Categories > Original > Fantasy
Zodiac NATION
MAY, 12, 3001
After years of war, the human race finally had a way of halting the endless conflict, they separated the lands into 12 separate nations, each one pertaining to a certain zodiac sign. Each nation focused on different fighting styles to defend themselves in case of an invasion…
Arika Manori was a 15 year-old girl who grew up in the Capricorn nation, that nation was known for their ability to turn themselves invisible. Each nation had a power they were most known for such as the Aries nation who were known for their manipulation of fire. Arika wore gray like most of her nation’s people. Since zodiacs had specific colors associated with them, their civilians tended to go by that color or colors…
The young girl had white hair like snow, with aqua blue eyes. She was always curious to learn the techniques of her nation, but her parents told her should shouldn’t focus on it since most abilities were used for combat and she had never really been the fighting type. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t let me learn just because I’m a girl!”
“It’s not really that…Just, we don’t want you to get yourself into trouble” Her father Michal responded a little uneasy, making sure to choose his words carefully. “Your father’s right, those moves are used mainly for battle and we haven’t had to use them in several years now” Her mother Vanesa continued, hoping their daughter would understand.
Arika sighed, telling them she’ll try not to think about it, but was gonna go for a walk. They hesitated at first but thought a walk would be what she needed to clear her mind. Capricorn was mostly forest with just small or medium villages. They tried not to rely heavily on electronics, instead kept their mind sharp with either socializing or training. Besides, the internet had been wiped out for about five years now and during the war, not many had the time, money or devices to even access Wi-Fi.
Arika was walking through a dirt path shaded by green trees on both sides of her when a boy fell from a tree landing a few feet in front of her. She hurried over to help him without a 2nd thought. “Are you ok!? I saw you fall from that tree!” The young boy pushed himself up with his palms looking up at her. Both abruptly froze starring at one another. He had dark-brown hair that was brushed to the side with light hazel eyes. He looked to be about her age. That’s when she noticed the boy had a symbol of an archer which represented a Sagittarius.
(That would explain why he’s dressed in all dark-purple since that isn’t one of our nation’s colors) But instead of freaking out, she smiled lending her hand out to help him up. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ve always wanted to meet a boy from another land” The boy was hesitant to accept her help but could tell she was sincere.
“What’s your name?” Arika asked walking beside him in the direction she was originally going. “My name is Kaia Denmore, I’m here to learn more from this land and hopefully be the first outsider to be accept. Though, when I say it like that, it sounds nearly impossible” She placed her hand on his shoulder replying: “I know how to turn invisible, could you teach me what you know if I teach you that?”
He agreed and they walked off the path deeper into the force to lower their chances of being found…
CHAPTER 1 Knowledge Is Power
“Alright, first step in mastering invisibility is to relax your muscles, it’s the basic step for most abilities, at least that’s what I’ve heard from people at my school” Kaia brushed his hair out of his face and took a deep breath…He closed his eyes, feeling his muscles loosen from all his built up stress.
“Good, I can tell your tension has loosened a bit. Next you need to take a deep breath and believe you can’t be seen” Just then a voice called out: “Hey you!” Both turned to see a Capricorn guard of her village come racing toward them. Even in his big silver armor he was quick on his feet. Arika Kaia saw his friend had made herself invisible. He ran away, while trying to make himself invisible as well. However, he only managed to make his feet invisible.
The knight caught up with him, throwing a chain that wrapped around the youth’s body keeping him in place. “You should know better than to run from your Superior. I’m astonished that you managed to enter the Capricorn nation without getting caught” The foreigner was taken to a dungeon where he was chained to the wall. He could walk around in the cell but only a few feet.
“Since you never attacked anyone, I’m forced to just send you back to Sagittarius in the morning, as much as I want to punish you for setting foot in our land. But, I do follow the knight’s code no matter the situation, so prepare to be shipped back tomorrow” Denmore watched as the knight walked up the stairs, leaving him there alone.
“Weird, what prison system just leaves their prisoners unattended? I’m guessing since I’m the only one they don’t see it as a real issue to deal with. That’ll give me time to perfect the invisibility technique. Hopefully they won’t be expecting a foreigner to teach themselves an ability they didn’t grow up around”
The Next Morning…
Kaia was tired, he had used his chance of rest to try and master the art of invisibility. His eyes burned and he was tired, but managed to stay awake as footsteps made their way down into the dungeon. At that moment he became invisible, staying close to the wall with his hands on the floor, making it look as if he escaped.
“Alright boy time to-” That’s when the tall night saw the cage empty. The door was still locked but there was no sign of him. The Capricorn opened the door looking around while Denmore moved slowly, just enough for his target not to touch him while trying not to make a sound with his chains. “Damn it! How could he escape without anyone noticing!? I must find him before my commander finds out about this!”
The knight quickly ran out in search of his prisoner. Meanwhile Akaia struggled, trying to break free of his bonds. After getting nowhere, he decided to use his zodiac’s element in hopes of melting it. Akaia was Sagittarius so his element was fire, taking in a deep breath, the young boy sparked a flame engulfing both his hands. Finally his bonds melted onto the cell floor. “It worked! Now to get out of here” Denmore made himself vanish walking out the door upstairs.
Even though he was invisible, Akaia made sure to walk carefully through the grassy land through the village. There were plenty of people roaming around, luckily none seem to realize his presence. As the foreigner continued through the area, that’s when he saw Arika sitting outside her house looking sad. It was risky but the boy made his way over to her.
“Psst, Arika” The voice made her sit up, looking around. “Umm, hello?” Akaia appeared in front of her, almost causing her to fall off the stone bench. “It’s just me” Denmore said helping her up. Realizing the situation, she pulled him inside running up to her room. “I can’t belive you were able to escape Capricorn prison! Not many are arrested in our nation, at least that I know of, but surprised you escaped so quickly”
“Well tomorrow’s Monday so you’ll have to go to school. I can come along with you or at least change my clothing and cut my hair to roam around without being chased by the guards” She walked over to her closet, skiming through her wardrobe for anything he could wear.
“Here, these clothes are neutral so no one should suspect you as a foreigner” She tossed him a green collared shirt with gray pants onto her friend’s lap as he sat on her bed. Akaia stepped into her bathroom changing clothes when her dad came up stairs knocking on the door.
“Arika? Are you in there?”
“No dad sorry, my friend’s in there using the toilet” Her father had short blonde hair with green eyes. The man looked at the door then back at her asking: “Where do you know him from?” Arika told him they met in the park when she went for a walk. At that moment the teen came out.
“Hello sir nice to meet you” They shook hands and her father gave him a nod. Her father was on guard but decided to go back downstairs to watch TV…
Next Day…
“Alright I’m going to school are you coming?”
“I’m gonna explore Capricorn then meet you at the school’s entrance” Arika wasn’t sure about it, but let him do what he wanted. Denmore left the house with her and walked from her house to the school. Their village wasn’t that big with their walk only taking about eight minutes. “See you after school, I’m going to the local library to study your zodiac nation as much as I can before we leave”
“Leave? Where are we going?”
“Tomorrow I’m leaving for another nation, ships go in and out randomly. I might be able to find a schedule of a shipment but can’t get our hopes up. I understand if you don’t come, it’s a big change to leave the only land you’ve ever known. I’ll print out what I can find and you’ll have until then to decide” The young girl was nervous, but gave him a nod before running into school before the bell rang.
The Sagittarian sighed, (I will hate to see her stay here by herself, I feel like I’m really her only friend) The boy left the school heading over to their town’s library…
Akaia searched the rows of books until he found history about Capricorn and a book about their super-natural abilities they mastered and taught their warriors. For the next few hours, he’d read some of the history then switch to the fighting techniques. (Hmm, seems the Capricorn focus their attention on nation of Aries…It doesn’t give a specific reason, but good to know who their main target is)
Just then a man sat down beside him and noticed what he was reading. “Wow, to think there’s teens who still read history. So, what inspires you to study history?” Akaia looked at him then back at the book answering: “I want to know as much as I can about all 12 nations, learning all that I can will help me better understand the world of Zoltamein”
“Well you might have some trouble, each nation has very little info of the other zodiac lands”
“I am well aware of my dilemma. Though, every problem has a salutation, to let a mere gap keep me from studying all 12 nations would be a waste of time and energy. I will gather all that I need to acquire said information” Akaia looked up at the clock to see it read: “2:30 P.M” The Sagittarian assumed there was an hour until Arika would meet him at the school’s entrance. Going over Capricorn’s techniques a final time, he decided to go to one last location…
There the teen stood in front of Capricorn temple. He went inside to find a man dressed in a gray robe kneeling in front of the zodiac’s symbol which was a deer. “I wish grace onto those of Capricorn, may they live fulfilling lives and cherish all that they have. Let their experiences guide them through their life” As the man finished his prayer, he stood up and faced the young man.
“Welcome, I can see you hold great stress, may I hear what’s troubling you my child so I may help ease your pain?” Denmore told him: “If I told you, you wouldn’t accept me” Instead of frowning, a smile grew on the old man’s face. The priest responded: “Ah, you think I won’t accept you since you’re a Sagittarius, fear not child, for I accept all born on this world. For what good comes from hate or rejection? In my 60 years of life, I’ve never seen any good come from such negative actions. Let me tell you something: Hate and rejection are just ways mankind waste their energy or entertain themselves. It’s those two that separated the world into the 12 pieces you see today”
The elder walked closer placing his hand upon the boy’s shoulder, a dark-green light went from his pale wrinkly fingers into the boy’s body. “My time here is limited, I’ve shared some of my energy with you to enhance your powers. Let this help you impact the world. Maybe oneday…the next generation will see the 12 become one” Denmore saw the hope in the man’s smile. The boy waved goodbye, leaving to go back to the school.
Moments after leaving, the preist sat in the chair with the Capricorn symbol behind him. (May your dreams become a reality) That’s when the elder’s heart finally gave out. Tears fell from his face with a smile still upon his face…
Akaia felt strange for a moment, but brushed it off as his imagination. The young man reached her school as she was just walking out. Manori ran up to him telling him that she doesn’t think she can do it and will stay here. That’s when Akaia held her hand looking into her eyes. “I understand, it’s not my intention to have you do something you don’t wanna do, so I made a copy of the export time I’ll be taking incase you change your mind” Without hesitation the Sagittarian kissed her on the lips handing her the paper.
At first she stood there blushing then called out telling him to wait, but her friend didn’t look back, just walked toward the shipping area which was just outside of their village. When she got home, all she could do was stare at the paper. It said the ship would be leaving at 6:00. Meaning she had about two hours until he left.
“I can’t just leave my parents, but at the same time…I want to know more about the world like him. Akaia, you were even the first boy to kiss me, or even show any interest in me. I think…I actually feel the same”
6:00 P.M…
Denmore was aboard the ship along with a few others that wanted to enjoy the ocean view. Just as the captain announced they were to set sail, Arika could be seen running from over the hill toward the ship. The captain signaled his men at the dock to halt putting away the gangway so the young lady could come aboard. She thanked them before searching for her friend. Once they spotted each other, she ran to him, kissing him on the lips. He held her close then let her go.
“I didn’t think you’d come with many and cutting it so close” He laughed she smiled with her arms wrapped around his as they looked back at Capricorn growing farther away. She smiled saying: “I left a note for my parents to find on my bed. I’m sure they’ll find it in a few hours and probably freak out, but I’m sure they’ll come to accept my decision”
8:00 P.M
“Good night honey, just wanted to-” Her mother went speechless finding her daughter’s room cleaned out with a note folded on the center of the bed:
“Dear Mom and Dad, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m leaving…I found someone that wants to see the world and not just Capricorn. I’m tired of seeing the world as just one zodiac, or as if the others are just monsters. The other nations are filled with humans like us, but we are blinded by what society wants us to think. That boy dad met wasn’t a Capricorn, he was a Sagatterious and I’m in love with him. Together we’ll stop this feud between zodiacs and have them come as one or at least six to start an era of hope.
Sincerely, Arika”
Tears filled her mothers eyes as she read the last two words…
Meanwhile…
The pair continued to admire the waves and ocean. As they awoke, they saw the sun just coming up. They could see Aries out in the distance. Arika was a little worried since Capricorns had a strong dislike for Aries but wasn’t sure if their feeling was mutual. “Time to go” Her friend announced placing his hand on her shoulder. Without a word she nodded as the ship pulled into port. As they left the ship, multiple crew members called out to them, telling them it’d be safer if they stayed on the ship.
“You can stay here if you want” Akaia offered still walking further from the dock. She tightened her grip around his hand replying: “Even if I were to stay there, I doubt those men could protect me. Besides, it’s not like I can’t protect myself and you can teach me. Which reminds me, you never taught me a move!”
“A guard of your land chased us before we even finished my lesson, so of course I won’t be able to teach you anything. But I guess since we have some free time I’ll teach you Sagittarian’s basic fighting technique: Fire manipulation, controlling fire at will. It’s a useful move and probably a good beginning one” They looked around and noticed the area around them was just a rocky terrain with no grass or plants. “Hmph, seems like an opposite environment to your nation since your land was covered in grass and plants. At least this land will lower our chances of burning something. Now, take a deep breath, feeling as though there’s a flame down in your stomach. Then focus it into your palm”
She did as he said, taking in a deep breath then concentrating it into his palm. At first nothing happened, but on her 2nd attempt a small flame lit in her left palm. “I did it!” She cheered. Akaia applauded replying: “Way to go, to think you’d catch on so quickly. Your next step is to send your flame from your hand in any direction. Like this”
The boy focused his energy into his fist, engulfing it in flames. Getting in an offensive position, Denmore threw a punch in front of them, sending a projectile of flames soaring across the dry land before it changed course, flying up into the sky with an explosion like a firework.
“I don’t think I can do exactly like you did”
“You don’t have to, I just did the firework part to make it fun” She laughed as she copied the Sagittarian, getting in a fighting stance, fueling her inner-fire and throwing a punch with all her power. Denmore was amazed when her attack was a fire projectile even large than his. Manori tried to make it go up into the air, but instead it came crashing down, blowing up just several meters away. Dust and smoke rushed past them. They covered their face from all the dust and smoke until it eventually faded.
(Whoa, I know I was holding back, but that was incredible. I can’t believe she has that much power within her. Who knows how strong she’ll be once she masters her offensive techniques)
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to let it get out of control”
“Don’t worry about it, you did well and are learning fast” She smiled and hugged him when a horsemen came riding up to them. “You two, what are you doing here! I see you’re dressed in foreign clothing so I’m sorry, but I have to arrest you both for trespassing”
“I won’t let you arrest her!” Akaia shouted as he stood between her and the officer dressed in blood-red clothing with a gold badge, their zodiac symbol on it. The man got off and told them if they wouldn’t come willfully he’d have to use deadly force. Denmore didn’t move responding: “Go on then, show us what Aries is capable of!” With a sigh their foe took off his black steel helmet, letting it hit the ground revealing an African man with short hair.
With super-human speed, he threw a punch right for Akaia. Just in time the young fighter caught their fist. He could feel his heart racing from such speed. Their assailant got back a few feet saying: “Impressive, to think an outside has such keen fighting instincts. You may be one of the small few to ever catch my attack on their first try”
(This’ll be tricky, I might have to use all my skills in flame manipulation in hope to stop him) Clapping his hands together, his body was protected by a barrier of thick flames. They watched as two doppelgangers of the boy formed beside him made entirely of fire. “Let’s go!” The flame-fueled teen send both clones at their target while Arika stayed by trying to perfect her flame control so she could help.
The officer watched as he was rushed from both sides, but just as his attackers were about to attack, he jumped into the air. He watched as they both missed their strikes. “Come now, I know you have more fighting power than this. By the way, my name is Hongo. May I at least have the name of my fascinating opponent?”
“Akaia Denmore, I will show you my full mastery of fire!” Both watched as the warrior crossed his arms like an “X” At that moment, his flaming aura grew more wild, his clones returned to him as Akaia formed a creature made of fire around his body. Hongo was speechless at the sight of such a powerful ability. It was like a fire golem! Without warning it threw it’s large flaming fist in the officer’s direction. The monster was big, but was still fast. Hongo just barley dogged their attack. When he looked back at the blow’s impact point, there was a hole with flames spewing out of it.
(What level of power is this!? Surely this kind of power can’t be mastered by a mere teenager!) He decided to risk it and ran toward the monster, evading each blow that struck the ground setting it ablaze with flames. Once in opening was seen, the Arisen leapt into the air, striking the creature with all his power. Arika could feel her surroundings shaking from such power. When she looked up, she saw the monster fade away, Denmore falling from 30 feet.
He laid there covered in burns and bruises, unable to move. Hongo walked past him towards the girl. “One down, one to go. I have to stay, he was taught well to use such a high-class ability. What about you girl, what can you do?”
“S-stay back!” She felt herself becoming anxious and boxed in as the man got closer. Just then she lost it. “I said get away!” Her body moved on it’s own as her hand faced the coming threat, unleashing an immense blast of fire. Hongo felt his left leg get burned by her heightened flames.
“Whoa, your flames may be stronger than his, show me!” He charged her at great speed. Akira clenched her, striking the ground with every once of energy she had. Their target froze in his attack as her attack sent an over-powered shockwave of flames in all direction, burning everything in it’s path. With a look of fear in his eyes, he dashed backwards in hopes of escaping it’s ranged but was engulfed by her incredible power.
She looked at her hand to see it badly burned but still able to at least use it. She found their assailant laying on the dry land with his body badly burned. “D-damn you, you both won’t get away with killing, me. I assure you, there’s plenty more stronger than me and they’ll find you”
“I-if that’s true, we’ll just have to get stronger” Akaia commented still badly injured. She rushed over to him. Telling her friend she had a healing technique her mother had taught her when she was a little girl. He watched as the girl’s burned hand was covered in a white light. When her hand was healed, the light faded away.
“Now that my hand is healed I can heal you. However, this ability uses a lot of energy so I won’t be able to help if we run into trouble again”
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this” Denmore commented. She smiled patting his head. Telling him that aside from her burns, this was the most fun she’s had in awhile. “Don’t worry, we’ll become stronger and endure the challenges together” A smile spread across his face before his wounds were fully-healed…
CHAPTER 2 Grow Strong Together
After resting in a cave over night, they made their way toward the small town that was just a few miles away. They made themselves invisible and snuck into a shop where they put on a uniform that Arians wore which was basically a red shirt with black pants. They left their old clothes in a storage room in the back of the store.
“Now to see if they have a dojo or some kind of fighting ground we could use to train with other Arians” The boy suggested. It didn’t take them long to find a fighting facility where young men and women could perfect their skills on the battlefield.
“Welcome to Arian fighting arena where you can learn to fight against anything”
“Hello my name is Connor and this is Sara, we would like to be taught the ways of aries” The young teen told the women behind a desk. She nodded telling them to sit while she called one of the mentors. Moments later a bald dark-skinned man wearing a black karategi, a kind of clothing you see karate fighters wear. “I know who you two are and you’re not getting away!” They shot up from their chairs as their attacker threw a fierce blow at both of them.
The pair evaded the coming blow and saw him destroy their metal chair like it was glass. “Whoa, this guys strong, but can’t let that stop me from trying!” Akaia, now going by Connor, stood his ground waiting for his assailant’s next blow. That’s when the man dressed I black vanished in a buff of smoke. “What!?” Before he could do anything, he was struck across the face. Connor hit the wall of the waiting room but managed to land on his feet wiping the bit of blood from his chin.
“My, my, it seems you can take a hit. I may have a future prodigy on my hands. Now what about your friend Sara over here, is she just as talented?” He created a afterimage of himself and charged her. Without much time to think, Sara focused her fire power into her mouth, breathing out a small wave of fire like a dragon but making sure not to burn anything.
The man stopped and clapped. “Well, seems I can work with you two. I sense a vast amount of potential within you both. Let us continue this in the training arena” Sara took in a deep breath feeling a little weird from using a different kind of fire. They followed their new mentor into a massive room with a large arena in the center. Of course it was red with an aries symbol in the center.
“I will show you both one of the low-class techniques first. Wouldn’t be much of a class if I started with the high-level abilities. The first technique is the afterimage like I demonstrated against you. But I’ll show you again so you’ll get a better understanding” Suddenly there was four of him. The afterimages had a slight transparent look to them, but in a fast moving fight it would be hard to even notice it. “Try to find the real me” Their teacher mixed him and his copies up by moving around the stage at great speed until each one was at each corner of the arena.
Both were unsure but had no choice. They picked the north and south edge of the ring and moved up to them throwing a punch. Sadly, both disappeared into a puff of smoke meaning they were both fake. “This is your last chance choose wisely” The man and his copy charged them, Connor faced the west while Sara faced the one coming from the east corner. They throw a blow simultaneously, Denmore’s was a fake while Manori clashed blows with the real one.
She felt great pain surging through her fist but tried to ignore it. “Good work, you were able to stock my attack with your own. It’s basic but still a good strategy. Let’s see if both of you can create afterimages as well, focus your energy…feel it expand around you then picture it forming into you”
Connor was able to create an afterimage with little trouble since it was almost like creating his pyro clones but without focusing on his inner-flame. The young man formed three of himself. One of them wasn’t fully opaque, meaning it was more transparent than his mentor’s.
“Aside from your third duplicate, you seem to already have experience with this ability. Alright Sara, what about you?” Both men looked at her and watched as she calmed herself, letting the tension throughout her body weaken. As she focused her energy, two afterimages formed on both sides of her. They looked real instead of transparent.
“Well done you two, now come at me!” The pair of fighters took off as fast as they could, staying in sync with their afterimage. Their mentor stood ready for the coming foes. Instead of fighting them off with melee, their teacher threw a powerful blow in their direction. Connor put his guard up as an immense blast of wind sent his targets back against the ropes, causing all their copies to vanish from just the sheer force of his blow.
Denmore stood there with his jaw hanging from shock. Sara was just as shocked by the thought of all their copies getting wiped out by a mere punch from a distance. “You should’ve known that would happen when I use almost all my strength in one blow. But don’t let this get you down, you learned the move faster than any other student I’ve had so be ha[[y about that. We’ll continue this tomorrow. I’ll let you sleep here since you two seem as though you’re not from around here”
They thanked him as he walked out. Connor cuddled up with his friend as they sat against the wall and fell asleep…
They woke up to an abrupt flash of light. Denmore woke up, his eyes still adjusting while Sara was still out-cold. Getting up from the patted floor, he shook his friend trying to wake her. After a minute or so, her eyes opened to see him standing over her. She blushed as he helped her up.
“Good to see your both finally awake. Your next lesson is to master lightning manipulation. It may only be your 2nd lesson, but lightning can be hard to control. The process of conjuring electricity is to let your inner-energy build up then let it flow through out your body, slowly letting your power charge into your finger tips until you see it surging with power. Finally, throw your two fingers in the path of your target. Be careful though, this technique can put a great strain on your body”
Connor stood in the center of the arena with their mentor and Sara standing outside of the ring a few feet away. Taking a deep breath, the young male closed his eyes and let his energy build up inside him. Once he could feel a tingle inside his chest from all the power, Denmore put his index and middle finger close together. Electricity began charging around his fingers.
“I think my attack is ready”
“Very well, then aim it up at the skylight and unleash your power” The teen was nervous but did as he was told. Throwing his fingers straight into the air, he fired a fierce lightning strike through the light, up into the blue sky. After the projectile left his fingers, Connor felt his whole body become weak and drained from using an attack that used so much power in one shot.
“Well done! You may be drained from your own attack, but you conjured the power and hit your target on your first try! You really do have talent when it comes to battle!” Just then, an explosion rang out. All three ran outside to see Aquarians attacking. They wore light-blue battle suits and were shooting energy blasts from above.
“You two stay here, I’ll see if I can stop some of them!” After their mentor took off toward the battle field just meters away, Connor felt his stamina coming back. He took a deep breath about to take off into the fight when his friend said: “Don’t! We’re supposed to stay here” Not long after she said that, a dark-haired man dressed in blue with silver irises descended down in front of them.
“Well, didn’t expect a Capricorn and Sagittarian to be friends and this far from both their homes. Never the less, I’ve been ordered by the Aquarian king to wipe out all life on this nation, Aries or not. My name is Carson Alkine and it’s time to wipe you fools from existence” Denmore shielded his ally as the tyrant sent an immense bolt of electricity from his finger tips, right for him. Connor managed to take hold of the attack, feeling such a vast amount of power flowing through his body.
“Take this!” With an abrupt movement, he laughed the attack right back. However, Carson evaded the attack with great speed. Both looked around but saw no sign of them. That’s when a familiar voice called-out: “Watch out!” They looked up to see their mentor pierced through his torso by Carson. They watched with tears running down their face as the assailant pulled his katana from the man’s wound.
Their teacher hit the ground as blood flowed out of him while his killer floated above them, blood dripping from his blade. “Poor Aries, to think he’d protect such trash. But now that he’s out of the way, I can finish you worms” Connor was still dizzy from reflected an attack with so much power, but tried to remain in front of his friend to continue fighting.
That’s when Sara let out a loud cry with her eyes red, tears still falling from her cheeks. “You-you monster! I won’t let you get away with this!” A fierce blue aura swarmed around her body as she stepped forward. Carson stepped back onto the dry land gripping his blade tightly. He took of at full speed preparing to slice her up.
Connor saw the pair facing away from each other, though her assailant no longer had his blade in his hand. The young hero realized his comrade had stolen Alkine’s blade right from under him. Denmore just stood there in surprise, his eyes wide open. The tyrant turned around demanding she return his blade.
Sara closed her eyes and vanished. Her teammate looked to the left, past the tyrant was Manori. She stood motionless past her target, facing away from him. The Sagittarian watched as their foe bled standing frozen in place. “Y-you-ack!” Before he could really say anything, a large gash of blood came from his throat, landing on the rocks benith him. She dropped the blade and walked over to Connor as the villain face planted onto the ground.
“You ok?” Denmore asked a little uneasy after witnessing such power from her. She nodded telling him they should go try to find as many people as they can and help them stay safe from remaining enemies. Just then they spotted several people getting forced aboard the large black ship.
Connor suggested she go aboard the ship and help them while he stayed behind looking for any civilians that needed medical attention. She hugged him before rushing over towards the docks. Denmore found the blade she had left behind and slid it through the belt hole of his pants.
“I won’t let anyone on this island be killed any further” The Sagittarian race through the small town before finding a group of people about to be executed by Aquatarians. Without hesitation, Denmore moved as fast as he could, One of the Armed men spotted him just in time, stopping his sword attack with the tip of his blade.
“looks like we have someone that can actually fight back! But I doubt you’ll last very long between the four of us”
Meanwhile…
Sarah had managed to sneak aboard the ship without anyone noticing. There were wooden floors with black metal walls all around her. She ran through the halls looking for the cells where they were putting the innocent civilians. She stopped and looked behind the corner as she saw several armed men forcing women and children into a cell.
She came out from behind the corner aiming her hand while holding it steady with her right. “True force!” An immense force of wind shot out of her hand, sending all of them down the hall slamming into the metal wall. Right as the group of men began to get back up, she copied Connor’s electricity manipulation move.
The halls were filled with a dark blue light as electricity surged through her two fingers “Take this! Lightning strike!” with an instantaneous shot the electricity went down the hall electrocuting the men with a blinding flash of light. She fell to one knee from the sudden loss of stamina when a young boy rushed over to help her.
“Don’t worry I can help you” He said in a high-pitched kid voice. She watched as the boy put his hands on her arm with a green light surrounding her body. She could feel her wounds healing and her stamina returning. After just mere moments she felt herself back to full strength with no pain in her body anymore.
“Thank you, now stay with your mother I’m sure she doesn’t want to lose track of you” She gave the small dark-haired boy a hug before the group of people cheered for her thanking her for her help, running towards the exit. She thought about following them but knew she had to destroy this ship and find the one responsible for all this. At first she thought it was Carson but her gut told her there was another…
Back over in the village, Connor was clashing swords with the group of men. It was a one on four but he seemed to keep up with all of their attacks. “How is this brat keeping up with all of us!?” One dark-haired man dressed in blue cried out. Just then the young Sagittarian had an idea, using his technique of electricity manipulation, he used the surge of power to increase his speed.
The group of citizens watched as Connor moved at new levels of speed, piercing through all four of them before standing there still with his back to them. The four assailants collapsed onto the dry ground, their body covered in slashes with blood seeping from their body. One of them came over shyly thanking the boy for his bravery. “You’re welcome, now get to the safe house, it’s on the left size of the town, hurry and I’ll be there shortly to protect those within it”
Just then a woman dressed in a black robe with a red cape touched down in front of him. “I can sense both of your Ki, she’s looking for me on the ship, but can’t sense me. I am Kadin, the leader of this little invention, Aquarians are the superior nation and will wipe you all out” Denmore clinched his blade tightly with anger showing.
“Your game is over, I’m done with you messing with innocence Arians” The boy went to attack her head-on with a strong swing of his sword, but just as it seemed to be over in one strike, Kadin stopped the blade with her index finger. The Sagittarian watched in horror as the blade he was holding shattered to pieces as if made from glass.
“Poor child, seems you understated my power. If this was your trump card, then you might as well run away” In an abrupt blow, Connor was struck in the ribs, blood ran from his bottom lip as he smashed through a small brick house, landing in the dirt. The boy felt immense pain running through his body but tried to resume fighting.
“I won’t submit if it means innocent people are going to be killed. I’ll give my life if I have to”
“Very well, just remember you said that” Aiden brushed her red hair from her golden eyes, moving right up to her target. She put her fingers close together like a dagger with her hand in front of her. Denmore could barley keep up with her as she raced toward him. He grabbed her wrist, but felt his body go cold, he looked down to see her hand half-way through his chest. She pulled her hand out as Sara showed up, watching her friend hit the ground barley alive.
She let out a scream as a blue aura surged around her like a storm. “I’ll kill you for that!” Manori moved even faster than her partner with the electric boost, Right before she could attack, Aiden caught her arm, slamming her to the ground. “You seem even stronger than him, sadly he won’t be alive much longer. Might as well forget about him, man just hold you back” The woman said placing her foot on the girl’s chest to keep her pinned.
“S-stop this!!” With a loud scream, the girl’s eyes became red with her aura giving off immense power. Aiden stepped back in surprise as her target levitated off the ground, floating in place. “We might’ve not known our master that long, but the pain of his death will stay with me forever. Now my only friend is about to day on the same day!? Enough! If he dies, I’m going to show you what I can do when I’m broken by rage!”
“I’d like to see that. Let’s see just how strong your anger takes you” The moment she said that about to end Connor with another stab, she felt her entire body frozen in place. (W-what is this!? I can’t even move my mouth!) She looked around and spotted a bird that was frozen in place in the air. (No that’s no possible! No one is capable of stopping time!) She knew all this power was putting a great strain on Sara’s body, but the rage and adrenaline kept her going.
“I’m going to kill you, then go to Aquarius to have a world with your nation’s ruler” With that, she struck the tyrant’s chest with fierce power, causing Adrian’s heart to burst killing her instantly. “Be thankful you got a quick death, even though you don’t deserve such a fate” As time resumed, she walked over to her dying friend.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to stay around with you”
“No don’t say that I can still heal you!” She put her hands on his torso, green light outlining his body. But when she looked back up at him, his body was healed body his eyes were still closed. She fell to her knees just now feeling the lash back of her full power attack from her rage. “D-don’t leave me Akaia please! I don’t want to travel alone!”
Just then the boy's spirit left his body, walking over to her with a white mist around him. She sat there as he knelt down in front of her, putting his transparent hand on her cheek. She could actually feel it, even though it was extremely cold. “Don’t be sad, you’ll be ok without me. I’m sorry, but with your amazing potential, I’m sure you’ll become something great in a few years. She watched as he kissed her forehead before ascending into the sky vanishing…
(TO BE CONTINUED…)
MAY, 12, 3001
After years of war, the human race finally had a way of halting the endless conflict, they separated the lands into 12 separate nations, each one pertaining to a certain zodiac sign. Each nation focused on different fighting styles to defend themselves in case of an invasion…
Arika Manori was a 15 year-old girl who grew up in the Capricorn nation, that nation was known for their ability to turn themselves invisible. Each nation had a power they were most known for such as the Aries nation who were known for their manipulation of fire. Arika wore gray like most of her nation’s people. Since zodiacs had specific colors associated with them, their civilians tended to go by that color or colors…
The young girl had white hair like snow, with aqua blue eyes. She was always curious to learn the techniques of her nation, but her parents told her should shouldn’t focus on it since most abilities were used for combat and she had never really been the fighting type. “Don’t tell me you wouldn’t let me learn just because I’m a girl!”
“It’s not really that…Just, we don’t want you to get yourself into trouble” Her father Michal responded a little uneasy, making sure to choose his words carefully. “Your father’s right, those moves are used mainly for battle and we haven’t had to use them in several years now” Her mother Vanesa continued, hoping their daughter would understand.
Arika sighed, telling them she’ll try not to think about it, but was gonna go for a walk. They hesitated at first but thought a walk would be what she needed to clear her mind. Capricorn was mostly forest with just small or medium villages. They tried not to rely heavily on electronics, instead kept their mind sharp with either socializing or training. Besides, the internet had been wiped out for about five years now and during the war, not many had the time, money or devices to even access Wi-Fi.
Arika was walking through a dirt path shaded by green trees on both sides of her when a boy fell from a tree landing a few feet in front of her. She hurried over to help him without a 2nd thought. “Are you ok!? I saw you fall from that tree!” The young boy pushed himself up with his palms looking up at her. Both abruptly froze starring at one another. He had dark-brown hair that was brushed to the side with light hazel eyes. He looked to be about her age. That’s when she noticed the boy had a symbol of an archer which represented a Sagittarius.
(That would explain why he’s dressed in all dark-purple since that isn’t one of our nation’s colors) But instead of freaking out, she smiled lending her hand out to help him up. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. I’ve always wanted to meet a boy from another land” The boy was hesitant to accept her help but could tell she was sincere.
“What’s your name?” Arika asked walking beside him in the direction she was originally going. “My name is Kaia Denmore, I’m here to learn more from this land and hopefully be the first outsider to be accept. Though, when I say it like that, it sounds nearly impossible” She placed her hand on his shoulder replying: “I know how to turn invisible, could you teach me what you know if I teach you that?”
He agreed and they walked off the path deeper into the force to lower their chances of being found…
CHAPTER 1 Knowledge Is Power
“Alright, first step in mastering invisibility is to relax your muscles, it’s the basic step for most abilities, at least that’s what I’ve heard from people at my school” Kaia brushed his hair out of his face and took a deep breath…He closed his eyes, feeling his muscles loosen from all his built up stress.
“Good, I can tell your tension has loosened a bit. Next you need to take a deep breath and believe you can’t be seen” Just then a voice called out: “Hey you!” Both turned to see a Capricorn guard of her village come racing toward them. Even in his big silver armor he was quick on his feet. Arika Kaia saw his friend had made herself invisible. He ran away, while trying to make himself invisible as well. However, he only managed to make his feet invisible.
The knight caught up with him, throwing a chain that wrapped around the youth’s body keeping him in place. “You should know better than to run from your Superior. I’m astonished that you managed to enter the Capricorn nation without getting caught” The foreigner was taken to a dungeon where he was chained to the wall. He could walk around in the cell but only a few feet.
“Since you never attacked anyone, I’m forced to just send you back to Sagittarius in the morning, as much as I want to punish you for setting foot in our land. But, I do follow the knight’s code no matter the situation, so prepare to be shipped back tomorrow” Denmore watched as the knight walked up the stairs, leaving him there alone.
“Weird, what prison system just leaves their prisoners unattended? I’m guessing since I’m the only one they don’t see it as a real issue to deal with. That’ll give me time to perfect the invisibility technique. Hopefully they won’t be expecting a foreigner to teach themselves an ability they didn’t grow up around”
The Next Morning…
Kaia was tired, he had used his chance of rest to try and master the art of invisibility. His eyes burned and he was tired, but managed to stay awake as footsteps made their way down into the dungeon. At that moment he became invisible, staying close to the wall with his hands on the floor, making it look as if he escaped.
“Alright boy time to-” That’s when the tall night saw the cage empty. The door was still locked but there was no sign of him. The Capricorn opened the door looking around while Denmore moved slowly, just enough for his target not to touch him while trying not to make a sound with his chains. “Damn it! How could he escape without anyone noticing!? I must find him before my commander finds out about this!”
The knight quickly ran out in search of his prisoner. Meanwhile Akaia struggled, trying to break free of his bonds. After getting nowhere, he decided to use his zodiac’s element in hopes of melting it. Akaia was Sagittarius so his element was fire, taking in a deep breath, the young boy sparked a flame engulfing both his hands. Finally his bonds melted onto the cell floor. “It worked! Now to get out of here” Denmore made himself vanish walking out the door upstairs.
Even though he was invisible, Akaia made sure to walk carefully through the grassy land through the village. There were plenty of people roaming around, luckily none seem to realize his presence. As the foreigner continued through the area, that’s when he saw Arika sitting outside her house looking sad. It was risky but the boy made his way over to her.
“Psst, Arika” The voice made her sit up, looking around. “Umm, hello?” Akaia appeared in front of her, almost causing her to fall off the stone bench. “It’s just me” Denmore said helping her up. Realizing the situation, she pulled him inside running up to her room. “I can’t belive you were able to escape Capricorn prison! Not many are arrested in our nation, at least that I know of, but surprised you escaped so quickly”
“Well tomorrow’s Monday so you’ll have to go to school. I can come along with you or at least change my clothing and cut my hair to roam around without being chased by the guards” She walked over to her closet, skiming through her wardrobe for anything he could wear.
“Here, these clothes are neutral so no one should suspect you as a foreigner” She tossed him a green collared shirt with gray pants onto her friend’s lap as he sat on her bed. Akaia stepped into her bathroom changing clothes when her dad came up stairs knocking on the door.
“Arika? Are you in there?”
“No dad sorry, my friend’s in there using the toilet” Her father had short blonde hair with green eyes. The man looked at the door then back at her asking: “Where do you know him from?” Arika told him they met in the park when she went for a walk. At that moment the teen came out.
“Hello sir nice to meet you” They shook hands and her father gave him a nod. Her father was on guard but decided to go back downstairs to watch TV…
Next Day…
“Alright I’m going to school are you coming?”
“I’m gonna explore Capricorn then meet you at the school’s entrance” Arika wasn’t sure about it, but let him do what he wanted. Denmore left the house with her and walked from her house to the school. Their village wasn’t that big with their walk only taking about eight minutes. “See you after school, I’m going to the local library to study your zodiac nation as much as I can before we leave”
“Leave? Where are we going?”
“Tomorrow I’m leaving for another nation, ships go in and out randomly. I might be able to find a schedule of a shipment but can’t get our hopes up. I understand if you don’t come, it’s a big change to leave the only land you’ve ever known. I’ll print out what I can find and you’ll have until then to decide” The young girl was nervous, but gave him a nod before running into school before the bell rang.
The Sagittarian sighed, (I will hate to see her stay here by herself, I feel like I’m really her only friend) The boy left the school heading over to their town’s library…
Akaia searched the rows of books until he found history about Capricorn and a book about their super-natural abilities they mastered and taught their warriors. For the next few hours, he’d read some of the history then switch to the fighting techniques. (Hmm, seems the Capricorn focus their attention on nation of Aries…It doesn’t give a specific reason, but good to know who their main target is)
Just then a man sat down beside him and noticed what he was reading. “Wow, to think there’s teens who still read history. So, what inspires you to study history?” Akaia looked at him then back at the book answering: “I want to know as much as I can about all 12 nations, learning all that I can will help me better understand the world of Zoltamein”
“Well you might have some trouble, each nation has very little info of the other zodiac lands”
“I am well aware of my dilemma. Though, every problem has a salutation, to let a mere gap keep me from studying all 12 nations would be a waste of time and energy. I will gather all that I need to acquire said information” Akaia looked up at the clock to see it read: “2:30 P.M” The Sagittarian assumed there was an hour until Arika would meet him at the school’s entrance. Going over Capricorn’s techniques a final time, he decided to go to one last location…
There the teen stood in front of Capricorn temple. He went inside to find a man dressed in a gray robe kneeling in front of the zodiac’s symbol which was a deer. “I wish grace onto those of Capricorn, may they live fulfilling lives and cherish all that they have. Let their experiences guide them through their life” As the man finished his prayer, he stood up and faced the young man.
“Welcome, I can see you hold great stress, may I hear what’s troubling you my child so I may help ease your pain?” Denmore told him: “If I told you, you wouldn’t accept me” Instead of frowning, a smile grew on the old man’s face. The priest responded: “Ah, you think I won’t accept you since you’re a Sagittarius, fear not child, for I accept all born on this world. For what good comes from hate or rejection? In my 60 years of life, I’ve never seen any good come from such negative actions. Let me tell you something: Hate and rejection are just ways mankind waste their energy or entertain themselves. It’s those two that separated the world into the 12 pieces you see today”
The elder walked closer placing his hand upon the boy’s shoulder, a dark-green light went from his pale wrinkly fingers into the boy’s body. “My time here is limited, I’ve shared some of my energy with you to enhance your powers. Let this help you impact the world. Maybe oneday…the next generation will see the 12 become one” Denmore saw the hope in the man’s smile. The boy waved goodbye, leaving to go back to the school.
Moments after leaving, the preist sat in the chair with the Capricorn symbol behind him. (May your dreams become a reality) That’s when the elder’s heart finally gave out. Tears fell from his face with a smile still upon his face…
Akaia felt strange for a moment, but brushed it off as his imagination. The young man reached her school as she was just walking out. Manori ran up to him telling him that she doesn’t think she can do it and will stay here. That’s when Akaia held her hand looking into her eyes. “I understand, it’s not my intention to have you do something you don’t wanna do, so I made a copy of the export time I’ll be taking incase you change your mind” Without hesitation the Sagittarian kissed her on the lips handing her the paper.
At first she stood there blushing then called out telling him to wait, but her friend didn’t look back, just walked toward the shipping area which was just outside of their village. When she got home, all she could do was stare at the paper. It said the ship would be leaving at 6:00. Meaning she had about two hours until he left.
“I can’t just leave my parents, but at the same time…I want to know more about the world like him. Akaia, you were even the first boy to kiss me, or even show any interest in me. I think…I actually feel the same”
6:00 P.M…
Denmore was aboard the ship along with a few others that wanted to enjoy the ocean view. Just as the captain announced they were to set sail, Arika could be seen running from over the hill toward the ship. The captain signaled his men at the dock to halt putting away the gangway so the young lady could come aboard. She thanked them before searching for her friend. Once they spotted each other, she ran to him, kissing him on the lips. He held her close then let her go.
“I didn’t think you’d come with many and cutting it so close” He laughed she smiled with her arms wrapped around his as they looked back at Capricorn growing farther away. She smiled saying: “I left a note for my parents to find on my bed. I’m sure they’ll find it in a few hours and probably freak out, but I’m sure they’ll come to accept my decision”
8:00 P.M
“Good night honey, just wanted to-” Her mother went speechless finding her daughter’s room cleaned out with a note folded on the center of the bed:
“Dear Mom and Dad, I’m sorry to tell you this, but I’m leaving…I found someone that wants to see the world and not just Capricorn. I’m tired of seeing the world as just one zodiac, or as if the others are just monsters. The other nations are filled with humans like us, but we are blinded by what society wants us to think. That boy dad met wasn’t a Capricorn, he was a Sagatterious and I’m in love with him. Together we’ll stop this feud between zodiacs and have them come as one or at least six to start an era of hope.
Sincerely, Arika”
Tears filled her mothers eyes as she read the last two words…
Meanwhile…
The pair continued to admire the waves and ocean. As they awoke, they saw the sun just coming up. They could see Aries out in the distance. Arika was a little worried since Capricorns had a strong dislike for Aries but wasn’t sure if their feeling was mutual. “Time to go” Her friend announced placing his hand on her shoulder. Without a word she nodded as the ship pulled into port. As they left the ship, multiple crew members called out to them, telling them it’d be safer if they stayed on the ship.
“You can stay here if you want” Akaia offered still walking further from the dock. She tightened her grip around his hand replying: “Even if I were to stay there, I doubt those men could protect me. Besides, it’s not like I can’t protect myself and you can teach me. Which reminds me, you never taught me a move!”
“A guard of your land chased us before we even finished my lesson, so of course I won’t be able to teach you anything. But I guess since we have some free time I’ll teach you Sagittarian’s basic fighting technique: Fire manipulation, controlling fire at will. It’s a useful move and probably a good beginning one” They looked around and noticed the area around them was just a rocky terrain with no grass or plants. “Hmph, seems like an opposite environment to your nation since your land was covered in grass and plants. At least this land will lower our chances of burning something. Now, take a deep breath, feeling as though there’s a flame down in your stomach. Then focus it into your palm”
She did as he said, taking in a deep breath then concentrating it into his palm. At first nothing happened, but on her 2nd attempt a small flame lit in her left palm. “I did it!” She cheered. Akaia applauded replying: “Way to go, to think you’d catch on so quickly. Your next step is to send your flame from your hand in any direction. Like this”
The boy focused his energy into his fist, engulfing it in flames. Getting in an offensive position, Denmore threw a punch in front of them, sending a projectile of flames soaring across the dry land before it changed course, flying up into the sky with an explosion like a firework.
“I don’t think I can do exactly like you did”
“You don’t have to, I just did the firework part to make it fun” She laughed as she copied the Sagittarian, getting in a fighting stance, fueling her inner-fire and throwing a punch with all her power. Denmore was amazed when her attack was a fire projectile even large than his. Manori tried to make it go up into the air, but instead it came crashing down, blowing up just several meters away. Dust and smoke rushed past them. They covered their face from all the dust and smoke until it eventually faded.
(Whoa, I know I was holding back, but that was incredible. I can’t believe she has that much power within her. Who knows how strong she’ll be once she masters her offensive techniques)
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to let it get out of control”
“Don’t worry about it, you did well and are learning fast” She smiled and hugged him when a horsemen came riding up to them. “You two, what are you doing here! I see you’re dressed in foreign clothing so I’m sorry, but I have to arrest you both for trespassing”
“I won’t let you arrest her!” Akaia shouted as he stood between her and the officer dressed in blood-red clothing with a gold badge, their zodiac symbol on it. The man got off and told them if they wouldn’t come willfully he’d have to use deadly force. Denmore didn’t move responding: “Go on then, show us what Aries is capable of!” With a sigh their foe took off his black steel helmet, letting it hit the ground revealing an African man with short hair.
With super-human speed, he threw a punch right for Akaia. Just in time the young fighter caught their fist. He could feel his heart racing from such speed. Their assailant got back a few feet saying: “Impressive, to think an outside has such keen fighting instincts. You may be one of the small few to ever catch my attack on their first try”
(This’ll be tricky, I might have to use all my skills in flame manipulation in hope to stop him) Clapping his hands together, his body was protected by a barrier of thick flames. They watched as two doppelgangers of the boy formed beside him made entirely of fire. “Let’s go!” The flame-fueled teen send both clones at their target while Arika stayed by trying to perfect her flame control so she could help.
The officer watched as he was rushed from both sides, but just as his attackers were about to attack, he jumped into the air. He watched as they both missed their strikes. “Come now, I know you have more fighting power than this. By the way, my name is Hongo. May I at least have the name of my fascinating opponent?”
“Akaia Denmore, I will show you my full mastery of fire!” Both watched as the warrior crossed his arms like an “X” At that moment, his flaming aura grew more wild, his clones returned to him as Akaia formed a creature made of fire around his body. Hongo was speechless at the sight of such a powerful ability. It was like a fire golem! Without warning it threw it’s large flaming fist in the officer’s direction. The monster was big, but was still fast. Hongo just barley dogged their attack. When he looked back at the blow’s impact point, there was a hole with flames spewing out of it.
(What level of power is this!? Surely this kind of power can’t be mastered by a mere teenager!) He decided to risk it and ran toward the monster, evading each blow that struck the ground setting it ablaze with flames. Once in opening was seen, the Arisen leapt into the air, striking the creature with all his power. Arika could feel her surroundings shaking from such power. When she looked up, she saw the monster fade away, Denmore falling from 30 feet.
He laid there covered in burns and bruises, unable to move. Hongo walked past him towards the girl. “One down, one to go. I have to stay, he was taught well to use such a high-class ability. What about you girl, what can you do?”
“S-stay back!” She felt herself becoming anxious and boxed in as the man got closer. Just then she lost it. “I said get away!” Her body moved on it’s own as her hand faced the coming threat, unleashing an immense blast of fire. Hongo felt his left leg get burned by her heightened flames.
“Whoa, your flames may be stronger than his, show me!” He charged her at great speed. Akira clenched her, striking the ground with every once of energy she had. Their target froze in his attack as her attack sent an over-powered shockwave of flames in all direction, burning everything in it’s path. With a look of fear in his eyes, he dashed backwards in hopes of escaping it’s ranged but was engulfed by her incredible power.
She looked at her hand to see it badly burned but still able to at least use it. She found their assailant laying on the dry land with his body badly burned. “D-damn you, you both won’t get away with killing, me. I assure you, there’s plenty more stronger than me and they’ll find you”
“I-if that’s true, we’ll just have to get stronger” Akaia commented still badly injured. She rushed over to him. Telling her friend she had a healing technique her mother had taught her when she was a little girl. He watched as the girl’s burned hand was covered in a white light. When her hand was healed, the light faded away.
“Now that my hand is healed I can heal you. However, this ability uses a lot of energy so I won’t be able to help if we run into trouble again”
“I’m sorry I dragged you into this” Denmore commented. She smiled patting his head. Telling him that aside from her burns, this was the most fun she’s had in awhile. “Don’t worry, we’ll become stronger and endure the challenges together” A smile spread across his face before his wounds were fully-healed…
CHAPTER 2 Grow Strong Together
After resting in a cave over night, they made their way toward the small town that was just a few miles away. They made themselves invisible and snuck into a shop where they put on a uniform that Arians wore which was basically a red shirt with black pants. They left their old clothes in a storage room in the back of the store.
“Now to see if they have a dojo or some kind of fighting ground we could use to train with other Arians” The boy suggested. It didn’t take them long to find a fighting facility where young men and women could perfect their skills on the battlefield.
“Welcome to Arian fighting arena where you can learn to fight against anything”
“Hello my name is Connor and this is Sara, we would like to be taught the ways of aries” The young teen told the women behind a desk. She nodded telling them to sit while she called one of the mentors. Moments later a bald dark-skinned man wearing a black karategi, a kind of clothing you see karate fighters wear. “I know who you two are and you’re not getting away!” They shot up from their chairs as their attacker threw a fierce blow at both of them.
The pair evaded the coming blow and saw him destroy their metal chair like it was glass. “Whoa, this guys strong, but can’t let that stop me from trying!” Akaia, now going by Connor, stood his ground waiting for his assailant’s next blow. That’s when the man dressed I black vanished in a buff of smoke. “What!?” Before he could do anything, he was struck across the face. Connor hit the wall of the waiting room but managed to land on his feet wiping the bit of blood from his chin.
“My, my, it seems you can take a hit. I may have a future prodigy on my hands. Now what about your friend Sara over here, is she just as talented?” He created a afterimage of himself and charged her. Without much time to think, Sara focused her fire power into her mouth, breathing out a small wave of fire like a dragon but making sure not to burn anything.
The man stopped and clapped. “Well, seems I can work with you two. I sense a vast amount of potential within you both. Let us continue this in the training arena” Sara took in a deep breath feeling a little weird from using a different kind of fire. They followed their new mentor into a massive room with a large arena in the center. Of course it was red with an aries symbol in the center.
“I will show you both one of the low-class techniques first. Wouldn’t be much of a class if I started with the high-level abilities. The first technique is the afterimage like I demonstrated against you. But I’ll show you again so you’ll get a better understanding” Suddenly there was four of him. The afterimages had a slight transparent look to them, but in a fast moving fight it would be hard to even notice it. “Try to find the real me” Their teacher mixed him and his copies up by moving around the stage at great speed until each one was at each corner of the arena.
Both were unsure but had no choice. They picked the north and south edge of the ring and moved up to them throwing a punch. Sadly, both disappeared into a puff of smoke meaning they were both fake. “This is your last chance choose wisely” The man and his copy charged them, Connor faced the west while Sara faced the one coming from the east corner. They throw a blow simultaneously, Denmore’s was a fake while Manori clashed blows with the real one.
She felt great pain surging through her fist but tried to ignore it. “Good work, you were able to stock my attack with your own. It’s basic but still a good strategy. Let’s see if both of you can create afterimages as well, focus your energy…feel it expand around you then picture it forming into you”
Connor was able to create an afterimage with little trouble since it was almost like creating his pyro clones but without focusing on his inner-flame. The young man formed three of himself. One of them wasn’t fully opaque, meaning it was more transparent than his mentor’s.
“Aside from your third duplicate, you seem to already have experience with this ability. Alright Sara, what about you?” Both men looked at her and watched as she calmed herself, letting the tension throughout her body weaken. As she focused her energy, two afterimages formed on both sides of her. They looked real instead of transparent.
“Well done you two, now come at me!” The pair of fighters took off as fast as they could, staying in sync with their afterimage. Their mentor stood ready for the coming foes. Instead of fighting them off with melee, their teacher threw a powerful blow in their direction. Connor put his guard up as an immense blast of wind sent his targets back against the ropes, causing all their copies to vanish from just the sheer force of his blow.
Denmore stood there with his jaw hanging from shock. Sara was just as shocked by the thought of all their copies getting wiped out by a mere punch from a distance. “You should’ve known that would happen when I use almost all my strength in one blow. But don’t let this get you down, you learned the move faster than any other student I’ve had so be ha[[y about that. We’ll continue this tomorrow. I’ll let you sleep here since you two seem as though you’re not from around here”
They thanked him as he walked out. Connor cuddled up with his friend as they sat against the wall and fell asleep…
They woke up to an abrupt flash of light. Denmore woke up, his eyes still adjusting while Sara was still out-cold. Getting up from the patted floor, he shook his friend trying to wake her. After a minute or so, her eyes opened to see him standing over her. She blushed as he helped her up.
“Good to see your both finally awake. Your next lesson is to master lightning manipulation. It may only be your 2nd lesson, but lightning can be hard to control. The process of conjuring electricity is to let your inner-energy build up then let it flow through out your body, slowly letting your power charge into your finger tips until you see it surging with power. Finally, throw your two fingers in the path of your target. Be careful though, this technique can put a great strain on your body”
Connor stood in the center of the arena with their mentor and Sara standing outside of the ring a few feet away. Taking a deep breath, the young male closed his eyes and let his energy build up inside him. Once he could feel a tingle inside his chest from all the power, Denmore put his index and middle finger close together. Electricity began charging around his fingers.
“I think my attack is ready”
“Very well, then aim it up at the skylight and unleash your power” The teen was nervous but did as he was told. Throwing his fingers straight into the air, he fired a fierce lightning strike through the light, up into the blue sky. After the projectile left his fingers, Connor felt his whole body become weak and drained from using an attack that used so much power in one shot.
“Well done! You may be drained from your own attack, but you conjured the power and hit your target on your first try! You really do have talent when it comes to battle!” Just then, an explosion rang out. All three ran outside to see Aquarians attacking. They wore light-blue battle suits and were shooting energy blasts from above.
“You two stay here, I’ll see if I can stop some of them!” After their mentor took off toward the battle field just meters away, Connor felt his stamina coming back. He took a deep breath about to take off into the fight when his friend said: “Don’t! We’re supposed to stay here” Not long after she said that, a dark-haired man dressed in blue with silver irises descended down in front of them.
“Well, didn’t expect a Capricorn and Sagittarian to be friends and this far from both their homes. Never the less, I’ve been ordered by the Aquarian king to wipe out all life on this nation, Aries or not. My name is Carson Alkine and it’s time to wipe you fools from existence” Denmore shielded his ally as the tyrant sent an immense bolt of electricity from his finger tips, right for him. Connor managed to take hold of the attack, feeling such a vast amount of power flowing through his body.
“Take this!” With an abrupt movement, he laughed the attack right back. However, Carson evaded the attack with great speed. Both looked around but saw no sign of them. That’s when a familiar voice called-out: “Watch out!” They looked up to see their mentor pierced through his torso by Carson. They watched with tears running down their face as the assailant pulled his katana from the man’s wound.
Their teacher hit the ground as blood flowed out of him while his killer floated above them, blood dripping from his blade. “Poor Aries, to think he’d protect such trash. But now that he’s out of the way, I can finish you worms” Connor was still dizzy from reflected an attack with so much power, but tried to remain in front of his friend to continue fighting.
That’s when Sara let out a loud cry with her eyes red, tears still falling from her cheeks. “You-you monster! I won’t let you get away with this!” A fierce blue aura swarmed around her body as she stepped forward. Carson stepped back onto the dry land gripping his blade tightly. He took of at full speed preparing to slice her up.
Connor saw the pair facing away from each other, though her assailant no longer had his blade in his hand. The young hero realized his comrade had stolen Alkine’s blade right from under him. Denmore just stood there in surprise, his eyes wide open. The tyrant turned around demanding she return his blade.
Sara closed her eyes and vanished. Her teammate looked to the left, past the tyrant was Manori. She stood motionless past her target, facing away from him. The Sagittarian watched as their foe bled standing frozen in place. “Y-you-ack!” Before he could really say anything, a large gash of blood came from his throat, landing on the rocks benith him. She dropped the blade and walked over to Connor as the villain face planted onto the ground.
“You ok?” Denmore asked a little uneasy after witnessing such power from her. She nodded telling him they should go try to find as many people as they can and help them stay safe from remaining enemies. Just then they spotted several people getting forced aboard the large black ship.
Connor suggested she go aboard the ship and help them while he stayed behind looking for any civilians that needed medical attention. She hugged him before rushing over towards the docks. Denmore found the blade she had left behind and slid it through the belt hole of his pants.
“I won’t let anyone on this island be killed any further” The Sagittarian race through the small town before finding a group of people about to be executed by Aquatarians. Without hesitation, Denmore moved as fast as he could, One of the Armed men spotted him just in time, stopping his sword attack with the tip of his blade.
“looks like we have someone that can actually fight back! But I doubt you’ll last very long between the four of us”
Meanwhile…
Sarah had managed to sneak aboard the ship without anyone noticing. There were wooden floors with black metal walls all around her. She ran through the halls looking for the cells where they were putting the innocent civilians. She stopped and looked behind the corner as she saw several armed men forcing women and children into a cell.
She came out from behind the corner aiming her hand while holding it steady with her right. “True force!” An immense force of wind shot out of her hand, sending all of them down the hall slamming into the metal wall. Right as the group of men began to get back up, she copied Connor’s electricity manipulation move.
The halls were filled with a dark blue light as electricity surged through her two fingers “Take this! Lightning strike!” with an instantaneous shot the electricity went down the hall electrocuting the men with a blinding flash of light. She fell to one knee from the sudden loss of stamina when a young boy rushed over to help her.
“Don’t worry I can help you” He said in a high-pitched kid voice. She watched as the boy put his hands on her arm with a green light surrounding her body. She could feel her wounds healing and her stamina returning. After just mere moments she felt herself back to full strength with no pain in her body anymore.
“Thank you, now stay with your mother I’m sure she doesn’t want to lose track of you” She gave the small dark-haired boy a hug before the group of people cheered for her thanking her for her help, running towards the exit. She thought about following them but knew she had to destroy this ship and find the one responsible for all this. At first she thought it was Carson but her gut told her there was another…
Back over in the village, Connor was clashing swords with the group of men. It was a one on four but he seemed to keep up with all of their attacks. “How is this brat keeping up with all of us!?” One dark-haired man dressed in blue cried out. Just then the young Sagittarian had an idea, using his technique of electricity manipulation, he used the surge of power to increase his speed.
The group of citizens watched as Connor moved at new levels of speed, piercing through all four of them before standing there still with his back to them. The four assailants collapsed onto the dry ground, their body covered in slashes with blood seeping from their body. One of them came over shyly thanking the boy for his bravery. “You’re welcome, now get to the safe house, it’s on the left size of the town, hurry and I’ll be there shortly to protect those within it”
Just then a woman dressed in a black robe with a red cape touched down in front of him. “I can sense both of your Ki, she’s looking for me on the ship, but can’t sense me. I am Kadin, the leader of this little invention, Aquarians are the superior nation and will wipe you all out” Denmore clinched his blade tightly with anger showing.
“Your game is over, I’m done with you messing with innocence Arians” The boy went to attack her head-on with a strong swing of his sword, but just as it seemed to be over in one strike, Kadin stopped the blade with her index finger. The Sagittarian watched in horror as the blade he was holding shattered to pieces as if made from glass.
“Poor child, seems you understated my power. If this was your trump card, then you might as well run away” In an abrupt blow, Connor was struck in the ribs, blood ran from his bottom lip as he smashed through a small brick house, landing in the dirt. The boy felt immense pain running through his body but tried to resume fighting.
“I won’t submit if it means innocent people are going to be killed. I’ll give my life if I have to”
“Very well, just remember you said that” Aiden brushed her red hair from her golden eyes, moving right up to her target. She put her fingers close together like a dagger with her hand in front of her. Denmore could barley keep up with her as she raced toward him. He grabbed her wrist, but felt his body go cold, he looked down to see her hand half-way through his chest. She pulled her hand out as Sara showed up, watching her friend hit the ground barley alive.
She let out a scream as a blue aura surged around her like a storm. “I’ll kill you for that!” Manori moved even faster than her partner with the electric boost, Right before she could attack, Aiden caught her arm, slamming her to the ground. “You seem even stronger than him, sadly he won’t be alive much longer. Might as well forget about him, man just hold you back” The woman said placing her foot on the girl’s chest to keep her pinned.
“S-stop this!!” With a loud scream, the girl’s eyes became red with her aura giving off immense power. Aiden stepped back in surprise as her target levitated off the ground, floating in place. “We might’ve not known our master that long, but the pain of his death will stay with me forever. Now my only friend is about to day on the same day!? Enough! If he dies, I’m going to show you what I can do when I’m broken by rage!”
“I’d like to see that. Let’s see just how strong your anger takes you” The moment she said that about to end Connor with another stab, she felt her entire body frozen in place. (W-what is this!? I can’t even move my mouth!) She looked around and spotted a bird that was frozen in place in the air. (No that’s no possible! No one is capable of stopping time!) She knew all this power was putting a great strain on Sara’s body, but the rage and adrenaline kept her going.
“I’m going to kill you, then go to Aquarius to have a world with your nation’s ruler” With that, she struck the tyrant’s chest with fierce power, causing Adrian’s heart to burst killing her instantly. “Be thankful you got a quick death, even though you don’t deserve such a fate” As time resumed, she walked over to her dying friend.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough to stay around with you”
“No don’t say that I can still heal you!” She put her hands on his torso, green light outlining his body. But when she looked back up at him, his body was healed body his eyes were still closed. She fell to her knees just now feeling the lash back of her full power attack from her rage. “D-don’t leave me Akaia please! I don’t want to travel alone!”
Just then the boy's spirit left his body, walking over to her with a white mist around him. She sat there as he knelt down in front of her, putting his transparent hand on her cheek. She could actually feel it, even though it was extremely cold. “Don’t be sad, you’ll be ok without me. I’m sorry, but with your amazing potential, I’m sure you’ll become something great in a few years. She watched as he kissed her forehead before ascending into the sky vanishing…
(TO BE CONTINUED…)
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