A quick trip around the backside of the school building later, Lloyd saw his brother standing next to a small pond. The water was murky and filled with bugs, definitely not meant for drinking. It was placed there precisely for Jimmy. Lloyd watched his eight-year-old brother standing tall in front of the water. His already too-broad shoulders for his age, black hair, light brown skin, and deep brown eyes matched Regal’s, a clear sign of their shared sanguine source. These characteristics stand in stark opposition to Lloyd’s blonde hair, fair skin, and hazel eyes. Yet another thing besides their powers that those two shared that Lloyd did not.
Lloyd watched as his brother manipulated his fingers and slowly waved his body back and forth to a rhythm Jimmy must have had in his head. Clinching his fists together, a clump of water grouped itself and lifted out from the small pond. It stayed together for a few moments as it continued to climb into the air. It held together only briefly before splashing apart back into its original location. The ripples quickly subsided, and the murky water stilled once more. Jimmy turned to see Lloyd standing there, a smile spreading on his face.
Jimmy hopped over to Lloyd and pummeled into his leg, wrapping his arms around him. “Hey, thanks for picking me up today; you didn't have to,” Jimmy said.
“It was on my way home anyway,” Lloyd said.
“I heard the bells ringing. Were you guys out there fighting monsters?” Jimmy asked as he took Lloyd’s hand. They began walking down the street towards the massive willow tree where they lived.
The schoolhouse was practically next door to the tree, so the walk wasn’t far. Giving more credence to Jimmy’s comment about not having to pick him up. It wasn’t like the eight-year-old would get lost trying to find the most prominent thing in town. Soon, they were on the platform that would take them up the tree to where their house was nuzzled behind the branches. Lloyd shifted his eyes from the bark to his little brother and saw Jimmy staring up at him. It took a few moments before he realized he hadn't answered his brother’s question.
“Sorry, yeah. We ended up fighting about a dozen of these large, spiky, poisonous, and just overall crazy-looking frogs. They stood almost as tall as you, actually.” Lloyd said as he raised his hand at the height of his brother's eyeline. Lloyd crouched and made a scary motion mimicking a poor rendition of a hopping frog.
“No way! They weren’t that big. Also, did you know that a group of frogs is called an army? So, you are saying you guys killed an army?”
With a smile, Lloyd responded, “I suppose we did. Regal, of course, ended up killing most of them. The frogs did no damage to him, as usual. I'm sure you'll hear about it from somebody else soon, but one of them ended up poisoning me, and I had to go to the healer's hut. Heck, even Cassius was having trouble filtering out the poisons.” Lloyd said to his little brother before staring up into the canopy of their home.
“I think The Citadel was right, and these guys are getting stronger,” Lloyd said as he scratched his chin and thought aloud. Jimmy’s arms reacquired themselves around Lloyd's legs, and he looked up at his bigger brother, wetness gathering in his eyes.
“Don't worry Jimmy, I'm all fine now. Both of them healed me up really well.” Lloyd said, instantly regretting mentioning it. He knew that Jimmy would find out at some point, but he probably should have broken it to him in a better way.
“Yeah, but don't the monsters get bigger and scarier the farther west you go?” Jimmy asked.
Jimmy was right. Breakwater was on the exact opposite end of where the meteor fell. The faint whispers of stories and information from The Citadel told them that the farther away from the initial impact they were, the lesser effect it had. That accounted for both the monsters and the humans alike. Those Altered in the Far East were less powerful than their farther West counterparts. Indeed, the journey would get harder the closer they got to The Citadel, but it was worth the danger.
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“Yeah, Jimmy, they probably will get a little bit bigger and scarier, but Regal and Cassius can handle anything that comes across their path. I’m no slouch either.” Lloyd explained. And I’ll make sure I bring enough potions to heal me whenever I get hurt, Lloyd thought.
Lloyd activated the wooden lift, and the gears began turning, pulling the ropes that would elevate the platform to their home. The ride lasted about a minute, having to ascend nearly 70 feet. Upon reaching the top of the lift, they got off and moved into the porch surrounding their house. Jimmy gave Lloyd another quick hug before running into the kitchen area while Lloyd held back. He headed towards the wooden railings that were the only thing separating the tree house from the open air and the massive fall to the ground. Lloyd had many friends up here throughout the years; almost all were fairly freaked out about the height. Lloyd grew up here, so he was never afraid of leaning over the railing as he did now. The railing pressed into his gut as Lloyd gripped the railing with his hands and, for a brief moment, leaned over the railing. He looked directly down on his town as the wind weaved through his hair. His mind wandered, and he wondered what it would be like to have the powers of flight. What would it be like to have this view everywhere you went? Lloyd thought. Taking a deep breath, Lloyd leaned away from the railing and looked over the village below him.
His neighbors milled about as they went about their standard day. The straw roofs that dotted the town still glistened from the morning’s rainfall. His gaze shifted to examine the tall interwoven briar that encircled Breakwater. The barrier always seemed so tall from the ground, but from the heights in which he currently stood, they appeared like simple children’s toys that he could step over. Soon, he would leave the protection of this circle for good. That thought brought a bubble of worry that boiled up in his belly before giving way to the heat of hope and excitement. Everything out there would be new. Finally, Lloyd looked west. A massive forest stood a few hundred feet from town, and beyond that were a few large mountain ranges to the northwest. They weren’t visible from ground level, but Lloyd could almost see their entire journey from here. Beyond that range would be The Citadel. He would finally see what else was out there in the world. He began to wonder about his birth parents. He hadn’t thought about them much in the last few years. Would he unknowingly walk through the town where they used to live? If what his adoptive parents told him was true, his parents were caught in the chaos of the true West. There was no surviving it. Lloyd would never be able to see where his parents lived, where he lived as a newborn. They would never let a powerless person pursue west of The Citadel. Lloyd shook his head, trying to disperse the sad thoughts. He didn’t need to worry about his birth parents when he had two amazing parents just on the other side of the walls behind him. Taking a deep breath, Lloyd turned and plodded towards the interior of his home.
Their home was made of the same wood as the giant willow tree they lived in. Not wood from a similar tree but instead, it was Tera, Lloyd’s adoptive mom, who instructed the tree to slowly grow its branches and bark to create each section of floor, wall, and ceiling. It was as if their home was a part of the tree, because it was. Lloyd walked towards the central trunk and allowed his fingers to flow and follow the bark and the curve of the willow tree as he walked by. He would miss this tree. He swore he could almost feel the life inside of it. His mom made this. She grew a giant freaking hundred-foot-tall tree from nothing. Granted, it supposedly took a few years, but still damn impressive. She created it from just the power that she wielded inside of her. He wished he was her true offspring; then, he might have inherited the Altered trait.
Finally entering the kitchen area, he saw that his parents were already home. That wasn't abnormal, but he would have thought that his dad, Gavin, would still be making weapons in the workshop. Gavin had a stocky build like Regal. His hair was a bit greyer, and his skin a shade darker, but the ancestry was obvious. Gavin wore a simple brown shirt and long black pants, his hands calloused, and his exposed arms showed scratches, scrapes, and deep cuts. Lucas could have healed these, but Gavin never wanted him to. He always said that the scars reminded him of the battles of his past and served as reminders of how he got to where he currently was. Gavin often would acquire minor injuries on the job as a weapon Soulsmith. He could peer into the essence of a person and craft a weapon that would tap into their core being. Gavin always explained to Lloyd that it wasn’t like the powers that someone had but something more fundamental. The weapon would allow those who were Altered to amplify their abilities when in contact with it. The same could be said for Soulsmiths of armor. Wearing gear tailored to your Alteration would make you stronger. It didn’t hold any amplification for those non-Altered, but the weapons always felt more natural, like the bow and swords that Lloyd used, which were all made by Gavin.
Lloyd's mom, Tera, stood near the wooden kitchen countertop. Her hands flowed around the vines and bark of the tree. Lloyd could see pulses on energy feed of her fingers into the willow. She turned to smile at her boys sitting at the dinner table. Tera looked at them with her deep blue eyes set inside her tan skin. Long brown hair sat atop her mauve dress which flowed to the floor. She stood about as tall as Lloyd.
“Regal is by a friend's house, training blades with her, but he said he would be back in a little bit,” Lloyd said to his family.
“Over at Sam's place? Gavin said as a smirk started.
Lloyd began to smile as well. “Yeah, that's what Cassius was saying as well,” Lloyd said as he shook his head, letting out a little chuckle.
Regal got home a few hours later and was immediately accosted by Lloyd and his dad, who were making jokes and giving him a hard time. Laughter ensued throughout the night as they gathered to eat dinner and simply sit as a family. They knew there would only be one of these nights left, for tomorrow, Regal would Ascend, and he and Lloyd would begin their journey the following day.