1. Cataclysm

"Nieve, 4 out of 100 points! This is the fourth time. What kind of boy is this? You are expelled! We don't need trash like you soiling our school's image."

Nieve was at the back of the class when his maths teacher flung his papers at him. He had failed the subject the fourth time, and not only that, he knew it would be the same with other subjects as well.

"Hahaha..." it was Gavin and his henchman, Kaun. They were laughing at the ridiculously dull student with low grades. A piece of useles trash! 

"It'll be better you join the servants in serving the Ming sect. The son of a whore like you is not supposed to even attend a prestigious school," Gavin whispered.

"Maybe, Master Gu only wants to make him realize he's nothing but trash."

They laughed. Nieve gulped. He had failed again. And this time, a letter was handed over to him. He was not to be seen in school ever again. 

Nieve's mother was a wh*re the Mayor of the Ming sect had an affair with when his wife died. The result was Nieve. Gu Ming, the Mayor wanted to abandon the boy, but Ming sect never leaves their blood outside, let alone one from the Mayor's blood. His mother's identity is still unknown till date; no one even has time to investigate the origin of a wh*re anyways. Since Nieve was accepted, he would only belong to the outer circle of the sect that consists of guards, servants and workers. He's lucky to even have a roof over his head.

Nieve walked home sad. Even on the way, Kaun stopped and hit him squarely in the chest. Nieve coughed from the heavy punch while Gavin laughed at a corner.

"Don't ever show yourself in Maple high ever again. Start the house cleaning job where the likes of you belong. Hmmph!" Gavin spat.

"So long trash..."

Nieve held his chest and watched his bullies step into the luxurious cars that had come to pick them up. Gavin was also from his sect but he held Nieve in low view, since he's nothing but the son of a wh*re. Kaun on the other hand, was from the Lee family.

A thought sprang into Nieve's mind while he was busy trying to devise a means to teach these overfed pups their lessons... his mother.

He quickly ran home to his sick mother. His mother had been sick for weeks now. So many people believed she must have contacted a deadly virus from being a whore or probably she has been cursed. It wasn't bad to say it was her pay back for choosing a dirty business. He remembered when his mother would talk about an other worldly plane that gave one the ability to control the basic elements of the universe, what did she call it again? Boundless... metaphysics.

- Mother is strange at times.

"Mother, I'm home."

Nieve rushed to his mother on the bed in her chamber. She was shivering with cold and her legs were cold beyond freezing point. She was freezing. Her face was pale, a sign that she was slowly drifting into oblivion. The sixteen year old Nieve did not know what to do. His father had refused to take her to the hospital or employ the services of a doctor, he didn't want to spend so heavily on his concubine. 

Nieve was angry that it had grown into a deep-seated hatred for his father. He is not only bad, he is evil. Who would enjoy seeing someone die when he's able to help? Nieve clenched his fists. He would tell him that they are not useless after all, not now, but soon...

"Did you get good grades?" His mother's voice cracked and shivered.

Nieve was heartbroken. He wanted to lie but it was of no use, it would only hurt his mother more. "I - I..."

"Don't worry. Good grades or not, you're still my son no matter what." His mother already knew what his grades would be. She forced a smile across her face to reassure Nieve. Then, she unfolded her hand to reveal a snake shaped deep blue pendant with strange runes; not one Nieve was interested in. But it looked exceptional and beautiful. 

"Take it. It's my gift to you."

She moved with difficulty while Nieve helped her to tie the pendant around his neck. She smiled painfully, her face even seemed to whiten more as she smiled.

- Why is mother giving me a gift now? Isn't she sick? I should be thinking of how to save her. I am nothing but a failure who can't even take care of his own mother, yet I'm back home with poor results. Shouldn't I just drown?

"Keep it safe. Always know that I'm here..." she pointed at Nieve's chest, "and whenever you miss me, just look at the pendant and you will see me."

"What are you talking about?" 

- Why is mother acting like she is giving a farewell speech?

"Don't you think it's beautiful?" His mother said instead, eyes glued on the pendant.

Nieve touched the pendant and was forced to look down and get a good glance at it. Just when he looked up to tell his mother he would find a way to get her good medical attention, that she didn't come all these way to just give him a gift, that she had to hold on long enough for him to save her life, he was shocked to find his mother's eyes were shut and her face held a smooth look of satisfaction. 

Nieve cried all evening. His mother's body was taken away from him. Yet, there was no sign of sympathy on his father's face as her lifeless pale body was moved. 

Nieve was now alone. He clutched the pendant in his palms and cried again. His world had basically collapsed, there was no need to live anymore. Once his eyes shut to sleep, Nieve prayed it was death as well.

A sliver of dark red light suddenly shone through the sky and transformed into a bizarre blood red color that spiralled into a colossal whirlpool. It formed a giant cloud and spread across the sky, yet no one felt the global change happening in the world. People were in restaurants having their dinner, athletes were having their field practices and even Neive was calmly sleeping on his mother's bed. No one noticed the gloomy red cloud.

Cold air blew across the plains and flew into Nieve's room. Yet, he didn't even stir. Instead, his pendant suddenly started vibrating and emitting blood red light as if it was the source of the whirlpool in the sky. It continued emitting rings of blood red light that made humming vibrations as it escaped into the sky. 

The whirlpool dispersed and the pendant returned to normal. But it thundered overhead and a heavy storm accompanied by lightning and thunder dropped from the sky. It seemed to be raining everywhere at the same time in the world. The rain slowly reduced to light drizzles that slowly ushered in the next day of a refreshing morning.

Nieve woke up with heavy eyes that he thought he did not get enough sleep or he must have overslept. But then, he noticed the atmosphere seemed strange.