It was a normal, ordinary day in Caspian City. It was raining, but that was relatively normal for the city. It was right on the coast and given the mountains nearby, it created a sort of climate that induced plenty of rainfall per year. As such rain was nothing unusual in this bustling city, filled with walkways and skyways, side streets and pedestrian streets, alleys and back alleys. With forests to the north, mountains to the east, and coast to the southwest, it was a city that had grown quite large and was very developed.

There was also a robust underground network. It wasn't just underground walkways and subways, but markets and stores as well. Entire businesses even. It let people get around the city easily, in addition to the trams and trains, and the trolleys as well. The city had invested quite a lot in public transportation, and kids under 14 could ride for free. A lot of people called it "Caspian's Underworld", with the central area, a massive underground mall complex, being known as Terminus, since you could reach it from anywhere and go anywhere in the city from there.

Still, it was one of the more advanced places. Especially with the new security robots, system security, and safety protocols, it was an incredibly nice city.

And yet, it was one that held a shadow within it.

Bell Russel woke up in his bed, which had been relatively nice when he fell asleep but was now a complete and total mess when he woke up. If there was a contest for who moved around the most in their sleep, he would likely win the championship. Two different alarm clocks on opposite sides of the room began to go off, signaling it was time for him to wake up as well.

He tried to grab a pillow to cover his ears, but it did little to stop it. He tried to throw the pillow at the unwelcomed sound, but there was a wardrobe placed inbetween them which deflected the pillow. He attempted to throw another pillow at the other, but it was inside of a hardened clear plastic case that was nailed to the desk, preventing the pillow from so much as knocking into it.

The boy was forced to resign his fate and get up. He was wearing just a T shirt that was big on him, nearly going down to his knees, as they were in the middle of a heat wave. Even if they had a cooling system, it was still annoying him. He also just found it nice and comfy like this.

Once both of the alarm clocks were off, he had already moved enough that he wasn't going to fall asleep, so he headed into bathroom first. He took off his shirt as he stood in front of the full body mirror, and out of the corner of his eye for a moment it looked like he had fox ears and multiple fox tails. He pulled it off quickly, but when he looked at the mirror again, nothing was there.

"Stupid alarm clocks, making me see things" he said as he got into the shower and turned it on. There was both a bathtub and a shower, but in the morning he always took a shower. He preferred baths in the evening.

As he started the water, he tapped the glass case, and various images came up as the water began to flow. Mainly news reports, the weather, things like that. At that point however, a new window opened up, marked "Call - Father".

"I see you managed to get up this morning" he mentioned, catching the boy off guard. "Looks like your doing well, Bell".

Bell reflexively covered himself and turned off the video. "You called right now on purpose, didn't you?"

"What? Why shy now?"

"You surprised me is why....uhg. Anyways, you will make sure you eat properly, right?"

"Hey, I am the one who is supposed to ask these questions. I am the parent after all".

"The one who is hopeless in a kitchen. If I didn't start cooking, we would have been stuck with ordering the entire time and never using the oven".

"Hey I was able to prepare stuff".

"Easy microwave stuff doesn't count" Bell pointed out.

"So mean! Surely the shock of my sudden appearance has worn off by now, so could you enable video? It would help my motivation to see you as much as I can".

"Uhg...fine" Bell said, enabling the video again. "But if you take pictures, I am disabling it again".

"I'm just documenting your healthy growth. You are the one who asked me to remember".

"...that was when I was seven, and it was to show mom at her grave" he said, although his tone shifted during the second sentence. "Anyways, just make sure you take care of yourself properly".

"Just make sure you take care of yourself properly. You can push yourself way too hard, you know?"

"Yeah yeah".

"And be careful about going out at night. There are more of those news reports today".

Bell touched the news app, and brought open all the recent articles onto the glass as he shampooed his hair. The article talked about the recent rash of disappearances, especially around people last spotted at the park. The article wondered if they were all connected, but considering the locations and timespan, it concluded it was probably different people. Still not something you generally would want to hear.

There was also news of a few murders down at a warehouse. Of course, this was a large city, with people moving here all the time, so its not like hearing about this was that rare. Still, it was clear what his father was trying to say.

"Don't worry dad. I will be careful".

"Good. And don't skip breakfast, you hear?"

"I am not the one with that issue!" Bell glared, but his father ended the call already. He finished cleaning up, and got out of the shower. He pressed down on the display, and did a flicking slide across the screen, which sent it to the sink mirror as he got out and walked up to it, as he began to brush his teeth. It was still summer, even if it was the trail end of it, so he had plenty of free time. He considered just staying in and playing video games all day, but he did that yesterday, and he needed to do some shopping today anyways. He had some of his father's cards, so that wouldn't be an issue.

He then noticed as well in the news, it seems that a number of the missing people disappeared near parks, and some blood of theirs had been found, although nowhere near enough for it to have been lethal. But even moreso was the occult news station, Salem Sleuths. An apt name if ever there was one.

He brushed his teeth as he stood on a rather absorptive towel, and enabled some fans for a sort of air dry. It always made him shiver a bit, being wet and naked when being blasted by the artificial wind, but it was a nice way to multi-task.

Once he was done, he used a towel to help finish drying off. Once he was nearly dry, he took a separate towel into his room and put it on his bed, plopping down on it to let time finish the rest as he assembled his plans for the day in his head. He always found it difficult to get completely dry unless he did it, as if no matter what he did there would always be moisture left that found its way out, and he didn't like putting on new clothes only to have to change again cause they got moist somehow. It only happened after a bath or shower, so it was definitely something related to that. His currently theory was his skin was good at absorbing water, so even after he dried it would drip out or something.

He decided on relaxing for a bit this morning, taking his time and just laying here as he watched TV, then pull something together and get groceries.

I could go to the market near Central Plaza, but its always kind of crowded there. I could get something from a nearby convenience store, or perhaps a supermarket, but I like to see a good variety from different sources. Then perhaps I will go to the Market Street. Its only a short tram ride away, so that seems good.

After deciding on his plans, he decided to take it easy for a bit. He figured he shouldn't worry his dad, and it was nice to do that every once in awhile.

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At the same time, deep in the underground, in the outer area of the city and a bit underground, there was a large cavern. Despite the city being built right on top of it, it showed no signs of any modern efforts. In fact, instead it boasted ancient stonework and masonry, and featured various symbols carved into stone brick pillars around the area.

The site had to be ancient, very ancient. Yet if an archeologist saw it, he would question his sanity when he confirmed it was in fact that old. As he would be incapable of matching the markings, the stonework, or anything else to any ancient civilization that could have placed it there.

However, it was clearly not some undiscovered area, as there were people setting things up. Relics and antiques, and moving stone tablets around a central point. In that point was a large circular stone platform, with chains wrapped around and connected to various points. Within those chains was a talisman, thoroughly trapped and imprisoned. Engraved upon it was the image of a fox with five tails, and it was carved into something that looked like marble or stone, but with worksmanship that looked far better then anything that could have been produced in ancient times.

A bald man looked over the work, his brows furrowed.

"We still cannot access it?"

"We were only just able to make the seal visible. It appears to be a sort of paradox and a riddle. We are still working on it".

"Don't devout too much time. From what we learned, the one who created the ritual site and made sure to seal away the power within was clever. Its possible the riddles are a complete misdirect, that not a single thing about them has anything to do with the seal or the ritual site".

"Hopefully. Because right now, our best guess is that its not meant to be unsealed ever".

"But they did not destroy it. Which means, it was so strong they likely couldn't. And with that power, I shall have everything I have ever desired and achieve my goals".

"If only we knew what it meant by a catalyst. 'Across the infinitude of time and space, through the catalyst, the ritual will unlock the power, dormant and always waiting'".

If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

"Just let me know when it's time. I shall claim what is mine".

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Bell meanwhile finished getting dressed. He wore a white T shirt, a light sleeveless green hoodie, blue cargo shorts, and red boots. He also had a ring on a chain that was around his neck, his mother's engagement ring. The wedding ring itself was quite expensive, but the engagement ring wasn't, so he carried that around instead. He got his phone and wallet, and proceeded to leave. He tripped on something on his way out, but when he looked back nothing was there.

"...am I getting sick?" he said, putting his hand to his forehead. "Doesn't feel like it".

He made sure to lock the door behind him, as he headed down the stairs. There were some people and robots moving things into the apartment downstairs, so he made sure to avoid them, jumping onto the railing and walking across it in a hurried way, hopping down once he past them.

Bell wasn't very strong, and he lacked endurance, but he had good reflexes and was agile. He managed to turn his body sideways as he passed another two people, and ducked under another one who was carrying something long or tall up. As he made it to the ground floor, he saw the building manager.

"What's going on?"

"Someone is moving in with all tha stuff".

"Seems to be a lot of it".

"Yeah. Ya heading out?"

"Doing some shopping".

"Mind seeing if ya can find my cat?"

"I will see what I can do, but no promises!"

"Thats fine. Just keep an eye out will ya?"

Bell headed out the door, reaching for his umbrella when he noticed the rain had stopped. The clouds still looked grey, but otherwise it seemed fine.

"Maybe if I hurry, I wont need to worry about needing to use my umbrella" Bell muttered, as he headed towards the tram station. If necessary, he could take the Underworld the way back. There were plenty of places to shop in Terminus as well after all.

And as fate would have it, when he reached the tram station, it was apparently out of order. Some technical issue. Seeing that, Bell sighed.

"Very well, the Underworld it is" he said, finding an entrance to the network of underground tunnels and heading down. He was soon greeted with nice warm lights, a rather wonderfully designed mosaic tile design of a rocket ship going through a tunnel, as well as other tiled areas and a nice sturdy and clean floor. The design was a donation from a nearby elementary school. He knew that because he had worked on this one. Every year a third grade art class was allowed to come up with a design for the walls of the Underground. They were then hardened to make sure no one could ever harm it or deface it.

Despite its ominous sounding name, the Underworld was in fact a well maintained area. It was neither lawless nor chaotic as a whole. That wasn't to say sometimes gangs didn't make territory in there, organized crime using the area, or other such things. Certainly, all that and more happened in the Underworld. But it was a place where children could go around and play in, and be perfectly safe. The police had foot patrols in there, there were kind people who did business there, security cameras and plenty of foot traffic. The Underworld was not some sinister location, but another part of this large, diverse, bustling city.

Bell found his way down to a nice area, entering a location known as Crystal Plaza. It was a large, multi-story area, connected to terminus, that featured a large crystal chandelier lamp. It also used large glass panes as a roof and many mirrors, so during the daytime like right now, natural sunlight soaked the area. At night, the crystal lamp would illuminate the area with a nice warm light, giving it a bit of mysterious nature, but with plenty of light so it wouldn't be considered dangerous or spooky.

Bell decided to first check out a book shop on the lowest level. It always stocked his favorites, and it handled both e-Book suggestions and physical books as well. Magazines, comics, manga, it carried it all. It was a bit out of the way, but it was a nice place to know about. Sort of like a secret store.

As he entered, he was greeted with the sight of a young boy, perhaps a year younger than him, arranging the shelves.

"Bell! You here to shop?"

"Yeah. I was wondering if the new issues came in?"

"They did. We also recently got a collection of classic books added to our collection too. First Edition Moby Dick".

"How did you pull that off?"

"Hey, we might have only been in this location for ten years, but our business is so old the kingdom of Avalon didn't even exist yet".

"Pretty sure that's the Kingdom of Camelot, you meant to say".

"No no, Camelot was the city. Avalon was the country".

"I am not sure you have that right, Ruu".

"Eh, leaving that aside" he said, heading behind the counter. He then got out a collection of material, put it into a paper bag, and handed it over. "There you go. Everything you paid for".

"Ah, thanks. You know Ruu, am I ever going to meet your parents? I only ever seem to see you behind the counter".

"See, that would be a bit more odd, except we both go to the same school and you know I actually attend class, so its not that odd".

"Fair enough".

"Right now, they are probably acquiring some famous books at the moment".

"Id question that, but you do have a First Edition Moby Dick, so clearly they are putting in the work".

"See you later! Remember, that new game comes out next week! I expect you to play it so we can compare notes!"

"Right!" Bell said, waving goodbye to one of the few friends he really had. As Bell left though, Ruu narrowed his eyes.

"...why do I have this concerned feeling right now..."

Meanwhile, Bell had decided to take a side route to skip some of the traffic and get to the market faster. There was also a good selection there, so he would be able to get quite a few things and have options for dinner. And yet, as he turned the corner, he ended up encountering a group of four people. Two were holding a guy down, while a large bulky man in a fedora took out a silenced gun.

"This is what you get for snitching, you rat" he said. "No one betrays me and sells out the information to our enemies, especially not regarding our trade routes".

"No please sir, it wasn't me. It was the one known as Phantom! You have to believe me!"

"Phantom? That rumored troublemaker? Don't make me laugh, no way such an urban legend exists!"

The large man sneered as he shot the man in the head. Bell couldn't help but gasp, which drew their attention.

"Someone is there! Get them before they get away, quick!"

Understanding he was in danger, Bell quickly ran the other direction, his heart beating like a drum. It was a raging wildfire of fear, as he had used this route plenty of times and no thugs were typically around this part. He lamented his bad luck as his feet bashed the pavement, his legs getting as much distance as they could get, and leaping over railings and down stairs like he was part frog. To the adults, they could barely get a glimpse of him, despite their larger size and endurance. He was simply that fast and nimble.

He ended up heading down the stairs and into a lower section, away from the men. He could hear them behind him, but he dare not turn around. He jumped over a turnstiles, and headed down another flight of stairs. He was entering an old, abandoned subway station. However it was still used a bit, since it connected to another part of the underground and would lead to Terminus. If Bell made it to Terminus without them seeing his face, he could easily lose them in the crowds and slip away into another section. Its said that if anyone who is being chased makes it to Terminus, they can easily escape and be all clear. Bell had used that to run away from bullies on more than one occasion.

However, it seems there was a gate down on the other exit for some reason. He had no idea why, but it forced him to drop down and head into the abandoned tunnel, running down the rail. He made sure to watch his footing, and to avoid any risks. The station should be long since deactivated, but he was careful just in case. Still, suddenly when he stepped on one spot, the ground seemed to give way, and resulted in him falling down into some sort of chasm. It was so dark and he was so surprised, it felt like forever, but he seemed to land just fine. He could feel rock and stone and dirt, and quickly looked around.

"Is this...some sort of old cave?" he wondered, as he looked around. That was when he saw something unexpected. Ancient writing. It wasn't any he had ever seen, but he wasn't an expert on it. All he could say for certain is that it probably wasn't Egyptian, which given where he lived, was obvious enough already. But it seemed quite old, not some replication. But that would mean this had been under the city the whole time, and yet had gone unnoticed?

Considering the level of construction, especially underground construction, it seemed odd this had been totally undiscovered. Perhaps it was dumb luck, but it seemed so old. Or perhaps it was so old, this was the only place left in one piece? The writing was carved in stone, and yet the more he looked at it, the more his hair stood on end, and he felt this eerie feeling from it. Not spooky or ominous, just that there was something about it that he could not see. Something special and ancient.

As he scrambled to his feet, he could hear noises. Sounds of people speaking. He thought perhaps it wasn't unknown after all, and figured they might be able to help. Or at least give him a way out. He began to head towards the voices, when he heard something strange.

"Is the sacrifice ready?"

"In case its needed? Yes".

Sacrifice? Oh great, don't tell me it's some weird death cult now right? Its just LARPing people right? My luck truly can't be this bad. First the tram, then the gang, so third time must be the charm right?

In any case, going back meant risking a run in with the people who wanted to put a bullet in him, while forward was only potential risk. As such, he made it through a small gap, pressing down on a pillar as he found himself on al edge above what appeared to be a part of a ruin. There was a stone circle in the middle, as well as a bunch of chains for some reason. He found himself drawn into it, as it was a truly fascinating sight, when suddenly a pillar he was holding onto slid. Symbols around the room began to light up, and he ended up falling over the ledge and right into the middle of the circle, where all the chains were. As he did, the stone circle lit up, relics around the place began to glow, and a small sheathed blade flew out into the circle as well. The room was overcome with the light that emanated from the center, and Bell lost sight of everything else.

Considering the fall, Bell was so sure that it was it. That he would have died for sure. It was a two story fall and he probably was not in the best shape from the previous one. But as he opened his eyes, he found himself in a weird place. He was completely naked again, and seemed to be floating in an enormous pool of water. It felt like it was a dream, and yet also real at the same time. That this was a tranquil place, somewhere that was beyond his understanding and yet he instinctively understood it, even if he didn't know anything at all about it.

He felt lighter too, and yet at the same time began to sink into the water. His senses fading and getting dull, his connection to the world dimming and diminishing. He felt like he was drifting along with the ocean current, sinking further down into the dark. It seemed to feel colder, yet he did not shiver. His own warmth seemed to escape him, yet he did not feel cold. He did not accept it, and yet willing went with the flow all the same.

"Its not yet time to join me, my darling little boy" a familiar voice said into his ear, jolting him up and awake. Suddenly, he found himself standing in the water. It looked like it was incredibly deep, but somehow, he was able to stand with it only knee deep. A set of familiar bare arms wrapped around his body, embracing him from behind. The same that had held him when he got upset, that had bathed him when he got dirty, that had given him food when he got hungry.

"...mom?"

"It is not your time to die yet. Accept the power, and live" she said. He turned around, but she was no longer there. Instead there was an island, which he was now standing on the shore of. The sun soaking into his fair skin, and his feet standing atop of the sand. And in the center, there was something. No, two things. The first was a pendent, clear as day. It had a fox motif on it, carved into a stone. The second was a knife, or rather a dagger. Or some other sort of short sword, perhaps eastern style. It had an engraving of a five tailed fox on it as well.

He took hold of both of them into his hands, and then suddenly his blonde hair began to glow. Two fox ears appeared at the top of his head, and five fox tails sprouted from just above his rear. Water was below him once more, and he could see his naked body in the reflection. Although, now his body had clear animal parts as well. His eyesight also felt like it was much better, he could hear the crashing of the waves more clearly, the smell of the salty air.

"Goodbye my son. And remember, live and enjoy life. Make new friends. And...I am so happy and proud of the boy you have become. Even if you work so hard you worry me a lot, so please enjoy yourself more".

Hearing those words, he felt a tear toll down his face as he was engulfed in light.

When he got his bearings again, he was dressed again and back to where he had fallen, but he was standing upright. The chains and pendent were gone, and the dagger in his hands. However, most notably, the fox ears and tails and remained.

"That brat...get him, quickly! Shoot him if you have to!"

Hearing that, Bell broke into a run. He was faster than ever, and he felt like his balance had improved as well. He jumped of the ground and then kicked a wall, pushing himself forward into a tunnel. He could hear voices, normal people voices, talking about games and such. These caverns had an echo to them, and soon he was able to smell food as well. That said, the closer he got the harder it was to make everything out as more noise was added.

But he knew this much. Whatever had happened, it had changed him in a way he had yet to understand. And that whatever he got mixed up in, it was only the beginning.