Seize Fire

[Beebs]

This is from AG and I'm moving it here.

Prologue

Although you may not know me,
my story must be told.
A tale of battles, courage, and triumph;
a knight's sword, so bold.

Now if you will please listen to me,
this tale is very unsightly.
If you fear to learn the truth,
I ask you to leave, politely.

600 years ago a terrible fate
was bestowed on a wondrous land.
A man by the name of Kaid,
struck down with his mighty hand.

He pillaged the towns
and stole all freedom, true.
The citizens simply cowered,
no one knew what to do.

So then one day our souls were called
to the glorious land in exposure.
They knew if we could save them now,
we'd surely bring back their composure.

So we swung our swords and grasped our mallets,
in hopes to end the pain.
Little did we know our futile attempts
would simply be in vain.

A mighty smoke fumed that day,
and we fell weak to our knees.
We felt out powers drifting away,
to simply die felt at ease.

And so our lives slipped away
and Kaid gained all control.
We all knew that one fateful day,
our powers would console.

We knew that he would leave the land
after a tremendous calm.
We knew that the powers would continue to phase,
into the next Chosen's palm.

And so our lives are over
and evil seems to win.
We know truly deep down in our hearts,
of course this is not this story's end...

~Seize Fire~

[Beebs]

Chapter 1: The First of Few

OK, so what you just read is what I read on my first day too. Doesn't make a whole lot of sense, does it? Well you'll come to understand eventually, as do all warriors of the Seize Fire. Wait, have I introduced myself? I'm Brode Matiln. I am in 10th grade at Hightown High. No, you read right, it's called "Hightown High." I know what you're thinking, "What dumb ass named a high school 'Hightown High'?". Well I can't answer that, as I'm not a mind reader.....well not right now anyway. Who knows, my powers seem to grow everyday. I could grow another head by the time all of this is over. Doesn't make much sense? Don't worry, all in good time. Hm...did that seem a little bit corny to you? Ah well, I suppose I should get on with the story, before I bore you to death, like the one's before me did.

It all started Thursday when......hmm....you know what? I always hated those stories that were in 1st person because you only got one outlook and to fully understand my story, you need an outsiders view, because hell, my outlook is pretty tweaked. Go ahead, ask anyone. Well anyway, I'll just let you read what happened for yourself, from a "certain outsiders" perspective.

Brode just watched it roll along his desk. The thought of it hitting the floor never occurred to him. As soon as the pencil hit the cold tile flooring of Mrs. Meek's Pre AP Geometry classroom, the silent students all turned to the back of the class to stare at the student, sitting at the desk, where the sound seemed to erupt from within the "hear a pin drop" classroom. The teacher just stared down Brode and gave him a look that said "Pick it up now you jackass". Brode did as he wasn't exactly told and picked up the wooden writing utensil off of the floor and continued with his assignment.

"When am I ever going to use a scatter-plot?" Brode thought to himself, zoning out once again.

He normally had no problem with his teacher's tedious methods, but today he felt as if he was supposed to be learning something he would actually use in his future career, whatever it should be. Most of his peers already had their hearts set on college, careers, even future spouses, but not Brode. He had a "if I live, it's great" outlook on life lately. He didn't really care where his life was going, as long as it was going.

He looked out the window and to the unnatural cherry blossom bushes surround the school's courtyard. He thought of what he would do as soon as the bell rang. Probably head out to the benches and lay down during lunch, just staring at the clouds floating overhead. He thought about how tennis practice let out 10 minutes before B lunch, which was exactly 5 minutes before the bell rang for those A lunch kind of people to head back to their boring day. He would get to watch those so called "athletic" type gals, who were more like bimbos to Brode, jump around congratulating each other on a good game. It was sort of Brode's addiction, watching them hug and high five each other. Of course, he'd always have to sit up and pretend to read a book, shielding his lap from unsuspecting eyes.

As the minutes ticked away, the bell finally rang and he knew he was going to be the first out the door. He rushed into the hallway and headed towards the exit doors by the water fountains and crowded vending machines. He slammed open the doors and took a big whiff of the fresh air around him. He continued to the benches to get some rest before history, so he wouldn't fall asleep during one of Mr. Fine's rants again, when everything around him seemed to freeze. He stood completely still and everything seemed to fade out. He just stood, in the darkness, waiting to hear something he just seemed to know he would. Finally, before he felt like he was going insane, he heard a female voice call out to him and say, "Please help them. Don't let him return and hurt them again. My heart couldn't bare it. Please, I abandoned them once and I will never do that again! I sense it in you! When the time comes you'll know!" Brode didn't know what was happening, but he nodded in agreement, as if he understood every word the soft voice uttered. He closed his eyes and began to hum a song to the voice, as if to comfort her. He didn't know why, but he knew he could help her, somehow.

The world slowly faded back. Brode had no clue what he had just experienced and felt a little dizzy. He was knocked to the ground by some jocks. Apparently he had just been standing in the middle of the sidewalk like a moron. He picked up his books that were scattered on the grass and got up off of the cold concrete and looked down at the knee in his jeans, which now had a huge hole in it.

Great, just great...

[Beebs]

Brode went into the locker room. He headed to his locker and entered the combination. He pulled out his brown gym bag, pulling out a pair of sweat pants. He let out a sigh and changed into them. Normally, a small rip in his pants wouldn't bother him, but with every step it ripped further. Now his whole thigh was showing. So, he switched out of his jeans for his sweats. He looked like a circus freak, walking around in sweat pants. "Oh well, " he thought, "I was just going to have to change at the dojo anyway." Brode had training after 6th period. He actually worked at the dojo and his school had a program where you could leave before 7th period to go to work and still get a credit. He only worked at the dojo on Saturdays and he used his time after school to train and do homework. This made his time at home on the computer less hectic.

Brode walked down the English hall, ignoring the stares he received; at least until SHE showed up. Walking down the hall with her friends, Sissy and Callie, was Alyra Simpson. Brode considered her the girl that everyone hated, yet wanted to be. As she approached him, he dreaded the response he would receive. To his shock, all she did was shoot him a smile.

Brode was pleasantly surprised, until Sissy shouted, "WHAT DID YOU SAY BRODE? YOU PEED YOUR JEANS SO YOU'RE WEARING SWEAT PANTS???"

The hall seemed to boom with laughter. "That wasn't even funny...", Brode muttered under his breath. The laughter continued, until it felt to Brode as if he were i nthe middle of an earthquake. He soon realized he wasn't the only one.

Clocks fell off the wall. Students were falling down all over the place. Brode found sanctuary in the arch separating the 9th and 10th grade sections of the English hall. He saw Sissy and Callie quickly abandon Alyra.

During the chaos, Brode managed to shout out to Alyra and say, "Over here!"

As Alyra ran from her position towards Brode, a beam from the ceiling fell down on top of her. Brode didn't hesitate to rush from his spot to help her. He down beside her and saw the blood drizzle out of her mouth. Brode shook her for a minute, with no response. He picked up her limp wrist to check her pulse. Nothing. Brode slowly backed away, as the ground kept shaking, realizing she had died right before his eyes. He closed his eyes and prayed that this wasn't happening. When he opened his eyes, expecting his attempt to be futile, he saw that he was still lying on the grass outside the math hall, in the courtyard. He saw his books scattered around him. He couldn't believe what had just happened.

Brode got up off of his stomach and didn't bother to pick up his books. He looked down at his pants, but there was no rip this time. He looked around him to make sure he was still alive and saw that everyone appeared to be frozen once again. Only this time, everything didn't fade out. Brode moved around the courtyard, waving his arms in front of his fellow classmates with no response. Still in shock, he turned to hear a familiar voice.

"You!", Brode said pointing to a girl who appeared to be in her late teens, perhaps early twenties.

He wasn't sure how he knew it was her, but he had a feeling in his gut.

"You're the girl I was talking to when I passed out!"

"Well, you're right about the fact that I'm the girl, but you didn't pass out." , she said in the same soft voice she had earlier, "You were in the Cease State."

Noticing the blank expression on Brode's face, the girl decided to explain.

"You see, members of the Seize Fire have the ability to enter a state of illusion or clam where everything around them stops, allowing them to communicate with one another without interruption. It's so they don't get killed while planning battle strategies in the heat of the moment. That way, they don't have to waste time preparing for battle."

Brode had no idea what to say to that explanation. He decided to ask questions from the beginning.

"Did you cause that earthquake?"

The girl looked hurt and said, "Of course not! I would never hurt someone on purpose. Now ask a good question this time. We don't have much time left before you exit the state."

Brode still wasn't sure what to ask next, but finally made up his mind.

"What's 'Seize Fire' ?"

The girl smiled and replied, "Well, it's an elite group of warriors chosen to end war amongst the worlds. You are the first warrior to be chose in 600 years. You see my world, called Lokia, was overthrown by a dictator named Kaid. My father, the king of Lokia, called upon the power of the Seize Fire, which is sort of like a fairy-tale in Lokia, to defeat Kaid and restore my father to his thrown. My father created a portal with our royal Magen to allow me to escape the world, so I would be safe when the war came. The warriors arrived, but Kaid was prepared. He released some sort of mystical bomb that stripped the powers from the warriors and bound them to the planet. The warriors eventually died and the powers seemed to merge with mother nature. The Fire Society, who is in charge of Seize Fire dispatch, sent hundreds of soldiers to try and recover the warriors, but Kaid destroyed all of them. Eventually, the troops stopped coming. At about the same time the power of the Seize Fire seeped into the core of the planet, resulting in a Euphoria amongst my people. Kaid was horrified with this, because no matter what he did, the citizens were always happy. He eventually fled the world and into the tween, which is where I still was, watching for all of those years. I was forced to phase completely into Earth, meaning I could never return to Lokia. I have no idea how my people are now...."

Brode tried to absorb all that he could. He didn't feel like questioning the reality of everything and instead asked, "So where is the power of the Seize Fire now?"

The girl smiled again and said, "Well, it's in you of course!"

Brode kind of gasped and then grinned. He retorted and said, "What?! I don't believe you..."

The girl persisted and replied, "Well you should! You see, the Seize Fire power eventually passed completely through Lokia, into the tween, and then to Earth, where the next chosen warrior was. That my friend, would be you.'

Brode had to admit, this would explain a lot. The feeling that everything around him was insignificant had been overwhelming lately. Brode answered, "So that's why you needed my help. I still have some more to ask you though, like where is Kaid now and what is Magen?"

The girl smiled once again and said, "Well all in good time. But for, I need to go."

Brode interjected, "Wait! Let me ask one more thing...who are you?

She grinned, replying, "I am Daila, of the Harpess royal family. Oh and, one more thing, remember this phrase. 'Cease Shift Revi Konda'. "

Brode looked puzzled and said, "Cease Shift Revi Konda?"

Daila replied, "Exactly. That is a halfway answer to your question about Magen. Simply say that when you know the time is right and believe me, you'll know. Well, I have to be off for now. I'll see you later, OK?"

Daila turned around and held out her right arm. A swirling purple portal opened before her and closed once she had entered. Brode noticed that everyone began to move again. He was still in a little shock from all this. But he soon shook it, realizing he needed to get to the English hall, quick!

When he arrived, he saw Alyra and company cruising the hall, same as before. He rushed up to her and saw a concerned expression on her face. Before he had a chance to say anything, the ground began to shake. Suddenly, Brode knew what to do...

"Cease Shift Revi Konda!!!!!"

Everything halted movement and Brode sighed in relief. He walked to class, still curious about his new found destiny.

Callie turned to Alyra and said,"What the hell was that retard doing?!?!"

[Beebs]

Brode stared down the clock during 6th period, just as he had during 4th. He was still wondering what the hell had just happened to him. Who exactly was Daila? Where exactly was Lokia? What exactly was Magen? Why exactly did Kaid leave Lokia? How exactly is all of this related to him?

The bell finally rang and Brode was out the door quick, same as before. He headed out the main exit. As he walked along the sidewalk, still questioning the events that had played out only a few hours earlier in the courtyard, he pulled a set of keys from his jeans left pocket. He pressed the "unlock" button on the alarm key pad, set off a small set of beeps from a red convertible over on the far side of the student parking lot. It was a present from his Uncle for his 15th birthday, a few months back. His uncle was supposed to be keeping it in his garage until Brode got his license, but Brode's uncle was the "really laid back" type and didn't much care for the rules of the road, so he let him come pick it up before school and drive it back after training. Brode opened the front door of the cherry colored dream-mobile and got in the driver's seat. Brode still only had his learner's permit, but he drove well enough to never be pulled over by a cop. He started the ignition and pulled out of the paved parking lot and onto the road, leading to the highway.

Just as Brode passed a hospital, he saw someone standing under a nearby overpass. It was Daila. The lane he was in was one way and he saw a set of sirens not to far behind him. Daila simply smiled and gave a slight wave and opened another portal and left again.

nuts! What if that was important?!

After he got off the highway, his was on a gravel road, that led to a small gym building. He pulled into an empty handicap spot, knowing that no cops ever came around here, as with any injured or senior people. He locked his car and headed inside the building, seeing a man in a gi sweeping a blue exercise mat of any spare hairs and the occasional drop of blood.

Brode threw down his back pack and called out, "Hey, what's up master Feng?"

The man turned to him and kind of growled before replying, "Don't f**k with me Brode!"

Brode let out a slight sigh, seeing the man's serious expression and finally said, "Fine, 'Allen' . What's up you butt? WAIT! Don't tell me......light bulb??" Brode pointed to an open box of 100 watts on the shelf in the back. Brode laughed for the first time that day.

Seeing that Brode seemed relieved, Allen didn't retort, but instead said, "Yeah, I guess so...... So, ready to train?"

"Sure!" Brode went to the small locker in the corner and removed his gi from the hanger as Allen left the room. He changed into it, think about Daila all the while.

When Allen returned, Brode had already removed his favorite Katana from it's sword and was in a battle stance.

Allen looked to Brode and asked, "Hmm.....what's eating you?"

"What!? What do you mean?" Brode somehow knew that Allen knew something was up "It's.....this thing. You wouldn't believe me anyway...."

Allen sat down on the hard wood floor cross legged with a concerned expression all over his face. "Go ahead, try me."

Brode sighed. "Well, I met this girl, Daila and-"

Allen interrupted by saying, "Daila Harpess?"

Brode gasped and uttered, "How, how did you know?" Brode placed the sword and sheath back in the wooden cabinet and sat down in front of Allen, almost mimicking his exact position.

Allen continued, "Well, she came in a few weeks ago and asked for lessons. She seemed like she had a vengeance to take care of, so I didn't want to help her. She seemed to under stand......then she saw a picture of you. I'm glad she finally found you though."

Brode looked shocked once again and asked, "What do you mean?"

Allen had a puzzled expression and replied, "Well she said she had been looking for you for a while. Then she said that she wasn't looking out to hurt you, like I had assumed, but she wanted to protect you. Pretty weird girl if you ask me..."

Brode got up off the floor and said, "Listen, I've got to go. See you later...."

Brode got up and headed for the door, when Allen called out saying, "Hey, Brode! Don't want to leave in your gi, do you? Seize Change Baco Liale!!!!"

Brode's clothes returned to normal and he looked even more shocked than ever before.

Allen answered Brode's face with, "Listen, right now, go find Daila. I'll answer everything tomorrow....well at least what she doesn't...."

Brode nodded and headed out the door. He had a good idea where Daila would be....

[Beebs]

"Oh come on man!! You seriously aren't going to that lame ass club, are you?!"

"Sorry Estell, but I'm meeting someone." Brode wasn't even sure that it was true, as he said it. He walked towards his nightstand to spray on some Axe.

Estell Grey was Brode's best friend since 4th grade. He had always been into conventional sports, unlike Brode who liked Martial Arts. Estell had been on the Varsity Baseball team since freshman year. He seriously was good enough right now to strike out Ken Griffey Jr. Estell never rubbed it in though. He was always loyal to Brode and would always stick up for him when his teammates put him down. Estell was that typical best friend in all of the after school specials.

Estell groaned and replied, "Oh come on man! You know all you're gonna find there is Alyra and her prissy friends or someone wanting to pick a fight because of what you pulled last time!"

Brode turned to Estell with an "oh please!" look on his face and calmly, yet angrily said, "Hey, you know that wasn't my fault. Raydeth had it coming..."

Estell sighed and grunted out, "You know he did nothing wrong." With a more humorous tone, he continued, "He's just a younger and more popular version of Mard and you know it. So by making fun of him, he was just making fun of himself, with is hilarious altogether."

Brode thinned his eyes and replied, "Whatever..." and headed out of his bedroom door, grabbing his wallet off his desk on the way.

Mard Smith was a self-proclaimed loner....literally. One day when he was in 10th grade and a freshman attempted to sit with him at lunch, he threw his books down where the unsuspecting 9th grader was planning to sit and said, "You can't sit with me.....I'm a loner." Of course this didn't help his social standing very much. No one was sure why Mard kept to himself.

It was true, Raydeth Harrison was basically a younger and more popular version of Mard. He was no Alyra or Estell, but it was true non the less. In fact, he was the unsuspecting 9th grader who was turned down a seat by the school's most unpopular outcast. He was offered a seat at the jocks table after the event played out. Raydeth never really became popular, as he seemed to be nice to everyone he met, which is a quality the people considered "cool" greatly dislike. He didn't discriminate and he didn't befriend. He was always just....there. He truly was the typical high school student.

A few weeks back, Brode, Estell, Raydeth, and Mard were at a club, called "The Spot". The Spot was the only place to hang out in Hightown. Raydeth had apparently been sharing his new theory about Mard with the guys he was hanging out with THAT night.

Raydeth had laughed a little after sharing his initial theory and replied, "No, it's true! He obviously has no friends since he can't act normally around any of the boys, considering they make him paint his sheets white at night!" The group around him had boomed with laughter, as Mard slunk down in his seat.

Brode and Estell had been sitting at the booth beside them and Brode said, "Why don't you hold your guy-hungry tongue."

Raydeth had continued to laugh and replied, "What, are you kidding me?!"

Brode had smiled and said, "Well it's obvious you think this because you fantasize about him dreaming about you at night."

A couple of seniors in letter jackets, who had shared in Raydeth's laughter, yet never considered him one of their own, had stood up and said, "Hey! You wanna start something?!"

Brode had smirked and laughed, saying, "Nah, I think'll be heading out now.'"

So it seemed that since the jocks wanted to defend Raydeth, who was at The Spot every time, also wanted to punch out Brode, it would be a bad idea to hang out around there. Brode knew that this wouldn't be good, but he had a feeling that Daila would be there, and since all of his other feelings had been right, he had to trust this one.

Now back in the present, Brode and Estell walked towards the metal doors that continued booming music from the live band inside The Spot.

"Brode, you still sure you have to meet this person HERE?!" Estell wasn't very scared for himself, but for Brode as he said this.

Brode nodded, so Raydeth felt his friend mostly had good judgment, so nodded in agreement.

Brode stopped by an alleyway, so Estell asked, "Hey man, you sure this is the best place to be having a conversation with someone? Are you into something I should know about???"

Brode replied, "No, nothing like that. Look, I'll meet you inside, okay?"

Estell nodded and headed past the bouncer into the club. Brode walked down the dark alley, waiting for his intuition to kick in. Finally, he saw another portal open in front of a streetlamp and Daila emerge.

Daila smiled and said, "Glad you found me. Here, take this."

Brode saw a sword handle, rapped in blue ribbon that seemed to be encrusted with diamonds, with a blue-metallic sheath. He took the sword from Daila's hand, simply amazed by even the sword's case's craftsman ship. He removed the sword from it's case a saw that the entire blade was white.

Noticing Brode's puzzled, Daila answered Brode's unasked question by saying, "It's called a Snow Blade. It is used to slay spirits in Lokia. You see, what I am about to do cannot be reversed, but is needed for you to be able to help me. Once I do this, the only way it can be stopped is if you can reach the other side and stop it."

Brode said, "I don't understand. What do you mea-"

Alyra interrupted and said, "It doesn't matter. I just need you to tell me you will stop it after I start it. Okay?"

Brode nodded, still not sure what he was agreeing to. Alyra stepped away, giving herself more room and said, "Seize Shut Opet Dionda!"

Another portal opened and two red, wolf-like creatures emerged. They were resonating a pink aura, yet looked very fierce. Brode readied his sword, as an instinct.

Daila nervously said, "I have opened a portal to the demon core of Lokia. I did this so these creatures, called War Spirits could enter Earth, giving you and the other warriors a way to train without having to contact the Fire Society. These wolves are called Warverines. Do not hesitate to slay any creature you see that is a blood colored red that resonates a pink mist. The only way to close the portal, is from the other side. I must leave now. I have to return to the tween to make sure I didn't open any other portals. I believe in you. Once you defeat these, no more will come until tomorrow, since these are like guard dogs of Lokia's demon core. Goodbye!"

Daila emerged into another portal and vanished. Brode was still shaking. He told himself he could do this; it was just like sparring. Suddenly, he was filled with something that felt so natural to him. The white diamonds in the swords blue ribbon began to glow a bright green. Brode rushed at the first wolf, slashed it in half before it had a chance to move. The other warverine was quicker though and managed to rush behind Brode and jump him from behind. The wolf dived to gnaw into his back, but Brode was able to swing around and cut through the wolf's torso. Both of the creatures turned into a red fog, that quickly faded away. The green glow in the diamonds on the snow blade went away, returning to their white from.

Brode was still shocked about this. He put the sword back in its sheath and walked out of the alley way. He was tired from the fight, but strangely exhilarated. Was this another power of the Seize state? Was there truly a way to close this portal Daila had opened, in hopes of training Brode. But the most important question of all was, were there really more out there like him?

chapter epilogue to follow...

[Beebs]

Chapter 1 Epilogue:

As Brode exited the alleyway with his new found source of power, a slender female figure emerged from the shadows, eyes piercing through him without any response. Another shadow appeared and directed its attention towards the female who couldn't manage to take her ocean blue eyes off of Brode.

"Why do you do that?!"

The womanly figure turned to the brute man that stood before her and aksed, "Why do you mean?"

The man chuckled and replied, "You always look at them as if you can so into their soul."

The woman laughed hysterically, before replying, "Don't be silly Dosh, you know he doesn't have a soul."

Dosh thinned his eyes at the woman and said, "Don't be so sure, Crystalla. I believe that-"

Before Dosh could get his words out, another man emerged from the endless hall of shadows. Dosh and Crystalla both directed their full attention towards him, saying nothing as if they were terrified to speak.

Finally Dosh gained courage and uttered the words, "Ah, Kaid, so good of you to join us....."

End of Chapter 1, Chapter 2 to follow...

[Beebs]

Interesting days seldomly happen. Usually it's the same old crap day in and day out that makes you want to gouge your eyes out and pray for tomorrow's daybreak, hoping that somehow, some way, something good might be coming your way. Fortunately, the life of a Seize Fire warrior often entales such events. True, they do tend to become boring after the first few thousand times, but the amount of intrigue from our actions never ceases to amaze me. The fact of the matter is, even for a Seize fire warrior, interesting days don't happen often. It's all in the eye of the beholder, or something like that. It's always fun to watch the interesting days happen.....

Estell slammed the snooze button on his alarm clock with his fist, every 7 minute increment. He finally grogged and forced his way up into a vertical position. He moaned and smacked himself in the head. He couldn't have a hangover; not today.

He walked like a zombie to the breakfast table, barely-fully dressed. He poured himself a bowl of cereal and ate it without any milk. He clenched his jaws shut with each chew, the feeling and sound of it making him cringe, as if trying to teach himself a lesson. "I'm never drinking again" He thought to himself, but knew it was a false promise.

He slowly walked out the door, climbed into his car, and slammed his eyes shut at the sound of the ignition starting up. He finally mustered up enough force to get out of the driveway and onto the road.

((OOC: as you can see, some major renovation has been done to this post. You'll understand why later.))