In the beginning there was darkness, but God then made light. The light, a hue of brilliant silver. All things emerged from this light; and without it, nothing, not even the universe was made.
This light contained life; and from life, the earth was born. The light shone through the earth giving rise to the otherworldly energy known as prana. Eventually, prana begot chakra, which became the essence of humanity, sustaining all life.
There is a boy whose very existence is a paradox to the silver light.
This boy once believed that the whole world was cloaked in an all-encompassing darkness. The people, plants, animals, objects and the sky itself. They all drowned in an endless sea of black.
The first picture from his memory was the dull brown color of the wooden walls around him. Followed by her purple hair which puzzled him since he never knew anything like colors existed. And then the look she had on her face; one he couldn't understand at the time.
He hadn't moved, nor had he uttered a word during his first three days of consciousness— However, he could sense her presence and therefore knew she was there the entire time.
As he found himself in a situation that no one in his shoes would be able to comprehend, he raised an important question.
'Why did it change?' He wondered because, while his previous world was pitch black, his perception and other senses were over the top so the sudden change in dimensions stirred a dark depression in him.
'I want to go back,' he forced his eyes shut.
'I don't want this'
'Please take me back!' With his heart racing in fright of the unknown, he cried internally.
Genuinely, he preferred the previous one, a peaceful world without any light or color assaulting his eyes.
Just as his thoughts reached this point, he felt the silky touch of her warm hand gently caressing his hair.
"I'm so glad you're awake" Her serene voice filled his ears. Warm as a small furnace, her words instantly drove his burdening thoughts away.
"I know everything must seem so strange, you must be afraid..." She said, tightly clutching his left hand.
"Yet I selfishly ask that you open your eyes once more" She gently released his palm and like that, his stifled breathing became relaxed.
As though enchanted by her voice, he slowly raised his upper half. He covered his eyes with one hand and maneuvered into a sitting position with his feet touching the ground.
"There, there. It's okay, I'm here with you" She must have moved a lot closer as he could now feel the heavy gusts of air from her breaths. Only then did he unblock his vision to take a look.
"Ah..." He tried to speak but she didn't let him. Abandoning the small wooden chair where she sat, she instantly drove into his embrace. Tightly, at first, then slowly loosening up as much as she could.
"Welcome back, master" She said in a teary tone and amidst his confusion, her hand gently patted his back, leaving him no choice but to clutch onto her despite not knowing who she was.
***
Thirteen months passed and the boy had grown a lot from that moment. So much that his apparent memories from that day became toxic flashes that suffocated him whenever he tried to sleep at night.
Milan, the young lady from then vanished the moment they arrived at the capital and this left his heart battered, broken, shattered to bits.
Even though the pain from his heartbreak had gradually subsided over time, his mind didn't fail to remind him of her even whenever he tried to sleep.
With time, he conquered his fear of light and soon realized the phenomenon that transpired when he first awakened. He had a unique ability that permitted him the authority to perceive the thermal signatures of everyone and everything surrounding him; he also grew to understand the conditions where his ability activated and deactivated.
Nonetheless, to regard himself as special due to this ability alone would be overwhelmingly naive as there are Dells powerful enough to shatter mountains without breaking a sweat. In contrast, he could be fairly described as below ordinary.
If he had a functional chakra panel, his being would be on an entirely different level. But, he didn't. And despite the monotonous nature of his current everyday life, he found himself powerless to change it.
Ring Ring Ring
"Haaaa, took you long enough" He said as he pushed himself up from bed. With a groggy sigh, he reached his hand out to silence the blaring alarm on his bedside table.
His room was a picture of ordinariness. From the walls that wore shades of muted gray and beige on its surface to the unremarkable wooden dresser by the window, it all felt uninspiring as ever.
The ticking wall clock maintained its usual rhythm as if intending to mock him. And with a heavy heart, he cast a dispassionate glance at its hands moving with pedestrian accuracy. Another day, he thought, trapped in the relentless march of time. It was these mundane moments that agitated him the most, like a bitter taste on the tongue, they served as a displeasing reminder of the monotony he longed to escape.
"Hwaaah" He released a lengthy yawn. Standing in a brightly checkered pair of pajama trousers, he soon began to walk sleepily. And when he stopped in front of the window by the corner, the faint reflection of a handsome young teenager came into view. He had fiery red hair and matching irises, that seemed eager to obliterate the entire world with the abhorrence they held within them.
However, the reflection soon split into nothingness as his hands reached for the stiff windows, pushing them open.
"Umph" He fell backwards but this lasted only a moment. Next, he rapidly leaned in closer to gawk at the heaps of snow that blustered to the ground.
From time to time, he often found himself fascinated by nature, believing that naturally occuring elements and objects might possess a consciousness of their own. He usually observed them whenever he was bored. But he was always left disappointed no matter how long he stared.
Deep down, he knew it was all pointless yet, he couldn't stop because it was one of the more intriguing aspects of a life filled with jejune colors and charmless routines.
Thinking back, there was a time when he thought what fanciful decorations swords would make. It wasn't until Milan—
"Ah" His eyes widened as he squeezed the left side of his chest; he thought about her again. Previously, he had made up his mind not to but it was a force of habit as those were the happiest memories his mind could muster.
Gazing out at the winter wonderland that had transformed the city, a cold breeze drowned his face. Every lamppost, each building, their shadows and the streets below, all stood under a pristine blanket of snow.
As he breathed in the cold air, the boy felt a surreal sense of serenity that only winter could exude.
"Could I possibly... one day?" He inquired into open space, stretching his palm towards the sky.
Like everyone else, he longed for a functional chakra panel. That way, he could hold on to excitingly meaningful aspirations such as getting stronger and dyeing the world in his colors but unfortunately, nothing would change no matter how long he waited.
"Haaaaa" He sighed and poked a finger into his ear as he stared blankly into the landscape. "This is pretty stupid."
From experience, he knew just how mindless it was to hope his condition miraculously fixed itself. Yet, the erratic nature of this mystery filled world lit up a candle of hope somewhere deep within him.
Or rather, he had to keep on fighting since even the numerous attempts at his own life proved futile.
This sums up the life he had lived until this point as his desires and circumstances were always in conflict creating that chaos of human ambivalence in his mind.
Stuck in an infinitely layered cage amidst several constraints burdening him, he had no choice but to continue the battle and hope that maybe one day, his ultimate wish would be fulfilled.
This is the story of Keres, an outsider, scorned by the heavens. The tale of his past, his future, his atonement and mistakes!
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