《The Strongest Clan》 Glossary Passer- It''s what the people of this world call themselves. It''s another word for human. Surpasser- As the name implies it''s the race that has evolved from the standard passer. Surpassers have elemental superpowers. They can only have one each. Leros- The language spoken on Drars. Drars- The name of the planet the surpassers and passers live on. Zogyria- The name of the planet the Zolma (monsters) live on. Omexus- The gate that links Zogyria to Drars Zolma- The general name of the monsters that spawn from the omexus. Elemental gene- This is the gene responsible for giving surpassers their power. It is possible to identify the gene. However, as of yet it the specific element the surpasser possesses is unknown until their power manifest. World Government- They decide the law that concerns all passers and later surpassers too. Usually to keep all passers safe. Explosive growth- When a surpasser''s strength grows dramatically in a short period of time. Only happens once in a surpasser''s life. Talent growth- The term is given when explosive growth happens more than once. Dramatic Growth- When a surpasser is going through a talent growth yet still increases dramatically. Physical Index- The strength of the body put into numbers. The average human has a Physical Index of 100. Often used in short as PI. ??????????????????Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Genome watch- A watch all surpassers wear. It tells them what level they are. The watch can be used for communication and much more. Regen shots- A shot that you stick into the body part that has been damaged. The compounds inside rapidly increase the rate of mitosis healing minor injuries. The quality of the stem shot determines how much is healed and the speed of healing. Kickstarter- A tool beginner to amateur surpassers need to use their powers. ?????????? ???? ???????????????????? 1st Generation Surpassers- Obtained their powers from eating the meat of the Zolma. Which in turn evolved them. 2nd Generation Surpassers- They are born with the power. 3rd Generation Surpassers- Obtained their power by receiving a dosage enough to kill you from an element that corresponds to their elemental gene. 3rd Generations are 2nd Generations that had their powers forcefully invoked before they manifested. ?????? ?????????????? ???? ??????????/?????????? Poor Common Rare Good Excellent Epic Mystique Superior Legendary ?????????? ???????????? ???? ???????????????????? Beginner -Rank 1 -Rank 2 -Rank 3 Amateur -Rank 1 -Rank 2 -Rank 3 Kajun -Rank 1 -Rank 2 -Rank 3 -Rank 4 Razak -Rank 1 -Rank 2 -Rank 3 -Rank 4 Zever -Rank 1 -Rank 2 -Rank 3 -Rank 4 Divine Essence Elemental Master Elemental Lord Demi-God(dess) War God(dess) Exalted Emperor (Empress) Celestial King (Queen) OverLord True OverLord Supreme OverLord ... ?????????? ???? ?????? ???????????????? Private (Beginner) Lance-corporal (Amateur) Corporal (Kajun) Sergeant (Razak) Second lieutenant (Zever) Lieutenant(Divine Essence) Captain (Elemental Master) Major (Elemental Lord) Lieutenant-colonel (Demi-God(dess)) Chief commandant (War God(dess)) Colonel (Sovereign) Brigadier (Exalted Emperor(Empress)) Lieutenant-general (Celestial King(Queen)) General (OverLord) ?????????? ???? ???????????????? Baronet/ Baronetess (Divine Essence) Baron/ Baroness (Elemental Master) Viscount/ Viscountess (Elemental Lord) Earl/ Countess (Demi-God(dess)) Marquess/ Marchioness (War God(dess)) Duke/ Duchess (Sovereign) ?????????? ???? ?????????????? 4th Prince/ 4th Princess (Exalted Emperor (Empress)) 3rd Prince/ 3rd Princess (Celestial King (Queen)) 2nd Prince/ 2nd Princess (OverLord) 1st Prince/ 1 Princess ( True OverLord) King/ Queen (Supreme OverLord) Prologue (1) Screams, blood and death were in low demand but high supply the day the Zolma attacked. People were confused, scared and angry but they were powerless as they died mercilessly and helplessly. The setting of this world takes place in a world parallel to Earth called Drars. The inhabitants of this world look and act like humans but they call themselves passers. As life is finite and one day they will pass on. The world is similar to Earth where people go to work and get paid for it. The type of jobs you can do are the same as on Earth with the addition of a few fields. This world''s technology is far more advanced than earth. As such the quality of life is a lot better for everyone. The unemployment rates globally are low as there is always something to do as they strove to succeed. Everyone is hard working in this world. In fact, people who are inherently lazy are said to have a mental illness which causes laziness. The most prestigious job in this world is being a scientist of whatever field. This was the case until one day scientists discovered how to transport items through the use of teleportation. The news shot across the entire world. Scientists from all countries started taking part in what became known as the Human Teleportation Race. The aim was to create a device that could teleport a human from point A to point B without hurting a single cell in their bodies. After much funding, the country of Stania immerged victorious. With a plan to show their glory to the entire world they decided to broadcast it on every streaming device available. Those that lived in the country could see it live if they got their early enough. Once it was ready the head scientist who spearheaded the project, Dr Steven Boredo took the stage and announced that it was time to have it started. The device was already on the stage. It was a giant hollow circle attached to an axis. Like a globe, instead it''s not a sphere. The axis lifted the circle above the ground as such there were stairs so that you could walk through the circle. There were two of these contraptions. One on the left of the stage and another on the right side of the stage. After his announcement, the circle started spinning so fast that is looked like a sphere. There where electrical sparks flying everywhere as the Tesla coils above it charged electricity at it. Then it began slowing down until it stopped. Once it stopped all four teslas shot electricity into the empty space of the hollow circle. The electricity didn''t go through the hole instead it hit an invisible wall. Once it struck the wall the electricity entered the wall and disappeared. Then the invisible wall showed itself. It was a murky grey colour, yet you couldn''t see through it. The scientists coined this silver murky wall as the omexus. Once it was complete everyone watching clapped their hands. The people of Stania were feeling proud of being a Stanian. Their hearts were united knowing their country was the first to complete it. Seeing the hearts full of praise, Dr Steven Boredo said, "This is the first viable human teleportation channel in the world. I offer my gratitude to all the investors who helped us achieve this feat. And of course, I offer my gratitude to all the people of Stania who continually supported this project by paying extra taxes while this project was underway. And lastly but not least, I offer my gratitude to my wife and kids who continually supported me when I felt like giving up." As he said that his two kids of age 11 and 13, as well as his wife, walked on to the stage. The 11-year-old was a boy and the 13-year-old was a girl. They waved to the clapping crowd. By now they were used to being in the spotlight because their dad was the country''s top scientist. Once they were on stage he continued, "Now we are going to send someone in on this side and watch him come out the other side." This testee walked to the stairs on his left. Then he waited for the go sign from Dr Steven Boredo. Once he said he can go he walked into the circle and immediately he disappeared. The crowd were wowed at this site. "He didn''t blow up after she walked in, that''s a good sign." It was a good sign. They would often stream their practices to the public to show them their progress. During some of those times, the animals they sent in exploded until they perfected it. Now they were a hundred percent certain the machine worked. At least that''s what they thought until questions started rolling in. "It''s been two minutes already, where is the testee?" "Shouldn''t he be out by now?" "Do you think he exploded on the other side?" Seeing the commotion in the field, Dr Steven Boredo calmed them down by telling them that this happened all the time so it was perfectly normal. However, he covertly slipped a few hand signs to his team asking them what was going on. It was then that someone from the information crew had told him that the energy level readings were off the charts. He was informed that if they didn''t shut it down it could explode and the damages would be catastrophic. The predicted blast radius could destroy half of Stania. Stania is 7,834 million km2. But even after he was told this, he did not care. He had placed hours and hours of work on this project and burnt a lot of bridges to keep it running. So he let it continue much to his team''s disagreement. After five moments, one of his team members walked on the stage and whispered in his ears, "The energy levels are at a point of no return. Either we shut it down and avoid an explosion or we hope for the best but risk wiping the 3/4ths of the country." No one was supposed to hear this but the official had forgotten to turn his microphone off. As such everyone heard it. Once he realised his mistake it was too late. The crowd started rioting, they wanted the machine off. They were not going to risk their lives for this. Watching the crowd scream, shout and swear at him, Dr Steven Boredo was forced to turn the human teleportation device off. So reluctantly he singled for his crew to shut it down. The crew pressed a few buttons and the circles started spinning again but in the opposite direction as to counter the accumulated energy and shut it down. Once the spinning stopped the grey murky colour wall (omexus) was still there indicating the machine was still on.Stolen novel; please report. ------------------------------------ In the command centre of a different dimension. "Sir we have discovered the energy signatures and location of another planet?" The commander looked at the map with his cold eyes, "Send them in." "Yes, sir!" ------------------------------------------------------ The crowd began screaming and swearing for in their point of view it looked like they were firing it up again instead of shutting it down like they were asked to. Dr Steven Boredo tried to calm them down but they were not having it. So with a hand signal, he signalled for his crew to try and shut it down again. They pressed some buttons and again it started spinning. Once it was done this time the omexus had disappeared indicating the system had successfully shut down. The crowd rejoiced when they saw that everything was okay, on the other hand, Dr Steven Boredo was emotionally withering. Shutting down the machine was equivalent to shutting down his dreams. The embarrassment he was sure to face from the media would be deadly. With a heavy heart, he and family left the stage. As they walked down the stairs of the stage out of nowhere the machine the testee walked into had turned on. The omexus had returned without any help from anyone. But then it disappeared again. Moments later, an omexus appeared in the middle of the stage. This was bizarre because there was no machine to aid it. After one appeared more of them started popping up all around the area. Some people left the second these strange things started happening. Others had their phones out and were filming the omexuses randomly popping out. They thought that the omexuses was the highlight of their day. But then something else happened that caught everyone''s attention. A large black foot was sticking out of the omexus that appeared on stage. The leg had the shape of an elephant''s leg. Over time more and more of the leg was revealed. The people couldn''t get enough of it. They lived streamed this on all the social network sites. News helicopters and drones were streaming this strange occurrence too. It was gaining traction, so many people all over the world were tuning in. Despite the danger, people stayed to film because this had been the most views they had ever received. Drunk in the momentary fame they kept streaming. The creature kept revealing more and more of itself until it had fully come out the omexus. Everyone looked at the colossal creature that came out. It was Quadro pedal and it was four meters tall. It had thick and rough skin. The creature was completely black and had a mouth that could open 20cm. Its teeth were white and razor-sharp, they were at least 40cm in length. The creature stood still for a while and then scanned the crowd with its blood-red eyes. Suddenly a rumble could be heard. It was the creature''s stomach. After peristaltic movements, the creature regurgitated something out of its mouth. It seemed to be the clothes of something it had eaten. Covering the clothes was a sort of transparent mucus. Upon closer inspection, it was confirmed to be the clothes of the testee. The various news helicopters and drones had used their cameras to zoom into it from above. Once they knew what it was the information was relayed to everyone via a megaphone. Once people realised that they can actually die, fear took hold of them. Immediately everyone ran in panic but because there were so many people in such a small space, traffic was moving incredibly slowly. There were about 7000 people standing on a 500m2 field. The creature watched all the passers scatter or try to escape. As they ran the military helicopters and fighter jets moved in. This was the army of Stania making its move trying to make the people feel more at ease. The Zolma looked at the aeroplanes in the air, and then its mouth curled up as if mocking them. The creature screamed loudly, it was so loud that the nearby windows shattered as well as anyone who was close by had their eardrums burst. The fighter jets were soundproof as such it did not affect the people inside. However, the news helicopters weren''t soundproof so they had all lost control and crashed onto the ground. Some managed to manoeuvre their helicopters away from the crowd by moving their joysticks in one direction. That was all they could manage and because of that, they crashed in a place that had fewer people. Others lost all control and had crashed right on top of the densely populated crowd. Boom, Boom, Boom! Multiple explosions rang out causing the death of many people. Those who died by a direct explosion were the lucky ones as their death was instant and less painful. The less fortunate were sliced apart by a propeller. One of the helicopter''s propellers came off. The propeller still had an incredible amount of rotational speed so it travelled on the ground cutting everything in its path. Still disorientated by the sound people tried to run from the propeller but running only delayed their death and extended their suffering. The propeller was slicing families apart until it finally stopped. Others died by the glass and metal shards of the helicopters once they exploded. Despite all the death, there were still a lot of people who were alive. After each and every wave of death, the remaining people would push and shove harder as to get away from this place. Because of this, the elderly and children were the first to suffer and were left behind. Mothers and fathers who had held their children''s hands had lost the grip from the intense pull of the crowd. There was an old lady lying on the ground when a young man saw her, he didn''t offer her help, "Bitch you have one foot in the grave anyway." He trampled on her with one foot sending her to the grave. She wasn''t the only one. Anyone who fell on the ground was trampled to death. People did not care where they were stepping. If you were on the ground, that was on you. There was no saving anybody but yourself. After all the death had stopped, the people in the fighter planes smiled. Despite all the loss they had taken. Despite the creepy Zolma''s human-like smirk, it wasn''t warranted as the attack they had faced did not wipe them out. But their smile quickly turned upside down when they realised the true purpose of the shout. It was not an attack; it was a call to arms. Suddenly out of every omexus that randomly spawned, feet could be seen coming out of them. Prologue (2) The feet got bigger and bigger as they descended to the ground. Once they reached the ground they trampled on the passers scattering below. Across the entire place, groups of people were people being paralysed. Noticing this, people became rambunctious in the way they tried to escape but they could no longer escape. Standing at the exit was a fully exposed Zolma. By this time every Zolma had fully emerged from the omexuses. The newly emerged ones numbered up to 20. They were smaller than the one that first emerged but still showed every bit of bloodlust in their bloodshot eyes. Using their menacing eyes they scanned the crowd that was now standing still. As their eyes washed over the people; a cold sweat came over the passers. Their hearts began racing as they gulped dry air. They knew that this was as peaceful as it will ever get. It was certainly the calm before the storm. Again the passers gulped. Then suddenly the biggest Zolma, the leader, he screamed again breaking any of the last glass buildings within its range. By now the passers knew this was no attack. It was so powerful it could be a final attack but they knew this was a simply a call to arms. After the call to arms, the 20 other Zolma''s did exactly that. They came to arms. Suddenly the black on each of their bodies started falling off like bits of tar. Once the Zolma had completely shed they looked like an entirely different species. They still had the same body frame but different look. Not all the Zolmas looked the same now. Some were burning and surrounded by vermillion flames. Others were surrounded and coated by a body of water. Some had wind flying around it in a weird and unorthodox nature as if it was bending to the creatures will. Some had bits of earth sticking out of it like a golem. The most peculiar of them all were the ones that had electricity coursing through its body. After their transformation, they began their attacks on the passers beneath them. Large amounts of water flooded the place and then the Lightning Zolma would unleash its electricity into the water killing hundreds of people instantly. On the other side of the field, the fire and wind Zolmas were combining their power to roast the passers. It was a massacre, people were running everywhere and not in a systematic manner. As all exits had been sealed they were just running to extend their lives, even if just for a second. The Zolma continued to kill and eat. They were killed at a frightening pace. A thousand people had died and disappeared in a blink of an eye. It was at this point the army of Stania could no longer stand idle. "We have received orders to kill the monsters at all costs. Let''s move out!" The commander in a fighter jet told the rest. "But sir, if we fire our missiles on the monsters there will definitely be collateral damage. How can we do that until all the passers have evacuated to the extraction point?" "Can''t you see that all exits have been sealed?! There is no saving these people anymore as such the President has stated they will be part of the sacrifice for humanity and for our country. If we don''t wipe out these creatures here and now they could potentially go further into our city and kill more of people. Our job is to kill these creatures and stall them so that the people of the city can escape. On the greater scale of things losing 7000 people is nothing to losing millions. So get back into formation and let''s show these monsters the power of passers! " The private bit his lip so hard blood was drawn. He wasn''t happy about sacrificing his fellow passers but he understood that the lives of these people couldn''t outweigh the lives of the country. They had to kill the Zolma here before they continued and killed more with their abnormal ability to control the elements. Once he saw the bigger picture he got into formation like he had been commanded and then all the fighter jets flew off. "We do not know how much power these creatures control. The biggest one has also yet to reveal his powers. He is still covered by the black tar. This works for us. So rain open season on the monsters except for the big one. Do not antagonize him. We will deal with him as a collective when we kill the rest." "Yes, sir!" With that, the respective fighter split apart and began firing at the Zolmas all around. Some stray bullets would kill the passers below but it couldn''t be helped. After firing ballistic bullets for a while the army of Stania realized that they had no effect of on the Zolmas. The Zolmas were completely ignoring them and continued to kill the remaining passers mercilessly. The only time they got the Zolmas attention was when they accidentally killed a passer a Zolma wanted to kill.Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator. "All units switch from ballistic weapons to energy weapons." The commander said. ''Let''s see if you''re impervious to our newest technology.'' The commander thought. Just as the commander had commanded the pilots of the fighter jets stopped firing ballistic weapons. They returned the ballistic weapons back into the jets and then two new weapons appeared on the left side and another on the right. An energy Gatling gun and a laser. Once the new weapons appeared the army of Stania started the fight again. They unleashed the energy weapon against the Zolma. As the energy bullets began raining on the Zolma they first thought that it had no effect too. But after a while, some of the Zolma were screaming in pain. It wasn''t enough to kill them but the energy weapons were hurting them. They suspected that if they continue to fire on the Zolma they would break skin soon and then kill them. So the commander told them to continue to fire at the Zolma. After receiving the continued onslaught of the passers the Zolma could no longer ignore the fighter jets. So they shifted their focus from the passers on the ground to the passers in the sky. Suddenly the wind''s direction changed. It started getting more chaotic. This was the doing of the Wind Zolmas, they were using the chaotic wind to make it hard for the fighter jets to manoeuver. Then with the abundance of wind in the air, the Fire Zolmas shot their fire into the sky; lighting the entire sky up in a sea of flames. The sky was burning; as a result, the fighter jets could not see each other. Some crashed into each other and blew up, exploding on the ground below. "Everyone do not move! If you move you risk bumping into someone else. Stay your ground. It''s not as if these flames damage us. Our jets are impervious to fire of this level." The commander said. However, it fell on deaf ears as the accumulated electrostatic charges above messed with their comms and radios. Then suddenly from far above multiple arcs of lightning came down on all the immobile fighter jets. This completely fried their systems and one by one they plummeted down from the sky until there wasn''t a single fighter jet in the sky. The leader of the Zolmas smirked and then commanded his minions to kill the rest of the passers on the ground. Once they had wiped out all the passers in the vicinity they moved to the city. They began destroying cities as they moved. Again the army of Stania tried to stop them but they were not able to. All they could do was stall them while the citizens were evacuated to another country. The Zolmas just continued destroying everything in their path. After much destruction, the entire country of Stania was destroyed and all most passers left behind were killed. The passers that took refuge in underground shelters were kept alive. All of this was still being streamed by drones to the rest of the world. By now the world was terrified. Presidents had to address their countries to keep them calm. People were afraid that the omexuses would pop up in their city and from them, Zolma would appear. If this happened it would spell the end for their country. If a country as powerful as Stania couldn''t stop them how could theirs? Stania was a first-rate country. It was also one of the four power countries in the world. It was even believed that of the powerhouse countries, Stania was the strongest in terms of military prowess. This makes the loss of Stania all the scarier. Stania was now marked by the World Government as a no man''s land. Other countries had sent aid to Stania to help and kill the Zolma but they had all died. The entire country of Stania was destroyed. However, the Zolma stayed behind only the omexuses disappeared. This frightened and relieved passers all over the world, they knew that the Zolma could appear at any country, at any time and then destroy it. This was the fear of everyone alive. For millions of years, passers had been the top of the food chain. Preying upon and slaughtering animals for their own needs. Some animals were bred just to be killed because the passers enjoyed the taste of their flesh. The only species they ever had to fear was themselves. As this was the only species that they knew of that was capable of killing them. However, now with the addition of the Zolma, everything changed. Now there is a species much stronger than them. A species that seemed to relish in killing them. This was evident with the leader of the Zolmas. It had yet to reveal its strength it only led its minions as it slaughtered and ate the passers with a smile on its face. It was made clear that these creatures aren''t doing it because they have to but because they enjoy killing. Passers pride themselves about being the most intelligent species and they believe this gives them the right to decide the fate of all other species. However, now there is a species more intelligent than them. Does this give the Zolma the right to decide the fate of all passers? After the war against the Zolma what came to be known as the Omexus War of Stania. All research related to teleportation was shut down and banned by the World Government. Any practice would result in immediate execution. No questions asked and no trial held. Even though they created theses countermeasures they had no idea why the Zolma attacked. Why did this happen now? When or if they were coming back? What there aim was? Did they have an aim? Questions upon questions they would only find out in the future... Prologue (3) While passers were waiting for the next attack, scientists were researching weapons to kill the Zolma, should they ever return. After much research scientists improved the strength of the energy weapons. As this was confirmed to be the only thing that actually hurt the Zolma even if it wasn''t enough to kill. Scientist were even able to create tanks that fired energy weapons. They had man-made energy cannons, energy sentries and the guns that passers were equipped with had all switched from ballistic to energy. After years of research, the strength of energy guns just kept getting stronger. In fact, it was now about 50 times stronger than before. Given their current prowess the passers believed should they face against the Zolma. They believed they would be prepared and would be able to kill them all. Because of this human teleportation research was reopened. The governments all around the world had assured all humans should the Zolma appear they would be able to deal with it. The dread of the Omexus War of Stania was more than three years ago so some of the fear they experienced had subsided. Plus all research was supposed to be done far away from any human civilisation in case something happens. With all of this, teleportation research was accepted by all. Many countries took part in the Human Teleportation Race. They all designed human teleportation machines similar to Dr Steven Boredo''s. His model was banned but many people used his model as a base for their own to improve upon. Because of this successful human transportation was happening all over the world. Causing the world to be in a good place again until the inevitable happened. Omexuses started appearing some cities of the remaining three powerhouse countries. This confused everyone. Why were omexuses appearing in their cities when the research was being held thousands of kilometres away? Shouldn''t the omexuses appear where the research was happening? That is what happened last time. It was because of that the teleportation research facilities were heavily guarded with the new and improved energy weapons to kill the Zolma should they appear. They were not expecting them to appear in the city as such most of their military might was gone. The Zolma that came out the omexus this time were all the size of the leader Zolma that appeared last time. Then finally the biggest one they had ever seen appeared from the omexus, this was a 6-meter giant. Unlike its counterparts, its eyes were blue which gave it a refined and calm look. This added to the fear people felt for it. As it looked far more intelligent than the ones that came before it. Intelligence is scary. This happened at all three sights that the Zolma appeared from. Once the Zolma had all fully come out they numbered to about 70 in each country. In total there were 210 on Drars. After hearing the call to arms scream from the colossal giant the Zolmas shed the tar-like skin and their various elements were revealed. The waters crashed more, the winds were more tempestuous. The fire burned hotter and the lightning crackled and boomed louder. These creatures had stronger elemental might than the ones before and it was evident in how they kept destroying the capital. The armies tried to stop them but they couldn''t, the Zolmas wiped out the entire country. Even when the reinforcements from the research facilities arrived they were only able to kill 10 of them before getting wiped out. After wiping out 3 powerhouse countries the 200 Zolmas stayed in their respective countries. Leaving 3 countries a no man''s land. Again human teleportation was banned by the World Government. The new research that took priority was discovering how the bodies of the Zolma work. The bodies of the dead Zolma were transferred to research labs to study and identify their weaknesses so that they are easily killed when they return. They also wanted to understand how the Zolma are able to use the elements and if this power could be transferred to passers. They tried all things like removing the elemental gene from the Zolma and adding it to a passer. However, this always resulted in death. The person would bleed out of every orifice once the transfer was complete. They tried blood transfers, bone marrow transfers. They tried a lot but it always resulted in the death of the passer. Passers were losing hope in trying to create a human who could use elemental powers until two appeared. Two homeless people where hungry and so they ate the meat of the Zolma that the research facilities had thrown away after use. Eating the meat of Zolmas had already been discovered to be poisonous to a passers body. However, to these passers that had nothing else to eat it was exactly what they needed. After eating their fill of the Zolma meat they fell asleep in some alley on the floor. When they woke their bodies had completely evolved they still looked the same but their muscles were now stronger than the average human. Their senses were sharper. They gained a new sense called the sixth sense. Of course, this was all unknown to them. To them, they just felt that they got the best night sleep they had in years and that is why they felt so good. One of them took a match from his pocket then tried to light the cigarette in his mouth. But as he scratched the match to ignite it, it exploded in his face. Surprised by the explosion but also surprised he didn''t get hurt by the explosion, he took another match out. He scratched it and a flame was lit but to his surprise, the flame was burning the match much faster than he could ever remember, in a blink of an eye the match burnt to his finger. He dropped the match, "Ow!" He said "Ow" in anticipation of the pain of being burnt by fire but it never came. He could clearly remember the flame enveloping his finger yet he felt no pain. So he tried again, he lit the match and let the flame touch his finger but to his surprise, he wasn''t feeling any pain at all. In fact, he discovered that he could control the flame as it danced on his hand. Excited by this new development, he woke up his friend beside him and showed him what he could do. His friend was wowed and wondered if he could do it. His friend took a match out of his pocket and let it burn him. To his surprise, he had to the ability too. They were both playing with fire in the alleyway until they used all their matches up. They fiddled in their pockets to find any loose change so that they can buy more matches to play with their new found abilities but they had nothing. It was at this moment an insatiable hunger came over them. Specifically, it was a hunger for Zolma meat. They rummaged the dustbins of all the nearby research facilities and ate the Zolma meat that was thrown away. As they ate they felt their bodies getting stronger but the amount of meat that was thrown out was only small bits and pieces. Noticing they had no chance of eating any Zolma meat they switched to animal meat. But they had no money to buy. Hence the only way to quench this hunger was to rob a local store. They laid out their plan and robbed a store of its money. They masked their faces with black bags and then discarded their clothes and stole the clothes of the other homeless people. Now that they had money they bought meat and matches to play with their power. With their powers, they cooked the meat and ate it. They never got stronger eating normal meat but the insatiable hunger left. It wasn''t what their bodies were craving but it would have to do.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. Days went by with them robbing the stores using their powers flamboyantly and then disappearing. This news travelled the world quickly as people saw the video of two people who could control fire robbing a local convenience store. The governments from all over the world could not ignore this and they each sent spies into the country to capture the two. If they could understand how these people claimed their powers maybe they could create more of them. But before the people of other countries could capture them they were captured by their own country. Where it was discovered after much torture that they had obtained their powers by eating Zolma meat. Once this was discovered many people tried it but of course, it was still poisonous to a lot of people so many people died. But a lot of 1st generation surpassers were popping around the world. It was discovered that only 5% of all passers can evolve into a surpasser after eating Zolma meat. The rest had to have it pumped out their systems immediately or die. Because people wanted to become a surpasser a new business was created. Around the country were shops where you could eat Zolma meat and potentially evolve and if you don''t they pump out the meat from your stomach for you and immediately. It was a risk-free way of trying to evolve but due to high demand, it was very expensive so only the rich and middle class could afford it. After 10 years, the first Second Generation surpassers where born. Doctors discovered that the children of surpassers had the elemental gene in them from birth. If both parents were surpassers there was a 100% chance to have a Second Generation baby but if only one parent was a surpasser the odds were all over the place. It was discovered that if only the father is a surpasser there is a higher chance for the child to be a Second Generation Surpasser than if the mother was the only surpasser. After another 10 years, the first 3rd Generation surpasser was born. During a fire that happened at a flat. A Second Generation boy was stuck in the house. His mother was a wind user and his father a fire user. The child had yet to invoke his abilities, they usually appear at random times. The younger the more talented they usually are. This child was trapped in the house when it was burning down. Covered in flames the child was forcefully awoken and he became the first 3rd Generation surpasser. After much tests, it was discovered that 3rd generations are stronger than 2nd generations who were discovered to be stronger than 1st generations. Once word got out about the new 3rd Generations a lot of senseless death happened again. This was because if your parents didn''t both share the same element you had no idea what element you would have. You could not identify it from your elemental gene. The elemental gene only shows you have the potential to become a surpasser. You need to receive a lethal dose of your respective element. For water, it meant almost drowning. Fire meant burning alive. Lightning meant being electrocuted. Wind you needed to stand in the middle of a tornado. Earth meant being crushed by the pressure of Earth. If you didn''t know your elemental gene you had to guess between the two your parents have. But there were cases were children awaken different abilities than their parents because of recessive genes which thin the pool again. Also even if you do guess your elemental gene correctly the success rate of becoming a 3rd Generation surpasser without any elemental gene mistakes is 5%. So your chances are slim. After they discovered 3rd generation surpassers the Zolma returned but for the first time, passers were able to defeat them with the help of the surpassers and the new energy weapons. With the emergence of the Zolma, surpassers schools were created specifically to train surpassers to fight the Zolma . New jobs were created too such as becoming a Zolma hunter was now a profession. The stronger the Zolma the more you got paid. The various schools were created to bring surpassers into the military and other establishments. However, the surpassers felt they had surpassed the ordinary passers and did not want to be their weapons. They did see the threat the Zolma posed so they decided they would kill them but only because they had to. They were not going to follow the orders of the passers. From this, the various elements created what has become known as a clan. There are five clans. The lightning clan, the fire clan, the wind clan, the water and earth clan. Each clan is made of people with their respective elements. Each clan has a clan building in each capital city of the world. The buildings are massive skyscrapers and the respective elemental users that have joined the clan get to sleep in the building. However, once you join, the clan owns you. The passers don''t feel any animosity towards surpassers. Despite being two different races they get along well in a symbiotic relationship. While the passers do ordinary work and pay taxes which some go to funding the schools of the surpassers and giving money to the respective clan heads so that they can pay their employees for the work they do. While the surpassers keep the world safe. Some clans are more popular than others and because of that get more money from the tax money. The fire clan is the biggest clan than the water, earth, wind and lastly the lightning clan. Each clan has a clan head. Each clan has royalty too. From fourth prince and princess to King and Queen. The King and Queen are the clan heads. One female, one male. Both have equal power. The title of nobility can be given to people to. These titles don''t just work inter-clan but the passers and surpassers outside of the clan have to respect them. The clans don''t hold any political power the government is still in charge. 100 years later... https://imgbbb.com/image/D2CLO (The link to the picture of the world map. Please forgive my toddler-level paint skills.) 1. Drauton S Primary School One hundred years later, there were only five countries left. The rest had been destroyed through the multiple skirmishes with the Zolma. These five countries are not separated by a body of water but by borders. The countries aren''t antagonistic with each other but aren''t friendly with one another too. Trade did occur between countries as different countries specialized in different areas. Such as the country of Shiyca was the most technologically advance. All high-tech equipment was designed and produced in Shiyca. Esciaya was the richest country and was the country with the best doctors and surgeons etc. Drauton was the poorest country and was responsible for more than 60% of all passer and surpassers agricultural needs. Keshos and Strera are wealthy countries too. They didn''t specialize in anything rather they had their hands in all the pies. However, the best surpasser schools are in those countries. Kai Adler lived in the country of Drauton with his mother and father. Despite living in the poorest country, Kai''s family was quite well off. Kai''s dad was one of the best geneticists in the world and his mom was one of the top doctors in the world. The only reason they lived in Drauton and not in Esciaya was that Kai''s parents wanted to provide world-class treatment to those that couldn''t afford it. Kai was the foster child of Mr Adler and Misses Adler where his siblings, on the other hand, were the Adler''s real children. They had two of their own. Kai''s oldest sister Juliette Adler who was eighteen years older than him was a geneticist. She took an aptitude test when she was 6 years old and it determined that her personality type would make her a great geneticist amongst other vocations. Immediately, she chose to be a geneticist like her dad and then went to genetic school in Esciaya. Sebastien Adler who was sixteen years older than Kai took the same test however, he decided to become an engineer. He wanted to forge his own path rather than the shadow of his mother and father. He was sent to engineering school in Shiyca. Kai was the only one that had to stay in Drauton. Kai''s parents had fostered him from when he was a baby where they learnt that Kai had the elemental gene. This made him a second-generation surpasser. Because of this, they wanted to keep Kai close by them. So instead of sending him to Keshos or Strera where the best Surpasser schools in the world were, they sent him to a surpasser school here in Drauton. It was said that children who went to school in Strera and Keshos were destined to achieve greater things than those that didn''t. All the royalty from each clan went to school in either Keshos or Strera. Of the 50 royalty seats, 27 students came from Keshos where their school abdicated the strength of power. And the 23 seats left, came from the students who went to school in Strera where control was their motto. Strera held more seats of significance such as 70% of the Kings and Queens of the various clans went to Strera. There were no students from Strera that occupied the Fourth Prince and Princesses places only from 3rd upwards. Despite all this, Kesho''s was hailed as the best because they had more seats. They Marketed quantity over quality. Kai clenched his fists and gritted his teeth when his parents told him they were not sending him to Strera or Keshos. Struggling to control his anger, he tried to convince them through statistics. He wanted to make them see that not sending him to Strera Academy was the same maiming him for life. He explained how every person who ever did something significant went to Strera Academy. Where not one person of significance came from Drauton Academy. Just saying the name wanted to make him puke. Drauton had more to do with agriculture had an abnormally high passer to surpasser percentage. Unlike other countries, in Drauton only 2% of the population were surpassers where it''s 5-10% in other countries. Based on those findings, it was clear that surpasser schools wouldn''t receive much funding. Most of the educational budget went to grooming passers that wanted to enter the Agricultural field... Kai wanted to go to Strera, specifically Strera Academy in the capital city of Ginmon. All his siblings had their personalities checked and then they were sent to the best of the best but not him. He kicked the ground at the injustice he was feeling. ''I can''t believe my parents. It''s not as if we don''t have the money. I mean look at this house. It''s huge! We own one of the biggest houses in all of Drauton but they can''t send their son to Strera Academy. My siblings all got the best treatment but not me. Unfair...! Okay, I''m done complaining, that was relieving. So my plans aren''t going as I intended. Seems the road to becoming the King is going to take a lot longer than I thought. I don''t know my element but hopefully, it''s lightning although their clan is the weakest right now; the power has always fascinated me it has insane destructive power and speed it''s basically a cheat...! Now, not going to Strera Academy will effectively double the duration of my goal. So to cut some of that time off, I am going to need to train 2-3 times harder than anybody else.'' Kai was 6 years old when he thought this. As a warrior race, surpasser''s brains matured faster than passers. This allowed them to think analytically from a young age. However, they still had to go to school to learn about the world. Kai took a deep breath and walked down the stairs of his triple story house. Today he was going to attend his first day at Drauton S Primary school. He continued down the stairs to the first floor. This was where his mother and father were. His mother had just finished making breakfast and was dishing the food on their plates. His father had a white mug in his hand and in it was black roast coffee. Kai''s father, Zack Adler was a tall man. 192cm tall to be exact. He had fair brown hair that the wind could seamlessly blow away. His eyes were brown but they were deep-set and profound like they were holding many secrets. His father had a well-defined jawline and when he spoke you could feel the vibrations in your stomach. His cheekbones were pointed just a little bit out, raising his skin ever so slightly. Despite being 45 the collagen in his skin was tight making him look like he was 25 years old. He spoke with authority and absolute confidence. He sat upright and took a sip of his black roast coffee his wife made for him. Kai''s mother Brianna Adler had a frying pan in her hand. Her blue eyes were focused as she meticulously placed the bacon on her husband''s and Kai''s plates. It was a sight to behold as her as were deeper than the oceans that created it. She had a heart-shaped faced that pulled on your heartstrings when you gazed into the symphony of perfection she was. Her jet black hair waved and bounced lusciously as she placed a few strands behind her ear. She was wearing a white apron that enfolded lovely over her petite body. She had a thin waist and a peachy waist. This made the way she walked a form of art. Men would often gaze upon her slender legs when she wore a dress that flaunted them. Kai came down from his room and greeted his father who was on his Genome watch looking at all the latest medical news. Then he greeted his mother who was placing the sunny side up eggs onto their plates. They were cooked to perfection. After a while, Brianna Adler had finished serving breakfast so they sat down at the table inside the kitchen. It was an English breakfast: two pieces of bacon, pork bangers, two pieces of toast some baked beans, tomatoes and two sunny side up eggs. Kai''s parents drank coffee and Kai drank some freshly pressed orange juice. "It''s your first day of surpasser school. Are you excited?" Brianna Adler said looking at Kai intently. Holding a silver knife and fork, Kai chewed his food then cut a piece of toast. Then he placed a piece of bacon and a small piece of tomatoe on top of the bread. He then Swallowed the food in his mouth, "Well, I am grateful I get to go to school. But I am not excited." Then he put the food he had stored on his fork and began chewing.This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Nodding her head, "Well that is understandable. You wanted to go to Strera Academy instead we are keeping you here in Drauton." Kai didn''t reply. Instead, he took a sip of his orange juice and let his mother continue. "I hope you understand that we sent your sister and brother away because back then we did not have the time to raise them. But now that we are in the top of our field and have our own practices we have time to raise you. So we would like to be parents and keep you close to us." "And in the meantime, you guys maim my future because all of a sudden you want to play mother and father," Kai mumbled under his breath and rolled his eyes. Bang! Zack Adler smashed his cup onto the table. Because of that black coffee spilt all over his ironed white button-up shirt. Ignoring the pain of the hot coffee spilling on him, Zack Adler stared at Kai with piercing eyes, "Don''t you dare talk your mother like that! You see this house, the food you eat and the bed you sleep on. It is all provided by us. When you start earning your own salary you can have a say in how your life goes." Immediately, Brianna ran to the sink and took a wet cloth then she ran to her husband, pulled back the cuffs and wiped the coffee of his skin. Not interested in the argument he was about to have with his dad. Kai took the last piece of bread and then put the last egg on it with bacon and tomatoes and then stood up with it in his hand. "I am going to school now. Thank you very much for the breakfast mama, it''s amazing." "Your father and I will take you to school since it''s your first day and all." Kai''s mother quickly interjected. Biting into the toast and putting his bag onto his shoulder, "That won''t be necessary, I will take the bus." Kai said then he walked to the front door. "Do you have your shake and supplements with you?" Brianna asked Kai. "Yes, mom, it''s in my bag," Kai replied from halfway across the house. Bam! Kai closed the front door and went to school. "Honey, we talked about this. Kai is angry because to him it seems as if we are keeping him here for selfish reasons. Where we gave his siblings the best head start to a great future. Can you please not shout at him?" "I tried but when he was being cheeky to you, I lost it." Hugging her husband, " I know you were trying. Just try harder next time." ... School at Drauton S Primary had standard classes like Math and Leros. But it also had classes such as hand to hand combat training, weapon training, movement training, tactics training, breathing training and physical and mental training. During the intervals between classes, students would be fed amino acids and proteins and all other sorts of minerals to increase their strength. These were designed specifically for surpassers of age 6-9 so it doesn''t inhibit growth instead provides the foundation for a healthy strong body. Despite the children of Drauton S Primary receiving these supplements, they fell short by leaps and bounds in terms of quality to what the children of Strera S Primary were receiving. If the quality of the supplements Drauton provided were Common. Strera provided Epic grade supplements and even Mystique or Superior to the richest children. This was another reason Strera S Academy was the best. They had a dedicated team that were constantly designing new formulas to further increase the power level of their surpassers. They had the best equipment to monitor their children. There was no change in the body of their students that they were not aware of. All the children received A grade treatment. The ones that had more potential received more but that is how the world worked. A teacher was handing out the supplements to all the students. Kai accepted it but he didn''t drink it. He remembered his mom explicitly telling him that he should receive the supplements as not to arouse suspicion but he should never drink them. Instead, he should drink the shake his mother and father had made for him. With this knowledge, Kai put the supplements into his bag and then took the 500ml black bottle out of his bag and began sipping on the strawberry flavoured shake. It tasted wonderful it was akin to a strawberry milkshake. Kai slurped down the whole bottle in no time. And then at the appointed time, he would drink the pills his parents gave him. Once he was done with school, he came home. He opened his front door by having his retina scanned. The house was quiet because his parents weren''t home yet. Kai had just taken the last pill for the day. He remembered that his mom had told him when he drank this pill, he must not do any physical training for two hours. So during this time, Kai ordered in lunch from Jijito''s. They were a restaurant that surpassers loved. There was a branch in every city in the world. Jijito''s served A-grade meat without hormones. Not only was the meat good but the food tasted great. Kai ordered his favourite. It was sirloin steak with salad. The steaks were cooked in a way that retained all the proteins but still tasted amazing. The technology of this world allowed for that. After eating, he completed all his homework. It was now 6 pm in another 3 hours his parents would come home from work. Now that the pills time was complete Kai began extra training. He went to the lab inside his house and placed all the monitors on his body. He put on the Genome watch that was in the lab on his wrist and began monitoring himself while he was training. He had a whole regimen planned out. Every day he would do extra-training for 3 hours. He would do movement training for an hour every day but switch between the rest. So Monday/today, he would do movement training then hand to hand combat and breathing training. Tuesday would be movement, mental and physical training. Wednesday would be movement, tactics and weapons training. This cycle would repeat every day except for Sunday. Sunday was the rest day for his body where he did no training at all. He would then pick it up again on Monday. Having his plan in mind, Kai began his training. He trained for three hours straight. He had just finished tabulating his results when he heard the front door open and he heard his parents talking to each other. Once he heard that, he knew it was time to stop and go to bed. But before he would take a shower and then get the last pill from his mom. This pill worked while you were sleeping, it brought all the training you did throughout the day into one bundle. Kai had to get this pill from his mom. She did not allow him to take it with him. As if it spilt out his bag and another child ate it, they could die. It was created specifically for him. After his shower, Kai walked to his parents in his pyjamas. They were in their room watching tv. He knocked on the door when he heard a deep voice, "Come in." He opened the door and saw his parents lying on top of their King size bed. They were lying on their back on the all-white bed and blankets. Turning to their lefts they looked towards Kai who still had the door handle in his hands. Kai walked in front of the door, now he was fully visible to them then he stood by their bedside, "So school wasn''t as bad as I thought. I made some friends. I met a girl, she''s cool. The students aren''t as weak as I thought. I am not the strongest in the class. Currently, I am number 10. In movement, I am dead last. I have decided to do extra training so I will be first in no time." "Oh, good of you to notice your shortcomings." Zack Adler said nodding his head. "I''m happy for you puppy." Brianna Adler said smiling at her son. Kai grinned in response. When he did his mother grabbed him from behind and enveloped her hands around his body, "The pills we gave you they are not hurting you are they? Do you feel any side effects?" Still with his mother''s arms around him, "No, in fact, I had more energy today than I have ever had. Although I would much rather have the supplements provided by the capable scientists of Strera, these aren''t half bad. But then again I have nothing to compare it to." Kai teased with his tongue out. His mother tightened the grip around his body and then his dad tickled him until he was crying from laughter, "Okay stop! I give up, I give up." Kai couldn''t resist at all because his mother had locked his arms so he couldn''t move them. Once Kai gave up she let go of him and they laughed together. Then she opened up her cupboard in the desk next to her. She scanned her finger on it and then it opened. She took out a blue box and then from it she took out a purple pill, "Here drink this and then go to bed. Oh, and Kai our pills might not be better than Strera. But they give them a run for their money. Don''t ever mix pills even if they are from Strera only drink what mommy and daddy give you, okay?" Kai rolled his eyes as he had heard this more than ten times already, "I know, I won''t. Goodnight mama. Goodnight Papa." "Goodnight puppy." She said with a warm smile. "Goodnight my boy." Then Kai left the room and went to his bed and slept. "Why don''t you just tell him that our pills make Strera Academies look like dirt? Strera this Strera that. Our child doesn''t understand my genius!" "Honey, I know you want your boy to recognise you but he is too young. We will tell him when he is older." 2. Drauton S High School Kai woke up at 6 am the next morning. Then he went for a jog. School only starts at 8 am and his mother would serve breakfast at 10 minutes past 7. So he could run for an hour then take a shower and be ready for breakfast. So Kai did just that, he went for a jog then he showered and sat down for breakfast. Breakfast this morning was pancakes. His mom said she had altered the recipe and added a few of her supplements into the batter to make the perfect breakfast. Kai also drank one of his mom''s special energy smoothies. Despite the number of medicines and supplements in the smoothie, it tasted great. Kai was currently drinking what his mom liked to call "power-punch." After drinking the power-punch Kai left for school. He had a friend he met yesterday waiting for him at the gate. Together they went to school. After school, Kai came home, he had lunch then completed his homework. After that, he had trained for 3 hours. Then he tabulated his results and got his last pill from his mom. Afterwards, he went to bed. This cycle continued for a week. After the three hours after school training, Kai tabulated his results. He saw that even after a week of extra training his results were garbage. By now the supplements his peers were drinking were taking effect and they were getting stronger. On the other hand, Kai too was getting stronger but it was not the effect of the pills he was drinking but rather because of hard work. Kai worked harder than anyone when he trained at school and when he trained after school. Of his friends, nobody did after-school training. They found it hard just to bare the training the school provided. A month later, Kai realized that he was falling behind his peers and no matter how hard he trained. Or how much he pushed himself he was making no headway. He started at 10 out of 2000. Now he fell to number 1352. After two months Kai fell to 1500. His friends abandoned him too. They were all in the top 20 and they could no longer associate themselves with him. They were afraid his lack of talent would rub off on them. Being abandoned by his friends made Kai feel he needed to train harder so he upped the intensity of his training. But it eventually got way too much for a 6-year-old body to handle. So he passed out during the second hour of his after-school training. Because he had passed out the Genome watch Kai was wearing sent out a distress signal to his parents at work. They immediately left their practices and came home to the lab where they found their sons unconscious body on the floor. Zack Adler ran to his son and then picked him up and tucked him into his bed. "Our son is over-working himself. Look at these results. The number of hours he is putting into training. It''s no wonder he passed out. I''m surprised it hasn''t happened sooner." "Do you think he is training so hard because of that call from the school?" Brianna Adler said. "Definitely, I noticed Kai''s mood decline round about the time the school called me telling me that Kai had dropped from number 10 to 1352. How dare they tell me my son has no talent and I must send him to a normal passer school." "It can''t be helped, honey. By now all the children''s supplements have kicked in where our sons have not. The supplements we are giving him are not aiding him in strength like the rest. Instead, ours only promotes a healthy strong body. The pills Kai is drinking are designing his body so that it can grow to be big and strong. So it''s setting the foundation so to speak. The other children''s pills are already doing strength building despite their bodies not being in peak condition. So it''s obvious our child will not be able to compete with them. Once his foundation is complete we will switch from foundation building to strength building then our son will be number one." "That''s only in another 7 years. Do you think Kai can handle being labelled mediocre for that long? We can''t have him overwork himself the whole time." "We can''t have him quit his afternoon training either because he is discouraged. It''s the crucial element in setting his foundation straight." "Then what do you suggest we do? You said he is still too young to tell him this is the desired effect. I understand that if he goes and tells someone else it could be bad for us. Sure they will laugh at him now and mock our pills. But when he becomes stronger they will want to know how we created it. Possibly rip the formula off of us. We can''t let that happen, we have been perfecting this formula for years." "I think we just have to believe in our son. We have to keep believing that he will not give up. That even though his results keep getting worse, even though he is nothing compared to his peers right now. He will not give up and he will continue to persevere no matter how much it hurts." She said combing her hands through Kai''s hair. ..... Kai continued to go to school despite all the ridicule and bullying he was receiving from his fellow students. "Your parents are rich. You are probably getting Excellent to Epic grade supplements unlike us who have to stick with the school''s standard Common grade supplements. Despite that, you are number 1800. Such a waste! You should give your supplements to me." "It hurts my soul to see you try so hard in practice." The kid shook his head, "No one trains harder than you despite that you are still dead last. You are talentless. You should leave surpasser school. When you awaken you will probably only ever reach Amateur Rank Rank 3 if you are lucky. They make about 5000 guros a month. Dad says the cost of a one bedroom apartment is about 4000 guros a month. You will be depending on your parents forever. I guess you can afford to though." "You are trash. Hard work only beats talent when talent doesn''t work. You, on the other hand, have no talent, so no matter how hard you work you will never amount to anything." The boys and girls closed Kai in a circle and threw their snide remarks at him. They laughed amongst one another after someone completed their sentence. This continued until Kai couldn''t take anymore. Kai fell to the ground and began sobbing. When they saw him crying they scattered. They did not want to get into trouble for bullying. One boy stayed behind and told Kai, "You better not tell anyone who was bullying you. If you do I will make your life miserable. You think this is bad. Think again." After he was done threatening Kai, he ran away to his friends that were waiting for him. "Let''s get out of here idiot. Why did you still need to talk to him? We already bullied him enough." His friends said that as they ran off together. Kai continued to sob until a teacher came walking by and asked what was wrong. Kai told him that nothing was wrong. But nearby witnesses told the teacher what had happened. The teacher immediately went to the principal''s office and Kai''s parents were called in. "Mister and Misses Adler, Kai is being bullied every single day and today he could not handle it anymore. As a result, he broke done in the middle of the school''s passageway. Now you have made it perfectly clear that you are not going to take Kai out of this school. We appreciate all the generous donations you have been giving. But something needs to happen. I suggest that you dig deeper into your pockets and upgrade Kai''s pill from Excellent to Epic or Mystique. With his talent, I don''t know how much it will do but something needs to be done." The principal said to Misses and Mister Adler who sitting on the opposite end of the desk.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. "Thank you for your consideration. But our son will be fine. He is strong." Mister Adler said with his chin up. Misses Adler didn''t say anything but it was clear that she agreed with her husband. Nerves began twitching on his forehead, '' How can I convince these two to invest more into their son? If people of their stature buy the Epic or Mystique grade supplements our school created. They will be rolling off the shelves. I can''t have the child bullied any further than this even if they are reluctant to take their child out of surpasser school. Eventually, they will maybe even transfer him to another school. I can''t have that... Think, think... Ah, I''ve got nothing.'' "Okay, then that is all I can say. You can take your son home now. But think long and hard about upgrading his supplements it would only serve to benefit your son." Miss Adler revealed a friendly smile as she left the office. Once she was gone, "It will only serve to benefit your son." Brianna said in a tone similar to the principals. "Oh, please, I could smell his sales pitch the second it left his mouth. And it smells foul." Laughing hysterically, "You can''t blame him from trying." "What are you laughing about? Our child got bullied today." "I know, I just love how you get when you get angry. It''s so cute." Blushing she said, "Shut up." ... Kai was sitting in the tv room watching his favourite show. This show was a live reality show about the lives of the royalty. He was watching on their 60-inch 10K 4D tv. He was completely transfixed by the show because he had forgotten how much he missed it. He had been training nonstop so he did not have time for things like tv. After an hour of watching Kai turned the tv off. He was in good spirits again. After seeing the lives of the royalty and the strength they possessed, the fire in his soul reignited. But he knew as much as it was fun to watch them that was not how he was going to become them. The only way to become stronger was to train. Sure he was not making any headway but something inside him knew that if he just continued to push. One day there would be a breakthrough but he would miss it if he gave up. With the resolve in his eyes, Kai wanted to go train again. But before he could leave the tv room his parents came in and sat him down on a white couch. "Kai we know what happened at school. Do you want to talk about it?" Brianna Adler said with her hand on Kai''s shoulder. "No, I''m okay now," Kai said while smiling towards his mother. "Are you sure puppy? Because you can always talk to me when you are hurting." "No, seriously I am okay. Yes, at first being labelled as trash really hurt. I have been training harder than everybody, yet despite my best efforts, instead of gradually doing better, my rank keeps increasing. I knew this and I was dealing with it silently. However, having all that rehashed in my face and in front of everyone. It got to me and I caved for a bit. But after watching The Royals, my passion to be King has reignited. And this time I will not falter, that would be a disgrace to my dreams." Brianna Adler didn''t say anything after that. She just grabbed her son and held him tightly then she said, "Good boy. Keep training, keep preserving and believing in you. One day your hard work will be visible for all to see. When that happens remember how you felt when you were at the bottom. Don''t ever get complacent. Always strive for better results." After speaking to his parents Kai went to go and train then he received his pill from his mom and went to sleep. .... 7 years later Kai was now 13 years old and was about to attend his first day at Drauton S High School. In his navy blue school uniform, he walked down the stairs. Kai had done a lot of growing. He was currently 175cm tall. He had a strong frame. His bones were dense. His shoulders were big. Despite this, he had full mobility. As if his body had grown in the perfect form to optimise strength and agility. Standing tall he greeted his mother and father while his mother served breakfast. Brianna Adler was still absolutely breathtaking despite being 47 years of age. Her body was still full of collagen giving the impression that she was in her late 20''s. Kai ate his breakfast every morning at 7:10. He was no stranger to this set-up. As this was the case every morning. After thanking his mother for breakfast, Kai was about to leave to start the first day of high school. That is when his mom stopped him. "Kai wait!" Kai stopped in response to his mother''s call. Then he looked at her waiting for her response. "Throw away those pills you have in your bag. They are now useless to you. Take these; there are instructions on when to take them and what to do afterwards. I have also changed the nature of your shake." She threw a bag of pills to her son. Kai caught the pills and put them in his bag. Then he took the old ones out and placed them on the counter. Kai double checked to see if he had the right pills in his bag. Once he was 100% certain that they were the new ones. He put his bag on his shoulders and left for school. Kai got to school. He was now walking through the front gate. It was a new experience for him. Primary school was a nightmare. Everywhere he went, he got bullied. His mom had told him that it would not be the same in high school. But that was all she said. Kai wondered where she got the confidence to say that. He thought maybe his mom just believed in him or she was just trying to raise his spirits. However, that wasn''t necessary as Kai''s resolve was already burning brighter than ever. As Kai walked into the school''s premises, he heard the all too familiar words being mumbled around him. "Look there, it''s the trash." "I would have thought he would have given up on becoming a Zolma Hunter and gone to normal school." "Does he still have that crappy dream of becoming King." They laughed at the thought "Him a King. I''ve never heard of a King at Amateur rank." The boys continued to laugh, "My dad said he graduated primary school rank 1050 out of 2000; even though his physique and strength was strong enough to label him a surpasser. His results were below average. They couldn''t understand how someone who took Excellent grade supplements daily had such bad results. They were akin to someone from Strera Academy who took Poor grade supplements daily." "Strera Academy doesn''t hand out poor grade supplements." "I know, I''m referring to the talent level. If they drank Poor grade they would be on the same level as us who drink Common grade. But our top 1000 all drank Rare grade supplements. So, of course, our results beat him out the water." Kai heard them gossiping but he just revealed a friendly smile and walked past them. They were surprised at his reaction and then they changed the subject and spoke about the news on the Royalty show. As Kai was walking through the school''s corridor, he heard someone call out to him. "Hey, you''re Kai Adler, right?" Kai scanned the guy from top to bottom and then ignored him. He was not keen on admitting who he was lest this guy starts teasing him too. However, the guy was persistent so he ran up to Kai then touched his shoulder, "You are Kai Adler, right?" Feeling his grip on his shoulder Kai decided that he would just admit it was him. If he had words for him afterwards then he would just hear it out. It was not as if he wasn''t used to it, "Yes, I am Kai Adler." He said reluctantly. Jumping up and down with excitement, "Sweet! I finally found you. I heard you want to be King. My goal is also to become King too. Hopefully, we don''t awaken the same element. This way one day we both can be King. When I heard that there was someone else in Drauton that was striving to become King and brave enough to make his goals public. I knew I had to see you. I too have proclaimed my goals to the world and because of it, I am not too popular despite being number three in the entrance test. They say because we going to Drauton and not Keshos or Strera we do not stand a chance. Well, statistically I see where they coming from but let''s be the exception to that rule. They call us losers but little do they know we are Kings." He said the last bit on his tippy toes and with his arm wrapped around Kia''s neck smiling from ear to ear, "Us Kings in waiting got to stick close together." 3. Toast is better than being King. "Us Kings in waiting got to stick close together." Hearing this guy Kai smiled. Kai knew that if this guy knew who he was he must also know he is currently in the last place. Despite that, this guy was encouraging him to become King. Seeing Kai respond positively to him, he laughed, " So tell me do you know what the best thing in the world is?" Because they were just talking about becoming King, Kai replied quickly and confidently, "Being King." The boy shook his head slowly, "No, no, no, no, no. The best thing is life is toast." Kai looked quizzically at the boy. Toast was the last thing he expected to hear, '' How is toast better than being King.'' Looking at Kai''s confused face, "Ah I see you haven''t had the pleasure of perfect toast. Just think of it. Fresh white-bread that has just been toasted to perfection. Crispy, yet still has the right amount of chewiness. It just came fresh out of the toaster. You spread some of my mom''s home-made butter on to the toast. You watch the butter melt into the toast then spread whatever smear you want onto it. Or you can eat it with just the butter, that''s amazing too. Once you have done that you bite into the toast. You hear it crunch in your mouth, you feel the texture in your mouth go from coarse to soft. You feel your taste buds implode as you wrap your tongue around the food. Then you swallow the goodness and prepare for another hit with your mouth salivating in anticipation." He said this looking longingly into space. Hearing this guy go on about the greatness of toast, '' Great, there is definitely something wrong with this guy. But then again isn''t there something wrong with all of us. Plus this could be my first friend since primary school. You know what they say, beggars can''t be choosers.'' Smiling at his new friend, "Well I still don''t see how toast can be better than being King. Nonetheless, I respect your opinion." Not giving up, the boy said, " How about this. After I make you toast you can decide whether it''s better or not." Nodding his head, " Sure but when will that be?" The boy fiddled in his bag then took out a silver rectangular contraption out of his bag, "I will make you toast in break. I always bring my beautiful toast maker with me to school. How else can I have the perfect toast?" Kai shook his head, ''Of course, you did'', "You know what. I am looking forward to it but I got to go to class so I guess I''ll see you at break. Oh, but before I go. What is your name?" "My name is Quinton Electra nice to meet you." Then he ran off. After talking to Quinton Electra, Kai went to class. Oddly enough they never shared a class together. After three classes the bell for break rang. When the bell rang Kia went to the school''s cafeteria because that is where he was supposed to meet up with Quinton. Once Kai got there, Quinton Electra was already waiting for him. Quinton Electra was waving at him energetically from afar. Once Kai reached him he said, "Come with me." Then he led him into the school''s kitchen. "Are you sure we are allowed to be here?" "Of course, I did this in primary school all the time. So they must already know about me." Oddly enough Kai believed him. He was sure that the school knew about his quirk. Quinton Electra fiddled in his bag again and took out the toaster. Then he plugged it in. Afterwards, he took a loaf of white bread out of his bag. Despite being in his bag the bread was in perfect condition. It did not get squished at all. Then he took a plastic container out of his bag. Inside was his mother''s home-made butter. He put these two items onto the silver counter. Then he walked to a cupboard above and took two plates out. "How did you know where the plates were?" "I figured it would be in the same position as primary school." "Oh, I see." Once Quinton Electra put the plates down, "The toaster is now nice and warm." Then he took four slices of white bread and put it into the toaster. Afterwards, he set a timer on his Genome watch, "The trick to perfect toast is to change the heat of the toaster at the perfect time." Kai was watching Quinton Electra raise the heat setting than lower it then raise it to the max and then drop it low. He was meticulous in how he handled the machine. Then when the timer rang he took the toast out immediately. He let it cool for 3 seconds then he took a knife from his bag and smeared his mother''s home-made butter onto the four slices of bread. Then he took two and put it in one plate and then put two in the other, "There you go the perfect toast. Eat it while it is hot and then you tell me what the best thing in the world is." Kai couldn''t deny he was excited to eat the toast. The way he kept talking about toast added to the suspension. Also, the way he was playing with the heat while the toast was cooking was like he was possessed by the god of toast. Kai''s tummy grumbled as he stared at the toast. "What are you waiting for it to get cold? Eat it." Kai needed no more encouragement. He took the piece of toast in his hands. It was still warm. As he brought the toast closer to his mouth and nose. He could smell the warm toast. He could smell the rich creamy butter on the toast. It smelt heavenly. Just the smell alone ignited his appetite and his mouth began salivating. Kai opened his mouth and then he let his teeth sink into the toast. Crunch! Kai took a bite of the toast. As he did all his saliva tackled the toast as he wrapped his tongue around the dough. As he chewed the flavour if the butter came bursting through. Kai exclaimed at the taste. The warm toast was in perfect harmony with the butter. The two complemented each other perfectly to create a whole new taste. Satisfied with his first bite Kai gobbled down the rest and then licked his fingers clean of any remaining butter. Seeing Kai enamoured by the flavours of the toast Quinton asked, " Ha, ha. Is it the best or what?"The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Fiddling with his tongue trying to remove any residual toast in his teeth made Kai seem nonchalant, "It was great." Kai said it was great but Quinton wasn''t looking for this answer he wanted to know something else, "But is it the best?" By now Kai had cleaned his teeth of any toast. So he paid full attention to Quinton, "It was certainly the best toast I have ever had. Your mom should definitely consider monetizing that butter if she doesn''t already. But even with that being said I still don''t think toast is the best. Yes, it''s pretty amazing but it only fulfils an immediate need whereas being King is eternal. Well, as eternal as you hold the title. Sorry man my views haven''t changed." "Ha-ha I see and I respect your opinion. But I hope you don''t think that because I put toast above all, my drive to be King is any weaker than yours." "Ha-ha I won''t." "Do you know what element you will awaken?" "Nope, I am a foster child who hasn''t met his biological mother and father. My parents, however, are passers. How about you? " "Well my dad is fire and my mom is water so one of the two." "Wow, water and fire. Don''t those two clans hate each other? How does that work?" Laughing, "I don''t know but the result is me." ''I see...'' After this they chatted until break was over and then Kai returned to class and after class, he went home. Then he ate lunch and did his homework. With the remaining hour, he had before he could train he watched The Royalty on tv. Once he could train again. He went to the lab. He rigged himself with all the monitors and began his three-hour training. Then he tabulated his results. This cycle continued for two months. It was then that Kai noticed how his growth was beginning to show. Currently, he could pick up 70 Kgs with one arm. At the end of the year, the average 13-year-old surpasser should be able to pick up 150Kg''s. But judging by the speed he was growing, he was sure he would be able to do a whole lot more. All of Kai''s friends could already pick up 100Kg''s with one arm. But their total growth from Primary school to High school had only been 10 Kgs. Where in 2 months, Kai increased from 40 to 70Kg''s. Thus if the trend continued by the end of the year, Kai should be able to pick up 220Kg''s. This would put him on track to catch up with the elite from Strera and Keshos. The average Strera Academy 13-year-old Surpasser male could pick up 190 Kgs. Kesho''s on the other hand, who prioritise power, can pick up 210Kg''s. This was their average; there were often freaks of nature that could pick up 300-400Kg''s in their first year of high-school. Often this was attributed to the term ''explosive growth''. Where a surpasser experiences a high spike in his strength. However, the speed of growth doesn''t continue forever and eventually, they return to normal. But then there are also times where it''s just the talented beginning to bare and sharpen their fangs. They experience multiple moments of explosive growth. When this happens for the second time, the term changes from explosive to talented growth. Excited by the news Kai tells his parents that things are looking up for him, "Mamma, I''m finally growing. In two months I increased from 40-70 one arm Kgs. If this continues I will be able to pick 220Kg''s at the end of the year. This puts me on top of my class. I''m still lacking compared to those from Strera and Kesho''s academy but I can see the track. I can see the path I will take to beat them." Kai said the last part clenching his right fist. Smiling widely, "That''s great puppy. See I told you that things would be different for you in high school." Brianna Adler smiled towards her son and then looked at her husband. Looking at her husband her smile disappeared. Then she opened her eyes wider revealing more white. She tilted her head to the left slightly while tapping her left foot on the floor. Then she whispered to Zack Adler, "Honey, it''s happening already¡­ It''s too soon. Do we have to tell him already?" Looking just as worried, Zack Adler rubbed his creased forehead with his left hand, "I don''t know? But I think we have to." Seeing his parents act strange Kai began to wonder. It kind of felt like this was the moment where parents usually tell their children they are adopted. But he knew that already so what could it be that his parents were so afraid to tell him? After their secret not so secret conversation both his parents turned around and faced Kai. They both wore fake smiles. Then Kai''s mother walked close to Kai and touched his shoulder, "Kai you know your father and I love you very much." Hearing these words sweat began to formulate on Kai''s forehead and his respiratory rate increased as his pupils dilated. Brianna Adler saw her son''s reaction and decided she should stop beating around the bush, "As you know you have been drinking those pills that we have been giving you for the past 7 years correct." Kai nodded his head. "Well, these pills were actually created by your father and I. We have been designing these pills for years and after years of tests, we came across the perfect formula. The reason you were doing so bad at school despite the hours you were putting into training was that the pills you were drinking was only laying your foundation. It did not increase your strength like all your friend''s pills were. We expected you to graduate last in your class but despite not receiving any strengthening aid. You graduated number 1050. This is outstanding and a testament of your talent. It is exactly that talent that is causing your growth in strength to occur faster than we expected. Remember your first day of high school we gave you new pills. These pills are actually finally increasing your strength like the rest of your class. However, because you haven''t had any strength building pills for 7 years, where your peers have. We expected it would take a lot longer for you to catch up to them. But now you are saying that not only will you catch up to your peers in a year, but you will also beat them. This is obviously going to cause a storm in your school." "From last to first and not just any first. Judging by the numbers you have given me, that just about beats the average of those in Kesho''s and Strera. That was the eventual goal to be able to beat them but we expected your growth to only start round about grade 10, not 8. This would give us time to prepare but that won''t be happening anymore. Anyway, when people ask you what your secret is and they will. Do not tell them that you don''t drink the pills the school provides. I know you know this but it''s important. From now on you need to pay more attention to your surroundings. Make sure that when you drink your pills, no one is around. Your dad and I have been paying for Excellent grade pills for years that you don''t even drink to cover for you. Now we are going to have to upgrade from them to Epic so that your sudden growth doesn''t seem so suspicious. We are not asking you to hide your strength. In fact, we want you to flaunt it. Daddy and mommy will protect you from the side. I will write you a doctor''s note that you must give to your teachers. This note will explain to the teachers that you have a bladder problem. This way you can go to the bathroom whenever it''s time for you to drink your pills. And because of your condition, they are not allowed to keep you in class. Do not abuse it. Use it only for what it is intended, okay?" Kai nodded his head as he understood how serious this is. "Good, when you were three and told us you wanted to be royalty we have been preparing this. We were already designing the pills before you were born but you gave them use. We weren''t sure if you would change your dream when you grew up but we wanted to do everything we could as your parents to ensure you reach that dream. We sent your brother and sister away because it was the best thing for their future. We could not train them better than their institutions could. But you, on the other hand, we felt that we could make you a lot stronger than Strera or Keshos could so we decided to keep you here. Not for us¡­ Well a little for us but mostly for you. To ensure that you take a giant leap forward and you reach that dream. From now on daddy and mommy will be monitoring you closely. We will start work earlier and come home earlier so that we can be there when you do your after-school training. On Saturdays we will monitor and communicate with you through the Genome watch and Sundays we will take off to do final check-ups on your body. To make sure you''re still growing and nothing bad is happening to you. Prepare to be the strongest King Drars has ever seen. I just hope the Queen you choose will be worthy of you. Because when we are done with you, you will have a whole line of partners waiting to team up with you. 4. Lexi Montreal 13 years ago. "Bartender two more drinks." Jacques Montreal said then he put down his empty glass for the seventh time. "Two 100-year-old Kintos Scotch on the rocks coming up." The bartender said and then began pouring their drinks which he then gave to them. "I can''t believe it. We are finally putting our family''s feud behind us." Grant Seemore said looking in Jacques Montreal''s eyes as he swirled the ice in his drink. Jacques Montreal''s face was flushed with red from the liquor he had consumed. With his head hanging slightly, he lethargically lifted his glass in the air," I dare say. It should have happened much sooner." "I''ll drink to that." Clink! "Those old timers always bickering. It''s because of them the Lightening clan is in such a bad space. Just think what it could be like if our two companies united? We could bring the lightning clan to a new age." Grant Seemore said slurring his words. "We no longer need to think about it. Now that we both are in power in our respective companies, we make the decisions. Our companies are now united because we want it to be so." "Ha-ha, true, true. That is why we are here tonight celebrating. But do you think our people will fall in line? We have been at war with each other forever." He said shaking his head in disbelief. "They will have to. Plus I''m sure once they see all the good that comes from it, they will understand." "Truthfully, change will happen but only later. We can''t wait that long, we need something to commemorate our merger immediately." "Do you have anything in mind?" "Well, your wife is pregnant with a daughter and mine with a son. Your wife and mine plus you and I come from a long line of pure lightning wielders. That''s how we know for sure when our children awaken they will be lightning wielders too. If the two successors of our fortune get married our two houses will be united. And when they married they can run our companies together thus ensuring the longevity of our agreement." All the blood rushed to Jacques Montreal''s face and he sobered up as if he never had a sip of alcohol, "No! I can''t do that to my daughter." He disagreed vehemently. "This has been our custom for generations. Even your marriage was arranged." He argued while raising his voice. "It''s exactly these old customs that I am trying to abolish. I want my daughter to find love on her own." "I too want the same for my son. What, you don''t think I don''t want my son to be able to choose his own wife? Do you think I want this? I don''t but I don''t see how we will be able to unite our companies, our houses if we don''t do this. I understand you want to be the change and you can be. However, in order to make changes, this has to happen. I don''t see our merger working without it and I will not take part in anything I know is doomed." "Are you threatening me?" He said glaring at Grant Seemore. Laughing awkwardly, "Not at all" "I''m just letting you know my terms and conditions. But before you make your decision, weren''t you the one who told me, ''sometimes great change requires great sacrifice.''" He said furrowing his eyebrows. Jacques Montreal sighed deeply then he began thinking while swirling his drink in his glass. After two minutes of silence, he reluctantly said, "Okay." "Okay, what?" Grant Seemore enquired. "Okay, I agree to our children''s arranged marriage. However, I have some terms and conditions." He emphasised ''terms and conditions'' more than he had to, "They will only get married at age 16. This way they will be old enough to know what love is. Now, I''m not saying they need to love each other. But if they hate each other and I mean detest each other or for another extreme reason then we are allowed to cancel the wedding." "Ha-ha, I knew you would come around old friend. And I agree to your terms. But I doubt that would happen. Our meeting had been decided by fate. What are the odds that both our wives be pregnant at the same time and with a boy and girl no less? This is preordained." Laughing awkwardly, "Ha-ha, I don''t know about preordained but it''s happening¡­" Then Jacques Montreal lifted his glass, "To a successful merger." Grant Seemore raised his cup in return, "To a prosperous marriage." Clink. ----------- "PUSH, harder!" The nurse said to Lara Montreal. Responding to the nurse''s words and gripping her husband''s hands tightly she pushed as hard as she could. "C''mon just a little more." She pushed so much that the veins in her head looked like they were going to pop. As she pushed harder and harder the baby was revealing itself more and more. Then with her final push, she put more energy in than she had ever before. Sparks flew everywhere as she short-circuited the equipment. This caused the entire place to blackout. They were currently in a private hospital specifically designed for lightning wielders. In this place, the wires are insulated with all sorts of insulators to ensure the place doesn''t blackout. Also so that the lightning wielder doesn''t fry all the expensive equipment. Despite all the countermeasures placed there was still another blackout. The place was pitch-black, nobody could see a thing. But amidst the darkness, a miracle occurred. The sound of a baby crying echoed across the room. In the darkness, Lara Montreal''s voice sounded out, "Can I hold my child?" "Just wait a few seconds for the backup generators to kick in. Then I will bring your child to you." The nurse said. After a few seconds later, the generators kicked in and the place had light again. Looking at the crying baby, the nurse said, "Aww, she is beautiful." Then she walked over to Lara Montreal and handed her, her baby. Then she asked, "Do you already have a name for her?" Receiving her baby in a white cloth, Lara Montreal looked lovingly into her baby''s eyes and said, "It''s Lexi, Lexi Montreal." She smiled warmly after saying her daughter''s name. Then she caressed her baby''s face and asked her husband, "The Seemore''s already had their baby. What did they call their son?" "They called their son Alex, Alex Seemore. Our daughter''s future husband." ------------- "Lexi! Are you ready!? It''s almost time for school." Lara Montreal shouted up the stairs. "I''m coming, mom!" ''Just doing the finishing touch.'' Lara Montreal sighed, "Our daughter always takes forever to do her make-up." "Like mother like daughter." Jacques Montreal mumbled under his breath. "Did you say something?" She said in a stern voice. Flustered that he almost got caught, "Nope, you must be imagining it." Smiling again, "Oh, okay." At this moment, Lexi Montreal walked down the stairs in her school clothes. She wore a maroon windbreaker that hung over her grey skirt. Black stockings covered her long legs. Her jet black hair was tied up in a bun and there was no hair in her face per school regulations. She was only wearing a bit of make-up because make-up wasn''t allowed. She wore a bit of base to change the shade of her skin here and there. Lexi was a beautiful young girl and didn''t need make-up but she wore it because she knew the other girls would too. She didn''t want to be different from day one. Lexi had dark blue eyes. The contrast between her hair and eyes was site to behold. She had a perfectly symmetrical diamond face that made the world glitter when she smiled. "Mom I''m ready. Let''s go I want to be early for my first day of primary school." Lexi said hurryingly. "Don''t you want to eat first? You know it is the most important meal of the day." She said testing the waters. "You know I don''t eat breakfast." She said with a puzzled face. She sighed, "I know I was just hoping since today is your first day at Strera Academy you might have changed your mind." "No, mom, I haven''t. Can we go now? If I don''t get there early people will already be cliqued up." "Cliqued up¡­ Is that the slang the young ones use these days?" "Don''t look at me I have no idea." Jacques Montreal said with his hands in front of his chest. "Okay, we can go now." Lara Montreal said. She took her expensive white bag from the counter. Then she reached in and grabbed her car keys. Together as a family they locked the house, climbed in the car and then drove to school. This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.Once they arrived at school Lexi said," Bye mom, bye dad. I''ll see you after school." Then she opened the door of the car. "And where do you think you are you going?" Her mother said. She furrowed her eyebrows and looked at her mother who was in the driver seat. "I am going to school. That is why am here¡­" "I know that it''s just that the Seemores haven''t arrived yet. We need to wait for them. They want you and young Alex to go to school together. Plus we want some pictures of you two together. You will thank us later when you are married." "Ugh! Really mom. I have to wait for that guy. You know he still pees in his pants." "Hey! Don''t you dare raise your voice at me! Now I understand you might not like him yet but there is no need to belittle him. He had a hard life." "Yeah, it must be tough to be the son of one of the wealthiest men in the country. Sounds excruciatingly painful." She mumbled under her breath. "What did you say?" "Nothing mom, absolutely nothing and that''s the problem." Blood rushed to Lara Montreal''s face then she said, "Now look here young-" Interrupting his wife''s rant, "Hey look, there''s the Seemores and there is young Alex. The wait is over." Returning to her calm self, "Good eye sugar plum." Jacques Montreal sighed in relief and thought, ''Crisis averted.'' As a family, they climbed out of the car and walked to the Seemores that were waiting at the school''s gate. That''s when Lara Montreal looked at Lexi Montreal, "Lexi, you remember Alex don''t you." Lexi looked at Alex Seemore, "Hey." That''s when Alex''s mom looked at him, "You remember Lexi right?" Standing upright and tilting his head upwards he said, "Sup." After introductions, they took a couple of awkward photos. It was at this point that Lexi was losing her patience. Her dad saw this and said, "I think we are done here. Let the kids go to school." He laughed casually afterwards Grant Seemore agreed, "Yeah, let the kids be kids and go to school." Lexi Montreal didn''t need any more encouragement, "Bye mom, bye dad." Then she began walking. "Hey, wait." Alex Seemore said running after Lexi. She stopped and then he caught up but he was out of breath, "We should hold hands as we go into school. We are going to get married so let''s let them know we are off the market." Lexi didn''t want to argue with him as that would waste more time. So she grabbed his hand and together they walked into school. Alex was blushing uncontrollably, he didn''t expect her to be so forward about it. It caught him off guard. He thought she would be shyer about it. And then he would act experienced and teach her how to hold hands properly. He sighed in his head because the hours practising his lines with his mom were all up in smoke now. As they walked towards school all the students saw the two holding hands. Lexi was her usual self whereas Alex was smiling from ear to ear. It made him feel powerful walking past the other boys holding the hand of a beautiful girl. "Look at these two they are perfect for each other." "They both come from powerful families. Apparently, they''re going to get married." "Well she is beautiful and he is handsome, I''m so jealous." "They are both come from pure lightning families so they know what element they will awaken. So lucky." "Isn''t it so romantic? Husband and wife entering the King and Queen competition." "I know she is sooo lucky. She has already met the one. She doesn''t need to invest her time on lovers who turn out to be lessons." "Omw, he is so strong, smart and handsome. He is number one in combat and number two in Academic work." "She is number two in combat and number one in Academics. That''s a power couple if there ever was one." This was the general gossip in the school but the tune started changing after Lexi and her classmates experienced multiple talent growths where Alex did not. He only experienced an explosive growth. People started gossiping again. At first, it was subtle. Nobody cared that she was still number one and he had dropped to number thirty because they believed that Alex would make a comeback. But after years of no growth, people started talking. As the years went by they became more unreserved. Now it was so bad that even Alex''s friends were gossiping behind his back. He would often catch them gossiping about him but when he came closer they would shamelessly play it off as if it never happened. When he walked around school he would often see people pointing at him and then they''d share something with their friends which would make the group laugh. "That''s Alex Seemore. Apparently, he isn''t number one anymore. The other students are going through their talent growth where he has only had an explosive growth." "I heard that too. But he was number one and he will be number one again." "Yeah, he will return to his rightful place with his fianc¨¦e." "Isn''t it going to be beautiful when he gets back to number one. I can just imagine him telling Lexi, ''Sorry for making you wait'' then he flips that perfect golden hair in the wind." "You are daydreaming again." "What can I say, I like to live vicariously" "Look there is Alex, it''s been four years and he is still rank 30. Do you think he will ever get back to rank one?" "I think I have waited long enough. I don''t think he has it in him." "Yeah, I''ve been thinking the same thing. It seems to me, he has found his place in society." "Look at him holding her hand with that stupid smile. It''s been five years and he is still rank 30. He doesn''t deserve her." "He is handsome that is all he has to him now. If I were her I would divorce his ass." "They aren''t married yet how can she divorce him." "That''s good news for her. She shouldn''t marry him. It''s beneath her. " "I wouldn''t want a man that is so much weaker than me." "She doesn''t have a choice she has to marry him. It''s an arranged marriage." "Poor girl and to think I used to be jealous of her." "You know you guys don''t need to be dicks about it. I''m sure Alex knows better than anybody that he is still rank 30." As time progressed the gossiping was getting worse and worse. Eventually, people stopped caring whether Alex heard them or not. When he came close by they would continue gossiping about him to his face. When it got this bad he knew he had to do something about it, his popularity was plummeting and fast. He began thinking and he realized in order for the gossiping to stop his rank had to change. But he was already drinking Superior supplements and doing extra training after school. His parents were also paying for a combat tutor for him. His tutor was Razak rank 3 so he was somewhat accomplished. Yet his rank remained the same. He wanted to stop trying so hard but he was afraid if he slacked one bit his rank would drop even further. He wasn''t gaining ranks but at least he wasn''t losing any. This was enough to console his pride. Once he realized that his rank wasn''t going to change he thought of Lexi. If his rank couldn''t change then hers would have to. After thinking up his plan he waited for Lexi after school. They found a secret place to talk because Alex didn''t want to be seen with Lexi in public anymore. It would do him more harm than good right now. After checking if they were alone, Alex took hold of Lexi''s hand then he looked her in her eyes, "Have you heard the rumours about me?" She replied with a straight face, "I have." Alex shook his head worryingly, "I was afraid you would have but I''m not surprised." Lexi immediately replied, "If you are worried about what I think about the rumours. Don''t be, I don''t care what they say. I''m not going to dump you because people say I must." Alex looked relieved when Lexi was finished speaking, "Thank you for not caring and you might not care about it but I do. It''s dragging my name through the mud. Now I have thought long about this and I realised that the reason people are gossiping is that our ranks are too far apart. I''m already doing all I can to increase my rank and I don''t see it happening anytime soon. So I thought maybe you could decrease your rank to 29 that way we are not too far away from each other. If this happens the rumours should disappear. Now I''m allowing you to take rank 29 and be ahead of me instead of 31 because I am a gentleman and believe in equal rights blah blah blah. So will you do this for me." "Wait, let me get this straight¡­ You want me to purposefully drop MY rank so YOU can be popular again?" Lexi said trying to calm herself down. "Yes, but it won''t be for long. I can feel my talent growth coming and when that happens you can return to being number two and me number one. We will be a power couple again¡­ But you got to drop your rank first, these rumours are killing me. People can''t see my light if you keep whitewashing it. So I need you to turn down yours so people can see my light again." "Can I think about it?" She said gritting her teeth and clenching her fists tightly. "What''s there to think about, you are my girlfriend you shouldn''t be outshining me. As the man, I should be on top always but because I''m a gentleman I''m letting you take 29th place. There''s not that much to think about." "Can I think about it?" She said with a tone that conveyed hurt. "Sure but I expect to see you dropping your rank tomorrow." Then he left and made sure that no one saw him leaving. .... "What''s wrong honey, you have been off ever since you came back from school today. You know you can talk to me about anything." Jacques Montreal said. After some thought, Lexi Montreal caved, "Well you know about the gossiping I told you about." "Oh, is about that? You shouldn''t worry about that, kids talk, it will blow over." "That''s how I feel too but Alex doesn''t feel the same way. It got to him and so he confronted me about it today. He wants me to drop my rank to 29 so that our ranks aren''t so far apart. He said and I quote, ''You are my girlfriend, you shouldn''t be outshining me. As the man, I should be on top always.'' The thing is I don''t want to decrease my rank. Why should I decrease my rank? Because I''m a girl¡­? Because I should be subservient to the man? I have already been enduring! He touches me in front of his friends because it makes him look good. Every time it happens his friends are always like, ''man you are so lucky that you get to do what you want with her.'' I''ve heard him tell stories about things we haven''t even done! And truthfully, it''s things I don''t ever want to do with him. But I understand the importance of our marriage so I suck it up every day and I endure. I haven''t told you about this because you and mom are so excited about the marriage. I didn''t know how to tell you, I hate the guy I am supposed to marry. How am I supposed to tell you that I hate the guy that is supposed to revive the lightning clan with me? I couldn''t so I have been enduring. But I don''t want to endure anymore; I want to be selfish, just for once. I have already been holding back so much. If I don''t, they call me a monster. At least this way I have friends but I don''t think I can hold back any more than this. It already kills me every day to hide my strength. To act like I can''t do things I can to fit in societal norms. To be confined in the realm of the understandable. But the second I venture out again, I get called a monster again and I lose all my friends. Dad, I can''t go through with his plan but I also don''t want him to face ridicule. I''m so confused. In a fury he started discharging low voltage electricity, "I am going to castrate that little-" "Dad! Focus¡­" "Ah sorry¡­ So you have been holding back and a lot." "Yes, every day." "Do you still want to be Queen one day?" "Yes, dad more than anything!" "Then you are going to have to make some sacrifices and changes. The first change, I don''t want you to decrease your rank. Neither do I want you to hold back at all. Yes, people will call you a monster. So what if your friends leave you. If they leave you because of this they were never your friends, to begin with. It''s better to know the truth than to live in a sugar-coated fairy tale. The only issue is that this will also piss off Alex. Because not only are you not decreasing your rank, you are pulling away even further but don''t worry about it daddy will handle it. You guys will most likely end up splitting and when I say probably I mean 100% but that has been a long time coming. You shouldn''t have to hold yourself back for no man and neither is it your obligation to do so. If you really want to be Queen you should stop holding back. When you hold back you are not growing. And if you do not grow to the potential you should have been at. When you meet a King that is worthy of you, he will have to hold back for you. Now I''m sure you don''t want that, do you? So go out there and train your heart out. In school, after school, don''t hold back. Somewhere out there is a King worthy of you." 5. Comatoast (1) 18-year-old Kai is at school attending his last day of Grade 13 at Drauton S High School. Currently, Kai is outside with his friends reminiscing about their favourite memories they had in school. It was then when Kai heard the school intercom go off, ¡°Kai Adler please come to the principal¡¯s office. Kai Adler, please come to the principal¡¯s office? His friends looked at him with puzzled expressions. Being called to the principal¡¯s office usually meant you did something wrong. But Kai never got in trouble when he did something wrong. Either because he hid it well or because he would talk his way out of trouble. But now he was being called to the principal¡¯s office¡­ ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s for?¡± Quinton Electra asked. ¡°Not at all.¡± Kai replied and then walked to the principal¡¯s office. Once Kai got there he knocked on the glass door that had writing on it. The writing said ¡®Principals office.¡¯ After knocking Kai heard someone speak from the inside, ¡°Come in.¡± So Kai turned the knob and walked into the office. When he walked in he saw two middle aged men he had never seen before. They wore fancy black and white suits. They were sitting down on chairs facing the principal but had their backs turned to Kai watching him as he walked in the room. Kai walked up to the principal who was also seated. Once Kai reached the principal¡¯s desk the principal stood up, ¡°Kai these two are talent scouts from Keshos and Strera. They have come all the way to talk to you.¡± He said then laughed awkwardly. Once they were introduced they stood up. Kai shook each of their hands with a firm grip. That seemed to leave a good impression on them as after introduction they were smiling. The principal saw their smiles and in response he frowned, ¡°Let¡¯s move this conversation to the boardroom. This small office is hardly the place to talk business.¡± The two talent scouts agreed and followed the principal to the boardroom. The boardroom was a room that had a large brown oval desk with multiple black chairs on the side. The walls were glass so you could see what was happening outside the room. However, you could not hear anything as the room was fully soundproof. Once they were inside they took their seats. The principal and the two talent scouts sat on one side of the table and Kai sat on the other side. Once everyone was settled one of the talent scouts spoke, ¡°I am Keaton Jacobs. I represent Strera Academy¡­ Let me be straight with you. Your end of the year results is amazing. Graduating top of your class. Okay, let¡¯s face it that isn¡¯t much of an accomplishment here at Drauton S. No offense.¡± He looked at the principals. The principal responded, ¡°None taken.¡± ¡°However, the way you passed not only makes you the top student in Drauton but in Keshos and Strera too. You are an unrefined gem, a diamond in the rough. And Strera S Tertiary wants the honour of refining you. You have yet to awaken even though you are 18 already. Even though that is the case we still want you. As you already know, 2nd generation surpassers usually awaken when they turn eighteen. The super talented at sixteen and the talented at seventeen. After eighteen makes you average and the longer the wait, the more mediocre the individual. It¡¯s December so your birthday was four months ago this means your talent isn¡¯t that good. Even so, we still want you. We believe if you follow our plans one day you will be able to achieve the title of Fourth Prince. We are also offering you a full bursary so your parents won¡¯t have to worry about finances. The only thing they need to pay for is your supplements. Thank you.¡± Once he was done the other talent scout introduced himself, ¡°I am Bill Canterbury. I represent Keshos and we too want you in our school. I am sure you have heard of Keshos S Tertiary. The same institution many people of significance came from. At Keshos we value strength and looking at your results has got us excited. Your body has grown superbly. Your bones everything, it is perfect. We believe we can increase your strength even further. We aren¡¯t too concerned about your lack of talent. We believe if you choose us one day you can achieve the title, Fourth Prince. Thank you.¡± Kai listened to their proposals and nodded his head in between then he looked at the principal. Once he did that the principal knew it was his time to speak. He nervously fiddled with his tie and then cleared his throat. Once he was ready he took a deep breath and then began, ¡°Well I am sure we can¡¯t compete with the technology that they can provide. But by us, you won¡¯t just be a number but an individual. We promise to devote every resource to ensure you receive the best treatment. Drauton S Tertiary is more than prepared to turn you into a strong individual. We don¡¯t think you have a lack of talent. Instead, we value every aspect of you. We value you so much that not only will you receive a full bursary. We will also be paying for your pills.¡± When he said that the two talent scouts looked at each other then Keaton Jacobs said, ¡°It smells like desperateness in here.¡± The two laughed afterwards. The principal ignored them and continued, ¡°We have been moulding you since the beginning and we would like to continue to do so.¡± Keaton furrowed his eyebrows when he heard the word moulding, ¡®Moulding, what you mean moulding!? You have been squandering his talents. Had he been with us from the start we could have raised him to one day become the Second Prince of whatever clan he enters. Moulding, pffft¡¯ After hearing the proposals of all three of them Kai said, ¡°You said you guys could make me the Fourth Prince. What about King?¡± They never replied to him but silence was answer enough. So Kai kept silent and began thinking. The room was quiet with awkward silence for a while. Until Keaton Jacobs spoke, ¡°We might not be able to make you King but we are 100% sure we can make you the Fourth Prince. Being the Fourth Prince of a clan is an amazing feat only the talented can reach that height and we can bring you there. We aren¡¯t bluffing. I am sure you know that of all the clans Strera holds 23 of the seats. So we know how to raise royalty.¡± Hearing Keaton Jacobs talk Bill Canterbury felt he had to too, ¡°If we are going by the number of seats then us Keshos should be your top pick. We hold 27 seats. So if anything we have the highest reliability.¡± Kai nodded his head while hearing them speak then he thought for another two minutes leaving the room in awkward silence. It was then that Bill Canterbury couldn¡¯t take it anymore and asked, ¡°And?¡± Kai looked at Bill then he said, ¡°I have decided.¡± Everyone was happy that a decision had finally been made. But then their nervousness kicked in. ¡°I have decided to go to¡­¡± Kai paused for effect, ¡°Drauton S Tertiary.¡± Hearing the result the principal jumped up from his seat in excitement. When he realized he was being unprofessional, he dusted himself off and acted like it never happened. While the principal was happy, the two talent scouts were furious. They couldn¡¯t understand why Kai chose Drauton. They always expected it would be between them two. But in the end, it wasn¡¯t. They stood up in rage and then they opened the glass door. Before they left they looked at Kai and said, ¡°You will regret this.¡± Then they slammed the door on their way out. After processing that he had successfully talked Kai into staying in Drauton. The principal began fantasizing about the promotion he was going to receive. When he realized that he was still in the boardroom, he came out of his daydream with a jolt of his body. Then he shook Kai¡¯s hand energetically and said, ¡°You will not regret this.¡± Then he left the boardroom whistling. After everyone had left Kai touched his Genome watch and a hologram appeared. He navigated the interface to where he could make calls. Kai had yet to activate voice commands so he had to do it manually. Once he got to the call section. He clicked, ¡®Call dad.¡¯ After clicking, the Genome watch rang. Seconds later his dads face appeared on the hologram, ¡°What¡¯s up son?¡± ¡°It happened just like you and mom said. Keshos and Strera were here to take me their schools.¡± ¡°And did you say no like we planned?¡± ¡°Yes, dad I said no.¡± ¡°Well done.¡± Then he ended the call. ¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­. ¡°So this is the house we are going to be staying in during our time at Drauton S Tertiary.¡± Quinton Electra said while opening the front door of the house.Stolen story; please report. It was a big house that accommodated three people. There was a kitchen with a double door fridge. Currently, the fridge was only stacked with beer. There was a gaming room where the full dive virtual reality rig was. They also had a tv room where the 60-inch 10K 4D tv was. The house had a swimming pool and a Jacuzzi outside. There was also a space to barbeque on The Griller XZ. There was indoor and outdoor fire place. And lastly, it had a two-door garage that currently Kai¡¯s car was parked in. Kai drove a Y¡¯sera Z 2018 model. It was race red sports car shaped like a 2019 Ford Mustang with a custom built pedestal spoiler. The rims and tires were black. The other car was Quinton¡¯s. After touring and packing their stuff away in the house. Quinton couldn¡¯t contain his excitement, ¡°Ah man. I can¡¯t believe Drauton S Tertiary is paying for all this. They really want to keep you. They even filled the fridge with beer.¡± ¡°Not the car though. That was a gift from my parents... By the way, do you know when Carmen is moving in?¡± He shook his head, ¡°You know Carmen she does everything at her own pace.¡± ¡°What are you trying to say?¡± A girl¡¯s voice sounded out behind them. ¡°Carmen¡­ I¡¯m so glad you came.¡± Quinton Electra said with an awkward smile. Kai began laughing, ¡°I would have thought you would have learnt your lesson by now. It happens every time.¡± Quinton Electra laughed with him, ¡°I don¡¯t know how she does it? Whenever I am gossiping about her she magically appears.¡± Carmen Kizler flipped her brown hair and revealed a smug smile, ¡°It¡¯s a gift.¡± ¡°I think she just waits for you to talk about her then she walks in,¡± Kai said laughing. ¡°I think so too.¡± Quinton Electra said laughing. Not amused by the two, Carmen Kizler dropped her bags on the tiles, ¡°So when are you two planning to help me with my luggage? Also, where should I park my car? Since the garage is already full. Kai looked at her and said, ¡°Just park it in the driveway. It¡¯s protected by a gate. And you have two strong hands that can carry those bags.¡± With a stern expression, Carmen Kizler looked at Quinton Electra and said, ¡°Do you think that way too?¡± Quinton Electra couldn¡¯t handle her fierce face and scampered towards her. He then picked up her bags and directed her to her room. While Quinton Electra walked past Kai, Kai taunted him while shaking his head, ¡°Wissey.¡± With the bags strapped to his shoulders he just lifted his shoulders and then walked to Carmen¡¯s room and put her stuff down. He emptied his lungs when he thought he was done. ¡°There is still more in my car. Go get it.¡± He sighed inwardly then he walked to her car and took her stuff to her room. While Quinton Electra was carrying Carmen Kizler¡¯s stuff she sat next to Kai on a couch. Her hair was tied up in a bun. She was wearing a white shirt and pink sweatpants, ¡°This place is sooo cool. We should totally hold a party. If I tell people that the campus celebrity lives here we could have a full house. I mean the fridge is full of beers, it¡¯s almost as if they want us to throw a party. Plus I¡¯ll make sure that the girl to guy ratio is in your favour. I go both ways so it doesn¡¯t bother me. So what do you say?¡± She said flickering her verdant eyes. ¡°Sounds like a plan.¡± Kai agreed immediately. ¡°Awesome!¡± She said while slapping his chest, ¡°I¡¯ll call it in and then the people should be here in about two hours.¡± Then she stood up from the seat next to Kai and went to her room humming. By the time she stood up Quinton Electra was done packing her things so he came out her room and saw her humming. She walked past him and then closed her room¡¯s door. Once she closed the door Quinton Electra took a deep breath through his nostrils, ¡®Aah, the only thing that smells better than toast.¡¯ Once he was done smelling her lavenderish scent. He walked to Kai and then sat down, ¡°So what did she say?¡± ¡°She wants to throw a party tonight to celebrate us three living together. I¡¯m sorry man, she knows so much attractive girls. I kind of caved when she said that.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay¡­ I¡¯d rather have her kissing other guys or girls in my presence than her doing it behind my back.¡± ¡°You know you should just tell her you like her. This is silly.¡± ¡°You know I can¡¯t. What if she says no¡­?¡± ¡°Oh, she is most definitely going to say no.¡± He said raising his eyebrows. ¡°Wow, thanks for the vote of confidence.¡± ¡°It¡¯s just that you act like a puppy when you are around her. She owns you, man¡­ You do what she wants whenever she wants. No matter how much it inconveniences you. If I didn¡¯t know any better you have been friend zoned my guy. Also, she knows you like her and that is why she makes you her slave because she knows you can¡¯t say no. I don¡¯t understand how you don¡¯t see it. You have seen it happen many times. WE used to be the guys laughing at the guys she friendzoned. And here you are but I¡¯m not laughing¡­¡± Quinton Electra¡¯s whole mood plummeted after listening to Kai. He just stared into space in silence. ¡°I¡¯m sorry man, I just thought you needed to know. I didn¡¯t mean to be so blunt.¡± ¡°No, you are right. I have been her pet. But that ends tonight. Tonight I am going kiss all her friends that ought to make her jealous!¡± ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s the lesson I wanted you to take from this-¡± ¡°No, you are right. She doesn¡¯t see me as a man, but I¡¯ll make her see it tonight. Bro I¡¯m going to need you to wing me.¡± ¡°Ag what the heck¡­ So what you saying, the divine twins are back?¡± ¡°They are back and badder than ever. I¡¯m going to rack up an insane body count tonight. I can feel it. I¡¯m going to break my record. And maybe you can rack your first body tonight. Ha?¡± ¡°I love the enthusiasm but let¡¯s not get ahead of ourselves. You haven¡¯t been in the game for a while. And don¡¯t worry about me man. Tonight is about you.¡± ¡°Ha-ha true. I need to start slow. Thanks, man¡± ¡°Exactly, and don¡¯t worry, I got you.¡± ¡°Thanks, man, I needed this. I haven¡¯t been this excited for a party since, since-¡± ¡°Since 6 months ago before you accidently saw Carmen naked¡­ I get it man, she has the sauce. But yoh! She slapped you that day.¡± Kai said laughing. ¡°Dude it¡¯s not funny. Who soundproofs their shower room!? I had a red mark on my face for weeks! Mothers were grabbing their little girls when they saw me. It was tough¡­¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure it was but I am going to go take a bath. Man needs to freshen up for the ladies.¡± Trying to hold in his laugh, ¡°That would have sounded so cool but the word ¡®bath¡¯ sucked every bit of masculinity out of it.¡± ¡°I can¡¯t help it that this place doesn¡¯t have a shower! That is my only complaint. But I¡¯m here for free so we are just going to deal with it. Also from now on, I¡¯ll be referring to the bath as a shower.¡± ¡°Good plan, good plan.¡± He said clapping his hands. After talking with Quinton Electra, Kai went to his room and took his toiletries out of his bag. Then he took his toiletries with him to the bathroom and poured himself a bath. Which he then climbed in, the bath was more comfortable than he expected so he closed his eyes until Quinton Electra stormed in the bathroom abruptly waking him up, ¡°Dude! What the heck are you doing?! I am still in the bath!¡± He said trying to submerge himself deeper in the water. ¡°Sorry man, the party has already started and I haven¡¯t had my toast yet. You know I need to have my toast to get my confidence up.¡± ¡°Dude! There are plugs all over the house why do you want to make it here!?¡± ¡°Carmen has her stuff plugged in all other outlets. Also, her friends are charging their Genome watches on the other plugs. Trust me I have checked. This is the only outlet that isn¡¯t occupied in the house!¡± ¡°Just plug it out; it¡¯s your house too!¡± ¡°I tried but Carmen said she would kill me if she catches me. And you know she always does.¡± Sighing deeply, ¡°Oh okay man. Do what you got to do but I¡¯m not coming out until you leave.¡± ¡°No problem I will be gone in no time. I just got the new Toaster Perfect 2000 deluxe version. It¡¯s not even out on the shelves yet but I know a guy who knows guy who got it early for me. I have been waiting for months for this baby. You know it supposedly makes the best toast in the world in just two minutes. It can take up to eight slices of toast at once. Everything in this baby is designed to make your mou-¡° ¡°Mouth explode with unexplainable flavour?¡± Kai completed his sentence, ¡°Yes, you have only told me this 400 times over the past four months." ¡°Ha-ha sorry man you know how I get over toast.¡± ¡°It¡¯s cool man just do what you got to do.¡± Quinton Electra didn¡¯t need to be begged to make toast. He plugged the toast machine in the outlet by the basin that was few centimetres away from Kai. Then he took out eight slices of white bread put it in the toaster. ¡°Eight slices? You sure are hungry.¡± ¡°Four are for you. For the inconvenience, I am putting you through.¡± ¡°Oh, okay. Thanks.¡± Then he took his mother¡¯s home-made butter out of his bag. It was in a plastic lunchbox. He took his knife out of the side pocket. And then watched from above how the toast was grilling. Quinton was so moved by how the toast was being twisted and turned inside the machine. How it was being put into direct heat then removed. It was essentially doing what he did but automatically. Excited by this he had to show Kai. He grabbed the machine and dangled it over the bath and to show his friend. ¡°Look, Kai. Look it¡¯s doing what I used to do.¡± He said excitedly. Kai, on the other hand, was furious, coming half out the water he shouted, ¡°ARE YOU INSANE! Get that death-trap away from me.¡± Realizing how careless he was being he moved the toaster away from the bath. He was halfway when the door flung open. Quinton Electra dropped the toaster when he saw who was standing at the door, ¡°It¡¯s not what it looks like. I am not gay? I just needed to make toast since you and your friends where hogging all the plugs. See look I have the toaster in my hands¡­¡± He said feeling his hands were empty. ¡°Look I have the toaster in my hands.¡± He repeated himself and still didn¡¯t feel the toaster in his hands. Then he looked downwards and saw that his hands were empty, ¡®But if I don¡¯t have the toaster in my hands then where could it be?¡¯ That¡¯s when he looked into the bath and saw Kai getting electrocuted. There was electricity and sparks everywhere until it stopped and it was just Kai¡¯s unconscious body in the water. He panicked and didn¡¯t know what to do¡­ That¡¯s when Carmen Kizler ran out and turned all the plugs off. The music that was pumping outside stopped. Then she ran back to the bathroom and saw Kai¡¯s unconscious body lying in the bath. Quinton Electra was still panicking and so he froze. Seeing this Carmen Kizler screamed at him, ¡°Take him out the bath before he drowns!¡± That¡¯s when she dialled 777 to get the ambulance. Coming out his shock he looked into the bath and saw Kai¡¯s unconscious body as well as the pieces of toast floating in the water, ¡°My toast.¡± He complained and then took Kai¡¯s body out of the water. 6. Comatoast (2) "I''m afraid, I have some bad news and I have some good news. Which one do you want to hear first?" Holding her husband''s hands tightly Brianna Adler said, "I want to hear the bad news first." The doctor opened the file he was holding, "The bad news is that your son is comatose. We have no idea when or if he will ever wake up. It may be a week, a month, a few months, we do not know. We have staff looking after Kai 24/7 so as soon as we notice a change in his body, we will let you know immediately." Hearing the news Brianna Adler gripped her husband''s hand tighter than before. Her respiratory rate started increasing from slow to fast until she started hyperventilating. Then she laid her head on his abdomen seeking his embrace. Zack Adler let go of her hand and placed his right arm around his wife who was not saying a word. Seeing the state his wife was in, he took control and asked, "What is the good news?" The doctor flipped a page on his file, "We noticed that your son was a second generation surpasser who had yet to awaken. I''m not sure if you knew but lightning is his elemental gene. When the toaster electrocuted him, he was forcefully awoken now making him a 3rd generation surpasser. After receiving the lethal dosage, he was forcefully awoken saving his life. However, the issue is the duration in which he had contact with the lethal dosage. In order for a transition from 2nd to 3rd to happen the subject must come in contact with a lethal dosage of an element corresponding to their elemental gene. When this happens the body goes into fight or flight mode which in turn forcefully awakens the elemental gene. Then the body fights off the lethal dosage saving the patient''s life. In your son''s case, he was lying in a bath so his body could only ward off the electricity for so long until he passed out." Coming out her daze Brianna Adler asked, "Is there any damage to my son''s body?" The doctor smiled and then flipped his file to another page, "That''s the other part of the good news. There is no damage to your son''s body whatsoever. In fact, your son''s body has never been better. The only issue is that he can''t breathe by himself. However, we are 100% sure that if or when he wakes up that problem will be rectified... On the good side, we compared your son''s current Physical Index (1) to his graduations. We were shocked to find out that not only is there no damage but your son''s constitution is two times better than before. Perhaps this is a blessing in disguise. He is now twice as strong as when he was a second generation. This is what is so puzzling. Your son has never been in a better condition but he won''t wake up..." When the Adler''s were gone the one doctor confronted the other, "We were shocked, really? You couldn''t have chosen a better word? You can be glad they never took it the wrong way¡­" ... "Honey, I know you love your son but it''s been four months and he still hasn''t woken up. The bills are piling up and it''s becoming overwhelming even for us. We have spent more money these past few months than we have in a year. We can''t keep this up, we still have kids of our own that we need to take care of too. What if something bad happens to them and we don''t have any money to save them¡­ It''s unfair and reckless of us to do that to them... It''s already been two months since the doctor called us to tell us that most of the pain receptors in Kai''s body are active. Honey, our son is suffering every day in silence. I know how much time and effort we have spent investing in him. I know you wanted to see him grow up and achieve his dreams that he is so proud of. I know you wanted to see him become the King but we cannot put him through this anymore for own selfish reasons. Our boy is suffering in silence. We need to let him go so he can finally rest in peace." Brianna Adler said to Zack Adler. Zack Adler nodded his head and then wiped away a tear from his left eye. "You can call the doctor now." Brianna Adler said to the nurse. The nurse nodded her head and then paged the doctor assigned to Kai. A few minutes later the doctor walked in the room, "Have you made your decision?" Brianna Adler nodded her head, "Yes, we have. We would like you to take Kai off life support." "Okay before that I am going to need your signatures here and here." The doctor took two pages out and handed them to Brianna Adler with a pen. She took a hold of the pen and then read the contents of the page. The title was large and in bold. It said, ''Life Support Termination.'' Once she had read the contents and was satisfied she signed where she was asked. Then she turned to her son to say her last goodbye before they took him off life support. However, before she could the doctor looked at her husband, "As his father, you need to sign the papers too." Hearing he had to sign his son to death, Zack Adler began trembling. Brianna Adler saw his condition, "We are not killing Kai. We are sending him off peacefully. He is currently in a whole lot of pain. We are freeing him of that pain." Then she handed him the pen and papers. Zack Adler picked up the papers and then the pen. While holding the pen, his hand began shaking irrepressibly as he brought it closer to the page. This was the heaviest pen he had ever picked up, the pen of life and death. Seeing her husband''s hand quivering, Brianna clasped both her hands over his, "You are not giving up on him. It''s going to be okay. Kai will be okay." Regaining his composure, he took the pen and signed the papers. Then he handed them over to the doctor. The doctor gave the papers to a nurse and then she left the room. Once the nurse was gone the doctor walked to the machine that was keeping Kai alive, "I will now switch the machine off in 3, 2, 1-" "Do not switch off that machine!" A hoarse voice sounded out behind the Adler''s. The Adler''s turned around as they wanted to see who was rude enough to interrupt a very emotional part of their life. Turning around they saw a young beautiful girl around the same age as Kai. They also saw an older man with a black beard presumably the girl''s father. He wore a snazzy black and white suit. Seeing the two the doctor walked up to them, "You cannot be here. This is a very emotional time for these two." He pointed to the Adler''s. The man took some papers out of his file and gave them to the doctor, "Yes, I can be here." The doctor looked at the papers and was startled, "My sincerest apologies what does the former Duke of The Lightning Clan need from me?" Seeing that he had the doctor''s attention, "I want you to keep this boy on life support." Hearing what the man had to say Brianna Adler flung into a rage, "What?! You want to keep him on life support. Former Duke or whatever, you can''t do that! We are his parents and have already signed it off." The man looked at the Adler''s, "I understand you are grieving so I''ll try to be as soft as possible. Yes, you are Kai''s parents but you are only his foster parents am I right?" They nodded their head. "Since he isn''t adopted and you are only his foster parents then by law, death decisions such as ¡®Life Support Termination¡¯ are to be made by the hospital when there are two opposing parties." Then he looked at the doctor, "And I''m sure the hospital won''t mind keeping him alive if I take over the bill. I''ve also added an extra inconvenience payment which I will pay at the end of each month for taking up space that the hospital could have used for other patients." He handed a few papers over to the doctor. After the doctor read the papers, "I''m sure you know I cannot make this decision. I will hand it over to the board and let them decide." "That''s all we ask." He said rubbing his daughter''s head who was smiling. "This is preposterous! You cannot do that we are his parents." Brianna Adler shouted.If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The doctor just looked at her and revealed a sympathetic smile and then left the room with the papers. Seeing that the doctor was gone Brianna Adler looked at the man and furrowed her eyebrows, "Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping my son alive? He is in pain." The man looked at Brianna Adler who was now in her husband''s embrace, "Because of my daughter. She seems to believe that your son has the potential to be King. She wants to be Queen and has been searching for a capable partner for a while now. All of her previous suitors were not to her liking. We were running out of hope until she heard of your son who graduated number one in the world. However, like always problems arose, we didn¡¯t know what element he would awaken since you two are passers. But more importantly, it¡¯s your son''s inadequate educational background. My daughter doesn''t seem to mind but I do. You see he was raised in Drauton; a place known for agriculture so no matter how high his Physical Index, his combat prowess is pathetic. It takes more than just a strong body to be successful. It takes swift and decisive movement, weapon mastery, talent, intelligence, control, strategy etc. Yes, Drauton teaches these classes but what do they know about weapons other than how to use a sickle to harvest crops? What do they know about strategy other than the strategy to irrigate all their plants? It''s no secret that I''m against this and I have delayed their meeting as much as I could. But after another person I personally selected was not to her liking and we heard that he awakened as a lightning wielder. I conceded to her constant nagging and here we are. I''m sure you as parents of your own can understand the will to give your children what they want. " The man took a deep breath then looked at Kai, ''Oh what joy came upon my face when I discovered that you were in a coma. Little did I know, I would be the one paying for your hospital bills.'' He sighed again, ''When you wake up my daughter will see how much of a waste of time and money you were. Then we can continue on the list of suitors vetted by me¡­ It''s funny how 18 years ago I wanted my daughter to choose her own partner but now I want to do it for her. I really am my father''s son.'' At this time, the doctor came back, ''That was quick.'' The man thought. Once the doctor was in the room he looked at the Adlers and pursed his lips then he turned to the former Duke, "The hospital has voted in your favour. We will now be moving Kai to the private wing. But before we are going to need you to sign some papers. Head over to the reception when you can." "Of course," He said and then the doctor left the room. The Adlers didn''t know what to do. It had taken everything out of them to come to the hospital today. But now their son was not going to go away peacefully but continue to sleep in pain and there was nothing they could do about it. The hospital is a business after all and they were making a profit by keeping Kai alive. They had no reason to decline. Coming to terms with it they decided to leave. Before they could go Zack Adler swiped his hand over Kai leaving behind short fizzes of visible electrical charges, "I can understand how you must be feeling. You must think I''m a monster but I am not. I am actually saving your son''s life. Your son will wake up in 1-2 months. Currently, he is going through a change. A metamorphosis if you will. While this is happening his body is being restructured hence the reason his pain receptors are active. Once the metamorphosis is over he will wake up." They listened to him and then they left without saying a word. When they left he went to the reception to sign the papers he was asked to. Once he was done the lady at the reception asked him, "What is your name again?" He smiled at her and said, "Jacques, Jacques Montreal¡­ ... One month later, in the private wing, a red light flashed. It''s in Kai''s room, a nurse rushed as fast as she could to get to his room. Once she saw the red light she gasped. Then she took out her device and messaged the doctor assigned to Kai. Because of the amount of money Jacques Montreal was paying to keep Kai alive. He was bumped up to a priority one patient. So anything regarding Kai was regarded as the top priority. The doctor was still on break when he got the message. He took one big bite out of his sandwich and then ran as fast as he could to Kai''s room. Seeing the nurse the doctor asked, "What''s wrong?!" The nurse pursed her lips and then pointed towards Kai, "He is waking up?" The doctor wrinkled his eyebrows. He wondered if he heard correctly because the way she conveyed the news made it sound like it was a bad thing, taking a bet he said, "That''s fantastic call his parents and tell them their son is gaining consciousness." The nurse shook her head, "The Adler''s were removed from first notice when they stopped paying the bill. The people we should be calling are the Montreal''s. However, do we really want to do that? There are only three days left until the end of the month. Remember what happened last month? The money we received because we are the staff on duty. The deal was that Mr Montreal pays the inconvenience bonus every end of the month. However, if Kai wakes up before the end of the month, Mr Montreal doesn''t need to pay the inconvenience bonus. Instead, he just has to pay the hospital the general fee. If that happens we do not get paid anything extra, we just get our standard salary. That is so unfair, we keep an eye on him for almost a full month and then we don''t even get rewarded for it. I was finally able to breathe at the end of the month because of it. I was able to buy things I have wanted for a very long time. I want the same sense of freedom this month too." The doctor looked at the nurse, "So what are you suggesting we do?" "We sedate him. Just till the end of the month, until we get our bonus and then he can wake up. We only do it once." The doctor was swayed by this plan. As the doctor, he got a bigger portion of the inconvenience bonus than the nurse did. So he too was looking forward to a bigger paycheck this month, ''You know what, I deserve this, I''ve worked hard this month. It''s not as if what I''m doing is a major crime... If I get the extra money this month I can buy my wife a few expensive gifts. Maybe then things can go back to the way it was when I was earning twice my salary at the private hospital. Maybe things can go bump in the night again. Convinced by the nurses words the doctor said, "Go get 30 ml of Dihelathide. That should knock him out for three days. Plus it''s untraceable." Smiling that her gamble had succeeded, " Yes, sir." She left the room skipping with joy. Where she went to the inventory and took a syringe and 30 ml of Dihelathide. Later she would report the use was for a patient that used it regularly. The nurse got to the room and the doctor was gone. The doctor had to explain to the hospital staff that the red beeping was a false alarm. Seeing that she was alone in the room she closed the door. Then she took the syringe and held it toward the light to make sure exactly 30 ml was going to be injected. Once she was certain she walked up to Kai and removed the white blanket covering him. Then she took a hold of his arm. As she did Kai opened his eyes but he couldn''t see clearly yet, everything was still woozy and blurry. Seeing Kai''s eyes open the nurse pierced the needle into Kai''s vein, "Go back to sleep my little money tree." Then as she was about to push on the thumb press of the syringe, the door opened. As the door opened, the nurse heard a voice she had never heard before, "How is my potential King doing?" The nurse got such a fright that she dropped the syringe on the floor. Immediately the nurse bent down and picked up the syringe. Then she looked at the person who walked in. To her surprise, she saw a young girl. She was clearly only 18 or 19 but the way she held herself was clear she came from wealth so instead of shouting at her she replied, "He is doing well actually, I was just about to give him an injection that should wake him up. If it instead makes him sleep then his body isn''t ready yet." The nurse held the syringe in her hands and showed the girl. The girl walked to Kai''s side and saw his eyes were open and smiled. She also noticed despite his eyes being open he wasn''t exactly conscious. Now that the situation had calmed down the nurse smiled, ''Great the plan is still on. She doesn''t doubt me and neither does she know what is in the syringe. It''s the same colour as Adrenozen which wakes a person just like I said. If I inject this into the boy he will go back to sleep and he will be all yours in three days. And the bonus will be all mine.'' The nurse looked at the girl by Kai''s bedside, "Excuse me but I need to inject him quickly." Lexi Montreal moved away and let the nurse do her thing but she never took her eye off the nurse. The nurse was feeling awkward being stared at so intently but she shrugged it off when she thought of the money. The nurse held the syringe to the light and then she flicked it to seem professional. Then she held Kai''s arm in place and took the syringe and was about to inject it into him when she felt eyes glaring at her from behind. The nurse stopped what she was doing and looked at the girl''s face. Her face was red, her eyebrows were furrowed and her eyelids were lower than normal as the girl stared at the nurse. Confused by the reaction she was receiving, ''It can''t be¡­ There is no way she knows what I''m doing.'' But the possibility of being caught made the nurse''s heart palpate. She gulped and then said, "Is something the matter?" Lexi Montreal still had her angry face on but now she was tapping the floor with right her shoe. Tap, tap, tap was the only sound until she spoke, "I can''t believe you were just about to put that unsterilized needle into him. I just saw you drop it when I came in. I should have your license revoked!" Realizing her mistake and relieved she wasn''t busted, "I''m so sorry I had a long shift and I am so tired. It won''t happen again I promise. "Then the nurse left the room to go get a new syringe or at least make it look like it. That''s when Lexi Montreal returned to Kai''s side. As she did, her dad walked in the room and saw Kai''s eyes were open, "Just like I said one to two months." "No, dad look he is awake but he isn''t conscious. The nurse went to get some stuff to inject him with that will wake up him fully." Moving to the bed Kai was sleeping on, "No need. I got this." Jacques took hold of Kai''s hand and then released electricity into his body. Then he let go. That is when Kai''s consciousness returned. He looked to the left and saw an older man in a suit. He looked familiar but Kai couldn''t quite recall who he was looking at. Giving up he looked to the right and saw the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. Kai gasped when she returned the look increasing her beauty a hundredfold. ''An old man and a girl. What are they doing here?'' Puzzled by what was going on Kai furrowed his eyebrows. But it only got weirder from here. The man looked at Kai intently and then said, "Here is my daughter. Marry her please!" "What?!" 7. Comatoast (3) A/N Physical Index- The strength of the body put into numbers. The average human has a Physical Index of 100. Often used in short as PI. ------------ The man looked at Kai intently and then said, "Here is my daughter. Marry her please!" "What?!" Lexi Montreal furrowed her eyebrows as she looked father, then she smiled and looked at Kai, "Let''s start over. I am Lexi Montreal and this is my dad Jacques Montreal." When she said that Kai finally remembered who he is, ''No wonder he looked so familiar. He is the former Duke of The Lightning Clan. I didn''t know he had a daughter¡­'' "I want to be Queen one day and as you know a partner is needed to achieve that goal. Anyway, I''d like that partner with you. I heard you want to be King¡­ I have done my research on you and I have to say, I like what I see. You graduated first in the world. You have a current PI of 2400 which is just insane and now you are a 3rd generation surpasser. Oh and of course the most important of all, you are a lightning wielder like me. Your resume is looking rather impressive if I may add. Kai nodded his head when he realized why they were here then he removed the ventilating machine from his mouth because it was hard to talk with it on, "I appreciate that and I am flattered but I take matters concerning my future very seriously. So forgive me if I sound rude but I am not going to just impetuously accept. As you said, I do want to be King and the Queen I choose needs to be strong too. Now it seems you know a lot about me but I know nothing of you¡­ So you wouldn''t mind showing me your PI and your academic history, would you?" She smiled, "I wouldn''t have it any other way." Then she looked to her father who reached into the inner pocket of his blazer. Then he took out two pieces of folded white paper. He unfolded it and gave it to Kai. Kai looked at the papers and saw that it was certified and stamped by the lightning clan showing the legitimacy of the results. Then he began reading, ''Lexi Montreal, second-generation surpasser, 18 years of age, current PI of 2000. Enrolled at Strera Academy at age 6 where she graduated top of her class from age 7 onwards. Lexi Montreal has always been a talented individual going through multiple talent growths which kept her at the top of her class. However, she really started blooming at age 11. Suddenly as if out of nowhere her strength increased while she was going through a talent growth. Having no prior experience to explain this phenomenon, ''Dramatic Growth (1)'' was coined as the term for it.'' Shocked, Kai rose his eyebrows involuntary, ''She is so talented they had to create a new word to quantify her rate of growth.'' Then he continued to read. ''As only to add to the testament of her talent, she awoke as a Beginner Rankles at age 16. She is currently still a Beginner Rankles...'' Disappointed Kai dipped his chin to his chest and pressed his lips tightly when he saw she was still a Beginner Rankles despite going through metamorphosis 2 years ago. Seeing Kai''s reaction, "You must be at the part where it says I''m still a Beginner Rankles despite having 2 years to rank up." Kai nodded his head. "Well you see, a study revealed that surpassers who awoke before the age of 18 and ranked up are more likely to die early due to natural causes. Because they went through too many changes that the body could not deal with yet. This is also one of the reasons that it is illegal to sell Zolma meat to anybody under the age of 18. If someone is to become a 1st generation surpasser before the age of 18 they are not praised for it. Instead, are sent to a surpasser juvenile penitentiary. So in order to give my body time to grow, I have stayed at Beginner Rankles. Instead, I have been practising how to control my powers for the past two years. That''s why my PI is so high." Kai smiled when the misunderstanding was cleared. Where Jacques Montreal was frowning, ''Of course Drauton didn''t teach you this. What else don''t you know?'' Lexi glared at her father to make him put away his aura. Once her father complied she looked at Kai again, "Do you still want to read on?" He shook his head, "No, you have proven yourself more than worthy but¡­" Lexi smiled, "But paper is just paper right? I feel the same way. So how about we spar with each other? This way we can get a feel for one another then we can decide whether we want to partner up or not¡­ I''ll have you know that I have been searching for a partner for the past two years. No one has ever beaten me and no one has ever passed¡­ You just came out of a coma so I''ll give you one week to ready yourself and to get accustomed to your new body. I''ll give you my number then you text me the name and address of the location in a week." She tapped her Genome watch on Kai''s and then he got a prompt whether he wanted to accept her information or not. Once he accepted it he asked, "And what''s this about marriage?" "Oh that is strictly business but it is something you should consider. We will discuss the details when we meet again." Kai nodded his head and then she and her father left. Once they were gone. Kai''s parents rushed in, "My son, my son." Brianna Adler said hugging Kai tightly and weeping tears of joy. Kai''s father wanted to join in too but he figured she needed it more than him. After all, the constant kisses and the weeping Kai got a little annoyed, "Mom I''m okay, really. I feel great. I''m still in the hospital, I''m not going anywhere." His mom kissed him on the forehead for the last time then she looked at him seriously, "Kai I have something important to tell you." She gulped then glanced at her husband and then back at Kai, "You have been in a coma for about 5 months and 20 days. About 4 months ago the doctors told us that all the pain receptors in your body were active and that you were in constant pain. We asked them to monitor you for a week and tell us if anything changed but it never did. Then we asked to have you monitored for another week and the week after that and then the week after that and the month after that. After two months the doctors said you were still in constant pain. It was then that we realized we had to do something. Honestly, we knew after the first month but we couldn''t bring ourselves to help you. However, we finally decided two months later. Your dad and I had signed the papers to turn off your life support machine because we thought you were never coming back, you were in pain and the bills were piling up. Just as the doctors were about to turn the machines off the Montreal''s walked in and demanded that you be kept alive. They eventually got their way when they took over the bill that''s why they saw you before we did. Anyway, if it wasn''t for them we would have killed you. We would have ended your dreams when you still had so much fight left in you¡­ I am so sorry. We have failed you as parents and I have failed you as a mother. If only I kept strong just a bit longer you would have woken up without all this drama." Kai''s mother said with tears streaming down her face. Kai saw his mother crying and then looked at his dad who was struggling to hold his back too but he had to be the strong one for the both of them. Kai took his mother''s hand and looked her in her eyes, "I get it, you were under a lot of pressure and you were trying to save me from pain. I truly get it, and I''m not holding any grudges. I''m not going to say I forgive you because there is nothing to forgive. However, I do wish you would have believed in me a little more. I said I''m going to become King one day. There is no way some coma is going to hold me down!" She smiled and then her tears returned to tears of joy. Then she sniffed and rubbed her eyes dry, "We believe in you Kai. We always have." Kai laughed cheerfully then he said, "Then there are no problems here. Except when can I go home? I''m feeling great, really? Returning to her normal self, "You are clear for release but we want the doctors to do the last check up on you just to make sure nothing is wrong. So you have one more night in the hospital." Kai frowned when he heard he had to stay another night. It already almost took 6 months from him, "Can''t you do that back at home? You are a doctor." "Yes we can but we don''t have all the equipment back at home that they have here. If there is still something wrong with you they will find it." "Won''t this cost more money though?" "We just want to make sure you are safe that''s all. Let us handle the small we are your parents, not the other way around." Kai just smiled and accepted it; he realized that they need this more than he does. So what was one more night in the hospital? It was not like anything bad could happen. It was at this moment that the nurse returned to the room. She was ready a long time ago but she was waiting for the right moment. She deemed this to be the best. When Brianna Adler saw the nurse she smiled, "Great you are here. Call the doctor, please. We have some requests we need to run by him." With her hands in her pocket feeling the syringe she said, "No problem." Then she left the room. She could have just sent him a message. She didn''t need to go search for him personally but the conversation they were about to have couldn''t be held on company devices. Plus she needed some fresh air. Seeing Kai awake and conscious made her feel like her chances were slipping and the risk of them being caught was higher. The nurse looked in the rooms the doctor was assigned to until she found him. The doctor looked at the nurse and smiled, "Nurse Daniels. I trust everything is in order." He said looking directly into her eyes. But her reaction shocked him. She pursed her lips and then shook her head. Seeing her reaction he walked to her and then wrapped his hands around her shoulder and together they walked hastily to the cafeteria. There were a lot of people talking here so they could talk freely and not worry about being overheard.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Now that they were seated he asked, "What''s wrong?" She took a deep breath through her nostrils, "The boy is awake. And not just awake he is conscious. I was busy injecting the Dihelathide into him when the door opened. I got such a fright that I dropped the syringe. The person that walked in was Mr Montreal''s daughter. But she had no idea what was going on. So I told her I was going to inject him. However, she saw me drop the syringe and then I tried to inject that same unsterilized needle into him. She wasn''t too happy with that and threatened to have my license revoked. I talked her out of it but to do that I had to leave. When I got back I heard a new voice in the room. It was the boys. He was conscious, I have no idea how but these surpassers have always been tricky to diagnose. We don''t have the equipment like Esciaya. Anyway, I was waiting for the best time to enter when I overheard them saying that the mother is a doctor. So again I couldn''t inject him. As you know at first glance Adrenozen and Dihelathide look the same but when you bring it to the light, Dihelathide gives off a blue tint. There is no way a trained eye wouldn''t notice that? And because she is a doctor she knows that it''s policy to check the syringe in the light right before injection to make sure the right amount of liquid is in. If I don''t do it she will suspect something is wrong. Hence I put the syringe in my pocket and walked into the room. That is when they called me so I called you." The doctor put his hand over his face in distress and then sighed, "I had just told the staff the machine malfunctioned and in fact, the boy is sleeping soundly¡­ If he is awake now I''ll look incompetent. I''ve been working way too hard for that promotion and this will set me back¡­" "So what do you suppose we do? The longer the boy is awake the more suspicious it''s going to be when he falls asleep out of nowhere¡­" The doctor began thinking¡­ Until he finally found a plan, "First I need you to throw away that syringe and its contents and get a new dosage. We only need 22.5ml now. Second I''ll go back to the Adler''s and tell them I''m not sure about his condition and we''d love to run some extra tests just to be sure. This will keep him here for the night and if we are running tests then there will be no visitors allowed. So you can inject him without worry then but before that, I will need your help with the tests. I''m glad you came to look for me personally. By wasting time like this we are making the Adler''s fear there is something wrong with their son. We need to sow seeds of doubt in their mind so when we tell them that Kai passed out again it will be believable. We can''t control the Montreal''s but we can control the Adler''s and since the Adlers are back to paying the current bills they are in charge. The Montreal''s still need to pay this month''s bill which will only be billed at the end of the month. So if Kai is still in the hospital due to the fact that he passed out, the inconvenience payment will be added too. That is all we need. The plan is still on. Let''s set that mousetrap." The nurse smiled and then they stood up and they went their separate ways. Once they separated the doctor took his time to get to the Adler''s. When he finally entered the room distress was written all over their faces. He smiled inwardly as the mouse took a step closer to the cheese on the trap. Brianna Adler saw the doctor and immediately asked, "Is there something wrong with Kai." She said looking deeply into his eyes. The doctor took a deep breath and then emptied his lungs through his mouth, "I found something but I can''t say anything until I know for sure. I would, however, love to run some tests on Kai just to be sure." Brianna nodded her head, "I agree. I actually had you called in for just that. I want you to run a full check up on Kai. Leave no stone unturned. I know how long it takes so feel free to keep him overnight." The doctor tried hard not to seem excited so the facial expression he was making was rather odd. Everything was going just as he planned the mouse was now close enough to the cheese to lick it. After regaining his composure," As you wish. In fact, we would like to begin right away. Rather safe than sorry right?" She nodded her head, "Definitely then we will be taking our leave¡­ Bye Kai, see you tomorrow." Then they left. Once they were gone the doctor looked at Kai, "We will be running tests on you. Can you stand?" Kai removed his blankets and then he stood. He felt a bit off balance here and there but it was nothing that he couldn''t handle. Kai suspected it''s just because he hadn''t walked in a long time. Once he was on his feet the nurse walked into the room. The doctor looked at the nurse and then whispered to her, "We are going to run the tests on him now. Luckily he is the only patient in the private wing. This way we don''t need to worry about him being seen by others. If we move at the right time we can hide him. Plus we don''t need permission to use the machines because that would be a problem with priority one patients. So let''s get him tested, be vigilant." The nurse nodded her head and then she ran point and made sure they was nobody so that they could move Kai. They had told Kai the reason they keep stopping then walking is that they did not want him to walk for too long. Once they got Kai to the testing room. They began running a series of tests on him. Because they had other patients other than Kai they needed to take care of too. They were back and forth in the private wing and the tests took much longer than expected. At 00:00 the tests were finally done. So they covertly took Kai back to his room. Once they were back the doctor said, "Well that marks the end of my shift. I''ll see you tomorrow nurse Daniels." And so he left. Once Kai was back in his bed, nurse Daniels took the syringe out of her pocket, "I''m going to give you something to sleep. You just had a full day of tests and you need to sleep so that you have energy for tomorrow when you get discharged." Kai smiled then she took his arm and placed the needle into him. This time she wasn''t going to hold it to the light. There was no need to do that she had already checked how much was inside. She injected the needle into Kai''s vein. Then she pressed the thumb press and then he fell asleep. ''Sleep well my money tree. See you in two days,'' seeing that the plan was going perfectly without a hitch the mouse moved closer to the cheese and took a big bite. Once Kai fell asleep the nurse took all the test results and put it in his file. Then she left skipping with joy in her mind because her body was too tired. Once everything was taken care she clocked out knowing she was going to receive a bonus. As she left the hospital she sent a tick to her accomplice to tell him that everything went according to plan. It was only then that he fell asleep. The next day the doctor and the nurse arrived at work at the same time. They were well rested as they only needed to come in at 11 am. Once they saw each other they smiled at each other then they placed their keycards on the scanner and then walked in. They looked at each other standing side by side, "It''s a good day hey Nurse Daniels," the doctor said in the poshest accent he could imitate. . The nurse in good spirits laughed, "Ah it''s a lovely day doctor." She said copying his posh accent. The two laughed all the way up the elevator. They were on their way to go see Kai. Even though he is sleeping he is still a priority one patient and they had to make sure that nothing was wrong with him. As they got to his room they heard people speaking from the inside. However, they recognized the voices. It was a doctor and a nurse who was sent to check up on Kai while they were off shift. Once they knew the situation the doctor walked in the room and said in his most arrogant voice ever, "Okay your work is done time for the A team to step in." The doctor and the nurse were now in the room. The doctor looked at the other two with a smug face but they didn''t react at all. That''s when he knew something was wrong. "Oh, nurse you are here. Thank you for giving me that injection. You were right I feel amazing." Kai said sitting upright and smiling, revealing all his teeth. The nurse and the doctor both looked at Kai in disbelief. What the heck was going on!? They couldn''t understand why he was awake. The doctor wondered maybe the nurse didn''t inject him like she had said but judging by her expression she had no idea what the cause was herself. The nurse and the doctor looked at their co-worker''s stupefied expressions. Then the doctor said, "Where you expecting him to be asleep?" Hearing those words their two bodies tensed up and they felt a strange metallic sensation pressing down on their necks, ''Oh no! Does she know?'' Then the doctor said, "I would understand if you did. He went through a number of tests after just waking up." The two exhaled a large amount of carbon dioxide over an extended period of time through their nostrils, ''Whew, seems they don''t know about us.'' The doctor and the nurse thought as the pressure they felt vanished. "Anyway, I guess it''s your time to take over here. Just before we go, you wouldn''t mind telling us why we found trace amounts of helavloxin in his blood? As you know this would only be found in the blood if someone injected excited Dihelathide into him. Usually, it''s untraceable but when it is shaken violently or when it is dropped. The particles inside become excited leaving behind helavloxin in the blood. It makes no difference at all and neither is it poisonous but it''s just not untraceable anymore. The amount we found in his blood correlating to the time it was in his system suggests that an amount of 19-23ml was injected into his blood. That is an amount that would knock out any normal body for two days. But why would someone want him asleep for two days? I don''t know maybe because if he was asleep at the end of the month they''d be paid a bonus¡­Unfortunately for them, they made one too many errors in their plan. You see 23ml of Dihelathide is enough to knock out an ordinary surpasser out for two days. But not one that already awakened let alone a third generation surpasser. They are particularly resilient. This mistake had to be the doing of a doctor¡­ Then there is the matter of the helavloxin in the blood. This mistake had to be made by a nurse. No doctor wouldn''t know what happens when you excite Dihelathide. Also, 30ml of Dihelathide was taken from the inventory and the reason given was incorrect. Normally nobody would verify since the reason given was common but this time it was warranted. It''s strange that 30ml disappeared and then magically19-23ml appears in this boy, very strange indeed. Lastly with all this information brought forward the staff is questioning the legitimacy of your statement when you said that the red light was a mistake and that the boy was sleeping soundly¡­ Now you don''t need to explain anything to me. You can explain that to my friends in blue. You guys can come in." As she said that two men in uniform came and handcuffed the nurse and doctor and began reading them their rights. It was at this moment that they realized they were the mice drawn to the cheese trapped in their own trap. They tried to squirm their way out of it as they felt the weight of their mistakes pressing down on their necks. As they were pushed out of the room the doctor shouted, "This is madness! You have no proof. I am going to sue you and this hospital! I want a lawyer." He screamed and shouted all the way down. Where he bumped into the Adler''s, they glared at the dirty doctor until he was gone. They were notified of what happened after the investigation took place. Once they were gone they walked to Kai''s room. That''s where they saw him sitting upright in bed and he was okay. They were relieved and then they asked the new doctor assigned to Kai about the results of his tests. The doctor first greeted the Adler''s then she apologized for her colleague''s actions after that she took out Kai''s file, "Well after running a full check-up we can say that there is nothing wrong with your son. However, we did find some strange changes in his body. For starters, his haemoglobin is able to carry five oxygen particles instead of four which is normal for surpassers. But the strangest change is his myelin sheath. You a doctor so you know it''s responsible for carrying nerve impulses. It insulates the nerves making sure messages aren''t lost. It also increases the speed of the nerve impulses. You see now in your son''s case his myelin sheath seems to be made from a different material than normal. After doing some tests we discovered that not only is it more durable but it also increases the speed at which nerve impulses are sent across the body. Practically doubling your son''s reaction speed. These changes are weird but they are by no means harmful only beneficial. A study has shown that lightning wielders are 40% more likely to develop a form of multiple sclerosis in their old age. However, in your son''s case, we think that even if he uses his abilities every day there is only about a 5% chance he will get it." Once the doctor had finished Kai''s parents thanked her earnestly and then she left. That''s when Zack Adler looked at Kai and said, "Let''s go home." 8. Equipment Once they arrived home Kai climbed out of the car and then looked to the left. It was his mother''s car and they were driving in his father''s car. He remembered when he drove in the driveway there was no car parked anywhere. As they entered their house through the entrance in the garage Kai asked his mother, "Mom, where is my car? Is it still at Drauton S Tertiary or did you sell it?" "Neither. It was just lying around gaining dust so we gave it to a friend to use until you came back." Kai emptied his lungs in relief, "Do you know when I can get it back?" She shook her head, "No I don''t. I''ll send him a message and ask." She touched her Genome watch and then she said," Send a message to John Jafter." Then she waited a bit, "Hi John, my son just woke up from a coma and he wants to know when he can get his car back. Reply as soon as you get this." Once she was done she looked at Kai, "He usually takes forever to reply. So if you need to go somewhere I''ll take you or you can use my car." As she said that her Genome watch made a notification sound. She looked at her watch and then saw that is was from John Jafter, "Hi Brianna, what are the odds? I''m actually just about to pick up my car from the repairs. So I''ll be at your place in about an hour or so. Someone just needs to drive me back to the repair shop so I can drive my car home." Hearing the news Kai celebrated, he was happy he was getting his car back today. That''s when his mom asked, "So will you take him back to the repairs?" Kai nodded his head, taking him was no problem, he was in no rush. "So where are you going?" Brianna Adler enquired. "I am going to GQ. Now that I am lightning wielder and a Beginner Rankles I need a Kickstarter. I also need a weapon. I have done weapon training but as you know I was training with a lot of weapons because I didn''t know which element I''d awaken. But now that I know I can choose as some weapons are better suited for different elements." "Wow, you just came out of the hospital and you already thinking of training. Don''t you want to relax just for one day at least?" Kai laughed, "I''d love to but my future won''t rest with me. Plus I have a sparring session with Mr Montreal''s daughter. What was her name again?" Then Kai searched in his contacts, "Aah, Lexi Montreal, I have a sparring session with her. I checked her PI and academic history and she is really good. She awoke at 16 and has been practising to use her powers ever since. Me on the other hand, I just awoke so I need every bit of time I can get to have a chance to beat her. She wants me to be her partner but ultimately it comes down to the sparring. She said she has never lost yet which is probably why she is still searching. Anyway, I don''t plan on losing not for anyone but for me. So I need every bit of time and practice I can get." "Okay, I see that makes sense. Then go train to your heart''s content." Then they left to go to their room. Now that Kai had nothing to do he decided to go watch The Royals for the time he had left. He watched as much as I could until he heard his car''s engine revving outside. That''s when he immediately turned the tv off and rushed to the intercom where he opened the gate. Then John Jafter drove his car inside until the end of the driveway. Kai opened the front door then walked down the stairs and then went to greet him. "Hi, I''m Kai Adler." He said extending his hand. John Jafter smiled at him and said, "I''m John Jafter. A friend of your moms, speaking of which, is she here?" Kai nodded his head, "Yeah, she is in her room with my dad. Should I call her?" "No, it''s okay. I need to go and pick up my car anyways. I''m assuming you are taking me?" "Yes, I will," Kai said as he opened his car door and sat in the driver seat. John Jafter followed shortly and sat in the passenger seat. Kai reversed the car to the gate then he hooted. After a minute the gate opened and they drove away. Kai drove John Jafter to the repairs then he left. After that Kai went to Jijito''s. He wanted to eat something before he went to GQ. He didn''t know how long it would take and he didn''t want to be hungry while choosing equipment. Once he got there he found a table and then he ordered a sirloin steak and salad. After eating his favourite meal he drove to GQ. GQ was so big that it could be called a mall there were building everywhere that are all connected by an enclosed bridge. Kai guessed that it was the different departments. GQ sold almost everything, they sold, homeware, sportswear, gardening equipment, even car parts and medicine in their pharmacy. Because of this, they were very busy so even with the multiple floors of parking Kai searched forever. Once he was settled, he walked to the receptionist''s office which he was led to by signs because he had no idea where to go. Once he got the reception he waited in line for 10 minutes. Luckily there were a lot of receptionists so the lines didn''t take forever. It was finally Kai''s turn, "Do you know where I can find the surpasser equipment specifically for a lightning wielder?" She looked at Kai, "What level are you?" "Beginner Rankles." "Take the first elevator on your left then go to floor 52." Kai thanked her then he walked to the left. There were elevators everywhere all taking you to different places. There were elevators up ahead to the right and even behind him. Kai walked to the first elevator to the left then he punched in number 52. The door was just about to close when he heard someone shout, "Keep it open please." Responding quickly Kai pressed the button to reopen the door. When he did a girl about the same age as him walked into the elevator. She looked at the number then she stood still on the other side of the elevator. Kai wanted to ask her if she knew what floor she was going to but he decided against it. As they went up Kai got a message from his mother, ''Kai you can use the credit card. You have a budget of 200000 guros. The hospital just refunded us all our money and paid us a settlement fee so we don''t sue them. Spoil yourself.'' Reading the message Kai exclaimed in excitement. He planned to use his savings of 10k to buy what he needed but now he had more than he could imagine. When the doors opened he walked forward and so did she. There was enough space for both of them so they both walked out the same time. That''s when Kai looked around. As he looked he saw there were multiple isles full of stuff he had never seen before. Kai was confused as to where to start but that''s when two employees came, a girl went to help the girl and a guy came to help Kai. Relieved that he had help, Kai asked, "Do you know where I can find the kickstarters?" The employee looked at Kai''s clothing, "Did you recently awake?" Kai nodded his head. "Okay, and are you planning on buying anything or just browsing." "I plan on buying." The employee smiled, "Okay come with me." Then he led Kai to a section that had clothes everywhere. Seeing that these were clothes and not kickstarters Kai furrowed his eyebrows, "This isn''t kickstarters." The employee nodded his head, "Yes, but you recently awoke so you won''t be able to control your abilities to the extent where it doesn''t damage your clothes. So I think you first need to buy surpasser clothes. Your clothes have a resistance too you know. As a Beginner, you want your resistance factor as low as possible so you can control as much electricity as you can muster. The clothes and shoes you are wearing were not designed for a lightning wielding surpasser. But these clothes were. We have a variety of styles so you don''t have to change yours." After hearing the guy speak he agreed with him. Noticing that Kai was complying the employee got down to business. He had been doing this job for over four years so he had an eye for certain things. The employee looked at Kai and guessed him to be 182-185cm. Kai was 183cm. Then he looked at Kai''s body type. Kai had an athletic build. He was medium sized with a toned body. He was supple yet firm. Agile yet boasted strength. After checking Kai''s body he moved to his facial features. He saw Kai had void black hair. His eyes were Kelly green with tinges of honey yellow. Kai had a v-triangle-shaped face with a strong and muscular jawline. Once he saw Kai''s features he knew exactly what would look good on him. So after putting on the clothes, Kai put five outfits into his shopping cart. Each outfit was different. He had the classic white ripped jeans a black and white print hoodie and black with white lines high tops. Then he had the standard urban wear, Semi-formal, formal and another urban outfit. The quality of the items were Good. After checking the bill Kai saw this alone costed 25K guros. Because the clothes had a purpose other than to wear just to look good they were a lot more expensive. A passer could buy the same outfit for 13860 guros. The difference between the quality of the clothes is the resistance factor of each item. Good items have a higher resistance to electricity than an Excellent item. There was also a durability and comfortability factor. Once Kai got that ready the employee directed Kai to another set of clothes. However, this time they were specifically battle-clothes. Techwear is what people wore as battle-clothes. Kai looked around for outfits until he found one that caught his attention. It was an all-black outfit. It had a lightweight techwear wraith hoodie, with a customizable pursuit tactical vest above it. Currently, the tactical vest only had an attachment apparatus for a bow at the back and two holsters in the front for a spear when it was in a portable state and his kickstarter. Kai could clip a bow on his back and then release it via fingerprint when he reached for it. He would add more features when he got more accessories. He also wore revo cyber joggers with a thigh dagger holster on his right leg. It came with a tactical belt and that is where he could store his arrows. His shoes were lightweight, waterproof, fireproof and of course, had a low resistance to electricity; they were GQ''s own presto mid utility shoes. The outfit came with a black cap with GQ written on in white and a grey and black tech guardian mask. Once he knew he wanted it, he put on the outfit. However, Kai didn''t equip the cap and mask as the cap reduces visibility and he had no need for a mask. Kai walked around to see if he felt free in the attire. After walking and running around there were a few kinks he would fix but even with that, it felt great.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! The employee saw that Kai was satisfied but not 100%, "Is there something wrong?" "Not really, It''s not perfect. I would make minor adjustments like being tighter and loser in certain areas but it''s still great and I''ll take it." The employee smiled, "I can change the dimension of the clothes for you if you want." "You can do that!?" "Sure." He said and took another outfit to a table. Once it was on the table a blue light scanned under and above it. Then a hologram appeared it had all the dimension of the outfit. The employee asked Kai what adjustments he wanted and so Kai told him. Then a white light flashed over the items and the adjustments were made. So Kai took off this outfit and put on the adjusted one. Again he walked around and ran in it and it was perfect, just how he wanted it. He was about to take it off when the employee told him to keep it on as he was about to test kickstarters. This outfit alone costed 10K guros. Seeing these ridiculous prices Kai wondered how someone from a less fortunate background would make anything of themselves if everything was so expensive. He wasn''t even buying the top quality clothes. Kai''s clothes were all Good quality. This made him wonder how much money his mother and father had to pay for Excellent and Epic grade pills. However, that was thoughts for another day as he had finally reached the kickstarters. Looking at the aisle Kai saw a whole range of kickstarters. There were Tasers, electrical rods anything that could shock you. But the one that stood out looked like a rectangular block. It was about 3-5cm thick. The way it worked was you held it in your one arm and then you squeezed it. Then the two sides would go inside the block causing an electrical charge. There were different sizes for different hands. Seeing Kai''s interest the employee took it off the shelf, "This one is good but it''s not the latest technology. The latest lightning kickstarter requires you to go into surgery. In surgery, they will implant a lightning generator rod into your spine. It''s very small so it won''t cause any mobility issues. Well, at least not for the first three weeks. After that, you will be good as new. How it works is that you don''t need to manually kickstart your powers every time you need to use them. You can use a voice command or even a thought command and the lightning rod will trigger allowing you to use your powers. This will give you an edge over many surpassers who don''t use it. Now I have to admit it''s quite expensive but the reviews are good so it''s worth it. Surgery will cost about 300K then a good lightning generator rod will cost 250K. So a total of 550K but what''s money when it''s for your future right." At first, Kai thought it sounded doable but he couldn''t be lame for three weeks as he needed to train. Not to mention the price was far above what he could afford. So he would have to make do with the kickstarter he had picked from the beginning. Seeing that Kai didn''t take to the sales pitch he decided to give up. Then he took Kai to a separate room. This was a testing room where weapons and kickstarters etc were tested. There was a red line that separated the two segments of the room. On one side the person testing does his tests. On the other side, the employee is safe from any harm. Once Kai was on the testing side he took the poor kickstarter he asked for and held it in his hands. Then he squeezed the two sides. Ba! The kickstarter sounded out as an electrical charge entered into Kai. However, despite being faint and weak the charge itself felt iffy. So he looked towards the employee, "Do you guys have the same type of kickstarter, same quality but just a different model." "We do." The guy said and walked to the wall of the testing room. He placed his keycard against the wall and then the wall became an interface. After scanning his retina, he typed into the search bar, "Poor kickstarters, Lightning" Then he pressed enter. Once he did a layer of the wall split in the middle going left and right. Inside were all the different models of kickstarters. The employee then handed Kai another model and put the other back. Then Kai pressed on the new kickstarter and felt the charge enter his body, this charge felt really fast. It cycled through his body quickly. But this was not the feeling he was looking for so he went to the next one. This one was a stronger charge. However, it travelled to slow for Kai''s liking. He kept testing charges until he found the perfect one. It was strong and fast. Well as strong and fast a charge as a Poor kickstarter could provide. Once Kai new what he wanted he asked for the employee for the exact same model just higher quality. The employee shook his head, "You seem like a nice guy so just a word of advice. That kickstarter was made from a company that was just created. It''s from World S Tech. I''m sure you have never heard of their company before... No one has so it''s unreliable. Rather go with the one you tested before. Bryan Tech created that device. It is by far the most popular and reliable." Kai remembered that charge. It felt very mediocre. Seeing how this guy was saying their brand was popular was probably the reason it never stuck out to Kai. Stagnation usually happens when you get to the top. Where, on the other hand, this no-name company had the best one by far. Their drive and zeal was evident in their workmanship maybe that is what attracted Kai to it. Still convinced he made the right decision, "No thanks. I''m sure this is the one I want." "Okay¡­ If you say so." He said then typed in the search bar, "All quality, World S Tech, kickstaters, Lightning." And the wall closed again. Then the sound of shifting was heard in the walls and after a minute the wall opened again and all the kickstaters were lined up in a row. The employee took the common kickstarter off the wall and said, "this one costs 2000 guros it''s much cheaper than the others because they are unknown." Then he handed it to Kai. Now holding the kickstarter in his hands he gripped the sides. Ba!Ba! The electricity coursed through his body. It felt exactly the same as last time just stronger. Having the electricity flow through his body was invigorating. Kai could feel the surge of power streaming through his body. He felt his strength increase drastically and his senses sharpen. He could smell the chemicals in his clothes, taste the meat in his mouth that he ate well over an hour ago. It was faint but if he concentrated, he could hear the lights in the room buzz. Kai could also feel a faint wind on his face. However, the most shocking was that he could swear the world slowed down. It was a very minute change in speed but it was there. Kai repeated this over and over until he was used to the Common kickstarter then he moved on to the Rare and then the Good and lastly the Excellent. The Excellent costed 20K. After Kai was happy he moved on to the spear. Kai had trained with this weapon extensively at Drauton and luckily for him, it was one of the weapons he was best at. After requesting the spear a whole row of different types were stacked on the wall. Some were designs he had never seen before. Some looked like a leaves others had extra hooks and blades, as well as others, looked more like a harpoon than a spear. But Kai just wanted the standard spear as that was the one he was most familiar with. At Drauton they trained with wooden weapons and only sometimes did they train with metallic ones. After finding the correct type of spear Kai asked to have all the different types of normal spears appear. Once he did the wall closed again and when it reopened the rack was stacked with what he requested. Kai took the first spear off the wall and held it in his hands. Then he stood in a fighting stance. He was currently practising the Improved Drauton Arts. Kai was no spear genius but he did realise the spear arts they taught at Drauton had a lot of unnecessary movements. So whenever Kai practised the spear at home he would try and cut out those redundancies and improve the movement. He did this with many other weapons so his mastery of one wasn''t too high. Kai jostled the spear around here and there but the weight distribution felt off so he decided against it. Then he went to the next one but Kai didn''t like this one either. Weapons designed for Beginners and Amateurs had embedded kickstarters in them too. And the electricity that was flowing out this one was not to his liking. Kai continued to sift through the riff-raff until he stumbled upon a familiar brand. This was none other than World S Tech. Holding the spear in his hands, ''Do not disappoint me.'' Kai stood in fighting stance and executed the 1-4th moves of the Improved Drauton Arts. While running through them the weight distribution of the spear felt perfect. The workmanship was flawless as it pierced and stabbed the air. Kai executed all his moves with a smile on his face. Happy with the way the spear felt Kai only had to test the embedded kickstarters capabilities. Pressing the button electricity flowed into Kai and it was a familiar feeling. It was the same electricity that his kickstarter produced. Seeing that it was perfect Kai asked if he could get the same model in Excellent... Kai held the Excellent model in his hand and it felt far better than the one before. From the grip to the weight distribution, everything felt perfect. Satisfied he added it to the shopping cart. It costed 70K. Then he shrunk the spear to 10cm and placed in the front holster of his tactical vest. There were two more items Kai wanted and he was holding one in his hands already. This was a bow and arrow. Kai loved archery and was particularly skilled at it even if compared to the students of Keshos and Strera. Kai already had a medium ranged weapon now he wanted a long-range weapon too. After falling in love with their equipment Kai didn''t waste any time and requested the World S Tech bow and arrows. Kai searched for a bow that had a high tension string because he was strong enough to pull it back. The bow was only high tension in terms of Beginners. The tension in bows made for Amateurs and up would make this string look like dough. Then he tested the embedded kickstarter and like always he was more than happy. After deciding, Kai added it to the shopping cart. The bow was Good quality and costed 40K. The arrows costed 500 guros each. They were Good quality too. Kai bought 20 of them for 10K. Lastly, Kai asked for the Word S Tech daggers. This was his best close range weapon. This weapon wasn''t particularly suited for lightning wielders but it didn''t hinder them either. After checking the charge of the kickstarter and how it felt in his hands Kai bought it for 20K. It was Good quality too. Finally, Kai was done, "That will be it for today. Thank you for your help." When Kai said thank you he earnestly meant it. Kai had been testing weapons for over 3 hours and a half hours. Yet not once did the employee show any anger or impatience instead had the how can I help you attitude. This pleased Kai greatly. At the checkout, the employee asked, "Debit or credit card." "Credit card," Kai replied and handed him a black card. "Do you have a code that you want to use for a discount?" Kai nodded his head, "SebastienAdler8745" The employee ran the code through the system, "Wow you know a high valued engineer at GQ Tech in Shiyca. Unfortunately, he no longer works here but you are in luck. His code will work for the last time." Once the code was accepted it showed a 25% decrease in price. Normally it was only 10% percent or 15% but because Kai''s brother was special his codes had a higher discount percentage. Kai looked at the total price before the discount and saw all the items costed 195K guros. However, after the discount of 25%, it only costed 146250 saving him 48750 guros. That was a stellar amount of money he had saved. He thanked his brother in his mind but was sad that he could no longer use his code. In the end, Kai added 2k more to the price and gave it to the employee as a tip. The employee thanked him earnestly as he was going to make a killer commission on the sale he just made plus he got a tip. Kai carried all his items on him and then navigated himself to his car. Then he reached for his back and grabbed the bow. The bow read his fingerprints and then ejected itself from the tactical vest. Kai then put the bow in the boot of his car. Driving home Kai couldn''t contain his excitement. He had been training and preparing for this for his whole life. The moment he awakens and he gets to use his powers. It was finally that time! 9. Flirting with fists Once Kai got home, he went upstairs to go train. This time he didn''t rig himself up as the equipment wouldn''t be able to withstand the external source of electricity. Standing in his combat gear, Kai took the kickstarter out of its holster and held it in his right hand. Then he squeezed it and the electricity flowed inside him. Currently, Kai was just letting the electricity pass through his body. But that was not how you used your powers. Once the electricity passed through your body it could be amplified and then redirected, in the form of a projectile, or you could coat yourself in lightning aura. Coating could be used offensively or defensively. However, because of Kai''s level the most he would be able to coat fully was a fist. Letting the electricity pass through him, Kai felt a warm sensation in his stomach area. It turned and turned as it cycled in a circular formation. As it did he felt it getting stronger and stronger. He continued to cycle the electricity in his body until he knew that it was the strongest charge he could currently handle. The nature of the lightning changed completely to when it came out of the kickstarter. Not only was it a lot stronger but Kai also felt he had a stronger bond with the lightning, it felt like it was his child. Like it was his creation, flowing naturally but rambunctiously. Now that Kai had stopped amassing the power, he felt bloated because the lightning just wanted to leave his body. Amateurs and Beginners could not store lightning inside them, they could only amplify it. If they did not use the lightning it would soon dissipate into nothingness. Kai slowly released the lightning from his stomach area relieving him from the oversaturated feeling. Slowly but surely more and more amplified lightning was coursing rampantly through his body. Now that he had successfully amplified the lightning he wanted to give it purpose. Kai began concentrating on his right fist. According to a video he had watched on how to coat lightning. You had to concentrate on the part of your body you wanted it to go to. Then you had to move all the lightning there and change its nature to that of an aura. After that, you coat the body part you wished to coat. The more you understood lightning and the more you practised coating the stronger the coating would be. The only thing Kai knew about natural lightning was that it was formed by an electrostatic build up between a positive and a negative charge. He knew that it had a stunning effect on living organisms. He knew it was extremely hot and that it had a piercing effect. He knew lightning was fast, hence the saying lightning quick. He knew that there were different forms of lightning like sheet lightning and forked lightning. As well as different colours of lightning ranging from red to white depending on the environment lightning occurred. However, knowing all this seemed to be of no use. Kai had tried over and over again but he was struggling to change the lightning to lightning aura. After much work, he would redirect the amplified lightning to his hand. Then he would try changing its nature but instead, the lightning would shoot out his body in an uncontrolled manner. It was like it didn''t want to do what he wanted and in return, it threw a tantrum. The same thing kept happening no matter how he tried until he finally realized the reason he was having such a hard time. It was because he didn''t have complete control over the amplified lightning. If he could gain control over the amplified lightning then changing it to lightning aura should be significantly easier. Now with a change of plan Kai pressed the kickstarter again and then he let the electricity course through his body. Then he pulled it all to his stomach area. After four cycles the lightning was ready. Now that Kai was used to this amount he realized he could create more lightning but that would make gaining control much harder so he kept it to the usual amount. After amplifying it Kai drew it from his stomach area and yet again he could feel it coursing through his body in a violent manner, very unrefined and majestic until he increased his concentration and focused on the lightning. Instead of thinking of the lightning as a tool or a power, Kai began thinking of it as a part of his body. When he received that revelation the rambunctious lightning slowly came under his control. However, it took multiple tries before he could control fully control the lightning. In fact, it took a full day. Kai continued to train like this and in a blink of an eye, the appointed time was tomorrow. ... "Well done! You are coming along nicely. Soon your body will be ready to go to rank 1." A man said. "Thanks dad, it feels good to finally reach this point, "As Lexi Montreal said that she received a message. She read the message aloud, "Tomorrow at the Training Centre. Spar court B4. Time 10 am." Her dad looked at her and detected no emotional change, "How are you feeling about tomorrow?" Lexi took a deep breath, "Well he is physically strong and he is confident and so am I. But if what you are really asking is if I''m excited, I am not." He pursed lips and nodded his head, "Okay, I would have thought you would be considering that this is the first one you have chosen yourself." "Even so, I have been through this 100''s of times and everyone fell short. I am not saying he will too but I''m not saying he won''t¡­But don''t worry I won''t underestimate him and I won''t hold back!" ..... "Spar court B4, it''s this one." Lexi Montreal said. "Good, we are 5 minutes early," Jacques Montreal said as they both walked into the building. Walking in they saw Kai standing in the ring with his arms folded. He was wearing his combat gear but without his tactical vest and weapons. He only wore his shoes, revo cyber joggers and his lightweight techwear wraith hoodie. Lexi was lightly equipped too. She had her kickstarter and was wearing a black tight fit lightweight windbreaker. On the one arm was a white G and a white Q on the other. She also wore black techwear ninja trousers and her GQ presto mid utility shoes. The ring was nothing fancy it was a white square painted on wood. The sides were 7m each. The interior of the place was made from wood, it looked very much like a dojo made from golden oak. However, the wood was a special type of wood, it was Tempe wood. Tempe wood requires a force of over 12000 kg''s to crack. There were wooden weapons of all sorts on racks by the walls. The floor had just been polished so the place had a sheen that made it look beautiful. Looking at Kai from the other side of the room, "Are you ready?" "I came here before you, I should be asking you that," Kai said with his arms folded. Looking at Lexi, Kai saw that she also came prepared and was wearing her combat gear. Then he looked to her right and saw her dad. He was the referee for this sparring session. As the former Duke of The Lightning Clan, he was more than qualified to do so.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Then Lexi and her dad walked up to Kai and they greeted each other via a handshake. "So let''s get this show on the road," Lexi said. "I''m ready," Kai said. Then the two made their way to the opposite sides of the ring. Then they closed the distance. They were now 3 meters apart in the middle of them was Jacques Montreal. "This is the rules of this match listen carefully. Failure to abide is an immediate loss. First, the use of weapons is permitted. Second, there are no immediate ring outs only if you out the marked area for more than 15 seconds. The way to win is by surrender or K.O. Of course, I don''t need to tell you this because the aim is to partner up but killing is forbidden. If any of you attempt it I will intervene. Lastly, have fun¡­ I will now commence the battle in 5, 4, 3¡­" As the countdown decreased their respiratory rate increased. Then the countdown reached 0. When it did Jacques Montreal removed himself from the ring and the two stood in their fighting stance. Nobody took a weapon and nobody took out their kickstarters. The two stared at each other intently looking for openings in their form as they circled around one another. Deep in focus, the two stared each other until Lexi saw a breach in the way Kai moved. When they circled each other they would often change directions. Going clockwise and then anti-clockwise. When that happened Kai would cross his one foot over the other and then go back to a crab-like walk, ''In that cross-overed state his defence should be a lot weaker as he won''t be able to move as he pleases. That will be the best time to attack.'' Lexi did wonder if it was a trap to get her to attack but it looked like a genuine flaw. She assumed a 70% flaw and 30% trap. Taking her chances she changed the direction from clockwise to anti. That''s when Kai crossed his leg. At that moment, she instantly closed the gap and came in fast and powerful to the torso. Seeing her attack so suddenly startled Kai but it wasn''t completely unexpected as this was a fight. Seeing the incoming fist Kai tried to move out its way when he realised he was crossed foot. Noticing that he couldn''t fully dodge the punch he untwisted his leg and then moved his body. So that the punch hit his six-pack instead of his solar plexus like it was intended to. Lexi was surprised by how fast he reacted to her surprise attack and how quickly he decided to opt for little damage over big. But even so, she had the opportunity to punch him as hard as she could so she did not hold back. She pulled her shoulder all the way back and then launched her fist forward. Feeling the material of Kai''s combat gear she drilled her fist even further forward. There was so much force in this punch that off balance Kai couldn''t handle it so he flew back a meter and half. Then he got up quickly not wincing at the throbbing pain he was feeling. But as he got up she was already right in front of him ready to swing again. However, he expected this and dodged to the left barely escaping as her fist skimmed his outfit. ''He has great instincts and good footwork but right now it feels like an unguided missile.'' Jacques Montreal thought shaking his head. "What do you say, Kai, don''t you want to increase your strength? We are currently fighting at 800 PI that''s not even half our strength." Laughing, "Definitely, I''ve just been waiting for you to catch up." "Says the guy who hasn''t even landed a hit on me," She teased. "You could hardly touch me when I was still unaware. How do you plan on doing that now that I am?" Kai said as they began circling each other again. The two stared each other down as they walked around one another. By now Kai had already fixed his flaw. However, since it was a flaw that was ingrained in him it was a conscious effort. While circling Kai felt his body was feeling really good today. As if this battle or mock battle was exactly what he needed to train. Kai continued to circle her and until he charged in at 1500 PI. The first strike was blocked with both hands but Lexi could feel the weight of the attack. Then Kai unleashed a barrage of quick jabs followed by heavy hits. Slowly she could feel her arms numbing which decreased her reaction rate. On the other hand, Kai punches were coming in faster and heavier. Block after block she guarded against the incoming storm. PA! PA! PA! The rain pattered against the roof. It seemed like the storm would never win until the water found a leak in the roof. Slowly but surely the water leaked into the interior. Kai kept jabbing, he had the upper hand right now and he was not going to let this momentum go. His attacks were getting stronger where her defence was getting weaker. Kai kept swinging and getting blocked until he noticed that his attack had no defence to speak of. It was wide open. Kai didn''t waste the opportunity and struck her just below her solar plexus as above was guarded. The force of the strike put her off balance. Kai didn''t let the opening go to waste so he closed the distance and then struck her on the lift rib followed by a right punch to the right rib. Then a front kick to create distance and repeat. Kai lifted his right leg lifting creating a 90-degree angle and then he launched his foot forward hitting her in the torso. The kick was powerful and so it knocked her off the ground. ''What are you doing!?'' Jacques Montreal was screaming in his mind. Despite how the situation looked Lexi had plenty fight in her eyes. She stood up and then she dusted herself off, "I admit you are stronger than I thought. But we are surpassers so let''s fight like surpassers. Use all 2400 of your PI." She said with her eyes beaming with excitement and took out her kickstarter. Then she let the electricity coarse inside her and then she amplified it. Kai did the same thing. With electricity running inside her she charged forward. Kai kept a firm eye on her, he saw her push her legs against the ground as she launched off. However, that was all he saw. In the next moment, she was gone. Surprised by what happened Kai opened his eyes wider trying to see where she went but he couldn''t see her at all until he felt an ominous presence behind him. He could not see it but he felt it. So Kai increased the speed of his nerve impulses and dodged the chop that was aimed for his neck by moving forward. Kai dodged the attack relying solely on battle instincts and footwork. Lexi Montreal chopped down with force until she realized her target had escaped and she was chopping air. She was surprised by what happened but she knew that was just instinct. She could tell by Kai''s face, he looked more surprised than her that he dodged it. "Why aren''t you increasing your PI? This is only 1600. That is just 400 over your graduations results. I see you slowly increasing it and I thought maybe you wanted to test my strength so I played along with your game. But now I see this about all the strength you can control properly. You can''t control 1700 PI of strength, can you? So you were hoping to defeat me before. And even if you didn''t, you hoped that if you kept fighting you would gradually be able to increase your PI. However, I''m done holding back." She said looking at Kai like a lioness a gazelle. "You barely escaped 1600 PI, let''s see how you handle 2000." She added dimming her eyes as she focused on Kai. Then she grabbed her kickstarter and again the lightning coursed through her body. Moments later underneath her shoes was glowing with a blue light. This was her lightning aura. Seeing her pull out all the stops Kai knew he had to be as defensive as possible. There were no games being played, it was all or nothing. However, he was at a disadvantage. She had speed that he could not deal with. He couldn''t rely on instinct alone there was no telling when it would be beaten. Going through a series of plans he realized there was nothing he could do. Her speed was too problematic until he came up with a plan. By means of probability, she seemed to like punching people in the celiac plexus. So Kai thought the instant she disappeared, he would coat his coeliac plexus with lightning aura for defence. Then when her attack fails, he would have her right in front of him. Then he would deal the finishing blow amidst her confusion and surprise. The plan wasn''t full proof but it was all he could think of. So with determination Kai started preparing the groundwork. Giving up was and had never been an option! 1-Solar, celiac, coeliac plexus is all one the different names for the same part of the body. It''s the region located in the abdomen. The solar is an essential part of the body''s nervous system, the solar plexus plays a large role in keeping our organs functioning smoothly and preparing the body to respond to stress. When hit it can make you feel as if all the wind in your body has been hit out. That''s because the diaphragm spasms, as a result, the person can''t breathe causing a lot of pain. 10. Instinct Lexi could see the determination in Kai''s eye. She could see that he had not given up and that he had a plan. However, she believed in her speed. With the lightning aura under her feet, she launched off with the aim to smack Kai with all she had in the solar plexus. The moment she disappeared from his sight Kai coated his solar plexus with lightning aura. Currently, he was in fighting stance. He had his right hand in front of his left ready to swing when her attack failed. '' Mid-dash, Lexi saw that Kai had coated his solar plexus and that was exactly the exposed area she was trying to attack. She smiled when she realised she had been read but she wasn''t going to stop. She was going to try and break through the defence. She couldn''t change the course of her attack now as a haphazard move would be her demise. Lexi was now right in front of Kai. Kai had his hands up so he wasn''t completely open. As such Kai''s right hand was touching her. When she felt his touch she released the lightning aura from her feet and then she coated her right fist. Lexi had been refining her coating arts for over two years now. Where Kai had only had a week so Lexi''s coating skills were far stronger than Kai''s. With her hand coated Lexi navigated her fist past his arms and then drilled it into his lightning aura. There was a slight resistance but in the end, she shattered it like a hammer glass. Now that the defensive aura was gone she could feel the fabric of his hoodie. She just needed one more push and she would hit his solar plexus and it would be her win. She continued to thrust her fist forward when she finally started putting pressure on his solar plexus. Kai was waiting for her to attack when all of a sudden she was right in front of him just as he had expected. But then something bizarre happened. When her body touched his right hand the whole world slowed down. Kai looked down and saw that her feet were no longer coated but her right hand was. Kai looked at her coated lightning and just from its appearance he could tell it was far superior to his. Her lightning aura was smooth, controlled and refined, unlike his mess. He had thought he had his under control but looking at hers he knew he had barely scratched the surface. Her lightning aura also had the piercing effect it was supposed to have so Kai knew that there was no way his flimsy defence could stand against it. Kai was seeing everything in slow motion so he saw how his lightning aura broke. He saw how she surgically cut through his shields with little effort. Now she could attack him full on unabated. As awesome as it was having everything slow down to such an extent. His body could not keep up with his brain''s processing speed. So even if he could see her attack, he could not dodge it. If anything this slowed down world only served to extend the shame of knowing you were going to lose. Kai tried to move his legs away to take a step back. He hoped he could dodge the attack or at least decrease the damage that would be dealt. But it was as if his foot was moving at 1mm a second and her fist at 3. It doesn''t take a genius to know that he would be punched before he could move far enough. When he saw how futile that plan was he tried to launch an attack of his own. He knew that this too was impossible but worth the try. He did have his right hand touching her body so what if he pushed back? Would he be able to stop her attack? This plan would come down to who pushed or who attacked first. Kai realised that he didn''t have his full hand on her body which he would need to get the maximum effect. So he moved his hand upwards. Even this action felt like it took forever. Kai looked down and saw she only needed one more push. Also, she had momentum where he still needed to start his push. Kai knew that there was no way he could win but he wasn''t going to give up. He would rather lose fighting than defending. It was at this moment that his whole hand was now on her body. Now he could begin the push. Starting to push Kai felt an unfamiliar soft sensation in his right hand. So he looked down and saw his right hand was on her right breast. He had 50% on her breast and 50% on her ribs. Seeing this development Kai began panicking. He was in this state where everything was super slow but he did not know whether she could feel his actions. If she could then Kai would look like a pervert that realized he was going to lose and decided to cop a feel for all time sake. He did not want to be accused of being a pervert. Then a new sensation welled up inside him. One he had never felt before. It felt like lightning incarnate as it welled up in his stomach area. Feeling this sensation and another Kai moved the lightning from his stomach to his right hand. Feeling the charge travel through his body was intoxicating. The world even slowed down further. Now it was so slow that it felt like time was standing still. But the lightning that welled inside him was travelling at normal speed. It was the only thing unaffected. Once it reached his right hand the charge exited his body and then the world returned to its faster yet slow pace. That''s when Kai noticed something strange. The piercing feeling he felt in his solar plexus moments ago had stopped. In fact, it looked like Lexi was slowly being pushed back. Slowly but surely, Kai felt less and less of her on his fingers until he felt nothing. When her body was removed from his hand the world returned to its normal speed. That''s when Kai saw her being flung back. It was as if inertia was being used as a force. As if the change in momentum was sending her back. Overcome by this force Lexi lost her grip on the ground and as she was cast into the air and sent back 15 meters. She would have gone further but she slammed into the wall and then fell to the ground. Her father glared at Kai and then ran to her side to help. However, Lexi slapped his hand away and stood up herself. She did not need his help. She was not a fickle girl; it would take a lot more than this to put her down. Then she looked at Kai and smiled. Her face was flushed with red as the adrenaline pumped through her veins. Her eyes shone with excitement but had hints of shame. Then she wiped off the blood from the corner of her mouth with her right thumb. Then she walked back into the ring rubbing her ribs with five seconds to spare. Her father knew she wasn''t going to back down so instead, he decided to encourage her, "You underestimated him. This could have been avoided." Lexi nodded her head then she returned focus to Kai but he wasn''t doing too well. It was clear that he was having a hard time standing. After the world returned to its normal speed a massive amount of fatigue came over Kai. He almost passed out because of it but he bit his lip to keep himself conscious. Half in the world half out, Kai stood up. He knew he was going to lose but he was not going to give up. If he was going to lose he would lose with pride. Lexi saw his determination and his pride and so she decided she would end it in a dignified way. She took a wooden spear from the rack then she charged. She then coated the tip with lightning aura. Then she dashed in and stopped the spear centimetres away from his face. When she stopped a gust of wind followed blowing Kai''s hair upwards. This cleared his face and she stared into his Kelly-green and honey-yellow eyes. "You lose." She said. Kai sunk his head and took a deep breath, "I guess so." Then he took a deep breath and stood up properly. He extended a hand to her, "Well done. You are really strong." He said as they shook hands. That''s when Jacques Montreal came and officially announced Lexi as the winner then he looked at Kai, "How did you do it?!" Kai furrowed his eyebrows, "Do what?" Jacques Montreal furrowed his eyebrows too, "Don''t play dumb with me. I''m talking about the repulsion arts." Kai furrowed his eyebrows even further, "Repulsion arts?" That''s when he finally realized, "I see you did not do it on purpose. It was probably instinct. Your body felt danger and so it instinctively repelled the source."The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. Intrigued Kai asked, "What is this repulsion art you speak of?" "The repulsion art is a high-level lightning art. There are many for instance lightning aura is a low-level art. Anybody can perform it. Then you get medium-level arts. One would be lightning hyperdrive. That is the state you were in when the world feels like it slowed down. It''s performed by boosting your CNS and PNS with lightning. But you used it to a degree far more than you could handle. That is why you almost passed out. Only the talented and the hardworking can perform this move. Lastly, you get high-level arts. That would be the repulsion arts. As the name implies you have the ability to repel certain things if it has a charge. If someone is positively charged by using a positive charge you can repel him. As well as negative with negative. The higher you climb in the ranks the stronger it gets. There are different kinds of high-level arts and this is one of the ones with the highest combat ability¡­ The current lightning King is the only one who is able to use this art. Just like you, he is a third generation surpasser. There are ways to defend it like wearing clothes with a neutral charge or by constantly changing your charge to neutral. But this in itself is a problem. Having to constantly change your charge means your attention is focused on that. The King isn''t just strong because of his repulsion art but he has a whole arsenal of other moves. If you are concentrating on one you already lost before the fight began. This is what makes it so powerful. It demands attention." That''s when Kai realised what he was talking about. It was that charge of lightning he felt when he was touching Lexi. He looked towards Lexi and she didn''t seem to be angry at him. So he knew she didn''t know what happened. Kai decided to keep his mouth shut. He would rather have them think he had godly instincts than someone who feared being called a pervert, "How did I use this repulsion art? I''m sure I used all my amplified lightning." "You did but you were also in contact with Lexi. As you know you need a kickstarter to use your abilities. However, some people are compatible and can use each other as a kickstarter. We don''t know much about the cause just that the two people need to have the same elemental gene. Also recently it was discovered that one person has to be naturally positively charged and another negative. When these two individuals come together they are able to use each other as a kickstarter. However, not all positively charged surpassers can kickstart negatively charged surpassers. Yet, all kickstart compatible surpassers have one person who is positive and another negative. That seems to be one rule we know for sure. So when you were in contact with Lexi, you were able to use the power. That is how she coated her hand with lightning aura after she coated her feet because she was in contact with you." "I discovered that we were kickstarter compatible when I touched you to give you my contact info. Being kickstarter compatible is one of my non-negotiables so I had to check if we were." Lexi added. Kai nodded his head, "So if there is repulsion is there attraction?" "Look kid I''m not your encyclopaedia. Your school should have taught you all of this but of course, they didn''t. Go to your local surpasser library you should find what you looking for on repulsion and attraction. It would be a sealed art if many people could perform it. But because it''s extremely rare anybody can read about it. But answering your question, attraction is possible. When attraction and repulsion are used together it becomes the pulsattra arts. Then it''s no longer a high-level art but one above. Like the fire clan has phoenix fire. They can instantly heal themselves from severe injuries. Currently, only the Queen can use that art. We too have a regeneration art called ''lightning regeneration'' where we send our cells into overdrive increasing the speed of mitosis. We then rebuild the body part that got destroyed. However, we can''t perform this move on others like the fire clan can without severe risks. The water clan has the blood arts and other clans have theirs." Lexi rolled her eyes at her father. In the end, he loved to show off his extensive knowledge of the world and Kai was the best listener. His eyes were wide open as he listened with excitement. He was so excited you could almost see his tail wag. Gaining a direct lesson from the former Duke was a blessing he did not take lightly. Then Jacques Montreal sighed, "At first I didn''t notice it but you have an immense amount of talent. But currently, you are fighting like a headless chicken relying solely on instincts. If you can polish that and all your flaws you will do well for yourself. I''m not saying you will be able to become King but I''m not saying you can''t. Go home and find yourself a good teacher and you can go far. I''m sorry things didn''t work out with my daughter. You did lose in the end so we will be going our separate ways." However, contrary to expectations Lexi shook her head, "I choose him." Then she looked at Kai, "I choose you." Both Kai and her dad were confused, "How so? I lost didn''t I?" Kai said contorting his face in confusion. "I never said you had to win to win. I said that nobody has ever beaten me AND nobody has ever passed. There is no correlation between the two." Kai nodded his head as that is what she said¡­ Jacques Montreal, on the other hand, was having a hard time understanding, "I don''t get it¡­ You have fought matches that were a lot closer than this but you decide to choose him. Yes, I did say he has talent but he needs training to erase the years of ingrained mistakes. That''s not a task any teacher can achieve and in the meantime won''t you be holding yourself back for him to catch up?" "That''s why I want you to teach him. Who better than you, the former Duke of The Lightning Clan. You could have gone even further up but you chose to heed your father''s call and became the successor of the company. If you train him individually and also train us to fight together, I believe we can make it." Lexi said with determination burning in her eyes. Jacques Montreal gave up when he saw her expression. When she got like that there was no changing her mind. So he sighed, "I guess that makes you part of the family." He said looking at Kai. "Will you explain the marriage thing?" Jacques asked Lexi. "No, you can." "Okay." Then he looked at Kai again, "This marriage is strictly business related. Teaming up with my daughter is going to create a lot of press. You are going to have to travel all around the world doing interviews. It won''t be all the time so don''t stress about it. Anyway, the problem is that you are from Drauton and as you know. Drauton requires a visa to travel to the other four countries where if you are born out of Drauton no visa is required. We can''t wait two weeks every time for your visa to clear. So if you marry my daughter you will be added to the family register. Then you can travel without a visa. She will be keeping my surname and adding yours at the end. Lexi-Montreal-Adler is how she''d be post-marriage. By keeping my surname she still has access to everything under her name. As her ''husband'' you have the same access." "You guys can discuss the nature of your relationship yourself. Whether you actually want to try being a married couple. Or where relationships other than the two of you are allowed. Of course, it will never develop further as you are already married. Or you can just be friends, it''s up to you. However, to keep up appearances you will be living together." Kai nodded his head, "I understand, however, I am going to be adding a change. I will not be using any of your money, I will take care of myself, and I will work part-time jobs or anything and fend for myself. Then after I am strong enough, I''ll rise in the ranks and one day I''ll even pay you back for the fees you had spent saving my life. I really appreciate that by the way. And I know I''m being prideful but sometimes it''s what a man has to do." Kai said with an unwavering spirit. Jacques Montreal sighed, "Look kid, I can understand what you must be feeling. Although you come from money it''s nothing compared us. I get that you want to defend your pride by making this statement. But how do you plan on taking care of my daughter without my money?" "I don''t need to. You said we can discuss the nature of our relationship. So if we are married friends then doesn''t that mean that I take care of me and she she. She still has access to all your funds so she will be okay." "I''m happy with these arrangements, " Lexi said. Then Kai turned to Lexi, "How certain are you that I am the correct partner?" Lexi looked him in the eyes, "100% and you?" Kai sighed when he heard her answer and then he pursed his lips, "60%... I have another selfish request¡­ Give me one month to search for another partner. You have been searching for 2 years and that''s why you are certain. Me on the other hand, this is my first time. I have no reference to compare it to hence my uncertainty. I discovered something in this fight and I want to confirm it. I know how stupid this must sound. Potentially throwing away training from your father or even walking away from someone as strong as you." Kai sighed, "Even so, I know if I don''t do this I''ll always be uncertain if I made the right choice¡­" Lexi pursed her lips then nodded her head reluctantly, "I understand and I would rather have you 100% present. So I''ll give you a month. Go confirm what you need to." Then she smiled. Kai emptied his lungs, "Thank you! Then I guess we are done here¡­" Kai said hesitantly. "I guess we are." She said pursing her lips and then she walked away with her father. Once they were out of the building, "So how about we set up some suitors for you when we get home to Strera?" Jacques Montreal said. "No need, he will be back." She said smiling confidently. 11. "Water works" After the sparring session with Lexi, Kai went to Jijito''s. He looked at his Genome watch and saw that it was 14:05, ''Why do I always do this to myself. I should just come later because apparently late is on time.'' Coming out of his thoughts he saw a waiter holding a touchpad in her hands, "Hi sir, do you know what you are going to order yet?" Kai shook his head, "I''m not eating alone so when they come we will order together." She bowed her head slightly and then she left to wait another table. When she was gone Kai sighed. He hated being the first one at any meetup but he also hated being late. It was a conundrum that he would face over and over again. His parents had raised him to always be on time so he couldn''t help it. As Kai was complaining a sassy girl walked in the restaurant. She was wearing a tight thigh short royal blue dress that sparkled. She had her black hair straightened out so it was hanging on her back. Seeing such a gorgeous girl everyone stopped what they were doing. They looked at the girl who was effortlessly swaying her hourglass figure like she was on the Royal Runway. The only thing that could be heard in the restaurant was her black heels touching the ground. Seeing that she had everyone''s attention she decided to put more sway in her hips than normal. If they were going to look it might as well be worth it. Some people were looking to admire her beauty others were more curious as to where she was going to sit. Was she going to sit alone or was she going to sit with someone else? She continued to walk down the path until she stopped in front of Kai that was standing ready to greet her. Everyone was confused when she stopped by Kai. Kai was handsome and they could see it. But one would say that Kai was underdressed. Where was his suit!? Kai wasn''t wearing anything fancy. In fact, he was wearing the new surpasser clothes he had bought a week ago. This was the white ripped jeans and the black with white print hoodie as well as the white and black high tops. His clothes aren''t bad it''s just not what you would wear to a date if your partner was wearing such lavish clothes. When Kai saw her he greeted her with a hug. Now everyone was convinced that he was the guy she was meeting up with. "What?! She is meeting up with him. I''ll admit he is handsome but look at what he is wearing!" "He is probably one of those rich guys and that is why she is going out her way to charm him." "Defs, girls don''t go out there way for anything." "That''s it! I''m going to get rich." Kai hugged her and then he wanted to let go but she didn''t want to. Instead, she closed the gap and hugged him even tighter. So Kai put his hands around her again until she let go. Then she rubbed away a tear from her left eye and looked at Kai, "I thought I had lost you..." When she said that all the lights went on. He wondered why she was acting so strange but now he knew. He knew there had to be something because he and Carmen Kizler never had a romantic relationship. Neither did he ever have feelings for her. They''d always been friends and just friends. This was the first time she had seen him awake from the coma. So of course, their reunion would be a bit emotional. Kai looked at her, "Here I am," Then he scanned her outfit, "Wow, Carmen you look amazing, I am flattered." She giggled and then removed a tear from her right eye and then punched him on his right arm, "Leave it to you to diffuse an emotional moment with humour. But actually, this is because I have a date after this. When you told me that you wanted to meet up, I had to move my date up by two hours. Anyway, where is Quinton?" "Oh wow, now I am really flattered." Then he laughed, "As for Quinton, I have no idea. He''ll be here soon though." As he said that Quinton walked into the restaurant but unlike Carmen, he was not strutting. He was walking very slowly and he was looking at the ground. Once he got to the gang he was greeted by Kai. Kai extended his right hand to him, "It''s been a long time." However, Quinton just kept looking down at the hand. He did not want to look up. His body language was showing that he was holding something back. Kai tapped Quinton on the chest to get his attention but that didn''t work either. Quinton didn''t want to look up. That''s when Kai sighed. After seeing Carmen he knew the reason Quinton was acting so strange. Also why Quinton couldn''t even look him in the face. Kai sighed again, "Look bro, I''m alive, I''m okay. In fact, I am better than okay. I am now two times stronger than I was when I graduated. Apparently, my body has evolved in a beneficial way after becoming a third generation surpasser. So you don''t need to feel guilty about anything. In fact, I should be the one thanking you. When I become King one day there is no doubt in my mind that your contribution would be one of the most crucial. Besides, you have actually swayed me a bit. Before all this, I used to think that being King was better than toast. Now I think that being King is equal to toast. Maybe even one day I''ll think that toast is better than being King." He said the last part laughing. Quinton couldn''t help but laugh too. While he was listening there were parts where he would chuckle involuntarily. But the second Kai used his weakness he couldn''t help but laugh. The two of them were laughing out loud ludicrously in the middle of the restaurant while a beautiful girl sat down. The way they were laughing looked like they just came up with a diabolical plan to pimp the girl. Despite the way they looked they continued to laugh hysterically and unperturbed. This was a bromantic moment they needed if they were going to move forward. After the laughter, Kai extended his right hand again, "Are we good?" Quinton looked up at Kai then looked down and slapped his hand away, "Get that out of here." Then he looked up and they hugged each other while tapping each other on the back with their hands. Once everything was settled they sat down. Kai and Carmen sat on one side of the table and Quinton on the other. They encountered a bit of awkward silence until Kai broke it, "So how is everything going in your lives. Anything new?" "Same old, same old," Carmen said unenthusiastically. Quinton furrowed his eyebrows while looking at Carmen, "You boring." Then he looked at Kai, "I actually have some exciting yet depressing news. So I recently awoke now I''m a Beginner Rankles like you." "Wow! Now you are finally at our level. First Carmen at age 17 then me and now you but why depressing this is great news!"The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. "Well, you see¡­ I went to the doctors to do a check up on me to see if anything was wrong with me. Because you know sometimes people awaken and things don''t exactly go their way. Anyway, I am at the doctor''s. Then the doctor starts explaining to me this concept that I''ve heard but also haven''t. The doctor was talking about how it''s impossible to see what element a person will awaken before they awaken. He says that scientists have attributed this too what the Zolma go through. As you know when the Zolma come to attack they usually have that black tar-like substance surrounding them. And before they shed that off you can''t tell what element they possess. And because we got our powers from the Zolma it wouldn''t be unbelievable to say that our power and the way our bodies work have certain similarities. That''s why we can''t tell the element before the awakening. "Anyway, when I got my results he told me that both my parent''s elemental genes are fire. When I heard that I told them there had to be some kind of mistake because I know for sure that my mom has the water gene. I mean I have seen her use her water abilities multiple times before. However, instead of double-checking their results they just looked at me sympathetically and then they left. For a while, I sat there on that hospital bed wondering why they looked at me like that. Until I realised it, my parents are lying to me. At first I was furious but in the end, I still haven''t confronted them about it. So they still don''t know that I know. As annoying as it is to know that you are adopted and they didn''t tell you or that your mom isn''t actually your biological mother but your dad is your biological father. At least, I got some good news out of it. My elemental make up is the strongest and not the weakest. As now I am a pure fire wielder since I have a fire-fire bond. I thought I''d either have a fire-water bond or a water-fire bond. These are both the weakest bonds of their clans. If I had a fire-water bond I would never be able to be King. Those two elements oppose each other creating the weakest of surpassers. Fire-fire being the strongest then fire-wind, fire-lightning, fire-earth and lastly fire-water. This isn''t 100% true but the results are true enough to plausible. Anyway, now that I am a pure fire wielder my dreams are obtainable. There is still a flame on the candle. So I don''t know if I am supposed to thank them or kill them in their sleep." Kai was flabbergasted as he heard the news. Carmen, on the other hand, was not as she had heard this news before. Shocked Kai said, "Heavy days¡­ Again congrats on the awakening, sucks it couldn''t be on better terms." "It''s all good man it happened well over a month ago," Quinton said while smiling unconvincingly, "So what about you? How did your spar session go with Lexi Montreal?" Kai sighed when he heard her name, "Well, we fought and it was actually really fun. I can tell she has put a lot of work into herself, and that she didn''t just get where she is from talent alone. Anyway, we fought and I lost¡­ Yeah, I''m still bummed about that. So after the dad announced that I lost, I thought that would be the end. However, it was not, apparently, she found something in me and because of that she chose me and wanted to partner up. I was surprised to hear that because I thought I had to win. But she cleared that up. Then they told me that me and her would be getting married too. Strictly business though. They say that by me partnering up with her will cause a lot of press and I can''t wait 2 weeks on a visa. We''d miss all the interviews. So if we get married then I''ll be added to their family registry and I won''t need a visa. Also because we are married I gain access to her wealth. But I shot them down. I told them that if we do get married I don''t want a cent from them. I told them that I''d fend for myself. Since as you know getting married to my parents is basically like saying I''m a big boy now. So I won''t be able to depend on them anymore. I''ll do part-time jobs and such to earn my living. I do have plans to make more money but it''s still too early. Anyway, in the end, I asked for a month to search for other partners. She has been searching for 2 years so when she met me she knew. I want the same certainty so that''s why I need to know if I''m certain about teaming up with her. And I''ll never know if I don''t try testing the waters with others. But out of all the main reason is that I discovered something while sparring with her so I need to confirm something about it." Nodding his head, "You did the right thing. You are 18 turning 19 in a month; you can''t be getting married so early. You have your whole life ahead of you. Besides I never knew the former Duke had a daughter. How does she look?" "I don''t know man. Look for yourself." "Okay," Then Quinton touched his Genome watch, "Search pictures of Lexi Montreal." That''s when a hologram appeared and multiple 3D waist up photos of her appeared in the hologram. Then he tapped on one image and a full body 3D image was seen. This was her when she graduated from Strera Academy. Quinton looked at the image thoroughly and then he swiped his hand and the hologram disappeared. After that he just sat in silence then he looked at Kai and shook his head. Then he looked down and sighed and then looked at Kai again and shook his head, "That is literally the most beautiful girl I have ever seen in my life¡­ Not only is she gorgeous but she has the B&B''s man! The Booty and the Boobs if I were you I''d stay over for Bed and then again for Breakfast. You know you could have just told me the goddess of Beauty descended from heaven and asked for your hand in marriage because that would be more believable! How could you say no?" "A bit off respect man, you are speaking about my possible wife¡­ Can beauty make you King?" "Ha-ha sorry but She beat you didn''t she so doesn''t that mean that she is plenty strong? Plus you get access to her wealth man. That means the best of equipment for you. That will only benefit your future. Seems like you hit the jackpot." "I''d never be respected that way. I''d always be seen as the leech. As a man, I have my pride so I won''t accept any of that. Besides this is my future, I always make decisions based on my instincts. They have yet to fail me so I know if I don''t confirm what needs to be confirmed I''ll never be fully happy with my decision. Even if everything is hunk dory I''ll always wonder if things could be different." "Aah okay man¡­ If you are a hundred percent certain that this is the reason and not because of pride then I agree with you." "Me too," Carmen said. "It''s not my pride," Kai said. "Good¡­ So what are you going to do now" Quinton asked. "Well now I am going to search for partners but I really don''t know how to go about that." Carmen removed some loose hair that was in her face and put it behind her right ear, "Well there is an app for it. You first need to go to your clan and get results certified by them once they have you upload it digitally to the app. After your results, you upload a few photos of yourself and add a bio. Once your profile is complete you can view other people''s profile and academic records. If you like it you swipe right and if you don''t you swipe left. When you and another person swipe right on each other you match and you can text each other. The app itself is free but if you want to match with more than 5 people a day you do need to make in-app purchases. Also if you want to know who swiped right on you-you have to buy that privilege too. It is an app in the end and they are created to make money." "So basically it''s a dating app?" "No it''s not you see here you don''t need to woo your partner. Your first message can be a location and a time and if they don''t show up they don''t." "Oh wow, thanks that''s a big help!" Carmen flicked some of her hair back and then smiled smugly, "Of course it is." That''s when the waiter came, "Have yall decided what yall want to drink and eat?" Still smiling Carmen said, "Water works for me." She had a date after this so she didn''t want anything. However, she did order a small bowl of fries, ''A few fries never hurt anybody.'' Kai and Quinton both ordered a nosfairy shake. Contrary to the name, it was a milkshake made for adults. Then Quinton ordered an aged huje steak with fries fried in duck fat and two sunny side up eggs. Kai decided on something different for once. Instead of his favourite meal, he ordered pasta. This was linguine with bits of different kinds of meat in. Then it was covered with a rich and creamy mushroom sauce. After that, they added some fresh herbs on the top. He also got a side of malveg cheese to put on if he wanted to. After eating they talked for a bit then they called for the bill. In the end, Quinton paid the bill. Kai and Carmen had stated their dissatisfaction over and over again but he was adamant. So they let him do it because if someone as parsimonious as him wanted to pay extra there had to be a good reason. Kai figured he probably did it as penance. Once the bill was paid they went their separate ways. Kai planned on going to the lightning clan. A place he would one day spend a lot of time in. 12. Twirled Spaghetti The lightning clan is located in Agritura, the capital city of Drauton. This is also the city where Kai lives. Driving to his destination, Kai used his Genome watch to call his mother. He asked her to send his academic history as well as his test results. The same results the doctors did on him when he came out a coma. His mother sent him what he needed so he went to the building. He had to park far away as most of the parking was reserved for the surpassers that stayed there as well as all the personnel. He had to park well over 500 meters away. It was at moments like this that Kai wished he could just take out his kickstarter and use his powers to run. However, he couldn''t because the civilian use of powers in public was illegal. You had to be certified by the government before you could. People like police, firefighters and such they were certified and the only ones who could use their powers in public. But even then it could only be used when in the line of duty. This law was only so strict in Drauton because the surpasser to passer rate was so low. In other countries, there were cities where surpassers were able to use their powers freely. Cities in other countries had areas where it was okay to use your powers and not in others. Normally within five hundred metres of a clan building the use of powers is permitted but in Drauton that wasn''t the case. You also had to obtain a permit to open a surpasser type shop that required people to use their powers. Schools had to have the same permit. The majority of all passers did not have a problem with surpassers but everyone running around in the streets using their powers would cause chaos. But of course, some surpassers would see this as an injustice. An obstruction of who they are. So there were resistance groups that wanted surpassers to be able to use their powers whenever and wherever they wanted. Similarly, there were passer groups that believed that surpassers came about when passers needed protecting. So they should do just that and protect. When there was no need to protect there was no need for their powers. Taking both accounts into consideration the World Government came up with the idea of creating ''surpasser zones'' where surpassers could use their powers freely. There surpassers are free to light a cigarette with the fire they created or even draw water from the air to quench a thirst. They could do anything as long as they didn''t destroy/manipulate public/private property or hurt/hinder other people etc. Most of the surpasser related businesses were located in surpasser zones. The World Government came up with this plan because more and more surpassers were defecting to the resistance groups. One of the resistance groups aims is to create a country of their own. They would move to a plot of land that is now marked as no man''s land. The dream is for all surpassers to move there. There they would create their own laws and establish a government that looks after their interests. Currently, most laws were created to suite passers with a few laws designed for surpassers. Even the World Government''s goal was ultimately to protect all passers. But if they created their country they would have nothing to worry about not even the Zolma. If the Zolma ever attacked they would be able to defend against them. As for what happens to the passers is none of their concern. Of course, the World Government couldn''t let that happen so they came up with laws that suited both parties. Despite the fickle yet tense tension the world continued to move. People still lived with smiles on their faces, some more oblivious than others. Kai walked into the skyscraper of a building. As he did the smell of detergents pervaded his nose. Looking at the white tiled floor he saw a slippery when wet sign. So Kai cautiously walked to the receptionist and told him that he wanted his results certified. First Kai had to show proof of address as well as he had to show them his ID card. After they knew who he was Kai sent his results to their email account. Once they received the results they certified it online. Now that was settled Kai went home, he had an eventful day. When he got home he lied down on his bed. It felt great to be able to relax as his body sunk into the mattress. Then he touched his Genome watch and a hologram interface popped up. He navigated it to the Genome store where he downloaded the app, ''Partner Up''. After downloading he created an account and uploaded his results. Then he added a few pictures of himself. One was him standing fully equipped in his combat gear. Another of him in his black and white surpasser suit. Lastly, he had one holding a Golden Retriever. The dog wasn''t even his but the internet said that it increased matches so he did it. After uploading his pictures he added a simple bio, "I want to be King if you think you have what it takes to be Queen Swipe right." Once his profile was complete Kai linked his credit card to the app and paid for the premium service. Five matches a day was not enough. He only had a month to see as many partners as he could. So he would use any boost at his disposal. Once his credit card was linked Kai signed in with his username and password. Then the swipe game began. Kai attentively looked at their academic history and PI. That was the only thing he cared about. He didn''t care if their hair was, black, ginger, auburn, blonde or if they were petite, well rounded or slim. The academic history told him how hardworking the person is. This is obviously important because they would need to train together. It would not do him well if his partner kept blowing him off because she is lazy. He needed someone motivated to the cause. Someone who genuinely thought they could be Queen but also had the credentials to back those claims. In this regard, Kai was a perfectionist. Kai scrolled through a series of names swiping right on a few and left on a lot. Because Kai had the premium service he could match with people outside the country too. Kai lied in bed swiping for hours until he had enough so he decided to go train again. If anything, today he learned that he had so much more training. He was proud of how far he came but he had the drive to go so much further. Kai decided that today he would focus solely on coating. After seeing Lexi''s lightning aura there was no denying he needed to practise a heck of a lot more. So with a kickstarter in his hand, Kai began practising. ----- At the Montreal''s Estate in Strera two families were having dinner in the dining room. It was night time so the golden chandelier above lit the room up giving it a serene feeling. In the dining room was as a long dark brown rectangular wooden table. This table was carved spectacularly as it had shapes and patterns on the end of the table. The table was covered with a white cloth that had the Montreal''s house crest on it. One family sat on the one side of the table and the other parallel to them. Alex Seemore twirled his fork in the spaghetti bolognese then he placed the twirled spaghetti onto his spoon and looked at Lexi, "So miss indecisive I see you still don''t have a partner. What, was the Drauton boy not up to your godly standards like the thousand others from across the world? " Then he put the twirled spaghetti in his mouth.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. Alex''s mother Sarah Seemore glared at him but he just shrugged it off and continued to chew his food. Lexi swallowed her food then she gracefully restocked her spoon with twirled spaghetti and then looked up, "On the contrary, I actually found somebody." Lexi wasn''t bothered by the name, ''miss indecisive''. It was a nickname she had gained because even after two years she hadn''t found a partner. Despite the suitors coming from prominent families in the lightning clan. Since they were from prominent families yet still fell short time and time again. People started saying she was the problem. They said that she did not know what she wanted hence the nickname. There was also a running joke that the god of lightning could descend from the sky in front of her. Yet she would still say he isn''t good enough. Staggered, Alex Seemore almost choked on his food. Then he cleared his throat trying to retain his nobility, "You did? When do we get to meet him?" "He wasn''t 100% sure if I was the right pick. So he asked for a month to confirm what he needed to." Again Alex was surprised, yet he wore an unbashful smile. For some reason, this was the best news he had heard all day. In a sense, it felt therapeutic as some lingering ire left him. However, Kathryn Scott his partner and girlfriend who was sitting next to him seemed to absorb the released anger. She squeezed his leg under the table then she shot a look at Lexi. She didn''t loath Lexi but she hated how she still had control over his emotions. To her, it was like she was sharing Alex''s heart. In the one room is where she lived. And next to hers was an empty room reserved for someone who didn''t want to be there. After Lexi ended their marriage due to Alex being the type of guy she couldn''t stand. Alex''s ego took a heavy hit because he believed his strength was the only problem. He believed it couldn''t be anything else but strength because in all the other departments he was perfect. Therefore Lexi had to be lying. He knew he was good looking because he had the most perfect golden hair, a manly yet effeminate face and piercing blue eyes. Also, all the other girls loved to be around him so how could his personality fall short? However, that is the danger of a confirmation bias. He never looked at all the facts. One is that his dad is one of the richest men in all of Strera. Another is the countless times his parents had to pay off families so they don''t go public or file a case against their son. Yet he believed that he was perfect so it had to be the strength. Because of these thoughts, deep down he believed that he would always be weak until they got back together. However, she had made it very clear to him that they were never getting back together. So he tried to move on and that''s when he found Kathryn. At first, they were just partners but as they got to know each other they became lovers. And the more Kathryn learned about Alex the more she learned about Lexi. So even though she didn''t like Lexi she was happy that she found someone. Maybe then Alex would move on, fully. Alex, on the other hand, was happy that she got ''rejected'' but angry that she found someone. Once the happiness left jealousy came in but he bottled it up. Then he kissed his girlfriend on the forehead, "I only care about you," He whispered sweet nothingness in her ear. Kathryn Scott blushed then returned to her composed self and finished her meal. Then he looked at Lexi and pursed his lips, "I''m sorry to hear that but it be like that sometimes you know." He sighed," Sometimes people don''t understand how perfect they''d be for each other..." Lexi almost cringed but in the end, she just nodded her head and then continued to eat her food. That''s when Jacques Montreal spoke to Alex''s mom and dad about business. After they had finished talking and everyone had eaten their fill the Seemores left via a helicopter. The Montreal''s waved them away with smiles on their faces. Once they were gone, Jacques Montreal sighed in relief, "I know it''s not pleasant but we need to maintain a friendly relationship with them." "It''s so fake though." "That''s business. Both of us can''t afford a war right now so when I invite them over for dinner or when they invite us, we go." Lexi nodded her head as she understood. Her dad would often tell her what was happening in his business. He was the CEO of the company, ''Element Production''. They mined a metal called ''Verasidra Q2''. This was the metal in its natural form. Then they combine it with another metal called ''Anoxin NH1'' to make Anosidra NHQ-3. The process of joining the two metals is done in 8 complex stages. Nonetheless, their method is two times faster than the rest of the world. Not only is the speed faster but the quality of the metal is purer. This is why they produce over 50% of the world''s demand for Anosidra NHQ-3. Anosidra NHQ-3 is a metal in high demand as it is the only metal up to date that can withstand the temperature needed to fire energy weapons. As such all energy weapons are made from Anosidra NHQ-3. There are other metals that can withstand the metal but they overheat way too quickly which is ineffective in battle. Anosidra NHQ-3 not only amplifies the energy created but it also insulates the heat. Because overheating is no longer an issue a lot of research has gone into creating weapons that can muster large amounts of energy and then be fired. These weapons are called G weapons. To date, a few G cannons and G snipers have been tested and put on the market. However, they only scratch the surface. A lot more energy can be created before Anosidra NHQ-3 reaches its melting point. The speed of how fast the energy is created and stored is currently the problem. It takes way too long to create a desirable amount of energy. The Zolma move quickly and are powerful so the energy accumulation rate needs to increase. Scientists all over the world are currently trying to beat this conundrum. One company is especially involved in this research. This is ''Bryan Tech'' the company the Seemore''s run. In order to test there their research, they are ordering large quantities of Anosidra NHQ-3. Their main supplier is "Element Production". Hence if the Montreal''s decide to stop selling them Anosidra NHQ-3 then they would effectively decrease the speed at which research could be done. However, the Montreal''s need the Seemore''s business. They are currently researching new ways to cut the production of Anosidra NHQ-3 in half. As well as researching new metals in hope of finding a stronger metal. This research is costing a fortune. The business the Seemore''s bring is one of the reasons they are able to fund their research team with whatever they need. The research team has produced some great results and believe they will have created a new element in 1-2 years. Bryan Tech is one of the biggest military grade weapon producers in the world. They design and create Helicopters, Fighter jets, energy and ballistic weapons. They produce drones, fighter and surveillance. They even have their own line of surpasser equipment but they mainly focus on the weapons passers use because it is the most lucrative. Surpassers don''t fear the Zolma because they can defend themselves however, passers fear the day they come back. Unlike passers, they don''t have the ability to one shot a Zolma or even run away from one. Chances are if you see one you are dead. Because of this fear passers are equipped to the teeth with energy weapons. When a stronger model of the gun they bought comes out they buy it immediately. Using this fear the Seemore''s have become extremely wealthy. Jacques held his daughter in his arm, "Things are going to change for us but you should probably go to sleep. Your training starts early tomorrow." So Lexi said goodnight and then went to her room and showered. Then she changed into her pyjamas and went to bed. ----- 13. The decision (1) For the past week and a half, Kai had been training day in and day out. His father had hired him a tutor from Keshos. Kai believed Jacques Montreal when he said that he had flaws in the way he moved. He had been essentially teaching himself how to fight. There was no way he knew the perfect way to fight. He was no seasoned warrior. In fact, he hasn''t even had the honour of facing a Zolma yet. His tutor Emily Frey was a Razak Rank 4 Lightning-Water 2nd Generation Surpasser. Lightning-Lightning being the strongest pair then Lightning-Water, Lightning-Earth, Lightning-Fire and last Lightning-Wind. She was 26 years old and had a petite and short frame, standing at 158cm. She had brunette hair and brown eyes. She also wore glasses and had a sweet voice. All these elements lead one to believe she is harmless. That she is an angel but in fact, she is the devil in disguise. At first, his tutor wasn''t too enthusiastic about training Kai. However, Kai''s parents not only paid for her plane ticket to Drauton but are also paying for her rent in her apartment plus the tutoring fee. Seeing how they were going through such lengths to hire her, she thought Kai was weak. She had been recruited by many other wealthy families and their children were lazy and expected results to fall from the sky. Despite having to teach such students, the pay was good. That was the same with Kai. She only agreed because the pay is good. However, as she saw his determination to improve and his immense talent her eyes sparkled. As if the image of Kai an uncut diamond was reflected on her eyes. She also noticed that they had a similar fighting style. This made her happy and sad. Immediately she started being more active in the way she taught him. Instead of giving him a set amount of exercises and then leaving, she would stay and watch over him. When he made a mistake she would hit him with a flat wooden spoon that had been coated with her lightning aura. "Kai you need to think¡­ Where is my enemy going to attack? How does my enemy plan to attack? If you don''t know you test. See how they respond to the way you move. When you punch do they duck, dodge, block or parry? But look deeper than that too. Do you see fear in their eyes when you have the upper hand or does it seem as if they are in control? This is how you search for traps. At first, looking for traps will land you in traps but as you get better you will be able to discern the fake from the real. Raw Instincts are great and I understand they have yet to fail you. But they are unpredictable. One day they are working well another day they don''t and on that day you get your partner killed. Do you want that? Fighting is as much intellectual as it is physical. I''m not saying throw away your instincts. On the contrary, I''m telling you to cultivate them. Let your body understand cause and reaction. So when you face a similar situation. Your body will instinctively know how to respond. One day your body will know how to instinctively counter-attack too. "Battles aren''t always won in a flashy manner. Sometimes the winner is decided on a simple matter. If people are of equal strength, possess the same intellect then instinct will determine the winner. Instinct that has been refined through experience." Kai nodded his head, he had to show he was listening otherwise she would whack him with the spoon. However, he was happy that his tutor was able to see his flaws. The only thing that they bumped heads with was his rank. Kai is currently still a Beginner Rankless. According to her, he should be consuming Zolma meat and ranking up as soon as possible so that he can get stronger. However, Kai didn''t want to yet. He still couldn''t control all the elemental power that this level provided. Not to mention, he still couldn''t use 2400 PI of his strength either. He felt ranking up would just make it harder to control. Here their two philosophies clashed as Kai had taken the Strera way of life. They prioritised control. She was a student of Keshos who prioritised strength and power above all. In the end, he decided to wait a month. He would make his decision after he made his decision. It was then that Kai''s watch sounded out for the umpteenth time. It had been notifying him all week when he matched with someone. Because Kai looks good on paper this happened more often than not. It didn''t bother Kai but his tutor had just about enough of it. "Can you put that thing on silent!" She said as if it was a question but really it was a command. Kai complied immediately otherwise she would bring out the wooden spoon. That spoon really hurt. The worst part was that she hit him so quickly and powerfully he couldn''t even dodge it. If he had a choice he would choose strenuous training over getting smacked in a heartbeat. Once it was on silent he began training again. The training was done at the Training Centre. They hired a room and trained in it every day. His day was split so that he could train different things. In the morning, Kai would do fitness and physical training. Afternoons, he would do weapon training and Close Quarters Combat training. And in the evening, in his own time, he would do extra coating training. After coating, he would log onto the app ''Partner up'' and then he would send a message to each person, "Location: Drauton, Agritura, Training Centre, Spar court C2. Date: 25th of June. Time: 10 am. Attire: Bring your combat clothes. Ps: I only had a month to find a partner so you won''t be the only girl there. If this doesn''t bother you I''d love to have you there?." This was copy and pasted to each person. Then he would get some well-deserved sleep. The cycle continued until the 24th of June. Now Kai had to get ready for tomorrow, the 25th of June. He didn''t know how many people would show up if any but he still needed to prepare. He had told his tutor the day before that there would be no training on the 24th. Today Kai had to print papers and do a lot of other admin related tasks so he couldn''t train. It would take him the whole day to finish everything and it did. However, he enjoyed trying to improve his lightning aura and didn''t really see that as training. Kai decided he would practise his lightning aura for two hours. Once he was done he exclaimed, "I have finally mastered that move! Just you wait." Then he stretched his arms out and then yawned. Then he closed his laptop and climbed in bed. Satisfied with how today went he closed his eyes and dozed off. The next morning Kai woke up at 6 am. He looked to the right and saw that his clock said, "June 25th". He took a deep breath as he came to terms that it really was that day. After getting out of bed he did a bit of physical training and then practised his coating till 7:10 am. Then he had breakfast with his parents. Kai missed this routine as it was the same one he used to have when he was still in school. But now that he was out of school his wake up time was later. So he wouldn''t see his parents in the morning only in the evening when they came back from work. After breakfast he said goodbye to them and then he went up to go shower. Then he dressed in his combat gear and got in his car and drove to his destination. Once he got there he parked his car and went to Spar Court C2. This spar court was a lot bigger than the one he and Lexi fought in. He needed a bigger place to accommodate the people that were coming. He didn''t think everyone would show up but even still he matched with over 1000 people. He had to keep reminding himself it was not a dating app. So there was nothing wrong with having them all gather in one place. Kai walked to the building''s door and then opened it. It was still pitch black inside until he switched the lights on. Immediately, he could see the place. It was huge; it looked like a volleyball gymnasium without the nets. There was more than one sparing ring. In fact, there were 8; this place was used for competitions. After looking around he walked to the tables he had requested they set up for him. They were on the other side of the court close to the wall. There were four tables in total lined up next to each other. Then he took his black school bag off his shoulders and put it on one of the tables. He zipped it open and took out a file that was filled with A4 papers. He flipped through the flip file and took out four pieces of paper. These papers each had a letter a hyphen and another letter printed on in bold. A-E, F-J, K-O, P-T, U-Z. He pasted the papers against the wall in line with the chair of that table. But also slightly above where he thought a head would be. So that people could see it.Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original. Then he took out more papers that had columns with names and surnames on. He placed them on their respective tables. Then he placed a black pen on each table. After that, he heard his name being called from outside. So Kai got up and walked outside. Looking outside he saw a few familiar faces and more unfamiliar ones. "Ay, there is the big shot live in the flesh." Quinton Electra said looking at Kai who was standing under the bridge of the door. Kai just laughed then he greeted Quinton and Carmen as well as the seven other people Carmen had brought with her. Kai had asked for their help today because he couldn''t do it alone. That''s when Carmen said she could bring extra hands and Kai didn''t object. Quinton and the other male Carmen had brought with her where the bodyguards. Their job was to make sure that there were no mishaps. That if the spar court was full they would be able to control the people waiting outside keeping them in a line until their turn. Then there was another security detail inside the spar court. This was two females. They were there to make sure that nobody inside was being unruly. He didn''t think he would need them. However, the absence of security is more likely to bring trouble. The four other extra hands were to man the tables that were set out. Carmen''s job was to oversee everything and make sure everyone was doing their jobs properly. Once Kai had explained to everyone what they were going to do they dispersed. Quinton stayed outside with his fellow bodyguard and everyone else went inside to their positions. After a while, they heard arguing outside. Carmen could tell that the one person arguing was definitely Quinton but she couldn''t tell who the other voice was. Quinton was standing at his post when he saw a girl walking to them, "It can''t be right. We only start at 10:00 am it is 8:30. So she will probably turn off somewhere, right?" The other guy just lifted his shoulders as he didn''t know. But that wasn''t the case, this girl continued to walk and he could see that she had made this spar court her destination. At first, he mulled over how he was going to tell her to wait. No one was allowed in until 9 am and it was 8:30. However, this girl looked like she came from a land of candy floss and rainbows so as long as he was nice she would listen. He imagined he would bring out his charming smile and then tell her she can''t come in yet and then she would patiently wait. Then they would have a lovely conversation until she went in. But life doesn''t always work the way we want it to. When she was close enough, Quinton told her, "I''m sorry but you can''t go in yet. It starts at 10 but you can only enter at 9." He said then simpered. This was one of the reasons he wanted to be a bodyguard. Outside he got first pick at a buffet of girls. He stood upright with his hands folded oozing as much testosterone as he could. The girl smiled back at him, "Don''t worry about it. I''m here for Kai so you can let me in." Quinton furrowed his eyebrows ''Maybe she didn''t hear me properly. Yes, that must be it.'' He returned to his jovial demeanour and tried again "It only starts at 10. But you need to wait till 9. When it''s 9 I''ll be more than willing to let you in." He said with a beguiling smile. Immune to his wiles she stopped smiling, "I get that but I am here for Kai. So just let me in." She said in a tone conveying slight annoyance. Quinton wore a puzzled expression, ''Is she dumb? Isn''t everyone coming here for Kai?" Then he smiled again this time less charming more I''m not interested anymore, "So is everyone else coming but you can only see him at 9. The selection program starts at 10." The girl nodded her head which made Quinton feel at ease, ''Finally, she understands.'' However that wasn''t the case¡­ As if she hadn''t listened to a thing he said, "Don''t worry about me¡­ I''m here for Kai so you can let me in." She said trying her hardest to be nice. A nerve twitched on Kai''s forehead. That''s when his partner stepped in, "I get you, you want to see Kai. But we as bodyguards have been instructed to only let people in at 9. Since it''s not 9 yet, please wait." He said in a hoarse but friendly tone. Seeing his fellow bodyguard take over Quinton regained some of his composure. The girl, however, was not happy. She had just been denied entrance for the fourth time, "Look you brats! I''m here for Kai, he asked me if I could come and here I am!" Quinton lost it when she called him a brat. Quinton was 181cm and she was only 158cm but she had the audacity to call him a brat, "Look you short sh** I''m just doing my job. So either you can wait or you can leave!" He said in fury. She looked at him dead in the soul, "Or I can just go through you." She smirked mischievously. Quinton looked down at her superciliously and unfolded his arms, "I''d like to see you try." Kai heard all the commotion going outside but there was a voice he recognised other than Quinton''s. So he went to go see what all the commotion was about. As soon as he stepped outside he saw a familiar face. He saw a face of a wolf in sheeps clothing. "Oh Emily, you are here! I didn''t think you would come." Then he looked at Quinton, "Quinton this is my tutor, Emily Frey. She is a Razak Rank 4, Lightning-Water 2nd Generation Surpasser. "Then he looked at Emily Frey again, "It''s my fault, I didn''t tell them you were coming. Honestly, I didn''t think you would come since this has nothing to do with training."'' Emily Frey harrumphed, "Of course I''d be here. Choosing a partner is very important. I''m here to make sure you choose correctly." She said then walked past Quinton purposefully bumping into him. Quinton however never said a word. When he heard what her rank was a cold child (1) ran down his spine. With his eyes still bulged he thanked Kai earnestly for coming out before he got his ass kicked by a girl almost a whole foot shorter than him. After Quinton thanked him, Kai went inside. Then he introduced Emily Frey to the rest of the people inside. Then everyone went back to their positions and made sure everything was perfect on their side. When they were done it was perfectly 9 am so Quinton and co let the people who were waiting outside in. 100 girls of different shapes and sizes as well as different walks of life came in. They were told what was going to happen outside already so they just waited in the open space and talked amongst themselves. As the time drew closer to 10 am, more and more girls streamed in. From 100 to 200 then 400, they were currently at 750. So Kai told Carmen to tell Quinton that he should stop letting people in. They should wait outside and then he will let them in as soon as others had cleared out. When she left, Kai stood up from his chair and then addressed the group of girls. They were standing in a square formation, "Hello and thank you all for coming. I am Kai Adler as I am sure you all know. Now you all must be wondering what you are going to do. But first I need you to check yourself in. You see these tables." Kai pointed to the tables behind him, "That''s where you will sign in. If your surname is within A-E then go to the table with the A-E paper above it. If it''s within F-J you go to the table with the F-J paper above. Of course the same applies to the rest of the alphabet... On the paper is a box that says ''check in,'' draw a tick there. Please don''t do not draw a tick in the other boxes yet." After listening each row went to their respective table and signed in. Once they were signed in they filed in again but at the back of the formation until the people who started were in the front again. Once they were done Kai came to the front again, "Now that everyone has signed in we will commence with the program¡­ This is a selection program. I am looking for a partner to team up with as are you that''s why you are here. However, there is only one of me and 100''s of you. So in the end, only one person will be chosen. I also hold the right to choose no one, bare that in mind¡­ How I choose will be done in different stages. If you pass the stage you stay and if you don''t, you unfortunately have to leave. If you happen to be one of those who leave, I just want to thank you for coming all the way for a lowly me." He said bowing his head slightly, "Anyway, the first stage is a compatibility test. If we are kickstart compatible then you pass. And if we are not then, unfortunately, we are not compatible and you have to go." That''s when Kai saw a hand in the crowd, "Yes, you there. Do you have a question?" A slim brunette girl with a smoky voice replied. As she did the group parted from her so Kai could see her, "Yes, actually. Why do we have to be kickstart compatible? According to statistics, there is a less than a 35% chance to be kickstart compatible with someone. Once test 1 is done more than half of us will be gone without even getting a chance to show our worth." Most of the girls nodded their heads as they agreed, "Like what does it matter if we are not kickstart compatible? Strength should be the determiner. For instance, if we happen to be incompatible, I could still kick all these girls asses. So then you are basically losing your strongest warrior. In battle, strength is what matters. That''s why I came because your PI shows strength. So can you please explain so I can understand?" 1- I know it''s a cold ''chill'' ran down his spine not ''child''. But I accidentally wrote child and when I was proofreading I saw the mistake and I laughed. So I decided to keep the mistake. Think of it as a malapropism. 14. The decision (2) Kai nodded his head and was about to reply when someone else started talking. Kai looked at the girl who was talking. She had blonde hair and hazel brown eyes. She spoke in a very elegant way. Looking closer, he saw that everything about her exuded countenance and grace, ''Clearly from a prominent family.'' "I will answer this question for you. " The group parted from her too so the two could see each other, "Strength is important, you are right. But it''s also very Keshos of you to say that it is the most important. For a Beginner and an Amateur, the only way we can use our powers is with a kickstarter. What happens if you are fighting a Zolma and your kickstarter plus weapons breaks? Or maybe you lose them during a fight and the only way to get them back is by beating the Zolma in front of you. How do you fight? But if you are kickstart compatible you can use each other. This is an extreme example, I know but I''d feel safer in battle knowing I have a failsafe." "This is one reason but the most important one I''d say is having the ability to amplify your lightning by two. When two people are kickstart compatible, one person is naturally negative and the other is naturally positive. When the negative and positive charge meet they neutralize each other and combine into one creating a stronger neutral charge. That charge can then be used individually or together. In order to do this takes a lot of practice. It takes constant experimentation with charges of different positivity and negativity to create a neutral charge. The charge needs to be neutral because it is the easiest to manipulate for the both of them. Although they can use positive and negative charges they are inherently better at controlling their natural charge. So if the combined charge is even slightly negative or positive one of the two won''t be able to control it and the move will fail." "Despite the difficulty of the move having that option is a huge plus. Haven''t you seen the surpasser competitions? Everyone in the top 20 is kickstart compatible. For as you rank up you can control more of your elemental power and then that same power is being doubled. It''s too good to give up! We are aiming to be King and Queen. The path is not easy as there can only be one King and one Queen. The future King and Queen might not even come from this building or even this country. Knowing the difficulty of the task at hand why would you not want the best partner? It''s not being selfish it''s being reasonable. So yes being kickstart compatible is definitely necessary." Kai was stunned but he didn''t show it. Instead, he smiled at the blonde girl as if she had said what he would have said. Kai could answer the question, he knew the two reasons why being kickstart compatible is important but not in such detail. It was a great lesson for him too. But in the end, her explanation left him with more questions than answers, ''If everyone can manipulate negative and positive charges why are repulsion and attraction arts rare? Seems to me that all you need to do is put negative with negative and boom you get repulsion. But clearly, that is not all there is to it. I really need to go see a surpasser library. The online articles don''t explain in depth enough.'' After hearing the news the girl was satisfied with the answer so everyone returned to a square formation. Once they did Kai cleared his throat, "Okay so now that everyone is on board with the compatibility test please form a single line. Then one by one you come to the front and hold my hand. If we are compatible then go to the table and draw a tick next to the box you drew to sign in. Once you did all that find a place to wait for further instructions. Please don''t huddle near high traffic areas. So stay away from the entrance. Thank you." All the girls formed a single line. It looked like a ''U'' then one by one the girls nervously walked forward. They hated how this part was out of their control and ultimately came down to luck. Strength had no bearing so it didn''t matter if you graduated first in your class¡­ Each girl would stand in front of Kai. Then he would extend his hand as if they were going to shake hands. Once their hands were together they would both try and use their powers. If they could use their powers they were kickstart compatible and that means they passed. If not they failed¡­ One by one, girls stayed and left. The girls that stayed were beaming. While the ones that left felt thwarted and bitter . There were far more people that failed than passed. Because of that, the thought of cheating flowed in the minds of some. However, in the end, no one did as they were all serious about becoming Queen. After everything was settled of the 642 only 193 were left. After test 1 was done, Kai told them to wait outside. Then the girls that were outside waiting came inside the building. He explained to them what they should do so they signed themselves in. Then he told them that there was a compatibility test. Once that was done of the 623 girls only 181 remained. Then the girls outside came inside making a total of 374 out of 1265 that passed test 1. The girls then stood in a square formation and Kai came to the front with Emily Frey, "Since everyone here is kickstart compatible with me let''s begin stage 2. Just like stage one, your combat prowess isn''t being tested however, it can determine a pass or fail. After the admin go through the list of names to see who is still here; you will be matched with someone and you two will spar. We will read your name and the person you are sparring with. Once your name is read enter one of the 8 rings or the one that is empty. What we are testing is your fighting style. Your fighting style does not need to be the same as mine. It doesn''t even need to be similar; however, it must be compatible. We can''t be stepping on each other''s toes the whole time. My tutor, Emily Frey will be in charge of this test¡­" He said and pointed to Emily, "She is a Razak Rank 4 Lightning-Water 2nd Generation Surpasser. She knows my fighting style well and will be watching you fight. If she thinks you are compatible she will call your ring and number. "Each ring is marked with a number from 1-8. If you are fighting in ring 1 but you start on the left, you are ring 1, 1 if you are on the right you are ring 1, 2. The same with any ring, so ring 4 will have a ring 4, 1 and a ring 4, 2. If she shouts your ring and number stop the fight and let the next two spar. If you don''t hear your ring and number then kindly find your way to the exit. Since we are testing compatibility two people can fail at the same time. In a case like that, she will just say, ''ring 5'' if there is no number attached both of you were seen as incompatible." "Two people can pass too, in that case, she will say, ''Ring 3, 1 and Ring 3, 2''. Another thing to remember, beating your opponent doesn''t mean you will pass. However, losing miserably is an immediate fail. And don''t worry about her not being able to see you fight. She will be using lightning hyperdrive so she will be able to view all 8 fights at the same time. Since our level of fighting is far below hers¡­ Once you pass this round remember to tick in the next empty box. If you have any questions please fire away. " But nobody had any questions, "Alright then let''s get the show on the road." Once the list was set up 16 names were called out and they went to spar. Since Emily Frey is at Razak level she can generate lightning by herself without the use of a kickstarter. So with electricity flowing through her she watched the girls spar with hawk-like eyes. She was merciless in the way she judged. If she thought you were even slightly incompatible she would send you home. Time after time, Emily Frey would call out, "Ring 4¡­ Ring 1¡­ Ring 7¡­" Once she did two people would be seen making their way to the exit. There was only one time where two individuals of the same ring passed. The rest of the people passed in singles. After everyone had sparred with someone, Emily Frey returned to Kai''s side. Kai was now standing and looking at the girls who were left. Of the 374 only 147 were left. Kai quizzically looked at Emily Frey, ''Maybe she was too brutal in the way she assessed,'' However, she just looked at him innocently as if she did nothing wrong. Kai sighed, ''I guess she knows best though.'' Then he looked at the girls in front of him, "This is the last part. Now we will finally be testing strength." He said while looking at the brunette and the blonde from before, "But instead of facing each other you will be facing me. Each of you will get a chance to spar with me. Then I will decide if you pass or not. If you pass then we will continue tomorrow again. Tomorrow a winner might be crowned. Remember to tick the box if you passed." Once they understood, Kai walked into a ring while stretching his arms. Then he looked at the girls around him, "Who wants to go first?" So a girl walked into the ring while the rest formed a line so that once she was done the next was already decided. Kai had been vigorously training with his tutor for almost a month so he could now use 2200 of his PI. He only had 200 PI left until he could fight at full power. He still had ways to go in terms of how much elemental power he could muster but he wasn''t afraid of effort... One after one, Kai fought them and won. However, he is not god and did rest in between. His break time took an accumulative amount of one hour. Because of that, this part took four hours. Once he had fought every one of the 147, 50 remained. By now it was already 6 pm so he said goodbye to the girls and told them to be here at 10 am tomorrow morning. Then he thanked Carmen and Co for helping him today. He also promised to stick them all for a burger and fries for their help. Once almost everyone was gone he wanted to go home too. He had an exhausting day. Although it wasn''t as strenuous as his training with Emily Frey; it took its toll in areas that weren''t as trained. Telling people they aren''t good enough isn''t easy¡­This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Kai picked up all the litter that was lying around in the spar court. Then he put all the items that people forgot in his bag. He would bring them tomorrow and return them to their rightful owner. Then he took all the papers off the walls as well as the ones on the table. He crumbled the ones that were on the wall and put the ones that were on the table in his bag. He left the tables as is; the personnel would take that away. Kai looked at the spar court and saw everything was clean. Now he could finally go home. It was 6:30 and it was just him and Emily Frey in the spar court. Since Emily Frey originally came from Keshos, she didn''t have a car, neither did she want to rent one. She took a taxi to get here in the morning and once they were done training, Kai would take her home. Kai put his black school bag on his back and looked at Emily Frey, "I''m ready, let''s go." She lifted one eyebrow, "Where do you think you are going? You didn''t train yesterday and now you want to skip today too. No ways. Training starts now." Kai almost collapsed when he heard her. He was mentally fatigued and she still wanted him to train. Kai had tried to argue even though he feared the spoon. But she didn''t care, "You are mentally fatigued not physically. So you are still capable of training." In the end, he gave up and complied. There was no winning this argument. So he asked, "What do you want me to do?" She smirked devilishly, "I want you to spar with me." Kai closed his eyes and put his right hand on his forehead. This was literally the one thing he did not want to hear. Kai hated getting hit by the spoon but sparing with Emily Frey was the same as getting multiple beating by a spoon. Emily Frey would always coat her hand with lightning and then whack him around. It was hurtful in more than one way. She liked to call this ''pride training''. Kai had pride and that was a good thing. It''s because of his pride that he was able to keep training despite not seeing results. It was because of his pride that he is able to train his body until he can''t walk. It''s because of pride that he has so much resolve. However, too much of anything is bad, even a good thing. So she did this to show him how small he actually is. She praised him when he did well but also showed him that there is so much more. Kai knew this but he still hated ''pride training''. She liked to say it was for him but he knew she loved whacking him. It was especially fun for her when Kai thought he had a chance then she would pull some never seen before move and catch him off guard. This was also one of the reasons Kai could bear the humiliation. Because she exposed him to different things. Things that if performed by someone of his level he would now be able to see coming. Kai ran through the benefits of sparring with her trying to psyche himself up. Once he was ready he stood in the ring. She was already waiting for him. Kai took a deep breath and then focused every ounce of mental power on her. There was no slipping when it came to her. Let your mind wander for even a split second and she would whack you to oblivion. Emily Frey took off her magenta rubber bangle and then showed it to Kai. She was going to throw it in the air and once it hit the ground the match would begin. Kai took out his kickstarter; he still had his eyes focused on her. He didn''t need to look at the bangle. He would hear it when it landed on the ground. Kai pressed his kickstarter and started amplifying the lightning inside him. Previously he could only control four cycles. He could now control 16 and this was not the limit. His speed of amplification had drastically increased too. Kai was planning on going all out from the start. There was no room for mercy with her. He was not going to let her warm up. It was full on from the get-go. Emily Frey looked at Kai and saw he was ready to go so she threw the bangle in the air. Up it went until its velocity reached 0 then it came back down and hit the ground commencing the battle. Immediately Kai charged in, he was revved up to the brim with power. Kai punched towards her angelic face with no hesitation. However, with her hands behind her back, she casually moved her neck avoiding the punch. Kai followed the punch with a right hook, ''If she tries to dodge the same way as last time she will get hit,'' he thought smirking. Emily Frey saw the hook coming and then smiled and took a step back. Dodging the punch by a millimetre. Had Kai not known of her personality he would have thought that her barely dodging it was her on the ropes. However, he knew it was a trap. One that would lead to great humiliation should he choose to pursue it. Kai took his kickstarter and let electricity flow inside him. He still had but he needed more. If she was going to let him charge up then that was on her. Kai continued to cycle up to 16 then off he went. This time he aimed for her abdomen. He made a fist and the punched with all he had. He was about 3.5 cm away from reaching her. 3cm was her comfort zone if she wasn''t trying to lure you in she would usually dodge or block before the 3cm zone. Kai knew this all too well. She would usually dodge when his hand was round about 3.25cm away. At 3.30cm Kai opened his fist fully and then put all his coated lightning on his open hand. The coated lightning began forming on his fingertips and then extended like an extra-long hand. Kai had been doing additional coating training at home every night. This was one of the moves he practised. He designed this move specifically to touch her which he has never done before. In order to accomplish that feat, he had to catch her off guard. He knew there was no way he could get her when she was prepared. She would always dodge before 3cm and if she didn''t it was a trap. Kai had to admit she was brilliant with mind games. Maybe there was a time when he really got the best of her but because of who she is he decided not to pursue. Possibly wasting an opportunity but rather safe than sorry, he thought. Kai continued to change the amplified lightning into lightning aura and extend his coating. There were two crucial elements to the success of this move. The speed at which he could complete the coat and the length of the coat. It had to be fast because otherwise, she would see it and then just dodge it. It also had to be longer than 3.25cm as that was when she would dodge. Kai had been training these two elements every night and last night he finally reached the required skill level. Quickly Kai infused more lightning into lightning aura extending its length to 3cm. While he was extending his coat he also thrust his hand forward. The sudden emergence of the lightning aura caught her off guard. Kai had not shown this level of proficiency in training, nothing near it to be frank. Seeing the aura growing at an alarming pace, she moved backwards dodging the now 3.5 cm lightning aura. Kai saw her evade the aura, however, he expected this and continued to increase its length while he drove his hand forward. This time he put almost everything he could in the aura. So it instantly increased in size. It was now 5cm. The speed of the sudden increase was faster than she could move back. So with a flabbergasted expression, Emily Frey watched as the lightning aura touched her. Seeing his lightning aura finally reach her, he exclaimed in joy. Kai knew that all he managed to do was touch her. It was not like he finally beat her or even landed a punch. Yet, he was satisfied. Kai continued to move his fist forward as he did the lightning aura drilled deeper into her clothes. It was a weird sensation as if her body was formless but also rigid. Kai had been fighting with Emily Frey for long enough to know that if something doesn''t feel right, it isn''t. That''s when he felt a presence behind him. This was weird because she was still in front of him, he could see her. But moments later, something happened he didn''t expect. She appeared behind him and then whispered in his ear, "That''s not how you coat lightning. Let me show you how it''s done." Coming out of his shock, he wondered how she was behind him and in front of him. He knew it wasn''t an after-image, he actually felt his aura piercing something other than air. That''s when the body double of hers molted into arcs of lightning. Because Kai was connected to it, the lightning entered him and stunned him. He could not move a muscle. That''s when she appeared in front of him again. This time her hands were coated with thick lightning aura. It was long and thick like a plank. Both her hands were coated. Then she looked at Kai and snickered. This was her favourite part, giving hope and then taking it from you. Now it was high time for Kai to get a beating. She charged a bit of lightning and then poof she reappeared right in front Kai. She was going to smack him silly; this was pride training after all. She came in with a right hand then a left, a right, a right and lastly a left-handed overhead chop. She put vigour into each attack but to her surprise, none reached the target¡­ Kai was panicking when he thought he was going to face another beating. The pain it caused was horrible. It did mental and physical damage. She had waited for the best moment to attack. When her opponent thought they had won. Still panicking Kai, calmed himself down because panicking helped no one. He saw her disappear and then braced for the beating head on. But something strange happened when she attacked, it felt really familiar. Then Kai''s body absorbed the lightning she had created with her clone and used it as a kickstarter. Then he dodged to the left then to the right, right, left and then he took a step backwards. Kai''s body flowed so naturally, he looked formless. When Emily saw Kai evade the move instead of being peeved she was ecstatic. She screamed, "Finally! You see, I told you your body would be able to react properly. Whenever I gave you a beating, I did it in the exact same way. But I did it in a manner just a bit faster than you could perceive. I needed your body to feel it. And now it did, it just reacted and dodged the move. Like I said, instincts refined by experience. It is so much more dependable than raw instincts. I''m also glad you realised you could absorb the lightning. I purposefully left you with a lightning clone so you could charge up. Lightning clone is not a move you use against a fellow lightning wielder unless you change the nature of the lightning to something they can''t control. I can change the nature but of course, this is training so I didn''t... I''m so proud of you!" She said beaming with joy. This smile was a true angelic smile with no hints of deceit. Once the moment had settled they both noticed there was a guest in the spar court. "Oh don''t mind me; I''m just here for my scarf. I left it here so I came to get it back." Kai looked at the girl and it was the blonde girl from before, "How does it look?" "Like a scarf of course." She said raising her one eyebrow. Kai chuckled, "No man, give me the design, length etc. I need to make sure it''s yours." "Oooh, uhm, it''s red with black blocks and white parallel lines." So Kai dug into his school bag and then gave it back to her. She took it then she looked at Kai seriously, "It seems you were holding back on us today." She had seen Kai dodge the moves she couldn''t even see so that''s why she thought so. Kai did hold back though but not to the extent that she thought. The blonde girl walked closer to Kai and then whispered, "I''m going to let you in on a little secret¡­ I held back too," Then she walked away in reverse and then shook her scarf to say thank you. Then she gracefully twirled 180 degrees and walked out the spar court. 15- The decision (3) The next day Kai woke up and went to the training centre. This time he only got there at 9 am because unlike yesterday, today''s operations didn''t require set-up. Once he got there, he greeted Emily Frey who was waiting for him, then he opened the building. Afterwards, he switched on the light. Then both him and Emily Frey walked into spar court. They spoke to each other while waiting for the girls to come. "Are you ready for today?" Emily Frey asked. Kai smiled, "Tip-top condition. I am a bit nervous though, today is the day¡­" Emily Frey laughed, "Ah the nostalgia. I remember when I chose my partner. I was nervous too. Just like you, I had a lot of options to choose from. I wondered if I would choose correctly. In the end, I chose the best partner a girl could ever ask for. Don''t sweat the small stuff you will know when you find the right one." She said and patted him on the shoulder. She tried to reach for his head but he was too tall so in end, she opted for his shoulder. When she patted his shoulders Kai looked downwards at her and then smirked. "Shut-up" Emily said and then they laughed briefly. When they were done laughing the first girl walked in. Kai had already told them yesterday that they should be here at 10 am. So she knew that she had to wait for the appointed time. As time progressed more and more girls walked in until it was 10 am. Now the spar court had 45 girls inside, five girls didn''t show up. Kai was disappointed but ultimately it was their decision just like it was his to choose. Kai stood in front of the girls, "Thank you all for coming today. Today we are going to continue with the spar session. We will spar and then I''ll decide if you pass or not. After every cycle, I will increase the standard as to what I am looking for to filter out the ones that don''t meet the requirement. This will continue until there is only one girl left." The girls all nodded their heads and then Kai lead them to ring 8. Kai walked into the ring then another girl walked in the ring and so it began. One after one the girls came in the ring and they sparred. Compared to yesterday the standard Kai was looking for increased because of that only 18 out of 45 were left after the first round. Then Kai took a 15-minute break, he would take a break after every round. After his break, round 2 began and Kai sparred with all eighteen girls. This time only 7 remained. Kai surmised that there would probably two rounds left until the end. So after his rest, he began round three. This round took a lot more physical effort from him because now he was fighting multiple rounds at 1700 PI. Because of that, his break was longer too. After round 2 there was only one girl left. It was the blonde girl who he spoke to last night. So he walked to her, "Seems you really were holding back, not only are you knowledgeable, you are strong too." "I''ve still been holding back." She teased. "We will see about that¡­ Reveera? I did say your name correctly, right?" She giggled, "It''s Revera but I appreciate the effort." Kai put his hand on his forehead covering one eye, "My bad." Then he chuckled, "Just think how cool I would have been had I been was correct." "You literally have my name on a paper," Then she chuckled, " But it''s cool, I''m not offended. Plus you will have all the time in the world to practice how to say it correctly." Kai raised both his eyebrows, "Oh wow, you sure aren''t lacking in confidence." She looked him in the eyes, "None whatsoever." "Well, then shall we see if you have the skills to back that confidence?" "It would be my pleasure." So Kai and Revera both walked into the ring then Kai asked, "Are you ready?" "More than I''ll ever be." She said smiling. Kai smiled in return, "No holding back." "No holding back." She said seriously. That''s when Emily Frey walked into the ring standing in the middle of the two, "Okay, since you are both ready I will commence the start in 3, 2,1,0." While the countdown was ticking the two of them held their kickstarters in their hands and were amplifying the lightning in their bodies. While waiting the sweat trickled down Kai''s forehead, this was the last opportunity he had to confirm the feeling. So far he hadn''t felt it yet but he thought just maybe this would be the moment he had been waiting for. Clasping the kickstarter tightly, feeling the grip on the palm of his hands. The electricity entered his body and then he drew it all to his stomach area. Kai cycled it sixteen times, he said he wasn''t going to hold back and he meant it. With his focus fully projected on Revera, he heard Emily Frey say 0. As he did a spark of lightning flashed in his eyes and off he went. They both rushed at each other landing and dodging blows from each other. Kai landed a hit and then she did. She dodged and then he did. It sounded like firecrackers were being lit in the room as fists colided against each other. Both of them were fully submerged in the fight. It was as if they were in a universe of their own making. This pattern continued as a torrent of attacks came in. The fight seemed quite even. Even though Kai was physically stronger she made up for it in terms of experience. She knew what attacks to dodge block or parry. The fight continued to proceed in an even state until Kai felt that his body was in good condition, ''I''m feeling great. This is how I felt when I fought Lexi and all those girls yesterday. Seems my body comes alive when I fight someone strong. Now that the table is set and the conditions have been met. Maybe today I''ll finally be able to confirm it!'' Kai felt the epinephrine pumping through his veins. He felt his heart beating rapidly. The feeling of excitement he was feeling was bliss. Nonetheless, it wasn''t the feeling he was looking for. So he continued to fight her. Up and down and left and right they went. No piece of wood in the ring was left untrampled on. In the middle of the fight, Kai looked at Revera and smiled. She was definitely worthy of being his partner. She was strong and had combat intelligence. As the match continued Kai felt his body feeling better and better. It was as if everything was gelling together in the way it was supposed to. Because of this, his excitement grew too. Kai grinned in response as he continued to fight his body continued to respond. Slowly but surely the nature of his lightning began changing. It began changing into essence lightning. Every person has their own type of lightning. When an Amateur uses his/her kickstarter they cycle lightning into themselves. This is called natural lightning. Natural lightning is exactly what it is, it is the natural form lightning is found in. Natural lightning can be absorbed by other lightning wielders unless you change the nature. Currently, Kai only knows how to change lightning into lightning aura but his body is unconsciously adding his essence to his lightning. This then changes his natural lightning into essence lightning meaning only he can control it. With his essence now in his lightning, Kai fights and slowly the tide begins to turn. Natural lightning has no stats were essence lightning does. Some peoples essence lightning has more piercing power others have a higher ampere value, relative to their levels. Noticing that Kai had switched from natural to essence lightning, Revera did the same. She started cycling her essence into her amplified lightning. The inclusion of essence lightning into the fight made it so much more chaotic as there essence clashed against each other. Now when a punch was blocked mini sparks where created. They could feel the heat of the sparks as well as the heat of the battle. However, they continued to fight as some of their essences entered each other. It is normal for some of their essences to enter each other''s bodies. When that happens the body sees it as a foreign element and then destroys it. Like white blood cells try and destroy what they deem as foreign. Kai continued to spar with a smile on his face, the feeling of his essence was familiar but still not quite what he was looking for. He believed if he just kept pushing he would find it. Kai wasn''t looking to use the repulsion arts again neither lightning hyperdrive. He was well aware that they are moves he could only achieve through extensive practice. And this feeling was something different entirely. With hope in his heart, he continued to fight. As he did the fight began tipping in his favour. In the beginning, the difference between strength was nothing but in a dragged out fight eventually the difference will make itself known. Nonetheless, Kai didn''t lose hope and they continued to spar immersed in every inch of it.This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. This fight continued to go on for half an hour. Once the half-hour mark had been reached slowly but surely Kai''s smile seemed to vanish as well as his eagerness to fight¡­ ----------- "So how about we set up some suitors for you when we get home to Strera?" Jacques Montreal said. "No need, he will be back," Lexi said smiling confidently. Jacques Montreal furrowed his eyebrows, "How are you so confident?" Lexi sighed, "Because at first, I thought I was the only one who noticed it. There was this feeling I got when I sparred with him. I have never felt it before with any of the guys I have sparred and fought with. I can''t explain the feeling but it was different... When he said he needed to confirm a feeling, I knew he felt it too. That''s why I let him go. I have been looking for a partner for over 2 years and I have never felt it before so there is no way he will find it in a month." She said smirking. --------------------- As the fight continued Kai''s eagerness to continue continued to wane. It eventually reached a noticeable level so Revera came out of her drunken phase. She looked at Kai to see what was wrong. What was the reason he wasn''t fighting hard anymore¡­ When she looked at him properly she saw him standing still breathing heavily with his lips pursed, "What''s wrong? Am I not good enough?" Kai shook his head, "Not in the slightest you are perfect, almost perfect... You are strong, intelligent and have good instincts. I also feel we would fight really well together. And not only that, I like you. Not like you, like you but I like you as a person. You have that look in your eyes that makes me feel we are kindred spirits. " "But?" "Despite all those things yesterday and today was to confirm whether I could feel this feeling. I can''t explain the feeling and neither am I making this up... I have only felt it once before but it was the first person I ever tried to partner up with so I had to confirm whether it was a common thing or rare. I really thought I would feel it again today. All the conditions had been met, it just didn''t happen that way I''m afraid," He said shaking his head. "Is this why you only had a month to choose?" "Yes, it was the reason. I put her on hold to confirm the feeling. I asked for a month to confirm and she gave it to me." Sighing, "Then I understand. If this feeling you looking for is so important then it''s best to go back to the one you felt it by. Don''t waste another minute, you never know she might be doing the same thing and finding it in someone else. Anyway, today was fun and I''m really disappointed it didn''t work out in the end. I too felt we were compatible. Haha, we had to be after all your tests¡­ But just one last thing before I go. What is this girl''s name?" Kai thought for a while and decided he would tell her. She would find out soon enough anyway since apparently, it would cause a lot of press, "Her name is Lexi Montreal." Revera pursed her lips and smacked her tongue, "Of course." Then she proceeded to walk out of the spar court. Kai tried to call to her, "Do you know her?" But she just continued to walk and then waved goodbye at him when she got to the door and then she left. That''s when Emily Frey came to his side, "She was perfect. You two would have been a great fit." "Maybe but I know I didn''t make a mistake. I just know Lexi is supposed to by partner." "Wow, slow down buster. You can''t go professing your undying love already there is an order to things." She teased. "Ha-ha, you know just as well as I do I meant King-Queen partner, not a romantic partner." She stuck out her tongue, "I do(1)." "You are not going to let up are you?" Emily Frey was howling while holding her tummy. She loved teasing Kai and his facial expressions made it worth it. Once she was done laughing at Kai and her own jokes, "Okay okay, I''ll stop." *****Kai sighed, "Thank you." Then he touched his Genome watch and scrolled to Lexi Montreal. Then he clicked on her name and then on the call button. Soon after it began ringing¡­ "Hello¡­ Did you confirm what you needed to confirm." Lexi Montreal asked. "I did." "And?" "I didn''t find it¡­ So now I''m telling you that, ''I choose you.''" Lexi laughed heartily, "Good, I have some things I need to clear up on my end. So I''ll only fly in and see you tomorrow. When I''m there we can finalise the details. Sound good?" Kai smiled, "Sounds good to me." Then he hung up. Once he hung up, Emily Frey asked, "How do you feel now that you have a partner." "It''s still pretty surreal actually. Feels like yesterday I was still in school dreaming about getting a partner. Now I''m one step closer to that title I desire. It''s a lot faster than I initially planned but I''m okay with it." Emily Frey nodded her head, "I know what you mean young one. I too felt that way." She said reminiscing but by the looks of it not all the memories were pleasant. Kai didn''t ask what she was thinking about because she didn''t say anything, instead he asked, "So what are we going to do for training? It''s only 12 am, there are 6 hours left until we need to get out of this building." Emily Frey thought for a while, "Well today we can take it easy. Let''s practice essence lightning." Confused Kai asked, "Essence lightning?" "Yes, it''s when you change the nature of your lightning by adding your own essence to it. Remember when I said you can''t use lightning clone against a fellow lightning user unless you know how to change its nature. I was talking about essence lightning. Essence lightning is lightning only you can control. So if you hurl lightning at another lightning wielder that has had its nature changed he/she can''t absorb or control only block dodge or parry it. You were fighting Revera today while unconsciously inputting your essence into your amplified lightning. When she did the same your two essences clashed creating those sparks you saw. It is crucial to know how to do it and since you have done it I want to make sure you can do it consciously." Kai got about the just of it so he nodded his head, "So then how do I do this essence lightning. How do I put my essence into the lightning? What is even my essence?" Emily sighed when she realised she had to explain from the very start as Kai knew nothing, "Okay, I''m going to begin with a basic surpasser anatomy lesson. When you amplify your lightning you feel it cycling somewhere around your stomach right? Although it feels like it, it''s not exactly there. Actually, it''s above the stomach in an area called the ''Eneron''. For Amateurs and beginners, the Eneron hasn''t fully developed leaving them incapable of creating lightning. However, it can be amplified. The natural lightning travels through multiple channels in your body some are sealed others are open. Some have more unlockable channels than others. Third Generations Surpassers like yourself are known to have more unlockable channels in their body. The only way you can unlock these channels is by running your essence lightning through them." "This is done by opening the valve on your solar plexus and letting your essence combine with your element. Your solar plexus is the area where your essence is stored. The closest thing to call your essence is a soul although it is not really a soul. We say it''s like a soul because everyone''s essence is different. Really, it''s an energy that can''t be touched nor does it have any power by itself. However, when added to a surpasser''s element it brings it alive adding various attributes to their element." "Once your essence has been added to the amplified natural lightning it becomes essence lightning. This can then be used to attack or defend or even move in various ways. To do this essence lightning needs to move through your channels. One such channel is the nervron. It is one of many sealed channel that allows lightning wielding surpassers to use their powers. The nervron specifically allows lightning wielding surpassers to use nerve related arts such as lightning hyperdrive, lightning regeneration and more. The reason some people are better at certain arts is because of their essence lightning. If your essence lightning has a higher affinity to nerve related arts than you will find it easier converting your essence lightning into a nerve impulse. Once the essence lightning has been changed it will then be let through the nervron allowing you to use nerve related arts. Your essence lightning does not need to be a fully converted nerve impulse to flow through the nervron. However, the amount of power you can use is dependent on your conversion percentage. Some people can have their lightning pass through the nervron with a conversion percentage of 8% others need 80% or the nervron won''t allow the nerve impulse to pass through. It all comes to down to your body and your essence lightning. That''s why some people can perform arts where others can''t. So in summary, kickstarter releases electricity. Eneron amplifies it into natural lightning while the solar plexuses releases the essence changing the natural lightning to essence lightning. Essence lightning is then sent to the channel which abilities you want to use. This channel is then unlocked but in order to flow through the channel, another conversion needs to take place. After an accepted conversion percentage the power will be available for use. Note not all channels are sealed. The auron channel is open and doesn''t require essence lightning. That is why lightning aura is a low-rank art. The same as projectiles controlled by the proron channel. The harder the conversion the higher the art." Kai took some time to process the information bomb she dropped on him but he eventually understood it all. He had no idea that was how his body worked. But now he also saw the importance of his solar plexus. If that was attacked in battle it would be an instant loss. If you can''t cycle essence lightning you can''t open any of channels meaning you can only use low-level arts. Essence lightning was the beginning of everything now that he knew that he did not want to waste more time. Kai sat down on the ground and then sat crossed legs. He wanted to concentrate and find this essence. So that he could open the valve of the solar plexus at will. Sitting crossed legged Kai began concentrating on his body. When he did Emily Frey broke him out of his concentration, "You need to use your kickstarter first. Your senses are sharper when you have lightning in your body so it will be easier to discover." Kai nodded his head. It was a probable theory. So he took out his kickstarter and then pressed on it. Immediately the electricity flowed inside him. Kai drew all the electricity to his Eneron where he began cycling it into natural lightning. "Now that your body has its amplified lightning don''t let it go. Keep it in the Eneron then remember how you felt when you were fighting Revera. Whether it was excitement, love or even fear, whatever it is remember that feeling. Then remember how your body felt when the natural lightning became essence lightning. When you do should be able to locate your essence." So Kai remembered how he felt during the fight and it was excitement pure excitement and adrenaline. Once he remembered that he remembered how it felt when his lightning changed. The change in nature felt more of a return to how it should be then a change. After that realisation, a star was born. In his mind, Kai could see a small circle light up. The rest of the map was still dark except for three faint circles. Kai figured these where the channels he had yet to discover and the channels that were open from the start. Seeing Kai''s smile on his face, Emily Frey knew he had discovered it, "Next you need to open the valve and let your essence enter your Eneron. Don''t worry this step is easy as the two are meant to combine. Once you have done that I want you to try and coat your lightning but now with essence lightning being converted to aura lightning." Kai visualized the newly awakened circle and then he took a closer inspection at it. There he saw a white valve blocking what seemed to be blue energy. He then visualized the valve opening and so the valve opened. Then he directed this energy to the Eneron as the energy flowed out it was immediately being replaced as if energy never left. Once it reached the Eneron it fused with the natural lightning giving it life as the lightning hummed in excitement. It required no extra help from him. Just like Emily Frey had said, the two were always meant to combine. After the successful fusion, Kai still had one more step to go. So he began changing his lightning essence into lightning aura. Before he had no idea that to do this it had to flow through a channel. He was doing that unknowingly but now that he knew, he could see the circle light up as the essence lightning flowed through it. Then he started converting his essence lightning to aura lightning. To his surprise, it was so much easier than before. The level of control Kai had over essence lightning was far more than he had over the natural. This increased the speed at which the aura was produced. Kai also noticed that his aura also had more of a personality now. Kai could sense a stronger piercing power he could see that his aura was a lot sturdier and refined. It increased all those attributes but the yield was the same. Now he knew how Lexi''s was so perfect. Yes, she worked hard to achieve it but also because she converted essence to aura. Seeing the stronger aura coated in his hands Kai furrowed his eyebrows, ''If this was possible why didn''t she teach me to use essence from the start?'' Emily Frey chuckled at Kai''s peeved expression and then spoke as if she could read his mind, "You first had to learn to control natural lightning to a high enough degree to use essence lightning. To locate your solar plexus for starters requires a certain mastery level you can''t achieve by just knowing that it exists. By training to control the rampant energy and gaining control over it allowed you to be able to multitask. If you did not have control over your lightning it would take longer to fuse the two. As well as it would take longer for you to amplify your lightning. In battle, your speed is of conversion is important so this way was the best outcome. Kai sighed and accepted her explanation, "All that ends well." Now it was already 5:30 pm it had taken quite a while to locate his solar plexus and then open the valve. Seeing the time the two of them decided to go home. Tomorrow they would train again until Kai and Lexi met again to finalise everything. 1- "I do" Is what people say at a wedding and that is what she meant when she said it. 16- Marriage The next morning Kai woke up 7.05 am. He climbed out of his bed after rubbing his eyes and releasing a satisfying yawn. Still droopy, Kai walked to his bathroom and washed his face. The cold water was rejuvenating as it splashed in his face. After drying his face he went downstairs to his parents to eat breakfast. As he got downstairs his mother said, "Good morning Puppy." As she poured cereal and milk into a bowl. Then she slid it over to her husband who was sitting down. Kai returned the greeting and also greeted his father. Then he sat down at the counter and made himself some cereal. While eating, Kai was awfully quiet which was strange. Kai wasn''t a talkative eater but he wasn''t a silent one either. "How are you feeling about today?" Brianna Adler inquired. Kai sighed, "I don''t know actually... I haven''t entirely processed it yet. What about you guys?" Brianna Adler pursed her lips, "When we thought of the day you got married we thought of a big ceremony celebrating the love of two people, not two people signing papers. But I understand that this is a marriage of convenience and will help you achieve your goals. So if you are happy we are happy," Then she smiled, "Besides maybe one day you two will get married for real." Kai laughed briefly, "Yeah, that''s not going to happen. But thank you for understanding." He said grinning. His mother nodded her head and then sucked in her lips. That''s when Zack Alder, Kai''s dad said, "Do you know when you are getting married?" Kai shook his head, "I don''t know the exact time but she will tell me when she boards the plane. She said it will be our nigh-time though." Zack Alder nodded his head, "Okay then, just remember to give us an hour notice... We want to be there when you get married and when you leave for Strera." Kai nodded his head and then finished his breakfast, "Well then I will see you later today. Got my last day of training with Emily." They both smiled and then Kai exited the kitchen. The reason Kai knew what was going to happen today was because Lexi had sent him a message at 3 am. Ginmon, the capital of Strera was 3 hours ahead of Agritura, the capital of Drauton. Once Kai left the kitchen he walked out the house and into his car. Then he drove to the Training Centre. When he got there he went to the reception to book another court for the day. Once he did he sent Emily the court number and location. Kai walked to his court it was court B7. Then he turned on the lights and waited for Emily to come. While waiting he had free time on his hands so he decided to really process what was going to happen today... He was about to get married. Even though there were no feelings involved it was still nerve-wracking. He was also going to move from Drauton to Strera. This a different country and this meant different people. He was going to leave his friends behind too. Life as he knew it was going to change. From then on, he would be fending for himself. After marriage, he was a fully fledged adult. There was no mommy and daddy money anymore. Kai wasn''t afraid of work but it would take adjusting. After processing the extent of what today entailed he took a deep breath and resolidified his resolve. Today he was about to take the biggest step forward to reaching his dream. This was a momentous moment in his journey to being King. Kai wanted to be King but more than that he wanted to be significant, not famous but significant. He had plans that he could only enact when he was at the top. To be significant one needed to be strong. You had to be able to lead by example and make the ones under you want to be like you. You also needed to be wealthy. It takes money to grow a clan. Such as providing newly awakened surpassers free equipment should they join the clan. Lastly, it required popularity. In order to sway the hearts of others, you needed people to believe in you. Which went hand in hand with your reputation and your fame. The reason The Fire Clan was so big was because the King and Queen were charismatic people. The world loved them as such investors invested in their clan. They also receive the largest portion of the surpasser budget that the government gives. Kai had plans to make him wealthy. He also knew one day he would reach the pinnacle of strength. However, he was concerned with regards to popularity. Kai wasn''t taciturn nor was he ineffective in communication. He was outgoing and cordial, however, he wouldn''t claim himself to be charismatic. He didn''t have that aura/demeanour that compelled people to like him. Nonetheless, his goal was his goal and he believed that where he lacked in charisma he would make up in strength. After Kai''s moment of introspection, he felt relieved and also excited about what the future held. He was even excited to see how he would navigate all the unexpected detours he would encounter. Kai smiled at the thought, that''s when Emily walked into the spar court. When she saw that she had Kai''s attention, she walked towards him, "Got a lot on your mind..." Once she was right in front of him Kai said, "Just processing today but I got a handle on it now." Emily nodded her head and then tapped his shoulder, "I''m glad, it''s a lot to process, I know. But for now, let''s focus on your last day of training." Kai grinned, "That''s why I am here." Emily smiled and then looked at him seriously, "For the past month, we have been refining your instincts via experience as well as helping you control your powers. Sparing with me and then all those girls will prove as valuable experience. You have come a long way in just short of a month. So today is going to be more of an evaluation than training. I want to see just how far you have come compared to when we first met. We will start with some slight warm-ups. Then we will be testing your PI and then your elemental output also your reaction speed and lastly your conversion speed. From natural to essence lightning. From natural lightning to aura. From essence to aura. Every conversion you have learnt so far. After we are done, I''ll evaluate you and send your results over to Mr Montreal your next coach." Kai nodded his head and then they began warming up. After warm-ups, they proceeded with the program going through all the tests Emily had set up. Once they were done Kai fell to the ground. He was tired, he had put his all into today because he was being evaluated but also because he respected Emily as a tutor. Today was their last training session together. After completing the evaluation Emily revealed a proud smile, "Darn I''m good." She said nodding her head, "You have drastically improved it''s almost as if you aren''t even the same person. The amount of lightning you can cycle has increased four times. The amount of PI you can control has increased by 700. Your lightning aura is on a whole different level thanks to your essence lightning. Which I might add has some very powerful attributes. You will have to do an essence test to know for sure. But all in all your hard work has paid off." Listening to her praise him Kai couldn''t help but feel flattered. But soon after he furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Emily''s facial expression. After praising Kai she took a deep breath and then closed her eyes tightly. Her face revealed a pained expression as she retrieved a sorrowful memory. Her inner portions of her eyebrows raised and the corners of her mouth lowered. It was a heart-wrenching sight. Then she shook her head trying to cheer herself up. As she did a small droplet of salty water fell to the ground. Then she rubbed her right eye and looked at Kai with a serious expression, "You remind me so much of myself. As I said, I too was a talented surpasser. I too had great instincts and they made me a damn good fighter. Because of that, I loved training and fighting. I gave my partner hell because I''d always sign up to fight the Zolma against his will. He would always get so mad but in the end, he would choose to fight. " She said laughing at the memory. It was a subtle laugh with undertones of sorrow. "He too loved to train and fight but not as much as me. I was the stronger one. My instincts gave us an edge on the battlefield that no one else had. As we continued to kill the Zolma that are living on no man''s land our fame rose. We always had the biggest contributions after a fight. If we had to name our team it would be hammer and scalpel. I was the hammer beating everything with brute force. My partner, on the other hand, was the calculative type so he was the scalpel. He handled things with finesse. He always had a plan which I never listened to because his way wasn''t fun. Besides my instincts always saved me until one day it didn''t... During a fight with a powerful Zolma, my instincts weren''t working. I had an off day, I did get off days but rarely. Anyway, I was moving sluggishly, my partner saw this and decided to lead instead of me. But as I retreated I never noticed the wind scythes coming my way. Had my instincts worked I would have sensed it the second they came after me but I didn''t. In order to save me, my partner had to sacrifice himself... I still vividly remember how the scythes ripped away his life force. I got away but he didn''t, shortly after the Zolma consumed him. "If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it. "After losing my partner, I quit the lightning clan. Even though losing a partner isn''t foreign to war, I still could never go back because it reminded me of my selfishness. I wanted to fight my way because it was fun and I left my partner to make sure I didn''t die. I relied on my instincts and they got my partner killed. That''s why I have been telling you instincts refined by experience is better than raw instincts, they are more reliable. You now have a partner and it''s your duty to protect her as she you. Equal parties. When I saw how you first fought I knew I couldn''t leave you like that. I know this sounds weird but helping you has helped me. I''m not saying you would do the same thing but one never knows... So I just want to thank you for listening to my teachings. I know I was tough on you but all for a purpose and just for a bit of fun." She said smiling a half pained half relieved smile. Kai smiled in return, "No, thank you. You could have possibly saved me and my partner''s life through your teachings... My sincerest condolences to your partner, he sounded like a good person. And I''d like to think we helped each other," he said smiling, "I also think that you should go back to the lightning clan. You a different person now. You have learnt from your mistakes as you no longer fight so recklessly. There is more thought in the way you move. You are no longer a hammer nor are you a scalpel. I''d say you are both of you in one, you are a scammer. Which fits perfectly with your dubious fighting style." He said laughing and then returned to a serious expression, "You are him and you in one and by fighting, you are keeping him alive as he is a part of you," Kai smiled, "Plus we can''t afford to have someone as beautiful and strong as you not fighting." Emily laughed, "Beautiful hey." "That''s what you took from it." Then he laughed, "That hammer scammer thing was genius." Then she smiled and reached for his shoulder, "I know, I''m just teasing you while I still can. But thanks man, I appreciate the kind words. I''ll also definitely consider it, might take a while but I''ll think about it.." Kai smiled at Emily. When he did his watch made a notification sound so Kai checked his watch. It was a message from Lexi, ''I just boarded the plane. I''ll see you in an hour.'' Reading the message Kai''s heart began beating rapidly. Emily noticed his change of expression, "Lexi coming?" Kai nodded his head so she said, "Okay then I guess my work here is done. Knock them dead." Then she gave Kai a hug and then they said their goodbyes. After saying goodbye Emily left the spar court and went home. On the other hand, Kai stayed. First, he had to send a message to his parents and friends saying that they have 1.15 hours to get to home affairs. Once he was done Kai went home and took all his belongings that were already packed and put them in his car. Then he drove to home affairs. He got there 20 minutes before the time. Once he got there surprisingly Quinton and Carmen were waiting outside. It was surprising because they were early which never happened. "Why you so late Kai?" Quinton asked. "Ha-ha, man comes early one time." Quinton laughed, "I had to, I''ve never been earlier than you." "You definitely chose the best day to be," Kai said then he greeted Quinton with a fist bump. After that, he greeted Carmen with a hug. After Kai hugged her she said, "We should go inside, your parents are there." Kai nodded his head and then they all walked into the building. Inside was lines of people, they were all here to renew passports or get a new identification card. But Kai wasn''t here for that so he took the elevator to the 5th floor. On the fifth floor, they dealt with marriages. Coming out the elevator Kai looked straight ahead and it was a narrow pathway with windows to the left. On the right was multiple wooden doors separated by white walls. As he walked, he looked on the doors for the name Dale Tether. He was the one who was going to officiate the marriage. They continued to walk until the found the door. Once he saw the name, Kai knocked on the door, "Who is it?" an unfamiliar voice sounded out behind the door. "It is Kai Adler." "Oh, come in, come in." So, Kai, Quinton and Carmen walked in. As they did they saw Kai''s mother and father sitting on chairs. The office wasn''t big. It could only comfortably seat 10 people. It had paintings of couples in love, kissing, stargazing etc. The floor was carpet and was mud brown. Contrary to the colour the place smelled like roses. Dale Tether stood behind his wooden desk. He was a short old man standing at 162cm. He had a stomach that protruded out of his t-shirt creating a circular bulge. He had black hair with grey lines and spoke in a warm tone. In front of him on the desk were three pieces of white paper and two pens. After seeing his parents Kai sat next to them. He sat on the right side of his father. His mother sat on the left side of his father. Quinton and Carmen sat on the right side of Kai. There was a 1.5-meter gap between the chairs and the desk. Once everyone was settled the door opened and standing under the bridge was a beautiful girl with long black hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing tight denim blue jeans and a purple cotton top. The girl scanned the people sitting down from the right. Her eyes landed on Carmen then Quinton and then Kai. When she saw Kai she revealed a faint smile. Then she walked into the room and closed the door. She walked to the chairs and saw that the only space open was next to Carmen. She pouted at the idea of sitting next to Carmen since it wasn''t Carmen she was marrying. So she walked to the seat Quinton was sitting on and instructed him to move one over so she could sit next to Kai. However, Quinton never answered her. He just sat down and stared at her with a dumbfounded expression. Quinton was enamoured by how pulchritudinous she was in person. He had seen her in 3D images yet an image couldn''t hope to capture her beauty. It was a sight only the natural eye could understand. The girl had to repeat herself before he came back to planet Drars. Immediately, he asked Carmen to move one over and then he did. Once everyone moved over there was an empty seat next to Kai but instead of sitting down she walked to Kai''s parents and introduced herself as Lexi Montreal. Kai''s parents were happy because she seemed like a good person. But they also wondered when Kai agreed to marriage what brain he made that decision with, ''He is at that age,'' Kai''s parents communicated with each other with one nod of the head. After greeting Kai''s parents she greeted Carmen and Quinton then she finally sat down next Kai. As she sat down Kai whispered to her, "Where is your father?" She furrowed her eyebrows, "Why?" "Well every time we have met so far he has been here." "That''s because every time he was needed. He is not needed for this so I came alone." Kai nodded his head and that''s when Dale Tether began speaking, "I guess we should start now... Can the two individuals getting married step forward." So Kai and Lexi stepped forward, they stood between the 1.5 m gap between the chairs and the desk. Once they stood up Dale Tether cleared his throat, "We have all come today to unite these two people by law." He said touching Lexi on her shoulder and then Kai. Then he removed his hands from their shoulders, "And by doing so we are uniting their two houses. May the two individuals please step forward to the desk." So they stood by the desk looking at the papers, "Please take the pages and sign your name and surname on each document." So Lexi and Kai signed all the papers, "Now that you have signed the papers, by the power invested in me. I know pronounce you husband and wife." Everyone that was present clapped their hands and shouted in praise as joyful smiles came about their face. Even though it was a marriage of convenience it was a beautiful moment. While looking at Lexi, Kai couldn''t deny that his heart was beating but it was beating slowly and concisely. As he looked into her eyes he thought, ''I''m really getting married to her. From now on we are husband and wife and will be living together. Even though there are no feelings attached, I''m happy it''s with her. We are also partners aiming to be King and Queen. I chose her because it just felt right.'' While looking at her he smiled. Lexi''s heart was beating too as she looked into Kai''s green and yellow eyes. She is only 175cm were Kai is 183cm so she had to look up, ''After two years of searching I have finally found someone... Someone I actually want to marry. It''s not romantic but I''m happy with my decision. I just know together we can be King and Queen." Still looking at Lexi, Kai said, "Can I touch you?" Hearing what Kai had said straight after they got married his parents put their hands on their foreheads, ''Of course... He is of that age.'' Quinton was grinning but he also felt proud, he never knew Kai to be so bold, ''No games are being played here.'' Carmen shook her head, ''Seems all the years with Quinton has finally taken effect." Lexi heard what Kai had said and smiled, "Sure." This caused more confusion... What was happening!? Hearing Kai had the, okay he slowly extended his hands closer to her body. He kept bringing his hands closer to her body until he was halfway. When he was halfway her hands met his and they interlocked. With their hands together they looked into each other''s eyes and then began cycling their lightning, using each other as a kickstarter. Lexi smiled when she felt how much stronger he had become since they last had met. This only reaffirmed to her that she made the right decision. As they held hands the natural lightning began forming in their Eneron. However, they already knew they were kickstart compatible. This wasn''t what they were looking for. So Lexi, looking at Kai said, ''Cycle your essence into your lightning and then let it flow into me.'' Kai furrowed his eyebrows but Lexi gripped his hands tighter and said, "Trust me." So he did, he began funnelling his essence into the natural lightning until everything was essence lightning. And then per her instruction, he drew it from his Eneron and then into his upper body and then from his arms to his hands were he let it enter her body. Lexi did the same thing, she changed her natural lightning to essence lightning and then released it into Kai''s body. As their essence lightning entered each other''s body it began to build up. Until both of them revealed a grin. 17- Ginmon When their essences entered each other they felt the feeling they were looking for. It felt as if they were being drawn to one another. As if their essence lightning returned home. It was this same feeling that made them so sure they were the right fit. As the feeling grew so did their power. Lexi had never felt so much power flowing inside of her. Despite this, she kept concentrating while looking Kai in the eyes. She felt no fear. Her eyes were calm as a still lake. Her blue eyes flashed with lightning. Kai felt the surge of power flowing in his body, it was magnificent. He looked Lexi firmly in her eyes and concentrated on the growing power. His green eyes sparkled as the lightning swam around his body. He was as calm as a summer''s breeze. Both of them were in their own world. Everything else faded away as the power continued to grow inside them. As their powers grew it created a field charged with electromagnetic energy with a radius of 10cm. Everything inside was being magnetised. Both Lexi and Kai''s hair started flowing upwards. Their clothes also started fluttering. Kai and Lexi perceived these changes much more than the bystanders as to them everything had slowed down. They were in a state of lightning hyperdrive. They could see each other''s hair fluttering up and down in slow motion. It was as if they were underwater. Seeing that they were still in control they steadily increased the power. As they did minuscule sparks of lightning flashed within the 10 cm radius circle. The lightning was only 1-2 cm in length but made loud noises as the thunder crackled and boomed through the air. All the bystanders were in awe as they watched Lexi and Kai holding hands. The laws of physics were bending as they were holding hands. It was a beautiful sight to see. It was as if as long as they were together nothing could stop them. It was as if lightning itself was proclaiming it''s new King and Queen. Both Kai''s and Lexi''s eyes flashed once more and then a loud boom was heard. When this happened they stopped what they were doing. Any further and they could possibly endanger the passers present. As the power died down, Lexi and Kai''s hair stopped flowing upwards and their clothes stopped fluttering. After stopping a residual electromagnetic force was present but it wasn''t strong enough to affect anything. Kai let go of her hand, "I knew I made the right choice." "How sure are you now?" Lexi said raising one eyebrow. With no doubt in his mind, he said, "100%." Lexi smiled, "Good... And if you were wondering, I''m still 100%." Kai grinned, "So I assume we are going to the private airstrip?" "Yes, I just need to send my dad our marriage ID number so that he can add you to the family roster." So Lexi tapped her Genome watch and found the papers her and Kai had just signed. Those papers were not ordinary pieces of paper. They were called online papers. Whatever is written on the paper is uploaded online too. So you have a hard copy and a soft copy. She saw the marriage number and then sent it to her father. Then she said, "My dad is adding you now." Kai nodded his head and then everyone left home affairs and went to the private airstrip. Kai, Carmen, Lexi and Quinton drove in Kai''s car and Kai''s parents in theirs. Once they got there Kai unloaded all his cargo into the private plan. Then he walked to Quinton and Carmen who were standing away from his parents, "Well it looks like this bird is the first to leave the coop... I''m going to miss you both. But just remember this isn''t a goodbye more of a see you later. I still owe you guys burger and fries." He said laughing. "Again you diffused an emotional moment with humour." Carmen said laughing, "You are an incorrigible character you know that. That''s one of the things I''ve liked about you. You always the same so I know when we meet again you will be." She said and then gave Kai a hug. After Kai and Carmen hugged Quinton said, "18 and cuffed for life. I wanted to tease you for it but after seeing the chemistry I decided against it. You two have enough chemistry to power a whole damn city. Don''t let it go to waste," He said and then punched Kai on the arm." Gonna miss you, man. Who can I talk to about the wonders of toast now...? Carmen always gets mad when I do... Just putting it out there, if anything goes wrong. You will always have a home here." He said giving a pursed-lip smile. "Thanks, bro, I appreciate it. And on the Lexi thing... At first, I didn''t want anything to do with romance because I was afraid that if we broke up that could be the end of our partnership. I thought, ''Just because we are good partners doesn''t mean we will be good partners...'' However, after what happened today, I feel I at least need to try... I''m still not going to go full force. I''m going to let fate take its course. If it happens it happens but I''m also not going to let opportunities go to waste. I''ll keep you in the loop though." Then they bro-hugged followed by their secret handshake. After saying goodbye to his friends Kai said goodbye to his parents. He looked at both of his parents, "It''s time for the boy to become a man. Thank you for raising me the way you did. I appreciate all the time and effort you have placed in me. It''s because of that that you guys shouldn''t worry. I''ve been raised right so I will raise right." He said and then they hugged each other. After that Kai and Lexi walked up to the stairs of the aeroplane. As they did they waved to the people waving down below until they were in the plane. Once they were in the plane the stairs moved away and the door shut, airtight. Kai looked through the mini window. He saw the people down below and waved one last time. That''s when the plane started moving and they got further and further away until they ascended into the sky. Kai and Lexi were flying in a private plane. At most, it could hold 15 people. On the other side there was a bedroom with a king-sized bed should someone need to sleep. There was a bathroom inside the room and one out of it. After the room was the communal space. There was brown leather seats lined up against the walls. It also had a fully stocked bar with a bartender. After glancing with his eye Kai returned the focus to Lexi who was sitting on the opposite side of him, "So what can you tell me... What am I walking into? Is it family members who disagree with us partnering up? Or maybe a jealous ex that won''t leave you alone. I don''t know, anything." Lexi thought for a while, "Well, I had an ex who has a girlfriend but still has a tendency to make his feelings known. So you could possibly face resistance there. Uhm... My family don''t dislike you but neither do they like you. So it''s up to us to convince them." She said smiling. Kai released a sigh of relief, he was sure she would have a lot more skeletons in the closest. Like a list of exes who wouldn''t back down but according to her it was just one. Kai wasn''t bothered with one. That was a controllable matter. Then Lexi asked him, "What about you?" "Me, Nah. Besides most of my exes weren''t surpassers and if they were they definitely not lightning wielders so it''s smooth sailing on my side." He said with a smile. Lexi nodded her and then they spoke some more until they reached the private airstrip in Ginmon. Once they were there they were picked up by one of her families chauffers. The chauffeur drove them to the Montreal Estate. The Montreal Estate was a huge mansion with vast fields of green grass. There were fountains pouring water in resplendent ways as well as beautiful flowers of all colours everywhere. Even though it was dark outside because it was 9 pm, the night lights brought the place to life in a way only possible at night. The three moons shone in all its brilliance illuminating the place even further giving this place a silvery glimmer. "Shes'' beautiful isn''t she," Lexi said as a few strands of her were dyed silver by the moon. Kai looked at Lexi, "She is." Then he walked forward towards the mansion. Lexi soon followed and they entered the mansion together. One of the chauffeurs were going to take Kai''s luggage to his room. Once they were inside the view changed, from a silvery scene to one of gold. The walls were white but had golden patterns carved on them. The chandeliers above gave off a golden light too. It was beautiful. There were large paintings on the walls and pillars of gold as well as maroon carpets of the finest material. Kai continued to be amazed as he walked down the passageways. Lexi was leading him somewhere. They continued to walk until they reached a 2.5-meter brown door. Lexi knocked on the door and then from the depths of the room a deep voice was heard, "Come in." So Lexi opened the door and then walked inside. Kai followed her shortly. Once they were inside Lexi looked towards her father, "I have arrived safely and Kai is here too." Jacques Montreal looked up from his desk that was buried in papers and saw his daughter. Half his mouth curled up as he revealed a faint smile, "Good news," Then he looked to her right and saw Kai, "So you are here now... We begin training in two days. First, you need to get yourself settled in." Then he looked at them both, "Now go, I have a lot of work to do." They nodded their heads and then left his office. After leaving, Lexi led Kai to his room. Once they got there she said, "This right here is your room. Only for tonight but your room. If you need anything my room is right next to yours. So just knock and I''ll come right out." Then she opened her door. However, before she could go in Kai quickly asked, "Room for the night?" Still holding the door handle in her hand she looked to the right towards Kai, "Yes, we are not going to be living here. As a married couple, we will be living by ourselves in the city. My dad owns a series of flats designed for surpassers. We will be living in one of them." Then she walked in her room but before she closed the door she said, "Good night." "Good night." Kai walked into his room and then layed in bed, ''So it''s finally happening... My life is finally beginning.'' He thought and then closed his eyes and went to bed.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. In the room next to Kai''s, Lexi was lying in her bed, ''I knew I was right...'' Then she fell asleep. The next morning she woke up at 8 am. She washed her face brushed her hair and then knocked on Kai''s door, "Kai wake up it''s time for breakfast." However, even after two minutes, there was no response. So she knocked on the door again. As she was about to knock again the door opened. Once the door was opened Lexi could see Kai. He had a white towel wrapped around his waist and another in his hand which he was using to dry off his exposed top half. At first, Lexi was startled because she didn''t expect Kai to open the door. Then when she saw how he was half naked she gulped. She saw his defined muscular physique. His deep and chiseled 6 pack. And even though he wore a towel around the waist it couldn''t hide his v-line. Lexi gulped one more time and then put her hands on his shoulders, turned him around and pushed him into his room, "Get dressed! You can''t eat breakfast looking like that." Once he was in his room she heaved a sigh of relief. Kai was confused as to why she was so grumpy in the morning. He didn''t see anything wrong with showing his body. It was just his top half and they were going to be living together so it was bound to happen sooner or later. So he shrugged it off and then changed into his normal clothes. Lexi was still in her nightclothes, she would change after they had breakfast. After a while, Kai''s door opened and he was now fully clothed. Lexi then led him to the dining hall. Once they got there-there were already people seated. It was Lexi''s father and guests that stayed over the night. They both found empty seats. Lexi sat next to her father and Kai next to her. Once they were seated a maid of the Montreal family asked Kai and Lexi what they wanted for breakfast. They both asked for an omelette. Kai left the fillings up to them per Lexi''s advisement. As they were waiting for the food Kai noticed that all the guests were staring at him. He revealed a slight frown and then one of them spoke. It was a female, she looked to be about 24-26 years of age. She said in a sweet tone, "So miss indecisive whose the boy?" Kai creased his eyebrows, ''Who is this miss indecisive?'' To his surprise, Lexi replied, "This is Kai, my partner and my husband." The girl jeered, "Oh my... Lexi finally has a partner."Then she looked at Kai, "You better hope she doesn''t dump you like she did Alex." Then she returned to her conversation with her friend next to her. At this stage of the conversation, Kai put two and two together. He understood that Lexi was miss indecisive. She had told him she had rejected many before him and in the plane, she told him about Alex Seemore so he wasn''t in the dark. Lexi shrugged it off like her words meant nothing to her. Then she looked at Kai and smiled. At this time the food came in and everyone began eating. After breakfast, the guests left and Lexi and Kai went to their rooms to finish up. Once they were done each one of them held all their luggage in their hands. They were about to move into their new house together. They loaded all their cargo into the boot of the car then they climbed in and drove off. Along the way, Lexi and Kai didn''t speak. Kai was to busy looking at the city. It was far bigger than Agritura. The technology was far better too. In this city, they even had flying cars and paths as well as traffic lights for these flying cars. It was as if he was stepping into a new age. He knew Strera was more advanced than Drauton but knowing and seeing are two different things. Eventually, they got to their building. It was a 20 story building with houses on each floor. Each house had a balcony where the front door was. Their apartment was on the 20th floor. They took the elevator up with all of their luggage. Once they were at the top, Lexi walked towards there door and then opened it up with a retina scan. She told Kai she would configure it so he could open the door too without Lexi being present. Once the door was opened they walked inside. The apartment was in the shape of an L. Walking in there was a kitchen on your left. The kitchen had a double door fridge lots of cupboards and a stove etc. To the right was the tv room. It was not separated by a wall. The tv room had a 60 inch 4D tv as well as a 3 seater couch. Just a bit down was a communal place with a fireplace. It also had a few pictures of Lexi when she was younger. To the left of the communal place was a passageway that led to two bedrooms and a bathroom. The first room was Kai''s and right next to his was Lexi''s. Further down the passageway was the only shower and bath in the house. In their rooms were toilets and a basin but that was all. After showing Kai the place they would call home, Lexi took her luggage and placed it in her room. She began unpacking all her stuff and put them where they belonged. Kai went into his room and did the same thing. After they were done, Kai walked out his room and then towards the door. He walked past Lexi who was sitting on the couch watching tv. He was going out to go find a job. He would have to travel by public transport because his car was still in Drauton. His parents gave him 2000 guros for food and transport and were sending his car to him via plane. This was the last thing they would do for him. This was his wedding gift. Before Kai could leave, Lexi asked him where he was going. He explained to her what he was going to do and so she got up and then walked with him outside. Then she told him to scan his eye on the retina scanner. Once he did she added him to the sign in list. Once that was done she went inside again after wishing him good luck. Kai took a deep breath and then went down the elevator and into the bus and into the city. When the bus stopped in the city, Kai climbed off. Then he walked around the city. His Genome watch was leading him to a company that had a job vacancy. There were other job vacancies but this one paid the most. When he got to Retsam, he saw the line was extremely long. Many other people were applying for this job as well which wasn''t surprising given that the job paid the most. It paid the most because this job wasn''t without its danger. The job entailed physical labour such as mining and carrying metals. The deeper you went the more you got paid but also the more pressure on your body. There was also the risk of the ceiling collapsing on you as well as harmful gases. However, as a surpasser, these dangers meant nothing for Kai so he would get paid danger pay for something that doesn''t endanger him. Seemed like a win to him. Kai stood in the line and then signed himself in. He ticked the box that said surpasser on the tab-like device. He then also forwarded his proof that he was a surpasser. Once that was done he stood in the long line. He looked at the line and surmised he would be standing for the next three hours before he could go in. However, to his surprise, an employee wearing a suit came to him personally and called him from the back of the line and into the office. When the others saw this they were furious and rightfully so. They had waited for hours but Kai just arrived and was invited in... Kai walked inside the office and then sat down. As he sat down a woman who sat behind the office looked at him, "Why do you want to work here?" "Because I need the money and your company offers the most." He said honestly. "You are aware of the risks?" "I am aware." Then she handed him a piece of paper, "Then please sign here and here." So Kai read over everything then signed the papers. The lady grinned and then extended a hand, "Welcome to Retsam. If you would like to you can begin right away. Or you can start tomorrow morning at 8 o''clock?" Kai shook her hand and said, "I can start now." The lady smiled and then called her assistant, "Please take this young man to the mining grounds. Get him engaged with team leader S." "Yes, ma''am." So Kai and the assistant left the office and then walked past all the glaring people who were waiting in line. They kept walking until they reach an elevator. They took this elevator down and they kept going down for what felt like forever. Then they stopped at floor S. The floors below S were S-, S+, SS, SS-, SS+ and so forth. The assistant told Kai he should walk straight and then he would find the team leader. She could not help him find her because her body could not withstand the atmospheric pressure. This elevator was alleviating the pressure but as soon as she walked outside she would be crushed. Kai understood and so he walked outside. Immediately he felt the pressure she was talking about. It wasn''tt a lot of pressure for him but it couldn''t be ignored either. Once he walked out, he saw he was in a cave-like structure. There were lights above that lit the place up. He continued to walk until he found a cafeteria where cooks were cooking food. There were seats and people were eating. They were all wearing mining uniforms so they all noticed Kai because he wasn''t wearing anything. That''s when the team leader stood up and walked towards Kai. She had received a message from the manager that there would be a new recruit. The team leader walked towards Kai and said, "Welcome, you must be Kai. Right now we are having a quick break then I''ll show you the ropes. So long go to the room on the right and get changed. Your measurements were given to us prior so it should fit perfectly." Kai did just that, he went to the room and changed. Once he was done, they were done and then she led him into the mine. The team leader showed him what he should do and what he shouldn''t. Once he got the hang of it she left him alone and Kai began to mine away. Kai mined from 11 am all the way to 6 pm. Mining was easy yet tough in it''s own way. It also helped him with training. As he would try and coat the pickaxe with lightning aura every time he would swing at the rocks. This job was great because Kai could choose his own hours. As long as he worked 30 hours a week he could leave whenever he wanted to. Anything over 30 hours was seen as overtime. He also got bonuses if he found large amounts of precious minerals or gems. After work Kai took a shower in the shower room this was on floor A. After showering he put on his clothes went to the convenience store to buy food and then went home. He scanned his eye and then the door opened. When he walked in he saw Lexi still seated on the couch watching tv. She turned around when she heard Kai come in but then returned focus to the tv while eating her takeout. Kai walked into the kitchen and put his stuff in the fridge and cupboards. Then he took out the pots and pans and began cooking food. Once he took the meat out of their holders he put the wrappings in the dustbin. To his surprise, the dustbin had a lot of junk in. Filled with papers from different fast food restaurants, clearly Lexi had been eating. After he disposed of his junk he began cooking his meal. Once he was done he sat on the same couch as Lexi and watched tv. They were sitting one seat away from each other. So there was an empty space in the middle of them. Kai watched what she was watching while eating his food. This was The Royals. After he was finished eating he was about to stand up so he could wash his dishes but Lexi said, "One day that will be us." Kai sat down again and looked at the tv, "Definitely, I wonder how it feels to watch yourself on reality tv." "I know hey, I''ve wondered that myself." She said excitedly. Then she looked at Kai''s hands, "I take it you got the job?" Kai nodded his head as both sides of his mouth curled up slightly. Lexi smiled in return, "See I told you-you would get it. Those type of companies loves surpassers because they can venture deeper below than passers can. I would know my dad owns a similar company." Then she paused for a while, "So do you wanna do it again?" Confused Kai asked, "Do what?" "That thing we did at home affairs." A light finally went on in Kai''s mind. Then he thought about all the lights in this house. "Don''t worry this place was made for lightning wielding surpassers so it''s insulated properly." Kai nodded his head, "Then I don''t see why not." He extended his hand towards hers. Lexi did the same and until they were holding hands. Once they did they began cycling their essence into their natural lightning and then cycled it into one another. When they did an electromagnetic field was created again. Their hair began fluttering. They continued to cycle their essence lightning into one another. As they did the world got slower and slower. Until they reached the max. The world was as slow as it could get as well as the amount of power they could muster reached a summit. The power was just about more than two times the power they could form alone. With their hands still together Lexi said, "Let me try something." She then closed her eyes for a while. Even though her eyes were closed you could see her extreme focus. While she was focusing Kai could feel the shift in the lightning. Then she opened her eyes and as she did a small stream of lightning left her hand. It was about 5cm in length and looked like a snake. It swam through the air and then dissipated. Lexi let go of Kai''s hand and exclaimed in joy as she bounced up and down on the coach, "Finally I''ve been trying to do that since forever." Then she looked at Kai, "Somehow I knew I could do it with you." Once there experiment was done Kai stood up and took his dishes to the dishwasher. Then he said goodnight to Lexi and went into his room and went to sleep. Lexi continued to watch tv. She surfed between the channels. From the news, to reality tv as well as series and movie channels. That''s when she got a message from her father telling her to watch Surpasser News 5. Lexi changed to Surpasser News 5. When she did she saw them talking about her and Kai. The title was, "Miss Indecisive Finally Chose." The reporters discussed what they knew about such as his results. His PI etc. They complemented and critiqued whether Lexi made the right choice. Yet, no one could say she made the right choice and no one could say she didn''t. After they were done evaluating her decision the news switched to the how the teams who were battling the Zolma in no man''s land were doing. When that happened Lexi switched the tv off and then opened her bedroom door. Climbed in bed and went to sleep. 18. Settling in The next morning Kai woke up 6 am. Still groggy he climbed out of bed and walked to the kitchen then turned on the coffee maker. He took two shots of Drauton coffee beans. Then he poured in 470 ml of water into the machine. Lastly, he poured 100 ml of full cream milk into the machine and placed his cup in the holder. After a few moments, the smell of home was wafting from the machine through the house. This was why Kai drank coffee. The coffee was decaffeinated though. He didn''t need the energy boost. Eventually, his body would wake up normally. He only drank it for the taste and the smell. This was the coffee his parents drank every morning so he was accustomed to this smell in the morning. Kai took a hold of his mug that was now full of coffee. The machine did everything for him. If he wanted 3/4ths milk with 1/4 water it would do so. If he wanted a 1/4 of low-fat milk, 1/2 of water and a 1/4 of full cream milk it would do that for him too. Whatever way he wanted his coffee he could have it as long as he had the ingredients. Kai took a deep whiff of the coffee. As it filled his nostrils a sense of calm came over him. Unfortunately, his moment was cut short when he heard a disembodied voice, "If you open your nostrils any wider you might rob the world of oxygen." Still with his nose buried in the coffee, Kai wondered who was so brave to speak to him like that. First thing in the morning no less. Removing his face from the steaming hot cup of coffee he looked upwards to see Lexi with her arms folded. She was wearing a cerise pink onesie with bunny ears. Kai creased his eyebrows while looking at her. He had to admit she looked cute in the outfit but now wasn''t the time to admire such things, "Good morning to you too Lexi." He said sarcastically. Then Lexi walked into the kitchen. Once she was in she held her hand in front of her mouth and yawned, "Good morning Kai." Hearing her greet him he decided to let it go, "You up early. Didn''t you sleep well?" Lexi shook her head, "I''m usually up at this time. So when I smelt the coffee I came out." Kai put on a smug face, "That''s the smell of Drauton. Amazing isn''t it?" Lexi just rolled her eyes and then looked at Kai who looked like he was in heaven after taking a sip. Kai furrowed his eyebrows, ''Why is she looking at me. Is it so interesting to watch a man drink coffee.'' He took another sip burying his face in the mug and then slowly lifted his face. On the way up he tried to sneak a glance to see if she was still looking and she was. She frowned at him with her arms crossed. Kai wondered what he did to deserve such behaviour but then he finally realized he had not even offered her a cup, how rude of him. Realizing his mistake he laughed sheepishly while scratching his head, "I''m sorry I didn''t ask much sooner." Then he lowered the tone of his voice, "Do you want a cup of coffee," Then he revealed a charming smile. Happy she got through to him she smiled and accepted his offer. Lexi didn''t drink coffee either but she was curious as to why Kai seemed so enamoured by the flavours. She knew it could be just for nostalgic reasons but even if that was the case, nostalgia had never smelt so good. Lexi didn''t drink much coffee hence she didn''t know which way she liked it best. So Kai made it the same way he made his. That was the same way his parents made it, plus some milk. Kai didn''t need to put more ingredients in the coffee machine since he originally placed double the amount in. He took a mug from the cupboards above and then placed it in the coffee machine. Minutes later a warm brown and creamy liquid poured out and into her mug. When it was done the coffee machine beeped so Kai took a hold of the mug and gave it to Lexi with a smile, "Sorry it took so long." Lexi took the cup from Kai and then smelt the coffee. She looked at peace with the warm cup of coffee in her hands as a symphony of smells coalesced in her olfactory system. After enjoying the smell she looked down at the mug. When she looked down she smiled. Kai had set the machine to put a heart symbol in the mug. He thought that she would appreciate it and judging by her smile he was right. After she looked at the white heart made from the milk she took a sip. Her eyes almost rolled back as the rich coffee flavours strutted on her tastebuds. After a sip Lexi smiled again, this time more pure and unreserved. At that moment all the noise outside became quite. Then she took another sip. The kitchen was quite it was just them two drinking coffee and being at peace with the world. Once the coffee was finished, Kai put the mugs in the sink. Currently, the dishwasher was filled with the stuff he used to eat and cook last night. He still had to pack that away before he could put dirty stuff in again. After they had coffee, Lexi turned on the tv and began watching whereas Kai began unpacking the dishwasher. He also washed the cups and put them away. Then he cleaned the coffee machine. Once all that was done he was ready to take a shower and leave for work. However, before that, he wanted to go take a jog. He hadn''t done that in a while. He felt he had slacked off enough and wanted to get back to routine. So Kai walked past Lexi and went to his room and then put on his running clothes. This was a pair of black breathable sweatpants his running shoes and a white t-shirt. It was July and in July it was winter in Strera. Once he was dressed he walked to the door of the apartment. Then he opened the door but before he could leave, Lexi turned around. She saw what he was wearing and looked at him quizzically, "I didn''t know miners worked in that." "I''m not going to work yet, I''m going out for a jog. Work is only at 8 am and it''s 6:30 am. It only takes 20 minutes to get to work via public transportation this is including the morning traffic. So I have time to kill." Lexi nodded her head and then turned off the tv, "Can I join you?" "Sure... But you probably wanna get changed unless you planning on hiding the eggs early this year (1)." Lexi stifled a chuckle and then tried to return to her composed look but her smile was still slightly showing, "Of course." Then she stood up and went into her room to change. After a few minutes, Lexi came out of her room fully changed. Her black hair was held together in a bun. She wore cerise pink breathable sweatpants as well as her running shoes and a black stretched camisole top. Her boysenberry purple sports bra was showing adding to her stylistic look. After seeing Lexi, Kai gave her one glance, "Are you ready to go?" Lexi nodded her head and off they went. They went down the elevator and then into the streets. Once they were down in the streets, Kai bent down and fiddled with his shoes. He was making sure his shoelaces were properly tied so that he did not trip on them when he ran. Once he got up, "So originally I was just planning to run wherever the wind took me but now since you are here and you actually know the place. Do you know where are the good spots to go for a jog?" Lexi looked to the left of the street and then to the right, "That depends... Do you like to run in between people or are you looking for the scenic route." Without hesitation, Kai opted for the scenic route. As fun as dodging people sounded he could do that on the way to work. He couldn''t take the scenic route to work. After Kai chose, Lexi began running to the left. They kept running on the streets until the reached a park. This was a massive park that was in the city. This park was rich and vibrant with colours, even the grass was painted in all shades of greens. It was an artists place of zen. Once they were in the park they ran along the path provided. Lexi ran in front of Kai as she was leading him. While running, Kai couldn''t help but admire the beauty in front of him, the nature was truly awe-inspiring. Unfortunately, it was short lived as Kai didn''t have much time. He had to get home and shower so that he could be early for work. So Kai and Lexi turned around and went home again. Once they took their first step in the house, Kai said, "Dibs, I am showering first." Lexi rolled her eyes then Kai went to the bathroom and showered. After showering he put on his miner clothes and said goodbye to Lexi and left for work. Kai got to work at 7:45 am. He liked to be early, he was raised that way. When the clock struck 8 am, Kai took the elevator down to floor S with his fellow miners and then began work. He worked from 8 am to 6 pm. He was putting in as much as hours as he could while he still could because tomorrow he started training. Training would start at 2:20 pm and then end at 6 pm. That was about four hours that would be chipped away from his work time every day. After work, Kai came home. He opened the front door and then walked in. As he walked, he saw Lexi sitting down watching tv and in her hands was a takeout box. She sat on the couch and munching away with her face glued to the screen. She only momentarily turned around to greet Kai. Then she returned focus to the tv. Kai wondered what was so interesting so he looked at the tv and then he saw a picture of himself on tv. Immediately, he sat down one seat away from Lexi and saw that they were discussing whether he had the potential to be a successful Zolma hunter. They read his profile and they all agreed that there was potential. They also compared him to all the other promising surpassers of his age group. In the end, they ranked him as the 10th most promising male surpasser of the graduates. They also mentioned that he was partnered up with Lexi Montreal. After the boys, they discussed all the most promising female surpassers. After a while, they finally began talking about Lexi. They said that they had their eye on her for a while. She was the one who was so talented that they had to create a new word to explain her rate of growth. She had always been one of the most promising surpassers. That was why she was so sought after. Then they started talking about her profile and they were impressed. She had been educated very well and by the best schools, money could offer. She also had a father who was a prominent figure in the lightning clan, The former Duke of The Lightning Clan. They questioned whether she could fill his boots but that remained to be seen. In the end, they ranked her as the third most promising surpasser. Then they said that she had recently found a partner, this was Kai Adler, number 10 on the list of the most promising male surpassers.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. When they had finished talking about her, Lexi switched the channel and then Kai stood up and went into the kitchen. He was hungry and wanted to eat something. He didn''t have much money left so he was just eating two-minute noodles. He also wanted to save as much as he could for a rainy day. Kai put the kettle on and then poured the beef flavoured spices into a bowl. Then he placed the two packets of noodles into a bowl. He didn''t crush it because he liked the noodles long. When the water had boiled properly he poured the water into the bowl and then mixed the spices in the water. Then he placed it in the microwave for 4 minutes. It was called two-minute noodles but if he only put it in for two minutes it would be half raw and taste powdery. After four minutes, it was finally cooked. There was still a bit of beef broth in the bowl which was they way Kai liked it. It was like ramen with the flavours cooked into the noodles. Kai took the bowl out of the microwave with his hands. A passer would have to use a towel to hold the bowl to avoid being burnt. However, to Kai this the temperature wasn''t hot at all. So he took it out of the microwave. Then he sat down next to Lexi and ate his food. Lexi looked at him and then his food and shook her head then returned focus to the tv. After Kai had finished eating, Lexi said, "Wanna do that thing again?" Kai agreed and so they practised utilizing their power. This time Lexi had asked Kai to try and project lightning with her. Maybe then they could increase the size of the lightning that was created. Last time it was just Lexi using the lightning that was surging inside of them. So Kai did what she said. However, he had never projected lightning before nor had he ever tried. He was so focused on his combat flaws as well as trying to perfect his lightning. Hence when he tried to do it he couldn''t do it near as good as she could. When they tried to release the lightning at the same time the projected lightning increased in size but only by a centimetre. They would have to practise a lot more if they wanted to increase the size. There was so much they didn''t know about this power. What was the benefits, what was the disadvantages, how much power could they muster, how do they use this ability to its fullest potential? All these questions they had flowing inside their minds. Yet they knew if they wanted to know more they would have to find out by means of experimentation. After the first attempt, they did it another twenty times. Each time the result was the same but nonetheless, they were satisfied with there results and decided to give it a rest and then go to rest. They said goodnight to each other and then they went to bed. It was already 10.22 pm they had been practising for a while. The next morning they both woke up at 6 am. Kai greeted her good morning and then made coffee for them both. While he was drinking coffee, he ate breakfast too. He offered to make Lexi some breakfast but she told him that she doesn''t eat breakfast in the morning. So she just had a cup of coffee in her hands. After they were finished they changed into their running clothes and went for a jog. This time they took the route where they had to run past a lot of people. They had a lot of fun on this route. It was fun trying to map a route ahead of time so that you didn''t bump into people. They even made it into a competition. If you bumped someone it was minus one point and if you passed someone without touching them it was plus one. Unfortunately, no one lost so the result was a tie but Lexi had said that on Saturdays the streets are a lot busier in the morning. So then they would do it again and then they would be able to determine who the best was. Kai and Lexi returned home after they are had done their morning jog session, Kai took a shower and then went to his room to go and change into his work clothes. Lexi sat down on the couch and waited for Kai to come out of the shower. She allowed him to shower first because unlike Kai she didn''t have to work. Once Kai was done changing he put his bag on his back that was filled with a change of clothes. These were his combat clothes that he would need for training later today. After he was ready, he said goodbye to Lexi and off he went to work. Lexi said goodbye to Kai and then watched him leave the apartment. When he was gone she could finally shower. When she entered the bathroom she saw that the toilet seat was up and then put it down. So far this was the fourth time she had come to the bathroom and the bathroom seat was up. But at least the floor wasn''t wet. Kai at least knew how to clean up after himself. So she wasn''t too annoyed about the toilet seat being up. However, she knew she had to tell him about it otherwise he would keep doing it. After taking a shower, Lexi changed into formal clothes and then called her families chauffeur to take her to her father''s work. Once she got there the receptionist said, "Good morning Miss, Montreal. Your father is in a meeting, he will be out in a few minutes. Until then can you please wait." She nodded her head and waited patiently for her dad to come out of the boardroom. After ten minutes her father came out of the boardroom. He was walking side by side with an attractive blonde woman. While walking towards them Lexi noticed that the conversation looked far too jovial for a business conversation. She furrowed her eyebrows when she was in front of them. When Jacques Montreal saw his daughter he smiled and put his hand on her shoulder, "Anelisa this is my daughter Lexi Montreal." The woman smiled in return and extended her hand to Lexi, "Nice to meet you." So Lexi extended her hand too and they shook hands. She shook hands with her but she was still curious as to what their relationship was. After they greeted each other Anelisa turned towards Jacques, "She is adorable." Then she smiled and said goodbye to Jacques and left. Jacques and Lexi both waved at her. Once she was gone, Lexi asked, "Who is she and what is your relationship with her? The conversation seemed quite friendly." Jacques laughed sheepishly, "That is Anelisa Milton. She is the CEO of ''Earth Research''. We just signed a deal that will accelerate our research of metals. She is an old friend of mine. Me and a few friends of mine helped her get the position of CEO so she visited today to make good on an old deal." Lexi nodded her head and then Jacques asked, "So what brings you here today?" "Well for starters I wanted to talk about my future. I have decided that I will not be ranking up yet. I will wait for Kai to reach the required level of proficiency and then we will rank up together." Jacques furrowed his eyebrows, "Are you sure you want to do that?" Lexi nodded her head, "Yes since we are partners it would do us both good if we are similarly on the same level." Jacques pursed his head and tilted it to the left, "Okay if you say so. Just know that he will only be ready in about two months according to the results his tutor sent over. Are you still okay with that?" "I am okay with that." Then Jacques let out a sigh, "Okay then... So is that all you wanted to talk about." "No, I have one more thing. As you know the people have started talking about Kai and I. And I''m sure the interviews will start soon. However, I think that should you get a call for an interview you should cancel it. Right now we don''t need any unwarranted attention on us. Kai and I first need to find our place together. I would like to do that without the whole world watching." Jacques nodded his head as he understood her reason. He and his wife had to build their relationship in the limelight. His marriage was arranged so he had no say in it. Nonetheless, he felt he that had it not been in the limelight they would have fallen in love a lot sooner. As they would not have to pretend to be someone they were not. After discussing what would happen with the interviews Lexi and her father talked about business-related issues. When they were done they left Element Production''s headquarters and went home. It was already 11:45 am and it was now time for Lexi''s daily training. At the Montreal Estate, they had a state of the art training ground. There was everything you needed to monitor your strength and everything related to it. There was a place where you could spar. There were surpasser fitness equipment, weapons and more. It even had a bar where you could sit down and eat when you needed rest. Lexi and Jacques stepped into their training area. Then Lexi dressed into her combat clothes and walked into the ring. That''s when Jacques said, "Since you have already completed your training today we will just spar, like always. You can never be too experienced to spar with someone." Lexi nodded her head and then got ready. She pressed her kickstarter and off they went up and down the ring. Her father wasn''t even using a tenth of his power but it was more than enough to face Lexi. When they fought he raised his power slightly above hers so that she had to be on her toes at all times. It also gave her practice to deal with people who were stronger than her. They continued to practise like this for an hour and a half. After they were done it was already 1:30 pm and so they stopped. Lexi only trained for an hour and 30 minutes every day because that was all she needed to do. Any more would be useless. If this was yesterday she would be home back in the city. However, today was a different day. -------------- When the clock struck 2 pm, Kai put down his pickaxe and then signed out. He netted 6 hours of work today. Now it was time to go and train. Today was the first day that Kai would be training with Jacques Montreal and not only that. Today was the first day he would be practising with Lexi. Today was the day that would set the tone for the rest of their times to come. Excited but also nervous, Kai took a shower and changed into his combat clothes that were in his bag he brought with to work. After changing he left work and took a cab to the Montreal Estate. He had to take a cab because the busses didn''t go there. The Estate was not in the city. It was in the outskirts of the city. Where the land was bountiful enough to accommodate the huge mansion. Most of the mansions in Ginmon were situated in the outskirts of the city. Kai climbed out of the car and stood in front of the black electric gate. Looking to the left and right Kai saw black fences that stretched as far as the eye could see. Then he walked forward and introduced himself to the two guards that were standing on either side of the gate. They were dressed in white and black suits. Kai couldn''t tell for sure but he was sure they were surpassers and powerful ones at that, "Hello sir and Ma''am. I am Kai Adler, I was invited by Mr Montreal. You can check with him." The female security replied, "Yes sir, we have been informed of your coming. And please call me Adderly." She said in a respectful tone and then bowed slightly. When she bowed so did the male security. Then they opened the gate and so Kai walked inside. Once he was inside their premises one of the escorts inside drove Kai to the front door of the mansion as it was a 500-meter walk from the gate to the mansion. Kai climbed out of the car and was marvelled by the beauty of the place. Yes, this place was breathtaking at night but it was just as splendid in the day time. After taking in the scenery, Kai opened the double door front door and walked inside. He was walking around the place but he had no idea where the heck he was going. So he asked one of the maids that was busy cleaning the white walls where the training area was. Instead of telling him where it was she took him there herself. Kai was grateful to her when he arrived at his intended destination. He thanked her for taking the time and then he opened the door and walked into the training area. When he opened the door he saw how fancy it was. They definitely spent a lot of money on this place. It was nothing like the Training Centre in Drauton. After looking at the place, he saw Lexi sitting down at the bar eating food. Jacques, on the other hand, was standing in the ring with his arms folded. He looked at Kai with a stern expression, "Come Kai, let''s start." Immediately Kai jogged into the ring and the stood across from Jacques. Jacques still had his arms folded, "Today will be your first day of training with me, rejoice. You are the man that my daughter has chosen. Be prepared for the hardest training you have ever faced in your life. Now that you have me as a trainer I will make sure that all those flaws are properly ironed out. I can''t have you hindering my daughter. She has already decided to wait so that you and her can go to rank 1 together." When Kai heard this he was surprised. His head moved back and his eyes bulged slightly. Then he tilted his head towards Lexi''s direction and looked at her with the same expression. However, Lexi just continued to eat her food as if it was a given that she would do that. After looking at Lexi, Kai returned focus to Jacques, "According to the results your previous teacher sent over. You will be ready in two months. That''s if you are willing to put your all into it. Are you willing?" Kai energetically nodded his head up and down. He looked like those bubbleheads that are put in cars, "Save that energy for later. You will need it. After your training with me, there will be an hour break and then I will be training you two to fight as a team. Are you good with that? Did you understand?" Kai nodded his head, "Yes sir!" "Then we start now!" 1. Kai is making reference to the Easter Bunny. They also celebrate Easter in this world but for different reasons. 19. Pride and Resolve Kai stood ready but he was curious as to what he was going to do. What was this so-called hardest training? It was not like he was resting with Emily Frey. She put him through the wringer and wasn''t afraid to give him the middle finger. Even so, he knew that Jacques wasn''t just saying that to act cool. This added to his curiosity. Standing a few meters away from Kai, Jacques took a small black remote out his pocket and held it in his right hand. Then he pressed on one of the buttons. This button had an upwards filled arrow. He continued to press the button repetitively. Kai observed this strange occurrence. He saw the remote in his hands and surmised that it was to change the temperature of the ring, ''Wow, is the training going to be so hard that you need to decrease the temperature so that I don''t overheat?'' Kai shuddered at the thought. However, that would have been heaven on Drars. Unfortunately for Kai, instead of the temperature dropping, his knees dropped to the floor. Pah! A crisp sound resounded in the room. Then from his knees, he fell again. This time to the ground, lying flat on his stomach. Uhu! Kai laid on the ground feeling as if couldn''t breathe. When he fell from his knees to the ground, he accidentally hit his solar plexus with his elbow. A searing pain plagued his body rendering him immobile. That and the gravity that was pushing him down. When Jacques used the remote it was to increase the gravity in the room. He mashed the button until he saw Kai lying flat on the ground. Only then did he stop. Kai had thought that Jacques was trying to help him. Next thing he noticed it was becoming increasingly difficult to stand. Then his feet gave out and a few minutes later, he was on the ground laying flat on his stomach. Even then the gravity didn''t stop pushing him down. He could feel the weight drilling on his body, all the way to his organs. It was originally hard to breathe because he had winded himself but it was even harder now that his diaphragm was dealing with an external pressure. Kai laid on the ground choking and then gasping for air. His eyes bulged and his facial expressions switched between fear and relief. His body was in a state of panic. Adrenaline was crashing through his veins as his heart hopped beats. Jacques just watched Kai struggling for air from above. The increase in gravity was nothing to him. To him it was as if an ant walked on him. He looked down at Kai and shook his head, "What now? Where is that strength you are so proud of? Can''t even handle a meagre amount of gravity. Look at yourself, heaving for oxygen. It''s pathetic." He said with contempt, "Is this all that Kai Adler has huh? Is this all that you can amount to? Did I make a mistake letting my daughter chose you? Flat on his stomach, Kai heard his father-in-law speaking but Kai had some thoughts of his own, ''The gravity came out of nowhere. I''m still waiting to feel the cool air brushing through my hair. Next thing I know I''m feeling the cool tiles on my face. And what you talking about a meagre amount of gravity. Meagre amount my ass! To you this is nothing but it''s hella heavy for me.'' Kai thought with a deep set frown on his face. The tempestuous anger, disgust and embarrassment he was feeling helped him gain his senses again. Kai was a prideful man and to be reduced to this state made his insides turn. Not to mention, the man he admired who also happened to be his father-in-law was looking down on him, connotatively and denotatively. But most importantly, Lexi, the woman he was partnered up with, the person he was married to was seeing him in this state. Even though her face showed no sign of derision it was hard to swallow. Kai closed his eyes, then he took a deep breath. He repeated this cycle over an over to calm himself down. The gravity was still present making breathing difficult but he did it anyway. While his eyes were closed the words Jacques had said replayed in his mind. He couldn''t help but see the truth in it and questioned himself, ''Is this all that I have? Can I not make a breakthrough, right here right now. Am I not that talented... Is this all that Kai is.'' Hearing himself question himself, Kai violently shook his head, ''NO! I am Kai Adler, future King of The Lightning Clan. My name means ocean, my talent is deep and it is vast! I can make a breakthrough! I will make a breakthrough!'' At that moment Kai reopened his eyes. Now they were teeming with confidence. He had regained his resolve. Seeing Kai regain his confidence, Lexi smiled and then continued to eat away at her food. Looking at Kai, Jacques howled in a deep tone, "Yes, those are the eyes befitting a King. Now stand up! The real battle begins now." So Kai tried just that, now that he had steeled his resolve, he was going to stand on his own two feet. However, he still couldn''t. It was not as if he didn''t want to stand, he just couldn''t. Heck, it wasn''t even a case of a stalemate. He was barely holding the gravity from crushing him. The gravity was winning. The only thing he could do was fight to breathe, ''Forget trying to stand, I''m trying to live!'' Tsk! Kai clicked his tongue in dissatisfaction and then calmed himself again, ''One step at a time Kai. Miracles won''t miraculously show itself. You need to work hard and get it for yourself. So are the days of our lives.'' Coming to terms that standing on his own feet will take work, Kai split the task into three parts. First, he needed to be able to beat gravity while he was prone, not survive it. Secondly, he would go up the same way he came down. He would go from his stomach to his knees. Lastly, he would go up from his knees to feet and then stand proudly. Now that Kai had a plan and resolve, he began phase one. First, he started sliding his arms on the floor. It was difficult but manageable. After his arms, he started sliding his feet up and down. He looked like he was making a snow angel but on tiles. As the momentum built up he found it easier and easier to move. While flailing his legs and arms, Kai found that the weight on his torso was lightening. Taking the opportunity was presented before him, he moved to phase two and decided to try and stand. He rolled around on the ground and then stopped. At that moment, he used all his strength and pushed himself up. And for the first time, it was working. His body was moving upwards. It was extremely heavy but as long as he didn''t give up, he could do it. Kai continued to struggle until he finally made it two his knees. At that moment, he let go of all the pent up air in his lungs and started breathing rapidly. It took a lot out him trying to get to his knees. But now that he was bipedal again the weight of the gravity decreased as his surface area decreased. Kai made use of the decrease in gravity to catch his breath. After he was breathing normally, it was time to enact phase three. Kai looked up and resolidified his resolve and started trying to stand. Even though the gravity wasn''t as heavy as before, it was still very heavy. Kai struggled but bit by bit he was getting closer to standing on his feet without bending his knees. Kai persevered and persevered until he finally made it on both his feet. Standing on his own two feet, Kai celebrated but with his eyes only as he could not make a fist pump. He was happy with himself. He did not give up, he kept fighting and now he was standing on his own two feet. Jacques saw the effort Kai had put into standing so he clapped his left hand on his wrist as he was still holding the remote. After clapping his hands, the inner demon arose within and then he pressed the upward button a few times again, "And now comes the vicissitudes of life to smack you down!" Immediately, Kai felt the added weight crashing down on him. However, this time he was prepared for it and fought it off. The fight was excruciatingly difficult. His knees were buckling. There were even times when he would falter and then he would have to pick himself up again. Jacques crossed his arms, "If you can''t even handle a little bit of gravity. How can you handle the weight of being King? How can you handle the problems of the lightning clan? How can you be the beacon of hope to your underlings? Because I''m telling you now, there will be times where you will want to give up but you can''t. At the top, if you falter you could destroy multiple lives. These are lessons that you need to learn now already. So that when you reach your goal it is ingrained in you." Again Kai took what he said to heart and poured every last bit of his power into his muscles and stood upright and prideful. His eyes were full of vigour even though his body was barely holding on. He knew he didn''t have much time but he was going to give it his all for as long as he could. Kai stood upright not moving a muscle. The weight of the gravity continued to descend ruthlessly but he braved it out with an undaunted spirit. When Jacques saw that Kai had resolidified his standing, he took his remote again and smirked. Then he began mercilessly mashing the button. When Kai saw that he was about to use the remote again he didn''t falter, "Bring it on. I''m ready." Kai made a baseless bluff but bravado is basic in a bout. However, to his surprise instead of the weight getting heavier, it got lighter. This confused Kai but in the end, he just let it go and grinned. He was beaming with joy because he overcame what seemed insurmountable. He then answered his own question, ''I did make a breakthrough.'' Seeing Kai joyous expression, Jacques spoke, "Well done, you preserved and you pushed your way through. Now we can begin ironing out your kinks. You will now spar with me, when your body is tired it tends to move in the way it is programmed to. From this day forward, I will now teach you the correct way to fight and erase all errors." Kai nodded his head as a sense of excitement welled over him. He was about to spar with the former Duke. He knew he would be holding back but it was still an honour. Kai took a hold of his kickstarter and let the lightning flow through him. Then he charged at Jacques however, even with the gravity going back to normal and lightning coursing through his body. His body didn''t respond the way he wanted it to. His muscles were aching and taut. His whole body felt like it was bombarded with a lactic acid build up. Despite these circumstances, Kai fought Jacques up and down the ring. The joy and the bliss he was feeling was unsurpassable. As they were fighting Jacques would point out flaws and Kai would try and fix them. Jacques only told Kai about a flaw three times. If he kept making the same mistake after that, he would be shocked by a high voltage charge. The shock was intense and hurt like hell! In this regard, him and Emily Frey were the same. They believed the best way to fix flaws was to have the body understand it was wrong. It was like giving a hiding to a child. They continued to train like this until the training time was over.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. After individual training, Kai wiped the sweat off his body and took a much-needed rest. His individual training was strenuous. Now he understood why Lexi was so fast, she had probably been training under gravity too. Kai took a seat next to Lexi. He chose that as his place of rest. When he got there she passed him a bottle of ice cold water, "Good work." She said smiling. "Aaaah, thank you!" Kai thanked her and then gulped the water down. It was so refreshing as the cold water went down his oesophagus. This he expected but what he didn''t expect was that his energy was returning. He wasn''t full power but his body definitely wasn''t as rigid as before. Kai revealed a flabbergasted expression. Lexi giggled when she saw his face, "What don''t they have energy water in Drauton? It''s pretty common here. You can find this stuff in all the shops." Now that Kai thought about it, it made sense. This was a country that trained top class surpassers. Of course there would be some sort of drink to alleviate the stress after overworking your body. Kai too had used something similar back in his days at Drauton. His father had designed him energy pills that he would drink at school to give him energy. Then there were rejuvenating pills too which returned his energy back by 90%. In that regard, his father''s pills were far more impressive. Yet he still revealed a grin, he didn''t want to seem ungrateful. After some energy had returned to Kai''s body, he started regulating his breathing. He inhaled and exhaled slowly. When he felt his body was up to standard, he stopped. He wasn''t fully recovered but it was enough. When Lexi saw Kai had stopped regulating his breathing, she said, "Are you good?" Then before Kai could answer she looked towards her father, "Dad, Kai is good we can we start?" Kai just sat there shaking his head, ''What don''t I get a say in this? It hasn''t even been an hour.'' He sighed inwardly, ''I guess this is the price for partnering up with the extraordinary.'' Both of them got up and walked into the ring where Jacques already was. Jacques looked at them both and then said, "Look at each other, I want you to really look at each other." So Kai and Lexi turned to each other and looked at one another, "See the shape of each other''s eyes, the structure of their nose. How tall or short is he/she to you. Where do her/his legs start, where does his/her torso begin. I want you two to know the ins and outs of each other''s bodies. I even want you to know when she is ovulating." He said with a straight face. Then he looked at Kai, "Here is the physical chart of Lexi. I want you to study this and know it like it''s second nature." Kai nodded his head and then took the papers. He glanced through it and saw it had things like the shape of her eyes and mouth. Her height. It even had the width of her hips and her waist and a lot more... After Jacques handed Kai the papers he turned to Lexi, "Unforntanelty we don''t have a fully detailed version of Kai''s yet. You will get it later today." "Okay," Lexi said but she already knew this. She had seen the version Drauton hospital had created and knew it was severely lacking in detail. Carrying on Jacques looked at Kai, "Now we are going to do an essence test. We will do the rest later... Follow me, "He then walked out of the ring and to the right side of the room. There there were multiple white machines that had lights shining inside them. The lights looked like a scanner''s as they swiped through the machines and then disappeared. When they got to to the right machine, Jacques took a pad and stuck it on Kai''s arm, "Cycle your essence lightning into the machine until the lights flash red." Kai took out his kickstarter and amplified the lightning in his Eneron while opening the valve and letting the essence mix with his lightning. In short of 3 seconds his lightning had completely changed to essence lightning. He then sent it into the machine. While he did, the machine''s light changed from green to blue and after a while, it changed to red. When Kai saw the red light he stopped and took the pad off his arm. "Now we wait a few minutes." They waited a few minutes until his results came out of the machine on an A4 paper. Jacques took the paper and nodded his head in approval. He then gave the paper to Kai, "Work hard and you can be something one day." Kai smiled and then took the paper and looked at it. ??????????????????''?? ????????????????????????????. Gender: Male Rank: Beginner- Beginner Rank 1 Age: 16- 21 Type of Surpasser: 3rd Generation Pairing: Lightning-Lightning ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????? (?????? ???? ????). Piercing Power: 9 Speed: 9.3 Voltage: 9.8 Amps: 9.7 Stunning effect: 8 Heat: 9.6 Restorative properties: 9.1 ????????????????. Proron: 9 Exron: 9.8 Auron: 9.2 Nevron: 9.2 Braron: 8.1 ... After viewing his results he nodded his head. They were far better than he had expected. He also noticed that he had a lightning-lightning pairing. This meant that both his biological parents were lightning surpassers. He inwardly thanked them for their good genes. For when it came to your essence, the results were almost fixed. There are cases where when ones certain attributes can go up or down. However, the changes aren''t drastic. So one could say your ability to succeed was determined by birth. After he saw his, he wanted to see Lexi''s. So he flipped the page to where it showed hers. ??????????????????''?? ????????????????????????????. Gender: Female Rank: Beginner- Beginner Rank 1 Age: 17- 21 Type of Surpasser: 2nd Generation Pairing: Lightning-Lightning ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????? (?????? ???? ????). Piercing Power: 9.2 Speed: 9.7 Voltage: 9.3 Amps: 9.1 Stunning effect: 9 Heat: 9 Restorative properties: 9 ????????????????. Proron: 9.2 Exron: 9.1 Auron: 9.4 Nevron: 9.8 Braron: 9.7 ... When saw her results, he nodded his head and then smiled. After Kai was done viewing Lexi''s results, Lexi said, "Now let''s test ours together." When Jacques heard this, he furrowed his eyebrows, "What do you mean?" "Exactly what I said. When my essence enters Kai it mixes and then creates a whole new essence. I want to test the attributes of the combined essence." When Jacques heard this he thought his daughter was crazy. Essences don''t mix. In fact, they oppose each other. If someone essence enters your body your body destroys it as it is seen as a foreign element. With this known as the truth, how could Lexi say their''s combine? It was a preposterous notion to be exact. Jacques shook his head and then walked to the ring. However, Lexi and Kai stayed. Lexi looked at Kai, "Are you ready?" Kai nodded his head. When he did, Lexi placed the pad on his arm and then they held hands. While they were holding hands they used each other as a kickstarter and began amplifying their essence lightning. After that, they sent their essence lightning into each other''s body until it had fully integrated with each other. Kai then took the combined essence lightning and funnelled it into the machine. When he did, the machine started flashing blue until the light turned red. Once the light turned red they let go of each other''s hands and waited for the results. Jacques himself was quite curious. He stood in the ring looking from afar. He didn''t believe it to be true but what if it was? He knew his daughter and she wasn''t crazy so there had to be some truth in what she said. Even if the cause wasn''t really the combination of essence lightning. The machine continued to process the information it received but it was taking its time. "Does the machine usually take this long?" Kai said breaking the silence. Lexi shook her head, "No, it''s usually much faster." Kai pursed his lips, ''Was it really not the combination of the essence. If not what is it?'' But he would soon find out as the results came out the machine. Kai gulped and then walked towards the machine. He took the paper and calmed his pulsating heart; he took a deep breath and then looked at the paper. ??????????????????''?? ????????????????????????????. Gender: Androgynous Rank: Beginner- Beginner Rank 2 Age: 17- 21 Type of Surpasser: ? Pairing: Lightning-Lightning ???????????????????? ???? ?????????????? (?????? ???? ????). Piercing Power: 9.4 Speed: 9.7 Voltage: 9.8 Amps: 9.8 Stunning effect: 9.2 Heat: 9.7 Restorative properties: 9.3 ????????????????. Proron: 9.7 Exron: 9.8 Auron: 9.7 Nevron: 9.9 Braron: 9.8 ... After Kai read the paper and then he handed it over to Lexi and just like him she was shocked. Looking at the results they noticed their results had combined. They improved each other''s weaknesses. For instance where Kai fell short on the stunning effect Lexi''s essence improved it. Where Lexi fell short on amps Kai''s essence improved it. Seeing this, Lexi finally understood why she could only project lightning when they were holding hands. It was because the combined essence-lightning had a higher affinity to the proron and exron channels. A higher affinity gave her access to more power than when she was alone. Upon realisation, she smiled. When Jacques saw their reactions his interest was piqued but he had just stormed off stating how impossible it was. How could he show up in front of them and ask to see the results? So in the end, he fought off his curiosity. But Lexi, as his daughter knew him very well so instead, she walked to him and showed him the results. When he received it and read it, his eyes bulged. Then he looked towards, Lexi and Kai as excitement welled up inside him. Now he couldn''t wait to train them. His emotions were raging but he kept them inside. He then coughed to bring his emotions in check, "Good, seems you were telling the truth. This is a weapon you can use to shoot up the ladder. I will personally see to it that you get the best out it. But bear in mind there could be others like you out there. Maybe the others are keeping it a secret for if it is discovered it will cause a ruckus. Now, I''m not going to tell you how to use your powers. As partners, that decision belongs to you..." He then cleared his throat again." Now we begin joint training." Lexi and Kai stood ready in the ring. Then Jacques instructed them to both attack him. They were not allowed to fight individually but had to double team him. The purpose of this was obviously to solidify their cohesion. He wanted them to see how they fought and then respond to it. When they bumped into each other or obstructed one another, he would shock them both and point out how they could have done better. Some of the times he was the cause of it. He purposefully engineered a situation where they ran into each other. Jacques was an excellent trainer just from five minutes of fighting he could already tell the fighting style that would suit them best. It was also the same style they would use when they were in sync. This was on rare occasions though. Most of the time they were in each other''s way. Both to dominate and competitive to step down. This wasn''t surprising because they both had been fighting alone all their life. Working with someone and trusting someone was harder than it seemed. Especially, when you thought were fully capable to have your own back. Over and over he shouted and shocked them for not being a team player. They continued to bump and smash into one another for the duration of the training session. After their training, Jacques took Kai and ran some extra tests on him to give Lexi the full physical chart. When she received it, they went home all battered and bruised. The point was to fight Jacques but instead, they were fighting each other. The ride home was silent. Both of them were too ashamed after today''s flop. When they got home it was already 10 pm. Training was supposed to end at 6 but clearly they needed all the time they could get. When they got home they said goodnight to one another and went to bed. They were in bed but no one was sleeping. They both felt like they failed each other but more importantly, they felt they failed themselves. It was a partnership for a reason. They both knew in their minds that they couldn''t do it alone. However, it was one thing to know and another to do. But on this night, before they went to bed, they both vowed to themselves and in their hearts, that tomorrow they would be more cooperative. ''Tomorrow it will be different.!'' 20. Budding The next morning Kai woke up at 5 am to study. He opened his eyes as he laid with his back on his bed. Then he stood up and winced at the pain he was feeling. His body was bruised. It was a throbbing reminder of the vow he made last night. Then he took the papers that explained Lexi''s physical chart and sat down on his bed and began studying it. It was actually quite interesting and extremely detailed. The only thing it didn''t show was physical appearance. Kai could see the mapping of her nerves. He could even see the pathway of all her veins and arteries. After reading, Kai got out of bed and went to the kitchen to fix himself a cup of coffee. He put the ingredients in and let the machine do its work. Minutes later, the smell of coffee filled the house. Smelling the now familiar smell, Lexi climbed out her bed. She had been up since five too. Before she left the room she put on some light make-up, this was something she had always done. As she walked out of her bed her bruises began throbbing. Sometimes they would throb, other times she would feel a sharp pain jolting through her body. She opened her door and walked to the kitchen. When she was inside, she saw Kai holding a cup of coffee in his hands. When he saw her he handed her her cup of coffee. This was their morning routine so he made two at the same time. Lexi took a hold of the cup and blew on the coffee a few times to cool it down. Then she removed some of the hairs in her face and took a sip. Kai unconsciously mimicked her then he said, "So are you still going to jog with me today?" "Of course, did you think I wouldn''t because of last night?" Kai looked away and then back at her, "Nooo, I just thought maybe your bruises hurt too much. I thought maybe I ruffed you up too much." He said trying to tease her. Lexi just closed the distance between them and then pressed her finger on Kai''s arm. "Ow!" Kai exclaimed in pain. When Kai exclaimed, Lexi raised her eyebrows revealing a smug face, "Sounds to me like you''re the one in pain." Kai just laughed, "Yeah, I have few bruises here and there. You''re one tough girl, my word!" He laughed again, put his cup down and then smirked, "But don''t act like, I''m the only one in pain." He then returned the favour and started poking her too. At first, it was to get a reaction out of her. But of course, since she was prepared for it she kept quiet. When Kai saw he couldn''t get her to cry out in pain he switched tactics, ''I will get a reaction out of her.'' He then started poking her on her waist and other ticklish areas. Kai was using his mother''s secret moves. As a doctor, she knew full well where to tickle. Kai having received many of her punishments knew how to execute it too. Kai continued his onslaught. While Kai was trying to get her to exclaim in pain, Lexi held back her voice, ''You''re not going to get me.'' Kai was relentless but she was tougher. She decided that she wouldn''t and that was that. Lexi had thought she was in the clear when she overcame the pain. Until she realised that Kai was no longer trying to make her feel pain but laugh. She saw his smirk and knew he was up to no good. As he was poking her she almost laughed multiple times. She held herself back so much it looked like she was having the hiccups. Even so, she fought the urge to laugh. She then put her cup of coffee on the counter and continued to resist. But then all of sudden the urge to laugh increased. It was like Kai had graduated from a novice to a god of tickling. She could feel there was a lot more thought to where he was poking and tickling. Lexi tried to hold out for as long as she could but eventually, she burst into laughter. Her laugh resounded through the kitchen. She thought that when she caved Kai would stop. Boy was she wrong, he smirked and continued to tickle her mercilessly, ''As if I''m going to stop now. This is what you get.'' He laughed and continued. As he tickled her, she guffawed so much she was losing the strength in her feet. She looked like an old woman as her knees buckled and her back hunched. She was laughing so much her stomach was hurting and tears were running down her face. When it reached this point she said, "I give up!" Immediately, Kai stopped, that was his safe word when his mother and father had tickled him to tears. Lexi, still with her back hunched and her right arm around her stomach looked at Kai with a sour expression and pouted at him. Kai just continued to laugh showing no remorse whatsoever. When Lexi saw her act to try to win his sympathy wasn''t working she just laughed. Soon they were both heartily laughing together until Lexi exclaimed in pain. "Ow! My stomach," She said while holding her stomach. When Kai heard her cry, he pumped his fist in the air. It was only then that Lexi realised what she had done. She placed her left hand in front of her eyes and then they laughed again. However, Lexi laughed in pieces as not to aggravate the pain. After they laughed, they both drank their coffee still full of smiles. When they were done drinking, Lexi offered to wash the dishes but Kai refused, ''Rather go get changed.'' Lexi didn''t insist, she did just that, she went to her room and changed into her running clothes. After washing the cups he went to his room and changed into his running clothes. Then they both met each other by the door and went for a run. When they came back, Kai said he was going to go shower. But before he could Lexi told him that when he uses the toilet he must put the seat down. Kai furrowed his eyebrows but complied anyway. He had been the only child in his house and had his own separate bathroom. He had never been asked to put the seat down so he found it quite bizarre. He did wonder what was wrong with her hands that she couldn''t do it herself. But they had just had a moment together and he wasn''t going to open those can of worms and risk a possible argument. Kai went to the bathroom and then showered: he changed into his work clothes, said goodbye to Lexi and then went to work. After Kai left, Lexi showered. She also saw the seat was down so despite his unpleasant look he listened. After showering she dressed and then went to her father''s work. This time not to go see her father. Lexi was exceptionally talented when it came to business and interpersonal communication. So she would often help out where she could. She knew when to switch from personal to impersonal communication. It was an innate gift. When Lexi got to the communications office everyone greeted her from their cubicles. They loved it when she was there because it meant less work for them. When the manager saw, Lexi he came out to personally greet her. When the manager had first met Lexi he was respectful to her just to suck up to her father. However, as he saw how gifted she was his views started to change. It wasn''t just the communications manager that felt this way. The other managers from the various departments felt the same way. They were all more than happy to have her succeed her father if she chose to do so when his time was up. Lexi stayed in the office and helped them until it was her time to leave. She and her father left work and went to go to and practise. After they were done practising Lexi sat by the bar and ate some food. That is when Kai walked into the room. He had just finished his 6-hour shift of mining now it was time to train with Jacques. Kai took a deep breath and steeled his resolve. When he was ready Jacques took the remote and just like yesterday he began mashing the upward button. Immediately, Kai felt the gravity but he stayed standing. He stood upright until Jacques, tapped the upward button a few times again. When he did Kai fell to his knees. "Get up!" Jacques the drill sergeant shouted. So Kai did just that. With much effort, he stood up. And kept standing with all his might. This cycle continued until it was over. After he was worn Jacques decreased the gravity and they began sparring with each other. Like yesterday Jacques told him what mistakes he was making and shocked him when he was struck out (1). They continued to train like this until individual training was over. After training, he sat down next to Lexi. He was hoping for another one of those energy waters. He couldn''t deny that without it, he would never be able to fight properly. But like an angel, Lexi passed him a bottle. He exclaimed in joy and then drank its contents. After the hour break, it was time for their joint training. Just like yesterday, they were to fight him together. They held their kickstarters and cycled their essence lightning then they looked at each other and gave one nod before the launched at Jacques. The first string of hits were perfectly coordinated but as they continued they fell out of place again. The problem this time was that both of them were playing the submissive role. This was because of the vow they made last night as well as the bruises they were feeling. Their bodies were in pain and it would hurt a lot more if they were to crash into each other now. There were many times where they would just stand and look at each other thinking that the other would have taken the opportunity to attack. When Jacques saw this he stopped them and shook his head, "What now? Yesterday you had so much fight. Now you are too afraid to step on each other''s toes." At this moment, Lexi and Kai both looked at each other and pursed their lips. The facts were undeniable this was clearly cowardly combat. "Rather step on each other''s toes or bump into each other than to do nothing. Eventually, you will know when to hold back and when to attack. Look at each other attentively. See who has the fastest charge or who has the strongest punch and then decern whether the opening requires a forceful attack or a lightning-quick attack. This is why it is crucial to know your partner''s make up to the t. Only then can you make plans and start gelling together the way you should." Hearing Jacques''s reassuring speech, Lexi looked at Kai, "Forgive me when I bump into you. Since you are so frail." "Ha-ha... Forgive me if you accidentally land on the ground. It''s not my fault I''m so strong." Then they both looked at each other while amplifying their essence lightning. Their eyes were full of vigour and resolve. Then they smiled at each other and off they went. They fought with Jacques up and down the ring. They still bumped into each other or obstructed one another, a lot. However, they knew that it was part of the process and continued as if it was nothing even though their bodies were screaming in pain.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. It was only about two weeks later that they were no longer bumping into each other. Their movements were a lot more fluid and team-like. Lexi and Kai could finally concentrate on the finer details that happened in a fight without crashing into one another. However, it was these finer details that were the hardest part. It required hours upon hours of training to be skilled at it. They still had ways to go but they had also come a long way. Today was the day they were finally going to start training with weapons. Kai had been doing individual weapons practice with Jacques and now that he had reached a certain mastery; Jacques allowed them to incorporate it into their teamwork. When they were facing the Zolma they wouldn''t be fighting barehanded but with weapons. Kai equipped his weapons onto his all-black combat gear. He had his bow attached to the back of his customizable pursuit tactical vest. His arrows were in his tactical waist pouch. His kickstarter was in the front of his vest''s holster next to his shrunken spear. Lastly, his dagger was on his right leg in the thigh dagger holster. Lexi wore her black techwear joggers with four straps at the bottom. Her pants was tucked in neatly into her black combat boots. Yet, it could not hide her beautifully shaped thicc thighs. On her left and right leg was a thigh holster for her dagger and kickstarter respectively. She also wore a black Assassin¡¯s Creed Movie Callum Lynch Hoodie (2). When the hoodie was zipped open you could see a black short camisole top revealing her flawless peach white skin. Even when it was closed there was a noticeable bump near the top of the hoodie. It could not conceal her bosom. Lastly, she had her spear attached to her back in a shrunken state. Fully equipped, Lexi and Kai started their dual weapons training. However, this also had its own sets of problems. Unlike before where a mistake was just bumping into one another. If they made a mistake now they could do real damage. This was in the back of their minds as they jostled their spears and shot their arrows. Every move they made was done with extreme caution. Watching the two fight in such a wavering way made a nerve twitch on Jacques''s forehead, "Are you underestimating me? You can''t even dream of beating me the way you two are fighting... Like I told you before, rather make a mistake than cower in fear. I am here, if I see that your mistake will cause serious damage, I will intervene at the last moment. I will give you time to rectify your mistake but if you can''t, I can." When they heard this they nodded their heads and continued to train. This time they moved with more of an enriched enthusiasm. The fear wasn''t completely gone but they were getting there. It was only when Kai made an uncorrectable blunder that they began fighting unrestrained. In this one instance, Lexi was fighting up front with her spear and Kai from the back with his bow. While fighting an opening presented itself so Kai drew his bow and shot towards it. Lexi saw the opening too and rushed in front of the path of the coated arrow. Kai inhaled quickly when he saw Lexi in the way but it was too late. He had already fired the arrow. His heart began rushing as overwhelming guilt washed over him. But his father-in-law saved Lexi by catching the arrow before it pierced her in the back. He then gave Kai a few pointers and told Lexi to observe her surroundings. When Kai saw how easily Lexi''s father was able to stop an arrow he put his all into it. He was confident he could fight unreservedly. They continued to make fatal errors like this but bit by bit they were getting better. Day in day out they did their individual training and then they did their joint training. Even on Kai''s birthday, they trained and slowly but surely they were making progress. The progress was slow but the days flew by quickly. In just a blink of an eye, the two month training period was over. By now Lexi and Kai were a lot more comfortable in training. They no longer made any fatal mistakes. The only problems were an occasional brush of a weapon. Where an arrow or a spear would skim past the arm causing a shallow cut. Kai and Lexi had just finished an intense training session so they were huffing and puffing for air. That''s when Jacques looked at Kai, "You are ready to go to rank 1." Kai pumped his fist in the air and then said to Lexi, "Thank you for all of your patience." He was finally at the stage where he didn''t have to hold her back. Now they could move forward together, in strength. Lexi just gave a closed mouth smile. It was her decision so she didn''t feel the thank you was necessary but she responded positively anyway. That''s when Jacques said, "So let''s begin your evolution and the first step to becoming a Zolma hunter. Kai, I bought some Zolma meat here with me for you too. Since you don''t want any handouts, you can pay me back later." Kai nodded his head and then accepted the meat. The meat could be fried, boiled or steamed whichever way you preferred it. Zolma meat was pitch black and had a bouncy yet firm texture. Despite how it looked the taste wasn''t that bad. It was quite salty and unexpectantly spicy but other than that it was savoury. In order to evolve, they had to consume 200g of the meat. They gladly stuffed the meat down their faces. They had been training so hard for this moment how could they not? After they ate the meat, the changes started happening so they changed their clothes. They where now wearing white garments. After changing they were inserted into a rectangular shaped capsule. This capsule was human-sized and had a watery yet sticky liquid inside. It was like the amniotic fluid of a womb but wasn''t. The fluid was quite poetic because it was like being reborn. However, it was what was used to regulate the evolution. If it happened to fast it could have adverse effects on the body. If it happened to slow there were was a risk that you wouldn''t evolve fully. This didn''t happen often but rather safe than sorry. A mistake could cause massive problems later on your walk to power. Kai and Lexi stayed in the machine for about an hour then Lexi came out. When she came out she was sopping wet and sticky in all the wrong places. She looked like she had just been rubbed with nuru gel. It was a feeling that made her insides squirm. Not to mention her senses were sharper because of her rank up. Her skin became more supple as it covered her beguiling curvatures. It was like touching a baby''s bottom. Jacques handed her a towel which she gladly grabbed. She had fluid all over her bountiful breasts as it ran down her blessed rift. To the bottom of her peachy waist and alluring long legs. Lexi gladly alleviated herself from the fluid and then waited for Kai. 10 minutes later, Kai came out of the capsule drenched in the fluid as it dripped off his muscular body. His muscles were compact and firm after ranking up. His senses were also sharper than before. This made the fluid stickying on him feel so much worse. He could feel the fluid in the crevices of his crevices. It made him want to cringe so when Jacques handed him a towel, he accepted it immediately. He then dried himself off starting with his hair. Then he moved to his six-pack. He wiped each block clean. Then he moved to his defined chest, toned arms, taut v-line and henched legs. Once he was done, he noticed Lexi was staring at him. So he furrowed his eyebrows, "Is something on my face?" Lexi just smirked, "So you finally came out, huh?" Kai just looked at her and sighed then he shook his head, "How long have you been waiting to say that?" Lexi just tittered. Kai shook his head again, "You should be in the shower because that''s where I''m going." He said and made a beeline to the shower room. Lexi followed him shortly. The shower room was just as it says. It was a room full of showers. The showers had dividers so you couldn''t see each other unless you purposefully peaked which was a temptation that did waltz in Kai''s mind. However, he beat it and brushed the thought away. Lexi and Kai climbed in the shower and moments later they exclaimed in relief. They were finally ridding themselves of the sticky feeling. Kai thanked his lucky stars he didn''t have to go through this experience anytime soon. They only time the capsule was needed was when you moved to a new level ie. Beginner to Amateur or Amateur to Kajun. The only reason they need it to go to rank 1 was that it was there first evolutionary step. From here on out, they could ascend to rank one without the use of the machine. After showering they changed back into their combat gear and returned to the training room. When they got there Jacques said, "Well done on becoming Beginner Rank 1''s. Go home and rest. We begin training in two days time. Tomorrow is your rest day as your body needs it. You may not use your powers at all." When Lexi and Kai heard that they nodded their heads and then they went home in Kai''s car. By now, Kai''s car had already been delivered from Drauton so he no longer needed to use public transport. On the way home, an insatiable hunger came over both of them. Their stomachs were singing the whole way. Kai had to turn on the radio to listen to artists with better voices. When they got home, Kai immediately ran to the kitchen to make food, it was two-minute noodles. Lexi, on the other hand, was ordering takeout. When Lexi saw what Kai was making she shook her head, "Let me buy you food tonight? You can''t keep eating two-minute noodles. Now that you have ranked up, you need to eat meat. To develop and maintain your physique. " Kai shook his head, " It''s okay, tomorrow I''ll go to the grocery store and then I''ll cook some real food." Lexi put her hand in front of her mouth and raised her right brow, "Can you cook?" "Yes, I can... A little." Lexi laughed, "I tell you what, how about tomorrow I cook us a real meal? You know, as a celebration for reaching our first milestone as partners?" Kai furrowed his eyebrows when she said she''d cook for him, ''Can she even cook?'' but he accepted her offer anyway, "That would be nice." She had just offered to cook for him, how could he say no? And truthfully, he was getting sick of eating two-minute noodles. Lexi smiled when she saw she finally got through to him. That''s when the bell rang at the front door. So she opened the door and collected her takeout. Then she switched the tv on and began eating. After Kai''s two-minute noodles were done cooking, he sat down next to her and he ate his food. Since he was famished he ate five packets worth of two-minute noodles instead of three. After dinner, he put his dishes in the dishwasher. Then he said goodnight to Lexi. Had this been any other day they would first practice their special ability. However, they were not allowed to use their powers for a whole day so they couldn''t. After Kai entered his room, Lexi finished her dinner and then put her cutlery into the dishwasher and then turned the machine on. She then turned off all the lights and went to sleep. The next morning they ran through their every morning routine and then Kai went to work. Lexi, on the other hand, did not go to her father''s work instead she stayed home. At work, Kai was finding it quite difficult. Although he could feel that his body had become a lot stronger, he wasn''t allowed to coat his pickaxe with lightning making his job significantly harder. Nonetheless, Kai continued to grind all the way to 6 o''clock. Because there was no training today, he could rack in a few more hours for more money. After work, Kai showered and then said goodbye to his colleagues and came home. On the way, Kai wondered what she was going to make. If she was going to make it at all. For the duration of the time Kai had known Lexi, he had yet to see her cook once. She always ate takeouts. Whenever he emptied out the dustbin, he would always find wrappers and boxes from various restaurants. Even at the Montreal Estate, they had their own chefs who made their food, ''Can she really cook? Kai shook his head, ''No definitely not, either she does cook and the food is barely palatable. But if it tastes good then I know it''s takeout.'' The idea of Lexi faking to cook food was something he didn''t put past her. It was within the confines of her personality. 1- Baseball reference: In baseball, if a pitcher throws you for a strike three times you are struck out. Using that as a reference, if Kai made a mistake three times he would get shocked as a punishment. 2- Assassin¡¯s Creed Movie Callum Lynch Hoodie: I know full well that Assasin''s Creed does not exist in their world. The items I mentioned are actually clothes from this world so that you can picture what I''m talking about should you choose to look up the clothes. Concerned reader: "Uh, Author-san? You forgetting something important." Author: "I did?" "You forgot to put up an Ecchi sign." "It was just some light fan service. You didn''t get a nosebleed did you?" "No." "Exactly, no harm done ." 21. Blooming Kai drove his car home and then parked it in the parking lot. The parking lot was underground protected by multiple security guards. He locked his car''s doors and then took the elevator up to the 20th floor. On the 20th floor, was a ladder that you could use to climb on to the ceiling of the building. On top was a huge red circle with an H in the middle. He wanted to see the view of the city from the top but Lexi was waiting for him. He had told her that he would be home 6:30 the latest and it was already 6:25. Traffic was unusually busy tonight, ''I wonder what''s going on tonight.'' but he brushed the thought off and then opened his house door. As he did a wave of spices and herbs rushed into his face. "Oh good, you are here," Lexi said while she took out a tray of lasagne from the oven and put it on the counter. It looked beautiful with the golden cheese melted on top. Then she rushed to the deep fryer and took out the fries. They shone with a golden brilliance as the oil dripped off of them. Then she carefully inserted it into the two plates. After that, she moved to the microwave to take out the steaks. The microwave was keeping the meat warm without cooking the meat so it retained all it''s juices as if it was just made. Then she placed the salad into their plates. The salad looked like it was made by a seasoned chef. The slices were cut without hesitation and had minimal variation. Lastly, she took a spatula and cut the lasagna by the corner and placed one block into each of their plates. When she was done she wiped the sweat off her forehead and then smiled at Kai, "Dinner is served." Looking at the spread on the plates, Kai''s eyes bulged and his eyebrows raised. It looked fan-tastic! It had all the colours and all the food groups, ''This is a meal!'' Kai excitedly took his plate and sat down on the couch. While waiting for Lexi to sit down, the smells of the food whirled in his nose. He took a deep breath from his nostrils as the smells of the food blended into one. He could now no longer hold his patience. He wanted to dig in as soon as possible. It had been months since he ate a proper meal. Luckily in the next moment, Lexi sat next to him. He then looked at her, she had her fork and knife in her hands. She returned the glance to Kai and grinned. When Kai saw her grin, he thought, ''Say no more.'' And started digging in. He first started with the salad as it required the least amount of skill. The degree in how bad it could taste was a lot less than the other foods. He didn''t want to spoil his appetite so early on. Just because the food looked great didn''t mean it did... Kai took his fork and then poked it into some lettuce, then he guided his fork to some nicely cut tomatoes and poked them too. He then placed it into his mouth. As he chewed on it, the juices gushed out. They were of a Superior standard and very fresh. Kai tasted hints of salt and pepper and there was salad dressing poured over that he couldn''t distinguish. Nonetheless, it tasted a lot better than he expected. In fact, he was greatly pleased. After the salad, Kai moved onto the fries. He poked his fork into a few of them. To his surprise, the fork slid right in. Then he put the fries into his mouth and chewed, ''Mmm, the outside is crispy but the inside is soft and light," He nodded his head in satisfaction, ''It is also magnificently seasoned. The salt level is just right with a touch of parsley for added flavour,'' Kai grinned and then ate a few more fries before moving onto the steak. Kai cut took his knife and cut into the meat. It only required one swipe with the knife to cut the meat. It was soft and tender. Then he took the cut of steak and saw that it was a beautiful pink inside. This was a prime example of a medium-rare steak, ''It''s medium to rare to see a steak so well done.'' After fawning at the presentation, he placed the steak into his mouth and chewed. Immediately the meat broke apart in his mouth and the flavours burst forth. The spices, the marinate, the meat, everything came together as one, nothing worked staccato. While chewing, Kai closed his eyes savouring every moment he could. How he wished he could enter lightning hyperdrive. If he could, he would able to experience this bliss for longer. After the flavours had washed away, Kai swallowed the meat and unhesitantly took another bite. The result was the same. It was Heaven on Drars, ''This tastes far better than Jijitos. I assumed it would either be palatable or good. Not the best I''ve ever head!'' Upon this realisation, Kai knew that there was no way Lexi could have cooked this. Despite her best efforts to hide that it was takeout. She made a mistake by ordering out from a high-end restaurant. This was like burying a body but putting a sign on top of it, ''Body down here.'' Kai laughed inwardly at his joke and then moved onto the lasagne. But just as he was cutting into the lasagne he felt two eyes staring at him. Kai furrowed his eyebrows and pouted his slips slightly. Then he looked at the stimulus only to find Lexi looking at him. She looked at him with her chin slightly raised and her eyebrows too. Her eyes were wide open causing her to blink more than normal. Seeing this face Kai thought, ''Is this that face!?'' ¡û¡û¡û¡û¡û¡û¡û¡û¡û 7 years ago at the Adler residence. Kai was having dinner with his mother, brother and father. Juliette Adler his older sister couldn''t make it for work-related reasons. It was a cold winters evening and Brianna Adler had whipped up a mighty meal. There was fried chicken, fries, lasagne, steaks, salads, pigs in a blanket, all their favourite foods on the table. Excited the Adler residence dished themselves some food and dug right in. Sebastien Adler was a statuesque man with jet black hair like his mother. His eyes were Bleu de France, deep-set and narrow. He had a square-shaped face and sat upright exuding countenance and grace. He took the serving spoon and dished himself some lasagne and fried chicken. He then poked his fork in the lasagne and ate. Sebastien Adler rarely came home because he worked a demanding job. At this time he was still working at GQ corporation in Shiyca, as an engineer in a top firm, he was pushed to create results. War bred and required innovation. After the Adler''s had all eaten till they looked paunchy, Brianna looked at Zack. She didn''t say a word she just stared. Zack sighed inwardly, "Listen up boys. Listen to what I say very carefully. When a woman has made you food and she looks at you like this. She wants to know how the food tastes. Burn this sight into your memory." Then he looked at his wife, "It tastes great honey." ¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú¡ú Lexi continued to stare at Kai just as Brianna did. Seeing the similarities in their expressions it was undeniable. Lexi wanted to hear what Kai thought of the food she had supposedly cooked. Kai sighed inwardly, ''How can I say it tastes good when she didn''t even make it...?'' Then he sighed again, "The food tastes amazing. But it''s supposed to since it''s takeout, right?" Lexi furrowed her eyebrows, "It''s not, I made it myself." Kai furrowed his brows, "Nah, I don''t believe it. Since we have been here I have never seen you cook. You always eat takeouts. Besides, why would you always order takeout if you can cook better food?" When Lexi heard Kai''s reply she narrowed her eyes as her eyebrows creased. She clenched her jaw and gripped her fork. Then she dropped the fork and sucked in her lips while smiling. After that, she picked up her fork and then she stood up with her plate of food in hand. From above, Lexi glared at Kai and then left the tv room and went to her room. BAM! The door slammed shut leaving a silent house in its wake. Kai just sat there on the couch wide-eyed and his eyes wide open, ''Oh damn, I done did it now...'' He sighed, ''But she should have admitted where she was wrong. Like you didn''t make the food, no biggie, we move on...'' Kai stopped thinking for a while and then sighed again, ''I guess, I shouldn''t have openly revealed the truth to her. No less while we were still eating... She went out of her way to help me and then I did this. Should have just listened to my father and said the food was great... I''ll apologize tomorrow.'' When Kai realised he was in the wrong, he walked to her bedroom door and knocked on the door while calling her name but she never replied. He knocked on the door again and still she never replied. He tried one last time but the only answer he got, was silence. However, the silence was answer enough, ''I''ll try again tomorrow.'' After his failed attempt to apologize, Kai ate the rest of the food. It still tasted good but it had a phantom sour aftertaste. After eating, he put his dishes in the dishwasher and then went to his room. He then practised how he was going to apologize and went to sleep. The next morning, Kai woke up and made two cups of coffee. He then practised his lines in his head while he waited for Lexi. However, she never came out of her room. Kai shook his head and then went to his room to go and dress, ''If she didn''t want coffee she would definitely still run with me.'' But contrary to his expectations she never came out of her room. So Kai had to go alone, he couldn''t wait any longer. While running Kai realised how boring it was. He couldn''t believe this was how it used to be. With Lexi, it was fun as they were always competing and laughing. By himself it was dull... Kai sighed and then jogged home. He then took a shower and went to his room to change into his work clothes. After that, he placed a bar of chocolate that he had bought from the convenience store on the kitchen counter. He also wrote a little note and placed it on top of it. Then he left for work. The entire morning Kai didn''t see Lexi so he couldn''t say sorry. He didn''t expect the chocolate and note would make her forgive him. But he hoped it would at least grant him the opportunity to apologize. Two hours after, Kai left the house, Lexi came out of her room and yawned while rubbing her eyes. She wasn''t wearing light make-up as nobody was home to see her. She made herself a cup of coffee. When she did she saw the note and the chocolate then she showered. After showering she put on some light make-up and dressed into her casual clothes. Then she sat in front of the tv and watched The Royals until it was time to leave for practice. Before she left she did one last thing. Lexi got to the Montreal Estate and then entered the training room. Her dad was already there and waiting for her. When she got into the ring they began training until her time was finished. After training, she sat down at the bar and ate some food. When Lexi started eating, Kai walked into the training room. The first thing he did was look towards Lexi and waved at her. However, she ignored him. Then she took the box wrapper of the food that had her family''s logo on top of it and placed it next to her food. Then she glared at Kai and returned to eating. Kai sighed, ''Looks like she isn''t over it. I guess I''ll give her space and focus on training for now.'' So Kai walked into the ring and then began his individual training with Jacques. They were practising the spear today. Kai was talented with the spear but exceptionally gifted with the bow. So he needed more time learning the spear. Currently, he was going over The Lightning God''s spear art''s first to the third form as that was all he could at this level. The rest could only be done when he was an Amateur and above. There were 12 forms in total, all powerful enough to be used alone. But when chained together the power increased tremendously for each chain successfully performed. After training, Kai sat down at the bar. This time he didn''t sit next to Lexi but 5 seats away. He figured he would give her space, ''When she stops glaring at me I''ll be able to approach her.'' He then took out a water bottle from his bag and drank the contents. When he did his energy returned to him, ''So glad I thought of a contingency plan if she didn''t want to talk to me.'' After drinking he rested for an hour then Jacques called them up to the ring, so they went. When Kai got there he looked at Lexi with his eyes wide open and bulged, ''I''m sorry.'' His lips moved but there was no sound. Lexi''s nostrils flared in anger and then she looked at her father ready for the okay to begin sparring. Kai took it that she wasn''t ready yet. He sighed then looked at Jacques ready for the go sign. Jacques observed the strange behaviour and recognised it immediately. There had been many times he was in the doghouse with his wife. In the end, he shook his head, ''Best not to get involved.'' So he looked at the two and then gave the go ahead. Immediately they blasted off, however, Lexi darted off first and faster than usual. Then she began fighting Jacques Montreal. Kai came in after and began the fighting. However, when they fought together it was like they had never trained together before. They were bumping into each other, getting into each other''s ways. Almost injuring one another with their weapons. Jacques had to stop the fight over and over again until eventually, he couldn''t handle it anymore, "What is wrong with you two!? Are you even trying? There is no teamwork from you two whatsoever. I have more important things to do than to train the unwilling."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. After Jacques spoke, Kai looked at Lexi, "I''m sorry. I''ve said it over and over. What else do you expect me to say?" Lexi just looked at Kai, shook her head and then left the ring and exited the training room. Kai sighed with his hand on his creased forehead and shook his head. Observing the situation, Jacques asked, "What happened? Why were you two so out of sync." Kai sighed, "We were having dinner last night. The food tasted amazing. It was so amazing that I''m convinced Lexi didn''t cook it. I confronted her about it. I meant it as a joke though. Anyway, long story short she said she did cook it and was offended I thought she didn''t. We haven''t spoken since..." While listening to Kai, Jacques expression changed, "What!? Lexi cooked for you?" "She claims she did..." "What did she make!?" Kai furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, "She made some steak, fries, salad and lasagne. All my favourite foods. She at least did her research." Jacques shook his head, "No that''s my favourite meal... I have been trying to get Lexi to cook for me for years. She always refuses. Ever since her mother passed away..." Kai''s eyes opened wide as a yucky feeling welled up inside of him, "Mother passed away?" Jacques tilted his head to the left, "You didn''t know..." Then he sighed, "My wife passed away five years ago." His voice was rife with pain and then pursed his lips, "My wife loved to cook, it was her escape. She damaged her nerves when we were fighting the Zolma back in our day. We were careful about it but one night she passed away in her sleep..." He said taking a deep breath, " As a young girl, Lexi admired her mother greatly. She admired her strength, her beauty, creativity, and mercy. I would often walk into the kitchen and watch them as they were immersed in the art of cooking. Because my wife loved to cook so did Lexi. My wife taught her everything she knows, cooking was how they communicated, it connected them. However, when she passed away, Lexi stopped cooking. It reminded her of her mother who she misses dearly... I''ve been trying to get her to cook for me for years. Now I''m hearing she decided to cook for you. And then you went and accused her of ordering takeout..." He took a deep breath then took a moment, "As I watch Lexi grow up, she becomes more and more like her mother. So I know she will be merciful to you if you apologize sincerely." Kai closed his eyes and scrunched his face, "I''m so sorry, I didn''t know." Jacques shook his head, "I''m not the one you should be apologizing to... Go! Don''t waste any more time." "Yes, sir," Kai said running out the training room in a mess. Watching Kai run off all frantic and worried made him laugh inside, ''Don''t worry Lara, I daughter will be okay.'' Running out the training room, Kai searched left and right, ''Where is she?'' He darted down the halls of the mansion almost crashing into furniture, ''Where did she go?'' Kai kept running until he finally found a maid, "Where is Lexi, have you seen her?" "The young miss... She left with a chauffeur a few minutes ago." Kai pursed his lips, "Do you know where she went?" "I''m afraid not." Tsk! Kai clicked his tongue, "Thanks anyway." Then he ran off to his car. If she wasn''t here she had to be home, he hoped. Kai climbed in his car and drove. He put his pedal to the metal and off he went. He drove through traffic rushing to get home. "Move! It is your turn!" A guy in a car in front of him was on his cellphone and didn''t notice the green light. Kai honked and the cars behind him honked but there was no movement, ''This guy!'' Seeing that the guy was not moving, Kai decided to cut past him since the oncoming lane was empty. He turned his car to the right and then drove to the right and then cut back in. As he did the immobile car started moving forward. But Kai was already far ahead and on his way home. Kai walked into the house and saw that the tv room was empty. However, the lights were on in the apartment so there was hope. Kai walked past the kitchen and saw there was a note on the table. He picked it up and read it, ''Dinner is in the microwave.'' Kai heaved a sigh of relief, ''I finally got through to her. I still need to apologize though...'' After reading the note, Kai walked to the microwave, ''I wonder what dinner is. There wasn''t much time between us so this time it has to be takeout. But I''ll gladly accept it.'' Kai opened the microwave and looked inside. As he laid his eyes upon the treat inside, his eyebrows raised. Inside the microwave was the chocolate he had bought for her. Kai pursed his lips and shook his head, ''It can''t carry on like this anymore.'' Kai walked out the kitchen door and then knocked on her bedroom door. There was no reply. He knocked on the door again, "Lexi com''mon we need to talk about this. I''m sorry, I really am sorry." Kai apologised again and still, there was no reply. Kai took a deep breath, "I''m sorry if I hurt your feelings... I was so stupid, I know. You went out of your way to cook for me. And instead of being grateful, I spat it all in your face. Accusing you of ordering takeout. I really am sorry. I feel, awful!" After Kai spoke there was no reply from her again. Yet, he heard a few sounds scraping against the door. Taking this opportunity Kai said, "Look I''m not leaving until we talk. I''ll stand here all night if I have to. I''ll say it a thousand times if have to. I am sorry." Kai was about to apologise again when he heard rustling behind the door. In the next moment, the door opened inwards and there Lexi stood. She had the door handle in her hands then she let go of it and crossed her arms, "And?" When the door opened, Kai finally saw her but when he did he lost his words and froze. They were standing so close to each other and from close up she looked so much more attractive. Lexi creased her brows, "Have you got something to say?" Kai came out of his trance and then said, "Can I come in?" She nodded her head and then let him in. As soon as he walked past her, her pleasant perfume pervaded past him. He then sat on her Queen-sized bed and looked around. The colour theme was white, black and turquoise. She had a desk and a chair as well as a bookshelf filled with books. There were paintings of beautiful places in the world. Some lost and some still there. The white walls also had artistic doodles on them. When Kai had finished looking around Lexi sat next to him on the edge of the bed. He took a deep breath and looked into her eyes, "Thanks for hearing me out. Sorry for being so forceful but I needed to talk to you... So I heard from your dad the real reason you are angry." When he said this Lexi sucked in her lips, "He told me about your mom. Flip, Lexi I had no idea! I would never have said that if I knew. I feel horrible and I can''t imagine how I made you feel... You haven''t cooked in years but you were willing to do that for me. For me! And I threw it in your face. It frustrates me! I''m so sorry..." He said remorsefully. Lexi could see the sincerity in his body language and hear it in his tone. She sighed, "I forgive you." Kai''s eyes bulged as they opened wide, "Really!?" "Really, it''s not right what you did but I understand why you thought so." "Aaah Thank you! Today has been one of the worst days of my life. Knowing I hurt you sucked the life out of everything I did. Even running this morning was so boring without you which is weird because I have been running alone for years." "My day was boring too and our morning coffee didn''t taste the same..." Kai smiled, "That''s because I didn''t make it. I add something special to the coffee." Lexi didn''t know which way to take it, ''Does he mean he adds something to the flavour, Like an ingredient. Or is does he mean that his presence somehow changes the coffee''s flavour.'' In the end, she chose the ingredient as the option, "The machine makes the coffee." Kai furrowed his eyes in confusion but eventually caught on, "Yeah, but even still you need to choose how many parts what..." He paused for a while, "I tell you what. Let''s open up a bottle of wine, sit by the fireplace and talk. We can talk about our lives before we met. It doesn''t have to be too deep. I want to know more about you... You know so that I don''t make the same mistake of course." Lexi smiled, "I can do that." With that, Kai stood up and walked out of their room. Then he walked to the fireplace and lit the fire. Immediately golden motes of light warmed up the place. Then Kai went to the kitchen and took two wine glasses and a bottle of wine from the cupboards and brought it to the fireplace. When he did Lexi sat down too. There were no seats so they were sitting on a rug. The rug was soft and fluffy. Kai took the glasses and poured in the red wine until their glasses were half full. Then he put the bottle on the ground and looked at Lexi who had her hair illuminated by the light of the fire, "So I''ll go first. I''m born in Drauton, I don''t know my real parents. All I know is that they both are lightning wielders. Uhm, I have an older brother and an older sister, not biological of course but you already know this... Uhm when I was younger I used to get teased for being weak and I was but I never gave up. I kept fighting until I became the man I am today. This makes me strong-willed and prideful. I don''t have a, the world revolves around me ego but I do believe I have what it takes to be King." Lexi nodded her head, " I''m born in Strera, I have an older brother but he left the house when my mother passed away... I was too was teased and shunned when I was younger but it was for being too strong and too beautiful. I made everyone around me feel worthless. Because of that, I held back, it was never my intention to make people feel that way. I did until my father said I shouldn''t hold back and fight with all I have... This is what makes me so strong-willed and prideful. I too think the world doesn''t revolve around me but I know I have what it takes to be Queen." Kai smiled and then he looked to the right and saw pictures of her when she was younger. He picked one of the frames up and looked at it. When he did, he furrowed his eyebrows then he looked at her and then back at the picture and furrowed them some more. Lexi laughed, "That was back when I was getting ostracised for my looks. I used to purposefully make up blemishes and uneven skin tones to fit in." ''Wow, the beautiful have it rough in their own way too.'' Then he smiled and raised his right brow, "If that was the case, why did you give yourself a beauty mark? That''s hot." Hearing Kai''s words, Lexi''s cheeks turned red as she grinned. However, she immediately changed the subject and then they talked and laughed for hours. When their glasses were empty they were refilled until it was finished. Then they would fetch another one and refill the cups until they were half full. Bottle after bottle went down and was taken from the wine cabinet. As surpassers, they had a higher tolerance for alcohol. At least that''s what they thought. ¡ú¡ú¡ú The next morning Kai woke up. As he opened his eyes he saw, Lexi standing in front of a mirror above her desk. She was standing in her panties and her bra. Her back was hunched so that she could see her full face inside the mirror. In her hand was a concealer brush. Kai looked around the room and realized he was not in his room but hers... Then he looked down at himself and saw he was topless. He opened the duvet and saw he was in his boxers. Kai pieced the information together but shook his head. Then he sat upright against the headboard of the bed. When he did he saw his combat gear lying all over the ground intertwined with Lexi''s. Seeing this Kai gulped and then looked towards Lexi, "Did we?" Lexi chuckled and then turned around, "No, trust me, you''d remember." She said then swayed her hips as she walked out the room. Lexi walked to the shared bathroom and then looked in the mirror. She took a deep breath and then washed her face clean of make-up. Then she walked past her room and turned on the tv. In Lexi''s room, Kai was still lying in bed. He was happy that he did not lose his virginity only because he wanted to remember it. After a while, Kai heard the tv go on so he climbed out of bed and walked to the tv room. He was standing behind the couch on the right side of Lexi. He looked at Lexi who had her eyes fixed on the screen. Her focused look was captivating but then he noticed something. Near the bottom of her right cheek, she had a small beauty mark. When he saw that all the lights switched on in his head and he grinned. Then he looked at the tv screen. --- On tv was a female reporter, "All the clans are currently preparing for another joint expedition in no man''s land. I am here at the lightning clan in Strera speaking to Alexander Degrey, the Clanmaster of this branch." "We have been tasked to eradicate the Zolma on the border of Athra. As always we will accomplish this task swiftly and flawlessly." "And what place do you think your clan will come?" The reporter said and stifled a chuckle, "My apologies something was in my throat." Then she looked at Alexander Degrey waiting for his answer. Alexander was seething with rage, ''They request an interview with me just to berate my clan on live television,'' However, he put on a friendly and professional smile, "I don''t know. The other clans are large and have very powerful surpassers. It will be a close fight for sure but I have confidence in my clan." "You heard that first here. The lightning clan say they are confident they will win..." She said with a hint of mockery and disdain. Alexander just smiled and then looked into the camera, "We might be a smaller clan compared others but we are not ashamed! Our lightning boasts pure destructive power! If you think you have what it takes, join us. Bring glory to your clan." After his speech, he smirked at the reporter and folded his arms. The reporter was furious and it showed, ''Damn it! I''m going to hear it from my bosses. I was supposed to make them look bad. Instead, he made a powerful call to arms on tv... I will be able to navigate it if no powerful surpassers join the clan. Then, in fact, this footage could give me a promotion.'' ------ Seeing what just happened, Kai looked at Lexi, "Our time to fight has come." Lexi looked into Kai''s eyes, "Let''s give them hell!" 22. Preparation After they watched how their clan was belittled on live television they clenched their fists and gritted their teeth. The facial expressions and disdainful tones of the reporter irked them. There was a fire blazing in their hearts. This was their clan. They were not King and Queen, they hadn''t even joined the clan yet. But this was the clan they belonged to so mocking the clan was essentially the same as mocking them. The lightning clan had and has always been belittled. The subject of derision. Even though just like all the other clans, they are doing their job properly. Kai and Lexi had always let it slide because there was nothing they could do. But now that they had found each other, they could. They simultaneously looked at each other. "Our time to fight has come." "Let''s give them hell!" After watching the news, they switched the tv off. Then Lexi and Kai showered one for one and changed into their combat gear. Once they were dressed they went to the kitchen but instead of having coffee like they always do, they drank a detoxifier. As surpassers, their bodies had a higher regenerative speed so the toxins had long since been purged but they drank it anyway. While they were drinking, Kai looked at Lexi''s beauty mark. Last night, he had told her that he finds a beauty mark attractive. And now for the first time ever, he is seeing her without make-up and her beauty mark exposed. He smiled as his thoughts ran wild, ''I didn''t know my words carried that much weight to her. Or do they? Maybe there is another reason...? Either way, I like her better this way.'' While in thought, Kai forgot that he was still looking at Lexi. She furrowed her brows, "Is there something on my face?" Returning to reality, Kai shook his head, "No, I was just thinking how beautiful you look this morning." Hearing Kai''s words, Lexi found herself smiling and her cheeks turned rosy. Her smile was wide but closed mouth as she tried to battle her bodies reaction. Then she broke eye contact and then resumed it shortly. As she looked into Kai''s handsome face, his green and yellow eyes, her heart thumped. It was a singular but concise thump. This morning she contemplated whether she was going to hide her beauty mark like she always did. She even woke up early to make sure that she had sufficient time to decide. In the end, she decided to conceal herself with a concealer brush. However, when he woke up, his words replayed in her mind again. Lexi then looked at her make-uped self in the mirror, ''I can''t seal myself anymore,'' Then she dropped the concealer brush and went to the bathroom. Lexi looked in the mirror and steeled her resolve then washed her face clean of make-up, revealing her beauty mark. Lexi had wondered if Kai was even going to notice it. Did he even remember what he said? But not only did he notice it, he even complimented her again. She felt like a giant weight came off her shoulders as her closed-mouth smile turned into a grin. After they finished drinking, Kai called into work telling them that he would be taking his earnt holiday. He had gained a week of paid holiday amongst a bonus when he found a large sum of precious minerals. "Hi, Kai that is fine with me. And as a fellow lightning wielder, I''ll be rooting for you so make sure you come back safely." His squad leader replied in a high pitch tone. "I will do my best!" She chuckled, "If Kai is going to do his best. They have another thing coming." Kai chuckled, "They sure do," He said and hung up. When Kai hung up, they left for the lightning clan here in Strera. They took the elevator to the underground parking lot. Then they walked to Kai''s car. Kai opened his car''s door for Lexi and when she was inside, he closed the door. Then he climbed in and off they went. 20 minutes later, they parked 600 meters away from the Lightning clan. They wanted to park closer but naturally, there was no parking. The streets were bustling with people. The sounds of conversations and idled cars honking flood the air drowning all else away. There were reporters, television vans even drones. They were all there to see the team the lightning clan was going to send away. Despite the number of people here, it was nothing compared to the other clans. There the reporters actually wanted to be there not because they were ordered to. Kai and Lexi climbed out of the car and walked towards the Lightning clan. When they saw the sign that said they were 500 meters away, they looked at each other and grinned. In the next moment, they gripped their kickstarters pressed it tightly allowing the lightning to flow through them. Then they darted off running through the streets. Left, right, left, right they ran dodging the people that were in the way. They both were laughing the whole way. They felt liberated as they were using their powers outside a building. The wind on their faces, the air in their lungs, it was refreshing. "Race you there," Lexi said while running. "See you there," Kai said and sped up. Lexi saw him dash off so she quickly took out her kickstarter and then off she went. They were both running side by side of each other. As they did sparks of lightning would flash between them as the negative and positive charges accumulated. Kai had an inherent negative charge and Lexi had an inherent positive charge. There was a force of attraction pulling them together but as they were moving forward to their destination they didn''t notice it... Running, Kai looked at Lexi who was running on the left of him. He saw how the wind was having its way with her hair. How her eyes were focused on what was ahead. Everything felt like it was in slow motion but it was a different feeling to lightning hyperdrive. Looking at her like this he felt like he could look at her forever. As he thought this, the negative charge increased. Then he looked straight ahead again. When Kai looked straight, Lexi looked at him. His focused eyes were alluring. The way his combat gear gripped his frame was captivating. Particularly his arms that looked perfect to snuggle into and strong enough to protect. As well as his shoulders that could hold a thousand woes. As she thought this her positive charge increased until it reached a threshold creating a larger spark between the two of them. Then she looked straight ahead and saw they were 200 metres away from the lightning clan. She picked up the speed slowly leaving Kai behind. Kai saw that she was picking up the speed so he did the same, however, in the end, Lexi was faster than him so she was running ahead. They kept running until they ran into a crowd of people 20 meters away from the lightning clans building. Here it was jam-packed with people. You could no longer run as you wished without bumping into or hurting someone. Kai and Lexi stopped in front of the massive crowd and then squeezed there way through. It was like a red carpet event there were people everywhere but 10 meters away from the building there were bodyguards and an open space leading to the inside of the building. They squeezed past the people and then stood in front of the two bodyguards they were both tall and staunch looking men. The one had espresso brown skin and the other had pale skin. "If you aren''t part of the clan or joining you may not enter." The espresso-skinned man said. "We are here to join the clan," Kai said. "Show me your powers." So Kai and Lexi took out their Kickstarters and then let the electricity run through them. When the guards saw this they nodded their heads and then let them in. While walking Kai looked up the building and it stretched so high he couldn''t see the end. Then he looked down took a deep and then they opened the door. The first floor of the lighting clan was the reception and enquires. The colour scheme was azure blue and white which gave it a convivial feeling. Despite that, just like outside this place was rife with noise as numerous conversations took place. People stood in long lines waiting to join the clan. Kai and Lexi walked into the building and when they did everyone stared. At first, it was just because they were walking in the building. It had been a while since someone came in so naturally when they walked in they were met with eyes. However, after looking they didn''t avert their gaze. Instead, they continually looked at them. Lexi was getting the most stares. "No ways, is that her?" "It has to be right." "Yes, it is, that''s Lexi Montreal." "Who''s the guy next to her? "That must be Kai Adler." "She got a man, I thought she would never choose one."If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. "Don''t you watch the news, he was featured as number 10 as upcoming men."'' "Do you think they are here to join too." His friend rolled his eyes, "No, they are standing in line for the scenery." "Sheesh, I was just asking." "A stupid question gets a stupid answer." It was at this time that Alexander Degrey came down to the bottom. He was on the way to bring in a new batch of surpassers to take the tests. As the clanmaster, it wasn''t his job to do this better yet to deal with new recruits. However, after his speech on tv, he wanted to make sure they put there best foot forward. As he stood in front of the crowd, he noticed that nobody was paying attention to him. Instead, they were looking somewhere else. Curious, he moved through the crowd and then he saw Kai and Lexi. He furrowed his eyebrows while looking at Lexi. She looked familiar but he couldn''t put his finger on it. Until he overheard the name Lexi in one of the conversations that were happening. Suddenly he remembered and immediately a grin came about his face. Clearly, if she was here then that means she was here to join the clan. The lightning clan had wanted her to join when she turned sixteen but she didn''t want to until she found a partner. They were beginning to think that it would never happen. But seeing her and with a guy next to her, clearly, that happened. After looking at them he walked to the front of the place, "Attention guys we will now be taking in the next batch of testees." When he said that about 200 people left the first floor and walked up to the stairs to the 2nd floor. When they left there were far less people inside. Now there was about 123 people in the first floor including Lexi and Kai. Kai and Lexi walked to the reception and told them they want to join the clan. The reception asked for their identification card. Once they gave it she gave them both their tickets and placed a number on them. Lexi was 500 and Kai was 501. Next to their number was a star. Kai wondered what the star meant so he looked at the other people''s numbers. Looking, he noticed that nobody else had a star on theirs. It was then that he realized it was probably that they were flagged as talented prospects. The lightning clan had his results so they knew the strength of him. The same with Lexi. He and Lexi waited in line. While he waited, he tapped his genome watched and then wired the funds into Jacques''s account. He wanted to get that out the way before he forgot again. Then they waited until all the people being tested were finished. Then Alexander came back down again. He came and then called for the next batch of people that was finally Kai and Lexi. So Lexi and Kai walked up the stairs with white walls. Once they reached the first door they opened the door and then they were on the second floor. They looked around and saw an arrow that pointed to the left. It said, ''testing area'' so they took the left and walked into a spacious room. Inside the testing-room was a bunch of machines. There were people wearing long white robes holding papers in their hands. Once they walked the smell of the all-white room came alive. It was a mixture of detergents and breath. Kai and Lexi looked around and then joined the already formed line. One for one the line got shorter as people were being tested. When it was eventually their turn the scientists told them that they can walk right through to the second part of the room. Because they already had their results there was no need to be tested. Kai and Lexi did just that and walked to the second part of the room. When they got there they saw about 270 people sitting on the floor. They were then instructed to sit down on the white tiles until the rest of the tests were complete. Once they were done an extra 50 people joined the group now they were 322. After seeing that this was the people that had enough firepower to fight, Alexander Degrey silenced the talking crowd, "Settle down...! Good, all of you have been deemed fit to fight. Using your results we have assigned you into a unit. There are three units, the scouts, attack force and caddies. There will be some who didn''t make the team you were wishing for. Just remember, whether you killing the Zolma, scouting the Zolma or even the ones who pick up their remains for testing and consumption. Each role is important so don''t write it off. Scouting the Zolma and mapping their position while relaying the terrain makes the attack forces job a lot easier. The attack force is tasked to kill the Zolma. If the Zolma can''t be killed, the caddies can''t pick up their remains meaning there is nothing to tally so we can''t win. Whatever your role, take pride in it and do it to the best of your abilities!" Everyone said, "Yes sir." He nodded his head, "However, if you are extremely dissatisfied with your role, you can take the entrance test to the unit you desire. Naturally, you have to pass the test. There is also a select number of people who can defect to another unit unless others defect to that unit replenishing the numbers and maintaining the equilibrium... Your unit will be sent to your genome watches. If you don''t have one please come to the front to know." When Alexander had finished speaking all the messages were sent. Immediately disappointment and excitement were seen on the faces of those that read their results. Except for those who knew what they would get. Kai and Lexi were one of those people they looked at their messages and knew it before reading. Lexi looked at Kai, "Attack force right?" "Yup and you?" "Same I''m in the attack force." Kai nodded his head and then he watched how the ones that didn''t accept their results tried to take another test. In order to do that they had to go through a simulation. They accomplished this by using a variation of the full dive game device. This machine was ridiculously expensive because of that the lightning clan only had three of these machines. Yet one of those machines could be used by 20 people at once... In this simulation, they are able to set the terrain and the scenario''s you would find yourself in battle. In order to pass you needed to pass with 90%. If not you would remain in your given field. As those that wanted a retest cleared out the room the number of people decreased from 322 to 224. This gave the room a more breathable feeling. Kai then looked at each individual that stayed. These were either the competent ones or the ones that resigned themselves to fate. He judged the difference by their facial expressions. Kai continued to look until he stumbled on a familiar face. One that he did not expect to see here in Strera. He looked at the face again to make sure he was seeing the right person and he was, it was undeniable. The girl was speaking to a guy that was next to her when she felt someone was looking at her. At first, she ignored the stimulus as she didn''t mind if someone was looking at her a little. However, as time went on the stimulus never disappeared so a nerve twitched on her forehead, ''I allowed a peek but how greedy do you want to be!?'' She then rotated her head towards the direction it came from and when she saw who it was, she gasped, ''Kai,'' Then she swallowed air and smiled in an ingratiating manner. She then got up and walked to Kai leaving her partner behind. Then she gave him a hug and looked at Lexi. Kai took that as a sign to introduce the two, he looked at the girl, "This is my partner, Lexi Montreal," Then he looked at Lexi, "Lexi, this is Re-" "Revera Bancroft," Lexi said completing the sentence. Kai''s head jolted back in surprise, "What, you two know each other?" Lexi nodded her head, "We went to school together, she was number the number two, I was number one." Kai nodded his head as it made sense. When he had told Revera that, Lexi was the girl he was going to choose in the end she reacted to the name. He asked her if they knew each other but she didn''t reply instead, she walked out of the training room. Hearing what Lexi had to say, Revera harrumphed, "The entire world will be number two to you." Then she looked at Kai with sympathetic eyes, "Good luck with this one. Her monstrous talent will make you insecure about yourself. You will question if you are really the man in the partnership. And then one day her strength will leave you in the dust and then so will she. That''s what she did to Alex Seemore her ex-fianc¨¦. Nothing is permanent to her." When she had finished speaking her partner not reading the situation introduced himself as Ethan Cohen. Kai welcomed the change in mood and then introduced himself, "I''m K-." "Kai Adler," He said completing the sentence. Kai sighed, ''Why is everyone completing my sentences,'' Then he tilted his head to the left, "You know me?" Ethan Cohen looked at Revera and then back at Kai. He then sighed, "Unfortunately." Then he wrapped his right arm around Revera and slowly dragged her away. When they were gone, Lexi revealed a smile. However, her smile didn''t fool him one bit. As someone who was on the receiving end of verbal abuse for years. There was no way he wouldn''t recognise the facade. Kai turned to Lexi and then closed the distance between them with his feet and his words, ''Hey... You know you don''t have to pretend with me. Having heard many hurtful words, I know how it looks when it sinks its teeth into you. I know how it feels too... You can talk to me... I''m not saying that you always have to run to me when something is wrong, you can if you want. But what I am saying is when you need me, I''ll listen. I''m always here, I''m going nowhere... And if you worried about what she said, you don''t have to be. I actually like your talent, your strong will and temperament. You keep me wanting to improve myself. I don''t have to be anything I''m not when I''m around you. Also, I don''t know if you have noticed but the more we train, the stronger I get and the closer I get to you. It won''t be long until I''m the stronger one" He teased, then he put his hand on her shoulder, "I''m going nowhere. You are my wife after all." Lexi looked upwards at Kai while he was speaking. She would often find her heart skipping a beat and her eyes glimmering. His words were reaching into the depths of her heart and she allowed it to. It was a rather odd feeling. When she was around Kai she felt a lot more girly but it didn''t bother her. She found herself wanting to do things for him. Whether it was cooking for him or something as mundane as doing his washing. The her from 2 years ago wouldn''t recognize the her right now. Yet, she was okay with that, she liked who she was becoming. She looked at him and her heart began racing. Then he put his hand on her shoulder and called her his wife. Lexi melted. She had no idea where this was going but she resigned herself to the moment. That is when Alexander Degrey called out to them, "Right so our team has been selected. Let''s go meet the reporters outside." Alexander''s announcement cut their moment short. Then the crowd started moving out the testing room, down the stairs and outside the building. Lexi and Kai followed them and along the way, Kai touched Lexi''s backhand with his. And much to his hopes, she never moved her hand away. Kai grinned and then he placed his palm in hers. Then he slowly slotted his fingers between hers until they were interlocked. Then he held her hand as tightly as she held on him. ''His hands are so big and comfy,'' Lexi said looking up at Kai while grinning. ''Her hands are so soft and warm,'' Kai thought looking at Lexi then he grinned. Hand in hand, they walked out of the building. As they did the people outside were screaming in praise. The reporters, drones, and cameramen were all recording this event. It was a joyous occasion for the crowd to see the Zolma hunters before they left. It was joyous, however, there was one reporter, in the crowd, that wasn''t cheerful. When she looked through the recruits, she saw Lexi and Kai and her body shivered. Her job was depending on the lightning clans failure but not only did they have the number five girl, Revera Bancroft and the number seven boy, Ethan Cohen. They also had the number three girl, Lexi Montreal and the number ten boy, Kai Adler. If this didn''t jolt fear into her, nothing would, ''I''m going to need to report this to the fire clan. They are not going to like this...'' 23. Athra (1) The young reporter moved her petite body away from the crowd using her dainty legs. Then she ran her brittle nails through her mahogany brown hair, pushing it all back. Lastly, she fixed her clothes and when she felt she looked presentable, she tapped on her genome watch, "Call boss," She said with a melodic tone. The watch began ringing, as it did her heart palpated until, "What''s the report? Do we have any threats?" A disembodied voice sounded out of the watch. The reporter took a deep breath, "Unfortunately, we do sir. In addition to the number 5 and 7, Revera Bancroft and Ethan Cohen. The number 3 and 10 have joined too. This is Lexi Montreal and Kai Adler." There was silence for a minute then the man said, "Good work. We will do something about it on our side; I suggest you do the same. Because this joint expedition is only for those at Beginner rank 2 and below, as well as those that have never taken part in one before. So we can''t interfere much once it''s underway. This fight is the first string in ensuring the fire clan gain the biggest portion of the surpasser budget this year too. The investors will be watching very closely. Also, this is my sons first joint expedition, he has to come first to show the splendour of the fire clan. The investors need to see that should I resign, my son has the potential to surpass me as the 4th prince." Then he said in a cold tone, "Oh and Aby, should things go south: your reporting days are over...! So you know what you have to do," Then he hung up. The reporter gulped at those words, "Work for the fire clan they said. It''s easy money; all you need to do is shift the news in the Fire clans favour.'' She thought shaking her head. Then she put her hand on her creased forehead and sighed, ''As a reporter, the only way I can fight is by using the media... How''s this for a front-page, ''The Lightning Clan Shamelessly Sends Four Elites!'' Now they will have to drop two otherwise even if they win, it won''t be seen as a win. Because all the other clan can only send in two! And when they do it won''t matter who stays; the fire clan has the number one female and number two male. There is no way they will lose!'' The reporter known as Aby nodded her head in satisfaction at her idea. Then she went on to her Genome watch and started typing her article. Once it was written, she clicked post and wiped the sweat off her forehead. She was relieved that she had dodged a bullet, however, her troubles weren''t over yet. Now she had to deal with her superiors at Surpaser News 5. She had just posted an article without it being okayed by an Editor, ''At least, I won''t be fired.'' Aby took a deep breath and braced herself for the call she was about to receive when they saw the article. She didn''t need to wait long because in less than a minute her watch rang. Aby composed herself and then tapped the button to receive the call, "Hello, Sir," She said in a voice rife with sycophancy. -------------------- In front of the lighting clan, Alexander had just delivered a fine speech to those that were supporting them. He felt proud of it as his golden hair blew in the wind. Then he pumped his right fist over his brown wide-set eyes and herculean body. Whether those watching were at home or if they came in person, the speech was for them. As he came down from his portable podium, the mood, in the crowd changed after they checked their Genome watches. He could see the hunger in the eyes of the reporters. His years of experience as the clanmaster told him he would be devoured by a pack of wolves if he stayed here any longer. Without deliberation he retreated into the clan''s building much to everyone''s dissatisfaction. They wanted to know his take on the article, "How do you plan to move forward!?" The reporters screamed at him as he ran inside. Alexander ran inside the clan building, "What is going on!?" He said to his assistance in a deep and brash tone. The assistant pursed his lips, "It''s the article Surpasser News 5 posted. It ridicules us for sending in four elites when the other clans only have two." Alexander flung his arms over his head, "Shit! These people are always finding a way to suppress us! We already have a smaller number of people yet they still not satisfied!" "Clanmaster, I think this is the reason," The ginger-haired coltish assistant said showing him another article, "The Fire clan''s 4th Prince''s son is about to take part in his first-ever joint expedition. Morals are high in the fire clan. Nobody doubts that with the help of their elites they will win." Alexander sighed, "So this time it''s personal to the fire clan. I wish I could stick it to them and send the four anyway but the previous interview painted the lightning clan as confident. If we don''t make the necessary cut then it will not look good for us." Tsk, he clicked his tongue, "Call everyone inside and then send the four Elites to the testing area." The assistant nodded his head and then opened the clan''s doors. When the reporters saw the door open they got excited. They thought Alexander was about to make a speech. But instead, they got some nobody. The assistant ignored the disdainful stares and called everyone inside then he told the four elites to go to the testing room on the second floor. Hearing what they had to do, Kai and Lexi looked at each other. It was just as they expected. They too had read the article. They knew that they were being called to sort out who was going to represent the lightning clan. They walked behind Ethan and Revera until they reached the testing room. Once they got there, the sharp white colour of the room blinded them momentarily until their eyes adjusted to the light. Then they looked and saw Alexander standing with his legs open and his arms crossed, "Sorry to call you all like this but we have to settle something before we can go. I don''t know if you have seen the latest article from Surpasser News 5. But because of it, we can only send one Elite pair on the expedition. My humblest apologies." This news was no shock to Lexi and Kai, however, to Revera and Ethan it was. Ethan looked at Alexander, "So how do we settle this? Who gets to go and who gets to stay?" Alexander unfolded his arms, "Well for starters, do both pairs still want to go?" Standing a horizontal straight line, "Yes!" Both pairs said in unison. "If that is the case then one way to sort it out is to t-" "Fight!" Ethan said speaking over Alexander, "We fight, this way we can tell who is more fit to join the team." ''I was going to say something else but this works too,'' "Then it has been settled, you two will fight for the position." Ethan Cohen grinned and then he looked at his partner but her reaction was different... Revera looked at Lexi and then she remembered all the times she had faced Lexi at school. Each time she thought she was strong enough and each time she would be shown she wasn''t. Remembering her losses left a bad taste in her mouth. One she would rather not remember. "Don''t you want to fight?" Ethan said to Revera. Revera gulped, "I''d rather not." ''I''ve never been able to beat Lexi when it came to fighting and academics so fighting is pointless. But there is one area she has never been good in,'' She then looked at Kai, '' If I can take him, I will deal a fatal blow to Lexi and get a partner with better talent. Two birds one stone.'' Seeing how reluctant Revera was to fight Lexi, Kai looked at her and whispered, "What did you do to her?" Lexi lifted both her shoulders nonchalantly while rotating her hands from the backhand to her palms. Ethan Cohen coughed, "I guess it can''t be helped." "Okay, then that is that. Kai and Lexi will be the ones to go." Alexander said. "No!" Ethan cried out, "My partner doesn''t want to fight but that doesn''t mean that I don''t." Alexander furrowed his brows, "You plan on taking them both on? Even for you, that''s impossible." "I won''t fight both of them just one of them." Then he stepped forward and looked at Kai who was standing next to Lexi, "Come let''s settle this like men!" Alexander laughed, "Good, good. I agree, let''s have the men sort this out." Ethan''s proposal made him happy, ''Ethan will win this and then the stronger team will take part in the expedition. My heart almost gave up when the one girl decided she wasn''t going to fight.'' After seeing it had been decided, Kai walked forward, "But this isn''t fair." Ethan laughed, "Of course it isn''t. I am the number 7 and you are the number 10. But it has already been settled so either you resign or you fight me?" Kai shook his head, "You misunderstood me. When I said it''s not fair, I wasn''t complaining rather advocating on your part. You see there is no way I am going to lose." When Kai said that, the whole room was shocked. Even the doctors and scientists inside. The only person who wasn''t was Lexi. She stifled a chuckle and then fanned the fire, "Go easy on him." Kai winked at her and then looked at the seething boy in front of him. Ethan narrowed his eyes, ''This guy dares to look down on me! Huh, I''ll show you.'' "We have a funny guy here, ha-ha... I''m going to beat you and show Revera, I am stronger than you. She keeps gushing about how strong you are. Saying she can see the mark of the talented in you. Honestly, it''s annoying! But if beat you, she won''t be so hung up on you and will take me seriously." ''What? She still speaks about me... I hope she didn''t misunderstand me, I did say that I like her but I also said I don''t like-like her. Either way, winning this fight might put her in my path. Also, Ethan might blame me if she leaves him. I hope she doesn''t, things between Lexi and I are just getting good. Lexi seems interested in me, somewhat... So we don''t need this!... Sigh, but if it does happen, I will let her know I''m not interested,'' Then Kai looked at Lexi with a worried expression. Lexi smiled at him. Then she glared at Revera, ''He chose me, get over it.'' Coming back to his composed self, Kai narrowed his eyes, "I''m ready; let''s go." So Alexander took them to the second part of the room, "Here you two can fight to your heart''s content. Of course, no weapons are allowed." The two nodded their heads and then got into the ring. Alexander initiated the 10-second countdown. While the countdown was going both of them charged up to full. When the countdown ended, Ethan charged towards Kai. In a flash, he appeared in front of him and smirked while launching his fist to Kai''s handsome face.Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there. Kai saw his movements clearly, ''This battle started before we fought, I learnt a thing or two about mind games from Emily. She always knew how to irritate me before and during a fight. Also, I''ve been training under intense gravity every day. So you are going to have to move a lot faster if you plan on hitting me.'' Kai took a step back, casually dodging the punch by a few centimetres. Then he took a step forward while coating his right foot with lightning aura and roundhouse kicked Ethan in the stomach. His movements were seamless and connected perfectly. Seeing Kai''s movements Revera was flabbergasted, ''He got this good so quickly. No, he had always been strong. The reason I could hold my own against him was that he needed training on how to utilise his power effectively! Now it looks like he can, I must have him.'' Then she looked at Lexi staring daggers until, BAM! A pride shattering sound echoed throughout the room sending Ethan flying until he crashed onto the hard tiles. Ethan continued to roll two meters backwards because of the momentum. He would have gone further but Alexander stopped him. Alexander stopped Ethan because he wanted to keep the fight within the ring. With his hand on Ethan''s back, Alexander stood agape. He did not expect to see what he just saw. The sheer force in Kai''s kick alone was praiseworthy. Not to mention, how he casually dodged Ethan''s punch which in turn gave him the opening to counter, ''What!? Was that luck or is he that strong?'' Then he looked at Lexi hoping to pry answers from her facial expressions but they hadn''t changed. So either that meant that Lexi didn''t put this fight in her books or it was normal for Kai to reveal this kind of strength. On the ground, Ethan coughed a mouthful of blood. Then he stood up holding his ribs, ''If I didn''t twist my body last second he would have broken my ribs. What strength!? Seems he wasn''t bluffing but even so I will win!" The now resolute Ethan removed his hands from his sides and glared at Kai. Now that he had a somewhat gauge on Kai''s strength, he became more cautious. He kept his distance circling Kai as he waited for an opportunity to attack but there never was one. The more the fight dragged on the more Ethan saw how unbeatable he was. Every time he wanted to attack his instincts would tell him to back down. Looking at Kai, Ethan saw the aura of a lion, the King of the jungle. His body tensed up in response and then he stopped moving. He realised that for the past five minutes all he was doing was circling Kai. He wanted to attack but the pain from his ribs made him fearful. He gulped and then he looked at Lexi; there was no change in expression as if him losing was a given. Then he looked at Revera and sighed while shaking his head. Lastly, he looked at Kai, "I give up." He said sinking his head. When Ethan gave up, Kai bowed his head lightly as a sign of respect. They were both in the same clan, after all, he didn''t want to make enemies if he didn''t have to. Once the fight concluded Alexander announced Kai as the winner. Alexander put on a straight face but inside his emotions were unstable. Kai just beat the number 7 without breaking a sweat. With this strength, his true rank should be in the top 3, not number 10. He wondered what idiot ranked him as 10, ''They should be fired immediately!'' Despite his slight annoyance, he was very happy it turned out this way. Then he looked at Lexi, ''Did they miss judge her strength too? Nonetheless, now we can send two surpassers that have strength comparable to the top 3. The fire clan has the number one female and the number two male. The wind clan has the number 1 male and number four female. The rest of the clans have surpassers below ours so it''s just fire and wind that could stop us from a win. We have a decent chance this year!'' His excitement welled out of him until he wore a grin, "With surpassers as strong as you two, we have a shot at winning, and at the very least we will not be in the last place" He said laughing. Then called his assistant. When the assistant arrived Alexander said, "Tell the press I will be making a statement. We will be dropping a pair." "Yes sir." The assistant ran out of the clan building. When he did a series of questions rolled out from different the different reporters so it was hard to hear anything through the madness. Seeing that this was going nowhere, he shouted, "Enough, one question each!" Immediately the crowd shut up and then he spoke, "We have seen the article and the clanmaster plans to come out. He will discuss how we plan to move forward. That will be all," After speaking the crowd roared with questions again but the coltish assistant ignored them and went back in where it was safe. Once he was inside, he told Alexander they are waiting for him. Alexander took a deep breath and then walked into the wolf''s den. Then he explained to them that they have decided to only send one pair and that would be Lexi and Kai. When they heard it was Lexi and Kai and not Revera and Ethan they asked why. However, Alexander ignored them and then said they will be departing for Athra soon. Then he walked back into the building heaving a sigh of relief. "Good work sir." Alexander nodded his head then he looked at all the surpassers who were waiting on the first floor, "You depart for Athra in five minutes. If you have any last-minute needs sanitary or personal please take care of them now." When he said that multiple conversations broke out as excitement levels reached an all-time high. Kai and Lexi weren''t any different. Kai looked at Lexi, "Are you ready?" "When I have not?" She said in her mellifluous voice. Kai chuckled, " I don''t know, I''m just telling you lest we get there and you accidentally stab me with your spear." He said teasing her in his warm and low pitch voice. Lexi stifled a chuckle, "You did that too you know and more times than me. 52 times to be exact and I only did it 37 times. But it isn''t an issue, like who is counting?" "Okay, okay, okay, you had to get all statistical on me. But well played." He said clapping his hands softly. Then Alexander came down to the first floor again, "Get ready we are leaving now. Follow me out the door." As he walked everyone else followed him. This time Alexander had more bodyguards than normal to keep the crowd away from the surpassers. They continued to walk through the path created by security until they reached the street. The street was now filled with black military-grade armoured flying cars. They were to enter them and then go to the military airport where they would board the carrier aircraft which would then take them to Athra. The security made sure all unauthorised people were 10 meters away. Once that was confirmed and all the flying cars above had cleared they lifted off one for one using the thrusters under them. When they reached the right altitude which was above the flying cars yet below the aircrafts; the horizontal thrusters kicked in propelling the cars forward. They were in the air for 10 minutes before they reached the military based airport in Ginmon. Once they landed the flying cars doors opened and the surpassers climbed out. You could tell by the way they walked who had never been in a military-grade flying car before. They were stumbling while they were walking. It was quite comical, it looked like they were drunk. Although surpassers can run at abnormal speeds, as beginners they can''t run faster than a flying car. Hence the reaction. Kai being one of those never to fly in a car before was holding on to Lexi''s shoulder for balance, ''Besides the nauseating feeling, it isn''t all bad.'' Then he looked up at Lexi who was looking ahead. Lexi carried him to their assigned post. This was in a line in the middle of the fire clan and the wind clan. All the clans were to line up 10 meters away from the carrier aircraft. They were all going to board it together. So far all the clans were there and had already lined up in a rectangle formation. Once everyone in the lightning clan assembled they were given the lightning clans emblem to stick on to their clothes. When in proximity to another person from the lightning clan, the azure symbol shines. After they got their badges, the clans walked into the aircraft one for one. The first to go in was: the earth clan then the water, wind, lightning and lastly the fire clan. While everyone walked in Kai looked at the people who had a presence about them. From the Earth clan, he felt a few of them. Then he moved on to the water and then the wind. When he looked at the wind clan he didn''t need to look far to see who was the strongest. His instinct told him immediately when he saw the guy. In the distance, standing tall was a strapping youth with long black dreads hanging below his shoulders. His cinnamon-brown skin covered his square-shaped face and prominent jawline. The colour of his eyes were silver and he had hooded eyelids as well an epicanthal fold. He wore a long black overcoat and on his sides were two katanas. He looked like the reaper of death but the girls couldn''t get enough of him. They found the contrast between his eyes and skin colour captivating. Also, silver eyes are the mark of royalty to the Wind clan. ''Damn, this guy is going to be a pest, not to mention the girl next to him.'' Lexi saw Kai''s expression, "That''s Wang Rory, he is the number one. His clan calls him King as a nickname. They all know he will be the future King of The Wind Clan. He wields two katanas but to date, no one has seen him use the second one. Or maybe they have but as a spirit, they can''t communicate with the world of the living. That''s the talk on him. Then there is the girl next to him. The one with the beautiful jade-white skin and petite body, that''s his half-sister, Wang Lin. She is the number 4 on the list but there is more to her than what meets the eye. Honestly, all these ranking are inaccurate. Look at you for example. They ranked you at 10 when we both know that isn''t the truth. The same could be of anybody else. This could be a good thing or a bad thing..." Kai nodded his head and then he looked at the fire clan. In front of the pack was a female and a male. They both had vermillion hair and blood-red eyes. Their skin was slightly tanned and they were taller than the average heights for a female and male. The male stood at 188 cm where the female was 180cm. It was clear to Kai that they were the Elites from the fire clan. And it was because it was their first joint expedition the lightning clan had to lose firepower. After looking at the fire clan it was time for the lightning clan to go inside the carrier aircraft so as a team they walked inside. Kai had seen enough so he didn''t mind. Of course, he didn''t see everyone. He had to of missed a lot of powerful surpassers but he had a general idea of how strong the surpassers of his age group were. Once the lightning clan walked in then the fire clan walked in. They were now all inside the massive carrier aircraft so it ascended using its horizontal propellers. The aircraft had four of them on each corner. The propellers glowed with a neon blue colour. The blue served no purpose but to make the aircraft look good. Once the aircraft was in the air the horizontal thrusters activated blasting the machine forward. However, unlike the flying cars, there was a stabilizer inside so the speed didn''t affect have an impact on those inside. They travelled for an hour before they reached Athra. Athra was one of the countries that had been marked as a no man''s land by the World Government. Although most of the things were destroyed life still existed here. Now that the leading population wasn''t passers, the animals walked around freely avoiding all the stray Zolma as much as they could. Once they reached the border of Athra they landed on the on sea sand of the beach and when the ramp descended and they all walked on dry land again. As Kai walked on the dry land, excitement welled up inside him. He had only been to the beach once as a kid but never had the time to do it as he grew up. Now his job was bringing him here. Of course, he wasn''t here to play but he could at least admire it while he could. Seeing that inside of the aircraft the team leaders of each clan were still discussing stuff, he tiptoed away from the pack and then went to the seawater. However, he wasn''t the only one who had this idea. Another youth decided to run and then following him was a group of five. Once Kai got there he looked at the sea. The waves were forming and crashing and in the sky the three full moons were visible as there wasn''t a single cloud in sight. It was if the ocean was actually in the sky, "Wow, this is beautiful! I wish I could swim but of course, I can''t do that." Before leaving Kai wanted to look at the crashing waves one last time. He took a deep look and made a mental image for him to fall back onto then he turned to the right to go back to the group. When he turned to the right he saw surpassers with the fire emblem on their clothes. He decided he would ignore them and return. He wanted to but then he heard a familiar voice, "I wonder how my mom''s butter would taste on toast if she put sea salt in the recipe?" Astonished Kai flung his head around, ''Is that Quinton. Sounds just like him and he is talking about toast. It has to be him.'' Kai moved his head to see where the voice was coming from but he couldn''t see properly, the five guys were blocking his view. So he found an angle where he could see properly. And when the boy turned around he exclaimed, "Quinton!" Then he walked past the other guys and stood in front of his best friend, "Damn man, I didn''t know you were in Strera. No wonder Carmen said she had no idea where you were. Oh, and is your Genome watch still broken? There are so many things I have been dying to tell you..." Kai continued to speak non-stop until he noticed that during this whole time Quinton hadn''t said a thing. And the only one that was excited about their reunion was him. In fact, Quinton looked more concerned with the five guys behind him than him. Kai furrowed his brows and then looked at the men behind him. They all looked at the lightning emblem on his combat gear and then laughed. Then the self-proclaimed leader stepped forward, "Quinton, do you know this trash?" Kai looked at Quinton and then Quinton looked at Kai then he shook his head, "Never seen him in my life." 24. Athra (2) A/N Please recheck the Glossary before you start reading (Military ranks) -------------------------------------------- Kai''s head jolted back and his eyebrows raised in surprise. He stood there with his mouth agape as the colour drained from his face, ''What happened to us Kings in waiting have to stick close together?'' Seeing Kai''s reaction, Leon the lemon haired lanky leader laughed livelily, "Of course you wouldn''t know someone from such a lowly clan," He grabbed Quinton by the shoulder and walked back up to the aircraft. On his way, he said practically screaming, "Now that you are with the fire clan. All the impurities in your life have been burnt away. You are one of us now!" Still stunned, Kai turned around and stared into the distant waves. He watched how they were formed and how they crashed. It was much like his friendship with Quinton, it was formed and then it crashed, ''I don''t get it. If being friends with me was such a problem, he could have just told me about it. Then even if I saw him, I wouldn''t have bothered him as not to make him look bad in front of his clan... Did he abandon me completely? Probably because Carmen hasn''t heard from him in a while and she is from the water clan. That is the clan directly under the fire clan so if he did it to her, he did it to me. Not to mention, he used to or does have a crush on Carmen... But maybe I''m overthinking it and there is a reason. I won''t know until I get a proper answer from him... Shoh, what a way to start the first day...'' Kai shook it off and then went back to Lexi. While he was looking up she saw his face and could see that he wasn''t in a good mood. She wondered why considering he left her in high spirits. He stood next to her and kept quiet. So Lexi initiated the conversation, "Something happen?" Kai stayed silent for ten seconds then he spoke, "You know Quinton, the guy who was at our wedding. Well, he is here and when I greeted him, he practically denied knowing me. He was with people from his clan, the fire clan. I wanted to ask him why he was doing this but with them around the result would be the same. So to get an answer, I''ll have to get him alone so that he can tell me what''s up. Whether that''s today or a week later. I''ll give him the benefit of the doubt, I don''t know how it is on his side. I''d hope someone would do the same for me. But for now, I''m going to tuck that away neatly and keep myself level headed as today is our first time out in the field." During the first part of Kai''s rant, Lexi''s face shifted between different expressions of anger. This made him feel good. She was the one outwardly expressing anger when he was the one that went through it. Kai spoke and she listened. She never offered advice because she knew Kai didn''t want it; he just needed an ear which she was more than willing to lend. They had been living together but most of their conversations were superficial and consisted of subjective banter, innuendos and puns. And even that in itself was a mask to cover up their feelings for one another. Now that the facade was falling away and their feelings were surfacing, she wanted to know Kai deeper than the eye could see. As he spoke, she made mental notes of things, ''He has a good heart. Instead of making assumptions, he sees the best in his friend and hopes there is a reason for it. It''s kinda cute... I wondered if he meant it when he said he would never leave me or if it was just in the moment? But now that I am seeing how he treats those he holds dear, I can actually see the truth in his words and it''s making my heart race... But for now, I''m going to compartmentalise my feelings and focus on what''s important. Like mother used to say, everything at its own time.'' After Kai had finished speaking, she looked at him and smiled. Kai smiled in return and then he pushed her on the shoulder with his right hand. Lexi''s body swayed to the right and then came back to the centre. Then they laughed changing the mood of their conversation. Opening up and willingly showing that he was hurt was hard for him. Especially when she was the one he wanted to show his strength to. However, he knew he had to in order for them to draw closer to one another. After they had finished laughing, the Second lieutenant''s walked out of the aircraft. They had a final briefing on how this event was to be run. Now they planned on relaying it to all surpassers present. The Second lieutenant''s of each clan stood in front of everybody. Then the Second lieutenant of the fire clan spoke, "As the winners of last years expedition, we got to choose how today would be set up. So let me explain. This is a joint expedition specifically designed to ween our new surpassers. Therefore the only ones fighting will be those that are Beginner Rank 2 and below. There are Sergeants on standby to prevent death, as long as the Zolma aren''t bipedal they can easily be destroyed. Minors injuries are fine as each clan has been provided with regen shots to heal up. We have arranged a fixed terrain with a radius of two kilometres (1.2 miles). Each clan has been given a piece of land and that is your territory and also where your base is. This was decided by the system. Caddies you return all your meat to your base and once it is returned it will be uploaded as points. So with that being said the Lightning clan, you are located on the west side. Fire you are on the south side. Water is east, Earth north and Wind is in the centre. The locations will be sent to your genome map. It is possible to enter another clans territory and kill the Zolma there. However, if you do kill them and then your caddie brings them back. Your cargo can be contested without the use of a contest as long as you''re within that clan''s territory. Each clan can contest a carriage from another clan three times. Not three to each clan rather just three times in general. To activate the contest you have to touch one of the caddies in the group then yell contest. When in contest weapons are not allowed nor will the contest be combat. To win the contest, you have to take the badge of the other person. Only one person will be doing the contest. A team decides on a champion to accomplish the task. The champion has to be from their clan and within ten meters of where the contest was called. After a winner has been decided the team of caddies that won will have immunity until they unload their cargo. The immunity is only to the clan that contested them on the journey back to base they may be contested by another clan. After that, any score they claim is fair game. Today will be streamed live to paying customers all over the world. Streaming plays a vital part in being able to afford transport, equipment, etc. Streaming is also paying for the prizes that the top three will receive. Although the goal is to eliminate the Zolma this is also a competition. The winner will be decided via points. You gain points by killing Zolma of different sizes. The bigger the Zolma the more points you get. However, not all the Zolma here can be killed at your level so it''s the job of the scouts to navigate the Attack force past the potential dangers. At your level, you can only take on the four-meter Zolma''s if you see a bigger one we advise you to retreat. Should you choose to take it on and you end up needing help from an officer points will be deducted from you. The point system is as follows. Killing the small mutated beasts will net you ten points. Killing a two-meter Zolma will give you one hundred points. A three-meter Zolma one hundred and fifty points and a four-meter Zolma nets you two-hundred and seventy-five points each. We do not recommend it but if your clan happens to beat a five-meter Zolma you will receive one-thousand points. Note that should your clan attempt to kill a five-meter Zolma and instead have to be rescued your clan will lose one-thousand five hundred points. We award strength but we punish stupidity. The penalty applies to all other Zolma however, you lose the exact points you would have gained. So if a clan fails to kill a three-meter Zolma and requests help they will lose one-hundred and fifty points from what they currently have. The same with a meter two-meter Zolma, you will lose one-hundred points. There will be a lacrima in the sky that will be visible to everyone. It will display the leaderboard. Whether it be the top killer, most points in a single haul, top contested steal, clan rankings and more." Then he looked at the officers next to him and they nodded their heads, "You have three hours to strategise and set up your base then we begin. That will be all." After he spoke all the clans took their equipment and dispersed in the direction of their respective bases. The lightning clan''s territory was located on the east side. It would take 10 minutes to get there on foot. They weren''t concerned with saving energy so they were running at a pace. They had three hours to strategise so the energy they expended by running would have returned by then. While running they saw how beaten up Athra looked. The infrastructures were smashed and leaning on each other. They were dilapidated and had several species of mould growing all over, painting them verdant. The grass was knee-high and in the distance, several herbivores species were feeding on them. Lastly, there were a few pockets of space that were folded into each other causing time-space to be distorted. It looked like a 100cm unreflective broken glass. Everything inside was jumbled up so it would look like the grass is in the sky even though it was not. While they were walking the saw two young deer running and playing around in the grass. It looked like they were playing tag as they chased one another. The mother and father weren''t present. They ran and ran until the smaller accidentally ran through the distorted space and disappeared. The bigger halted in front of the distorted space and then sniffed with its nose hoping to catch its scent. However, it was gone even the remnants of the scent had completely disappeared leaving only the memory behind. The deer let out a prolonged loud wail and then walked away with its head hanging low.Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. Seeing this everyone sucked in a cold breath. They couldn''t understand what the deer was saying but the language of pain was universal. This heart-wrenching scene reminded them why they were doing this. The Zolma were responsible for billions of deaths just like this. Today it was their job to put their bodies on the line for their world. Seeing this everyone who thought this was just some competition had a harsh reality check. That deer had disappeared, it was forever lost. Scientists had no idea where the distorted spaces led. They had sent things in but whatever was sent in broke apart. Rumours and unconfirmed theories said that it sent you somewhere in the future or the past. There had been reports that people had looked through one of the cracks of the distorted space and saw the death of a fellow surpasser. Then the next day or even a year later the surpasser died in that same way. However, this had not been confirmed and remained as a conjecture or baseless drivel. The only thing they knew was to avoid it. Scouts were told to mark distorted spaces on the map so the surpassers of their clan knew where they were. After the lightning clan solidified their resolve they picked up the pace and ran to their territory. Their territory was deep in the forest. The grass was knee height as that was its maximum length of growth. However, the trees were tall, they ranged from 50 meters to 100 meters. They continued to walk until they found a circular open space. This was were where they would set up base. They put all their equipment down and then began setting up shop. The tents were erected, there were single, double and multi-sized tents. This was where they would sleep. Then they set up the kitchen inside a double tent. The pots, pans and equipment were placed there too. As lightning wielders, they could run electricity through the equipment which would allow them to cook without the use of fire. Their supplies were stored in a single tent. Once everything was sorted, they all assumed a rectangular formation and stood outside the Sergeant''s tent. "Who is going to tell him we are ready?" "I don''t know, how about you?" "Are you mad!? Have you seen those eyes? He looks like he has girls like me for breakfast." "Maybe we should serve you up as an offering to get him in a good mood." "I won''t go down easily!" They all laughed afterwards and then someone said something that made everyone go quiet, "So who is going to call him?" Inside the tent, Sergeant Lazarus D''Arco heard the commotion outside, ''Ah, they already done. Let me sleep!'' Then he closed his eyes, he wasn''t upset about what they were saying because he knew it to be true. He just had one of those scary faces. You get resting bitch face, well he had resting scare you to death face. His skin was deathly pale and he had abnormally long and sharp teeth. The Sergeant''s eyebrows were hooked while his eyes were blood red and wide-set. He had black hair and pointy ears. He looked like a monster. His laziness and hate for the sun didn''t help him either. It made people think that he was lethargic because he hadn''t drunk blood in years. Outside the students shuddered at the private''s question. They didn''t want to call him lest they got ravaged. Seeing this, Lexi sighed and then took a step forward. However, Kai gently touched her shoulder and nodded. She stepped back and let him do it. Kai walked through the crowd so that he could get to the tent. While on the way, the privates talked, "Wait is he going to call him?" "No, he is just acting, you know as an elite and all." Kai continued to walk without any hesitation in his steps and drew closer to the double tent. "Wait is he going to do it?" "He might do it!" "He is brave." "The brave ones always die first." After sifting through the crowd, Kai reached and took a deep breath. He had to because even to him the guy was scary. However, it was deeper than his face it was him himself. His aura felt eerie. Kai shook it off, he didn''t have the luxury of time-wasting. Then he called out, "Sergeant, we are ready." However, there was no reply. So Kai called out again but yet again there was no reply from the tent. Seeing this Kai looked back to the crowd to see if anyone had ideas. "It seems we do need to offer you as a sacrifice." "Don''t you dare!" When the girl said that a laugh was heard from behind them. Immediately everyone looked to see who it was. They didn''t even notice her until now which was surprising considering how out standing and outstanding she looked. She wore a turtle neck dress which couldn''t hide her hourglass figure and voluptuous breasts. Her silver hair reached her peachy backside and her eyes were a piercing shade of azure. She had perfectly shaped full lips with a beguiling cupid''s bow. Her facial features were exquisite and wouldn''t lose to the top beauties in the world. Looking at her some of the pubescent boy''s hearts pounded as they wished it was them instead. On the other hand, the girls looked at her with reverence. She was Astella Bianchi a Lieutenant and also the partner of Sergeant Lazarus D''Arco. They shuddered when they pictured the two together. Seeing the gazes of the privates Astella rolled her eyes. She wasn''t one for fawning so she didn''t feel proud when others looked at her. Astella Bianchi walked to Kai, "He is not going to wake up like that." Then she walked to the entrance of the tent. She took out the rapier on her side and then she put it back, "Too harsh." Then she walked into the double tent. She saw him laying on his bed and called out to him. He never replied so she tried one last time. This time he opened his eyes looked at her and then closed his eyes again. The blood rushed to her face and in the next moment, three fiery slaps resounded through the forest, "Okay, I''ll wake up. Sheesh!" Sergeant Lazarus D''Arco walked out of the tent with his pale skin painted with two beautiful red hands. The students wanted to laugh so badly but they knew that was the same as committing suicide so they held back. Many stifling a chuckle here and there. After Lazarus had come out then Astella came out of the tent. Her nose was still flared and her annoyance was clear. Kai looked at her, ''She''s the real monster.'' Then he fixed his clothes and stood upright, "We are ready and awaiting your instructions." Lazarus D''Arco shook his head, "You''re the leader." "Me...? With all due respect Sergeant but you are." He shook his head again, "Today is to w-w, today is to train you. Not allowed to help." After hearing his stutter the place went dead quiet. Until someone couldn''t hold back anymore and stifled a chuckle. That created a domino effect as multiple outbursts of laughter broke out at the lightning clan''s base. "Did you hear that stutter?" "I know hey and to think I thought he was scary." "They should have told us that he is a clown." They continued to laugh as they talked. Kai looked around there were many that never laughed but there were more that laughed. Seeing this Kai, clenched his fists, ''How could they be so disrespectful!? The stutter is one thing but he is a Sergeant.'' The laughter continued ceaselessly. As this happened, Kai reached his tipping point. The blatant disrespect perplexed him. He would have spoken out much sooner but out of respect to the Sergeant, he kept quiet. Kai was sure that the Sergeant didn''t require saving. However, now it wasn''t a matter of who needed saving it was a matter of principle. Kai focused his attention on the instigator and then spoke out, "How-" However, he was cut short. In the next moment, he felt a vile and oppressive aura behind him. Beads of sweat ran down his face as it became increasingly hard to stand and breath. Kai looked at all his fellow privates and they had the same reaction. Some of them were lying flat on the ground incapable of moving. Other passed out. Some had their backs hunched, they were barely holding on. Lastly, there were those like and Kai and Lexi who could stand properly even though the felt the pressure. Lazarus D''Arco continued to emit his aura. Then he looked at Kai who was standing right in front of him yet he was still fine. He raised his eyebrows and then raised his aura. However, Kai was still standing. His teeth chattered but he stood his ground with an undaunted spirit. Seeing this, Lazarus De''Arco smiled, "Ground, trash. Middle, okay. Stand, good." Then he stretched his arms and went back into the tent. "Good work." Astella Bianchi said. Then she looked at Kai with a profound expression, ''Lazarus recognised him. He must have potential.'' "What Lazarus was saying is that we are not allowed to help you. You have to do that yourself whether it''s battle tactics, how you plan to set up base, everything is up to you. However, he recognised you and gave you a gift. Those that are lying on the ground have little to no talent. Those with their backs hunched are okay. And anyone standing has talent. How you use them is all up to you. You are the leader." "Thank you, Lieutenant," Kai said with a resolute expression. Astella nodded her head, "You are a third generation?" "I am, how did you know?" She never replied instead she smiled and then went into the tent leaving Kai in charge of everything. Kai took a deep breath and then turned around to the sea of privates. They all wore different expressions. ''I accept him as the leader he is an elite.'' ''He was standing so close to that aura and stood his ground, I accept.'' '' I don''t accept. I could have easily stood my ground if I was standing there.'' ''Just because you have some talent or you can handle pressure doesn''t mean you know how to lead!'' Kai looked at the expressions in front of him and he knew he had to get them on one page if wanted them to follow his orders. Then he heaved a sigh of relief, ''If I had spoken out and had tried to defend the sergeant''s honour, I would have lost my opportunity to bond with them.'' He internally thanked Lazarus. Achoo! Inside the tent, Lazarus sneezed. Kai closed his eyes for three seconds and made a mental image of how the aura affected the privates. Then he reopened them, "For how long has the lightning clan been ridiculed, spat on, looked at with contempt!? For how long do surpassers have to be disappointed when they awaken the lightning element! For how long are we going to let them trample on us!?" Kai clenched his fist as his face contorted in anger, "Since when has lightning been the weakest!? It never was. Lightning has always been attributed to the wrath and fury of a god. They suppress us because they fear us. They know what we can do if we believe in ourselves. And I think we need to do some believing. We are the next generation of surpassers. With this generation, we will bring change. Change to the world and change to ourselves. We are a warrior a race. We are surpassers, not suppressed. We will reveal ourselves at this expedition and shake the very foundation this world was created on. Who is with me!?" Then Kai roared a fiery battle cry of passion. He was like a lion as he stood in front of his pack with his lioness by his side. Seeing Kai''s Kingly aura they couldn''t help but fall in line. His speech removed the seal on all their suppressed anger. In the next moment, someone couldn''t hold it back and she roared in response to Kai''s roar. Her roar infected the people next to her and then they roared. One for one they roared until everyone was roaring with passion. Kai and Lexi roared side by side swelling their emotions even further. Then they stopped. When they did, Kai looked at the privates and there wasn''t a single surpasser present that didn''t accept him. His mouth curled up as he thought of what was going to happen next. 25. Athra (3) After all the shouting, silence returned to the forest. Then Kai closed his eyes and retrieved the mental image of how the aura affected the privates, "If you couldn''t stand the aura and passed out, move to the right. Those that were on the ground, move to the left. If your legs were bent, move to the bottom and if you were standing, go to the top." The privates listened and moved to where they were called. Kai looked around then he cross-referenced his mental image to the one he was seeing. There were a few who tried their luck however, he called them out and then they moved to their correct positions. Once he was sure that his mental image was congruent to reality, he nodded his head, "I have arranged you in this order but don''t think that because you have been marked as talented or not that you are any better or worse than others. You might not excel in combat but your talents are needed elsewhere. Here we are all equals. Everyone''s role is important and how you perform it will decide our result." Hearing this all the talented privates gulped and those that were marked as "untalented" had the shame lifted off of them, "I am going to be creating seven different divisions. First Division is the attack force. I and Lexi will be heading this division. We are also the head of all the divisions." Then he looked at Lexi and wanted to say, ''My words are her words, treat her as you would me,'' but he decided against it. They would soon know that she wasn''t just some beauty. "The second division is the scout''s division. Your job is to map the positions of everything. If there is a distorted space, map it on the shared map. If you see a five-meter Zolma or even a mutated beast, map it and its estimated path. Once you map this move on and scout the other things. You don''t need to relay it. That is the job of the third division, the communications division. You are in charge of relaying important information to all surpassers. Set up the multiple channels. I want a direct channel between Lexi and myself. Lexi and I with the heads. Inter-Division channels and Broad channels etc. Also, your job is to keep senseless chatter out." "The fourth division is the Caddies. Your job is to return all the meat that has been killed so it can be tallied. The fifth division is an independent squad slash covert infantry your job is to scout, map, attack alike. If you see your surpassers need help, provide back up if not keep moving. The sixth division will remain here at HQ. Your job is to look at the map and position the troops. We want them split apart to cover as much ground as possible but close enough that all the independent squads can help out in a moment''s notice. Then the last and seventh division is the... Please move to your assigned positions. Lexi and I will give you a detailed explanation of what your job entails." When he said that the group split apart and went to their positions. Then Lexi looked at him, "You change when you''re leading?" "I do?" "Your aura, it''s more domineering." "Is that a good or bad a thing?" "I like it." "Oh, you like domineering?" Lexi rolled her eyes and then Kai laughed. Then they went to each division and gave them a detailed explanation of what they wanted from them. Once that was done, Kai let them talk and get familiar with those in their division. They talked until they heard the sound of a horn blowing. That deep sound was the sound of war. The sound that put butterflies in the stomachs of everyone present. When the horn blew a circular holographic barrier rose into the sky creating a dome. Then in the sky, six banners appeared. On the one banner was the lightning clan''s emblem and above it showed the number of points they had and how much contests they had left. The other clans had their symbols on a banner and the number of points and contests they had left too. The last banner was a shifting screen, it shifted between the categories: Top Killer, Top Haul, Most Points Successfully Contested, Most Points Lost and Points Lost. After the stage was set Kai called everyone together, "It''s time to show your worth. You know what to do. You know how to do it. Believe in yourself... Oh, and the person who performs the worst in each division will be doing tonight''s dishes." He was sure this would put extra lightning in their step. And looking at their expressions, he was correct. Once everyone was ready they moved out. Inside the tent, Astella Bianchi looked at Lazarus, "It has begun. Do you think he has what it takes?" He lifted his shoulders, "I don''t know. We will see..." Then he closed his eyes. The expedition ground had a diameter of two kilometres. The territories of each were a chord of equal length on the circumference and a circle in the middle. Thus within the big circle was a square of equal sides touching the edge of the circle. What was outside the square yet in the circle was their territory and inside the square yet outside the mini-circle was shared territory. Lastly, there was a circle within the square; this was the territory of the wind clan. Kai marked off the ninety-degree angles of the square as contested areas. There was a high chance to see another clan there as it was the direct link between the two. The rest of the space inside the circle was called the shared zone. Here it was possible to see more than one opposing clan; it was also possible to see none. When they moved out the second division moved out first as their job was to scout and map everything so that it appeared on the shared map. Important information would be relayed to HQ. Then HQ would let the communications division know and then they would relay the information to all relevant surpassers. On the shared map certain things were colour coded. A blue dot meant the water clan was there, red fire, green earth, white wind, purple lightning. A black dot meant there was a Zolma. The size of the dot correlated to the size of the Zolma. Grey dots were the position of mutated beasts. Lastly brown was marked as distorted spaces. Kai touched his genome watch and looked at the map in front of him. Slowly but surely dots of different colours were popping up everywhere. Then they switched from dots to X''s. This meant that they were engaged in battle. Kai took this as a sign and then he and his squad moved out. Kai''s job was to fight in the contested area on the right of them. This was the link between the fire clan and the lightning clan. He saw a small black marker twenty meters away and that was their first target. It was only a two-meter Zolma but this was the first Zolma. He didn''t want to bite more than he could chew. If something went wrong while fighting a bigger one, it could have adverse effects on their confidence and spell their loss. Kai and his team moved at speeds that only the lightning clan could. They zig-zagged past the trees until they were out of their territory. Now they were in the region of a fallen city. They stopped and looked at a long road with green grass. There were destroyed buildings on the side. Kai surmised that this was a street or at least what was left of it. The cause of this atrocity was the creature in front of them and its kind... It had pitch black skin with water flowing around it. Its eyes were red standing on all four dagger-like feet. It stood two meters tall. When it saw, Kai and his group its mouth curled up and then it charged at them. As the Water Zolma ran towards them, Kai gave his team one last boost, "This creature in front of you does not care about you. It only wants to kill. It has no feelings. So don''t hold back. Don''t let the guilt of killing hold you back because this creature will not hold back on you." They all nodded their heads and then prepared to take down the Zolma. Kai stood at the back with his bow and arrow in his hands. He took his bow and pressed the embedded kickstarter inside and charged up to full. Then he pulled back his bow as far as he could and coated all his essence lightning onto the arrow. He was going all out with this attack. He didn''t know how much damage this arrow could do or how much it would take to kill a Zolma. At the very least, he wanted to injure the Zolma before they got there; this would give his squad an easier first kill which should rid them of their nerves. Kai took a deep breath and concentrated on the Zolma in front of him. Luckily it wasn''t too far away because Kai couldn''t use ocular overdrive as the scouts could. Ocular overdrive was the ability to turn essence lighting into a nerve impulse which would then be sent to your occipital nerve boosting your sight. This allowed you to see in the dark and in more colours. It also allowed you to see further than normal. Although he couldn''t use ocular drive, his form was impeccable as he held the bow. He pulled the bow back and narrowed his eyes as he concentrated on the Zolma in front of him. Then he let go of the high tension string slinging the arrow forward. The arrowed launched forth with a loud whizz as it cut through the air. Its piercing power further enhanced by Kai''s essence lightning''s attributes. Through the air, the arrow whistled moving at a frightening speed. The Zolma saw the arrow and tried to move out its path but as soon as it recognised the threat, the arrow had already done its damage. The arrow pierced the Zolma in its right eye, right where Kai had aimed. However, the arrow didn''t embed itself in the Zolma instead it went straight through ripping half its head away and travelling through the body. Then the arrow travelled through its body and disappeared in the far distance. In the next moment, the Zolma fell to the ground with a thump. Black blood leaked out as the water around it fell to the ground.You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. "Tsk! My arrow is gone now I only have 19 left." His teammates were discombobulated, ''He just killed a Zolma with one arrow and he isn''t satisfied.'' ''He is more concerned with the loss of an arrow than what he just did.'' ''Uwa (1)! As expected from an elite.'' ''I wonder if I''ll ever be as strong as him.'' After Kai lamented the death of his arrow, he looked at his team''s shocked faces and frowned, "Come let''s move on! No time to waste." Then he marked on the map that there was a dead two-meter Zolma for pick up and off they went to their next two-meter Zolma. While they ran to their next target Kai processed what just happened. Although he was frustrated he lost an arrow; knowing that he could take out a two-meter Zolma with one arrow was something that made him feel proud. His mouth curved upwards in response. Then they reached the next two-meter Zolma but this time Kai didn''t interfere. He let them do the work because ultimately the goal was to rid them of their nerves. The next Zolma they encountered was a fire Zolma. Its body was pitch black but was set on fire. It had fissures running through its skin. Those fissures shone with a bright molten red colour. Seeing this creature that looked like it belonged in hell, the surpassers gulped. However, Kai encouraged them and then off they went. They all took out their spears and coated them while they charged in. The Zolma began spitting fire at them which they dodged. Kai told them to stay mobile and never be in one position for too long this made the Zolma angry as it kept missing. Once they Zolma had missed they moved in and stabbed the Zolma with their spears. They targeted all the weak spots and whittled it down. They cut its legs so that it could no longer move and then they stabbed it in the head killing it. Once they had killed the Zolma they roared with pride. Kai congratulated them and then told them that they would be fighting a three-meter Zolma next. Hearing this they felt fear but there was this excitement in them too. He smiled and then marked the death of another two-meter Zolma then off they went to go find the next one Zolma. He and his team looked on the map and found the dot of a three-meter Zolma and proceeded to go to it. It took them a minute to get there. While running they saw the many of the fire clan engaged with battles too. So far they were still fighting 2-meter Zolmas to get over their initial fear. Kai and his team smiled smugly when they realised they were a step ahead. Then they reached the three-meter Zolma. It was an earth Zolma. This Zolma looked like it was birthed from dried ground and obsidian. It was pitch black but it had pieces of hardened sand in its body. Overall, it looked sturdy. Kai looked at the Zolma and frowned, "This one is different to the ones we have faced previously. This one looks like it specialises in defence. However, even if that is the case we will hit harder than it can defend." His team roared and then they charged towards it. The Zolma saw the surpassers coming and smirked. Then in the next moment, the ground began shaking and then big blocks where taken out from the ground making a large gap between the Zolma and the surpassers. It then stayed behind the gap and began chucking rocks at Kai''s team. ''So it doesn''t plan to take us out upfront. It knows it''s outmatched and is using this as a tactic. That would be good and all but I can attack from long range too.'' Kai took out his bow again. As he did his teammates gulped they wanted to see how Kai''s arrowed would fair against a three-meter defence orientated Zolma. With the bow and arrow in his hands, Kai pressed the bow''s kicktstarter and cycled his essence lightning till the max. Then he narrowed his eyes looking at the Zolma, "The Zolma is most likely going to summon some sort of defence the second I fire my arrow. So I''ll only coat the second arrow with lighting and make the first one a decoy.'' Now that he had his plan set in motion Kai began running to the left so it was harder for the Zolma to see the angle of the arrow. When he saw there was a direct line to the Zolma''s head he fired his first arrow. However, just like he expected the Zolma blocked the arrow with a boulder that it had suspended in the air. The Zolma smiled smugly as it blocked Kai''s move but what it didn''t expect was another one coming from the opposite angle. And unlike the previous arrow, it was coated in lightning increasing its penetrative abilities exponentially. The Zolma watched the arrow head towards it with fear and then in the next moment the arrow embedded itself in the right eye and blasted the protective layer away from its head. However, that wasn''t the end, Kai continued to unleash arrows. He fired them from different angles each time. The next arrow hit the Zolma in the other eye thus blinding it. Now it could only sense them via the vibrations of the earth. Kai had thought ahead and whispered to his team through the coms to confuse it. Since it can''t focus on all vibrations, it will have to focus on a few or even one and when it does we pounce at it. And just as his plan went it focused on the group that provided the most vibrations. Then the Kai and another talented surpasser went up ahead and attacked the head. Kai stabbed it in the head where his arrow had weakened and his partner stabbed on the other side. The spears pierced all the way to the Zolma''s brain killing it instantly. When they defeated this Zolma they roared and Kai roared with them and collected his arrws. Then he marked that another Zolma had been killed, ''Our killing speed seems good. However, for my plan to work we need to be ahead by a lot... I wonder how the other teams are doing." Kai looked into the sky and saw the scoreboard. Lightning- 650 Fire- 350 Wind-350 Earth-300 Water-300 Seeing the results he smiled, ''Seems Lexi''s side is doing good as well.'' Then he looked on the map for another Zolma to kill. However, instead of looking for it, four Zolma were on their way to meet Kai''s team¡­ On the other side of the battlefield, in the contested area between the lightning and earth clan. Lexi''s group was about to kill their first Zolma. They looked on the map and there was a black dot. Immediately they converged to the spot and began battle with a 2-meter wind Zolma. Unlike the other Zolma, the wind Zolma didn''t have any distinctive markers on its body. It was just black and had red eyes. However, the air around it looked rather odd. For one it was slightly visible and it was moving erratically. Seeing this Lexi warned them and told them to be on guard. They all agreed in unison and then they attacked the Zolma. The Zolma responded and attacked them wind scythes that they dodged. Lexi dodged them too. However, she wanted to test the strength of it. She moved her body out of the way of the wind scythe and then used her lightning coated spear to smash into the wind scythe. The second the blade met the scythe, the scythe broke apart like it was nothing. When she saw this she decided to leave the fighting to her squad. When they saw that she was no longer taking part they were confused. Lexi told them that this was for them. It would do them no good if she killed it. They needed to learn to work together so that when they faced a three-meter Zolma they wouldn''t have to request help from her, Kai or the independent squad. When they realised it wasn''t because she was scared or lazy they obliged and fought the Zolma. They dodged the wind scythes that it created with the slashes of its dagger-like nails. They continued to whittle their way through the maze of scythes and drew closer to it. Then when they were close enough they surrounded it and pierced their lightning coated spears into its vitals. One in the head, the rest were in the body. As surpassers who went to surpasser school, they were trained to know where the vitals were. After pushing their spears deep within the Zolma; the Zolma fell to the ground. Seeing that they had just killed a Zolma they screamed with joy and looked proudly at Lexi. She smiled and nodded her head in approval. Getting Lexi''s approval made them smile in return. Then they moved onto their next target. Two-hundred meters away was another wind Zolma and they needed to kill it. This one was a three-meter Zolma. Lexi and her squad converged to the location. However, while Lexi was running she got a direct message from the third division. The leader of the communications division, Nathan Spiers said, "Team leader! Attack force C urgently needs your help. They are being attacked by three three-meter Zolma!" When Lexi heard this she told her squad that they should deal with the three-meter Zolma without her, she had to help out a different squad. Then she ran towards them to support, "How did this happen!? What are the scouts doing!?" "They didn''t expect the fire clan to be this shameless so this happened. The fire clan had three three-meter Zolma running after them and then ditched them by leaving them with our team." "Where is the independent squad? This was why it was created." "They were moved to help another team who went through the same thing." "And Kai?" "He is currently engaged with a four-meter Zolma and cannot leave. Also, you were a lot closer." Lexi gulped at the four-meter Zolma, '' Did they put Kai through the same mess? These bastards! How far will they go for a win?!'' Lexi''s frustration was evident as she ran through the green streets to get to where she was supposed to be. She continued to run at full speed until she reached her target. And it was just as the report had said they were currently engaged with three three-meter Fire Zolmas. There were three privates on the three-meter Zolmas. They were clearly in a losing battle and you could see the Sergeant on standby was itching to bud in. If he did they would instantly lose four-hundred and fifty points as that was the total score of Zolma here. Lexi couldn''t let that happen so she ran in with her spear still shrunk and then she enlarged it while pressing the embedded kickstarter to charge up. Once her power was full she coated the blade of her spear and slashed the foot of the three-meter fire Zolma. Then when it fell to the ground she slashed its head of with an overhead slash. Instantly decapitating the monster as it head lobbed on to the ground. She then flicked her spear clean off the blood and looked at her next target. When the surpassers that were fighting that Zolma saw this they gulped. She had just come in and annihilated it with no problem at all. Lexi furrowed her eyebrows, "Stop loitering and join the attack!" "Yes ma''am," They said afraid. Then they joined the next attack now there were two three-meter fire Zolma left. They ran to the next target and joined lightening the load for the surpassers. When they joined the tide changed slightly. Lexi observed how the Zolma were fighting and she saw there was no rhyme or rhythm as all they had in their mind was kill. Then she moved in as those around her fended off the attacks, she was doing the attacking. She circled the one Zolma stabbing it in the legs and the body as she twirled around it. The Zolma screamed in response but it could do nothing. If it focused on Lexi then all the other Zolma would be free to attack it. Therefore it was at her mercy. Lexi continued to whittle it down until she ended it with a strike to its heart near its backside. As she pierced its heart the Zolma dropped to the ground with a thump. Once that one was done she sat back and caught her breath. She had just sprinted at top speed to get here and then still killed two three-meter Zolmas. She felt she could rest because they were now nine surpassers present to kill one three-meter Zolma. That Zolma never stood a chance and in the next moment, it fell to the ground and died. When it died one of them marked the deaths of three three-meter Zolmas. When the X''s appeared on the map, the caddies arrived. They took out their machines and sliced the Zolmas into three sections with their spears. Then the machine they were wearing on their backs sucked in the meat compressing it into a cube. This cube was then inserted into a mine like carriage which was then carried back to base. Lexi instructed a few of the surpassers to follow the load. There was a total of four-hundred and fifty points in that carriage. It was not an amount she wanted to get stolen considering that was the amount they almost lost thanks to the fire clan. She gritted her teeth and then thought about Kai. He wasn''t answering his comm between her and him¡­ 1- Uwa: Is an onomatopoeia for the sound you make when you are surprised. Hiatus So after much thought and consideration as well as input from my readers across the various websites. I have made the decision to take a break so I can take my novel to its highest height. I feel that with a break I can plan ahead so things don''t feel forced which I am sure you have noticed recently. As of now, I feel I have this God complex where what I say goes because I''m the apex. If I say 5+5=2 then it''s true. Why? Because in this world I''m the constructor. I can wave my batton how I please, I''m the conductor.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. I know that that is the wrong mindset of a narrator and I will end up suffocating my characters. So please bear with me. So that I can release them from their cages and set them free. Do keep the story in your library. So that you can see when there is an update from yours truly. However, don''t expect one anytime soon. I need to reset my previous chapters to a rhythmic tune. Thank you for accepting my selfish request!