Welcome to Gaia! ::

Chapter one
Serus Sonoske
Serus had always been an outcast, for reasons unknown to him, it seemed as if it was a secret that everyone knew and laughed about behind his back. He had few people that would even acknowledge him but the feww that did would do it to be cruel. He lived alone, his parents had died long ago shortly after his birth. The leader of the vilage had been the only one kind to him, giving him a home that the village itself paid for, it was modest but it was the only way to live, no one else would dare let him rent from them or even ask. Mostly they were nice, treatting him with an uncomfortable politeness like a stray dog or animal.
Serus had to learn many things, for one he had to make his own clothes, the villagers would give him anything he asked for but he didn't like to ask, they always made such a big deal of it and drew it out, sometimes even sabatageing the things they gave him. Though in the empire they were considered a village it was still large, the buildings were made of stone and had magic powered machines. He attended public school and worked as hard as he could.
Soon the qualifications for the accademy, a school that taught magic and wariors how to become great, any who entered the academy were guarenteed a role in the village or empire, even beyond. wariors and adventurers were essential, most of the world was unexplored and the parts that were were very dangerous so one could make a great living with those skills so the academies were respected.
So Serus wanted to become an academy student to get respect, somethign he had wanted for so long. The thing though that bothered him, was his dreams. They were terrible nightmares of someone he didn't know fighting. The man had black armor with silver viens coursing through it and a slight green tint when the being moved. He wore the furs of wolves and beasts, great bone spikes came through gaps in the great armor, the man held a great sword with the same blackness and viens, it was savage looking and deadly.
The dreams haunted Serus sometimes even in the day, he would glaze over i class or at home, even doing normal activities. They would take hold fiercely, he had kept them a secret from everyone, that was the only thing of his secluded life he enjoyed. Serus was now enrolling for a new year of school, if he qualified for the academy they would tranfer him to the village center building to determine which academy he went to. The schools were highly competitive and argued for students so the government of the village would decide.
All of the schools faught for more control, more students and often issued challenges to each other. Students often went into government and gave thier school more control but that often didn't last long, because they were usually killed. There were three schools in Serus's village, the Tower, which wore blue and black to blue and silver uniforms. There was the school of Horizon, which wore the uniforms of crimson and blue. The last school was The Dusk school, which wore Black and silver, somtimes purple but not often.
They all had thier own ranking system for example Tower students were ranked by arm bands, the different arm bands were different ranks. The Horizon school ranked on tattoos and uniforms with symbols. Finally the Dusk school established rank with numbers and arm bands. It was complicated but all were given the proper respect for thier rank.
So Serus worked everyday to become better, he had plenty of training, the locals in his village had been attacking him, by th eocals he meant the children his age and a little above his age. Serus had to fight many times a day and often walked away the victor but somtimes he had to retreat. Serus liked fighting, he didn't think he would take to it but he had.
Today Serus got up in his empty house, and went to eat some breakfast. The television clicked on as it had always done whenever anyone activated the otion sensor, and was on the news. The news stated that after the local recruitments into academy were completed there would be a rare outter village recruitment, representatives from other schools woulf come to take thier pick of the crop of students. Serus was overjoyed, this was his only chance to get out of this place and go somewhere where people would treat him with at least some respect.
Either one would be good, local academy or out of village academy but it had bothered him though. No other academy had ever allowed outside recruitment how was this new school getting to do this so easy. Serus studied hard, he couldn't learn magic yet but he knew how to focuc his energy and control it, he had listenned in on classes and was working on his own techniques that relied on the things he knew, he needed to learn how to summon, he overheard that was one of teh key principles of using fire and elemental techniques was you needed a way to summon it to you.
He pondered his abilities as the news blared in the backround, he had talent though he had been listenning in on classes because they would never allow him in. He had learnned so much but could only listen in on beginners classesand had to take what he had learnned and modify it. For example the beginner exercise to teach us how to produce a constant stream of energy and shape it was wraping your energy around fire or water and moving it. Serus was now so talented at it he could move fire and water easily far away and control them, make them bigger samaller but fire ate his energy to maintain itself, he had even figured out how to use his energy to augment his physical abilities a little and control plant growth and shaping.
The possibilities were endless for him, it seemed, but he had to act carefully, no one would allow him to actively practice so he had to pretend to be weak so they wouldn't be suspicious. Serus got up and went to get dressed and looked at himself in the mirror, he had strange tattoos on his arms that ran up them into his chest and back. He only stood five foot ten inches tall and had a compact build and tan skin. His black hair was a problem it was very long and had to be put in a pony-tail just so he could function, he even took to braiding it to get it out of his eyes. He wore his usual school uniform black slacks white shirt, with a black jacket with silver lining.
Serus grabbed his backpack and walked off to school, he was excited to get on with his training and was ahead of his school work so he could devote himself to it fully today. He would focus on his specialty using his weights to augment his abilities, they were special weights that used his energy to make themselves heavier to train both his energy and body. he had been wearing them for months and would turn up the wieght today.
Serus was so excited he didn't see the people lining up behind him as he walked, they were the same group of thugs that had been terrorizing him so much lately. The shoutted and threw a rock at serus and hit him in the back. Serus turnned around just in time to get hit in the face by a backpack full of books, he fell down instantly, he had done this acting a lot lately but he was getting fed up with this.
"Hows it taste scum, you think you can go to the same school as us i told you to not come back again" The leader said his name was Wenzee, a boy who prided himself on being strong.
"Its public schooling I'll go if i damn well want to" Serus shot back trying to get up but one of Wenzee's accomplices kicked him. "Real brave hitting someone on the ground Wenz, this is an all time low" Serus said simply as his ribbs hurt a little.
"talking back today, i think i'll do what i should have done before, you've taken advantage of my kindness too much Serus now you're gona pay" Wenzee said pulling out a knife and motioning the others to grab Serus.They grabbed ahold of him and held him in place. Serus saw the blade and looked beyond Wenzee to a couple of torches on the walls, Wenzee was gloatting and drawing out his truiphant moment before he would kill Serus but Serus had something else in mind. Enjoy it while you have it, serus thought as he focused his energy, he felt it wrap around the fire and feed it making it grow, Wenzee seemed to notice Serus wasn't istening and grew angry and went to strike down with the knife, but Serus had had enough time, he comanded the fire to shoot out and blast Wenzee from the side like a viper it extended and struck him hard, fire covered Wenzee and the others looked shocked then turnned thier attention to Serus.
One struck Serus in teh face with his fist and the other went to hit him in the stomach when serus used some energy on the water barrels behind him in the alley way, the barrel eploded and the wood hit the thug in the back hard. The one that managed to hit Serus swung again but Serus ducked and stomped on the guy's foot and jumped up, hitting the thug in the chin, sending him sprawling. The three moanned and the other thugs ran for it.
Serus went over to the smoking Wenzee, the water had extenguished the fire but the damage was done, "now you're the one taking advantage of my kindness, if you ever so much as look at me the wrong way I'll roast you alive and feed you to your family. now on a different note, you're in the advanced classes now right" Serus said rolling over Wenzee so he was face up.
"Yes, I'll get you for this Serus you should've just stayed home and let yourself be forgotten" Wenzee said in a scatchy quiet voice he cried slightly from teh pain.
"Give me your textbook, now" Serus said punching Wenzee in the face at the last remark, Wenzee pulled out a white book and handed it to Serus.
Serus smiled and walked off to school leaving Wenzee smoldering in the alley, he heard the sobbs of wenzee until he got out of the alley and into the street. Villagers looked confused, the noise from teh barrel exploding had alertted them, so serus looked confused also. He slid off to school and skated through his classes reading the advanced magic book, it was in a brown book cover as to keep others from knowing.
He was surprised to know that he had some of the knowledge in the book already, and was pleased to learn that the summoning technique he needed was in the book. He turnned up the weight on his magic weights today, he was glad to feel the tension. In a few days the academy qualifications would be held, a massive tournament where the top twenty went to academy and teh rest left bloodied, it was a fighting tournament that was renowned for its fiercness.
Serus had already submitted his application and was in the tournament now, he had done it secretly and had face much scuteny for it. The fools still believed him helpless and even tried to have him suppressed but the laws of tournament prevents anyone who applies to be denied the right to be in teh event unless they themselves wish it.
Serus was in the gym during class, he had submitted his work and asked to be left to his own devices and now practiced his specialty, physical magic and augmentation. He worked on his master technique here, the manipulation of the bones of the body, with it he could cripple his opponent in seconds. He practiced it on a science skeleton and on small animals with borken bones already, he mended the bones and got to a mastery of it just in time for the tournament.
Before the tournament Serus sat in the gym and readied his mind, he was so clouded and unfocussed but when he felt centered he saw some people enter the gym. It was the people who had tried to get him thrown out of the competition, one of them was the fatehr of Wenzee, Alexander Wenzee, big surprise.
"You're not going to compete Serus" Alexander said simply, he was a stern man.
"Yes i am, its your boy whos not competing" Serus said smiling, he knew they would try to hold him here until he was eliminated for being late.
"You attacked my boy and now you're gona hurt for it" Alaxander said letting his anger show through a little.
"Your boy was gonna stab me like a coward, with his little croanies holding me down like a dog, you should be glad i didn't finish the scum off" Serus said standing up, he was angry now, he had been looked down on by this man his entire life but not now when he was seventeen. Alexander seemed to get angry at this remark but Serus kept going, "What is it abot me that makes you people hate me so much" Serus asked the question he had built his life aroundd his entire life.
"You're supposed to be dead, now you're finally gona be dead" Alexander said taking a deep breath and showing a lot of anger through his eyes.Alexander motionned for his three friends to start heading up to Serus.
"Sorry guys but I'm not in the mood to kiss ya" Serus said smiling and running out the door of teh gym, the others followed close behind. Serus pushed book carts and other students in thier way as he dartted through the halls toward the stadium where the tournament was being held.