warm liquid filled his mouth. And yet, the boy did not release even a whimper.

“Let go of him!” The girl yelled as she squirmed.

“FIGHT” a soft yell echoed over her own voice. It took seconds before she acknowledged it as the small boy’s voice. Her eyes widened into perfect circles as she alone gave him her ears.

“You wanna go home!???So do I!!! You want candy? You have to buy it!!” The small boy yelled as the man sinisterly laughed and held began to choke him. Axel, however, did not falter and continued to yell to her alone.

“Same thing here! You want to go home? Fight for it!!! Earn it!!! If we want to go home, you have to fight!!!!!”

“Shut the fuck up kid!!!” the man said slamming Axel against the wall causing him to fade in and out of reality. He slowly lost his grip and let his body go loose. He was dropped to the ground moments after.

“F-fight….” He slowly whispered as he knocked out. Once he was, silence returned to the building and the man grinned.

“Stupid brat, just what did he think this was?” As he and his man laughed, the small girl lowered her head and quietly sniffed.

“Hahahahahahaha! You’re damn right boss!.....Eh?” One of the men quickly reacted the moment he felt his clothes release an intense heat. Soon after, he along with the rest erupted into flames.

“What the hell!?” The boss yelled as he witnessed that phenomenon.

The little girl stood at the very center of the flames and slowly raised her head with a sharp and powerful glow in her eye. Tears of fire slowly fell to the floor as the small girl clenched her fist and gritted her teeth. On her small head, a crown of fire formed and a brilliant robe of flames manifested on her small body.

The small boy managed to witness the whole thing and raised his eyebrows as far as he could.

“F-....Flame princess?....” He muttered in both pain and fear. Moments after, the small girl released a powerful yell and her army of fire quickly spread out as far as the eye could see.

“Dear god…….so the power of the stones are just as powerful as they say they are…...Incredible.” Was the last thing the man said before he was swallowed by the sea of lava.

“Boss!!” His men yelled in shock. Now filled with anger, they foolishly charged the queen of fire. The goddess raised her small palms and commanded her lake of flames and pierced two men straight through. She threw them to the side and spun her flames around the room, she grabbed the remaining men with an arm of blazing flames and brought them close to her. The men cowered in fear as they realized the grave mistake they had done. They all begged for their lives with some even crying. However, the girl looked over at the small young boy who was still watching her but was not moving. His body lay sideways and his head on the ground. The girl growled in anger and turned back to the men with a scowl.

“I hate you” She said with a look of pure disgust mixed with fury. The men squealed as they all realized what was sure to happen next.

The small girl had flames enter her mouth as she inhaled deeply. After many moments, she puffed out her cheeks and blew as hard as she could, which caused a volley of flames to come pouring out.

“Dragon Rawwwww!!!!” She yelled

The men yelled as they felt their skin burn right off but their screams were cut short as did their lives. When all was said and done, the room was brightly lit with the power of her flames and a pile of black corpses laid before her. The girl stood their for a while staring down what was left of her foes with a wrinkled brow and then closed her eyes. After looking satisfied, she opened them and dusted off her arms. She then happily ran over to the boy and picked him up.

“I won! I earned it like ya said! We can go home nowah,white?” She said as she placed his arm around her shoulder.

“Y-yeah! I think we can! But, won’t yo fire burn me?” Axel skeptically asked as he was held up by her.

“It won’t burn who I don’t want it to…..i think!”

“Really? Well, yeah…...we can go…...home” He said before passing completely out. When she saw that, the girl completely freaked and ran for help. However, she didn’t even make it out of the building when her flames died out and she too fell unconscious.

When they both woke up, they were greeted by the rising sun. Not only that, they had no real recollection of what had happened after Axel was slammed against the wall. Though, they did not care.

“What’s your name?” he asked.

“C-casey…..”

“Nice to meet you! I’m Axel” the boy said as he helped her to her feet. Or at least tried, he ended up tripping with her and the girl landed on top of him.

“I hope this doesn’t happen often…..” Axel said which sparked up laughter in the small girl named Casey. Soon after, they both walked away from that spot together overjoyed in their new found friendship.

Watching them go off was the current Axel with sorrowful eyes. Now fully remembering exactly what had gone down, he struggled to do much but watch.

“It would seem that you had much more strength back then compared to now. Also, it would seem that you both had forgotten the form that Casey had taken and the absolute massacre that she committed, do you have any idea why?” The angel said to him.

“I….don’t know….I, called her the flame princess…...even after I forgot about it I always jokingly called her the goddess of fire, flame princess, Fire queen…..anything not realizing what it actually meant…” Axel said as the world around him slowly began to fade away.

“Though you don’t want to admit it, you feared her in that one moment. You feared that in her fit of anger she would kill you accidentally. You had the right to feel that. Then there were the men in black, you also greatly feared them and in the moment regretted all of your actions and had desperately wished you hadn’t intervened. Because of this, you developed a wrongful fear of the supernatural connecting it to this very memory that was buried deep within your mind. Along with that, you grew to fear those men in black, though these days you didn’t know why. That’s why you’re knees buckle at the sight of one, why you’re courage dries up and you revert back into the child who was crying inside of you that day. Normally, it would’ve been simple to try and deal with this on your own but your memory was hidden, though I can’t say for the other girl, I do know why yours did.” She told him without an ounce of doubt. She was completely sure of all she was saying, seeing right through him like a window. Axel did not respond, he merely kept his back to her and faced down.

“It was in your pocket”

“!?” Axel gasped when he realized what she was implying.

“That’s right, that small keychain your dear old grandfather gave you worked its “magic” and slowly altered your memories in hopes that it would do you some good to forget, however it did the very opposite and unconsciously developed these fears. At first they were small but over time they grew and grew and completely changed you.”

{Sweat continued to flow as his body reflexively twitched}

Axel continued to stay silent and soaked it all in. He wanted to call her a liar, to tell her that she was wrong…..but he couldn’t. he couldn’t because deep down inside something told him that she was completely right. There was no denying it. His silence told her that he knew that, and so there was no reason to argue.

“Moving along my dear boy, you had a wonderful friend now at least and spent plenty of time playing,fighting,crying, and laughing, a beautiful friendship was born and you met two more happy campers along the way! Well, sort of. As I recall one of them was a bit of a short fuse. Your meeting with them wasn’t anything special, however to the both of you it was, yes?”

The scene once again changed to that of a park. The sun was shining and the birds were chirping. Many people could be seen walking their dogs or playing with their children. The grass was green and the sky was blue. It was a beautiful day and one that Axel had little problem recalling.

“This is the park near Hazard Boulevard, right?”

“Yes it is. What meaning does this place hold to you?”

“Well, I went here all the time with my parents. They’d always sit down on a bench and I’d run off to play with myself or Casey if she was there, which most of the time she was. Then one day I met those two and this place suddenly became our meeting grounds.”

Right beside him suddenly darted a small young boy, he had gone by so fast that he startled Axel. When he looked back up at the kid, he had realized that it was once again himself running with a toy plane in his hand. He was waving it around as if it was actually flying. It seemed dumb now but to that child he was sure he was beginning to reach mach 3 with that plane.

Without saying a word, Axel once again followed…….himself?......all throughout the park. The boy was running with the wind at that point and it seemed like nothing could stop him. It seemed that way until he made one wrong turn and bumped into another boy.

“Ouch!”

“H-hey! That hurt, kid!!”

The boy he had run into was also a child his own age. He had bright blue eyes and spiky blonde hair. His face was mean looking but his expression was the complete opposite. His eyes were squeezing out droplets of tears and his brow was furrowed. Child Axel, who was on the ground, had a similar look.

“Well you hurt me to! Say sorry!” Axel yelled out.

“Huh? Did I? Well…….I’m sorry……” The other boy said now looking timid. When he saw this, small Axel now seemed to feel bad and returned the apology.

“Well, I’m sorry to…...I know! What’s your name! Let’s be friends?”

The small blonde boy tilted his head and started to think for a second. After a couple of seconds, he smiled and helped Axel up.

“Okay! I’m Kyle! What about you?”

“I’m Axel!”

And just like that, they were friends. It had happened so naturally, something that happened everyday among other kids all around the world.

“A-axel! Why’d you start running fast all of a sudden like that! I completely lost you!” Suddenly said a small brown haired girl that was gasping for air. She approached Axel and noticed the blonde haired kid there. She quickly grew timid and hid behind Axel.

“Ah! Casey, check it out! This is Kyle! Kyle, this is Casey! You guys can be friends to!” Axel said. Casey peaked her head out from behind him and eyed Kyle closely who also did the same. After another brief silence, they approached each other and their timid sense of emotion soon evaporated.

“W-well I think I’d like that! Hi there!” Casey said with her usual cheery attitude.

“Same here!” Kyle said shaking her hand. The three laughed and soon began to play in the park together. Watching them play from a certain distance was current Axel with a soft smile that just spelled nostalgia.

“Kyle seemed a lot nicer when I first met him…..too bad his personality changed for some reason.” he said.

“And to think, just days later you would meet another very special child” The angel woman said floating above him and resting her head and palms on his head. When she said that, the scene once again changed and he was momentarily brought to a very special time in his life once again. He was in the city during the night time while pure white snow fell. He could see himself approaching a small young girl who seemed lost. She had soft and elegant brown hair that seemed puffy. At the time, she was crying, she was lost. Axel watched as he helped her find her way and eventually she reunited with her mother. He watched as her mother carried her away. The young girl called out to him from over her mother’s shoulder.

“Cindy!What’s your name?!” She yelled.

“Axel Ison!” he yelled back.

And that was how it had happened. Axel could still also vividly remember that with stunning detail. Eventually, he’d reunite with her in that same park he met Kyle in. They’d become great friends and would all learn that they were going to the same school and had the same class.

“Would you look at that? How sweet and innocent you seem there.” The angel again said as the scene changed to the first day of school for the four. Currently, Axel was with both Casey and Cindy. Axel was marching down the halls with a cape around his neck and a very vibrant smile on his face.

“We’re here again? But why?” He asked the angel up above him.

“Again? You mean you played this memory in your head again recently? Well, what’s important here is the small young girl you run into right over there.” She said as she pointed at the small Axel who had just ran into a small young blonde girl who appeared to look sad.

“That’s when I unknowingly ran into Lucy, right? This is when she tried to approach me to see if I would remember them, right?”

“Correct, however I want you to look closer at that girl, Lucy, do you notice anything different?”

“Hm? Different?...well……….”

Axel looked over at the small young girl who he was familiar with today and inspected her closely from head to toe. Her hair was still blonde and curly, her cheeks were puffy and cute, her voice sounded soft, her skin was still just as lush as it was today, her brown eyes were still round and beauti-

When he noticed it, his heart leapt in confusion. He had no idea why, but something was definitely off. The reason? Well, apparently it was blatantly obvious!

“So you’ve noticed?” The angel said now floating down next to him. When she said so, Lucy reached the point where she turned heel and ran. Current Axel quickly followed after her but once she turned the corner she along with the whole world was gone.

“You cannot see what you did not encounter at the time. Remember, these are your memories, we’re not time traveling or anything. But what did you notice?”

“Her…..her eyes…..they were brown...but the Lucy I know has green eyes. What does this mean?” He quickly asked the angel that sat on the ground with her arms crossed.

“Relax, that Lucy is the Lucy you know today. However, what I want you to know is that her eyes do often change color. Have you not heard of it before? There are some people whose irises change color when their pupil size changes. The pigments in their eyes spread apart or compress causing the color to change. Then there are some people whose eye color change depending on their emotions as well, do you see where I’m getting at?”

“Are you saying her eye color changed because she was sad? Then why haven’t I seen them do it again?” He asked now watching the entire scenery around him evaporate.

“You did, you just didn’t pay close enough attention.”

Once again he was brought to another point in time, and this go around was to a very recent point. The night sky was bright overhead and the moon shone the perfect light down on a certain pair of people. One was sitting on a beautiful fountain and the other was approaching her slowly from behind. There was no doubt about it, this was when he had visited the church and stumbled upon Lucy crying. Without even thinking, he quickly went around and kneeled in front of Lucy. Just like he thought, her eyes had changed to the color blue. When he came to that realization, the scene once again evaporated.

“Her eyes were blue that time. wow…...I’m such a fool….”

“Though, that’s not my point here. What I’m trying to tell you is that this girl has been sad in front of you plenty of times, however not once have her eyes truly gone blue. They’ve been green for the most part. However, that one day you were attacked by that shadow hunter it appeared that her eyes had gone to a very dark shade of gray, almost appearing to be black. This likely meant she was feeling a very deep sense of fury. Other than that, in moments of joy, sadness, or relief her eyes stay the same.”

“Hold on, are you trying to say that Lucy isn’t being genuine?” Axel said suddenly feeling angry.

“Hey now, no need to get worked up, I’m only saying that you can tell a lot from a girl's eyes, and you can do that even better with her. Though, I imagine her eye color doesn’t change instantly unless her emotions are intense. The first day she bumped into you her eyes were brown, probably because she felt comfortable around you or is that just her regular color? she usually has light green eyes, joy or is she lying? Clearly when she’s sad her eyes turn blue. When she’s really pissed off it goes to a dark gray. There’s clearly a lot you can learn from her. Friendly incentive to get you to talk to her more, you know?” the angel said while nudging him.

“You’re saying all that, but isn’t that just what they call “Gray eyes”, the type that change color depending on mood, lighting, and setting? They go from gray to blue to green, right?”

“She most definitely has that eye type, but it makes me wonder where the brown comes from……” The angel said as she laid back in mid air looking up at the blank world. Axel started to sweat for a second and scratched his head. Before he really started to actually talk to Lucy, he hadn’t noticed her probable frequent change in eye color. Was he being that ignorant? Clearly her eyes could tell him a lot, and it was time for him to really get to know what Lucy was feeling.

“Yes, yes it is time for you to do that”

“What? You can read my mind now?!”

“Oh come on, we’re inside it right now, what do you expect?” The angel said as she once again stood straight and changed the scene.

“Okay, but what was the point of that? Why show me how her eyes change color? Are you trying to mess with my mind more than it already is?” Axel said completely confused.

The Angel, however, was completely calm and replied to him softly.

“Not at all, I just know exactly what that girl means to you. We’re in your mind, I can feel it, I can hear it. And I thought I’d shoot you that pointer. There’s that and I have a very powerful feeling that says that girl is going to be very important in the future and my advice just may come in handy. I suggest you keep a close eye on her. But we can talk more about her a little later. In the meantime, Please have a look over there.”

She pointed over to a now brand scene which was showcasing what appeared to be a small young boy surrounded by a bunch of other kids. The small young boy was wearing a cape and the other kids surrounding him were in the middle of laughing at him. Axel slightly raised his eyebrows again as he clearly remembered this day as well.

“I see it, this is like the 4th grade, what of it?”

“Go on, tell me more about what’s going on here” the angel said giving him slight push forward. For a slight second, Axel wondered whether or not this angel was trying to help him or just poke in his business. In the end,though, he gave in and took in a breath of air.

“Well, as a kid I’d always act like I was a superhero. You know, the type that would be in comic books or in movies, or even in japanese anime, It didn’t matter. I was just infatuated with the thought of being heroic and as a kid I believed that if I ……..”Believed” hard enough I would eventually be able to become a hero. So I’d walk down the halls acting like I owned the place and always tried to help anyone and everyone. I thought I was being cool, but in the eyes of everyone else, I was being weird. So, I got picked on and called stupid. Typical elementary days. Even though I acted tough, I was scared to fight back.”

The kids continued to laugh in the face of the small Axel but he still continued to hold his head up high.

“Stop laughing! You'll see! You’ll all see! I’ll be able to be a superhero someday and save you all!!!” tiny Axel said.

“Yeah,yeah! And then right after that pigs will start flying, right?” Said a tall and brown haired boy from the group. Axel remembered him vividly as this kid picked on him a lot over the years. His name was Charlie. The others laughed and Axel retreated slightly back.

“Hey! Get away from him you jerks!!!” Suddenly yelled out a young girl with brown curly hair followed by another young girl. They were Cindy and Casey.

“Oh no! quickly , run! Casey and Cindy are coming!!”

Faster than Casey had arrived the other group had left with their tails between their legs. Casey ran after them and Cindy ran up to Axel asking him if he was alright.

“If your memory serves, this was around the time that Kyle had first left to who knows where, right?” the angel asked.

“Yeah, usually Kyle would be accompanying Cindy and Casey and would beat up those guys, then come back and beat me for being so weak. Though, now that he was gone those days were also gone. Now, Casey and Cindy were left to hang out. Of course, Tony was always around but he didn’t really talk with Cindy and Casey.”

“Yes, as the years went by you ended up always being in different classes from Cindy and Casey but Tony was always in your classes. As such, you talked with him during class and hung out with Cindy and Casey during recess, correct?”

When Axel nodded his head, the scene eroded and multiple scenes rolled past him at a rate slow enough for him to see, all showcasing his years from 4th to 8th grade. Axel watched as he saw himself go from wanting to be a hero to wanting to just be left alone.

“You see, I see a very different side of you here in your past than I see in you now. You were always so bold and energetic, you constantly ignored those who tried to bring you down, yet as time went by you slowly started to believe what those around you said”

In 5th grade, “I don’t care! I can do it you guys!”

6th grade, “I’m not giving up yet!”

7th grade, “I…...I like the idea of being a hero, yeah….”

8th grade, “I know it’s impossible guys, just leave me alone already”

Axel watched as his past grade selves quickly evolved from being energetic to pessimistic, it was a very odd feeling but who wouldn’t be so discouraged after so many years of being made fun of?

“all leading up to the day you entered 8th grade, do you remember?” The angel continued.

“I think I know what you’re talking about, you mean how that damned shooting star?”

“I knew you’d know what I meant, you are correct.”

The scene once again changed to show Axel looking out of his window watching the stars and suddenly catching a shooting one in his line of sight. With glowing eyes, he carefully watched that star as it slowly ran across the fields of stars in the night sky.

“I made the stupid choice of making a wish…….I wished for the power to do incredible things…….I wanted for it to be possible for someone like me to be a hero……”

“You did, and you even felt motivated enough to enter a Mixed Martial arts class with both Cindy and Casey. And to all of your shock, Kyle was there too, right?”

“Yes he was, but he wouldn’t talk to any of us for some reason, he just seemed even meaner than before. But he was a total natural when it came to fighting, he graduated an entire year early and left again before we even had a chance to congratulate him.”

Before their eyes was a 12 year old Axel inside of a boxing area struggling to do push ups while the two girls next to him did them with slight ease.

“You lot seemed happy despite losing Kyle once again. However, Cindy also left that same school year and you started to feel just a tad more depressed than usual.”

As she said this, the image of Cindy doing push ups disappeared and Axel and Casey were left alone. It all came back to him and Axel, despite really not wanting to, began to feel tears fall out of his eyes. It was a very rough time for him. Cindy was a really great friend, she was always at his house whenever Tony or Casey weren’t. She was so kind and helpful and not having her around when he needed her most was awfully painful.

“I……..I missed her so much. I always wondered why she had to leave…” he struggled to say.

“It’s okay, those emotions are normal to have, but right now what I want you to focus on is what happened after Cindy had left.”

White smoke blew around them as the scene changed to that of a very emotional one. He was inside of his own house as rain heavily poured outside. The lights had gone out and candles were set dimly lighting up the room. He was in his room and watched as his past self watched his grandfather pace back in forth in the living room.

“It’s going to happen……...damn it, it’s going to happen……” His grandfather muttered to himself.

“Damn it, why’d you have to bring me here….” Axel said to the angel who merely shook her shoulders.

“I’m only going by specific and emotional events in your life that led you to what you are today, you set the trail,I just hopped on the train.”

Axel bit his lip and continued to watch even though he knew exactly what was going on and what would happen next.

“If those damn shadow hunters find her again…...I’m sure they’ll kill her for sure! If they do that….they’ll be a step closer to God’s scepter….No! I can’t let that happen!!” His grandfather continued to mutter furiously. His frustrating walk around the living room was suddenly cut short and he reached for a coat from the coat rack. He grabbed a set of keys and prepared to walk outside.

“Grandpa? Where are you going?”

The sound of Axel’s voice made his grandfather stop dead in his tracks. Leaving the door open, he stared at his grandson with shocked and fearful eyes. He took quick steps and knelt in front of him while grabbing his shoulders.

“My boy, surely you remember what I told you when you were young, right? Just before you turned 6?” he said with a hint of desperation in his voice. Younger Axel slowly nodded without totally remembering.

“I think I do….”

“Great! You still have that keychain, don’t ya?”

“Yes”

“Never let go of that! Always have it on you! Your eyes are bright and brimming with confidence, you have a huge heart and damn it I think it’s possible that you care more for others than yourself! I’ve seen you do it! I’ve seen it inside you and I still can’t believe it! You have it! god damn it, you have it!!” He yelled. He picked up his grandson and hugged him while laughing wholeheartedly.

“Have what?!” Axel asked as he was being carried.

“You don’t need to worry about it because you aren’t going to put it to use! This old man swears it! You’re going to grow up,get married,have kids, and live a wonderful life away from the supernatural! You will, right?” he said sounding happy and yet distinctly sad. However, young Axel did not notice.

“Of course! I’m going to be completely normal like everyone else!”

“That a boy!” he said while spinning with Axel still in his arms. After some time, his grandfather put him down once more and looked directly into his eyes.

“Axel, you’re an out of this world blessing to this family to say the absolute very least. You’ll do big things one day, I know it.” He said as he put on his coat and headed for the door.

“Where are you going?” Axel asked left with smile.

“That friend of yours is like a granddaughter to me as well. I’m…...gonna go meet her father for a drink. Take care of your sisters while I’m gone” he said without looking back. He walked out into the rainy world and closed the door behind him. Axel heard the engine of his car start and he soon left. After a couple brief seconds of silence, the scene shifted to that of his funeral. Casey and Axel stood over his grave crying as rain once again poured down on them. Yet again, Axel heard himself recite a promise through strained sobs and powerful tears.

“I…...I swear! I’ll live a normal life! For you! We’ll be safe and sound! Like you wanted!”

As he watched that scene again, Axel felt a knot form in his throat. It felt like the rain really was pouring down on him again. For a moment, a tear did pour out of his right eye, but he grit his teeth and stopped the others. It was in this moment that he had wished for Cindy and Kyle to be there for the tough times. Tony was always busy for the most part and he didn’t really have anyone but Casey and his sisters. Even so, it just felt like it wasn’t enough. The white angel softly floated over to him and embraced him from behind. After seconds of silence, she spoke in quiet whispers.

‘Your friends weren’t there to support you, all except Casey, it must’ve been hard.’ he heard her say next to his right ear.

“It….was….”

‘However’ she said changing her tone but not her voice level.

‘Your old man, with all due respect, was a fool’

When he heard her say that, Axel quickly threw her off and backed up with heat filling his veins.

“What are you trying to say?” He said with growing unease.

“You heard me loud and clear, he tried to rip away what so many would’ve died to achieve. Do you even realize that? It’s the very reason this power chose you” she said now sounding like an authority figure.

“So what?? Who cares!? He was just trying to protect me!”

“He was being selfish and nothing more.”

Axel grinded his teeth together as he stuttered and looked for the words to say. He was unsure as to why she was disrespecting his grandfather like this, but it was not right for her to do so.

“You! You don’t know anything! Look what the supernatural has brought me! The only thing any of this has done is prove him right! I should’ve looked the other way when Ella came to me! This was never supposed to be my prob-”

When he was about to finish his sentence, the Angel backhanded him in his cheek which made him fall back. He didn’t know what made him angrier anymore, the fact that she thought she could put her hands on him and get away with it, or the fact that she continued to look down on him. With his cheek stinging, he held it and looked back at her with glowing eyes filled with anger.

“You see, this is your problem whether you like it or not. This entire time we have gone back and seen your most impactful moments, what did you get out of it?” She asked.

“I’m not about to answer you! You’re evil!!”

“Answer me”

The world suddenly went black and everything disappeared. A strange chill entered his being and he felt a huge pressure intimidating him. It came from the angel who he felt was starting to lose her patience. Suddenly shaking, he started to answer.

“I…….I saw that I was a lot different as a kid, I seemed more bright….is that it?”

“You’re half right, but you’re missing some points. First of all, your grandfather completely messed with your beliefs and you slowly started to distance yourself from what made you you. At first, you wanted to get rid of all evil by becoming a superhero, but when that old fool died you thought that you had disrespected his life and didn’t want to be a hero anymore. Do you even know why you wanted to be a hero, what made you worthy of being one?”

Axel slowly shifted his head from left to right.

{Axel’s real body began to slightly fidget and furrowed its brow. As this happened, a short man in a white lab coat entered the room where Axel was observed him. He was small, had a long dark grey beard, thinning hair, and a stogy in his mouth. With black brown eyes, he smiled and blew out a puff of smoke. He walked over to a dashboard filled with screens and buttons and started to type something in. After a couple of seconds, he raised his body and walked over to the incubator tapping the glass.

“Just a little bit more buddy, you’re almost there” he said blowing out another cloud of smoke.}

(Damn, running out of time) The angel thought in her mind as she continued to talk to Axel.

(Anymore and he really will die…)

“N-no…...I just thought it was cool…..” He said.

“Don’t you remember, even that old man said he saw it in you. I mean “Origin”, the essence and core that every person that has ever held this power had. It’s what lights up the feeling of wanting to be heroic. You are born with it! Granted to those who are kind at heart, a gem among the silver, a diamond among the coal, it’s what lets you hold this power!”

Suddenly, a bright patch of light lit up in the air above him. It was large and bright with the color blue. However, it was surrounded by a thick set of chains that felt like it was restricting it from lighting up the entire room.

“Ori…..gin?

“Yes, Origin says it all by itself. It proves that you are destined to be a great hero, don’t you see? And that fool of yours did his best to keep you away from that knowledge! But he was an idiot to think that he could get in the way of destiny! One way or another, it was going to come to you! You were going to inherit this power passed down from generation to generation! You and the other Humanoids will be able to end this war once and for all!”

As she spoke, her silver hair brightly lit up and her eyes invoked all of her feelings into him.

“Humanoids?”

“I can let those two tell you about that whenever they decide to see you, but for the time being listen to me. When you were small, you had all of these great friends, a loving family with two adorable little sisters and had a wonderful support system, but as that slowly started to fade and they all went their separate ways, Origin slowly started to get locked up by the chains of humanity. In other words, you began to limit yourself by believing that as a human you can do nothing more but watch, this reigned especially true when Casey finally left you too. You were alone and there it happened, you at last stayed as the weakling you believed yourself to be, small in the face of a large and powerful world, unaware of your true potential! Then, when this power came to you, all of a sudden a lot of people started to gather around you once again,even the old ones. To this day, you think that they are burden on you, right? A constant reminder of the battles you must face.”

“Stop….” He muttered.

“But do not lie to yourself,” she continued.

“Please don’t say it, just stop”

“You say you want nothing to do with the supernatural but you know damn well that you have grown to love and care for those around you in the short time that you have been with them, you know that you can protect them and never let them go! You know that you never want this support system to disappear like it did back then!You don’t want to be alone”

Around him, many different scenes started to play. Times he’d fight with Casey, times he’d laugh with Jessica, times he’d share with Lucy, arguments with Ella, times with Natsumi,Stacey,Michael,Jennifer,Kyle,Cindy,Andrew,Tony,and especially the short but lovable times with Maria. All of his friends were indeed important to him. He knew that he hadn’t truly spent a lot of times with some of them, but he already felt like he had a powerful connection with all of them. It was a sign that their friendship was real and true to the bone. But still,

“STOP IT”

Immediately, the images around him broke into many pieces and the once smiling angel stopped her moment of confidence to look at him.

“I…..still don’t understand why me…...why any of this is going on…...you don’t understand me…..I wish that none of this had come down on me, it’s not fair! I hate that I’m such a softie! I hate that I’ve openly and readily treated everything as if it was alright when it’s really not! All of these people have gathered around me because they think I can do something. They believe that I can make a difference, that I am some type of hero but the reality is that I’m not! Countless time I’ve let them down and yet they still come to me, I just don’t understand it! Why Won’t they see that I just can’t do anything! Why won’t they see that I’m just not cut out for this type of thing! And don’t you fucking dare to hit me again because I swear to god I will lose my shit!!! I’m.Not.The.Guy. I’m not the hero that you’re saying, I’m just a regular guy who was once what every single kid in this damn world wanted to be, COOL. You act like wanting to be kind is something that is grand and amazing when really it should be a prerequisite to even be alive! Anybody can be kind, anybody can lend a helping hand, so why is it that I’m the only one chosen by some stupid fucking power out of millions….no, billions of people that would’ve been a much better choice?!! Chance or just fucking bullshit!? You say that my grandfather was being selfish but right now I think you’re the one being selfish! We’re in my mind aren’t we? So why can’t you listen to me desperately crying out for you to just put me out of my misery! I’m done with this life! I was wrongfully put into a position that is just too grand for me to bare! You keep on telling me that I have the power to make a difference, you told me that I have a special attribute that no one else in this world has managed to get their hands on, so why am I fucking failure!!!??? So many people I saw die today…..So many people I refused to help today because I wanted to save my own ass and just get my sister to safety first! I really thought that I was doing the right thing leaving everything up to Andrew and the others. That woman died because I failed to tend to her! Those kids died because I failed to make it there on time, That poor mute girl died because I was too scared to face her, that woman lost her life because I was too fucking weak and terrified to stop her from having her head cut off! Her daughter will never forgive me! What would she do if she saw me now? She’d want me dead! Every damn time I actually think for just a second “maybe I can do it! Maybe I can redeem myself!” I end up failing! Nothings changed! I’m a loser! I’m not fit to be surrounded by anyone! Don’t you see? There’s probably people still dying right now as we speak, there were people dying as I tried to avoid the madness and slip under the shadows when I clearly could’ve done something, but I did nothing because I am a pile of trash! I’m a worthless human being who in the end wants to look out for himself! There is no hope for me! I understand and accept that and I know that I’m going to die! And you know what? I’m relieved. I’m relieved that at last I’m going to be put out of this hell…and yet I also hate that that’s all I can think! I want to take the easy way out! It hurts so much to think that every time I saw someone die the only thing going through my head was better you than me!!!! I’m Awful!!!!!..I…...I just……..Don’t know what to do……I WANT THE ANSWER”

He screamed his heart out and felt his tears burst out with every mixed emotion he felt. He fell to his knees and began to cry his soul out. It wasn’t fair that all of this had fallen on the absolute worst possible candidate. But, then something unexpected happened. The giant thick chain surrounding the brilliant blue light suddenly cracked loud enough for them both to hear. He,startled. Looked up with confused eyes. A chip of the chain rained down and he followed it with his eyes until he locked eyes with the angel who was softly smiling at him. Confused, he was about to ask why but she raised her small palm to stop him.

“You accept that. Up to now, you have been harboring these emotions inside you and they have been building up for years, not just since you received this power. But you accepting and expressing that is the first step for you to stand up and come back from all of your failures. That is only the first step for you to rid yourself from the chains of humanity. I understand loud and clear exactly what you feel, and I do hear you screaming for the pain to stop. However, rather than make me wanna let you die, it makes me sad to see you like that and I wanna help change that. And to do that, I know you need an answer, but even now you haven’t realized that you yourself had that answer a long time ago”

“W-what?.....” he slowly said. However, from a great distance, he heard a small echo. A small but powerful voice that called out to him, only him. He quickly looked around the darkness but saw nothing. He continued to desperately look as eventually the sound and call grew louder.

“Fight…….”

“W-what is that?! Who is that!?” he yelled.

“Fight…….Fight…...fight……..fight…….fight!!!!!!”

The world once again exploded and he felt himself fall in mid air but yet he could see nothing, not even the angel. However, from all around, he could now loudly hear the voice of his younger self talking.

“FIGHT. YOU WANT CANDY!!?? BUY IT!! YOU WANT TO GO HOME!!?? FIGHT FOR IT!!!!!EARN ITTTTT!!!!!!”

His eyes widened and his skin got goosebumps. Before he knew it, he stopped falling and he was somehow face to face to with his 7 year old safe. Contrary to him, his eyes and aura were glowing a dazzling color blue. He was smiling whereas Axel still had tears in his eyes. Small Axel reached out with his hand and wiped the tears from his eyes. With a large smile, he said something.

“Hey now, this isn’t me! You gotta be super cool if you wanna be a hero!”

His voice was tiny but his spirit was large. And at that point, Axel understood completely. What he had to do was clear, what he was supposed to do was clear, but of course there were still some doubts. However.

Young Axel raised his small fist and extended it. With fearless eyes, he smiled from ear to ear as if telling him that he had this.

“Let’s do this…...Together!”

“Haha…….You got it.”

*Tap*

When their fists collided, the world was suddenly purged of the darkness by the brilliant blue light that now grew stronger than ever. It was so immensely powerful that the chain around it could not hold up. It cracked and cracked until finally it burst into many pieces all washing over the world. The world was rid of the darkness and the area turned completely blue. As that happened, the small Axel soon began to fade and was absorbed into the current Axel. When it happened, his eyes were rid of a certain glaze of blue.

“You see it now? You managed to skip everything else and just get straight to the point, accepting yourself. Yes, the truth is hard but I know in your heart that you now know that it’s what you were born to do.” The angel said suddenly making herself visible to him. She floated up in front of him and smiled with her now spinning pupils. Axel, with brand new faith, felt like everything was clear to him. Both sides became one and he knew what he had to do.

“So that was it….There were two version of me inside of me both clawing at each other. One filled with Origin and the other absolutely sure that he was stuck being human and that that was the way it was meant to be with the latter having most of the authority. I get it now….”

“Yes, every time you tried to use this power it mostly failed because you still did not accept it as yours. And when you used it, it damaged you because you rejected it while still having a need for it. Such a contradiction is going to hurt. Does that make sense?”

Axel nodded and fell to the ground, no out of sadness but exhaustion. The angel approached him closer and also sat next to him.

“I do have a very prime example for you. Since you did not want to tame this power, it attempted to tame you and often lost control. I happen to recall that your fingers once discharged on their own recently, right? And once during the capture the flag game your body filled up with power against your will, right? Well, now you know why! Just be glad that nothing more happened!”

Axel nodded and adjusted himself on the ground now having an understanding of what had happened those days, just knowing what went down felt like a weight off his shoulders. The angel moved her arms back and leaned on them to support her body.

“This world is vast and contradicting. There is so much to learn. So much to do...there are people who aren’t aware of the true evil there is and the grave peril the world is actually in. That’s why this power was created. Because it has the power to take on everything, it doesn’t just absorb, you know?”

“What? What else does it do?”

“One with no Origin can use this power albeit only a fraction of a fraction of its true potential. One with Origin but who has lost his way can use this power but only a fraction of it. However, one who fully embraces their Origin can use it to its max potential! Congratulations Axel Ison, You are now one of the many who have had that privilege!” She said as she shook his left shoulder. Axel did of course feel somewhat happy but he was curious as to what else he could be able to do now.

“Ah, you’re curious are you? Well, there’s not really much I can say, that job is supposed to be your mentors! But not to worry, they’ll be seeing you very soon! What I can say is that you lot have known this power as “Power Magnet”, but that’s not what it was originally called.”

“What? Then what in the world is it supposed to be called?”

The angel giggled and spread both of her arms wide. With a dazzling expression, she spoke to him.

“The power to fight everything, every bit of power whether it be Prana,Spiritual Energy, or even Mana! Doesn’t matter if it’s divine either! This ability was designed to face all of that if it had to, it was created with the idea of its wielder being able to be omnipotent. So of course it made sense to name this ability, “Omni”.”

“Omni, huh? Meaning All? Amazing, sounds way better than power magnet… It fits perfectly.”

“Doesn’t it?” The angel said to him. He understood that now he could do what he was originally supposed to do, but he didn’t know what exactly was available to him right now. After all, the sun wasn’t shining and birds weren’t chirping outside. He needed something that would give him the upper hand, something to help end this madness.

“I’m not so sure why you keep thinking to yourself, I can still hear you.”

“Oh, sorry...I forget”

“It’s alright. Well, at this very moment you can now use the mythical and legendary power of the….”

She raised her small palm to her face and created a ball of flames that slowly extended out. It moved and shaped into something that he had little trouble in figuring out.

“Dragons”

The small fire dragon let out a noiseless roar and disappeared the moment she closed her palm.

“................WHAT? DRAGONS!???” he said jumping up as fast as his heart racing.

“That is correct, you are now considered a Dragon Turner.” The angel said looking up at him.

“I didn’t know that dragons existed…..wow, a dragon…….and such a cool name too…..”

“Yes, dragons did exist once upon a time. Along with fairies, dwarves,elves,and even angels and demons. However, that history does not pertain to this world, that much I know.” She said with her voice now turning into that of a teacher.

“What do you mean? Not of this world?”

“Well, again, that is something that I’m not allowed to tell you. Well, actually, I can’t even if I wanted to because it pertains to magic. And as you know, the history of it has been long extinct and cursed, forgotten to everyone who knew of it. But, I know that the dragons were once one of the top magical beings of the world! Second only to the angels! Humans were of course powerless but stood a chance once they created Humanoid Magic which allowed them to imitate certain types of magic. One of them was the power of the dragons, a power very few were actually able to use. Obviously in today’s time, being able to achieve the power of the dragons is impossible but luckily it was salvaged and now you have it.”

As Axel took this new information in, so many questions popped up in his head. However. Before he could ask the angel once again stopped him.

“I’m sorry but we’re out of time. When the time comes those two will come to you and you’ll be able to ask so much more. But right now, you’re about to die!”

When he remembered it, his blood ran cold. It was true that power Mag-.... “Omni” was in the middle of being extracted. He wasn’t sure how, but if it separated from him he’d die.

“W-w-w-w-what can I do? It’s not like I can move!” He said waving his arms. However, the angel smiled and stood up. When she did so, the world once again went black and Axel alone was left surrounded by a blue light.

“Axel Ison, we have heard your origin and experienced first hand that you indeed do possess it.”

{outside in the real world,

“Just a couple more seconds and that damned nuisance will at last be out of our way. I bet the master will be so proud! I wish I could get in contact with him though...no matter” The small man said to himself. He pointed his gaze at a small pool filled with dozens of tiny looking fish. However, they were no ordinary fish, they were electric eels that were supposed to be undergoing experimentation at once. Since he had to set up shop here in such short notice, he put them there in order for him to work. He was a good ways away from the incubator where the magnet boy was being held so that the sounds of him gurgling wouldn’t bother him as much. After all, he was a dead man already.}

“Omni has begun its process and is still merging with you and your soul, if pulled out your soul will suffer damage and you will die. You cannot move, however, there is still a chance.” She said as if speaking to an auditorium.

“We realize that you have your doubts, but we are confident that this will help…...right, guys?” she said smiling and raising her arms high. Suddenly, it was as if lights the lights came on and the audience was at last revealed. Thousands of silhouettes and tiny balls of yellow lights surrounded both him and the angel. Right next to the angel stood two figures completely covered with the darkness. Even from up close he could not see them. However, something did begin to happen. Something that he would never forget.

{Power Magnet was now slowly slipping away from its wielder and his life force was now draining according to the dashboard in front of him. He chuckled and continued to write on his clipboard as four gauges steadily decreased. Energy, Body heat, Mana, and Life force.}

Like a phone syncing to another using bluetooth, a stream of thoughts,ideas,hopes,,doubts,fears,loves,wishes,dreams,nightmares,prayers,and goals washed over him before he knew what to do with them. So many lives flashed before his eyes and in every single one of them he found one thing that they had in common.

Peace. The desire for peace was the one thing that kept them all going.

“We know that one day you will appreciate all that we’ve done. And we know that day may not be now, but we want you to know that you were not the only one lost and afraid, but we all had to fight through it, all with the idea of this war ending once and for all!” she said as the darkness suddenly started to swallow her too.

{2 of the four gauges had at last reached zero. The only two remaining were Life force and Mana. The man chuckled and continued to lay back in his chair.}

“Right here, right now! We want you to show us one last time! Just how far you are going to go to see this through all the way to the end! You either sink or swim! The choice is all yours! Only once will this miracle be granted to you! Fight with the hands of a human only once more! And take back the power that has been stolen from you! Or watch as you slowly die a pitiful death!” The darkness covered her up to her neck as the second figure of darkness started to slowly approach him. He looked over that figures shoulder and watched as the angel slowly was swallowed up.

“Wait!!!Please don’t leave!!!” he yelled. However, the angel smiled softly and for the first time ever showed him quite a sight. She began to cry.

“Don’t worry, you’ll never be alone. After all, Omni does have a mind of its own,remember?............Now go Axel Ison! Show us the embodiment of all of our efforts! FIGHT!” Was the last thing she said as the crowd around her erupted into cheers and she was swallowed by the night. Then, the figure in front of him suddenly reached out its hand to him.

{All 4 gauges were now seemingly empty, Power Magnet had successfully been extracted and was now a bright ball of rainbow colors inside of the incubator. It glowed powerfully as the man viewed it from afar.

“Incredible” He said not realizing that one gauge still had a line of power left.

Life Force.}

Axel, now feeling moved, reached out for the figure and took its hand. When he did, the darkness completely jumped off the figure to uncover the body belonging to a girl. She looked similar to the angel only instead of pure silver hair and black and silver bangs she had silver hair with black highlights. She wore a long dress akin to the angel’s only this one had a large black bow wrapped around her waist which made the bottom half frilly. Finally, her eyes were the same as the angel’s only that her pupils were shaped regularly. As he exclaimed within himself, the second angel spoke in the voice that he had been dying to know who it had belonged to for quite some time. The same angelic voice that spoke to him the day he had first used Omni. It was her, she was the one. And in that moment, there was only one thing she said.

{His body slowly filled with the last bit of energy it had left and prepared to discharge. Meanwhile, the man slowly started to approach the body who he thought was lifeless}

“Hi, I look forward to working with you, partner!”

BANG

His body blew out and the incubator was suddenly destroyed. Wind blew glass in all directions as the man quickly hit the deck and covered his head. He heard the sound of water falling all over the place as wind continued to blow. When it finally stopped, the man quickly lifted his head to see what had just happened.

“What the fuck?” he said in shock.

A thick set of steam quickly formed around the area the incubator was once at when a head suddenly poked out and started gasping for air. While panting and sitting on the ground, the night haired boy widened his eyes as he himself seemed to not know what had just happened.

(Im-......Impossible!!! How the hell did he do that??! He was supposed to be dead! He was completely out cold from our anesthetics, he shouldn’t of have been up for another week!!) the man thought. And yet, when the boy had finally come to realize the state he was in, he raised his head while still gasping. He had his back to the man. When the steam made enough room for the man to see that, the boy slowly turned his head to look back at the man with one wide and shocked eye. With his body covered from head to toe with a strange rainbow aura, he continued to eye him but did not take real notice when the man quickly jumped up and ran into another room.

(what just…...what just happened…..) he thought feeling a strange sense of of disorientation. It almost felt like his body wasn’t his own. One second he was out with Colt and the next he was-

{Fight!}

In one fluid motion it had all come back to him, the brief moment in time that he had spent with the angel who had once again awakened his Origin. When he remembered, he felt his skin get goosebumps as a chill went down his spine. He wiped drool off his lips as he looked above him. There was a ball of colorful light floating there. It was vibrant,warm,powerful,and……..Alive? It was like a heart that steadily beat in mid air. He felt its vibration through the air and he suddenly realized what it was.

“Omni….?”

It had to be Omni, there was no other explanation as to why he felt like that was his. And since it was outside of his body, it was his understanding that he had to be dead. If he wasn’t,it meant that it was still somehow keeping him alive. That would explain the rainbow like aura that was surrounding him,it was that that was sustaining his life force. It almost felt like he was floating in water, a very surreal feeling to say the absolute very least.

As much as he wanted to really take in the moment, time was not going to let him. Something was telling him, something was letting him know that in just a short amount of time the weak link that was keeping him alive would drain and he would in fact die. He had to take Omni back inside him. However, there was one thing he inevitably had to do.

“So you somehow managed to break free, eh magnet boy? You cost us precious equipment just now, only way the boss will forgive me is if I come back with your corpse”

From behind him, he heard the same man from before speak to him. Axel slowly rose to his feet and turned to face him. The once defenseless scientist now was covered from head to toe with weapons and armor. He had two long batons in his hands which emitted shocking sounds from the tips. His chest,arms,legs, and head were protected with paddings similar to the type athletes used to play sports. He had a gun strapped to his left hip and another baton on his back. Axel had his work cut out for him. He could’ve just jumped up and reunited with Omni,however, it didn’t let him do that. It quickly moved out of his way and landed a ways behind the armored man.

“So you want me to fight for you, eh? Well, you got it” He said with a grin. Axel bent his knees slightly and tried to reach out for some power. However, as expected, he didn’t have any. As of right now, he was fighting as a human. He had to show his worth once more or die trying. For a split second, fear tried to caress him but just as soon as it came he brushed it away and stopped his leg from shaking. Then, with slow steps at first, he began to jog toward his obstacle.

“So, you coming at me head first, huh? I’ll show you! I’ll show you that I can fuck you up even if I can’t use Soul of Shadows!”

(She was right…..)

The first swing went to the man, he swung his right baton at him aiming for his torso which Axel narrowly dodged. As he got ready to swing it back, Axel stopped his elbow and karate chopped his wrist making him drop the baton. Just as he broke free and swung the left one, Axel bent down low and grabbed the baton he had dropped.

(My grandfather was being slightly selfish…)

He quickly swung the back of the baton up toward his chin and landed a clean blow knocking the man back a few steps. The man angrily wiped the saliva off his mouth and ran back at him with bloodshot eyes. He swung the baton at him which Axel instinctively tried to dodge. By some miracle, he was able to dodge almost all of them. However, a shock did suddenly hit him from his right side. It took him a while to realize that the man had used his spare baton on him while he was focusing on the other one in his hand.

(Nothing in this world is meant to be free)

However, this pain, he found, was nothing compared to the excruciating amount of pain he had received when using super strength. In fact, it almost felt he had anticipated too much pain from the shock and was now disappointed! With a huge grin, he grabbed the extra baton from the man’s hand and twisted out of his grip. It was surprisingly easy to get. This man must’ve not been too accustomed to fighting. He then threw both of them to the side and bared his fists.

(My grandfather should’ve known that, so he should’ve never tried to sugarcoat things to me. If he somehow knew that I was going to receive this…..”gift”, than he should’ve embraced that fact! Not hide me from it!)

The man angrily grit his teeth and pulled out the handgun. One,two,three,four, shots was all that he managed to fire before Axel managed to get close enough to counter.

(If I want something, I have to fight for it)

Dodging the bullets was fairly simple. The man aimed exactly where he wanted to shoot so all Axel had to do was not panic and move out of the way. Keeping a level head was key.

(He told me to live a peaceful life, but he should’ve known that if it were that simple, everybody would do it!)

Once he was close enough, he quickly grabbed his wrist and smacked the pistol away from his weak grip. Fear entered the man’s eyes when he came into direct contact with Axel’s. All he could see was the pure and solid resolve that Axel had now acquired.

(Peace is something I have to work for, we all have to work for!)

Without really knowing what to do next, Axel began to wrestle the man back with everything he had.

“Damn you!!!! Just let yourself be captured, this power of yours can help us reach our goal much quicker, a world where peace is at hand!!! So just drop it already!!!” The man yelled as he began furiously punching Axel in the face. Regardless, Axel still pushed back where a few feet away waited a dark pool which emanated slight sparks.

(So it is selfish, to keep me from realizing what I was born to do! What I have to do!!)

Axel continued to work his aching muscles and pushed back with everything he had. Punches continued to land on his now aching head and the man continued to yell. But, it did not matter. What Axel had to do was clear. The road would not be simple, the road was going to be hard, of that much he was certain, but his mind was clear now. He knew that he once had the resolve, but he never thought of trying to bring it back, He knew, somewhere deep down inside that this power was supposed to be his. The power to actually make a difference in this world, it was now completely possible, and he was sure he could do it!

(But don’t worry, I am going to live a peaceful life, and so is everyone else. As soon as we get done fighting for it,earning it!!!!)

The electrical pool was now mere meters away when the man suddenly turned and grabbed Axel’s hand forcing him to be directly in front of the pool. Inside he could see what could only be eels slithering inside the 5 foot pool. Normally, this would have spooked him, but this wasn’t normal anymore….

(I’m going to fight!!!!! This is-!!!!!)

Axel grabbed the hand that was holding him from behind and used it as a pedestal to do a horizontal spin in the air. Then, still in the air, he made sure that his back was to the ground before adjusting his legs. One to the ground and one to the chest of the man. In that one moment, their eyes met and that man knew exactly what was going to happen. His face spread with fear once more and seemed to be about to say something but Axel did not give him the chance. Axel used his leg facing the ground to jump up with all he had and kick off the chest of the man with the other leg he had. Getting help from his arm holding the man, he was able to knock him straight into the pool as originally planned.

(My Ability!!!!!)

He heard one last scream before he fell to the ground. The water was violently swishing as Axel heard the man gurgling in pain. Shock after shock occurred before the man finally stopped moving..

“Looks like those eels were experimental…..who knows how much they were mutated to be powerful like that.....” Axel said as he stood up and looked inside the pool to see the man floating upside down in the water. Some eels wrapped around his legs as they nibbled on him. Feeling queasy, Axel looked away and noticed Omni now hovering over him. He stared at its dazzling rainbow lights before scratching his head and wondering. If he wanted to, he could just leave here. Sure, without it he’d now die but he would be basically dodging a major bullet.

When he thought that, Anger started to boil up inside him……..only, it wasn’t his. He thought for a second and realized that it must’ve been Omni who was feeling that way. Which was actually pretty neat, it must’ve heard him since he was still attached to it by its rainbow aura.

“I’m only joking, I wouldn’t do that. Now come on you, we’ve got work to do.” He said as he extended his hand out to touch it. When he did, he quickly absorbed it and watched as it entered his body. All of a sudden, he felt whole again when a chill entered his chest. He shivered and rubbed his thumb and middle finger together. When he slowly separated them, sparks of electricity appeared there.

“Just as I thought, it’s much easier now” He said.

“Now then, let’s get you out” He said to the faced down man. He reached into the pool and pulled on his leg. One of the eels saw this and attempted to bite him only to receive an even more powerful shock causing it to swim away in fear. Axel giggled as he noticed that. He grabbed the man’s torso and threw him out of the water. He checked his pulse and was happy to see that it was still there. He grabbed a nearby towel that was conveniently around and placed it over the man. Feeling pumped, he smiled and stood up.

{That’s nice of you. I’m glad you’re not a murderer} An extremely familiar voice played from somewhere nearby. He raised his eyebrows and looked around to see where the voice was coming from. However, he didn’t see anyone.

{Obviously, I’m speaking from inside of your mind}

“Woah, woah,woah! Who in the world are you? Are you the same angel from before??”

{I am not. I don’t know if you remember but when you awakened origin again I was finally able to talk to you formally. Before, since you didn’t have origin and wanted, and I quote, “nothing to do with this power”, I wasn’t able to talk to you since your mind and body were shutting me out. However, that’s all water under the bridge now it looks like!}

Axel heard her say that but wasn’t really paying attention as he was currently walking around trying to look for either his clothes or something he could wear. Sure, her finally talking to him instead of being mysterious was a grand thing but he wasn’t all that surprised. He expected this to happen sooner or later actually.

“You don’t say? Well, I guess it’s a real pleasure to meet you…...but uh, you wouldn’t happen to know where all my clothes went do ya?” he asked making a full 360 spin.

{I don’t. But, I think I may have something a little better for you. Would you like to see?}

“Oh yeah? It depends, am I going to get hurt in the process?” he jokingly said managing to make the girl inside his head laugh.

{Haha, no no no, the last thing I would like to do is hurt you.} She said sincerely, a feeling which he was able to feel, interestingly enough.

“Well then, in that case I accept.” Axel said standing in one place and crossing his arms.

{Well, it looks like the “angel” from before left me with some notes for you.} She said sounding like she was looking for something. Axel shifted his eyebrows and furrowed his brow in confusion.

“What do you mean? Like a list a parent leaves the babysitter with telling them what to do when their baby does certain things?” He asked.

{Precisely. The first one here is telling me that you should be able to use Omni with little to no problem now. Your power capacity should have also increased but she emphasizes for you not to overdo it.}

“Fair enough, what else?”

{This one says that she has prepared a change of clothes for you that should be durable enough for it not to rip in combat. There are many battles ahead and she stresses for you to be careful out there since there's still a chance for you to die. Here is what she had prepared for you..}

A bright light enveloped Axel and his body started to feel an odd chill surround him. His hair ruffled up as he felt something tighten his head. The next moment, he suddenly felt warm and comfy and the light around him started to faintly disappear. He inspected himself and now noticed that he was wearing different clothes. These were definitely not his own. He had on a black hoodie with a white T shirt under. Dark blue half baggy sweats that were tight around his ankles and a thin set of dark blue slip on shoes that fit him perfectly. Around his waist was a white belt that reminded him of the ones people received while practicing karate. When it was all said and done, Axel was left to look at himself with a strange sense of confusion yet excitement.

“Wow, you made clothes appear out of thin air….that’s magical...thanks for the getup! So, what’s next?”

{Yes, she has also informed me of something quite dangerous. Please have a look outside.}

Hearing her sound concerned, Axel looked for the closest window and walked over to it with quick and swift steps. At first, he thought that it had been painted black but he soon realized that he was wrong. There was just a thick black substance that was sticking to the front of the window. Since he couldn’t clean it from the inside, he decided to just open it up.

“What in the…..”

When he did, he felt a very cold chill slap his being. He covered his face on reflex and shut his eyes as he felt tiny pieces of something hit him from the outside. When he deemed it safe, he lowered his hands slowly and opened his eyes. What he saw was…..confusing, to say the very least. A thick sheet of pitch black snow covered the land for as far as the eye could see and it still continued to fall slowly and deadly. There was no wind, there was no noise, everything was now completely silent. The now silver looking rays of sunlight tore through the white clouds and washed upon the dark land as fires and smoke continued to rise from the battlefield. Axel’s hairs stood on end as he watched from afar.

{Quickly, take 3 deep breaths and tell me how you feel} The voice told him. As she requested, Axel did as such.

1…….2…….3……

“I feel fine, but the air kind of feels like it could stick to my lungs, kind of like smoking...What’s that mean?”

Axel could feel the voice in his head relax as he told her this.

{What she told me was true. It appears that this black substance that you are seeing is called “Nieve Negra”. It appears to be snow like, in a sense that it is cold and fluffy like snow, but it’s actually extremely deadly. It’s all extremely poisonous. It can be breathed in and cause major burns to the inside of your body or if you come in contact with it it can burn straight through your skin. That’s how cold it is.}

“Really? So how come I just breathed it in just fine?” He asked as he walked out onto the edge of the window. He had to be at least 15 stories up.

{I’m not really sure why as she didn’t tell me, but it seems that you are slightly immune to it. Otherwise you would have felt your throat burning up.}

“You don’t say?.......My God, my main character armor is really piling up on me…..”

Axel walked further out on the ledge of the building and extended his bare hand to catch a black snowflake. He watched as one gently landed on his palm and felt it sting. It almost felt like touching a hot stove……...or Casey. He flinched and waved his hand. This “Nieve Negra” would be a huge problem for him to move around…. There had to be something he could do to make it not hurt him…..

Then, it occurred to him. Ella once told him that super humans have something called Aura. it is basically a sheet of energy that one must have in order to produce the powers that exist today. Aura is invisible unless you make it visible. That much he knew as he remembered the Aura the enveloped Ella as she fought back in Sonic City. This Aura is always surrounding a superhuman, so what if it could be used as a shield of sorts?

He jumped back inside the building as to avoid any further burns and sat down cross legged. He could feel the presence inside of him watching him carefully to see just what he had in mind.

He took in a soft and soothing breath of fresh air and concentrated. Humans didn’t have Aura, he was a regular human with no Aura. However, now with Omni at his side, he had been given his own Aura. Up to now, however, he hadn’t felt anything around him. Why? Because he didn’t want anything like that around him, or at least before he didn’t. The only times he felt any Aura build up were when he used Omni, but it damaged him. Why again? Take a door for example. Try and make a wave of water pass through a closed door without damaging it. It would be impossible. However, if you open the door, the water can pass right through. It was like that. All he had to do was open the door, and so he did. So now, Aura should be easy to control….

He concentrated deeply and grabbed the energy with him like sheets of blankets. Then, in one fluid motion he threw it out over him and made it cover his entire body. The room lit up as Axel erupted into grey flames. At first, it seemed like it’d go out of control. However, with immense concentration and will power, the energy started to calm and eventually it looked like water rising up from around him. He then opened his eyes and calmly stood up so as to not lose his concentration. Sweat beads popped up around his forehead as he kept his focus. He then slowly walked outside again and extended his hand out to catch another flake of the black snow. Another one fell on his palm and burned it but he kept it there. Defense, defense, defense, that was on his mind as he gritted his teeth and poured his heart and soul into it. Seconds turned into minutes, minutes felt like hours but Axel continued at it until what he wanted happened. His eyebrows shook as the water surrounding him struggled to keep its tranquility. It sometimes threatened to break loose but Axel brought in the reigns and kept it at bay. All the while, the voice inside his head kept quiet, eagerly anticipating the end results.

Finally, finally after what seemed like forever, a change started to happen. The flakes that were still burning his skin started to slowly float. They floated and floated until finally they went outside of his barrier and gently fell to the ground. The flakes around him also started to hit his barrier and fall around him. Though he was excited, he wasn’t done just yet. He had to give this the final touch. He kicked it into full throttle and attempted to make the Aura disappear so it wouldn’t be visible but still kept its effect in place. However, it seemed like he wasn’t at that level just yet as he couldn’t get it to disappear without taking down the barrier completely. So, instead he shrunk it down to where it was almost like wearing a skin tight suit. It wasn’t completely visible but it was still protecting him. Satisfied with that, he smacked his palms together and went back inside.

{That took a lot of effort, you know? It was quite impressive considering you have no experience with Aura at all. You needed to not only control your Aura and keep it from exploding, you needed to make it do what you wanted. Best part is, you’re not exhausting your supply of energy as it is sticking to your body and not being sent out. You really are smart, aren’t you?} The voice in his head told him with a proud feeling.

“Thanks, but I don’t know if it’s something to be proud of, I bet others can do this too…… but anyways, what do we do about this black snow? How did it even get here?”

“The boss….did it…..” He heard a familiar voice tell him. Knowing exactly who it was, he turned to look at the man who had trapped him in here in the first place. He was sitting up against the wall and had an exhausted look on his face.

“You? Glad to see you’re up and talking but uh, why...are you?”

“There’s no real reason to hide it. That stuff is called Nieve Negra. I don’t know too much about it except that it’s deadly. You were right to cover yourself with your aura. Though, you have to cover your face and make sure you don’t breathe it in. The boss must’ve summoned the snow in order to kill off the rest of the humans running around. That’s why it’s so quiet…”

Axel felt his heart flip as he realized that innocent people could be dying even as they speak due to this substance. And that fact alone made his blood boil.

“Damn it…..What do you mean must’ve?! You mean to tell me that his own men don’t even know what’s going on!?” He yelled.

“The boss is a secretive man, we just do as he says.”

“Then what’s the endgame here!? Why is he doing this!?”

Axel said that, but it was then that something surfaced in his mind that gave him all the answers he needed. When down in the vacant subway tunnels while he hid from the two shadow hunters, he heard them talking. They had said something about the Six paths not being complete, and that a total of four of them with monstrous energy were set to appear somehow……

“I don’t-”

“Project Armageddon..” he said unconsciously. The man widened his eyes and started to stagger to talk.

“How in the world do you know about that? I thought only the higher ups knew about it!”

“I overheard some of your buddies talking, but they didn’t say much…...Look, how can I make that snow stop?”

“There is no way that I know of, you’d have to ask the one who caused it but I doubt he’ll budge. Listen, I’d just suggest you hightail it out of here. You’re one special kid, but I don’t think you’ll be able to stand up to them. If and when they appear, it’ll be too late for you all. You won’t survive” The man said as he wiped some drool from his lips.

Axel heard him say that and found truth in his words. Sure, he was scared, but there was no way he could stop…..not now…

“It doesn’t matter. How would I know if I don’t try? There really is no point in stopping just as much as there is no point in trying just as you say. I might as well try and see what I can do when I get there. If I die, I die. But I’ll die knowing I tried. If it’s for peace, I can fight” Axel said as he turned back out to the window.

“I see…. Well, you’re crazy, you know that?”

“It’s thanks to me going to school that day. Though now I wonder if I would’ve ended up like this anyway…..”

The man watched as Axel shook his head and sighed then walked toward the open window. For a moment, the man was unsure of what to do. But then, he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out something belonging to the boy.

“Here, pretty sure this belongs to you”

“Hm? Oh hey! My keychain! Thanks for giving it back!” Axel said as he grabbed the small blue tube. He placed it in his pocket and was going to turn around again but ended up deciding against it. There was just something he wanted to do….or ask rather.

“You’re not so bad for a bad guy, eh? Why’d you end up with these guys anyway?”

“We all have our ups and downs in life kid, some of us end up straying away from what’s really good….”

“So then, would you consider this your down?” Axel asked leaning against a wall.

“I’m not even sure anymore…..I thought this was my height, working here…..or at least I thought so until you showed up. You stood up to me even though I was armed to the toe and won. Then you showed me some mercy and saved my life. Then you go on to say that you want to fight despite knowing that you stand no chance. It makes me wonder, is what I’m doing really…...the right thing?” He said as he slowly dropped his gaze to the ground. Axel stayed silent and simply listened to the rest of what he had to say.

“My family…..lived in peace…..we lived in peace…..We weren’t doing anything wrong to anyone…..I went to work in a laboratory, like any other regular day and suddenly I come home and they’re gone…..I went crazy looking for them…..I asked anyone and everyone until a man came up to me saying that he knew where my family was. Said that the bastard peacekeeper organization had abducted them in order to conduct sick experiments on them. I was so….angry…..I felt so much hatred boil up from inside me and I was so blinded by my rage that I didn’t even stop to think if he was being legit or not. But then he offered to help me get my family back in exchange for my skills in the lab. And so, I joined the shadow hunters not actually knowing what the fuck I was getting myself into. But here I am two whole fucking years later not knowing what the fuck is going on or where my family is……..I’m honestly just…...so done…..” The man said as he covered his face with his palms and softly cried. Axel was no cold hearted brute, so he actually felt for the man. He walked over and kneeled in front of him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, he spoke.

“I’m sorry to hear that. I really am, but I have to tell you that I’ve been to where the peacekeepers stay and I have never ever seen anyone get experimented on. Trust me, if your family were with them, they’d be completely safe. Of that you can be sure of. Though, I’m starting to wonder, what if it were really the shadow hunters who abducted them in order to get you to use your intellect for them letting you think that they would help you find your family in return?”

When he said that, the man lifted his face and looked at him, but not at him, with wide eyes. It had seemed like the thought had never occurred to him. But now, it made perfect sense. After all, why would a shadow hunter approach someone like him or even know of his family’s disappearance? An anger so hot boiled up inside him and made him feel like a huge fool. A mouse running blindly into a trap….that was him….

“I…..never thought of that!!” He said through gritted teeth as he slammed his fists on the ground.

Axel watched as the man cried in agony completely distraught and confused. Axel couldn’t just do nothing seeing him like this, and it was obvious that there was only one thing to do.

“We all make mistakes, right? So if this was your down, come on, let’s go up” Axel said as he stood up and offered the man a hand. The man stopped crying and slowly raised his head. Bewildered, he looked up at Axel.

“How…...how would I know if this is the right thing?”

“Well, I don’t know! You have to decide that on your own, but I can guarantee you two things, you won’t be alone, and I can definitely help you get your family back. So come on you, let’s get out of here, as friends.” Axel said with a huge smile.

For many moments, the man wasn’t sure what to do. Was this boy telling the truth? Would he really be a better option? Say his family really were with the shadow hunters, wouldn’t they be in even more danger if he just up and left?.....then again, there was no reason to not believe this kid. After all, he seemed so kind. And those back at the base were so…...not.

“You can really promise me to help? You swear it?”

“Cross my heart and hope to die” he said with a firm look. The man continued to hesitate but before long there was no longer anything that he could doubt.

“Ah, what the hell?”

“Huh?”

The man that was sitting before him suddenly reached out and grabbed his hand. However, when he did so, the man glowed and began to fade away. For a moment, he freaked out, but then he felt something warm land on his palm. When the light dimmed down, he was stunned to find a gerbil sitting there. A brown and black gerbil with dark eyes who just stared up at him.

“What in the world!? A gerbil!?”

“No you idiot! I’m a hamster!”

“The gerbil talks!!!!” Axel said completely spooked.

“A hamster kid, A hamster!!!”

After a couple of seconds of pure shock, the hamster finally got Axel to relax and listen. As it turned out, the man did have one slightly useless ability to turn into a hamster.

“Ohhhhhh, okay! Why didn’t you just say so? That’s actually really convenient! So, guess you’re apart of the team…...uh, what's your name?”

“Ricardo. Just call me Ricardo.” He said as he scurried inside his sweater and up to his shoulder.

“Ah, well I’m Axel Ison.”

“Yup, I know that.”

{Great job on making friends, Axel. I’m proud of you!}

(You sound like my mother…..but hey, speaking of names, what’s yours?)

{well, I don’t have one.} the voice inside his head said somewhat sadly.

(Well, looks like I have to give you one……….something sweet and beautiful, like you sound…...how about Sophia?)

{Sophia?.......I love it! Sophia it is!}

(Well, Glad you like it Sophia! But do me a favor and loosen up a bit, okay? You don’t have to speak formally.)

{Oh thank goodness, wasn’t sure if I could keep it up long myself!) Sophia said slightly giggling in his mind. Feeling happy, Axel walked out onto the ledge of the window with a strong and firm confidence so high that he felt like nothing could beat him. With Ricardo and Sophia at his side, things were starting to look up.

{Oh, about one of the notes the angel left me, one specifically says “Confess to that Lucy girl already! There’s no point in hiding it anymore, we all know!!!”}

“Only everyone inside my head does you hag!!!!!!!!” Axel said as he started to blush profusely. Ricardo at his shoulder watched him talk to himself and wondered if he was really going to be safe at all.

“Sooooo, what now kid?” Ricardo asked.

“Well, I’m not really sure what comes first. So, I have to go to someone who does and for that I need to reunite with the other peacekeepers. I’m sure my sister’s fine and I’ll find her eventually. But for now, I gotta focus on stopping this shit storm..” Axel said as he told Ricardo to hold on tight. When he did, Axel jumped down from the tall building and landed on the ground below by using the wind to slow his fall. This time, he completely nailed it.

He was strong, he could get stronger! This madness was going to end, and he would make sure he would be able to do it!!! And it all started, with one step!!!

*slip*

“Eh?” he said as his face turned blank. He had taken one step when suddenly the frozen ground under him caused him to slip. Not only that, but a black hooded figure quickly approached him from behind and raised a sword to attack. For a second, Axel thought that he was a goner already, however, it didn’t happen like that. When a sudden intense and cold chill grazed his back and blew him forward, he knew that he was going to be okay, though he couldn’t explain why just yet. He quickly stood up and turned around.

“Hey!? Who did that!!?” He said when at the same time he saw the brilliant blue wall of ice that trapped the black hooded figure. Confused, he followed the ice to its source until finally he found it…….her. She was a girl of his age. An hourglass figure and a dazzling shade of blue colored hair. She had on a plaid blue winter jacket and blue jeans with high top black boots. She was so familiar…..Familiar enough that it made his heart shake.

{I don’t believe it…...That’s….} Sophia said in his mind.

The girl was looking over at him with soft eyes. She eyed him up and down until finally her gaze caught his. And the second she said his name, he knew exactly who she was.

“Axel?...”

“Cindy….”

There was no doubt about it. Cindy, the last of the three childhood friends he had yet to reunite with was standing right before him. Feelings and emotions were so high that in these tear jerking moments, only one sentence came to mind as he softly smiled at her, as if reuniting on a regular day.

“Hey, How have you been?”

But that was not all to it just yet. Staring at him from a good distance, completely hiding their presence even though the boy was too stupid to notice anyway, was a small person. While adjusting her large golden ringlet curled hair, she received a voice message from seemingly out of thin air.

“So, how’s he doing on your end?” the female voice said. Then, responding to her with a similar voice, the person responded.

“He’s got a better look in his eye, looks like I can finally step in.” Saying so, the person stood up and crossed her arms. In her view, the boy who was just now thinking that things couldn’t possibly get any worse.