Prologue

Most people grow up with loving parents, a home and if all else fails friends. These things however, were nothing but a distant memory for Kane Hanson. You see, it all started back on that brisk, cloudy mid-spring day.

In an obscure neighborhood within the large city of Spokane, a frail old woman could be seen out for a leisurely stroll. Funny thing was, she didn’t seem bothered by the light drizzle coming down heavier by the minute. A great storm could be seen gathering in massive formations on the western horizon and a turbulent wind fought for control over the woman’s bright red umbrella as she trudged along tenaciously.

A police officer went as far as stopping to offer the seemingly frail woman a ride, but was viciously refused with a few bitter words along the lines of “What, you think just because I’m older I can’t find my way?” and a few profane comments vile enough to make a sailor blush.

Once the cop made his get-away, the sharp-eyed old lady continued her tenacious walk down the sparsely populated street.

Of course, this wasn’t where the story started though. No, it was when the miraculously dry woman yanked a perfume bottle from her purse. The nondescript glass bottle held a slightly green solution inside, but as she sprayed a little into the wind, it came out a fluorescent purple before coalescing into a small compass, spinning a few times before settling on a particular direction for a few moments before dissipating in a shower of sparks.

The woman gave a crooked grin narrowing her eyes as she set off with a new destination in mind.

Kane couldn’t really say life had been kind to him his whole life. There were a few things to be thankful for, like food on the table, his old and battered laptop, and a roof over his head.

Then, there was his family. He lived with his mother and a sister just over two years older than himself. Their father left at a young age, paying on child support until he got in too deep dealing heroin. It only took one addict short on cash to find an obscure end to his life in a dead end alley.

That would’ve been disturbing to Kane, if not for the fact that none of his family really treated him well anyway. Even his step-father had alienated him over time, before his sudden demise. His whole life, everybody viewed him as some sort of reminder to his mother’s worst moment.

From as far back as he could remember, his mother was always abnormally cold towards him. At first, it was just that look in her eyes, whenever she looked at him.

Then, as he got older, and his facial features became more defined, she started avoiding eye contact altogether… It was a long childhood. He lacked almost any of his mother’s features, instead sporting a paler complexion with sandy blonde hair and green eyes. While his sister was an almost perfect carbon copy of their mother, with a smooth Mediterranean tan, black hair and doe-like brown eyes.

His whole life, his sister would side with their mother to get anything she wanted, opting to ridicule Kane any chance she got. His mom never reprimanded her, and over time it slowly became a way for her to seemingly cope with his existence. Somehow, bashing on and making sure his life was miserable and lonely, had become the only joy his mom derived from his continued existence.

Then there were the bullies at school, once they knew he was the spawn of a rape victim. His sister gladly fed them all the details, and long story short, his life at school became a miserable affair. Anyone who was friendly towards him out of pity or otherwise, would quickly learn what it was like to shoulder some of the burden his bullies imposed on him, and quickly moved on.

Long story short, no, life hadn’t been kind to Kane in the least. So is should come as no surprise that he found great relief and escape in the internet and books. His grades almost never suffered, and by the time he was seven his intelligence was already abnormally advanced.

When he entered primary school, he already knew basic math and reading. Then, when he was exposed to the public library in first grade, he became something of a human sponge. Spending many evenings sneezing over ancient books and history, the librarian came to recognize his brilliance and gave him one of their old computers to study at home as well.

This was the best, as well as only gift he ever received by the time he was ten.

Back to present time, a heavy wind rattled the window in Kane’s room in the attic, as the shivering boy himself could be found immersed in yet another chemistry lesson on his laptop. Sitting on a frayed, yet thankfully thick quilt, Kane rubbed his chin in contemplation, readjusting his sitting posture on the bed.

In the middle of contemplating the evolution of science over time, he failed to notice when a decidedly worn out figure stopped in front of his residence with a collapsing umbrella over their shoulder. Suddenly the lights flickered for a moment as an especially strong gust blasted the window open, letting a torrent of rain laden wind inside.

Jumping from the sudden cold, Kane rushed to the window struggling to close it for a moment, before the latch found home with a satisfying click. Observing the weather through thick rivulets of water running down the window, he guessed with morbid anticipation, that the walk to school the next day was going to be extra uncomfortable, deciding it would be best to wear an extra layer for warmth. After all, last time he got sick, the librarian kicked him out for making too much noise coughing incessantly.

Satisfied with his observations, he sighed heavily before turning around. Returning to his previous seat, he continued reading until the hairs on the back of his neck started standing on end. Eyes constricting, he quickly recognized the feeling, of someone staring at you.

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Trained with years of experience, being preyed upon by bullies, had taught him to recognize when he was in danger.

As soon as the goosebumps reached his neck, his ears picked up a faint breathing and a dripping sound. Slowly lifting his head, his gaze landed on the shadowed corner of his room by the wardrobe. There, a hunched form could be seen with a pair of electric blue eyes drilling straight through him.

As you might have guessed, a certain old lady was currently standing, impossibly in the home of Kane Hanson. Recoiling in shock, there were a few seconds of scrambling as he fell off the back side of his bed, only to realize the woman was now currently standing over him with a hand extended towards him.

Irrationally, he tried smacking the hand away. ‘How did she even get in?!’ His thoughts got about this far before blacking out, only to be woken moments later by the audible smack of his body falling on… was that mud?

Blinking to get his bleary eyes in focus, his senses returned slowly, only for him to cough on a bucket of water dumped over his head.

“Get up, now!” A haggard voice screeched uncomfortably close by.

Kane shot upright immediately, memories rushing back to meet him. The storm, the shadowed figure, and then total darkness.

His thoughts were rudely interrupted once again, by a wizened old hand flashing past his face, before a sharp stinging sensation spread over his ear. “I said get up!”

Stumbling to his feet, he became acutely aware of the mud squelching between his toes. Looking at the mysterious person, Kane finally got his first unhindered view of the woman. A surprisingly healthy, yet extremely old face scowled back at him through light blue eyes, seemingly glowing.

They were currently standing on the shore of a small rocky island, surrounded by an unending expanse of swamp. The island actually seemed like the only sturdy thing in sight, besides the evenly spaced Cyprus trees nearby.

“Where are we and what do you want with me?” His voice came out in a half whisper, almost choking on his words as the shock of the situation hit home.

“I guess I do owe you that much at least. We’re currently on the planet Nibiru, hidden from Earths view through a series of rituals almost three thousand years ago. Most mythological cultures with any magic migrated here over time, taking their most prized lands with them. Entire continents have been transported here from Earth even. We’re located around the equator, on a continent commonly called Atlantis. Yes, the one which supposedly sunk in the ocean. Foolish mortals fall for even the most obvious lies. Entire civilizations just up and vanish, and it takes them until the 21st century to start looking? Truly unintelligent civilization.”

Kane just stared at the woman, observing her face for any hint of lying. “If that were true, then how and why am I here then?” A large mosquito landed on his arm, making him jump before smacking it. Surprisingly, it didn’t die and instead felt like he hit a piece of solid metal. It made a few irritated buzzing sounds, before flying off lazily.

“Well… I needed someone to help me with my projects, and my sister wouldn’t let me take any of her own kids. So, I was forced to find someone else. I used a ritual with potions to find a young human on Earth with little if any latent power to use. You see, I couldn’t very well use a regular mortal. Their constitutions are far too weak, and some of the things I’ll be having you do, will require a body containing at least some magic. Not to mention the hassle it would’ve caused me if I took a child born on Nibiru, if I could even get away with it that is.”

“… So, you’re just taking me? What about my family, they’ll know I’m gone!” Kane’s voice became more and more unsteady as he talked, on the verge of hyperventilating.

“My whole families been witches as far back as anyone can track, I am what you would call a witch. So all it took was a simple compulsion spell to convince them you ran away. Honestly didn’t take much effort, considering their previous opinion of you. That’s enough explaining though! Follow me to your new quarters, you can rest there until tomorrow.”

It seemed like the witch was done talking for now, as she immediately gripped Kane by the arm, turning him around towards the center of the island. For a moment the area looked clear, before he noticed a faint shimmering as if heat were rolling off of a hot tarmac. When they got closer, he started to notice more and more shimmering waves in the air until finally, a two story cobblestone house popped into existence a couple hundred feet away.

Expansive gardens took up all the free space surrounding the abode, while a decidedly obese black cat lounged near the front door, soaking up the sun. Due to the lack of trees on the island, it was easily the brightest area in the near vicinity, in stark contrast to the gloomy swamp as far as the eye could see.

Finally approaching the front door, the old woman kicked the cat off the door mat harshly before proceeding inside through a thick door. The room remained dark inside though, until the old woman uttered a few words in another language, before all the candles in the room lit up immediately with a faint purple-red color.

The room was sparse to say the least, but there were a few cabinets near a hearth, a single person couch and a parchment covered work table in the corner. It definitely looked like what he imagined a witch’s abode might look like. The human skull staring forlornly from under a stack of parchment definitely didn’t escape his notice.

A narrow staircase led upstairs, which he supposed was where they were headed. That was, until she led him to a heavy trap door under the stairs. Opening it revealed a muddy ladder leading down to a room with a pile of straw in one corner, a bucket in another and a single candle lit near the ladder.

“That is your room, get in and don’t make a noise, or I’ll be forced to discipline you. Oh, and from now on refer to me as master. Now get on with it boy.” With those few kind words, she promptly shoved him towards the opening.

Out of reflex, he tensed up and tried jerking his arm from her grip. Unfortunately for Kane, her vicelike grip didn’t budge in the least, and instead tightened painfully.

“I warn you boy, I’ll have none of this funny business. I’d hoped you’d be smarter than this.” Her last few words were muttered between tight lips as she obviously fought back a smirk. The slight joy in her voice definitely didn’t escape his notice.

Pulling out a large, glowing rough cut emerald with darker streaks through it, she uttered a few more unintelligible words before slamming the gem into his wrist. The effects were instant, as green ropes of energy flowed into his body, crawling up his arm following his veins. The sensation was similar to metal scalding his arm from the inside out. He had no idea how long the pain lasted, but when she finally removed her hand, the gem was gone. Coming back to his senses at the bottom of the ladder, he stared at the single candle. The trap door was shut, and there was no handle to open it from the inside.

This would be his new home for the foreseeable future… and as far as he could tell, if his first day was any indication, his stay would not be an enjoyable one.

He imagined most people might be happy to learn they were magical. Kane thought he might’ve been a little happy too, given different circumstances.

Finding himself in the cellar of a witch’s house on a remote island, in the middle of a swamp, on a completely different planet, where there was zero chances of anyone saving him though? He closed his eyes tightly, covering a tear streaked face with dirty hands, before proceeding to weep. The creak of someone moving above though, caused him to stifle the sobs trying to wrack his aching body. Recalling the previous pain, he instead opted to try and sleep, hoping that when he woke up this would’ve all been just some sort of dream.