Did you notice that the M'lkha are Morlock-expies from "The Time Machine"?

Wow, I liked the twist, poignant and beautiful.

Wow, that hit harder than expected, I can understand how a vampire might get tired of living and get to a point where greeting the sun sounds good.

Thank you for the high praise! I'm glad you liked it :)

"What's worse than the total agony of being in love?"

• Sam

Oh protection friend. I love this angle

People underestimate the Magical Girl. They either think them soft because of their mercy or weak because they are usually mere children given comsic power...

Neither is correct, at least for any who don't dig deeper.

Mercy is not weakness and any who think so are the most deserving of it, even if they would reject it. Mercy is not the same as forgiveness, it is an opportunity to make up for it. While some are more childish than others is it not a miracle that despite what you have done to them and others they offer you a chance to be better than the being you were before?

The Power is given to children to teach them this; adults tend to be too... what's the word? Cynical. Some can hope, some are still children at heart yes but growing up removes perhaps the most human part of us, the innoccent part; that their is such a thing as good and anyone can try. Some children can be cruel, mind you, but that does not mean they always are nor that they cannot be better.

Is that not what it takes? - Glynda, Goddess of Dreams and hope

Weird direction but I enjoyed reading it and would for sure read more. Good stuff thank you

I think you could expand this if you wanted. The whole mystery man could visit the other sites to find other so called heroes. Would help establish some sort of universe or more interesting team dynamic. 👍

This is amazing. It feels like a memoir, of sorts. Like a dedication. Its somber in tone, but it brought a smile to my face.

Generational imaginary friend 🥺

The price of a peppermint.

Thank you 😊

Oh. sits down and thinks hard So - I understood the assignment? 👉👈

Quite a good story.

Legends of Athrea Generation 3

(title of my own book)

Love the take on it. 👍

It had been months of research and undercover work in the making. This newfound ability to pause time had helped me slowly assist in rooting out the group of underground assassins, although not without some fatalities. Several other agents and some civilians had been injured or killed, but since the next international summit was next week, we agreed that a loss of 8 agents was a small price to pay.

I had been told that the main trainer of the league was now targeting my family. I had called Interpol, and I was to meet my contact for lunch at the Mall of the Americas, where he and his team was to take my wife and children to a safe house. The escort of three Humvees met us in the parking garage, and I left them with the agents as I met the contact.

I kept alert for tails or familiar faces as I entered the restaurant and met Tom, the contact's alias. He waved me over to the table, and as I shook his hand, I caught a glimpse of a laser dot on the back of his head! I paused time, and was able to examine the angle of the laser, coming from the next level up and across the courtyard. I realized that anyone shooting from there would not be able to escape, unless very well disguised!

Since I could only pause time, I knew falling to the ground was the only way to survive the split second following the shot. I pushed play, and fell over backward, while Tom was on the floor next to me, dead. I radioed the agents to lock down the mall, and I rolled over to the door, spotting the assassin running on the next level toward the street exit.

The assassin disappeared into a storage room, and I knew this led to a tunnel, that could go to either the garage or the street. I gave the codeword "green" to the convoy, and they left with my family for the safehouse. I gave chase, and guessed to head toward the garage. My guess was correct.

I tracked the assassin to the bottom level, thinking either they were heading for a trap, or I was. I hid behind a column, listening and waiting for some movement from the closed-off section. I looked in time to notice that several FBI agents were approaching from all the other exits, so in a matter of seconds, we had the area sealed off.

I signaled to the agents to let me warn the assassin, and I yelled, "Shooter, you are surrounded! Put your weapon down, and get on your knees with your hands behind your head!" The voice came from a darkened section of the garage, saying "You think I'm stupid enough to come here without help?"

Four Cadillac Escalades came screaming down the ramp, all with automatic weapons pointing out the windows. I paused, and as I looked at each vehicle, I saw they were all international plates. I knew that one phone call might end this, so as I pushed play, I signaled the other agents to cover me.

I dialed the secure number, and gave the country plate IDs to the dispatcher. My guess was right, and just before the Escalades reached our level, they all shut down. They were all rentals with fake plates. The rental company used GPS to disconnect the main fuse.

With nowhere to go, the men inside the Escalades came out and right into the handcuffs of our agents, I yelled at the gunman, "Your help doesn't seem to be available! Give it up!" I heard a new clip inserted, and told the agents to hit the lights on the Humvees. I paused just as the lights came on, and the gunman was aiming for the fire system.

I realized our only way to shut him down was to pin him down and disable the alarm system. I hit play, and fired a double tap over his head, right at the power box. The lights and fire system in the garage went out, and the gunman laid down his weapon.

At the debriefing, all the responding agents received commendations, and the international summit went off without incident. I was reunited with my family one week later, and only used my pause power when I absolutely had to!

I no clue

Don't apologize. It was a beautiful story.

Thank you for the kind words :)

Being in a wheelchair has introduced me to this, I haven't ever felt like this before.

Everyone's lives keep going. I'm surrounded by others living, working... moving. I don't. Even when I'm in the company of friends, I feel alone. The only interactions I have with strangers now are pitying glances and offers of help. My wife switches from angry to sad to frustrated. My kids are sad and frustrated. My friends have either disappeared or focus entirely on trying to help me, not just be my friend.

I hate this so much. I'm in hell right now.

Very nice. I always thought that myself. That pain is different for everyone and we are, each of us, in our own little he’ll. Good job, nice writing style as well.

It's the hell I strive to never be in. I cried twice for this. And a 3rd time I'm tearing up because I'm thinking of writing this comment.

It's a massive fear of being rejected when trying to be social. I'm typically the odd one out. Even though I seem to integrate, I just stand out.

OOC: I am taking this in a very weird direction inspired by nothing but my daydreams.

There are five sigils on the temple of Inikra. The first is that of the Kyleth, the Ji-Hatane (the Ji of the land). These large creatures live for adventure, the plains, the mountains, the forests, the steppes. Their entire culture is based on their rugged individualism, but not only that but so is their biology: They do not gain their typical adult skin tone of deep blue unless they spent an entire year alone relying on nothing but their wit, strength and cunning. Their nomadic culture generally didn't lend itself to founding permanent settlements, but the crown of the Kyleth tribes is Kyl, their one and only city. It plays such an important role in Kyleth identity that the Kyleth are named after the city, not the other way around. In their language, Kyleth means those who are allowed in Kyl.

The second sigil is that of the M'lkha, the Ji-Moulok (the Ji of the ground). They are a complete subterranean species after they hunted their overworld prey creatures to extinction. The last survivors of the Cataclysm. Small, eyeless bipedals that seem to be very communally minded and dispassionate or sombre in their dealings. That didn't stop them from forming networks of mines, mushroom farms and tunnels that spread under entire continents. They have a massive network of small settlements, many bearing names that supposedly stem from before the Cataclysm.

The third sigil is for the Kariten, the Ji-Susune (the Ji of the sky). They used magic to take to the sky and never looked back. Their appearance resembles smaller, juvenile reddish Kyleth with wings. They land only twice in their lives: When they give birth and when they die. While many consider the Kariten savages because they lack many of the traditional trappings of culture, they have their own magical traditions and their oral tradition is immense. They don't have cities or similar settlements but instead swarms that life, hunt, sing and reminisce together.

The fourth sigil is for the Waveborn, the Ji-Hatlith (the Ji of the depths). Little is known about them except for their grandiose cities under the sea with names no landborn, soilborn or airborn tongue can even hope to pronounce and their festivals in which the depths carry the lights of the royals families.

Then there is the fifth sigil. The Ji-Katay-ja-janda (the Ji of those who leave/left/will leave, old Tara-Kyl has no explicitely marked tenses). It is said that these took to the world beyond the sky. And that they never returned. Many species all over the planet call shooting stars "Lights of the Seydya", the supposed name of the species.