Age of Darkness

Chapter 1: An Unexpected Hero (Edited)

Burning hatred coursed through Keimaro's heat-filled veins, and his heart pounded with a burst of adrenaline that sent energy channeling through him. Keimaro's lip was bleeding, and he exhaled audibly, his ribs aching. The pain dragged out, and his injuries pulsated, creating a sort of mismatched rhythm of pain. He didn't know why they hated him or why they always beat him up. All he knew was that they did it every single day.

He turned around and glared at the main bully with a look of pure hatred in his eyes. His name was Buu, and he had curly brown hair and glistening blue eyes that resembled the color of the morning sky. The ladies loved him, though Keimaro didn't understand why. He was the one who led the assault on Keimaro each day. Oh, how he detested this boy. He couldn't even count the number of times that he'd imagined driving his fist solidly into that boy's gorgeous face. But, would that solve anything? His anger, his hatred all boiled down to the fact that Buu existed. Having such strong negative feelings was sometimes disconcerting, but it was unavoidable. These feelings had built up over many years of abuse. He was sick of it!

Keimaro suddenly sprinted forward, his fist clenched tightly as he rotated his body, hatred throbbing in his heart. Buu turned around just as Keimaro's fist shot forward, his knuckles smashing solidly into the bully's cheek. A crack resounded as the boy's body twisted. His legs left the ground, and his body went airborne, spinning wildly. He slapped hard against the tiled floor with an unnatural thud and was left motionless.

Keimaro's fist burned from the impact of his punch. He shook it animatedly, as if the rapid movement of air would cool it. His heart raced as the teacher stared at him in absolute shock. "I-I...."

What was he supposed to say? That this boy deserved it? As if anyone would believe him. They were all against him. Every last one of them. He looked at the other boys that gathered around the body of Buu. He heard whispering amongst the girls.

A bead of sweat formed on his brow, and he took a few steps backward toward the door, their words echoing loudly in his ears. Outsider, freak, monster! He spun around and broke into a sprint, racing out of the door. He could hear the boys scampering after him, but he wasn't worried about being caught—he knew that he could easily outrun anyone in the village. He bit his lip, trying to keep from crying, but he could already feel the tears coming as he sprinted off.

The young boy dashed along the dirt path that led to the marketplace, the more industrial part of Bakaara, leaving the rural area where the school was placed. The tall, dull wooden buildings towered off in the distance, but Keimaro wasn't going in that direction. Instead, he broke off from the dirt path and plunged into the lush green plain that bordered it. The right side led to the farms, the left to the border. Keimaro took a left.

The boys had stopped behind him and were watching him from the edge of the dirt road. They leaned forward and placed their hands on their knees, gasping for air, either completely out of shape or simply exhausted from the long run. No one dared follow him away from the path of the village. The kids had been taught—at an extremely young age—that traveling outside of the village would result in someone's death. The force field didn't just prevent monsters from coming in; it also prevented humans from entering or leaving. Bakaara was a self-sufficient village and had all of its resources nearby within the magic walls. They had no need for outside resources and always had everything that they needed.

Bakaara was an independent speck on the continent, surrounded by the empires of Sparta, Athens, and Faar. All three of these empires were massive and fought each other for domination over the entire continent. Each of the empires could send a simple squad to Bakaara and would probably still be able to wipe out the entire village without any problems at all. However, the shield was what truly stood as the only reason Bakaara hadn't already been conquered, dominated, and wiped out. Bakaara itself wasn't an empire. It was far too small. It was a simple, neutral village that had not been dominated by any of the human empires. Yet.