ic Arcturus #0: Repossession

[GranspearZX]

Uh... hi.

My name is Arcturus. I don't know if anyone will ever see this, but if you do, it's because I want you to know that I'm... well, alive. There's been a lot happening and I haven't had time to sit down and really figure it all out, but I know people will ask where I've been for the last three years. So here goes.

 

Somewhere in East Africa, September 2013

Marcus Irons probably should have been more concerned that he had missed his own graduation.

 

It wasn't that his high school days were some sort of social nightmare; he had made plenty of friends and had one things he'd never dreamed of doing. Still he couldn't help but feel like he didn't belong there. While he certainly had a greater understanding of what it was to use his abilities to help others, he hadn't made much progress on understanding his powers themselves. Explaining his magic to others was one part impossible and four parts embarrassing--most didn't even believe magic was real. It didn't really hit home until his senior year and he was asked to help out with a rescue mission in Eastern Africa. It opened up his entire world, and suddenly he felt less compelled to go back.

 

What was supposed to be a simple evacuation of flood victims turned into something much more sinister. An encounter with pirates and human traffickers nearly resulted in an innocent girl being shot. Arcturus reacted out of instinct and protected her with a Beast Rune form he'd never used before, and while the outcome was a favorable one, it left him confused. He needed answers before 'instinct' turned him into some sort of monster.

The problem. however, was where to look.

 

I knew exactly one other guy who used a similar style of magic. He put me into contact with a friend of his who looked at e like I was crazy when he examined the Beast Rune.

 

War-Earth, January 2014

"Are ye SURE yer okay?" The diminutive artificer looked up from his magnifying glass00or whatever it was in his hand; Marcus really couldn't tell. Marcus nodded slowly.

 

"Of course. I mean... I was born with this rune so I figured it was... hm. Normal isn't the word I'd use." Marcus grimaced a little as he felt something cold against his back. "What are you doing anyway?"

 

"Examining. Doctor things. Shh."

 

"...should I be worried?"

 

"How many magical bear shapeshifters have you examined, son?"

 

"Okay. you might have a point."

 

"Never seen a rune fused to a person before. Not like this. Makes sense though... you said it affects all your other magic, right?"

 

"That's right." He nodded again. "I can use magic but it always feels like the Beast Rune is part of it."

 

"Aye... You physical types are all like that." When Marcus didn't say anything, he continued. "See, when anybody uses magic, some of that power always comes from within. So... if the Beast Rune is part of you.."

 

"But I don't get why THAT happened. The whole... turtle thing."

 

"You wanted to protect that little girl. Guess the Beast Rune was tryin' to do the same."

 

I'd never considered that the Beast Rune wasn't trying to take over. It made me wonder if the key to understanding my magic wasn't in asking someone else but asking the Beast Rune itself. When I was a sophomore at Claremont, Eldritch hinted at it but he never really gave me a straight answer. I understand now why I had to come to that conclusion on my own.

 

Unfortunately, I never got the chance.

Edited October 8, 2016 by HG Morrison