Shattered Bonds

Prologue

'They told you they could never understand you. And what they cannot understand, they fear. And what they fear... they seek to destroy.'

Year- 2043

The wind howled like a wounded beast, clawing at Tokyo with icy fingers as rain lashed against the buildings. The city, a concrete jungle normally ablaze with lights, was now a shadowy labyrinth. And through this labyrinth was a woman running for her life.

Her wet maroon cloak clung to her thin frame, heavy on her shoulders as she wove through the dark streets. Her only guide being the brief, blinding flashes of lightning; which illuminated not only her way, but also the extent of devastation the war had brought-shattered windows, collapsed buildings, and twisted metal. The once familiar landmarks were almost unrecognizable.

A particularly violent gust of the wind shook the building close to her, and a loose tile crashed to the pavement below, just a few inches from her feet. She yelped silently, weaving around the broken shards carefully before resuming her previous speed. She was running out of breath and she just hoped the weather provided more trouble for her pursuers than it did her.

She could hear them shouting, their hateful screams rang in the air, each one stabbing into her heart more painfully than the last. The people she had laughed with, loved, shared her life with for over 20 years, were now out to kill her. And they would succeed, the bleeding wound on her stomach indicated as such.

"KILL THE WITCH!"

"CURSED WENCH!"

"BURN HER TO ASHES!"

"SHE'LL BRING DESTRUCTION TO OUR TOWN."

'No! Stop! That's not my ability! That's not what it does!' She wanted to yell out, but she couldn't.

There was no point in screaming, in fighting. They wouldn't listen. They never had. Blinded by fear and hate, they had turned a deaf ear to pleas for mercy. What they had once considered unimaginable, they now committed without hesitation. And now, it was clear that they wouldn't spare her.

So she ran, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs, her breath coming in ragged gasps. She ran with only one destination in mind, towards her only solace.

This wasn't a game where she could just start over, she was painfully aware of that. This was reality, and she knew she was dying. There was no escaping it, no walking away unscathed. It had been that way ever since Meta-abilities started appearing in the world.

No one knew where they came from, or how. They just suddenly appeared three years ago, throwing the world into chaos. Society broke down, governments started falling. Those with meta-abilities began to be persecuted.

The prejudice of people grew with the sudden onslaught of criminals empowered by their newfound "superpowers" and the divide between the powered and powerless widened. The world descended into a state of anarchy as meta-humans took the law into their own hands, fighting against the rampant criminals while wreaking havoc of their own. Anti-meta groups emerged, fueled by fear and hatred, their sole purpose to eradicate those with abilities.

This dichotomy led to a deep-seated resentment and distrust between the two groups. And the divide culminated in a devastating war, as both sides fought for their survival and dominance. The conflict left the world in ruins, and uncountable lives were lost. The scars of the war would take generations to heal. And they had no thoughts of stopping.

The war would continue for years to come before people start accepting meta-abilities; before meta-abilities are thought of as extraordinary. And she won't be there to see it. Her body ached, her strength fading with each passing moment. As she stumbled through the ruins, she could only hope that one day, the world would find peace.