《The Theory of Science》


 Theory 0: The Hypothesis

    Science explains everything in the universe. How it came about, how it continues to exist, and in a morbid way of putting it, how it might eventually end as well. There is an explanation for everything that happens, but how did these explanations even come about?


    Darwin''s Theory of Evolution is one of the most widely accepted explanation of humans have come to develope themselves. Holes in the theory is the reason why it has not been accepted as a law yet. So even within science itself, there are still unexplainable phenomenoms.


    But how are humans able to understand, or even come to talk about science in the first place? How did the scientists even come about being able to comprehend the vast results of whatever that they have discovered?


    Simple. They were the ones gifted with the ability to understand science. To understand, and control it. In a very literal sense.


    Faraday''s discoveries on electro-magnetism came about when he found out that he could control the magnets within the electromagnetic fields generated by the vast thunderstorms that were so frequent in his town.


    Schrodinger''s understanding of quantum physics came about when he realised that he could dematerialise his body into a wave form, and allow himself to pass through walls. His existence became a question even to he himself.


    So, as you can see, these discoveries were made first hand. Science was everywhere in this world, and whoever that created this universe knew that in order for humans to fully mature and grow into the masters of the universe, as they were supposed to be, they had to gifted in some way.


    However, the creators, though omnipotent, were unfortunately shortcoming in their understanding of human nature. As humans were gifted with power, it came not without its lust for even greater power.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    All the scientists that we knew, like Thomas Edison, Marie Curie, Archimedes, Issac Newton as well as the ones mentioned above, they had all created guilds of their own, known as their Houses. They began to recruit their own followers, and started to teach them to control their own scientific powers. Each house had its own school of thought, like how Darwin taught his followers the ability to transform as they wished. Naturally, the followers got power hungry, and tensions rose as the individual Houses began to fight and claim their own territories.


    Violence soon ensued, and there was chaos and killings everywhere. Nobody was spared. Fighting could break out anywhere in the streets, and many of the minor scientists were soon eliminated along with their Houses.


    The situation was aggravated when many of the House masters had gone missing, and soon all of their followers rose up and assumed their places amongst the House masters, further escalating the fighting.


    Many centuries went by, and even as the fighting never stopped, there were stories, even legends, of some who rose to power and did many fascinating acts. Whispers that were picked up in lone and dark alleyways spoke of these people as being the true descendents of the original House masters.


    While science powers could be taught to and harnessed by anyone with the right aptitude, it is said that the descendants of the original scientists had full control of their scientific powers, far stronger than any other normal human beings.


    Though these stories were unconfirmed, and many were found out to be exaggerated legends, there was still some pattern that could be followed and observed. Firstly, these descedants would all be born in the same year and therefore would be all of the same age. Secondly, they would only be able to harness te powers of their House ancestor, but they would be extremely strong at it. And thirdly, there would only be 5 of these people born each time.


    It is, after massive bloodshed and devastation, the year 2017. Most of the conflict had already ended where many of the previously famous Houses have either been decimated or have vanished without a single trace. Peace was sought after by those remaining, but there is much distrust still amongst the remaining Houses, who have grown full with power. Some of these Houses welcomed the peace, while others still seek to find death and causation everywhere.


    Now, follow the story of Ciel, who happens to be one of the 5, but even he has no idea that he is one of the destined ones. Nor would he have any idea who was to be his fortuned ancestor...

 Theory 1: Activation Energy

    ''Please, close the doors after you, and remove your shoes before entering. That would be very much appreciated, thank you.''


    The voice that spoke to me was low and soft, but extremely clear in these empty and dusty halls. The door slammed shut behind me, and I winced. The last thing I wanted to do in front of these examiners was to give them a bad initial impression.


    Be inconspicuous. That was one of the teachings Mother had for me. She was afraid that if I made too much noise, death would just invite itself up to my door step. And there would be nothing a frail little boy with zero aptitude like me could do to stop it.


    Especially so when times were so chaotic now...


    ''Remove your shoes please, and step forward.''


    The voice came again and I gave a light start. Quickly, I peeled off the old Hush Puppies that I had found lying abandoned in the streets near my home. The rain had done it in quite a fair bit but it was still wearable.


    Shaking a little, I took a few steps forward. There was a beacon of light that came in from the rafters above, and I quickly made my way into it. Suffice to say, I was almost blinded when I tried to look up while inside the light. Through my overly-hyped senses, I could barely hear a stifled giggle.


    ''Name?''


    ''Ciel.'' I replied almost immediately.


    ''Last name? And you would do well to address me as ''sir'', understood?''


    ''Undisclosed, sir. And yes, sir.''God, I said ''sir'' twice. They must think I''m an idiot.


    ''Undisclosed last name... And it says here you have not shown any aptitude in the performance appraisals. Odd. You''re an odd one, young Ciel.'' The voice this time belonged to a woman.


    ''It matters not.'' said the male voice again, ''Ciel, this is the last stage of performance evaluation. Before we continue, I am required to ask you if you are fully intent on proceeding. Please answer if you are ready to proceed.''


    ''I am, sir.''


    ''Very well. Let the test begin, then.''


    I heard a finger snap, and the light immediately dissolved.A Thomas Young follower, someone who can controlthe flow of light.


    Without the light source, there was nothing much I could see beyond my own fingers. It felt like an eternity waiting for something to happen but I knew it was just my anxiety to get this over with that was sending all my senses into over-drive.


    A mild vapour trickled its way up my nose, and I recognised the source. It was the work ofNagai Nagayoshi, a scientist whose work had significant involvement in crystal methamphetamine. Though harmless-


    And a dragon''s face materialised right in front of mine. I yelped in shock and stumbled backwards, falling ass flat on the floor, which had turned into grass. This was the power of the drug users from the followers ofNagayoshi.


    I knew this was all an illusion, a manifestation of my own mind''s thoughts. Followers ofNagayoshiwere all very experienced with using these poisonous fumes to fool their enemies by creating visions in their foe''s minds.


    Though I was aware of what was going on, this was chemistry at work; it wasn''t a situation where there was a spell to break or something like that. When it came to science, you either come up with preventive measures, or you fall prey to even the simplest of attacks.


    So even though I knew that this fire-breathing, angry-looking dragon was a figment of my own imagination, one wrong move and I''ll probably remain a vegetable for the rest of my life.


    The dragon took a step forward, and a low hiss escaped its nostrils, followed by a stream of, which I could only assume to be, steam that trailed its way centimetres from my face. Though I did not touch it physically, the heat was unbearably real enough.This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.


    Nothing in my life up till now had taught me how to handle dragons, so you could guess how I felt about facing a dragon 50 metres long and easily 5 times taller than I was. And I must say, I was doing pretty well until it opened its maw and flames erupted out.


    The scream that involuntarily escaped from my mouth probably deducted some of my marks but I could not care less as danger was merely just right in front of me.


    The dragon could smell fear in me, and it wassneering, if dragons could even show humour in the first place. It''s large scaled body was the only thing that filled up my vision then.


    And then I heard it. The unmistakably piercing sound of a wailing child, definitely not more than the age of five. And it was coming from the back of the dragon.


    What sort of sick test is this supposed to show? Am I supposed to save the child?


    Questions ran like a river through my mind as I assessed the situation. The dragon was not particularly hostile... Yet. It was just regarding me with interest that was, interestingly enough, dwindling with every passing minute that I stood there transfixed. It decided I was too little a morsel for a meal and walked back.


    I felt like this was one of those situations where I was playing those make-your-choice-or-die games. Y''know where one wrong move and it could very well be your last? Yeah those kinds. And I happen to suck at them.


    Well, I was no gamer, and I definitely wasn''t any famed hero, so this was something I could only do by myself. And trust my instincts.


    I took a brave step forward, heart right in my mouth as I surveyed the dragon''s movement. It took no interest in me. Feeling braver, I decided to make a mad dash for the dragon. I mean, what was the worst that could happen, right?


    How woefully wrong I was. The moment I had tried to reach for the kid, the dragon swung back and roared at me. But I was carried forward too much by my own momentum, and even before I could even get onto the dragon''s back, its whipped its tail in an arc, and I was lashed back with a gigantic force.


    As I sat there dazed and confused, a shadow loomed over me and I was in too much pain to get up. My vision was blurry and I felt nauseated with all the impact on my stomach causing an upheaval of fluids upwards. And in a bad way.


    And that was it. The world turned black.


    ------------------


    ''Well, that''s it. Barely 2 minutes and he failed the test. Should we just discard him?'' said one of the examiners as he bent down and checked Ciel''s vital signs.


    Murmurs of agreement broke out among the panel, but they could not make their decision without the chief''s approval. He was the one who spoke to Ciel the entire time when he came in. The chief sat there behind his table, deep in thought.


    When he stood up, the hall became silent. Everyone waited for his final vote. Which could only be rejection. That was the reality of the world. People who did not have abilities just could not fit into the Institute.


    ''I call for... Acceptance.''


    All the examiners were taken aback. Nobody had expected the chief to actually want this Unattuned to join their ranks. Coming in here alone was already unheard of, but going so far as to joining the Institute? That was madness.


    One of the examiners, the one who had Young''s abilities to control light, stepped forward and pleaded with the chief.


    ''Chief, are you sure about this? Accepting someone like him would bring trouble for us. The Institute members will pick on him, and how would we be able to use him?''


    Another examiner strode forward and said, ''sir, there''s no way a boy like him can fit in. We won''t be able to train him in anything-''


    ''Enough.'' The chief put up his hand, cutting off his subordinate midway. He turned to look at all of them while stroking his white beard, the disbelief on their faces pleading with him to think again the incredulity of his decision.


    ''My decision is final and I implore all of you to make the necessary arrangements.''


    Silence ensued in the air. No one dared make a move. Nobody could believe that this was actually happening.


    As Ciel was the last candidate, the chief packed up his things and walked to the door. Nobody was moving still. He heaved a sigh and turned back to face them again.


    ''I assure you,'' he said, ''I have not gone senile. Neither have I lost my mind. I have my reasons for accepting this child. You will see so in due course.''


    And he left, the door slamming shut behind him again. As he walked back to his study, he could not help but think about the boy''s performance earlier, which they had all witnessed through the monitor that one of the examiners had set up.


    True, it was madness that the boy displayed by rushing the dragon like that, but that was a sort of pluck that no other candidate has ever shown him before. Not even the talented ones. True, the boy was Unattuned, and he had no other options at that time.


    However, it wasn''t because of pluck alone that led to the chief wanting to induct him in.


    That boy was definitely no Unattuned. In the brief moment before the boy thought that he would die, his inner ability had stirred just a little.


    And it struck a chord with one of the chief''s own abilities. And it wasn''t just one of the common abilities. It was something ancient, something powerful that even the chief had never shown it to anybody.


    And that boy had the same ability.


    He had a hunch, and if he was right, this boy could easily match the entire Institute''s strength.


    But the boy must never speak of his last name. It would only mean his own downfall.

 Theory 2: Unstable Concoctions

    The alleyway was dark. At this time of the night, the only source of light came only from the moon itself. Though the streetlamps were fully operational, most of the energy provided to them from the nuclear plants were usually whisked away, illegally of course, by energy users for their own private use. Many of the Einstein followers could control the flow of energy, and they exploited it thus.


    I sat down on the hard and cold road, sweaty back lying against the alleyway walls. The road was damp from the rain in the afternoon, and only a slight drizzle remained.


    A sharp pain on my left arm caught my attention. I looked down at the bloody gash I had gotten earlier from the assassination attempt. The slightly acidic rain had eaten into the wound and I winced at the pain. I heaved heavily, clutching over the wound to prevent the rainwater from entering it.


    Brilliant, Ciel. Your first C grade mission in 5 years, and you can still fuck it up. Just brilliant.


    Yes, this was my first mission ever since I had entered the Institute. Being Unattuned, the training I had gotten was harsher, and it wasn''t just because of the training difficulty.


    Everyone despised me. No one would ever recognise an Unattuned as a member of the Institute. Even the instructors, who were supposed to be impartial, had treated me like some waste matter not worth spending time on except to hurl abuses or vent their frustrations on.


    But life wasn''t as bad as it sounds. True, while most of the Institute treated me very badly, I still had a couple of friends who were very nice to me.


    The sound of fast splashes of water indicated footsteps, and my internal warning signs blared at me because I knew that those weren''t footsteps coming to help me; they were the ones to take me down.


    I quickly got up, ignoring the burning sensation in my arm again and looked around me. But there didn''t seemed to be any useful hiding places. However, there was a large trash bin nearby, and it gave me an idea.


    I pounced up lightly onto the lid of the bin, and looked up. There was actually a streetlamp directly above me, and it towered over the wall to the other side of the alleyway, and that wall was currently a dead end on my side. My insane plan was to jump up, latch onto the streetlamp with my only functional hand, and then jump over to the other side.


    Any normal human being, Unattuned or not, would have challenged the audacity of my plan at that time, but as the footsteps drew nearer, I only had one choice. To do, or to die.


    And I still had not fulfilled my dream of setting up a House for the Unattuned.


    Closing my eyes, I recalled the various physical lessons that I had taken with my instructors. I had to squat down, letting out as much air as I could, and I channeled all the strength I could gather in my body into my feet. Think like a spring, the Hooke instructor had yelled into my face countless of times.


    And with a burst, I pushed myself upwards with all the built-up energy I had stored, sucking in as much air as I could so that the air stream could function as an invisble rope that pulled me upwards.


    Despair, however, soon set in when I no longer felt the peak of my velocity propelling me upwards. I had only covered about 80% of the streetlamp''s height. Even with my outstretched arm, there was no way for me to latch onto the streetlamp.


    Fortunately, my wits had not abandoned me and I recalled the toggle rope in my utility pouch. Whilst in mid air, I deftly brandished the rope like a whip in my hand and swung it upwards with all my might. Just as I started to fall, I closed my eyes, waiting for the impact that would soon break my spine and kill me off as I crash onto the ground.


    It never came. Instead, there was a metallic clang and I could feel a tension in the rope. Without another moment to waste, I yanked myself up with my non-injured hand and I had no choice but to grab the streetlamp with my other arm and push myself up with it; the sheer force and adrenaline the only pushing factor that kept me going. Otherwise, I would have long given up with the level of pain going past unbearable thresholds.


    But it wasn''t over yet. I quickly swung down to the wall and landed deftly on my feet. From there, it was a simple matter of jumping to a nearby balcony and then I landed softly onto the road from there. I paused and held my back up against the wall. Moments passed, and I heard foodsteps coming from the side where I had just came from.


    They stopped. My heart was beating so fast that I was so sure that they could heard it. Luckily, none of them seemed to have the ability to walk through walls or see through it. These were not Schrodinger''s followers anyway.


    When I heard footsteps going away, I heaved a sigh of relief and I felt my heart beat slow down to its original pace. I took my mobile phone out, and called up the Institute. They congratulated me on completing the objective and they would send over a car soon.


    As soon as I heard that they were sending help, I could finally rest. With all the adrenaline gone, I let my body slump downwards against the wall behind me, slowly losing consciousness as the pain in my left arm became too overwhelming to bear...


    It was already the next morning when I woke up. Though the windows were drawn, the sunlight managed to seep in through the cracks of the walls, giving the room a gentle glow.


    If sunlight could come in through the walls, then I must have been in the old medical wing, where most of the lower ranking cadets would go to if they needed medical attention.


    I checked my left arm and while the pain was gone, I could still the weakness in my arm from the loss of blood earlier. Nothing the Karl Landsteiner followers could not fix though, with their craze in blood science.


    There was a noise that had been constantly bugging me ever since I woke up, though familiar it was. And I turned my head to my left and found out what it was.


    A girl, near my age, was furiously tapping on a transparent screen that she was holding. A wide array of visual images were appearing and disappearing with each tap of hers. I smiled when I saw how serious she looked.


    ''Case.'' I called weakly. She did not respond.


    ''Case. Casey.'' I repeated again.


    Still no response from Planet Casey.


    I shook my right hand off the blanket that was wrapped around my entire torso, and poked her. She yelped out in fright, and in her excitement, she accidentally threw her glass screen upwards. Case screamed as she jumped up and caught her device, which was fortunate, but then she crashed heavily onto the floor. I peered over the railings of my bed, and instantly regretted it. I saw her head shoot up too late, and we both collided, head-first, as we both tried to get a look of each other.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.


    I cursed angrily in pain as I sat back on my bed, rubbing the bruise that was slowly forming on my forehead. Casey rubbed hers as she pouted and sat back on her stool. But her excitement came back again and she jumped directly onto my bed, her glasses still askew from the fall earlier.


    ''Ciel! Oh my god, Ciel, you''re awake! Tell me, are you hurt? Are you still bleeding? Internally or externally? You know that it''s-'' Casey blabbled on and on as I looked at her, a small smile creeping up my face.


    Caselyn, or Case for short, was an Alan Turing follower, and naturally she was an expert when it came to computer science. She even admitted before that she felt more comfortable speaking in computer queries than in English. Though she was a computer genius, she sucked at pretty much everything else. Her ability to be a klutz was top-notch, and the number of times she had to be sent to the medical wing went up to about 2 times a week.


    She pursed up her lips when she saw the expression on my face. She knew that look I always gave her when she was talking too much. She sighed, and stood up, peering deep into the display monitor on the heartrate monitor next to me. Though the display merely showed my vital signs, I knew that a Turing follower like her could see and read more.


    ''Machine says you''re fine. Just a little thirsty and your blood sugar is running low.'' She said after talking to herself. It was amazing how technology was like an open source of information for her no matter where she went. There was even one tine she alerted the management of a shopping mall nearby of an incoming cyber virus attack just by looking at an advertisement board.


    I sat up and a sharp pain in my chest forced me down again. Case looked at me in concern.


    ''I''m fine,'' I said before lying down again slowly, ''just didn''t know they had also operated on my torso. Where''s Jax and Valera?'' I asked before Case could go into another bout of scoldings. She sighed as she took out her glass screen again and checked her messages.


    ''Jax had to be deployed today. So you''ll probably only see him tomorrow. He tells you to get yourself up and running soon. And if you die somehow, he''ll come and electrocute you back to health, and then murder you again himself. Valera''s on the way to the wing, so you''ll probably see her soon.''


    Jax and Valera were also friends of mine. Jax was the senior out of our little motley gang, and he was a NIkola Tesla follower, so his scientific power was wielding electricity. His ability was top-notch as well, and many in the Institute were afraid of picking a fight with him because of his ability to literally zap people with electricity. In our world today, the scientific ability that humans wielded are divided into three main categories, which are namely Combat, Defence and Support. Jax''s scientific ability was considered to be an extremely strong Combat ability, and hence he was one of the higher ranking officers in the Institute. Case''s computer skills were considered to be of a Support class.


    As for Valera... I only knew that she had disclosed herself as an Alfred Nobelfollower, but none of us had actually witnessed her power first-hand yet. Nobelfollowers were extremely rare because AlfredNobelwas one of the few scientists mentioned in the First Disappearance, and their Houses were mostly disbanded or crushed a long time ago. Nobel''sHouse was strong, owing to the fact that Nobel himself had a lot of powers, but they had been quiet for the last decade.


    Every Attuned human being could pick up more than 1 ability, but because we were all still fresh officers (except Jax), most of us only had 1 Attuned ability at the moment.


    Well, most of us because I had no scientific ability.


    Unattuned ones like myself were considered to be the dregs of society. Because we had no ability to draw upon, we were deemed to be failures. No one had any use for us as there were many things that we could not do. Most of the Unattuned could only work as food servers or just drivers, and often we would not be paid as well.


    Well, there''s still a chance that I just have not found my own power yet but...


    But somehow, even though I was just an Unattuned, somehow I had managed to pass the entrance test into the Institute 7 years ago, and nobody had told me why I was admitted. Even the instructors themselves had no clue, or they just did not wanted to tell me. Of course, with my lack of scientific power. I was made to train double as hard, and many a time I felt that they were just brutally trying to force out a scientific power in me.


    I knew myself well, and that was just going to shit.


    ''Ciel. Are you imagining things again? You haven''t said a word for 5 minutes.''


    I blinked, and was brought back to reality. I turned to look at Case, her affixed stare at me gave me an uneasy feeling, as though she was trying to read my thoughts. I gave her a reassuring smile and shook my head. Case looked down at her watch, and said without looking up, ''Valera''s late. Probably caught up with something along the way.''


    ''Says who? Dumbass.'' A firm voice from my right came into the room.'' Case and I both looked and Case squealed in delight, running around my bed towards the ward doors.


    A girl, with shocking pink hair that was completely shaven on her left side while whatever''s left was braided, stood near the door decked in a biker jacket and jeans, her shoulders slumped onto the doorway. But she lost all her coolness the moment Case collided into her and forced her into a bear hug, which she struggled against.


    ''Geroff me, you crazy lass. I''m here to see our darling boy, not you.'' Laughing, Case let go of Valera and the two of them came over to my bed. Valera''s expression said nothing much, but I knew she was angry inside. I punched her stomach weakly, and came into contact with her solid rock-hard abs.


    ''You call that a punch, dozo? Even a baby could have hurt me more.'' She replied, pulling a chair to sit down. Case went back to her original seat, and the annoying tapping sound resumed.


    ''I wasn''t planning on hurting you.''


    ''Yeah, and you sure as hell did plan to die in that mission. What the hell were you thinking bringing metal knives onto that mission. I specifically told you to bring the carbon ones now, didn''t I?''


    ''You did.'' I replied sheepishly, ''but what would be the fun in that?''


    ''Fun? You brought metallic knives to assassinate a person from the FlemingHouse. What the hell were you thinking? Even now, I still can''t fathom how you even managed to achieve the objective and come back alive.'' Valera''s arms were folded now, and the expression on her face was murderous.


    ''I''m good, that''s why.'' I replied cheekily. I knew Valera wasn''t really angry, but I loved to poke her when she got all flustered up like this.


    She was not amused. She sighed and her arms loosened a little. ''I know why you''re doing this, and I wish you would stop it.''


    I knew what she was pointing at, but I said nothing.


    ''You gotta stop trying to prove to the whole world how damn good you are. So what if you''re Unattuned? It doesn''t mean you have to risk your life every now and then.'' Valera''s words were loaded with genuine concern, but her words still pricked. The tapping sound had slowed down, and I knew Case was listening too.


    ''Ciel, listen to me,'' she continued, ''you''re good, everyone can see that. But it''s pointless to try and change what people think of you if you''re gonna end up dying because of it.''


    ''It''s not pointless if I can do something about my birthright. And it''s high time somebody does it too. I can''t let them continue to look down people like us. People like me.'' I didn''t really wanted to pick a fight with Valera, but I wasn''t about to change my ideals too.


    ''So you would rather die trying to prove a point, rather than to try to stay alive, keep a good head and strive out together with us? With me, that dumb lass over there, and Jax? You would rather leave us behind?'' There was an air of finality in her voice as she said that. Case had stopped typing entirely.


    I did not reply her, but she knew the answer that she had gathered from my face. Valera sighed again and stood up. She kicked the chair aside, and it slid across the floor with a loud bang. She walked out of the ward angrily. Case was mortified, and she ran out too, calling for Valera. Before she left the ward, she stopped to look back at me, and I could see the glister of tears already rolling down her cheek. She shook her head in disbelief and ran out too, calling for Valera again.


    I looked down at my bare hands, and clutched my fists tightly. I was sorry for doing that to Valera and Case, I truly was. The three of them were my only friends in the Institute and I would do anything in the world for them, but even they were not able to relate to my feelings. Valera loved all of us like how a mother would, and it pained her to see me risking my life like that just to try and change people''s perceptions towards me in the Institute.


    But I had no choice. It was why I came to this Institute anyway.

 Theory 3: Friendship Formulae

    I was discharged the next day. The medical staff had me tested before I left, but I felt it was more procedural in nature than one out of necessity or even concern. They were just glad to get rid of me in the quickest manner possible.


    It was still late in the morning, and while most of the senior officers would still be resting from their overnight missions, most of the young cadets were already up and about attending classes.


    I had not taken two steps out of the common hall corridor when a bullet whizzed past my face and struck the wall on my right with a large, audiblecrack.I turned my head to glance at the wall. I was unsurprised to see apellet, and not a bullet, that was wedged into the wall. The sniggers from my left had indications that this wasnotan accident.


    The ones responsible were a group of fresh cadets who had just joined the Institute. Even in this organisation where rank plays such a big part, when it came to the famous Unattuned of the Institute, nobody actually gives a fuck. Given my rank, I could have easily gotten these brats punished but respect only came to those who earned it, or to those who could enforce it. Since neither of the students nor the instructors here were on my side, I was no better than the rats who lived in the sewers.


    Another pellet flew towards me again, but I was ready for it; the pellet ricocheted off easily the throwing knife I held as a dagger to deflect the projectile. Though the pellet was hard, there was hardly strong propulsion force behind it. Judging by the choice of weapons these cadets used, they were probablyHookefollowers who had just learned how to manipulate the spring constant behind their slingshot weapons.


    It would be almost like child''s play to take them down...


    But before I could do any taking down, I felt something extremely hard collide against my stomach, sending me down to the ground with an insane amount of force. My world turned into blanks as I struggled to caught sense with whatever that was going on. The attack was so sudden, and so lethal that I had completely not expected it. My injuries from my earlier mission had not completely recovered, and I could taste blood in my mouth. I spat out the blood onto the ground, coughing as there was a lot more where it had came from.


    ''Tut, tut. DearCiel-y, you shouldn''t be carrying weapons around, kiddo. For a moment, I thought there was someone attacking our young cadets over here. You have to forgive me. I''msosorry.''


    There was so much sarcasm loaded in that voice that guy could have been a variety show host. I spat out more blood and gritted my teeth angrily. I looked up and saw Tyson, one of the senior officers who took it as his life mission in the Institute is to make my life as miserable as possible. He was both anArchimedesas well as aDarwinfollower, which meant that he could control his own body''s density as well as shape-shifting into anything that he wants. That punch from earlier was probably due to a combination of both of his abilities. Tyson was definitely a fearsome warrior, that much was certain.


    Unfortunately, he was also the bane of my life too.


    My abdomen was still feeling the brunt of the attack from earlier, and I was feeling very weak. I got up slowly with much difficulty. The young cadets were jeering, clearly enjoying the attack. Tyson was just standing there, a smug look on his face as he watched me get up with much difficulty. He rolled his head to one side, and I had this mad instinct to tear off his neck. Unfortunately, he was a fully-fledged Captain, whereas I was merely a 2nd Lieutenant. To commence an attack against him would meant treason.


    Tyson took a step forward, and I hastily stepped back. His expression turned dark immediately.


    ''Silly Ciel-y,'' he said, ''what''s wrong? I just wanted to make sure you''reokay. Why are you so afraid? Unless... It''s true? You were really meaning to hurt these cadets?'' He cracked his knuckles menacingly, and cricked his neck as well before continuing. ''Looks like I, as a senior ranking officer, will have to mete out some punishment.''


    But before he could even launch another strike at me, I felt the air cackle a little, and I felt a slight relief. I knew what this meant. There was only one person in this Institute that could make such a thing happen.


    Tyson morphed his feet into the legs of a wolf, and dashed towards me with his left hand braced back for a powerhouse punch he was preparing to throw at me, but I did not flinch. There was a mad glint in his eyes that told me that he was lapping up this moment like a hungry hound and had not noticedcurrentflowing through the air.


    There was a buzz, and static filled the air. I saw it being over before it even happened. One moment Tyson was flying towards me, and the next he was sprawling on the floor, and in uncontrollable spasms. Marks of burning were visible along his arms, and there was a slightly burnt smell.


    I knew very well who did this and I looked straight up, behind where Tyson was previously standing.


    A man, slightly older than me, with hair in a dark shade of blue and eyes built in the colour of shocking emerald, stood there in jeans and a tank top with his arms outstretched. His palms were open, and smoke was encircling them. He was grinning a lot too, and I flashed him a warm smile. He put down his hands and walked forwards towards Tyson. He crouched down next to Tyson''s head and put his hand on Tyson''s forehead.


    ''And it looks like I, a more senior ranking officer than you, will have to mete out some punishment as well. Looks like you''ve been trying to take discipline in your own hands, Tyke. Now fuck off before I send you something more tasteful. a 10,000 voltage perhaps?'' said Jax in an exceedingly gentle voice, but he and I both knew this was meant to serve as another warning.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    Tyson barely said anything; he had recovered from the spasms and got up quickly. Before saying another word, he ran towards the Military Sector, back to where his common room was. The other cadets had fled too; probably off to share the embarrassing tale of Tyson who had tried to haze the Unattuned but got his ass shocked back Heaven instead.


    I turned back to walk towards my common room, clutching my stomach where it still throbbed. Thankfully, no more blood found its way up my throat, but the feeling was still uncomfortable. Jax caught up to me and looked me over with concern.


    ''Oh man, sorry I was too late. If only I had gotten here on time, none of this would have happened.'' Jax tried to apologise but I waved it off nonchalantly.


    ''It''s okay. I mean, you can''t be by my side 24/7 either. This was bound to happen. I should be thankful that this time round it was just him, and not his usual gang.'' We turned towards the Centre Park, where this was a shortcut towards our common room.


    ''Besides,'' I added, ''you had the intention to cripple him right? And don''t try to deny it. That was definitely not an electrocution to stun. How much current did you really give him?''


    Jax didn''t answer, but the look on his face was clear. Back then, hehadmeant to injure Tyson, but luckily there was still some sense in him to hold back.


    Luckily for both him and Tyson.


    The walk back to our common room was short, and pretty uneventful compared to the incident earlier. With Jax by my side, nobody dared to attack me or try anything funny. News spread fast in the Institute, and by the time we had reached our common room, Case was already regaling us with the stories she had picked off from the Intranet. I didn''t wanted to hear any of them; I had just wanted to take a cold shower and go to sleep.


    Our common room was a nice and cozy place, and it was shared amongst myself, Jax, Case, Valera and another girl who adopted the name of Gun. Gun was out for a long distance mission, and she would not be back till the end of the year. We each had our own rooms, and there were a couple of toilets. We had a kitchen too, and a communal area where we had our meals and watched TV. The Institute had many spare rooms on site, and most of these rooms were converted into living quarters instead, seeing as lessons and trainings were mostly conducted on open grounds or in laboratories.


    I loved our common room. It was the only place in the Institute that I could truly call ''home''. Other than the small flat my mum and I shared, of course. This was the place I looked forward to the most after spending a grueling day out training and getting slammed by almost everyone. I loved how we had set up the communal area to be filled with bean bags instead of normal furniture, how we had decided to go with brilliant orange as our wall paint, and how we never stuck to our own rooms as much as we could.


    Tonight was, unfortunately, an exception. Valera''s door was shut, but I could see light from underneath the door frame. Clearly, she still did not wanted to talk about the previous day''s incident at the wing. I headed straight to the bathroom, and briefly undressed. Because of the medical ability of the medical stuff, we hardly ever used bandages anymore, but even curative sciences had a limit when my body was pushed down like that.


    My old wounds had opened again, and even though I was bleeding earlier on the way back, it had stopped now. I turned the shower head, and warm water flowed through. I gasped in pain as the water seeped into my injuries, but the pain gradually passed.


    I took a pretty long shower; Jax had threatened to electrocute me through the water supply and I came out after about 30 minutes. I headed straight into my room, and landed directly on my bed. I had recently purchased a set of light-absorbing curtains fromEdison Industries, whose owners were allThomas Edisonfollowers and were thus inventors of their own right, and even in the middle of the day, I could turn my room into night time if I wanted.


    I dozed off soon after putting my head onto the pillow, and sleep came for a few hours. I was awoken by the pounding on my door, where Case had briefly shouted that dinner was ready. I got up, still groggy from my nap, which had taken me away for 4 hours into the evening. It was half past six, and if Case was the one cooking today, dinner would always be served at this timing.


    I pulled on a sweater from my wardrobe, and walked out of my room. Someone had decided to switch it up; the communal area was illuminated by a warm orange. It did nothing but make me all the more drowsy.


    I took the bean bag next to Jax and glowered a little at the spread that Case had prepared. One of the dinner plates had been chipped off and I guessed it was Case who had dropped it while cooking.


    For the klutz that she was, Case was an amazing cook too. She had said that if not her scientific power popping up, she would definitely had gone into the culinary world.


    We all sat in stony silence as we stared at the food. Case kept glancing at her watch and at Valera''s door, which was still shut tightly. There was a beep, and Jax took out his mobile phone. He put it down almost immediately after, and reached out for the food.


    ''Well,'' said Jax as he piled his plate with food, ''Valera''s not eating with us so we might as well start to eat.''


    I felt uncomfortable. Valera was mad at me, and not them. I got up, but Jax put a hand to sit me back down. He handed his plate to me and reached out for another, saying, ''just sit down and eat. You know how she is; once her mind''s made up, only an atomic bomb would destroy that obstinacy of hers.'' I knew Jax was right, but it still did nothing to assuage my feelings.


    But my stomach growled then, and I decided to fill it first. Dinner talk was mild, since I wasn''t in the mood to talk. And then Case stumbled into something interesting. She hastily caught both my attention and Jax''s by shoving her tablet in our faces.


    ''Look, look!'' She almost screamed.


    Bemused, I took the tablet from her, and stared at whatever she was excited about. It was a digital poster, sent from the Institute events team. Apparently, the Winter Games were approaching and the registrations were open. Participants had to form teams of four, and the competition would be held on a ''last-team-standing'' basis. It would be perfect for our gang, now that Gun would not be back soon too.


    Jax was just thrilled, and the two of them immediately discussed their battle plans. I let them go into it while I switched on the TV. The news channel flashed on the screen. I frowned as I glanced at our home clock.


    The news usually don''t come on till 10pm... What''s going on?


    The news caster was a woman in her mid 30s, and the headliner came at the bottom. It read ''Youth murdered on Institute grounds today.'' Case let out a gasp and covered her mouth with her hands, the expression of shock visible still. Jax was solemn as he stared intently at the screen.


    ''Not much was left of the remains,'' said the news caster, ''since most of the deceased''s features had been brutally destroyed.''


    The news caster stopped talking as she pressed onto the listening device next to her ear.


    ''Hold on. This just got in. We have identification of the deceased.'' She stopped again as another message got in.


    We all stared with bated breaths as she nodded her head on the screen.


    ''The deceased''s name is Tyson Delta. I repeat. Tyson Delta.''

 Theory 4: Ageing Process

    ''Again! Harder this time!''


    Beads of perspiration ran across my face as I stared down my opponent, who was definitely in a much worse state than I was. Strong though he was, I was quicker, and I had more battle experience.


    I was having sparring matches today. Many of the Institute cadets had to go through their close-fighting orientation, and since I had no missions scheduled today, I agreed to help the instructors out.


    Since I was an Unattuned, I could only attend theory classes and combat trainings. The Institute saw no point in sending me for scientific power classes since I displayed no aptitude for it anyway, so I could only make up for it by pushing my physical abilities to the limit.


    But unfortunately the reality was that I would be disadvantaged no matter what when I cross swords with any Scientist.


    For now though, my opponent was just a young boy in his teenage years, barely wet behind his ears. And his instructor had oddly paired him up with a long sword that he was hardly able to lift.


    The boy lunged again with a wild arc, but I sidestepped him easily again. In all honesty, I could have given the boy pointers so that he could perform better, but the Institute had unspoken, but strict rules about mentorship; only the assigned instructor could give feedback about the training of cadets. Even the most experienced sparrers were not allowed to describe the cadets'' form.


    He swung wildly again, and I sighed. I saw the attack before it came, and to give the cadet some morale, I decided to fend the attack instead. The greatsword clanged harshly against my dagger, and while the boy was hardly a fighter, a dagger wielder knew that it would be suicide to take on a greatsword wielder, no matter the situation.


    But this was a young boy against a fully-fledged officer.


    True enough, though the impact was strong, the boy''s attack was unrefined. After deflecting his swing, I quickly weaved downwards into the opening he left, and swung up with the butt of my dagger against his chin. It was an attack to stun, not to kill. With the boy in a daze, I shoved him back and he fell on his back.


    ''No! Too slow! Get up! You let someone like that attack you? GET UP, I SAY!'' The instructor roared as he pushed me aside and forcefully brought the boy back on his knees.


    Someone like that, huh...


    Words like that used to sting, but I was immune to them already. In the eyes of these instructors, I should be the punching bags for these young cadets so that they could boost their morale, but instead I was sending their precious Scientist recruits flying onto dirt or disarming them in one or two strikes, leaving them in shame.


    It was a world in which if I lost, they would say I deserved it and if I win, they would say I cheated.


    The boy held up his broadsword like a baseball bat and I sighed, knowing fully well this form would only leave his right flank completely open the moment he took a swing.


    True enough, he swung horizontally from right to left, and I ducked swiftly and pounced to his right. The fear was evident on his face when he saw how closely I got to him with such ease. I quickly struck a blow to his elbow and he let his sword fall. I took it and handed it back to him.


    The boy''s eyes were wide with surprise as he took his sword back gratefully. I flashed him a wide smile. The tremble never left his hands even as I handed him the sword.


    I walked back to my original standing position, poised for him to attack again. But the instructor had enough. His expression was livid as he bellowed, ''ENOUGH! You obviously did not learn anything from me!''


    The instructor strode furiously over to the boy and grabbed the greatsword roughly from him. There was a fury in his eyes as he turned to face me. ''Watch this and learn, cadet.''


    Whenever a cadet did something wrong, or if he failed to live up to a certain expectation, the blame would always go towards the cadet''s instructor. The shame was apparently doubled if the cadet went against an Unattuned and lost in a fight.


    Which happened twice this time.


    The instructor was very quick, despite the years of drinking having taken a toll to his abilities. He closed the distance between us in a second and I readied my feet, but I did not move. I have never engaged this particular instructor before, so I did not know his fighting tactics. Most greatsword wielders preferred to attack with clean sweeps, as did this guy. He threw a wide slash, and it would have cut me in half had it connected. Luckily, I was prepared and I boosted myself backwards with a jump. Though the attack missed me, I felt the wind of his attack.


    The instructor gritted his teeth, but I knew he had not given up his senses to quick anger yet. He switched his grip on his sword and this time, he threw a thrust horizontally towards my waist. Though the attack was fast, I was faster. I quickly avoided the attack, and angled my body to the right. With a sidestep, I was right next to him. But he twisted his body accordingly as well and he attacked me with his elbow, which I managed to block with my crossed arms. I leapt back instinctively too, which was lucky of me; the cleave of his greatsword was the only mark of his attack.


    Both of us stood our grounds, staring at each other while heaving. The boy was watching in terror. The hostility in the air had gotten even to him, a bystander, too. I fiddled with the grip of my dagger; it would be likely that our next engage would be a clash, which was not something I was particularly looking forward to.


    Suddenly, I felt the air constrict around my throat, and I could not breathe. I gasped and choked as I felt forwards onto the floor, tiny lights dancing in front of my eyes.


    ''Listen here, you little cunt. I could kill you right here and now and call it an accident. And there''s nothing you can very well do about it. So if you want to live, you better learn your place, boy.'' If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    And with that, I could breathe again. I coughed as I clutched my throat, struggling to breathe to make up for the lost oxygen. That ordeal had brought tears to my eyes as I looked up; the instructor had already left the room with the boy.


    A Blaise Pascal follower definitely.


    The instructor had controlled the pressure in my windpipes, constricting them while manipulating the air around me to create a vacuum. Both attacks had cut off my entire air supply.


    It was the assembly bell that I had to give thanks to; I would have turned into a lifeless corpse otherwise. I got up, and left the room.


    The assembly hall used to be a grand cathedral, before where people had used to worship the Prime Beings, the ones who gifted humans with their scientific powers. But ever since the Great Siege many years ago, it was a time of persecution and mass killings. Most of these worshippers were culled, and all of their teachings had been discontinued. Religion was just not a viable faith to turn to in these times.


    The assembly hall had retained much of its original architecture; stained glasses surrounded the entire hall and worn-out long benches lined up from the back of the hall all the way to the front. There were evwn candle holders, from a time back when light was not provided for by electricity.


    And at the very front of the entire assembly sat members of the Institute leaders, or otherwise known as the Twelve, for there were twelve seats in this council. The Twelve were also the ones who invigilated the entry tests and yes, they were the ones who let me in. Every council had a chief, and so did this one too, but the last chief had died peacefully a month ago, and they had yet found a replacement. So only 11 members were present today.


    I walked in through the giant front doors, and quickly found a seat next to Case. Val was next to her, but her tightly folded arms told me silence was still her preferential treatment. There was a shuffling sound, and the entire assembly rose in unison. I followed suit.


    Eyes darted back to the entrance of the assembly hall while a slow march was being played. It was the song of farewells, one commonly played for send-offs. But the low monotonous tone told me this wasn''t just any farewell song.


    It was meant for Tyson Delta.


    The entire assembly was gathered here for the funeral. To send off Tyson. In actual fact, I was the only one who loathed Tyson, and that was because of his constant attempts to eiher kill me off or get me expelled from the Institute. To the others, he was a man of talent, and he already had 5 missions completed under his belt. Most people at his ranking had only 1 or 2, and those were group assignments, which meant the junior officers would only be in charge of recon support.


    As I watched the coffin being hoisted away, my mind drifted off. I thought of the day where I myself would be in that coffin. Would there be coffin-bearers? Would I have these many people sending me off? Would I even get a funeral?


    The coffin was placed at the front of the assembly, on a bed of flowers of every colour. The entire assembly sat down and we followed as well. With religion abolished, funerals were now a simple affair. People who knew the deceased personally would usually speak words of the deceased''s valour and his other qualities.


    Quite a number of people went up to say their words, and after the first speech, my brain had already switched off. Most of these people were Tyson''s own cronies when he was still alive, and the words ''good friend'' and ''brave person'' came out again and again.


    The last person to speak was a young boy, and on closer look, I realised he was one of the people who had tried to ambush me yesterday outside of the medical wing. In all honesty, I was surprised to see him up there and pricked my ears open for his speech.


    The boy was clearly nervous. Even as he spoke, he was stuttering.


    ''T-to the T-Twelve, t-to all of our h-h-honoured guests, to a-all of my gathered brothers and sisters, t-today is a day of grief and sadness.'' He paused a moment and looked down, and when he resumed speaking, he had finally managed to calm his nerves down.


    ''While we are gathered here to honour and remember the great acts of a man I have been great friends with, I am here for a different purpose. Tyson Delta had always been a very strong man, and he personally saw to my upbringing and training here in the Institute. It therefore brings me a lot of pain deciding whether to come here to speak tonight. I am torn between restoring justice for a fallen brother, or to protect another from persecution.''


    His words drew bated breaths everywhere, mine included. The boy had basically just declared that he knew the identity of Tyson''s murderer, and that murderer was someone from the Institute as well. The hall grew extremely quiet. Everyone was staring at the boy, and he did not even bat an eyelid.


    His steely eyes looked straight, towards our direction. Slowly, he raised a finger.


    ''On the day I came into the Institute, this was to become my second home. But now, I feel that even my presence here is threathened. And that threat comes from none other than Major Jax.''


    An uproar followed after his words and everyone in the hall stood up. Everyone was trying to say something but nobody was trying to listen.


    And then the sound of a large cannon blew in the room. Everyone fell silent as they looked at the source of the sound. It had came from the Twelve. One of them had stood up, and his hands were folded together with smoke coming out of his arms.


    ''SILENCE!'' He yelled. The assembly quitened down instantly but there were still murmurs in the hall. He turned to look at the boy, who still staring fiercely in my direction. There was no one I loathed more than him that day. Jax was my best friend and I would never let anyone harm him or his reputation.


    ''Cadet Rockery. Those are serious allegations you have just made. Though you do not accuse Major Jax directly, your words have vehemous implications.'' He turned to look at the other members of the Twelve and they nodded their heads.


    ''We shall proceed with the funeral. Let Science be the witness of the ceremony from henceforth.''


    The funeral ceremony proceeded with less drama after the cadet''s accusation. It ended late into the evening, and after the coffin was laid, all of the Institute members broke up into their own member groups and went back to their common rooms. A lot of eyes were on Jax as we returned back to our common room through the gardens. We were silent throughout until we stepped back into our home.


    Jax dropped himself like a bomb onto his favourite bean bag, and switched on the TV. Case and Valera headed into the kitchen, probably to warm up the leftovers from last night. I chose the bean bag next to Jax and slumped into it as well.


    Jax was flicking with the remote control, and the channels kept changing. One moment it was a cartoon, followed by a documentary about crocodiles and then a movie about spies.


    Jax was troubled, that was for sure. When he was in one of his moods, he would subconsciously fiddle with things in his surroundings, occasionally electrocuting something accidentally. I noticed he was looking at the TV but I was willing to bet he wasn''t actually watching. I got up, and took the remote control from him. He looked up, momentarily dazed.


    ''Still troubled from the afternoon?'' I asked, switching over to the cartoon.


    Jax did not immediately answer; he leaned his left arm onto the coffee table next to him and rested his head on it. When he spoke, it was with carefully chosen words.


    ''Troubled, no. But I fear this will not be the end of it.''


    ''What''s the Twelve gonna do? Listen to him and hang you for it? C''mon they gotta be smarter than that!''


    ''The Twelve are no fools. They would definitely investigate this matter proper, but that doesn''t mean they will not have their eyes on me. It''s gonna make all my midnight excursions a bitch from now on.'' Jax''s phone lit up suddenly, and he glanced over the screen. He groaned.


    ''And yup, it''s begun. They want to see me tomorrow.''