"Trael, it's time to rise and prepare for school," Tika said with a firm yet gentle tone, her voice carrying the warmth of a mother's love. Trael stirred beneath his cozy blankets upon hearing his mother's familiar voice, consciousness slowly returning as the morning light filtered through his window. "Alright, Mom," he replied, gradually sitting up with determination despite the lingering desire to stay in bed. He rubbed the sleep from his heavy eyes as he stretched his arms wide and let out a big, satisfying yawn that seemed to chase away the last remnants of drowsiness. "I'll be down in five minutes." Tika nodded, a knowing smile playing across her face, confident in his response as she had come to trust his word over the years. "Just remember no more than five minutes. You can't be late on your first day of middle school!" she reminded him with excited emphasis. With that, she strode purposefully to the kitchen, her footsteps echoing down the hallway as she prepared herself mentally to create a nourishing breakfast for the family.
Meanwhile, Trael stretched his legs and walked purposefully over to his dresser where his treasured watch was carefully kept in its special spot. The morning sunlight glinted off its polished surface as he approached. "Hey there, Dingo, are you ready for another exciting day of adventures?" He called out cheerfully, his face lighting up with an infectious smile that reached his eyes. Dingo wasn't just any ordinary watch - it was a remarkable device that possessed the extraordinary ability to transform into a magical flying pet, a loyal companion who always stayed by the side of timekeepers like Trael. As if responding to Trael's enthusiasm, a brilliant flash of light suddenly illuminated the room, and there stood Dingo in his magical rabbit form, ears twitching with excitement as he exchanged an energetic high-five with his young friend. "You know it, Trael! Let's make this day one to remember!" Dingo exclaimed with boundless enthusiasm, his voice full of warmth and encouragement as he seamlessly transformed back and attached himself snugly to Trael's wrist.
Trael hurried to the bathroom, his excitement for the first day of middle school evident in his quick movements. He carefully selected his school clothes from the neat pile he had laid out the night before: crisp navy slacks that his mother had ironed to perfection and a freshly pressed white button-down shirt that made him look particularly grown-up. After getting dressed, he took a moment to adjust his collar in the mirror and smooth down any wrinkles. "Okay, I'm ready!" he declared with confidence, his voice carrying a mix of enthusiasm and determination as he bounded down the stairs, taking them two at a time on his way to the dining room.
"Hey Mom, is breakfast ready?" Trael asked eagerly, inhaling the rich and inviting aroma wafting from the kitchen. The scent of freshly cooked food filled his nostrils with promises of a delicious morning meal, making his stomach rumble in anticipation. "The food smells absolutely amazing! I can already tell this is going to be a fantastic breakfast - I can't wait to dig in!"
"Yes, honey, the food is ready, but hurry up; you don't want to be late for school," Tika said calmly, smiling encouragingly as Trael enjoyed her cooking. Just then, she heard the bus outside. "Okay, Trael, it's time to go; the bus is here!" Trael quickly grabbed his backpack and rushed outside to board the bus. He found a seat next to his friend Hugo, who was a bit quirky. Hugo always said the weirdest things that nobody could quite understand, but Trael always managed to get the gist of it. They had been good friends since elementary school, and now, as they both started sixth grade, Trael reflected that even though he hadn't changed much, he was proud of that.
Once they arrived at the school, they got off the bus and headed to their classes. The building was huge, even bigger than their previous school. A large logo was displayed on the front of the building, which read, "Dreamers, Dream Big." Trael wasn't sure what it meant, but he hoped it signified something greater than themselves.
"Hey, Hugo. Let's go to class," Trael said, his voice tinged with a hint of fear as they entered the building. It was indeed intimidating to be in such a large school for the very first time.
Hugo glanced around, then looked back at Trael with a mix of playfulness and apprehension. "Yeah, it's pretty scary," he replied.
They both made their way to the classroom and took their seats, waiting for the teacher to arrive.
Soon after, the teacher walked into the classroom. "Good morning, everyone," he said from the front. "I'm Ramon, but feel free to call me Mr. R if you'd like. Welcome to my English class! I notice we have two new students today. Please introduce yourselves and tell us what you enjoy doing for fun," Mr. R added, leaning against his desk. Trael got up to introduce himself, but as he began, the ground shook violently, causing everyone to fall out of their seat as they all look puzzled. "What's going on?" Trael asked, crawling towards Hugo. "I have no idea," Hugo replied, panicking as he looked for something to grab onto. Chaos erupted as Trael and the other students screamed in fear. "I need to figure out what's happening," Trael declared, seeing his watch flash a red alert. He crawled outside and spoke to his watch. "What's going on, Dingo?" Trael asked nervously. "A breach is forming in the sky, apparently someone has broken through the time barrier and I think they are looking for something or someone," Dingo responded, its light still red. "Okay, let's go check it out," Trael resolved. "Yes, let's!" Trael affirmed with determination. "I'm with you," Dingo answered.
Having expressed enough, Trael rushed outside, his feet slipping on the trembling ground as he desperately tried to maintain his balance. The sky had transformed into a nightmarish spectacle - a colossal vortex, swirling with dark purple and electric blue energy, its maw stretched wide enough to swallow buildings whole. The vortex's pull was so strong that cars were being lifted off the ground, trees were bending at impossible angles, and screaming people were clinging to whatever sturdy objects they could find.
From within this terrifying anomaly emerged a small figure, barely visible through the distorted air. The figure's outline seemed to flicker and shift, as if reality itself couldn't decide on its true form. "What! Who is that?" Dingo's voice cracked with alarm. "He seems to be a timekeeper like you, but something is off about him. I can sense an intense rage coming from him - it's like a dark storm of temporal energy," Dingo said, transforming back into his furry form, his whiskers twitching nervously.
The air grew thick with tension as a deep, resonating voice cut through the chaos like a knife through silk. "Trael, show yourself. The time for games has arrived," the figure announced. With each word, pulses of crimson energy shot from his hands, forming destructive beams that systematically tore through buildings. The beams left trails of frozen time in their wake - fragments of concrete and glass suspended eternally in mid-explosion.
"Why is he doing this? Innocent lives are at stake. We need to alert the teacher," Trael thought, his heart pounding against his ribs. But as he turned toward the school, a massive beam of energy struck the building. The impact was devastating - the entire structure seemed to fold in on itself before exploding outward in a shower of debris and frozen time fragments. Everyone inside, including his classmates, his new teacher, and Hugo, was trapped in the destruction. "HUGO!" Trael collapsed to his knees, his body wracked with uncontrollable sobs as he watched his best friend's last known location disintegrate.
"If you do not reveal yourself, I will destroy everything you hold dear," the figure's mocking voice echoed across the devastation, each word dripping with malicious satisfaction. Panic seized Trael's heart as thoughts of his mother flooded his mind. In a desperate sprint, he ran home, his lungs burning with each breath, only to find his worst fears realized. His house lay in ruins, walls crumbled and roof caved in, wisps of smoke still rising from the wreckage.
With trembling hands, he pushed aside broken furniture and shattered memories, following a trail of destruction to the kitchen. There, among the ruins of their morning breakfast, lay his mother. A temporal blade - glowing with the same energy as the mysterious figure's beams - was embedded in her abdomen, its otherworldly energy pulsing with each of her weakening heartbeats. Trael fell to his knees beside her, grasping her hand in both of his. "Mother! Please, stay with me. I can't lose you now," he cried, his tears falling onto their clasped hands.
Tika's eyes, though clouded with pain, still held the warmth and love they always had. "Be strong, Trael. You are meant for greatness. Stand tall," she whispered, each word a struggle. "Although I cannot be with you, arrangements have been made for you to live with your grandmother. Do not mourn for me. You were the best son I could have asked for." With the last of her strength, she reached up to caress his cheek, her touch as gentle as it had always been during happier times. Tears streamed down her face, leaving glistening trails that caught the light of the temporal blade. Her hand slowly slipped from his face as she took her final breath, leaving Trael alone in the ruins of everything he had ever known.
"It's okay, Trael. I'm still here for you, and I hold all the memories of your family. We can tackle this together," Dingo said softly, his voice filled with compassion. He transformed into his furry form - a magnificent white rabbit with golden markings swirling across his fur, his ears tipped with crystalline patterns that sparkled like starlight. Dingo wrapped his paws around Trael in a warm embrace, channeling all the love and support that Trael's mother had given him throughout the years. The magical creature's fur glowed with a gentle, comforting light before he returned to his watch form, the face now pulsing with a determined blue glow.
Trael stood up, his body trembling with rage as the surrounding air began to crackle with energy. Small objects around him started to float and spin as he levitated off the ground, his feet leaving the earth as temporal energy coursed through his veins. Golden light spiraled around him in intricate patterns, forming symbols of ancient timekeeper magic. With a brilliant flash that illuminated the ruins around him, his transformation began. His school clothes dissolved into shimmering particles, replaced by a sleek black leather coat that seemed to absorb shadows, its edges trimmed with pulsing blue temporal energy. In his right hand materialized a razor-sharp blade, its surface etched with glowing temporal runes that hummed with power. The weapon's crystalline edge caught the light, refracting it into prismatic patterns that danced across the debris-strewn ground.
"Alright, this is my final form," Trael proclaimed, his voice deeper and more resonant than before, echoing with newfound power. His eyes now glowed with an intense azure light, and his hair whipped around his face as if caught in an invisible wind. Now unrecognizable from his former self, Trael stood tall and powerful, a true timekeeper awakened by tragedy. Dingo's interface lit up with pride and amazement. "You did an amazing job for your first attempt," Dingo said, admiring how the transformation had perfectly merged Trael's raw emotional power with the ancient magic of the timekeepers.
"Trael, something is approaching," Dingo shouts urgently, his sensors detecting a malevolent presence as the figure materializes through the swirling dust and debris. The figure appears with astonishing speed, his dark cloak billowing ominously in the wind, revealing glimpses of armor underneath that seemed to absorb all light.
"There you are, Trael. I have come to eliminate you," the figure's voice boomed across the devastated landscape. "Let me introduce myself: I am Drago." His words carried an otherworldly echo that sent chills down Trael's spine.
Trael stood up slowly, his muscles tensing as he clenched his fists so tight his knuckles turned white. The weight of his loss and anger coursed through his veins like molten metal. He spun around, his blade gleaming with an ethereal blue light as he pointed it toward his adversary. "Why would you do all this?" he roared, his voice cracking with emotion. "All those innocent lives you took. You destroyed my city, killed my family and friends - I will show you no mercy!" Each word carried the weight of his pain and determination.
His anger peaks as tears stream down his face, leaving trails in the dust and ash that covered his cheeks. At that moment, Dingo, the magical flying rabbit, begins to sense Trael's emotions - waves of grief, rage, and resolve washing over their psychic connection. Their bond deepens exponentially as they ready themselves for the greatest battle of all time, Dingo's form pulsing with a synchronized energy that matched Trael's heartbeat.
Drago also gets ready for the fight, pulling his dual nightsticks from beneath his cloak - weapons that crackled with dark energy and left traces of shadow in their wake. Both combatants stand-off for a moment, sizing each other up as the wind whips around them, carrying the scent of destruction. Then, with a deafening battle cry, they charge at each other with their weapons raised - Trael's blade singing through the air while Drago's nightsticks cut dark arcs through space itself.
I am Trael, and this is where my story begins.