"I've always tried to decieve myself, hide the truth from myself, it's the reason I decided not to live a life of crime even though I would have been very successful if I had done so, I made myself believe that it wasn't the right way to live, that it wasn't the path for me.
And I'm really funny, I complain about humans hanging onto false hope, how they always declare statements like 'one day everything will change' but I failed to realize that the more I heard this statement, the more I started to believe in it too, deep down inside of me. Hope really is contagious."
Stel talked to himself, it was something he enjoyed doing, he found it an easier way for him to align his thoughts when his head was getting too crowded.
His raspy voice was the only thing that filled the air of the room, his head was drooped and lowered, his eyes facing directly at the ground.
He was still sitting on his bed.
"But it's not like I hate them or the hope they have, but it just seems... Pathetic to me, the reason being- they expect their betterment to happen overnight. It doesn't work that way, someone must take on that rigorous task of rebellion and actually succeed in it, a mantle that I can hear calling out to me.
I was running away from this, getting angry, cursing my reality, but it seems like I can't run away any longer, I can't escape fate, and to top it off, my long forgotten and cherished memories, days I spent with my father came back to me, memories that I have no idea how I forgot." He added on.
But first of, I need to make a plan, a plan to unite the two human genders that have been split in malice for thousands of years, and also a plan to slay the King of Earth and his minions.
A chilling sensation ran down his spine as he thought of the tasks he'd have to take up to achieve what seemed like the impossible.
He sighed.
"Stella, you crazy fuck, you got one hell of a mission."
He laughed awkwardly as he slapped his face with his palm.
"Wait a minute-" He muttered to himself, seizing his awkward laughter abruptly.
Why does it feel like I've done this exact same thing before? It feels like I've done the same thing and I've said the same words before.
"Must be Deja Vu." He said firmly as he stood up from his bed, adjusting his pants to stay on his waist.
"I need to train. The journey that lies ahead of me will be a tough one, especially due to the fact that I lack an innate ability, a saddening reality."
The only thing I can bet on is my physicality which is at it's peak, but I doubt if I'll be able to take on those entities... Well, I'll have to bet on the effects of my training.
He slowly motioned over to the door leading to outside his room, preparing to find a way to leave the backlands, after all, he can't save the world from the backlands, and he had stayed there for too long.
"It really is a fucked up place, this backlands."
The red sun was hot, almost blinding and the air and atmosphere of the city was as bleak as usual.
He squinted his eyes to get a quick look at the streets as he walked through, the smell of the streets offended his nose, but he had gotten used to it over the years, a side effect of living all his life in the backlands.
It was an age of technology, the streets were supposed to be lively, filled with light and inventions, but the backlands was different.
It was a bleak city without any proper ruler, the streets were unclean, vehicles were a rare sight, apart from the infrequent occurrences when members of gangs rode hover bikes on the streets, or when a rich person or a government official comes to town with their "rich people" drone-shaped like mini cars that travel at untraceable speeds, the people of the backlands only saw them fly through the sky once in a while like how you see Aeroplanes or helicopters fly pass your house high in the sky.
He walked past the streets, the roads were filled with dents and were made using coal tar, an ancient method that had been long abandoned in construction everywhere else in the world, he glanced at the people that were also commuting with their legs to their various destinations like him.
He saw a young boy rushing to go complete his part time job, a young man on his way to work, an old, pale and wrinkly man on his way to buy food.
And just like him a few hours ago, they all had slump expressions on their faces.
He grimaced, unsettled by the fact that just a few hours ago, he was as gloomy as they were, living as a human who had forgotten the heritage his race held and almost lived out his entire life without ever knowing it.
Look at them, they're only focused on looking for money, food to eat, money to buy food, pay some rents and taxes to gangs that work for the government, a shameful sight to see, no dreams, no self valuing thoughts and the worst part is that they think it's all normal, they think that this is how their life should be. My father was right, humans lost their will ever since the great Spiffian invasion five thousand years ago.
He shook his head slowly in disappointment, deciding to stop thinking about it, summarizing that it'll only be spoiling his mood further.
He turned his attention to something else.
He looked at the buildings as he continued walking, they were made with Arrentian steel, the poorest materials used to make buildings, in the big cities and better lands, buildings were made with invincible steel and other good materials.
It took him twenty minutes to arrive at the market from his house, he stopped to observe the scenery.
The market was smelly and filled with crowds of human males of different shapes and sizes, trying to get some goods.
There were different collection of Small kiosks and shops ran by men.
Finally, I can get the werean leaf, I need it.
Stel was about to walk past the crowd of people and straight to the kiosk that sold the materials he came to get when he heard...
"Stella!"
That deep, annoying voice, shit- is it who I think it is? No no no, it can't be him, I can't have that guy around me, not now!
Stel recognized the voice that called out to him, it was a voice that was too familiar for him to forget, he wasn't sure he could ever forgot that voice untill the day he dies.
He started fast walking, picking up his pace really quick to avoid the man who called out to him.
"Come on! Wait up buddy! I know it's you!"
The voice was getting closer and closer, going through the crowds of men that were walking in the market, slipping through tight middles of two people, bumping into some and apologizing, he did that untill he finally reached Stel.
Shit shit shit, why's this guy always this fast?
Stel complained inwardly, putting on a fake smile on his face.
"Oh hey Mangé!" Stel turned to look at the man who already had his hand on Stel's shoulder.
Stel saw his face clearly.
This little-
"Stella! My man! How've you been? Long time, it's been what...Two years?"
The man removed the hat on his head, revealing his long blonde hair.
He was dressed in a gray coat that covered his entire body and only revealed his shoes and the laser blaster that hung on the belt hoop of his waist.
"Right. Two years." Stel's tone changed.
His whole countenance switched up as he narrowed his eyes, looking sharply at Mangé's hand which was reaching for his laser blaster.
"Man do I miss you." Mangé said, the enthusiasm in his voice drowned into nothingness, the sharp look on his eyes couldn't be missed as he stared at Stel's Jacket.
Huh? Mangé thought to himself
It was a suspicious looking Jacket. He wondered where someone as poor as Stel could have gotten that, he took his hands which was traveling to his laser blaster a second ago back to his pocket.
He put his top hat back on his head.
Let me just take him there, I don't care about his jacket. He said to himself.
"Why don't we have a drink to catch up eh? I'm sure we both have lots of stories to tell." Mangé suggested to Stel with a bright, fake smile on his face.
"Sure." Stel replied firmly.
Phew, avoided the worst, I hate this guy. He sighed.
Stel followed behind Mangé.
"Come with me, I know a good place."Mangé said
He turned to look in the eyes of Stel who shrugged and followed behind him.