Ethon Cross was having a bad day. No, scratch that—he was having a terrible, abysmally wretched day. He sat in his tiny one-room apartment, the flickering lightbulb overhead barely illuminating his cheap plastic table. In front of him sat a steaming cup of instant noodles, his last meal before he had to figure out how to make money to pay the rent again.
"Alright, my beautiful, MSG-filled masterpiece," Ethon muttered, clasping his hands together. "Let's enjoy this moment before reality kicks me in the—"
BOOM!
The window shattered.
A streak of silver light crashed through the glass like a divine judgment from the heavens. Ethon barely had time to let out a strangled scream before he was blasted backward, his precious noodles flipping through the air in slow motion, their untimely demise playing out in a tragic ballet of broth and despair.
When the dust settled, Ethon groaned, pushing himself up from under the debris. His apartment was now generously ventilated, with jagged shards of glass littering the floor and the night air rushing in.
And in the middle of it all, lying in a smoking crater where his table used to be, was a silver sphere.
The golden sphere glowed brighter and brighter until he couldn't see anything after 15 second the glowing ceased and he saw a boy.
He looked about fifteen, with ethereal silver hair and eyes that glowed an unsettling shade of blue. His expression was one of mild curiosity, as if he had just woken up from a pleasant nap rather than crash-landing through a stranger's home.
Ethon blinked. "Who the hell are you?"
The silver-haired boy sat up, tilting his head. "Huh. So I made it."
"What?!" Ethon sputtered. "Made it where?! To my apartment? Through my window?! You—you destroyed my noodles!"
The boy ignored him, stretching his arms as if testing his limbs. Then, with the casual air of someone who had done absolutely nothing wrong, he grinned. "Nice place. A little small, though."
Ethon clutched his head, feeling an aneurysm forming. "You—you just crashed into my house like a meteorite! Who are you?!"
The boy stood up, brushing non-existent dust off his tattered silver robes. "I am Adrian. A creation of immense power. Be honoured, mortal, for I have deemed you worthy of my presence."
Ethon stared at him.
Adrian stared back, looking incredibly pleased with himself.
Then Ethon grabbed a broken piece of his chair and threw it at him.
"Ow! What was that for?!" Adrian yelped, rubbing his forehead.
"For my window! My table! And my noodles! What the hell do you mean, 'immense power'? Are you high?!"
Adrian crossed his arms, looking offended. "I am not high. I am an artifact of chaotic might, a being forged in the depths of—"
Ethon grabbed another piece of debris.
"Alright, alright!" Adrian took a step back, holding up his hands. "Look, I was being chased, alright? Some very persistent people wanted me, and I had to make an emergency landing! Now I'm stuck here with barely 1.7% of my energy left. "Ethon scowled. "And that's my problem how?"
Adrian smirked. "Because we're bonded now."
Silence...
Ethon's eye twitched. "Come again?"
Adrian shrugged. "When I landed, I automatically formed a contract with the closest living being. That's you, buddy. I guess we're partners now."
Ethon's brain short-circuited. He let out a dry laugh. "Hah. No. Nope. Not happening. This is a bad dream. I just need to wake up, and—"
Adrian flicked his forehead.
A surge of energy shot through Ethon's body like lightning, making his hair stand on end. He gasped, stumbling backward. In his mind, something clicked—a connection, an awareness of Adrian's existence now firmly linked to his own.
"See?" Adrian grinned. "I wasn't lying."
He stretched, rolling his shoulders. "And judging by your pathetic life force, you're barely worthy."
Ethon scowled. "Excuse me?"
Adrian ignored him, inspecting his own reflection in a cracked mirror. "Hmm. This form will do for now." He turned back to Ethon. "I require nourishment. And a proper place to stay."
Ethon threw his toward the wall. "You literally crashed through my window! Where else are you planning to stay?!"
Adrian's smirk widened. "Here, of course."
Ethon groaned. He had a feeling his life had just taken a very, very chaotic turn.
Ethon took a deep, shuddering breath. "I... I need a drink."
Adrian perked up. "What drink?"
Ethon groaned. This was going to be the beginning of a very, very long journey.
An hour later, after a very heated argument about Adrian's lodging arrangements (which Ethon lost spectacularly), they sat in the ruined apartment. Ethon had finally convinced Adrian to at least explain more about himself.
"I am a Chaotic Treasure," Adrian repeated, lying lazily on Ethon's bed. "Born from the primordial forces of Chaos itself."
"Yeah, yeah, you said that." Ethon crossed his arms. "But what does that actually mean?"
Adrian yawned. "It means I am beyond valuable. Many powerful beings have tried to claim me."
Ethon frowned. "And why were they after you?"
Adrian hesitated, then smirked. "Because I'm fabulous, obviously."
Ethon groaned. "You're impossible."
Adrian ignored him, suddenly sitting up. His golden eyes gleamed mischievously. "Tell me, pathetic human, do you wish for power?"
Ethon blinked. "What?"
Adrian leaned closer, his presence almost overwhelming. "I can grant you abilities beyond mortal comprehension."
Ethon's heart skipped a beat. That sounded… tempting. But he squinted at Adrian. "And what's the catch?"
Adrian grinned. "You don't die in the process."
Ethon blanched. "That's not reassuring."
Adrian sighed, flopping back down. "You're no fun. Fine. We'll start with something simple." He flicked his fingers, and suddenly a small, glowing orb appeared in Ethon's palm. It felt warm, pulsating with energy.
"What… is this?"
"A simple energy transfer," Adrian said smugly. "A mere drop of my power."
Ethon's fingers tingled. He squeezed the orb, and suddenly—
BANG!
A shockwave exploded, sending Ethon flying into the wall. He groaned, sliding down onto the floor.
Adrian burst into laughter. "Pathetic!"
Ethon coughed. "You did that on purpose."
Adrian laughed. "Maybe."
Suddenly, Ethon's eyes lit up. He jumped to his feet, practically vibrating with excitement.