A dark cloud filled the sky, followed by a huge explosion in a small town. In just a moment, everything was gone. Many people died. Many families were destroyed.
A twelve-year-old boy named Shidow was one of the survivors.
He lost consciousness for a short time after the explosion. When he woke up, he could not believe what he saw. The entire place was ruined. Houses were destroyed including his own. His body was covered in wounds, but he did not care about the pain.
He quickly ran, searching for any member of his family.
He remembered that he had been playing outside with his two younger siblings before the explosion. That was why he tried to find them first. But then he suddenly stopped and fell to his knees.
The memory came back to him.
He had seen his two siblings explode right in front of him.
Shidow slowly turned his head. Not far from where he stood, he saw his mother lying on the ground. She was already dead.
He screamed. He cried in anger and pain. Everything had happened so fast. He could not understand it.
Later, he carried his mother's body and buried her. His face was soaked with tears as he finished covering the grave. When it was done, he knelt again. He pulled his hair and hit the ground, blaming himself.
"Why would I live in a world full of darkness? Maybe I don't belong here. All of my family and friends died because of me. I'm the only monster in our family. I know I'm cursed… but why did they have to kill them? Why?" Shidow cried.
Suddenly, a voice spoke.
"You can't blame anyone but yourself, Shidow. You might find friends again, but they will all die in front of you. And you will do nothing but watch."
Shidow froze. He stood up and looked around.
"Who's there?" he shouted.
There was no one.
Then the voice whispered again, as if standing right beside him.
"You can't blame anyone but yourself. So blame yourself."
Without warning, a bright light shot toward him. It was called a Magic Beam. Being hit by one felt like being shot a million times at once.
Everything went dark.
***
Three days later, Shidow woke up in a house he did not recognize. He was lying on a bed. The room felt strange.
Then he noticed a little girl smiling beside him. She gently held his arm and removed his bandage.
"Glad you're awake. It's been three days," she said.
Shidow slowly sat up. "What happened to me? How did I get here?"
"My brother and I found you lying on the ground like you were dead," she answered calmly. "So we brought you here and treated your wounds. You were badly injured. I thought you wouldn't survive. But my brother said you would. And now, after three days, all your wounds are healed."
She looked at him carefully.
"I guess it's because you're a curse too."
Shidow frowned. "Curse too? Are you saying you and your brother are cursed?"
A teenage boy walked into the room. He pulled a chair close to the bed and sat down. He gently lifted the girl and let her sit on his lap.
"We were also victims of that explosion," the boy said. "They tried to wipe us out and called us cursed. But the truth is, they did it to kill normal people and leave only people like us alive."
He continued, "They want us to join their group. It's called the All Curse Army. Or ACA."
Shidow looked serious. "An army of orphans?"
"The unknown leader of ACA caused the explosion," the boy said. "They kill humans, then pretend to save the children who survive. But no normal human can survive that kind of explosion. Only curses like us."
Shidow's eyes darkened. "So they're separating curses and normal humans by killing them… and then acting like heroes?"
"I'm afraid that's true," the boy replied. "They want to train us and use us to fight monsters called Tama that suddenly appeared in Florida. They know we're strong enough to survive. All they need to do is train us."
The boy gave a small smile. "My name is Krone. Just call me Krone. This is my little sister, Eyana. She's eleven. I'm fifteen. And you… you're twelve, right?"
"Yeah," Shidow answered.
Krone nodded. "We're planning to leave this place. It's not safe anymore. ACA will search for survivors and force them to join. I won't let my sister become part of that group. She's all I have. I'll protect her no matter what."
***
Shidow decided to stay with them.
The three of them left British Columbia and moved to Ontario. Krone trained both Eyana and Shidow. He taught them how to fly, teleport, and control their powers. He showed them how to focus and release a Magic Beam.
Shidow learned quickly. He was strong, both in body and mind. His power seemed endless, and that surprised Krone.
For the first time since the explosion, Shidow was not alone.
But deep inside him, the voice still remained.