It was a funny thing, how quickly the atmosphere changes. For example, a place that was previously filed with a stuffy boredom could somehow spark with excitement, an all encompassing air of passion that just seemed to alienate Rose all the more.
Rose was school in an empty space outside where a few days ago he sat slumped over listening about the importance of casting when talking and how Doorway initially found Darrow.
“Ok today you will all be familiarising with each others’ new names and practising casting them", the wiry looking fellow that was their teacher said rather boredly.
All in all, Rose could see the elation burn through the crowd in a way a literal fire would. Rose supposed there was no better way to dry the kindling than a pop-quiz the day after they got their names.
"And remember, whilst you may be jealous of those with flashy names, the strength of your name isn't how grand it is, but how much you resonate with it." Then the teacher left.
...Huh that actually sounded like some real advice. Well too bad it only served to make Rose feel even worse.
Then immediately a unique cacophony of 20-ish people to invoke their names was released to the world.
Rose just stood there, not willing to subject himself to the mindless shouting of his peers, not to their failure, either; so that they may hold a spark of achievement by the end of the hour.
Well some had already started to succeed, based on the giant gravestone that had suddenly Rose out of the ground. And so just like that, as quick as it was destroyed earlier, silence spread as people stared in wonder at the looming obelisk that towered over them… The same obstinate silence which continued to strain not even as the students stared at the person responsible for the feat, but as they watched a group appear out of nowhere to approach the guy.
It was a group of boys older than them. A quick glance would let anyone identify what type of people they were. They were thugs, but more importantly everyone who saw them immediately realised that these were the type of people you shouldn't mess with.
Especially did Grave, who looked terrified as the unknown group approached him, but Rose was particularly scared of the one leading them.
Bleached hair, confident black eyes covered by electric blue contacts, infinite swagger and a stark white puffy coat that didn’t belong anywhere near the desert in which they were in. A very distinctive sense of fashion that Rose recognised… it was one of Rose’s older brother’s friends, Ice.
The group stared the boy down.
After a while Ice broke the silence "Nice invoking".
“…For your first time” Ice added, grinning. “what’s your name?”
“My name is Grave” Grave managed out with confidence that, commendably, almost seemed to show no faults.
Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.
“Heh, my names [Ice], you’re pretty strong, you should come with us”
They had met before, Rose and Ice. That was because Ice was not just friends with his brother, they were best friends. Just seeing Ice brought Rose many memories of when Ice would meet up with his brother at their house and Rose would do all that he could to be a part of their little group. He remembered how they would always be experimenting.
If Rose recalled, he used to constantly create infinitesimal particles of ice around him to cool himself, all because of that stubbornness to keep enormous coat he wore like a status symbol. Rose was always in reverence of it when he was younger, but only after receiving his name did Rose really begin to wonder how he managed to do it without constantly invoking his name.
Grave, for his part managed to seem a bit defiant…” why should I go with you… Ice right? How can I, HEY WHA—” He suddenly stopped talking.
“Think before you speak, you little shit, invoke his name when you say it” this was as he was furiously interrupted by one of the members of Ice’s little parade.
“Hey, [Climb], don’t worry about it, it’s fine” said Ice not turning around to console his lackey. “It’s not that big of a deal. You know, he’s got the right to be a bit arrogant, after all, so what if he acts a bit insolent”. Ice said as he scanned through the crowd with a vaguely haughtily eyes. ”He’s the only decent one around here”
Silence momentarily gripped the crowd as almost everyone felt a tinge of embarrassed, well Rose did at least.
“SHUT UP”
A shout thundered across the practice ground.
Suddenly chatter began to emerge in the mob as they quickly distorted as too see the origin of the shout.
He was shaking like a bundle of papers in the wind, his form curled in rage all whilst he split the crowd around him like a sea would be split in some great legend, the boy who shouted out emerged. Rose turned around to see the guy storming up the centre of attention, it was the same guy, the guy who touched the naming stone with their left hand, Prisoner.
“Who even are you guys? This is our first-time invoking our own names, that guy is just lucky”
Rose looked at Ice’s face, his normally animated face that looked eerily blank as he stared at the boy walk towards them.
“Why are you even here? Don’t you guys have anything better to do then insult—”
Without warning a blue streak flew right at Prisoner’s just as he moved head to the side narrowly missing it.
Prisoner stopped dead in his tracks.
Rose watched as his eyes widened in fear and how the confidence in his faced drained dry. Behind his head a sizable ice shard was lodged into the ground. Then as if too beget any finality the small ice shard began to grow. Rose just stared as jagged ice spike began to spread across the floor.
“Huh, I missed”
Ice turned around. “You, come with me” and then just like that, taking his entourage and Grave with following him obediently, Ice left.
Rose watched as colours of fear blotted Prisoners down-turned face, mingling and mixing with strokes of confusion that had had painted over the attempted rage that just seemed watery in the near-death experience that Prisoner had just finished. Prisoner had began to say something out loud, Rose couldn’t really hear what he was saying, though he didn’t anyone else could. The crowd had long dispersed.
During all that, Rose didn’t consider calling out to Ice even for a second. After all that meant getting his brother involved, and that would be a certain mistake, because no matter how dangerous Ice was, his older brother was only more terrifying.
Rose diverted his attention from the shaking boy. Around him quite a meagre few people had since succeeded in their endeavors, although nothing so flashy as that giant gravestone, some people had managed to invoke their name to some noticeable effects.
Honestly, Rose couldn’t be bothered with all the invoking, but he guessed he had at least wanted to try for once. Rose knelt down, his palm to the earth trying to invoke.
“Rose… [R]rose, Ro[se], [RO]s[e], [R]o[se]…
…Ah fuck it”