Power: Prologue

A gust of warm spring wind danced through the dark forest, carrying the scent of honey suckle along the nose of a lonely old man. He sat upon a fallen tree the earth had nearly reclaimed. The man slouched low and his hair grew wild and gray, and the amber light from the nearby campfire jumped along his face. He wore a tattered brown tunic and pants that had nearly seen their last day. The man was clearly poor or homeless, but even so his face bore no stress. In fact he appeared to be at peace. As another gust of wind made its way through the trees the old man inhaled deeply and let the breeze out gently. He sat with his eyes closed taking in the breeze when it came by for some time, until the old man sensed something. A man had appeared in the little clearing. He wore a hood that covered his face entirely, and wore long blue robes ethched in a complex gold pattern. No distinguishing features were visible, but whether the old man knew he was there or not he didn’t show. He never opened his eyes or flinched a muscle. He just continued to breathe the fresh spring air. After a few moments of staring at the old man the hooded man opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say anything the old man spoke in a raspy tone that rportrayed his old age.

“Well, sir if you’re here to rob me. I’m sorry, but I’ve got nothing. If you’re here to kill me, be quick. I’ve lived a long and meaningful life, but if you’re here for rest and good company, then please.” As he finished he patted the log next to him, the whole time having never opened his eyes. The hooded man continued to stare for a few more moments, and even though his face was covered it was almost as if he smiled under his hood slightly. He walked over to the log and took a seat on the grass and put his back to the log. After a few moments his head slouched down to his lap and he appeared to be sleeping. The old man peaked his eyes open and glanced over at the hooded man. He just smiled and continued to enjoy the peace. A few hours passed, each of them unmoving, then the old man felt something and he opened his eyes and peered at the hooded man. The man hadn’t moved a muscle but very quickly the old man realized the man sat next to him wasn’t sleeping. No, he was gathering power. The old man hadn’t sensed it before maybe the man on the ground was hiding it, but now it was impossible to hide. The power was so immense, and it felt like a heavy blanket was wrapping itself around the old man, but he never let panic reach his heart. He didn’t know what the hooded man was doing but it would’ve taken far less to kill a feeble old man like him, and even if he wanted to he couldn’t defend himself. These days he could barely gather enough energy to start a fire, and even in his prime he was no where near as powerful as this man. So the old man just closed his eyes and waited. Over the next few moments he couldn’t believe the amount of power was emanating from the hooded man. It was a crushing force that the old man could barely stand. The power was overwhelming. Then the hooded man sat upright and held his arms out to his sides, making half triangles with his hands, and then slowly he brought his hands together in the middle of his chest forming a full triangle, and he spoke his voice sharp and definitive.

“Crushing Hooks.” 

As soon as the last edge of the words left his mouth a shockwave erupted from him, immediately blowing out the flame and sending the old man into some nearby bushes. After, the hooded man never left this position. Periodically sending shockwaves out, and After a few minutes the hooded man released his power, and his hands fell into his lap. Then he stood, and walked over to where the old man and been knocked into the bushes. The hooded man slowly pulled his hood back from his face revealing a handsome man. He had sharp bone features. He had spiked black hair, and a black goatee. He had nearly flawless skin aside from a scar that ran across his left eye, from his brow to his cheek bone. His right eye was dark brown, but his left eye was an other worldly sparkling green, and It had no pupil. The man shook his head the regret visible on his face, and then he turned away. The old man’s heart had stopped from the shockwaves. Then the man disappeared into the forest.