The Autumn winced, recoiling back from the sudden gusts of wind that had picked up in the area. He'd only been in the forest for a short fucking time, on his way back from the distal end of Salacia, minding his own and going for a few quick dives. In that quiet echo chamber of a valley, the many explosions and outbursts coukd be heard from every corner of the area. He'd made quick rush to throw his clothes back on then and run out of the water, not wanting to be caught with his pants down during whatever was going on, literally.
Mom... Dad... From the peak of a hill, he could see another end of the forest lighting ablaze, billows of smoke rising into the air. Dublin... Verona... For a moment, he thought, just maybe this was a freak accident. Dumbasses set the forest on fire all the time. It wasn't exactly unusual. Berlin... Florence... More ill-timed explosions went off in the heart of the school, echoes of screens just hardly reached his ears. That was no accident. Kayla...
His heart leaped, his signal to get the fuck moving. Preston broke into a run, sliding downhill out of the forest, finding the gusts picking up all the more as he ran into the open field. He couldn't barely make out the blur of his reflection in the conservatory glass. It was little too late that he could finally make out the shape of a man in the air, wings vast and spread far, dropping some poor helpless sap straight through the roof of the building. Shatters of glass rained down every where.
There wasn't a Guardian to be seen anywhere, he thought. What the fuck was going on? Preston bit down in his cheek. Someone had to do something. Lightning began to crackle around him, pain shooting up his limbs as he strained, but he refused to waver. Adrenaline was already rushing through his veins, memories of scattered flesh and cold eyes flashing through his mind. He had to do something!
His power blazed to life around him, reaching far and turning the earth around him into a lifeless black. "Hey, asshole!" Preston shouted up towards the sky. He drew his hand back, lashing out all at once. White pierced the air, stretching out blindingly all around and striking the stranger where he flew.
His breath caught in his throat, expecting a scream, expecting the shape to come flying back towards him, but there was only that vague shadow - paralyzed in its place. When the light disappeared and the thunder 's roar was finished, Preston saw the young man fall.
He only made out his face the split second before the man hit the earth: Alexander. The bird boy. Their new roommate. His body made the most sickening sound as it met the ground, recoiling and bouncing, a frozen mess.
