Categories > Original > Sci-Fi
Experiencing the Future
1 reviewSeriph is a young girl with special abilities Abducted to a new World, how will she adapt? Will she learn to control her abilities? And who is this strange man? Swift is a young cybernetic human...
1Exciting
Chapter 1
The air shook with the vibrations of a million footsteps. The pressure built even further in her head as the sounds of screaming on the edges of the village slowly crept into her consciousness. Nothing could get it to stop- the dry heat of the Akuji desert village had banished all signs of blankets and the villagers had taken to wearing very little, and she had nothing but her hands to cover her ears as she shook in pain on the floor. Everything within a mile- every sound was another stab to her brain, she couldn’t control it, and the closer the noises where the more painful they became.
Seriph had always had strong hearing- it came naturally being an Apoc-Wolf as it did for a normal wolf. Her mother and father were doctors- and had been very aware of her hearing, and had taken special care to never be overly loud in her presence. They had told her one day it might manifest as an ability, every Apoc had at least one. She had used this knowledge to practice her skills, always knowing when someone was approaching her- and even recognizing someone from sound alone became a habit. It unnerved a lot of villagers, how easily she could know everything they said.
No one spoke to her except her parents and a few of the elders, they understood her ability was a great gift- and spoke about her often- just so she would hear their praise. She was very loyal to these elders, and often did chores for them. She called them ‘Master’ because it was polite- and they would share stories of Akuji before the King died, and how the Arcs and Demi’s first formed. Telling tales of the vigilante Zero Blackfire, and how he had mysteriously vanished, and rumors of whole towns fleeing from Akuji to other worlds. Her parents would scold the Elders for filling her head with such adult truths, but in turn she respected them for being so honest with her, and looked up to their maturity.
She could tell when someone was lying to her- just by looking in their eyes, but often she would not confront them for their lies, choosing to instead stay silent. She was too small to pick fights anyways. She was an only child, and the smallest pup in the village- a runt. Her parents being doctors, became very protective of her and made sure she was taken care of in almost every aspect. The only problems she had with this was she had no friends other than the elders. One day her favorite elder a human, Master Momocha, became very ill.
Seriph had been very upset all day, she had been the first one to know Momocha was very sick- even with human ears she could hear her lungs from across the room of their house, when some of Momocha’s relatives had carried her to their home on a stretcher. Momocha was bleeding inside- and her heart was beating slower and slower. Seriph had told her “Master!! You have to get better, you still have so much more to tell me!” as she held Momocha’s hand tightly, and the elder woman coughed up blood- Her parents rushed her to the medical facility across the village, leaving Seriph alone in their home to play in the hot house.
After worrying over Master Momocha, Seriph spent time listening to the Tourists traveling through the village. It was a small town, and she lived in the southwestern quadrant, just outside of the market, where many people passed through for supplies or to pass tales of their travels- some other things happened too that she didn’t understand yet, but she wasn’t interesting in knowing. Thoughts of Momocha exited her mind as a hustle broke out in the streets, and people started yelling and running into and out of homes. Dust rose up in the air, making it feel heavy against her sweating face, villagers started moving in swarms, exiting the village as their lives depended on it, yelling about demons and the Flood.
Her ears started to ache- as they did when thunder storms approached the village. A headache swelled in her head as the pressure became the sounds of needle-like feet. She had heard the sounds once before, when a lone demon had rushed into their village a few years before, it had been easily slaughtered by some capable Apocs, but the memories of its needle-legs and the terrible cries it made echoed through the open windows of her home, as she heard hundreds of thousands beating across land. The stories of the Flood echoed in her head with the pounding of her head. The pain was too much to focus on anything else. She curled onto the floor in fetal position- her white tail tucked between her legs out of fear as the screaming started. Each new voice was another stab of fresh pain- silent tears started trickling from her eyes. The village was wholly unprepared for the attack, and few fought back- though some formed teams to rescue those human civilians without abilities.
All of this Seriph heard as she quivered in pain on the floor- the sounds were unbearable, it became almost too much to process. As she desperately tore at her ears with her nails, even the sounds of her innards churning in fear and disgust became painful. The sound of the front door slamming open only invigorated her pain, and she vomited uncontrollably over the floor at her side. A figure entered hurriedly. She took a desperate breath through the sting of bile and mouthed, “Momma?!” But even the act of moving sounded like the grind of breaking bones in her ears, she curled up tighter shrinking away from the figures heavy boot-steps.
“Hello pup,” murmured the Stranger. His voice was deep and raw, like thunder, and its depth brought a new wave of tears to Seriph’s eyes. She flinched visibly in pain as his voice bounded through her head- He must have been a tourist. She did not recognize him as she opened her eyes to find him standing over her. Medium length crimson locks draped over his icy blue eyes, they pierced her own aqua ones with a ferocity and calm that not many people had in a situation such as this. Her pupils shrank to dots as she judged his eyes, and wondered of his intentions. He stilled her clawing hands, and shifted her to sitting away from her vomit. He made a lifting motion, and pointed towards the window away from the front of the house, where an alley ran through the back of the neighborhood. Their eyes met again and his thoughts slid slowly through her pained head as she focused on them intently.
I need to get her out of here- the back alley will give me enough time to open a portal… the Flood is close. Damn it- she’s in too much pain to move that far alone… her abilities must be very strong, and from the looks of it painful… We will have to solve that later though.
He broke eye contact with her, and shifted his concentration to his white cotton shirt, his broad chest muscles rippled through the wide collar as he tore a strip from the bottom- he used it to cover Seriph’s eyes and ears. The thoughts ended melting into the sounds outside, as eye contact broke and the sounds dulled as he wrapped the warm sweat soaked cotton over her bleeding human ears. It barely helped, but kept her from scratching furiously at them. He then lifted her up into his wide tanned arms.
Another noise became present as he lifted her up- She looked blindly towards the softer noise. It was a shifting and popping noise, quiet as the ruffling of summer wind. As he walked into the current of new sound the outside noises seemed to vanish- letting the pain drain from her head. Silence followed as the portal swung shut behind them- She relaxed in the stranger’s arms and tucked her head under his chin, then froze suddenly, her tail and wolf ears bristling as new sounds became present. The clinking of metallic objects and the hum of power buzzed from the surface of this new world, but they were muted and seemed very distant- just tickling the edge of her consciousness.
The stranger set her down gently on a smooth grassy ground, pulling the bandages from her eyes and ears. She blinked as the new world came to focus in her bright aqua eyes. The air rippled cool across the blue field in front of her- tendrils of glowing grasses spread outwards for miles in front of them, rustling. Their large thin leafs alternated up tall stems, nearly 4 feet tall. They throbbed with blue light, which sparkled across gems clinging at the base of their leaves and around the base of each plant. Their stocks swayed as one field. The sight took Seriph’s breath away as she spun full circle, finding them surrounded by rows and rows of glowing grass- illuminated brightly across the sky which she beheld with a loud gasp. Streams of stars swarmed across her vision- Nonsensical constellations danced together as she watched comets shooting through the atmosphere a huge blue moon stood stark against the starry sky. The sky behind it was a deep vivid navy, unlike the black ones that graced Akuji’s hot nights.
She fell backwards on her rear as she kept looking up, delirious and dizzy from the sights- thinking of what she would tell Master Momo- Wait. Seriph stood very suddenly, stomach churning and glared up at the tall stranger. She had to crane her head back to take in his entire form. Noticing for the first time the x shaped scar across his young face and the black and red tiger tail that currently flicked back and forth behind his black jeans. The leather boots on his feet appeared engraved with calico patterns. She herself was dressed much lighter, wearing only a too-large green tank top and pale pink shorts. She was shoeless and wriggling her toes in the cool dirt.
“I want to go home.” She whispered up at him uncertainly- testing her voice and waiting for the pain from her head to comeback. The field was so quiet it seemed to vanish into the distance and ripple in the air ringing desperately in her ears, but causing her no harm.
The stranger glanced down at her, almost confused, as she brought him from his own awe at their surroundings. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked her, speaking again in a rumbling voice, his pale eyes again meeting hers, his thoughts piercing through the vale that was her current state of numbness. Akuji is a dead world. His thoughts rang with a certain clarity through her head. She watched through his thoughts flicker to memories of the Flood- and watched through his eyes as her parents were slain in the street, nobly defending human civilians from the throngs of demons flooding the market of their old world- her mother screaming “SERIPH!?” at the top of her lungs. He closed her eyes and shook his head letting go of the dark memories… “Home is here from now on.”
Tears leaked yet again from Seriph’s eyes but no sounds came- instead she answered his earlier question. “I’m hungry… and my head hurts.” She had made a decision to trust this stranger for now- so far he had been honest, but soon she knew he would probably leave her alone and defenseless in this new world.
The stranger snickered and kneeled down rubbing her pale pink-white hair with a gentle hand, his pale eyes were rather amiable for ice- and his scar gave him a rugged appearance, only adding cheer to the large grin that graced his tanned face. “Wow kiddo, you’re a tough cookie. I like that. Let’s go find some food, then maybe figure out where we are.” He grinned again and added “I’m Tempest, and I’ll be your new brother okay?!”
Seriph gave Tempest a small smile back and said calmly “I like you too big brother Tempest… my name is…” she had to pause for a moment as she remembered the voice of her mother in his memories. “Seriph.” She sadly intoned. This was her future.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so much for reading my first chapter! I would really appreciate any reviews, this is the opening to my first Sci-fi short story, and was actually created solely for my Apoc-Wolf and Apoc-Tiger characters Seriph and Tempest. The Apoc species is actually a semi-closed species and belongs to the ever lovely xKoday "Here":http://xkoday.deviantart.com/
You can also find more of my original works @ http://stillnesstolls.deviantart.com/
And more about Zoultek and Zoultrons in my online group @ http://zoultek.deviantart.com/
The air shook with the vibrations of a million footsteps. The pressure built even further in her head as the sounds of screaming on the edges of the village slowly crept into her consciousness. Nothing could get it to stop- the dry heat of the Akuji desert village had banished all signs of blankets and the villagers had taken to wearing very little, and she had nothing but her hands to cover her ears as she shook in pain on the floor. Everything within a mile- every sound was another stab to her brain, she couldn’t control it, and the closer the noises where the more painful they became.
Seriph had always had strong hearing- it came naturally being an Apoc-Wolf as it did for a normal wolf. Her mother and father were doctors- and had been very aware of her hearing, and had taken special care to never be overly loud in her presence. They had told her one day it might manifest as an ability, every Apoc had at least one. She had used this knowledge to practice her skills, always knowing when someone was approaching her- and even recognizing someone from sound alone became a habit. It unnerved a lot of villagers, how easily she could know everything they said.
No one spoke to her except her parents and a few of the elders, they understood her ability was a great gift- and spoke about her often- just so she would hear their praise. She was very loyal to these elders, and often did chores for them. She called them ‘Master’ because it was polite- and they would share stories of Akuji before the King died, and how the Arcs and Demi’s first formed. Telling tales of the vigilante Zero Blackfire, and how he had mysteriously vanished, and rumors of whole towns fleeing from Akuji to other worlds. Her parents would scold the Elders for filling her head with such adult truths, but in turn she respected them for being so honest with her, and looked up to their maturity.
She could tell when someone was lying to her- just by looking in their eyes, but often she would not confront them for their lies, choosing to instead stay silent. She was too small to pick fights anyways. She was an only child, and the smallest pup in the village- a runt. Her parents being doctors, became very protective of her and made sure she was taken care of in almost every aspect. The only problems she had with this was she had no friends other than the elders. One day her favorite elder a human, Master Momocha, became very ill.
Seriph had been very upset all day, she had been the first one to know Momocha was very sick- even with human ears she could hear her lungs from across the room of their house, when some of Momocha’s relatives had carried her to their home on a stretcher. Momocha was bleeding inside- and her heart was beating slower and slower. Seriph had told her “Master!! You have to get better, you still have so much more to tell me!” as she held Momocha’s hand tightly, and the elder woman coughed up blood- Her parents rushed her to the medical facility across the village, leaving Seriph alone in their home to play in the hot house.
After worrying over Master Momocha, Seriph spent time listening to the Tourists traveling through the village. It was a small town, and she lived in the southwestern quadrant, just outside of the market, where many people passed through for supplies or to pass tales of their travels- some other things happened too that she didn’t understand yet, but she wasn’t interesting in knowing. Thoughts of Momocha exited her mind as a hustle broke out in the streets, and people started yelling and running into and out of homes. Dust rose up in the air, making it feel heavy against her sweating face, villagers started moving in swarms, exiting the village as their lives depended on it, yelling about demons and the Flood.
Her ears started to ache- as they did when thunder storms approached the village. A headache swelled in her head as the pressure became the sounds of needle-like feet. She had heard the sounds once before, when a lone demon had rushed into their village a few years before, it had been easily slaughtered by some capable Apocs, but the memories of its needle-legs and the terrible cries it made echoed through the open windows of her home, as she heard hundreds of thousands beating across land. The stories of the Flood echoed in her head with the pounding of her head. The pain was too much to focus on anything else. She curled onto the floor in fetal position- her white tail tucked between her legs out of fear as the screaming started. Each new voice was another stab of fresh pain- silent tears started trickling from her eyes. The village was wholly unprepared for the attack, and few fought back- though some formed teams to rescue those human civilians without abilities.
All of this Seriph heard as she quivered in pain on the floor- the sounds were unbearable, it became almost too much to process. As she desperately tore at her ears with her nails, even the sounds of her innards churning in fear and disgust became painful. The sound of the front door slamming open only invigorated her pain, and she vomited uncontrollably over the floor at her side. A figure entered hurriedly. She took a desperate breath through the sting of bile and mouthed, “Momma?!” But even the act of moving sounded like the grind of breaking bones in her ears, she curled up tighter shrinking away from the figures heavy boot-steps.
“Hello pup,” murmured the Stranger. His voice was deep and raw, like thunder, and its depth brought a new wave of tears to Seriph’s eyes. She flinched visibly in pain as his voice bounded through her head- He must have been a tourist. She did not recognize him as she opened her eyes to find him standing over her. Medium length crimson locks draped over his icy blue eyes, they pierced her own aqua ones with a ferocity and calm that not many people had in a situation such as this. Her pupils shrank to dots as she judged his eyes, and wondered of his intentions. He stilled her clawing hands, and shifted her to sitting away from her vomit. He made a lifting motion, and pointed towards the window away from the front of the house, where an alley ran through the back of the neighborhood. Their eyes met again and his thoughts slid slowly through her pained head as she focused on them intently.
I need to get her out of here- the back alley will give me enough time to open a portal… the Flood is close. Damn it- she’s in too much pain to move that far alone… her abilities must be very strong, and from the looks of it painful… We will have to solve that later though.
He broke eye contact with her, and shifted his concentration to his white cotton shirt, his broad chest muscles rippled through the wide collar as he tore a strip from the bottom- he used it to cover Seriph’s eyes and ears. The thoughts ended melting into the sounds outside, as eye contact broke and the sounds dulled as he wrapped the warm sweat soaked cotton over her bleeding human ears. It barely helped, but kept her from scratching furiously at them. He then lifted her up into his wide tanned arms.
Another noise became present as he lifted her up- She looked blindly towards the softer noise. It was a shifting and popping noise, quiet as the ruffling of summer wind. As he walked into the current of new sound the outside noises seemed to vanish- letting the pain drain from her head. Silence followed as the portal swung shut behind them- She relaxed in the stranger’s arms and tucked her head under his chin, then froze suddenly, her tail and wolf ears bristling as new sounds became present. The clinking of metallic objects and the hum of power buzzed from the surface of this new world, but they were muted and seemed very distant- just tickling the edge of her consciousness.
The stranger set her down gently on a smooth grassy ground, pulling the bandages from her eyes and ears. She blinked as the new world came to focus in her bright aqua eyes. The air rippled cool across the blue field in front of her- tendrils of glowing grasses spread outwards for miles in front of them, rustling. Their large thin leafs alternated up tall stems, nearly 4 feet tall. They throbbed with blue light, which sparkled across gems clinging at the base of their leaves and around the base of each plant. Their stocks swayed as one field. The sight took Seriph’s breath away as she spun full circle, finding them surrounded by rows and rows of glowing grass- illuminated brightly across the sky which she beheld with a loud gasp. Streams of stars swarmed across her vision- Nonsensical constellations danced together as she watched comets shooting through the atmosphere a huge blue moon stood stark against the starry sky. The sky behind it was a deep vivid navy, unlike the black ones that graced Akuji’s hot nights.
She fell backwards on her rear as she kept looking up, delirious and dizzy from the sights- thinking of what she would tell Master Momo- Wait. Seriph stood very suddenly, stomach churning and glared up at the tall stranger. She had to crane her head back to take in his entire form. Noticing for the first time the x shaped scar across his young face and the black and red tiger tail that currently flicked back and forth behind his black jeans. The leather boots on his feet appeared engraved with calico patterns. She herself was dressed much lighter, wearing only a too-large green tank top and pale pink shorts. She was shoeless and wriggling her toes in the cool dirt.
“I want to go home.” She whispered up at him uncertainly- testing her voice and waiting for the pain from her head to comeback. The field was so quiet it seemed to vanish into the distance and ripple in the air ringing desperately in her ears, but causing her no harm.
The stranger glanced down at her, almost confused, as she brought him from his own awe at their surroundings. “What am I going to do with you?” he asked her, speaking again in a rumbling voice, his pale eyes again meeting hers, his thoughts piercing through the vale that was her current state of numbness. Akuji is a dead world. His thoughts rang with a certain clarity through her head. She watched through his thoughts flicker to memories of the Flood- and watched through his eyes as her parents were slain in the street, nobly defending human civilians from the throngs of demons flooding the market of their old world- her mother screaming “SERIPH!?” at the top of her lungs. He closed her eyes and shook his head letting go of the dark memories… “Home is here from now on.”
Tears leaked yet again from Seriph’s eyes but no sounds came- instead she answered his earlier question. “I’m hungry… and my head hurts.” She had made a decision to trust this stranger for now- so far he had been honest, but soon she knew he would probably leave her alone and defenseless in this new world.
The stranger snickered and kneeled down rubbing her pale pink-white hair with a gentle hand, his pale eyes were rather amiable for ice- and his scar gave him a rugged appearance, only adding cheer to the large grin that graced his tanned face. “Wow kiddo, you’re a tough cookie. I like that. Let’s go find some food, then maybe figure out where we are.” He grinned again and added “I’m Tempest, and I’ll be your new brother okay?!”
Seriph gave Tempest a small smile back and said calmly “I like you too big brother Tempest… my name is…” she had to pause for a moment as she remembered the voice of her mother in his memories. “Seriph.” She sadly intoned. This was her future.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________
Thank you so much for reading my first chapter! I would really appreciate any reviews, this is the opening to my first Sci-fi short story, and was actually created solely for my Apoc-Wolf and Apoc-Tiger characters Seriph and Tempest. The Apoc species is actually a semi-closed species and belongs to the ever lovely xKoday "Here":http://xkoday.deviantart.com/
You can also find more of my original works @ http://stillnesstolls.deviantart.com/
And more about Zoultek and Zoultrons in my online group @ http://zoultek.deviantart.com/
Sign up to rate and review this story