It was a normal day at Winston High School. Keith Collins was doing his daily walk of shame as the judging gazes and hurtful words were being thrown at him.
The boy was an orphan, who would try to defend him?
The high school was not much different from the food chain in the jungle. There was an apex of predators and a line of prey that they would feast on. Keith was at the bottom of that food chain.
From the window, he could see a shadow pass by but he didn't try to inspect what it was. He needed to get to class so he could graduate and leave that place. He would find a decent job and live far away, away from everyone who ever wronged him.
He started to daydream, but it was all over when he opened his locker door. A man stood behind him and he knew just what would happen next.
Splat!
Keith gasped after a bucket of ice-cold water was poured at him. He couldn't do anything but stand there, frozen in shock, embarrassment, and anger.
No one dared to help him. The ones who were at the apex of their school's food chain joined in bullying him and the ones who were prey just like him could only watch, in fear of being the next target.
Last but certainly not the least were the teachers and staff. They couldn't do anything in regard to the bullying because one of the principal sponsors of their school had a son that was at the top of the food chain.
As Keith fixed himself up, he noticed the dispersion of the students from the hallway. He heard the whispers go silent and felt the aura change drastically.
"He's here," he said to himself. It was the dead-end for him. The person who made his life miserable arrived.
"You look wet," a stern cold voice spoke. It was Adam Smith, the son of the principal sponsor of their school. "Go to the rooftop and dry yourself under the sun."
Keith nodded and headed to the rooftop just as the man instructed. He didn't dare to defy Adam. He could kill him and throw his body in a river and no one would care. At least, that's what Adam had always said to him.
The boy basked in the bright golden sun as he stood on the rooftop. It wasn't long after that Adam followed along with his friends who were just as rich as him.
"Why aren't you dry yet?" one of them asked, causing the rest to erupt in a series of laughter.
Keith has always wondered what kind of sense of humor they have. He never found one of their jokes or pranks funny. Maybe because he was at the center of it that he couldn't catch up.
To them, his entire existence was a joke.
"Dry yourself now," Adam's girlfriend for the week said.
He knew what they meant. Keith slowly took all of his clothing including his underwear and placed the clothes in front of him for them to dry.
"That is much better," the woman laughed. He walked forward and was about to throw a crumpled paper at Keith when her arm was suddenly cut off from her body.
She watched the blood gush out of her shoulder, screaming in pain as she fell to her knees. It wasn't long after that her head rolled on the ground, stopping right in front of Keith who had his eyes widened to the point that they almost pop out of their sockets.
"W-What?" Adam stuttered. He fell to his knees in shock as he watched his girlfriend succumb to her wounds. It wasn't long after when his friend would one by one lose their limbs. This time, Adam fell back. He was crawling away from the bloodied mess as a shadowy figure would pass them continuously until all of their parts were cut.
Adam turned to Keith who was now shaking in fear. "T-This is all your fault! You did this."
"I did not," Keith muttered. He took his shirt to cover his naked body while remaining on the ground.
Screech.
They turned in the direction of the sound. Right by the edge of the rooftop was a grotesque-looking creature. Its head was composed of an abnormally huge mouth while the rest of the body parts were missing from their proper positions.
An opening was found on each of its temples that served as its ear while two pairs of goat eyes were placed on the upper part of its face. It also had two small holes right below the lower pair of eyes that served as its nose. Its mouth reached from either side of its head with teeth sharp as knives.
It had a humanoid body but with abnormally long limbs. Its hand had claws which it used to cut its victim's bodies while its legs were long and thin but fast.
The creature slowly walked toward them, making their bodies tremble. The creature was horrifying that its look alone spelled death.
Adam was in front of Keith when the creature swiped its arms in front of it. Adam was thrown to the side, his body rolling a couple of times before it stopped. He was coughing in pain, the feeling of the impact breaking several bones in his body.
"Adam…" Keith whispered. He watched the creature crawl slowly towards Adam. He didn't know why they were the last ones to be killed and why the creature just wouldn't kill them instantly as it did to the others.
"Why don't you just kill us?" Keith cried. "Just kill us!"
The creature paused and looked at Keith. It grinned which sent shivers down to the boy's spine, making him tremble in even more fear.
"You have Zodiac Cores," the creatures spoke. "I need the Zodiac Cores."
It opened its mouth, revealing several layers of sharp teeth inside. The teeth would parade down to its throat. It screeched in a high-pitched sound that made a ringing noise in Keith's head. His ear bled, blood pouring like water on a faucet.
Do you want power?
< Yes > < No >
The words appeared in front of him. Keith stared at each letter, but he couldn't speak nor move. There was nothing he could do but watch as the creature shifted its attention at him.
"You have awakened," the creature menacingly laughed. "It's time to feast on your Core."
The creature opened its mouth again. It was ready to devour Keith whole. The boy watched it, accepting his fate when a strong force, a much stronger aura burst from behind them.
"Yes!" Adam yelled. "I want power. Give me all the power that you have."
A beam of energy burst from his body while a giant symbol appeared above him. Anyone who has seen the horoscopes would recognize the symbol.
"The pride of the Zodiacs, the king of the stars and ruler of power," Adam said. His body started to change. He got taller and muscles developed in his body, giving him a muscular build.
His hair changed from black to blonde as well as his eyes turned from dark blue to a rustic golden shade. His school uniform became a set of golden armor while his empty right hand manifested a golden sword.
When the beam of energy disappeared, the symbol was transformed into a different form. It took the form of a lion's head but it was made entirely of light. It had a golden see-through color but it was bright like another sun in the sky.
"I take on the power of Leo," Adam said. He raised his sword at the creature. "And I will kill you."
Adam wielded his sword. He launched himself from where he stood. With a swift slash of the blade and silent steps of his golden armor, he passed through the creature.
He stopped right behind it, his sword pointed on the ground, and was now covered with the creature's dark purple blood. He stood upright and stabbed his sword at the creature's head, pulling the blade down to cut it in half.
"The time has come," a woman said. She appeared in the air. It was a woman with white robes and a halo over her head. "The time for the Zodiac Wars."
Adam pulled Keith up, making him look at the chaos that was happening below them.
Keith couldn't understand the shift in Adam's attitude, but that didn't matter at the moment. What matters was the massacre of the students in their school. More creatures of different shapes and sizes were mauling their classmates.
"The war has only just begun," the woman said. "It is time for the Zodiac Warfare."
It was at that moment that Keith knew. His life changed forever.