Thomas's burning corpse lay on the cold, black sand. His severed head was several feet away, its soulless eyes peering back at his body. Next to the body lay a bloodied doll. The doll had red hair and a purple dress. Her eyes were green, and on the dress was written "Starfire". The doll had its hands stretched out, as if reaching for the burning boy's body. The flames travelled to it before a red inferno appeared, and they were both consumed by it. One could say there was a history there, but one could never know, as that history burned away with them.
Inside the inferno spewing from the creature's mouth, Malrik crouched. The girl sat several feet to the right, recalling what had just happened. One minute, she had been staring into the terrifying creature's eyes, awaiting death, and the next, she felt a hand shove her out of its path. She looked at Malrik, impressed. He had his hand stretched out while a blue aura surrounded him, protecting him from being incinerated. She couldn't tell whether this was intentional or instinctual. The question was how long it could last.
The boy vanished into the abyss of the flames, fighting back with the faint light of his aura, the blue glow emanating from his body growing dimmer and barely visible. He was on his last legs. Malrik clenched his teeth. He was gradually being overwhelmed. His body was slowly pushed back by the immense force of the attack. He looked behind him. His dead friend's body was nowhere to be seen. Malrik closed his eyes as a few words played in his mind.
'"We've got to survive so that we can uphold the legacy our parents fought desperately to save."'
The creature smirked as it continued to shoot flames from its mouth, aiming to completely eliminate the nuisances that had caused it so much trouble. Its victory appeared certain. That was until it began to feel some pressure as it fought back. The girl watching from the sidelines in despair suddenly saw a bright blue sphere of light inside the inferno, growing larger and larger. A small scream escaped from the boy's lungs, growing louder and louder. The boy stood up, screaming as he pushed against the flames. The shining blue light gradually pushed the fire further and further away.
From the booth, the crowd of adults stared in stunned silence. None of them could believe what was happening before their eyes.
"What the hell is that kid doing? What kind of magic is this? He doesn't even have a title, and yet he is pushing back against that creature like it's nothing!" asked Vale, his facial expression identical to that of his brother next to him.
Dr Helmbrecht looked on with pure excitement. He looked like a mad scientist as he stared at the kid with hunger—drool dripping from his mouth and running down the glass window. "Remarkable! Simply remarkable! And this is all through instinct alone—so much potential. I need more! I need more!"
The cloaked creature stared at the doctor, then back at the kid, before turning around and walking away. Rave, noticing this, asked him where he was going.
"I want the boy and that girl with the chains, in perfect shape after all this is done. If there are any other survivors… go ahead and kill them."
In the booth, the clash seemed to be nearing its end. The two attacks drove everything back, causing cracks in the wall. The girl had been sent flying into the wall and knocked unconscious just minutes after Malrik began to push back. Now, it was merely a battle of will. Malrik, whose eyes were still closed and hands still stretched out, started moving forward.
"You killed Thomas. A kid only six years old, with his sole wish being to have a family." The aura suddenly vanished, shrinking into a small ball of energy in Malrik's outstretched hand. Without resistance, the flames swiftly moved in and engulfed the boy. "Now I will kill you!" Malrik suddenly opened his eyes. The small blue energy surged forward with unrestrained power, piercing through the inferno like an arrow before reaching its target. The energy grew stronger as it advanced. The creature screeched as the energy began erasing it from existence until there was nothing left but a boy standing unconscious in victory.
― Two Years Later ―
A young black-haired boy stood in the centre of a room. He was in an arena, with bodies oozing blood surrounding him. Only three other people were still standing, each wearing masks and tight black clothing. The left had a dog mask, the right had a cat mask, and the middle had a tiger mask. They stared into the red eyes of the boy carrying a pitch-black sword that dripped blood.
The boy wore a tight, sleeveless black top. His baggy black joggers were stained with blood, yet his tall black boots remained mysteriously untouched. His red eyes looked soulless. One could only wonder whether the boy was truly alive or not. He resembled a monster who didn't care whether you lived or died. The numerous dead bodies around him confirmed that theory.
The three were breathing heavily. They were covered in cuts and were currently questioning whether the boy in front of them could even be defeated. His fighting style was unnatural. He moved like an animal hunting for food, only attacking when the kill was guaranteed. There was only one reason they were still alive, and they all knew what it was—experience.
The boy was looking into the air, contemplating his life, as if he didn't have opponents in front of him. His eyes closed as the sun from the open roof pressed upon his face. Now is the chance, they all thought. They acted. The tiger mask moved in, revealing its claws, while the dog mask conjured a bow from flames and shot it. The boy dodged the attack as the tiger came in with a swipe. The boy disappeared, putting the three on high alert. The cat mask, with orange glowing eyes peeking through, quickly looked up, shouting, "Up there!"
The other two looked up, seeing the boy in the air, head facing downwards. The light behind him slightly blinded their vision as the boy twirled in the air before launching his sword at the cat mask.
On the outskirts of the building, two people—a girl and a man—could be seen looking into a structure. The tall white building appeared deep in an enormous hole, surrounded by a circular lake. The place looked more like a research laboratory.
"So, is this where this so-called Court of Darkness keeps all those children?" asked the girl as she looked towards the man. The man just nodded.
"Mhm, according to our sources, most of their members are away right now, so this is the perfect time to strike."
"Right… and remind me why they sent a man and his daughter again?"
"Correction: They sent a man on this mission. You just tagged along because you promised to stay close and call out to me if you had signs of trouble," he reminded the girl with a long stare. The girl just looked away, giving a few forced coughs. "As for why, I told you this already: if we send in too many people, the organisation will immediately notice. It's the only reason we got this far."
"Whatever," the girl dismissed, much to the man's annoyance. "I just can't wait to kick some evil butt."
"You won't be kicking any butt. Don't forget, your only mission here is to find the prisoners and guide them out. Leave all the fighting to me." The girl snorted and muttered another "whatever" before jumping towards the building. The man sighed, wondering if bringing her along was such a good idea.
Inside the building, a man suddenly walked into a room. Looking around, he noticed the arena at the centre. Looking inside, he sighed. He stared at the piles of bodies scattered around. He shifted his attention to the man currently pulling his obsidian sword out of someone wearing a tiger mask.
"Hey, brat, what the hell are you doing? You're supposed to be assessing them, not slaughtering them." The youth turned to face the man.
"Vale." He started walking past the man. "I was told to measure their strength in battle. It's not my fault they were all weak."
Vale sighed. "Whatever," a cruel-looking smile crossed his face. "Just make sure to invite me next time you go on a hunt for blood."
The boy didn't answer as he opened the door to leave. "Hey, kid! Pack your things, we are relocating." The boy paused. He turned his head.
"Relocating?"
"Yeah," Vale rubbed his head and sighed. "Apparently, some punks from the Reyfield Guild are on their way here. We got intel that they are sending a Champion. This could get ugly; we've got to move, so hurry and pack your things."
"What's the point of coming here? Most of the prisoners are across the world right now."
"Well, fortunately for the organisation, they don't know that. Regardless, that doesn't change the fact that we must get out of here. Dr Helmbrecht is already moving test subjects to the escape vehicle, as we speak. We don't have enough staff here, and certainly not one capable of taking on a Champion, so we need to move."
The boy nodded as he moved to leave. "Hey, kid," Vale suddenly said. The boy turned back, stopping abruptly as he sensed the dark orange aura emanating from the man. A slight bead of sweat ran down the boy's forehead. "You wouldn't dare think of trying to escape, am I right?"
The boy took a deep breath, calming his nerves. "Where the hell would I escape to?" He walked away. Vale just rolled his eyes before walking off. I wonder if there is any food to take for the road.
The black-haired boy walked to his room deep in thought. 'A Champion.' His mind wandered back to a memory. '"Champions don't hurt themselves, Mum."' He snorted and shook his head, releasing himself from unnecessary thoughts. 'Just a child's fantasy. No Champion is coming to save you. Besides, a man with as much blood on his hands as I could never be saved.'
Zipping his filled bag, he looked at his sword. His mind wandered to his dead parents: his mother's smile, his father's strength, his family's peace. 'I've got to save myself. This is the first chance in four years. I must take it.'
BOOM!
The boy subconsciously drew his sword and pointed it towards the door, in the direction of the explosion. A battle seemed to be beginning. Sounds of screams and sword clashes could be heard throughout the room. The boy smirked. 'Looks like that's my cue to escape this hellhole at last.'
Swinging the bag over his shoulder, he dashed out of his room and headed in the opposite direction.
The base was in chaos. Scientists ran in one direction, clutching any equipment they could carry, while armed soldiers ran in the other, aiming to protect their base. In a large room, a small army could be seen seemingly fighting blinks of light. Men tried desperately to hold the intruder off, but anyone who attempted could barely last a second against him. Men ran in, and blood sprayed out. The cries of the other soldiers as they watched their friends die were silenced once the glowing sword drove itself through their skin.
The man would blink in, drive a sword through someone, and then blink back out. It was as if he were rehearsing a practised dance, polished day after day. There was no mercy, no moment for the soldiers to pause. For the slight second before their lives ran out, they saw the power of a Champion.
In a separate room, Vale saw all of this, sweating slightly as he watched. Damn, if I cross this guy, I might be finished. He was so focused on the intruder's movements that he forgot who he was on the phone with for a moment.
"Vale!" The man jolted out of his trance. Suddenly remembering, the leader of the organisation was on the line.
"Uuh, yes sir?" grogged the man as if he had just woken from a nightmare.
"Is it that bad?" asked Dr Helmbrecht, who was also on the phone.
"Yeah, damn bastards sent Blinking Star after us." A cup suddenly dropped as soon as Vale said those words.
"I'm sorry. Did you say Blinking Star?" shouted Dr Helmbrecht, making Vale move the phone away from his ear. "As in one of the best Champions to be produced in this generation, Blinking Star, considered one of the next Vessels, Blinking Star? We're talking about the same Blinking Star, right?"
"Yes! Now, will you shut the hell up? Look, the point is we are not winning here. Even if my brother were here, we still wouldn't stand a chance. Just get the truck ready, and I will meet you there -"
"And the boy?" asked the leader of the organisation.
"The brat should be packing his stuff. I am about to drag him out now."
"Don't bother." Vale looked at the phone in confusion. "If Blinking Star is there, there's a chance that the kid is already captured."
"I am not worthy of your concerns, my Lord. Besides, isn't the kid supposed to be valuable or something?"
"Let the kid have his small taste of freedom. He already knows he can never escape me or this organisation. He will return soon enough."
"Very well, I shall head out then." Vale turned off the phone. He looked at the monitor to see that the fight had ended. All his comrades lay on the floor, while the intruder stood above, victorious.
"Dain Aurelion, also known as The Blinking Star. I promise you, the time will come when my blade pierces through your heart."
"You should be careful when making promises like that." Vale widened his eyes, quickly turned his body, and met Dain Aurelion's powerful gaze. The man's eyes were glowing gold, and it was only now that he was standing right before him that he could feel the man's magic – it was terrifying. He turned back to the monitor, only to notice that the man there was slowly fading as if he had never been there. "The time when you have to fulfil that promise can blink by in an instant."
On the other side of the building, a girl was running through the white halls. She seemed to be searching for something.
"Come on, where are the captives? Don't tell me the Court of Darkness already relocated them." She was beginning to lose hope. She continued running until she saw a young black-haired man. The man seemed to be cutting off a corpse's limbs and dumping them into a brown bag.
"Wha—what are you doing?" The boy met the slightly scared gaze of the girl. The girl noted how empty the boy's eyes looked. She wondered if he was even alive.
"I'm about to escape from this hellhole. I'm just collecting food for the road."
"Food! Wait, who the hell even are you? Are you one of the children they've captured?"
The boy threw the bag over his shoulder. "My name is Malrik. Now move, or I'll be forced to end your life."