Within a dimly lit chamber, a red crystal hovered above a red pedestal, radiating as though commanding the darkness to retreat. On the far side of the chamber, away from the crystal, a mechanical door retracted into the inner door frame. Once fully opened, two elven individuals entered the chamber, making their way toward the illuminating crystal.

One was a man with an elderly man with wrinkles on his face. His hair was short, black, and fading, with subtle traces of gray threads interwoven. He wore a stately tan robe with black trimmings and sleeves of a deep yellow hue.

The other man stood imposingly tall with long red flowing hair down his back and piercing amber eyes that held resolve. He wore a dark gray vest layered over a sleek, maroon, long-sleeve shirt, dark brown pants, and leather boots

They each carried an emblem with a picture of a shield over their heart.

"A new warrior of fire?" said the younger man with hardened eyes. "When do I leave?"

"It's on Earth, if you are wondering," the older man said with a knowing smile as he handed documents to the redhead. "The details of the mission and who you will work with. You collaborated with them before."

The redhead glanced at the document. After reading the information, he gave a slight nod. "Good, work will get done."

The old man nodded. "Time is of the essence."

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-Monday. June 13. Earth, Parkerville. 10 am. House in the suburbs-

In the quiet of his bedroom, a biracial Japanese boy lay wide awake, glaring at the ceiling as if it would stare back at him. After blinking twice, he sat up. The boy scratched his messy, short, spiky black hair while his auburn eyes looked over at his cell phone sitting on his bedside table. Grabbing the device, he started scanning through the messages. He smiled while reading through them, but a frown manifested as other messages caught his attention. He replied before setting his phone aside and letting out a tired yawn.

"Guess things change when you move away." He mused, a sigh escaping his lips. "What should I do before school starts?"

As he contemplated, he dressed in a red t-shirt and cargo shorts, then slipped on a pair of sneakers before leaving the bedroom and moving downstairs. His mind was racing on what to do for the rest of the summer. When he entered the living room, he saw his sister, a girl with long black hair, lying on the couch while reading a magazine. She sported a blue striped shirt and blue jeans.

He scanned the room before gazing at her. "Tina, where is mom?"

The girl momentarily took her auburn eyes off the magazine to lazily stare into her brother. "Did you forget mother is at work, Jake? She's in charge of some technology division."

"We just moved here two days ago." He rubbed the back of his head, feeling unhappy. "I thought she would want to rest?"

She nonchalantly gazed at him with a raised eyebrow. "People work."

He nodded and looked at the picture on the piano. A photograph of the four of them: a white man, an Asian woman, and the two siblings. The picture appeared to have been taken a few years ago.

The teen boy sighed. "Dad always did say, 'Going to a new city is like new beginnings.'"

Tina sat up and solemnly gazed at him. "I remember. The last time he said that... was two years ago before he…"

"Yeah." His mood soured for a bit before he took a deep breath. "We had two years to mourn." A faint smile slowly manifested. "We were busy yesterday with moving. Come on."

The young lass smiled before rising up. "You seem awfully motivated."

"We're a new city. Aren't you curious what it is like?"

"Are you in deep thought again? Don't do that." She chuckled, a hint of amusement in her voice as she smirked.

He playfully rolled his eyes at her. "Can't help it sometimes."

"'Can't help it sometimes,' he says." She mimicked by making her voice deeper. "Last week, you wondered, 'Wonder if it will lead to something interesting?' You daydream when you are bored."

The boy rubbed the back of his head. "Well… "

Tina chuckled before heading to the front door. "Don't keep your head in the clouds, big brother. You might miss out on cool people."

He shrugged as he followed her. The boy had to admit he tended to get lost in his thoughts quite often. Sometimes, he wondered if this life was all there was. Hopefully, exploring their new home would take his mind off things.

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-Parkerville, Downtown-

A woman stood on top of the tallest building in the city. She wore a bright pink dress, matching colored flats, and a pink umbrella that concealed her face. A smile formed on her lip as she took in the view of Parkerville.

"Much has changed in the past 300 years. People have evolved, but… people haven't changed… there is still corruption." She giggled. "Oh, this is going to be fun."

With a sinister smile, she vanished in the air. Leaving nothing but an ominous whisper.

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-Parkerville, Plaza-

Jake and Tina discovered a plaza near their neighborhood. After they arrived, they stumbled upon a restaurant with outdoor scenery called the Hotspot. The atmosphere looked lively, with teens enjoying their summer break. The boy looked around, feeling nostalgic for his old city. His attention caught a game shop across the street, a clothing store on the right of the hotspot, and a nearby bookstore. At least he knew there were a few places of interest. He displayed a little smile as he approached the Hotspot's entrance, with his sister following him. Just as he was about to open the door, someone else pushed the door open and pushed him aside. This action made him fall to the ground. He grunted from the fall, then looked up at the person who pushed him. A taller, muscular boy with short tan hair and brown eyes. He had on a brown T-shirt, sweatpants, and tennis shoes. Following him was a girl with long blond hair and blue eyes, a yellow sundress, and yellow wedge sandals.

The tan-haired teen glared at the teen briefly before moving away.

"Excuse me? Aren't you going to apologize?" questioned the young girl as she continued glaring.

"No, why should I?" The brown-haired boy snorted.

"Robert, that's a little girl." The blond-haired girl giggled. "Aren't you adorable? What's your name?"

"I heard it's good manners to share your first name before mine."

The older girl's eyebrow twitched before replying. "Marissa."

"Tina."

"Who cares," Robert grumbled and glared down at Jake. "And you?"

"Jake Ishida," He said bitterly and with no enthusiasm. "We just moved here."

"Hn, you better know who's in charge around here."

"In charge of what?" Jake scoffed as he stood up.

"What I am saying." The brown-haired boy gave a mischievous smile as he stuck his thumb to his chest. "If you stick with me, you will be the 'somebody'. If not, then consider yourself a nobody."

"What about 'everybody'? Is that an option?" replied the spiky-haired teen.

Robert narrowed his eyes. "Listen, you are probably going to the same school as me. I'm Robert Randall." He sneered. "I am co-captain of the football team and about to be the starting quarterback in my junior year at East Lion Hill High."

Jake raised an eyebrow. "You play soccer like me? Oh, you mean football and not futbol?" A chuckle escaped his lips.

The football player sneered while moving in front of the boy, but the spiky raven was not intimidated, only annoyed. "Are you trying to be funny?

The spiky raven took a deep breath, feeling more annoyed by the other teen. "Only when someone acts like they are from a bad sitcom."

"Quit being a prick, kid."

"Compared to you, I probably am a kid. I am one year below you."

The jock scowled briefly. He shifted his gaze from the spiky raven to the younger girl. "And you? What grade?"

"Eighth grade." She crossed her arms. "Jerk."

Jake displayed a dark glare, "Leave her out of this!"

Robert chuckled, thinking he found something on the raven-haired boy. "Chill, bro. No need to have a sister-complex."

"Enough, Robert!"

All eyes pivoted towards the source of the voice belonging to one of the two teenage girls standing before them. The first girl had pale skin and shoulder-length black hair with bangs covering her forehead. Dressed in a turquoise sleeveless t-shirt, black Capri, and gray hi-tops. As she crossed her arms against her chest, her piercing violet eyes sent an unspoken message to everyone: she had little patience for nonsense.

The second girl had a light olive complexion, her long chestnut-colored hair coiled in a bun, with a few loose strands framing her face. She wore a lavender blouse, a tan skirt, and tanned knee-high boots. Her demeanor seemed more empathetic. Her teal-colored eyes fixated on Jake and Tina with genuine concern.

Robert displayed a disdainful sneer. "Oh, you two. Didn't expect to see you here, Zeal, or you, Amy." He scoffed at the chestnut-haired girl, who looked away with a scowl.

Zeal, the violet-eyed girl, responded dismissively. "Not in the same timeframe, Randall."

Marissa looked annoyed as she leered at the girls. She then turned around. "I don't want to deal with this."

"Fine, let's go." Robert and his group left the area, leaving Jake and Tina with the two girls. The spiky raven turned to them with a smile.

"Thanks."

The brown-haired girl frowned as she looked concerned over him. "Are you okay?"

He sheepishly rubbed the back of his head, feeling embarrassed under her concerned gaze. "Nothing big. I'm okay."

The short-haired girl shook her head firmly. "He's an obnoxious piece of crap… steer clear of him, okay?"

"Right… I'm Jake, and this is Tina."

"My name is Amy." smiled the chestnut-haired girl.

"Christina," said the black-haired girl, groaning at the recent encounter. "We were just having a good day until that moron showed up."

"Chrissy!" Amy pouted, her lips forming a playful frown. "Don't be such a grouch, especially in front of Jake. He might get the wrong impression of you." She flashed a friendly smile at Jake. "Christina is always in a mood, even on a good day."

The violet-eyed girl gave the other girl a light, disapproving tap on the head. "Don't tell him lies!"

"Mhm… no need to be mean," Amy whined as she pouted again, but it sounded playful.

Tina observed the behavior of the two friends. She smiled in amusement before frowning, feeling a tinge of nostalgia for the friends she left behind.

Amy turned her attention to him. "It's been nice talking to you. Maybe we will see you around." She gazed at them. "Where do you go to school?"

"I'll be starting East Lion Hill High in the fall."

"Same as us." Christina sounded curious, raising an eyebrow as she eagerly leaned forward like a hawk. "Are you switching schools?"

Jake leaned back under her gaze. "Uh.. switching cities."

"Amazing!" Amy sounded excited and suddenly was a few inches in front of him. To Jake, the way she moved was instantaneous. "You're fresh! We get to snag you before anyone else does. Let's be friends!"

Christina chuckled as she gently moved the girl away. "You're scaring him. You better run, Jake; she bites." She checked her watch. "But seriously, we got to go. It's good meeting you all. Check by the Richard Wright Community Center, where we volunteer. We might give you our SnapBook handles."

Tina smiled. "We will."

Amy cheerfully waved at the duo. "Yeah, let's meet again."

The duo watched the girls leave. Tina looked at her older brother with a mischievous look.

"So… which one?"

Jake's eyes widened in shock before looking annoyed at her. "What?"

"Come on… which one? The eccentric girl or the grouch?"

"Stop it."

"Jake…"

"… Well… Amy, but Christina's cute too…"

"I'm just kidding." Tina dragged him to the Hotspot. "Let's eat something."

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-Downtown-

"I can't believe I got passed up for a promotion," A man walked down the street with a suitcase. "Then they fired me for no reason! I worked there for 15 years, and they gave it to the moron who was only there for five years. That's not fair, plus he stole my idea!" He walked into the alley and threw his suitcase away. "I'm so mad... that I could do something!"

"What is the depth of your fury?"

The man in the suit stopped when he noticed the empty alley was occupied by a strange woman he failed to notice. It was as if she appeared in thin air. The darkness of the alley shrouded the woman, but he could make out she was wearing a pink dress and holding an umbrella. He glared at the strange woman in his presence. "My fury? You don't want to find out."

The woman let off an eerie chuckle. "Oh, I do, darling… I do." She started glowing. "Show me!"

The man started to scream, but darkness ensnared him before any sound could escape. A red aura manifested around the man, then detached from him, quickly enlarging and becoming a solid form.

The woman cruelly smirked. "Yes."