Source of Hatred

Prologue

The sounds of fighting filled a young girl's ears. She hadbright eyes and blonde hair.

Her smile was sweet and innocent as she turned to her mother, silently asking to watch the fighting. Eyes practically begging.

It wasnt so much the fighting she loved. It was the abilities the fighters had that drew her in.

"Okay, Karah, but as soon as ots over you must get to your studies." Her mother relented. The woman was tall, athletically toned with an angular face and the same bright eyes as her daughter, though her own hair was brown. She wore a long white and blue dress with golden shackles on her arms and similar jewelry around her neck.

Karah's eyes lit up in the excitement only children know as she scrambled over to the balcony to watch.

Sadly, not all children knew this happiness.
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Two cowboys stood in a sand ring. Neither had a shirt on, exposing several welts and bruises along their bodies.

They were twins with shaved heads and deep blue eyes. One with black pants, one with white.

They faced off against a man in regal, mercury colored armor over his robes. He held a long wooden staff and he motioned for the boys to attack him.

The wind blew his long dark hai a bit. His eyes studied them closely.

He couldnt underestimate them. Not even a little. Being manipulators gave them abilities beyond the norm, and they were slowly but surely discovering them.

The boys charged him directly. They moved as one, cohesive, unit. No movement wasted at all.

As expected of the sons of the great war hero, Maximus.

The older man stepped into their attack, using his staff to slap their strikes away with little effort, then threw a foot into the closest brother's back, knocking him away.

"Jaelen!" The other called after his brother, then faced the older man angrily.

The older man stilled as the boy in black charged again, this time even faster.

He jumped, rotating mid-air, and threw his own foot towards the man's face.

The elder man blocked with his staff, which broke in the middle and made the elder stumble. He looked up in shock at the boy, just as he held a hand up, palm towards the old man.

The older warrior's eyes widened more as he felt a rush of power, "No Ra-!,"

Too late. The boy extended his hand and a wall of invisible energy slammed into the man, throwing him back into the arena wall so hard the wind was blown from his lungs.

"Stop." It wasnt loud, but the authority behind it was clear and both boys got into kneeling positions with their right fists touching the sand and their left fists over their hearts.

The man that had spoken was tall, muscular, in his early thirties. His hair was held back by a golden ring serving as a crown. His eyes were dark as was his lengthy hair.

He wore no armor, but was flanked by two armored men in masks.

He spoke again. "Jaelen, you expose yourself too much. Do better." The boy in white seemed to say a bit at the criticism. The man eyed the other boy. "Raelen, today you've accessed the power and used it for the first time... excellent. I expect you to progress with this power quickly."

Raelen, the boy in black, nodded solemnly. He could still feel it. The primal energy now coursing through his veins, begging to be utilized.

He looked at his brother through the corner of his eye, promising himself to help him learn to wield the same powerful energy.

The elder warrior finally pulled himself to his feet. "My king." He put a fist over his heart and dipped his head before continuing. "Raelen has natural talent unlike anything I've ever seen, and his brother isnt far behind, despite his performance today. I knew Raelen was closer to tapping into it, so I took Jaelen out of the fight first on purpose. Please dont punish him."

The king regarded him with indifferent eyes, "As you wish, Thorne."

The old warrior smiled gratefully a d added, "I'll begin teaching Raelen how to properly use the power soon, and I'll work on getting Jaelen access to his own power also."

"Very well. I will return in one month. I expect adequate progress." The king turned on his heel and marched away.

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"Wow! Mom, didja see that?" Karah asked her mother as Thorne slammed into the wall.

Her mother nodded, "I did, honey. That's the power of a Black Knight, specifically a manipulator. Regular knights are a dime a dozen, manipulators are extremely rare and good ones are easily worth a hundred regular knights. You'll be seeing much of those boys in your studies since you. So try not to get in their way, alright sweety?"

Karah only nodded, strangely she felt ripples around her. Like standing in water and something splashing in next to you, and it started when Raelen used his power.

The girl got off the railing and sighed, getting ready to study.
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Several days later.

Karah sat in her room, on her bed, staring at a helmet at the edge of her bed. She'd stolen it from a guard earlier that day to play with.

Now though, all she could think about was that power the boy in black had used. The ripples...

She could still feel them, moving about the room, but not actually touching anything.

Her eyes narrowed as she reached out to the sensation, trying to grip the rippling energy. As soon as she closed her hand, the helmet was crushed with a quick squeal of metal.

She looked up in surprise and her hand opened, immediately causing the bed under the helmet to catch fire and the helmet to start melting.

Karah panicked and threw her blanket off the bed to start stomping it out, but when she did she only succeeded in throwing a flaming blanket at her bookcase.

"Oh no!" She started trying to fight the flames, but they continued to grow and she screamed as she touched the incredibly hot metal of the helmet, burning her fingers.

The door burst open and a masked guard rushed in, he wore black and red armor and had a symbol of a shield on his breast plate. "Your highness!" He noticed the flames and waved an arm at them.

Karah's eyes widened as the ripples flowed away from him and the flames went out. "Your highness, are you okay? I'll send for someone to clean this mess." He got ready to leave her. He was curious how the fire had started, but knew it wasnt his place to question a royal.

Karah nodded, still reeling at the feeling of the ripples over her skin, into her veins...her very bones. She had the power. "I... I am well, thank you..."