《Authority: The Prequel》 Chapter 1 Chapter 1: Institute (1). Seeing the upcoming bus, the crowd waiting at the bus stop stood up to get ready in boarding it. With the bus stopping at a rectangular paint on the side of the road. The crowd then started boarding the vehicle. While the bus is at it''s pit stop, the feature of the bus could be clearly defined. Just like any other bus, it is elongated designed for more passengers. It is however made with something similar to aluminum called green steel, discovered, as the name suggests by Dr. Green in the mid 25th century. It maintains an enclosed design but is modified into a capsule-like shape to match its befitting antigravity engine, which perse, do not need the accompaniment of wheels. This type of busses are slowly being implemented into C grade cities for the purpose of long distance travel. The bus filled with passengers resumed its journey. "Good morning!" A woman''s voice said without a hint of it being an automated entity, expected from the state of the art bus, at least in C grade cities. "Our next destination is Cinnabar City, a B grade city. We here at cube Corp., hope that you will have a great journey." The woman''s voice continued. "Short, direct and innovative... Fascinating. " A passenger (A) muttered under his breath. Despite it being a mutter, passengers near the passenger (A) heard what was said, but did not think it was weird as everyone whose their first time riding this technology will mutter the same thing as the passenger (A) did. ... As the bus left the city, it started passing through some spectacular landscapes befitting to the innovation implemented. Mountains of great magnitude with luscious green of different shades can be seen, a sight to behold. This can be explained through the current system.If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. The distance in between cities vary from what grade the city is. A grade city refers to the metropolitan, the apex, and is the center of commerce. B grade cities refers to ''big'' cities but ''smaller'' compared to A grade cities and are the center of the industries. C grade cities refers to a more rural state or city thus the mountainous scenery and are the center of agriculture. Distances between from A grade cities to B grade Cities are ranged from short to moderate distances. From B grade cities to C grade cities are also like wise the distance. However from A grade cities to C grade cities are ranged from medium to long. It was designed to be like that after the breakthrough in technology as the leaders saw it more fitting and organized, thus implemented. However this only applies in the cities in the same region. Per region, is a group of 1 A grade cities, 3 B grade cities and 5 C grade cities. And the distance between each region are a distance from an A grade city to a C grade city and to a B grade city. If the distance is substituted by the given; one long and one moderate distance, is presented. "You can just imagine how big an A grade city is... " Mumbled passenger (A) as he recall. As he was thinking that the scenery suddenly changed into big and ''bulky'' buildings. It signifies that they have arrived at their destination. "We have arrived at Cinnabar City. Please be reminded, to ready your personal belongings and don''t forget to bring them with you. Thank you!" As expected Rose, the automated voice, did not disappoint the passenger. Truly, deserves its reputation of being a product of the latest innovation. Feeling the bus decelerate, the passenger got ready to exit the bus. Once the bus fully stopped and changed its gear to park, passengers flowed like water as they exit through both doors of the bus which was placed on both ends of the bus. The stream of crowd continued to follow a line but one diviated from the rummaging crowd. It was passenger (A) breathing heavily. Clearly he was suffocating being among the crowd thus he escaped. After he rested, he straightened his back and began walking in the opposite direction. He then arrived at a building. The structure is moderately big and is shaped in a cube. It is most common design wise in agency buildings and those relevant. He walked inside and gone straight into the counter. A lady in black tightfitting office clothes stood in front of the desk and greeted him with a smile. "Good Morning Sir, how may I help you?" "Uhm... May I inquire where this is?" He then passed a paper to the clerk. "May I have your name sir?" "Titus, Titus White." "Okay sir Titus, forgive me for being direct but you do know that this invitation comes from the A grade city just beyond Cinnabar City, if I may ask?" "Ah.. Yes. However isn''t there supposed to be a bus going directly there, from here?" "Sorry, to say this sir but the vehicle already left the city just a moment ago. You''ll have to take a public transit to go there. Again, I''m sorry." "No, it''s okay. Thank you very much, I appreciate it." After inquiring and courteous remarks, he then got out to catch a bus to the A grade city. Retracing back his steps on where he first came from he arrived at the bus stop where he exited the bus. He then sat at the rovided shed and waited for a bus. The bus stop is divided into two unlike the one at his city, Bright Smile, a C grade city having no division. One part of the structure was allocated for the bus going to his city, Bright Smile, and one allocated for the bus going to the A grade city, Emerald City. As he observing the structure and unknowingly compared the bus stops between the two, the awaited bus arrived. He then tidied up his occupied space void of wrappers as he was munching away with a biscuit he brought from his bag. Having done satieting his hunger, he then boarded. The green light turned red signifying that the bus was already full and started the engine. Then there it was the bus carrying Titus. Authors Note: This chapter is more like of an introduction to the world, a hint myself can say to the ''world'' so the story, or maybe you can even take it as the prolouge to the story. I did try to make it as ''soft'' as possible but that''s my take on it I guess... Chapter 2 Chapter 2: Institute (2). Along the way to Emerald City, Titus saw multitudes of skyscrapers towering, as they touch the clouds. "Ex...xcuse me?" His seat mate tried to strike up a conversation but Titus ignored it. ''I''ll just pretend oblivious for the time being'', he thought. Titus really doesn''t want to engage to a conversation right now, especially at this critical moment. Titus knew that an A grade city, Emerald City, will be quite overwhelming and expected to be pressured when he entered the city. Thus, also being one of the reasons why he focused instead on conversing apart from him not liking talking to people in general, an introvert in fact. Thinking about it, when he was younger he did not even dared to approach a staff nor teachers at his school. Titus always gets the feeling of someone hammering his nervous system. On the bright idea of things, he claims composure after the storm has been brewed without having control over it. Now, Titus can fully take advantage of it and although it did not eliminate the nervous ''breakdown attack'', its now only a subconscious. With it being the reason why he faced the clerk with confidence back there, however it did not change his personality nor character. An introvert is always an introvert. (Imagine your car, as you warm it up before actually driving it every single time you use it.) ... The bus stopped exactly at the rectangle upfront the bus stop. Titus then heard the same automated message again and got up as to exit the bus. Already knowing the location of the institute he will be going in the next four years, he did not dilly dally. Yes, Titus already knew where the institute is but did not directly got unto a public transit and instead had gone to the institute admittance building first. He was hoping to get a free ride at least half of the journey, but in the end it did not work making him go back to thhe original plan of taking the public transit. There is no bus that "currently" goes to an A grade city straight from a C grade city thus having the need to make a pit stop on a B grade city. Titus walked along sidewalk. He then felt someone tailing. His heartbeat raised and NBAS (nervous breakdown attack system, will just call it ''gut feeling'' in the future as I have no other ideas on what to call it however if you have... just comment it down below) was triggered. Although he knew that security is tight because it is an A grade city but still it was Titus'' fault in the end as he did not take the ''actual'' path to the institute but instead chose to go through the alleyways. And alleyways no matter how secured a city is, it is not absolute that no accidents will occur, moreover Titus'' luck was shit as I may ''seem''. A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. Titus took the alleyway in the first place because he studied the map of it for the purpose of taking a ''shortcut'' thus he was confident. So after he took a sudden turn on a crossing, the one following him also followed, unknowningly Titus already was waiting with a punch as he decided to use a "hit and run" strategy and using his knowledge of the alleyway system. Although it was a punch, what can you expect from an introvert, there was no power contained in the punch. Titus was already planning to make a run for it when he heard a childish cry from the culprit. Titus shook and turned back to face the culprit. Surprisingly the known ''culprit'' was the seat mate that tried to strike up a conversation with him at the bus. "Why are you following me?" Titus shrugged the event as it was already a thing in the past but still maintained hostility. The one who just got punched moaned for a moment then replied, "I.. I just saw you Takin...g this way so I followed." Titus did not take away his hostile attitude as he indicated to continue with his eyes. "Back at the bus I saw your admittance (actually ''invitation'' will be explained when they arrive at the institute) letter from the bus as it fell to the ground during the ride and it so happens that I was the one who ''slipped'' it back up because you were dosing off (i.e him focusing on the city)", the man hurriedly replied. Titus scanned the man with his still hostile eyes from head to toe. After unconsciously nodding as he thought, ''by the looks of it he is not lying nor he can lie, in addition he even wailed like pig when I punched him. I already know that my punch has no strength, so I already decided to just use it to surprise ''him'' a bit, but he wailed at the petty punch meaning that he is much weaker than me. Also, judging from his pale and ''fat'' exterior he is clearly never even got the chance to get beat up by his parents. And finally the most important thing was that Titus'' introvert senses are telling Titus that the man in front of him is a fellow ''dark dweller'' aka introvert.'' Now that Titus thought about it the man or just fatty never really had an ill intent from the beginning as he just felt that someone is following him. But what can Titus do, he likes'' eastern'' culture (anime, Xianxia and the like, etc.) so just call it weeb instincts to admit that he was expecting something ''else. '' Looking at the current situation, he should not have reacted that way as he already had passed the golden (weeb) stage of his life. He does not even watch anime anymore but he still is a reader and writer of novels though,so maybe he was the Mc of one of those for a moment but it does not mean that it was a wrong choice. As hit and run increases his chances of getting away rather than sprinting with his dear life. Compare it with games where it used a term ''stun'' especially the higher level enemy then run for your life rather than running away blatantly. Also in Titus'' defense, since there was an opportunity why not take it and in retrospect even if he did not get away despite his struggle at least he will die a ''cool'' death as he tried to ''counter'' the ''culprit''. In the end, the conclusion that Titus came up with, was shrug it off and go on with his day. "So... What was your name again?" Fatty was left stunned and just stood there dumbly. At Titus'' sudden change. Or so fatty thought he would... Authors Note: You already may have guessed what''s this chapter is about. Anyway, this chapter is a sneek peak of the Mc''s character and a bit of his past, obviously (weeb explain thingy). I will be slowly building the "character" of the Mc along the way as the story progresses, so just expect more of like this in the future chapters. Hint alert! If you would please notice the wordings it would be a great way to satiet my foreshadow cravings. (I made ''one'' obvious as it was placed on a generic place/part of the chapter) Chapter 3 Chapter 3: Institute (3). Titus maneuvered through the alleyways as if it was his home because of his familiarity. Twists and curves no matter are they, Titus was just too skillful almost graceful in his movements. However, no matter how efficient he is in maneuvering the speed which was once accelerating when he first entered the alleyways became stagnant. Puff* Wheezing and heavy breathing could be heard from Titus'' behind as it made his ear Twitch. Yes, the reason why the speed stagnated was because of fatty. Fatty could not keep up with all the spirals they are taking making him dizzy. Just as fatty was thinking more and more of it, the more and more he got confused. "I shouldn''t have not followed this devil. And I am a dumbass or at least I feel like it for still insisting on following him even though I clearly saw him intending to pass through using the alleyway." Fatty was mumbling about when he heard the ''devil'' upfront spoke. "You are. Good thing you knew." And with that fatty became more and more dejected as he regretted his decision. "Ah... It really is deserving to be an A grade City, Emerald City, now that I think about it such complex alleyways. Titus thought out loud. Fatty just shivered in response as he squeaked out," who the hell even designed this sh*t?" ... After that treacherous journey, at least for fatty, they escaped that maze like alleyway system. "Yo... fatty it''s quite big isn''t it?" Titus said as he was gazing upfront. Fatty panted, head bowed down and hands on knees breathing heavily. "As I said, my name is Chuck, Chuck Bossman (lol) and also-" Fatty then looked upront as he dragged his reply, "yes, you are right but it is to be expected as I my family had paid quite a lot of fortune to get me into this institute." He replied so as he tried to puff up his chest, clearly suggestive about the ''fortune'' part. "Yeah. Yeah... What ever you say fatty", as Titus started walking he just threw that over. "You. You....," Fatty then responded with a pointy finger as his answer trailed off. "are also chubby and-" he got cut off midway as he saw Titus got further and further. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. "Wa.. Wait for me!" Looking at it upfront, you can see a large gate which goes up to a couple of meter on both sides from the center. The building situated inside cannot have its size fathom just from peering through the outside because of how big it is. It is painted white making it look grander and leans towards more of a palace exterior and atmosphere rather than an institute, but reality says otherwise. The gate was Emerald green in color and the walls surrounding the "ginormous"(I mean really really really ???x big) building was bricks made out of Kevlar. Yes, Kevlar. "I guess that''s how they solved the problem with plastics huh?" (completely fictional BTW) Titus muttered as he was approaching the gate. Unfortunately when he came upfront the gate was closed until- "You state your name and purpose!" A stern voice suddenly rang out from Titus'' behind as he was still staring at the sheer height of the gate he has to turn around. As Titus turned he suddenly felt his nervous system breakdown as his *gut feeling* was put unto full alert. Whew* a fierce breath broke out towards his face the moment he turned around. His vision suddenly turned dark as someone''s shadow was looming towards him. A giant man was standing in front of him. The man''s bulging muscles was clearly definite with no arguments. He was wearing of what seems to be a guard uniform but is comparable to that of a police chiefs attire rather than just being a mere guard, truly deserving to be a top calls institute having a guard like that. Titus, after confirming what is the situation then proceeded to do his signature "fatal" move, shrug it off. "Yo." Titus replied. The man then raised one of his eyebrows seeing Titus'' reaction and emitted more pressure. "Let me restate it. State your name and purpose." The man said. "Ah... My name is Titus White and I''m here to enter the institute." Titus'' then rummaged through his bag but as disappointed as he is he could not find his ''invitation''. The man raised his other eyebrow and emitted more pressure as if conveying the message, ''stop bullsh*ting me''. " Ah... I''m sorry but it seems that my invitation is nowhere to be found, I guess I''ll just come back after I meet up with my colleague. Speaking of... There he is-" Titus then peeked through the man''s huge body. Seeing how leisure Titus is the man started shaking. As that was happening Titus unknowingly escaped the man''s ''body'' cage (get it. Cuz he is so big that he can trap someone. Anyone? OK...) or at least for the man''s perspective in the least as his eyes were closed as soon as he started shaking. "Oy, fatty come here. And make it fast!" Titus shouted towards Chuck who was walking at turtle pace as he was only able to rest when they exchanged shortly about the institute'' premise after it came to their view. Chuck who saw Titus shouting and calling for him at a distance with Titus'' one hand being at his mouth and one waving at him, clearly a gesture of someone calling for him. But Chuck''s face changed when he saw that the ''pole'' behind Titus began moving and turned around. Titus had something ''flash'' through his mind as he who was waving suddenly felt deep chills through his backbone and with his *gut feeling* already on alert, he quickly dropped head first to the ground hitting his head in the pavement in the process. After doing a front roll Titus got up to with his posture being one of athlete runners preparing to sprint. ''Damn I did good, I looked cool too.'' Titus was thinking that as he was staring at the man who had just suddenly swung his arm which was thicker than Titus'' body at Titus. As Titus was peering through the the man''s eyes,his body was thoroughly drenched with sweat so suddenly. The man was stunned at the unexpected turn of events. He could not believe that he lost control over himself as for a moment there, he unknowningly leaked through some of his accumulated "killing intent" during his military days. However Titus was oblivious about this fact that made him sweat like a bucket. But the most important and shocking thing to the man was that Titus was able to dodge his swing, even if he was not sane at that moment, he was still a former military member; special forces in fact. Screech*! The sound of a car stopping could be heard. Then a black luxury car, limousine, parked at the gates front right behind Titus. Authors Note: Hehe XD Chapter 4 Chapter 4: Institute (4). "I did not train my body nor studied the art of ''it'' but you can just call it weeb instincts, as it is my ghetto explanation. Sigh* to be honest I really hate explaining sh*t." - A quote from Titus, fragments of the ''past''. ... Flashback* Everyday Titus woke up and followed suit his daily routine of wake up, eating, school, eating, school, eating and sleep. His everyday life is pretty monotonous and boring in fact. Titus is the type of student that does not stand out. It was done by choice as he chose not to. For him who was ahead from his peers, School was just a step and doesn''t matter how you do it as long as you pass,and so he did. This type of lifestyle continued. Until. Morning. Titus got out of his bed and proceeded to tidy himself up. Going to the bathroom, he snuck a peek at the clock," 6:00 am he muttered under his breath. Shaking his head lightly he entered the bathroom and washed himself up to waken. " Hey you pr*cks get out of here! " (he could only hear muffled sounds) As Titus was washing himself up when he heard a murmur from the ventilation in the bathroom. At first Titus just ignored as maybe it was just some noise created by it but the murmur was constantly increasing in volume. Irritated from the noise, Titus got out as he finished earlier than usual. However his yet uncontrollable *gut feeling* was triggered full alert as he started to hear increasingly buzzing noises outside the window of his room. Peeking through the window Titus curiously watched a terrible scene unfold outside. Titus peeked through just in time and saw his father got punched right in the bridge of his nose, bleeding. His mother who was protected by his father''s back caught the old man stumbling to his feet as she broke out a wail of agony. Titus who watched the scene trembled and abruptly shot off his feet as he got near to the closet and hurriedly got dressed up. Of course he was not dumb enough to run outside naked in a towel and bring more ruckus to the already devastating events outside. Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Going down the stairs, Titus raced through the house at breakneck speed not minding if he will stumble at all. But that all stopped when he arrived at the front door. Surprisingly he was hesitant whether to rush through the door or not. Shaking his head lightly he thought, ''No, as I will just add more commotion and additional worries for my parents in addition I don''t know the whole story so it''s better to observe the situation first.'' Thinking that way Titus held back his aggravated emotions. Titus'' way of thinking suddenly became calm and analyzed it logically first before taking an action. It was at this moment that Titus knew that the ''uncontrollable'' thing in the past was now following through his will. He rejoiced upon concluding the unexpected turn up but still hid it deep inside his heart at the moment as the situation beyond the door is turning dire. Flashback ended* ... Drip* Sweat poured down from Titus'' face as he turned his head to look at the vehicle. Click* The door opened and revealed a leg in black stockings. The black high heels touched the ground as two consecutive clack* sounded. The sound broke the heavy atmosphere, and Titus having just turned his head saw a woman seemingly in her twenties. The one which seemed to be a goddess that descended upon the mortal world, in a car, for some reason. Her long black hair was tied into a bun with a traditional Chinese style hair clip(dunno what''s it called but it''s those chopsticks thingy that they put on their hair). Upon closer look, her face was void of makeup which turned the scene from unlikely to be close to impossible, alas there is nothing impossible. However Titus shook out of his dreamy state as he felt his neck hair tingling. It was not the same from the former event but there was a new reason. He turned his gaze back at the man and saw the man trembling with weak knees which caused Titus to be even more surprised with the current state. Feeling the woman started walking at his back, he stood up and ignored the trembling man to turn to the woman. Titus had a hunch that the reason why the man was trembling was because of the woman so, he decided to bring limelight to the woman again. Staring to the woman eyes, Titus just realized how tantalizing the woman is. ''Damn, it can''t be true that the eyes are the window to your soul, I mean damn woman''. Titus thought as he started cursing reality. The woman stopped about a meter from Titus and Titus noticed the change. "Yo". Titus said towards the woman. He then made a hand gesture by flicking his wrist, palm wide open, of a greeting. However even before the woman can open her mouth the trembling man behind him ubruptly sprung and jump ''over'' Titus'' head, literally. ''Come on, I''m at least considered average in height and he still parkoured pass me.'' He thought. "Madame, I... I did not expect you to be here so early..." The man stuttered upon saying those words. There is one thing that Titus was sure of now and it''s the reason why the man was trembling, not because of fear nor pressure but because of eagerness. Eagerness that you can only see from religious members in ''worshipping'' God. ''I mean I can''t blame him for that though...'' Titus thought in his head as he watched the man kneeling in front of the woman. "So what''s seems to be the problem? " The woman said as the bells clang accompanying her heavenly voice. The man who heard it visually trembled and hurriedly complied to the woman. "Madame, this kid right says that he wants to enter the institute with his entry being viable through his" invitation" and turns out-" The man dragged the end and turned to look at Titus'', he was glaring akin of that of a tiger. Titus felt a chill as he could clearly feel the animosity of the man towards him. Feeling the man glare, the woman then directed her gaze at Titus and her red lips parted. "And who you might be, Mister?" The woman asked. Titus then replied, "Titus, Titus White. Just Titus for short, by the way ma''am this-" "How dare you speak to the madame like that! You insolent brat!" However even before Titus finished his sentence the man cut him off. The woman however just responded with an," oh. " As for a brief moment the woman''s face flashed with surprise that has been quickly regressed and back into the untouchable aura, her holiness. However that did not escape Titus'' eye as all the time he was staring into the womans eyes and barely even blink. ''Huh?'' Titus thought. Chapter 5 Chapter 5: Institute (5). "So. Mister Titus can I invite you to my office then?" the woman then asked stunning both the man and Titus from the sudden drop. Indeed it was shocking as the man who then angry now shook like a little puppy, scolded. Even Titus did not expect the womans response. ''I might not look like because I act oblivious as long as it doesn''t disturb nor bother me but i am actually very good at calculation and even manipulation just how I manipulated fatty but seeing this woman I feel so inferior. Even though you can''t see it physically but there is an eiree smell in the air around the woman, a snake, an old one at that despite her appearance maybe she''s already a hag. '' Titus thought as he opened his mouth to say, "OK. But let''s wait for my friend to get over here." The woman nodded and gestured to the man still stunned to open the gate. She then turned around and boarded her vehicle and drove beyond the gate, the institute. With Titus'' head following suit in the direction of the vehicle he then thought to himself. ''What a nice car.'' He then shook his head. ''Probably the latest model of Cube Corp''s limousine line up. Having the upgraded version of anti gravity engine and the Green Steel body...'' Titus thought as he was almost drooling on his dreamy state. Titus'' head on the clouds did not last long as the man who was freed from his bindings, the worship for the woman, abruptly grabbed the shoulders of Titus. Titus however was not able to dodge the man this time unlike the first one because one Titus'' much weaker than the man, obviously. And two the man underestimated Titus and was taken by surprise from Titus reaction. With that said, even if Titus knew that the man acted to grab him(reminder he was in a dreamy state) and turned to dodge he would not be able to in the place as the difference between the man and Titus was akin of crossing the Pacific Ocean. All in all, the first event that occurred was a fluke. "How... How! How did you dodge it you runt?!" the man frantically asked as he started shaking Titus. Of course Titus was forcefully dragged out of his dream. As his clouded mind started to clear up, Titus started struggling after founding himself in the ''tight'' situation, literally. The man''s grip was akin of a sharks jaw which by nature has been known to be one of the strongest and has the fiercest jaw force. As introverted as Titus'' body was, he was already feeling dizzy, and because of that he never replied nor he had the strength to do so. However the man misunderstood as he saw Titus ''ignoring'' him. As a result the man who was all brawn and had no brain, I mean he had one just that he did not care to use it at this situation. The man was a former military, special forces, so he was like a beauty queen both having beauty and brains with strength and intelligence respectively as his outstanding qualities. So, it''s was quite a rare occurrence that the man lost his bearings to Titus. The woman clearly knew that as she started a brief grin on her face inside the vehicle. Surprisingly, she got the super deluxe version of the already the most latest version of the limousine which had a built in all rounder system and the woman even had it connected to the institutes security system. Since it was accessible anywhere... Then.....Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. The woman already knew what happened to the former situation and just picked the right opportunity to make her entrance, truly a goddess that oversees the mortals. Having some sanity back, the man understood the reason why Titus was not replying and hurriedly stopped his shaking and he even tried to help Titus regained his bearings through pinpointing several acupoints on Titus'' body. "Alright! Now, explain!" After the man''s treatment, Titus regained strength but was unable to breathe as the man immediately demanded. Shaking his head, Titus thought for a moment then replied. "Gut feeling?" The man widened his eyes In Titus'' answer and his face clearly turning red as immense anger started seeping through. "Fine, but it''s a long one." Seeing the man getting angry, Titus just submitted as he personally witnessed the man''s strength and does not ever want to experience it again. "I felt it like when celebrities feel like that they are being stalked by their manic fans and the ever so strong media. " Titus said. "So your a celebrity then and I''m a stalker is what your trying to say?!" the man disregarded Titus'' analogy and took it literally well it is to be expected as the mans pride got hurt when Titus dodged his swing. "First, don''t interrupt me or else I''ll stop. And second I know youre in the military so use your damn head instead of thinking about your pride." Titus then stared straight to the man''s eyes and flashed a clear gaze towards him. "You..." In the end, the man acknowledged Titus as the action of Titus staring into his eyes was a gesture to him. However in Titus'' head he was thinking like, ''let''s slowly tame this bad dog shall we?'' Titus shook his head from that thought as he just used psychology against the man and to himself because he can''t directly stare at the man as he found the reason why he was sweating so much when he dodged, killing intent, he found out as he already felt it in the ''past'' . Out of that thought its somewhat a joke but jokes are half true and half false, it is vague so we will never know Titus'' intenions, yet. "Just say that I have a curse that I was able to control and called it gut feeling because of gut feeling I was able to respond to your swing ahead of time, that''s all I can say. Moreover you can just call it weeb instincts for the actions I did. " Titus continued. While the man was taking in and was breaking down the information, no matter how smart he is he still took some time enough for Titus to call out to fatty." Yo. Fatty let''s enter! " Fatty who had long ago turned to stone from the movie like events were stiff all over and when Titus called out to him he reanimated and got unto Titus side. "Where''s my invitation?" Titus asked with a smile. Fatty shuddered, ''I thought of it as a friendly prank to get back at him and so I took the invitation when he punched me because as he punched, his bag shook and the invitation fell out again but I did not expect this to go upto this point. And I was already planning of handing it down at the gate but who would''ve thought that he would leave me, it''s his fault!'' Fatty was self justifying himself. "Hey, fatty." Titus saw that fatty blanked out so he waved his hand upfront. "Well, I''m gonna go first since the woman back then called me to her office or something. So just hand over my invitation to the man there." As Titus pointed and immediately said "goodbye" Then rushed to the he opened gate. ''For some reason the gate is open'' Titus thought. "Wait.. Wait. How did you!?" Fatty snapped out and cried in alarm but was cut off with an even stronger voice. "You kid, you got some ''guts''(pun from his explanation to the man) so find me here after you settled down!" the man who was standing shouted abruptly. ''If the kids explanation was true then he will do good.'' The man thought to himself. Chapter 6 Chapter 6: Deceit (1). Gut Feeling *noun - the other term of NBAS or nervous breakdown attack system - it is the same as normal peoples "gut feeling" in all likeliness, the only thing that separates the two is that "gut feeling" refers to people''s intuitions while *gut feeling*(NBAS) is intuition driven by "Anthrophobia" Meaning that *gut feeling* became a subconscious because it is a subconscious by nature. Difference is that the supposed ''fear'' was shrugged off or was not payed attention to, outcasted, but that does not mean that it is gone and with only the other effect came into play apart from inducing ''fear''. Going by that analogy, an abnormality, Titus, was born. ... Titus was walking down the hallway leisurely. He went through without much hindrance as if it was his home. Speaking of experience Titus has none of that. The reason he was able to do so was the same when he took a shortcut on the ''alleyways''. As he was climbing up the second floor, he then heard buzzing. ''So this is why it was so barren despite this being a top Institute''. Titus thought as he turned his head up to look at a clock at the curve or turn of the stairs as he muttered under his breath. "Makes sense." As he shrugged, as if the feeling he felt just a moment ago, disappointment, was nonexistent. Disappointment that came from assuming that the ''school'' was barren. As Titus continued to climb up the stairs the buzzing continued to turn into an uproar. Following suit the noise he then arrived at a ''crowded'' cafeteria,or at least he expected it to be crowded. The cafeteria is nowhere to crowded even though students are everywhere which was the cause of the noise. The whole hall was big, almost equal to a C grade city plaza. "I guess might as well." Titus muttered then entered the cafeteria. Going unto one of the booths where Asian food was made, Titus then ordered Chinese food. Titus was leisure about picking anything he want as he was ''invited'' to this institute. Finding a table to eat he then sat down and started chowing away his food. Of course he chose the one farthest from civilization although it did not eliminate the noise by going far still its better than being surrounded by ''bees''. (metaphor)Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. As Titus was chowing down his food his mind started to wander of. Completely oblivious to his surroundings he began recounting his ''past''. ... Ugh* plop* Sound of vomiting accompanied the sound of flowing water. Cough* Coughing sounds were heard after the vomiting stopped. It was a chain. A cycle. As it repeated again. Again. And again. Then. Finally. It stopped. Sigh* A heavy sigh came out Titus'' mouth. Looking in the bathroom mirror, he saw himself, pale and weak. Holding unto the sink his grip tightened as he watched his petty self. And then he swore. ''Stupid phobias just wait and I''ll beat you to death.'' . . . Outside the bathroom. "Look! Look! It''s the weirdo again." A girl said as she was pointing towards Titus exiting the bathroom. "Yeah, he always vomits when someone gets close to him." One of the girls'' friends added. Titus who heard their conversation just shrugged, he always does this and now it became his trademark. Thinking through this type of thought process a slight grin emerged from Titus pale face. As Titus was walking towards the classroom he made sure to avoid any sort of interaction. Although the type of hope that has the same conditions as him preferred homeschooling Titus was the opposite. ''Interaction is the best way to eliminate this stupid curse.'' Yes curse, because after the supposed attack, it brings calmness and clearness of mind, apart from the panging heartbeat that he can just shrug off. Arriving at the classroom he entered the through the back and and proceeded to to his seat located at the end of the classroom. Then the bell rang. Kling* .... Kling* Titus woke up from his stuppor as the bell rang through out the cafeteria. The former noisy students became silent and proceeded to their each and respective classes. The cafeteria was then soon became empty, dry as a dessert. Slurp* Finishing his paused meal Titus stood up. "I guess it''s time to go too." He then left the cafeteria and met once again with the ever so loose halls. Titus then arrived at a huge wooden door. It''s quite surprising to have it this big, about a third the size of the front gate, as it was made of wood which was quite rare or rather luxurious to have because of the maintenance; much higher than steel or other materials. Knock* Knocking on the huge wooden door made echos and after the knocks followed ticks of each knocks. "Come in." A voice suddenly came from above Titus'' head. Curious. Titus looked up and found a speaker right next to a security camera. The position of it was quite blatant in fact as if suggesting that you are being watched. Upon entering the door, Titus saw the woman he met back at the gate, the goddess. There she sat at her ''office'' in all her graciousness. Without lifting her head up from her paper work she gestured with her free hand to Titus to sit. Titus who saw it waltz through the red carpet and sat on a chair in front of her desk. Quietly, Titus thought, ''so the window behind her was closed with blinds meaning that the light that Titus saw from entering was from his imagination, maybe a sign of her holiness perhaps?'' "Mister Titus, let''s get down to business shall we?" The goddess stopped her doings and faced Titus. She purposely looked directly through his eyes in hopes of seeing something. Betrayed by her expectations Titus'' eyes flashed nothing but the same dominance as the godess'' eyes flashed. " I am honored to do so, madame, or would it be more proper to say... Dean or would you prefer to be called ''professor'' ?" Chapter 7 Chapter 7: Deceit (2). The woman in question had her eyes glint as she listened to Titus'' inquisition. Seeing the spark that flashed through her eyes, Titus'' casually took up his bag and opened it. He took a pen and that led the woman to be surprised by the random action. However it did not end there, Titus'' gripped the pen in between his fingers and started twirling it from finger to finger causing the woman to be even more surprised and above all confused. A flash of confusion was evident in the expression of the woman making Titus'' grin as he just succeeded in taking control of the conversation. The woman who saw the brief grin snapped out and rearranged her thoughts from her confusion. "Anyway, sorry for being direct Mr. Titus bud you do know that I''m a superior here. You even stated it yourself." The woman ''implied'' to Titus. "Ah, yes ma''am. However I am not the one who needs help though?" Titus countered making the woman close her red lips again. "Yes you are correct so I am sorry for being blunt Mr. but could you solve the problem here please. And may you bestow us your ''remarkable knowledge''. The woman said so with the second part having a somewhat sarcastic tone. However Titus just shrugged and replied. "Sure". Titus received the paperwork from the woman and then started his job. Outside of Titus'' knowing the woman pressed a button under her table. ... The man whom Titus met at the gate was sipping a cup of tea and a donut in hand at his outpost when suddenly... Kring* An alarm sounded akin to that of an alarm clock that wakes you up in the morning. Hearing the ''signal'', the man downed his tea and munched the donut full into his mouth, stood up and then left his outpost. ... Titus then suddenly bopper his head up and handed the paper to the woman. Stunned the woman sprung a spring in her kind as she quickly ''snatched'' the paper out of Titus'' hand as she began reading it. The more she read the more she got shocked. Trembling she was constantly changing her gaze from Titus to the paper as she did that a couple more of rounds. The woman suddenly had something dawned upon her and she gazed both not on Titus nor the paper but to the door. Titus who was just watching the ''amusing'' scene also turned to look as he resumed his pen twirling right after he finished solving the problem.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The huge door opened and the man who was just at his outpost appeared in front of the door and quickly he rushed through the woman''s side. Without even waiting for the woman to speak he directly said. "Is it done?" The woman just then nodded as she handed the paper to the man. The man skimmed through the aperture then asked. "How long?" "Just before I called you here." The woman replied. The man was stunned in place but soon woke up from his stuppor. "I gotta go. I''ll ring you when it''s done. " Having stated the two lines the man who had just arrived disappeared again through the huge door. Inside the room only Titus and the woman was left. Titus was the one who broke through the ice first as he asked the woman." What now? " "We wait." "OK." Titus then turned away from the woman as he started to wander off his mind. The woman, seeing this, also started mining her own business as she opened her drawer and got a notebook and started scribbling some things off. ... Flashback* "Sir, Maam, I''m sorry to say this... About your son but it is positive." The doctor said to the middle aged couple. Judging from their appearance this happened even before Titus stepped into middle school where he was reminiscing of the at the cafeteria during lunch. The woman whom Titus'' mother started to burst in tears and with his father patting the back of Titus'' mom consoling her. "Ma''am I do understand your feelings... But we have to thoroughly explain this to the patient first or else it may leave some trauma or shock seeing you like this when the doctor said something about the test he had undergone into." The doctor who waited a bit to let Titus'' mother to settle down her emotions spoke bluntly and acted professional. It is clear from this fact that the doctor is credible and responsible in his line of work. Titus'' mother then stopped her weeping momentarily but on her face was tears that was still had not dried up. "Titus'' listen to mother okay... " She spoke in a very gentle voice. Titus who was sitting on the edge of the patients bed replied to his mother innocently. "Okay!" Seeing her son''s pure face she could not help but feel heavy in her chest. "Titus, the doctor said that you are scared of people especially stranger is it true?" Titus innocently nodded his head. "Un." "Well, the doctor said that it is natural its just that..." Titus'' mother paused for moment before heaving a big breath before speaking. "Your special than ''normal'' children." . . . Fast forward to after the graduation in grade school. ''Now that I think about it. The day where my mom said I was special I was confused but now. I guess... It''s all clear. My mother said I was special because I am but not just in a good way. Being afraid of people is normal as it is a phobia but the'' special'' was a whole different thing. I talked about it with my mom and found out from her cut-up ideas and inconsistent explanation, I know that it is because she is afraid to hurt me but I am much mature than my peers, that the ''special'' thingy was referring to the natural strong rejection of the phobia that I have despite me having it. It only needed some sort of catalyst to bring the two into balance and it is exactly what I am looking for,the reason why I requested to quit mid-homeschooling at the sixth year and had gone unto a real school thus here I am graduated. But it is still the beginning. I knew it that''s why I persevered till the day I was able to click the cogs in place. Flashback ended* ... Kring* Similar to the sound that the man heard at his outpost rang through the whole room. Both the woman and Titus snapped out of their idle and stared at each other the first thing. Sensing each other party''s intention the two came into a silent agreement. The woman stood from her seat and gestured to Titus as she directed to follow through. Titus the stopped the twirling and kept the pen in his bag as he stood up and followed the woman lead. Soon both of them have their backs vanished from the room as they exited through the huge wooden door. Chapter 8 Chapter 8: Deceit (3). Clack* Sounds of heels accompanied both the woman and Titus as they go down on spiraling stairs. The deeper they go the more echos are spread spread around them. Finally, Titus took the initiative and broke the silence. "So, I''m assuming this has got to do with ''that'' right?" "Yes-" The woman whom had just said one word was cut off by her own words. "Here we are." Apparently they had arrived as when Titus looked upfront he found another door but instead of wood it was made of pure and solid green steel. The woman opened and entered through first. Titus then followed the woman''s lead. As soon as Titus took a step inside the ''room'' a sound resounded into his ear. "Welcome, Professor. Welcome professors'' colleague." An automated voice similar to that of Rose from the state of the art busses, the only difference is that this voice seemed to contain more depth. What greeted Titus was a large spacious laboratory full of high tech equipments and machineries. Even after seeing the grandeur of the laboratory Titus did not flinch. Why? The supposed ''invitation'' from the institute doesn''t only state to give Titus free ''college'' education but also in collateral Titus have to help them finish the project the woman Slash professor has been working with but encountered the bottleneck. As for the professors side, she chose Titus because one he was a revolutionary genius who rewrote the quantum mechanics and submitted a full thesis of it. The only reason why it did not create an uproar was because the government or rather a specialized branch of it whose responsible for this kind of stuffs intervined with the leakage of the information. The whole reason Titus did that was to prove ''something'' for his parents even though both of them were already dead, sadly. "Mr. Titus may I introduce you to the first ever ''Dimensional jumper'' that you, Mr. Titus completed the last stretch. As Titus arrived at the core of the laboratory the professor said so. In Titus'' eyes behold a pod like machine shaped like an egg." With this, Mr. Titus your contribution of this breakthrough is truly big. The government will certainly reward you handsomely once it is proven completed." However Titus did not even look at the professor but instead started dozing off. ... After the chaos outside both Titus'' parents got inside. Titus who was still standing behind the door quickly moved out of the way and went straight to the kitchen as he got a towel and dampened it up. Titus had immediately gone to the living room where both of his parents were. Upon entering Titus saw her mother pacifying his father with a still bleeding nose. Titus immediately gave the towel. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. After the couple settled the family started to talk. Son we know that you are already an adult despite your age so we will respect that. "Then tell what happened there?-" Titus paused and continued. "Everything." The couple then looked at each other then both of them sighed as a symbol of them resigning tot their fate. "As you can see, I, your father just got punched. The one who punched me was my dad. As for the reason, it''s because I eloped with your mother without saying and now that they found our address thus the scene. Now, the things had come into conclusion that I am no longer a part of ''their'' family. I know that you won''t do anything rash but just don''t do anything if there is any then just use it as a fuel to perform well in school. " 3 years after that, both father and mother died. Father died because of natural illness, mother however passed away because she could not take my father''s death and eventually she followed after him. And there began my rising. I persevered and studied all, I mean all, and quickly rose through the rankings to he point that I placed number 1 on the nationals ranking. I rewrote the quantum mechanics as my thesis and the reason why professor invited me to become a student there. It seems that they had already investigated me thoroughly as they tried to lure me in through complete education but nonetheless of me knowing it''s a trap there is no harm accepting it much more after I knew what they wanted from me. Devising a plan I will help them but also help myself. I have a lot of confidence in my abilities so I memorized the routes to the institute and the institutes blueprints itself. I will just take it as a gift from them. ... Finally... Titus then started laughing! Hahahha Hahahhaha ''I used this opportunity to seek more and break free from this world''s shackles. What did they think? Of course I have another motive of rewriting the quantum mechanics. And that is to fulfill my weeb selfs dream, isekai. Although I am educated to the point that I am no longer feeling fulfillment in reality, I turned back to delusions back when I was still in my golden age. Dumb as it is. I have another motive, apart from fulfilling the above, I also plan to seek ''stimulation'' and the meaning of life. '' '' So when the professor gave the papers I quickly skimmed through the whole blueprint and rewrote all to make it a one time thing just and specifically for my use. And since it is also connected to he whole database I rewrote it to delete and destroy the whole framework and also added a new program to the school''s computer system. Remember those the flashy thing from men in black yes I made the pod emit that light to make the only 2 people apart from me knowing about his project forget that what they are doing in he first place much less reinventing the pod and even if they did they will encounter same bottleneck and without me they will never complete it. I guess they are dumb that they did not dare ''yet'' to inform the government unless it was already completed. '' Pushing aside the professor Titus went straight to the pod and activated it. The man who was still tampering below the pod was stunned as the pod started to activate. And then boom! A bright light flashed through the laboratory dying the whole room white. And there it ended and also a new beginning..