《Origin: The Tale Of Isaac》


 Chapter 1: Prologue

    My mother Daniella Retali was always a fountain of bubbly energy and inspirational words. She brightened up the room like a lighthouse at sea, always somehow becoming the center of attention wherever she went.


    It also helped that she was a petite beauty whose face you wouldn''t find weird spotting on the front page of magazines, but despite the many doors her appearance could have opened for her she preferred working as a small-time author, which my fathers well of job allowed for.


    As for Joseph Retali my father, he absolutely loved my mother to death, willing to go through to any lengths to make her happy despite her pouting whenever he overworked himself.


    They made for a beautiful and striking couple. My mother¡¯s soft milky Asian skin and features, contrasting nicely with my fathers own lightly tanned Hispanic looks. Beautiful and handsome, it wasn''t a surprise their children also came out like cherubs, always being praised for their cute looks.


    Now when it came to personality wise, I didn''t see myself like my go-lucky and caring mother, or a passionate individual who worked however hard he needed to for his loved ones such as my father.


    I myself was more a free floater, always willing to listen to their thoughts but never really paying too much attention to them. Why worry about anything when a decent hammock and good weather was all I needed to unwind and deal with the problems when they arose?


    Experiencing lower than normal grades? Find yourself a relaxing area allowing you to focus, without distractions. I always retained information better after a nice rest after all.


    School Bullies? Try and teach them the relaxing ways of life, and if that didn''t work take a nap in their faces. While verbal violence isn''t easily stopped there wasn''t much they could do if I simply ignored them in class and avoided them outside of it.


    Relationship issues?.... Well can¡¯t help with that one, but you can think about it yourself during your downtime.


    My mom loved showering me with praises even I didn''t deserve most of them, as well as constantly giving me loving words she hoped would help me out as I grew up.


    ¡°My little Isaac, life can be such a beautiful and cruel thing. Sometimes it¡¯s tenderness caresses us lovenly, and other times its thorns mercilessly dig into our hearts, but that doesn''t mean we shouldn''t accept both sides. Don¡¯t ever let despair drown you because of a few thorns, just as you wouldn''t become too complacent in good times. Take life in strides or relaxingly, as you so often do. Just make sure you know what makes you happy.¡±


    Her words were followed by a tight hug full of her love as she wrapped my 11-year-old self in her arms. The memory of that time went on to become one of the most important in my heart, yet I wouldn''t follow her wordsof wisdom for years to come.


    So young I never thought I''d be one of those individuals who¡¯d have tragedy strike them so young. We all think that way. ''Why worry? As long as their carful they should be ok.'' But I guess I couldn''t blame anyone for being like this otherwise, worry would consume every moment our loved ones weren''t in our sight.


    The thorns my mother spoke of came soon after as she died the following month, in a car accident caused by a drunk asshole who¡¯s actions caused both my mom and his entire family their lives.


    The thorns of anguish pierced everyone in our family leaving no one untouched, deep they dug latching on like a tick to flesh. Slowly draining that happiness my mother worked so hard to build.


    My father to dull the pain of losing the love of his life dove into his work, giving us everything we needed to grow up beside his presence.


    My younger brother of ten at the time hid in his room, unwilling to accept mom¡¯s death and choosing to delude himself that she was simply out for groceries as she was the day she died. His eyes became lifeless as he became obsessed with RPG type games as well as with moms hobby of anime. Unable to get him to leave his room for anything besides the bathroom dad ended up hiring homeschool tutors to shut the school system up, though it''s not like they manage to teach him anything anyway.


    Even our dear cat Cleopatra started to ignore everyone, in the house. Mom had been the one to raise her from a kitten to her ripe age of 13 years old so to her it was as though her most important person had disappeared, and those around her weren''t in the mood to console her when they couldn''t even comfort each other. If it weren¡¯t for me feeding her she probably would have succumbed to starvation in her old age.


    My father likely thought I was the one taking it the best, but oh how wrong he was. My relaxed personality showed its useful colors as the only change in my demeanor being that I spoke slightly less.


    Unfortunately for me, I couldn¡¯t stay calm. I couldn¡¯t relax like I use to. My dreams became ripe with nightmares of watching my mothers death or looking at her mangled and disfigured corpse despite not knowing what it actually ended up like.


    It hurt so much. I needed to make the hurt go away. Anything to ease the suffering.


    And then like the whisper of a demon, a stray thought wormed itself into my brain.


    ¡®If everyone else hurts maybe I¡¯ll hurt less?¡¯


    That one depraved thought led me to cause as much chaos and pain that I could.


    While I wasn¡¯t a genius of any kind, my ability to subconsciously pay attention to details had always been my strongest strength as my late mom once loved to point out.A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.


    The end result of such circumstances was a child with excellent planning skills far beyond his age, an absent guardian and zero remorse for the chaos just a few levels shy from terror attacks he was about to spread.


    School flooding? All you needed was the right clogging agents, and a map of the school¡¯s plumbing system, which could all be found in the unlocked janitor''s closets.


    Painful chemical burns? The security guard watching the pool went to lunch every day at 12:15 to purchase his meal and didn¡¯t return till 12:30. That time window was plenty long enough to add more than the regulated amounts chlorine into the pool.


    Spending an entire night hiding in a cupboard in the kitchens just to turn off the refrigerators long enough to let the meat go bad causing the largest school food poisoning event the district had ever seen in its history? Easy and effective with a total of 58 students having to be rushed to the hospital and almost five dying because of the incident.


    Things only got worse from there until eventually, they brought in a professional to try and discover exactly who was causing such rampant attacks at the school.


    It as a Friday night when I was finally caught. My most recent act of evil was shoving clay into the exhaust pipes of cars in the schools parking lot late in the evening.


    The moment I heard them yelling at me I tried running but they quickly tackled me painfully into the ground. A twelve-year-old couldn¡¯t expect to outrun physically fit guards that easily had a half meter on him.


    From there everything went further downhill.


    Normally they would send someone my age to a juvenile detention center, but my actions were too abnormal for someone so young. I didn¡¯t leave traces of my actions, and the only reason I was caught was that I was trying to dispose of the remaining clay in a sewer drain, but the damn thing got stuck.


    After a week of discussions and trips to the psychiatrist. the verdict they chose? Sending my crazy ass to a to a psych-ward. They concluded that the loss of my mother had been too much for me, and I¡¯d lost the ability to feel for others. Which I guess wasn''t far of from the truth.


    Too smart to be left alone, too crazy to be sent to with the other less desirables. I ended up in an asylum for the next two years. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, things got to the point where they had to put me in an actual padded room with a strait-jacket, just like in the movies.


    Now, what damage could I have caused while being constantly watched to end up like that you might ask? Well as they say the devil is in the details.


    I learned the routines of the workers and guards which wasn¡¯t all too hard allowing me to almost escape four times in total, with the final of the attempts involving me breaking the legs of a nice lady that had tried her hardest to help me.


    Undoing a strait-jacket? Harder but it didn''t take a genius to figure out that all you needed was to create enough slack to pull your arm out.


    Saying the darkest things imaginable about your psychiatrist''s life with the odd bits of information you had heard over the course of a few months, and then using the facilities library to further fuel these words of mal-intent? Priceless.


    Honestly, I was a lost cause looking back at it now. I wasn¡¯t too far from actually killing someone I''m sure. Nothing mattered anymore to me. I just wanted to cause pain and misery. The me of the past that simply wanted to laze around had been all but erased.


    At least it seemed so until the day my father came by with a recording. Strapping me to a chair I could see the tears in my father eye¡¯s as he hit the play button on the remote.


    A video played. It was my mom''s 27th birthday party, and she was walking around the room looking for someone.


    ¡°Now where¡¯s my little Issy? Is he hiding!¡± She yelled happily as she found my seven-year-old self sleeping behind the curtains, a pillow in hand.


    Without a care in the world, she picked me up and spun me around in a tight hug as the young me had his eye¡¯s spinning with light tears in them.


    ¡°Mom!!! Stop it!¡± The young me cried in a voice tinged with annoyance and the slightest trace of nausea.


    ¡°But It''s my birthday and I blew my candles! Can you guess what my wish was?¡± Her beautiful voice making the others in the room laugh at her antics.


    ¡°A new pillow?¡± The young me answered earnestly, as that was what I would have asked for.


    ¡°Hahaha, you silly kid, you sure your not part cat like Cleo over there.¡±


    The camera switched its view to a lazy Bombay cat that was sprawled out comfortably even with the disturbance around it. Its sleek black fur didn''t show any indication of its age. It¡¯s gentle meow being the only response that it gave my mom.


    Turning towards the camera my mom puffed up her chest like a kid and gave everyone the answer they were waiting for.


    ¡°I want to keep our happiness deep in my heart no matter what happens. My treasure children and dear husband I¡¯ll work my hardest to be the best wife and mother ever!¡±


    ¡°Your such a kid at times Daniella.¡± My father chimed in as the video was paused by my father in the present day. The contrast between the man on the screen and the one before me appearing was drastic as though it weren''t a difference of eight years but twenty.


    I wanted to laugh. To sneer in my fathers face. What was the point of showing me this I wondered? It wasn''t going to change the fact that she was dead. Dead because some asshole killed her in his reckless actions. Never to come back. Ever....


    And with those thoughts, the emotions I had buried deep in my heart burst forth.


    I don''t know when the tears started flowing but when they didn''t stop.


    It was then that I realized how much worse I had become than the asshole who had killed my mother. Yes, his actions were terrible but could they really compare to the planning and scheming I had done? While no one had died, had I not caused more widespread pain than that man would likely ever cause? Then I remember that random stray thought that I had when I was fresh in my despair, oh how disgustingly selfish I''d been. How brutally I¡¯d disgraced my mother with my actions.


    My heart-wrenching wails didn¡¯t stop, and I felt as though all the pain I¡¯d cause to everyone was returning to me tenfold as my mother looked down at me tears of disappointment in her eyes.


    I was eventually sedated as the inner pain and screaming were causing the capillaries in my eyes to burst, leading to tears of blood to stream down my face. My father hugging me with his own tears promising it would all get better.


    I¡¯d gone against everything my mother wished for me and my family. I¡¯d let the thorns pierce every part of my heart until I myself was little more than said thorns looking to latch on to others to spread like a disease.


    The following weeks I completely stopped all my actions and retaliation. I no longer wanted to treat my mother''s ideals like they meant nothing to me. I¡¯d live for my happiness and my family¡¯s from now on.


    The weeks turned to months until at the one-year anniversary of the video being played I eventually was diagnosed mentally fit enough to return to the outside world. Of course, I¡¯d be under watch and listed but it didn''t matter to me. I¡¯d do my best to work out the issues in the house. I¡¯d help my brother leave his room, I¡¯d take care of the beautiful old cat that mom had treated more like a daughter than a pet, and I¡¯d work to help my father who had to deal with the loss of his wife and his son becoming a psychopath.


    All would have a happy ending and I''ll apologize to my mother in heaven with my actions and make her proud.


    It should have been easy, simple, walk in the park, a piece of cake........


    Yet I never got to do any of that.

 Chapter 2: Comet of the Children

    Miss Ferdina Ezeka


    It was raining today.


    The cold droplets carved a lazy path through the clear window, as the small drops of water searched for depressions to settle within.


    At the base of the window on the outer side, the water found its goal as it was collected into a small crystal birdbath, which was rapidly reaching its full capacity. A single black feather floated as the droplets moved it around continuously.


    Sitting at a comfortable desk made of oak, a stunningly gorgeous Redhead that wars would be fought over held a large yellow scroll, full of scribbles. Their crimson gold ink sparkled in the dimly lit room.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been getting antsy recently haven''t you. Maybe it¡¯s finally time for whatever you brought me here to befall this little planet.¡±


    To any observer, this might have confused them. Who exactly was this woman with long crimson hair, that flowed down her back in waves talking to? The room was empty and of simple taste with but her desk and two comfy chairs to adorn her office. Once before in her past, it would have been unthinkable to her to have live under such penurious conditions, but now she was barely even aware of it.


    Eye''s warm like winters first serving of hot chocolate Ezeka looked down at the ancient scroll for an entire minute trying to unveil its secrets with just her gaze alone. Sadly disappointment was all she received as it remained the same aging scroll.


    Her thoughts had just begun to drift towards her past as the calm of the room was soon disturbed by a sharp knock at the door.


    ¡°Madame Ezeka the children are ready. The rain was unexpected considering the weather report, but I guess even they make mistakes sometimes.


    ¡°Did you reschedule the chariot bus¡¯s destination to a higher platform?¡± Madame Ezeka¡¯s hands moved quickly as she rolled the scroll up and stored it between her ample bosom.


    The voice responded without a delay, unwilling to waste the time of her boss.


    ¡°The chariot bus is ready to take us sky platform White Cloud. As its the only public platform above the rainclouds at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Good let me get myself ready and I¡¯ll meet you at the chariot in ten minutes. Make sure all the children are properly strapped in and ready. Also, watch out for little Leonard, I don''t want a repeat of last time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have everything in proper order within five minutes Madame.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Jecci, your help is invaluable as always,¡± Ezeka gave her thanks to her assistant while she put on a lovely Black rain jacket that couldn¡¯t hide her womanly curves even if it was twice its size.


    ¡°Anything for the Madame.¡± Was all Jecci said before she left to gather the children.


    <hr>


    Today was a special day for the planet of Shentali, since the comet of Yurigues would make its decennial appearance.


    The young masses would gather to watch it hoping that they would have what it takes to join the ranks of the extraordinary.


    The ranks of the Protogium.


    Moreover, the children from her orphanage weren¡¯t any different, with the talks of igniting being all anyone talked about for the last two weeks.


    The comet''s flyby was known as a Mass Ignition event to those who studied origin. While people could ignite their abilitiy to interact with origin on their own it would come naturally between the ages of five and twenty.


    Of course, igniting as early as possible was preferred since it allowed for better growth, but besides the disgustingly rich, most individuals ignited around the ages of eleven and fourteen.


    Despite the backwater (Origin Purity Level) OPL: 13 that Shentali had as a planet the universe was kind enough to bless it with a recurring Mass Ignition of a low grade. This made the planet as prosperous as it could despite its deficiency on OPL and ODL (Origin Density Level).


    This was all basic information learned all throughout the galaxy, but it didn''t stop the caretaker and teacher Jecci from explaining it all to children once again.


    Now while Madame Ezeka was an elegant lady with refined and sophisticated looks, and Miss Jecci was a rose that didn''t struggle to rival her. At the tender age of 27, she would remain untouched to the ravages of time just like Madame Ezeka if she continued to labor on the path of aProtogium.


    Dark black hair tied up in a bun provided everyone a good look of her exquisite fair features. With bespectacled eye¡¯s sharp enough to cut steel her gaze penetrated the hearts of many young men as her cold beauty filled her personal and work inbox with the love letter of dozens. Amongst the male teenage populace,she was thought of as the ideal ¡®sexy teacher¡¯, and it wasn''t surprising that a large portion of the men that wished for her heart also wished for her foot on their head.


    ¡°Miss Jecci we all learned this last year, talk about Donum!¡± A bright child of ten by the name of Leonard yelled from the seat he was strapped to, which seemed to have additional restraints compared to his surrounding peers.


    ¡°Hmff. Leonard don¡¯t think my anger¡¯s been appeased. Next time I catch you running around with female underwear wrapped around your face calling yourself the pink ninja I¡¯ll bring out the paddle from retirement despite its years of unuse.¡±


    ¡°I won''t use your¡¯s again I promise!¡± Leonard yelled the fear in his voice causing laugher amongst the boy¡¯s yet a look of revulsion with the girls.


    ¡®Restrain yourself Jecci he¡¯s but a boy, he has no ulterior motives, he¡¯s just a cute little idiot.¡¯ Jecci was but a few words away from getting the paddle, something many of Jessi''s admirers likely dreamed of.


    ¡°Miss Jecci... can you tell us about the Donum again?¡± A cute young girl around seven years old, possible around the youngest at the orphanage asked in a whispered voice.


    Jecci felt the anger melt away at the small blonde angel''s words.


    ¡°Well, little Liza a Donum is a word from one of the oldest languages in humanity¡¯s history going back all the way to the Prime era hundreds of thousands of years ago.¡±


    Catching sight of something from the corner of her eyes Jecci paused to relax her once again rising rage as she saw Leonard pull something from his pocket that was hers.


    ¡°The Scholars of the Void call it Latin. Donum means gift, and as for why its called gift, we think of it as such. A gift from Origin, or if you follow the Church of Origin Orginor.¡±


    Still, maintaining her explanation she walked over and grabbed the large bra that Leonard had pulled out and put over his eye¡¯s as he started making buzzing noises. Making sure to give him a hard smack on the head Jecci felt satisfied after venting her annoyance and continued her teachings.


    ¡°Origin allows us to alter reality however we wish to as long as we have the skill, knowledge and proper Origin energy. A Donum simplifies this by a large margin giving you the ability to manipulate Origin in specific ways at a much cheaper cost,and a looser restriction on skill. For example, My Donum which also happens to have evolved into the next stage calledNoctum allows me to Manifest and Manipulate Ice and its various properties.¡±


    "Your so cool Miss Jecci!" The children all yelled together bringing a bright and charming smile to Jecci''s face.A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.


    The sound of the Chariot¡¯s door opening pulled everyone''s attention away from Jecci, as Madame Ezeka made her way inside.


    Bowing her head towards Ezeka Jecci was all business again, the smile having disappeared into a calm and collected bearing.


    Gazing down at the forgotten bra in Jecci¡¯s hand Ezeka chuckled lightly.


    ¡°Did you really grow so large? Feels like it was just yesterday I was helping you pick one out.¡±


    Realizing what she was holding in her hands Jecci¡¯s cold demeanor disappeared as quickly as she''d brought it up. Her cheeks and neck flushed crimson as she became lost on to how to respond.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so shy am I not like your mother Jeccilina, I¡¯m only teasing you. Put that thing away, even the other girls are blushing for your sake.¡±


    ¡°Ye..sss Madame!¡± Smacking her cheeks which both hands Jecci put away her brah, and promised to herself she¡¯d give Leonard extra homework as punishment for today. If that kid was like this at this age, she could only imagine how bad he¡¯ll get once he hits his teenage years.


    ¡°Now everyone remembers not to take off your seatbelts until we reach the White Cloud. That goes double for you Leonard!! Next time I won''t be so kind and catch your body as it flys headfirst into the ceiling.¡±


    For once Leonard shut up, remaining sitting within his restraints, and Jecci and the rest were able to enjoy the trip in relative peace.


    <hr>


    High in the clouds, Sky Platform White Cloud floated just above the dark rain clouds, almost like a boat on a stormy sea.


    To those of the present day, it would be considered a technological wonder. Yet to those of the better offarea¡¯s in the galaxy it was but a horse pulled cart to their custom made sports cars.


    Nonetheless, it was a beautiful sight to behold as the half-kilometer floating mass covered in parks existed like its own little world over the clouds.


    The sleek black chariot made to hold up to thirty individuals made its way towards the island in the sky.


    A translucent membrane meant to keep the pressure and air density safe for people parted as it allowed the chariot entry as continued on its way, the parks, and small ponds speeding by below. The designated location that Madame Ezeka had reserved for the orphanage was near the center so they wouldn''t be bothered at all.


    Though there was likely less than another hundred people on White Cloud since only those without money to purchase passes to Storm Cloud or High Cloud would come here. Those Sky platforms were also over a dozen times larger, and many believed the superstition that the higher and closer you were to the comet when it passed by the more likely you were to get a natural Donum Seed.


    But Ezeka knew it was all hogwash sold by the papers and online bloggers. What would the difference of a few miles do when the comet was still thousands of miles away in space.


    Considering the Comet was Low-grade event it was unlikely it would be able to birth any seeds unless the individual themselves were close to igniting without the help of it, however, many wished to dream, to dream of gaining strength and earning the wealth to live on richer and better planets.


    ¡°Headcount!¡± Jecci¡¯s call rang out as she counted all 25 children.


    Taking off her rain Jacket and storing it with the rest of the children Ezeka Laid down a large cloth on the soft grass to gaze at the lively scenery before her.


    The children ran and played, enjoying their time out to the fullest.


    As for Jecci, she ran amongst the children a warm smile on her face even while she was chasing Leonard who once again had somehow gotten an article of clothing that belonged to Jecci. Thankfully this time it was just a scarf.


    Amazing how someone of her previous standing had fallen so low yet how little it mattered to her now. The happiness these children brought her was more than enough to fill her heart with content. Of course, she still wished to return one day but with greater and grander reasons other than simple vanity. Yet, until she accomplished her goal she was to hide in the boonies, unable to communicate with her close ones.


    ¡°Madame Ezeka¡­ Can I sit with you?¡± Ezeka turned to face Liza the youngest of her orphanage''s children as well as the last she was legally allowed to take in. New laws had gone into effect, two years prior and it wouldn''t be long until she¡¯d have to close down the orphanage because of a lack of orphans, but that wasn''t too bad of a thing if you think about it. The new laws would be fair and kind to kids and that''s all Ezeka could ask for.


    ¡°Of course little lady, come here and sit on my lap.¡± A light blush on her face Liza sat on Ezeka¡¯s lap that was covered by a long black dress.


    ¡°What Donum do you think I''ll get Madame Ezeka?¡±


    Ezeka thought hard and long for a moment. Should she be caring and just answer little Liza with flowery words, or should she be frank about not only the odd¡¯s of igniting but the terrifying low chances of gaining a Donum. In the end she chose mix the truth with some sweet words.


    ¡°Well it''s not certain if you¡¯ll even ignite and even less likely to gain a seed but if it''s your little angelic self I''m sure you¡¯ll gain something healing related with your kind soul. Then you¡¯ll be able to heal all the people who get hurt with your power.¡±


    Liza¡¯s eyes sparkled as she completely glossed over the first part of Ezeka¡¯s sentence focus on her words about healing. Children sure had a knack for ignoring the details they didn''t care for Ezeka thought to herself.


    Time flew by and the world darkened as the stars came into view. The children had eaten and were relaxing as they waited for the comet to zoom by. They could already see it in the distance but it still wasn¡¯t close enough to trigger mass ignition.


    Leonard could be seen sitting on Jecci¡¯s lap as she didn''t want him toleave her sight until they went back home. Watching him struggle to try and escape Ezeka could only chuckle inwardly. It was just too funny how hard he was resisting what many men would consider being a dreamlike situation.


    ¡°Ah its starting everyone. Sit still and gaze at the comet for as long as you can. From here on out its all up to your destiny, but don''t be discouraged if you don''t Ignite, the life of a Protogium isn''t as glamorous as everyone makes out to be. With hard work, you can be just as rich or influential as anyone who¡¯s ignited.


    And to those who do ignite it¡¯ll be a hard life but just as with the others hard work is all you need to make it!¡±


    Ezeka¡¯s words where inspirational, setting the children''s hearts ablaze with excitement. But deep down Ezeka knew the majority of her words were but lie¡¯s told to allow the children to dream for a few more years.


    Hard work was an integral part of making it in the galaxy but it wouldn''t be enough to avoid the crueltyof those up top, where strength, money, and talent reigned supreme.


    The comet began its splashing of the night sky, slowly leaving a trailof stardust in its wake.


    It was around halfway through the event though that something strange happened. The scroll Ezeka was keeping between her breasts began to heat up.


    ¡°What? NOW!¡± Her thoughts raced as the years of waiting finally seemed to be bearing fruit. The sudden yell brought the children out of their unfamiliar meditation as Ezeka set Liza who was still sitting on her lap to the side and pulled out the scroll from her lovely mounds.


    Disappearing in a flash she pulled on the seal portions of her origin pool to teleport 100 meters away from the children hoping it would be far away enough. She had suppressed her origin signature as soon as it left her so unless the seers were still looking for her after these forty years, she shouldn¡¯t have been detected.


    Unrolling the scroll completely it''s the crimson gold ink shone as bright as headlights, actively forcing the scroll in Ezeka¡¯s hands to turn towards the comet.


    The light¡¯s from the scribbles intensity increased once again as they pierced the sky heading straight towards the comet, Immediately the world turned to gold and red.


    <hr>


    On that night, the 8th of Abrol year of Reclamation 6492 ''Ignition Night'' would never be forgotten by the locals of sub-quadrant X46 of the Origin Galaxy. The sky lit in all its glory causing an anomalous light to instantaneously reach everywhere within a twenty thousand light year radius, completely ignoring the normal laws of lightspeed.


    Further studies of how over half of the children on the planet had ignited when the chance of someone igniting usually sits around ten percent. As for the Yuelstien Corporation that held majorityownership of Shentali, their stock would rise to new heights as they gained a future supply of over two hundred thousand potential Protogium, even if more than half of that would be pilfered by other various groups.


    Investigatorswould also be sent. The seer''s had finally found a clue to a long cold trail.


    Shentali was going to become a very busy place in the coming years.


    <hr>


    It was 2:00 am, and Ezeka was at her wits end about what to do.


    Whatever the scroll had done it was on a massive scale. To the point where the residual origin energy had ignited kids that likely would never have on the planet and even allowed Liza and Leonard to gain Donum seeds.


    As for the comet? The scroll devoured the dam thing to power some Spell of unknown power and goal. Tonight was the last night the people of Shentali would ever be graced with The Yurigues comet. It was also the night where she¡¯d have to begin her preparations regarding leaving within the coming year. This event was bound to bring heavy attention even to this backwater sub-quadrant.


    Continuing deep in thought, it wasn''t until she felt something materialized before her that she jumped back in shock as golden leaf floated a meter above her head.


    She didn''t even get a chance to study the strange leaf as the scroll with a force she¡¯d never felt before pulled itself out painfully from her breasts causing her to have to frantically try and fix her distressed appearance.


    However unknown to her a drunk bum on the corner of the street she thought to be empty got a glimpse of heaven and immediately passed out a look of pure content on his face.


    ¡°Stupid scroll, Is this what all that chaos you caused was for?¡±


    Once she was prim and proper again she walked slowly forward while the scroll began to disintegrate around the gold leaf, breathing life into it until but a sliver of the scroll remained.


    The sound of space tearing screeched and vanished as suddenly as it had appeared. But in the place of the gold leaf, someone new appeared.


    A young boy of ten, with lightly tanned skinned, hair as dark as the deepest reaches of space, and eye¡¯s cloudy grey like a raging storm stood before her.


    Gazing all around himself in wonder, he spoke but three words in a language Ezeka wouldn''t ever have expected to hear outside the secretive Scholars of the Void.


    ¡°Where am I¡±?

 Chapter 3: Ferdinas New Problem

    The chilled air rubbed itself painfully across my almost nude figure, yet my lack of proper attire was the farthest thing from my mind.


    Like air bubbles from the deep, jumbled memories slowly rose up to the top in an attempt to make sense of exactly what was going on around me.


    Hadn¡¯t I¡¯d been on a taxi heading home? I could clearly remember my excitement on finally returning home to reunite with my family. I was told the trip didn¡¯t have had any detours so how exactly had I ended up in this Scyfi looking theme park?


    Looming buildings that shone in fluorescent lights with an eye-pleasing metallic sheen arched into each other like rings, creating an architectural style he¡¯d never beheld before. All the while cylinder pods streaked by high overhead, sending out a soft buzzing into the night.


    The crisp wind then once again made itself known as though annoyed that I had the audacity to go shirtless before it.


    Well, it wasn''t like I had any clue where my clothes had gone either.


    Merciless before my bare body the draft only picked up further, forcing me to turn away from the cold before it dug any deeper into my flesh.


    Leaving me face to face with the first person I¡¯d ever thought actually looked even more stunning than my own mother.


    Though something felt off.


    How come she was so damn tall? She looked like she had a solid 40cm on me which was insane considering I was nearing 180cm at a little over 16 years old.


    Wait a sec¡­ She wasn''t just taller¡­ she was bigger as well!! What the fuck was going on!!!!!


    It was then that I got an answer which only gave me more questions. My body¡­ It was small? No, that wasn''t completely right! It was the body of my 10-year-old self!


    Like a carousel the world around me began to spin rapidly, the colors of the night swirling into a drug like luminous amalgam.


    Legs of jelly barely held me up as the hidden brutality in my heart I thought I had finally smothered after months of therapy rose to helped me mutter in a guttural tone unfit for a child.


    ¡°Where am I?¡±


    <hr>


    Ferdina Ezeka


    One Hour later*


    Back at Ezeka¡¯s office, wrapped up in her coat, the child stared intensely at Ezeka behind her desk, the dark glow in his eye¡¯s unable to hide the fear and worry as effectively as he wished. Her previous line of work had forced her to become familiar with the expressions of others and this child was still too young to even attempt at concealing his emotions from her.


    The remains of the scroll floated gently above him imitating the motions of a falling leaf constantly being blown around by the wind, completely carefree about the situation it had created.


    At first, the child was stubbornly refusing her gestures and attempts at extremely limited English, once he found out she couldn''t quickly answer him.


    Ultimately, she yielded on attempting to get him to follow her peacefully and cast a small charm that would prevent him from shouting if he started making a fuss. As for physically moving him, he¡¯d be powerless against a normal adult let alone an expert of her capabilities, even in her suppressed state. But the strangest thing happened when she cast her mute spell.


    It didn''t work on him.


    No, Ezeka thought, the spell worked fine although part of the spell''s effects simply disappeared into the child without a single clue as to where it went. In the end, she had to cast it five times before its effects fully applied to him.


    Though in that time he¡¯d been yelling in resistance trying to get away from her and then seeing how that wasn''t working changed his tactics to biting her arm. Sadly for him, all his little teeth did was tickle her skin.


    Wrapping him up in her coat since all he seemed to be wearing was a strange pair of shorts, she swiftly left the scene before any ruffians or worse officers showed up to investigate.


    It hurt her to see a child like this especially when what she was doing wasn¡¯t far from a simple kidnapping.


    Now here she was in her office, trying to rack her brain off with the limited amounts of English she had learned throughout her long life.


    It wasn¡¯t as though she hadn¡¯t tried. English unlike Latin was a closely guarded secret by the Scholars of the Void. Having such a once widespread and old language under their control they were able to monopolize work for almost anything remotely related to the Prime era, although that was barely the simplest of things you could do with the language.You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.


    It also wasn¡¯t surprising that they had a way to enforce their rules through the use of a multitude of Eclipse Grade Relic¡¯s that were tasked with keeping track of individuals who knew even a single word in the language.


    Ezeka shivered internally, even at the height of her power before her current conditions she was barely considered worthy enough to be left alive after learning a few words.


    Now here was a child who was obviously fluent in the language that could get you killed just for knowing how to say hello.


    If she didn¡¯t quickly teach him how to speak Kelden, this current era¡¯s largest spoken language, his every word would ping of a signal that would eventually reach one of the Scholars Relic.


    They¡¯d eventually find him and he¡¯d either be forced to join the Scholars or simply killed. Both things she couldn''t allow now that the child was under her protection.


    This time sighing outwardly as to confer her thoughts to the boy Ezeka once again tried communicating with him.


    ¡°WHO IS?¡± Likely butchering the pronunciation Ezeka used her limited knowledge to try and ask the boy who he was, or at least his name.


    Smart enough to realize he wasn''t going to be able to find someone else, and all he had to work with was Ezeka he made a greater attempt at trying to communicate with her.


    ¡°^$*#@$ &$ $^%#$*&% ISAAC.¡± The boy spoke slowly yet his words were unintelligible to her. Thankfully he was smart enough to point at himself during the last word.


    ¡°ISAAC,¡± Ezeka confirmed his name by pointing at him, receiving a nod of agreement from Isaac.


    From there on she asked him all sorts of questions with the limitations she was under. Essentially using the same twelve words in different ways with pauses and motions to try and convey meaning.


    Following her example, Isaac did the same though it was just as hard for him. An hour later everything she learned from the boy could be counted on three fingers.


    His name. The fact that he had no idea where he was. And lastly that he wanted to find his family. Luckily for them, Home and Family were two of the words Ezeka had managed to learn, along with Lost.


    ¡°Well, at least I know your name, you wild little runt.¡± Ezeka began to slouch in her chair, the elegance she normally held before the world was nowhere to be seen as the stress of the comets event, as well as the scrolls summoning of a boy who only spoke English, weighed down on her thoughts.


    Life was going to get extremely hectic in a few weeks and she didn''t have nearly as much time as she wanted to make her preparations to leave the planet. She had a responsibility to the children so until they got adopted she had to tend to them and make sure they grew properly.


    Luckily for her though she at least had the ability and money to send them all to an academy when they turned 14 because they had all ignited. There they would be trained in the basic ways of origin and become certified Protogium once they graduated.


    But she still had to deal with Liza, Leonard, and now Isaac before her. Liza and Leonard having Donum seeds this far out in the boonies meant they would be exploited for the rest of their lives because of their lowly background.


    As for Isaac, she was pretty sure whatever the scroll still wanted from her wasn''t over as its remaining piece still fluttered lightly over Isaac''s head.


    Positives, negatives, decisions, choices. So much planning to do, so little time.


    At least Jecci was there for her she thought. Her little orphan who grew up into a stunningly talented woman. The day she told Ezeka she wanted to work for her without even pay still brought tears to Ezeka''s eyes. To her, Jecci was her real daughter regardless of blood.


    Now Ezeka wasn''t the only one deep in thought at the moment, as Isaacs own mind was churning through his wild thoughts.


    She might have technically kidnapped him, but from what Isaac could tell, likely no one else would have been able to understand him nearly as much as this lady did.


    Sharp enough to understand, that Ezeka was being bothered by her thoughts the dark expression on Isaac¡¯s eyes began to shift as he looked up at the ceiling facing scrunching up in emotional pain before shaking his head and opening his eye¡¯s once again.


    The swirling storm was gone as the turbulent stormcloud grey became a tranquil cerulean sky.


    Ezeka¡¯s own chocolate eye¡¯s went wide with shock as she witnesses the boy¡¯s demeanor and very Iris change colors before her. Her idea''s and plans on how to move from today on taking a seat on the back burner as her full attention fell on the boy who was summoned.


    In the current era, origin made virtually anything possible with enough time, resources, and skill. But for a child whom she couldn''t even detect the faintest traces of Origin from, he was proving to be a ridiculous anomaly.


    Just what the hell had she gotten herself into this time she wondered.


    <hr>


    Isaac


    After I finally managed to calm my unstable mind by sending a prayer to my mom, the itch of insanity receded to the back of my mind where it became weak enough to ignore.


    Boy, was I a walking mess. I couldn''t help but laugh viciously at myself. All those promises to myself and my mom of turning a leaf and yet there I was already opening up to the thoughts I¡¯d been trying to suppress.


    Sitting across from me at her plain oakwood desk the gorgeous redhead Ferdina who couldn''t have been a day over 25 was staring at me as though I was some sort of freak. Granted she was likely hitting the mark considering close to crazy I was on the mental stability scale.


    But I will say this, finding out that your body had regressed to that of a 10-year-old would likely have hit anyone hard. Not that I was defending myself. Others might have simply lost it in fear, me, on the other hand? My mind was already used to being a little crazy.


    A strong yawn broke the silence and the woman''s strong gaze on me. It wasn''t until it was over though that I notice the yawn was my own.


    Exhaustion gripped my mind now that I had cleared it. The short two hours I¡¯d been with Ferdina had drained me, and the lack of knowledge on exactly where the fuck I was made the crazy bits of my brain throb a little but I¡¯d deal with it in the morning.


    The room was growing dimmer and Ferdina had noticed me drifting off.


    A look of worry flashed on her face before she stood up, her slender figure, one numerous woman would never achieve regardless of their hard work quickly reached his side. Her movements full of grace, she picked me up and held me tightly between her arms.


    I guess I was the frail princess, and Ferdina the charming prince. Maybe she¡¯d even give me a kiss he imagined. He¡¯d certainly wouldn''t be opposed to such a belle doing so. Though that was likely impossible as her eye¡¯s held nothing but tenderness to them. A tenderness he remembered seeing only in his mother''s eyes as she warmed him with her motherly love.


    Who knew his kidnapper could emit such warm emotions with her actions alone.


    Finally, he felt his body placed gently on a bed. Its multitude of pillows and covers encapsulating him in a comfortable wrap leaving him so snug he only had time for one thought before the darkness of his subconscious took him.


    ¡®I really do hope she lets me sleep in. Heaven probably couldn''t compare to this comfort.¡¯

 Chapter 4: New Orphan on the Block

    The extent of the mountain range was expansive as it was majestic. The white peaks scraping the sky, lush verdant green side became the home of a wide array of ecosystems.


    The sight had always been one of my favorite¡¯s as a child, it always left me awestruck at how beautiful and relaxing nature could be. It was possibly also one of the reasons that before he lost his mother he loved going out into nature with his family on camping trips.


    Just like this memory.


    For the first time in years I was dreaming, and it wasn''t a nightmare. As for how I knew it was a dream and not a reality?


    Well, my mother was there.


    She was helping my father prep the campsite bringing all the items out from the SUV. It was owned by my fathers boss who recently had been really impressed by my fathers work and told him about some property his own family used for camping back when he was younger.


    With his approval, my father was allowed to drive up here with us and to enjoy a weekend with the family, and as for the wildlife, besides the occasional deer, there was nothing to worry about.


    ¡°Honey could you hold your brother''s hand he¡¯s a bit nervous about the forest. Let him know there¡¯s nothing to worry about. If anything does pop up your father and I will make short work of it!¡±


    Her youthful encouragement got a laugh from my father who responded back to my little brother with further reassuring words.


    ¡°Papa¡¯s really strong so don¡¯t you boys worry!¡±


    Honestly, I couldn¡¯t ever tell who the children actually were at times, but it didn''t really matter because I was happy as I think I ever was.


    The day continued on exactly as I remembered it. First, my father spent over an hour setting up the tents, struggling as they kept on falling back down, his frustration causing both my mother and brother to laugh while I relaxed in a hammock id set up next to the site, my own soft chuckle overshadowed by my dad who started to laugh as well.


    After that, my mom pulled my nine-year-old self at the time out of the hammock complaining that it was family time, and we were going to go fishing together. I manage to catch the tiniest thing while my brother caught a fish as large as his arm. I remember being a little jealous but otherwise happy for him.


    Mom who had once been interested in birdwatching back during her college years brought out some of her old gear and tried finding out the type of birds that lived around our campsite. Unfortunately, besides an eagle far in the distance, we didn''t really luck out on any interesting birdwatching. At first, I had been worried mom was going to be devastated but taking it in stride she said it was time for dinner, and how chicken was on the menu. That night at dinner she ate half a chicken herself, and it''s not till now that I realized that had been her way of taking care of her annoyance at not finding any birds.


    The day was coming to a close as we huddled together around a fire cooking smores. My brother was already asleep and my father had fallen into a food coma so it left just me and mom eating marshmallows.


    ¡°Issy, today was great day wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    The me of the time was also skirting the line of sleep but still managed to answer.


    ¡°Hmmm, it was fun mom. But can tomorrow we relax on the hammocks?¡±


    A soft giggle left her as she wrapped me in her arms.


    ¡°Ah my lazy sloth child, what will I do about you.¡±


    The crackling warmth of the fire was the only response she got as the dream came to the end, and once again awoke to a world without my mom.


    Without anyone from my family.


    <hr>


    Ezeka


    The looming immense gothic styled mansion was an odd sight to be seen, but not an unbelievable one. The rich did like their inconvenient antiquated architecture.


    As for the owner of the mansion, she was a captivating woman who took her riches and spent them on the less fortunate. In this case, those less fortunate were some of the orphans of the small city of Nit, one of the five cities on Shentali.


    With only around a fourth of the planet not being a wasteland or ocean, there wasn''t as much habitable land as other planets, and they didn''t have the capital to terraform the wastelands.


    To make up for this, even the smallest city of Nit was over 75 kilometers in size, with some areas being densely populated and others being reserved for the more wealthy.


    Ezeka was just returning from buying something extremely expensive at the merchant''s district in what would be considered the downtown of Nit.


    Her Black chariot was just landing at its designated spot when she spotted two men in Yuelstien Corp uniforms standing in front of her mansions wide door. Jecci stood in front of them, her anger evident by the crimson flush covering her face.


    With haste she got out and briskly walked towards them, her choice of a dress becoming a hindrance as the long tight skirt was not meant for such movement.


    ¡°I told you multiple times already fool, we are a private institution! Your selfish corporation can¡¯t take the children just because you have the government at your beck and call! Now get out of here before I turn you both into ice sculptures.¡±


    Frustration filled Ezeka, those greedy fools were already expanding their hands into all the orphanages. They did this every ten years but this time the number of orphans turned protogium has made them make their moves at a considerably faster rate. Children without parents were usually a lot easier to control.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry miss but the law clearly states we have the authority to inspect and record all of the orphans that had ignited. We also have some readings from our experts that some of your children might have gained a donum seed. It is of the greatest importance that you allow us to enter, otherwise, we will be forced to bring the guardsmen with a warrant.¡±The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    Jecci scowl was bone-chilling, causing the man who hadn''t spoken up to shiver, though Ezeka could catch the barest hint of lust in those eyes.


    How was it that the deviants always somehow found their way near poor Jecci.


    Finally arriving at the door the two men felt her presence and turned to face Ezeka who completely understood the situation.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken gentlemen my dear assistant has already stated that we are privately run. I am quite knowledgeable on the law, so stop with your nonsense and get of my estate.¡±


    ¡°But!..¡± The man was ready to continue arguing as he had with Jecci but Ezeka wasn¡¯t going to give them the chance.


    ¡°Now your superiors can''t say I didn''t provide you with a warning. Jecci please escort these men off the grounds. Just don¡¯t kill them.¡±


    ¡°Of course Madame! Circumda me inimicus, Gelida carcerem!


    ¡°Wait?! What?!!!¡± Was all the man was able to yell before Jecci created a frozen prison around them denying them the chance to put up any form of resistance with their own abilities.


    The chant had been mostly for those prying eyes in the form of drones just outside of her property. Jecci¡¯s mastery over ice was deep enough were something like this didn''t need to be spoken allowed, but she didn¡¯t need to let others know that.


    Frozen in shock both literally and metaphorically the men were unable to resist as Jecci pushed their ice prison outside Ezeka¡¯s property where she then let go of her hold on the ice and let it thaw out.


    As weak as those men might have seemed they were Protogium so something like that shouldn''t kill them. Though it was likely Ezeka was going to get some ¡®tougher'' visitors in the coming weeks.


    Returning quickly Jecci bowed, her shoulders still shaking a little bit because of her anger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry Madame I couldn¡¯t get rid of them myself. I was hesitant even though you told me we were completely in the right, and I''m sorry for that!¡±


    Anger directed at herself, Jecci was disappointed that she had even considered those imbeciles words after Ezeka had confirmed the situation to her long before.


    ¡°It¡¯s not your fault Jecci.¡± Ezeka¡¯s hand gently resting on Jecci¡¯s shoulder her words full of affection towards the young woman before who she had raised from a child.


    ¡°Those corporate dogs will do whatever it takes for a promotion, and right now gathering ignited children is their greatest chance at that. Nothing short of violence would have gotten them to leave the grounds. Now cheer up, we have a new child that I want you to meet.¡±


    ¡°New child? How?¡±


    Jecci was also aware that the orphanage would soon be no more but she assumed that Ezeka would simply move to another planet and start over again. Ezeka¡¯s never seemed to struggle for money, and all the children experienced well of lives in the orphanage with, the best of learning tools and other high-end facilities. Some of the individuals who once lived there even questioned if such a place could be called an orphanage when they were all provided things only the rich could afford.


    ¡°Technically he isn¡¯t a child of Shentali so I don''t have to report him at the moment but for now don''t let any outsiders learn of his existence yet. I don''t want to give the Yuelstien Corporation any more reasons to come snooping by.¡±


    ¡°Of course Madame, these words stay between the two of us.¡±


    Satisfied that the situation had been resolved, Ezeka made her way into her home hoping the little runt sleeping in her bed hadn¡¯t woken up and made a mess of her room.


    <hr>


    Isaac


    The warmth of the covers around me was divine. I don''t think I''ve ever felt something so soft and silky. It didn''t feel like I was in a bed. It was more like a cloud, the fluffy type too.


    Unfortunately, the urge to take a leak had been building and I don''t think I''ll be able to hold it for much longer.


    Removing the comfy sheets I noticed how clear my mind was. The madness from the night before gone, as I accepted the sad truth after reliving my memory in a dream.


    That I wasn¡¯t ever going to see my family again.


    Such thoughts once before would have sent me over the edge, but that dream, I don''t know what it had done but it freed my mind. A refreshing wave it brought, wiping away all the dark thought that had begun to build up again. I was still devastated but I felt like could properly grieve this time. Even my crazy bits seemed to have fallen asleep as I couldn''t even feel its effect on me.


    To confirm my thoughts the bright blue sun outside the window greeted me. All those details I¡¯d glossed over, also came rushing back at me through last nights memories.


    The flying car like objects, the otherworldly architecture of the city around me, the fucking totally different stars in the sky. Yes the dam stars were different, and not in the distinctive hemisphere different, no these stars were brighter and denser than even those seen out in the desert.


    So that opened my options up to three possibilities. One this was all some sort of sick joke where some really rich assholes made all this to fuck with me. Two I was so far in the dam future the starry sky had somehow changed. Or three, I¡¯d been Isekai into another world just like those anime my mother used to enjoy.


    Considering the state of my body and the strange unknown language the pretty lady named Ezeka from the night before had spoken, three seemed to be the likeliest option. Though her terrible excuse for English did throw a small wrench in this option.


    ¡°Fuck I gotta pee badly.¡±


    Succeeding in crawling out of the kingsized bed was a trial of effort but eventually, my small body reached the edge where I pushed the lavender curtains aside and got a good look at the room a was in.


    Mankins wearing apparel of all manner of clothes from dresses to lingerie, or at least that what I thought it was filled the well-decorated room.


    Then a few bad thoughts popped into my head.


    Did that lady really put me in her bed? Was she actually a pedo? Did she take my purity?


    A heated blush filled my face as the perverted images filled my mind before my rational side swept them away.


    The blankets on the bed had all been tightly wrapped around me so nothing could have happened. The couch by the door 5 meters away also had some blankets draped over it so it was likely that she slept on it, though as to why she choose to put me on her bed instead of there was ridiculous.


    Even to a child, we¡¯d only just met, there was no reason for her to give up her own bed for me. This time the blush came back though it was due to my embarrassment at the situation.


    My father had always told me way back that man should always give up his bed for a lady if need be, yet here I was hogging the incredibly comfortable king-sized bed while the lady who had helped him rested on a very uncomfortable looking couch. So much for trying to be a gentleman now.


    Anyhow besides failing one of my father''s lesson in being a gentleman as he called them, I need to find a bathroom, and badly.


    Making my way to the door and opening it, I was greeted with a long well-decorated hallway with large windows on either side. It reminded me of a castle from movies I watched as a child. Well technically I was still a child so I guess saying from back home would be more accurate.


    The hallway was one way and stretched for ten meters before connecting into what I assumed was the main building. This Ezeka¡¯s room must be a wing of the main building, as I couldn''t find any other doors anywhere.


    Taking the chance I made my way down the hallway, the soft luxurious carpet making my feet feel like they were walking on heaven.


    ¡°Dam this lady lives high class, wonder why her office was so simple last night.¡±


    ¡°EEK¡± A small girls shrill knocked me out of my thoughts as various other children voices began screeching as well.


    The noise spurred me into movement as I ran down the steps into a large room full of children, though something was off. The air smell strange. Stagnant even. As though it was rotting.


    Pushing asides the kids so full fear they didn''t even notice his arrival I came before the strangest scene since arriving where the hell this was.


    A cute small blonde child was sobbing on her knees as the rug around her turned black and ashen. Her clothes seemingly decomposing away as a strange wave of mystical energy rolled of her.


    That something reeking of death and decay.


    I then remembered one fact that was almost always an ironclad rule when beingIsekaied


    ¡°Fuck. This worlds got magic to doesn''t it¡­."