The clouds obscured the shining sun.
Something was wrong.
In the distance, he could hear his father's faint voice alongside Councillor Sorn's. The two discussed policies, disagreeing on one thing, agreeing on another, their voices rising.
Jace turned to his left, seeing Eric and Edgis sitting on two wooden stools and playing a board game. Eric nodded wordlessly at him, while Edgis moved a pawn soundlessly across the board.
Something was wrong.
Jace turned to his right. Fog creeped from everywhere, spreading slowly through the paradise. Then a rough arm spun him round.
Jace gazed at the young woman holding him, her golden hair shaking and her nurse uniform covered with blood.
"Wake up," She yelled. The fog creeped closer. It touched Eric, turning the figure to smoke. Edgis continued to play.
"Wake up,"
The voices in the distance went silent. Edgis continued to play.
"Wake up,"
Jace turned back to the voice. The waving blonde hair had shortened, the green eyes transformed into slits. The nurse outfit had been replaced by a suit, fangs replacing teeth.
"Wake up," Jace's cousin commanded and the fog swept them all.
* *
Jace awoke, sweat pouring down. He arose from the bed, taking a second to breath, then walking up to his fridge and grabbing a bottle from it. Pouring it down his dry throat, Jace willed the screen to appear. The words floated in front of him.
[Name: Jace Vicea] Level 5[<110/500>]
[Age:17]
[Race: Human: (85%), Corrupted (15%)]
[Abilities: ?Fog??? (Grade 6)]
[Bloodline: Partially Locked)]
[Titles: Marked by Fate, Invisible to Fate, Masochist, Killer]
[Strength: 14] Health [<20/20>]
[Speed: 13] Energy [<15/15>]
[Resistance:10 ???? [<25/25>]
[Stamina: 11]
[Reflexes: 15]
[Perception: 8]
[Ability Usage: 6]
Jace examined the list, his eyes perking at the increase in 'Corrupted' and the mysterious new energy. From the general description of his new race, Jace guessed the increase wasn't anything good.
In the end, Jace shrugged it off and went on with his day. If there was anything taught to him by the stories from Edgis, it was that trying to evade Fate just forced you closer to it.
Jace considered his dream on the way to his first class. Most of it felt hazy to him, trapped beneath a mountain of fog. Jace laughed at his 'foggy' joke.
Maybe they were symbols in his dreams, his emotional state affecting what he thought of. Jace wasn't a psychologist but he had read a few books.
As Jace stopped at the door to the Elemental class, his 'dreamy' thoughts stopped. Instead, they were replaced by the thought of his impending doom. Or curse.
Jace stopped at the door, noting only three people in the room. The young student with sandy hair stood in the center of the stage, yellow particles hovering about it, drowning him in a whirlwind.
On one of the chairs sat Ruby, the legacy from Commanders Class. She was paying attention to her nails and talking to the young student beside her, a young man with dark blue hair. No, not blue. His hair was red. Flame guy.
Jace remembered him from his fight with Duke. The two had failed to meet ever since that fight and Jace hadn't properly apologized. When Flame Guy rose, crossing the stage in a few quick strides and walking over to him, Jace doubted the young student was there for his apology.
"Want to spar?"
His voice was calm and friendly, almost innocent. A quick glance at Ruby though, told him that he was being tested. For what?
The answer came fast. Drax had been truthful. Jace glanced at my cyberlink, gazing in amazement at my new ranking. 239.
"Spar?"
Jace gazed up as Flame guy spoke, his voice carrying a hint of urgency. He seemed anxious, or eager to please Ruby. "Sure," Jace affirmed.
The heir of a powerful faction testing him. Jace could almost taste the invitation. It played right into his needs of escaping the Military. Which all meant something horrible was about to happen. Jace was cursed after all.
Jace and Flame Guy walked up to the stage. The Sand guy vanished after a quick word from Flame Guy, leaving the two with the entire breadth of the stage.
"Your name?" Jace questioned, stretching. As he spoke, he watched his opponent carefully, creating a dozen ways to win. Or at least offer a good spar.
There were no weapons around and Jace felt it would be a bit shameful to request one. His fog also couldn't work for obvious reasons. That left himself, or his body.
"Blaze,"
Jace nodded absently, absorbing the name despite his thoughts. "Mine's Jace. Also, sorry about last time."
Blaze simply chuckled, his laughter genuine. He took a step back, almost at the edge of the stage. He smiled at Jace as he stated matter-of-factly, "Well, I'm sorry for what's about to happen."
Blaze stretched his palm, a lone flame appearing, hovering an inch over his skin. "The way each person activates their ability is different and unique,"
He took a step forward, continuing almost casually. "Some feel like they're flipping a switch. Others feel like they're using another appendage. They're even a few who feel every time they use their powers, they're gambling."
"What do you feel?" Jace asked, his eyes fixed on the flame. His muscles were tensed, his mind focused yet Blaze's laughter unnerved him.
"I feel like an artist. Like a painter brushing up a masterpiece. Like a musician setting the notes in the perfect order for the perfect reaction. Like a god, ready to weave reality," He paused. "Like a warrior at the onset of battle."
The fire rose in an instant, shaped into an arrow. It fired off as Jace moved, shifting harmlessly away from the attack. He threw himself to his left, dodging another, then to his right, just barely avoiding being burnt.
Blaze strode along the stage calmly, not at all bothered that all his abilities had been dodged. He tilted his head at Jace, probing. "Where is your ability? You used it yesterday, didn't you?"
Jace panted as his opponent continued. "Ah, I see. You don't know how to use it. Or even summon it. That is a shame."
Fire surged to Blaze's back, welding together to form a javelin of flames. The flames licked the air as they shot out, soaring through the air in a perfect arc.
Jace shifted metres from the fiery weapon, awaiting the inevitable explosion of air and flames. There was none. The javelin withered away harmlessly the minute it soared past him. In fact, every attack by Blaze had gone out the same way.
The arrows had all withered harmlessly, the flames vanishing. Jace compared that to the only other flame user he had seen in action, Jax. Jax's flames were explosive and wild, the exact contrast to Blaze's.
Jace watched as another meticulously constructed javelin tore through the air to him. He shifted, this time only a step or two, and watched as the flames withered away once past him.
Blaze's eyes narrowed as he declared dramatically, as if reading lines off a play. " You have found a weakness, but can you use it?"
Sweat beaded down Jace's head as he awaited the incoming attack. The corner of his eye spied a gathering crowd, watching the fight. "Focus,"
Jace turned as Blaze admonished him. Fire gathered on Blaze's palm, growing and expanding into a ball. The inside was a whitish yellow, the flames at the top almost completely red. There was the sound of minor crackling yet Blaze appeared unbothered.
Blaze took a step forward, asking nonchalantly. "If I launch this at you, will you evolve?"
Jace remained silently, shifting his foot as Blaze smiled. Then flames burst forth from the ball in his palm and began to spread through the stage.
Jace took a step back, watching in shock and minor awe as orange flames swept out everything, creeping slowly to him. There was no escape, half the stadium already covered by the flames
Palms turned damp. The flames roared. Jace gazed at the terror in front of him, the slowly approaching heat and wondered why he felt such an immense rush.
The feeling, the energy wasn't as the fog's. Instead of warmth, he felt bitter coldness, like ice flushing through his veins. Even as the flames reared its ugly head, Jace felt nothing but cold.
The flames reared closer, Jace took a step. He was going to do it, going to run through those orange flames knowing they would not harm him. Where that confidence came from, Jace didn't know. All he knew was that he could do it.
Jace shifted his foot again as the flames roared. He took a deep breath, spared a glance around him, and stopped. In the shadows, brown eyes watched him.
Frozen in his steps, Jace found himself petrified at his new Instructor's gaze. The eager anticipation burned through her half concealed calmness, stilling the ice within Jace.
The fire reared nearer, bringing Jace back from his still state and forcing him to confront the terror. Blaze stood in the center of the flames, his eyes closed and his two hands raised. He looked divine, truly divine. The flames licked his shirts and body causing him no harm, the flames obeying the movement of his arms.
Jace tapped into his body, into that ice and there he paused. Not because the feeling had vanished, but because the cold remained. Jace could use that, he could bring out the unexplainable new power.
And he could risk the Military finding out. He could risk becoming more entangled in the strings that held him. And yet, Jace could also risk never freeing himself from the strings that held him. He could risk losing his opportunity to free himself from his strings.
In the end, Jace shifted his foot back, raised his arms and declared. "I surrender,"
His declaration was met with minor confusion and the dwindling of flames. Blaze shook his head in a display of confusion yet Jace could feel the disappointment from him. Jace gazed up the seats to the legacy. She sat fiddling with her cyberlink, not raising a head.
Jace sighed as Bailey strode onto the stage. "Everyone settle down. Class starts now,"
She offered a small smile to Jace, shifting her gaze to the seats. Jace trudged up the stairs, slipping into a random seat.
Jace leaned back at his chair, closing his eyes as Bailey started her lecture. He reached into his bones, struggling to feel that cold. It was gone.
Jace opened his eyes, leaning forward to listen to the lecture. Then a hand tapped his's. Jace turned to his side to see the first ranked staring at him with an unnerving gaze.
The young student tore a piece of paper from his note, scribbling on it. "Are you a devil?"
Jace frowned, shaking his head as the student paused. He whispered to himself, his dark blue eyes turning a shade darker. The trick of light vanished, the shade growing lighter as the student scribbled more. "Don't use that power?"
The student slipped the paper to Jace, turning back to the lecture as Jace read the note. A frown crossed Jace's face as he turned back to the mysterious student. A shake of the head turned jace away, the student ignoring Jace no matter how much he glared.
In the end, Jace's glare was broken by Bailey. "Jace Blank, would you mind sharing what you find so fascinating with your partner's face? I assume it's not the answer to your defeat."
Jace shook his head, breaking his gaze off and refocusing them back on the stage. And then, the devourer spoke. His voice appeared so suddenly, Jace considered whether he had mistaken it.
"How pathetic?"
* *
Jace stood at the door, waiting to be admitted. He tapped his foot against the tiled floor, edging nearer to the metal room. Voices came through, vague and muffled yet Jace could make out Drax's.
The Instructor was speaking oddly fast, only a few words making it through the walls. His conversation partner, by contrast, was a person of few words.
Jace pulled back his head as he heard steps echoing closer. He glanced about, struggling to look as uninterested as possible. The door swung open as Jace fixed his eyes onto the ceiling, whistling in a low tone.
He glanced down at Drax's impassive face, raising a nervous hand. "Hey,"
Drax grunted, taking a step to the side. He nodded at the now open entrance. "Dr. Granger wants to see you now,"
Jace gazed beyond the door, spotting a huge blue poster on the wall about depression. He turned back to the older veteran. "Are you sure I need this? I mean, it's not a big problem."
"In."
Drax spoke the word quietly yet his voice was hard. Jace glanced back at the open entrance. He walked in the room, knocking the metal door as he did.
The walls of the room were white yet the room itself was filled to the brim with colors. Posters hung on the walls, splashes of red and blue with text scribbled on them. In the center of the room, coached in by two sofas and a couch, a multi-colored striped mat covered the tiled floor.
In one of the sofas, sat the therapist. She had auburn hair that glowed red in the piercing sunlight coming from the window beyond her. Her head was bent over, her entire focus on the white tablet on her lap–one, Jace guessed, held his file.
She lifted up her head as Jace took another step, her eyes squinting from behind her glasses. She smiled, closing her tablet as she stood. She gestured at the sofa opposite her. "Please, sit."
Jace sat stiffly. He mirrored the therapist, struggling to cross his legs. The middle-aged woman allowed him to try for a second, before starting. "My name is Dr. Granger. Firstly, I want to tell you that I'm here top help. Of course, the Military will have access to your file, but…"
She leaned back against the chair, taking off her glasses with light fingers. "I'm here to help. That is my primary objective. Not giving the Military your information. Helping you."
Jace shifted in his chair. He nodded as the therapist questioned. "Would you like to tell me anything before we start?"
Jace shook his head and Dr. Granger typed words into her tablet. "I want to ask: At the time of your fight with Bill. Before the…event, what did you feel?"
Chuckles escaped Jace's lips as he shifted once more. "I think you're mistaken. It wasn't a fight, not really. It was a one-sided beatdown."
She nodded, leaning forward. "And what did you feel? A sense of elation? Victory?"
Jace shook his head. "Nothing. I guess you could call it the same as stepping on an ant."
"And did you see Bill as an ant?"
Jace gazed at her deeply. He was tired. For a second, he just felt tired. "Let's just stop. We all know how this is going to end. You're not going to find anything so you're just going to label me 'insane'. At the same time, I'm too precious to waste so you're still going to let me go."
The Therapist tapped her tablet carefully. "Do you? Do you consider yourself insane?"
Jace sighed. He would love to throw his mythic roommate under the bus. To blame the Devourer for everything yet he couldn't. Not without risking his life.
The therapist broke the silence. "Tell me about your family. Parents, siblings?"
"Doing fine. My Dad's probably preparing for another expedition and my cousin's somewhere scheming and charming people."
The therapist nodded as Jace pointed out. "Are you steering the conversation away so you can go on this big monologue on how I'm not insane or are you doing it so I can't tell what you're thinking?"
The therapist cracked a smile. "You are the one who understands whether you're insane or not. But, you're fracturing. You're carrying something so large, it's breaking you inside. And it's my job to help."
There was a long pause until Dr.Granger restarted, "So, again about your family?"
Sighing, Jace slunk into his chair. "Already said it. Dad's drowning in paperwork, my cousin's playing chess with everyone."
"A mother?"
Jace shook his head. "Died…early. When she had me."
"And you said your cousin lived with you? What about uncles, aunts?"
Jace chuckled darkly, "Same place my mother is."
The therapist didn't speak for a second and when she did, there was no comfort in her voice. Just the straight tone of a professional in a job. Jace felt oddly warmed by that.
"Your mother? Can you describe her for me, from the things you heard?"
A steady silence settled. The ticking of a clock perched on a wall filled the room, the steady tick corresponding to the twitching of Jace's fingers.
"And what about your Dad? Can you describe him?"
A chuckle slipped out from Jace. "My dad. Really? You want to talk about him?"
The therapist smiled a crooked smile, penning something down. "Then let's talk about you. How would you talk about yourself?"
Jace smiled as he straightened up. "Charming, Irresistible, One-of-a-kind, unpredictable,"
"Unpredictable?"
Jace shrugged. "What can I say? Can never guess my next move?"
The therapist's smile cracked, "And does that contribute to your 'god-like' status,"
"I never said I was a god."
"You did call Bill an ant. I'm guessing that's not far off from claiming godhood."
Jace searched for a response, then huffed back into the chair when he didn't find one. He sighed as the therapist spoke. "You don't have a god complex. You're not a sociopath either. You're just…"
She sighed. "You're just a boy."
She glanced at Jace, glanced briefly at the clock, and back again at Jace. She sighed once more, loudly this time.
"You're just a child trying to go and…" She paused, "You're all just children."
Jace glanced up, peering into the eyes of the person opposite him and all he could see was pity. Dr. Granger stood, picking up her tablet as she strode towards the door. "Stay, sit. You can spend as much time as you want,"
The door clicked as it shut, leaving Jace alone with the steady ticking of the clock.
* *
Jace collapsed onto his bed. He closed his eyes, struggling to rest yet his thoughts continued on. He groaned as a loud blare sounded out from his wrist.
He ignored it for a while, yet the interruption continued. In the end, he sighed, shrugged off his weariness and rose from the bed. He glanced at his cyberlink and the incoming call, pausing as he read the username. 'Please, pick up'.
Jace picked the call, placing the cyberlink to his ear as he heard the sound of rushing wind and a slow humming. A voice came from the other end, hoarse and out of breath. "Hello,"
Jace frowned. "Eric?"
"You picked. Oh, you picked."
Even from a million miles away, Jace could feel Eric's smile. And his rough uneven breathing.
"Where are you going?"
Eric's response was quick to the point of being supernatural. "Your Dad. He wanted to talk to you. Something urgent."
Jace's heart tightened, his palms unnaturally clammy. His Dad wanted to talk. He thought of the Illusion, of his father in it. And then he thought of the pendant. With everything happening, it was easy to forget he still had it, he still had something.
Jace heard Eric speak, not to him, but to people on the other end. Eric's tone was hurried to the point of dismissiveness. "Yeah, I need to talk to him. He wanted me to come. Sent a message. I understand he's busy. The expedition, yes. He wanted me to come. Can I just talk? I know he's busy,"
Eric groaned and for a while there was nothing. Finally, Eric spoke again. "I'm really sorry. Apparently, he's busy. He wanted to talk to–"
"Thanks," Jace said simply as he fingered his pendant. He cut the call, laying back onto his bed. He let the cold metal of the pendant rest on his skin as he closed his eyes and exhaled loudly.
Then he vanished from his room.