Genuflection

[Denunciator]

Hi all. To those who know me IRL, do not smexpose. Thanks, and enjoy.

Prologue

gen·u·flect (jěn'yə-flěkt')
intr.v. gen·u·flect·ed, gen·u·flect·ing, gen·u·flects

1. To bend the knee or touch one knee to the floor or ground, as in worship.
2. To be servilely respectful or deferential; grovel.
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The storm trooper waved his hands, and his platoon rounded the corner, guns leveled. Around them, a snowstorm was beginning to whip up, and the officer simply didn't want to get caught in it, nor be responsible for any soldier's death through his inaction. As they ran off into the darkening snowfields, a small figure emerged from the remnants of the weapon and armor store, blood smeared all over his tiny hands. Only 4 years in age, he couldn't comprehend war; in fact, the only thing he could comprehend was that all his friends and his family were dead, dead by the hands of troops from some far off land, using superior weapons. El Nath hadn't stood a chance.
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8 years later...

The 12-year-old knelt before the gravestones, tears dropping onto the damp soil. The mages had certainly done a good job of keeping it free of snow, but that thought barely registered over his regret and anger. "I wish I had been strong enough then..." As fresh bouts of crying racked him, he raised his right hand out, three fingers extended, and whispered, between breaths, "I swear... I'll do anything for revenge. Anything."

He had no idea.

[Denunciator]

Chapter 1: Exposition

Classified
Operation Snowstorm [2002]

Date: 24th December
Time of commencement: 2359h

Objective: Eradicate any possible threat that Ossyrian soldiers pose without alerting any authorities.
Survivors: None


Date of completion: 25th December
Time of completion: 1207h

Mission objective accomplished.
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Alex looked up at the bleak sky. All around him, people were busy stringing their bows, holding mini-competitions to see who could restring the fastest. It seemed as if it were about to rain over Henesys, and he packed, ready to leave at the slightest notice. Can't stand the noise... he muttered at the surroundings, and headed for the shade of a large tree. Solitariness was a relief from the mayhem of bubbling 12 year olds. Brushing a golden strand of hair from his eyes, he leveled his bow, pulling back the string. A familiar tension built up under his fingers, making him relaxed yet straining his soul; it was a weird conflict, and yet they did co-exist, at least for him. Aiming for the opposite tree, he let go of the string gently, and a light "twang" sound brushed his ears, soothing him. A breeze brushed his hair, forcing him to blink twice. Apparently, this was supposed to be a ceremony to choose the three best bowmen that would be the disciples of Athena Pierce, and who would be mentored by her for four years, until they came of age. This certainly didn't seem like it; even the teachers were laid back, talking and relaxing.

A sudden silence fell upon those at the hill. The breeze grew stronger, stopping short of wind. Alex shook his head slightly, as if clearing some buzzing noise from it; he looked around. Everyone had frozen, but they were still capable of conscious thought and communications, as proven by the people who looked like they were straining to escape invisible bonds freezing every muscle and tendon in their body. A cloaked figure walked up the hill, and for every step he took, everyone winced... everyone but Alex; he was riveted by it, yes, but he could also move under the pressure that was now binding all in the area. Drawing his bow, he fired a random shot, and the figure disappeared...

In the moment that he took to blink from recoil, everything went back to normal - it was as if nothing had changed, nothing had taken place; conversation resumed. Lowering his arm, he let his bow drop to the ground, confused. He took a tentative step forward and caught sight of a figure approaching the hill, wearing a beige hooded cloak; the bow at her back unmistakable.

AN: "It wasn't noticing the mistake that was the problem, it was pointing it out. If one knew the mistake of the teacher but didn't correct it, and nobody else did so, then you had one piece of knowledge and subsequently, advantage over the other students." - Ender's Shadow

"Athena..." Alex breathed, with amazement bordering on reverence. Even though he'd passed her in the corridors of the Institution more than once, she still exuded the aura of power and accuracy, of being able to read every thought without deviation. The knowledge that powered her was the source of everyone's fear, and therefore it was a great mob control method; she was said to be able to tame every dragon in the land and frighten them into serving her purposes, a power he'd love to have. As she finally mounted the crest of the hill, everyone stood up, gripping their bows tightly - the fun and joy had given way to panic and pressure. The selection test had finally arrived. Walking up, Athena reached for her hood, and Alex gasped; Athena never unhooded herself, even within the Institution. What was making her do so now? Or did she deem them ready...

Everyone's jaw dropped. Behind the hood was a girl, no more than four years above their age; even the teachers gave audible gasps. Alex stammered, "But... but... Athena was one of the fighters against Ergoth long ago-" The girl merely raised an eyebrow, and replied, "Athena isn't her name, fool. The phrase 'Athena Pierce' is merely a title given to the best bowman and that grants them absolute power in Henesys. That's all." Alex felt betrayed - the Athena that he worshiped, no more than a teenager? Before he could seriously contemplate the full repercussions of the situation, she called out, "Okay, the selection test now begins."

Seeing no reaction, she rolled her eyes and continued, “You guys probably already know the criterion for selection; simply put, you are to fire an arrow at a target; the five highest scorers continue on to the next round, and then the three best get a 4 year training session with me. Simple?” Everyone stared in disbelief, the message in their eyes clear: “Us? Train with you?” Finally irritated, she leveled her Dragon Shiner and faced it towards the crowd; merely gently pulling and letting go of the string, she caused a pressure pulse that knocked everyone to the ground; Alex was the first to get up, eyes blazing. The girl tilted her head and spoke in a cold tone, far from her warmness less than five minutes previously. “Have I proven myself, or do I need to continue?” Muttering arose as everyone stood up; Athena snapped her fingers and scarecrows rose from the ground, complete with a target in their centers. “Remember, though, that if none of you get close to the bull’s-eye, nobody gets chosen at all.”

One by one, everyone took their turns; Alex began panicking. Amongst them, already five had struck the target; certainly, she wasn’t watching out for accuracy now, but style, posture, bow handling – the little details he hadn’t bothered to take note of. After all, a bow was a weapon, not an artifact to be flaunted – why does one have to use a bow stylishly? He was shocked to the present when he realized that everyone was staring at him; the girl’s gaze, especially, seemed to bore through him like a lance; gripping his bow as tightly as he could, he drew the string backwards and fired…

A complete miss, almost three feet above the target. His hands were shaking, the bow trembling obviously; the girl now looked at him curiously. “Are you… okay?” The gentle tone was the last thing he heard before passing out.
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Below the crest, a young girl, hair tied in a ponytail, was speaking into a cellphone. "Target knocked out." Whipping her head backwards, she let her silver ponytail trail behind her; shutting the cell, she dropped it into the pocket of her Avarice, drawing in place two throwing stars. "It's time to fulfill destiny," she whispered, and cast Dark Sight. With a puff, she vanished into the darkness of the trees, moving stealthily towards the unconscious body of Alex.

Chapter 2

[WriterInHiding]

Not bad. Interesting format that is different than most fanfics out here although it still has that stereotype "unknown figure staring/thinking/brooding....and then cut to the present scene."

But PLEASE tell me that was the first paragraph of chapter 1 because it's getting downright ridiculous how many fanfics have only a few sentences and expect us as readers to accept it as an entire chapter. Real life novels don't have chapters only one paragraph long and I've begun to lose interest in any fic that does.

[Denunciator]

My bad, was away at a class chalet that lasted 3 days. Back now, and it's the hols, so I'll update. And yes, it was the first paragraph of Chapter 1 :P

[Denunciator]

Completed Ch. 1. Sorry for the delay, was busy.

Chapter 2: Legerdemain

"Get them now!" the Ranger cried, raising his bow towards the sky; the assassins merely laughed and casted Haste; the air around them warped as an anti-gravity well was set up, allowing them to defy the gravity that was now making traveling cumbersome for the bowmen. As throwing stars rained down, the rangers screamed and ran in all directions, order forgotten and dropped. As the last of the bowmen straggled off the battlefield, Athena deemed it safe to arrive; standing alone, she was immediately surrounded by the assassins, sneering loudly at the queen of bowmen standing there, unarmed. Just as they leapt for the final kill, she summoned a bow and a shield; the volley of stars merely clanged off the latter, and she leapt higher than any of them; shocked, they could only stare as she aimed and fired. A single black arrow shot towards the ground and it dissolved; the sand started flowing inwards, pulling the sea from the distance. "Gravity Distortion..." the Dark Lord mused, arriving as well. Turning, Athena's eyes blazed as she fired another arrow...
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Alex cursed the moment his eyelids fluttered open; his back was in severe agony, and his arm appeared to be bound to whatever he was lying on... before he could attempt escape, a gentle voice called out, "Don't bother. It's reinforced titanium." Alex swore again, but she pretended not to take notice and continued, "You can't say I didn't treat you well though," walking out with a tray; on it were two cups of water. The assassin set them down on the table and faced him; he attempted to spit, but she just stepped out of the way. "Don't be rude. I'm giving you a chance here." Immediately, his struggles ceased and she smiled. "Better. This test is an easy one - pick a cup, drink it all. If you don't get knocked out, I let you free. Nothing happens if you get knocked out. Deal?" Alex was now giving her his full and undivided attention, concentrating as best as he could in his pain.

After three minutes of staring, Alex finally got the point that he was supposed to do something, and he turned his attention to the cups barely within his reach. The liquids inside looked exactly the same, having the same volume, texture and transparency. Shutting his eyes, he decided to let destiny guide him - grabbing a cup at random, he downed it all. In five seconds flat, he felt giddy, and slumped against the table. Sheer will kept him conscious, trying to saw away at the bonds that were now tightening. Tears of pain and despair streamed down his face and fell onto the metal table. As his chest was squeezed and his breath tightened, he felt reality wane away and the present and past wind together in a myriad of colors, becoming a mural that he was now speeding through. Darkness crept in from the corners of his sight, resembling the shutting aperture of a telescope. All of a sudden, he felt the pressure release and he sat up, groaning in pain as blood rushed back to his abdomen; he then realized that his shirt hadn't been on since he'd woken up. The assassin had her back to him, and she was squatted on the ground; upon moving closer, he heard gentle sobbing and whispering. He could barely make out the words "I can't" again and again, as she rocked back and forth. A wave of pity striking Alex, he knelt down and stroked her back, whispering, "It's fine, just stop crying, okay?" Taking it as a good sign that she didn't shrug it off, he continued his arm movement, his mind numb.

Am I crazy? I'm actually comforting the person who tried assassinating me! I bet both drinks were ****ged, so she'd feel easier about killing an unconscious person, except that I'd held out...

She suddenly stood up. "Leave, and don't come back." Shocked, Alex tried protesting but nothing came out except "But my armor..." Striding over to a nearby cupboard, she retrieved the green topwear and threw it over; he caught it and almost let go in surprise. It was still warm, possibly from being washed - in addition, it had been neatly folded, as could be seen from the light fold creases lining a perfect cross. He stroked it absently, staring at her. To his surprise, she didn't attempt to chase him out anymore, merely staring at him. Dazedly, Alex stood up and put on the armor, sitting at the edge of his former confinements. She was still standing there; in that moment, Alex felt something strike him, some inexplicable change in the surroundings that threatened to suffocate everyone in the room. Am I the only one affected? Why is she standing there so nonchalantly? Suddenly, a throwing star hit his collar and pinned him to the wall; the girl was... laughing? "Nice try, gal," he growled, pulling out the star; immediately, three more whizzed past his ear. She hadn't moved an inch, but a little smile lined her face.

"Sleight of hand. It's fantastic, don't you think? By the way, name here's Reika." For the first time, Alex studied her. Her face was young, but it conveyed a sense of maturity about it - her eyes accentuated this point. Inside, it seemed to reverberate with knowledge and power, and how to use it to her best advantages. Her shoulder-length hair was tied in a neat ponytail; silver in color, it seemed to have trap all the shine of the night and stored it inside. The name suits her somehow... especially the hair - it's beautiful. As his eyes trailed, he checked himself and returned her courtesy, "I'm Alex. Twelve this year. Turning thirteen soon though." She nodded and gave him a once-over; he looked at himself behind the mirror. Short hair with a slight spike accentuating a thin face; he was perfectly un-remarkable, and that was good. Apparently pleased, she said, "What about we find a proper place to rest?" Alex nodded, and stepped out tentatively; he gasped when he realized where he was - the fabled Kerning City. What shocked him more wasn't the fact that he was in a completely foreign town; the main problem was that there were almost two dozen thieves, mostly Assassins, on the street, and they were headed his way, malicious grins lining their faces.
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The Dark Lord slashed at one of his subordinates, and with a cry, everyone in the room fell. Angered, he stomped around the room; the hormones and adrenaline rushing through his bloodstream did him no good. Stabbing his dagger into the wood, he swore. "That idiot Athena, who does she think she is?" Turning, he stared into the mirror and studied his own expression. Blond hair, swept backwards; black cloak and armor, and a claw and dagger - the previous Lords all prided themselves on being ambidextrous; he was now going to use that to his advantage. Alex, descendant of Jakito...

Chapter 3

[xdgr]

Probably better if you'd add an -incomplete- or -not finished- so as to not provoke people like WriterInHiding. :|