Chapter 1: Black Blood

Naoto... That's my name. My last name is in the past, now I'm just a ghost in a desolate world. I am what is known as a "Bringer" even though I was once human, or just still am or never was.... In this broken world, I am not the only one living without being able to smile, still searching for my distant dreams. Now all that's left for me to do is survive, either way.

I woke up. I was still disturbed by my memories, of what happened that day when I was a child. But I just walked down the stairs of that abandoned building, in ruins like me. I turned on the radio, which was luckily still working. I set out to listen to the news, but there was no change in it, it was all about the same thing, just like the day before, and the day before that. The news sir, reported several murders in the locality and the perpetrator had not yet been caught, they didn't even have any information about him other than his crimes.

–It was to be expected, they have been trying to do it for a week, but they never succeed–I said to myself while listening to the radio, as there was no one else around me to talk to.

–Instead, the company Human X-odus, has managed to create a kind of cure which could be the solution to our problem with the "Bringers" Could this be the salvation of our race?–Said the man with the radio proudly, and upon hearing these words, I could not help but become so enraged that I almost broke the radio, but I restrained myself by clenching my fist tightly to avoid losing my only source of information.

–That's why I hate humans... They treat us like a plague, a disease. Like monsters. When the real monsters are them–I frowned and just turned off the radio and put it inside my backpack. I was getting ready to left the building, normally, I used to move from stances so I can't get caught by autorities, because the humans hate me and the ones like me as we hate them. But before I left, I prostrated myself in front of a fragmented mirror, seeing how I had changed, I see a broken reflection and not because of the destroyed mirror. I still managed to vaguely perceive the livid details of my face. All of me was dressed in black with that thin turtleneck sweatshirt that I had since no one knows when, , black colored pants and shoes, while long strands of my dark hair fell over my eyes, my damn eyes.... They were the part I remembered most about me, about myself. They were especially peculiar, the iris, was made up of two different colors. An aquamarine halo covered my pupil and extended shortly before meeting a light blue tone that predominated up to the edge of the iris.

I took out of my pants pocket an old sepia-colored photo with torn tips with the members of my little family. And I raised the photo while I looked at myself in it, with the smile of an innocent child on it, and when I lowered my arm, I saw in the reflection how everything I once was, had disappeared, only God could recognize me, and I doubt that he exists after all this.
I put on a black cloth mask and the hood of my blue jacket over my head and I was about to leave, when a couple of policemen entered the abandoned building and went up the stairs, starting to knock on the door violently announcing their arrival with their shouts:

–LAPD Open the door!!!–I was confused, I could have sworn that this building was far away from civilization and the police department, so it was almost impossible that someone had called them. But a stone hit the bathroom window, which came from below, obviously someone had thrown it. I opened the window and downstairs I managed to see a person, by his luxurious clothing one could assume that he was a nobleman. Waving in a suspiciously friendly manner with his right hand, which was covered with a clean, silver metal gauntlet that covered from his hand to his forearm, with snow-white hair and extensive, presumptuous and purple clothing almost entirely. But what caught my attention the most were his eyes, from between his white refined eyelashes there was an iris in each one of a flashing purple color, with some shapes similar to blades in its interior of a magneta color born in its pupil, of bicolor iris, although it seems impossible to have eyes of two colors, it is what characterizes us Bringers, reason why I have similar eyes.

That man was obviously the one who called the police, but I was surprised to see that a nobleman was a Bringer, it was impossible for a Bringer to have political power in this world, they were considered monsters by humans, to the point of being rejected by society. Despite having to process that information, I had to first take care of the policemen who were bothering me. But before I could do anything, they burst into the room, breaking the door, and entered holding their guns in fear, aiming at various places in the room looking for me, but luckily I managed to hide behind one of the rubble of the ruined building before their arrival.

–Come out wherever you are, bringer!–When I heard those words I managed to see through a fragment of the mirror which was in a corner, the appearance of the guy who stood out among all the others for his eccentricity and threatening shout. The man was ahead of the policemen but he did not show fear like the others and his weapons were kept in their holsters, he was wearing a peculiar suit which bore the symbol of the Human X-odus company, so I instantly recognized what kind of human he was. It was a Slayer, as its name says, they are hunters of bringers, and their weapons are specialized in the art of assassination, especially of those who are like me. But he wasn't any Slayer, he was an Almirant. The highest range in their balistic hierarchy, so they become the most feared humans in Earth.

I came out of my hiding place, and managed to better appreciate the appearance of the man, who would have some scars on his face, marks from previous battles, and due to his apparent age, he looked like an experienced guy, so fighting him would not be a good idea. I prostrated myself in front of him ready to fight if necessary, even though I knew the difference in power between us. Seeing me, the guy just smiled and said.

–Hey, kid, you seem to be someone peculiar, the bringers upon seeing me, usually run away. Although in the end it doesn't do them any good... Hahaha!– the guy started to laugh and then, he took out a cigarette from his pocket and lit it but before taking it to his mouth, he looked at me attentively- you still have time to run away boy...- He told me, but I kept quiet and at no time I lost my calm, because I knew that running away would not do me any good,
my only way out was to fight against him.

–As you wish... –He put the tobacco in his mouth and drew his two pistols, with a 30mm barrel, something surprisingly big and incredibly heavy, I still find it hard to imagine how he could handle them that way as if they were two common pistols. On the other hand, I didn't have any weapon, so I only had my derisory strength to fight and confront him... I got into position, placed my hands in front of me and placed my feet in such a way that my posture was solid and that would allow me to move quickly... Even though I knew I was more likely to lose, it was the only way to escape. The guy raised his two pistols and pointed them directly at my chest.

–Last words kid?–he smiled as he aimed, waiting for my answer.

–I...–Before I could complete my sentence, a tremor hit the place, which seemed to come from above, even the guy could hear it and we both looked at the ceiling, which suddenly broke, and after it, a guy appeared who seemed to have broken the ceiling.

–Hey you, get out of here while you can! -Said the boy who fell on the ground, right in front of me, as if covering me from the man.

–Two bringers  in one day? This is going to be entertaining...–he said smiling, he seemed excited about the fight that was going to happen in that place. I looked again at the bobreath

burst in the middle of the battle, he was blond with bright blue eyes, he had a worn out clothing, something typical of the carriers but on the other hand, he had some different shoes, they had something special, like some kind of mechanism or some technological artifact that I could not understand. After this quick glance, I jumped out th
e window of the building, to escape from the place.

–Distortion, Rigid Cast–I said in the air, to activate one of my Bringer abilities, making my body more resistant, as strong as iron. Becoming as rigid as metal, I managed to fall to the ground without hurting myself, despite the height of the fall. After falling, I watched as the fight between the guy and the boy continued for a short time. Just when I was about to leave, I remember that I forgot my backpack, where my radio was, but it was not the time to pay attention to that. Just as I came to my senses, someone shot out of the building, breaking the wall of the building, no one else but the blond guy who wanted to save me, fell to the ground with multiple wounds and covered with debris, he could barely move, he looked at me worried and said a few words with his last breath
–Why are you still here... Go away at once! –he said, but the Admiral against whom he was facing before, jumped from the room where he was falling at a frightening speed and fell on the boy's chest, crushing his stomach, as if he were an insect. If it were a human, he would have died instantly, but the boy, barely alive, tried to grab the Admiral's leg after it fell on top of him, but the Admiral lifted his leg slightly and kicked the boy's face, leaving him in an even worse state than before. I was paralyzed. Opportunely on the ground I found a somewhat old and rusty katana, but I grabbed it and threw myself at the Admiral.

–Distortion, Rigid Cast!–I used the same ability I had used before to strengthen my arms to increase my strength and pierce the body of the Admiral... But it was in vain, when I hit him, I couldn't get the katana to follow its course... He penetrated me with his attentive gaze with a smile and hit me hard in the face with knuckles similar to lead bullets, causing me to fall several meters away from him.
Surprised by his power, I got up and got back into position with my eyes straight ahead, even though the damage caused by his blow had made me a little dizzy. The Admiral left the boy and walked towards me, with a smile on his face but without drawing his weapons, apparently he had no intention of killing me instantly.

–You saw what I did to your friend... Run away before the same thing happens to you!–he would say in a shrill and ashy voice and launched himself at me throwing several punches at an incredibly frightening speed, his fists seemed to glide through the wind as if he didn't exist, with a great extravagance. Luckily I was able to match his speed just barely and managed to dodge every machine-like blow with deadly intentions, on the other hand, my opponent, seemed to be having fun while fighting and didn't even seem to be trying hard in this battle nor in the previous one
–Come on, attack me!–He said and began to increase the strength and speed of his blows, as expected, I could not hold them all, and little by little my strength was unable to avoid them and I ended up receiving every blow he threw.

I could hardly move because of so many wounds and bruises, it would not be an exaggeration to think that I was on the verge of death. The Admiral did not hold back any longer and threw a blow with all his remaining strength towards my chin, throwing me towards the building, which I went through because of the force of the blow. And despite the amount of damage that had been caused to me, only my desire to die stopped me from getting up, but I still had a debt to pay, and a question to resolve. Which is why I managed to get up and held my sword tightly, to say to myself.

"Today I will not give death the pleasure of taking me away."

I lunged towards the admiral and launched a direct cut to his neck. And despite all odds against me, and my previous promises of my own, with my fervor embedded in that rusty sword, I unleashed without a second thought my true power.

–Disorted Vessel: Vortyce Flames–as soon as the words those glowed in my mouth, a wave of terror was unleashed upon the admiral, as he saw the blue flash coming from the rusty edge of my weapon, his entire skull was consumed by a thousand ceaseless blue flames, making way for the katana to pass through his neck, cutting the remnant of his burnt bones, as a new desire, I consumed his whole body in fire, and my clothes as soon as they began to burn were covered with a majestic and igneous celestial mantle. Before I knew it, the whole building had begun to burn to ruins because of my skill. And I only took one step, my body wanted to die on the ground, as it seemed to want to stumble to fall and rest in the earth, but I could not afford that luxury.
The flames returned to me, and as they did, I made my way to where the wounded boy lay. He was breathing, barely alive. I carried him down the road, I knew that soon the authorities would be on the scene because of all the attention I attracted by my power, plus, if they found him there, they would surely accuse him of having done it.
I knew instantly that from that day on nothing would be like before and that all this was due to the appearance of that guy in purple clothes, although I was still wondering who he was.... I knew now that someone had me in their sights.

Due to my wounds, I could not walk more than three blocks, from that place, I fell exhausted on the ground, I could not stand more but before fainting, I managed to see that someone was approaching, I could only see a pair of heels, it seemed that it was a woman, I can not remember anything else, because at that moment I fell unconscious.

Chapter end