A Familiar Figure Arrives
"No, you are not crazy but you are keeping yourself from greatness. You must let go of all the stuff your brother has told you and just give in to the power within you. Only then will you be able to be who you really are." The hooded figure chuckled slightly as he stood up straight and looked at the boy. He looked almost identical to him yet there was something off about him, then suddenly he vanished.
"Well thanks, that was very helpful." The boy shouted into the empty space before him. His parents now looked at him concernedly. If his cheeks could turn bright red they would have from the utter embarrassment he was now feeling. "oh, uh… that was nothing. Just thinking to myself. Can I try one more time?" His parents looked at each other and back; both of them nodded their heads towards him. The boy stood in the center of the room and closed his eyes. He thought to himself but heard the hooded figure once more faintly in his mind as well.
"Calm your mind, forget all those things about your family, it is just you in this room. Feel the power within you flowing, moving with every cell in your body. This is your power, this is who you are meant to be." The boy still didn't feel any different and then he felt an odd sensation he had never felt before. His skin began to tingle and felt like it was being pierced in every pore. His body felt like it was on fire but he remained still and focused.
"This is my power. I am not going to be some loser like my brother. I am going to be something no one will forget. I am going to be… the best." With those final words, he opened his eyes and something inside of him awakened. The area around him filled with pure darkness and for a split second he saw the look in his parent's eyes, it was relief. the darkness slowly kept spreading but he didn't know how to stop it."Yes! I did it! Mom, Dad, I did it! I actually did..." The darkness around him began to spread further and further as he did everything he could to stop it. the equipment that was lying on the floor near him was engulfed and vanished within the dark that was spreading.
"Mom… Dad… how do I control this? What do I do?" His voice rang out of the darkness with a tinge of fear in it. Ankor immediately sprang forward and subdued the miniature sphere of darkness.
"You did it. You awakened your powers." Ankor placed a hand on his son's shoulder and led him out of the room. Hesara followed and caught up with them after locking up the power room. "We will announce your power later tonight and at that time you shall receive your name." The boy looked at his father and smiled. He finally did it. He was actually going to be a part of the family that he so longed to be a part of.
The hours passed slowly and the boy couldn't help but think about that hooded figure. He hadn't heard or seen him since the power room but the questions it left were nagging at him. Why did he look so much like himself and how did he even get there? How did he know about my powers and why couldn't his parents see him? The boy held up his hand and a faint black aura surrounded it. Darkness was his power, a similar power to his father, but different. He laid his hand down and looked out into the star covered sky. It still felt as if something was missing, as if something wasn't quite right. There was an empty feeling inside of himself that he wasn't quite sure how to explain. A knock on his door brought him reeling back into his room and out of his thoughts in the sky. It had been five hours since he discovered his powers but to him it felt like moments had just passed.
"Son, it's time to announce your powers to everyone. Are you ready?" Hesara said from the other side of the door. She didn't like to go into her children's room without permission because she hated it when her mother did that to her. She gave her children as much privacy as she could bear while also being the overbearing mother she was.
"Yeah mom, I'll be right out. I was just finishing up." Rushing across his room he grabbed the proper clothes and threw them on as fast as he could. He opened his door and his mother was standing there looking immaculate as always. He never quite understood how she always managed to look this way but he was glad she did. It put him at ease whenever he felt scared or worried and right now he needed that feeling. "See? I told you I was just finishing up." Hesara smiled slightly and turned to go towards the main hall where the whole family was located.
"Tonight, marks another momentous occasion in our family. Tonight, we have another powered announcement to make which fills us with joy. Tonight, this boy gets his true name." Ankor placed his hand on his son's shoulder and looked at him. The boy looked at his father and felt a sense of pride in himself.
"I have been thinking about this since earlier and I am absolutely sure of it." His father looked at him for a moment and then smiled. The name definitely fit who he was and his father was proud to finally give his son a name.
"From this day forth, this boy shall be known by everyone by his true name… Darkman." Applause erupted from some of the younger siblings and the older, but mostly it was a light roar in an ocean of silence. Many of Darkman's brothers and sisters wanted him to not gain his powers since he was their plaything and it meant the end of their fun. "Now, we have his true name but what shall we all call him? I think Jacob, is a fitting name, do we not all agree?!" Another roar came from his siblings as a smile filled his face. Jacob had a name finally, he was finally getting somewhere in his family, finally proud of himself.
"Are you kidding me? Darkman? What kind of name is that?" Kila said as he stood from where he was sitting. Steam was rolling off his body in waves and his siblings around him had quickly moved out of the danger zone. "This has got to be a fluke. There is no way a reject and useless weakling like him got this lucky. He cheated." Kila balled his fists and flames erupted from them. His skin began to turn a pale red color as his rage and his powers began to mix.
"Enough." Ankor's voice boomed throughout the main hall. The room began to darken and Kila's flames became the only source of light in the room. "There will be no disrespecting this occasion and if you say one more word out of turn I will lock you up myself for the next few years. Do you understand me, Firestarter?" Kila's flames stayed lit for a few minutes longer while his anger welled up inside of him. Finally, he relented and stormed out of the room. He knew his father was serious because a true name was something that was only used in serious situations.
"Well, that was exciting." Hesara said as she walked up to stand by Jacob and Ankor. "Thank you, my wonderful children, for coming here tonight. I think we have all had enough excitement for one night though. You should all hurry to bed now." She raised her hand and Ankor's shadows began to subside as her light drove them away. "Even you, my wonderful son." Jacob looked at her and thought he saw sadness in her eyes but he pushed that thought from his mind and followed her suggestion.
"Goodnight mother." Everyone had disappeared from the main hall almost as quickly as they had gathered there. Jacob made his way back to his room but just as he grabbed the handle something inside him made him stop. He felt a pulling sensation at the back of his mind but he couldn't quite get at what it was. He shook his head and proceeded to go to bed.
The next few weeks passed in a blur as he was trying to get his powers under his control. Every day and night he would be in the power room attempting to gain a semblance of control over his new-found powers. Sometimes he would feel that tugging at the back of his mind again but he tried to ignore it. He didn't know what it was but he knew it had something to do with that weird feeling he got from the man before. Nothing was more important than catching up to his siblings and their abilities. He sat down in the middle of the power room and folded his hands into a sort of sphere. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind and focused on the center of the sphere he made with his hands. Slowly, a black ball began to form inside the space, he stared at the ball making it grow slowly, bit by bit as he watched it for any irregularities. Suddenly, his mother entered the training room completely destroying his concentration. The black sphere began to deform and spread faster than he could control until it exploded in his hands sending him sprawling backwards.