Chapter 1 act 1 new home
Rain filled the streets of the planet Moloch.
It came down in thick, steady sheets, turning the streets into mirrors beneath the pale glow of the city’s lights. Water ran along the edges of the roads, carrying dirt and scraps of paper toward the storm drains. Neon signs flickered through the rain, their colors bleeding across the wet pavement.
Most people had already gone inside.
The streets were unusually quiet.
Two figures walked through them anyway.
They were completely covered by dark robes, their faces hidden beneath deep hoods. The rain struck their clothing and rolled off the fabric without either figure seeming bothered by it.
They walked side by side without speaking.
The taller of the two reached into his robe and pulled out a small device.
It wasn’t much larger than his palm.
A single glowing arrow appeared across its surface.
The arrow shifted.
The man turned.
The woman followed.
They continued through several narrow streets until the buildings around them became older and more worn. The bright lights of the city slowly disappeared behind them.
At the top of a small hill stood an old building.
An orphanage.
It was run-down in places. The paint along the walls had begun to peel, and some of the windows had clearly been repaired more than once. The roof had seen better days.
But there was warmth inside.
Soft yellow light glowed through the windows.
The sound of faint laughter could be heard from within.
The two figures stopped at the bottom of the hill.
The man looked at the device.
The arrow pointed directly toward the orphanage.
“This is the place,” he said quietly. “We must leave him here.”
The woman looked toward the building.
Then down at the basket she carried.
“It’s for the Vail.”
She carefully walked up the hill.
The man followed.
When they reached the front door, the woman knelt and placed the basket on the small covered porch.
Inside it was a sleeping baby.
His tiny hands were curled against his chest, completely unaware of the rain falling only a few feet away.
The woman stared down at him for a moment.
“Jason…”
The baby shifted slightly in his sleep.
“This will be your home now. Your path is yours.”
The man looked at the child.
“Grow strong,” he said. “Grow strong to protect what means the world to you.”
He paused.
“Then find out what lies beyond the Eternal Vail.”
The woman gently touched the edge of the basket.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then the man stepped toward the door.
He knocked.
The sound echoed softly through the building.
Before anyone could answer, the two figures stepped backward.
The air around them distorted.
Tiny sparks danced through the darkness.
And then they vanished.
Inside the orphanage, footsteps approached.
A middle-aged woman opened the door.
She looked left.
Then right.
Nothing.
Her eyes dropped.
She froze.
A basket.
She sighed and reached down, picking it up and looking inside.
“Yes, I know this is an orphanage,” she muttered, “but I sometimes wish people would leave a fruit basket in the middle of the night instead of babies.”
She looked down at the child.
“Speaking of which… What’s your name, little fella?”
Her eyes fell upon the basket.
The name JASON was written across it in bold letters.
“I guess your name is Jason,” she said with a small smile.
Then she noticed the ring on his middle finger.
“What’s this ring you have on your middle finger, little buddy? It doesn’t seem to want to come off.”
She gently touched it.
“Well, whatever. You’re here now, little one. Welcome to the family.”
She smiled down at him.
“I’m Mother Mary. Welcome home.”
As she looked away to carry him inside, the ring on Jason’s middle finger glowed faintly.
Then it dimmed.
Mother Mary closed the door behind her.
She stepped into the orphanage with the basket in her arms.
She looked around at the children gathered near the table.
“Everyone, we have a new addition.”
The children’s faces immediately lit up.
“This little one here is Jason. He’s going to be staying with us.”
Mother Mary gently set the basket down on the table, which had recently been cleaned after supper.
Five other children gathered around to get a better look.
The oldest was a five-year-old girl with features unlike any human Mother Mary had ever seen. She stepped forward proudly.
“My name is Tanya.”
Beside her stood a four-year-old boy who looked completely normal—until you noticed his ears. They were long, pointed, and strangely decorated with feather-like pieces.
“My name is Rody.”
Tanya pointed toward two younger children sitting together.
“These are Reno and Lisa. Reno is three, and Lisa is two. They can’t talk yet.”
Then Tanya pointed toward another boy in a basket nearby.
“And that’s Andy. He only got here yesterday.”
“Welcome to your new home!”
Mother Mary smiled at the children.
“You know he’s a baby, right? He’s not going to remember any of this. He doesn’t even understand you yet.”
The children stared at Jason for a moment.
Mother Mary suddenly realized what she had just said.
Why did I introduce myself to the baby too?
Her cheeks turned slightly red.
She cleared her throat.
“Alright! Bedtime. Everyone, hop to it!”
The children scattered.
After getting everyone settled, Mother Mary tucked Andy and Jason into her room.
The door closed.
Ten years passed.
The orphanage remained on its little hill.
The paint became older.
The roof received another repair.
The windows were replaced.
But the warmth never left.
Children ran through the doorway almost every day.
Sometimes they came running out laughing.
Sometimes crying.
Sometimes covered in dirt.
Sometimes arguing.
And no matter how they left, they always seemed to find their way back to the same place.
Home.
The kitchen smelled of fresh food almost every evening.
The hallway was rarely quiet.
Someone was always running.
Someone was always laughing.
Someone was always getting yelled at for running.
And someone was almost always blamed for something Andy had done.
Jason had grown up there.
So had Andy.
Along with Tanya, Rody, Reno, and Lisa.
They weren’t related by blood.
But blood had never been the thing that made them family.
Mother Mary had taught them that.
One afternoon…
Jason and Andy were running down the hill.
“Be careful, you two!” Mother Mary called after them. “And don’t get into any trouble!”
“We won’t!” they both shouted.
Mother Mary watched them disappear into the city with a smile.
She sighed.
“I can’t believe it’s been ten years already. I’m getting pretty old, aren’t I?”
Jason and Andy walked side by side through the streets.
Andy glanced at him.
“So… how are we going to get in trouble today?”
Jason looked at him.
“We literally just promised Mother Mary we wouldn’t get into trouble.”
Andy shrugged.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
They continued walking until Andy suddenly turned down a narrow alley.
Jason followed.
A low growl echoed from somewhere ahead.
Two stray dogs stepped out from the shadows.
Andy froze.
“Don’t move,” he whispered.
Jason stared at him.
Andy slowly leaned closer.
“I heard that if you don’t move in front of wild monsters, they can’t see you.”
The dogs began creeping toward them.
Their eyes fixed on the boys.
Their growls grew louder.
Jason looked at Andy, then at the dogs, then back at Andy.
“THAT WAS IN A MOVIE, YOU IDIOT! RUN!”
The two boys took off screaming as the dogs chased after them.
“How was I supposed to remember that it was in a movie?” Andy yelled.
“Because we watched it yesterday, doofus!”
“Oh, yeah!” Andy exclaimed.
The growls and barking grew louder behind them.
“They’re getting closer!” Jason shouted. “We need to find a way to shake them off!”
“Right! I think I have a way. Follow me!”
Jason cut through a series of narrow alleys, turning left, then right, then left again. He jumped over crates, slid beneath wooden tables, ducked under scaffolding, and squeezed through narrow gaps.
Andy followed close behind.
And so did the dogs.
“KEEP RUNNING!” Jason yelled.
Andy, already exhausted, shouted back sarcastically, “YOU KNOW, I WAS JUST THINKING ABOUT BEING THAT DOG’S NEW CHEW TOY! OF COURSE I’M GONNA KEEP RUNNING!”
They ran through another alley, burst through a building door, and ran up a few flights of stairs.
Then they found themselves on the roof of a building.
Jason looked around.
There was nowhere else to go.
The dogs were almost on them.
Jason grabbed the door and slammed it shut behind them.
BANG!
The dogs crashed into it.
Andy stared at the door.
“Uh… Jason?”
BANG!
A crack appeared.
“That door isn’t going to hold,” Jason said. “We have to get out of here.”
They frantically looked around.
Then Jason spotted another building across the street.
It was close.
Close enough to jump.
But far enough that one mistake could mean death.
Jason swallowed.
“If we attempt that jump and fall, we could get seriously hurt.”
Andy looked over the edge.
“I don’t wanna go splat on the main street, Jason.”
“You won’t.”
Jason stepped back.
“I’ll go first.”
He sprinted toward the edge.
Three steps.
Two.
One.
Jason jumped.
For a moment, everything seemed to slow down.
The street below came into view.
People walked through the city, completely unaware of the two boys above them.
Jason’s stomach dropped.
I don’t think I’m going to make it.
Then—
CRASH!
Jason slammed into the opposite rooftop.
He rolled across the ground before quickly getting back onto his feet.
He made it.
Jason turned around.
“Come on, Andy! Your turn!”
Andy stood frozen.
The door behind him shook violently.
BANG!
“I don’t know, Jason…”
“I made it. So can you.”
Jason reached his hand toward him.
“I’ll catch you.”
Andy took a deep breath.
He backed away from the edge.
Then—
BANG!
A large crack split through the wood.
One more hit.
Andy ran.
The door exploded outward.
The dogs burst onto the roof.
Andy reached the edge.
He jumped with everything he had.
The dogs skidded to a stop just before the edge.
Jason watched Andy soar through the air.
Everything slowed down again.
The dogs barked.
Andy was suspended midair, his arms and legs flailing.
Then his eye level started dropping.
Andy was falling.
Jason’s eyes widened.
He’s not going to make it.
Fear spread across his face.
I have to do something.
Jason reached toward him.
“I have to catch him.”
Andy was nowhere near the edge.
He was falling faster.
“I have to catch him!”
Jason stretched his hand farther.
“I don’t want to lose him!”
Then—
Andy stopped.
Midair.
Jason froze.
For one impossible moment, Andy simply hung there.
Then his body shifted.
His trajectory changed.
It was almost as if something invisible had caught him.
Andy began drifting toward Jason.
Jason reached out.
Their hands met.
He grabbed Andy’s wrist.
Suddenly, gravity returned.
Jason pulled with everything he had.
They both crashed onto the rooftop.
For a long moment, neither boy said a word.
They simply lay there, staring at the sky.
Finally, Andy spoke.
“I thought I was a goner.”
Jason let out a breath.
“Me too.”
Andy turned his head.
“What was that, Jason?”
“I don’t know.”
Andy stared at him.
Then he noticed something.
“Also… why is your ring glowing?”
“What?”
Jason looked down.
The ring on his middle finger was glowing faintly.
Then the light slowly disappeared.
Andy sat up.
“Okay… there’s just way too much weird stuff going on here, man.”
Jason looked at him.
Andy held up a finger.
“Let’s agree to never speak of any of this again.”
He pointed toward the alley.
“The dogs, the jumping, the weird floating thing, the ring… none of it.”
Jason sighed.
“Okay, Andy.”
Jason helped him to his feet.
“Let’s go. And no more back alleys.”
“Agreed.”
They started walking back into the city.
After a few seconds, Andy looked over.
“So… what was that power?”
Jason stopped walking.
He slowly turned toward Andy.
“I thought we weren’t talking about it.”
“But you’re basically a superhero now!”
Andy grinned.
“We just need to find you a damsel in distress to save.”
Jason shook his head.
“You’re impossible.”
The two boys disappeared into the streets.
Neither of them noticed the small camera mounted high above the alley.
A faint red light blinked.
Recording.
Somewhere far away…
A figure sat in a dark room.
A screen displayed the footage.
Jason reaching out.
Andy stopping in midair.
The glowing ring.
The figure watched the recording several times.
Finally, he leaned back in his chair.
“Get my ship ready.”
A soldier standing nearby looked confused.
“Where are we going?”
The figure stared at the screen.
“To Planet Moloch.”
Meanwhile, Jason and Andy continued walking.
Andy hadn’t stopped asking questions.
“What was that?”
“I don’t know.”
“How did you do it?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you do it again?”
Jason’s face was getting visibly more agitated.
“Look man, I don’t know what happened or how I did it.”
“Whoa man no need to blow up on me.”
Andy glanced over at a chair.
“Try moving that chair over there.”
Jason glanced at the chair.
“Not here. In front of all these people?”
“I just wanna see if you can do it.”
“I don’t want people thinking I’m a freak.”
Andy shrugged.
“We’re already freaks to some people. We’re orphans.”
Andy looked around, then spotted a quiet alley.
He looked back at Jason.
Andy smiled.
“What?”
Jason sighed.
“We literally just said no more alleys.”
“Come on. Just real quick.”
He turned toward the alley.
Jason followed.
Jason and Andy slipped into a quiet alley.
An old wooden chair sat against the wall.
Andy pointed at it.
“Try that one.”
Jason stared at the chair.
He held out his hand.
Nothing happened.
“Why isn’t it working?”
“I don’t know.”
Jason concentrated harder.
Still nothing.
“Try to focus,” Andy said.
“I am.”
“Try harder.”
“I am!”
Jason gritted his teeth and stretched his hand farther.
Nothing.
Andy scratched his head.
“Huh.”
Jason lowered his hand.
“Maybe you have to feel like your life is in danger.”
Jason looked at him.
“That’s not how this works.”
Andy suddenly picked up the chair.
“Let’s find out.”
He threw it at Jason with all his strength.
Jason barely ducked.
The chair slammed into the wall behind him.
“What the heck was that, man?!”
Andy shrugged.
“Just trying to recreate the scene.”
“If that’s the case, shouldn’t you be jumping off a building or something?”
Jason picked up a nearby stick.
“Better yet, I’ll push you off one and see if you fly.”
Andy raised his hands.
“Hey, man, chill. I understand you’re upset, but—”
A scream echoed through the alley.
Both boys froze.
“What was that?” they said at the same time.
Another scream rang out.
Jason immediately turned toward the sound.
“Let’s go!”
He took off running.
The loud, sharp screams guided them as they turned corners and took the most direct paths they could.
Andy followed close behind.
They rounded a corner and stopped.
A young girl was trapped behind a fallen barricade.
One of the stray dogs from earlier was desperately trying to get through it.
The girl screamed as the dog clawed at the broken wood.
Jason looked around.
An old wooden crate sat nearby.
“I’ll distract it,” Jason said. “Andy, grab the crate and cover there. Try to throw it at the dog.”
Andy nodded.
They started moving.
But before they could enact their plan—
CRACK!
The dog broke through the barricade.
“There’s no time!” Andy yelled.
Jason took off toward the girl.
She was terrified.
He looked at the dog, then back at her.
It was as if he were racing the dog itself.
And the dog already had a head start.
He knew he was going to lose this race.
What can I do?
His heart pounded.
I want to help.
He clenched his fist.
I need to help.
“DO SOMETHING!” Jason shouted.
Jason reached out.
Suddenly—
WHAM!
A wooden chair flew through the air and slammed into the dog.
Jason froze for half a second.
I didn’t…
The dog recovered and lunged again.
Its claws caught the girl’s hand.
She screamed.
Jason’s eyes widened.
“No!”
His hand shot forward.
Something inside him answered.
His ring finally lit up.
The girl was suddenly pulled toward him at an incredible speed.
Jason caught her and rolled beneath the broken barricade.
The dog snapped its head toward them and began chasing after them, but Jason kicked a loose table leg from the weakened structure just before the dog could reach the hole they had slid beneath.
The barricade collapsed.
Wood crashed down, sealing the dog behind it.
“RUN!”
Jason grabbed the girl’s hand.
All three sprinted toward the main street.
They didn’t stop until they were several blocks away.
The three of them leaned against a building, breathing heavily.
Andy grinned.
“That was epic, man!”
Jason looked at him.
“It was no thanks to you.”
Andy pouted.
“I was keeping an eye out for other dogs.”
Jason raised an eyebrow.
“Sure you were.”
He turned toward the girl.
“Are you okay?”
She looked at her injured hand.
“Yeah. I’m okay.”
“How did you end up back there?”
“I was shopping with my family and my friend. I got separated from them and got lost.”
Andy suddenly smirked.
He leaned toward Jason.
“Damsel in distress,” he whispered, elbowing Jason in the ribs.
Jason slowly turned toward him.
Without changing his expression, he lightly punched Andy in the stomach.
Andy doubled over.
“Ghh—!”
Jason turned back to the girl as if nothing had happened.
“That cut on your hand looks pretty bad. Looks like it might leave a scar.”
She looked down.
“I guess I’m just glad that’s all I got.”
Jason glanced at the ribbon on his sleeve.
“Here.”
He gently wrapped the cloth around her hand.
The small piece of fabric had a stitched letter on it.
J.
The girl looked back up at Jason.
“What’s this?”
Jason looked at the ribbon.
“It was on my basket when I was left at the orphanage.”
“I’ve had it ever since.”
The girl gently touched the ribbon.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Then I’ll give it back to you.”
Jason looked at her.
“No, you don’t have to.”
“I know.”
She smiled.
“But you saved me.”
She held onto his hand for a moment.
“So I’ll give it back.”
Jason gave her a small smile.
“Okay.”
For the girl, it was a simple promise to return something that belonged to Jason.
For Jason, it was a promise that meant he would have something waiting for him.
Andy, standing behind the girl, started making kissy faces.
Then a can seemed to fall out of the sky and hit Andy in the head.
“Ow.”
Jason smiled faintly.
Reacting to the noise and seeing the can and Andy rubbing his head, Santina tried not to laugh.
She glanced toward Andy, still rubbing his head.
“It’s okay. I never knew my family.”
“But the people at the orphanage have been my family ever since.”
Andy rubbed his stomach and head.
“Especially that idiot over there.”
Jason gave him a look.
“What’s your name?” Jason asked.
“My name’s Santina.”
“I’m Jason, and his name is Idiot.”
Andy continued to rub his head but pointed at his chest.
“I’m the handsome one.”
“Hey, my name isn’t Idiot! My name is Andy!”
Jason shook his head and laughed a little.
Santina laughed.
“Are you brothers?”
Jason looked at Andy.
“Not by blood.”
Andy smiled.
“But we’re family.”
Santina smiled.
“Can we be friends?”
Jason and Andy looked at each other.
“Yeah,” they said together.
“But we need to find your family and your friends,” Jason added.
Santina’s eyes widened.
“Oh, yeah! They’re probably worried sick!”
The three of them set off through the city.
They laughed and chased each other through the streets, almost seeming like they were playing more than looking for Santina’s family.
Eventually, a boy spotted them from across the street.
“SANTINA!”
Santina stopped.
Her eyes widened.
“Brax!”
She ran toward him.
The boy rushed forward and hugged her.
Then he noticed the cloth wrapped around Santina’s hand.
His expression immediately changed.
“What happened?”
He stepped between Santina and the boys.
“Did they do this to you? Get behind me.”
“No, Brax!”
Santina shook her head.
“They didn’t hurt me. A stray dog did. They saved me.”
Brax looked at Jason and Andy.
“They saved you?”
Santina nodded.
“That’s why I only have a scratch.”
Santina looked back toward the alley.
She remembered the broken barricade.
Then she remembered the wooden chair that had flown.
For a moment, her expression became thoughtful.
How did that chair hit the dog?
She dismissed the thought.
She turned back toward the boys.
Brax looked the boys over, then turned toward Santina.
“My name is Brax Gear.”
He extended his hand.
“Thank you both for saving her.”
Then he looked toward Santina.
“Come on. Your parents are right over there.”
“Really?”
Santina’s face lit up.
She started running.
Then she stopped and turned around.
“Thanks again!”
Jason smiled.
“You’re welcome.”
He and Andy watched from a distance as Santina ran into the arms of her parents.
Her mother hugged her tightly.
Her father wrapped his arms around both of them.
A family reunited.
Jason and Andy watched silently, both feeling the same strange ache in their chests.
Jason finally looked away.
“Let’s go home.”
Andy nodded.
“Yeah.”
By the time they returned to the orphanage, it was dark.
Mother Mary was waiting at the door.
“You boys!”
She rushed toward them.
“Are you okay? I heard there were stray dog attacks all over the city today.”
She looked them over.
“And I heard the mayor’s daughter was attacked too. Luckily, she only came away with a few scrapes and scratches.”
Jason and Andy looked at each other.
It couldn’t be…
Mother Mary sighed.
“Anyway, I’m just glad you’re home.”
She opened the door.
“Now get inside. Supper is ready.”
The boys followed her inside.
Neither of them noticed the faint glow that briefly appeared from the ring on Jason’s finger.
And somewhere far away, someone was still watching.
A soldier standing nearby said, “Sir, we are half a day away from Planet Moloch.”
The mysterious man who had been watching the recordings said, “Get in contact with the mayor of Planet Moloch. Tell them I want this boy found.”
He turned the screen around, revealing a picture of Jason.
Later that night, as the mayor of the planet and his family were eating dinner, the mayor received a transmission.
A hologram of a Pitch Black Lieutenant appeared.
“I am Pitch Black Lieutenant Dale of the Obsidian Sovereignty. Mayor Díaz, you have been ordered to locate and report the whereabouts of this young man.”
A picture of Jason appeared in front of Mayor Díaz and his entire family.
“You have until tomorrow afternoon. If you don’t report by then, you will suffer the consequences.”
ended transmission.
