The Things You Will Become- Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It had been a month since Lucas arrived at the old temple and he knew he was ready. Braun told Lucas to follow him. “You have been here a while now and you have improved immensely. That is why I have made a training test to see if you are ready to use your powers in the real world.”  Lucas was shocked when he saw the hall filled with training dummies. “So are you ready?” asked Braun. “Yes!” replied Lucas confidently. Lucas zoomed through the obstacles, evading traps and leaping through jumps. He climbed up the walls and using his Luminous lights he soon completed the course with his new knowledge. His sword let off light as he finished. “Nice job!” Braun commented. Lucas’s hands ached, his legs were tired, but he felt stronger than he had ever been.  “Before you go, I must tell you something. When you were young your mother and father were normal people. When The Chosen One arrived in our city, that's when your father discovered his powers. I joined your mother and father and we rebelled. That is why your father died, that’s all I can tell you now. Just remember that the rebellion still lives on, with you. You are the hope of the city,” Lucas was a bit scared at the challenges he was going to face. Could he handle this? He knew that his new training had greatly helped him, and how he made it his goal to uncover the past of the city. Braun gave him a pink luminous light. Lucas was not sure of its properties, but he knew that the girl had the same item, and it could help him find her. Braun wished Lucas luck and said goodbye, and with that Lucas turned his head and walked out of the temple, hoping that he would see him again one day.

All Lucas could think about the past was shaping the present. He was connected to the fire, to the rebellion somehow, and he needed to find it out.  Lucas’s  first task was to cross the bridge. As he did, Lucas remembered two people: Braun and the girl. Lucas As he crossed he looked back at the poor side one last time and entered the rich side, ready for any challenge that came his way. The golden empire was nothing like the encased hamlet. It was filled with skyscrapers and mansions and lights were everywhere. He was overwhelmed by everything around him but reminded himself that he needed to focus. There were luminous lights lining the streets so bright that they lit up the night sky. There were people everywhere he went, citizens of the city, normal people. Not knowing what The Chosen One had done to Lucas. Just then, someone yelled something. Lucas turned and saw a cop running towards him. Lucas tried running but another cop was waiting for him. Lucas was surrounded. The cops were closing in and he didn’t have anywhere to go, but then, a boy pounded the policeman to the ground! “Daniel!” Lucas cried. He used his sword to slash one enemy and pierce another. Soon all of the police were defeated and Lucas and Daniel were safe. “I have a lot to tell you, and it looks like you have a lot to tell me. But it will have to wait, let's move!” Lucas said.

Lucas and Daniel battled the government fighting off waves of officers coming at them. Lucas and Daniel were getting tired, and they could not hold them off much longer. If the cops keep coming, me and Daniel will be toast! We need a plan. Lucas thought as he dodged an attack. A huge police officer got out of a car, carrying an iron axe. He seemed like the leader for them, and he looked angry.

“Who are those strange pesky rats? I’ll crush them like they're flies!” The chief yelled in a deep gruff voice.

“I’ll lead the big one away and some of the others will follow, do you think you can hold the rest off?” Lucas told Daniel. 

“I got this.” Daniel replied. 

“Hey! Axe boy!” Lucas called. Try and get me,” Lucas sprinted away. 

“Why you…” The axe man cursed, and the chase was on. Lucas sprinted down the streets of the empire. A man honked at him. 

“Hey! Watch it!” He yelled. “Sorry,” Lucas replied, waving at him. Lucas climbed up a pole and leaped across the buildings. He was going so fast it looked like he was bouncing off them! Lucas passed through the streets, never looking back, he soon reached the bridge with the axe man and some police officers close behind, but he had created enough distance between them to catch his breath. “If I'm gonna need to stop this I gotta stop it now. Lucas told himself. Lucas got on the bridge and stopped running. He created a sword and gripped it tightly. “So, you have decided to give up here?” The police chief smirked. “Eh, not really,” Lucas said. The axe man charged and tried to catch Lucas off guard. Remember what Braun taught you, Lucas thought. He blocked a slash and did a counter attack that knocked the cop back. Lucas then used his size and speed to confuse the axe man and then strike. Lucas’s swift moves and creations were helping him have the upper hand. He had the cop on the edge of the bridge. He didn’t want to kill the man, but he didn’t have a choice, so he calmly\ pushed him off the edge of the bridge. As the crazy man fell into the canal below he heard him say, “You cannot defeat the chosen one!” Just then someone ran past… Lucas took a second to realize, it was…the girl! “Hey, stop! I am not part of the government!” Lucas called but she kept running. Lucas had to find out who she really was, a friend or a foe. 

Lucas ran to catch up with the girl, twisting and turning around things in the golden empire. The girl bounded through it, like she knew every part. She bounded into the subway, dodging people left and right, and Lucas followed her, wondering where she was going. Then she started running on the tracks, the sound of a train got louder, she got out of the way, and so did Lucas, the train was just inches away from them. He could see the people in the train, surprised as they saw them. The girl quickly started running again. Lucas did his best to keep up. After it had passed Lucas saw the girl in the distance go into a small hole in the subway tunnel. A secret door! It was closing fast. He sprinted and slid into the tiny gap that remained. Clang! The door closed behind them. Lucas made it in the nick of time. He took a breath and looked around. Lucas saw the girl’s face for the first time. She had brown eyes and black hair that went down to her shoulders. There were books stacked around the room. Maps were laid out, showing the geography of the city.  Lucas could not see everything though. The girl had a bow and arrow aimed right at him. “Who are you,” she asked suspiciously. “My name is Lucas,” he replied. He raised his hands up. “Who are you?” “I’m Catherine,” she said. “Now why are you here and why have you been following me around?” she demanded. Lucas saw a pink luminous light out of the corner of his eye. 

“You are the same girl that was running from the police!” Lucas exclaimed. Then he reached into his pocket, smiling as he said, “As a matter of fact, I have one of those pink luminous lights too,” He held out the gift that Braun had given him. A look of confusion fell over her face. Catherine lowered her bow. She knew who Lucas was. “I saw you near the river!”  “ That is why I was following you. Will you help me defeat The Chosen One?” Lucas asked her.

“Are you crazy?” she said,  “why would anyone be dumb enough to try to knock the chosen one off his throne. He is too powerful. What do you have that makes  you think you can win besides that luminous light?” Lucas created a sword with the pink luminous light. “Are you insane!?" she demanded. “He’s got an army of hundreds, not to mention he killed my entire family”… she stopped herself. “Never mind,” she said. ‘So are you in?” Lucas asked. “Alright.” Catherine replied with a smile. Both of them ran to catch up to Daniel. 

Meanwhile Daniel had cleared some of the police officers but the battle wasn't over yet. “Lucas!” he yelled as he saw them approaching. “Its so good you are here. Wait… why is there someone else!” He cried as he saw the mysterious girl. “Shes an ally.” Lucas said. “Now let's get the heck out of here! And they ran into the dark night and escaped.

The three went to the Crescent moon river, happy to have a break from fighting. Lucas, Daniel, and Catherine looked out onto the beauty of the canal that separated The Shining City, which was dark except for a few skyscrapers that were showered with luminescent light. Catherine was anxious to know what they would do next. “We need a plan,” she said. Then she pulled out a map of the city and began reading it to Lucas and Daniel. “Both sides of the city have their pros and cons, " she told them. The rich side has more cops, but it also has better supplies. The poor side also has a series of tunnels that have been abandoned since the rise of the chosen one. I've heard rumors about the tunnels. They may have more clues about the chosen one, and your family Lucas, and maybe mine,” Lucas nodded. He liked the idea of going to the tunnels. He wanted to help his friends and he wanted to learn more about the history of the metropolis.

“I love it, but I need to see if you guys do too. Should we go to the tunnels?” Lucas asked. Everyone agreed. 

 They packed their things and left for the next part of their adventure. A nice sunrise rang in a new day as the three adventurers used their map to find an entrance into the tunnels. Moss and vines grew over the entrance, it was hard to even see it. It was just like the steel tower, except this was below ground, not above it. The tunnels were small, but that did not matter for the kids.

“Are you sure we should go here?” Daniel clarified. 

“Yep,” As they entered, Lucas noticed the tunnels were dusty and crumbling. It seemed like it was about to implode. Daniel frequently had to push cobwebs away. Catherine led that way because she knew the city best. Catherine seemed to know every corner and alleyway. She loved making maps, taking notes, and reading stories that she had stolen from the government. There were many different paths for them to take, but Catherine recognised each one. “No one has used these systems for quite some time,” Lucas said, wondering what could be hiding in them. Just then they heard a noise. It sounded like rocks tumbling to the ground.

  “I hope that's nothing…” Daniel told his allies. The 12 year olds went deeper into the tunnels, which were in worse and worse conditions the farther they went. Rows of sharp spikes were on the walls. “Wait! Catherine, Step back,” She looked at him. Lucas examined the ground in front of them. He created a passageway to get them through. Lucas had noticed pressure plates, if they stepped on one of them the trap would go off and the spikes would crush them. Daniel had a sigh of relief. As they went forward, Lucas got more worried. The tunnels branched off more and more. “I did not expect these to go this far…” Catherine spoke. Even she was getting nervous. “I wonder if my dad was here,” Lucas thought. Lucas saw a platform in the distance. On it was the leather book that had been kept a secret for ten years. On its cover read: Book of the rebellion in big letters encased into it. Lucas carefully grabbed the book, and it slid off the platform easily. Just then, the tunnels started shaking with extreme force! 

“I don’t like this…” Catherine cried. Lucas took the book and ran toward the exit with his allies. The darkness of the tunnel slowly started to become bright. Lucas Could’nt think, all he could do was run. The falling rocks were catching up. The three kids ran as fast as they could, dodging debris as they raced towards the exit. But the rocks kept coming, threatening to engulf Lucas and his friends. The end of the tunnel was only a few feet away, the debris was about to crush them, and without hesitating they leapt across. 

Lucas, Daniel, and Catherine lay in a heap in front of the collapsed tunnels. 

“We survived!” Daniel exclaimed. 

“And we got the book,” Lucas added, holding it up. He opened it and looked inside his friends trying to catch a glimpse of the words. To them All they saw was jumbles of letters. “Huh?” He commented confusedly.,”I don't think I can read this.” 

Daniel took the book, “He’s right,”. The words in the book were unreadable. They knew there were things that could help them, but it was almost like they were in another language, a language that not one the three had seen before. 

“Maybe it's a code, something they used that The Chosen One did not understand,” said Catherine, “a way for getting secret messages around. I might know someone who can decipher it.  Follow me!” 

They walked into the center of the encased helmet, being cautious to make sure there were no spies watching them. Lucas helped by creating resources with his luminous light. His skills were becoming flawless. “So, how much do you know about the suburbs?” Lucas asked Catherine after crafting arrows for her. “A lot, There are so many twists and turns in this city, I sometimes forget them, but I remember everything that might assist me in finding my mom,” Catherine thought for a moment. “What about you? What makes you want to defeat this seemingly invincible foe that we’re after?” She asked. “The Chosen One killed my father, is taking away the rights of the people, and I might need more information, but I think if I leave the fight against him, the city will be destroyed and will burn to the ground, all so he gets more power. He is holding my mother in prison, and who knows? Maybe my mom and your mom know each other. All I can promise is that if we fail and we find nothing about your father, you can do anything you want to me, even KILL me! We need to do this,” Lucas explained. He held out his hand for a handshake, and Catherine shook it. That's when Lucas knew he had another trustworthy friend.

 After walking for many hours Catherine knew they were at their destination. “This is it.” A stone two story house was in front of them, it looked to be selling potions. Lucas peered through the window and saw cabinets lined with crystal bottles and luminous lights. Before Catherine could knock they heard footsteps and the door opened. A woman with black hair and a white lab coat greeted them. “Catherine! What are you doing here,” she asked, and who are your friends?” “No time to explain,” Catherine said as she pushed past her, “we need help.” “Alright,” the woman said as she led them inside, “but you’ll have to tell me what the heck is going on.” 

Lucas was fascinated with the place. He had never seen so many luminous lights, and on the poor side of town too! “I am Nora,”  the woman introduced herself. “I know Catherine, she has helped me in my work,” she explained. “I’m Lucas, and this is Daniel. We need your help to translate this message.” Lucas handed the book to Nora, She examined it carefully, and then took out a notebook and pen and wrote something. “Come inside.” She said quietly. Lucas was amazed at all the things the alchemist had. Lucas asked Nora if he could show her his powers. “Alright” Nora replied. Lucas made a sword like he had done multiple times before, and the professor was amazed. “How can you do that?” She asked. “I don’t even know, but I think it was from my dad. He is not alive, he died on the night of the fire.” Lucas told her. “What was his name?” “Mark,” Nora stood wide eyed, surprised about Lucas’s answer. She paced around the room for a few moments before coming to a stop. “So that is how you can create the objects using the lights!” She cried. “Come on, let’s decipher the book. Finally, it was time to uncover the words of the book. Again while looking at the book Nora took many notes. Then, she gave the notes to Catherine. “Take this, it has everything you need,” Our heroes said thank you and then left the house, they had new information

They walked through the shining city confidently. The chosen one was still out to get them but for now, they were safe. “When are we gonna read the book?” Daniel asked impatiently. “There,” Lucas said, pointing to a grassy open area. “That looks like a safe place.” They set up camp and then all gathered around the book. Using the translation guide that Nora had given them, Lucas began to read:

“The shining city was a thriving place, where peace and happiness flourished…until he came. A week after he arrived the city burned in the biggest fire anyone had ever seen. Alex insisted that he could help rebuild the city with luminous lights, and people believed him. He was once our friend, but his betrayal made us see him for what he really is. Even as I write this his forces are out to get me. Mark has been killed, murdered under mysterious circumstances. The child is alive and his mom can take care of him. I hope I am not captured. 

Margaret Hathaway

“That’s my mom!” Catherine exclaimed. 

“Mark is my dad!” Lucas added. 

Daniel and Lucas quickly faced her, “Your mother wrote this!” Lucas said.

“Wait…” Daniel paused. “Who is Alex?” 

“Yeah… Well, we should figure that out later. What was your mom like?” Lucas asked Catherine.

“She was a single mother who was great at escaping traps and evading enemies; she disappeared soon after The Chosen One became mayor. I was left and I’ve been living on my own ever since” Catherine told them.

The group settled close to the crescent moon river, which shimmered as it became night. Through the darkness, Catherine kept looking at the book, investigating any connections her mother might have with The Chosen One. Lucas couldn’t sleep either. I just can’t figure out what to do. Lucas thought, Whenever I get answers, they lead to more questions! I need to find the meaning of all of this! Meanwhile, Daniel was making a new machine that was small, metallic and important. A spy machine that had multiple features that could help it get into government buildings. His skills were getting better, and he was collecting materials to make these contraptions. He had a lingering feeling about Alex, like he was part of this, or maybe, he was someone that connected the present and the past of the city together. Eventually, they all fell asleep. That night, a newspaper fluttered by and landed by Lucas. He woke up, wondering what the paper had on it. The headline read: Three kid bandits remain AT LARGE, it is confirmed that they possess two pink Luminous Lights created by The Chosen One! Consider them ARMED AND DANGEROUS!