Genesis (Prophecy Rock Series, Book 1)

by T. Sae-Low

  “Go away!” Gama threw his empty milk bottle at the little girl. “She’s always following us, Rad, it’s so annoying.”

  Raden chuckled at Gama’s indignation. To think that a skinny little girl would set him off like this.

  “Why’s she always following us, Rad? I don’t want to be her friend. She’s funny looking. Big head, weird blonde hair, and yellow colored eyes; she looks like a dandelion.”

  “Relax, Gama. She’s probably just scared, and looking to make friends.”

  Why she had decided to follow them was still a mystery to Raden. She was only slightly younger than them. According to Gama’s grand philosophy on life, a third grader had no business trying to make friends with older fifth graders. Raden had noticed her around the academy, hiding beside the benches, behind the library, peeking out every once in a while to steal glimpses of him. Being new to the academy must’ve been hard; he knew the feeling all too well. For the first half of fourth grade, Raden had been the new student. Picked on by bullies, ignored, and laughed at by the girls in his class, Raden knew how cruel children could be. And so he did just what this little girl did; he hid, he kept to himself, and he completely disappeared. He was invisible; even the teachers seemed to forget his name at times. Frustrated by his constant distractions and inattention, they had simply ignored him. That’s how Raden’s life began at the academy, and he learned to accept it. It wasn’t in the cards for him to make friends, he told himself. The bullies even stopped harassing him as they moved on to other new students. Fresh meat they would say, as they’d chase the terrified new kids around campus. That’s how life continued, until that one day, after the winter break.

  The self-titled Super Squad had decided to target the newest addition; a tubby little kid who always had food hidden away in his pockets and food stains across his cheeks. Raden watched from his regular spot, hidden along the perimeter of the playground. Raden sat next to the hedges, picking at the daisies, and peering out onto the street. He gazed at the grass, flower petals, and trees nearby. Symbols of the Ancients flickered in and out of view. When the symbols disappeared, he watched the pedestrians walk through the village, going about their business. He passed the time by imagining stories of where they were going. The blacksmith raced by, probably off to forge a mighty sword for the next great Renzai warrior. Farmers hauled fresh produce along cart driven ox, rushing off to provide fresh food for weary soldiers in battle. He stared out through the fence, the academy nothing more than background noise to him now, until he heard the furious sounds of feet and fists nearby. Raden turned to see what all the commotion was, and suddenly found himself caught up in the middle of a fight. The Super Squad had tried to take the tubby kid’s snacks and found unexpected resistance. The tubby kid punched, kicked, grabbed, and bit with no reservations whatsoever. The only ones crying this time were the three bullies themselves, who ran away as fast as they could. The new kid, overtly proud of himself, called out all types of expletives at the would-be muggers; half of the words Raden did not know the meanings of.

  Raden was in awe. Never had anyone tried to stand up to the bullies before, let alone win a three on one fight. The new kid pulled out a sweet treat from his pocket and began to chew it when he caught Raden staring at him.

  “You want some of this, too!” he yelled at Raden, waving his candy filled fist in the air.

  “No, no… not at all. I just think it’s…” Raden searched for the right words to describe what he just witnessed, “awesome… what you did to the Super Squad.”

  The new kid’s demeanor changed. “Oh yeah? I guess it was pretty awesome. My name’s Gama, what’s yours?”

  “I’m Raden.”

  “Nice to meet you, Raden. I think I’m going to call you Rad from now on. Plus, you kind of have a funny face. It makes me laugh. We’ll be good friends.”

  From that day on Raden had never been alone. So he sympathized with the new girl’s plight. She followed Raden and Gama as they made their rounds of the playground. Gama, the socialite that he was, mingled with every kid at school, partly because he enjoyed the attention, but more so because he secretly collected snacks from everyone who had requested his protection from the Super Squad. Only in fifth grade, yet he operated a racketeering and extortion business, but that was Gama through and through. The blonde haired girl always stayed a good distance behind them, but every time Raden turned around, she was there, watching him. Gama, too preoccupied with his racketeering business, didn’t notice as Raden dropped sunflower petals he kept in his pocket. The girl picked them up, one at a time. It was a small and innocuous game they played and enjoyed. Raden would try, in his own way, to befriend this lonely girl.

  Months later, the Super Squad, still trying to reign dominant along the yard, decided to pick on the big headed blonde haired girl. Bad idea. Though small in stature, the two of them watched in disbelief as she judo tossed the first two bullies, and kimura locked the third into submission. Raden and Gama’s jaws dropped to the floor. She finally released the submission hold, kicking up dirt and spitting profusely as the bullies ran off in defeat. Gama liked her immediately.

  “That girl is kind of cute, I’m going to go talk to her,” Gama whispered.

  “I thought you hated her?” Raden asked incredulously.

  “That was before I knew she could fight! I think we’d make a good couple.”

  Raden laughed as he followed Gama over to the little spitfire.

  “That was impressive, Short Stuff! How’d you like to be my girlfriend?”

  Real smooth Gama, thought Raden.

  The girl completely ignored Gama, locking eyes with Raden.

  “I’m Kara. It’s nice to meet you, Raden.”

  “I’m Ra— oh, you already know my name.”

  Gama bristled at what he was witnessing. “I’m the hunk here, and she goes after the scrawny shy one? Greeeat.” From that day forward, their duo became a trio, much to Gama’s chagrin.

  As years passed, and they continued through the academy, Kara and Raden’s fondness grew into something more. Gama could feel it every time they were around each other. His constant prompting for them to declare their love for each other only resulted in Kara’s unkind berating, usually involving his size and eating habits.

  From graduation to their admittance into the military, they never strayed too far apart, assigned to separate divisions of the Lion Tribe. Gama entered the hunting and tracking division; Kara pursued espionage and intelligence, while Raden enlisted in Combat and Special Forces.

  Kara had never spoken of her family to either of them. They always assumed she was orphaned, like them, and so had no family to speak of. Until the day she invited them over for dinner. Kara had successfully achieved the rank of 1st officer in her division, and her family wanted to celebrate the occasion. Raden and Gama, unsure of what to expect soon found themselves seated at the dinner table with General Yagar. He was Kara’s father. She was the legendary general’s daughter.

  Raden and Gama were the epitome of gentlemen. It was the one time that Gama did not envy Kara’s fondness for Raden. He was relieved to know that he wouldn’t be the one grilled about affections towards the general’s daughter.

  “You two seemed surprised?” Yagar asked as Kara smirked silently from her seat.

  Neither of them wanted to answer, but knew they shouldn’t remain silent either.

  Raden started. “Umm… we were under the impression that Kara did not… have a… family.”

  “I never mentioned my family, doesn’t mean I didn’t have one,” Kara responded.

  Yagar elaborated. “Kara never mentioned her family at my request. I felt as though fellow students and teachers would treat her unfairly if they knew she was my daughter. The academy is hard enough; I didn’t want her dealing with that pressure as well.”

  Gama kept his mouth busy with food, leaving Raden alone to continue the conversation.

  “I see, sir. In that case, is your wife joining us for dinner as well?
”

  Kara’s body seemed to wilt a little.

  “Kara’s mother is no longer with us. She passed away when Kara was only a year old.”

  “I’m sorry to hear that, sir.”

  “I can still see her in Kara, though. So, in that sense, she’s never really left us. As long as Kara’s still with me, our family is whole. Perhaps one day, Kara will meet the right man and give me some grandchildren.”

  Gama choked on a piece of beef, gasping for air; he grabbed some water for relief, while simultaneously kicking Raden’s chair from underneath the table. Raden, already flustered, tried to prepare for the inevitable deluge of questions forthcoming.

  “Raden. Try not to look like you’re about to pass out. Kara’s told me at length about the two of you. You seem to be an upstanding gentleman. I’ve been following your development in the military. It appears that you are a very capable, yet average soldier. To be honest, I hoped for Kara to be with someone on track for leadership and officer training, but those are my wishes, not hers. You do seem to have a good head on your shoulders, and understand how to take care of your responsibilities. Kara’s mentioned your difficult childhood. You have a younger sister that you care for, after the loss of your parents. I admire that duty to family. That, Raden, I can truly respect.”

  Yagar grabbed Raden by the shoulder, his massive hand gripping it firmly.

  “Kara is my only child. I know that I cannot keep her by my side forever. I only ask that you do anything and everything you can to take care of her for me when I’m gone. Can you do that, son?”

  Raden already knew the answer. He steadied himself, looked Yagar straight into his eyes and spoke calmly.

  “Until my dying breath I will protect her, General.”

  Yagar nodded approvingly, Kara blushed, and Gama stuffed his mouth with Raden’s leftovers. This was the last memory Raden had before he regained consciousness. His right eye was the only functional one now. He lifted his head off the floor to see Kara’s lifeless body, sunken deep into the ground. The beast noticed Raden’s movements, and began to march towards him. He had broken his promise to her father. He had failed. The grief overwhelmed him, racking his body and mind with a pain he never felt before. It was too much to bear. He felt his insides ripping apart, one fiber at a time. The beast reached down, grabbing Raden by his chest. His anguish manifested into rage. He was no longer in control. From deep within, another presence took over. Raden grabbed the beast by the throat and watched as flames burst forth from his hands.

  Chapter 37