“That one.”
The two beings looked upon the sleeping boy, one smirking surely and the other growing more confused with each passing second.
“Him? The scrawny, weak one?” the second one asked. “He looks like he’ll break if I touch him.”
The first being smirked with a scoffing laugh. “You said I could pick my opponent from any time, any universe, and any planet. I choose this child.”
The second being glared at the first, running her tongue over her teeth.
“You’re trying to stack the odds against me,” she muttered. “How do you expect me to get him powerful enough in time?”
The first smirked, his razor-sharp teeth glinting in the light. “I don’t.”
In a puff, he vanished, and the second was left alone to worry about the fate of the universe.
The two beings looked upon the sleeping boy, one smirking surely and the other growing more confused with each passing second.
“Him? The scrawny, weak one?” the second one asked. “He looks like he’ll break if I touch him.”
The first being smirked with a scoffing laugh. “You said I could pick my opponent from any time, any universe, and any planet. I choose this child.”
The second being glared at the first, running her tongue over her teeth.
“You’re trying to stack the odds against me,” she muttered. “How do you expect me to get him powerful enough in time?”
The first smirked, his razor-sharp teeth glinting in the light. “I don’t.”
In a puff, he vanished, and the second was left alone to worry about the fate of the universe.
1
BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. BEEP.
Nord rolls over and slams his hand on the alarm clock, frowning at the total cliché way it’s executed. Isn’t there a more unique way of waking up?
His eyes are unfocused and his body is sore, like it is every morning, but there’s something different inside of him, a tingling, followed by a throbbing ache in his neck.
He frowns at the new sensation and grabs hold of his glasses, slipping them on. Trudging wearily to the bathroom, his eyes catch on his reflection. There’s something different about his face... but he can’t place his finger on what.
After staring at himself for a good while, he stands up with a disapproving, “Humph.”
“Good morning,” he hears.
Spinning around to the open doorway, he leaps out of his skin. He loses his balance and tumbles into the bathtub, his head knocking against the tile wall as the shower curtain clambers down on top of him. The metal pole clangs against his head, making his vision tingly. Nord lets out a short cry and locks eyes with the woman in the doorway.
What kind of—who is--
He’s at a loss for words, fear pulsating through him.
The woman doesn’t stand in his doorway, but floats a few inches off the ground. Her lavender skin glows from inside, illuminating the dark hallway. Down her body drapes a delicate dress that looks like a lily, its colors pastel hues of pink and purple, both it and her light blue hair shifting around her as if she’s submerged. Her large eyes are like the night sky, thousands of lights coming from their black depths like tiny stars.
Slowly, Nord stands, rubbing the back of his head. He swallows his fear and takes a few steps toward her, despite his skin crawling from the power she radiates.
“What are you?” he asks, looking her over once more. “Why are you here?”
She tilts her head to the side as she looks at him, her face expressionless. “You’ve been chosen by my rival to become my warrior.”
Before Nord can respond, she continues with a sigh.
“Although I don’t understand why he would pick you. You’re so... weak.”
Nord frowns and opens his mouth to protest, when she interrupts once again.
“And he could have at least picked someone attractive.”
Nord makes a face, flaring his nostrils in disapproval as his expression turns more comical than anything. Gripping the door to shut it, no longer caring about this rude creature, he says, “Fine, if you don’t want me, then leave. I have an important thing to do today and the last thing I need is someone trying to poke at my already low self-confidence.”
Before the door can shut, she stops it with her fingers, halting its momentum.
“I have no choice, because I understand why he chose you just as much as I don’t. He fears the powers I’ll give to you. Choosing someone physically stronger than you are might mean his demise.”
Nord scrutinizes her with his gaze. “Powers?”
She nods, returning the door to its open position. “He and I rule separately over two planets and have been comrades since we were seedlings—or children, if you’d like me to be specific.”
Nord nods calmly, as if what she’s saying isn’t blowing his mind. She’s an alien and they’re both completely rocketing over that notion.
“For years, he’s wanted to take over the universe, but I’ve been able to suppress his powers. However, the suppression has taken a toll on what I can do and has depleted my reserve. He and I went head-to-head in battle and he won by placing a critical blow to the back of my neck.” Lifting her hair, she turns her head to show Nord her scar. A black scab wraps around the back, seeming to throb with pain. “Before he could end my life, he gave me a preposition. Whoever he chose would go against him in battle, and if he was defeated, he’d retire from his kingly position and be restrained in our prisons for treason.”
Nord squints, crossing his arms. Something is off in her gaze, and there’s a prick of unease in the alien’s words.
“Why would he do that?”
“He likes a challenge, and didn’t like that he’d beat me so easily,” she states simply, lacing her fingers together. Her lips press a bit too hard against each other, and her eyes waver for a millisecond. “I came this morning to tell you, that after ten years, the transfer of my power is nearly complete. All that is left is what I will give you today. Your appearance will be altered and your body will begin to change. You will be entangled in strange events and you will be able to do things no other human on your planet can do. Once I transfer the last of my powers to you, they will completely mesh with your body and you will show abilities both similar and different from my own.”
Nord bites his tongue, his brain reeling back. “So you’ve already been filling me up with powers? Like a superhero sponge? Since I was fifteen?” He processes it for a second, a strange emotion welling inside of him. “So I’m Peter Parker and you’re the spider. I’m four turtles and you’re the toxic waste.” He nods, growing somewhat excited. “So how powerful am I?”
The woman is taken aback by the question, as if she’s slightly offended. “Well, my name is Sephira, thanks for asking, and I belong to a set of planets with strange and terrifying creatures when compared to your own, if you care. If my enemy takes me down, he will surely terrorize and destroy the universe one planet at a time.”
“Uh, yeah, okay,” Nord says, eyeing her and buzzing with excitement. “But how powerful am I? What powers will I get?”
Sephira frowns. “You’re strangely excited about this. Do you understand that he will kill you if you don’t win?”
Nord shrugs. “If you were able to contain him, it’ll be a piece of cake, right? I just have to figure out how to do whatever you did and repeat it. It’s simple.”
“No—”
“And then I can play with my powers.”
“No, that isn’t—”
“I wonder if I can climb walls,” Nord mutters, ignoring Sephira completely as he touches the wall and tries to pull himself up, only to slip back down. Sephira sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.
“I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation.”
“Ha! Gravity,” he bursts, humor in his almost black irises. “Alien jokes.”
Unamused, Sephira takes a step toward him and roughly grabs his face with her hand, pulling him close to her. His body convulses as it glows, the rest of her powers transferring to him at her touch. She grits her teeth to cut the flow, leaving a small pool of her power in her body, just enough to get home once this is all over. Once he is trained and ready to face her old friend, she will leave him to fight for her.
Nord slumps to the floor, fast asleep once again, and she feels her feet touch the ground. The glow disappears from her body and her lavender skin changes to pale, seeming almost translucent under the florescent lights of the bathroom. Her hair falls to her backside, ending just at the small of her back. She watches as the constellations from her solar system disappear from her eyes and her irises become gray, the pupils piercing the mirror. The small reserve of power she’d kept makes her fingers tingle, itching to be released, but she suppresses it, balling her hands into fists. To teach this man-child of only twenty-five earth years, she has just a handful of days. Two earth months. Two months until the universe’s fate rests solely in this boy’s hands.
Nord Kang.
Nord rolls over and slams his hand on the alarm clock, frowning at the total cliché way it’s executed. Isn’t there a more unique way of waking up?
His eyes are unfocused and his body is sore, like it is every morning, but there’s something different inside of him, a tingling, followed by a throbbing ache in his neck.
He frowns at the new sensation and grabs hold of his glasses, slipping them on. Trudging wearily to the bathroom, his eyes catch on his reflection. There’s something different about his face... but he can’t place his finger on what.
After staring at himself for a good while, he stands up with a disapproving, “Humph.”
“Good morning,” he hears.
Spinning around to the open doorway, he leaps out of his skin. He loses his balance and tumbles into the bathtub, his head knocking against the tile wall as the shower curtain clambers down on top of him. The metal pole clangs against his head, making his vision tingly. Nord lets out a short cry and locks eyes with the woman in the doorway.
What kind of—who is--
He’s at a loss for words, fear pulsating through him.
The woman doesn’t stand in his doorway, but floats a few inches off the ground. Her lavender skin glows from inside, illuminating the dark hallway. Down her body drapes a delicate dress that looks like a lily, its colors pastel hues of pink and purple, both it and her light blue hair shifting around her as if she’s submerged. Her large eyes are like the night sky, thousands of lights coming from their black depths like tiny stars.
Slowly, Nord stands, rubbing the back of his head. He swallows his fear and takes a few steps toward her, despite his skin crawling from the power she radiates.
“What are you?” he asks, looking her over once more. “Why are you here?”
She tilts her head to the side as she looks at him, her face expressionless. “You’ve been chosen by my rival to become my warrior.”
Before Nord can respond, she continues with a sigh.
“Although I don’t understand why he would pick you. You’re so... weak.”
Nord frowns and opens his mouth to protest, when she interrupts once again.
“And he could have at least picked someone attractive.”
Nord makes a face, flaring his nostrils in disapproval as his expression turns more comical than anything. Gripping the door to shut it, no longer caring about this rude creature, he says, “Fine, if you don’t want me, then leave. I have an important thing to do today and the last thing I need is someone trying to poke at my already low self-confidence.”
Before the door can shut, she stops it with her fingers, halting its momentum.
“I have no choice, because I understand why he chose you just as much as I don’t. He fears the powers I’ll give to you. Choosing someone physically stronger than you are might mean his demise.”
Nord scrutinizes her with his gaze. “Powers?”
She nods, returning the door to its open position. “He and I rule separately over two planets and have been comrades since we were seedlings—or children, if you’d like me to be specific.”
Nord nods calmly, as if what she’s saying isn’t blowing his mind. She’s an alien and they’re both completely rocketing over that notion.
“For years, he’s wanted to take over the universe, but I’ve been able to suppress his powers. However, the suppression has taken a toll on what I can do and has depleted my reserve. He and I went head-to-head in battle and he won by placing a critical blow to the back of my neck.” Lifting her hair, she turns her head to show Nord her scar. A black scab wraps around the back, seeming to throb with pain. “Before he could end my life, he gave me a preposition. Whoever he chose would go against him in battle, and if he was defeated, he’d retire from his kingly position and be restrained in our prisons for treason.”
Nord squints, crossing his arms. Something is off in her gaze, and there’s a prick of unease in the alien’s words.
“Why would he do that?”
“He likes a challenge, and didn’t like that he’d beat me so easily,” she states simply, lacing her fingers together. Her lips press a bit too hard against each other, and her eyes waver for a millisecond. “I came this morning to tell you, that after ten years, the transfer of my power is nearly complete. All that is left is what I will give you today. Your appearance will be altered and your body will begin to change. You will be entangled in strange events and you will be able to do things no other human on your planet can do. Once I transfer the last of my powers to you, they will completely mesh with your body and you will show abilities both similar and different from my own.”
Nord bites his tongue, his brain reeling back. “So you’ve already been filling me up with powers? Like a superhero sponge? Since I was fifteen?” He processes it for a second, a strange emotion welling inside of him. “So I’m Peter Parker and you’re the spider. I’m four turtles and you’re the toxic waste.” He nods, growing somewhat excited. “So how powerful am I?”
The woman is taken aback by the question, as if she’s slightly offended. “Well, my name is Sephira, thanks for asking, and I belong to a set of planets with strange and terrifying creatures when compared to your own, if you care. If my enemy takes me down, he will surely terrorize and destroy the universe one planet at a time.”
“Uh, yeah, okay,” Nord says, eyeing her and buzzing with excitement. “But how powerful am I? What powers will I get?”
Sephira frowns. “You’re strangely excited about this. Do you understand that he will kill you if you don’t win?”
Nord shrugs. “If you were able to contain him, it’ll be a piece of cake, right? I just have to figure out how to do whatever you did and repeat it. It’s simple.”
“No—”
“And then I can play with my powers.”
“No, that isn’t—”
“I wonder if I can climb walls,” Nord mutters, ignoring Sephira completely as he touches the wall and tries to pull himself up, only to slip back down. Sephira sighs and pinches the bridge of her nose.
“I don’t think you understand the gravity of this situation.”
“Ha! Gravity,” he bursts, humor in his almost black irises. “Alien jokes.”
Unamused, Sephira takes a step toward him and roughly grabs his face with her hand, pulling him close to her. His body convulses as it glows, the rest of her powers transferring to him at her touch. She grits her teeth to cut the flow, leaving a small pool of her power in her body, just enough to get home once this is all over. Once he is trained and ready to face her old friend, she will leave him to fight for her.
Nord slumps to the floor, fast asleep once again, and she feels her feet touch the ground. The glow disappears from her body and her lavender skin changes to pale, seeming almost translucent under the florescent lights of the bathroom. Her hair falls to her backside, ending just at the small of her back. She watches as the constellations from her solar system disappear from her eyes and her irises become gray, the pupils piercing the mirror. The small reserve of power she’d kept makes her fingers tingle, itching to be released, but she suppresses it, balling her hands into fists. To teach this man-child of only twenty-five earth years, she has just a handful of days. Two earth months. Two months until the universe’s fate rests solely in this boy’s hands.
Nord Kang.
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