I was an impish child, my days filled with whimsy and wonder, reflected in my almost faerie-like appearance. Unlike my mom or dad, I was as pale as snow, though I did share their red hair, my gray eyes completely unlike any of either of their families. I'm sure that, if my dad was a more jealous man, had less faith in his wife, he might have suspected infidelity played a key part in my conception. He didn't, though. He had an unwavering faith in her, and an unfailing love for me.
My dad was a boisterous man, belly laughter filling our house at the slightest provocation. Mom was comparatively quiet, but her softer joy was ever-present, small little jokes told in conspiratorial whispers, showing me the wonders of gardening or taking me to her work to meet her coworkers, all of whom smiled brightly when they saw her. Then dad died, the victim of a driver that was actively drinking Blue Stripe as he plowed through the intersection and smashed his monster of a truck into my dad's tiny, economical car. The man faced charges, but the money we'd won in the case couldn't replace the tiniest bit of dad's presence in our lives.
The day of the funeral was bright and sunny, like the universe was taunting mom and I as they lowered his casket into the ground. The priest, a kindly old man by the name of Eugene Phillips, read out dad's last rights in a somber, quiet tone that nonetheless carried through the graveyard.
"-et our friend be permitted peaceful rest. Lord, we pray that you will watch over Aiden Black as he is led to your gates. Amen" I sniffled as the casket was slowly lowered into the ground by four of my dad's coworkers and friends, huge men that were crying their eyes out as they bid him farewell. Mom held me against her as she choked back a sob, and I couldn't help but think that this was the end of our lives, in one way or another.
It wasn't, obviously, but our lives were colder without him there, and though we tried our hardest to be there for one another, she was now a single mother, and I was but a child no matter the extra memories stuffed into my head. She worked more and more, not to pay the bills, the lawsuit would cover them for years even if she didn't make a dime, but to not have to be in the house, not see dad's favorite recliner, not have to see the picture frame of us at DisneyLand, a cross-country trip that was supposed to be the first of many. I still had silly childish dreams, I wanted to open a bakery, or make games, or do anything that might bring a little bit of joy to the world.
Mom bought me toys, to make up for her absence, things like Cici, the alternative to Barbie in this world, somewhat more cynical but still a beloved part of my childhood. I would talk to her at night, of my fears and worries, take her with me places. Eventually, I grew up and moved out of the house. Mom still sent money, but I rarely used any of it for anything, so my bank account kept growing even as I wasted my days away in a shitty little apartment, trying to think of what I could even do with my life anymore. Cici came with me, of course, had a special place on my nightstand. I don't talk to her any more, what kind of adult talks to dolls? I kept her to remember the good times, I suppose. When dreams were worth having.
I sighed as I examined the card in the light, Six Stars gleaming platinum, shining like they belonged in the night sky and not trapped on the piece of pseudo paper that had appeared when I'd gotten my powers, whatever worth they were. I'd touched a book of fairy tales, planning to throw the old thing out to make more space in my closet when it suddenly transformed into her. She held a harp-like bow in her hands, a tiny smirk directed at some unseen viewer, the glint of mischief bright in her eyes. It was almost like looking at another version of myself, one who hadn't lost herself somewhere along the way. 'Faerie Knight Tristan'. The little bit of research I'd done had not led me to any tales or legends about any faerie knights, much less one like her, though Knight Tristan of the Round Table was a semi-popular character in some modern media, like Destiny/Exit Dawn where he was a prominent male lead, but the only similarity between the two was a name and that they used bows.
I'd further experimented with my powers once I got over the shock of having them at all, first capturing 'Sunlight' into a car, the one star it had completely dull and brown, like wood on a card. I went to the store and bought a card deck, emptying out the actual playing cards into one of my many unused drawers and experimenting with what I could do with this power. Anything physical that I stored could be… played is probably the right term, returning to how it was before and landing in just the way I wanted it to. A chair contained in a card that I threw across the room as I played it landed perfectly, sliding right into place at my little table. That stunt had gotten some angry reactions from the neighbors. I'd tried to play the 'Faerie Knight' card, but nothing had happened other than the paper reappearing in my hand before it could hit the ground.
After another month of experimenting with cards, I finally figured out what to do with the 'Faerie Knight' after I created a 'Disguise' card, one star, out of one of my old make-up sets, pressing the card to my face on instinct. I didn't look much different in the mirror, my skin was a bit tanner, my eyes slightly more blue than gray, but that was it. Taking it off by putting my hand to my face and focusing on the card, I left the bathroom and grabbed the deck of cards from it's drawer. I tucked the 'Disguise' card back into the deck and pulled out the 'Faerie Knight'. Returning to the bathroom, I almost pressed the card to my face, some instinct gently guiding me to press it against my chest instead.
Where I was pressing the card, I could see a black, oily substance running down my body, hissing like acid as it faded from view. I pressed a bit harder, trying not to gag at the vile smell that was filling the air. A flood of the vile substance poured out of me, gallons of it oozing down my body. I could hear more in the hissing now, hate and rage and sorrow all screamed together. The card finally entered my body, and there was radiant Light.
Awaken Child Mine, Born of the Earth.
It felt like all that I had given up on, all the dreams and hopes that had been dismissed as childish fancy were being thrown back at me, all of the wonder and joy in the world clear to see, slightly lesser for my own apathy. As the light faded, I saw the vile fluid evaporating in my presence, unable to sustain itself when near something anathema. I scowled at the barest remnants, somewhat resembling a face in the way it was shaped. I stomped on it, the last bits of the corruption fading into naught but shadow. As I stared at the linoleum that it had occupied mere moments prior, I could make out faint stains where it had touched. I resisted the urge to simply destroy my flooring, leaving the bathroom in a huff. I looked around the living room for a moment, and when satisfied that there was no corruption that I could see there, I entered my room and laid eyes upon Cici.
The urge to destroy her immediately was strong, like a snarling bear held back by only a chain-link fence, but I held it at bay as I slowly approached the doll. It didn't move, it couldn't, but as I peered deep into it's essence, I nearly wept in relief. A shell of corruption surrounding a bright, shining core. It was a toy, meant to inspire dreams and give comfort to children. She never meant me harm, and even when her purpose had been so thoroughly twisted, there was a spark of what she was meant to be within her. I placed a hand on the doll's head, the light of my own presence burning away the corruption and leaving only that core. I picked up the doll from her place on the nightstand, looking into her plastic eyes. There was a little bit of life there. I smiled at the doll.
"Thanks, Cici, for being there when I needed you. But… I'm a big girl now. I promise, I'll find someone who needs you just as much as I did." First, though, I'd have to make sure that she'd be able to protect her next kid from what she'd been forced to do to me. I couldn't fathom that she'd be the only corrupted toy in the world. I brought her with me to the kitchen, grabbing the deck of cards from my drawer and taking out four 'Sunlight' cards. I combined two, making a 'Light' card, two stars that were a shining bronze instead of a dull brown, then the other two, then combined the two 'Light' cards. From that fusion emerged something far better than it's parts. 'Radiance'. A single shining halo, four dull-gold stars along the top. I pressed the card to Cici, willing it to merge with her, and it did. The small light in her chest became a roaring inferno, blazing light out into the world. I set her down on the table, smiling a little at her before I returned to my room.
I began to dig through my closet, setting aside older clothes that didn't fit any more, looking for Cici's box. I know that I kept it, a habit that I'd had since I'd been just a little girl, but it was likely buried pretty far back in the closet. Some old shoes were brought out of the closet to be donated to the nearest homeless shelter, old shirts and pants as well, until I finally found the box. Her smiling face was displayed prominently on the front. I flipped the box over, finally finding what I was looking for. Avalon Incorporated. It would be paranoid to assume that they were contaminating every single toy, but is it paranoia if there's supernatural corruption in your old doll? I brought the box out, setting it down on my bed, before going back into the closet and sorting through what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to donate. I had clothes that I'd never worn, bought in an attempt to fill a void that was now closed. I turned them all into cards, setting the pile on my nightstand as I made a revised list in my head of what I had to do today.
I would be going to Walmart, both to grab a suitcase and to investigate the other Avalon toys there. Then I'd start searching for a new home for Cici, someone who needed her as much as I once did. I tucked the deck into my purse, checking myself in the mirror. My current dress was… too eye-catching, but… Hm. I took the deck out again, withdrawing the one-star 'Disguise'. I would not take off the 'Faerie Knight', not after all of that… gunk got into me when I hadn't had her on. Making my way back to the bathroom, I pressed the 'Disguise' against my face, the changes making themselves obvious immediately. My clothes changed from the frilly skirt to normal jeans and a tank top, though still the red and white colors. My skin was paler than the last time I'd used it, but not to the supernaturally pale degree of my new form. Eyes were still a slate grey this time, but it didn't look unnatural. I left the bathroom and picked up my purse as I left my little apartment, locking the door behind me and looking both ways down the hall. Empty.
I passed by several apartments, all quiet except for the one where a single mother and her daughter lived, the mom singing with her daughter just loud enough to be heard from outside the door. I smiled as I descended the staircase, quickly making my way from the third floor to the base of the building, leaving through the side-door and briskly walking through the parking lot. August wasn't exactly 'chilly' here, but it was just cold enough to be slightly uncomfortable. As I approached my car, an old beater from some time in the nineties, something stuck out to me. Like Cici, the old thing had a core of light, a semi-consciousness of dreams and hopes. To travel, to see new places, to stay with me. There was a loyalty in that steel box that I hadn't expected from anything save for a particularly attached dog. I laid a hand on it's hood, feeling the way it reached back, almost preening at the attention. I'd been debating getting a new car, but now those thoughts seemed like almost a betrayal. I unlocked the door and got in, shutting it as I set my purse down on the passenger seat, turning the keys and wincing as the engine rolled over twice before the car finally powered on. I would need to see if there was a card that could improve the car without destroying what it was.
Pulling out of the parking lot, I took in just how… bad everything was here. Trash in the gutters, everyone either giving each other suspicious glances or being completely apathetic to the world around them. How had I not noticed this before? I squeezed the steering wheel tight when I saw a child, someone that should be utterly filled with light, instead having that same oily corruption in them as everyone else. It was worse than I could have possibly imagined, but that didn't mean that it was hopeless. Pulling into Walmart was almost a relief, even the smallest bits of light that were emanating from the place were better than the still, stagnant world that I'd been a part of just hours before.
I parked near the back of the lot, turning the key and placing the keyring into my purse as I got out of the car, really should name him, locking the door as I closed it. The lot was emptier than usual for a Thursday evening, but I wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth after all that I'd discovered today. I passed by a couple of people on my way into the store, most of them having less corruption coiling in them than I'd expected based on just how much was inside of myself, but maybe I'd just been exposed to more sources of it? Something to look into later. I didn't bother to grab a shopping cart as I entered the store, looking up at the signs and immediately making my way towards the toy aisles. I'd already prepped a 'Radiance' card before I'd left the house, but I was hoping that I wouldn't need to use it. Those hopes were immediately dashed as I rounded the corner and nearly vomited.
Each and every one of the toys in the aisle were corrupted, some less so than others, tainted by mere exposure instead of directly, but it was still a travesty, a crime against anything that could dream. I fumbled around in my purse, drawing the 'Radiance' card after ten seconds of trying, my hands shaking all the while. Finally, I played the card. No light emerged to normal sight, but I could see the flood of purest dream energy infuse itself into the toys, the corruption banished with but a quiet roar of impotent rage. I smiled as I took in the renewed light in the toys, each and every one of them a beacon of light where there was before but a tiny spark. They would protect their children, keep them safe from the corruptive influences around them. I turned to leave, brushing past a woman who was staring at the aisle with wide eyes, the barest wisps of corruption floating off of her and into the aether. I grabbed a small suitcase before leaving the store and making my way back to Carl, the best name I could come up with, I left the parking lot and returned to the apartment complex, making my way up the stairs and unlocking my door.
I sat down on the only comfortable chair I owned, leaning back and closing my eyes. Avalon Incorporated was very obviously corrupt, and spread that corruption out into the world like a plague ridden rat that refuses to die. Commendable, in one sense of the term, but it was something that would have to be put down for the health and safety of every other living thing on the planet. There was much I'd have to do to prepare for a one-woman war on even a toy company, though I very much doubted that they were the only company spewing corruption, or even the main one doing so. However, they were turning things of joy, whose sole wish was to bring comfort and fun to the children of the world, into fonts of darkness and apathy. They had to be stopped, above all others.
I would need to find out their CEO's name, and hopefully the names of the board members, the location of their headquarters, where they had their factories, hopefully in America but if they weren't I'd figure something out. Try to infiltrate one of their important facilities, secure more important information. Find out what other corporations that Avalon is connected to and investigate those in turn. Follow the chain of influence until I find its holder. To do all of this, I would need to abandon my apartment, live in Carl while on the move, maybe… Yeah, that would work. Cici still needed a new home, and I could already think of one that would work very, very well indeed.
I got up from my chair, picking up Cici from the table and gently tucking her into her box, a tiny smile on my lips even as I wiped the wetness from my eyes. I murmured reassurances to her, the light in her chest sparking wildly in something alike to panic, or fear. I opened my apartment door, closing it behind me and striding half-way down the hallway. I stopped in front of the door, the singing inside having gone quiet long before I'd come home. I lifted my hand to knock, only hesitating a moment before rapping on the wood three times. I heard shuffling from inside of the apartment, the latch unlocking and the door opening. The mother was pretty average looking, but the sheer warmth in her eyes was more than enough to make up for anything else.
"Oh, hey Justicia, what can I do for you?" I swallowed nervously, holding out the box containing my oldest friend.
"I'm… moving away here soon, and I figured that Cici should go to someone who needs her more than me." The woman, Lacy, that's her name! Gently took Cici's box from me, the light in the doll's chest flaring in her presence. Lacy stared at the doll for a long moment, something like awe in her eyes.
"Are… Are you sure?" Something was going on here. I let my second sight out, and saw… a Light, burning in her chest, her form changing subtly as I took it in. Bushy eyebrows, pointed ears. She was… like me? I snapped myself out of it with a smile towards her.
"Of course. Every child deserves a bit of Light in their life." She seemed to understand my meaning, opening her mouth to ask a question before seeming to think better of it. I stepped away with a soft goodbye, and after a moment of staring after me, she shut the door as I walked away.
I returned to my apartment, mentally categorizing what I'd be taking and what I'd be leaving. I could easily take everything, but that would definitely raise suspicion, the kind of suspicion that I don't need right now. I would leave the table and the two wooden chairs, and the bed, though… I touched a hand to my pillows, sealing them into two one-star 'Cushion' cards, as well as my blanket, one-star 'Comfort' card. My nightstand would have to stay. The piles of clothes that were to be donated were further sorted between 'summer', 'fall', and 'winter' clothes, the coats were going to be donated to a school, the heavier shirts and jackets to the nearest homeless shelter, the smaller clothes that were nicer than what my home would suggest would be given to an orphanage. Once I'd finished sorting them all, I sealed them into cards and put them each in their own packs, to be unsealed later once I'd found suitable places.
My comfortable chair was sealed and placed in the main deck, as well as the clothes I'd be keeping with me. I rummaged through my drawers, sealing any personal items and documents and leaving everything else. I hadn't felt hungry since I'd merged with the Fairy Knight, but I ate a quick meal regardless. Once I was sure that I had everything I needed, I grabbed my suitcase, not really containing much at all and left my apartment. I made sure the key was in the door, and made my way to the car. First stop would be the local library, I had some research to do.
