Age of Ember

Chapter 1

19 Years Later...

Odrian is standing in pure darkness with no light in sight.

"You can't pass!!!" a mysterious voice calls out to Odrian while he is sleeping.

"No, I have to. It's the only way I'll ever gain control," he responds back to the voice in complete darkness. He tilts his head, looking around for the origin. The floor beneath him vanishes, and he falls infinitely into the darkness. Reaching his hands up into the air, he tries to find something to halt his fall. He hears another familiar voice call out.

"Wake up... yo get up... God! You always do this... What do you be up to at night?" Landon yells at Odrian, who is laid sprawled out on his bed. He grows impatient as Odrian rolls over and repositions himself.

Talking to someone who was still heavily asleep is frustrating, to say the least.

"Alright, forget this! I'm gonna have to kick the life out of you! I warned you."

Landon kicks him in the stomach violently enough to awaken Odrian. In shock, he sits up, gasping for air. Looking towards his brother, he rubs his eyes and yawns after he is able to breathe normally again.

"Man, what the hell was that for?" Odrian sits up, clenching his stomach.

"Today's the entrance exam for the university, remember? You can't be late. You're making me late for class."

"Oh, yeah? What time is it?"

"It's 9 am. We gotta be in the classroom at 10 am."

"Damnnnn!!"

Odrian rushes out of bed, almost tripping as he sprints to the shower down the hallway.

"Why didn't you wake me up sooner?" Odrian shouts with the shower running.

Landon leans against the bathroom door, waiting on the outside, and raises an eyebrow at his question. Did he expect a response?

"Odrian, you should be old enough to wake up on your own! Trust me, I've tried. You're just a heavy sleeper."

"Ugh."

"Hey, just be happy there are 48 hours in a day."

"I get it, but I guess there's no reason why I should be oversleeping too."

Landon steps away from the door.

"By the way, we got training with the old man today after school."

"Isn't it supposed to rain today?"

"Yeah, but that's what the old man wants. He has a special assignment for us at 34:00 hours before it gets dark at 39:00 hours."

"Why can't he just use regular people's time?"

"He's not wrong."

"Yeah, it's unnecessary."

"Whatever. We gotta get going."

The shower finally cuts off for a brief moment. Landon could hear a ruckus stir in the bathroom while making his way downstairs to have breakfast with the rest of the family. Odrian stands momentarily, letting the water beat on his afro. He stared into the ceiling, wondering what kind of training they would be doing today. Excited with anticipation for the day, he hopped out of the shower. He then looks into the mirror and thinks to himself; this six-pack wouldn't look better on anyone else.

"I can't wait to impress some lucky lady during this exam," Odrian said to his reflection with a suave yet slightly sinister grin on his face. As his grin fades, he steps up against the wall to measure his height in hopes he might get a little taller.