The rain fell like glass beads on the window still. Drip, drop. It was another rainy night. The streets hummed a quiet trail of traffic, with cars speeding past the highway that positioned itself outside the small apartment window.
It was another rainy night, where Wei could not sleep. He learnt against the window, watching the raindrops fall from the glass. Drip, drop.
It was quiet and Wei could think clearly, something he could not do for a long time. For once, his mind was clear in the darkness of the night. A voice whispered low in his ear, his mind drifting away into the dark.
"The shadows…" the voice hissed faintly. Wei looked around, spaced out from all his movements. His body slowly sank into the darkness, landing softly in a black abyss. It felt cool, a much crispier fragrance, a change into fresh air perhaps. It was a completely different world and Wei felt calm.
He let everything go and laid there in the darkness, letting the shadows engulf his body. There he finally slept, quietly as the darkness finally glowed.
The morning light, like a tide, lifted Wei adrift, pulling him into the warm sunlight that beamed through the window. His eyes fluttered, waking up. He got ready for another tedious day of school.
The class had an excursion to the Dujiangyan today, to learn about its history. Again, Wei was uninterested. As they peered over the observation deck, small waves crashed ashore the fish's mouth, the island that split the Minjiang river in half.
However, one current didn't follow the rest and a ripple formed upon the water's surface.
"Wei, why don't you come over? Take a look at the river!" their teacher chirped. Wei didn't care, he shrugged and remained in the shadow, leaning against the stone wall.
"Well, well, well," a voice chuckled faintly. It came from the river, and the man was soaked in water. He was naked, drawing the attention of nearby visitors.
"Hey, what the hell are you doing? You are trespassing on sacred land!" a guard yelled. He placed his uncapped cup of steaming hot coffee aside, ready to approach the man. The man's eyes narrowed. Suddenly, the man's left arm disappeared, detaching itself from his body leaving no blood. The arm reappeared from the cup of coffee, knocking out the guard instantly.
"I've waited so long for this moment! Ahahaha!" the man laughed. Wei was drawn to the man's presence, a mystical aura. Was he human? His arm returned to him, attaching back on like nothing had happened. Wei stepped closer.
"Wei! Stay back!" their teacher commanded, using her arm to motion to the students. The man began to splash the water violently, with droplets flying high and forming into small clumps. The water descended like rain, gushing down like glass shards. The man crouched, releasing small rocks into the water. The rocks followed the fast descent and began to shower the class, hitting and bruising the teacher and students.
"Kids! Remain calm! Wait…where's Wei?" the teacher panicked.
"Miss, I'm right here!" Wei yelled, terrified. But no one could hear him. He saw the darkness capturing him again, just like last night where he was pulled into the warm embrace of the shadows. Was this a curse? The water had formed a puddle outside the shadow Wei had stood, standing menacingly. Then, the man appeared. He rose from the puddle and struck his teacher.
"Where's the child?" the man demanded.
"Who? Which child? Who are you?" the teacher begged.
"Me? I am Kartika. Where is the Scorpion?" Kartika yelled. The teacher remained silent. She gasped for breath as Kartika's grip on her neck tightened. "Speak you miserable human!"
"Nooo!" Wei cried. His faint scream from the shadows seeped out, catching the attention of Kartika. Throwing the teacher aside onto the ground, Kartika bent down and inspected the eerie shadow. Wei realised, trying to remain silent.
"Oh? You're in the shadows? What an interesting power of the scorpion…But it won't change the fact that I, Kartika will end you! Bahahahaha!" Kartika laughed. Kartika began thrashing the landmark, destroying the walls trying to remove all shadows. Wei ran into Kartika's shadow, trying to hit him. As he surfaced, he kicked Kartika, but it wasn't enough.
"Hahahaha! You think a puny kick of yours is enough to defeat me, Kartika?" Kartika exclaimed, taunting Wei. It was clear that this was an unfair battle. An experienced, thousand year old underlord versus a young, inexperienced teenager with no idea of their own powers. Wei struggled as Kartika held him and threw him around. Luckily for Wei, he landed in the shadows where he ran and ran, away from the fight like a coward. He couldn't do anything.
---
"Breaking news: Historical Chinese Landmark Dujiangyan Irrigation System has been destroyed by an unknown person." the TV broadcasted. The cozy living room inside the modern suburban home in Wales stood alone on the block. It was an average afternoon, where Rayne was bored.
Although it was a weekend, Rayne didn't like socialising that much. He didn't have many friends, yet any plans to even do so. All he could think of was to stay home and enjoy life, something reasonable for a 14-year-old.
He trembled as he heard the lines being spoken, a terrible shiver crawling down his spine. A school excursion turned into an attack? And a naked god-like being able to create rifts of water? He had to do something.
"Rayne! You forgot to do the dishes from lunch!" his mother's voice boomed from the kitchen. Rayne's late realisation struck him like a nail, almost forgetting to do the chores. He trudged to the kitchen where he began to scrub the dishes. As he scrubbed, he felt a plate nearing the edge of the sink pressing into his body. As he slowly moved out the way, the plate tumbled down.
"Noo!" Rayne cried. His eyes darted around before looking at the shattered plate, hoping his mother was not around. Surprisingly, when he looked down, the plate didn't break, instead it was floating inside a bubble.
"What?" Rayne thought. He grabbed it, and the bubble disappeared.
"Rayne dear, what is wrong?" his mother called out.
"Nothing! Almost dropped a dish, that's all!" Rayne smiled, looking innocent. He went back to doing the dishes, trying to ignore and forget what had happened. Was it divine intervention? Or something more supernatural perhaps? He was confused. Did he secretly gain superpowers?
The next day rolled around, and Rayne was in history class.
"I'd like to notify that students who are taking French classes will be having a week-long excursion to France while the Chinese class students will be going to Chengdu!" the teacher announced. What? Chengdu? Rayne was taking the Chinese classes his school offered, and going to Chengdu felt strange. There was an incident just yesterday, and their class is continuing on with the trip?
"Um, sir? Did you see the news?" Rayne asked.
"Oh yeah, the water irrigation accident? It's fine, we weren't too fussed about it. We're there to explore the cuisine and pandas more importantly," the teacher replied. Rayne didn't believe it and was skeptical on the trip, but the teacher kept insisting to him that it was going to be fine. The days passed and Rayne packed for the trip. He was still nervous that everything would go wrong.
"I feel two bodies…" Kartika murmured. It was a peaceful morning and Rayne's class were walking down the streets of Chengdu. They had arrived the day earlier, taking it as a break and resting up. There had been a downpour during the night as there were many puddles on the main road, along with the excess water dripping off the old and dirty infrastructure that lined the road.
"Ugh," Wei scoffed as he stepped out of the small apartment complex. He looked around, then something tugged on him. A magical force perhaps. Rayne felt it too, and he followed it like a dog on a leash, onto the road.
"Rayne! Watch out!" his classmate yelled. A car sped down and Rayne panicked, hesitating. He flinched and closed his eyes, unable to watch anymore. But again, his bubbles saved him somehow. He didn't even issue the command, rather it was instant. It encapsulated the car perfectly, preventing it from hitting Rayne. His classmates watched in awe and his teacher was wonderstruck.
"Rayne! Get off the road, now!" his teacher ordered. Rayne obliged as he saw more cars approaching. However, this didn't stop Kartika from attacking. Though Rayne barely was able to leave the road, Kartika plunged out of the puddle, knocking the car that drove over it. It flipped and crashed to the ground. Rayne knew he could save those innocent lives, but it all happened too fast. His reflexes weren't enough.
"That's it! You constellations are a problem! I will be disposing of both of you…right now!" Kartika growled.
Wei spat out his water at the sight of Kartika. "That guy is the enemy! He tried to kill me!"
"That half naked guy?" Rayne yelled.
'Yes!" Wei replied. His voice was filled with urgency as he stepped back.
Kartika lunged towards the sidewalk, demolishing anything that stood upon his path. As he crashed down, a bubble hovered beside him. His gaze shifted, then the bubble popped. It exploded, displacing Kartika slightly.
"WHAT?" Kartika exclaimed. Trying his best to not praise the boy, Kartika ruthlessly spat out blood from his mouth. "So, you're the claw they call?"
"What? Please, I don't mean no harm, I don't want to fight you!" Rayne pleaded.
"Do you kids not realise what responsibilities you have taken? Do you think this power granted to you is just a mere gift to improve your daily lives? These abilities are the manifestations of your weaknesses, and yet, you chose not to use them?" Kartika began. Rayne was still confused. Wei threw a disappointed expression at Rayne as he watched.
"The stars had to perfectly align for you…The sun, moon and ascendant…All housing the same star…" Kartika remarked.
Wei listened then reflected. Was it fate that gave him these powers? He tried connecting the dots. He was in fact a Scorpio, but what did it mean?
"You two kids have no clue what you got yourselves into, am I right? You don't even know you've become supernatural beings!" Kartika snarled.
Rayne nodded, leaving his class. His teacher couldn't care less and let Rayne follow Wei, a pair of supernatural disasters. Kartika wasn't waiting. With a maniacal laugh, he dissolved into a nearby puddle, disappearing from sight. The town was thrashed, thanks to Kartika.
"ISID reporting!" a voice sparked. The boys turned their heads to see a young man, around his 20s on the street where the incident had happened. "Kartika is headed to North Korea. We need to beat him. Is Elias back yet?"
"No, he's powerless. Magha's the threat for now. We're unable to do anything…we must wait…" the voice at the other end of the phone spoke.
"Alright," the man replied, handing up. As he walked down, he noticed the two boys. "Hey, everything is going to be fine kids! The International Supernatural Intelligence Division will control this,"
A beep sounded from the man's belt. "Hm? That's strange. My cosmic detector is ringing. There must be an issue,"
The beep began beeping faster as he took it out. Darkness spewed out from Wei, radiating a menacing aura. Rayne pushed out bubbles, surrounding him.
"No way…Do you two have superpowers?" the man asked. The two boys looked at each other and laughed. The man was confused.
"So are you willing to help us save the world?" the man asked hesitantly.
"What's in it for us?" Rayne asked impatiently.
"Well, what do you want?" the man smiled, opening his notepad.
"Money!" Wei exclaimed.
"Well, I can work with that," the man said. "I'm sorry, I haven't formally introduced myself. My name is Sylvester Stylar. Have you ever been on a private jet?"
The boys were soon aboard one of the ISID's many private jets.
"I'll need those forms completed soon. I will notify your family about it. Don't stress, we've got it all under control," said Sylvester.
---
Nothing disturbed Iseul's state of mind. Always adrift in a far away land, with dreams that barrelled with luscious and vibrant green sceneries. He took a deep breath. He didn't like his home. He always felt different, isolated in a country that confined itself from the rest of the world.
Iseul thought it was as if he was stuck in an artificial world, unable to escape the chains of a fake life that puppeted the actions of those around him. Everything seemed robotic and monotone in Pyongyang. Dreams were Iseul's escape, but lately they had become something more.
Last night's dream had been the most vivid yet. Two boys his age stood in the shadow and light, calling to him across an ocean. One controlled darkness like ink, the other created by droplets of air.
That morning, as he walked to school a strange feeling disturbed his peaceful mind of his dreams. His dreams were becoming clearer by the minute.
"Please identify yourself," the command tower broadcasted.
"ISID Force. International threat code 5, unknown entity is in your country," Sylvester replied.
"Enter with caution," the command tower announced. The plane descended.
"Alright, so what we know about the enemy is that their ability is to create rifts in bodies of liquid. Be careful when around bodies of liquid," Sylvester commented.
"My power is so cool! I can shoot bubbles and stuff! What about you, Wei?" Rayne asked.
"Mine? I don't know much, but I can travel through shadows…" Wei replied shyly. He still wasn't confident about his power as he didn't know how to use it well and only saw it as an ability to escape and hide.
"We're almost here. Looking at your forms, you seem to have something called a Perfect Sign," Sylvester remarked.
"What's a Perfect Sign?" Rayne asked.
"Well, this might explain why you were chosen. A Perfect Sign when someone had their sun, moon and rising sign under the same sign. I'm assuming you are Scorpio Wei, and for you Rayne, Cancer?" Sylvester explained.
"Yes! I get it now!" Rayne said happily.
"Another thing, you both are water signs. Shouldn't there be a third? Pisces?" Sylvester asked. The boys shrugged, not knowing who it was. Perhaps fate would answer that question when they disembarked the plane.
Iseul watched the plane descend. Normally, he never saw any planes. And this felt different. Something compelling was coming and Iseul couldn't wait. Instead of going to school, he decided to travel down the path that led towards the police station.
"Hey kid, shouldn't you be at school?" a nearby officer shouted. Iseul ignored him like he always did, trancing around in his daydream. "Hey, are you listening to me?"
The officer approached Iseul and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Why are you ignoring me?"
Then, he disappeared. No trace, no evidence, just gone. Iseul sighed. That was what started to happen to anyone that got too close to him recently. Gone. And he didn't understand.
He didn't turn back nor look back, for something that loomed over him, like a guardian that protected its master. It slithered quietly and faded, a fragment of the cosmos perhaps.
"Nice serpent!" a voice hissed. Iseul gazed at the figure that spoke.
"Who…?" Iseul whispered.
"Me…" the voice whispered back, his cold breath reaching Iseul's neck. Where did the man come from? How did he suddenly teleport to him. "My name is Kartika…I see you own that mythical serpent…It'd be a shame if it were dead…"
The saliva of the serpent formed a puddle on its tongue and Kartika was able to deliver a punch, knocking the serpent over. Iseul's eyes widened in shock. The serpent squirmed, phasing into the ground.
"What?" The serpent rushed out of the pavemenf again easily striking Kartika. He flew into the sky like a pebble, causing Wei to spot him.
"Hey!" Wei exclaimed. "There's our guy!"
Sylvester called for agents while Wei and Rayne rushed to the site. Shadows took fast pursuit upon the trailing gutter that winded down the street. The serpent loomed over, crashing into the sidewalk and hopping to its target. Amidst the chaos, Wei stood strong, running in the shadows after Kartika. He noticed the serpents, but didn't see who or what was controlling them. Was it the Pisces constellation user?
As Kartika surfaced, the serpents locked onto him.
"Hahaha! You think you can beat me? Even if it's a 3 versus 1, I will still win! You are all mere children! Children!" Kartika mocked as he splashed water towards the serpent. The serpent began its descent, attempting to crash down onto Kartika. "You think you can hit me?"
Kartika was ready to dive, but he realised a fatal error. Where was Wei? He was gone. The serpent had cast a humongous shadow around him. His body froze.
"Trying to go somewhere?" Wei whispered. His words slithered down Kartika's spine, his body unable to move. As Wei reentered the shadows, he pulled Kartika down, paralysing him.
"What? This cannot be…" Kartika bellowed. The serpent crashed into Kartika, crushing his body under the sheer pressure of the serpent's massive body and the dense concrete pavement.
"Is he dead?" Iseul asked. The serpent lifted its head and a puddle of blood sat there. Kartika was gone. He had used his blood as a rift. Iseul panicked, his sweat dripping down on his back.
"Heh, to think 3 children could beat an adult…You must be out of your mind!" Kartika laughed, striking Iseul in the back.
"Impossible!" Iseul spat weakly. He was tossed violently away, hitting the ground hard. "You…You…appeared on my back?"
"Any form of liquid! Don't underestimate the mighty Kartika! Hahahaha!" Kartika snickered. He leapt off the serpent, onto the ground.
"I just realised something…" Wei's voice echoed. Kartika froze. He looked around, no shadows in sight except his. The sun had dragged his shadow out long and thin and a pair of deep blue eyes flickered in the midst of it.
"No…You can't…" Kartika's voice shivered, his body tightening. He didn't know what was happening, but as he gazed at his shadow, he saw his hips being squeezed tight. It seemed to almost break.
"Now!" A chain of bubbles sliced through the air, each exploding as they collided with Kartika's body. He wailed out in pain as Wei finally tore his shadow, tearing his body in half.
"Ha! Without my legs, I still live!" Kartika growled, crawling to the nearest body of water.
"You aren't going to go anywhere!" Rayne shouted, trapping Kartika. His bubble nicely encased Kartika, floating him into the air.
"What? No no no, what are you going to do?" Kartika begged. He pounded at the walls of the bubble, but it didn't do much. Rayne snapped his fingers. The bubble exploded, disintegrating Kartika's body.
"That's him sorted. So, are there 9 more kids like us? One for each Zodiac?" Rayne asked.
"Probably," Wei replied. Iseul shrugged.
"Are you the Pisces constellation user?" Rayne asked.
"Me? Constellation?" Iseul questioned.
"What's your name?" Wei asked.
"Iseul. Iseul Baem…" Iseul stuttered. He was nervous, but also surprised at the teamwork they had just achieved to take down Kartika. He had never felt anything like it before.
He used to always rely on himself, but now he could accept others to help him. He always saw those around him as weaker than him, but now he saw something different.
"You wanna join us, the water trio?" Rayne offered. "We'll explain everything later as well."
"Sure," Iseul replied. Sylvester reached the site to only find Kartika's legs intact with 3 other agents. They shrugged it off and congratulated the kids who aided them in the defeat of Kartika.
Once isolated and hated, now united and dreaming. Dreamers for life would always find the most creative solutions, to destroy even those of the strongest power. That was what they believed in. That was what the water constellations had as power.