Start Again: A Prologue Novels & Stories

"Yes. Everything—from my outerwear to my undergarments—must be cut apart. I've already explained how it works. You won't hurt me, so don't hesitate. You're a follower of the Rebirth Sect now." That was their way of luring him deeper step by step. They really didn't want newcomers to have second thoughts, did they? It took nearly 30 minutes to complete the first step of the initiation. Pieces of fabric lay scattered across the floor, shredded beyond recognition. Yanny stood before him, entirely bare, her expression unbothered. Her eyes were clear without a hint of embarrassment or discomfort. "Now, we move on to the second step," she said.

She says. “So, Gabriel, hmm, nice name. Who’s this guy?” I ask. “Well, it all started when we got to the party, and we were sitting at the table. Chelsea got up to get us some drinks, then Tanner left me to go to the bathroom. I was sitting at the table all alone, then this guy comes out of nowhere and approaches me like a gentleman.” “Sounds interesting.” I say. “Trust me it was, we had so much to talk about, he wants to have his own startup Tech company one day.” She says.

He pushed them apart roughly and ran past me as he scooted off. I watched him run off in embarrassment silently and smiled. We were just getting started, Zach Livingston.

Let the game begin. --

The grid deepens into a single, unified hum. The ocean glows faintly beneath the surface. The boy’s silver-lit eyes lock onto me. “Once you accept,” he says, “it begins immediately.” No countdown. No delay. I look at Dylan one last time. He nods. Once. Enough. I turn back to the starlit figure. “I accept,” I say. The world does not explode. It compresses. The Proxy lifts one hand. The constellations across its form ignite. The light surges toward me.

This was not her return. This was not an echo of her. This was the continuation. And it was only beginning.

Anton’s trust had been the foundation stone upon which Sabatine had built his new world. “The before…” Sabatine said, shaking his head slowly, a faint, wondering smile on his lips. “It feels like a prologue written in someone else’s hand. A dark, confusing preface. Our story, the real one, started the second you chose to believe me. That’s Chapter One. Everything before that was just… gathering the characters.” Our story. The words hung in the air, precious and defining. They had a story. One with villains and escapes, with sanctuaries and revelations, with a foundation and an academy and a blueprint of joy. It was a story they had written together, in choices both desperate and deliberate.

“Awakening.” --- As the sigil glows brighter, Alexander realizes Project Rebirth has only just begun and Elena’s awakening might not be something he can stop.

I blurted out, the words tumbling without thought, “Did I do something wrong? Why am I here?” The Headmaster looked genuinely taken aback at my abrupt outburst, his brow rising slightly. But he composed himself quickly, a practiced ease in his movements, before he replied, his voice carefully modulated. “You haven’t done anything wrong, Genesis. I’ve called you in because I have some, umm, news to share with you.” He fidgeted in his seat a bit, a subtle shift in his tweed jacket, before pushing on, as if bracing himself for my reaction. “This is Ms. Tilly St’Clair. Your grandmother.”