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 Posted: Fri Apr 07, 2023 11:00 pm
It had been so much easier when he'd been at Hillworth. He'd had his own space, he didn't have his mother breathing down his neck about his grades. He could just exist! But no, it didn't matter than his mother Ophelia had enough money to put him up in DCU campus housing or in an apartment close to campus. No, it didn't matter that Zeke would rather not be dragged to every single social event his mother went to, under the guise of trying to find him 'friends' - and a suitable suitor for his college years. It didn't matter that all Zeke wanted to do was code on his computer and put together zoid model kits, in peace.
No. Ophelia insisted that he live at home for a few years. She'd missed him while he was away at high school. His father was never home, and Chauncy was the apple of her eye! They needed to bond - make sure he wasn't a shut in, she meant - and the best way to do that was to spend some years at home before she let him go into the wild world out there.
At least she'd let him major in what he wanted, and didn't try to completely control his future. Just... nudge it. A lot.
Zeke slid down the french doors on his balcony - because of course he had one - and leaned his head on the glass. The cool night air ruffled his emerald green hair and he sighed softly.
He loved his mother, he really did, and he was very aware he was in a position most were not, but he would rather be somewhere quiet and secluded then be paraded around the social elite again. At least, give him a week between functions to recharge and do his course work!
"The moon's probably quiet, just forever orbiting the Earth... No over bearing mothers or distant fathers. Just... the quiet of space... Ahhh, that would be nice..." he said softly to the moon in the sky, and let tension out of his shoulders with another sigh.
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 2:19 am
A faint breeze carried in the air. It wasn’t anything innocuous; there was the faint fragrance of flowers on the wind. It was a nice night on Earth. It was a nice night on the Moon, too. In the blink of an eye, Zeke was tugged from the familiarity of his balcony and thrust into the unknown. The journey was fast, and painless, and he arrived in a cool, clean chamber. The room itself was not particularly large but it didn’t feel smothering. The walls were white and had traces of faded pastel from artwork that had long since worn away. There were no decorations. No furniture. No windows or doors. Just a single, floating orb that hummed with magic. It hovered above a pedestal in the center of the room. It was made up of a million tiny specs of light that swirled around in. The light was warm, almost welcoming against the coolness in the room. Except, it felt like it was watching him. It had no eyes, but there was an acute sensation of someone standing before him. A brief silence passed and then, it spoke. “It is a bit quiet here, yes. You are in need of some peace?”
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Posted: Wed Apr 12, 2023 10:10 am
He blinked. Several times. Pinched himself, even. He must be dreaming, because he was no longer on his balcony. No he was in a small chamber of white walls with faded paint traces.
And a giant flowing orb.
He had to be dreaming. Because there was absolutely no way he was standing in front of a floating orb that gave him the impression of watching him, and then spoke.
The sound that came out of his mouth was very undignified. Hands came up, way too close to his face to be defensive and he took a step back in shock.
The orb spoke.
The orb was answering his earlier mutterings!
"Eeep! Y-you heard... that?" he squeaked at the glowing ball of light. Oh this was. Terrifying. "... wait wh-where am I?"
'It is a bit quiet here, yes'
"HOW DID I GET ON THE MOON?! WITHOUT A ROCKET? OR SPACE SUIT!? AM I ABOUT TO DIE!?"
Oh dear.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2023 10:54 am
“I heard,” the Code confirmed. “You’re on the Moon. I brought you here, you’re safe. You don’t need a rocket or space suit when you have magic. I was looking for someone to help me. I thought you seemed like a good fit. You can correct me if I’m wrong, though. I can send you back home if you don’t want to be here. You can forget this ever happened.”
It waited for a moment, maybe to let Zeke calm down, or to give him time to consider the words.
Given what it had felt from his starseed, the Code was confident that Zeke wouldn’t choose to be sent away.
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Posted: Sun Apr 16, 2023 4:59 pm
It took a few minutes for Zeke to get his breathing back under control. The reality that the ball of light could talk, could hear him, that magic was a thing even was a whole lot to take in for the late teen. He was on the moon... and the ball of light wanted help. It offered him the chance to back out, the chance to let this pass him by.
Zeke might be anxious and full of terror at new things, but he was here now, and the ball of light needed help.
"No," he said with more confidence than he expected. "If you need help, then I'll help. I just... was caught off guard, is all," he said, totally not picking at his cuticles as he talked.
Courage was not, as some people said, the strength to conquer fear. It was the strength to continue on despite fear. Despite the terror in your limbs and everything screaming at you to run the other way, you take that step forward. You shake, and you shiver, and you keep moving forward.
Zeke took a step forward towards the Code.
"How can I help?"
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Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2023 10:13 am
For a few seconds, the Code seemed to be sizing him up–reading him. Not quite judging him, but it was only marginally more friendly than that. “There is a war going on in Destiny City. It’s been waging for years. Maybe you’ve heard about them, the strange costumes and constant disasters. Unexplained illnesses, monsters. The trouble is rooted from Chaos. The worst of them, the Negaverse. They’re trying to take over Earth. And, if they succeed, they’ll try to spread elsewhere. I want to give you the energy to combat them. To keep yourself safe, and to extend that protection to those you deem worthy. I am the Code. An ancient magic, spread through the universe. And I want to ask you to protect somewhere special here on the Moon. And, if you agree, I’ll give you magic. Strength. Power. I’m not asking for more than you’re willing to give, just a commitment.” It paused, not because it needed to take a breath, but because it wanted to give Zeke time to take one. “There are ancient wonders here. Places of great importance that have been abandoned for too long. I need them cleaned up. Restored. Protected. That’s where you come in. I’ll give you a piece of my power to place there, and in exchange, you’ll have power of your own. And, a place where you can come away for a little peace and quiet.”
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Posted: Mon Apr 17, 2023 11:21 am
He definitely was being judged, though for what, Zeke couldn't possibly figure out. The ball of light - the Code - told him about a war going on in the city. He frowned, thinking for a moment. He'd definitely heard about the monsters in the city, and the continual property damage. People going missing too. So it was all... a magical war, right under the noses of the populous?
Sounded like a very interesting isekai plot, and he was loathe to admit that he was really interested. It was magic! And a secret war! And a place he could get away from his mother!
The idea of fighting did frighten him, but if Chaos was as bad as the Code said...
"I'll protect this wonder, and the Earth from these agents of Chaos. So... where is it, and how do we get there?" Well, might as well jump head first into it, or he'd be here all day.
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2023 10:23 am
If the Code had a face, relief would have washed over it. Instead, every little molecule of the mist seemed to glow a little brighter. The room felt warm. The air seemed to crackle with energy, and just before Zeke a gold chain and pendulum manifested. “This is for you. Take it, and let its power flow through you.” the Code instructed, and waited for Zeke to do so. When he did, the change was immediate. The power that had gathered in the air shifted and wrapped around him, absorbed into him. The sensation was pleasant, if not briefly overwhelming. Light spread across Zeke’s skin and enveloped him quickly. Where Zeke once stood, now there was a Page. “Crisium,” the Code announced. “Page of the Moon. Named for the 'Garden of a Thousand Fountains'. You will share its namesake, and it will be the source of your power.” Where the pendulum had once been now manifested a small orb of glowing light–a perfect miniature replica of the Code speaking to him. “I’ll show you to your Wonder. You’ll find somewhere safe to put this,” it instructed of the smaller glowing ball of light that hovered just before the new Page. “I know you’ll have many questions, but I’ll be here with answers. The most important thing now is to seal the bond with your Wonder. Everything else will come in time.”
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