It was a typical warm summer morning out in the blistering farm, I was out finishing up plowing the fields as my body bathed in sweat and must. The afternoon had been hell for me, the baking heat, the blinding light, I was in an oven frying alive under the unforgiving sun. Thank god the dastardly star was waning or else I would have died underneath her thumb.

I thought that I could possibly make to plow my last row before the sun could disappear in the horizon having the moon to cool me off, but my body ached from working all day... I do not plan to work all night, stories have it that strange things happen to people when they don't get enough sleep, and believe me I do not want to be one of them.

Tired and exhausted, sweeping the pool of sweat sliding from my face much like an flooding river going over the edge much like a waterfall I turned to the old shack behind me; the house was not all that spectacular or merry, or pedestrian and ordinary. It was just a shack, a shack our parents left for me before they perished. It was an old house, time has done away with the old hearth, but it was still in good condition... I bet. I often dream to leave this land to somewhere better, but that was a long time ago. This land here, this land all around me even though was abandoned long ago still have some resources that we can scrap. But who's complaining? Around here, despite the heat, I get to see the beauty of the prairie, watching the tall grass bloom in the wind, the awe inspiring hills in the distance and the crystal stream flowing to the valley yonder pass the small village too small to see.

Calling it a day, I picked up my rake and walked up to the porch to where I spotted through the window Nya on the floor inches away from the kitchen tables. She was hungry I could tell. We had not eaten for the pass few days since the drought occurred.

I thought that I wouldn't succumb to the disadvantages of nature - looks like I was wrong. I opened the door and saw her sitting against the wall; she held her bear and brushed it gently on its head. I crouched to the floor and brushed my head gently against her wild nappy hair.

"Nya? Why are doing on the floor?" I asked.

Nya turned her head to me.

"Nya?"

"I hear them?"

"Hear who?"

"Them, the wind rustling in the air. I hear them. Can you?" I furrowed, then suddenly I realized something, the night it happened...the night when she died in front of us when that thug shot her at the market. It was too soon for us to lose her. Too soon. What can say to her about such a topic like this? Something like death is difficult to explain to a child. How can she bear it? How will she? I was scared on what was going to happen.

"It's okay if you can't hear them," she said, "Because they can hear you."

"How?" I asked.

"Our souls match theirs," she said, "Its like you said Michael, they are watching over us." I smiled warmly and nodded, "Yes, yes they are." I said, "Come here." She crawled over to me and wrapped my arms around her as the light from the window waned letting in the darkness.

We didn't go to school like other kids our age. Our parents taught us everything they knew, often giving me notebooks they used when they were in school. Like other kids I was a bit of a slouch. I thought that being taught such quote on quote nonsense was a total waste of time. Turns out I was wrong. The older I got the more wise I had become...more like my old man - if only I was like him.

My parents were legendary, incredible even, even to the point of me calling them teachers and prophets...always protecting us...showing us the gateways to greatness - but for all legends they all pass away. They may be gone, but they are never forgotten. I would never forget their teachings; I would teach Nya the fundamentals: English, Math, Science...etc. Just enough for her to survive.

I carried Nya to her small bedroom consisting only a bed, a small bookcase, and a closet full of clothes that I had made for her to wear: five identical pairs of pants and 5 shirts made of wool and/or cotton. I gently laced her on her bed and tucked her in her blankets. Her eyes were not leaving me as I prepared her for the night.

"I know I've been working all week, but I'm trying honey..."

"I have no doubts," she croaked, "I believe that you can succeed."

"Really?"

"Mmm hmm, everyone makes mistakes, Michael," she said, "I know that you won't give up no matter how hard life seems." I smiled, "You're sweet."

She smiled back, "Can you read me a bedtime story?" she asked with those sparkling brown eyes, begging to be covered. I giggled.

"Alright," I said spotting an old chair at the corner yonder, "Just let me get my best chair." I walked over to the corner and pulled the chair from the corner to the bedside.

"Wait, you have no book," she noticed, "How can you tell a story without a book?"

"Ahh, but a book is written is it not? How fun can that be if the ending is already told?" I asked playfully tickling her while making soft childish roars.

I cleared my throat and I began...

"There once was an acorn who was small and static with a golden heart encased in its shell. He was sad and lonely, alone in the vast world. Then one day a warring storm poured onto the thick brown shell, tapping the nut drop by drop. Drip. Drip. Drip. The storm lasted for days upon weeks, upon months, upon years. Then finally one day, the acorn became green and sprouted, becoming stronger and durable. He grew arms, he grew a thick wooden trunk," I honked her nose and she laughed, "He grew and grew until the day the little acorn was no longer an acorn but a guardian. A guardian angel who protected the creatures living among it. And that was the name of the Acorn who became a Tree..." I said, my thoughts being interrupted by Nya sleeping, "Good night," I said kissing her on her forehead.

I walked quietly out of her room, shutting off the lights and closing the door.

In the bathroom, I took a long glance at the mirror, just thinking. Memories rushing to my head the more I thought. Michael, no matter how hard life seems, keep fighting," my mom said as I remembered that dark rainy day as I held her in my arms seeing the bloody hole on her chest as blood seeped from it. The more I thought about it, tears would slide down my face. The memory was still fresh. I could still feel the cool icy rain striking my body, pelting its sharp claws against my body. I remembered holding her hand firmly before it slipped from my grip. I could still remember the dreaded exhale, the whimper, the tears, that last look...it was still fresh. What have I done to deserve this? What more could I done to prevent this?

A tear slid down my face as I sobbed in the coolness of the night.

"I'm so sorry," I sobbed lightly.

Just before I turned around to get to bed, I felt something hugging my leg. It was Nya! I crouched down and wrapped my arms around her as I silently cry in the night.

2: The Marketplace

The night was bare, the air was cool, and the sky was blatantly dark with speckles of white diamonds shimming in the moon's haunting light, at the moon's apex, a blue shriek cuts through the blackened skies like a knife cutting through butter, wailing an alien sound as it descended from the heavens.

It traveled all the way down, hot as hell, glowing as blue as the ocean's tint, and then…

CRASH!

The surrounding ground from our field flew outwards, exerting a lot of energy from the catastrophic fall, leaving a bowled-depression to seep in; when the ground soothed, blue light spewed from the depression.

…

It was the middle of the hot day; the sun's blistering heat had destroyed the crops. I was frustrated; growing mad each second crop by crop, killed by the murderous sun's blistering heat. I was losing water, a lot of water. It was pretty common that we have this kind of heat; however, this kind of heat was hellish.

Acres of farmland was baked in the natural oven, I could see the horizon bending from the distance.

I went back in the house to cool myself off, only to see Nya rocking on her rocking horse, pretending as usual for her taste of adventure. Maybe that's one of the advantages of being a kid, never have to worry about anything; they can escape in their own fictional worlds without any care at all. Seeing her happy, made me happy, but since there was no food around the house, plus add to the absence of paternal supervision, reality would hit you like a rain of rocks.

"Michael," she called, "I'm hungry."

I kneeled, trying my best that she was alright. Besides, she was the only family I had left.

"Let's say we go into town, and see if they have any food for us to eat." I said, "And then when we get back, everything's going to be fine."

"Okay," she said innocently.

"Great, get dressed, we're heading to the marketplace." And with that, she got off her rocking horse, puts her doll down on the kitchen table and advanced towards her room to get dressed. After she left to get herself ready, my mature mind stared at the two-handed firearm currently hanging by the small fireplace. I slowly took the old family's "Two Logs" and loaded it up. Dangerous people would try you if you aren't armed. These were dangerous times – even in the remote country side. I cocked my weapon as I got myself ready. After Nya was dressed, she nodded her head to the side, almost with a fright.

"Michael?"

I walked towards her, I could understand her fear, and I was in that same position before. I held her by the shoulder as I got on my knees, trying to be the big brother as I was.

"There are dangerous people out there, people who will gouge people's eyes and burn them in front of their prey. It's predation without purpose. Now, you have to promise me that you will not leave my sight, understand?" I asked softly.

"I understand," she said, "But you said it's wrong to kill people."

"Sometimes the world has no happy endings," I said.

"Why?"

"Because that's how the world is," he said.

"Why?"

I took a long pause to think until I gave my answer, "I don't know. It's just is. But don't let that haunt you; everything's going to be fine." I kissed her on the forehead.

Nya smiled.

…

At the village's market place, a few people were up and about, getting what they need. The village was not huge or fancy as the cities, nor was it exotic and full of luxury like the rich, or the nothingness of the south, it was small and nice, and people knew each other here. We grew our own food, made our own money and the like. We were our own city-state if you want to call it that.

But even in small towns, there were those who would always start trouble, the No-Landers we call them. They were the people who are not from our village. Some may come as a friendly visitor, but to most only come here to buy our home, destroy it, industrialize it, making it pollute like the other garbage cities of the north, or worse. Many of us bore arms; the village was practically self-governed with a mix of a democratic representative here and there.

We were at the fruits section of the marketplace; several salesmen were already making a few bucks here and there, a wee pittance.

We stopped by a fruit stand, it was a bit new, must be a No-Lander, but this one seemed a bit civilized. He wore a black bowler hat, a black vest and a beige, buttoned shirt, a golden pocket watch swung from his left shirt-pocket, he wasn't cut, he practically big, to complete he had a thick bushy mustache, and two chins to boot.

The man presented himself to be very well educated and well-mannered in appearance. He got our attention by addressing us. This was when things turned weird.

"Good day young Michael, and Nya," the man greeted. We were spooked. How in the hell this guy knew our names and our appearance? I gripped my gun tightly. Nya hid behind my left leg.

"Who are you sir?" I asked, trying hard not to provoke him.

"I am a man with many names, I'm a man of no man, the one seek to know thy morrow," he said, "But if my physical name is the thing you want to know, then here it is, what is large and grey with vast knowledge?"

"I don't get it," I said.

"I'll give you a hint," he said, "It's the thing in you and I that fester within, seeking to quench its thirst from the dry matter…"

"You know what, skip that," I said, "How do you know our names?"

"I don't know, I just sort of wish if you could tell me, Michael," he said, "I'm just like that I'm afraid."

"Yeah sure," I said, I held Nya, and picked her up to my shoulders. The man gave us that creepy smile. I wasn't sure what to look at him. He was pretty strange. Not to judge him, but he just was. He was difficult to pinpoint.

"You seem rather different," he said, "Or is it I?"

"What do you want from us?" I asked.

"Nothing," he smiled, "I just want to say hello. May I help you?"

I had a long pause. My first guess was to turn away and let the authorities handle it, but we were out on food, and depicting in his counter, he had loads of it.

"Yeah, um, do you have any fresh fruits?" I asked.

"Fruits? Mango, apples…"

"Just fruits, it doesn't matter, I'll…"

"The mind don't pay for anything, the mind does things for free. You don't pay a monthly fee to move your arms? Do you?"

He does have a point about that, but in all, was he really giving his fruits for free? Why, and in this heat of all days he picked this day to sell his stuff for free. What about his payment?

"Just hold right there and I will be right with you," he said. Then after that, he pulled out not fruit, but it was dry soil.

"What the hell is this?" I asked.

"Fruit!" he said.

3: The Gash

The man set a handful of soil to us and presented to us as it's a fruit. Not wasting time trying to argue with the man, I politely declined and began to go on our way.

"So you don't want any fruit?" the man asked.

"Listen," I began, "You seem nice, but that's dirt. If you don't have anything with…"

Lying on the table were dozens of oranges. Where did they come from? The counter was voided from the debris from the soil. Nya was in awe. I walked over to the man enthralled. The mangos sat there on the desk shining in the sun. They look unnaturally fresh.

"Where's the dirt?" I asked.

"There was no dirt," he smiled, "Here, take a piece of fruit."

And then so I did, I took the fruit from the counter and paid him the money for the fruit. However, the man just declined the money.

"You don't pay to breathe, or to move. Go ahead and take it," he said with a smile.

"Thank you," I returned the smile. We turned away from the counter and went our own way.

"Michael?" Nya began as I carried her through the marketplace, "He's strange."

"Strange people have morals than normal people, most of the time," I said. Nya giggled a bit.

…

We shopped for food until the day reached its apex; the day was steadily becoming cooler. So far we gathered fruits, vegetables, fish, meats, and other specialties. We weren't done yet since we had to trek to get one last item.

"Lemons" Nya called.

"Yes, lemons; lemons, lemons, lemons, oh where could the old yellow lemons be? Hm," I playfully thought as I looked around the marketplace in a search for the lemons. I pondered as I looked around the small marketplace – until I finally found it.

Oddly, the lemons were being sold around in the vegetable section. I don't know why since lemons don't grow from the ground. I strolled over with my happy sister, dancing around. She couldn't wait for her to push the yellow juicy lemon down in her mouth.

"How are you sir?" asked a salesman, "Nice gun by the way."

"Thanks, it was a family heirloom," I said, "I'm doing well, how about you?" I asked setting up my payment.

"Not so good," said the man.

As the man and I started our conversation, Nya slid her arm from my hands and saw a young boy looking around. He looked like he had no one. Nya looked back at me; I was busy at the moment having a conversation with the Salesman.

For what I could remember, Nya felt pretty sorry for the young man. He looked like that he had no one. No one was by him. He was aimlessly walking to the distance. He had that one gold coin, but instead of buying something to help support him, he refused, or what it looked like it.

The boy had short brown hair, blue eyes, and was wearing raggedy clothes. He seemed a little taller than Nya, only by a centimeter. She took advantage of me talking to the man in front of me at the counter to meet the boy.

f

"I was strolling through the marketplace in our small village, looking for some valuables that would be essential to our home. Every counter from every corner was jammed packed, the marketplace was booming in the relentless sun. The heat that scorned created a booming marketplace. As time rolled by, the vast numbers hurrying to and fro from counter to counter began to dwindle as temperatures began to cool. From that point, the marketplace was reduced to its normal state as more counters began to shut down for the end of the day.

"The sun was beginning to set on the horizon in that evening. I was still looking for some valuables, any valuables would do really, a hay penny, silvers, old watches, anything. It was hard to survive in a land isolated from the world.

"Now, there were a few people who were shopping in this former booming sector, but in all else, it was nothing more but one silent block.

"I carried nothing. Absolutely nothing even when the sector of the village was booming earlier on that day. I was tired and hungry; I could barely stand. My vision was blurring as my small limbs became dull, feebly walking aisle after aisle looking for any value to support myself, but now metals were no longer relevant. It was food. I've gone a whole fortnight without any natural value. I was nothing more but bones wrapped around by a thin sheet of skin. The temperature hadn't helped much either. As time progressed, the cool air from the north began to settle in.

"I walked another quarter-foot in the shrinking block, feeling the cool arctic air sizzling against me, frying me with its blistering, cool breath. I was getting weak, very weak.

"The sun was setting, the air was progressing, and I was trembling in my knees trying to warm myself. Seeing that the entire marketplace was voided from any valuables, I began to take the long walk home – until…

"'Are you okay?' asked a concerned voice.

"I turned around and I saw a little girl about my age. She had light brown skin, freely loose hair, and hazel brown eyes. She looked friendly and serene. Behind her was a young man carrying a rifle talking to a salesman at the counter, who was about to close up shop. They were the only ones left in this deserted sector.

"'No,' I replied, 'I don't feel all too well.'

"'Oh, I'm sorry,' she said, 'is there anything I can do?'

"'No, I'm perfectly…' My left leg was about to give out. My body began to strain, deteriorating almost. I moaned in pain as my tears slithered down from my eyes like a slow moving river.

"'Oh my,' said the girl in melancholy, 'Michael! Michael!'

"She turned to the young man who carried his rifle. The man alarmingly turned around, armed and ready. But then turned to see the girl pointing at me in absolute pain, both of the grownups hurriedly came to my care. As my legs gave out, the young man with the rifle caught me in his arms. The girl stood by me in worry.

"'What happened here?' the man asked.

"'He's not feeling too well!' the girl told.

"She was right, I was not well. My legs trembled, my breathing quickened, hyperventilating almost. It was like that I was finally paling.

"'Hey kid, kid!' the man began, my vision becoming opaque, 'Can you hear me?'

"I shivered, and then…

f

After Nya showed me the boy who was in trouble, the boy began to hyperventilate in an alarming rate. He looked like he was about to pass out – or worse I'm afraid. Just when I thought that it could've been an unknown illness, my face paled at three, long deep gashes diagonally cutting across the boy's torso. The gashes looked partially healed, but it still looked profaned. It was as if he was…oh my god. Nya shook in fear. I could see it in her eyes.

"What the hell?" the salesman mused in absolute horror.

"Who could have done this?" I asked him.

"Help me," the boy pled as he sobbed, "Please."

"Is there a hospital near here?" the salesman asked.

"No, we have house doctors, but that's it," I said.

f

"As they talked it over, my hearing was distorting. My eyes were beginning to get heavy. The last thing I remembered was me seeing the girl.

"'Don't worry, we'll get you better,' she said.

"'Who are you?' I asked, my voice getting dimmer.

"The girl let out a small smile, 'My name's Nya.'

"'Thames,' I said, letting a small cough.

"'Alright, c'mon Nya,' said the man picking me up.

"'Are you sure you can take care of him?' asked the salesman, skeptical.

"'I'm sure,' he said before I blacked out.

4: The Stone

The sun sat on the horizon dragging its once day lit skies along with it. It was kind enough for the Salesman to hitch us a ride home in his merchant wagon; Nya sat besides the boy with the nasty gash marks on his torso. She was scared for him, we all were.

We tried the best we could by wrapping a wet, alcohol-filled, wash cloth. I could not imagine the pain he was going through. The boy screamed in pain as the alcohol seeped into his skin burning him in the process, trying to lesson the pain. I was surprised that the boy lasted this, the scorn marks this severe would have either killed him or made him to complain more about it. For a child, his will was far mature than anyone I had ever swabbed the overwhelming sweat from the boy's forehead with a wet rag, she was soothing him as the boy's eyes began to water.

"It's going to be okay," Nya said sweetly.

The boy whimpered, tears slowly snaked down like a slow moving river. The boy slowly gripped my sister's hand. "You're helping me?" the boy asked in a grave, dying tone, "Why?"

Nya replied with a smile and a nod.

"Don't worry, we're almost there champ," I said, patting his left arm. We kept him assuaged the best way we could as we rode along the dirt road.

...

We finally arrived at our hearth; I carried the boy inside the house as the Salesman carried some medicine for us to use to help the boy. Nya came inside the house, worried. She tugged on my left leg frowning.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"I don't know," I said softly, "The three nasty gashes are..."

"Michael," I turned my head to face the Salesman who placed the boy gently down on the table. Nya and I walked over to the table. However, in my mind, I thought that this was getting too serious for Nya to get involved. She had done enough to make the boy comfortable, befriending him and everything, but this was not a time for any child to get involved in any of this. This was adult territory.

Before I turned to the boy and the Salesman, I faced Nya. "Nya, can you meet me in your room. I'll be there as soon as I'm done."

"Why can't I be here in the kitchen?" Nya protested, "I can help out!"

"I know you can," I said, "But this is adult territory. I don't want you to get hurt by anything okay."

"But..."

"Nya?" I said giving her the look.

Nya sighed, "Okay."

She pouted and walked to the hallways towards her room, but before she vanished completely, she leered at her doorway looking at the procedure taking place.

I looked at the boy in worry. He was silently hyperventilating, but in a very violent pace.

"What's going to happen to him?" I asked, "He's panting dangerously."

"I don't know," he said, "I've seen a lot of injuries in my day, but this...this is just profoundly disturbing. I don't know what did this, nor typically do I know why. All I - we know is that he's badly hurt and needs a place to rest. I'm sorry, that's all I can say for the moment until the time passes otherwise."

I took a very long glance at the boy. He locked his eyes on me - especially me. What could I do? I was not fate, nor do I know who does. I have no omnipotent power to restore him, nor was I wise enough for me to come up with a remedy to slow down his fate. Nya was sadden by the news. Here was a friend that she just met dying. She collapsed to the floor, sat on her knees and began to sob lightly. "I don't know," he said, "The boy's a fighter, I'll give him that, but reiterating, time will say otherwise. Until then, its hard to predict."

"Thank you," I said, "Is there anything I can do for right now?"

"There are two," he replied, "You can slow the pain by treating him with that alcohol-filled, wash cloth, you can let him rest, or both," he said.

"Okay," I said, "Thanks for everything, man," I shook his hand before he grabbed his hat and gloves and nodded as he walked out, closing the door behind him. Just before I went to the boy, I saw Nya sobbing by her doorway.

"Nya?" I called over.

Nya did not respond.

"Nya?"

Nya lifted her head to face me, her face was tear infested. She got up and wiped her tears as she approached me.

"Is something bothering you?" I asked worriedly.

Nya didn't spoke, she simply directed her head towards the boy lying on the table, nearly lifeless.

"I'm sorry Nya," I said, "But there's nothing that we could do."

"Why?" she asked.

"Because...because..." I sighed, realizing on how young she was, if you say the wrong words to a child, they'll be scorned for the rest of their lives. It was something that I don't want to intend for my sister, "Nya, honey," I began, "Remember when I told you the story about the acorn?"

Nya nodded.

"Even trees run in cycles, nothing is immortal. And when things begin to whither away, they die," I said with a hint of sadness dominating my voice.

Nya was frozen, all she could do was look at the floor before facing me, "But he can regenerate? Can he?"

"Baby, not everything can come back from it, not even them. I'm sorry," I said breaking.

Nya lowered her head, "It's not fair."

I lifted her chin, "Nya, everyone has a purpose for them to fulfill, whether its good or bad. Everyone exists here for a reason."

Tears began to develop around her eye sockets, "Will you die?" she looked up at me.

I had nothing to say. What could I say to a person who hadn't been on this planet for thus long? How? What kind of words can I use to explain it her. I sighed and I looked at her in the eye.

"My body might die, but my soul will live eternally. So if I do, no matter how narrow my vision is from the world to see you grow, no matter how deep, I'll look after you," I said.

Nya smiled and hugged me, the moment lasted until Nya's eyes glanced at the boy laying at the table lifeless.

"Is he going to be okay?" she asked. I looked at the direction Nya was facing and approached the boy lying on the table. Strangely, his breathing had returned to normal.

"I don't know," I said before glancing at the boy again, "But I think its best for him to rest in the couch. I'll extend it and..."

"He can sleep in my bed," Nya interjected.

"Nya..."

"Please," she begged, "You'll do the same for me! Please!"

I had to think about it; albeit, she was right in a lot of notes. If she was in the exact same predicament, I wouldn't let her sleep in a table or sleep on the couch like a tool. No. Because if I were to do that, what kind of guardian - an older sibling would I be? I glanced at the boy again sighing before I turned my head to Nya.

"Okay," I finally accepted, "But I would have to make a pallet for him, I don't want you to get ill."

Nya smiled. The boy finally opened his eyes; he coughed, a small pint of blood squirted from his injuries; he tried to get up, but the pain from his torso was just to great. I reeled him back down so that way he wouldn't hurt himself.

"Easy there, man," I said.

"Thank you," he said in a groggy tone in his voice.

"You're welcome," I said, "What's your name son?"

"My name is Thames," replied the boy, "Thames Grains."

...

The next day, I woke up yawning deeply, whiffing the foul breath produced by the insides of my body. The odor was horrid, so horrid that nearly threw up in my mouth. Ech! After I fixed my room for the new day to shine, I was at the hallway advancing to my sister's room to wake her for the new day - until I stumbled across their room.

It sat there empty and void, filled with nothing but memories, memories that are distant. Yes, I could remember the day perfectly, the perfect day when I was involved with them. But that was long ago. I watched the dust from the ceiling slowly accumulate on the furniture. Sadly, I closed the door a lone tear slowly snaking down on my face. I wiped it off.

...

I slowly opened the door to my sister's room and saw her in bed sleeping soundly, but when I look on the floor, young Thames was not there. Could it be that he's...I couldn't be too certain at the cost whether he's alive or...that. All I knew was that the boy was gone! This baffled me for a little bit. I closed the door, not wanting to disturb her; I began my search for the boy, wherever he was.

I looked all around the house. What bothered me was that as small as the house was, I couldn't find the boy! Could he just possibly run off without leaving a trace of his absence?

~Where is that boy?~ I thought.

...

I was at the porch looking for young Thames.

"Thames?" I called. No reply.

"Thames?" I called again.

Again there was no reply.

Just before I thought of the inevitable, I finally found him. He was standing in the middle of the open field locking his gazing eyes at the sky. He wasn't moving much, he was standing still as a board. Stiff.

"Thames? Bro are you okay?" I asked.

The boy didn't reply. His gaze was still locked to the sky.

"Thames?"

"Huh?" He finally spoke.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

"Somewhat," he replied, "Though this rash on my stomach is irritating to me though."

"Rash?" I furrowed. I was stumped until a light bulb shone from above my head, ~The gashes?~

"Thames, can you do me this little favor?" I said.

Thames nodded.

"Lift up your shirt, I want to see the rash," I said. Thames nodded and began to lift up his shirt. And what to what I have discovered was mind blowing. The gashes that we saw yesterday were barely present. In fact instead of the three nasty gashes, I saw several hard coatings across his torso, and to make it even more surreal, they looked kind of typical. Pedestrian at that. How was this possible? Albeit, the gashes weren't there to completely cover up the nasty marks, but it was getting there. Naturally, when a person gets a nasty gash - if they're lucky, the gashes would heal in a matter of a few months or years! - but this, this was extraordinarily surreal to me. My mind was in utter chaos.

"By God's hammer," I lost my voice at this, "You're quickly healing."

Thames pulled his shirt down, "I am?" he asked.

"You mean, you don't know?" I asked.

Thames didn't reply.

Thames didn't reply.

I sighed and looked into the boy's eyes, "Do you know who did this to you? - who slashed you?" I asked.

"I-I don't remember - exactly; I'm sorry," he said.

"It's okay, say do you want to come in for breakfast?" I asked.

The boy nodded and let out a small smile as he followed me back to the house, "The sun's about to be hot soon, I don't want you to stand out in the sun too long."

As the sun steadily began to slowly climb up to its naturally pedestal, a dark clanking sound rocketed the underbelly of the land.

...

Deep underground where the air was hot, the skies were red tinted in black, littered by giant, screeching buzzards. In the distance, these demonic buzzards flew into a darkened, flame lit castle.

The land was partially dead, the only life that were still accessible to live there was the bones from rotting flesh. The ground was mostly ash, covering the sol in so much pain, suffocating it to the point in which no life thrives, native or foreign. Sunlight was but all a dark, distant memory. The clouds above acted as a second sky. The noises of these giant buzzards were the replacement for birds that once tweeted in the sky. Nothing survived here.

The natives here were the creatures that torn the land, walking, sentient reptilian creatures with razor sharp teeth and swishing tales carried large quantities of slaves in their large wagons in masses. There were millions of these creatures. Millions. They spread like ants on an anthill and were more vicious at that with their vast numbers. Their heads were like snakes, but they walk like man. Their backward, extended claws torn the land by storm daily as they honked and screeched with one another, communicating. A guttural roar was heard from afar, a collection of buzzards polluted the air with their vast numbers, tearing the land with its hellish screeches.

In the darkened castle, the lit flames hanging from the walls illuminated the Great Hall of the castle allowing the vision to see creatures in a community intermingle wit each other. Monotone music was playing in the background. The...dinosaurs, or what they called themselves, the Neomen intermingled with one another, sipping in their own blood and wine. The hall was a vast community of herbivorous and carnivorous creatures together, segregated so that one won't draw conflict against one another. Despite all of that, the Great Hall was massive. Several chandeliers hung in the heaven-topped ceilings. There was a fountain in the middle of it all, acres-load of space, and a stage for them all. It was something that could fit hundreds of people - if not more.

Entering the Great Hall was a velociraptor wearing a black cloak with a golden Θ emblemized on the center of the cloak, the Earl of the kingdom. It walked civilly across the vastly distant social class of these creatures.

It walked through the vast Great Hall until it entered the lengthened hall attaching the main room. By the time he was in front of the two large, elephantine double doors, guarded by two large herbivorous, colossus creatures with mases as tails, and large scales carrying column-sized spears energized by tachyon balls powerful enough to annihilate an entire continent. The two bipedal, large-tusked Centasauruses glared at the Earl.

"What is your business here, raptor?" asked one with the deep voice.

"An ancient gem, it's something that he must know," said the Earl.

The guards exchanged faces.

...

The throne room was vast if not the most colossal than the Great Hall of the castle. The Earl walked in, the two massive doors closed behind him. He walked into the room, his feet echoing in the vast, dark emptiness of the great throne room. He gulped in absolute terror, which he should be. The room had a dark Olympic look, big enough to fit the mightiest of gods. There were a few lit torches, but they were dimly lit as the winds from the windows were steadily blowing them out. It was a rarity for any creature to set forth in this room.

"Hello? My liege?" the Earl called looking around, shaking, shivering in the room from hell. Just as he was about to turn around, large reddened eyes opened up from behind him. Two of them. The reddened eyes locked its black pupils upon the Earl. Next came a Satanic, guttural growl. The superheated air blew on the Earl like something from hell. Smoke exerted from the beast's nose; it growled again as it slowly advanced towards its prey.

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

THUD!

The Earl turned around and saw the great, carnivorous beast that ruled the land, Mungfalme, the King of the Dinos, the God of the dead. The king was so big, not even the eerie light from the outside nor the light from the torches illuminated his entire stature. He was nothing more but a shadow.

"For what purpose did you invade my slumber?" asked the king in his booming, tyrannical voice.

"My liege, forgive my presence," began the frightened velociraptor, trembling, "It's just that I have received word that an object had fallen from the sky two nights ago."

"You came into my presence, disturbed my slumber all because you saw a fallen star?" the king roared, but in a soothing, booming, authoritarian tone, "Name me two wrong reasons why I should care - or why I should let you live?" he threatened cooingly.

"Because it's the artifact that you were looking for. The artifact in which your father, and your father's father been looking since the dawn of time."

The king reeled back, his eyes relaxing, "The Alpha Stone."

"Yes," said the Earl.

"Do you have any idea where the thing had landed, my Earl?"

"We...are unaware where it is," said the Earl sheepishly.

"WHAT!?"

"I mean, we have no idea right now. Um, but we are looking for it, I already told some scouts..."

"Find it! - and find it quickly, for if it gets in the hands of the Annunaqui, there's no telling. Find it, and don't come back until you bestow the badge to me. For whence it's in my hands, the world will know my name." he said in his booming voice, "Now go, and leave me in peace, but know this, Earl if you fail to retreat the stone, I will fail to keep you alive, is that understood?"

"I understand completely sire," the velociraptor responded quickly.

"Good, now go," said the king.

The Earl left.

5: The Tag

I sat in my parent's study reading old classic books from horror to fantasy. I couldn't find the time for me to read them, nor do anything jovial for that matter; it wasn't like when I was young. I had to grow up like everyone else. But looking back, I looked outside and saw Nya happily having fun with Thames. However there was something that was becoming a bother. Where was his parents? Did they abandon him? - die?. Or perhaps they might've moved away to the north and mistakenly forgot him? Poor bloke. Happily, I called the Salesman from yesterday to aid me on searching for an orphanage for him.

 

 

 

I looked out and I though, ~They aren't going to remain children forever~ So I thought that maybe if I were to be their guardian, I might as well act like one. So, I picked up an old, dusty address book buried from beneath the red leathery chair I was currently sitting in. I flipped through the pages until I found the perfect place.

"Bingo," I mused with a smile.

...

"The day was still young even though the sun was slowly coming down from its natural pedestal. We were looking for the legendary Snipe, a creature Nya told me about. She told me that every night, Michael would sit down and tell her stories about creatures that neither I haven't heard of, but that was the imagination of a child. A child's imagination could awe even the most imaginative of most adults. Acting like adventurer. We fought dragons and everything else. Playing the roles of the characters her brother came up with for her.

"'Thames?' She called.

"'What is it, Nya?' I asked getting up from the ground.

"'You never told me where you came from,' she said, 'Are you from the north?'

I hesitated. I didn't remember much where I was from, it didn't click to me that much, "I don't know.'

Nya furrowed, 'Do you remember anything? - like at all?' She sounded a bit concerned.

"'I don't remember anything at all really, sorry,' I said.

"'It's okay,' she said, 'My brother and the Salesman are going to help you search for your parents! And once we find them, you'll be able to go home!' she said with a sweet smile.

"I gave her a warm smile, 'Thank you.' Though, there was something that still bothered me. For what I could grasp, Nya was my age and Michael looked like he could be a couple years or more older. He didn't look like most adults. He had no hair around his face, his voice wasn't all that deepened yet, or for what I heard every time he talks, and seemed rather childish in huge rarest of times. So who was taking care of them?

"Just before Ai began to ask, Nya slapped me on my back, rather hard though and laughed. I sort of glared at her until she yelled out, 'You're it!'

"'Okay you're going to pay for that!' I said as I chased around the playfully frightened Nya around the field. I was rather slow, but seeing her run was like seeing a horse dashing by you in a split second. Boy she was fast!

"I stopped and took a breather.

"'Aw, you're tired? Come on, you were almost there!' Nya said.

"'Give me a break, Nya! You're too fast!' I remarked.

"'Am I too fast or are you too slow?' she asked with tiny bit of cynicism. I suspected that she was a bit cocky. That kinda pushed me to get up in determination.

"'Too slow for you maybe!" I retorted with a smug, before she smacked me up side the head again.

"'Come and get me, slow poke!' Nya yelled.

"I had a cocky grin across my face as I began to race her across the field. And then so the race began. It was the first lap and I was losing - miserably. Jus t five feet away and climbing, Nya was already gone.

"'Come on! Pick it up!' Nya cheered me on, 'Pick up the pace if you want to win!'

"'I am not a slow poke!' I yelled angrily; suddenly, my legs began to move quick, I felt the environment moving around me slowly. The trees were a blur. My breathing slowed, or what it seemed to be. Then before I knew the wind gusts began to blow through my hair, and then...

"'Whoa?' Nya awed as I ran passed her in super speed. I stopped by pulling on "the breaks" and slid across the field like a hover cycle creating a cloud of dust. I panted and chuckled at Nya's dumbstruck look.

"'Whoa, no fair,' she said while keeping her awing tone.

"'Who's slow now?' I teased earning Nya's glare, but then smiled and we made a pound.

"'Not bad, you're fast - too fast! You are like a beast when I saw you running like that!'

"'Yeah, I wonder the same thing how,' I chuckled.

"Nya furrowed, 'You mean you have no idea?'

"'I have no idea on lots of things. Like how I wound up at the village, and...'

"'The marks.' Nya pointed out. In fact, like everything else I have forgotten, I has also unaware about the marks on my torso.

"'What marks?' I asked curiously.

"'These marks, how'd...whoa,' Nya dilated her eyes After she lifted up my shirt and all. On my torso, there were two faintly looking scars, I furrowed and then looked at Nya.

"'What happened to them?' she asked.

"'What happened to what?' I asked.

"'Oh my...,' Nya said pulling my shirt down. She then took another glance at me in awe. She took a good paces back, not too far. I could to tell she was scared, but I don't know how or why?

"'Who and what are you?' She asked in a frightened tone.

"'I don't know,' I said.

"'If you can't remember a thing, how come you remember your name?' I asked.

"'I don't,' I said shocking her, 'I don't know who I really am. I just woke up in the village and then I saw this,' I pulled a tag from my pocket, and showed it to Nya. The tag was rusted in metal, the letters were barely readable for what I could tell. I handed the tag over to her and she took a good look at it, 'This might be a clue unto finding your parents!' she exclaimed.

"'Are you sure?' I asked.

"'Yeah!' If we can take this to Michael, maybe he can contact the Salesman so that way it can lead us to your parents!'

"'Are you sure that this can help?' I asked.

"Nya smiled and nodded, 'Now come on, we got to give this to Michael!'

...

Looking back, I began to remember all the stuff what I used to do when I was kid. Everything from toys to me running around. To me that was a utopia, but because of that unfortuanate event that had taken place in this broken nation, I was the only one to defend both the house hold and it's youngest member. I was now a guardian as well as a brother. It was hard, but in the end. I always found a way to thrive, for me to protect the family I have, and Nya was the only family I have left.

After I have found the place, I walked outside calling both Nya and Thames to come forth.

"Michael? What's going on?" Nya asked.

"Starting tomorrow, you're going to school!" I said, "I feel since you're going on seven, I think it's only fair for me to take you to the nearest school house. It's not too far from here."

"What about me, sir?" Thames asked.

"You are going too, but all in all, we might need you in most days to help us find..."

"But we have a clue!" Nya interjected.

"What?"

"It's true," Thames said, "There was a tag in my pocket and it have some information about my parents!"

"Really that's great! Hurry, let me see this tag!" I said.

Thames gave me the tag immediately, on the rusted tag, the letters are barely readable. Barely readable! How can anyone be able to see this faint layer of text?

"I know it's a little faint, but it can help us find his parents!" Nya excitedly said.

I was unsure. The text was barely readable, and everything! I don't know how to express this.

"Nya, this text cannot be read. it going to be difficult trying to find Thames's parents," I said.

"Please, I know this would work," Nya whined, "Just trust me on this!"

"But..."

"Please!" she begged.

I sighed, "Okay, we'll try it your way," I said.

Nya smiled and yelled in joy; she danced around with Thames in a circle with pure joy.

"However, since the text would be difficult for me to read, Thames might have to help the Salesman and I to decode the text, okay!" I said.

Nya and Thames both nodded.

6: The Desert

"My king, Mungfalme, we had not slept for many days and nights during our trek through these lands. Ever since we left your presence, my men had been starving for weeks on end. So far, twenty of them had died. We walked through these rugged hills and valleys claiming this land as your own. I cannot ride on my men's back, they are weak and insufficient. My warm blood is boiling under the relentless sun shining above us. How can any lowly being can withstand such heat is a mystery to me. Our constant search for this 'Alpha' made us ill. I can walk forward with no food or water my liege, but these men you sent to me are pigs wearing armor, I'm just as offended unto why they call themselves soldiers.

"Us as Neomen cannot feel things. We cannot succumb to such petty resources such as the basics of water. I saw first hand of cannibalism in effect during this treacherous walk north. My king, if you are reading this, please forgive me for I am worthy to carry on by myself if these men fail to live.

"It had been weeks I said since we left your Olympian kingdom. Your world had defined us like Gods watching over these mortals. How can we as Neomen become so weak in a weakling world? That my king is another mystery to me.

"The slaves I bought from the market in your wondrous kingdom had became food for these...these...soldiers. Many of them died, eaten as stake served on a platter since our walk north from the Kaylinian Desert. Why is hell punishing us? Has our great God, you my liege forsaken us? Why have we sent out on a mission on foot where we should fly out for these dwellers. The Alpha would not take as far as a fortnight to get there.

"I panted and wheesed, sweeping the sweat from my forehead until we saw the border regions on what looked like a forest of rapdily drying concrete. Towers and statues mocking the world as they seep in the sands of time, slowly being forgotten behind time's unseen wrath, a world you could claim as the "City of the Lost". Yonder by the concrete hills was a vast river my liege for where does it leads to, my scrambling mind say.

"Boats were unseen at the uninhabited coast. I turned and looked, my navigator, the slave I was brought forth from you my king. The navigator was the daughter of a rebellious knave. This human, as beautiful as she may be, she was as timid as a feather. She was easy to control, very easy to control my lisge.

"'The girl, send her to me,' I ordered after I peered through the binoculars, seeing how far and how wide the river was.

"One of the soldiers, a young man, who happens to be a young stupid Neoboy pushed her forth to me. He unchained her from the others and grabbed her by the shoulder. The girl was in pain; the boy's claws seeped into her skin.

"This girl was the most beautiful thing my eyes ever lied on. Her hazel brown eyes, warm brown skin, and long black hair was a turn on for me. I could imagine myself undressing her black tank top and to see her bare breasts

"'Here you are General Yalen," said the Neoboy vehemently pushing her to the ground. She groaned in pain, sobbed a little. She looked up at me, glancing at me with those big brown eyes.

She was in her knees, trembling. Good. I am now at your status my lord. For we are not equal, that I do know, and that I shall uphold. I am no equal to you my lord, I am only a sol cell keeping you in your rightful reign. For if I am to die, you will live.

This woman had made a foolery out of herself. Again she trembled, pleading for mercy. I gave her none. I grabbed her by her shoulders, forced her up from the ground.

"'Get up!' I ordered. The woman panted in fear, backing a few good paces away from me, I grabbed her arm and pulled her towards me.

"'Now where does this river takes us?' I asked. The woman just stood there, her eyes locking on to me in terror. As flattered as I was, I was a little annoyed.

"ANSWER ME!' I screamed, making the woman to cower.

"'General, I don't think the...'

"I glared to whoever spoke. It was a young Neoboy, not the one from before, but this new mate. What has you sent this filth unto me my Lord?

"'General Yalen, I don't think the girl speaks, trust me I tried,' he said.

"I furrowed, I walked over to the boy pulling the woman with me. These soldiers stepped aside allowing me to have room for this boy. This boy was scrawny looking, scrawnier than the scrawniest person on this planet. He shook as much as the woman did, but not by fear, but by hunger I expect. Harsh? No. Truth, Yes. How ddid this boy come into my Corp, I would never know. Who was this boy?

"'Come again?'

"'The girl does not speak sir, she's too ignorant as she is stupid,' said the boy.

"'Come again.' I said approaching this boy pulling the woman.

"'The woman cannot speak.'

"'How's that?' I asked, interested.

"Because well...I tried.'

"Tried what?'

"I tried talking to her?' he said, his pitch fluctuating by each word he spoke slightly. My eyes furrowed.

"'And when and where did this take place?' I asked walking away with my hands behind my back, my other hand pulling on the woman.

"Hemaya-Uke sir,' he said, 'It's a young thing.'

"'Oh really?' I asked, 'Well, okay. You taught her how to speak then at this uh...Hemaya-Uke am I right?"

"'Yeah,' he said.

"I smiled a smug grin, 'Prove to me.' I pushed her to him. The woman grunted as she made impact to this boy. His breath quickened; the woman whimpered and shook at his presence. I stood behind her, my arms folded. Waiting patiently.

"The boy took a deep breath. 'Okay, human. Say it. Say it, now.'

"I furrowed my king. I was just as confused as you would be I you were in this setting. I chuckled so lowly that not even the gods above me noticed.

"'Say it, human.' he was looking around to see people talking. The woman was unresponsive.

"'Say it you worthless human,' he was becoming angry, 'Say it.'

"The woman panted in fear, she whimpered.

"'Say the goddamn word, human!' finally with all that pressure, and with all the soldiers around him talking, he unsheathed his weapon and drew it at the woman who fled.

"Samantha!' he yelled chasing after her before a soldier tripped him over. I brought out my knife and threw it at her back. It wasn't a fatal wound, but it was enough for me to put her down for now. A soldier marched over towards her and threw her at the ground by my feet.

"I nodded. The soldiers restrained him, he was a feisty one.

"'I marched over to him with a calm look. I was not mad at all my Lord, for if I was, I would have never figured out the truth. In a way you can describe me as neutral.

"I bent my knees to his level and sighed, 'I know you are lying, boy.'

"I'm not lying General! She really did talk!' he began.

"The woman behind me was bleeding, holding her wounds, pulling out the blade. She was crying and shaking from the pain, I turned to the boy in question.

"'I don't want to hear one word out of you,' I said, 'I know you are lying.'

"'How am I lying sir?'

"'Because that place you took her in, Hemaya-Uke, that place is no place for children,' I said to his ear.

"'Huh? How?'

"'I was young a stupid once,' I said, 'Chasing my love there before she died.' I walked over to him with a smile, 'But the thought of a boy bringing a human there is so stupid that me calling you that would sound like a compliment.'

"'I'm sorry, General. It won't happen again,' he said.

"I nodded and smiled, 'I know you're not, because I trust my men. And as an army, we stick together as a unit'. The boy chuckled, relieved, like hell. I turned away from the boy, but...oh god.

"I threw a knife at this human. The soldiers that saw this had their eyes dilated. She was still hurt, that was shown but...her wounds...they are...well they are almost like they were nonexistent. A speckle of what looked like white fire dissipated. She groaned, trying to recover her strength. What the hell was she.

"'Are you okay, General?' the boy asked, before I quickly unsheathed my sword and slashed him in half. Blood splattered all around my men, coating them in gushing guts and food. The amount of pain he felt lasted until the pain went away. He ell in two separate places, painting the baking, hot sand red. The soldiers were nonchalant upon the boy's death. Young and stupid, but stupid and young.

"The commotion upon the boy's death was at a minimum, the woman shook fearful of me. Suddenly, I came to a realization. It was a theory, but there was enough evidence for me to say that she was a...

"'A Badgette?' I said.

7: Scales

I sat on my rocking chair watching him play along the flatten. It was rejuvenating watching my little sister playing with her friend, Thames, the boy to which I find quite strange.

Just a few days ago, the boy had gashes around his torso, gash wounds that were too horrid to contemplate. I couldn't help but wonder why? Why was he alone in the marketplace alone and injured. Nya wondered the same thing. The thought of a child being left behind to die was unthinkable. Nya cared for the boy as a sister would with a brother. Seeing them together would always put a smile on my face.

It was around that time of the day, the air was cooling down and the sky was becoming dark. I was fixing supper for the two who were now tired from playing all day. As the food boiled on the stove yonder, I caught Nya messing with what looked like a blue orb. The orb was pretty covered in soil, now scraped off thanks to Nya.

For what it looks, the orb was unnaturally shiny, nothing was on it except for the presence of a large, miniscule glyph on the top. A big yellow α covered the top of the big, blue orb.

"Nya, where did you get that orb?" I asked.

Nya turned around, "Orb?"

"The orb on your lap, where'd you find it?" I asked again.

"It was in the fields when we discovered it," said Thames.

"We have no idea who's it is," I said, "Whoever it belongs to must be looking for it."

Nya felt bad; she held her hea ddown as she caressed her hands around the strange, blue orb, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

I sighed, "It's okay," I intercepted, "You didn't know." Nya handed me the orb; I sat the thing on the counter next to the old family picture, "But we know that what...?"

"If it does not belong in this house..." she began.

"Let it be," Nya and I finished in unison. The food was now done, ready for us to consume for the night. Thames, for what it looks, was fiddling with his fingers. I had a furrowed look.

"Thames, what's the matter buddy?" I asked him.

Thames looked up at me with those...of my good. His eyes. They're inhuman. His pupils were vertically ellipse and the white substance surrounding it was a strange tint of pale-green. A few scales showed up, but then disappeared. He groaned, for what it was worth he was terribly ill for what it seems.

"Oh my god," I said softly worrying Nya.

"I don't feel too good," he said.

Nya became worried; she sat by him and placed her hands on his, measuring his temperature. But the only things she felt was the minute scales chipping off of his skin.

"Are you okay?" Nya asked in worry.

Thames nodded uncertainly.

"Do you need to lie down?" I asked.

Thames nodded.

"Go lie down, I'll bring you some tea alright," I said.

Thames nodded; he pulled back his chair and walked back to the bedroom. Nya followed until I stopped her. It was evident that she cared about him, but whatever illness this boy has was killing him.

"Michael, he's in distress, he..."

"I know that you care for the boy, but his illness..."

"We don't know if it is an illness," she said, "You said at one point that a life is a valuable as all the things in the world. Thames is that life."

"Nya..."

"Michael, please. I want to help him...he's the only friend I have. Please," Nya begged.

I sighed, "Alright, but if anything happens...anything, alert me, alright?"

"Yes sir," Nya smiled.

...

"I lied on my pallet looking at the ceiling. What was wrong with me? Why do I feel these aches and pains? First were the gashes on my torso and now this. I pulled a scale from my cheeks, I was scared at what I saw. Tears slithered down on my face like a smooth running stream.

"What am I? Am I a man or am I something else entirely?

"Suddenly, I heard a creak by the door, I slightly sat up and saw Nya with a worried expression across her face as she entered the room.

"'Thames?' she began, 'Are you...oh my god...'

"'What?' I asked concerned before she closed the door, 'What's wrong?'

"'N-nothing, it's just that...'

"'My scales?' I guessed, I was fearing if I was correct. The look on her face was proof of that.

"She got on her knees and caressed her hands around my face, chipping off a tenth of my scales. She looked at me in shock.

"'What are you?' she asked.

"I nodded, 'I don't know,' I replied.

"'You don't know who you are?'

"My head hung down, distressed from the lack of knowledge for myself. Who am I? - what am I?

"Suddenly, I was wrapped around Nya's arms. My body mildly shook as my body warmed upon contact. I wrapped my arms around her as we comforted each other in that long, black night.

...

"The night was bare. We settled along the banks as we came to the realization that the boats we thought were yonder were mirages, alcohol for our drunken minds. Tents were already set up. The cattle we took with us slept in pens, they covered each other's bodies for warmth - or for what it looks. A soldier had to break them up for hence he thought these sheep were fornicating together. Whips cracked, necks snapped, it all resolved to one thing - violence.

"Outside of your safe haven your grace, animals hunt men like dogs. I scoffed at them, but not sure why. I am confused but yet content of my knowledge.

"I'm not questioning your almighty rule, Mungfalme, please take this as a report rather than criticism. I'm afraid for what's going to happen to me further we trek through those desolate lands.

"I was in my tent reporting to all what's happening at camp, charting maps, plotting. It's now becoming a question of should we or should we no cross. This stone you wish to have, this rare and powerful object, I wish we could retrieve it in a more quicker pace than that of a speed of a snail. I was finishing my report until friend entered. Captain Zirith, he was a broad gentlemen, broader than any Neoman on this god-forsaken world. His body was more lizard like than that of man, in other words, he was pure in blood. Standing right besides him was her. She was one of those rare divisions your highness. It's hard to admit this, but unlike the rest o the cattle, she's...different.

"She still bore those rags we made for the lesser, unintelligent beasts, but her beauty far exceeds all else.

"Her golden brown skin, her free raven black hair reflected to the gods watching over us, my king. My breathing quickened by the sight of her lustrous body, of how her chest bulged, too heavy to be unseen.

"'You wanted her General?' Zirith asked.

"'Yes, yes I do. Why?' I asked.

Zirith nodded, 'Nothing, Yalen. It's just that...'

"'...I would have to let you know that the purpose for her presence is for and only for interrogation for what happened at the hour of the incident,' I interjected.

"'You mean the hour when you killed the boy?' Zirith asked.

"'Yes, yes I do. Why?' I asked.

"Zirith nodded, 'Nothing, Yalen. It's just that...'

"'...I would have to let you know that the purpose for her presence is for and only for interrogation for what happened at the hour of the incident,' I interjected.

"'You mean the hour when you killed the boy?' Zirith asked.

"I paused, 'Yes, that is what I am inquiring, Capt.'

"'Yalen...'

"'My friend, I have spoken. Thankyou,' I dismissed.

"Zirith nodded and left, leaving me with her. I lied my pen down on my desk and got up.

"'Come forward,' I told, 'Samantha, that is your name isn't it?'

"The girl hadn't spoken a word; I went forward, unarmed, 'The boy that assaulted you, before he died he said that you said something. Do you know who or what you are?'

"No response.

"'Do you?'

She nodded.

"'So you do understand me,' I noted, 'I want you to listen to me okay,' I began, 'I will ensure that you are protected. You have my word,' I said softly to her ear, caressing her hair.

"I felt fear shivering from her spine. Her fear feeds me. Tears streamed down her face as my breath smothered her warm skin, I wiped them from her cheeks and gave her a soft peck on her forehead.

Suddenly, I was interrupted by a mere Neoman soldier, nothing one of mine. He was a . He wasn't all too concerned, nor did he even care.

"I growled, 'What do you want?'

"'A ship just docked sir,' he told, 'The Earl wants you.'

"The Earl? He's here? What madness is this, Mungfalme? Why bring a lowly Earl to my presence? Earls are not welcomed in the field, I do not understand my king? Why bring this creature to my Corp? Is there something I've done wrong? If so, what have I lacked to please you? What villainous things did I suffice to throw your trust into the fire? Whatever I have done, please accept my humble apologies for I am worthy of your trust my lord.

"I glanced at the frightened woman before I turned to the soldier to whom I replied, 'Tell the Earl I'll be right out.'

"The soldier nodded and left to notify the Earl.

...

"At the docks, I walked with the human girl in a juxtaposing line. At the ramp standing stall was a rather robust captain. Two of his troops stood in juxtaposition each carrying your flag sire. Meeting at the ramp was the runt you requested, the prey I might add. He scowled at me as if I owed him or something; His scowl was an imitation of a smile. What purpose does he have to give me such disrespectful looks?

"'You're caring for a human girl now, General?' he asked automatously.

"'Are you here to belittle me or are you here to do business?' I growled.

"'A little of both,' he admitted, 'I was sent here by King Mungfalme for your aid in case of your inevitable failure.'

"'In case I fail...'

"'Surely you are aware that the Alpha Stone is a rare gem,' he said, 'Mungfalme has grown weary of waiting.'

"'But Mungfalme...'

The captain quickly unsheathed his knife and struck me across the face scaring the human by me. A soldier gunbutts her unconscious just before she got away, knocking her out.

"'Send this human to the cage like all the rest,' the Earl demanded.

"'Damn you!' I roared. I felt the cool steel blade rising my lower jaw to face the devil himself. Why Mungfalme? Why do you bring this poison to me?

"'You maybe a General, Yalen,' he began, 'But heed my words, if there is any instance that you are involved with that human filth, you will be executed. Is that understood?'

I gave him a darkly glare.

"'Yalen?'

"'Take that damn blade off of my chin and I will comply,' I growled.

"The Earl smiled, 'Load them up,' he said to his troops before turning to me, 'And in case I make my point clear...'

He rose his blade above my left shoulders and swung away.

I screamed I intense pain.

8: The Schoolhouse

In the wakening of the day, we walked for hours for the schoolhouse. Nya and Thames were understandably tired, they had woke up early in the morning so that way we could leave early to catch the school before the rest of the town does. I carried Nya on my back; I offered to Thames to climb aboard, I was strong enough to carry them both, but however, he denied it. He would rather walk than to rest. Valiant effort, but strange...very strange.

Nya slept on my back as we trekked across the endless plains, walking alongside the empty, dirt road to reach to the hill yonder where a small red, church-like building sits on, ringing its solemn bell to start the day. I just hope we're not late. I just god hope not.

"Michael?" Thames began, "Have you ever went to school?"

I nodded, "No."

"Then how can you speak? How can you learn if you hadn't gone?" Thames asked, "Why do we have to go if you hadn't?"

"I learned the essentials because my parents taught me," I said, "It was during the War of A Thousand Worlds." It was brother against brother, father against son. The war was bloody and damp. Hell risen, heaven fell. Hope was all lost until one man stood up all the rest to fight. He would never give up even when the stakes are high, he and my mother," I said.

"Who was your father?" he asked.

I paused and sighed, "A hero."

Nya yawned as the sun starts to steadily rise from the horizon, steadily letting off its welcoming hue, "Are we there yet?"

I chuckled, "No not yet, sweet one."

Nya groaned, "It's going to take forever."

Thames giggled, "What?" Nya looked at Thames curiously.

"Nothing," I said.

...

For sometime, well after Nya's second nap, we finally made it - sort of. The hill was a start, but climbing it was just the beginning. But it was no big deal, the hill was a mild slope and it was easily walkable. There was no steep cliffs or tiresome knee-to-knee crawling - none of that was necessary. Despite its size, it was easily transportable; we saw a wagoner transporting some goods for the school, a weeks worth of milk and food for the children, and books - rather old books. Remember when I said that us folks did not bother to care for the city - it was because the city never cared about us.

We were remote folk, living our lives to the basic principle. We wanted to live the simple life - no complication, no fear, no corruption...just a nice quiet little town away from the "norms" of modern day society.

Up close to the school it was much older than what we saw a few kilometers ago. The red paint of the school was brittle, the wood was partially rot and the metals around it was haunting. It was far from any school than anyone imaginable. The schoolyard itself was not a pretty picture either. Many of us think that the yard would have the daunting, sparkling green grass from the posters with many swing sets and slides, the dream became a reality our eyes saw what was really there, an army of weeds and shrubs. Ivy blooms in the warming air to come, sitting there waiting as they prepare for their slow growth.

Leftover war tanks and cannons littered the place, making the value of the land to absolute zero. Baige haze only took a toll at what was once a daunting site. As haunting as a place it was, children came here well dressed for their lessons to be taught, eager to learn about the world around them, the history, the math, everything. Single parents often came here to drop them off - I was barely an age and I was dropping my sister and her friend off.

A few of these parents, minute of them don't look as if they belong here. One fellow had a nice field to him. Coming out of his white carriage he took out his mini-cane and led his daughter from the carriage. The man looked daunting for a farmer like I myself, minus a few flaws.

The man wore a gray-wool waistcoat with a long-sleeved white, buttoned shirt underneath, a bowler, black-striped trousers, long white socks, and classy black shoes. He was accompanied by another man who wore the same wear but with him - he had a more athletic build.

The little girl had on a flowery dress, white stockings, and black high heels. The girl had short red hair and sapphire blue eyes. She was Nya's age and roughly the same height as her, only a few inches shorter than Nya.

The slim gentlemen spotted me and walked over. "Good morning gentlemen," he said, "My name is Mr. Dalton of Narasi and I can't but wonder that you have two different sets of children," he said openly, I furrowed at this man's ignorance. "Are these yours?" he pointed to Nya who hid her face and Thames who hid behind my leg.

"Um, why yes?" I said, "They are with me."

"I get the dark one on your back, but what about the little gentlemen on you?"

"Excuse me?" I asked.

"The one hiding on your leg? Did you adopt him?" Asked Mr. Dalton.

"I'm searching for his parents sir," I said using the word "sir" very loosely.

"All the way out here?" he asked, "I will be glad to if I would have..."

I tugged Thames away, "No, its quite alright. My friends and I are taking care of it. I see to it that his parents are found, now if you excuse me sir," I said before he stopped me.

"Wait, wait, wait," he said, "My apologies my boy, its just that - well seeing a sharecropper like you bringing her to an educational establishment fascinates me," he said.

"Do tell," I glared.

"Well back in Emily City, there was a riot between country men and city men. They are almost in the brink of war until Mr. Roosevelt stopped it in time, God bless his soul."

"You're ignorance fascinates me," I muttered.

"Which was why we moved out here is it that right, Israel, Duke of Washington," he asked the dark skinned, athletically built man carrying his daughter to the school, he ignored him on the spot which was hilarious.

"Funny fellow," he giggled.

"Quite the charmer," I said.

"My daughter, Susie Dalton will be attending here until the city becomes more civil. I look forward for us to meet again," he said and chuckled. As this man walked back to the carriage, The Duke of Washington walked by and chuckled.

"That man's mind is as worthless as dried-up excrements," he chuckled. I smiled. "This must be your daughter I see."

"Yeah, her name is Nya," I said, "Say hello?"

"Hello," she said shyly.

"A shy little thing, huh?" he pinched her cheeks to which she shook in fear.

"Don't pinch her, she does not like to get pinched," I said.

"I see," he said, "Hey, just for a heads up, the reason why High Society is here is not because of some civil war. That's a cover up," he said.

"If its not then what's going on?" I asked.

"Handle your business by dropping your kid off, then we'll talk," he said.

...

I walked over to the school and grabbed Nya from my shoulders and gently placed her down. A lovely woman saw me dropping off two children. The woman had a lovely shape and her wear matches with her personality. She had curly burnette hair, green eyes wearing a flowery-white dress tucked in a baige skirt and brown shoes. She walked over to us with a sunny smile on her face.

"Hello, my name is Ms. Julian," she introduced herself, "Who might you be sir?"

"I am Michael Gilliganson Jr, ma'am," I introduced, "And these are the children, Nya, one of mine, and Thames."

Ms. Julian took a great interest in Thames, "Why its funny, it's like I've seen him before," she said.

"You have?" I asked.

"I'm not sure, but...I don't know, my memory can get jumbled up at times," she said.

"Do we all," I said.

Nya gave me frightened glance, "Michael?"

"Nya, I am going to be gone for a few hours okay. I'll be back just before you know it," I reassured.

"I'm scared," she said. As scared as I was letting her go here, I felt the same way. I never went to school and I cannot say, "there's nothing to be scared of" because I never experienced it. What can I say? What can I do? Nothing that's what I can do. I couldn't say anything about it - until Ms. Jullian stepped in.

"Everything will be okay," said Ms. Jullian.

"How would you know?" I asked.

"I just know," she said with a smile, "Your love for your daughter is most..."

"Oh, she's not my daughter, she's my sister," I said.

Ms. Jullian furrowed, "You're her brother? Where are your parents?"

I said nothing, I answered with a sigh. Ms. Jullian immediately led Thames and Nya to the playroom, "I'll meet you over to the playroom okay," she said to the two. Thames took Nya's hand and led her to the room, she looked back as Ms. Jullian led me out.

...

"You're parents died?" she asked.

I nodded, it's complicated.

"I see, I'm sorry to hear that," she said, "It must have been hard trying to raise your little..."

"No it wasn't," I intercepted, "Nya is a sweet girl, she won't do no harm - a little cocky at times, but she will do no wrong."

"I see that your bond is strong, that's rare around these parts."

"No kidding," I chuckled.

"But you don't have to worry, Nya and Thames will be in my care until you come back, you have my word," she said.

"Thank you."

9: Brusque Barnes

Ms. Jullian led me out of the schoolhouse, I turned to see that Israel had not left - I wonder what he wanted. Ms. Jullian turned to my attention and began to speak.

"So are you her guardian?" she asked.

"Yes I am," I said, "She's the only sister I have."

"And the boy?"

"Thames? I just found him in the street while Nya and I were shopping for food in the market place. He was covered in gash wounds and was bleeding out so - "

"Gash wounds?"

"Yeah, nasty wounds," I said, "Some maniac must have attacked him or something. The Salesman and I are looking for his parents, I just hope to god that he's okay," I said.

"You're sweet," Ms. Jullian said, "But in this world, its full of sour trouts, so best be careful."

"I will," I said.

"Mr. Michael?" Mr. Dalton said, "The Duke of Washington is waiting for you sir."

"I'll be right there," I said.

"You best be going now," said Ms. Jullian, "I will ensure their safety."

"Thank you," I said. I turned away from Ms. Jullian to the carriage only for me to look back at the school to see Nya one more time. It was hard for me to turn away, it really was. But if anyone who has her back, anyone that I can trust was Thames. Not only a few days and he has proven himself to be caring for her. I hope that they are okay, I dear to my soul that both of them are okay - however, when Ms. Jullian was turning to go back to the school, I saw her pulling out a strange badge, the badge was glowing green, but stopped when she entered the school and closed the door. This rose a few questions.

"Michael?"

"Yeah, yeah...I'm...I'm coming," I said.

...

"I led poor Nya to the playroom where we saw the children play with their toys and blocks. Nya felt alienated. She didn't have toys for her to play, and even if she did, who should she play with besides me?

"'Nya?' I began, 'Is something's the matter?'

"Nya nodded. 'I'm okay, its just that - so many people here...how can I fit in?'

"'I don't know,' I replied, 'But it won't hurt just to try though.'

"Then coming from behind me was the little girl we saw being escorted to the school with the Duke. Susie Dalton. She didn't look all that bad, but that was the bad part. Around here, people didn't wear these fancy get ups here and there. People here wore plain clothes made from their parents. This girl was wearing clothes made from a factory. As nicely as it was put together it did not equate as much effort and creativity compared to a man with a needle and a string. She wore her hair up and had that money-making smile; her teeth were as white and shiny as diamonds and her eyes glowed from what appears to be artificial at best.

"She presented herself lady like in front of us, that was respectful - but her mouth was just rotting with rot.

"'Good morning Unfortunates,' she said with a sunny smile. Nya and I furrowed. Did she said that we were unfortunate? 'My name is Susie Dalton, daughter of Viscount Albert Dalton of the Highest Order of the United Federal Nations and Vidame Ferris Dalton LII, ally of Israel Duke of Washington and resident of the kingdom of Boscualia. I attend that you all in a need of a must needed friend,' she said.

"Nya giggled, ' That is one long name.' she muttered.

"A few of the children walked over to the child praising her. Why? She seemed so...persnickety.

"'You're the daughter of the Daltons?" one boy asked.

"'Of course I am young friend,' Susie said, 'I am the upbringing of the most powerful.'

"The one thing I hate about people was that they will show off just about anything. Just be humble about who you are don't show off. Susie here was not humble by how she introduced herself. She was a persnickety individual with loads of pride and admiration for herself. It's not a bad thing to how I interpret it, you should be happy for yourself, but just showing off was villainous to some. You don't have to be some sort of spoiled turd to influence people. People who parry from those types of social ineptitudes happened to be influential to the masses.

"Susie was from a rich background, I understand that, but I'm afraid that she was a little ignorant on how to go around about introducing people without being a spoiled individual. I was about to walk over to her to educate her on the subject but Nya had beaten me to it. Heh, she's always quick on her feet.

"Hello my name is Nya Gilliganson, it's very nice to meet you,' Nya introduced politely extending her hand of friendship.

"Ms. Jullian after seeing Michael depart from the school grounds took a gander at the playroom as everyone was swarming around Susie, eager to touch her field of presence. Seeing Susie around the mass of children pondered at Nya who politely introduced herself rather than swarming around her because she's rich.

"The pleasure is all mine,' said Susie a little in awe but then got over it and shook her hand, 'Are you a native here?'

"I'm indigenous yes,' she said.

"'Why is yous talkin' to a Lowgal?' asked a boy, 'She's a sharecroppuh, just look at what she wearing! No gal do not belong to school or any othuh! Yous rich! Are yous gonna take dat?' It was not until long when the others were starting to jump on her. This boy was as big as a cow with a mouth that can fit a house. His nasty attitude reflected on the monsters that maimed me. This boy wore dirty long pants held up in braces and a brown-buttoned shirt undernieth. This boy's mind is as empty as a void. Nothing intelligent or morality entered the boy's brain. I was so angry to how this barbarian was treating her. Susie did not do anything to stop this sort of bullying. She was not used to this kind of thing. Ms. Jullian furrowed and walked over to stop it until I stepped forth and pulled Nya out of the way to face this boy.

"This boy was a wee taller than I was, that was a fact. He was fatter than I was, again that was a fact. But his heavy stature was a little more Neanderthal than it was manageable. He gave me a smug look as the others crowded around him, siding with this beast of monstrosity.

"'You leave her alone monster!' I stepped forward, 'She has done nothing to you!'

"'Who you?' he asked me.

"'Your worse nightmare if you won't leave my friend be,' I said.

"'Wait you sharecroppuh? You is dumb!' the boy laughed.

"'I'm dumb but I can say a sentence properly?' I asked earning no applause or jeers.

"'No dat means dat I could say yous sharecroppuh and everyone knows day sharecroppuhs are dumb!'

"'But it does not gives you the right to make fun of her!'

"'Yeah it is!' the boy hollered, 'I'm de king and yous a slave dummy!'

"'I am no slave.'

"Yeah can yous read?' he said, ''Cause I can!'

"I refused to answer.

"'Hah only a yellah-eyed sharecroppuh with a black farmer a slave if he cannot read!' he laughed.

"'You are not one to talk,' I said.

"'Admit it! Yous poor!' he yelled. Ms. Jullian pulled on the boy's arm to confront him, finally.

"'Mr. Brusque Barnes I am losing my patience with you,' Ms. Jullian firmly told the boy known as Brusque Barnes.

"'It ain't my fault I ain't a sharecroppuh! SHARECROPPUH!' he taunted encouraging the class to chant. Nya walked by me to try to comfort me as I tried to hide my anger for this ignorant soul - if he had one. Tears slithered down my face, but as I tried to bottle it up other parts of me did not. Scales were now forming in my skin giving the boy more fuel and shocking Ms. Julian in the process.

"'My god,' said Ms. Jullian with a soft tone.

"Finally, I had had enough.

"'I CAN'T READ! YOU HAPPY!' I screamed.

"'So yous can't read things, I knews it. But yous a freak!' he yelled pointing the others my face, 'Look at his face!'

The children laughed as Ms. Jullian tried to calm the children down. She pulled Brusque to the side and tried desperately to stop the kids from bullying him. Just before she was about to put the class on timeout, Nya stood up.

"'He might not know how to read but at least when he talks he does not sound like a cat being castrated. And oh before you insult someone try looking at yourself in the mirror you gluttonous pig because you have no say...'

In the most cruelest of acts, this barbarian punched her in her face. everyone laughed all except for Susie who recognized this type of violence. Ms. Jullian had enough.

"That's it you are at time out for the rest of the week for doing such foulest things!" Ms. Jullian said picking him up and throwing this laughing clown in the farthest corner away from the people. She then sentenced the children to get to their desks and lay their heads down.

Nya cried on the floor, I immediately reached over to comfort her. That impact from the pig's mammoth fist to her face was earth shatteringly painful. It could be heard from across the room it was that painful. Susie came to her rescue after observing what had unfolded caring a box of tissue and water.

"'I'm so sorry about that heathen,' she said helping me picking her up.

"Why are you sorry?' I asked suspicious of her behavior.

"'Such acts are barbaric where I'm from. No one should hit anybody,' she said, 'Even if they are a sharecropper. My family were sharecroppers until the day my ancestors made enough money to invest in a successful business in stocks. I'm mighty sorry for what you all had to go through,' she said wiping Nya's face.

"'This is not your fault,' said Ms. Jullian, 'People are just sheep.'

"'What is wrong with that fellow over yonder at the corner?' I asked.

"'I wish I knew,' said Ms. Jullian as we tried to assuage Nya. Poor, poor girl, if only I had done something to protect her from this beast.

...

"So you walked for 14 kilometers from the farm to the schoolhouse? How can you bare it?" Mr. Dalton asked.

"Just years of hard work can make your feet as mighty as steel," I said.

"Amusing, say have you ever visited Ft. Tasmin?" he asked.

"No."

"Well you should sir," said Mr. Dalton, "You clearly should. You will admire the vivacious scenery, its lush greenery and its daunting wealth. A fine fellow like yourself will fit mighty well along the crowd," said Mr. Dalton.

"Mr. Dalton I'm not sure that Mister Michael here would be comfortable to my estate," said the Duke.

"Ah nonsense Duke of Washington," said Mr. Dalton, "For a fine fellow like him he will fit in quite nicely."

"Thank you but no thank you," I said, "I'm comfortable to where I live," I said.

"The farm?" Mr. Dalton was shocked.

"Yeah," I said, "It's a home that belonged to my father," I said.

"And who are your parents, if you won't mind me asking?" The Duke of Washington asked.

"Samantha and Michael Gilliganson Sr," I said earning their blank looks - well mostly from the Duke of Washington.

"What?"

"N-nothing its just that I was having an episode that's all," said the Duke.

"Mind the Duke of Washington and his fairy tales," said Mr. Dalton, "It was clear as day that there was a civil war between the privileged and the underprivileged. Its the kind of barbarisms that can depreciate the value of society."

"Why do you say that?" I asked.

"He believes that ancient monsters had risen up from the grave to retake this world. It's rubbish son; as intelligent and poised as the duke maybe, his mind is absent from reality. He has a great imagination - a great story teller I might add. His mind is as gifted as it is dangerous."

"I'm not making conspiracies Mr. Dalton. You should know me better since Mister Gilliganson here is the offspring of a Badgette," said the Duke of Washington, I furrowed, "So as you may know my words are not vacuous or 'stories'. My words are as prosaic as they are fact. Case in point: there is no imagination in fact, only observation."

Mr. Dalton shared a giggle. As they continued talking about - well arguing about what happened, my mind was still wrapped around at what the Duke just slipped out. What is a Badgette? I finally tapped on the Duke's shoulders only for him not to acknowledge me until Mr. Dalton got distracted at the village yonder in the valley.

"So these monsters, who and what are they?" I asked.

"These monsters are unlike any we had ever had to face. These monsters had conquered lands beyond our reach: cities had crumbled, nations had fallen, armies had vanished as if they had never existed. They are scaly mighty beasts sent from the devil to kill us all in one swipe. The devil, King Mungfalme is that evil."

"Who is King Mungfalme?" I asked.

"Just think of God with no conscious or reason," he said, "That will be your king."

"Another one of your mythologies Duke?"

"It is not a mythology when a neighboring country is being invaded by an undead force, Mr. Dalton," the Duke of Washington snapped scaring Mr. Dalton, "Sorry, I just had a episode. If there is something I deem is fact then it's true. These eyes cannot tell a lie, but a mouth can say a million words. A circumlocution is accursed spell to cast to evade the truth that needed to be told. The eyes have more wisdom than the mouth because the mouth is a bastard to the truth."

10: The Earl

"King Mungfalme, my lord and God, we are days away from the rich land's coast. We sail along the river banks on this accursed ship. This ship led and ruled by this tyrannical nut you call an Earl. With repsect sire, I do not think that it is a good idea to place such a lowly worm to be on a higher rank.

"I stood by my window pondering as I watched the swamps of the neverlands fester past through the imaginary point that no world has ever returned. Just a day ago I wrote you that I had come across a human, a beautiful starlette. I know that it is against our laws to ever have such a creature in our mist, but with such beauty encased in a noir shell always finds a way to tug my soul away from my body. Is it a wrong to love or is it right to hate? For I love you, but for what is worth I cannot fight the urge to what I am feeling at this moment.

"I am as loyal to you as a slave is to me. I am your noble servant thick and thin my lord. To I pledge to my great nation of the Neoworld, home to the strong, hell to the weak. We conquered numerous of lands beyond our reach establishing ourselves as a global empire. We conquered the north and the south, the east and the west, hungry for more land. Our starving capital needs more food for its eternal belly.

"This human interests me. She possesses a strange badge. The badge that I hold in my hand looking at the shiny black metal as the sun glares its white light into the black metal. This magical badge belongs to a Badgette, beings to whom we thought were extinct along with the Sky Titans.

"Your forever enemies had been vanquished by time; 100 years of the reclamation of your reign, sixty million years since your birth my lord, since the days the lands had conjoined to the days the lands had ripped. You had ruled the world before the creation of man. And when they came you went and burrowed. Your kind had been vanquished by time...you are the only one left. The only one of your kind until you gained a universal gift precious to life...imagination.

"You thought big before you thought small and when you thought small you created things that became big - an entire race of Neomen. As a fellow Neoman myself I am proud to be your servant.

"This woman's beauty was not a thought to be just measly human. It was not Neoman-like, it was something sent from the Gods. If you seen her you will wed her no sooner than your eyes could blink.

"She cannot speak; her mouth is more of a peaceful taciturn as the wind hushing in the air. Her defined hips, her firm breasts, her shiny brown skin, her golden aura, black flowing hair was the art of an angel...an art for the heart.

"Watching the land pass by this large ship, I cannot stop thinking about her...this may sound piggish of me to say but its true. Am I in love? No; my heart is silent but my body is loud: crossing my legs as my breath hyperventilates upon seeing her. My eyes captured and caged the memory of her smooth defined body.

"There she was in the cage, her left arm chained to the bars leaving her right free. She still wore that dress from last night, the same night when the Earl slashed my face. That bastard. I walked over hiding my true feelings for her as she scurried back to the backside of the cage.

"'I am not going to hurt you creature,' I said, 'I am a friend.'

"The woman did not respond.

"I know you are scared of all of this,' I said, 'But I reassure you that you do not need to worry about any pig in this ship. You are safe.'

"The woman clearly does not believe me. I took another approach.

"'Can you speak?' I asked.

"No reply.

"'Can you speak?' I asked once more.

"Again no reply.

"Okay,' I began, 'My name is General Yalen Yashmit of the Kingdom of the Neoworld, Son of the Archduke of Garos and Archduchess of Wes Li. To whom do I have the pleasure to meet?' I asked being friendly.

"'S-S-Samantha,' said the woman.

"'Samantha? That's your name isn't it?' I asked.

"Just before she replied, a knock was heard on my door. It so happens to be the Earl.

"'General Yalen, I wish to speak with you privately,' he announced. I sighed.

"'Forgive me for what I'm about to do to you,' I said to her, dragging the cage from the corner of my bed, hurting her in the process as she screamed in horror, terrified for what is about to happen. I shoved her into the closet and shut the door. Suddenly, something dropped from my pockets; I bothered not to get it as I reached for the door knob and opened the door.

"'Was the screaming?' he asked.

"'Either you are drunk or you are just hallucinating,' I said annoying the Earl.

"'Charming,' he said coming into the room with nothing in hand. No knife, no sword, nothing. I arched my right brow at this. Does he know the trickery our people can be. We would fight to be in a powerful position. We would do anything to equate to you King Mungfalme. Anything!

...

In the closet, Samantha struggled to get herself free from the bars, but there was no use. The cage was unbreakable. She pulled and pulled until blood seeped from her chained hand. Gash wounds appeared on her arm the harder she pulled until her own force pushed her forward back to the door harming her head.

"What was that?" asked the Earl from outside the door.

"What was what?...oh it must have been those rats. Damn rodents festering the place..." the General continued.

Her tears slithered down her face as she silently sobbed in her cage, hopeless that she would ever be free...until she saw something. Trying on the ground at peace was her badge. She tried grabbing it but it was far from her reach. Suddenly instead of using her arms, she used her legs. She outstretched her legs to lightly pull the badge from the tip of the crack of the door to the cage. Finally when it was at her reach she grabbed it.

She took long look at the marvelous piece as it let off a shine from the closet's artificial light.

...

"'Take a seat," I said making the Earl comfortable. He sat down on the desk, I followed suit by sitting on my bed.

"Good afternoon isn't it?' the Earl began.

"'It is,' he said.

"'You know before I start, I want to say that I had this feeling inside me burning for a long time. I want to know something.'

"'Like what?'

"These humans...what do you think about them?'

"'As vermin why?'

"'Just a saying. The reason why is because I have been hearing rumors about you housing a human for a pet. Is it true?'

"'If it were than I would have killed every single creature on this ship.'

"'You mean the humans?'

"'Does it matter?'

"Then something wicked happened, that smile slithered its way across this demon's face. His smug look was poisonous to my eyes. Was I caught or was I saved. I didn't know.

"'That is all I need to hear,' he said getting up, before he left out completely he said this, "And oh if I dare see this human anywhere on my ship instead below in the Untouchable Zones below deck, I will have you executed,' he said and closed the door.

...

Samantha heard the door closed, she quickly stuffed the badge in her chest hiding it from the General; hearing the knob rattle from the door she held on to her chest to try to keep the badge from slipping from her.

The door opened; The General was covered in sweat. Samantha was scared for her life once more.

"Come on you're coming with me," he said.

11: The Metaomegas

I finally made it home to my hearth, it had been hours since I left the school house; the sun had reached its peak in the sky. I say that the warmth of the air had not spurred to Olympic levels like last time. The rich folks who were dropping me off gawked at the sight. Yeah it was not a pretty sight for foreign eyes. The driver arched his brow at the land, curious of my residence.

This was open land, vast to see the edge of the world. At least it was what my mother told me before she passed. It was as if they never seen ay farm before. It was funny to my eyes because of how distant they were. Years living outside of the land could alienate man from nature - despite the fact that it was safer there than out here all alone in the openness where anything could happen.

The Duke of Washington was like the only one who has not gawked at the slightest. It was as if he understood where I was coming from or somewhat. We finally stopped at the old mailbox. I turned around to see the house still standing firm, untouched by foreign hands. The fields were still emptied - at least the temperature was comforting enough for me to grow crops again before the month is over. Thanks to the heat wave, it might take over about a month and a half for the crops to grow. Well despite having a little bit of money with me, I guess it'll have to do until the crops grow.

Mr. Dalton was not fond at my house. He saw it as some sort of plague. A diseased ridden home, "You live in a shack?" he asked.

"It's my home," I said, "It's my land...it was a gift from my parents."

"So your parents gave you a heaping pile of junk they call a house? Heh, well as a sharecropper you should live with better living arrangements such as a ranch or a townhouse over in Emily City. You cant possibly survive out here all alone...and with your sister!"

"I have survived here for almost five years alone Mr. Dalton in addition of " I said, "This home happens to be my parents."

"Don't mind him, Mr. Gilliganson," the Duke of Washington said, "He's a little..."

"No I'm a little shaken," Mr. Dalton intercepted, "How can you survive out here?"

I smiled, "Just chance." I opened the door to the carriage without the driver getting it for me. I know that he wanted to...or needed to, I wasn't sure, but I just felt the need just to leave on my own without anyone aiding me. It's just the kind of person I am. I closed the door behind me.

"You know we have a driver to open the door for you, you know," said Mr. Dalton.

"It's quite alright," I said.

"Are you sure you don't want to spend some time at the Kaminoyama Villa?" Mr. Dalton offered me, "You and your sister will be safe there. And plus you will be housed by the finest..."

I held my hand up halting his offer, "Thank you, but no thank you," I said, "I appreciate the offer, but my luck is to remain here."

"Is that your final decision?" the Duke of Washington asked.

I nodded.

"Well then, you know where to find us - beyond the tracks between the lakes, from there you'll see the villa," he said.

I nodded.

"Have a good day, Mister Michael," he said, I waved. The driver whipped the horses, the horses clopped away turning back around as the rich folks in the carriages ride off back to their villa. I walked back to the house just before looking at the fields again. They need to be treated. Well it was a good thing that there was an aquifer. Yes we have an aquifer, I'm also surprised that the industrialists from the city had not spotted it since they often complained that their water supply is tainted by useless junk.

...

I took off my shoes and placed them by the door. The house was silent...eerily silent since Nya and Thames are in the schoolhouse things had been silent around here. Too silent. What can I do for the time being? I could read the books my parents left behind only downside is that I read those books nearly to death. As old and as compelling they were: the language, the syntax, characters, etc, I would often fall asleep at the fifth chapter. I could write? but what could I write about? I could listen to music, but the records had been broken. So what could I do? Just talk to myself?

I guess it would be best that I would just go to my study and read a few books here and again until I get a call from Ms. Jillian that is over. It was an hour and a half walk. That means that Ms. Jillian had to keep her company until I come over.

Suddenly, the telephone rang. What a convenience. I picked up the phone and answered the call.

"Hello," I began.

"Hello, Michael is that you?" It was the Salesman from the other day! Why is he calling me? Not that I'm complaining, but why?

"I'm just letting you know that I am on my way to your house," he said making me to furrow.

"Wait? How are you calling me?"

"Does not matter," he said, "Just be prepared for what is to come."

"Can you tell me right now?" I asked, "I mean you are calling me from an unknown source."

"No, this information should be kept in secret. Can you wait for me until I get there?" he asked.

"Sure, I will," I said and hung up the phone. I was turning to go to the room until my eyes dragged my head to the familiar object...the Orb, the orb that I placed on the counter yesterday. It was funny I was not thinking about the orb all day yesterday. I thought Nya had put it back where it was like I told her. Looks like Nya and I would have to have a long talk. However, there was something with it. I was curious about it. There was no tag on it. No address, no name, no date. nothing. All there was a large yellow rectangle on the surface.

I shook it; I heard nothing but a strange beeping noise - it flat-lined. Instinctively I threw the orb across the wall and ducked for cover. The orb exploded intense blue light outshining the fluorescent light bulb above me. In fetal position, I thought that it was the end for me until the light died down. I uncurled my body and opened my eyes to see that the hatch was open. Boy was I stupid.

"What the hell?"

Cautiously I crawled over to the orb. I peeked inside the hatch and discovered what happened to be the most anticlimactic objects that I had the pleasure of looking at.

"A badge?"

This was what gave me willies? A simple badge? Well that was strange. to what I could tell, the badge was circular shaped and had the same design as the orb. The body was dark blue and the yellow rectangle was centered. There was a yellow ring around the body of the badge. What kind of badge is this?

"You have got to be kidding me," I said. I flipped to the back and I found a little note. I took the note from the badge.

"Alpha?" I said with an arched brow. Little did I know that the low humming and the brightening light from the rectangle was gathering energy.

"Uh oh," I said, again I was about to take cover, realizing that I faced the front of the badge to my wall; in the most unexpected turn of events, the badge had blasted powerful beams of energy at my wall creating a nice hole. That blast alone was enough to send me flying backwards to the stove. I fell down to the table breaking it before my ass landed on the ground back first. I was in pain. Incredible pain. The force of the impact was enough to shatter my spine...but it didn't. It hurts...like hell, but not to the point of being fatal, but benign. I was shocked to what I have witnessed.

I panted, yes I did. I looked at the badge in both fear and...interest.

"Damn," I said in awe.

CLANK.

My head snapped to the direction of the noise it was coming from.

CLANK.

There it was again, I heard something fall to the floor yonder...but it was not from the house. no, it was coming from an outside source. How in the hell could my hearing be this enhanced - unless it was from the aftershock from the badge - or was it? I was not sure in the slightest. Not in the slightest. I hot up slowly, my head facing the direction of the sound...out from the hallway straight towards...the barn.

My eyes squinted from confusion. I took a short glance at the badge before I gently stuffed the badge in my pockets. My instincts kicked up again; I walked over to the fireplace and grabbed the gun from the fireplace and walked outside.

...

I slowly pushed the door with the butt of my gun. The old barn had not been maintained since...well ever. Even when I was a lad, the barn was out of shape as it is now - well more really. I looked around, cautious of my surroundings, knowing that at any moment anything could happen. I heard a faint growl from afar before it fainted.

"Hello, is anyone here?" my voice echoed in the emptiness of the barn, "Anyone?"

A piece of wood fell on the ground causing me to aim my gun at the direction where the wood fell. I heard tapping footsteps from afar. I thought I was going insane so insane that I was about to open fire in the barn. I was indoctrinated by fear no doubt, maybe I was going insane. I haven't visited this barn ever since they were alive. The haunting echoes from its once turbulent past still voiced itself in its own darkness - if it had a turbulent past to speak of. The barn was so old that plants were growing around, almost making it look like a cave from the inside. Weeds grew from underneath the floorboards, the bacteria was eating the wood away rotting it from the inside making it weak and brittle. The rusting chains hanging on the rotting beams above me chimed as they continue to age in the vastness of time.

So was the sounds was part of my imagination? Was I going mad?

I withdrew my gun and took a breather.

"Strange," I ended it with a final note as I made my way to the double doors - until my ears caught an eeire screeching noise from afar. I had no time to react when a green, scaly reptilian humanoid tackled me to the ground clawing its long sharpened claws at my skin. I threw him off with my gun sending him flying to a beam. I quickly got up, pumped my gun and open fire.

BANG!

The creature dodged the blast leaping from one beam to the next. I fired at the creature but I could not get a good aim. He swung around the beams like an ape swinging on vines in a dense jungle. Me continuing to blast this damn thing to kingdom come, it leaped off from the beam into the air missing the bullets flying towards as he spun horizontally down towards my face delivering me a powerful high roundhouse kick to my left cheek bone.

I had no time to fight back. No time at all. I cocked my weapon but to know avail. He was too fast! I pulled the trigger, but the creature animatedly sliced the bullet in mid air inches away from the barrel of the gun with his bare hands, kicked the gun from out of my hands and sliced it into threes, then finally kicking me to the column at the abandoned horse pen. The creature sprinted leaping in the air with its claws outstretched. I moved out of the way just in time. The creature clawed my body, I tried to dodge but the creature was too fast. I pulled out a bowie knife in an attempt to cut it up, but the creature with a monstrous, quickened snarl kicked the knife from my hands; the knife got stuck on a beam, he jumped up and held on to the handle and gave me a powerful kick to my chest forcing me to exert a few pints of blood. The creature flipped off, a knife now in his hands and sprinted towards me. Thinking quickly. I dodged the attack and leaped over the walls to another post. I was running to the double doors, but the creature threw the knife on my leg forcing me to kneel. He then leaped up wrapped his legs around my neck and flipped me to the ground, strangling me. He had that knife in his hands and rapidly stabbed me on lower torso. It does so repeatedly as it laughed.

He rose the knife above my face and thrusts its arm down until...

BANG! A shotgun was heard. The creature was blasted to a wall. There was a nice hole in his face. I got up, my hand tightening its grip on my torso as I try to stop the bleeding. I turned my head to see the Salesman!

"What's up!" he called, "I am Pappy and I am here to chew bubblegum and kick ass!" he yelled picking up a slug from his shotgun. He smiled with a smug, "And it seems I ran out of bubblegum." The Creature roared angrily; its back exploded wings.

"Go ahead, make my day you scaly son of a bitch!" he said with a cocky smile, throwing the gun on the ground. I ran to the column thinking that the Salesman was crazy. Do he fights these things? Was he keeping a secret?

The Salesman, now calling himself as this Pappy person pulled out two sabers as the Creature flew with its wings stretched out flying in the air at top speeds. Pappy sprinted over to the Creature with the same velocity; I jumped out of the way. Pappy leaped forward, does a horizontal flip and sliced the creature down the middle with ease all in mid air. He landed to his feet, swung his sword in the air and finally sheathing it. The creature fell and exploded on the ground, leashing out green fire to erupt from its body. Strangely it quickly died out after turning the body into ash.

The Salesman turned its head towards me nodding disapprovingly with a smile. What did I do?

"Boy, I told you stay in your house."

"No you didn't!" I began, "You said that you were going to be here! Oh and question: WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?"

He took out his smokes and lighter and began to puff, he walked over towards me, "That was a Metaomega. They are energy vampires energy from badges. Are you okay son?" he asked.

"No," I said, "I'm wounded."

"Let me see," he said. It was strange, the more I pressed my arms against the wounds of my lower torso, the less I felt the pain. The Salesman lifted my shirt and to his surprise and to mine the wounds were no longer there. Blue energy was slowly eating away the flesh wound. My eyes popped out of my skull

"You're healing fast," he said in awe.

12: Lyca

"Let me see," he said. It was strange, the more I pressed my arms against my wounds the less I felt the pain. The Salesman lifted my shirt and to my surprise the wounds were no longer there! Blue energy ate away the wounds, stitching the torn skin to its former glory. The Salesman, now known as this Pappy fella sighed and gave me a confused look - and then he chuckled.

"Drama queen," he muttered. I was at a loss for words; I was stabbed by that...that creature; this creature, this...this monster had left a permanent scar on my imagination! The fight had been so brutal that no man would survive from its barbaric assault, but yet my physical wounds are now nothing more but a faint memory. It was as if they were never there. How can this be? It was a meaning of how, but that was an error on my part. I knew how. That badge! I could feel its energy festering inside me, healing me. Insane I would have to agree if anyone was in my shoes. Blue light was shining from within my pockets, it was not as bright as I remembered it being a few hours ago... it was starting to dim. Odd.

The scars might have been gone but I could still feel its hot breath breathing on my skin. The Salesman gave me this disappointed look as if I've done something wrong, but I could see it from his eyes that he too was shocked from this jarring discovery... he was to afraid to admit it - or was he?

What was he hiding? How does he know about these creatures that attacked me? Was it a coincidence? I don't know. This was caring me to the core. Who was this guy?

"You must've been so scared that you imagined yourself being hurt," he chuckled after that long, soft glare hiding his obvious worried tone. I called it soft because it was not really a glare... it was curiosity. I caught his right eye twitching the moment he saw the scars healing in my torso. My mind was not on the healing... my mind was directly on him! How did he come to the farm so fast without a car or a horse...or a wagon of some sorts? I heard no screeching no whinnies nothing. Where did he come from?

"Who are you?" I asked as he helped me up from the ground.

"What are you talking about son? You see me mostly when I was...when I'm selling boy!" he laughed, hiding his lie.

"Don't toy with my emotions, Salesman," I snapped, "Just before that...thing hammered me, you called yourself as this Pappy... Pappy the Outlaw," I was stunned. It all made sense, I was hanging out with a criminal? Oh no, just think about on what he'll do. What was he after? What does he want? I was disarmed so I was at a great disadvantage at this point. But then I began to remember that well he did saved me, but why though? How does he know about these things unless...

"Pappy the Outlaw? On where on Earth did you get that idea?" he giggled.

"There is only one man named Pappy on this continent," I said, "My mom told stories when the world was not in a hellhole where she and dad used to battle people like you!" I said, "That and see the way on how you fought that creature, how you know that said creature. a man your age should not be jumping here and there like a frog after eating a can of spinach! The world is slow and recovering from an all-out..."

"Are you finished?" Pappy asked getting a little tired.

"Not until you give me an explanation," I said.

I could tell from his eyes that he didn't want to. But here's the thing, those things had attacked me from out of nowhere, who to say when they'll show up again? And what would be the fate of my sister if those things keep on coming back to the farm? I can't have that type of possibility haunting me. This guy knows something and I intend to get to the bottom of this!

"You're not letting this go are ya?"

"No," I said, "I don't care what happens to me, I care for the life of my sister so you better tell me what the hell is going on here."

"Michael..."

"No not a word, I need a..."

"Duck!"

"Duck?" I furrowed when all of a sudden something rattled from the behind the pens. I turned around and saw not one, not two, but three of those Metaomegas. One of those creatures balanced itself on a beam above the pile of hay, another was hanging like a chimp from another beam, while the other was walking out from a pen.

"Oh shit," I said backing up.

"Stay behind me kid, this is going to be fun," he said with a smile which I don't understand. I ran behind the nearest pen hiding from the danger as this mad man was facing off with these demons. This was downright stupid and suicidal on my part. But for this guy...this was just pure fun! Only for fun! I don't understand this? Has he faced these beings before?

It was not long when three of these hell spawns added in numbers: three became four, and four became five. There was no hope for this guy! He was outgunned and outmatched. Even with all the bullets in the world he could not take out a lot of these demons all at once! He stood there uncaringly as the additional few scaled down the columns of the old barn. He reached to his pocket took a thick, double-claro cigar and lit it puffing a smoke.

"You're kidding me?" I said lowly not aware of the brightly lit blue light shining in my pockets.

Pappy held the cigar between his yellow crusted teeth slowly reaching his arm to his back grasping a handle poking out from a sheath. The creatures were careful, analyzing on how to approach him... or what it seems. They oozed their acid silver saliva on the ground exposing their rows of glass textured sharp teeth. They snarled as they slowly approached him. Pappy only smiled, a vast ego of his swallowing him as they slowly advanced towards the old man, surrounding Pappy in a semi-circle.

I tucked away behind a layer of hay bales crouching down in fear feeling helpless and scared for the first time in years. It was that feeling that kept me from saving her... that kept me from saving both of them.

As I watched this courageous yet stupid old man gripping the handle of his sabre, there was a slight glow glowing from my pockets. I ignored it thinking that it was a minor annoyance.

From out of nowhere, a Metaomega flew from the right roaring a terrifying roar. Like on cue, two of these Metaomegas ran for the kill. Pappy smiled, "Retards," he said under is breath, swiping the sabre from its sheath and horizontally slicing the flying Metaomega down the middle while simultaneously dodging another coming right from the front.

There was another one sprinting towards him; Pappy acted quickly and dodged them brandishing his blade in the process. Without warning, one Metaomega tackled him down while he was in midair smashed his whole body up against an aging wall and begins to maul on him. Pappy struggled to fight back until he saw a shot gun by him. He grabbed it with his foot and pulled the trigger with his big toe blasting the creature in the crotch. The creature flew up screaming in pain just as two more sprinted towards him, Pappy threw up the shot gun with his foot grabbed it and shot the creature falling towards him to ash. Pappy gun butts one creature in the face forcing his head to scrunch to right exerting its teeth to explode from its gums spewing blood to splash on the handle.

Just like when I thought that he was handling them like a demi-god, one creature leaped from one beam to another like a hyperactive spider monkey and crashed to the floor creating a massive crater beneath his feet. This creature was unlike any of the Metaomegas I have seen. He was athletically built, had massively broad shoulders, and was armed to the teeth or for what it seemed. Again unlike the others, he was bipedal and not on all fours or crouching down much like the others.

What was strange was that these monsters were backing off from Pappy. Pappy sighed, a serious look in his eye, or for what I can was a serious look in his eye.

"Pappy," said the creature as if it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"Lyca," Pappy said with disgust.

"As much as I enjoy loathing your existence, I am only interested in the badge," Lyca said, "So stand aside or prepare to be destroyed."

"And how many times I've been threatened in that context?" he asked, "I lost count. That and I have no idea what you are talking about."

"THE BADGE! My senses do not lie old man. So last warning move aside or else I'll kill you," he said.

"Looks like I hurt someone's feelings!" Pappy said, "But if a fight you are looking for," he pulled out another sabre from his sheath and smiled, "I will gladly oblige!"

Lyca chuckled and had a sick grin across his face, "You have no idea how stronger I've gotten since..."

"Blah, blah, blah, hurry it up! I have to catch the Caring train in two seconds!" Pappy teased making Lyca to snarl.

"Very well," he said dashing towards Pappy, unsheathing his massive, quadrilateral double edged sword from his back, sliding the mammoth blade on the ground; Pappy sprinted towards him at the same amount of force and speed with his sabres, now pulled back to deliver a great blow against the creature's body. The two combatants launched forward towards each other. Finally...

...the two swordsmen clashed, their blades clanged forcing me to cover my ears from the blades' screeching clash. I watched as they fought vigorously for whatever rivalry they have against one another. Pappy had put on a good fight as he swung his blades much more like a fan to slaughter this dangerous beast. who was this Lyca? And what... oh man. He wanted something. He mentioned a badge and... I finally recognized the brightly blue lit badge shining from my pockets and discovered that it was shining in an alarming rate. That was when I realized something.

"He wants me," I said softly.

"Hello Alpha," I heard a croaking voice from behind me. I slowly turned around in fear.

"Oh shit," I said with fear.

Pappy fought all that he could to prevent Lyca from reaching up to me. He had no idea where the badge was and Pappy was going to make sure that it keeps it that way.

"You fight sloppy, old man," he said.

"How kind of you," Pappy mocked, "You deserve a sticker."

"I know you are hiding it Pappy, give it up and I will let you live to tell the tale," he said.

"And by the almighty words of this blade and this finger," he flipped him off, "I don't give a damn no matter how many damns you throw at me."

Without saying a word, Pappy sprinted towards Lyca with the intent to decapitate him. But little did he know of what was to come for the old man. Lyca charged at him with the same amount of speed.

Pappy threw himself at Lyca trying to strike his neck; Lyca blocked it with his massive blade. And knowing the size and strength of Pappy's sabres was Lyca's biggest advantage. After continuously clashing his sword against Pappy's he knows how to strike him. He tightened his grip on the handle and swung away clanging to Pappy's blades.

Pappy thought that blast alone would send him flying in the air, but not this time. Lyca's sword had completely shattered Pappy's blades - both of them. Pappy was in a state of shock, that didn't last long when Lyca threw a powerful roundhouse kick up against Pappy's chest forcing him to hurl blood from his mouth sending him flying threw the barn, out from the loft doors and finally crashing to the ground. Pappy was in unbearable pain. His shaking limbs screamed crippling the old man.

"Damn," he croaked. Suddenly erupting out from the cupola (destroying it at the same time though) was the massive creature, Lyca. He glided his way down from the air with his legs and slammed both of his feet on Pappy's torso leaving him no choice but to scream in anguish. From that impact, it would have been identical to what if an asteroid happened to strike an erupting volcano.

When the dust cleared, Lyca violently caressed his right foot on Pappy's body much more like a man is with a bug.

"Like I said old man, you are sloppy," said Lyca.

I tried to fight my way from this creature's grip but to no avail, dragging me out from the barn after I saw the horror.

"Lord Lyca, guess to whom I came across," he said. This creature, Lyca turned around with an annoyed look on his face quickly turned to confused once it saw my face.

"...a Badgette! He was hiding from you my lord!" the creature dragging me stated.

"Interesting, and to think that Pappy was a clever liar," said Lyca.

"You leave that boy alone, Lyca," Pappy croaked trying to speak coherently.

"Oh I'm sorry, you need to speak up lad! That little tone won't help you out here!" he said.

Pappy fell down to the ground unconscious. Two of these Metaomegas restrained me from escaping. The badge that I held earlier, now deep inside my pocket had now dimmed. Lyca approached me with hid hands behind his back. He crouched down and lifted my chin with his massive finger.

"It's strange, its almost as if we've met before," he said, "Have we met?"

"Let me go, please," I begged, "I promise I will not tell anyone about you, just please let me go."

"My soldiers here had scanned energy signatures for a badge," he said casually, "They say that you are a Badgette, is that true?"

"I don't even know what that is," I said, "Whatever you are looking for its not here! I swear to God!"

"We carry out a pretty strong scent when it comes to energy, and around here my sources tell me that its here," he took a sniff, "In this vicinity."

"In this where?"

"My sources do not lie chap. Because if that is so then I would be dead. I like you. Unlike that heathen rotting in the ground, you seem valiant. Loyal. I can see it in your eyes. And I know that you care for someone," he said making my eyes to bulge from their sockets.

"What...?"

"Yes," he said, "Don't dare to lie because you know its true. A young girl named Nya isn't it?"

No response; my heart began pounding the moment this creature mentioned her name, "How did you...?"

"Your mind is a novel friendly to read chap," he said, "And word for advice if you don't want a man like me to penetrate your mind, I advise you to suspend all emotions: including fear, anger, and discomfort. And let me tell you something right now, Michael that you are at a great disadvantage to fight back," he said, "I am Lyca: Lord of the Were-Wolves, general of the Metaomega Army, the Archduke of the NeoWorld and servant to the almighty King Mungfalme. I have been sent here years ago to retrieve that is rightfully mine."

"And that is...?"

"One of the Asamarun Talismans; the Alpha Stone or the Alpha Badge mind you. As a Badgette such as yourself happens to know of the whereabouts of the thing. I promise that if you surrender your badge, we will just leave and ensure that your sister is in our protection," he said with a convincing smile resting his massive hands on my right shoulder as the beings stood me up.

"And that is a promise that I am willing to keep."

"Don't trust these bastards, Mike," Pappy croaked, "They'll stab you before they throw you a cere..."

Getting tired of Pappy's mouth, Lyca threw his massive fist and smacked it against Pappy's face disfiguring it. This sort of violence made me to cringe. Pappy screamed in pain. From that violent impact he could have died... but he wasn't! all the beatings, all the injuries, he could have been dead! Who or what was he?

"Well then, since that's out of the way," he said spitting on Pappy's body, "Tell us the location of the badge and we will set you free."

Remembering the abuse from Pappy and the whole thing with Lyca here knowing about my sister's existence wet against my trust for this guy. In fact I don't trust any monster that try to hurt the people I care about... or anybody really. This high ruler had no idea who he was messing with! I swear to all the things that are sacred on this planet, if anything happens to my sister I will go insane. She's the only family I had left and Pappy, despite him lying to me for all these years, he did care about me and Nya! And I didn't want to spit on his face for all the things he had done. Pappy was tough from what I just saw, sure he was clever and witty, but I never thought I see the day of him fighting against a higher source... and survive!

"The badge, please," Lyca said.

"I accept your offer, but at the same time I deny it," I said making him to furrow, "I don't trust anyone or anything having their grubby hands or minds on my sister. Nya is the only family I have and I will not have you invade my mind to use her as leverage," Lyca crossed his arms and glared at me, "Here's the deal reptile, get the stepping or I'll make you."

Just when I thought that Lyca was about to kill me, he smiled. He and his small army shared a small giggle - a small friendly giggle. It wasn't a mocking laugh or a maniacal one at that. It was just a casual normal, friendly laugh.

"Dear, Michael," he began, "You do not understand the magnificent power you wield. It is a dangerous object that must be confiscated for your own safety. We care about you, Michael. And you know that. Give us the badge and we will see to it that your sister is safe."

I rolled my eyes, recognizing the phony accent this guy was playing. I was no fool, "If you are trying to manipulate me, its not working," I said with a smile, "Howe about you have no idea how much of an ass kicking I would inflict upon you if you won't get the hell out of my property. You and your little cronies. so last warning, get the fuck out of my farm or I'll drill a nice one in your forehead. Now," I said firmly.

Lyca sighed, "Very well," he said, "But before we go, I want to do say something to you."

"Like what?" I asked before I noticed his tightened grip on my shoulders. I had no time to react when he immediately picked me up and flung my body with all of his strength towards my house.

I made a violent collision to the wall; piercing through I flew through the hallway crashing through random obstacles: breaking a few doors, knocking down a lot of pictures and grooving the ground. I could hear my bones break by each collision. Entering the kitchen, my head crashed to top of the doorway; my body tore the dining table in half, destroyed the cabinet and finally made a vehement collision to the fireplace breaking my back in the process.

"YAHHH!" I screamed.

Crashing down to the floor leaving a massive crater on the ground was Lyca himself. He angrily marched towards me as I tried to crawl to the nearest weapon I saw sitting on the couch, a bowie knife.

"I tried giving you a break, and you spat I my face," he said, grabbing my left leg and swung it back to the kitchen where I crashed and dented the fridge, hearing my spine snap upon impact. My body screamed from the unimaginable anguish invading my space; staring at the fear lurking towards me, I tried to get away, but my body refused.

"Broke your spine dear boy?" he asked trying to friendly again, wrapping his massive hands on my neck, his followers entered the house armed to the teeth; one of them had Pappy by the neck. Lyca lifted me a good 4 inches from the ground, I was having trouble gasping for air.

"I'm not going to ask again, boy. Where is the Badge of Alpha?" he asked gripping my neck tighter by each second it passes, "Give me the badge boy or I'll kill everyone you held dear, including your friend," he said as a Metaomega threatened Pappy at bladepoint.

Then like in the barn, I was beginning feel that familiar sensation, I was steadily healing again. Lyca was beginning to sense it too when a stream of blue energy began circulating around my body healing my injuries quickly, and for some odd reason I felt my strength increasing by the day, energy surging within me. I feel...power. My pockets were beginning to glow rapidly earning Lyca's interest.

"So you had it," he smiled.

"Leave her alone," I said with a soft tone.

"W-what, I can't hear you lad."

"I said..." I began; my eyes became an enraging yellow, glowing violently, "...leave Nya ALONE!" Suddenly with pure rage, this power I had had blast everyone away from me in a ray of navy blue light. Lyca crashed to the fireplace. Pappy was beginning to wake up, his jaw dropped by what he saw, I was surprised myself when I took a look at my hands, now encircling blue energy. I levitated back down to the ground, amazed at this...this whatever I just did!

Lyca and the gang got up looking for a fight, "So you're an Alpha by blood, seems like I get to kill one after all," he said.

13: Recess

"We sat together in the class listening to Ms. Jillian reading us some ancient folklore, a story she called, "The Lost Book of Enki". The book was rather old and dusty, for my poor eyesight I could tell that those pages were ready to fly off from their binders at any minute. Some of our classmates were asleep except for Nya, Susie, and I who were sitting in front of her. I dared not to look at he who sat in the back glaring at us as we enjoyed the story being told. Brusque was one of those kids to whom a lot of people would be willing to oblige to gouge the eyes from. He glared at us with those steamy cold eyes of his, his brow narrowing focusing his anger towards us. He huffed silently, waiting for whatever sick plan to execute. We paid him no mind, but something within me... something strange. As those scales started to fester slowly around my skin, another sense was beginning to show its face, but its not visible. Oh no, it was not. My eye twitched twice, my heart began to pound in an abnormal rate, I began to flash forward, not backwards like ordinary people do. But...forward in time. In my mind stood horror.

"My eyes shot open when Ms. Jillian rang her triangular bell.

"'Recess, children!' she announced waking up a few of her students, elated to rush outside to bathe in the fair heat. Brusque and company slowly walked out with only him glaring at me. Susie and Nya held me back, I grew weary of him. Not so much of a whole day and this bastard already earned my hate list.

"'Are you okay, Thames?' Nya asked from behind.

"'What's wrong with him? Why does he hate me?' I asked.

"'It's just who he is sweetie,' Ms. Jillian appeared from behind crouching down to our level giving me a reassuring smile across her face. As Nya got close to check if I was alright, Susie grabbed her elatedly to show her around the block. She combatted at first until Ms. Jillian gave her a sweet smile to tag along. Nya sighed in defeat and went along, she was still worried by the look of it.

"'You don't have to worry about him, not with me around. If anything happens, you come tell me okay and I'll handle Brusque.'

"'Why does he torment me, Ms. Jillian?' I asked, 'Since we got here...'

"'He's just a little... troubled, but don't let him or his friends get to you,' she said, and chuckled, 'Well, I only known you for one day and..."

"'That's okay, it's only been two days since Nya and her brother met me,' I said. Ms. Jillian furrowed, I was oblivious so I didn't catch it, 'They care deeply for me and are helping me finding my parents.'

"'Yeah, Mr. Gilliganson and I have been talking about that,' she said, 'But other than that, are you going to be okay?'

"'I don't know,' I said, 'I can't assume, but I think I would, but I just don't know...'

"Ms. Jillian lifted my chin to face her and her sweet smile, 'Everything will be alright, I will assure it... and your friends too!" she laughed as she pointed me to Susie and Nya through the window. Nya was trying to teach Susie how to do a cartwheel but fails on impact when her butt crashed on a silver filled with pudding. The pudding flew to a couple of big girls who scolded them, Susie and Nya ran as the girls chased after them eventually outsmarting them to a small pipe to which the girls could not possibly fit it. Alarmingly, this got Mrs. Jullian up in arms trying to rush over there, but I stopped her.

"'Wait, I'll handle this,' I said.

"'Thames?'

"Don't worry, everything will be fine. They're my friends!' I said running off to save them.

...

Ms. Jillian, though proud that Thames made that sort of commitment to his friends won't stand by when two girls who were obviously bigger than him beat him silly or attempting to help the girls that trashed their dresses. She got up to try to help, but then something glowed. A deep green light erupted from her pockets. She pulled out the source that was glowing from her pockets to see a deep green badge with a white "I" in the center and rings around it. With it, her eyes turn from silver to emerald green within minutes; with this, her vision extends revealing her several miles of space beyond her normal vision. It continues until she saw something horrifying, it was a creature towering over 8 feet attacking an old man in a farm, her vision quickly cuts to with a young man fighting the creature off but barely. Before it got worse, Mrs. Jullian's terror had gotten so bad that it broken her connection with the sight forcing her to leave that state. All the light that had exploded from the badge raced back; the light was so powerful that when it smacked itself back into the badge, the blast alone sent Ms. Jillian from the front door of the school house to the back where the chalkboard was, denting it which added to her chin making contact to the desk before she hit the floor.

She groaned in pain, steadily trying to get herself back up shocked by what she had seen.

"What the hell?" she said, "That's i-impossible. It can't be," she said slowly getting up from the floor by grabbing hold of the desk to which she dented with her chin when it made impact. She was scared and confused by what she just saw. It was unexpected for her badge to go off like that without warning. She shook knowing that monster...

"Lyca," she said.

...had returned. And if he's returned then that means that...

"King Mungfalme, oh dear god," Ms. Jillian was scared.

...

In the playground, Nya and Susie were running from the two large, enraged girls. They were terrified, well Nya was. Susie thought that it was grand a little bit until one of them struck a blow to her head awhile back, rendering her to have such a nasty shiner in the process. Nya, despite that she was a lot faster looked back to see the girls catching up to them rather quickly.

"Oh no," Nya feared that the girl sprinting would eventually catch up and the impale them a world class of a beating... however, when she looked back, her face was smashed against a gargantuan fist. That blow was devastating enough to knock two of her teeth clean out from her gums erupting blood. Her nose bent just a twitch, but hearing the crackling cracks from the force of that impact was brutal. Nya spun around and landed on her side. Her left cheek made impact against hard concrete. Blood streamed from her nostrils as she flew to the pavement. She held her nose to stop the bleeding. Susie was grabbed ahold by another boy, she was eventually knocked out by a vicious head-butt to the face. The boy grabbed her arm threw her body against the wall and punched her in the gut. Nya tried fighting back, but this... this barbarian head butts her cracking her skull.

Nya was on the ground pleading for mercy. She stared dead into the boys eyes as she tried to crawl away. The boy pinned her down by stomping his right foot against Nya's back forcing her to scream in pain, towering over her. This boy... Brusque had a wicked grin. The two girls that chased them before they slowed down and laughed at her misery.

"Aww, dis I made da litta gal cry!" Brusque tormented. Nya tried to throw him off her back, but the harder she tried, the more pressure Brusque put against her back, the more pain she gets, "Where is yo' sharecroppuh man?" he asked.

"Get...your foot...off me!" Nya demanded, pushing his foot off of him knocking hi off his feet until his friends balanced him back. Nya rose back up with a death glare locked to Brusque. She got to her battle stance. Susie got up after being knocked out seeing Nya in her kata, shaking in fear really.

Brusque and his minions laughed at her efforts as Nya struggled to keep her balance. Susie hid behind Nya.

"What are you doing?" Susie asked.

"Showing these guys a lesson," Nya said with anger dominating her voice, tightening her fist.

"But you are weakened, you are unfit..."

Nya glared at Susie.

"Or maybe you are then," Susie said backing away a little.

Brusque barked a menacing laugh, "Ching Chong Coon, what makes yous think yous cad beats me?" Brusque taunted.

Nya did not respond, a lone tear slid from her left eye, she breathed erratically solely out of pure hatred.

"Oh, talkin' not yer thang?" Brusque asked, "Yous learned tah talk weekends ago. Guess that mine of yers is lame!" he said.

"Let me take her," asked a larger girl, the girl that chased them before, "I can beat this stick with my eyes closed!"

It wasn't long when the kids began to surround them, demanding for a fight. Susie tried to talk Nya out of it, but Nya denied. Susie did what she could do now, report. But before things went out of hand, which they already were, all of them in the inner ring were calling her out. As the gang continued to bully her, the big girl that chased her before marched forward with a sick grin across her face, knuckles popping to the bone. Nya, still in her stance rose her arms to slowly formed an "X" above her face the closer she got.

Swallowing her fear, Nya lowered her arms and charged giving her a menacing punch to her stomach only to notice that the girl barely felt it.

FWAM!

Nya's hand cracked from the impact. It was as if she punched a brick wall. Nya held her fist in place encasing it around her freed hand, but that didn't stop the girl from backslapping Nya to the base of her left cheek sending her flying to the pole of the slide. The slide was in close proximity doubling the pain. Her body's impact made a dong sound on the pole; she slid off landed roughly on her butt. The girl towered over her, she picked her up by the neck three inches off from the ground.

"That's it Betty," Brusque said, "Teach dat sharecroppuh who boss!" he cheered on as well as the others. The other children that watched the fight had their enthusiasm shot when they witnessed the brutality. Betty, the big girl from earlier was beating Nya to a pulp often slamming her to various places, breaking every bone she can think of. Finally, Betty grabbed Nya from off the floor by the leg, trying to stop her from crawling away and dragged her through the pavement. She swung her body like a rope and aimed for the wall. The children backed away; some even cried, others tried to stop the fight.

Just before she had the chance to do it, he came.

"LEAVE HER ALONE YOU MONSTER!" Thames yelled angrily at the girl holding her by the leg. Brusque reeled his head to see the boy he truly despised. He had a wicked grin.

"Yos girl?"

"Speak English, boy. I can barely understand you from that thick idiocy you call an accent!" he battled back angering him. Nya seeing Thames rapidly crawled to his side and hid behind him. Thames was disgusted; Nya had several broken bones, her face was smashed, beaten nearly to a pulp. She had a swollen lip, her right shiner was almost as big as her thumb, infamous gashes scraped across her face and torso, and her nose was bent inwards.

"What have you done?" Thames asked darkly earning a few kids to back away.

"I don't knows whats yous talkin' about, boy!" Brusque said with a sunny smile.

Betty from out of nowhere forced Thames around and socked him in the mouth sending him flying towards Brusque; Brusque lands a powerful blow to his face, grabbed his body with his other hand and slammed him to the ground making a small dent on the pavement; he wrapped his massive hands around Thames's neck strangling him. Nya got up to push him out of the way until Betty locked both her arms behind her back, gripping them tightly hurting her.

"Thames!" Nya cried.

Brusque beaten Thames harder than anyone he had ever beaten. It hadn't been a day and this boy already had a great hatred for the boy. Everyone that saw this were silent as if they encountered the same punishment.

"Sint yous can't read means you no smart," he said laughing at his face as Thames bled. Things got worse when his scales began to show. Making everything worse.

...

"I'm hurt. I am bleeding. I am scraped and bruised. The rushing streams of pain screamed from the pain of fear inflicted upon this behemoth. I have lost.

"'Looky here!' he noted my scales growing from my face. However, what I never sought I see were that my nails had now transformed into claws. My teeth had grown sharper and lengthened. My new looks had become the butt of their jokes.

"He's a demon!" everyone laughed at this boy's bullying. Betty, finally losing her grip had finally let Nya go. She ran to me and hugged me, she glared at the boy with hate filled eyes.

"You leave him alone you monster!" she said, "Y-you are the last person to talk to when it comes to stupidity you pig."

"Everyone stopped laughing. They gasped in horror. Even Betty backed away. Brusque's eye twitched and froze. Nya showed no fear this time, she was still on the ground with me keeping me comfort as if protecting me.

"'You are no different than what those monsters did to us... did to this whole village. My brother told me a story once about a war and how it almost killed us, and you know what, my brother and I survived because he had to grow up to take care of me. Thames is more like him, he is more like a man more than you'll ever be,' she began to stand, her legs were feeble, but she did not care, 'You're calling us stupid because we're just a bunch of farmers, well guess what, at least we can speak more coherently than you. Thames here is more than what you say, he is more than that. You are nothing,' Nya finished earning Brusque's death glare. His fist had been tight since the whole speech. As touched as I was I was shocked that Nya did not flinch, but did that stop Brusque? No.

"Without a word, Brusque blew a deathblow on Nya's nose. Blood squirted from her nostrils as she flapped to the ground. My eyes popped wide. Nya cried hard; Brusque rose his left foot above her head. Everyone including Betty were horrified that Brusque was going to do. And it was not going to be pretty.

"Suddenly, I finally snapped. Just before he had that small chance to smash her face, I ably rushed over and grabbed his foot. He was no shocked at first until he realized that he could not move his leg... like at all. I held a pretty strong, firm grip on his foot. Betty was about to come over to break me up but then something in me forced my hand to stretch over to her and an invisible force pushed her to the slide knocking her out scaring the kids thinking that there was a ghost present... or that I was a demon reincarnated.

"Brusque's eyes shot open, I finally got his attention.

"'My turn,' I said with pure hatred foaming from my mouth.

...

Susie rushed into the schoolhouse panting. she noticed that the chalkboard had been slightly dented but she didn't care nonetheless. She was only interested into luring Ms. Jillian to the fight to stop it.

"Ms. Jillian! Ms. Jillian!"

"Susie? Why are you doing in? Is something wrong?" she asked.

"There's a fight brewing! I think you need to..."

Without warning, something had blasted through the walls much like a bullet piercing through a block of wood flying violently thought he house to the opposite side of the school an abandoned swing. The boy's head made a violent impact on the top rail making a loud sound, the sound echoed in the dead lands around it. The impact made a nice dent on the boy's skull, the boy then flipped to the ground where his neck met the ruptured belt seat of the swing forcing it exert to the back rather abnormally, snapping it. The boy made a final landing to the ground with his now rubber neck to make impact on the ground.

...

"The feeling of beating him...the feeling of me succeeding it felt...great! I felt great! Power had infested in me by ump-hundred percent. The power... the absolute power! Yes, I can feel it fester within me! It was.. It was... no. I turned around and I saw loads of people behind me cowering in fear. Nya was wide-eyed by the amount of power I had. I didn't know I had these... I just didn't know. I just snapped!

"Ms. Jillian took a sharp peak in the whole I made through the school. Everyoe glanced at the boy to whom I threw... he was lifeless.

"'He killed him,' one boy whispered.

"Everyone caught up to me killing this...this creature, but... I killed him? I couldn't have! I-I didn't want to kill the guy! I just snapped. Just snapped. Nothing came clear to me. This monster was beating my friends to a pulp and...

I looked at my fingers, my claws littered in the guy's blood. The claws which are now rescinding back to its normal state became the epitome to what many would call murder.

I killed him.

When I moved to try to explain or apologies, the kids backed away. Nya did not. So afraid and so disgusted at myself, I ran. I ran as fast as I could away from the school, to the hill yonder touching the sun in the horizon.

14: Badgette by Blood

I stood in my kata holding my badge tightly as the energy began to surge in my veins. Rivers of blue energy flowed inside and out of my body, I was glowing like an enraged angel swooping down for vengeance.

Lyca slowly pulled out a large sword and brandished it, he stood in his kata.

"I'm sorry that you have to die so young, but I will tell your sister your regar..." without having saying a word to him, I dashed my way towards him leaving off as blue blur to his wake. Just thinking I might like to sock the guy straight out of my house, Lyca reacted quickly. He dodged my launched fist grabbed my leg and swung me around like a doll and threw me out of the house through the window breaking a large hole in the wall leaving me to skip through the ground like a pebble skipping through a lake. I had no time to react when I heard someone blast through my wall like a runaway freight train. I forced my leg to slow my body down; I launched to the sky pulling my left arm back yelling a battle cry. My pulled back fist ignited into blue flames gathering as much energy as my emotions can create for it.

Lyca dodged again as he swung his sword away aiming straight towards me. I dodged most of his attacks, often earning a slight slash here and there. He thrusts his deathly blade towards my neck, I stretched it back having the blade to only cut an inch of my goatee hearing the blade's whisper echoing in my ear. Following that, he thrusts violently towards my direction, of course striking harder and faster than anyone ever thrashed at me. I was surprised that I could even dodge this quickly and this fast.

Like this, when Lyca swung low towards my lower torso, I felt something in me slowing down as if time itself had done so. I heard my heart beat thumping, pounding my chest as I heard the sheer scream of the rectangular, massive blade swish the air. My heightened senses forced me to flip over the danger zone, and smash my right foot up against the creature's nose. Normally if a regular person would have done this, like Pappy had done, their foot would have shattered, but with me, that force that I put into my foot, add to the amount of energy it stored from my badge had enough power to send Lyca violently flying backwards to the barn with a sonic boom. That force was enough to make the ground shake, making a Rayleigh wave big enough to form a small crater with a very small slope.

BOOM!

The explosion from the barn released a small mushroom cloud in the air. I stared out at the once placed barn with awe as larges pieces from it fly up following the cloud before they rain down towards my direction.

The small statue of the rooster fell from the pinnacle of the cloud, raced downwards towards my direction and jabbed a devastating jab on the ground making it's beak to fly off its place towards me. Thankfully it missed me by an inch or else my head would have snapped off from the neck down.

The dust cleared but coming from the sky was a white trailing cloud. My guess was Lyca. So I got ready for what I was about to encounter.

THUD!

He landed on the ground feet first, he had a massive gash on his torso healing fast but grotesquely, hearing the flesh squirm as they try to reconnect and sew that nasty wound back together as new. He had a nice long wood jabbed in his stomach and ripped it out as if it was nothing.

Who was this guy? What was this guy? What was he?

He shot me a hateful glare, a glare that would scare anyone. As powerful as I was now, my feet trembled as he towered over me like a tall building. It was as if staring at my own devil walking to me sliding his blade on the ground.

"Now you die," he said as he began to charge.

The Alpha Badge, now in my pocket glowed brightly. I was not sure what this was. But I kinda thought it was giving me more strength. But I wasn't sure. I had no time to think when this beast began to swing his blade like a madman.

...

"Damn, that was one hell of a fall. Michael that crazy son of a bitch. Once I thought was just an ordinary guy who just wanted some seeds to feed his sister, and now he is just some powerhouse powered up by one of the world's most dangerous weapons, one of the Amarun Talismans, The Badge of Alpha. I remembered when Mopy had that sort of badge and he used it like a pro. This kid however, what the hell was he doing?

"But then a thought came to my mind. A Badgette generate their power through their badge and only through that badge. It was rare for a river of energy to flow through them like that unless... unless they are by blood. Michael is the offspring of two Badgettes. Who were these Badgettes anyway?

"I stood curious about this revelation but not no longer when a few of these Neomen surrounded me wanting to kill well me because Lyca says so, that and because they wanted to. Do I blame them for wanting to kill me? Hell no! I'm motherfucking Pappy! And even if they try to kill me, I'll leap right back and jab those guns they holding upside their asses. Damn dinosaur men.

"I stood up, my arm aching like hell as I gave them a mischievous smile as my pain slowly healed. The spare bullets I had were in my back pockets, I slyly took them out and inserted them to my revolver.

"'So, how many of you motherfuckers do I have to kill?' I asked, 'I'm an old man and I don't give a damn!'

"One Neoman...no two sorry leaped forward, I pulled out my gun and pulled the trigger at the one that was in front and dodged the one that was in the back. The golden bullet fired from the barrel of the gun as it whipped through the air in lightning speeds pierced through the Neoman through its nasal bone through the brain putting out a lot of energy mashing the organ into a puddle, out from the skull through its spinal cord ripping the spine piece by piece turning them to ashes as well as the other parts of the body and out through its ass, blowing it up.

"Down below, I grabbed a kitchen knife and swooped my arm through the Neoman trying to attack me from behind and inserted the blade in its skin ripping it in half. Brandishing the knife and the gun. More Neomen came to attack me.

"I shot.

"I stabbed.

"I shot.

"...and I stabbed again... well slash on the last one though.

"Just before I was done, there was one more Neoman. It gripped ahold of me through my neck trying to snap it. I rammed my entire body to a wall multiple times trying to shake the little guy off and once it did, it flew to a window, did some crasy as shit acrobatic moves: whipping its tale around the top sill and swung its body forward towards me with its claws sticking out from its fingers, roaring a "terrifying" roar.

I swished my knife at the fella but it grabbed ahold of my arm almost immediately and rammed its right foot on my face forcing my grip on the knife to lessen. The knife dropped on the floor. The creature immediately grabbed it. Jumped up the ceiling, lamp by lamp as I tried to lure it away from the kitchen.

I jumped behind the couch in the living room wanting the creature to drop down, sprint and leap over the couch only for me to say...

"'Bowchicka Bow wow motherfucker!' I yelled with a devilish grin, taking aim with the shotgun Michael left behind, added the bullets I inserted and pulled the trigger. The creature blew up in my face.

"'Dinosaurs. They get dumber and dumber,' I said with a small laugh.

...

Lyca and I had been fighting like gods fighting for control of the universe. The collateral damage was anything but. We traded blows to each other, but neither of us were getting tired. That even surprised me! Lyca slashed his large blade towards my direction and I dodged it - until I made this one mistake - I underestimated him.

"Looks like you're too slow, dude! I'm beating you! Well sort of!" I cracked and then... he did it.

Just as if I wasn't looking, just as he was about to slash away, he vanished in a ray of black light. It was not long when I begin to feel something scream from my back I turned around and I saw a sadistically smiling Lyca from behind me. Blood spattered on his blade. And then he smacked his massive foot on my face forcing my body to flip to the ground violently, my flippings did not end until Lyca leaped forward and crashed onto me forming a massive crater. He grabbed my neck and smacked me on the ground, threw me up and batted me to the air like a bat hitting a baseball. He flew up at Mach 2 and delivered rapid blows to my chest, drop kicked me down to the ground and crashed onto me once more.

In the crater he kept pounding me, gushing blood from my mouth in the process.

"Make a fool out of me will you?" he was pissed.

BAM!

"I'll teach you mockery!"

BAM!

"Once you are dead, your sister's head will be my trophy," he said darkly with a sick smile.

Suddenly something in me began to snap. Just before he was about to deliver the knockout blow, energy began to race immediately from my badge towards my body like a rapidly speeding car.

He threw his massive fist at me and I caught it with no problem. He tried moving his fist, trying to remove it from my grasp but can't. His fist would not budge.

"No matter I'll kill you with..."

"You just pissed me off," I said with a second voice taking over.

...

"I went outside to find Michael and warn him about these until... BAM! Erupting from the crater I see before me was an eruption of blue energy spewing out from the crater. Wait where did the crater came from? What the hell did I miss?

"My eyes suddenly guided me to a trail of blue light stretching straight up from the sight as my ears caught the sonic pounding booming the air with its freight punches.

"'God heaven to baby Jesus,' I said softly to myself, 'What a storm.'

"Then like something raining from the sky, that same trail crashed to the fields so hard that it recreated the dustbowl that occurred several thousand years ago, just as far as I can remember. And damn wasn't that a long time. But enough with me, my jaw dropped to the underworld by how hard and how fast Michael was fighting. I mean just before he fought Lyca head on like that, he blew up from the blast clearing the dust and pushed Lyca to a stream, grabbed him before he crashed and slammed his ass to several dozen rocks. Lyca tried to fight back and... damn. Lyca the toughest guy I had ever fought is being beaten by an 18 year old kid who hadn't gotten laid.

"That is so sad.

"Lyca did not trade blows, his face did. His blood did. Speckles of his flesh did! Yes! Michael had pounded the guy so hard that large portions of his flesh was beginning to peel off. No. RIP OFF! Lyca can heal faster than any other human but... damn! What made Michael so angry? God damn! Lyca quickly pulled himself back together and sprinted towards him, his blade flashing in the air all wild like. Dumbass. He leaped forward ready to slash Michael to kingdom come slicing the air around him as he gained speed, forcing his body to sprint down.

"This can't be good for both of these parties.

...

I remember the hour when I first used the badge, like before my surroundings had slowed down a bit. I didn't know what came over me.

I turned to the back and I remember the symbol, "α". And when I shout the name a large energy blast came out from the "I" of the badge. I pulled out my badge and faced the front of it to Lyca. Extending my arm, the already glowing badge was powering up as the environment sped up again.

"ALPHA!" I yelled releasing a powerful blast of blue energy at Lyca. The blast was so powerful that it rendered the day to night for a brief two seconds. The heat from the blast was astounding though.

This amount of power from me... this amount of force which I thought would not be a big deal proved to be fatal. My heart thumped irregularly, my limbs began to shake and weaken. I was becoming ill.

My badge powered down, the energy from it withered and dimmed. I collapsed to the ground with no Lyca on sight... until I saw him crash to the ground... shattering to fives, burning in the ground like a cooked steak.

I was already weak. My body screamed in pain after doing such an act. This energy was killing me!

Just before I thought it was over, I heard flesh gurgling. I turned my already throbbing head to see large amount of flesh meld back to the monster. I stood up despite having my limbs ache from overuse.

I tried to stand but my body refused. Lyca laughed as his body continued to meld. Though, he was not as big as before. He was sort of my stature but he still had those claws... some of them still attached. He still had his abilities for what I could tell. He was very scrawny looking now rather robust. But he still had the strength to carry that mammoth blade he caught from the air.

"You might have ended my physical superiority," he said raising his blade to my neck, "But I will not have you end me."

"Hey dickface!"

He turned around to see Pappy with my shotgun at close range. The gun's barrel touched his nose. Lyca laughed at Pappy.

"You know shooting me won't work you inconsiderate creature," he said.

"With normal bullets no," Pappy said, "But with golden bullets?"

He pulled the trigger, forcing Lyca to blow up, turning into ash.

"Kills dinosaurs," he said reaching his hand to me, "Are you okay sport?"

My body shook, he pulled me up and held me as support, "What the hell did I do?"

"Don't talk, I got to get you right back to the house, I'll explain everything on the way," he said.

15: Son of Alpha

Pappy sat me down on a small, aging sofa in the living room. The house was a complete and utter mess, often leaving the aftermath from the fight; black dust and bones made up the total population of the dirt around my house, not to mention the infamous gaping hole on the wall where Lyca blasted through ever since we fought.

My legs wobbled and collapsed after the hands of gravity pushed me down to the old sofa. I pulled out my now deactivated badge. It was not glowing as brightly as it was before. It was just a regular badge.

Pappy's eyes were locked onto me as he looked for a place to sit, he spotted the old rocking chair and gently placed himself on it, sighing from exhaustion.

"That badge is not an ordinary badge son," he said, "For what you have witnessed, I assume that you already know that."

"What am I?" I asked worriedly.

"You're human," Pappy said simply, "just not ordinary. Michael, you see there's a war brewing between us and them," he got up and started to perambulate around, "A war fought by a group of superhumans known as the Badgettes, you carry one of 24 badges in existence for what I can remember."

"And that is, what?"

"The Badge of..." Just before he had a chance to tell me what this badge is or giving me a full essay on what the hell is or just happened to me, a sudden sense of indigestion started to kick in inside the gunman's stomach.

"Oh shit," he grumbled, "You have a bathroom?"

"Right down the hall," I led my finger to the dark hallway yonder. Pappy nodded and ran to the bathroom just before saying, "I'll be right back, just don't go nowhere!"

I paired less attention to what he was about to do, or well, just paid him no mind and minded my eyes to the badge sitting on both my hands as sunlight glared its light on the badge's majestic blue body.

...

"Finally. That shit was painful I tell you what! I can't believe it, this guy, this kid is a Badgette by blood! Who the fuck was this kid's parents? I'm saying, this had bothered me since the Great Winter of '187. I closed the bathroom door behind me and discovered the door of someone's bedroom unlocked. I looked back to see the kid still in the living room, probably looking in curiosity of the badge.

"I remember the last Alpha who went berserk like that; normally they don't hail so much power! They are too weak! But the Alpha I remembered who went all out like that were the ones who were by blood! By blood!

"I know I shouldn't snoop around into other people's bedroom, but dammit, when do I learn?

"'Pappy?' asked Michael, I was already in the room before he called my name. I did not bother to close the door.

"'Is something okay?' he asked.

"'Yeah, yeah... everything's fine, just stay where you are, I'll be right out!' Obvious this kid still thinks that I was in the bathroom. Gee am I a genius. Just one look if the bedroom it was pretty massive and well maintained. The bed looked as if no one had ever laid on it for quite sometime, yet it looked freshly made up.

"The floors were well swept and the... pictures sitting on the wooden dressers looked oddly familiar.

"Those people in the pictures. There, I saw a man and it looked like his wife carrying a baby. I bet these are Michael's parents, but... that guy's hair looked suspiciously spiky for a man his age. The couple stood in front of the house with their Baby Michael in their arms.

"The man had a fully developed facial hair, he had an athletic stature to him, by how he was structured, he seemed taller wearing a dark blue shirt and black pants. His skin was remarkably darker than the woman on his right who's skin color was more like the color of a generic brown to what you see on a crayon. She had a nice bust, waist, and so on wearing a striped red and white short tucked under a nice pair of jeans.

"What worried me was that this woman looked strangely familiar too! Her hair and those scars on her neck. Her hair was raven black two white juxtaposing streaks, now looked faded. Her scars on her neck looked almost as if they are healed.

"'Weird,' I looked away from the photo and turned my eyes to the closet. I opened the double doors and saw clothes. Nothing out of the norm. They were neatly hanged and folded. Just before. I thought my curiosity had peaked, my left foot had struck a brown box happen to coincidentally to be on the floor.

"'Hm.' I picked up the box and opened the lid. Inside was a shirt. Why the hell was a shirt was inside a brown box? What was there no room inside the closet. I mean, the closet was not as big, but seriously. Putting a shirt on the box, and the shirt was wrinkled too. How quaint!

"'Great,' I began, 'I always thought that sharecroppers were neat about their..." My eyes dilated to the size of dinner plates when I turned the shirt to the front. The front of the shirt had the same blue color, but it had the Calibri-font "I" on the middle, the same design as the Alpha Badge, the same goddamn badge Michael has right... Wait... Michael's badge? This shirt?

"'Michael is the son of alpha," I said with awe, 'He is Stringy and Mopy's son, there is hope.'

...

I waited patiently for the old man to rise up from, doing what he needs to do. At long last he finally arrived, but he seemed to be mixed with emotions, emotions that I can somehow read for some odd reason. His heartbeat was thumping wildly as if he was about to enter cardiovascular arrest, he was lightly sweating and his mind was statically flipping through channels of unreadable thought patterns. What am I becoming?

"Are you okay, Mike?" he asked, his enthusiasms now quickly replaced with worry.

"What's happening to me?" I asked him.

"Michael, what you have done today against Lyca is something no ordinary Alpha has done before. You possess an object of untold power if that person was born with it," he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"You possess the Badge of Alpha, one of 24 of the Asamarun Talismans. With it, it grants you to have any power limited by the imagination of the color which is blue, meaning the stronger your soul, the stronger your badge."

I was speechless.

"Michael, I have something to ask, have you ever heard of the Sky-Titans?" He suddenly asked.

"My mom used to tell me stories about them. It's a fairy tale, why?"

Pappy chuckled, "Fairy Tales your mother says."

"What the hell does that suppose to mean?" I snapped not noticing the badge I has holding was shining brightly than it was before. Pappy was unfazed.

"The Sky Titans is not a fairy tale, they are very real," he said confusing me, "Just think of the Sky-Titans as a legion of God's army looking after the world, protecting the planet from the threats no man can handle. It's the world's largest organization of Badgettes who wanted to make a difference in the world. Who wants to change the way mankind lives, so that way we can all live in peace and tranquility. Or at least it was until he came," Pappy told, "Michael, the world needs someone like you. It's..."

"Pappy, slow down," I began to say, "All of this information is too... well good. But, I have my responsibilities to take care of here," I said.

"Michael."

"No, Pappy," I said, "My parents entered the war and had lost their lives because of it. I'm honoring them by not sacrificing myself to a cause that has nothing to do with me, besides, the war is already over. I know that you want me on this team, but I love my sister too much to chase after these dreams."

"It's not a dream it's reality. You have no idea what you are capable of! You think that you are safe, you and your sister are safe in the middle of nowhere? You are caught in a crossfire, Mike. You have been exposed. They will keep coming until the day your head is wrapped around their hands. Michael, consider being part of the team of superhumans much more like you and your sister will be safe. I promise."

"No," he said, "As much as I will like that, I won't risk it. The value of her life is too much to risk. Thanks Pappy for everything. But I think you need to go," I said.

"Sure, fine," he said finally giving up, "But before I go, I have something to say. Both things really."

"And that will be what?"

"Being a hermit is the worst death a man can bare; and your friend, Thames, watch him. Watch him closely," he said as he left.

The door closed shit leaving off a piece of wood hanging from above to doorway to fall. I followed after him wondering what he meant about Thames. I opens the door and he... He was gone. It was as if he was never there.

"Dear god."