Shadow Blood and Fire

Five years ago: 3088

Eli, are you listening?" The private tutor's voice snapped me out of my trance. I looked up from the picture of A.N. Insterion, the world hero who had changed everything. He was the first one to discover the ability books, the mysterious tomes that granted people superpowers. He was also the one who used his overpriced ability books to create a new world order, where the rich and powerful had access to the best abilities, and the poor and oppressed had none. He was the one who I hated more than anyone.

I glanced at the rat on my desk, hoping for some support. "Do you ever wonder what life was like before the radiation surge?" I whispered to it. "Before people started developing mutant cells that made them immune to diseases like cancer? Before the ability books appeared and turned everything upside down? Before the Pure, the anti-ability group, started their terrorist attacks and killed thousands of people, including the president's daughter and Insterion himself in 3044?"

The rat didn't answer. It was asleep.

Young master, I asked you a question." The tutor repeated, annoyed. "What was the name of the military store that the Pure bombed in 3057 , destroying millions of high grade ability books?"

I sighed. I knew the answer, but I didn't care. History was boring. It was just a bunch of facts and dates that had nothing to do with me. I wanted to live in the present, not the past. I wanted to make my own history, not learn about someone else's.

I looked at the picture of Insterion again. He was smiling, as if he knew something I didn't. He had white hair and a chiseled face that belied his age. He was 85 when he died, but he looked like he was in his 30s. He was handsome, charismatic, and powerful. 

I hated him.

"I don't know." I said, shrugging.

The teacher frowned. "You don't know? How can you not know? This is basic knowledge, Eli. This is important. This is history."

I shook my head. "No, this is propaganda. This is how they want us to remember him. As a hero, a savior, a legend. But he was none of those things. He was a tyrant, a manipulator, a murderer. He was the reason why the world is so messed up. He was the enemy."

The tutor gasped and went silent. She stared at me, shocked.

I didn't care. I had said what I wanted to say. I had spoken the truth.

I put the picture of Insterion in my pocket and grabbed the rat. I stood up and walked out of the classroom, leaving behind the history that I hated and the hero that I despised while leaving I heard the tutor mumble.

" young master Eli, you are just eleven and probably the only kid at that age who hate professor Insterion."

As I walked out of the room, I felt a sense of relief wash over me. I had finally spoken my mind, even though it meant facing the disapproval of my tutor. I didn't care; I had said what needed to be said.

"You know, ratty," I said quietly, "I sometimes wish I could change the world. Make it a place where everyone has equal opportunities, where no one has to suffer because of their ability or lack thereof. Where people like Insterion can't exploit and control others for their own gain."

The yellow scaled mutant rat nibbled on my fingers, as if listening intently.

"But I don't know how to do that," I admitted. "I'm just one person, insignificant in the grand scheme of things. What can I possibly do to make a difference?"

I sighed heavily, feeling hopelessness creeping in.

"When I get to sixteen my parents will probably force me to get an ability as I lose the chance forever to learn one at seventeen"

Eli dragged the huge mutated rat up the stairs, He reached the top floor of Alexis Hz13, the huge parcel of land his parents own and approached a Dune skyscraper which looked like a formidable black beast, where his family lived in a luxurious penthouse. He scanned his hand on the door panel, which recognized his DNA and opened with a soft hiss.

Suddenly, the rat jumped off and scampered away. I watched it go, feeling a twinge of disappointment. But then, I saw something that made my heart race.

The massive parlor was upturned, as if someone had ransacked it. Furniture was smashed, paintings were torn, and vases were shattered. I saw traces of blood on the marble floor, leading to the hallway. I heard voices coming from there, faint but menacing.

"Mum?" I called out softly, dropping the rat and clutching my plasma knife. I walked cautiously towards the source of the noise, my heart pounding. I could hear the conversation more clearly now.

"Where is it, Countess? Where is the necklace?" a male voice demanded. "Just look at you. You used to be someone we all looked up to, but look how pathetically weak you have become."

I reached the end of the hallway and peeked into the master bedroom. I saw a scene that made my blood run cold. My mother, a beautiful woman with natural red hair and pale skin, was crouched on the ground, her face covered in blood. She had no expression, even though a blood-red dagger was slowly piercing her thigh. The dagger looked like it was made of flowing blood-like substance, and it was obviously an ability. Eli had never seen such a strange ability before.

My mother was also bound by ten vines of the same blood-like substance, which wrapped around her arms, legs, and neck. They came from a hooded figure standing behind her, wearing a black combat suit that looked like it was made of some beast's hide. The figure looked formidable, and the aura it emitted was suffocating. Eli felt a chill run down his spine.

In front of my mother, there was a handsome man who looked to be in his thirties, with blond hair and blue eyes. He was wearing a complete black suit, and he had a cruel smile on his face. He was holding my mother's hair, pulling her head back.

And on the ground, near the bed, there was my father. My father, who had always been strong and proud, was lying in a pool of his own blood, groaning in pain. He had several wounds on his chest and abdomen, and his clothes were soaked with blood.

My Mother looked up and saw me. She smiled weakly, as if to reassure me. The blond man followed her gaze and turned towards me. So did the hooded figure, which made me flinch and stop moving.

"Who are you?" the blond man asked, his voice cold and sharp. "Are you her son?"

I didn't answer. I was too scared to speak. I wondered who these people were, and why they had attacked my family. Were they mercenaries or assassins? How did they breach the family's A-class security system, which was supposed to be impenetrable?

The blond man didn't wait for a reply. He let go of my mother's hair and dashed towards me, faster than a bullet. He grabbed me by the collar and lifted me up. I felt a surge of pain as the man's nails dug into my skin.

"Why don't you have a scent?" the blond man asked, sniffing my neck. "Are you an android or something?"

Eli bit down on the man's hand, hoping to make him let go. Eli was surprised to feel no reaction. The man's hand was hard and cold, like metal. The man slapped Eli across the face, which made him crash into a nearby wall. 

When Eli's mother saw this, she tore the vines in a burst of speed and activated her bio-weapon implant. Her hand turned into a blue gun, and a blue bolt shot out faster than lightening straight towards the hooded figure. The figure moved slightly and avoided the bolt, but not before it grazed his shoulder. The figure hissed and glared at her.

The bolt continued its trajectory and hit Eli's father, who was standing up. He had reached for his glasses, which he needed to see clearly. He put them on, only for blood to trickle down his nose and mouth. He looked down and saw a huge hole that covered his entire stomach. The blue bolt had pierced him through.

He stared at his wife, who had shot him by accident. He fell down to the ground, with a face etched with disbelief.

***********

Eli felt a sharp pain in his neck as his head snapped back from the impact. He heard the screeching of engines and the wailing of sirens, but they sounded distant and muffled. He tried to move, but his body was numb and heavy.

He reached for his chest, where he felt a faint warmth. Under his clothes, he wore a red pendant, a gift from his mother. It was a strange and exotic thing, shaped like a star with six points. It had intricate patterns and symbols engraved on its surface, and a small crystal in the center. His mother had told him to never take it off, for it was a precious family heirloom.

As his blood dripped onto the pendant, it began to glow. The crystal pulsed with a bright light, and the symbols came to life. They floated in the air, forming words in an ancient language. Eli recognized the language as the one his mother had taught him, the one that only the Dengaré family could understand. It was a common practice for noble families to create their own languages, to keep their secrets and traditions safe from outsiders.

Eli strained his eyes to read the words, hoping they would tell him what was happening. He could only make out a few letters before his vision blurred. He read: "C-O-N-G-R-A-T-U". Before he could finish, he blacked out.

The pendant crumbled into dust, and the words remained in the air. They spelled out a message .

 [𐌆𐌀𐌍𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌋𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌏𐌍𐌀 𐌌𐌀 𐌍𐌀𐌓𐌉 𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌍𐌀𐌃 𐌆𐌀 𐌃𐌉𐌌𐌏𐌍 𐌆𐌀 𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌏𐌏𐌓𐌉 𐌔𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌌𐌀]

[𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌏𐌏 𐌔𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌆𐌉𐌓𐌉 𐌆𐌀𐌍𐌃𐌉𐌓𐌉𐌏𐌍 𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌏𐌏𐌉𐌃]

[𐌔𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌃 𐌃𐌉𐌔𐌀𐌉𐌔]

[ 𐌔𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀 𐌔𐌀𐌏 𐌋𐌀𐌓 𐌓𐌉𐌆𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌋𐌉𐌆𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌃]

[ 𐌔𐌉𐌓𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀.𐌔] [𐌃𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌓𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀.𐌃]

[ 𐌔𐌉𐌌𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀.𐌌] [ 𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌋𐌉𐌋𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀.𐌔𐌀]

[𐌃𐌉𐌓𐌉𐌋𐌉𐌃 𐌔𐌀.𐌔] [𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌍𐌉 𐌓𐌉𐌆𐌉𐌔𐌉𐌋𐌉𐌆𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌃]

[𐌃𐌉𐌓𐌉𐌍𐌉𐌃 𐌆𐌀𐌓𐌉 𐌔𐌀𐌓𐌀𐌓𐌀]