What Luke failed to notice was that he had someone watching him in the shadows. A tall individual seemingly hidden within the dark areas around the window while his mother and him had a seemingly normal breakfast conversation.
Luke’s mom however felt what her son could not. She felt the aura of her oldest friend and one in the inner circle she had mistakenly noted earlier during her and Luke's conversation that morning. As she knew Luke had gone off to school she called out, “Sean I know you are there you can come on in instead of being a little peeping tom, you know better than that.”
“I suppose I should have known you could probably still feel my aura after so long. I forgot even though your abilities are all but gone, you were one of us generals.” The shadow spoke as he seemed to materialize through the wall.
The shadow slowly transformed into a tall dark man, wearing a basic robe that made him seem like he was from some of those Japanese samurai movies her son loved so much. He carried two long swords on his hip, and had a lightning bolt scar under his right eye. He was an ageless man who didn't seem like he was much older than 45, but carried himself as someone much younger. Like he was primed for action at any moment.
“You haven’t aged a bit Sean, funny how that works with all that power still flowing through your veins lieutenant.” Luke's mom said as he smiled at her old friend.
“Rebecca, you and I both know I can’t grow old, only die at this point. If Bryan was here he would have laughed at your snide jokes and believe it or not I am a commander now.” Said Sean. Rebecca perked up at hearing her husband's name and learning that the young kid her husband had taken in to teach had become as strong as they had been. She was filled with so many happy, and sad memories at once.
“Sean I know why you are here, but Luke hasn’t shown any unusual signs other than growing at a fast rate, this pocket world was purposely set up so that he and I could live a simple life without essence interfering. A world created with no essense leaking through.
Walking towards the table, Sean sat and slowly examined the silverware on the table, “He has already been chosen. You may be able to sense myself because of our close relationship but his power is sealed behind runes not even Bryan knew how to unseal. We may have been powerful but only a sage could understand that level of complexity. The only reason I am here is because there are signs in our world. Luke is a child from Neverworld and not even this world could take that away from him. His name has been added to the list of new recruits eligible for training at the Academy. You and I both know that the Academies list runs on a higher level of power than what we comprehend. You were chosen once, you understand.”
Rebecca looked at her friend with sadness in her eyes, she began pacing around the kitchen, “ He can’t be, Bryan gave the last of his life to build this world for us, to take the chance that he could be safe from the horrors we had to endure. The endless battlefields never knowing when it would be our time and whether we could keep advancing our individual power. This was Bryans last chance to give us a chance to live a normal life. Not one based on your individual power.
“We have no idea what kind of power he may have, you and I both know that he was found on that battlefield and while you may see him as your son he is something neight of us understand. We need to bring him to Knox. He will have his own power and we need to make sure that he knows how to use it so that he can survive the battles to come. Eventually this place will not contain him if he only gains the aura of a recruit. Even with you using your power to keep this place intact.” Sean said.
“He is Bryan’s son, he will be treated differently, he will not be welcomed, nothing more than an outcast. Not only that, Bryan thought the basics of the runes he carries on his soul would essentially limit the power he can use. How could he possibly manifest enough power to progress and stay alive. He will be weak amongst the rest of you. He will not survive!” Rebecca couldn’t control her anger as she smashed the plate she was holding in her hands.
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She looked at the broken pieces, and wondered if she would ever be able to piece her life back together similar to the plate. The more she thought about it the more she knew that things were going down the path she had always known would become eventuality. There was nothing her or Bryan could have done to truly save their son from the fate of returning to their world.
“ You and I both know that it is not for you to know or for us to judge, he has been marked. He may not be powerful now, and he may not be able to break through the runes to help him gain adequate power in time, and in the end he might die.THis is not for us to stand in the way. You know that our world demands you to grow or you stagnate but he can not remain hidden from the world of power, from the Neverworld. His name has been written, and if he continues to resist its pull he will be found by those that not even I can face.” Said Sean looking at his friend broken just as the plate between her hands.
Rebecca, arguing with him further, “He can not go Sean…, he is not ready”. As fast as lighting her oldest friend moved in a blur to embrace her. She knew that this was only an after image of Sean, knowing that if he were to manifest in this world it would crumble around them. It was bad enough that she retained even a modicum of her power still. However, the hug was enough and let her take stock of everything she had been told. She knew that she couldn't protect Luke further, that she was going to have to trust his life to her last and only friend because she no longer could leave this pocket world as her power had waned to almost nothing.
“I will be one of the trainers this year, he will not die if I can help it. Have faith in not only me but the son that you raised. If anything, let's hope that he has developed even a small amount of your determination.”
Rebecca looked at her friend and felt some comfort knowing that he may be right, “Alright Sean let me tell him a little bit about us, if you are here I know he does not have much time. I will have to make my goodbye fast but he should hear of where we come from, from me first. I just want him to have a normal day, in a normal life while he still has the chance. Life will be harder from here on out, let me be his mother while I still can.”
Sean could see the defeat in Rebecca’s eyes. He knew there was nothing she could do any longer. Luke would have to come with him before Knox sent any of their Extractors after the kid.Those from the Academy with the sole job of finding those on the list and either forcing them to join the Academy or they would be killed and stripped of their souls.
Sean slowly slipped through the wall of the house, leaving Rebecca to her own thoughts. He had been friends with Bryan and Rebecca for over a century. They had fought in many wars, and other than his own daughter, they were the only ones that he cared for. Now he had Luke, and he would be coming to the Neverworld. He knew this would cause some commotion within Knox.
The General's mysterious son was finally coming home. The Son that had made the General step down from his office at the Academy. That was all anyone had ever known of the situation but the truth was much more secretive. Sean remembered the battle that had shaken the very fabric of their world. The battle in which one of the many Generals had found a small child at an altar and had claimed it as his own. Only Sean and Rebecca knew of the real origin. Bryan had kept any from finding the truth and even Sean did not understand fully about the destiny that Luke had in store. Only that a child had been part of a ritual involving beings far above the power of Generals and Sages and that Bryan had managed to sneak the child away in the hopes he could salvage a life for the kid. Something good that came from all the death that had been reaped that day.
......
Sean moved with the speed only granted to him with his power, and appeared in a vast open field. The moon was high, the wind blew gently through the knee high grass. Sean looked at the moon and walked slowly up to the altar holding the pocket world Bryan had constructed for Luke to cross back over to the original world. He seemed to have known all along his son would have to return. That he could only give him a short life that could be considered normal. The only issue was that Sean had such a limited time left before Extractors came to find the kid and would find a pocket world so heavily protected by what power Bryan had. He wanted to give Rebecca her last wish to allow her son to enjoy his last day, but he was running low on time if he was to get the kid across the Twin Peaks Valley before the term started. Thankfully Sean was the only one who knew of the pocket world and the one who held the key to get in. They had 14 days and that would have to be enough. Give the kid one more day to be normal because from here on out it would be learn or die for him and Sean would do his best to teach him while he could.