I am currently putting my other stories on hold. I have not been satisfied with the chapters that I've created, so intead, I am taking a break. I apologize to my dedicated readers and I promise that this is not indefinite. In the mean time, this is Arcane.

Arcane- understood by few...

You've heard it all before.

It was a dreary evening in the middle of October. Seattle Washington could be found in a slumber as the light rain gave the darkened streets a melancholy aura. Mike Shinoda, age 18, walked these streets while the rest of the town counted sheep in the safety of their warm shelters, away from the rain, away from the cold..

If one were to watch the patterns of this late teen closely, he would observe that this was not unusual. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Mike enjoyed these somber nights where he could self-reflect out in the open with no audience...no feelings of suffocation. His chest for once did not constrict when he thought of his past, why he had moved away from his home the moment he received his high school diploma, why he had enrolled in a plethora of classes to keep his mind busy, why it still wasn't enough as he walked these sodden sidewalks with an immaculate grade point average just two months into the new school year at the University of Washington. It was never enough.

He walked in an old pair of Nikes that he saved specifically for the rainy nights, which in Seattle were somewhat of a norm. The dark jeans that defined his lower body suggested he was a little more than fit. The hoodie he wore over top of his chest depicted an air of mystery.

His stride was steady as he traversed Mason Road back to the dorms. His pace faltered only a few moments later as he caught three dark shapes lunging at fourth that lay prone on the ground.

His adrenaline had already began to flow, provoking a response. When faced with the question 'to fight or flight?', Mike would choose fight...every time.

Mike's POV

I sprinted down the alleyway, my pursuit obscured by the rain that had escalated in the past ten minutes. My heart pounded in my ears. The aggressive dark shapes grew closer and when the first finally spotted me, I had already gone for the tackle.

His thick figure broke our fall onto the slimey concrete. I had already straddled his lower body, gaining control as I threw hooks from each side. I launched a haymaker that took the lights right out of his eyes. I turned just in time to have myself wrenched from his body by another.

The form on the ground had found a dominance in his brawl as he and the third remained locked in holds. The one who had grabbed me was smaller but he was much faster and more experienced. His timing was flawless as he threw a few hits. I dodged them like child's play and sent a feint, followed by a unsuspected roundhouse that sent him into the opposite alley wall and to the ground. He didn't move, slumped against the bricks.

I leaned against my wall and watched the boy who had been crumpled on the ground just moments ago redeem himself with the largest of the group. The boy's style was rugged and untrained, but he had potential nonetheless. There was raw power and brute force behind each blow he gave, but the technique was lacking. He finally got the upper hand and the last man hit the concrete with a sickening thud.

Once I saw his body hit the ground, I turned back the way I came and headed to my dorm. The boy yelled something at my back, but its meaning was lost in the increasing downpour.

I wasn't supposed to be here. I should've been sleeping like the rest of the population, but instead I was out playing hero, getting into the very essence of what I had said I would leave behind. It was just one fight. I was just helping the kid.

I got in the steaming shower, not realizing how cold I had been until my convulsions began and slowed, enduced by the warm temperature.

I watched the blood stains leave my knuckles, revealing old patterns of white scars that covered them previously. They exposed me, the scars. They told the stories that I tried to forget. They were etched with the memories that kept me up at night, no matter what and yet here I was, opening them back up. With a hefty sigh, I leaned against the shower wall.

I'll try again tomorrow.

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Chapter 1 of Arcane. This story has a lot of potential. It could go many places from here. I hope you guys enjoy it! I would love to hear your comments and any suggestions you may have for future chapters. Thank you ! <3