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No one had been around to see it appear. One afternoon,
there was an empty stretch of grass next to the road. The next morning, a small
brick tower was there. It was odd, certainly, but most people driving past
simply wondered, “Oh, when did that get built?” and “I wonder what that’s for?”
People busy with their own lives and concerns didn’t
generally have time to stop and ponder over such a mundane mystery. But by noon
of the first day, eventually word got around, and someone with an excess of
time on their hands decided to pull over and check it out.
A series of eye witnesses driving by would later report that
they’d seen him walk around the tower and take a few pictures, before entering
the single, rectangular doorway in the front. No one saw the exact moment he
disappeared.
No one would ever see him again.
Many would follow him. First were the innocently curious,
then the galvanized conspiracy seekers, then the scientists and soldiers
conducting research. Dozens entered and none returned, and it was decided that
whatever this strange phenomenon was, it had to be destroyed for the public
safety.
For three days, they battered it with construction vehicles,
dynamite, and artillery fire, but no matter what they threw at it, the tower was
not so much as scratched. Finally, they planned to build a wall around it and
seal the whole thing in a giant block of concrete.
Just before they could get started, however, someone finally
came back out.
He’d been one of the last volunteers sent in by the research
team, just three days prior. Before, he had been dressed in street clothes and
had cameras and sensors strapped to his body, but now, he was garbed in tan
wizard’s robes with a green sash, carrying a gnarled wooden staff. He looked
around, blinking in surprise, confusion on his face.
He then held out his hand and swept it through air, and
lightning trailed along his fingers. Immediately, the stunned personnel swarmed
around him, asking a thousand questions, insisting that he come with them for
extensive testing.
But the man named James McLeod, who would become known to
the world as the Earth Mage, was not prepared to become a lab rat. With a burst
of wind beneath his feet, he shot into the sky and flew past the horizon. Hundreds
of cameras managed to capture that moment, and seconds later, the entire world bore
witness to the miracle of the world’s first Superhuman.
If they’d only known what would follow in his wake, they
wouldn’t have celebrated. If they’d proceeded to seal the tower as planned,
instead of attempt to profit from it, then maybe this all could have been
avoided.
The first superhuman?
ReplyDeleteI have to say, I find it intriguing that powers are granted by metaphysical doorways. Reading the added lore chapters, I kind of don't want to know what their origin is. The mystery behind them is attractive, more than anything.