It was a cold day, Ash sitting with his old torn clothes and long black hair, felt a slight breeze hitting his face, he really didn't miss winter, the wind wasn't really welcome, but he was used to it. He had been homeless for three or four years, He really couldn't remember why exactly.
Ash shivered as he laid on the ground.
"I really need to find another shelter. A warm one."
He got on his feet and looked around at the various shops and buildings in the street. The city's billboards and streetlights glowed with a warm and bright light, and as he looked at the shops, memories of his dad came back and how he used to buy him little things when he was younger.
'Where are you, Dad? and you too, Brother?'
He wondered about it for the thousandth time. Interrupting that thought, something crashed into him as Ash fell onto the ground. A tall, muscular man carrying a beast of some sort on his shoulders looked down at him with a sharp, unwavering gaze. What caught Ash's attention first was the tattoo on the side of his face. It was a number of some sort, and he had seen many like it before. He looked trained from what Ash could see; a beast at that level wasn't an easy target for anyone.
"Look where you're going, kid. Don't you see what I'm carrying?"
Ash looked at him anxiously. He didn't know how to deal with people, he only did with his dad, and he had been gone for years. He felt like running away, as he always did. It was his specialty, yet this time he didn't. He stood his ground and spoke nervously.
"U-uh, sorry, sir."
As the man walked away, Ash looked at the hanging beast on his shoulders and shivered from fear. How could someone defeat a beast as frightening as this one? Ash was scared, but he also imagined himself performing a heroic act that would make people think he was a hero of some sort, not that he was planning to. He wasn't the type to risk his life for fame. He wasn't a Unit holder too. How was he going to fight monsters?
Ash's dream was to become a Unit holder, to have extra-ordinary powers and joining an academy, those extravagant ones where students masters magic while enjoying life.
But he gave up on his dream years ago, it's known worldwide that ascension to becoming a Unit holder happens only to the rich. Poor people like him doesn't have a chance. The world was truly unfair, but when has it been fair to him anyways?
As if the heavens heard his thoughts. A bright, shining light rose from his chest, as he felt a sense of warm pleasure in his core. Its like he felt every atom in his body. The light shone in a brilliant way, filling him with an overwhelming sensation.
'W-what the hell is this?!'
Ash looked at his chest in disbelief. He could hardly believe it, but he had read about ascension years ago, and this was exactly how it had been described. Joy and excitement filled him as the light faded away. He ran into an alley and quickly tried some magic.
Ash lifted both his hands and stared at a wall, Trying his absolute best to extract any kind of powers.
"Fire! Water! Anything!"
Nothing happened.
Ash sighed as he felt defeat.
"Aw man. Is this why you go to magical schools and stuff? Speaking of magical schools, I should be able to join one now."
Ash's mood became brighter, but it was interrupted by a black car that screeched to a halt in front of the alleyway, attracting people's attention. It didn't attract Ash's attention who was too busy admiring the fact that he had ascended. It felt like a dream and he could hardly even believe it. He wanted to cry, but he never did. It was a strange trait of his, yet he never questioned it.
What really attracted his attention. Was the 2 men that came out of the car, staring at him far away from the alleyway. They kept eye contact and walked towards him.
They were both wearing a suit. An expensive one at that, and a black hat but he also saw a tattoo. It was those numbers again, but he didn't read them. he was too scared too. as they were heading towards him
Ash looked behind him, checking if there was anyone, and found nobody. He then looked at the two gentlemen approaching, growing closer as fear crept over him. They weren't ordinary foes. It was a feeling he experienced for the first time
'Well, I've seen a bunch of scary dudes before. What could they possibly do to me? I have ascended now, losers!'
As they got closer, one of them secretly took out a gun. It didn't look like a real gun, It was made of titanium, a strange blue steam around it making Ash shiver
'Never mind'
They both stood in front of Ash with terrifying gazes. They both had government badges pinned on their shirts. The air was heavy until one of them spoke in a serious tone, making Ash tremble with fear.
"Ash, correct?"
Ash had never told his name to anyone here, not even in his old neighborhood.
"Yes, why?"
The man stared at him with a serious expression
"You will be coming with us"
Ash looked at him in confusion
"Where exactly?"
The man didn't speak, but instead he began to raise his gun at Ash, but before he could. Ash did the thing he was best in.
He ran away and took a turn to the nearest alleyway
'He has a gun goddamn it, what am i supposed to do?!'
He found the other man at the end of that alleyway, standing like a shadow at the end, he locked eyes with Ash as he was preparing to shoot, The man fired his gun, but as soon as Ash saw the man, he dove to a nearby table
THUD
The bullet hit the table and bounced harmlessly off, Ash looked at the bullet in disbelief, It was blue in color, this was a magical bullet. He was indeed fighting magical foes.
'How did the bullet not pierce the table?'
Ash didn't have to think, he had to find another escape route, but before he could figure it out, the same man who had spoken his name earlier grabbed him by the collar and made Ash face him as he wasn't letting loose anytime soon.
"You are one hell of a runner brat, Ill give you that" he growled as he grabbed his gun and without hesitation shot Ash in the head
'Am i dead?'
Ash felt his powers leaving his body
No blood. No pain. his vision blurred, the world twisting around him as his knees gave out, and he fell unconscious
***
Ash woke up in a car surrounded with the 2 men with suits and they were leading him to a huge facility place. It looked like a jail, A place to contain people at, It was impossible to overlook With a towering black and scary walls extending high into the sky and far into a distance, giving the place a cold presence. What truly made him terrified, was the sound of a thunderous growling coming from inside that facility.
"W-where am I going?"
One of the men glanced at him.
"Home."
Ash froze. He didn't like how that sounds
'At least I will have a house'
As soon as the car entered the facility, they passed many security gates, Armed guards watched every corner of the facility, As soon as the gate behind them closed, Ash felt like he was truly Isolated from the outside world, like it never existed.
When he finally entered the last gate. He realized that it wasn't a prison cell, but a bunch of people moving freely around the place, some sparring with swords there were, training yards, and even open spaces, they also carried weapons Ash has never seen before.
But there's two things that made Ash uncomfortable.
Their bodies were covered in tattoo marks, some in their arm, some in their face, It was unsettling
What were those tattoos?
Everyone had them
The further the car drove the more ash realizes this place wasn't normal. It felt like a city with broken abandoned buildings, the walls around the place were impossibly high, too high for anyone to leave. This wasn't freedom.
What made him become ever more terrified was what stood beyond the training grounds
There were graves.
There were many of them, stretching across the place. Every one of them had a name carved into stone, hundreds of them
But one grave stood out.
It was larger than all the others, sitting at the very center like a monument. A crown was on top of it, and on the soil was a royal cape, its fabric dirty and torn, but recognizable as royal. And beside the grave, there was an old chair worn, cracked, and facing the headstone as if someone sat there before
Ash couldn't look away.If there was a king once, this place had a ruler.And that ruler is now dead.
And maybe he would share the same fate.