Chapter 1: A strange experience
‘Ugh! It feels like all my nerves were ripped out of my body and then stomped on for good measure!’
The last thing Percy remembered was the thrill of finally reaching Orange after a decade of relentless effort. The jeers and sneers from his cousins and uncles had only pushed him onward. He’d done it – tripled his remaining lifespan and achieved a new level of power. He’d made it!
His first act had been to try tapping into his family's bloodline once more. The Clone ability had always eluded him, but perhaps now, with his newly strengthened core, things would be different. He remembered the initial rush of mana and then... pain. A lot of pain. A world of pain.
‘I’m not exactly an expert, but I don’t think excruciating agony is a common side effect of using a bloodline ability.’
As he fought to open his eyes, he was greeted by a strange sight. A creature with humanoid features – but certainly not human – stood before him. Its skin was pale as milk, its eyes pitch black, resembling obsidian orbs that glimmered with an emotion Percy couldn't quite discern. Worry, perhaps? The creature's strained smile and tightly clenched fists at the edge of the crib betrayed its concern.
There was another standing opposite the first, this one bulkier. A male? It was hard to tell. Both were hairless and wore baggy robes concealing any distinguishing traits. Percy raised his hands with difficulty, noticing they were tiny and the same pale colour as the giants around him. His skin was smooth as porcelain.
‘What’s happening? Who are these people?’
He tried to speak, to ask a question, but no sound emerged. To his horror, he realized he couldn't breathe. The female – at least, he thought it was female – panicked, moving a device to his mouth and casting an air spell. A breath was forced into his lungs and, though it hurt, it kept him conscious. Barely.
Scanning his surroundings, he noticed the walls were sleek, made of some polished material. They definitely didn’t have anything of the sort back on Remior. Strange decorations adorned the room – there was a painting that seemed to have been drawn in three directions, somehow! Through the window, he glimpsed three suns – green, yellow, and blue – illuminating a turquoise sky.