In the Shadows We Fight (for justice and ourselves)

What are we going to do?

Early chapter since I don't think I'll be able to get it out tomorrow

Ranboo had been born in the End, the floating islands to the north of the Essempei. It was a land that was composed of Enderian species including Endermen, Shulks, and other void creatures. The islands were made of sturdy material, but the surfaces were covered in sand that could shift at any moment to pull the inhabitants of the End hurtling to the surface. The ground far below that had warped to be absent of vegetation or any lifeforms. The only thing colder than the temperature were the people. In a place like the End with its limited resources, the creatures that lived there were selfish and possessive. Offsprings were abandoned upon birth with survival of the fittest being the dominating law among those who reigned and those who perished. It was a harsh environment filled with even harsher people.

Ranboo had been born with a problem. His genetic codes were a little out of whack, and his brain was wired differently from everyone else. He blamed it on the fact that while he was part Enderian, his progenitors must not have been. No, Ranboo was born with a weakness... he was born kind and sentient. He was not content to live the way that every other creature did. He wanted something more than basic nourishment and the feeling of owning a lot of things. He wanted companions to share his precious objects with. He wanted to experience art and culture that the Ender islands simply did not possess. Ranboo lived a very lonely life, ambling for something more. He hated being trapped in the mundane with no one at his side.

Ranboo was at the very ends of his sanity when the other Enderians discovered a peculiar trait about Ranboo. He was one of the gifted. Ancient Enderians had possessed the ability to teleport short distances. That trait was soon bred out of Enderians. Ranboo, despite all genetic odds, was born with the ability to teleport. In fact, his ability far exceeded the rumored abilities of his forefathers. With a remarkable ability like that, the Enderians all agreed that Ranboo needed more training. They wanted to make a saint out of him. Ranboo felt more like a martyr.

Ranboo was sent to Empessei to get some training from Lady Talon. They told him that she was the avatar of their goddess, the Great Ender Dragon. She went by the name 'Lady Talon' for many reasons. The mortals of the Essempei weren't allowed to know her name was one huge reason, and the other was because in the Essempei, they had 'heroes'. These 'heroes' were other people with gifts that were vastly different from Ranboo's gift. Lady Talon was meant to use her gift to fight people who abused their gifts. Ranboo asked what that meant, and the Enderians told him that 'villains', the abusers, were whoever the government said they were ( Ranboo later learned what a villain actually was. It was someone who abused their powers to hurt others. The Enderians just couldn't understand that some nations don't encourage people to murder each other for what they want ).

When Ranboo arrived in Essempei, he found that Lady Talon wasn't nearly as mystical as she was made out to be. She reminded him of a military sergeant. She gave orders with a cold look, all her actions driven by precise calculations. She wasn't a horrible hero. Quite the opposite, she was efficient with a high success rate. The real issue lay between her and Ranboo. Their relationship was frayed before they both even met. They had been told enough about each other to form opinions. To Ranboo, Lady Talon was something above him. She was his goddess in mortal form. He had to respect her, but he could not be friendly with her. Lady Talon could only see Ranboo as a reminder of where she came from and what she couldn't have. There was an additional reason why Ranboo was sent to her, after all. It was to remind Lady Talon that she was not 'human', she was Enderian. She wasn't supposed to have any relationships with humans beyond basic civility.

Ranboo wasn't supposed to, either, but he had found himself in a bakery one day after Lady Talon had a break-down. Ranboo wasn't sure what he was supposed to do in that situation. Lady Talon had always been so calm and confident in an indifferent sort of way. He couldn't bear to see her yelling at anything in her field of vision while tears poured from her eyes. She clutched a small box that Ranboo knew was filled with pictures even if he didn't know what of. She yelled at him to stop calling her 'that'. She almost begged him to call her 'Jean', and Ranboo didn't know who that was until his brain put the pieces together. Lady Talon's true name was Jean, the one she had to leave behind when she came to the Essempei and the one she was denied by the Enderian's who saw her as so much more than she was ready for. Ranboo had run away, and that was how he ended up in a bakery.