Path to Power: Rise of Leo Vance

The cold rain fell hard from the dark night sky. It hit the dirty pavement of the alleyway, washing away the dirt, but it could not wash away the blood. 

Seventeen-year-old Leo Vance lay curled on his side in a deep puddle. He gasped for air, but all he tasted was the sharp, metallic flavor of his own blood. His thin, weak arms were wrapped around his head to protect himself, but it was not helping. 

"Get up, you little rat!" a harsh voice yelled over the sound of the rain.

A heavy combat boot swung through the air and slammed into Leo’s ribs. A sickening crack echoed in the alley. Leo’s mouth opened in a silent scream. His vision flashed with bright white spots, and his lungs refused to take in oxygen.

Standing over him were three large men. They wore thick leather jackets and dark boots. They were enforcers for the Obsidian Cartel, the most ruthless gang in the city. 

The leader, a bald man with a scar across his nose named Briggs, spat on Leo’s uniform. "Fifty thousand dollars, kid. Your deadbeat dad owed us fifty grand before he drank himself to death. Now, that debt belongs to you and your sister. Did you really think you could just hide from us?"

"Please," Leo whispered. His voice was so quiet it was almost lost in the rain. "I don't... I don't have it."

"We know you don't," said a second man. He was tall and skinny, with a nasty smile. His name was Rat. "That's why the boss said to make an example out of you. When people see what happens to the Vance boy, they’ll pay their debts on time."

The third man, a silent giant named Gordo, stepped forward and kicked Leo in the stomach. 

Leo’s body folded in half. He rolled onto his back, coughing violently. Dark red blood spilled from his lips, mixing with the rainwater in the puddle. His chest stopped moving. The pain was so great that it suddenly faded into a cold, dark numbness. His vision went black. 

Leo Vance’s fragile heart beat one final time, and then, it stopped. The boy in the alley was dead.

"Whoops," Rat laughed, kicking Leo’s limp arm. "I think Gordo broke him too hard. The kid is completely out."

"Check his pulse," Briggs ordered, sounding annoyed. "If he's dead, we have to clean up the mess."

But before Rat could bend down, something impossible happened high above the city. 

Far above the dark storm clouds, completely unseen by the three thugs, a tear in reality ripped open. It was a dimensional rift, glowing with a fierce, terrifying violet light. From the endless void of space and time, an ancient, powerful soul shot down toward Earth like a falling star. 

This was the soul of Lord Zayin, the Supreme Archon of the Aetherial Realms. In his past life, he was a god-like sorcerer. He had ruled over galaxies, and a single wave of his hand could turn mountains into dust. But he had been betrayed by his most trusted students. They had ripped his soul from his true body and cast him into the dark abyss. 

Now, that mighty soul crashed down through the rain and slammed directly into the lifeless body of Leo Vance. 

In the alleyway, Leo’s body suddenly jerked violently. The dirty water splashed around him. 

Rat jumped back, startled. "Whoa! I thought you said he was dead, Briggs!"

Slowly, the boy on the ground began to move. He placed his hands flat on the wet pavement. His joints popped, and his broken ribs shifted, but he did not scream. He simply pushed himself up into a sitting position. 

When Leo raised his head, his eyes snapped open. For one brief, terrifying second, his pupils glowed with a blinding violet fire. The light vanished as quickly as it appeared, returning his eyes to their normal dark brown, but the change in the boy was absolute.

Inside the mind of the teenager, the Supreme Archon awoke. 

“Where am I?” Zayin thought. 

He ignored the men standing around him. He looked down at his small, pale hands. He felt the weak muscles, the fragile bones, and the aching organs. This body was pathetic. It was malnourished, sickly, and currently bleeding internally. 

“I survived the void,” Zayin realized. “My soul found a new vessel. But this mortal shell is worse than glass. It is so weak.” 

He took a slow, deep breath through his nose. He reached out with his senses to feel the magic in the air. In his old world, mana flowed like great oceans. Here on Earth, the magic was thin, dirty, and polluted. It felt like trying to breathe through a thick, wet blanket. 

“This world is barren. The energy is toxic. But... it will have to do,” he decided.

"Hey! Are you deaf, kid?" Briggs yelled, stepping closer. He raised his baseball bat. "I told you to stay down."

Leo slowly turned his head to look at Briggs. The boy's face held no fear, no pain, and no panic. Instead, Leo looked at the large, dangerous gang leader the same way a person might look at a disgusting bug on the floor. It was a look of pure, icy arrogance. 

Briggs felt a sudden chill run down his spine. Why did the kid look so calm? Why wasn't he crying anymore?

"What are you staring at, you little freak?" Briggs barked, trying to hide his sudden nervousness. He turned to Rat. "Finish him. Use the knife. We don't have time to play around in the rain."

Rat smiled. He reached into his leather jacket and pulled out a sharp switchblade. With a click, the silver blade popped out. "My pleasure. Hold still, kid. I'll make it quick."

Rat took a step forward.