บท 1: Apotheosis (1)
The vibrant pulse of New York City reached its crescendo, its rhythm synchronized with the heartbeat of its inhabitants. The towering skyscrapers, like sentinels of progress, stretched their metal arms towards the heavens. The cacophony of car horns and street vendors melded into a symphony of urban life. Amidst the vibrant tapestry, individuals immersed themselves in their daily routines, unaware of the extraordinary event on the precipice of unveiling.
It was an ordinary night, one night of many other nights in the month, and would have continued on to be an ordinary night. . .if not for Earth being judged as ready.
As the clock's hands aligned with the fateful hour, an invisible ripple traversed the cityscape, heralding the imminent arrival of a profound transformation. It began as a subtle shimmer, a mystical haze that permeated the air. Time itself seemed to pause, caught in suspended animation, as if nature itself held its breath in anticipation.
Then, a radiant burst of azure brilliance erupted, cascading like ethereal ribbons through the bustling streets. Every eye turned skyward, momentarily forsaking their tasks and obligations. Gasps of astonishment and murmurs of awe rippled through the crowd, painting a portrait of collective disbelief.
DING!
<<System Notification>>
Congratulations! You have been selected to participate in an extraordinary event. Spin the wheel and discover your destiny. You have one hour to make your choice. But remember, no spin, no reward!
Before their bewildered gazes, a mystifying phenomenon materialized—an enigmatic blue box, adorned with arcane symbols and pulsating with otherworldly energy. Its presence defied all logic and comprehension, an enigma that defied the boundaries of the mundane. It stood as a threshold between the ordinary and the extraordinary, beckoning the denizens of New York City to embark on a journey of uncharted potential.
The appearance of the shimmering blue box caught everyone off guard. Shock and curiosity rippled through the crowd like an electric current. Murmurs of disbelief filled the air as people questioned the reality of what they were witnessing.
Caught in the thrall of curiosity and trepidation, people approached the mystical artifact cautiously, their hands trembling with a mixture of apprehension and hope. Whispers spread like wildfire, as theories and speculations intertwined in a web of collective wonder. The air crackled with anticipation, as if the very essence of the city held its breath, eager to witness the unfolding of an unprecedented event.
It was 12:00 when it happened. The event that would later be known as the Great Evolution, an event where gods and demons were born into the world.
***
Meanwhile,
Arthur lounged on the worn-out couch, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. Lily, standing by the cluttered coffee table, crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at him. They were about to embark on one of their famous arguments, and this time, it was all about the best Marvel character.
"Okay, Lily, let's settle this once and for all," Arthur declared, leaning forward. "Captain America is the embodiment of heroism, integrity, and good old-fashioned patriotism. He's the symbol of justice in the Marvel universe."
"Also he's a straight up bad-ass," Arthur said, taking a deep breath.
Lily rolled her eyes at that. "Oh please. Captain America is a walking flag, a freaking relic from the past. Iron Man, on the other hand, represents innovation, wit and he's downright cool. I mean, Tony Stark is a genius and a billionaire! How much money did Cap have again?"
Arthur raised an eyebrow, feigning disbelief. "Oh he's a genius billionaire alright, and all the arrogance that comes along with it. That's not a superhero, Lily. That's a job description for a supervillain. Besides, Tony Stark relies too much on his suits. Take away the armor, and what do you have? Just a witty playboy."
Lily snickered, leaning in closer. "You talk about suits as if Captain America didn't come out gift-wrapped in a whole superhero serum. Nah, I say, Iron Man takes the cake."
"Oh my god, Lily," Arthur sighed. "This is why I don't argue with children who obviously don't know what they're talking about."
Lily shook her head, a playful fire in her eyes. "You're just jealous because your little American hero can't pull off Iron Man's sleek armor, or his good looks. Admit it bro, Tony Stark is the real winner here."
Arthur's eyes narrowed as he leaned back. "Alright, alright. I'll let you win this one. But don't forget. Robert Downey Jr's the real winner for bringing Iron Man to life. Man, sometimes I wish what would have happened if I ever landed that acting career back in Northridge."
"At least, I could have made our home a lot bigger and fancier than this old schmuck, huh sis?" Arthur smiled sadly.
Lily placed her coffee on the table, before standing behind Arthur and laying a hand on his shoulder, as they both looked at the family photo framed in glass, standing dull on top of a broken T.V.
". . . . . .How many years has it been now, since Mom & Dad died?" Lily started gently.
Arthur's eyes got foggy, remembering all too well the tragic moment when their parents left their only two children to survive in the backstreets of New York City.
"7 years now," Arthur started. He remembered how it all started, with him sitting through his midterms in tenth grade, and he did pretty well on that test too. He wanted to go back home, and tell everyone that they might be raising a little genius in the house, but the only thing that greeted him when he opened the doors was his 10 year old sister crashing into his stomach, tears and snot dribbling down her little face as she told him that Mom and Dad had been in car accident.
He remembered he didn't even bother to ask if they were okay, because just after, he received an unknown call from the hospital, saying that unfortunately his parents had passed away.
"We had no other relatives, no uncle or aunt, no grandpa or grandma," Arthur took a deep breath. "We were all alone in this world after Mah and Dad died. Just two little kids who didn't know what they were doing."
They had gone through so much, too much to even start talking about it but the moment their parents died, Arthur knew that it was now his duty to take care of his little sister. He'd always been praised as mature for his age, so even he was a zit-faced teenager back then, he immediately sought out compensation from the man who had caused the accident - it was a huge sum of money at the time and luckily for them, the man was moral enough to pay them the money without going or trying for court.
With that money, and the inheritance money he'd received from his parents - which wasn't a lot - and a couple other, he immediately dropped out of high-school and sought out jobs, until he landed the one at WORLD GYM, where he'd just been recently promoted as a manager of the New York branch, which also meant that finally he would be making enough money to not worry too much about putting the food on the table.
"If you weren't so hard-headed, I could be helping you out by taking that job at the cafe nearby I told you about," Lily said. "I mean, it's just a part-time job, and it's not even going to affect my-"
"No." Arthur stopped her.
"But-"
"No, Lily," Arthur continued. "You are a student. You're in your senior year. Your duty is to study, and work that genius brain of yours to become someone more, someone better, someone who can help the world in a way I can't. But most importantly, your duty's to have fun."
"I am having fun," Lily replied back, but without much voice in her words. Even an ant could tell that she wasn't exactly saying the truth.
And, Arthur caught on to it. "Oh yeah? Other than me, that weird chess-mate of yours, and Ms. Amelia, who exactly do you have as friends?"
"I do have friends!" Lily clapped back. "And, Julia's not weird! Sure she can be a little much for some people, but she means well most of the time. And, leave Ms. Amelia out of this. She's the only teacher who actually cares about which university I'm going to."
"Uh huh, sounds like someone's a little introver-"
"Haa?" Lily pinched his shoulders, hard.
"Ouch!"
"My hearing must be getting hard, because I could have sworn you just called me an introvert," Lily took her other hand and pulled on the little twinges of hair on the back of his neck.
"Ow! Ow!" Arthur placed his hands into a 'T'. "Time-out! Time-out!"
"Do you give?" Lily said, eyes dark.
"Ugh. . ."
"I said," Lily pulled even harder. "Do you give?"
"Ow, ow! Alright! I give, I give!" Arthur cried out, and just as quickly, Lily let go with a smile. He got away from her, and gently patted the back of his neck and shoulders. "Ow. . .I should call the police with how many times you've been abusing your dear, older brother. Tsk, tsk I did not raise you to be like this."
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