World on fire

“You fool!”The glass shattered as it collided with the translucent glass flooring and glittering pieces scattered before melting down into glowing puddles. The white haired woman was furious; for good reason of course but it didn’t seem as such to anyone unfortunate enough to walk in upon such a display.

“Milady….I.” The man stammered in an attempt to calm his mistresses’ rage but to no avail.He was caught within her smoldering red gaze that could pierce the soul and almost rend flesh from bones if it were a weapon.

“I will not accept such incompetence from my servants! Even if you try to claim such bullshit excuses; at least try to make them more believable! I am not a fool!” In a flurry of motion she was in the air, foot connecting with the man’s face as he was sent spiraling into a nearby column. Concrete buckling under what seemed like an almost inhuman amount of strain, though the blonde haired man simply stood back up; brushing the dust from his expensively designed suit.

“Now, what will you do the next time I ask something of you?” There was only one answer you could give to the fierce woman of such small stature.

“I will not fail.” He answered humbly bowing to her, forehead pressed against the cold marble tile in a position of submission, as one would before an idol.

“Good. I do not expect failure of you again Michelangelo. Do not disappoint me again. “ She made a dismissive motion of her well manicured hand. “You may leave me.”

“I seek only to please you milady.” With a curt bow he was ushered by two men in coats that covered their bodies out of the room through a large wooden door. She was of course not really alone, still in the presence of her court which she was never really rid of.

“All of you follow in his steps. I want to be left alone for a while.” As if the word of God had been spoken, her chambers were emptied of all the interlopers that had filled it. Robes slowly making a snaking sound against the floor until she alone was there. The lone girl dressed in a simple white dress that trailed down to her ankles before cutting off, with hair of an equal whiteness and piercing red eyes.

“Gentle as always with your servants I see. Luckily they won’t break as easily as some of your other toys.” A course male voice seemed to slice through the fleeting silence.

“Sometimes you need a firm hand when reprimanding, otherwise they’ll get soft and I do not abide the weak in my court.” She answered turning towards the man within the shadow of his cloak. Like many he was not allowed to show his face in her midst; the presence of royalty.

Spinning upon her heels, the young woman parted silver lips to ask one question. “What do you want of me?” This was followed by a silence and the whoosh of the wind coming in through a single silver lined window, the moonlight caressing her porcelain skin.

“Quick to the point I see. You were never the one for small talk I suppose but it can’t be helped.” He reached into a loose sleeve, pulling out a thin scroll with a gloved hand. The parchment was darkening, almost as if it had seen millennia upon millennia. Bound together by a smoldering silver seal in the shape of a serpent devouring its own tail.

“So it seems the order wants more of me. What could I possibly do that would be of any gain to you?” She said with a sneer upon her lips that revealed dagger like canines. The question could be answered easily but she felt like it had to be asked anyway.

“You know what we come to you for.”

“Of course I do.” Taking the scroll from the man’s hand, she ripped open the seal with a razor sharp nail on her index finger. After only a minute of looking over the paper in question, she let a long drawn out sigh escape her lips. “You are so predictable my friend, if not reliable. Very well; I shall take your little contract but only because it interests me.”

“Of course, I would expect nothing less of you Mistress Theresa.”

In a flash a knife was produce and at the man’s throat. “Don’t call me that.”

“You sure this is it?” The strange blue haired man asked raising an electric eyebrow as he pondered over something within his twisted mind. He ran a single index finger over the surface of a smooth glass orb, its facets catching any light and casting it off as a rainbow of colors, even adding a sort of color to his otherwise pale skin as a small childish grin formed upon his lips.

“Volt, if you want to keep that hand I suggest you do not touch it.” A harsh female voice warned as a thin redhead stepped from the shadows, pale face framed by locks of red. Her body was hugged by a specialized leather armor that seemed more like a body suit. Foot falls echoing along the walls, almost like a sort of metronome. “Can’t have you breaking something, can we?” Volt jerked back his hand to barely avoid a single beam of light that shot past where it was. The origin of such an attack was her smoking index finger.

“Woah! Coulda took my hand off with that!” Volt said loudly but still keeping the light hearted expression upon his face as he looked upon the powerful woman; who only looked at him with a quizzical expression that betrayed none of her thoughts.

The setting was what seemed like an abandoned warehouse that had been generously furnished. Wall extravagantly furnished, as well as ornate chairs set down around an ancient wooden table where no one for the moment sat. “I could have but I did not. I knew that you would have avoided such a direct attack” She retorted taking a seat at the head of the table as what seemed like twenty candles materialized upon the table and lit the scene brightly. “I want you and Tek to take your seat. The others will be arriving soon.”

As if obeying the command, the blue haired man sat next to a man with snowy white hair. They sat opposite of the redhead, looking at her with casual looks as they simply rolled a joint and began to do what they did best; smoking.

“Disappointing what you work with Elena.” A snide female voice with a trace of an accent spoke as she seemed to appear out of the shadows, though Elena, the red haired one simply swayed her finger along to the flickering of the candles.

“Hello Daji” Elena greeted without turning to look upon the feisty oriental woman, one candle going out with a motion of a hand. She knew how much this woman disdained the company Elena kept but it was not as if she had a real choice within the matter. The redhead dealt with those she met with for specific reasons and would not be lectured on it. “Sit please,the meeting is almost to begin. All we need is two more.”

Almost as if she were summoning them, two figures stepped through the wall; though kicking through it was a more appropriate term. “We’re here Crimson Witch!” The shorter one called as he slicked back spiky looking black hair, followed by a monstrosity of molten magma in roman -esque armor.

“Sit down you two. We have much to discuss.” The followed the command, the behemoth taking his place in an oversize seat while the young male sat next to him. With that finished,she snapped a finger as the light within the room seemed to dim even further until only their faces were illuminated.

“What have you called us here for?”The oriental female named Daji asked flicking her braid from her fringe, tapping her heel against the cold concrete floor.

“It’s a very simple thing really my dear.” The red head said as if it were the question she were looking for. “ Weare gathered here to discuss of course.”

“Discuss what exactly?” The young spiky haired boy asked downing a small glass of crimson colored fluid, cocking an eyebrow.

“The reason why we are even gathered here and more importantly the reason why I have formed our little union in the first place.” The room fell silent as if by magic,all eyes falling upon the smugly grinning redhead. “I know everyone has been waiting to hear it.”

“Spill it!” Daji spat growing impatient as she pounded against the table with a powerful fist, causing the tempered wood to rattle with the force of her fist.

“Patience my dear Daji.” Elena said graciously. “We still have one more guest arriving it seems before I can divulge anything”.

“Who?” She asked even more agitated.

“If I told you, that would ruin the surprise now wouldn’t it?”

“I wouldn’t call it much of an improvement.” Sean muttered pursing his lip as he examined a wall coated with a single layer of colored paint. Sure it was supposed to look better; he did not really see what was so special about it. Maybe that was just his inartistic side showing but he just did not see it.

“That’s because you don’t know anything about painting.” Aaron muttered annoyed as he examined the bright yellow wall, thumb playing over his chin as he enjoyed his handy work. It may not have been impressive to some but he thought it was pretty damn good; Sean’s opinion lost upon him.

“Maybe it’s because I just don’t like that bright color you chose.” The shorter black haired male shrugged running a single index finger over the dried acrylic, brows knitting into a disapproving expression.

“I think it’s because you lack a good sense of style. That color works perfectly with the rest of the room, you just don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said rolling his eyes, tapping away rapidly on a cell phone with an almost inhuman speed. This of course annoyed the darker haired male, who stuck his tongue out almost childishly.

“Very cute Sean.” He said unamused slapping the phone shut before depositing it within his suit pocket, letting a breath whistle through his lips before twirling upon the back of his heels. “Anyway, you know we don’t have all day to sit and admire the paint. You have a lot to do.” He reminded, eliciting a sigh from the shorter one. He of course knew what it was but did not want to have anything to do with this sort of business.

“You know you don’t need me there. It’s just a bunch of old farts talking about the days when they had to do manual labor and things I don’t care about.” Sean said sarcastically rolling his grey eyes.

“You know that its more than just old farts. Its important business to the family that you lead and the Thiel’s will not allow themselves to be lead by someone who can’t prove themselves capable of doing so. Do not make a mistake like the last time.” Aaron warned rummaging through a chest on the opposite side of the room that Sean stood. It was one of six chests that were placed on the floor.

“What mistake?” Sean asked innocently as he shifted weight into his left side trying to avoid direct eye contact as he rocked on the heels of his feet. Of course he wouldn’t admit to something like that, nor would a sane person.

“You know what I mean.” The accusation was stated like a spear aimed to stab through any defense he had available. “I won’t waste my time reminding you of your past mistakes though, we have more important matters at hand.” He said digging a small amulet out of a chest and stringing around his neck. “Ones that don’t involve portals to hell dimensions” he added with a snicker much to Sean’s ire. It was true. The last time that Sean had attended a Thiels family meeting, he managed to open a portal to a hellish dimension and was forced to seal it before anything negative made its way through. Not the best way to spend ones evening but it was his duty to do so.

“So much for not wasting your time.” Sean muttered rolling his eyes. Aaron was always the one to make snide comments when they seemed to fit for him, even if it were at the expense of someone else; except when it was involving the business that he so frequently found himself doing. Like that time he had to stop a small coven of vampires from attacking the Hale family over a disagreement on an enchanted necklace. The Hale’s being the family that Aaron was part of and very prominent in.

“I’ll be doing some last minute paper work in my office; I want you ready within fifteen minutes Sean. Don’t make me have to treat you like a child.” That was all he needed to say before walking off to his little office in a secluded part of the house, though mansion seemed to better fit the structure they lived in. Seeing as it had about three stories and a huge fountain out front made out of marble that never seemed to age, Along with a freshly cut lawn that any red blooded American would be green with envy over. Perfection didn’t even begin to describe the lavish life style the young man had found himself thrust into but not like he could complain. It sure as hell beat sleeping on the streets.

Staring at the wall for a brief second, Sean considered if he would actually listen to the blonde or simply ignore him like he did fifty percent of the time. It was rude to ignore your partner like that but he wasn’t exactly known for his manners; something that showed quite often when Aaron least wanted it. “Damn. Guess I gotta ready, otherwise he might try to guilt me or something.”

Having a weakness towards blondes had that effect upon a person and he had a major one. Maybe that was the only reason he even was dating him, not that he didn’t have a nice personality or anything; but the blonde hair helped immensely. If only to help him withstand the constant nagging that seemed to proceed from his lips. Aaron called it him being concerned.

With a brisk pace Sean made his way to the spacious room on the second floor, making his way through the cavernous hallways with ceilings that seemed almost too high to be realistically made. On them were simple swirl patterns that if catching the light correctly would capture the imagination and effectively spellbind someone. The walls were painted a simple cream color that was both unassuming and mysterious within itself, while the tiled floors were a simple black and white.

Shoes tapped against the floor almost hollowly as he reached the thick oak door that separated him from his room, its simple design endearing within itself. Twisting the bronze doorknob, and a few more steps he was within his private sanctuary. A place that felt as if he would go undisturbed within this self contained place where only he resided, except for when Aaron found it within his schedule to give him company.

The floor was a vibrant blue carpet with clothes strewn across it haphazard. In the center was a single round bed with a riot of colored sheets placed over it as well as tie dye pillows that seemed to match the theme of the bed. Slinking along it was a jet black cat with opalescent eyes.

Letting out a course meow it jumped off the bed with no sound, rubbing its head against his leg before going off to do whatever it was that the little cat did. Hanging above the wood dresser in the corner of his room was a simple suit with red tie.

Oh,how he hated formal wear. Sean was never an enthusiast towards suits, especially the ones that Aaron tended to pick out for him to wear to all of the occasions that he was basically thrusted into. “Damn,I hate these things.” He muttered glaring at the suit for a second as if he were expecting it to attempt to kill him or something. It only sat there motionless, considering that it was just a damn suit. So with an overly dramatic sigh he quickly removed his clothes and put the much dreaded garments on.

“Lookin good.” A young male voice said teasingly from almost nowhere. Turning around Sean came nearly face to face with a young kid with scruffy brown hair and equally brown eyes. It was Damian Luvara in the flesh, though Sean always wondered how he managed to appear out of nowhere without a sound. That had to be a skill he learned on the streets, though it could have also been some sort of power that he was hiding.

“Thanks squirt.” Sean said with a snick rolling his eyes as he adjusted his red tie, lips curling into a playful grin.

“Gonna come home drunk againz?” He asked chuckling lightly as the shadow behind him seemed to shift as it formed into a humanoid figure, red eyes gazing down upon him from its immense height.

“Hell yes.” Sean winked now content with what his suit was, setting his hair with a steady hand. Even if he was dressed in a hated fashion, Sean would at least keep his hair presentable. It was something bred within him by his mother and reinforced by Aaron messing with his hair when they were younger. “Gotta deal with a lot of old people. It is not gonna be any fun at all.” Sean muttered blowing a strand of black hair out of his face.

“Yeah,it suckz.” Damian agreed opening the only window in the room that opened out to the garden area, dangling his legs over the edge. Without warning he fell forward and was gone, had to be a special power or something.

“Sean,are you ready yet?” Aaron called to him.

“Yes dear.” Sean answered loudly in an annoyed tone.

The light blinked red for a second and then turned dark, continuing this pattern for what seemed like hours for the bored albino. She sat alone within the metal monstrosity called a chopper, blades whirring overhead as she stared out over a dark waterscape called the Ocean.

Hours had passed and yet here she sat with little to no entertainment except for the sound of her own thoughts, which were actually not that fun. Red eyes narrowed into dangerous slits as she let the order roll through her mind one more time, as if it would help in some way
.
She was to hunt down the target, capture if possible but kill if capture was impossible. The target was dangerous; no way could she deny a fact like that but she was a killer raised to do this. No way would her mission be stopped by a simple renegade that got a swollen ego.

“Only four more hours.” She muttered breaking the monotonous hum of the rotors: the light flashed on, then it flashed off.


“Woah no way!” A young man shouted as a large bus careened before falling on its side. Standing in front of him was a diminutive girl with red eyes, lips twisted into a savage smirk. It seemed like he wasn’t dealing with just any little girl but it was nothing for the man known as Phoenix. “I can’t beat up a little girl.” He groaned. It wasn’t very heroic to him if he went around beating down little girls, even if they were psychotic killers.

“Whats wrong? Are you too chicken to hurt me or is it because you lack the balls? Shall I call you Miss Phoenix?!?” The girl taunted hooking her fingers under the bus before hefting it over her head as if it weighed only an ounce. “Don’t go acting all moral on me now!” With that she whipped her arms back and hurled the massive vehicle at the young looking man, his face covered in what looked like an old styled hero mask as well as what seemed like tights. He braced for it as his feet seemed to dig into the ground as the bus met with his hands, pushing him back a considerable distance.

He was no normal person as is obvious here but what some would call a superhuman capable of thing humans only dream of being able to do. This display of strength was only one of his minor abilities. “If you don’t stop, I’m going to get serious.” He warned managing to push the buss aside, now looking at her while people scrambled about on the sidelines.

“I bet you’re waiting for your pretty little team to show up. You can’t possibly beat me with that pitiful display of power, where’s this fire I hear so much about?” She demanded slamming her foot down as the concrete spider webbed on impact. This girl had no idea what she was asking for,nor did she know what this man was capable of if he gave her this so called fire.

Without warning she was at him, running at an amazing speed that was a blur. Before Phoenix could even register the movement her hand was clamped around his throat and slamming him hard against the ground, stars dancing in his vision. The hand was removed but replaced by a pressure upon his chest. “Now let’s see if I can squeeze something out of you except guts. That would be counterproductive now wouldn’t it?” She said almost sadistically adding pressure to his torso.

It seemed that she would reduce him to an unsightly stain on the concrete but quickly she jerked away the foot as a white fire began to form across his chest, billowing higher as if of its own volition. “Well it seems like all you need was a little prodding.” She said pleased with herself stepping back a few inches unperturbed by the dangerous fire that could have burned her flesh easily. “Guess that means we can get down to business.”

Without warning she threw a punch with an astonishing amount of force behind it, throwing herself into the powerful blow. Without a second to think he acted, moving to the side as the fist flew only an inch past him, whipping a flame coated fist at her stomach.

The girls snarled as the attack connected and sent her flying directly into a car, reducing it to a twisted heap of metal. “Damnit! That was a harder hit than I thought it would be. Guess I shouldn’t expect anything less of the great hero himself.” Pulling herself from the mutilated automobile, the girl looked unphased by the hit except for a single burn mark on her stomach.

He wasn’t expecting her to get up after that but then again, she had shown she was more than human. More than capable of taking his most powerful punches but not the full intensity of his flames, which were too hot for even the toughest. Taking a stance, Phoenix allowed the flames to cover him as it seemed to devour him except nothing on him was burning. Quickly thrusting a fist forward, a large stream of white fire erupted from the fist and cascaded along the street at an incredible speed. With arms crossed over her chest the girl barreled through the flames, pain wracking her body but otherwise she was fine,wounds mending as soon as they formed, making the fire basically worthless against her. It was as if the little girl were truly immortal.

“Cute fire trick but you will need more than that Phoenix.” She said bursting through the stream and slamming a foot into his jaw, sending him flying into the side of a building. Girl spinning on her heel in a sort of pirouette before slamming her right fist into an open palm. “I thought you were supposed to be the best! This is..pathetic.” She said mockingly while approaching the downed hero in an almost monotonous gait. She was the cat finally finishing the game she had started with her prey.

From what seemed like nowhere a young Asian female seemed to appear,slamming a foot into the silver haired girls face and sending her into the side of a building. “Yahoo,Tyuki saves the day!” She cheered pumping a fist into the air and performing a victory dance of her own. “Take that.” She said spitting in the down enemies general direction.

People gathered to see what seemed like an impossible sight but it was not all that uncommon in the city of New York to witness a fight between Metahumans. People that had transcended the realm of humans and become something much more, though the source of their powers did vary.

“Okay Phoenix,I gotta get you out of here before we attract anyone else. Like the police.” She said lifting him off of his back, most likely with a few broken bones. The girl was tougher than he thought but he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. Hefting the injured man onto her back,the young woman knelt and jumped high into the air where one would expect her to fall back down.

She never did.

Instead they were meet by a well designed helicopter, almost ahead of its time it seemed, girl gripping onto the open side as she loked up to the white haired young man. “Wow,nice save Gabe.”

“No problem.”

Sean had only been there for a minute and he already knew he wasn’t going to like it one bit. The limo stopped in front of an impressive complex, people milling in from their equally expensive vehicles. Not all of them terribly important but they had some reason for being here other than simply sucking up the air. It was a complex blend of matters that he would have to deal along with the blonde next to him who was less than enthusiastic, which made two of them.

To him it was a waste of time he could be doing something else; anything except pointless family business. It always went the same way each time and ended the same way, with people either angry with him or pleased with what he chose. Usually it was the latter but occasionally he got lucky and people actually didn’t want to slip poison in his next meal.

“The sooner we get in there,the sooner we can get out and go home.” Aaron reminded letting a sigh lose through his lips as he sat up. It was so kind of him to point out the obvious.

“Thank you for the reminder but maybe next time something I don’t know would help a lot more.” Was the response as Sean tried to keep him comfortable in the suit. So far it was disastrous.

“Don’t be so glum. I’m sure you’ll meet some people you know and maybe it will make the whole affair better. My mother did say she was coming and I know how you two like to talk.”

“Not my fault she knows more about enchantments than you.” Sean said in response sourly.

“Atleast I know about them.”

“That was low,even for you Aaron.”

“Love you too dear.” He chuckled crossing arms over his chest and legs over each other. “We need to act at least partially serious. The Heir to the Caster family will be there and hes a sharp kid. Not sure what Nolan’s taught him but he might be the best leader to that family in Centuries.” There he went overanalyzing affairs other than his own as if it would escalate into a threat.

“What’s his name again, was it like Andrew or something?” Of course Sean wouldn’t be the one to remember names, especially if it was someone underage.

“His name is Anthony if I remember correctly. He’s a powerful shadow mage and his mages gift is very curious. I’ve never seen anything like it except in a few isolated cases, mostly outside of the Caster family.”

To catch you up to speed; A mages gift is the male counterpart of a Witches Gift which occurs within the four great magical families. Who are the families? That would be a story for later but right now it’s about the gifts. Every member of the family is born with a gift, something that makes them unique compared to any practitioner of the field of magic they choose to specialize in. It can take many forms and is not predictable and sometimes may not even occur. The gene may either skip a generation or just simply not be passed off to that offspring.

“Eh,not like I care any about him.” The black haired male responded with a roll of his eyes as he looked out the tinted windows. A young man opened the door ushering them from the vehicle,Sean following after the Heir to the Hale family. “At least tell me your twin won’t be here.”

“Sadly he will be. My mom doesn’t see him as a failure unlike the rest of the family, so she insists that he come with her to this event. Don’t worry, I’ll make sure he doesn't try anything with you.” Aaron shared little with his brother, sexual orientation being one of the few things they did,as well as that golden blonde hair that would make anyone go crazy for him, girls anyway. Aside from that, they were polar opposites in almost every way.

“Good. At least I know your mother will protect me.” He said with mock surprise rolling his grey orbs once again. Sure he appreciated her protectiveness of him but he was not a child; thus he didn’t enjoy being treated as one.

“Look out,here he comes.” Aaron murmured before putting on a smile. Approaching them was a male that looked like Aaron but his hair had a different look to it,wavier and swept to the side in a surfer style. His suit coat was unbuttoned in the front, revealing a white shirt. His gaze was on Sean with a huge grin.

“Sean! Aaron! It’s so good to see both of you!” he said in a cheerful tone that Sean was far too used to as he felt arms wrap around him. Returning the hug with a pat on the back, Sean pulled back. “It’s so good to see you.”

“It’s a pleasure to see you too.” Sean answered flatly as his lips formed a critical line of pink that was nearly as pale as his skin. He was not amused seeing this man one bit. Mostly because there was a history between them that went far back, farther than he cared to remember. “How are you Brandon?” he asked with the same tone, trying to seem civil while giving the vibe that he did not want to talk to this man. Of course this subtle hint was ignored as the guy simply wrapped his arms around Sean and squeezed tightly. This drew attention from no one, even Aaron simply shrugging off the overly affectionate display. Sean narrowed his eye as he felt the increasing pressure of the hug, finally becoming too much for him to bear. Pushing the guy away he put a respectable distance between the two before clearing his throat and brushing a strand of black hair from his face.

“Brandon, please keep your hands to yourself.” A woman toned in calmly as she seemed to intrude on small reunion of theirs. Her hair was a wavy red that was bound into a neat ponytail and fell down her back. It matched the vibrant red dress that seemed to come alive with well placed frills that only added to its appeal. “I’m sure your brother does not appreciate you showing such attention towards Sean.” She chided digging into a small black handbag and pulling out a small cellular device.

“I thought you were going to put all of your business on hold for today mother.” Aaron said with a curious tone as he brushed as a nonexistent speck of dust on his sleeves,mostly something to keep his attention.

“Sadly my business is never truly on hold.” She sighed examining a text message with a critical eye before depositing the device in her hand bag and smiling at the two with brilliant white teeth, lips stretching into a pleasant and friendly smile that could disarm the most violent of attackers. “Now if you excuse me, I must return to to my duties. Can’t have the children eating all of the food before the festivities even began can I?”

“Mother,I have to ask you something.” Aaron chimed in before she could make her leave and catching her full attention.

“What is it?” She asked raising a blazing red eyebrow. She had a feeling that it was something important and his tone only confirmed her suspicions.

“I need to ask you in private.” He said motioning for her to follow him, which she did with a gracious nod, leaving Sean alone with Aaron's twin who was now looking around rather awkwardly. He smiled at Sean and then coughed into a closed fist.

“So…….” Sean said breaking an awkward silence as he ran his hand through the hair at the back of his head, shuffling his feet around as if it were the most awkward thing he was subjected to. This was going to be a long night.

The metallic helicopter stopped as the tell tale signs presented themselves. She had arrived at the target destination and she was expected to make the jump. They most likely had chosen to hover about five thousand feet above where she was to land and that would not translate too well for an unaided jump. Not that it would bother the scantily clad albino in the least, who only shrugged as she stood to her feet and waltzed to a singular spot in the metallic floor. Boots making their soliditary sound as she walked.

“One…two…three.” She counted down to herself before a single beep permeated the atmosphere and the floor split open to the naked air; dropping the toned female into a deadly freefall. She did not scream even with the air whipping past her face but looked forward with a cold indifference that would be almost unsettling.

With lightning speed she righted her position, feet now pointing towards the rapidly approaching urbanscape below. “Kinetic boots initialize.” A robotic voice seemed to say as she only seemed to move faster and in a matter of moments she was a red streak upon the horizon and crashed to the street level with a resounding crash and the sound of concrete shattering.

The area was what looked like a former urban area ruined by a great conflict, something that had taken the once great city by storm and altered it for the worst. Buildings were falling to decay and cars were all a rusted color that spoke of something unnatural.

Everything around her seemed to break from an invisible force yet she was unharmed. Cars bending and glass breaking as a single building fell into a pile of rubble while others came dangerously close. Yet her porcelain skin was still its pristine white and what little clothes she had on stayed. She was a fallen angel within the dust. “Agent Reaper has landed; I will go on with the mission as projected.” She spoke into an ear piece before taking a runners stance and was gone in a blur of red. The landing site was once again left in silence.

That was of course except for the small shape of what looked like a young girl.

------------------------------------------------------

“Are you sure that’s what it said?” The red haired male demanded looking over the shoulder of the shorter black haired man who tapped away furiously at a keyboard. His beady black eyes were focused upon a large green screen with readings running over it, along with many diagrams.

“Yes sir. The grid has picked up an exceptional amount of energy being released on the edge of the city, equal to a Class 4 metahuman. Something has touched down.” He said in an oddly deep voice as he typed away.

“Have you mobilized any troops to deal with this problem? We cannot have anything like that entering Chicago, not again.” He queried raising an eyebrow as he began to pace nervously, as if this were possibly the end of the world. To them it was most likely.

“Come on now men, it can’t be that bad.” A dark haired man commented, his icy blue eyes almost piercing as he stepped through a nearby doorway into the cramped dark room. “I’m sure I can deal with whatever it is out there.” His breath came out in a semi-transparent cloud as if the temperature had dropped considerably.

“Are you sure you can deal with this?” The black haired man asked raising an eyebrow, not in the least questioning his abilities.

“Yes, I’m sure I can deal with this.” He replied rolling his eyes, lip curling into a sneer at the side. It was obvious he didn’t enjoy his competence being questioned and he wouldn’t take it. “So can I have a transport ready within an hour?”

“We can have one ready within a matter of minutes if you’re ready now.” The man tapping away at the keys said turning towards him before returning to his task. A window bloomed across the screen and there was the face of the man offering himself to perform the job,along with his name transcribed in red letters. “John Reeves level three metahuman requesting a transport to New York outskirts.” He continued to type before the words Request Confirmed appeared in green letters bloomed across the screen.

“Good.” John muttered pleased as he didn’t even waste a second before he made his way to the large docking bay, multiple helicopters waiting to be used.

“John,what brings you out here?” A young female with bright blue eyes and dark brown hair questioned leaping out of the cockpit of one of the metallic monstrosities. She looked around his age but a few inches shorter. “Is it to deal with that problem I’ve heard about?” She asked with a mischievous smirk.

“I would ask how you knew but I won’t even waste my breath.” John said already having realized that this woman had many ways of gathering information. It was better not to ask her of course, unless you wanted your most embarrassing secrets open for the public. That was just what made her a scary woman really. “Yeah,it is.” He admitted stepping up into the nearest transport, looking back at the woman with the same trepidation.

“Good luck John,try not to die.” She said with that unreadable expression.

“I won’t” he said before the metallic door of finality closed and he was lifted into the air within the metallic monstrosity.

“Well then, this is…..a bit much.” Sean muttered his grey eyes scanning the ballroom with trepidation. People milled about the floor with little purpose, simply chattering as they went. That was of course how all of these parties went but he chose to ignore them and stand in the corner while he drank the wine that was so lavishly given to them. If anything, these people knew how to enjoy their drink. The dark red liquid swished around the crystalline glass held within pale fingers.

Holding the glass to his lips, Sean let the intoxicating liquid fall between his lips and down his throat. Aaron was still talking to his mother about something, forcing him to stand awkwardly alone in the middle of the crowded party room, people giving him sidelong glances that would wilt any socially awkward person. He already knew that he was the proverbially elephant within the room, though it was not painfully obvious to those who were not privy to the social trends of high society families. Sean shot them return glances before returning to his drink. “Fuckin weirdos.” He muttered snorting indignantly.

Something about being a figure to ogle made him a bit agitated, mostly due to the fact that he was not something that they could stare at whenever they pleased. “You enjoying the party?” A young voice asked, sounding around sixteen in age, mixed with something that could not quite be placed. Sean turned to be met with what looked like a young man with short cut blonde hair,his piercing emerald eyes boring into Sean’s. He oozed a certain charisma, something that seemed to originate within that small smile of his.

“It could be better.” Sean muttered draining his small glass before placing it on a silk draped table. Could this be the mysterious Caster heir that he had heard so much about? Considering that his appearance matched the one that he had heard so much about, it was a possibility. The younger male leaned a bit closer, holding what looked like a glass of sparkling liquid, and his eyes unreadable.

“A word of advice, this party is about more than just what it appears to be. I would suggest you watch your step when dealing with the party goers, especially her.” He motioned to a young woman with silver hair, her eyes an intense red. She flowed with a grace that seemed beyond any human’s capability, almost like a cat. She wore a dress that flowed gracefully behind her, its white silk almost matching her porcelain skin. An air of magnetism was about her, something that made a person want to go to her. “She is not someone you would want to cross, trust me, I would know.” The younger male said with an unreadable expression before taking a gulp of his drink.
“Who is she exactly?”

“A powerful player in the world of the supernatural, possibly even more so than your mother, the late Elena Marie was in her time.” This caught a scathing look from Sean, his grey eyes almost bubbling. The young boy noticed this, his pale pink lips stretching into a line.

“Anthony, don’t bother the young man.” What looked like an older copy of the young male seemed to materialize from the crowd, his suit neatly pressed, spiky blonde hair well kept. “Ah, you must be the Head of the Thiels family; I never thought we would meet.” His tone was a friendly one, if not overly so.”

“It’s….a pleasure.” Sean said shaking a hand extended to him.“A pleasure indeed, I’ll have you know that you are possibly the youngest head that dusty old family has had since only god knows when. It’s good to see that they have made some progress.” Sean raised an eyebrow at this. He had known that he was descended of a more powerful bloodline but them contacting him and placing him as their new head was something that he did not expect. Aaron had brought himself into his life not too long after that, back from whatever he was doing. He was always so mysterious about what he did, whom he dealt with.

“You seem to know a lot about me, but I know nothing about you. Who are you anyway?” Sean asked his tone somewhat abrasive.

“Of course.where are my manners. The name’s Nolan Caster, of the Los Angeles Casters. Usually we don’t leave the state but this was very important; Tarah would not hear anything except a yes.” He was of course referring to the lavish hostess of this event Tarah Hale, the woman whom he also knew as Aaron’s mother and a powerful spell weaver. Things were only getting stranger with all of the important people appearing at such a small seeming event,though the importance may have only been small to someone such as him. While to someone such as Nolan Caster or the others it was an important thing indeed.

“I’m sure you already know my name.” Sean said in reply, his voice holding no humor.
“Everyone who is anyone does. You’re Sean Collin, son of that old witch Elena.” His said this with his usual cheer that was almost unnerving. “It was a shame to hear about her unfortunate…accident.” By that he meant her murder.

“Erm…thanks.” Sean said his eyes darting off to the side. He didn’t really want to talk to this man, if only because of the statement he made only a few moments ago. Nolan unperturbed as he reached for one of the crystalline bottles of dark colored wine, pouring it into the silver cup clutched tightly in his right hand. A single, leather soled shoe tapping against tiled flooring, sound lost within the music filling the room.

His eyes moved to the silver haired woman now talking to a dark haired female, whose skin was a shade below olive. They both laughed, thin hands moving to their lips as their chests were rising up and down. It was then that the music had abruptly stopped, its rhythm leaving a void within the room that was only occasionally broken by a cough. Sean felt his breath catch within his chest, stopping there as it seemed to stand for a second before it escaped through his tightly drawn lips.A feeling of cold had begun to permeate through the room, one that chilled to the very bone. Sean felt his hairs stand up on end, mostly the ones on his back and arms. Involuntarily he gulped, the sound strange within his ears.

Everything seemed to slow for a second before it happened, a singular sound piercing the silence, one that caused his head to whip around to see a single female walking through the large wooden door; Her long flowing green dress almost like liquid emerald that flowed along the floor with an ethereal grace. Tension seemed to drain away as the music seemed to return as if a switch had been flipped.

“Oh, it’s her.” Nolan said dryly, his voice taking on a flat tone. “Anthony I’ll be going for a bit, keep my place while I’m gone.” With that he turned and walked away;leaving Anthony with a look of sudden realization, eyes darting to Sean before walking away as well, leaving the diminutive male standing alone once again. The diminutive male blew a strand of hair from his face before huffing to himself.
“Well that was weird.” He muttered somewhat confused.

“Yeah those Caster people are pretty weird.” Brandon said seeming to appear out of nowhere, leaning against a single table with an abnormally thoughtful expression. Sean nearly jumped, his expression changing from shock to annoyance.

“Have you seen your brother? He’s been elsewhere for nearly an hour.” Sean said trying to control the irate tone that was close to bursting over, arms crossing over his chest. Brandon Hale raised an eyebrow, looking just as confused as Sean was becoming.

“No I haven’t, I thought he would be with you.” Brandon answered taking what looked like a small pink cell phone from his left pocket and dialing a number in a rapid fashion before holding it to his ear. He stood there for a second, letting the phone ring into his ear as nothing answered on the other end, pulling the phone for his ear and dialing once again. This took place for around five minutes, until at last he gave up and deposited his phone within his pocket. Brandon looked at Sean with an expression that morphed to worry. “He’s not answering his phone. He usually answers the damn thing.” His voice mirrored the emotions on his face, lips moving into a worried line. It was true; the man always answered that damn cell of his.

“What the hell is happening?” Sean muttered running a finger along his chin, chewing on his lower lips slowly. This was not a good thing, mostly since if he did not answer the phone it was probably more than just a possibly dead phone. Considering he preferred to keep it fully charged wherever he went and he had it charged before he left the house, which was only about an hour ago. His eyes darted nervously around the room, scanning over every guest as if looking for something amongst them but finding nothing as they quickly moved to the floor. His mind was reeling, mostly at the possibilities that presented themselves.

Sure he was a capable mage within his own rights but was it possible that someone more skilled than him had something planned? Stepping forward, Sean drew ma deep breath. “Well I’m going to look for him.” He said with an unsteady voice, his hands shaking out of his control. Brandon gulped the sound uncharacteristically loud. “I’ll try not to make a scene out of this; I know the families would go crazy if they find out that one of the heads might be missing.” He said this before walking away, pushing through the small crowd of the party guests, some just moving when he walked through. There was one who didn’t move out of the way, the silver haired female whose shoulder bumped into his chest before she fluidly moved out of the way. Her red eyes filled with anger moved towards him before becoming placated by a singular hand placed upon her shoulder, by a taller gentleman who was equally pale. His smile was jovial.

He smiled weakly in return, man bowing before whispering in the young looking girl’s ear and ushering her to another part of the party room where they would begin to do an almost supernaturally graceful dance. Sean felt his shoulders sag, as if he were only a second away from facing his own death. A cold sweat had broken out over him, the small cold beads slowly trickling down his forehead as he stood there silently before continuing his self given mission that he would not be distracted from. People didn’t give him a second glance as he continued walking, the sound of his footfalls resounding within his own ears, following the rhythm of his own heartbeat it seemed. If it went as it were going, it seemed like his heart would beat out of his chest.
There was a small voice in the back of his head, its haunting voice seeming to echo within his ears even though it wasn’t spoken. “Well this isn’t good, now is it?”