ZODIA

Chapter 1 - Aquarius

Zackary 

It's the age of enlightenment they say but it bores me, it's the age of Aquarius they say, the time to remember the great zodiac of knowledge but I just use this time to enjoy a day off from school. No one even cares about the stupid stories anymore, no one care about the fake dragons, magic, elements, wars, stars or anything of the sort anymore. It's the 20th of January and I should be happy no school so I have more time to prepare for that big quiz, there's a parade later and oh right it's my 18th birthday, should be a swell day but it's the same crap every year. I guess it's time to get out of bed mom has been calling me for breakfast for at least a half hour now but these sheets are so warm just another minute I guess.

!!!!KNOCK KNOCK!!!!

Mom: Get out of bed and put on a shirt, breakfast is ready.

She then scurries away so gingerly but I guess I have no choice, is that.... Is that pancakes..... Is that blue Ber....IS THAT BLUEBERRY PANCAKES? This only could mean one thing; Grangran is here, I dashed downstairs only to see that no one is in the kitchen. I see no food  on the table but I smell pancakes. I started to walk around the house searching for everyone but there's nothing. It was strange that there's no one here but mother was just in my room a moment ago. Suddenly my body froze and it got harder to breathe, I can only stare to the blank wall as I can no longer blink. My body feels nothing, no cold, warmth, insect bite or anything, I thought I was dreaming but I clearly just got out of bed. On the wall lines appear forming a glowing blue symbol, I think to myself you've got to be kidding me as the zodiac sign of the Aquarius is formed but within it a message "Happy Birthday 7th, you enter another year of age but note the journey has just began, you follow the trials of the elements now so be ready for anything" "What the absolute hell just happened" I asked myself as the light dims and the symbol vanished but as quickly as it disappeared everything went black.

RING RING I SAID RING!!! I pitch up as my action alarm goes off puzzled about what just transpired, looks at phone "Monday January 20th Happy Birthday" I can only hold my head in disbelief confused, tired and hungry. I can hear the faint sound of mother calling me from downstairs "Breakfast is ready Zack, hurry get down here before it gets cold" she said, like always I dragged myself out of bed falling on my face in laziness still puzzled of that dream. As I walked downstairs thinking to myself if dad kept his promise and came home from his research and as I drew closer to the kitchen I spot a large box with a note upon it, my mother greets me with birthday wishes and hugs as Grangran smiles as she brought to the table a dozen of her signature blueberry pancakes, so sweet, fluffy and mouth watering. We sat to the table having a special birthday breakfast and reminiscing on a few years ago before my father went on his research journey, to think its been 3  years already since I've last seen him but I got the occasional letter and gift from him. Enough thinking on the past, by the looks of it, he ain't coming today anymore but instead sent a giant box in his place. After breakfast I carried it to my room and before opening the box I read the attached note

 "My son it truly has been too long since we last saw each other, my journey has driven me into some crazy situations. I've uncovered allot in my research and truly hope one day that I can share it with you ZODIA.."

 When I said "ZODIA" the words got reconfigured revealing a hidden message.

"Fire, Water, Earth, Air, the four basic elements of the land. When the sun and moon both grace the sky at once, the world shall face a war like no other. He who descends from the light and Dark shall face a decision to create and destroy, you will face this choice and change the course of revelations"

Then the words went back to normal continuing

"The world ain't as they want us to believe, I love you Zachary please cherish your gifts for you will see their true value"

 I paused briefly trying to wrap my head around everything but I just couldn't, I opened the box and four items were inside; a ring with a strange blue gemstone, a bracelet with small spikes around it, a dusty old pocket book with all the pages blank, with zodiac prints and a key with a similar design. I honestly was shocked but I guess it's the thought that counts, I strung the ring around my neck and put on the bracelet, stylish yet a classic look. I spent a few hours with my mom and Grangran enjoying the holiday festivities and enjoying the last hours of my birthday. After spending time with my family  I met up with best friend Gabriel to the school fair and everything was going well until my ring started to glow then suddenly the ground shuck and emerged six large boulders that circled everyone. A voice was heard in the distance asking "The book of 12 where is it?" but everyone remained panicking and failed to give any answers. The boulders that once circled us stopped and hovered "I shall ask again, where is the book of 12? It was tracked to this city, speak now." the voice yelled but no one responded so in a blink of an eye the boulders started to fall, my ring continued to glow and everyone almost became roadkill but a force-field sprung at the last minute saving everyone. The boulders crumbled and after the dirt and dust cleared the force-field had resided and my ring no longer glowed, everyone was in a daze for a bit confused about what had just transpired but Gabby and I didn't stay but went our separate ways. I went back home and went straight to bed today was a long day and I had allot to process so without hesitation I dropped and was out like a light.

The next morning I awoke refreshed like a battery has been recharged in me but the mood changed when I remembered there's a test at ten. After getting cleaned up I head downstairs and could hear the news on, apparently there has been strange rock slides, craters and stone pillars  all over the city "Could it have been the same person from yesterday I pondered but no conclusion could have been made, I just didn't care". Before I left for school I had a strange feeling to take the book with me so a dashed upstairs and retrieved it along with my ring and bracelet. As I walked to school I felt an unknown pressure around me like someone was tracking me but as I looked around I saw nothing, I arrived to school early so I had time to study before my first class and everyone seemed to be trying to solve the mystery of the attacks most people came to the conclusion of elemental magic but I just pushed it aside, again I have a quiz in a bit. After the quiz my mind was free to wonder and it surely did, I sat on the bench day dreaming until Gabby popped up out of nowhere and woke me up. "School is about to end" she said ' and in the distance we heard screams and loud crashing sounds and again no one really payed it any mind thinking that it's just another random attack. The bell rang for school to end and as I walked out the door to head home the journal fell out my back and opened to the first page. The once blank page now read.

"Rule #1 Where there is death a new life shall begin. This law applies only to the supernatural side of the world where a tragedy can trigger a new faith. Be aware of what's to come for the new war shall start."

I paused then notice smoke in the distance, police cars, firetrucks and ambulances rushed passed the school heading towards the scene. I  started my trot home and as I get closer to my house I noticed the smoke did as well and that's when I saw it......

I ran through the yard screaming for my mother and Grangran but no answer,  the officials tried to stop me but failed. I got inside to what was left of my house only to see that most of it was destroyed still under flames. I walked through smoke headed to the area where the living room was and immediately fell to my knees.

"Grangran no not Grangran"

Pined halfway under a boulder, her arms stretched out like a last attempt to plead for help or something. The officials stood by as they had just finished extinguishing the remaining flames and they felt sorry for me. One of the officers came to me placing his hand on my shoulder saying that "he's sorry for my lost and that my mother...." before he finished, it hit me that my mother isn't down here.

"WHERE IS MY MOM?" I asked with tears in my eyes and then I ran upstairs not worrying about if I would fall or not, I went to her room where it was blocked and broke through the debris. There was a hole through the floor smoke and ashes everywhere, when the smoke cleared a bit the tears I had left in me poured more like an ocean. My mother was pined to the wall beaten, burned and impaled by large spikes ....

"She was tortured but why.... WHY...? She didn't deserve this, SHE DIDN'T DESERVE THIS!!!!

I heard shouts but faintly as the floor callapsed then everything just went black as the last sight I had that day was the sight of my dead mother.