Operation : Shadow

Chapter One

Although I, Marcus Daniels, didn't realize it, my troubles started as soon as we moved to Luset. I became a student at Meadows Academy for boys and girls and soon was the topper of my class. So, on the first day at the academy, I strolled into my class, late as usual, just to see everyone facing me, chanting the U.S. National Anthem.

"Marcus, please see me once the anthem is finished." said Mrs. Nawal, our class teacher.

As soon as the anthem ended, I walked up to Mrs. Nawal's desk and stood there, looking solemn, hoping she would forgive me for being late. Just as she opened her mouth, a noise started, getting louder by the second, and I couldn't really tell what it was.

After the day had come to a close and I was dreading the long walk home, I spotted a black figure standing a couple meters away from the stop sign outside the school, when someone ran in front of me and jumped on the figure beside them, pinning them to the ground. Not knowing what to do, I started heading for the taxi cab stationed outside the building.

"Taxi, taxi!" I shouted, trying to get them to acknowledge me.

Our eyes locked, and he motioned for me to hurry on over to the car. I hopped in and quickly told him my address.

"9374 Canopy Lane, quickly please!" I said, trying to get him to start the engine.

"Sure, buckle up!" He replied, without turning back to look at me.

As we were driving, I saw a couple people staring at the sky, where I saw multiple jet-liners lined up in a line as if waiting for cargo.

"What's going on here?" I whispered to the taxi driver. "Oh, just the usual jet-liner parade, it happens every year." He concluded

"Oh OK, thank you" I replied, still staring up at the now very colorful sky.

Once we got to my house, I quickly hopped out, paid him his taxi fare and got blocked by the people amassing outside my doorstep.

"Move kid.......Get outta here......Bro, get moving" were some comments that were directed towards me once I tried to get to my house.

Once I got inside my house, I quickly hopped onto my bed and peered out the window to look for any signs of the strange silhouette that I'd seen earlier. I didn't see any strange items on the street and for the next 3 hours, my exhaustion took over and I slept soundly. I woke up again at 6:00 p.m. that evening and suddenly, I felt dazed as if nothing seemed real, and then it came again, the same sound that I had heard in the academy. There wasn't anyone on the street and so I hurried on over to the academy to see a man standing below the entrance doors, like he was waiting for someone. I crept closer and for a moment his eyes locked with mine, and he broke into a run.

"Hey, stop!" I shouted, but he kept on running, and I started to follow him at a slow but steady pace. After 5 minutes of running and following, I saw him go into a nearby deserted restaurant. I followed him inside and quickly jumped behind a bunch of barrels. From behind the barrels, I could make out what they were saying.

"He's gone, boss" I heard the man who I was chasing say,

"What! You fool! You were ordered to take him captive, not let him go" The BOSS ordered, "Now look what you've done to the SHADOW's reputation!"

"I'm sorry boss, I'll get him tomorrow" The man said.

"You better, if you don't, you'll regret it. And don't forget once you capture the boy, don't tell him about his legacy until we extract his power" The boss replied.

I had had enough of this, I bolted out the door, and ran towards the house. The fact that I had a legacy was one to keep pondering on and so I decided to consult my mother.

"Mom!" I yelled when I got home.

"Yes, Marcus?" She replied. "What is it?"

" Do I belong to a legacy?" I responded. And then I saw it in her eyes, like she was about to cry. She sighed and then looked me straight in the eyes for a moment.

"Yes........yes you do" she said. And by then I realized that the legacy, whatever it was had taken a huge toll on our family. And for the next hour, I sat with my mom in a long discussion on the Sun Dynasty and how it related to my father and myself.

"So basically, I have the power of the sun in me, and I can use it to free the red sun in another world?" I asked my mom, very sarcastically.

"Unfortunately, yes.." My mom replied.

"Right, so how exactly do I go about doing this?" I asked my mom.

"Right now, I suggest that you hand over yourself to the SHADOW, they extract your power, and then they send you back." She said.

"Are you crazy??!!" I shouted.

"Stop being so melodramatic, I'm sure once they take your power out, you'll be fine." she said back.

"I'm not doing that" I replied, after which I ran up the steps and sprawled out over my bed. I saw the silhouette again, and I thought that that should've been the man who was under the academy's entrance, but I was mistaken, it looked nothing like him. I looked at myself in the mirror for a quick second and pulled my hoodie over myself lay down in the bed, thinking..