Zircon City

Earth

Morning

Joe rose up from his sleep. He was now in his blue painted bedroom. He was still in the same clothes he had been wearing last night. As he got up, his hand raced for his arm, remembering the brutal injury it had taken. However, he felt nothing. Confused, he pulled back his sleeve. Where there should have been a wound, there was nothing but his flesh. Not even a scar.

"Did-" He noticed something. A long, chocolate brown strand of hair lay on his pillow. It was too long to be his. So it had been her. He hadn't been dreaming. He slid off from his bed, brushed his teeth, then showered. Then he got dressed, brushed his hair and went downstairs to make breakfast. As he climbed down, the flash of golden fire raced across his memory. He shook his head. He reached the kitchen and put some bread into the toaster. All he could think about was Cheeta. And the Yatoga.

"Stop it, Joe," he muttered. "You're meant to forget." Easier said than done. "Maybe I'm still tired." He strolled over to the bathroom and washed his face with cold water. The cold bit at his face, making him shiver, but he ignored it. He thought about the fights before. If only he had been stronger, if he had the power to… he could have helped Cheeta rather than being a burden. No wonder Cheeta hadn't let him join.

He clenched his fist in frustration and to his surprise, he felt the hilt of something in his hand. He raised his hand to see a large knife in it.

"Huh, that's weird," He frowned. "I don't remember bringing a knife up here. Or even having this." He examined it. It definitely was not the kind of knife to be used for the kitchen like the one he had taken in an attempt to defend himself from the black clothed goons. Looking at the blade it was definitely designed to fight and kill. Joe dropped the knife in astonishment. The blade hit the floor and sunk in through it until the hilt was the only visible part. "Shit!" He grabbed the hilt, tugging at it, but it slid out as if he had stabbed butter with it. This was weird. What was this knife?

He put it to his finger experimentally and pressed gently. It felt as if it was blunt. "Huh?" He drew it across slowly, but he felt no pain at all. He looked around for something. He found an empty metal bottle of some random conditioner. He jabbed it as lightly as he could with the knife and a massive hole bore inside it. He then jabbed his own hand with it, tensing it as he projected more force into it. The tip of the knife hit his hand and did not even harm him. He lowered the blade. It was clear the knife had some sort of supernatural properties but what exactly? Was this something to do with the Yatoga? And how had he gotten it? He didn't remember picking it up…maybe he had accidentally summoned it from another parallel dimension? After all, Cheeta had mentioned multiverses, hadn't she? His thoughts were cut off by a burning smell.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"Crap!" He ran towards the kitchen and to his toaster, where he ejected out two charred, black slices of toast. He groaned in annoyance. Looking at them, he thought of the man Cheeta had killed in front of him. His charred black skeleton. He suddenly lost his appetite. He threw the burnt slices into the bin. He then walked to the front door, taking his keys with him, opening the back door and walking out into the city.

Zircon City wasn't much more impressive in the daylight. Most buildings were grey, the roads had no markings on them. Even during the day, there weren't many cars. Most people rarely left their homes because of the threat of the criminals around. They weren't limited to the dark. They just preferred it. Zircon City had no government law enforcement protecting them, so lowlives thrived there. Joe, on the other hand, had been waiting for the opportunity to leave this hellhole for years. Until now. This Yatoga business… he shook his head.

"Forget it," He muttered, holding his head down.

"Talking to yourself?" Asked a woman's indifferent voice. Joe looked up and his eyes widened in shock. In front of him was a busty platinum blonde with ocean blue eyes. Her fair skin looked as smooth as Cheeta's. She was wearing a spiked black choker on her neck as well as spiked black cuffs on her wrists. She also had on a white blouse with a long blue skirt. On her feet were heeled sandals similar to Cheeta's, but blue. "You okay?"

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," He explained.

"I see," The young woman said coolly. "And is that the same excuse you're going to use as to why you were checking me out?" Joe's face went red with shame.

"Sorry about that! I-"

"Save it," she scowled, walking right past him. Joe shrugged and continued walking until he reached a small shop. He opened the door and a small, light brown, portly man in a stretched shirt greeted him.

"You're early again, Joe!" He grinned. "Ready for work?"

"As always, manager," Joe nodded. His manager left him at the till where he sat down, waiting for customers.

A young, fit man with dirty blond hair walked in, wearing some expensive clothes Joe could only dream of owning and gold chains encrusted in diamonds. He had gold framed shades over his eyes. Joe blinked and suddenly the guy's arms was filled with food and soft drinks. How had he done that? Joe rubbed his eyes. Probably a trick of the light.

"How much for all these?" The guy asked calmly.

"Ten Zircs," The guy handed over a note with a ten embedded within a massive "Z". Joe took the money and placed it in the till.

"Thanks." The guy gave him a thumbs up and left. Moments later the doors banged open and a teenage boy with white hair and a beach shirt around his own age or older strolled in. He held a crowbar in one hand. Joe was frozen in shock, but fortunately the manager came in just in time.

"Oi! Get out of my shop with that!" He roared. The boy walked over to Joe's manager and without warning smashed the crowbar into his face. The man's head was burst apart, blood and brain matter splattering all over the place. Joe stood, paralysed, as one of the manager's eyeballs rolled on the ground. The man slumped to the ground, dead, blood seeping out onto the floor.

"Wh-wha…"

"You." The boy pointed his bloodstained crowbar right at Joe's face. "You're the one that was staring at my big sister, right?" Joe's jaw dropped.

"You murdered that man because of that?!"

"Nah, I murdered him cause he was in my way. The one I want to murder is you."

"Wh-who the hell are you?"

"Oh, yeah. You can call me Mako."