A Stolen Loaf

A fierce wind howled through the night, its cry brought forth by a ferocious storm. Beneath the swirling clouds laid a city of towers, their windows reflecting the flash of lightning, while their beams creak beneath a thunderous roar.

It didn't take long for a heavy downpour to drench the streets, sending people scurrying for cover.

Not surprisingly, none of them seemed to notice the man standing at the top of a skyscraper, nor the one dangling from its edge.

"VALE! What are you doing?! Why would you betray me?" The man hanging from the roof shouted, his emerald eyes alight with fear.

With each passing second, his strength waned and his grip weakened. But no matter how much he pleaded, the other man refused to help.

"Come now, Solus! You should know better than to trust a thief! Even if we are brothers!" Vale responded. A sinister smile masked his face as he reached down and pried back Solus's fingers, revealing a light blue gem, adorned by a spiderweb of silver.

"The Spiders Saphire?! Is that what this is about?" Solus asked. Although the rain obscured his vision, he could still make out the cold glint in his brother's eyes.

"No. I just thought it would be a waste to leave it with a dead man," Vale said, bouncing the gem in his hand.

With that, Vale's boot came crashing down, kicking Solus free from the edge.

Without a sound, he fell, his body enveloped by the droplets of rain, while his hair danced in the wind.

A look of disbelief made its way across his face as he plummeted, though not from the betrayal. No, it was the beauty of the storm swirling above that changed his expression. With its dark expanse cloaking the heavens, and pillars of light that flickered within, it awakened a yearning for power.

Inches from the ground, Solus reached out his hand, while something inside him clicked.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning leaped from the sky, and soared downwards, shattering the glass windows along the way.

In a shower of sparks, the bolt struck Solus's outstretched fingers and spread about his body, its tendrils shaping a coffin.

'The power of the storm... Now that would be something worth stealing,' Solus thought, closing his eyes.

A moment later, the light faded from view, revealing nothing but a pile of dust, which was soon whisked away by a gust of wind.

Back on top of the skyscraper, Vale stared at the place his brother disappeared, his face void of any and all emotions. Shaking his head, he turned and walked from the roof, deciding to take the stairs instead of his previous escape route, which required him to dangle from a metal wire.

...

Far from the previous world, upon a darkened plain shrouded by storms, there rose an obsidian temple, its fractured pillars hoisting a cracked arched roof.

Inside, there sat a young man, whose flickering blue eyes were gazing curiously into a copper bowl of water.

On the water's surface, there played an image of a man in his early twenties, falling from a skyscraper, while a look of awe dawned on his face.

Seeing this, the young man leaned back on his throne and laughed, while a look of joy spread across his face.

"At last! A mortal who finally understands the true beauty of a storm. Oh, he will make a worthy champion indeed!"

The young man's booming voice rolled across the hall like a wave of thunder, its force alone enough to shake the very walls. Jumping from his throne, he quickly made his way to a stone shelf set between two pillars, upon which rested a large glass orb.

With a hum, the man placed his palm against the glass and gathered his power to the tips of his fingers.

Ever so slowly, the power flowed into the orb and grew into a flickering storm, its clouds alight with the flash of lightning.

Satisfied, the man tapped the orb twice and dispersed the cloud. Returning to his throne, he gazed into the rippling water, which was slowly fading to black.

Before all color disappeared though, a burst of movement caught his eye. Curious, he zoomed in, only to find a silver arrow flitting across the city, and embedding itself into some poor guy's chest.

'Oh? It appears I'm not the only one choosing a champion tonight. Let's see, that silver arrow should belong to the Moonstone Huntress, and the one she shot...' The man's eyes shifted to the person struck by the arrow, and he unconsciously raised an eyebrow. 'Well now, things are certainly bound to get interesting if those two ever meet.'

...

Deep in a city built from sand and stone, there ran an abandoned alley, whose shadows hid the body of a boy not much older than ten.

Suddenly, and with a loud pop, the boy gasped, and his eyes shot open, revealing a deadly storm brewing within.

It only lasted a brief moment though, before the dark clouds faded into a pair of startling green eyes.

'What going on? Where am I?' Solus thought, grogily sitting up.

Before he could do anything else, a sharp pain tore through his mind, accompanied by an ocean of memories.

Solus grabbed his head, and writhed in the sand, trapped as each image plaid out. Although it only lasted a few seconds, it felt as though an eternity had passed before the pain resided and the memories finally came to an end.

With haggard breaths, Solus dragged himself to the nearby wall, and slowly processed the information he had recieved.

'So this place is known as Arkendol, huh? A world where exotic beasts lurk in the dark, and mythical races rule the lands? Sure, that seems reasnable.'

Solus sighed, and tilted his neck back, gazing towards the clear blue sky which slowly rotated by.

Overhead, a bird let out a shrill cry as it flew past, carried by four golden wings, while a trail of flames followed closely behind.

Solus stared for a moment, before shaking his head in disbelief.

Hearing a low rumble, he glanced down at his stomach, which was several inches thinner than it should have been. It seemed his new body was hungry, and quite possibly starving.

"Great, so not only do I have to worry about the beasts in this world killing me, but my own body as well? Could things get any worse?" Solus grumbled, dragging himself to his feet.

Using the walls as support, he stumbled to the end of the alley, and peered into the street laying just beyond.

A line of merchant stalls filled his gaze, their trinkets shaded by a canopy of cloth and rope, while people swarmed back and forth.

Sniffing the air, Solus caught the scent of bread, which made his stomach rumble even more.

The sweet fragrance came from a stall several spaces down, where loaves of bread soaked in the morning light.

Behind the counter stood a thick bellied man, his mustach twitching as he idly counted through a bulging coin-pouch.

Ignoring the man, Solus eyed the steaming buns and licked his lips. Never before had a loaf of bread looked so enticing.

With soft-footed steps, Solus slipped from the alley, and darted towards a nearby stack of crates, which were stacked near the stall.

Taking his time, he waited until the merchant was distracted by a customer before creeping forward, his mouth watering as he stretched out his hand.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." A boyish voice cut through the chatter, causing Solus to freeze.

Looking up, he found himself staring at boy around his age, or perhaps a few years, laying atop the canopy.

Dirt marked the boy's dark skin, but his brown eyes shone with excitement, and a smirk played at his lips.

"Thanks, but I think I know what I'm doing," Solus said, deciding to ignore the strange boy.

Taking a second to make sure the merchant was still preoccupied, Solus moved forward, driven by an all-consuming hunger.

'Almost there... Just a little more.'

Solus stretched his hand, his fingers inches from the bread. The mouthwatering scent alone was enough to cause saliva to drip from his mouth.

"Hey! What do you think your doing, boy?!"

Solus froze, and slowly looked up. The merchant glared back at him, his thick mustach quivering in anger.

"Just trying to feed myslef, sir," Solus said, and with a smile he snatched the bread and ran.

At least, that's what he intended to do.

Instead, he got about four steps into running, before a web of nets entagled his feet and sent him sprawling into the sand.

With a sharp laugh, the merchant stepped out from behind his stall, and made his way across the street.

"Its been a while since someone's tried to steal from me," The man said, grabbing Solus by the hair and yanking him up. So close, were they, that Solus could see the rot afflicting the man's teeth, which he flashed with a cold smile. "I'm going to enjoy this."