we were monsters.

[yaksha.]

we were monsters, a futuristic story set in a city named erokii; a city of burning lights, constant motion, and gleaming buildings. people born here are raised with a silver spoon, waited on and pampered, never fearing for their lives. they live in constant comfort and have grown oblivious to true fear. erokii is a city of dreams, cut straight from a movie, and anyone can live within its walls -- for the right price of course. outside is a mess of death and horrible creatures just waiting for the moment to strike, a fact citizens born in erokii remain blind to.

we were monsters follows the story of caius, a 20 year old hacker working for a group called nova in an attempt to unravel erokii's darkest secrets while running from his own, and maelin, a 22 year old street performer with a dark past. together they must team up and learn just what erokii is hiding while avoiding being sucked in by the haze shrouding the city.

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heyo ! first off, thanks for glancing at this thread! we were monsters is a story I've been planning for a while now but never really knew how to execute it until recently! I have big plans for this story and am hoping to use cs as a way to get ideas and little bits of it out! I'm aiming to finish this by february / march of next year and may even shoot for earlier, with hopes of publishing early next year! posting here is allowed; if you're going to offer criticism, please do so in a constructive manner. I write for a living so this is partly a personal project as well as an actual novel in the making, so I would appreciate if you don't use the ideas or characters from this!!

[yaksha.]

CHARACTERS.

caius. a 20 year old hacker with silver hair and green eyes. constantly wears a white scarf and a grey & white striped hoodie.
can usually be seen at the cafe below his apartment, tapping away at his keyboard and drinking way more coffee than he should be.

maelin. a 22 year old street performer with black hair and dark brown eyes. usually wears graphic t's and can be found around lunaria. not much is known about him yet.


SETTING.

erokii. a large city with state of the art technology. although unknown to the people within, this city used to be known as chicago. science has made leaps and bounds over the last few years. robots handle most labour, food is never scarce, and transportation has evolved into light rails between buildings. it truly is an amazing place.

outside. more info coming soon!


OTHER.

VIIpass. a device able to hold all of your access codes, home keys, VIIpass numbers [phone numbers], and even your identity.
this functions as your identification and is essential to getting around erokii.

[yaksha.]

res for later

[yaksha.]

"-- It began with life, and death, and war. "

They say everything happens for a reason. Everything good, everything bad -- everything horrible. But the boy had to wonder, if everything happened for a reason, why did people believe in things such as fate? There were many things he questioned for the boy was as inquisitive as a kitten. His curiosities were far from normal, however, and he was often left out of games by the other children.

The boy didn't care really. He had things to study while they had rocks to skip.

He was a light in the darkness, a being destined for greater things, and perhaps that's what drove his town to chasing him out. No explanation was offered, however, and thus the boy struggled to comprehend the reason for his exile.

But, perhaps, humans were the true monsters, and the boy needed no reason at all.

So the boy set out on his adventure, paper and ink in hand, and looked to the stars for guidance. The village became a thought in the back of his mind, and he began his journey.

[yaksha.]

"-- Our bodies were weak but our souls burned brightly. "

Caius was a ghost. He existed on the fringes of society, neither alive nor dead. The man's name didn't fall upon the registry and thus he was not a member of the living.

This notion didn't bother Caius. In fact, it was his choice not to exist. Being a ghost meant freedom, and through freedom he didn't need a virtual pass or a number indicating a living person. Of course, that didn't mean he was completely off the grid. Those who wanted entry into Erokii were required to show identification, no exceptions. Caius was good at getting what he wanted though and a fake was easily obtained.

A dangerous way to live, but Caius had grown up on danger.

Erokii was a city of burning lights, constant motion, and gleaming buildings. Food was abundant, the grass stayed green, and time seemed to stand still. Everything about it boasted new and improved. A city of the future cut straight out of a movie.

For the right price of course.

Even such a magnificent city such as Erokii had a dark underbelly. Crime prowled in the shadows and blood watered the grass. No place was perfect and it was something Caius understood well.

The futuristic city had no room for the poor souls living Outside.

For Erokii's citizens, Outside didn't exist. They were conditioned to believe here was it. This was the only life they'd ever need, spent fat and lazy and unknowing. Caius sneered at the thought. So many people living under the government's shoes, obedience the only thing preventing being crushed underfoot.

Outside was ruthless. People suffered from starvation, disease, and murder. Those who could not afford to be branded by Erokii's scientists were left to rot in a world choked by weeds and death.

Yet you live in here too, Caius. You prowl the same streets and drink the same wine.

The voice lingered in the back of his mind, the thought souring his mouth. Caius narrowed his eyes. I am not here to grow old; I am here to make change.

He rose, fingers lingering upon his keyboard. His work remained unfinished but a walk was needed to clear his mind. Outside, the sky was dark but Erokii's nightlife was awake and buzzing with energy. Voices and laughter could be heard just beyond, clubbers heading to their next destination no doubt.

Caius shut his laptop and turned to face the window. His existence in Erokii was confined to a studio apartment located above a cafe. The smell of coffee lingered no matter what time of day and he supposed he was lucky enough to enjoy it. Being stuck with coffee when you preferred tea would be a hell of its own.

This was not a walk for work thus Caius begrudgingly left his laptop upon the table. His fake VIIpass felt heavy in his pocket. The device was a wonder, sure, able to hold all your access codes, home keys, VIIpass numbers, and even your identity. Such a handy tool for a city like Erokii. Caius was just happy he'd managed to obtain an older model of said device. Newer ones had cameras, and cameras were bad for someone who was supposed to be a ghost.

With a heavy sigh, Caius wandered towards the door and paused at the mirror in the hallway. He flattened a silver curl as best he could but that particular strand was an unruly mess and listened to no one, not even the one who it belonged to. Caius met green eyes with a hint of apprehension. Maybe he really was growing accustomed to this life.

The thought was shaken away with a scoff. No way, not now. There was no way Caius, one of the current world's best hackers, would give up. That went against every inch of his being. He wasn't Nova's wildcard for nothing. With a newfound resolve, Caius curled his fist and headed outside.

[yaksha.]

"-- We were young but not foolish enough to rush. "


Erokii was a different world at night. The lights were beautiful but they did not match the sun; shadows crept into whatever corner lay untouched. It was something people like Caius, people who were still open minded, understood well. Venture into the shadows and you may never see the light again.

Caius lived among those shadows. He was not part of them, but he was enough of a relative that he was left unbothered. This part of Erokii held the population with just enough money to enter. They didn't live in gleaming glass buildings, pampered for the rest of their days. No, these people existed on the fringes among shattered windows and grimy concrete.

But for them, it was still better than Outside.

These streets had lights of their own, all lit up in various languages and colours of the rainbow. He could pick out English, Korean, Japanese, French, and a variety of other scripts. These buildings were a remnant of another time.

This street was always busy at night. Food stalls, street performers, and beggars lined the edges unoccupied by business. People milled around every inch of broken concrete, seeking a meal or entertainment. This part of Erokii was known as Lunaria.

Caius wove his way through crowds of people. He was on his way to his favourite place, an Italian restaurant that sold some amazing pasta. As he neared, he spotted the long line outside and released a sigh; no way was he standing in that. The man glanced around before spotting a considerably less occupied Japanese sushi bar. He'd eaten there before and enjoyed their food. Ramen it was then.

A bell chimed as he stepped inside. Behind the counter, a small Japanese woman waved in greeting; Caius smiled back. He made his way to the counter and ordered, reaching into his pocket for his VIIpass. Such a convenient way to live.

As he waited for his order, his eyes began to wander. This shop was a shadow of the past. It had never upgraded once Erokii had been renamed. Paint was peeling from the walls and an old credit card reader sat on the far corner of the counter. It'd only be good as a paper weight these days. Too bad no one really cared for paper anymore either.

Like most Outsiders, these people must've come here seeking new opportunities. Their dreams were far too often snatched away by the harsh reality of being within Erokii. Being in here though, like most agreed, was better than being Outside. Out there lingered the enemy, and every citizen born within untainted walls were oblivious to their existence.

Outside contained the Bitbeasts, bio-synthetic creatures infused with machines. A simple experiment by scientists of old. Their genes had mutated and their test subjects began to absorb electronic devices into living tissue. Computers, cell phones, even music players -- the Bitbeasts never seemed to stop. They grew intelligent. Open source internet allowed them to learn, to download every single bit of knowledge humans had ever added to an online platform, and the Bitbeasts turned violent.

Bitbeasts were neither human nor animal. An ugly, unnatural mess of metal and flesh, they turned person and animal alike into prey. Outside meant living without walls, where children could be taken and entire villages left barren overnight. Caius knew of that life all too well.

"--der. Sir, your order is ready. Sir!"

He snapped free of his thoughts, the Japanese woman's face coming back into focus. Caius cleared his throat and took the bag. "Thank you, sorry about that." A sheepish smile was offered before he scurried out the door.

The air had a cool grasp to it now. His scarf was pulled up a bit, protecting his throat with soft fabric. Soft like the citizens born in Erokii.

Laughter caught his attention and he glanced up, spotting a group of people. They were crowded around what Caius assumed was a street performer. Whatever act they were putting on had drawn the correct attention, for there were cheers and laughter and clapping. Caius decided to take a look as well.

It was a man, his black hair barely standing out among the shadows. Within his hands were two rectangles resembling VIIpasses. They were emitting a glow as he twirled, leaving behind a trail of blue light. As Caius watched, the lights split, both of them turning into creatures known as dragons. The two lights fluttered around each other, twirling in a dance as the man below moved his arms in a fluid motion. All of a sudden, the dragons crashed together in a beautiful burst resembling a firework.
Around him, people cheered at the display.

The dark haired performer looked directly at him and Caius gripped the bag in his hand even tighter. His eyes were such a dark brown they were almost black, making the hair along his neck stand on end. Something about the street performer was unnatural. He should turn and leave but every muscle in his body was frozen in place.

After a few moments of this, the man smirked and looked away. Caius was broken from his trance. Feeling anger rush into his chest, he quickly turned and walked away. The hacker wanted to put as much distance between the strange man and himself as he could.