The large thug reeled back from the pain, clutching his bleeding hand. "Argh!"
Without missing a beat, Matthew crumpled the ground beneath their feet to the best of his ability, but a sharp pain tore through his mind, causing his power to weaken significantly. The earth beneath the thugs only wobbled. 'Damned orb!'
"Bloody Theian, get him!" The large thug growled, causing the rest of his entourage to surge towards Matthew.
Enduring through another bout of throbbing head aches, Matthew willed the ground to engulf Hazel, much to her protest. A rough hand grabbed him by the shirt, yanking him with all it's might.
Matthew was pushed face first into the dirt, but before the full weight of one of the thugs could crush him, he willed the ground to open beneath him. Like a mole, he dug into it.
The thugs looked incredulously at where Matthew had disappeared, eye brows raised. Mere moments passed before the large thug suddenly widened his eyes.
"Move!"
But it was too late. Like a natural disaster, the earth beneath their feet trembled and collapsed, revealing a deep crater.
In one big pile at the bottom, all the thugs moaned in pain.
Profusely sweating and covered in dirt, Matthew reemerged. Not a second later, Hazel had broken out of her dome, cheeks red and eyes watery. "Stupid Matthy, why did you do that! I wanted to help!"
Matthew grumbled to himself, one hand clutching his head as his temples boomed. He took Hazel's hand. "Time to go home."
As the two hobbled their way out, the tide of onlookers split to give them way, all of them staring ominously at Matthew. Whispers flooded the area.
"That was fast."
"Is it him?"
"It can't be...but then again, what he did..."
"Could it be?"
"The Genesis."
Matthew's shoulders tensed, his brows were furrowed. In tense silence, he and Hazel made their way home. 'All I wanted was candy.'
. . .
With a sigh, Matthew's head hit his pillow. Things did not just go terribly, they went the worst possible way. As soon as he arrived home, he and Hazel had gotten into a big fight, the biggest yet, and now they weren't talking. Matthew didn't care though, it was her that got him in trouble with Orvo of all people.
"Stupid brat!"
When had she become so daring?
Today wouldn't be the end of it, no sir, not by a long shot. Orvo Black never forgot, and never forgave, so now it was only a matter of time before he would come after Matthew.
'Of all the people she had to mess with!'
Would they have to move?
No, they couldn't.
Matthew grit his teeth, frowning. The throbbing pain in his head had subsided, but echoes of it remained. 'Maybe if I didn't use the orb...no, I can't.'
His mind wandered to the whispers of the crowd. The Genesis. A children's tale told to all earth mages about a prophesized child who would be born without the limiter, the beginning of a new age. He clenched his fists tightly, the mana in his veins rushed with power.
'The Genesis will bring about a new era, they will be the diamond formed after millennia of stress and pressure...but I'm not it.' A sad look overcame Matthew briefly before he rubbed his eyes. He recalled his mother's locket, and his promise with her.
Never use your full powers no matter what, or they will take you...
Matthew sighed, his mind was beginning to overheat from all the worries. 'What to do...'
Whatever it was, he had to do it alone.
The sound of the front door opening knocked him out of his focus, giving him the much needed relief. Mary's voice carried itself up from downstairs.
"Mama's home~"
"Ma!"
'Maybe she can hel-" He cut his thoughts off, 'no...she can't know.'
His ma already had enough to worry about, he couldn't involve her in this. Matthew would just have to deal with it silently.
As Matthew arrived at the living room, another pair of light footsteps rapidly approached. He stared at his behated foe, a very blight on his existence. Hazel too glared at him. The air crackled with electricity for a moment, the tension between the two was palpable.
"Ma!" Matthew ran into Mary, hugging her leg. "I missed you!"
Hazel hurriedy hobbled into Mary's other leg, tugging at her pants. "Mama!"
Mary awed at her children's loving show of affection. 'They definitely sneaked out when I wasn't here.'
Picking them up, she nuzzled her cheek in theirs. "You didn't get into any trouble today, did you?"
"What- no~ I would never!" Matthew avoided eye contact. "Right, Hazel?"
She innocently shook her head, dewy green eyes sparkling with purity.
Mary furrowed her brows, smiling. "Right." She laughed at how terrible of a liar her adoring kids were. "I was at the market today, and I managed to buy some of Grandma Meryl's black rocks. Here, have some."
Both of their expressions lit up. Matthew grinned from ear to ear as Hazel squealed.
'Guess it wasn't totally a waste of time!'
. . .
In a dark office decorated with golden statues of himself, a short man wearing an expensive suit made from only the rarest of materials sat. He caressed a new statue that would be joining the hundreds of others.
"What do you think, Tooth, does it capture my likeness?"
A huge giant of a man sat hunched in the corner, playing with dolls. "Ooh! Itz shinies and pretty!"
"That wasn't the question, you dolt! I asked if it captured my likeness!" The short man snapped, causing the giant to flinch and cower.
"Yes, yes! Itz very much like Orvo!"
A satisfied smile crept its way into his mouth. "Good." He finally spun his chair around to look at the kneeling, heavily beaten earth mage man by his feet.
"See? Your family heirloom will do much better in my collection, I do this all for you! Theians like you are just incapable of appreciating the finer things in life. Oh, and terribly sorry for what happened to your mother, accidents happen." He stomped his foot on to the man's head. "Just think about it as...retribution, for going against me."
There was a light knock on his premium, Felician mahogany door. With a groan, allowed whoever was on the other side to enter. As soon as they did, his already dour expression soured more.
Six of his men walked in, all limping. The largest among them cradled a bandaged hand.
"What's the meaning of this."
The large man fell to his knees, head on the floor. "It was our mistake, sir, we meant nothing by it."
One of Orvo's eyebrows twitched, causing the man to flinch.
"I-it was an earth mage, from the slums! Caught us by surprise is all! They didn't take kindly to the new prices and attacked us!"
"So," Orvo got off his Amalon leather chair, taking his time to leisurely strut towards the thugs. "Let me get this straight...you, my men, esteemed employees of Black Industries, lost to a mere earth mage?"
The thugs gulped. The large man quietly prayed. "Y-yes, but-"
"Ah-ah! No buts." Orvo tutted, now standing in front of the kneeling, large man. "You know, its such a shame, Ted, your daughter was quite the beauty too..."
The large man's eyes shot wide open, an audible clap reverberated in the room as he clenched his fists. Still, he kept his head low. "Please."
Orvo played with his new golden statue, a sleazy smile on his face. "I am feeling merciful today. I will give you a week, in that time, bring me the dirty theian who dared besmirch the Black name. If you dont...well, I don't really care, I can always replace you."
"Thank you, Orvo!" The large man, Ted, lifted his head, only for Orvo's foot to stomp him down. A disgusting crunch was heard, followed by a weak wimper.
Orvo seethed, "I didn't say you could get up!" After a moment, he composed himself. "You may get up. All of you, leave."
The thugs breathed out a sigh of relief all at once, Ted especially, with his nose completely crushed.
"Ah, actually..." The short, well dressed man suddenly changed his mind. "You, over there." He pointed to the scrawniest thug, a young man who looked no older than 20. "Come here."
"Me? Mr. Black, please, no-I"
"Shut up! Come here, now!"
The young thug slowly and reluctantly obeyed.
"Think of this as a reminder, that I am not a man you'd want to disappoint." A devilish grin flashed on his face. "Tooth, break."
The eyes of the young thug shot open as he realized what Orvo had just ordered. Immediately, he turned and ran, but before he could a large hand was wrapped around his waist. "W-wait! Please! PLEASE-"
Crunch.
The thugs watched in horror as the man was popped like a cherry.
"Salutations, men. Do not disappoint me."