Advent Angel Prologue

The story about a boy who possesses a 'fragment' and a girl collecting them.

Prologue

Before that day, I never would have thought my daily routine would change. As usual I slept through first-period and skipped that piece of s**t’s Mathematic class. I went to the roof top again, took a nap on top of that little cabin used to store things I didn’t need to know.

The wind blew gently as I closed my eyes and listened to the sounds around me: mainly the chanting and support of the students training for their monthly tournaments and the singing of the few birds flying about.

They irritated me, so I put on my headphones and listened to my music for a while until it was lunch time again. Everyone was used to me leaving Math class before the teacher entered. We never were on good terms, and we will never be. To my class I am just a punk, a troublemaker that hangs out with the kind of crowd the ‘good’ people should never associate with.

So for the past year, they were practically ignoring me. Only looking when I occasionally slammed the door opened and immediately looked away when I am about to lift my gaze. I am not a giant, tattooed or a pierced punk. Just an average sized human being with casual short, wavy brown hair and admittedly beautiful blue eyes that could make any insane girl fall for me. Not that it could ever really happen. Well, I wear a thin, black leather jacket just for show though.

At some point in the day when I ended up asleep from a boring lesson, it started raining. I never cared about catching a cold. I felt men had dignity to uphold so they shouldn’t use something like umbrellas, instead a man should use just a hoodie. This leather jacket had just had none.

The rain increased in intensity but I cared not as I walked all the way home. At some point I must have realized that I was being followed. I turned around casually, carrying my two-strapped bag on the right shoulder. I spotted no one. I had to be always on guard. You could never tell when some punk might come from behind and attack me with something. I was quite infamous for stirring trouble in the neighborhood; another reason people didn’t associate themselves with me.

As I hurried forward from the deserted narrow roads surrounded by houses, I arrived at the park. It was pouring at this point. Ongoing cars splashed road water to the sides as they pass ignoring poor pedestrians that happened to pass. It is not amusing if something like that happens to me so I avoided finding it amusing.

The park’s clock showed minutes to four in the afternoon.

When I turned forward, I stopped. A man wearing an elegant dressing was a few meters in front of me, covering his upper part of his face with his hat. At first look, he looked like a Mafioso, wearing only black aside from the white shirt underneath the tuxedo. He just stood there in my way. I didn’t move, only pretending to show an angry face for intimidating, but he never looked at me. His hat covered his eyes.

When I was about to speak…

“How unusual” he stated with a rough, elderly voice, “for such a pathetic human to possess a fragment.”

I disregarded the unnecessary details aside from the fact that he called me pathetic.

“You sure know how to run your mouth” I replied confidently with a loud voice. His posture didn’t change despite the obvious insult.

 “It’s a shame for you, kid. It’s nothing personal, but I need to kill you now.”

I had a grimace look on my face that while narrowing my eyes I was going to yell a big “HUH?” but a sudden chill holds my body back from doing so.

In an instance the man that was standing at a non-threating distance suddenly popped out of thin air in front of me with a dagger in his hand, the sharp part aiming at my head. On instance my body moved, merely dodging the death carrying knife despite merely slashing my right cheek.

“What the hell was that for, you piece of trash?” I demanded, shaking from the sudden scare, and seeing my face bleeding.

“I see, that was an exquisitely elegant move.” The man no longer hid his smile. He held his hat with his left hand while holding the dagger in the other, the same hand he used to attack me. “Sorry kid, it’s just business.”

Something deep inside me sensed mortal danger. No matter how confident I was in my hand-to-hand combat, this guy seemed like a trained professional and the kind of guy that eats guys like me as cereal for breakfast. As the man took a step towards me, I blindly turned my back on him and ran away as fast as I could.

After almost a minute dashing at full speed I reached the other side of the park. Breathing heavily, I rested against a tree while trying to calm down. I looked behind from where I came and no one was in sight.

“It will take much, much more than that to escape from me.” My whole body rose to a new level of fear as the man from before was in front of me, the same distance as the first I spotted him, in the way I was headed without seeming tired.

I was an exceptional runner and even if I was out of shape at that moment, I was confident I ran the fastest as I could. To beat me so easily, this man must have been some sort of monster.

“What the hell do you want from me?” I asked, still trying to catch my breath, with my head lowered but my eyes fixed on him. My voice trembled and the beating of my heart echoed inside my head.

“I told you. Business. Don’t you understand?” His dagger was now pointed at me again. I realized someone was out for some sort of revenge against me and decided my punishment to be death. No way; I was not going to die so easily.

If I couldn’t run, my last option was to fight.

I admit, I am not a very smart student and I can’t handle studying and what comes with it, but I take pride in my athletic capabilities. I had fought in needless street brawls just for fun or when some idiot loser punk spit his mouth around. But this was real.

I put on a boxing stance. My fists were clenched tightly as I shielded half my face. The man seemed intrigued as he let me regain my composure and my breath. I charged at him the second he lowered his dagger. Close enough to him I strike my first blow with the right. The man dodged at unbelievable speed to my right, the last instant before my fist hit, so I moved to strike him with my right elbow, only to not find the target were I expected.

A severe blow to the stomach from nowhere stopped my movement. It was sudden and with insane power as if struck with a block of concrete. But it was a fist that must have destroyed something internal because I felt an insane amount of pain, but just for a moment; the instant I was struck. I coughed up blood.

I fell down face down seconds after the impact. My mouth was wide open, unable to shout neither for help nor of pain along with my tearful eyes. I was shivering. I couldn’t comprehend the difference in strength between us. Unable to accept defeat I tried to get on my legs.

“It’s impressive that you would still be conscious after that, let alone on your feet. You’re strong for a human child” he admitted, still with the same posture and expression.

I couldn’t make out what he was saying at that moment, but my weak-stated mind tried to put everything in my place. My vision was blurry now, approximately showing what the man looked like and were he was standing. “Why don’t you give up? It will be over in a second, I promise.” The man grinned as he said that.

“I am a…proud man. Even if my arms and legs are taken away, I will use whatever part of my body remaining to fight back. I’d rather die than giving up. I will fight till the end.”

This was my catchphrase…or at least thought myself it is. At that very moment, it was the coolest thing I had ever said in my life in the most appropriate moment possible, something I had invented in that moment. My voice was shivering so I doubt he got much of it because I’m sure he thought it was something utterly stupid.

After that moment, I felt so quiet. The man was charging at me with his dagger pointed at me as he dashed like a savage beast. I had already given up; I just couldn’t admit it. But I’d rather it been this way than living by running away. How proud I had become.

It should have been a matter of seconds. With my eyes closed, my right hand holding my stomach I counted down from five to zero. …Nothing had happened. When I opened my eyes, a red veil �" no, at a second look it was long, beautiful, rose-colored red hair that came from the side that shielded me, hearing a loud, beastly scream from beyond.

After that, I must have fainted. The vision become greyer, and eventually black…

 

In my mind, I reminisced of what could have led to this. I realized my life had changed drastically from a certain moment in my life but to think it came down to this. I don’t want to think about it. I was going to die in cold blood, under pouring rain…all alone to top it off.

Then at some point, I felt pain again. Not lasting pain, it was fading away. I opened my eyes wide suddenly. I was down on the ground with trees around me, and at my side was a little girl, with a bandage on her left eye, but looking at her I noticed, majestically pretty curly red hair. She was holding my right arm and gazing at it with intensity.

She noticed I woke up and was startled. “You’re okay, I’m so glad!” she said in a very young, sweet, girly voice.

“Who are you?” after a few seconds, enough to get sited. It didn’t hurt so much anymore, my stomach that is.

“Did you save me?” I asked her.

“Ah, I was just passing by and I spotted you were in danger so I couldn’t just watch. Don’t worry, he’s gone.” The girl smiled and by what she said she made me look like a wuss by making it seems like it was nothing for her.

She was really pretty young girl, by the looks of it she was shorter than me as being on her knees. I gazed at her beauty and her smile, but soon spotted a bandage over her head covering her left eye and others on her uncovered upper torso part. She was undeniably cute and a gentle smile on her face. Where did she come from?

“Did that man do this to you?” I asked with a serious voice.

She was surprised. “Hmm. What do you mean?” She noticed I was looking at her injured and shook her head. “No, no. That…man didn’t hurt me, these are…from something else.”

As she talked, I managed to get back on my feet.

“You shouldn’t” she said while trying to keep me down, but couldn’t. “You’re still injured; I need to take you to a hospital.”

“Don’t worry, I’m fine now somehow.” I wondered though. “How did I heal so fast? I feel great.” I looked at her, still on her knees. “Did you do something to me?”

She looked away, poking the ground with her left hand and covered her mouth with the other hand.

“M-magic” she whispered.

“Huh? Magic?” I replied surprised by her response, and in an obviously disbelieved look.

“That’s right. Magic!” She stood up to make her point. I realized she was a mere little girl, a short structure�"well shorter than me. Her head reaches to my mouth in height as she gazed intently in my eyes.

“Make sure you don’t tell anyone, okay?” She lowered her head and put her hands together in front of me in form of a prayer and begged me not to.

I didn’t know what to do in such an awkward moment. Maybe she did do something like painkillers, but she could have done nothing and I wasn’t sure how much time had passed. But she did save me.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.” When hearing that she looked at me with her bright green right eye happily with tears.     

“It’s a promise, okay. You mustn’t tell anyone or curses will befall you.” She got bossy all of a sudden but almost in a comical kind of way.

“Yes, ma’am” I replied calmly and laughed a bit.

“You don’t believe me, don’t you? I’m serious!” Her voice was still almost comical.

“What’s your name?” I asked her.

“I can’t tell you my name, it’s not safe.” She must have been playing being all secrets with me. “Ah, tell me yours.”

“No.” I said that clearly to annoy her. She got frantically annoyed at that and she puffed her face. At that moment, I realized how nostalgic such a moment was. I had never laugh with someone like this for a long time. I never got close enough to know someone in recent years except for the very people I come in contact with. It was all a strange sensation, all like a dream.  

A cold breeze blew suddenly. I still gazed at her red hair, almost dancing to the wind. And then I saw something that got my eyes wide open and change my smile upside down.

“I finally found you!” Something black was coming from behind the girl’s direction. I could only notice that through her long hair on the wind. Before the girl could turn, I grabbed her and dived out of the way.

I managed to shield her body, but somehow dodged whatever came at us. I looked up and saw the man from before, but I could only recognize his clothes. His face was not human. It was a disgusting combination of…I couldn’t describe it but no matter how good of a plastic surgery he did, it wasn’t normal. I was in doubt if that thing was human. Looking at the explosion that occurred a second ago behind us; a hole was in the ground, I confirmed this is not something that should happen.

“You again?” The girl got up and in front of me. “Stop hurting him. He has nothing to do with this” she yelled with all her strength.

That thing, no longer a man to me, grinned and in a second was in front of me, and with a powerful slap from his large hand easily shoved her away against a nearby tree. With the impact, the tree was smashed in half. I could have only imagined the pain on the poor girl.

She didn’t budge an inch after the impact. And I couldn’t move in fear.

“You managed to be lucky last time, but this time I have you.” He said while lowering his body and pulled his right hand back as if charging the strength for a punch, “your fragment is mine.”

At that moment, the word ‘fragment’ triggered something inside of me. I had heard that word before, but I couldn’t recall when or where. I just remembered it, being a part of my memories.

Someone must have yelled something, but the sound was so far away…

My heart was beating fast, possibly from fear as I felt claws piercing against my body. With a sudden glimpse, that man, no longer man, thing had his hairy claws against my body with a huge grin on his ugly face.

Everything felt in slow-motion.

“Huh? What the hell?” shouted the man.

I slowly turned my head to the right, spotting the man almost five meters away. My body was unhurt, somehow.

“How the hell did you move so fast?” questioned the man, shocked.

I couldn’t explain what just happened. I just had to move, but I couldn’t. But I must have moved.

I felt a surge in my body. Something was flowing inside of me.

“You?! You couldn’t have awakened the fragment? But that’s impossible.” The thing muttered some stuff out, apparently drawing the attention of the girl who tried to hit him with her small knife, as he was distracted. Her slow movement allowed him to easily dodge her attempt.

Immediately he strived to kill her. I felt that. I wanted to help. No, I wanted to save her. I wanted to be a hero by saving her. I wanted to feel that joy. I wanted her to be grateful after I saved her. I wanted to be a hero. I wanted to save her most of all.

Just by that thought, my body moved and before I realized it, I was right in front of that girl acting as her shield as the thing was almost in front of her. I drew my right fist forward and before he could react, I struck my strongest punch right in his ugly face.

I loved that pleasure. Such force, implemented in his face. The joy of hitting something and feeling its cracking, I sent him far more than a normal punch would.

The girl was almost awestruck. I wasn’t sure. I just felt it.    

This feeling…it was nothing like before. I never had felt so pumped. It was like I was on fire.

That blow did not knock the thing out. Enraged he charged once again. I focused. Somehow, unlike before his movements seemed so slow. I easily dodged his upcoming attack and with a left swing I hit him where he had previously hit me with savage strength and with this strength I lifted him off the ground and literally lifted him feet off the ground and landing more than a few feet away.

The grin on my face showed the inner joy of that moment. I felt so powerful, I felt like a monster. I loved that feeling.

I stopped, still looking down. Then pointed my hand at him and taunted him. “Come on.” I said to him with a slightly different dialect.

The monster showed no restrain in his anger, and his shouting became irritating and with a short leap I was in front of him. His shouting stopped. I drew my left leg to prepare for my next attack.

I wasn’t using any strategy. Just what was coming to mind.

Suddenly, as if time had slowed down, with all my strength, and my hands in my pockets, I delivered an immensely powerful kick to his side, so powerful that I must have heard a strange crushing sound in the falling rain.

The man fell down motionless as I let out a loud, diabolic laugh as I saw him crying in pain.

“Okay, I’m done” I said all of a sudden after a few second laughing. I turned towards the girl who must have been shocked from all that. I showed her thumbs up to reassure her and she seemed relieved and took a deep breath.

“You little brat…” The thing appeared to be still alive, breathing heavily and talking in pain. “I never suspected a human could awake to the fragment’s power.”

“The hell is this fragment you keep talking about?” I asked arrogantly, looking down on him.

He muttered more things to himself, and something in my mind was warning me. I stepped back, as the man let out another yell, much louder than before. Now it seemed almost monstrous. Suddenly, all his clothes ripped apart as if he was transforming. No, he transformed.

Now he really was a monster. A giant figure, about eight feet tall and a giant’s built, his body dark brown and his face no longer resembled a human’s in any existing way. Two horns appeared on his head to add. He was clearly no longer human. I could only call that figure a monster.

As I stepped forward, that girl came in front of me and without looking behind, stopped me. So I decided to wait, but something was happening.

In my heart I felt, a sort of attraction. When I realized, it was to that girl. A strange light was shining from her hands as she pointed one forward towards him.

At incomprehensible speed, she said something I couldn’t neither follow nor understand before saying, “Be gone fiend!” in a more mature voice.

Wind blew against me as something was released from her hand. With a final loud yell, the gigantic figure was being devoured, or eaten by an orb of light now attached to its body. I was at a loss for words. But the thing’s body was turning to ashes, and in a matter of seconds its body disappeared into nothing, as if it never existed in the first place; no traces left.

Now I was the one who was awestruck.

“What are you?” I asked calmly, despite trembling and in fear inside. I asked cautiously, seeing the orb of light disappearing and the wind calming down.

“I am a guardian” she replied, “and I am tasked to collect the fallen fragments.”

“Fragments?” I said, which was something that thing said I had. “And I supposedly have one?”

“Yes, and it has already awoken.” She turned towards me, her hair almost dramatically in sync with the wind. “You have a fragment; I ask that you help find the other fragments that have entered people’s hearts. It has already been decided. You have no choice, Klien…”

Author's Note

this prologue is part of one of the longest, incomplete stories i've written so far. i realize there must be a lot of tense mistakes since the only experience i have is from what i've written on my own.