Bringing Back the Gauntlet

Chapter 2 - "Stubborn Kid"

"Who are you, and where are we?" A boy asks; he looks no older than thirteen.

He looks up at the male angel, floating in the sky above him, proceeding to point at him and then gesture to scene around him. A large city, covered in buildings, surrounds them. It is like a concrete jungle, but the buildings are in ruin. One of the buildings in the distance crumbles and falls in a pile of rubble, showing the inevitable decline of the city.

"Who am I?" the angel repeats. "I am but a messenger, but apparently the message has already been sent, by your friend."

"Wait, this is," A boy stammers, looking around at the city that lay in ruin by an unknown apocalypse. "I-it can't be!"

"Oh, but it is, Ness," the angel reveals. "This is very much your home. This is Onett."

"Then Paula," Ness places his hands on his cheeks, shaking his head. "Then the vision, t-the vision she sent me," he says, eyes widening. "It was real!"

"Indeed."

Ness closes his eyes and tries to search for Paula's presence using his telepathy. He searches and searches, but doesn't sense her link anywhere in the abandoned city of Onett. He fears the worse, but it couldn't be true. He reopens his eyes and wipes away a few tears.

"Do not cry, Ness."

Ness' eyes turn white, and his body emits a blue aura as he stares directly at the angel.

"That won't work on me." the angel says. "You can't read my mind even if you wanted to."

Ness' eyes return to their normal dark brown hue. "Don't tell me what I can and cannot do!" Ness wipes another tear away and grits his teeth. "You're an angel, so isn't it your job to save people." he says. "Why am I only one who gets out? Why didn't you save anyone else?" Ness picks up a rock and throws it wildly at the angel; it's a miss. "My friends," he throws one for them, "my family," and one more for them. "Where is Paula?" he screams after not being able to hit the angel.

"As I already said, I am but just a messenger. I was sent to not only retrieve you, but also give you," the angel pauses to search for something on his person. "This!" He tosses Ness a round, red and white capsule. "With it you can save your friends, your family and your precious city."

Ness catches the capsule, looking it over. "This piece of junk," he says under his breath, knowing full well that he was gifted, but not stupid. "This can't fix anything!" he shouts.

"You shouldn't be so quick to judge on appearance alone." he states. "Many would write you off as easy prey, but you alone may prove to be the strongest with what lay locked away in that ball that you now possess." He descends from the sky and lands beside Ness, patting his head. "I wish you the best of luck, Ness."

"Best of luck?" Ness shakes his head, "Best of luck in what?" he asks.

"The Gauntlet," He says. "You and six others have something you each desire, and because of that reason you have been chosen as Masters. In order to obtain what you seek, the road is the same. You must fight in the coming Gauntlet for the Holy Grail; it and only it will grant your deepest desire."

Ness looks at the state of the city, stained in rust, dirt and rubble. "So I can fix this?"

"Indeed you can." the angel says, and points to the Capsule in Ness' hands. "With that, you are now able to summon a servant to fight for you or beside you in the Gauntlet. If you and your Servant are the last one's standing, then and only then will your wish be granted. If you or your servant dies you will forfeit your right to fight for the Holy Grail."

Ness' eyes widen. "I can die?" he asks, shaking his head. "I don't even think I get what's really going on here, and until I know what's what I'm not just going to run around killing people just because you told me to. " He closes his eyes. "And what if I decide not to do it?" he asks him. "What then?"