Delete?

I might delete this blog soon. Keyword here: might. After all, much of my story planning goes in my head, and most of the time, my writings are spontaneous, without much premeditation. I've got another blog to post any random thoughts, which pretty much reduces my need for this blog. But I'm a little reluctant about deleting this. I guess I'll wait and see.

Prologue

      It was the smell of smoke that had roused him. It filled his lungs, burned the insides of his throat, making him cough and sputter to consciousness. He put out his hands in front of him, waving frantically as if to ward off phantoms, still coughing and choking on the thick plumes of smoke. His eyes snapped open, and for a moment he could only see a blur of vivid oranges and angry reds glaring back at him. He fought back the sudden dizzy spell that threatened to drag him back into unconsciousness, pulling the collar of his shirt up so it covered his nose and mouth. His skin seemed to burn with the heat radiating around the room.
      
      His legs were shaky, knees trembling as he pulled himself to his feet. He put a hand out to steady himself, but couldn't find anything to hold on to. Finally finding his balance, he shambled about in the room, now an unfamiliar inferno. Great columns of flame towered over him wherever he went as thick black smoke starved the air of oxygen. Disoriented, he stumbled around, blindly searching for an exit. He had to get out, fast.
      
      Sweat drenched his shirt, and the heat was so intense it threatened to drive him insane. Fighting off the urge to pull off his shirt, he repeated a word in his head like a mantra, reminding himself of his number one priority. Escape escape escape escape escape ...
      
      "Help!" a desperate cry erupted from somewhere off to his left. He turned, only to be met with a wall of fire. The flames seemed to lunge out at him, and he fell back a step, shielding himself with an arm. Going that way was a bad idea. More fire. More thick black smoke. Damn it -
      
      "Help me!" the same desperate woman's cry. He recognized the voice. No, it can't be -
      
      Against his better judgment, he jumped straight through the wall of fire, bracing himself for the pain ... but none came. He could feel the heat of the flames, yes, but no pain. There was no searing sensation rippling across his skin, and for a moment he thought he'd burned his skin so badly he couldn't feel a thing anymore. He stared down at himself for a moment. Untouched, as if he'd imagined that he had jumped through a wall of fire.
      
      "Help!" the voice again, more urgent now. A fit of coughing followed this.
      
      "Where are you?" he called out, voice hoarse from the dry air and smoke. His blue eyes searched, frantic, and found nothing but fire. Everything around him burned, and he couldn't identify anything familiar. The smoke was making him dizzy now, it seemed to make his head spin and for a moment he was certain he might pass out -
      
      No! He bit down on his tongue, hard enough to draw blood. The sting of it jeed him to alertness, the salty taste of his own blood making him gag in disgust. Blood had always made him feel sick; he spat it out, retching.
      
      "I'm right here!"
      
      "Where?" he coughed.
      
      And within the next few minutes of searching and navigating his way through thick smoke and flame, he found her, trapped under rubble. The fire had eaten away through almost everything in sight, and whatever had crumbled down had fallen on the woman. She was now trapped from waist down.
      
      "Help me," she pleaded, her gaze boring deep into his.
      
      But by then he'd already realized who she was, and instead of feeling sorry for her, he could only feel rage boiling within him. Gazing in those eyes, he didn't see love in them anymore, merely lies and betrayal. His hands curled into fists at his sides, nails digging into his palm.
      
      Help her, a distant part of his mind begged. After all, she's your -
      
      "No."
      
      Then he turned around and stepped into the flames, disappearing from sight.






AN: Rough draft, possibly the finalized prologue. Thoughts?

Character: Eduard

Real name: Eduard Hunter

Date of Birth: 13th September 1995

Eye color: Blue

Hair color: Black
Parents: Alexei Hunter, Roxanne Hunter (née Forbes), Adele Hunter*
Spouse: NA
Children: NA
Powers: Fire manipulation
Other: Ellie's friend. Has a half sister who wants to kill him.
Author's comments: Ed's pretty much a normal kid ... until he discovers his powers, at least. ;)




*Adoptive mother; she's got the same last name, though

Prologue Rough Draft

                The prince sat on the throne quietly, his uncertain eyes drifting across the large room in search for some comfort. They found nothing except the cold, desolate walls and the unfriendly faces of ministers and palace guards. Not his guards, of course. And not his ministers. At least, not until the coronation, a dreaded ceremony that would make him king. That was in a matter of days, and all too soon, the throne he was sitting on would be his. The people in this room, the people outside the walls of this palace would be his responsibility. He couldn’t possibly be able to handle that. He was far too young, far too inexperienced.

                The ministers could see that, of course. Through their eyes, he was just a boy wearing shoes that were far too big for him. Prince or not, he was barely nineteen, with a judgment clouded by rebellious thoughts. The country would not benefit from his rule, even though he was the sole heir to the throne. Of course, his ascend to the throne would have occurred much, much later if it hadn’t been for the untimely death of the king. Not that the old king was any better. The noble line had, as generations went by, become far less noble. And far less adept at ruling an empire.

                This prince was proof of it, of course, with his odd eyes that trembled with uncertainty and a voice that quaked as he spoke. He had no air of authority, merely the arrogance of an adolescent. His decisions would prove to be unwise should he become king. And of course, if cornered, he would be easily swayed. Now, how awfully easy it would be for enemies to destroy the country. Perhaps they didn’t even have to. A little bribe, perhaps, would do the trick …

                Of course, the prince knew that the ministers had little faith in him. He was determined to prove them wrong. However, he dreaded the thought of ruling an entire empire and he wanted nothing more than just to stay in his chambers with his wife and child. Up until now, that was all that mattered. His family. Beautiful Athanais, who was not of a noble line, but a woman of steel all the same. He had married her against his late father’s wishes, a decision that he had never regretted. His parents had every intention to pair him with a princess or at least a nobleman’s daughter, but the prince knew he couldn’t possibly love anyone more than he loved Athanais.  And of course, young Phoebus. His heir, although he wished that the child wouldn’t have to inherit the throne … or the empire.

                “Your Highness,” a voice spoke up, interrupting his reverie. The prince lifted his gaze to the wiry man kneeling before him. “Someone is here to see you. Says he won’t leave until he’s been let in.”

                “Who is it?” the prince inquired with a raise of his brow. “Tell me, my good man.”

                “I don’t know. He’s not of this country, I suppose. He dresses funny.”

                The prince had no idea what he meant by funny, but let the visitor in anyway. 

Character: Ellie

Real name: Bianca Cloade (alias: Elliott Pierce, nicknamed Ellie)
Date of Birth: 7th June 1995
Age: 17
Eye color: Gray/silver
Hair color: Platinum blond
Parents: Bryce Cloade - deceased, Olivia Cloade (née Slater) - deceased
Spouse: NA
Children: NA
Powers: Water manipulation, mind reading, can sometimes fly by propelling steam in a downwards direction (basically, she carries a water supply which she uses as a steam engine)
Other: Her father was one of the king's knights, until the Organization came along. When accused of assisting Alexei Hunter's escape, he was sentenced to death by the Organization. Wracked with guilt, Bianca's mother committed suicide, leaving Bianca orphaned. Rather than submit to the Organization, Bianca ran away with her nursemaid, Elise, to the Inner Circle (a.k.a the mortal world) and used an alias. Being a tomboy, she opted for a masculine name - Elliot is a boy's name, by the way, and not used for girls at all. She smokes and is bisexual (although she considers herself to be a lesbian).
Author's comments: I like Ellie. She's my favorite character. In fact, I favor her more than Eduard, which is why poor Eduard isn't as developed as a character. I'll work on that soon. Heheh. (^_^);;

Character : Apollo

Real name: Phoebus Heffernan XIII

Date of Birth: 5th November 1977

Age: 35

Eye color: Left - blue, right - hazel

Hair color: Black
Parents: Phoebus Heffernan XII - deceased, Arianna Heffernan (née Tanner) - deceased

Spouse: Athanais Heffernan (née Eldritch) - deceased

Children: Phoebus Heffernan XIV - deceased, Apollo Heffernan - deceased
Powers: Water manipulation, compulsion (glamouring, etc.)

Other: Originally the crown prince of the Outer Arc, he was forced to step down by the Organization. He is the remaining heir of the Heffernan line.

Author comments: I hadn't planned for him to be that old, but since I plan for Ellie to be born in 1995, and the whole Organization-takes-over-the-Outer-Arc thing starts before Ellie's birth. And yes, he had a wife. That's one thing I'll spill about his past, but mostly I'll keep things under wraps. ;)