Prometheus: Harbinger of Conflagration (Shatterpoint part 1)

Chapter 2

Speaking from recent experience, I would definitely NOT recommend free falling 20 down to land on cobblestones. It hurts like a son of a bitch, and I'm almost 100 percent sure I heard something crack as I landed. Nevertheless, I was too determined to get the hell away from that creepy doctor, his Frankenstein-like assistant, and that backstabbing, rat-controlling gremlin, Charlie Walter. As my bare feet race upon the cobblestones beneath me, my head pounds as the pain flares up again and again, and the stench of three day old carcasses flooded my senses. All around me people are dragging belongings out of the ashes and crying over loved ones.

'This...' I thought, 'this is all my fault. I'm a 16-year-old boy from Gideon, USA, and I started a fire which is razing London to the ground.'

Noticing the flames hadn't yet spread to to other side of the Thames, I raced towards a nearby bridge. As I began to cross, I heard shouting behind me. Pausing for a few seconds, I turned and saw the Doctor yelling at some peasants, having emerged from his facade. He then turned and pointed at me. The mob of peasants all turned almost simultaneously and began to charge towards me, all yelling such like "There's ta kid!" and "He's the one who started the fire!". Knowing this couldn't end well, I turned heel and pelted across the bridge. Unfortunately, as tired, hungry and injured as I was, some of them soon caught up to me on the bridge. As I was tackled to the ground, this new instinct kicked in, the fever I had broke and flames once again seared from my hands, catching on the mob. Screaming for dear life, they catapulted themselves off of the bridge and into the churning waters of the Thames below. Seeing the inferno spewing from my hands, the rest of the mob halted. "We don't like your kind around these parts!" one of them shouted.

"Wha-what?" I stammered in disbelief. 'Have they seen others like me before?' I thought.

"You're a warlock, aren't ye?" the one who seemed to be their leader said, "tere's no magic allowed in London! It's by order of the Assistant to the Lord Mayor of London, August Blackwoar! Begone, ye harbinger of conflagration! Ye've already reduced us to cinders! Leave us in peace, ye demon!"

Picked myself up, I stumbled away, their taunting words of degradation carrying themselves on the ashes of the dead across the wind. I raced through the city streets, ignoring the pain searing through my leg and the hues of blues, yellows and reds swimming through my vision with only one goal in mind- get out of the city. You can't ruin anyone else's life if you're the only one for miles right? Later that night, I collapsed from exhaustion and hunger in the middle of some a wooded area.

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That night, I had the trippiest dream. I was in what appeared to be a cave, but it wasn't dark or cold, it was well-lit (despite having no visible light sources) and the temperature was like what air conditioning feels like after being outside the whole day during summer. I was seated in a leather chair, and standing across from me was a Native American man in his early 20's wearing a long trench coat. A device on his wrist buzzed, whirled, and had holographic numbers swirling around it. The strange thing was, the whole thing looked like it was in a TV with bad reception, or like it was all just an illusion, as the cave and the dude would glitch in and out of reality every so often.

"A- Alex," the man spazzed, "y- you don't k- know me yet, but I- I'm the Wander- Wanderer. I'm a travel- traveler from the future a- and reality is bro- broken. Some- something triggered around you. I can us- usually travel to any- anytime but all of time is shattered. I'm stuck- I'm stuck in the time stream until it fix- fixes. I can't help you directly, but I- I can occas- occasionally focus on your sig- signal and point you in the right direct- direction."

"What?" I asked. "Where is this place? Who are you?"

The man sighed. "I should- should've figured you'd still be clueless. Jus- just go to the city of Milan, at the base of the Alps. As- Ask for the four-scared man. He- he can help you. I can't hold the con- connection any long- longer. Good- good luck". The man glitched one last time and the whole room vanished, leaving me floating in a void. My vision faded to black and I felt the fever rising in me again. Waking up in a sweat, there was a circle of embers soldering around me. "Well shit," I groaned. Clambering to my feet, I stomped out the embers. Suddenly, I remembered my dream. I remembered the strange man in the cave, as well as his directions. Go to Milan', I thought. It wasn't much of a plan, and it could've all been a hallucination, but it was the only thing I had to go on. So, I headed south-ish (based on where the sun was) and began the journey.