Cris’s POV:
“I’m your father!”
“I know that. That’s precisely why I’m politely excusing myself instead of just leaving.”
“You basta-”
“Goodbye father.” Slam!
Now, Don’t get me wrong. My father and I don’t hate each other. After mom passed we only had each other so at the end of the day, we do love each other. But what can you do? A stubborn old fogey and his equally stubborn son are destined to never agree. If we do agree on anything, it’s generally an omen that the world is about to end. Sigh.
I slip my mask on my face and make sure it’s fully fastened before striding down the hallway. Why a mask you ask? Well, it’s for multiple reasons. Appearance wise it’s somewhat like a masquerade mask, silver and covering the top half of my face. Utility wise, it’s at the opposite end of the spectrum. I don’t wear it for aesthetics; that’s a rather bold fashion choice, even for me. I don’t wear it to be mysterious or cool either, I’m not a middle schooler...although, I do know people who’d do something like this. One person in particular…Ahem, anyway. The mask is a safety net for my overflowing power. Or, I suppose that’s what it used to be till I learned to manage my strength myself, now I just wear it because it makes my life easier not to have to show my face here.
“Paladin Cristis.” A tall, sallow looking man clad in all black robes, greets me. He’s followed by a couple of young, tender looking fellows. New recruits, I suppose. Back to the man in the dark robes, I’ve always wondered about this fellow: clad head to toe in the same robes all the time. Quite frankly, aside from the tip of his nose and his dark beady eyes peeking out from the hair that all but covers his face, I’d wonder if he has a body at all. He could be a bodiless apparition for all I know. Hey, he flashes no skin and looks all gaunt and depressed, what do you expect me to think? And in a place like this you never know. But then again I suppose I’m a hypocrite since I’m basically clad in all silver; even the top half of my face is obscured by a mask... Naturally, none of my inner thoughts leak across my face. I simply nod politely and continue moving.
Third Person POV:
“That-that’s Paladin Cristis right?” One of the new recruits speaks up several moments after the masked figure has disappeared down the long hallway.
“Naturally.” The dark-robed man answers a touch of pride in his voice. “He’s the top Paladin of the younger generation and he’s even defeated an elder. If you all hope to be like him one day you must work hard.”
“Wow!” The recruits’ eyes brighten, their gazes filling with worship as they think of the cold, elegant man in the silver mask.
“I’ve heard that he’s super mysterious, no one knows anything about him, even his face is unknown!” A recruit chirps. At this, the worship in the other fellows’ eyes increases. Meanwhile, our main character has sauntered away: completely unaware. ‘
Crisis POV:
After several twists and turns, I finally arrive at my destination: a glowing portal in a gleaming white room. Stepping into it, I quietly mutter my destination and with a flash, I’m back. Instantly, my erect shoulders slump. I sigh, pulling off my mask; glancing around the familiar red and black room. I painted and designed it myself and I’m actually quite proud of how it looks.
Groaning as I stretch my back, I make my way over to the kitchen to grab myself a cup of water. This is my mom’s house - was her house. Dad wanted me to move in with him but I refused: naturally, another thing we disagree on. Honestly though, I wasn’t ready to give this up. I sigh, plopping onto the couch and turning on the TV. Now, it’d just be perfect with a bag of chips...if I even remembered to do the groceries-which I know for a fact I did not. Great. More takeout. Whatever. I navigate over to Netflix, finding my recently watched. Pulling up a comedy, I sink into the couch and finally, my tension dissipates. Ah, home sweet home, here I am...
