Gaia Maelstrom

By Kitmehsu

Prologue

In the year 2100 scientists discover a natural energy within the earth's core. This “Tera” energy was found to only respond to focused mental will, but when this is done successfully this enables people to perform “magical” feats in reality. This might have made a new era of prosperity if it weren't for the disaster that followed the discovery. Starting at the poles and spreading toward the equator, waves of extremely focused Tera energy swift over the globe. This at first was regarded as a natural occurrence of little importance. But then it was discovered that this wave transformed most humans into mindless beasts that seamed to come from legends. But a few seamed able to resist the wave and maintained their mind and most of their form. But since the majority of humans feared for their lives, they evacuated to aerial cities powered by the very thing that they fled. The humans immune to the Tera energy were quickly drafted into the defense of the cities from the Tera wave's creatures. In their training it was discovered that they had a natural gift for controlling Tera energy. Now 50 years latter from the fateful day, they still are employed to protect the city, but their immunity to the maelstrom is forgotten.

Chapter 1

A lone soul ran down the streets of the city. His reddish brown hair spread in numerous directions as he head underneath along with the rest of his sinewy frame darted from side to side, trying to lose his pursuers in the crowds. Despite how his light gray pants and red shirt stuck out about as much as a shell on a beach, the police behind him hunted him relentlessly like hounds after a fox. Suddenly a person who’s brown eye’s where gazing steadily else where walked right toward the fugitive, his hands placed nonchalantly in his jet black hair. The fugitive darted to the side as the boy’s lanky form was thrown against the wall by some unseen force.

What hit me? Thought Niko as he recovered from being pushed, hard, into the solid wall behind him. Then a whole battalion of police with force blades drawn thundered past him. "What the heck?" Niko muttered to himself. "That many police just for one person? I wonder what he did." And of course, like any person, he followed to see how it ended.

By the time Niko caught up with them, they had the fugitive cornered against a construction site and were closing in on him. But to his surprise, the fugitive who pushed him aside just was smirking. "What are you so happy about?" asked the chief of the police officers.

Apparently I wasn't the only surprised about his reaction thought Niko

" Let me guess, one of you pea brains is going think they will save time by fighting me one on one," predicted the fugitive. "And by the fact that your look matches your intellect, I think I was right." If you could measure the polices' mouths you would find that all of them would have dropped two feet except the chief who looked like he just heard bad joke.

"So what if we do? You don't seem to have any force weapons on you to fight us with and with out some kind of Tera weapon you don't stand a chance."

"Who said I need one to beet your but? I could match you easily with a pole off the ground. In fact..." He bent over to pick up a rod that must have come form the construction site behind him. It glowed with a bright light and when it dimmed it was cover with tiny glowing lines. "... this will do quite nicely."

"So your a Kelta too? That explains why you were with him. Now do us all a favor and give up before we have hurt you."

A Kelta? thought Niko. But I thought all Keltas had fox-like ears and tails. Then again, no one but a Kelta could turn a regular rod into a Tera weapon concluded Niko returning his attention to the situation.

"... and don't get me started on your smell," wrapped up the fugitive apparently giving the chief the verbal flailing of his life.

The chief blinked, then asked "And you kiss your mother with that mouth?" all the while his hand sliding so subtlety to his sword that Niko completely missed it. The fugitive though, did not.

"So the big man wants to take out his stick," he taunted. Right then and there the chief lost all of his cool and just ran at him, sword drawn, going all out. And of course, his minions followed heedlessly. Niko soon lost track of how many force blades flew out of the melee, followed closely by their owners, but soon it was just down to the fugitive, the chief and one of the better-trained officers. A hard hit by the fugitive sent the chief falling backwards. As he staggered back up he saw Niko.

Crap Niko thought to himself.

"Hey!" the chief beckoned to his officer. "I need you to take this kid in for questioning." The officer quickly disengaged from his opponent while the chief went to take his place. This drew the attention of the fugitive to Niko.

"Hey kid, if you don't want to be looking at lovely gray walls for a few years, you'd better pick up one of those Force Blades." Niko, not even giving it conscious thought, bent over and picked one up. The blade hummed in his hands while the Tera energy filled the diffusion channels. But his attention quickly turned to the officer, now drawing his own blade.

Here goes nothing, Niko thought to himself. Bracing himself and closing his eyes, he swung as heard as he could. He felt a bump as his blade hit the officers, but that lasted only for a moment and then his blade kept on going. He quickly opened his to see his opponent lying on the ground, knocked out. But even more surprising was that the officers blade was cut completely in two. And he wasn't the only one shocked. The chief was also gawking at him.

"How the heck di..." he began but was cut short by the fugitives pole swung right at his head, knocking him out cold. The two of them stood there for a moment that seemed to last an eternity. Then the fugitive came over to Niko and offered his hand.

"Well thanks for the help there."

"Help?" wondered Niko. "What help?"

"Well you knocked out that officer and then you distracted the chief long enough for me to take care of him. So I think that qualifies as help. So what’s your name?"

"I'm Niko."

"Well "Niko" I'm Christopher Mehsu, but you can call me Kit."

"Um Kit, what just happened?"

"Didn't you see it?"

"Well... You see... I sortta... kindda had my eyes closed."

Kit gave him a pondering look like he didn't know what to make of Niko. "Well what happened was that you broke his Tera core causing the blade to weaken and allowing you to cut it in two. As for our sleepy little friend here, he got KOed by the backlash from the core breaking."

"What have I done?" Niko murmured under his breath, shaking his head.

"Well it would seem to be that you just saved your own butt there. And last time I checked, self defense is not a thing to be ashamed of, especially since all you did was knock them out."

"Yeah, but they were police! All they were going to do was take me in for questioning and I knocked one out."

"Just be thankful you didn’t cooperate."

"What do you mean? I don't have any thing to hide."

"No but they didn't want to just ask you a few questions."

"Huh?"

"How can I explain it? They wanted you so that they could turn you into another one of their pet Dacens."

"Dacen? Are you blind? I don't have any natural Tera energy and I definitely don't have dragon wings or a tail."

"Just because you don't show any of the traits yet, doesn't mean your not one. Your just dormant, that's all."

"Dormant? I haven't heard of any dormant Dacens. Or Keltas and Magus for that matter."

"Well they aren't exactly born like that now are they?"

"But it's impossible..."

"I give up," he finished and started to walk away. "Aren't you coming?"

"Why should I be going anywhere?"

"Well whether your a Dacen or not, you still knocked out a police officer and interfered with an arrest. I don't know about you but I don't think they are going to be too happy about it."

Niko decided then to shut up and follow him for what seemed to be the worst reason. Kit was right.