Pilot
The sky was a rich blue, wind swirling through it carrying lively, dancing leaves. Clouds like white cotton candy traversed the sky, waltzing the peaceful birds. Beneath this sky, through the thick olive woodlands and rolling emerald hills, a boy was running. A small, blonde-haired boy. His striking blue eyes shone like lightning pearls, brimming with hope and wonder. As he ran, a city began to come into view. A vast, majestic city, its skyline adorned with flying ships and floating island, strolling with tranquility through the sky. It was certainly a magnificent sight, but the boy preferred nature; the feeling of the wind in his hair, the wonders of exploration, the freedom of the outdoors.
A fox ran past.
Eventually, however, he had to return home. Home was a cozy place to be, it was vast but not too vast. It was modern, but with a very welcome rustic twist. The outside walls were a smooth, clean white concrete, polished and sanded to perfection so that they reflected the evening sun, which bathed it in a warm, golden hue. Large, dark-tinted windows made up for entire walls, each framed in planks of rich walnut. The house was wrapped in a vibrant, junglesque garden that stretched out leaves and flowers in every which way, flora and fauna reaching to the heavens like natural pillars.
He threw open the door, jumping inside with a bright smile on his face. “I’m home!” He shouted, his voice cheerful and brimming with young energy. The entrance hall wasn’t that large, walls tall and lined with pale wallpaper, hanging paintings and pictures that depicted the family and the surrounding landscape: some of which were drawn by Bolt on his adventures. He turned the corner, heading towards the living room. The living room was cozy, large but filled with luxurious furniture. The roaring fire in the fireplace spilled out heat and a warm glow across the pattern-carpeted floor and into the room. More paintings lined dark green walls, this time painted by his family, or depicting certificates his mother had earned through her work at the ARCANE foundation.
He ran through to the living room, where his mother was waiting. His mother was a kind woman, her features soft and rounded at the edges, and she always wore a soft smile on her face, one that always reassured everyone that everything would be alright. She turned and wrapped her arms around him in a loving embrace. “Welcome home, Bolt.”
As they held each other, Bolt leaned to the side, looking out the window. There it sat, the fox, playing in the grass and leaves.
“I’m gonna head upstairs”, he said in a bright voice, almost running to the stairs, “see you later!”
“That’s alright.” She replied, watching him leave with a gentle smile, “see you.”
Bolt’s room had an entirely different vibe to the rest of the house: the walls were a bright, saturated turquoise, adorned with many different things: posters of bands, posters of anime he liked, paintings and drawings he had done, and pictures he had taken. The carpet was a soft grey tone, and in some places was obscured by piles of clothes that had been sitting there for days and he still hadn’t tidied. He slumped into his bed, reaching over to his phone player and choosing a new album - ‘Love Me Like A Flower’ by Soul. Soul was his favorite band, they do indie rock music with influences of metal and gospel in the drums, Love Me Like A Flower was their newest album. He put his headphones on and pressed play.
An hour later, his mother called him to come back downstairs: “dinner’s ready! Get it before it gets cold!”
He threw his headphones aside and jumped up, sprinting to the door and down the stairs. He stopped for a moment to look at the television. “New trade deals between Magica and Lucratia show inflating prices for magic crystals by 1.5%.” The screen showed images of men in suits shouting silenced statements in what looked like a debate, before changing scene to them shaking hands, the red, yellow and white flag of Lucratia on the left and the blue, purple and green flag of Magica on the white, with the shield and sigil of The Spiral Alliance on the polished brown maple wall in the background. Bolt sighed, rolled his eyes, then left to head toward the kitchen; where his mother was waiting. As he picked up his bowl, the TV suddenly began to shout energetically.
“BREAKING NEWS! Umbraxis’ Void Marshals begin to fall apart as their strongest soldier attempts to escape. Is this the beginning of the end for the Void Marshals? How will this affect the future for Umbraxis’ elite strike force? Stay tuned as we try to find the answers to these questions and more in the following days.”
Bolt continued to look at the screen, this headline had seemingly captured his attention more than usual. A squad of men wearing all black, lightweight yet durable military gear could be seen, on their sleeves they wore a purple logo of The Chaos Eye.
“The Void Marshals? Falling apart?” His mother’s trademark smile had faded, replaced by a new, alien emotion: shock, and maybe even… fear.
“Who are the Void Marshals?” Bolt asked his mother, turning to her with a curious innocence.
“They… they’re Umbraxis’ elite strike force.” She explained, her voice still slightly shaky. “They’re some of the most dangerous people in The Spiral, and they were formed after the end of The Spiral War.”
“What’s The Spiral War?” Bolt asked, growing even more curious, his mother’s response had created more questions than it had answered.
“It was a war between the plane deities, 500 years ago.” She said, before sighing. “Now have your dinner, it’ll get cold.”
As he quietly left the kitchen and sat down in the living room, his eyes continued to flick back to the screen as he ate. The Void Marshals? He thought to himself, what really are they? How much power do they have? He took a few more mouthfuls of the soup. Why are they falling apart? Why is mom so scared?
“God… I never thought I’d see the day…” He heard his mother say to herself in the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Bolt returns to the kitchen, having finished his dinner.
“Mom, what else is out there?” He asked, placing down his bowl beside the shining, stainless steel sink.
“What?” She turned to him with a confused expression.
“What else is out there? I never knew about the Void Marshals, I’ve never heard of Umbraxis, I’ve never heard of The Spiral War. I don’t know much about The Spiral in general really.” He turns to his mother, a curious yet serious expression growing on his face. “I want to go out there and discover these things for myself.”
“But, Bolt… it’s not safe out there…” his mother started to seem slightly worried. Her expression softened. “Sure, Magica is safe… but not everywhere is.”
“Mom, I’m not exactly defenceless. I’m good with my magic, the teachers at school call me a prodigy.” He was now entirely serious, and his tone showed it. “I can protect myself. My L-type* magic is one of the most powerful.” *L-type = lightning
His mother flinched slightly at the mention of this.
“And I’m fast, resourceful, I can analyse my environment quickly. I’m top of my class in combat training. I can protect myself.” He continued.
“Bolt…” his mother’s voice broke slightly.
“I want to explore The Spiral. I am going to travel every corner of The Spiral and discover all of its secrets. You know enough of them already from your experiences, and now I want to.” He stood tall, as tall as a 5’8 boy could stand, with a defiant expression on his face accompanying his stern tone.
“Only one person in the history of The Spiral has ever done that…”
“Then I’ll be the second.” As he spoke, he stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her for the final time, his expression softening. “You told me the other day that I need to find what story I want my life to be. This is what I’ve chosen.”
