Silcora - Chapter one

         "Alex, Get Up!”
         I groaned and rolled over in my bed. I knew what was going to happen next. It always the same, every day. I heard stomping coming from the stairs. My door open and the light snapped on.
         “Here it comes.” I whispered. I braced myself, but still bolted upright when a flood of ice-cold water rushed over me. In front of me was my mother, holding an empty pitcher. “Do you have to do that every day ?” I groaned.
         “If you got up when you were supposed to, I wouldn’t have to do that.” She said. “Now get dressed, your bus leaves in fifteen minutes.”
         I sighed and crawled out of bed. “There, done.” I said, holding my arms out.
         She looked at me. “Sleeping in your clothes is disgusting. Now go shower and put on some clean clothes.” She said, enunciating the word clean.
         “Alright.” I mumbled. I trudged down the hall and into the bathroom. I pulled off my clothes and got in the shower. I shivered as the cold water hit my body, fully awakening me. I got out of the shower and glanced at the mirror. I touched up my hair, the browninsh- blonde, shoulder length strands waving back and forth as I brushed it, then looked at the birthmark on my left shoulder .
         “Alex, hurry up!” my mom yelled from downstairs. I went back in my room and grabbed some clothes. I pulled them on and was leaving my room when something large and black jumped at me. The creature landed on my chest, and the force of the impact threw me into the wall where I fell, unconscious.
         There was a figure, clothed in darkness, standing on a hillside, staring at the remains of a newly destroyed city. There were fires all around the city, and smoke was rising into the sky. The figure floated into the air, and spreading his arms, shouted “The kingdoms of this world belong to me now. There is no one who can stop me. I AM INVINCIBLE!”
         The figure cackled. He gave off such an evil Aura that he might have been Lucifer himself. He floated down into the city, lightning erupting from his fingertips. The screams of the dying pierced the air, adding to the horror. The figure landed on the ground as a woman ran across the road in front of him.
         “STOP!” He commanded, raising a hand. Ice grew around the woman’s feet, holding her in place. The woman’s eyes grew wide with fear. The figure walked up to her and looked her over. He raised his hand again, and fire erupted from it, roasting the woman. The woman’s body fell to the ground and the figure let loose a heart chilling laugh. He walked down the road, throwing fireballs at the nearby buildings. Whenever a person ran in front of him, he would engulf them in flame. Overhead, a building exploded, and debris rained down. The figure raised an arm, and a dome of fire surrounded him. The debris melted upon reaching the fire. The shield dissipated, and the figure laughed again.
         The figure stepped forward, but was sent flying backwards an instant later. Standing there was a man, arm outstretched, surrounded by fire. The man opened his hand and a ball of fire appeared. The man threw the fire towards the demonic figure. The figure grabbed the flame from the air, and adding his own power, sent it flying back at the man, twice the original size. The fire caught the man on his shoulder, and it spun him as he was sent flying into a building. The figure floated over to the man, who was lying on the ground. The figure stood over the man, and the figure’s hand ignited.
         He leaned down to finish the man, but was struck by a boulder. He flew through the air and into a wall. A woman, about the same age as the man, stood with boulders swirling around her. "LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She yelled, advancing towards the figure. The figure stood up and ignited his hands. The woman glanced down at the man, who was still lying on the ground, and then at the figure. The figure shot fire at the woman, but she moved a boulder in front of her, and they harmlessly dissolved away. She launched all of the boulders at the figure, which caught him off guard, and he went sailing through a store window and onto the ground.
         The woman rushed over to the man on the ground, and touched his neck. She let out a sigh of relief, and closed her eyes. She seemed to be concentrating on something, and the man's eye's opened. The woman sighed again and bent down to hug the man.
         A crash from the store alerted them, and they both leapt to their feet. The figure floated through the window, and landed softly on the ground. The man stood, facing the figure, determination on his face. The woman stood next to him, but was leaning down, catching her breath.
         "You shouldn't have done that." The figure said with his heart-chilling voice. He stepped forward and launched a large wave of fire at them. The man raised a hand, and the fire stopped. He whispered something to the woman, and she slipped away. The man and the figure stood facing each other, arms outstretched, fire between them. Each was attempting to outmatch the other, and the fire moved back and forth between them. The figure was struck in the head by a small stone, not harmful, but enough to distract him from the fire.
         The woman stood behind him, still gasping from the effort of reviving the man. The figure whirled around and fired a large fireball at the woman, just before he got slammed by the wall of fire and sailed through the air. The figure’s fire nailed the woman in the chest and sent her flying at a wall.
         “NO!” The man screamed, diving towards the woman.
         “Alex! Alex! Wake up!” my eyes snapped open, and I saw my mother kneeling on the floor next to me. “Thank God!” she exclaimed. "I thought you were dead.”
         “I’m fine, mom. I just hit my head. I’m fine. I have to go to school.” I said.
         “What do you mean, go to school? I just found you lying on the floor. I can’t let you go to school. We have to get you to the hospital.”
         “Mom, I’m fine.” I said, frustrated at her. “I need to go to school. I have a test today.”
         “Alright, fine.” She sighed, “But I want you to call me at the first sign of trouble, okay.”
         “Fine, whatever.” I finished getting dressed and went downstairs. Just as I was walking through the front door my shoulder exploded with pain. I yelled, grabbing my shoulder. I leaned against the doorframe and pulled my sleeve up to look at my shoulder. My birthmark was bright red, and getting redder . Just as fast as it came, the pain receded, and my birthmark turned black again. I rested against the door, catching my breath.
         “Alex, you okay?” my mom yelled from upstairs.
         “Yeah, I’m fine. See you later.”
         “Bye honey, I love you.” She called.
         “Whatever.” I muttered, walking outside, just in time to see my bus leave. I swore. Now I would have to walk . I turned right towards my school, and after a while took a shortcut through an alley.
         As I got near the end, a man dressed in a black suit walked into the alley and stood at the exit. He looked at me and smiled. “Morning,” He said, nodding at me. He started walking towards me. When he was a few yards away, something leapt out of the shadows.
         The creature was black as night, almost as if it was the shadow itself. It looked vaguely human, although was only about half the size, and entirely black. Long, sharp fangs protruded from the mouth, while small, but razor sharp claws dominated the hands.
         The man took a small knife with a red blade from his jacket pocket, and ran his finger along the edge. The man muttered something, and the knife blade grew to about three feet long. The creature rushed the man, striking at him with its claws. The man sidestepped to the left so the creature ran past him. He struck out with the sword, cutting a huge gash into the creature’s side. Black blood flowed from the creature and it started shaking. The creature howled in pain, and exploded into pitch-black fragments. The fragments retreated back into the shadows and disappeared. The man muttered another word, and the red blade shrank back to its original side. The man put the knife away and walked towards to me. “W-w-what are you?” I stammered, backing up. “Don’t come any closer, I’ll scream.” I said.
         “Calm down.” The man said. “I’m not going to hurt you. I just want to talk.”
         “So start talking.” I said, still backing up.
         “First I need to see something. Do you have the mark?"
         "What mark?"
         "The mark of the Prince. Do you have it?"
         "I don't know what you're talking about."
         “The mark! Do you have it?” he pulled a piece of paper from his jacket pocket and showed it to me. It was a drawing of my birthmark .
         “How did you know about that? Who are you?”
         “So you do have it. Please, you must show me.” He said.
         “Not until you explain what this is all about.”
         “Show me the mark, and all your questions will be answered.”
         This guy was creeping me out, but somehow he knew about my birthmark. Hardly anybody knew about it. “Alright, fine.” I said, pulling up my sleeve to show him my birthmark. The man smiled, and reached out to touch it. “Don’t touch me.” I told him, jumping back.
         “Fair enough. Now, let me introduce myself. My name is Thomas. I was sent to find you. We have been waiting for you.” He smiled again.
         “What do you mean, waiting for me?” I asked.
         “You are the Silcora.” He said.
         “I’m the what?”
         “The Silcora. The Demon Slayer.”
         “Demon Slayer?” I asked, stunned and confused. This man obviously thought I was someone important.
         “Come with me, and all of your questions will be answered.” He said mysteriously. He turned around and started walking down the alley the way he came. I followed him, but warily. I was not going to take any chances with this man.
         After about five minutes, he stopped in front of a wall. He turned around and looked at me. “Wait here.” He said. He went around the corner, and about a minute later came back with a small bag. He opened the bag, and pulled out a small piece of chalk. He set down the bag and walked up to the wall. He drew a large rectangle on the wall, about six feet high and four feet wide. He put the chalk back in the bag, faced the wall, spread his arms and said “Loivir te suxin.”
         As I watched, the inside shifted from the gray of the cement to a bright blue, and then the wall in the rectangle disappeared altogether. On the other side was a room. The room was empty, devoid of any decoration. All surfaces were brilliantly white, almost blinding, except for a large wooden door on the opposite wall.
         “Come.” Thomas said, stepping through the opening. I just stood there, my mouth hanging open, staring at the hole in the wall. Thomas saw me standing there, and came back out. He grabbed my hand. “Come, I will explain everything to you. I let him lead me through the wall. On the other side he turned around, raised his arms, and said “Ideh te suxin.” The opening phased into a wall, and I assumed it did that on the other side, too. Where the opening had been the wall was blue. It was the only color on an otherwise blank wall.
         Behind me, Thomas knocked on the big wooden door. The door opened and another man in a business suit stood there. He saw me and glanced at Thomas, a puzzled look on his face. Thomas whispered something to the man, and his eyes grew wide. The man looked at me again and smiled.
         “Welcome to the Nexus, I am Salmar. If you need anything, please, don’t hesitate to ask.” He shook my hand and bowed.
         “Alright, Sal, don’t overdo it.” Thomas said. Salmar smiled apologetically, and moved to the side, holding the door open.
         “Come, Alex. We have much to talk about.” He led me through the door. We entered a huge room, maybe a square mile in size, with people running around. Every single one of them was wearing a suit just like the ones Thomas and Salmar were wearing. On three of the walls were many wooden doors like the one we had just come through. They were placed at ten yard intervals, with a person standing next to each one. Between most of the doors were smaller, metal doors.
         On the other wall were thousands of large, flatscreen televisions. As we walked to one of the metal doors, I was able to look at a few of them. They all had maps on them, although each map was different. There were flashing red dots on the maps, each one a different size, and flashing at different speeds. One of the dots disappeared, and the screen turned black. A few seconds later a new map appeared with a dot on it. Next to the maps, names were listed. People were stopping and looking at the screens, and then rushing to one of the many wooden doors.
         I was led through a metal door and into a small room with a table and chairs. Thomas sat down in one of the chairs and directed me to another. “Now that we’re all settled, I can answer any questions you may have. One at a time. First question.”
         “What is this place?”
         “We are in the Nexus. This is where the Guardians of the Human Realm are headquartered.”
         “What was that thing that attacked you?”
         “That thing is called a triln. It is an animal from Agno-Sha, The Demon Realm.”
         “Demons? Demons don’t exist. They’re just in myths and legends.”
         “Right and wrong. All myths and legends are based around truth. Demons do exist, but not in your world. Only two Demons have ever stepped foot in this dimension: Gaalan and Salna. Very few Demons are as evil as in the stories. For the most part, they are normal people, just like here. They have jobs, raise families, and even pay taxes. There are a few evil Demons. But most Demons aren’t so different from you and me, except for one thing.”
         “What’s that?”
         “A select few Demons, a very miniscule amount, are gifted with mastery of one or more of the five elements.
         “Five elements? But there are only four.”
         “There are only four that humans acknowledge, but there is another. The life force of a living creature is as natural as any of your elements. The Demons know this, and some are able to control it.”
         “What do you mean?”
         “Water, earth, air, fire, life. These are the forces of nature. The forces you can control.”
         “Me?” I gasped. “I can’t control anything, let alone fire or water.”
         “You can. You must.”
         “You said I was the Silcora. What does that mean?”
         “Silcora means Demon Slayer. Centuries ago, two Demons fled their home world and traveled here, to the Human Realm. One, named Salna. She died a hundred years ago, but her last words are etched onto her grave, in the center of the Nexus.
         “What did she say?”
         “She foretold of the coming of a great being, who would attempt to take over the world. She also said there would be one who could stop it. They would bear the mark of the prince. The Demon, Rayuk, carries the same mark you do. The mark of the Demons.”
         “And you think I’m this one? You think I’m the one who can stop him?”
         “I know you are. You are the only one besides Rayuk who has that exact mark. The Demonic energy we detected coming from your house was stronger than any we’ve seen before. There were only two explanations. Rayuk had come to our dimension himself, or the Silcora had come. If Rayuk had come, we would not be here right now. He would have destroyed us all. So that left you. The Silcora.”
         “So I’m some super powerful human that’s going to defeat the king of the Demons?”
         “Yes.”
         “No. you have the wrong guy. I’m just Alex. I’m the guy that gets picked last for sports. I’m the guy who can’t get a date to save his life. I can’t be the savior of humanity.”
         “You can’t run from destiny, Alex. This is who you are. You can’t change that.” He pushed back his chair. “Come, Alex. It’s time to meet your teacher.”
         “My teacher? Why do I need a teacher?”
         “We’re in the middle of a war. We don’t have time for you to discover your abilities by yourself. So we’re going to help you.”
         “Who’s my teacher?”
         "If you come with me, I’ll show you.” He walked to the door and held it open. “If you don’t mind?”
         I followed him across the Warehouse, still amazed by what he said, to a small, green door I hadn’t noticed before. We went through the door into a small, empty room with red walls. Standing in the middle of the room was a man. He was not wearing a suit like the rest of the people there, but a black cloak. His hood was up, and he was facing the wall.
         “I have brought the...” The man raised a hand, cutting him off.
         “I have been waiting a long time for you, Alex. A very long time. You may go, Thomas.” Thomas bowed and backed out of the room, shutting the door behind him. “Do you know why you’re here, Alex?” the man said.
         “Thomas said I was a Demon Slayer, and that I had to stop a Demon from taking over the world.” I answered.
         “Not just your world, Alex, but every world in existence. What do you think will happen if Rayuk succeeds in taking your dimension? He will eventually grow tired of it and move on to a new dimension, destroying that one as well. He will grow tired of that dimension, and move on. This will continue until he is stopped.”
         The man turned around, and removed his cloak. I gasped. Standing in front of me was a horrifyingly beautiful figure.



the questioning sequence between Thomas and Alex is rather sporadic. if anyone has any suggestions to make it flow better they would be greatly appreciated