Ruler of everything
Chapter 1
The darkness in this Forrest was almost overwhelming, covering the majority of the trees and plant life in the surrounding area. The only source of light came from the full moon above where he was sitting. Peering into an open area that seemed to be unnaturally placed there. Sitting at the edge of a hill in the distance Kyle looked up hearing the quiet yet firm sound that hundreds of footsteps make all in unison. The army came to an abrupt halt, at the very front of them stood two shadow like figures wearing cloaks to mask their identity. Without a second thought Kyle slid off the hill down to the area directly in front of where the figures were. One of the hooded figures looked towards him and fixed their posture to speak. “Kyle…Kyle, wake up you're gonna be late!”, he suddenly opened his eyes, sweating, panting, and slightly confused. “What time is it?” , he said, looking around for his phone, finally finding it under his pillow. His face changed from confusion to panic realizing it was already almost 9 o'clock. “How am I going to be late on my first day of classes”, he scurried out of the bed and into the bathroom to get ready. Twenty minutes later, Kyle walked downstairs outside of his dormitory. “Took you long enough idiot”, a firm and feminine voice came from behind him. “Z I would appreciate it if you didn’t start the morning off with that much hate”, Z is his best friend. Her real name is Zaniab, they’ve been friends since the second grade, no moments really spent apart as they went to the same school up till now. Kyle looked behind him at Z gesturing her to hurry up, “Kyle you have to stop eating just buttered toast for breakfast, it's not good for you!”, “Maybe if I woke up earlier I could make a normal breakfast but we both know that won’t happen.” Finally reaching Kyle’s first class they stop turning apart to start heading in opposite directions. “Z, you’re coming tonight right?”Kyle wanted to have dinner with his uncle to celebrate getting into college, “Of course I couldn’t miss it if I wanted to, Uncle G would kill me.” Kyle smirked while walking away. “Yea he would, I’ll be there at 6:30 after my last class for today.” Kyle headed to his class excited for the day in front of him, but concerned about the uneasiness of the dream he had. Hours passed, with Kyle retaining less information the more he wracked his brain trying to figure out why he had such an obscure dream and where it came from. The classes finally ended, even though nothing about them was difficult but Kyle felt drained and uneasy. He shook it off, “I gotta get ready Uncle G said he was making a lot of food and I’m hungry.” His uncle’s house was close so he just started walking from the school. Without realizing it, his mind started to wander thinking about the vivid details that he somehow remembered from last night. Remembering what the slight breeze felt like as he was sitting on the hill. Everything felt so real, almost like a memory rather than a dream. When he looked up again he was at his old house, he peered through the window but didn’t see any lights on or any movement in the house. “That's odd I thought he’d have everything ready by now” Kyle looked a bit concerned that his uncle forgot about the celebration. He could barely make out a sloshing sound from what seemed to be coming from inside the house. “Hey OG I’m here a little early you alright?” He said, creeping the door open and walking in. The sloshing he heard earlier sounded more dense, almost like someone was hitting a water balloon, not knowing why he was slightly nervous to continue walking in the house he’s known his whole life. “Hey OG what are you doing in here” peeking his head into the family room. The seen was straight out of a horror film all Kyle saw was a shadow standing over the almost lifeless man that he made out to be his uncle. “Uncle G!” He yelled practically running out of air in the process, he tried to move but his body was frozen still and his mind was racing faster than he could keep up with. “Why is this happening” “who is that” “why can’t I move”, all his thoughts going one on top of the other making it impossible to take in any information but all in one wave, anger took over the remaining senses he felt in that moment causing him to black out temporarily. Kyle’s body shot forward towards the unknown figure grabbing it by the face. The details of it were almost human-like but not rational like one. However in that moment it was fearful of its life cowering but not able to move from Kyle’s grip. Kyle launched it from his hands behind him towards the outer wall, breaking it in the process, scurrying to its feet it tried to leave through the hole that was previously made in the wall behind him. Looking up it fell back immediately after seeing that Kyle was somehow standing where the exit was. Kyle, still not showing any sign of remorse, Kicked at full force launching it towards where his uncle was laying. Once again before it could react Kyle clamped on the back of its neck lifting it off the ground, just in this moment the doorknob to the house turned and opening the door was Z. “Kyle!” She said concerned, “Hey the door was open so I just let myself in have y’all started alread-” she was caught off by the terror that rose on her face seeing the scene of this area. She rushed to Uncle G’s side trying to find any signs of life, “Kyle what happened here!” Not getting any response from him as he was still holding the creature by the neck. She tried again, pissed off more than concerned this time “Kyle I swear if you don’t answer me right now!” Kyle finally regained consciousness “What, Z what are you doing here?” He was genuinely confused as to how he got in the spot he was in, looking around for hints and seeing the creature in his grasp lifeless now. “Oh God what I did to it” dropping it in disgust. Z was reciting words to herself but was calm in doing so, “The blessings that this soul has yet to receive bring them to surface and heal.” A clean white light appeared from her hands, Kyle was in shock not believing what he was seeing. “Z how are you doing that?” He said in a panic “What’s going on, is OG going to be ok?” Z erupted “Kyle shut up please I’m trying to focus!” Without hesitation Kyle ran next to her keeping his next questions to himself. After two minutes the gaping hole in the middle of his chest finally stopped bleeding however it didn’t close. “Kyle we should still call 911 I managed to stop the bleeding but the hole won’t close completely” Kyle rushed to his phone dialing 911 and giving them his location. After the situation seemed to be calm just for a moment Kyle sat back next to Z, “ I’m not sure when you got here or what you did but thank you so much” he said exhaling slowly. The look on Z’s face was one of confusion and disbelief, “What do you mean when did I get here? Did you not hear me come in or run to his side?” Kyle looked at his hands slightly scared “I don’t remember anything past seeing Uncle G on the ground and seeing that thing over him” Z was confused but decided not to press him any further since it seemed genuine. The ambulance showed up 15 minutes later taking Uncle G in and asking follow up questions to Z and Kyle.
Chapter 2
The hospital room was quiet. Z was asleep already, and Kyle sat there looking at the only person who took care of him on the brink of death. To make matters worse the creature that did it was killed by his hands, but he couldn’t remember how or why he did it. The night was long, drawn out by his continuous struggle to understand why this happened in the first place. Looking up again the sun had already come up, it was already time for him to leave for school but he just couldn’t bring himself out of the chair. “Kyle,I’m gonna go get ready for school now I’ll be back this afternoon.” She looked worried to leave him alone seeing the way this whole situation was eating at him. Hours and hours went by but Kyle barely moved from the seat. His stomach growled violently, “I need to get out of this room.” He said trying to get his mind to think of anything else even if for a moment. He left the hospital room letting the nurse know he was stepping out for a moment, and grabbed his phone to call Z. “Hey Z, are you out of class yet?” Z seemed shocked to hear from him considering she couldn’t get a word out of him in the hospital. “Yea, I just finished, did you need something?” She heard his car starting in the background, “Just stay right there I’m coming to get you!” He abruptly hung the phone up. Z walked to a nearby bench to sit while she waited for him. She was very confused why he sounded in a hurry to come get her, some of the thoughts were romantic thinking he was finally gonna ask her out after 10 years of them being friends but she quickly shut it down “he doesn’t see me that way.” She said, sighing in disappointment. A few moments later Kyle pulled up to where she was sitting honking the horn “Z get in, we gotta go!” He said waving to the car door he opened from the inside. Z walked embarrassingly to the car door now knowing that everyone could hear him yelling across the area. “Can’t you be any quieter, everyone could hear you.” Kyle laughed a bit, “My bad but I wanted to hurry, let's go get some food” he said with a smile that made Z relieved a little bit. “Are we going to Jester’s?” She asked, already knowing the answer but just wanting to talk to him. “Do you even have to ask that? There’s nowhere else in the city to get burgers from.” After the drive was quiet with neither of them having anything else to say until they got to the restaurant parking lot. Z looked over at him and blurted out “Kyle, are you feeling better today?” He looked confused by her question but answered anyway “Yes I’m feeling better today let’s just go eat I’m starving.” They walk inside and get seated, then a waiter comes to them and begins to take their order “Can I start you off with something to drink” he said looking at Z first “a cola please and a-” Kyle interrupted “a cola as well please” Z stared at him like a police officer getting ready for interrogation. “Are you guys ready to order food as well or should I come back” the waiter said awkwardly reading the mood from them until Z answered “I’ll have a regular cheese burger with no tomato and fries” the waiter turned his attention to Kyle “I’ll also have a cheeseburger burger and fries thank you” Kyle went back to staring at his phone. The waiter took the menus and left. Z looked at Kyle, upset “So you lied to me in the car?” Kyle looked up knowing what was coming already “I don’t know what you’re talking about” he said, sighing. Z sat up as if to look more serious then she already did, “Kyle I’ve known you for ten years and ever since the 7th grade you’ve hated dark soda because it gives you acne. You also hate pickles you always have but somehow today you order a cola and a burger without telling them to take off the pickles? So you are still upset.” Kyle looked up in disbelief how she remembered all of that. “I’m fine I wanted to try something new and genuinely forgot about the pickles” he said trying to prove his case but Z gave a look that pretty much said he was lying. “Spill it.” She said with a stern voice almost in a motherly tone. He sighed and prepared to give her the whole truth. “I’ve been feeling weird since last night. Of course there’s the part where I blacked out and ended up choking out whatever that creature was, but after the life left it I didn’t feel disgusted or anything like that. It was weird I felt kind of relieved, almost like I completed a task that I knew I needed to do. It had my mind boggled, I couldn’t figure out why I felt like that.” Z, who was listening attentively, was shocked to hear the same arrogant boy she’s always known suddenly express exactly how he was feeling to her. “From where I was it was almost like you were in a different world from the rest of us. I was trying to call your name and it’s not like you heard me and ignored me, it was like you didn’t even hear me at all. I don’t know where you got your powers from but they are different from mine.” Kyle looked up, “that’s what I meant to ask you since when did you have powers. Could you always heal people?” He tilted his head waiting patiently for an answer. “It started our freshman year of highschool. Do you remember that week I took off from school because I had the flu? It was actually my powers starting to release and it gave me massive headaches that I couldn’t get under control, so I took a week off and my mom taught me how to use them” Eventually their food and drinks came and they sat there eating for a little while before talking again. “I can ask my dad to help you find out where your powers came from and what they are.” Kyle had spent the night at her house countless times so going over wasn’t a big deal but he was nervous to hear about powers that suddenly appeared and changed his life. “Yea I’ll come by after we leave here. I haven’t seen them since I moved into my dorm.” Kyle was slowly picking the pickles off his burger while answering her, “I don’t know why you didn’t ask them before they brought it to you. Now you have to pick them off and drink a cola.” She said while smirking at him. “ You can have the soda, I don't want it.” Kyle finished his food quickly and just waited for Z to finish both sodas, after both of them finished their food they got up getting ready to leave. “Hey it’s already pretty late, did you want to spend the night?” She was unexpectedly nervous. “Yea, that’s fine I have clothes in the car. Besides, it'll be good to have your moms breakfast in the morning.” They continued talking about the plan on their way out the door and left for Z's house, which was only a few minutes away. They arrived at the house and both of them sat in the car for a moment before exiting. Z grabbed his hand “Kyle, it’s ok I know everything is a little scary right now but I know how strong you are and I’ll always be here to help you carry the weight. As usual you can’t do it without me.” She said with a big smile, Kyle was flustered. Finally getting the words out he said “I’m stronger than you, but I will always be grateful for your help.” After the moment they shared, both of them got out and headed for the front door.
chapter 3
Z opened the door and walked in the house. “Hey family I’ve brought someone for you.” Z’s mom peeked out of the kitchen, “who did you bring? Oh my goodness it’s my second child.” She ran up to hug Kyle. Kyle gave her a hug and greeted her “Hey mom how’s it been? I haven’t been here in a while.” They headed towards the kitchen continuing their conversation, “If Z wasn’t with you everyday I would be worried” She glanced in Z’s direction and smirked. “ Mom! I’m not with him everyday and we go to the same school so that’s not fair.” She had an embarrassed look on her face trying to divert the conversation somewhere else. “It’s ok she doesn’t have any other friends. I’ll look out for her for a while at least until she remembers what day it is.” Z threw the spoon in her hand at him and Kyle ducked it. “That was one time, leave it alone. If you’re done, my dad should be upstairs if you wanna see him.” Z’s dad has always been there since the first time Kyle and Z met all those years ago. He always treated Kyle as a son and Kyle saw him as a dad that hoped for. “I’ll go see the Green Giant, I bet he’s yelling at the tv or something.” Kyle headed upstairs to where her dads “den” was. Kyle knocked on the door upon entering, Z’s dad looked up from the tv surprised, “Kyle my boy how have you been!” He said, waving him over to the couch. “Hey GG, it's been a few months. How’s the game going?” He sat down next to him, “I can’t take it this team has been playing so terribly today I’m kinda glad I forgot to put money on this game. How have you been? How’s your uncle doing?” He looked a little serious asking that. Kyle took a deep breath and told him what happened the night before. Then Kyle asked a question, “Hey I wanted to ask, do you have any idea what that was that attacked my uncle? It looked human but it didn’t have any control over itself.” Kyle saw the look on his face go from concern to slight panic and he’d only seen that look one other time when Z fell and broke her leg in the 5th grade. Her dad spoke up , “What you saw last night was a puppet that belongs to an otherworlder whom I cannot reveal to you yet because I have to tell you the entire story first. This shouldn’t sound any more crazy than what you’ve already seen but, you know that Z has powers to heal right? To be completely honest we all have powers in our family and your family does as well.” Kyle interrupted him, “you mean my uncle had powers?” He said, slightly confused and shocked. “No Kyle your uncle doesn’t have any powers he’s normal but, that’s because he’s not actually your uncle. He’s just someone who took you in when your parents couldn’t find a place for you.” Kyle had a look of disbelief that shook the already upside down world he had. The uncle who had been at every game and every event for him was not his real family but just someone who took him in. He had so many questions but just held his tongue as Z’s dad continued. “I knew we were gonna have a problem once you turned 18 but your powers hadn’t shown any signs of awakening yet so we played it by ear. Now I need you to do something for me really quick so I can see how far you’ve come.” Kyle sat up listening to hear what he would ask of him. “I need you to look at me.” Kyle was disappointed and confused. “Look at you? I’m looking at you right now.” Z’s dad clarified, “But while you look at me I want you to remember last night every detail you can ok?” Kyle nodded and began. He started replaying every moment in his head from the night before, seeing his uncle on the ground bleed from his chest. He remembered how helpless he felt in that moment and how overwhelming it felt. As he continued to replay the moments, Kyle’s eyes started to glow a dark purple color as his powers were activating his emotions. Kyle continued and as he went on the room started shaking. The more he continued it wasn’t just the room it was the entire house that erupted into a massive shake similar to an earthquake. Z’s dad was in shock not realizing how much power he had already, he snapped out of it and grabbed Kyle’s shoulders. “Ok Kyle I got a good measurement on it now” Kyle blinked twice coming back to the moment he was in. A few moments later Z runs into the room with a concerned look on her face. “Hey are you guys ok the whole house was shaking just now?” Z’s dad put on a smile and responded “Oh it was me, my team finally scored exactly when we needed it, don't worry” Kyle looked at z and nodded in agreement with his statement. Z was still unsure but she just left accepting their answer. “Kyle you’re spending the night tonight right?” Kyle grabbed a water out of the fridge beside the couch, “Yes I am” he said sighing “Z won’t let me go back to the hospital right now” they both laughed and continued to watch the game on tv. After about an hour Z came back upstairs and told them dinner was ready and that they needed to come eat. Kyle went and helped set the table knowing that he would be asked to by Z because she doesn’t like doing extra work when he’s around. They all went to the table and ate dinner, Kyle even though things were rough felt at peace for the night knowing that he had people who cared for him. After dinner Kyle and Z went upstairs to her room where they talked for a while. “So basically you’ve had powers this whole time but didn’t help me?” Z looked up at him annoyed, “I don’t need to help you when you’re inflicting your own wounds. Take care of those yourself.” Their back and forth continued for a few more minutes. “Well I’m showering first!” He said running out of the room while z chased him, “no you’re not you always do this and then use my shampoo it’s not for you!” She threw her pillow at the bathroom door as he went in. After they got ready for bed Kyle went to the guest room he’d always stayed in and Z went back to her room. An hour later there was a loud cranking noise coming from outside Kyle’s window. He jumped up and went to Z’s door to see if she heard it too. He knocked twice, stopped and knocked three more times, this was their code for when something went wrong or Z had a nightmare as a kid. Z opened the door half asleep, “Kyle what do you need that you used the emergency knock for.” She said, yawning in between. “Did you not hear that just now?” He was confused as to why she wasn’t up already, “Come on let’s go look through the back window” Z let out a sigh and agreed to go with him. They went down stairs and looked through the window. They saw Z’s parents in the backyard beside what looked to be a hill where the flowers were. Kyle looked at Z as if to ask “do you know what that is” and Z, who is wide awake now, shook her head not knowing what was happening. Z’s mom noticed them through the window and gestured for them to come over. They head over to where her parents were. “Dad, what's this?” Z asked, approaching the suspicious hill. “You weren’t supposed to come here til tomorrow but it doesn’t hurt to see it now.” In front of the hill was a set of stairs that went underground. “Follow me, I'll take you down.” He headed down the stairs followed by the rest of them, at the bottom of the staircase was a heavy metal door. Once they were all downstairs he opened the door by pushing it slightly, then turned on the lights revealing a training facility that was very high tech. Kyle and Z stood there in awe as they took in all the variety of things in the room. “Don’t drool on the floor you two, here put this on.” He handed them two jumpsuits one in purple and the other in red. They both went to changing rooms and put their suits on. Afterwards they met in a training room across the hall. “Alright Z this is where you’ll be training on a day to day basis now that you’re familiar with your powers. Kyle, you will be starting from scratch since we have no idea how your powers really work. Now I’m going to push your body to its limit but sparring you so if you lose really badly don’t take it to heart that’s the goal.” Z’s dad got into his stance and Kyle started jumping side to side and wiggling his arms to get them loose. “I don’t know if I’ll lose that badly. I mean you taught me how to fight after all.” Z’s dad laughed a little bit at his comment. “I’ll make the first move. Try to block the best you can!” He said at the same time leaping in Kyle’s direction. Kyle dodged the first thrown punch followed by a few others, but Z’s dad was not letting him rest, getting closer to connecting each time. They both started moving faster darting around the room almost like they were playing tag. Until Kyle found himself back into the corner of the room. Z’s dad dashed in front of him, “Don’t hate me for this” at the moment he rushed Kyle and grabbed his shirt. He threw him at the will that Kyle was pinned to causing him to bounce slightly off of it. This made Kyle lose the wind he had left and he coughed as the air left him. Z’s dad continued the onslaught of attacks. Throwing a punch, kick, and mixed in a few throws that were all successful landing in Kyle’s body. Eventually Kyle felt his body go numb as he couldn’t really feel the attacks anymore but knew his body was jolting as they hit him. Before he knew it he remembered the other night again feeling helpless once again. He questioned this power, wondering if it was useful or not. In the very next moment he felt something similar to an electric surge through his arms, then his legs. His body moved, blocking the kick that was thrown by Z’s dad. He was shocked but continued to throw attacks in Kyle’s direction all of which were being countered effortlessly. Then Kyle went on the offensive catching the final punch thrown and threw a counter hook of his own. This caused Z’s dad to slide backwards a few feet. Z was watching from the corner, she was concerned for Kyle but after seeing that she was now interested in the power he found. Z’s dad stopped and clapped his hands once. “Alright Kyle I can see that you’ve felt the presence of this power again now that you're awake we can call it here for now.” Kyle however couldn’t stop the surge in his body from growing rapidly. He looked at Z’s dad with panic, “It keeps growing, I'm trying to turn it off but it won’t stop!” The power surged even higher forming a small cluster of lightning around his body. The lightning grew larger hitting everything around him, Z’s dad rushed in to try and calm him down. He got hit by one of the bolts on his way in causing him to fly backwards. “Kyle I know this sounds crazy but just let it go and release all of the power you have right now!” Kyle followed his orders and let go of the remaining power he held on to, causing an explosion that threw Z and her dad into the wall on impact.
chapter 4
The smoke dispersed, and everyone was scattered around the room. No one was gravely injured, Kyle stood up from where he was thrown and looked around to see if they were alright. He saw Z across the room, seeing she was in pain he walked to her. “Z are you ok?” There was a little panic in his voice, “I’m sorry I didn't think it would explode when I let go.” Z looked up and put her hand on his arm softly, “It’s fine my dad told you to release it and I’m fine I can heal myself” she said now using his arm to get herself up. After she got up they both walked to where her dad was and he was already up now. Z’s mom entered the room, she looked around making eye contact with Z’s dad. She ran over and whispered in his ear, “It seems to be time, they know where he is now.” Z’s dad looked up a little shocked but he nodded in agreement. “Ok if you two are ok we can call it a night here.” He walked over to Kyle, “It’s ok this was only your first time and it is my fault for making you release that much at one time.” He patted him on the shoulder and gave Kyle a smile. Kyle headed back upstairs after changing, he opened the door towards the outside and he saw it was still dark out. While walking back towards the house, he heard someone land on the grass behind him. “Man I knew you would be a problem.” The voice said behind him. Kyle quickly turned around after noticing the unfamiliar voice he said, “Who are you?” The man walked closer to him revealing himself. He was taller than Kyle by a little bit, he also had jet black hair that was almost fully covered by the hoodie he was wearing. There was also a sword holder on his back which had a black katana handle poking out. “My name is Kerrington, you could say I’m your god brother and I just watch over you.” Kyle was visibly lost by what he was saying, so Kerrington continued explaining. “I’m not here to hurt you or anything like that and as for why I’m watching you, well your mom asked me to.” Kyle was now shocked and confused by all the information he received. “Mom? What are you talking about? I've never met my mom in my life.” He was now a little frustrated on top of everything else, “Why would she ask you to watch me if I don’t know who she is?” Kerrington sighed softly and spoke to himself, “why do I have to be the one to tell him.” He cleared his throat and prepared to tell him everything. “Kyle Vanguard, your mother is the queen of the otherworld. She brought you this world to protect you from those who were after your life.” Kyle had a flood of questions racing his mind but only settled for one. “What is the otherworld?” Kerrington didn’t respond, he just stepped closer to Kyle pulling the sword holder off his back and holding it out towards him. “This is yours, your mom asked me to give it to you once your powers come. It’s a little late but if you still want to meet her at all I’ll be back to see you in a week's time when I will go back to report to her and you can come with me if you wish to ask her more questions.” Kyle grabbed the sword hesitantly, “A gift?” He said not sure what to do with it. Kerrington gave a look of relief when he grabbed the sword and proceeded to hop back to the tree he came from and disappear from sight. Kyle was distraught not believing that his mom was alive and was still looking after him. The thought of his mom still trying to care for him brought some comfort but it was immediately replaced by annoyance. Kyle was annoyed not knowing why his mom never contacted him or even tried to see him after 18 years. He sighed heavily and took the sword inside. Once he got to the room he opened it, revealing a smooth black blade that was engraved with initials a little towards the handle. “K.V” those were his initials, he rubbed his hand across the letters and upon touching the blade with his other hand he felt more of the surge he did earlier but this time he heard a voice. “Hello child” it said clear and crisp in his head. “Who was that?” Kyle jumped, frightened by the random man’s voice in his head. “I’m the spirit embedded in the blade you’re holding.” The man calmly said. “The contact you made with the blade allowed me to fuse with your mind temporarily. I don’t have a lot of power right now but the stronger you get I will get as well, and I hope we get along well Kyle.” The voice sounded friendly but firm as if he was a mature man who lived a full life. Kyle, still struggling to understand everything he was told, was exhausted after receiving all this information in one day. He laid down in the bed and stared at the ceiling, replaying everything that happened within the day. Eventually he winded down and fell asleep. Kyle woke up in the morning, relieved that the exhaustion he felt had subsided. He got dressed and walked downstairs where Z and her mom were there to greet him. “Hey sleepy head, you didn’t even hear me knocking last night.” Z said, shaking her head. Z’s mom walked over and handed him a cup of coffee. “Thank you” he replied, “yea, yesterday was very rough. I laid down and went to bed.” He didn’t tell Z about Kerrington or the sword he received from him. He thought about how he would get the sword out without her seeing it. They sat there drinking their coffee for a while. Kyle finished first and readily got up from the table. “Kyle, are you going to see Uncle G today?” She asked only because she wanted to go with him. Kyle looked up with wide eyes, he had for a moment forgotten his uncle was in the hospital with all the stuff that happened last night. He quickly composed himself and answered, “Yes I’m gonna head there now. I just need to grab my bag if you wanna come with me hurry up!” He said running up the stairs. They got ready and left the house. On their way to the hospital Z wanted food so they stopped at the restaurant nearby to get some. “I’ll order it to go so just tell me what you want.” Kyle was getting out of the car but waiting to hear what she wanted. “I’ll get some fries and a milkshake, cookies and cream of course.” Kyle rolled his eyes at her order and left to get it. After he ordered the food he went back to the car to sit with Z. They sat there quietly just waiting until Kyle broke the silence. “Wouldn’t it be crazy if I met my mom now?” He said trying to laugh it off, however Z had a serious look on her face. “It would be weird to meet her after all this time.” She was confused as to why he would bring that up now so she asked him out right. “What made you think of her now?” Kyle could tell that she was staring hard at him so he looked out the window while answering. “I don’t know, I just thought about it.” He sat quietly for a little while before speaking again, “If I could find her I wonder what she would say for leaving me for 18 years. Would she even be sorry?” Z was confused as to why, all of a sudden, he was being open about his feelings. She didn’t say anything, more like she didn’t have anything to say that would help him. “I’m gonna go check if the food is ready I’ll be back” Kyle got out the car and started walking back to the restaurant. Z was sitting there lost and she still couldn’t find any words. Contemplating whether she wanted him to go find his mom or would I be better to stay here. Then she got struck with realization, Z didn’t want Kyle to leave her even if it was to find his mom. The she had for him was growing rapidly by the day and now she just wanted to keep him to herself. Z quickly dispersed the thought knowing it was crazy and selfish of her. Kyle grabbed the food and came back to the car. “Here you go” handing her the fries. Z blurted out her thoughts, “Kyle I want you to stay here with me” she paused for a second “but if you wanna find your mom I won’t tell you not to, just be careful.” Kyle sat there for a second then laughed to himself “You can’t do anything without me huh?” Even though it sounded selfish it brought Kyle some comfort knowing she wanted him at all. “Ok well if I come to that decision I will let you know first.” Kyle pulled off and headed for the hospital.
chapter 5
The smoke dispersed, and everyone was scattered around the room. No one was gravely injured, Kyle stood up from where he was thrown and looked around to see if they were alright. He saw Z across the room, seeing she was in pain he walked to her. “Z are you ok?” There was a little panic in his voice, “I’m sorry I didn't think it would explode when I let go.” Z looked up and put her hand on his arm softly, “It’s fine my dad told you to release it and I’m fine I can heal myself” she said now using his arm to get herself up. After she got up they both walked to where her dad was and he was already up now. Z’s mom entered the room, she looked around making eye contact with Z’s dad. She ran over and whispered in his ear, “It seems to be time, they know where he is now.” Z’s dad looked up a little shocked but he nodded in agreement. “Ok if you two are ok we can call it a night here.” He walked over to Kyle, “It’s ok this was only your first time and it is my fault for making you release that much at one time.” He patted him on the shoulder and gave Kyle a smile. Kyle headed back upstairs after changing, he opened the door towards the outside and he saw it was still dark out. While walking back towards the house, he heard someone land on the grass behind him. “Man I knew you would be a problem.” The voice said behind him. Kyle quickly turned around after noticing the unfamiliar voice he said, “Who are you?” The man walked closer to him revealing himself. He was taller than Kyle by a little bit, he also had jet black hair that was almost fully covered by the hoodie he was wearing. There was also a sword holder on his back which had a black katana handle poking out. “My name is Kerrington, you could say I’m your god brother and I just watch over you.” Kyle was visibly lost by what he was saying, so Kerrington continued explaining. “I’m not here to hurt you or anything like that and as for why I’m watching you, well your mom asked me to.” Kyle was now shocked and confused by all the information he received. “Mom? What are you talking about? I've never met my mom in my life.” He was now a little frustrated on top of everything else, “Why would she ask you to watch me if I don’t know who she is?” Kerrington sighed softly and spoke to himself, “why do I have to be the one to tell him.” He cleared his throat and prepared to tell him everything. “Kyle Vanguard, your mother is the queen of the otherworld. She brought you this world to protect you from those who were after your life.” Kyle had a flood of questions racing his mind but only settled for one. “What is the otherworld?” Kerrington didn’t respond, he just stepped closer to Kyle pulling the sword holder off his back and holding it out towards him. “This is yours, your mom asked me to give it to you once your powers come. It’s a little late but if you still want to meet her at all I’ll be back to see you in a week's time when I will go back to report to her and you can come with me if you wish to ask her more questions.” Kyle grabbed the sword hesitantly, “A gift?” He said not sure what to do with it. Kerrington gave a look of relief when he grabbed the sword and proceeded to hop back to the tree he came from and disappear from sight. Kyle was distraught not believing that his mom was alive and was still looking after him. The thought of his mom still trying to care for him brought some comfort but it was immediately replaced by annoyance. Kyle was annoyed not knowing why his mom never contacted him or even tried to see him after 18 years. He sighed heavily and took the sword inside. Once he got to the room he opened it, revealing a smooth black blade that was engraved with initials a little towards the handle. “K.V” those were his initials, he rubbed his hand across the letters and upon touching the blade with his other hand he felt more of the surge he did earlier but this time he heard a voice. “Hello child” it said clear and crisp in his head. “Who was that?” Kyle jumped, frightened by the random man’s voice in his head. “I’m the spirit embedded in the blade you’re holding.” The man calmly said. “The contact you made with the blade allowed me to fuse with your mind temporarily. I don’t have a lot of power right now but the stronger you get I will get as well, and I hope we get along well Kyle.” The voice sounded friendly but firm as if he was a mature man who lived a full life. Kyle, still struggling to understand everything he was told, was exhausted after receiving all this information in one day. He laid down in the bed and stared at the ceiling, replaying everything that happened within the day. Eventually he winded down and fell asleep. Kyle woke up in the morning, relieved that the exhaustion he felt had subsided. He got dressed and walked downstairs where Z and her mom were there to greet him. “Hey sleepy head, you didn’t even hear me knocking last night.” Z said, shaking her head. Z’s mom walked over and handed him a cup of coffee. “Thank you” he replied, “yea, yesterday was very rough. I laid down and went to bed.” He didn’t tell Z about Kerrington or the sword he received from him. He thought about how he would get the sword out without her seeing it. They sat there drinking their coffee for a while. Kyle finished first and readily got up from the table. “Kyle, are you going to see Uncle G today?” She asked only because she wanted to go with him. Kyle looked up with wide eyes, he had for a moment forgotten his uncle was in the hospital with all the stuff that happened last night. He quickly composed himself and answered, “Yes I’m gonna head there now. I just need to grab my bag if you wanna come with me hurry up!” He said running up the stairs. They got ready and left the house. On their way to the hospital Z wanted food so they stopped at the restaurant nearby to get some. “I’ll order it to go so just tell me what you want.” Kyle was getting out of the car but waiting to hear what she wanted. “I’ll get some fries and a milkshake, cookies and cream of course.” Kyle rolled his eyes at her order and left to get it. After he ordered the food he went back to the car to sit with Z. They sat there quietly just waiting until Kyle broke the silence. “Wouldn’t it be crazy if I met my mom now?” He said trying to laugh it off, however Z had a serious look on her face. “It would be weird to meet her after all this time.” She was confused as to why he would bring that up now so she asked him out right. “What made you think of her now?” Kyle could tell that she was staring hard at him so he looked out the window while answering. “I don’t know, I just thought about it.” He sat quietly for a little while before speaking again, “If I could find her I wonder what she would say for leaving me for 18 years. Would she even be sorry?” Z was confused as to why, all of a sudden, he was being open about his feelings. She didn’t say anything, more like she didn’t have anything to say that would help him. “I’m gonna go check if the food is ready I’ll be back” Kyle got out the car and started walking back to the restaurant. Z was sitting there lost and she still couldn’t find any words. Contemplating whether she wanted him to go find his mom or would I be better to stay here. Then she got struck with realization, Z didn’t want Kyle to leave her even if it was to find his mom. The she had for him was growing rapidly by the day and now she just wanted to keep him to herself. Z quickly dispersed the thought knowing it was crazy and selfish of her. Kyle grabbed the food and came back to the car. “Here you go” handing her the fries. Z blurted out her thoughts, “Kyle I want you to stay here with me” she paused for a second “but if you wanna find your mom I won’t tell you not to, just be careful.” Kyle sat there for a second then laughed to himself “You can’t do anything without me huh?” Even though it sounded selfish it brought Kyle some comfort knowing she wanted him at all. “Ok well if I come to that decision I will let you know first.” Kyle pulled off and headed for the hospital.
chapter 6
“How long ago was this picture taken?” Kyle asked, looking up from the desk. Kerrington moved from the door and a shadow appeared from behind him, almost as tall as he was. He stepped back into the shadow and disappeared for a second reappearing behind Kyle. “This picture is the same age as me, so 20 years old.” Kyle turned around in a panic, “how did you get there?” Kyle also was shocked that Kerrington was only 2 years older than him, earlier he assumed that he was at least 5 years ahead of him. “That’s right, I guess I haven’t told you what my powers were. This is “Shadow movement” . I can move anywhere there is a shadow but only up to where I can see it. I have 3 other powers, one of which you have too.” Kerrington bent down a bit to Kyle’s level and stared him in the eyes. His eyes started turning a crimson color causing any movement Kyle wanted to make to be impossible. Kyle struggled to speak but managed to get out, “ what are you doing to me?” Kerrington blinked and responded “These are crimson curse eyes they allow me to take control of one’s ability and even body if they are weaker than I am. Don’t worry I’ll teach you once we leave here.” Kyle finally could move again and focused back on the picture. “So this is my dad,” he said, pointing at him. “Yes I can’t tell you much about him but he’s the otherworld's second hero.” Without any hesitation Kyle asked “So who's the first hero?” At that moment the door creaked and in the middle of the walkway there was a taller woman with long white hair. There was no question that this was the woman in the photo, yes she was a bit older now but her features and powerful energy were the same even from just looking at the photo. Kyle knew who this was and froze up and couldn’t bring himself to say anything at the moment. Kyle’s mom however looked like she saw the moon for the first time in total awe. She immediately broke down not knowing how to process seeing her son for the first time in 18 years. As the tears came down Kyle’s tears also came out but not from sadness, just confusion and the irritation he had once again built inside of his heart. He finally came out and said, “Why did I have to wait so long to see you?” He balled his fists on the table, “I have so many questions and it really frustrates me not even being able to just know that you’re my mom, but having to ask someone I don’t know if that’s really you or not. It makes me feel embarrassed but it’s not an embarrassment I put on myself. It’s one you put on me” Kyle continued to let out all his feelings crying in between. His mom just stood there with her head down accepting what was coming and waited for him to finish. “Despite everything that I’ve been through and feel for you right now, I just don’t want to be without you anymore mom.” He walked up to her and laid his head on her shoulder. She didn’t hesitate and just wrapped her arms around him and held him for a moment. All she could bring out was, “I’m so sorry I never meant to hurt you for so long.” She started crying again. After a minute they sat up and just stood there awkwardly. “Look at how big you’ve gotten, I can’t believe you’ve made it this far in life with all your accomplishments. I'm so proud of you Kyle” she put her hand on his cheek. Kyle however stood there confused not knowing what she meant. “How do you know what I’ve done in my life?” He turned towards Kerrington for answers. “I told you already I’ve been your overseer for as long as you’ve been in elementary school.” Kyle’s mom sat on the couch in front of the desk and patted the seat next to her urging him to sit next to her. “Kyle I asked Kerrington to update me on your life making sure no harm came to you or nothing bad happened. If your life seemed poor in any way he would bring you here. In the case you were fine he would ask you once you turned 18 if you wanted to come here to meet me and live with me but would not force you in any way.” She paused and looked over at Kerrington, one that was interrogating. He just stuck his hands up and shook head denying that he did anything of the sort. Kyle sat there taking in all the information, still having a hard time grasping that he is of this world not the one he lived in his entire life. “I did have one question: what was that paper on the table? It had my name on it and it said something about being accepted into school.” Kyle’s mom turned towards him and started to explain, “ Well I knew that you were going to school in the human realm and I didn’t want you to have to skip out on it being here. So in the chance you chose to come here I put in an application for the best school in the city here and you were accepted yesterday. The school has already started, so you’ll have to just join in midway.” Kyle didn’t even think about living here but after a few seconds thought he knew it would be better for him to learn about his own culture here rather than impose on Z and her family forever. “Ok is there anything I’ll need to study up on before I go?” Kerrington sat up from the other side of the room and held out the little box he walked in with. “You’ll need this for starters.” He walked to Kyle and handed it to him. The confusion was showing on Kyle’s face so Kerrington continued with his explanation, “This is a necklace that holds the mirror of worldly life. This mirror is only for those with exponential stamina and power, as it drains little by little in order to function properly and give you knowledge you may not have of this world.” Kyle took the mirror out of the box, and it fit almost perfectly in the palm of his hand. As soon as he fully grasped it however, he felt the energy in his drain not by much but definitely enough that he would notice. A few seconds went by and the mirror started to glow. “Oh my! Another Vanguard, this one… this one is beyond what was told in legend!” The girlish voice exclaimed from the mirror. “What do you mean from legend?” Kyle asked, looking down at it. Kyle’s mom placed her hand over the mirror, “let’s not tell him that, at least wait for after the festival for him to accept the prince role.” Now Kyle was more confused. “Festival?” There were too many terms going around for him to comprehend especially for this being his first day here. The mirror spoke up again explaining the festival to him, “The Fight festival is an ongoing tradition that takes multiple capable fighters from the two schools in the city and has them compete for a scholarship. In the case of royalty, you’ll be fighting to be accepted by the people as the next heir to the throne.” The conversation they had took longer than expected and before anyone noticed it was night time. Kyle yawned midway through talking, “Right!” Kyle’s mom seemed a little more excited now, “I know it’s getting late so I have an apartment nearby ready for you. It’s not too big but you can stay there and let me know if you need anything I’ll have Kerrington bring it to you.” The meeting ended there. Kyle and Kerrington left the capitol getting into a black SUV at the front gate. “This is your driver from here on he’ll be here in the morning for your training and school.” The car came to a halt as they arrived in front of a tall almost skyscraper building. “This is where your apartment is, you’re on the 12th floor and the apartment number is 1220.” Kyle grabbed the keys from him and entered the building. “What time is my training at?” He still was confused by the fact he was giving all of this for meeting his mom. “You’re training at 7:30 in the morning, you go to school at 8:45. Are there any other questions?” Kyle shook his head and walked to the elevator. He couldn’t help but look around the elevator feeling like this was a 5 star hotel. Once he arrived on the 12th floor his room was the first one on the right. He unlocked the door and walked in, seeing a fully furnished penthouse. The ceilings were higher than any house he’s ever been to and everything was black and white keeping a good balance of color in the entire place. Kyle was taken aback by the amount of effort put into the place, and it was just for him. “I think I can get used to this.” He smiled and sat down on the couch.