Storms and Sour Shades

"Boys and girls! Come now! Let me tell you a tale of... The STORMbringer." Huddled around a fire, a group of children sat on wood logs in a circle with a scrawny old man with a cane standing next to the flames. "It was a bright, WARM summer day. The sun was out and the birds were chirpin'. Then THUNDER! THEY arrived! The STORMbringer!"

The children gasped in fear, causing the old man to chuckle. "They were small, like you niblings and wore a bright yellow raincoat. But don't be fooled. They were monstrous. Their teeth were sharper than razors, their claws could rip steel to shreds and with EVERY step they took, the sky roared. Hurricanes took houses and rain flooded the streets." The children cowered in fear at the story, their blood running cold. Amongst them, however was one boy whose expression remained firm and focused.

The boy had dark skin and dark purple hair that nearly appeared black. His silver-grey eyes were locked onto the old man as he took in every part of the story, captivated rather than scared. "Some say the stormbringer is a shapeshifting dragon who controls the skies. Others say they're a wicked sinner who earned the ire of the clouds. But all that is truly known is that we live in fear of that monster until one day, a hero were to slay them."

A gleam shined in the boy's eyes as he heard those words. His mouth curled up into a smile. The word hero echoed in his mind.

xxxxxxXxxxxxx

Years later, inside a room of wooden floor and walls.

"Welcome, citizens of Sapperwell and thanks for tuning in to our daily music radio. The sky is clear, baby wyverns are chirpin' and miss Bakers' strawberry cakes are smelling delicious as always. It's the perfect morning for some tunes!"

As music played in the background, a slender boy 13 years of age with dark skin and dark purple hair in bright purple pajamas woke up with a groan. He got off his bed and took a deep breath before donning a determined expression. "Alright, Esben. You got this."

Suddenly, the boy's shadow pooled below him before he sank into it as if it were a deep lake of water. A few seconds later he popped out of the shadow wearing leather armor over a black skinsuit. Admiring his quick make over, he twirled in a circle before heading for the door.

He opened the door and walked into the hallway outside only for a bucket of tree sap to fall square onto his head. Just as the boy started to process the situation, a group of laughs assaulted his ears. Esben glared as the ones laughing, his ears turning red from embarrassment. They were also wearing leather armor like him. The boy took a deep breath, ignoring the uncomfortable stickiness of the sap that covered his whole body, as his shadow pooled beneath him before he let himself be submerged in said shadow. A moment later, he popped out of the shadow without a bucket or a drop of sap on his body. He took one look at the pranksters who did this before raising his chin and looking away.

"I'm a De Umbra. I'm above this." Esben muttered forcing a sense of pride into his words. "I have to be."

One of the pranksters groaned, an auburn haired boy with beige skin Esben knew as Kyle. "Stuck up, jerk." Esben's eye twitched. "I bet he thinks he so much better than everyone else because of his parents." The moment the words were said, Esben's shadow spread out from the floor and walls to the ceiling above the pranksters before they were splashed by a bucketful of sticky sap with Kyle being the most drenched.

The bullies panicked, causing Esben to smirk mischievously. Satisfied, he started walking away before a bell rang in the hallway, interrupting everything. It was the bell to gather in the courtyard. Without even thinking about it, he made his way there where a tall knight in metal armor stood calmly. Standing amongst a crowd of others his age wearing the same kind of armor, Esben stared at the knight with his head tilted wondering why a gathering was called.

His curiosity was answered right after the knight cleared his throat. "Squires and future spirit knights," he said firmly. "Recent beast movements in the forest around the city of Sapperwell observed by our scouts indicate that a great danger has entered the forest. Tomorrow, you will be joining an expedition to dispatch the threat led by captain spirit knights Idelle and Flynn De Umbra."

Esben froze at the mention of the two names. His parents. The image of him fighting alongside his parents flashed in his mind, making his eyes gleam. He had to resist the urge to jump up and down in excitement at the thought of earning his parents' recognition. He didn't even bother listening to the rest of the speech. Once it had ended, he rushed back to his room and spent the rest of the day preparing.

Tomorrow was going to be the best day ever.

xxxxxxXxxxxxx

Today was the worst day ever, Esben thought as he watched his parents leading the the expedition through the forest in the distance with the other knights while he was in the back with the other squires unable to even get close.

The occasional metal badger would attack them, but it wasn't enough to get the attention of his parents as the danger was minimal with the number of squires and knights around. "I have to stand out somehow." The boy muttered with a hand on his chin before someone bumped into him, causing him to fall face first into a puddle of mud.

Hearing the sound of giggles, Esben sunk into his shadow popping out on his feet without any mud on his face. He turned to the one who pushed him, Kyle and grit his teeth "HEY!" He yelled. "If you have a problem with me, why don't you come here and face me?!"

Kyle didn't even bother turning around, causing a vein to pop on Esben's forehead. The boy's shadow extended from beneath him towards the other boy before the shadow's fist rose out of the ground and punched Kyle in the face, sending him stumbling back. Without giving the boy time to recover, Esben grabbed him by the collar and growled.

With his teeth bared to the boy and his silver eyes locked on his enemy, Esben spoke firmly. "Remember, YOU started this." He said reeling his arm back as he got ready to punch the auburn haired boy. Kyle quickly started sweating in fear as he struggled to get out of the purple haired boy's grasp to no avail. Kyle closed his eyes as the fist approached, waiting for the pain. But nothing happened.

When Kyle opened his eyes he saw an adult woman with dark skin and dark blue, almost black hair flowing down her shoulders wearing majestic silver and purple armour holding a horrified Esben's arm. It was Idelle De Umbra, Esben's mother. Idelle quickly pulled her son off the other boy and dragged him a small bit into the forest before they were covered in a dome of shadows. Once out of sight, Idelle spoke harshly. "What were you thinking?!" She yelled angrily.

"He started it!" Exclaimed Esben, yet Idelle's gaze remained furious. "What was I supposed to do?"

"You could've told someone!" Answered Idelle pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration.

Esben frowned. "That's not gonna fix anything!" He yelled clenching his fists. "You think I haven't tried?!"

Idelle paused. Taking a deep breath. Esben believed she saw what he meant and understood the situation. But then, shs spoke. "We have a reputation to uphold." She said with a frown. Esben let out a sound of confusion. He stammered to reply to say anything, but nothing came out before his mother continued. "There's no excuse for you to act like this."

Esben clenched his fists. A quiet sob escaped his throat. "Is your reputation more important than me?" A shocked look appeared on Idelle's face. Esben saw her expression and continued. "Doesn't feel like it."

Without waiting for his mother to answer, the boy rushed to the walls of the dome before jumping through it with ease. After popping outside, he ran and ran as fast possible without looking back. Tears flowed from his eyes like waterfalls.

He didn't know for how long he was running yet he kept going. He didn't know where he was through all the greenery, but all that was on his mind was getting away. Eventually, he tripped on one of the tree roots spread across the ground. Looking around him, the boy found nothing that could indicate where he was. Only tall trees, greenery and some rocks as far as the eye can see.

Once the realization that he was lost dawned on him, the boy curled up into a ball and huddled next to a boulder before an involuntary sob left his throat. "I'm the worst."

"I don't know about that." Esben looked up from his knees upon hearing a young voice and saw a girl around his age in a bright yellow raincoat and black leggings staring at him upside down from atop the boulder. She had pale skin as if she seldom basked in the sun and fingernails that reminded Esben more of claws. Her sky-blue eyes stared at him with unbridled joy as she smiled at him with sharp pointy teeth. Her long wavy grey hair had a black comb lodged in it as if it's an accessory. "Have you ever seen a ferret and a giant mantis make out? It gets REAL nasty."

Esben blinked. "Who are you?" He asked in confusion.

The girl paused. "YELLOW!" She suddenly screamed, causing the boy jump onto his feet in a panic.

Quickly, Esben realized there was no danger. "Why did you yell?!" He asked while taking deep calming breaths.

"I was saying hi!" She replied cheerfully. "I've never said hi to another person in so long so I'm super excited!"

Esben was instantly both concerned and nervous. He went tense as he spoke. "Huh, again, who are you? And why are you wearing a yellow raincoat?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. "People don't wear yellow raincoats anymore. It's associated with the stormbringer."

"But they're so neat." Replied the girl seeming distraught and upset by what she had just heard. "Would you stop stealing delicious strawberry cakes if a demon started stealing strawberry cakes?"

Esben's eyes narrowed at the girl. "You steal strawberry cakes?" He asked raising a brow.

A bead of sweat dropped to floor. Panic was clear on the girl's face. "Uhhh... I have an alibi!" She screamed out. "A-and I'm more of a cheese wheel gal!" Esben sighed in defeat. Deciding he didn't want to deal with the crazy girl in front of him, Esben picked a random direction and started walking. Two steps in and the girl pulled him back by the arm. "No no no no! Not that direction! Anywhere but that!"

Esben was about to ask why, but he got his answer when he heard thunder roar through the sky. The boy's body was immediately enveloped in shadows before he jumped into the air high above the trees. There, he saw it. A storm unlike any other heading their way. It was enormous and seemed intent on wreaking havoc and destruction wherever it went. Simply looking at it made his body shiver. That storm felt wrong. It felt evil. Instantly, one name came to mind. Someone who could cause this. The Stormbringer.

Once he fell back down, he grabbed the girl's hand and started running with her. "We have to warn them!" He exclaimed in a panic. "The stormbringer is here."

The girl's eyes widened before she quickly stopped in her tracks, stopping the boy with her. "I'm just gonna stay here." She said with a nervous smile.

"WHAT?!" Asked Esben in shock, shaking the girl by the shoulders. "Are you crazy?! That's THE Stormbringer! The most dangerous monster of all! You can't stay here!" The girl didn't answer, instead she looked...hurt by the words. Esben was confused before light from a lightning bolt flashed before his eyes showing him a dark silhouette of the girl before themere shockwave of a blast of lightning slammed into him, sending him flying into the nearest tree. The girl, on the other hand, was untouched.

Esben's mind went into overdrive as he tried to understand the situation, why was she unharmed? But then, he realized it. "Teeth sharper than razors, claws that can rip through steel and a yellow raincoat." His blood ran cold. "You...YOU are the Stormbringer!"

The Stormbringer chuckled joylessly. "Das a me."