BRAVADO - Larry ✔️

1. In the beginning

'In the beginning there were fires. Made from the outrage of the people with whatever voice they had at the time, hoping to make a difference that they knew themselves would not break the already changing society.

People were killed, cold and bloody in the streets. Children were left without parents; abandoned in the streets unknowing that they would grow up as soldiers in a war they never asked for. A war that would divide people, families, friends...A war in search for power.

A few years before I was born, they talked of a child; a boy that had started to develop abilities. With much concentration, the boy could take away pain from a single touch. Of course with such a gift meant that the boy could not experience pain for himself. Or many other feelings that required pain such as sadness, guilt and even heartbreak as he was deemed incapable of love.

This boy was named Louis.

Little did they know these abilities would be the cause of the splitting of nations and the fight for power would consume him, resulting in the falling out of his friends and even family. He didn't know this at the time and neither did anyone else, not even his sister.

Charlotte was not perfect but she held what many searched for; Freedom.

Her offer came with a price for all, to become soldiers in her army against her brother; to take him down and rid him of his abilities-and existence. To become her rebellion until the power that Louis would hold, became hers and the people's.

The war raged for years, the two siblings fighting each other, with Louis already planning his army at the age of 13 and by 15 was beginning to recruit soldiers of any age who were willing to fight for him. Charlotte was doing the same only she wanted the young to train while Louis looked for the older, more experienced to fight.

I too had no choice but to take up arms and become what I never thought I would be, a pawn. The chess board being Charlotte and Louis' battleground. Innocent lives being snatched all for the wrong reasons.

It wasn't about free will anymore.
It was about power.
It was always about power.'

I placed my pen between the yellow paper and clasped my journal shut, wrapping the bond around it before leaning my head against the wall. I was currently sitting on the floor, sleeping bodies around us as we took shelter in an abandoned dilapidated house while keeping out of sight from 'them', soldiers of Louis'.

They were strong and older unlike us, the youth of today who fought for Charlotte. They didn't wear black or old clothes like us, the ones who didn't posses fine clothing and would work in stealth; in fear of getting caught. They wore gold jackets that we called their armour, it distinguished who they were in society and people feared them for it, for what they do.

There was a creaking of the floorboards that only someone awake would hear, it was that silent. I looked up to the sound of the quietly approaching footsteps only to find it was my colleague and best friend, Niall.

I noticed a rather large frown on his face as his forehead creased. He was just coming back from his shift of keeping look out incase Louis' soldiers found us and decided to attack. He sat down beside me, copying my position as he spoke.

"You should be asleep. We have a big mission tomorrow and I don't think the crew would like to see their leader falling asleep on the job." Niall chuckled huskily, trying not to laugh too much knowing it would only end in a coughing fit.

The winter of 2046 was a harsh one, many people-good people died due to the extreme cold weather. Niall was one of the lucky ones that would bare a constant chest cold for the rest of his life. Others weren't so lucky.