A harsh beam of white light blinded Monty's vision. He evaded it by redirecting his gaze to the metal table in front of him. A clock ticked in the background, and seemed to slice apart the ever present howl of wind in his head. Accompanying this noise was a stern man's voice.
So annoying… Monty thought to himself. Tick, tock, tick, tock, over and over!
"Do you remember anything? I understand it must have been hard for you out there, but we need you to tell us anything you know," the man asked as softly as he could.
Monty finally raised his lifeless glare to be level with the man's eyes, the imaginary winds seeming to die down a bit.
"I remember hearing screams, tasting blood, feeling pain, smelling smoke, and seeing a man… cloaked in shadow," Monty wheezed.
"Do you recall any specifics?" the man urged.
Monty's eyes went to his feet again as his head throbbed to recall that night.
That man… had a tattoo of a crow atop a skull didn't he? he asked himself.
"Monterey? Monty? Monty? Monty are you okay?" the man asked.
****
"Monty?" Paige asked with a concerned smile.
Monty snapped out of his daze and awoke to his friends at a table in the park. He brushed his unruly black hair out of his dark brown eyes and looked at the chessboard and timer in front of him.
Birds chirped, basking in the midday sun, and the sparkling rays of sunshine pierced through the canopy of the trees. It was a beautiful autumn day in the city of Cysko. A cool sea breeze accompanied the heat and white tufts of clouds peppered the sky, offering some shade.
"Ah, sorry. I'm fine," Monty assured blankly as he made his move and the clock switched over to Paige. "Check."
Paige instantly made his move and gave a curious look over at Monty with his docile green eyes.
Monty was thinking about his next move when he noticed that the table was shaking slightly. Internally, his expression soured, but externally there was no change.
"Oi, Dalton, stop shaking the table," he demanded.
"Ugh, but I'm so boooooored!" Dalton whined. "This game is so boring, how can you two play it?!"
He ran a hand through his brown, wavy hair. It was a little wild, yet he still looked handsome as if he were an actor or model. His bright, friendly, aquamarine eyes scanned for something to do. He had grown bored of texting a girl on Chirp and had put his Omnicard in his pocket.
"Chess is a strategic game. With an attention span like yours, there's no wonder as to why you can't understand it," Monty jeered in the same cold tone.
Dalton accepted the challenge and sat up straight in his chair. He examined the board and quickly came up with a decision. "If you move that piece there, don't you check him?"
Monty sat on the idea and gave a sigh. "I hate you." He took Dalton's advice and made the suggested move. "Check."
Dalton grew a satisfied grin on his face and leaned back. "Easy."
Paige made his move immediately and pressed down on the clock before patting his Afro down a little.
That was fast, Monty thought.
"So," Paige began. "You two excited for tomorrow?"
"A little, yeah," Monty said with a shrug.
"Meh, I'm sure it'll be boring. It's the first day of eleventh grade after all," Dalton sighed. "Hold on, group of hot college girls at my eleven o'clock!" He leapt from his seat and embarked on his flirtatious expedition with haste.
The two ignored their friend's shenanigans and continued to play until he returned. Dalton sat back down with a triumphant smile and a red hand mark on his cheek.
"Checkmate," Paige said.
"Tsk," Monty cursed through his teeth.
"You knew full well you are too young for those girls to take you seriously," Paige sighed.
"It was worth a shot. I've never dated a college chick before," Dalton shrugged. "So Monty lost again huh? What does that make it? Five hundred losses now?"
Monty crossed his arms and grumbled, "No, that makes it four hundred and eighty-nine losses…"
"Oh-ho! So you've been counting?" Dalton jeered.
"Can it. I blame this one on you. You made me fall right into Paige's trap," Monty sighed.
"Yeah, yeah," Dalton scoffed with a flick of his hand.
Monty checked his watch and noticed the time. "I gotta get going. The sale at the supermarket is going to end soon, and if I leave Amy home alone we're going to end up with mac 'n cheese for dinner again."
"See ya!" Dalton waved.
"See you tomorrow Monty!" Paige farewelled.
****
"Have a nice day!" the Go-Go Mart clerk said as Monty departed the store, but he could barely hear her over the music playing in his earbuds.
The company logo, a raccoon wearing a green scarf, smiled at him and bathed him in light as he exited the store. With two bags in hand, he counted out his ingredients to make sure he got everything and gave a quiet "cool" before finally walking home.
The sun was low in the sky as he made his way through the city of Cysko. The usual commotion never ceased. Even as day became night, the citizens of Cysko ever so zealously enjoyed the life of the city. The bright neon colors of the restaurants and business signs reflected off the white pavement of the streets. Leaves from the trees which had been systematically planted along the sidewalks, sprinkled the area daintily as a cool sea breeze blew in from the bay and swept through the winding streets. Cars honked and advertisements played from various screens on the sides of tall structures in the plaza near downtown.
"Violence ensues as more feral and humans combat each other near the border of the Akerymic colony in Estrella," one of the news channels reported. "A brawl broke out when a feral woman and her child were killed after supposedly assaulting an officer. The officer claimed it was self-defense, but another feral, the husband, killed the officer. Border security and other feral families began fighting in reaction to the murders. In better news, with the valor and strength of the Celestian Order and their exorcists, the signum are being pushed back, and the Order is planning..."
The report continued on as civilians simply ignored it, carrying on their conversations with their friends, listening to their music, or completing their business calls. Monty stopped to listen, and after hearing all he wanted to hear, gave a "tch" and shook his head, turning his music louder in order to further separate himself from the noise around him. He paid no attention to the news that followed.
****
"Don't be late, don't be late, don't be late!" Clara thought aloud as she sprinted through the city. She ran as fast as she could toward the soon-to-be-over supermarket sale. She focused her aura to her legs in order to reach higher speeds.
"Watch out!" she shouted as she zoomed across the bridge, running around strolling pedestrians.
She ran into a group who blocked the whole sidewalk and went around them into the street thinking she could get back to the sidewalk in time before she got run over. She thought wrong, and a truck was waiting for her. The horn blasted and she channeled an electric current into her feet to make her stick to the truck's side. She kept running and then jumped off and landed back onto the sidewalk in front of the group. But...
****
Monty was looking at his feet when he felt someone's body slam into him. In addition, his music was too loud for him to have heard Clara's warning. So when he was bumped off the bridge, you can imagine his surprise.
Huh? he thought as the evening sky came into view revealing two of Lokyer's four moons: Galilei and Vinci. Both reflected the light of the solar system's sun, Plexis, in a phantasmic manner as they made their way across the horizon. Monty had always found Galilei a little eerie, for its shattered pieces drifted along slowly in front of it, making it appear as if eternally racing toward what it was missing. Not only that, it served as a grim reminder of the catastrophic events that had taken place centuries ago.
His eyes reached the cause of his plummet to the river below him: a girl, probably his age. She had deep blue eyes that resembled the ocean, unlike the intense polar blue of Dalton's eyes. She wore glasses and had chestnut-colored hair. She was somewhat short. Definitely shorter than Monty, the top of her head being around the same height as his chin. Her hair was long and braided with a sparkly tie in the shape of a flower. In her mouth was a half-eaten chocolate chip cookie.
Is this one of those clichés where the guy and the girl bump into each other and that's when their high school romcom begins?!?!! Monty thought sarcastically as he kept falling. He felt himself go over the railing and concluded: Nope.
The girl skidded to a halt upon seeing him and did a double take.
"You suck," Monty said as he fell over the railing and splashed into the river.
She leaned over the railing after him and made a pathetic attempt to stick a hand out to help. "Oh, my bad! But I've got to get somewhere! Walk it off, you'll be fine!" she farewelled and sped off toward the supermarket.
Monty was able to reach a shore and clambered onto some rocks before he floated out into the bay. He rung out the water from his hoodie and applied a bit of his fire magic in order to heat himself up. The water in his clothes turned to steam, but his aura shield protected him from getting burned. His shield gave off a crimson glow, indicating that it was being damaged.
"That girl," he grumbled as he watched his groceries drift out into the bay. "Now I gotta go all the way back!"
He dried his Omnicard which was thankfully waterproof. He checked the time and made haste to the supermarket. With what little cash he had, he bought a single bag filled with enough ingredients to cook fried rice and some bacon and eggs. He touched his Omnicard to the register stand and quickly walked out, eager to get home and eat.
He speed walked around a corner and entered an alley. Vape floated through the air in front of him. He held his breath and waved it out of the way. The only thing that illuminated the pathway was a single flickering streetlight. Three men loitered against its walls, chuckling and vaping. Monty brushed past them while remaining vigilant, and only stopped when one stepped in front of him and brandished a knife.
"Give us your money kid," he threatened.
The other two surrounded Monty and chuckled.
"We've just had a long day of work, and we want some extra cash to go buy some booze. You'll treat us won't you?"
Monty sighed and asked, "Answer me this: are you three Shade Mafia members?"
"Yeah kid, so you know what'll happen if you don't hand the notes over, now!"
Monty felt the bite of a cold wind on the back of his head, a feeling he had nearly forgotten. The howling of a blizzard kicked up and began to fill his ears faintly. "I see. Then allow me to ask you another question: tell me where I can find your headquarters?"
"Huh?"
Monty swung his bag around the man's wrist and pulled him forward while stepping to the side. He threw him at his friend and let go as they tumbled. He dodged a punch from the third thug and grabbed his arm. He channeled his aura through his arm and flames burst from his palm igniting the man's sleeve. The man wailed in surprise and fear and tried to break free of Monty's grip, but failed.
"I've had a long day," Monty explained. "And I am quite irritable at the moment, even more so that you three are part of that damned organization. So here's what's going to happen: I'm going to break you three."
"He's a mage?!"
"Oh crap!"
Monty pulled him close and kneed his stomach, creating an explosion on his knee. A puff of smoke and a small bang rang out as the attack made impact. He coated his leg in flame and sent the man flying into the wall. The other two had gotten up and one had stabbed Monty in the back with his knife. His aura shield halted the force of the attack, allowing the blade to only penetrate his skin slightly.
Monty flinched slightly at the sudden pain and then quickly elbowed the man, turning and grabbing his wrist. He threw him over his shoulder and twisted his wrist, disarming him.
"I'll say it again: I'm going to break you three," Monty said in a menacingly cold tone. He created an explosion in his palm, shattering the man's wrist. The main wailed in pain and Monty let go, kicking him in the head, knocking him out.
The other man gave a battle cry and charged Monty. Monty breathed a plume of flame, showering the man in embers as he screamed and rolled across the pavement in agony.
"I'll ask again: where is your HQ?" Monty asked blankly.
"Go to hell!" the remaining conscious thug yelled. His face was filled with fear, sweat dripped from his forehead and snot seeped from his nostrils.
The howling in Monty's head grew louder and seemed to hum a playful melody. He tried to fight against it. He pulled his keychain out of his pocket.
A single, sparkling trinket dangled from a golden chain which was hooked to a golden ring. The trinket was in the shape of a wing, its feathers slowly fading from gold into shades of orange, pink, and purple.
Monty whirled the trinket around to his side vertically like the tail rotor on a helicopter, gripping the ring with his index finger. A golden ring glowed and within a second, the wing had extended into a sword. Its golden blade was straight until the tip where it curved in the pattern of the feathers of the trinket. Gold turned to orange, then to purple, then to pink toward the tip. The hilt was silver and wrapped in black lacing. It lacked a guard, and at the end of the hilt the golden ring's diameter had also increased, however slightly.
He shifted his grip and held his sword high in the air, prepared to jab it into the man's skull. First however, he pushed the man's sleeve up to reveal a crow on his bicep.
So they were actually telling the truth huh? Monty thought. The howling winds suddenly whipped up into a crescendo. They took everything from you, Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill! KILL!!!
"Okay, okay! It's by the bay! It's disguised as a hotel and casino!" the man pleaded.
"What're you doing?" A familiar voice broke through the hostile noise, bringing Monty back to his senses.
Aw crap, he thought. The shadow cast by the light pole sprung to life and formed a fist. It lunged at Monty and hit him in the head, sending him off his feet before sulking over to the mafia thug and knocking him out cold.
"You're late for dinner," the voice said again.
"Amy, I can explain," Monty assured.
"No need bro. The evidence pretty much tells the whole story," she chuckled in disbelief.
Monty turned to face her with an apologetic look. The wind had died down once again.
Her face was full of disappointment under her short, black hair that nearly covered her right eye. She had purple highlights on the ends of it. She thought it'd be appropriate since her full name was Amethyst Violet. She was in her flannel cookie pajamas. She also wore a gray tank top with the word "Zenzy" (a popular brand in the country of Puakai) written in purple on it, with the y's tail waving beneath the word. On the back of her neck was a small tattoo: a bold outline of a star.
"They attacked me first."
"I don't care Monty, I'm tired of it."
"I haven't actively attacked the Shade Mafia for a couple months now."
"At least don't use our dinner ingredients as a weapon," Amy clicked her tongue and shook her head. "Come on, let's head home."
The two reached their destination: the Horizon Villa. An old apartment complex that their uncle bought and renovated. It would soon house his employees in his soon-to-be-approved detective agency. The ocean's soothing waves could be heard through the complex as they entered the kitchen and living room.
"We're home!" Amy announced.
"I can only cook us fried rice," Monty apologized. "I was pushed off a bridge today and lost all of our ingredients."
"Is that so?" Amy asked with a cheerful smile. "Well I'm halfway through my manga. I almost spilled my tea all over it though," she giggled.
"You should let me read it when you're done."
"Sure, sure."
After the garlic hit the stove, Kaze yelled across the house. "Is dinner nearly done?!"
"Yeah, be careful on the steps Uncle! The AC is off and we only have one window open down here!" Monty cautioned.
A blast of wind ran through the house making Amy's hair flap upwards.
Old man Kaze Amachi walked down the stairs with semi-careful steps. However, if you were to ask his age, he would argue someone is only old once they're sixty years old, not fifty years. His goatee was gray and his head shaven but not completely bald, as if a thin, gray rug was cut and glued to his scalp. He wore an orange, flower button-up shirt and blue board shorts to match. Red-rimmed, cheap sunglasses covered his eyes.
"What's on the menu? I smell and hear fried rice?" Kaze asked. A small current of wind was felt around him which he used to detect objects so as not to stumble into them.
"Yep!" Amy beamed. "Whaddya wanna drink?"
"A beer would be nice! Heh heh, I haven't treated myself in a while," Kaze requested.
After the meal, Monty and Amy chucked the bowls and spoons into the dishwasher and retreated upstairs to their rooms. Kaze had gone before them and returned to his paperwork required for his Agency.
"Monty, please don't pick anymore unnecessary fights," Amy pleaded.
"I know, I know. Goodnight Amy," Monty said and closed his door.
He's going to pick more fights… Amy thought to herself and retreated to her own room.
Monty belly-flopped onto his bed and looked up at the family portrait on his nightstand. It consisted of his mother, his younger sister Amy, his older brother Raphael, and his older sister Cerulean, otherwise known as Ruru. He was in the second grade when the photo was taken. He reminisced about his mother's home cooking, his brother's training lessons and adventures.
An example of this would be when Raphael took Monty to the river and, for Monty's first swimming lesson, he was pushed from behind and instructed to "not drown." What had brought him tears in the past brought him smiles in the present. However, those warm memories were but a gateway to the more apparent nightmare that had occurred. The dreadful night that had never escaped his thought and lingered in the back of his mind.
Monty's smile turned into a frown. He put the photo back down, turned his back to it and closed his eyes.
Damn it. I let it get to me again, Monty cursed.
Fatigue crashed on him like a wave, and he fell into a deep slumber.
****
Monty woke up the next morning with heavy eyes and an aching body. His bones seemed to be stiff, his body clammy, and his mouth coated in dry drool. His lips were chapped, and his throat felt like it was torn to shreds. His blankets were bundled and scattered about his bed, half on the floor. His body was wedged against the corner of his room. His limbs were spread out and relaxed, and his leg dangled off the bed.
He looked at his Omnicard and saw he was late. His eyes shot open and he dashed to the bathroom. A splash of water, a swig of mouthwash, a hand through the hair (no effect), a change of clothes with the tie half on and the shirt not tucked in, backpack on, his keychain in hand which he hooked to his belt, and he's ready for school. Monty blasted through the door without breakfast and ran to the Tran-Zip station.
Amy didn't wake me up?! The hell?! Monty cursed as he sprinted and weaved through the crowded streets.
"Welcome to the Cysko International Tran-Zip station," a robotic female voice repeated for its several hundredth time in that day as it proceeded to list departure and arrival times of the different asterium-powered trains.
The voice was nearly drowned out by the murmurs of the chaotic tumult that was the daily commute. People were constantly in motion, going off and on the hyper-fast international transits, only stopping to eat some food or use the bathroom.
Monty touched his Omnicard to the entry terminal and the miniature doors swung open revealing a holographic green circle with a white check in it.
"Hello Monterey, where would you like to go?" his Omnicard asked as he passed through.
"Atlas!" he nearly shouted and held up his card to his eye.
The transparent screen showed a blue arrow pointing to his destination with the distance written on it.
"The train leaves in one minute."
I won't make it! Monty scanned the area for an alternative route and found it. There was an overpass that connected the two sections of the station. He saw the Atlas-bound Tran-Zip begin to accelerate, and he knew he only had a few seconds to catch it. He reached the overpass as the last car passed underneath.
Crap! Crap! Crap! He panicked as he jumped up the stairs by threes.
He reached the top of the overpass and stepped on the railing, jumped off and used two explosions in the palms of his hands to propel himself forward. He whirled his sword to life and thrust it in between the bar used to climb to the roof of the cars for maintenance and the corner of the roof, lodging and securing his position.
"Look out below!" a familiar voice shouted.
Monty turned to see Dalton running across a growing platform of ice. He had done the same as Monty, except he had used his magic to extend a floor of ice from the railing of the overpass and sprinted toward the accelerating Tran-Zip. Dalton waved his hand behind him and a cube about two meters high formed at the beginning of the artificial walkway. He threw his hand forward as if the cube were attached to a string on his wrist. The cube lurched forward at the speed of a car. It slammed into his back, propelling him off of the platform and flying toward the car.
"Gah!" he exclaimed in pain.
Dalton slapped the roof of the car and let out an "Oof!" He froze the area around him and enveloped his hand with ice, freezing it to the roof. He then swung his other arm around and secured his other hand. His aura shield glimmered blue, and cracks appeared on his back, having absorbed the impact of the collision.
He let out a sigh of relief and looked up to see his friend in front of him. "Oh, hey Monty! You're late too huh?" They made their way in between the cars and were able to convince the operator to open the doors.
The Tran-Zip zoomed north, and they arrived in Atlas within approximately an hour. Monty and Dalton looked to their left to see the city of Atlas, an entire city dedicated to Constellation Academy: the Puakai's west coast academy city. Rows of pine trees led down the slope to the sea.
Tall skyscrapers in the central business district towered over the other four districts: Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern Districts. It was an unusually clear day, which in Atlas means mostly cloudy with no rain.
When the doors opened in the North District, floods of students, ranging from high school freshmen to college seniors, poured out of the train, each wearing the Constellation Academy uniform: a navy blue jacket with white buttons and trim. Underneath was a white-collared shirt and a red tie. For pants, men wore gray slacks, and as for women, gray skirts. Monty and Dalton hopped down from the roof of the Tran-Zip casually.
They weaved through the current, some students taking their early free period, and others ran under the same circumstances as the two Prestiges-in-training.
"Why are the two academy cities in this nation in such depressing cities? It rains nearly every other day here," Dalton complained.
"Well the weather doesn't look too bad today, so I wouldn't be complaining," Monty said. "Come on, class starts in fifteen minutes. We don't want to be late on the first day."
****
The classroom was a series of four rows of bench desks, each row a higher elevation than the one in front. The length of the rows was short and was contained in a small room with a podium, a smartboard, and an open area at the base of the room around the podium. A door to the left of the smartboard, and nearest to the exit, led to an even smaller room which was undoubtedly the teacher's office.
The second part of the class branched off through a spacious and short hallway into a large gymnasium. Two basketball hoops hung from the ceiling and a small set of bleachers, two rows high, were stationed next to the wall.
When Monty and Dalton arrived, three other students were already seated randomly in the rows. Of the three, two were Amy and Paige. Amy was drawing sketches, while Paige had his head buried in a book as usual.
The last student neither Monty nor Dalton had ever seen before. She was tall, almost as tall as Monty. Her eyes were a jade green, seeming as though they once had the appearance of sparkling emeralds, but now have lost their luster as her sunken stare glanced over to them. Her blonde hair laid on her shoulders as if it were taking a nap on them, while she twindled some of it with her left index finger. She wore a gray wool beanie on her head that covered her ears.
The bell rang as Monty and Dalton took their seats. Monty sat next to Amy and Dalton sat next to the new girl since he thought she was kinda hot.
"Why didn't you wake me up?" Monty whispered to Amy.
Amy put away her sketches. "I did," she argued. "I shook you and even splashed water on you, but you didn't budge. It was impressive really, and funny."
So that's why I was wet! Monty concluded. "Oh, well then I guess I can't blame you, but next time don't splash water on me!"
"Sure thing," she apologized with a giggle as she pulled out her notes.
The teacher finally stepped out from his office and took his place at the podium. He wore a black motorcycle jacket, a red t-shirt and blue jeans. His skin was black, and his hair was the same color and short. He had a short goatee from his chin and his shoulders were broad.
"Alright," he began. "Let's see who's here."
The door suddenly swung open and a girl stumbled through breathing heavily. It was Clara. Her hair was a wild mess, some of it going over her eyes while the top of it was windblown and frizzy. Around her wrist was the hair tie she previously wore.
"Sorry I'm late!" she apologized and bowed to the teacher. "I missed the Tran-Zip so I had to wait an extra thirty minutes and sprint over here. C'mon Lizzy, why didn't you wake me up?"
"You deserved to be late. You've overslept for the past two weeks," the blonde girl sighed.
Clara whipped her hair back and ran her hand through it, but to no effect. She pivoted to take her seat and made eye contact with Monty whose eyes had become wide upon recognizing her.
Clara was the first to say something.
"Oh! It's you! The one from the bridge!"