Collective

Prologue - Will

Will struggled up the last few feet of the third mountain, almost tripping over the vines that grabbed at his ankles. Walking this far had taken a toll on his legs, and while it was not lost on him that this was probably the very point of the chosen location, he couldn't help but grumble internally about the sweat which had all but soaked through his thin shirt. 

In fact, he was so sweaty that his feet felt as though he had stepped in a puddle on his way here, even though it had been weeks since rain had soaked the region. A storm was forecast for tomorrow night by Walter, the local Weather Future Power. It had been years since a pure Weather Power had been born in their village, meaning the people of Knoxville were slaves to nature, with no control over the shifting whims of the elements. Will reminded himself to be thankful the rain hadn't come tonight, as making this journey with water pounding down on him would surely have been much more difficult.

As he reached the specified point, he stopped to take a swig of water from the bottle attached to his backpack. Then he sat on a rock to wait. As the seconds ticked by, Will was sure he was being watched, and wondered whether he was passing the evaluation they were obviously putting him through. He tried to keep his expression blank, his body straight and postured, but as he sat he felt his shoulders sagging under the heat, sweat formulating on his upper lip. Will noticed his shoe was untied but didn't want to show any signs of weakness by reaching down to tie it. He wasn't exactly sure how tying his shoe would convey weakness, but he knew he didn't want to meet whoever was watching him bent over on the ground. 

After a few more agonizing moments, a man appeared in front of him. Maybe man was a bit of a stretch. Will could tell the black clad male was over eighteen - or the Offering age as it was more commonly referred to, the age at which children were forced to give up the powers they were born with. But although the man was no longer a child, he was still very young, not a proper adult yet. Although the man's face was stoic and reserved, Will noticed the man's fingernails digging into his palms.

"William Potter." the man spoke in an authoritative tone. "It has come to our attention that you have been seeking answers."

"Yes," Will tried to speak confidently, fighting to keep his voice from betraying his nerves. He straightened up on the rock, flexing the muscles in his arms in a manner which he hoped looked unconscious. As he stood, he tried to scrutinize the man, without looking like he was inspecting the man. 

If Will was honest, there wasn't much about him to inspect. Will took in his eyes, coolly green, the only thing visible beneath the black face mask he was wearing. He wore a loose black tunic with loose black pants, black hiking boots on his feet. The man's body language wasn't tense, but was far from relaxed. He stood stiffly, his arms hanging at his sides now as if he didn't quite know what to do with them. 

"Before we can impart the knowledge you seek, we must ensure your intentions are pure." the man informed him, speaking in an even, neutral voice, "Please step forward."

Will rose from the rock and took a small step toward the man. Although the man stood higher up the mountain than Will, Will noted that their eyes were level. The man closed his eyes, reaching his arms out toward Will. 

The gesture caught Will off guard, reminding him of another meeting, a meeting he was hoping to avoid: his Offering meeting when he would give up his Power to the Queen, and his heart pounded in his chest. Instinctively, Will put his own hands behind his back and leaned a fraction of an inch away from the man, as if the man's outstretched fingers were deadly weapons instead of simply hands. 

"Why have you come here today?" the man boomed, with his eyes still closed.

"Well," Will hesitated, still taken aback by the man's hands protruding inches from his chest, and unsure how much to say,  "I think it's wrong, the way things are now. We are being stolen from. It isn't right. I want to take action. I need to take action." He felt his voice falter a bit at the end, and he hoped his answer still came off confident and sure.  

The man seemed to be considering Will's words. Again, the second ticked by slowly, Will waiting with bated breath for his response. Finally the man spoke again, "That is a partial truth. You do believe the ways of this world are wrong. But you also come for selfish reasons. You do not want to lose your Power. You hope we will provide a solution that will save you from such a fate."

Will looked at the man, dumbfounded. "How did you, what - you still have your Power? But, you must be over -"

"Over the age of Offering yes. Incredible things are possible when you join the Collective cause. But in order to associate with those drawn to a higher calling, you must vanquish the internal selfish motivations. To serve that purpose, I must warn you that you will be required to give up your Power at Offering, even if you become one of us. If that is your only motivation for joining, I suggest you turn back now." The man folded his hands in front of him, in a meditative post.

Will considered what the man had said, his disappointment reflected all over his face. The man was correct in concluding the real reason for which he had made this trip. As much as Will had tried to tell even himself that he was coming because of his selfless discontent with the world, he knew in his heart he had trekked up this mountain because he wanted to save himself. And now his last hope was lost. What should he do now? Should he stay and join anyway, risking his life with the knowledge there would be no reward for his part. Or should he turn around, wash his hands of this meeting, and resign himself to the life he had always expected but never prepared for.