BEGINNING (2)

Every journey has a beginning. The first step that sparks the emergence of change and upheaval. A spark that can make the ground quake and the skies rumble.

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Alan's eyes slowly flickered open, but his vision consisted of only a blur. He felt as though he were floating on a soft cloud, its silky texture massaging his entire body.

Wait...was he alive?

He vividly remembered the explosion he had engineered by compressing energy within his body and pushing it all out. It had undoubtedly hurt his 'Brother', as he had heard him cry out in rage and pain, and if his explosion could injure even that monster, his puny body should've been blasted into smithereens. He tried to sit up, but all he could do was move his fingers and blink, but he definitely felt alive. After a few seconds of intense confusion, he calmed down. There was no point in questioning anything currently, as it would only lead to more doubt, and he knew very well that doubt wasn't welcomed.

A few minutes passed, and his mind started to wander as he enjoyed the feeling of floating about. His very first thought was of his mother, and a lump formed in his throat. She had been stabbed by that monster and left to bleed out on the ground, but Alan's energy explosion should've struck the final blow, ending her life. Ironic. Who would've thought that he, of all people, would be the one to kill his mother? The one he loved most in the world?

He clenched his fists as anger flooded through him. He felt alive. Although all he could do was move his fingers and blink, he was alive. And if he was alive, he would do everything he could to seek vengeance, to avenge her. But as he yearned for revenge, he faltered.

Would he have to kill again? His fingers twitched as the feeling of taking someone's life still weighed on him. Was it right to do so? To take a life? And did he have to go through that agonizing pain again? The pain of his body being repeatedly torn apart and healed? The pain of having his mind taken over by foreign emotions and feelings?

His fingers trembled as he remembered the gory memory of smashing through that man, his innards and blood painting his face red, and the warped satisfaction he got from doing that. He never wanted to go through that ever again, but if he was forced to do it to fulfill his vengeance, would he do so?

As Alan was wrestling with himself, his vision slowly started to clear. He pushed that argument to the back of his mind and blinked, taking in his surroundings. He was sitting on a soft, brown chair in a room whose walls were a greyish-black. Finding out that he could now move his entire body, he brought his hands up to his face. They were smooth and devoid of any blemish or callous, unlike their previous appearance. In fact, his entire body felt whole and full of energy.

He frowned and looked down at his body. His attire was strange. He wore a tunic and pants that were of very odd colors. One-half of it was the same shade as the walls, a greyish-black, while the other half was pure white. It was incredibly light and comfortable, but all this made Alan all the more confused and wary. Why was he here when he should be dead? Why on earth was he in this weird room? And even if he was alive, how was he still in one piece?

He looked at the tall ceiling and the wide walls surrounding him searching for any clues, but he saw nothing. He sighed and stood up, stretching his limbs.

Odd..he felt a little taller than before.

After loosening up a little, he turned around and what met his eyes left him speechless.

The 'room' he was in extended out into a large hall whose proportions were nothing short of impressive. Half of the hall was a greyish-black and the other half was a blinding white, not unlike Alan's outfit. The point where the two colors met seemed to be drenched in a golden hue, the same shade as Alan's hair. The two colors looked alive, akin to chaotic beasts, twisting and warping, trying to vie for more space, all the while the golden barrier prevented either one from gaining ground. But what made Alan gasp in shock was not the odd scenery, but the old man who stood near the golden hue. His toothless grin and shiny, bald head brought back many fond memories.

"Gr..grandpa Joe?!", Alan shouted in shock, before running toward him.

"Ye took yer time didn't ya boy? Well, ye weren't in the best shape when I found ya", Grandpa Joe said, eyes carrying his trademark twinkle.

"W..w.what? Wait, how did you heal me? And why did you leave? Where are we? Who are you? Who am I?", Alan stuttered hurling at grandpa Joe a barrage of questions.

"Whoa! Slow down there, boy. All these questions, although very pressing, will be answered in time. But first-", He snapped his fingers, and the same chair Alan was sitting on previously, disappeared before reappearing in front of him.

"Take a seat", he continued as though what he did was perfectly normal. He then snapped his hands again and another, more luxurious chair materialized behind him, on which he promptly sat.

Alan's eyes widened in shock, but then he shook his head before also sitting down. He had been through a lot in 3 weeks. He had seen his shadow squirm on the ground, found out that he had a superhuman brother, and found out that he was superhuman as well, before having his entire body explode. He didn't think that his life could get any crazier, but here he was, sitting in a freakish hall opposite Grandpa Joe, who had some kind of arcane power.

Suddenly, Grandpa Joe's figure flickered and his black tunic and pants morphed into long flowing robes of a peculiar shade of brown. It had long sleeves and a hood, intricate patterns of green lacing its entirety.

"We don't have much time together so I shall be as concise as possible", Grandpa Joe said his voice now smooth and melodious, which coupled with his toothless mouth was incredibly odd.

"My real name is H'lornd. Where I come from or who I am is not pertinent but there are things you must know."

Alan's eyebrows twitched at that revelation. The fact that the kindly old man that had raised him was some powerful and unfathomable being was hard to swallow, but he would deal with that later. H'lornd didn't seem to want to waste time and angering him by asking him more questions wouldn't be the best idea.

"The first thing you must know is that your mother is still alive. Well, if you could call it that", H'lornd spoke, his face betraying no emotion.

Alan gasped in shock and jumped from his seat, his entire body shaking. His ears weren't deceiving him...right? His mother, who was stabbed in the stomach and blasted to shreds was still alive? Even if H'lornd had healing powers, shouldn't bringing people back from the dead be impossible? Did he have that power too or was he lying to him?

"This better not be a sick joke", Alan hissed, his voice quivering with anger and doubt. He wouldn't tolerate someone playing with his emotions.

H'lornd's expression showed no change toward Alan's hostility.

"Sit. Down", he said, enunciating both his words slowly, his voice holding a dangerous undertone.

Hearing that, Alan took a deep breath and sat back down, his hands still slightly trembling. He would hear H'lornd out first before jumping to any conclusions.

"I fixed her up as best as I could, but her essence was too scattered. Too thin and faint to fully be reconstructed, unlike yours, which had just started to unwind and spread. She is now experiencing a peculiar case of indefinite sleep from which only time can help her escape", H'lornd continued, satisfied with Alan's restraint, his posture as immutable as a mountain and his voice, melodious and calming.

Alan let out a deep breath he didn't know he had been holding. His face sprouted into a large grin and he felt as though a massive weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The very fact that his mother was still alive brought him a prodigious amount of joy and relief, for he didn't think he could live with himself if he had indeed handed out the killing blow to his mother. He sniffed and tears started to well up in his eyes but he refused to let them fall. This was not the time to get emotional.

H'lornd flashed a faint smile at Alan before continuing, "That presence in your mind is of extraordinary importance, but knowing its true nature at this point in time shall not help you in any way. So, all you must know is that it allows you to access Akceil, an incredibly dynamic and powerful force whose limits have not yet been explored. You may even crudely call it 'world energy' for your easier understanding and how you use it is up to you. It is an incredible privilege for one such as you to have access to it. Count yourself lucky."

"Count myself lucky? But can't use it, can I? I could barely control it. All I managed to do was blow myself up!", Alan replied, looking exasperated. Akceil was indeed very potent. He had felt invincible then, but what was the point of having a power he could not control? Blowing himself up was not a good way to fight someone.

"You were unfortunate back then. The presence's first awakening unconsciously pushed you into the 'Erhrhóm' stage, also known as 'One with the world', one of the highest states one could achieve with Akceil. The sheer amount of Akceil flowing through you back then was inconceivable. It's a wonder you could even control it. Take it as a lesson to never bite off more than you can chew, especially with Akceil as it could have dire consequences", H'lornd retorted.

"But you must remember one thing. Akceil is not something that can be forced into doing your bidding. It has to be guided, not bullied, for it has its own will. You shall undergo many trials moving forward, where you would be forced to use it, so never, EVER forget this. It is of utmost importance."

Alan nodded in acknowledgment, not knowing what kind of trials he would face, but understanding H'lornd's warning nonetheless. H'lornd paused for a second before looking up at the hall's ceiling, his face scrunching up into an annoyed frown. "Hmm.. our time together is almost up. Is there anything else you would like to ask me before I send you off?"

Alan stiffened. He had so many things he wanted to ask him. Such as who his brother was and why he came for him and his mother, why he had superhuman strength, why he had that peculiar presence in his mind, and who H'lornd or Grandpa Joe really was, but he took a deep breath and controlled himself.

"I do not know who you are, for I don't believe you are still the same person I once knew. But with all your power, why help me? What benefit does it give you? And why should I even believe you? You lied to me for 10 whole years!"

H'lornd's poker face cracked at the question, and his large toothless smile returned.

"It is amusing", he said, his wide grin still plastered onto his wrinkled face.

"Amusing?", Alan replied dumbfounded. This mysterious being was helping him because it was amusing?!

"Yes. Once time is your plaything, anything of interest must be treasured. I do hope you would turn out to be a wonderful story, as it would be immensely entertaining. It was fun so far and I wouldn't mind pitching in from time to time, especially now. After all, the beginning of a story is most paramount."

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End of Volume 1

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