Scarlet - Chapter 2
#2 of Scarlet
Heh. I'm a little behind. Here's the second chapter.
Gunfire. The faint smells and large explosions of magic. Bombshells. The sharp, piercing orders of field commanders. All these sounds coalesced and reverberated through the many crowded and narrow alleyways, forming a veritable symphony of war that lured me from my sleep.
The clock by my bed read 8:00, but the overhanging cloud of fadesmoke and burnt buildings kept the city in a constant night, defying time in a rebellious coup against the norm. The countless streetlights and searchlights did little to pierce the thick veil laid over the city's morning sky, providing more of a false sense of security than actual light. Instead, the city's inhabitants had taken to brighter neon signs to frame every doorway and window, bathing the street below in a cascading rainbow of colors. Each sign or light was integrated directly into the house's power grid, which drew directly from the city's four ancient Heartfires that rested deep below the surface in a guarded stronghold.
Mornings like this are getting more common... Probably not a good idea to walk outside...
With a groan and a shiver, I laid my bare feet on the cold wood floor and crept to the window, half expecting the street below me to have turned into a battlefield overnight. I drew the curtains and breathed an airy sigh as I watched the usual morning workers commute to their various workplaces, past whom some misty trails of auras drifted.
My television clicked on. News of that attack this morning, I bet.
"Around 4:00 this morning, several Red Rose Party members stormed the Central Bank's North District location, immediately injuring 20 and killing three. After a three-hour long skirmish with White Rose peacekeeping forces, the decimation has been contained, and the North District has been placed under quarantine by the High Elder Layton. All those who report to the North District for work will be excused today while the situation is dealt with."
Great. Looks like I'm stuck here today. I flicked a spark at the fireplace, setting it alight. Might as well make myself comfortable.
Magic, you see, was a part of everyday life. It fueled our technology and governed our cities, each having drifted apart into separate nations, only to be reunited under the combined efforts of the Roses, who now ruled. The practice of magic, though, along with the actual inherited ability to use it, suddenly disappeared several centuries prior to the reunification, due to the Great Cataclysm, whose origin is unknown to scholars. Magic's power eventually started to seep back into the world through the Fade, reaching those then living, who would pass on their powers to their children.
I was born into the House of Fire, of which, sadly, I am the only remaining member. All of my elders had converted to the Red Rose Party and lost their lives fighting for the cause. I would not be so foolish. I stayed loyal to the White Rose Party and lived under their protection, though I didn't necessarily agree with their practices. Total domination over one's entire life hardly seemed legal, but under the Roses' joint constitution, Just about anything they could muster was legal. So the two parties dueled it out every day, both politically and physically, through use of weapons and magic, to decide which of them would rule the governing body. But, you may ask, where do you fit in all of this? I'm the technical expert that keeps the entire Parliamentary building running, with all the lights on and all the machines and computers working. As a user of fire, I'm able to keep the boiler running even in times of emergency or extreme cold, ensuring gapless performance of all the building's systems.
Sadly, though, I get paid more than most of the politicians who work above. And I hardly do anything.
That day, though, the continued warfare between the Roses deterred my usual routine, leaving me a little time to go explore the city. And, of course, check on my "second job" of sorts. After donning my coat and gloves, making sure to pin on my White Rose Party emblem, I stepped out into the cold of the morning, greeted my neighbors as they headed to work, and started towards the Central District.
"Morning, Aiden!"
Walter Presshall had spotted me and started to run towards me, so I smirked before vanishing in a cloud of smoke, only to reappear behind him and hug him.
"Boo! Mornin' to you too, Walt. What's up?"
He grinned and held out his right hand. A white sigil glowed faintly underneath the skin. "I got my powers last night!"
I smiled and twirled a lick of flame around a finger. "Well then...that's certainly impressive. Why not show me a little demonstration?"
"Well..." He twirled a lock of his long brown hair in his fingers, a classic sign of his insecurity. "I don't know how to...um...control it yet..."
"That's okay. Tomorrow at work, I'll teach you the basics, okay?"
A slight nod, and he was back to his normal, bouncy self. "Okay!"
Interesting...the House of Air seems to have many more magic users than in previous generations...
Typically, the House of Air, from which Walt hailed, had an average of three wielders per generation, lower than the other three houses, but those that possessed the Spark were stronger and had more unbridled talent than your average trained warlock. Walt, however, lived in one of the diluted generations. His power barely held a torch to mine.
He shivered, provoking an involuntary flaring of my aura to warm him, something I did frequently.
"I swear. Sometimes I think you're anemic."
He frowned and stomped his foot, accidentally flaring his own aura in the process. "I am not!"
A group of girls strutted by, giggling, evoking a soft blush out of him. I chuckled. "I think we may need to start that training of yours a bit earlier to end further public humiliation."
"Shut up."