《Heir de Winter》


 Chapter 1: Planet Kraus

    Life was the same for poor seventeen-year-old Drew Li. He would wake up at around six, being greeted by the two suns that rose to the east of Planet Kraus in his old room residing on the sixth floor of Star Military Academy Training Base Dormitories. For a poor orphan like himself, a salary of around 3800 Kalas a month was sufficient as it could cover a majority of his expenses with sometimes ten or twenty Kalas left over, which were invested into gene-enhancing medicines or put into savings. Of course, that only happens sometimes due to inflation.

    The room Drew stayed in was part of Star Military Academy''s Dorms, one of the many Academies part of the Galactic Alliance. It was a metal bunker of about 27 sq meters consisting of a large glass window that opened up to a small balcony encircled with an old wire fence, with enough space for a person to take three or four paces, where Drew placed his outdated hoverboard and a couple of cheap house plants he bought from the nursery below. On the balcony was the perfect view of the capital city of Planet Kraus, Ozwarth, with its towering glass skyscrapers and vivid holograms projecting the news, weather, latest celebrity scandals, and even the current rankings of Intergalactic Warriors, beings who''ve enhanced their genes and abilities to the max, military heroes in short. The interior of the room was simple: a bed, more of a futon though, with one pillow and a thick plaid blanket, a kitchen equipped with a double burner, a closet, a small wooden coffee table with a desk lamp, and a small door leading to a wet bath.

    After having a simple breakfast consisting of watered-down congee, Drew grabbed his hoverboard, slipped on a navy green windbreaker, and left the dorm. Since the dorm was constructed during humanity''s settlement on Planet Kraus five hundred years ago, it didn''t have an electronic lock but a physical lock and key mechanism that was seemingly getting rustier by the day. With a jerk and a hard twist, Drew shut the door, placing the half-rusted keys in his breast pocket, and left the dormitory, ready to begin another day. His workplace, the military base''s soup kitchen, was a ten-minute walk away from the dorms, but once a week, if he were earlier, the old cook, Uncle Winter, would occasionally give him a lift.

    >>>

    Uncle Winter was a mysterious man.

    Everyone at the base knew he was the head chef at the cafeteria and that he was single, but other than that, no one knew anything about him. His name, age, origin, previous occupation, and all that information was classified, and that''s what made him mysterious. He was also the man who offered Drew a position in the kitchen as a cook after Drew finished his Compulsory Education, the essential requirement for education by Interstellar Law to be completed half a year prior. The man even begged the head of the base to provide him with complimentary lodging at the dorms. To Drew, Uncle Winter was like a father to him.

    >>>

    Drew rode his outdated hoverboard and set off to his new, tedious work day. Weaving through the crowds of people, Drew would often find others his age with carefree smiles on their faces, wearing their spotless blue and gold uniforms representing Star Military Academy''s next generation. He was envious that they could live their lives in such a carefree manner while he, on the other hand, had to work a minimum-wage job to get by. If only he had the resources, he could be like them. He could have awoken his first Subsidiary Ability.

    >>>

    In the Interstellar Era, your Genetic Ability, the ability you are born with, dictates your status, and with a Genetic Ability, one could be considered a Genetic Warrior. Genetic Abilities are classified by letter ranks: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS, SSS, and L, with F being the lowest and L being the highest. These rankings also apply to Warriors. Those who possess Genetic Abilities are guaranteed to awaken Subsidiary Abilities. These additional characteristics can enhance an existing Genetic Ability, such as increased power or defense when they rank up. Besides Subsidiary Abilities, which are classified under a single more considerable Ability, there is a chance for a Genetic Warrior to awaken a Secondary Ability, which will have its own Subsidiary Abilities, or even more rare, a Tertiary or even a Quaternary Ability. The first Genetic Warriors, who''ve all ascended to become gods, possessed Quaternary Abilities. Of course, those without a genetic ability are called Untouchables, a class deriving from human society on planet Earth. Drew was lucky as he possessed a genetic ability; unfortunately, it was classified as one of the most useless. It was called Aegis five hundred years ago, the ultimate shield. However, as the years progressed, new abilities appeared, rendering this ultimate shield useless; an S-rank ability was now an F-rank ability.This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    >>>

    Drew ignored these people and continued on his way to the cafeteria. The city streets and towering skyscrapers soon faded into dusty dirt paths where military vehicles and soldiers armed with deadly plasma weapons passed with no attention to anything else, crushing the small genome beasts below their feet. A frail guy, no taller nor older than Drew, with long pointy ears and tattered clothes, trailed behind the soldiers. With a leather pouch at his waist, he bent down to the corpse of a small white cat-like genome beast who had been crushed by the armored foot of a soldier. With his sharp fingernails, he pierces the fresh corpse, crimson blood splattering over his pale, human-like face. A moment later, the guy yanks out a small blue orb the size of a bead and smiles. Opening his pouch, he tucks the blue orb away and shuffles to the next corpse, leaving the previous one with its innards spilling out. That guy is from Kraus''s native race, Lielfs, a mix between what humans would call an elf and a wolf, and from the looks of it, he seemed to be a Cleaner, a sort of janitor that picks up the cores, such as the blue bead, from dead beasts corpses.

    >>>

    Cores are condensed orbs of natural energy that all organisms possess, whether it be a human or genetic beast, called Otrio, measured in units called Krasos. These cores can be refined into genetic medicines, used to enhance one''s genetic ability temporarily or permanently, or embedded in artifacts, weapons more powerful than plasma weapons that utilize the Otrio in cores. The darker the color of the core, the more Krasos of Otrio are contained in it. Besides Krasos being the measurement for Artifacts, it is also used to assign ranks to Intergalactic Warriors, with each rank requiring more Krasos of Otrio to advance. To qualify as an Intergalactic Warrior, one must possess at least 100 Krasos of Otrio. The more Otrio one has, the more powerful they are; a person can only contain so much Otrio in their body before they explode. As such, genetic medicines were created utilizing ancient human cultivation methods to refine cores and herbs on each planet to expand a person''s Otrio capacity. Simultaneously, the medication can also evolve a genetic ability or, in rare cases, induce the development of another Ability.

    >>>

    Drew would have rather been a Cleaner than a Cook since Cleaners are compensated in cores in which each one was worth about half his monthly salary, but it would require him to be an F-rank Warrior. Unfortunately, Drew only possessed a meager fifty Krasos of Otrio, making him slightly better than an Untouchable. However, he would be nothing more than a bug to an Intergalactic Warrior. Furthermore, for an orphan who could not afford to even go to a low-ranking military academy, his only options were to slave away at a minimum-wage job like this or die on the streets. If only he had better circumstances, maybe he could have become a full-fledged student at a Military Academy like Star.

    Sighing to himself, knowing this was merely a pipe dream, Drew accelerated to the cafeteria. Little did he know today was the day that his fate would completely change.

 Chapter 2: The Soup Kitchen

    The soup kitchen was located in the center of the Star Military Academy Training Base. It was rather easy to locate since it was the largest building, besides the stadium, on Academy grounds.

    The ten-story building was made of glass, and besides serving as a dining common, it also served as the student center, the library, and the training hall. Most students would grab their meals from the soup kitchen following the different meal plans they purchased depending on their Class.

    >>>

    Star Military Academy has five classes: Low, Middle, High, Elite, and Genius, and each Class has a limited number of classrooms per campus. The Low Class has a hundred classrooms on each campus, the Middle Class has fifty classrooms, the High Class has twenty-five classrooms, the Elite Class has five, and the Genius has one. The lower the class, the lower the quality of the food was, and the more limited the options for food were for the same price.

    A Low-Class student would pay, on average, 5 Kalas for a meal consisting of an egg sandwich, veggie straws, an apple, and a water bottle. In comparison, a Genius-Class student could pay 5 Kalas for a bowl of caviar, four kinds of cheese, truffle soup, a refreshing drink, and a slice of frostberry cake. The difference was enviable! It would be assumed that staff treatment was even worse, but, in reality, the staff was treated almost like the Middle Class, simply average and existing.

    >>>

    As soon as Drew arrived at the building, he hopped off his hoverboard and placed it in a parking space built on the side of the building.

    The parking spots were exclusive to those who rode their hoverboards or bikes to the campus, and one needed their Student or Staff ID to have free access, while outsiders needed to pay a 2 Kala fee for the whole day. The parking spots also double as a charging station, which is rather convenient for people like Drew, who need to be as conservative as possible when it comes to utility expenses. Additionally, the parking spaces utilize an electromagnetic lock to prevent theft, making it even safer for people to ride their hoverboards or hoverbikes to class.

    >>>

    Once his hoverboard was parked, Drew pushed open the door of the transparent building.

    Immediately, he rushed down the wide tile hallway and made a sharp right. Walking another hundred meters, he passed by some students clutching books from the library. As one of them wasn''t paying attention to their surroundings, the student and Drew suddenly collided. The student''s heavy books flew out of her arms, causing them to scatter across the floor.

    Being the Good Samaritan, Drew kneeled and picked up the books on the ground, neatly stacking them into a pile. Drew caught a glimpse of them and smiled. "The History of Snowhawks," "Records of the Fifth Interstellar War," and even a random cookbook in the mix, all stuff he had read while in Compulsory Education.

    The girl shortly recovered from the shock to find a neatly stacked pile of books right in front of her face. Astonished, she heard Drew''s voice.

    "I believe these are yours?" He spoke warmly, the books covering his face.

    "Oh, thank you..." she stuttered, her face also concealed by the mountain of books that Drew passed on.

    Both of them, unable to catch a glimpse of each other''s faces, continued with their lives.

    Taking another sharp right, Drew arrived at a rather grand, tiled dining area, fully furnished with hundreds of cleaned steel chairs and tables glistening in the sunlight. Looking up, one could see all ten stories of the building while the sun shone to the east, allowing most of the natural sunlight to filter through the enormous glass windows of the building, thus giving the building a rather ''warm'' atmosphere. Right in front of Drew was a line of vending machines up against the kitchen wall. Across the corner, multiple dividers separated the dining area based on class. To the side of each divider was a scanner and a transparent digital tape.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

    The scanner was for one''s Student ID, and by scanning it, the tape would glow red or blue. Red means a student doesn''t have enough cash to pay for the meals or the student is on the wrong line, while blue means the opposite: the student has enough credits to pay or they are on the right line. The lines are based on Class, of course.

    That''s just how the world works.

    It was eight o''clock, about thirty minutes before classes officially began, and four and a half hours until students had lunch. Some students who arrived from the dorms were still eating breakfast there, but Drew paid no mind to them. Bursting through the double doors of the kitchen, Drew was immediately greeted by the friendly kitchen staff.

    "Looks like the kid has arrived." A corpulent cook with a spiral horn protruding from his head smirked a toothy grin.

    "Good morning, Kevin!" Drew laughed as the middle-aged cook came over and ruffled his green hair.

    Spinning on his heel, Drew ran to the back of the kitchen and into the locker room. Arriving at the door, a young, dark-skinned, tall female wearing a black bandanna was carrying a box of potatoes.

    Drew greeted her with a smile.

    "Morning, Rika!"

    The girl, Rika, stopped in front of him, and in the same manner, she welcomed him.

    "Morning Drew! Chipper mood, ain''t we! Ready for another day of work?"

    "Eh, it''s gonna be like always." The green-haired teen sighed. "I''ll see you out there in a few minutes...gotta get changed."

    "Sure. Oh, by the way, if you''re looking for Uncle Winter, he''s here."

    He beamed, "Thanks a lot."

    Ending their conversation, he scanned his ID and entered the locker room.

    Like any locker room, there was a row of full-body-length metal lockers, each with a number on it. Drew''s locker number was 704, the locker closest to the door. On each locker, there was a digital lock, and once again, Drew pressed his ID up to the glowing blue panel. Moments later, the panel showed a "thumbs up" icon indicating his ID was approved. The metal screen of the locker rolled up, revealing a white chef''s outfit with six black buttons lining one side, and the crescent moon, encompassing a four-sided star logo, slapped onto the other. Below the logo, Drew''s name was embroidered in a light blue thread. For the bottom, it was a pair of black denim jeans. Hanging on the side of the locker was an optional black bandana and some of Drew''s photos with the kitchen staff over the past few months.

    To Drew, the staff was the family he never had. They all cared for him, but sometimes, he wished to have some friends his age. Pushing out those negative thoughts, Drew swiftly put on his uniform and rushed out the door.

    As he exited, more of the kitchen staff arrived, greeting each other as usual. Drew walked over to his station, which was the same as Rika''s, doing prep work for the Middle-Class lunches. Because of the number of students and the different classes, the more experienced chefs worked on the higher-class meals while the less experienced ones worked on the lower-class meals.

    Today''s menu for the Middle-Class was Shepherd''s Pie and bean casserole.

    Grabbing the cleaver with its gleaming sharp blade, Drew went into a sudden trance and began to cut the potatoes into smaller chunks swiftly. Rika, glancing over at him, exclaimed, "You sure have come a long way. When you first came here, you could barely hold a knife properly. Now, look at you! Handling that cleaver like it''s a part of your body."

    "Practice makes perfect!" Drew chuckled as he finished cutting the rest of his pile.

    "Have you saved up to buy another regiment?" Rika suddenly asked.

    "Not yet," Drew exhaled with sadness, "I still need two hundred Kalas to buy the lowest quality regiment. It''ll take me another half a year and two more regiments before I can qualify as an Intergalactic Warrior."

    Setting down her knife, Rika turned to Drew.

    She remarked, "Hey, that''s not bad! You can enroll in Star as a student when you do! Plus, with your brains, you could easily get a scholarship!"

    "I''m not too sure about that." He spoke unconfidently. "Star is one of the top military academies in the Orion Alliance. They wouldn''t just accept someone like me. Even the Low-Class students are High F-Rank. Plus I don''t even know if what Subsidiary Ability I''ll awaken. "

    "You just turned seventeen, and the next application period is half a year! I think you could make it by then!" Rika smiled.

    "Stop shouting; you''re drawing everyone else''s attention towards us!"

    "Listen, you have the most potential out of anyone in this kitchen to become an Intergalactic Warrior. I''m already twenty-three and only have twenty Krasos of Otrio. Everyone else in here has only fifteen or less. You have fifty! Plus, I think Uncle Winter might give you an early bonus."

    Drew cocked his head.

    "What was the last thing you just said?"

    "Oops!" Rika frantically covered her mouth.

    "You''re terrible at keeping secrets, aren''t you-" Drew laughed, wiping the sweat from his forehead with a towel.

    "Ssh!"

    She placed a long, bony pointer finger at him, "Don''t tell Uncle Winter I told you!"

    He scoffed.

    "Too late. He probably already knows."

    "Yeah, that is true." Rika shrugged and folded her arms. "Uncle Winter knows everything. Well, there''s only an hour left before lunch begins. We should get back to work."

    As such, Rika and Drew returned to what they were doing, chopping potatoes with their cleavers.

    Before they knew it, it was time for the lunch rush.

 Chapter 3: Uncle Winter鈥檚 Generosity

    The lunch rush had begun at twelve-thirty.

    Students had begun to flood into the dining hall, filing into their designated lines. Some students began to reserve seats at tables for their friends while others lined up behind the various vending machines to get drinks, snacks, or even ramen. With the sun at its highest point, the natural light filtered from the center of the room, illuminating the dining hall as it reflected off the furniture and the tile floor. One by one, lunch trays and plates were piled to the brim with delicious food; the various aromas of meats and spices flowing out of the building attracted even more students.

    Meanwhile, in the kitchen, chaos had broken out as per usual. Hot trays filled with meals from all classes flowed in and out every other minute. Behind the cash register, student IDs and many wristbands tapping against the scanners overwhelmed the staff. Various student arms snatched away one food item in the blink of an eye.

    "Can I get an apple?"

    "I have Dining Benefits!"

    "I''ll have..."

    "Hey, you cut in front of me!"

    The chaos reigned for another ten minutes until only a few students stood in line left.

    "I''m beat!" Rika exhaled in relief, slumping down in a chair right behind the cash register.

    Drew, on the other hand, was sweating like a pig. His water bottle instantly fogged as he gasped for air after taking a large swig.

    "I don''t understand!" He shouted in frustration. "Star has such a neat line set up, yet no one dares to enforce it!"

    "You could say that again," Rika said, "Hungry wolves aren''t they?"

    Drew sighed, "I don''t think I could do this for another day."

    "Hey," a voice remarked from the kitchen.

    It was Kevin.

    Raising his bulky arm, Kevin pointed to the back of the kitchen with his thumb. "''Nuf moping around. Winter wants a word with you."

    "I''ll be right there." Drew hollered, propping himself up.

    "See you later then." Rika waved as Drew pushed open the swinging door to the kitchen.

    Being escorted by Kevin, Drew was led to the back of the kitchen to a room right next to the staff locker room. On the door, there was a wooden plaque that said ''Winter'' and nothing more. Suddenly, Kevin placed a big hand on Drew''s right shoulder and smiled.

    "I''ll leave you here."

    And with that, Kevin returned to the kitchen.

    With Kevin gone, Drew lightly knocked on the door.

    "Come in." A rough voice instructed.

    The door slid open, and Drew entered as ordered. In front of him was a clean-looking middle-aged man with white hair that indicated signs of aging, wearing a black jacket with Star''s logo on it. His stubbled beard covering his features gave him a fatherly aura, while his silver, thin-rimmed glasses made him look patient and intelligent. Behind those glasses were blue eyes that reflected the sky, making him seem like a refined gentleman.

    Drew gulped down a mouthful of saliva and then greeted, "Hello, Uncle Winter."

    "Ho," Uncle Winter chuckled lightly, then gestured to a leather chair, "Why are you standing? Come. Have a seat."

    Much obliged to the man''s words, Drew followed.

    Looking around the office, Drew observed the various objects in the room. The Oakwood desk Uncle Winter was sitting behind displayed a small porcelain vase, a holographic supercomputer the size of a ring box that was probably three models behind, a picture frame with Uncle Winter in fishing attire, a standard white desk lamp, and a wooden Buddha box with a gold lock on it. Behind Uncle Winter were two bookshelves full of encyclopedias and history textbooks that have been touched yet well taken care of. Beside him, there were two frostberry plants, their blue budding flowers emitting a subtle chilling aura. They were probably around six years old. After wandering a bit, Drew eventually returned to reality to find Uncle Winter whipping a teapot and two teacups, gently pouring the tea into the cups. The subtle intoxicating aroma of the tea indicated that it was a mix of Earl Grey and black tea, possibly imported from Earth. Subsequently, Uncle Winter pushed the cup to Drew, picked up a pair of small tongs, and dropped two sugar cubes into each one.Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.

    Breaking the silence, Drew initiated the conversation.

    "So why have you called me?"

    "Nothing much," Uncle Winter spoke softly, "I''ve got some good news for you."

    Drew expected this, thanks to Rika and her big mouth, but Uncle Winter said it was ''news.'' What other ''news'' does he have for him?

    "First, I think you might already know."

    Drew began to laugh, "You already knew Uncle."

    He chuckled, "Of course, once Rika knew, she''d spill the beans to you sooner or later."

    "Typical." Drew lightly scoffed.

    "Anyways," he continued, "You have worked hard these past few months, so I''m giving you a bonus. Five percent on top of your current salary."

    "That''s rather generous of you! Thanks so much."

    "You''re welcome," he smiled.

    "What other piece of news do you have for me?" Drew continued.

    "It''s in here." Uncle Winter pointed to the wooden Buddha box in the desk''s center.

    Drew''s eyes widened. "Here? I thought this was your family heirloom?"

    "Ho-" Uncle Winter let out a small laugh, "That''s only half true. The other half is relevant to you."

    "Me? Why would that be." He asked, pointing to himself as his curiosity perked.

    Uncle Winter slumped further into his leather seat, pressing his fingers against his temple.

    "This...will be a long one."

    Now, Drew was even more confused.

    "It started..." Uncle Winter began, then suddenly stopped. He turned his head towards the glass window, and his face turned to horror.

    "DREW, GET DOWN NOW!" Uncle Winter yelled.

    "Wha-". In the blink of an eye, Drew''s back hit the wooden floor with a loud thud. A heavy arm pinned his torso down to the floor. The chair he sat on, only seconds ago, had flown to the other side of the room. Besides Drew, there was a large dent in the floor that was around the size of a fist while a large arm pinned his torso to the ground.

    A few centimeters away from the hole was a small silver cylindrical object standing upright in the wood. Drew''s eyes squinted to get a better look at the object penetrating the ground.

    A bullet!

    "Are you okay?" Uncle Winter asked as he removed his splintered fist from the ground. Worry plastered over his face.

    Drew couldn''t answer. The speed at which everything happened jumbled his mind. So many questions ran through his mind, but now wasn''t a good time. Pushing himself off the ground slightly yet remaining not visible to the sniper, Drew brushed off some of the splintered wood from his uniform. In contrast, Uncle Winter remained kneeling on the ground. His jacket ripped at the shoulder from the bullet while he remained unscathed.

    "I''m fine. I know this isn''t a good time, but who was trying to shoot at us?"

    Uncle Winter stretched out and picked up the bullet. After a brief inspection, Uncle Winter''s face darkened. The warm Uncle that Drew knew now had a chilling aura around him.

    It sent shivers down his spine.

    "A silent bullet. They''re here. After all those years, I guess I can''t hide from them." Uncle Winter muttered under his breath.

    "Who is ''them''?" Drew asked silently.

    Uncle Winter sighed and then handed the bullet to Drew. He turned the bullet a little, and once again, Drew froze. Carved into the bullet''s primer was a symbol with a scorpion on it. That scorpion symbolized the best Assassins Guild in the galaxy, The Scorpion Horde. Legend has it that for the past four thousand years, not even one of their assassins has been caught or killed. Meeting one would mean death had already opened the door.

    "This isn''t a good time. They''re here for me." Uncle Winter said with a serious expression. Quickly, Uncle Winter removed his wristband communicator, snatched the supercomputer and Buddha box off his desk, and shoved them into Drew''s arms.

    "The password for all three is your birthday, with the full year for all of them." He whispered to Drew.

    "What do you mean?!" Drew shouted. Tears began to fall from his eyes.

    "Everything you want to know is here! NOW LEAVE!" Uncle Winter ordered, his back facing Drew.

    "I don''t understand!" He shouted, still flabbergasted, when suddenly two more bullets pierced the glass, grazing Uncle Winter''s jacket.

    Uncle Winter removed his glasses.

    "I''ve been hiding for too long." He muttered again as a blue aura surrounded him. The pressure exuded from the aura was suffocating, and Drew could feel an even stronger chill running down his spine. Drew was at a loss for words. He''d flinched.

    "Uncle Winter...?"

    "Kid, I''m afraid I won''t be seeing you or the others tomorrow. SHUT THE DOOR AND LEAVE!"

    Gulping down his fears, Drew made a mad dash for the door, slamming his finger against the control panel, overriding the door''s automatic mechanism, and shutting it right behind him on the other control panel as he did, locking Uncle Winter with the assassin. The muffled sounds of glass shattering, punching, and groans from Uncle Winter and the assassin could be heard. Unfortunately, the walls and the floors inside the building were soundproof, shockproof, and extremely durable. Couldn''t they also make the glass bulletproof? Plus, they were on the first floor, and nothing was below them. Uncle Winter''s panic button had been broken for the last few days, so he couldn''t call for help from inside either.

    Drew knew that every second was precious. Immediately, placing the things in his arms on the ground, Drew dashed to the closest intercom in the kitchen area, hanging next to the door, and dialled 311.

    Seconds later, the operator picked up.

    "This is Star''s Security Office. What is your emergency?"

    "Building 8956, First Floor West Wing, Staff ID#1083276, Mr.Winter''s office has been attacked by an Assassin from the Scorpion Horde!" Drew shouted as his voice was beginning to crack.

    There was a moment of silence until the operator responded in a monotone voice, "Affirmative. Sending assistance. Two minutes."

    "Can you speed it up?!" Drew continued to scream, his voice wavering. Once again, silence remained on the other end, and the muffled screams and banging remained on the other side. Even worse, the only rooms next to the office were the locker room, which was empty, and the storage room.

    "Request approved," the operator responded, "One minute."

    "Thank you!" Drew cried as the tears streamed down like a waterfall. The operator hung up. Drew slumped down, back against the wall.

    Every nerve in his body was shaking.

    His legs grew limp even though his mind told him to run.

    His vision was completely hazy.

    Nothing was making any sense to him.

    "Mother of Kraus, what''s going on..."

 Chapter 4: Out of Time

    He was scared.

    The noises behind the door made his heart race faster; the tears fell faster.

    His cries were silent.

    The sound of gunfire was barely audible.

    The employees in the kitchen seemed unable to hear the crying kid. The sizzling pans, chopping vegetables, and boiling pots muffled the sound of his cries.

    His ears were ringing.

    His eyes began to dry out.

    His throat was parched, like the desert.

    His hands clasped over his ears.

    He wanted to scream for help, but he had already done that. He tried to run, but his legs wouldn''t move. At this moment, he kept wondering why he didn''t move as the wall behind him could have broken and killed him.

    His answer was clear: Fear.

    Only ten seconds remained until help arrived. The blinking colon told him them.

    Nine.

    Kevin just left the staff bathroom to find Drew in his pitiful position.

    Eight.

    Kevin noticed the intercom and realized something was happening in the office, but he didn''t dare open the door.

    Seven.

    Kevin began to panic, turning his head from side to side as he shouted something inaudible.

    Six.

    The sound of a pot dropping on the tile floor could be heard from the kitchen around the corner.

    Five.

    Drew felt his body lifted by the burly middle-aged cook. At the same time, Rika popped her head around the corner. Feeling the slight vibration coming from the other side of the wall, Rika scrambled to pick up Drew''s things off the floor.

    Three.

    The fire alarm went off, and Rika and Kevin began to rush out of the building, closely following some staff members who were also pushing their way out.

    Two.

    Everyone in the kitchen pushed out the door to the main hall.

    One.

    An explosion blasted through the vicinity. Setting the kitchen and the back rooms ablaze. A bloodied body came flying out along with it. Kevin and Rika kept looking forward, but Drew took a glance back.

    The figure''s eyes were open, but he did not move a limb.

    He couldn''t believe it.

    A black figure remained standing through the doorway. His hood was ripped. The red, translucent mask that covered his eyes was broken, revealing the figure''s crimson eyes. Blood trickled down his pale skin, dripping from his chin and staining the wood floor. A gun was held loosely in his left hand. His face quickly contorted from one of exhaustion to one of triumph, revealing his sharp canines.

    Zero.

    The black figure fired one final shot then vanished into thin air.

    Everyone had made it out safely. Five men wearing white bodysuits emerged from behind, the glass shards crunching under their feet. A drone hovered behind them and scanned the surroundings, but there was no trace of the killer except for the silver bullet protruding from the other end of the figure''s head.

    They were too late.

    Winter was dead.

    >>>

    It''s been ten minutes since help arrived. Drew was sitting on a chair in the lunch area. Rika and Kevin stared at him with concern. Drew was overwhelmed.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

    "It can''t be," Drew trembled, his breathing staggering, "Uncle Winter is not dead. He can''t be dead!"

    "What exactly happened in there, Li?" Kevin asked,d placing down a water bottle from the closest vending machine.

    Drew couldn''t answer. His ears began to ring even more. His eyes grew hollow as he tried to process the last half hour.

    "Hic..." He sniffled. He was clearly shaken. "I don''t know. I don''t know."

    Rika pat Kevin on the back, "We should give him some space."

    "Alright." Kevin sighed, scratching the horn on his head.

    Rika dragged Kevin to the other side of the building, leaving Drew to comprehend the events that had just happened in the past few minutes. The Buddha Box, the outdated supercomputer cube, and the wristband on the metal table beside him were in a neatly stacked pile.

    His head was throbbing as fragmented scenes flew through his mind.

    Uncle Winter''s bloodied body.

    The assassin with the gun.

    The broken glass.

    The door bursts open.

    The monotone voice of the operator.

    The sound of the gunshot.

    Everything was a mess.

    His green hair was sticking out in all directions. His emerald eyes had lost some luster. His uniform was slightly torn in some places, dried snot stuck to the roof of his nostrils, and his wristband was broken.

    Drew took a swig of the cool water.

    It felt refreshing, calming his nerves slightly. His senses started to return. Drew removed his wristband and removed the chip. Luckily, it was still intact. He tossed his broken wristband into the garbage can behind the chair and inserted the chip into an open slot in Uncle Winter''s. The wristband powered on with a green check mark, indicating that his data had synced over successfully.

    For the next fifteen minutes or so Drew just stared into the sky. The white cotton candy clouds difiting lazily above while the two suns shone their light over the campus. He craned his neck. Rika had just come back.

    "You okay now?" Rika asked, leaning over.

    Drew nodded, shifting his head forward, catching a glimpse of Kevin who was standing not too far behind.

    "A little. I think I can form coherent sentences."

    "Well, there are some Security Officers who need testimony from you," Kevin said, pointing to a man wearing a white suit with Star''s famous logo embroidered in blue. The man was around 180 centimeters tall and had strawberry-blond hair neatly brushed back to reveal his forehead and aqua-blue eyes. His tan, athletic build enhanced his features, making him look like a fashion model rather than a regular security officer. The man slowly approached Drew with a solemn look on his face.

    "You are Drew Li, I presume?" he spoke with an accent.

    "Yes, sir," Drew replied with a stuffy voice.

    "John Krishman, Captain of Star Academy''s Security Team. Nice to meet you, Mr. Le."

    Drew nodded with a weak smile. Meanwhile, Kevin and Rika moved away quietly once again, leaving Drew and John alone.

    John held up his wristband, projecting an image of Uncle Winter and tapping the play icon on his recording application, " I''ll need to ask you some questions regarding Linus Winter and the events that transpired. Can you spare some time?"

    "Sure," Drew responded, "I''ll tell you everything."

    Drew told John as much as he could recall. From when Uncle Winter called him in to give him his bonus to when the assassin started firing shots and how he was dragged out of the building. Even while giving his testimony, he found the words getting lodged in the back of his throat.

    "So you''re saying that an Assasssat in the chair besideed shooting Linus Winter, and you don''t know the reason why?"

    "No," Drew said with a crestfallen expression.

    "Try to recall. Is there anything that you noticed held any value to him?"

    The Buddha box was the first thing on his mind, it was sitting there on the table in broad daylight. It was only right for him to tell the Officer about it yet something urged him not too. Drew had always trusted his gut and it''s always been right. Now, it was time to trust it once more.

    "That box," John continued. "You''ve been keeping an eye on it for some time."

    Great. Drew cursed. Just had to jinx it.

    "It was a gift to me from Uncle Winter...belated birthday gift."

    "A traditional man wasn''t he?"

    "Elegant. He held himself with an elegance no one here has seen before."

    "Alright," John sighed, pressing the off button on his wristband, "Thank you for your help. My condolences."

    But to Drew, those were empty words.

    Help came too late, and someone died because of that.

    Uncle Winter died.

    "No," Drew shook his head. There was no point trying to blame Security for coming too late. The moment the assassin fired his first shot, it was already over. Perhaps it was grief getting to him, but it''s not like he could rewind time. "I''m sorry I couldn''t provide any leads."

    "Don''t worry. You wouldn''t have know anyways." John said, standing up and fixing his uniform, "I''ve looked at your records. Fifty Krasos and [Aegis]. Are you trying to become a student here?"

    "Yes," Drew replied, "Fifty more Krasos before I can apply as a student."

    "Well, just your luck," John spoke "We plan to reward you with a high-rank regiment and some basic Combat manuals."

    "What?" He was stunned. "That''s too generous! I can''t accept this!"

    Despite Drew''s desperation to become an Intergalactic Warrior, he at least had some restraint when it came to tempting offers like this, as they often came with a catch. A high-ranking regiment is not something one could easily acquire, and Combat Arts manuals are even more challenging to obtain as only specialized dojos and military academies have the right to sell to the public. Moreover, the demand outweighed the supply for both, making them quite expensive.

    John chuckled, "You''re young and have a lot of potential. This is a small gift from Star, the Academy that believes in potential. No strings attached, of course. Now take it. You have a bright future ahead of you. Living on is what the deceased would have wanted. I can tell you from experience."

    Drew was at a loss for words.

    "One more thing," John continued while getting ready to depart, "Star will cover all funeral expenses. The date and time will be sent to you in the next few days. We''re sorry for your loss and I hope to see you here as a student soon."

    Again, those words felt empty to Drew.

    He wasn''t even sure what he was supposed to do any more.

    August 5th, 0473 I.E., 1:10 PM, would be the day etched in the boy''s memory for a very long time.

 Chapter 5: Fragmented Truth

    A few days later, Uncle Winter had his funeral, and Star covered all the expenses as promised.

    Drew was surprised to learn that the funeral was rather large. Two hundred people attended, including the kitchen staff, random students, and even Star''s Headmaster, Milford Schnee.

    But why would the headmaster attend the funeral of someone who works in a soup kitchen?

    This made Uncle Winter seem even more mysterious.

    He didn''t know what to think of the funeral.

    There were feelings of anger, sadness, resentment, and remorse, but Drew couldn''t pick one as he just stared at the casket where Uncle Winter rested. The bullet hole through his head had been stitched up and caked in a layer of makeup. A tranquil expression was painted on his ethereal face. He could finally rest peacefully from whatever happened in his seemingly tumultuous life.

    Taking one more glimpse of the Uncle who took care of him for the past few months, Drew clenched his fist.

    It was then it clicked to him.

    How exactly he felt.

    Powerless.

    If only he were stronger, he could have prevented this from happening.

    Yet, it was a lofty thought. There was no possible way he could have predicted this.

    The church bells rang. The hands on the clock right on the hour, signaling the gravediggers to begin lowering Uncle Winter''s marble casket into the hollowed-out ground.

    The clouds overhead grow darker with each passing second.

    It was going to rain soon.

    The reception would begin in a few minutes. Sauntering down the paved path in the cemetery, Drew reminisced about his short time with Uncle Winter.

    The day he begged to help Drew get a job in the soup kitchen fresh out of Compulsory Education, the days he brought him to work, and the days he passed all played in his mind.

    A tape recorder on repeat.

    Fast forward.

    Fast back.

    He was immersed in his thoughts when suddenly, a hand pat him on the back.

    Turning around, Drew found a middle-aged man with a face similar to Uncle Winter''s. It was like he was his doppelganger, except that his build was somewhat unproportional. The man''s face showed some traces of sadness. His aqua eyes welled up with tears, and his unkempt tangerine hair had traces of white scattered throughout it. His black tie loosely hung off his neck, and his suit coat was unbuttoned, revealing his slightly plump abdomen.

    Drew recognized him.

    He was the man sitting in the VIP section.

    "Pardon," he began, "You must be Drew Li."

    He nodded.

    "Yes," Drew replied.

    The man held out his hand.

    "Mathis Ryhard."

    Timidly, Drew returned his greeting in kind.

    "Nice to meet you, Mr. Ryhard."

    "Pleasure to make your acquaintance." He chuckled. "Also, don''t call me Mister. Just call me Uncle Ryhard. After all, Winter and I were good friends."

    Drew nodded.

    "Okay, Uncle Ryhard."

    "You don''t have to be shy; a friend of Linus is a friend of mine, too." He smiled, walking beside Drew as they passed the cold stone graves. "So what''s your relationship with Linus, kid?"

    "He was a parental figure to me," Drew replied solemnly, "Even though I didn''t know him that long, he''s done so much. He offered me a job out of Compulsory Education half a year ago. He even added more to my salary to afford regiments, hoping I could get into Star next admission season. I''m an orphan, so I had no means of supporting myself once the government stopped sending me assistance when I turned seventeen. Strange, I''m telling this to someone I''ve never met until today. You?"

    Ryhard sighed.

    "Let''s just say that he and I are brothers*. I owe him my life."

    *Note: When Ryhard says ''brothers,'' he doesn''t mean that he and Winter are related. '' rother'' is a term used to refer to someone who is a good/close friend.

    "If that''s the case, he probably did something you will never forget."

    "Yeah." He responded, glancing up at the cloudy sky, "He was a reckless man in our younger days. It''s a shame that he passed away like this. He''s now up there with him. I''m the only one left."

    "Him?" Drew muttered.

    "Ah," Ryhard shot up straight, realizing Drew had no context about what he was saying. "Guess he never told anyone, but you deserve to know."

    "Know what?" Drew cocked his head.

    "His last name is not Winter. It''s Griffin, Linus Reeves Griffin. T at man, can''t believe he took his last name for all those years."

    "His?"

    "It''s best if I don''t mention his name. You''ll know who he is soon."

    From the tone of his voice, Drew decided to place that thought on the back burner as he knew, if he knew, if he asked, there would be consequences.

    Consequences he was better off not facing right now.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    >>>

    The day after the funeral, a lawyer came to Drew''s home with a package with a letter taped onto the side addressed to him from Uncle Winter. The lawyer told him that these were part of Uncle Winter''s will and that he should read them privately after he''d delivered them to him. D ew thanked the lawyer and closed the door behind him. As instructed, Drew opened the letter and placed the package beside the unopened Buddha box and the shutoff supercomputer.

    Unfolding the pages, Drew recognized Uncle Winter''s handwriting.

    Hello Drew,

    If you are reading this letter, that means I''m already dead.

    Knowing your nature, you probably haven''t opened the Buddha box or the supercomputer.

    Good.

    What I will tell you next is very much related to you. R hard probably mentioned some things at my funeral, so this will be a bit of a recap.

    My name is not Linus Winter but Linus Reeves Griffin. I was an Intergalactic Warrior for the Orion Alliance for ten years before I retired. Specifically, I was a Lieutenant General of the Star Military Fleet along with Ryhard. We worked under your father.

    At that moment, Drew felt the letter fall out of his hands. He knew Uncle Winter had a past, but he''d never thought it would be related to his birth parents. As shocking as it was, the boy scrambled to his senses and continued reading.

    Your father, Gareth, was a General of the Star Military and a war hero respected by many in the Alliance. In our younger days, Ryhard and I admired him the most.

    He was the heir to the Winter Family, a Family of powerful Snowhawk Avians from Xolk, many light years away from Kraus. You may have learned the Snowhawks are a race of shapeshifters that can transform from human to hawk at will. They also have a high affinity for Wind and Ice Otrio due to their bloodline.

    Your father was one of them.

    As for you, you are mixed blood. Mixed between Snowhawk and a Nightengale.

    At this point, the Avian was reeling, pinching his brows as he tried to absorb the contents. Being a Nightengale Avian was a given to Drew since he had his DNA test done the moment he entered the orphanage. Nightengales were another Avian species that existed in the universe. Identified by their dark green hair and eyes, Nightingales were known for their disguise abilities and speed, making them perfect Assassins or Scouts.

    However, what completely stumped Drew was how his Snowhawk DNA had gone unnoticed all these years. Perhaps it was done on purpose as a form of protection. But protection from what? There were too many questions that needed to be addressed. As such, Drew continued reading the letter, hoping to find more answers.

    I don''t know much about your mother except that she defected from the Night Family, another famous Avian Family from Xolk, sometime before enrolling at Star.

    Anyways, they fell in love and gave birth to you, Drew, or, should I say, Aaron Night de Winter.

    Because you were born of mixed blood, you inherited the traits of both races, which made two powerful Families fight over you.

    From my knowledge, a bloody conflict broke out, and it ended in a stalemate with both Families wiping out each other. Your mother and father are in the process, too, unfortunately.

    That''s not all.

    Other parties interested in you wanted to seize you to further their agendas. I''m not entirely sure of the details in that regard either. Hence, not only did your parents have to fight their own Families but also these other players.

    Your parents handed you off to Ryhard and me a few months into this mess. They sealed your Snowhawk bloodline and told us, along with some servants, to flee to Kraus with their will, which is the package you just received from the lawyer, a mutual friend of mine.

    Now, you''re probably wondering how to unseal your bloodline. It''s relatively simple, but revealing its full potential will take some time. R hard knows more, but I can tell you that once you reach Low F-Rank, one of the seals will unlock.

    Next, you should head to Ryhard''s place. The address is on the last page of this letter, and upon receipt of this package, the lawyer has filed the paperwork for your adoption.

    Now, why didn''t I do this earlier?

    After some digging, we found the other parties knew of me but not of Ryhard for some strange reason. They knew I took you away from Xolk that day and ran to Kraus, but with some help, we could keep them off our trail for a while. If I had done the paperwork earlier, they would have gotten suspicious and gone after Ryhard, then you.

    We didn''t want that.

    So I decided to use myself as bait since once they had me dead and picked up on the false traces I''ve left, you and Ryhard would be in the clear.

    All that was left was to let the curtains fall.

    Now that we''ve reached this point, I will tell you not to try to take revenge for me. It''s not worth it. However, if you desire to learn more than what is given, join the Scorpion Horde once you reach C-Rank. There are a few contacts who helped us and have what you might want to know by then. You won''t understand now, but you will in due time.

    Drew was even more confused as to why Uncle Winter was omitting information and sending him in the direction of the organization that killed him. Again, if the Avian needed to be hidden away for so many years, whatever Uncle Winter omitted was probably something that couldn''t be written.

    Read carefully. These are my final instructions to you:

    - Go to Uncle Ryhard''s place once you''ve become an F-Rank Warrior (I have a high-quality regiment for you in the Buddha box). His address is:

    6743 Glass Rd.

    Ozwarth, KR

    - Enter Star Military Academy as a student and study there.

    - Don''t try to get revenge for me. I''ve lived long enough. My debt to your family has been paid off. However, I can''t say that you will follow this one.

    -Use the program I developed on my wristband to track your progress. I hope you become stronger. Your parents and I are watching. Make us proud.

    - Optional: Reach C-Rank and join the Scorpion Horde if you want to understand more.

    Yours Truly,

    Uncle Winter

    Once finished, Drew folded the letter and placed it neatly back into its envelope.

    Honestly, Drew was not surprised by some of the content. He had a hunch Uncle Winter was hiding something like this, but he did not know how much. What shocked Drew was the fact that Uncle Winter knew his parents and that his parents were killed in some freak conflict just because he was born. Even worse, his birth sparked some ridiculous hysteria among unknown powers that wanted him for who knows what when he hadn''t even awakened those Abilities.

    This whole thing was ludicrous. It was almost as humorous as the movie where a man killed everyone just because his dog died, but this was no laughing matter. It was real, and many died for him to live.

    Placing down the letter, Drew opened the package, ripping the clear tape from the top. I side was a blue messenger hat, a photo album, a small leather waist pouch with a silver box, a silver cuff earring with a small Core, and another letter.

    Drew put on the hat, which was made of reinforced fabric. When he flipped the hat over, something was embroidered on its underside in black: "I," his father''s name, Gareth Winter. After putting on the hat, Drew looked at himself in the mirror and was satisfied.

    Next, Drew approached the photo album. I was a thin binder with a leather cover that read: "To our Son."

    Opening the album, Drew saw pictures of a tall man with Dark blue hair wearing Star''s blue military uniform decorated with silver medals. He was rather handsome. At the bottom right of the picture, Drew saw a date. M rch 25, 0456 IE. That was three months before he was born. Drew spotted a beautiful pale-skinned lady with flowing green hair in the same image. She wore a similar military uniform, her stomach protruding a little, and was about a head shorter than the man. They were both smiling.

    Drew immediately knew that these people were his parents. His face curled into a little smile.

    Flipping through the photo album and skimming the images of his parents, Drew came across another photo in which his parents were holding something in their arms. I was a child with ice-blue hair wrapped in a blanket. The child''s eyes were closed, and Drew laughed.

    That was him.

    Looking at the bottom right corner, Drew found another date: April 14th, 0457 IE. He was almost 9 months old.

    Drew touched the image, imagining his parents. Their joy. Their sadness. Their love for him. After staring at the picture a little longer, Drew flipped the page and realized he had reached the end, yet there were still many slots for any images he took in the future.

    Closing the photo album, Drew made his way over to the leather waist pouch. It looked like an ordinary pouch, but inside, it contained a silver box the size of an old-fashioned portable camera with a glistening green Core in the center. Pressing the Core, Drew felt a small needle prick his pointer finger. A drop of crimson blood fell onto the Core, and it began to shine a brilliant light.

    Drew flinched, falling right on his back as he watched the silver box expand to the size of his futon within seconds.

    Suddenly, a robotic female voice came from the box.

    [New User Registered. Welcome, Aaron Night de Winter.]

 Chapter 6: Rapid Progress

    Drew was stunned.

    Even though he''d never seen one in person, he knew exactly what the box was.

    A compressed armory.

    Constructed using an Otrio Core, one could store items a hundred times their size and compress them into a smaller box. The value of even the lowest-grade compressed armory could cost upwards of tens of millions of Kalas. As for the one in the Avian''s hands, it was a superior grade. A superior-grade armory was priceless, and the number of them that existed in the universe was less than ten thousand.

    This made Drew wonder how in the world did his father obtain one. Knowing that it''s better not to question such things, Drew pressed the Core embedded in the center. A holographic screen popped up with a message: [Which item would you like to take out?]

    Drew touched the screen and scrolled right. There were only a few items in there. A short sword, a disc-shaped buckler, a sniper rifle, a Combat Manual, and a dagger. Drew tried to take something out, but a mysterious force pushed back his hand, preventing him from entering, so he closed the interface. As soon as he did, the armory spoke again.

    [Armory Closing]

    The box shrank to its original size, and Drew returned it to its leather pouch.

    He then moved on to the next item, the silver cuff earring. Taking a closer look at it, he noticed some complex engravings on it, which encased a small blue core the size of a bead. Drew knew it was some Artifact, but it was best to do nothing with it until he read the accompanying letter. The letter''s envelope showed signs of aging as its corners turned slightly yellow. Drew delicately tore one end of the letter and removed the neatly folded letter from the envelope. Unfolding it slowly, Drew saw that the letter was much shorter than Uncle Winter''s.

    Son,

    You''re finally eighteen! We hope you are doing well despite us no longer being in this world. Your mother and I had to deal with some bad guys who wanted to take you away. Well, a lot. This may be sudden, but you are not just any normal Avian...

    Their letter repeated what Uncle Winter said in his, but the only difference was the last paragraph.

    You may have received some items in a package. The first would be the custom-made Superior Grade Armory from your mother''s family, while the weapons there are from my travels. I placed a minor restriction on it since some items can only be used when you reach C-Rank, or your body will explode from Otrio backlash. The second item is the earring Artifact, a symbol of the Winter family and doubles your current Otrio capacity. Your mother modified it to prevent anyone from noticing the Otrio emitted from it unless they''re above S-Rank or are part of a race with high Otrio sensitivity, such as Unicrons. Neat, eh? The last two items are the photo album, made by your mother, and my hat. We love you, our little Aaron.

    Hugs and Kisses,

    Your Parents

    For the first time in his life, Drew began to understand what a family was. No matter how far they are, whether dead or alive, they will always love you. His family may no longer be alive, but he rested a place for them in his heart. Folding the letter back into the envelope, Drew placed it on the ground. Uncle Winter had gotten close to the truth but did not even know the whole picture. Drew had to prepare himself for what was coming. He needed to get stronger to protect himself and understand why things played out the way they did all those years ago.

    Opening the Buddha box, he found a glowing blue medicine tube and some paperwork related to his adoption under Ryhard. Without any hesitation, Drew popped open the cap and swallowed the medicine in one swift moment. It tasted disgusting! The slimy sensation of the medicine stuck to his throat, and the vomit-like taste lingered on his taste buds. However, the taste doesn''t matter! What matters are the effects that come right after.

    Five.

    Four.

    Three.

    Two.

    One.

    A warm sensation suddenly erupted in Drew''s chest. Drew faltered. The sensation went from warm to hot, hot to burning. He was sweating heavily. His breath was staggering as he tried to control the burning sensation in his body. His throat was parched like he had run a marathon. His knees buckled. His head throbbed. He gasped for air. Pain. The pain was all he felt in those few moments.

    "Arghhhhhh!" He screamed in agony.

    The medicine''s effects were almost over. The burning sensation subsided, and Drew felt like he could breathe again. Trying to find his balance, Drew suddenly felt a rush of cold energy. It was relaxing. Closing his eyes, he began to indulge in the cool sensation. His tensed-up muscles started to relax. He felt as though his senses had become a lot stronger. The dripping of water from the leaky faucet, the footsteps coming from the hallway, the sound of bells from the shops below, nothing within a ten-meter radius could escape him. Pressing a button on Uncle Winter''s communication device, he checked his progress.

    [Name: Drew Li

    Age: 17

    DOB: July 26th, 0456 IE

    Race: Avian (Mix-blood: Snowhawk/Nightingale) [Hidden]

    Rank: F-Rank

    Otrio: 100 Krasos

    Otrio Attribute: Wind/(Ice [Hidden])

    General Ability: [Aegis]

    Bloodline Ability: Shapeshift (Hair Color ONLY)]

    "Yes!" Drew jumped with excitement.

    He finally broke through to F-Rank, the entry threshold for becoming an Intergalactic Warrior. As Uncle Winter mentioned earlier, his Bloodline Ability would finally unlock at this point.

    You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

    A Bloodline Ability is different than a General Ability. While General Abilities can manifest in anyone, a Bloodline Ability can only awaken in individuals of a specific race. For instance, [Shapeshift] is a Bloodline Ability specific to Avians like Snowhawks and Nightingales. However, Nightingale [Shapeshift] is more specific than Snowhawks as Snowhawks can only shapeshift from human to hawk, in which their appearances are default. At the same time, Nightengales can change their hair, eyes, height, and much more.

    On top of awakening his Bloodline Ability, Drew also awakened his Otrio Attribute. There are seven Otrio Attributes: Fire, Ice, Water, Wind, Earth, Life, Light, and Dark, the strongest in power being Fire and the weakest being Wind. All Intergalactic Warriors awaken at least one Otrio Attribute. Drew had awakened two. Th

    Nevertheless, Drew was elated. Now that the amount of Otrio in him has doubled, Drew could cast Aegis without any setbacks. Before he became an F-Rank Genetic Warrior, Drew could only cast an Aegis that could last two seconds before shattering upon contact like glass. Now, how long could he cast it without it breaking? Well, he could only find out if he tried. Drew stuck out his arm and closed his eyes. Taking a deep breath, he began to imagine his core, his newly formed core that was radiating with Otrio. He pictured its flow, like water, through his veins from his chest through his arm to his fingertips. He could feel every Kraso of Otrio. It was ready.

    [Aegis]

    Drew felt the green Wind Otrio particles gathering around him, clumping and spreading into a mass. With Drew''s thoughts, they followed his will, spiraling into a green vortex. Soon, a thin panel the size of a full-length mirror created from Wind Otrio particles was created. Time: 3 seconds. Drew became ecstatic.

    "It only took half the time and doubled in size!"

    Glancing at the panel, he knew he had created a successful [Aegis]. Previously, it would take him six seconds to cast [Aegis], and that [Aegis] would be only half the size. Now, he could easily double the size and reduce the casting time by half.

    "Now," he mutters, "it''s time to see what Subsidiary Ability I''ve awakened."

    A Subsidiary Ability is an ability within a General Ability. When someone awakens an Ability, a Subsidiary Ability is created, but only when one reaches a specific Otrio Checkpoint. An Otrio Checkpoint is a threshold within each Rank determined by the number of Krasos possessed. These thresholds are Low, Mid, and High.  Drew is currently considered a Low F-Rank Intergalactic Warrior since he has 100 Krasos of Otrio, meaning that he can awaken one Subsidiary Ability for Aegis [Aegis], whether it be an increase in defense or mobility, it varies. Once he awakens his first Subsidiary Ability, he won''t be able to awaken another one till he becomes a Mid F-Rank Intergalactic Warrior, which requires him to have 250 Krasos of Otrio.

    Drew attempted to make the shield thicker. That failed. Next, he tried to expand and reduce the size of the shield. That failed as well. Then, he tried to move the shield away from his body and back a few inches. That worked. It had been half a minute. Deactivating [Aegis], Drew checked the holographic interface. He noticed that the ''Genetic Ability'' section had changed. Right under [Aegis], there was a ''Subsidiary Ability'' category, and under that, a new line appeared.

    [Mobility]: You can move [Aegis] away from you. The range is about 5 meters.

    Drew was amazed at the efficiency of the program.

    "The program Uncle Winter installed sure is convenient."

    Looking at his data, Drew also noticed his [Otrio] number has gone down. It was 60. Drew was pleased.

    "So it takes 10 Krasos of Otrio for me to create [Aegis] and 30 to maintain for 30 seconds. Each second I leave the shield up, it''ll cost me one Kraso. Not bad."

    While admiring his progress, Drew heard a knock on his door. Suddenly, a male voice could be heard from the other side. Drew recognized it right away.

    It was John.

    Drew hurriedly shoved everything on the floor into his closet and opened the door. John was wearing his spotless security uniform and a box in his hand. Another box. Drew laughed, trying to lighten the mood.

    "I''ve been getting a lot of packages today."

    "Well, I''m about to add one more to the pile," John responded. "As promised, here''s the compensation package from Star."

    John handed the package to Drew. It was very light.

    "Inside are some materials to help you pass the entrance exam in five months. There may be a chance that I''ll be your teacher."

    "Thank you," Drew replied, bowing to John in thanks.

    John put out his hand.

    "No worries. I hope to see you at Star."

    Drew forced a smile and shook his hand in return.

    "Alright."

    As John disappeared into the elevator, Drew shut the door behind him. This wasn''t the time to idle around.

    Drew placed the package on the ground. Opening it, Drew found a tube of high-ranking medicine and seven booklets. Removing the booklets from the box, Drew noticed that one of them was a manual on reducing the side effects of gene medicine absorption while absorbing the most amount of Otrio from it. This was precisely what he needed. Flipping open the booklet, Drew noticed that the technique was similar to the meditation poses in yoga. Once more, Drew popped off the cap from the tube and swallowed the medicine in one swift gulp. Sitting on the floor cross-legged, Drew closed his eyes and imagined his Otrio Core as the effects of the medicine began to heat up his chest.

    He could  see the color of his Core, a light green color with a speck of blue in the center and an infinite black space surrounding it. Drew began to circulate the Otrio in his Core, gathering the energy from the medicine and putting it into it like a magnet. A vortex of green and blue Otrio particles swirled. It was growing. His core began to grow. The vortex grew bigger and bigger as the heat in Drew''s chest began to subside.

    Drew felt his senses growing stronger.

    The sound of insects buzzing outside the window. The chatter of people from the streets below. The honking of cars a block over. The smell of greasy street food. All of it. It was in his grasp, yet not. Suddenly, a burst of Otrio erupted inside him. His Core had condensed and was now the size of a golf ball, the vibrant green exterior masking the blue interior. He had recovered the original energy he used up and broken through to Mid-F Rank!

    Opening his eyes, Drew took a look at the clock.

    It was five.

    He had been in this meditative state for three hours and absorbed triple the amount of medicine than the first time. He felt refreshed; the power flowing through his body could be considered a river instead of a stream. Once more, he opened the holographic window on his communication device and saw a change in his Otrio. From the measly 50 Krasos a few hours ago to 250 Krasos, Drew had an increase of 200 Krasos and two Ranks.

    With no time to waste, Drew began experimenting with [Aegis] to figure out his second Subsidiary Ability and any improvements to his first one. Activating [Aegis], he realized that the casting time had decreased to two seconds. That''s a whole second faster than last time. The casting cost even went down to five Krasos and he noticed that every second he left [Aegis] his Otrio consumption per second was 0.5 Krasos. No wonder why a Mid-F Rank Intergalactic Warrior could crush a Low F-Rank Intergalactic Warrior like an ant. The power gap was just too large. Drew began by moving [Aegis] using [Mobility], extending the range to 10 meters. Something else he noticed that he hadn''t previously was that the speed at which he could move it was around 50 kph.

    Next, he tried changing the size. It took a bit of effort, but it worked! He could now shrink it to the size of an index card and expand it to its full-length mirror size. As a result, he could reduce the casting cost of [Aegis], which means he could use it more. Drew checked his window and noticed a new line had been added to the ''Subsidiary Ability'' category.

    [Size Change] You can change the size of Aegis from 20cm to 200cm.

    Grabbing a small rubber ball from his coffee table, Drew oriented [Aegis] around and placed the ball on it like it was a platform. The ball did not move. Then, Drew moved the platform up and down at top speed. The ball flew up, bounced off the ceiling violently, and hit the lamp. It worked. Next, Drew expanded the [Aegis] and stepped on it. It worked. It didn''t shatter. Then, he tried moving the platform around while he stood on it. It worked. It was almost like he was riding a hoverboard. After a few moments, he stepped off [Aegis] and dispelled it.

    <i>Why [Aegis] was classified as an F-Rank Ability?</i> Drew thought. <i>It certainly seemed more capable than that. </i>

    Now that he''d broken through to F-Rank, it was time to write his resignation letter and head off to Uncle Ryhard''s.

 Chapter 7: Glass Road

    "You''re leaving now?" Rika asked, leaning against the soup kitchen door as Drew filled up a box with his belongings.

    Drew nodded.

    "I already submitted my letter of resignation to Kevin. They gave me a box and told me to gather my things before leaving."

    Rika began to move from the wall.

    "We''re gonna miss you. You better pass the entrance exam!" She smirked, slapping Drew on his back.

    "I can''t guarantee that,  but I''ll do my best."

    Thrusting a thumb into his chest, Rika laughed.

    "That''s the spirit! I''ll help you pack your things up."

    Drew smiled.

    "Appreciate it."

    Half an hour later, Drew emerged from the soup kitchen with his box. There wasn''t much in it except for his uniform, a couple of images of him and the kitchen staff, and some farewell gifts from the staff. Placing the lid on the box, Drew felt a large hand on his shoulder.

    It was Kevin.

    "Can''t believe it''s already happening," Kevin spoke, a trace of sadness on his face. "This place will be another person quieter now that you are leaving."

    "It''s what Uncle Winter wanted..." The Nightengale muttered. "I''m gonna miss this place."

    "Gosh." Kevin chuckled. "Don''t be too down. After all, we all have confidence you''ll be back soon but on the other side."

    "That''s what I''m hoping for."

    "Well, I wish you all the best with your new family. Pray they''re good folks."

    The Avain smiled, "Thanks for caring, but I''m sure I''ll be okay. Besides, I''ll be back soon!"

    Kevin grinned, his sharp canines gleaming in the sunlight.

    "Kid, you better make it into Star! We''re all counting on you."

    "Don''t worry," Drew reassured, holding a fist, "I will."

    "You better," The chef chuckled, fist-bumping him back, "You represent this soup kitchen!"

    Before he knew it, the Avian was walking. He was walking away from his old family, who cared for him over the past six months. The memories he shared with them, the things he learned from them, the warmth he felt with them, he was leaving it to begin a new chapter in his life. One story ends, and another one begins. He swore to himself that he would make them proud.

    The soup kitchen.

    Uncle Winter.

    His parents.

    He would not let any of them down.

    Their expectations rested on his shoulders.

    >>>

    Drew returned to his room.

    He had finished packing up last night. All that was left was for the movers to take his belongings to Glass Road and to leave his key with the leasing office on the first floor.

    As the movers took each box from the room, Drew slipped the cuff earring from his mother onto his right ear, letting it sit snuggly beneath his hair, and the Compressed Armory in his sling bag. It was finally time for him to leave the place he made his home for the past half year.

    When the last box left the ground, the Avain followed closely behind the movers and shut the door behind them.

    >>>

    The address that Uncle Winter gave him was about a 20-minute air train commute from Star. Glass Road was located on the outskirts of Ozwarth. It was both its own District and street that divided the city from the slums. Ozwarth is known as the city''s poorest District, if you don''t include the Slums, containing many second-hand shops. Drew expected that Mr. Ryhard would live somewhere closer to the city''s heart since he is a military veteran, but he guessed that he wanted to lay low after that whole conflict sixteen years ago.

    The AirTrain was a hover train that served as Ozwarth''s primary transportation as it could take a person from one end of the city to another within 40 minutes. Plus, it has stations in every district. Drew rarely uses the AirTrain since he lived only a few blocks away from Star, but now, it seems like he would be using it more frequently. Walking down the flight of stairs, Drew checked the time. Rush hour had just ended. It was also the exact time the AirTrain would arrive at Star Academy Station.

    Standing on the platform, Drew watched as the AirTrain arrived, a long white float vessel with ten cars painted blue stripes. On one of the car windows was an image of a pale-skinned, black-haired guy with purple eyes holding a sword half drawn from its gold-outlined sheath, its silver blade giving off a feeling of slight intimidation. He wore a black, skin-tight suit of armor with a long black tail that outlined his perfect figure yet made him look like an action figure. The swirling effects of Dark Otrio surrounding the guy made the image seem more dynamic. To the image''s left were words: ''Star Military Academies Earth Campus Genius Class Student: Nicholas Goujian.''

    >>>

    Everyone in the Orion Alliance knew who Nicholas Goujian was.

    Born on Earth, the headquarters planet of the Orion Alliance, Nicholas is a one in thousand-year genius with the Abilities [Eternal Night], an SSS-Ranked Ability, [Future Eye], an S-Ranked Ability, and [Critical Hit], another S-Ranked Ability. [Eternal Night] is a Domain Ability, meaning Nicholas could create his own battle zone. Also, [Eternal Night] can sharply increase all allies'' attack, defense, and speed. [Future Eye] allows the user to accurately predict the movements of a target within the next three seconds, while [Critical Hit] increases the chances of the user to inflict heavy damage on the target. Besides being born with broken Abilities, he was also blessed with godly Otrio talent in four Otrio Attributes: Dark, Earth, Water, and Wind. At age twelve, he managed to become a Mid-F-Class Genetic Warrior. Now, at seventeen, he is a Low-B Rank Intergalactic Warrior ranked among the top 5 Genetic Warriors in his generation in the Orion Alliance.

    The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

    He''s not a genius for nothing.

    Furthermore, he had been offered many opportunities to enter top Military Academies, including the best Military Academy in the Orion Alliance, Nexos, but chose to join Star for reasons unknown. Nevertheless, today, he is Star''s black diamond and their golden ticket into the Big Ten Military Academies, the top ten military academies in the Orion Alliance.

    >>>

    Embarking on the train, Drew rechecked the address to ensure he was not heading to the wrong place. Looking closely at the map, he found that Uncle Ryhard owns a small second-hand genetic medicine shop at the end of Glass Road. Second-hand medicine shops are the equivalent of medicine garbage disposals. When otrio regiments lose most of their effects, they are sent to these second-hand shops to be sold at a discount. Drew had bought most of his medicines and regiments from these kinds of shops, but even though the prices have been lowered by over eighty percent, they can still cost hundreds of Kalas.

    The train was still packed despite the rush hour being over. No seats were left, so Drew had to stand for the ride. It was relatively quiet, so Drew decided to read some medical news.

    >>>

    Ever since he was young, Drew has been interested in the medical field, specifically pharmaceuticals. In the Intergalactic Era, the pharmaceutical industry was more lucrative than ever because there were few individuals with the talent for creating logic-defying regiments. Machines do not make any regiments or medicines that involve Otrio, but Alchemists, people who can refine the Otrio contained in Cores and ingredients, utilizing everything from science, mathematics, and their own Otrio. Alchemists are highly valued no matter which planet one is on; even a low-ranking Alchemist held quite a bit of authority.

    Drew, like many others, respected such individuals. They were skilled enough to control life and death and were sought out by individuals regardless of status. They were powerhouses not to be messed with.

    >>>

    Time flew, twenty minutes had passed, and Drew had arrived at his stop. Glancing up, he saw almost no one around him since Glass Road was the last stop for the air train as it sat on the city''s outskirts. Disembarking off the train, Drew exited the station to be greeted by the sound of the hot summer wind blowing through the streets. There was virtually no paved road nor sidewalk, only one beat-up hovercar and a few old men smoking against the corner of a crumbling building. There were no traffic lights to signal stop or go. Broken alcohol bottles and other pieces of trash scattered the ground while the pungent smell of the nearby dumpsters wafted into his nose. A few blocks over, Drew could see some run-down shacks with metal roofs on the brink of collapse and a couple of kids wearing ragged garments. No doubt those were the Slums.

    They weren''t kidding when they said this place looks miserable. It''s a ghost town. Drew thought he had passed by each crumbling building on Glass Road.

    As Drew walked, he attracted the gazes of some thugs hiding in the shadows between the buildings. Drew''s heart began to beat faster.

    Don''t look back. Your destination is just up ahead. Don''t look back. You''re almost there.

    Taking occasional peeks from the corner of his eye, Drew noticed some of the thugs following him, about three. They were Low F-Class Genetic Warriors. If they attacked Drew, Drew would have no problem dealing with them, but that seemed unnecessary as Drew arrived at his destination. It was a rotten three-story cement building that had vines crawling its walls. The windows were dust-covered, and some mud splatters could be seen. It wrote ''Uncle''s Medicine Shop'' on a faded plaque covered by vines. Entering the building, Drew saw the thugs turn around and leave, one spitting on the ground in irritation.

    I guess they''re afraid of Uncle Ryhard. Drew smiled, feeling a bit safer.

    Closing the door behind him, he was met with an organized store layout and no people. Hazy vials that had lost most of their luster sat in glass-covered steel boxes on wooden tables. Wooden herb drawers lined the shop''s walls, giving it a refined atmosphere. A glass display case was placed beside a heavily protected cash register that fell right under the view of a small surveillance camera. Behind the cash register were two doors, one for storage while the other one opened to an ascending wooden staircase. Walking toward the cash register, his footsteps barely audible, Drew spotted a small silver bell behind a card: ''Ring for help.'' As instructed, Drew rang the bell. Footsteps. Footsteps from above could be heard. Suddenly, a grumpy yet familiar voice could be heard.

    "Dammit," The voice grumbled as the sound of footsteps grew louder, "I told you punk to stop treating this place as your hang-out spot-"

    "Uncle Ryhard," Drew interrupted as the figure appeared wearing a greasy brown shop apron, "It''s me, Drew."

    A face of joy instantly emerged onto the Uncle''s face.

    "Oh!" He roared with happiness, "What brings you here, lad?"

    Drew opened his pouch and revealed the compressed armory to Uncle Ryhard. Right away, his expression changed. He was serious.

    "How much do you know?" Drew asked in a firm tone.

    "Everything except for when you would arrive." He answered.

    "Should I wait here?" Drew asked, pointing at the ground.

    Uncle Ryhard shook his head and gestured to the staircase. "No, no. Come on in. You''re ''family'' after all."

    He nodded. "Thank you for the hospitality."

    Drew went up the staircase, the wooden boards creaking under his feet.

    "Forgive me about the staircase," Uncle Ryhard chuckled, "the building is old."

    "I can tell." Drew laughed, facing Uncle Ryhard.

    "We''re almost there," Uncle Ryhard said, pointing up, " I''ll show you around."

    Moments later, Drew and Uncle Ryhard were on the second floor. It was a rather ample space that was furnished nicely. To the right of Drew, there was a living room with a three-person sofa and two one-person sofas encircling a holographic television and a glass coffee table. In front of Drew was a full-sized kitchen with a four-burner induction stove, a skinny refrigerator with a freezer, a marble countertop, and a complete set of kitchen knives. In front of the kitchen was the dining space with a long rectangular table that could seat eight with S-shaped plastic chairs on top of a fluffy white rug. Drew was impressed that the interior was relatively modern despite the building''s shabby appearance.

    "Everyone has that same look." Uncle Ryhard grinned, then gestured, "Come on, I''ll show you where your room is."

    Drew followed Uncle Ryhard up another flight of creaky stairs to a hallway. This was the third floor. Walking through the hallway, Drew noticed that all the doors were shut, and one had a sticker that said ''Do Not Disturb".

    Noticing his curiosity, Uncle Ryhard spoke, "That''s my son''s room. He''s the same age as you. Unfortunately, he hardly comes out of his room except for meals and the bathroom."

    Not digging into the matter further, Drew continued to walk behind Uncle Ryhard until they reached the end of the hallway, where Drew was face-to-face with a door.

    "This," Uncle Ryhard knocked on the white door, "is your room. It''s mostly furnished, but you may add what you wish. The bathroom is to your left, and dinner will be served at six."

    "Okay, is there anything else you want to tell me, or can I do to help around?" Drew asked, taking off his hat.

    "You can settle down and take it easy for the next few days. After all that''s happened, you deserve it. I''ve got to go now. I need to make a delivery to some other stores. I''ll be back in a few hours."

    "Alright. See you." Drew waved as he watched Uncle Ryhard disappear down the stairs, then hollering again. "By the way, the movers are here!"

    With that, Drew entered his new bedroom. It was a small rectangular room painted white with a bed around 210cm long, a small wooden desk with no lamp, and a sliding door closet. In front of the desk was a rectangular window with a view of the city center in the distance. It was simple.

    Drew went back down to fetch his belongings from the movers. As he did, he mapped out the room in his mind and figured he could fit the small coffee table from his previous residence in the center, which he carried up first. Placing it on the ground, Drew found enough space to easily maneuver around to his closet and bed. Next, he took out his desk lamp, the supercomputer, an alarm clock, and materials he got from Mr. Krishman from another box and placed them on his desk. Finally, he removed some old bedsheets and put them on his bed. After arranging these around his room for a bit, he felt satisfied and began to list the things he needed to complete his room.

    "I''ll need a small waste bin, a closet organizer, some hangers, a laundry bin, some stationaries. I think I can get most of these from Uncle Ryhard. I''ll ask him later. But for some of these, like the hangers or stationery, maybe a mini shelf for my books, I''d have to order them or go to the shop. I think I''ll do that tomorrow."

    He checked his clock and saw that only a couple of hours had passed.

    "I think I''ll greet Uncle Ryhard''s son now."

    Leaving his room, Drew wandered over to his neighbor''s door but was faced with hostility. A hostile shout came from the other side.

    "What on Kraus do you want from me? I''m busy!"

 Chapter 8: Welcome

    Drew was stunned. He hadn''t even knocked on the door yet, and the person on the other side told him to leave.

    "That''s one nice way to greet your neighbor," Drew responded.

    "Go away," The voice snapped, "can''t you see I''m busy."

    "Doesn''t seem like that. You have time to shoo me away. Plus, I can''t see you!"

    "Leave," he snarled, "You''re annoying!"

    However, Drew would not give up.

    "How so?" He asked.

    "You''re wasting my time!"

    That wasn''t a good response. Drew thought. <i>I should leave the conversation here. </i><i>It''s no use trying to reason with this guy at the moment. </i>

    "Okay, fine! I''ll get out! On one condition!"

    There was a brief moment of silence.

    "WHAT?!"

    "Can you at least tell me your name? We will be living under the same roof for a while. Mine''s Drew Acker Li!"

    >>>

    Since Kraus was a colony of Earth hundreds of years prior, many inhabitants have adopted Earth''s naming sense according to the colonist''s laws. However,  to retain some form of Krausian independence, people would use a more local name for their middle name, typically indicative of their Race. Nowadays, in Kraus, it''s considered polite to introduce yourself with your full name instead of simply your first name.

    Drew was a special case since his name was given to him by the orphanage''s director. Hence, even his middle name was closer to Earth''s naming style.

    >>>

    "Elias," the voice answered with a trace of annoyance, "Elias Damus Ryhard. Now leave!"

    With that, Drew turned around and returned to his room, where he continued unpacking.

    Eventually, time passed, and Uncle Ryhard came back home.

    "I''m home." A voice bellowed from the floor below.

    Drew rushed down to the below.

    "Welcome back." He greeted.

    "You finished unpacking?"

    "Yeah, just about done. Though, I do need some things to finish off the room," Drew smiled as he opened up a holographic tab with a list on his communication device, "Do you know where I can perhaps get some of these?"

    Looking at the list, Uncle Ryhard pointed to a door to the right of the kitchen.

    "You can get a waste bin and a laundry basket from that closet. You would have to get the rest from somewhere else. You could try some of the thrift stores across the street. They''re pretty affordable. Also, be careful when you''re out there. You probably noticed earlier that those thugs were following you. They won''t bother you if you stay on the main road."

    Drew nodded, understanding his advice.

    "Thanks, I''ll keep that in mind."

    Drew ran to the closet and pulled out a small plastic green waste bin and a black cloth laundry basket. They were dusty from sitting in there, but Drew could quickly remove them with water. Closing the closet door, Drew heard footsteps coming up the stairs. An exhausted woman''s voice could be heard. Turning around, Drew identified a slim woman who seemed to be in her thirties wearing business casual attire consisting of a long-sleeved white blouse, blue jeans, and black heels. A pair of black shades on her head matched her blond hair and slightly tan complexion.

    "I''m back." She greeted, placing down her waterproof computer backpack.

    "Welcome home." Uncle Ryhard smiled and walked over to the woman, pecking her forehead, "How was work, honey?"

    "Same old," She mumbled, "Those old crooks don''t know a thing. They won''t give me a big fat raise!"

    "Patience, darling." Uncle Ryhard responded, knowing her mood was not too good. "Quarterly reviews are coming soon. Your manager said she''d put in a good word for you."

    The woman groaned, then glanced up at Drew, watching the scene unfold before him like a movie, "We''ll see about that."

    As soon as she finished speaking, she pointed to Drew.

    "Who''s this?" She glared at Drew, inspecting him from top to bottom.

    "Ah, yes!" Uncle Ryhard remembered, "Drew, this is my wife, Jenny Amina Ryhard. She''s an appraiser at Ozwarth''s Medical Facility. Jenny this is Drew, he will be living with us from now on."

    "Nice to meet you, Mrs. Ryhard." Drew bowed with respect.

    Suddenly, she burst into laughter.

    "You don''t have to be so formal," she laughed, breaking the tension on her face earlier, approaching Drew and then putting him in a chokehold, "Just call me Auntie! Don''t worry, Ryhard has told me about you."

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

    "Is that so?"

    "Indeed, I know all about you, kid! Your mother and I were friends at Star way back in the day!" She smirked.

    "Really?!"

    "Of course, originally, I had a crush on your father, but I somehow fell in love with the man you see here."

    "I was her backup plan," Uncle Ryhard pouted, dwindling his thumbs.

    "Aw," she cooed, hugging Uncle Ryhard, "You were not!"

    <i>Ah, intimacy... </i>

    "I''ll come back later. Need to finish unpacking." Drew announced, pointing to the stairs.

    "Of course!" Auntie Ryhard laughed. "Take your time. I''ll tell you more when you come back!"

    Drew rolled his eyes as he picked up both bins and returned to his room.

    <i>So this is what a family is like? </i><i>Chaotic? </i>The Avian shrugged as he placed the bins in their respective areas. <i>It feels strange but I don''t dislike it. </i>

    Ten minutes later, he returned and noticed that Auntie had begun to cook dinner. Today''s menu was garlic chicken with wild rice risotto and a salad. The fragrant aromas from the kitchen reminded Drew of his time cooking in Star''s soup kitchen. Watching Auntie hold the knife with grace, he fell into a trance. Her knife skills far surpassed his own.

    A musician.

    With each cut, it was as though she was playing an instrument. Xylophone, no. Piano. Every time the knife hit the board, the rhythmic cadence strung the notes together to form a food symphony. The cuts were swift and clean. Not a speck of food tainted the shining silver blade of the chef''s knife. Auntie noticed that Drew was entranced by her knife work. Stopping her cutting briefly, she pointed her knife at him.

    "Would you like to help?" She welcomed, pulling out another knife and cutting board.

    "Huh," Drew shook his head, snapping out of his brief daze before responding, "Sure. Got nothing to do anyway."

    "Grab an apron," Auntie ordered, pointed over to a drawer.

    Drew put on the apron as instructed and went to the work area Amina had prepared for him.

    "I heard you used to work in a soup kitchen at Star."

    Drew gave a solemn smile, "Those were the days."

    "And now you are here in our household. That means you reached Low F-Class."

    "Mid-F Rank," Drew corrected as he brought some dressing from the fridge.

    "Ha," she huffed, then punched the countertop, "He was compromised. That guy always tried to take all the burden himself. Always sacrifices himself for everything. Your parents. Those blasted Families."

    "He looked up to them, my parents?" Drew asked with a solemn expression.

    "Not just him!" Auntie snorted as she cut the onions, "We all did. They were our leaders. They lead us to countless victories. Saved us from our darkest times. They were the light of our generation. To Mathis. To Linus. To myself. To all of us! Linus was the closest to both of them, especially your father. His family served yours for generations!"

    Drew cocked a brow.

    "Uncle Winter is an Avain?"

    "No," Auntie shook her head, "He''s Human. As you know, the Winter family is a prominent Snowhawk Avain Family on Xolk. Despite most Avains living in Xolk, some other races live there as well, including Humans. You know, kid, the world is much bigger than you think. Linus''s family was the first of the Human families to settle down on Xolk over a thousand years ago. They were researchers your father''s family rescued on multiple occasions during the early exploration of Xolk. Since then, they''ve served the Winter family as butlers, and Linus was one of them."

    After hearing this, Drew realized the more he heard, the more he realized how complicated his family and past were.

    "I didn''t know."

    "Of course, you don''t," Auntie chuckled as she poured some white wine into a pot, "This is only the tip of the iceberg."

    "Can you tell me about my mother?"

    "Of course, dear! Ah, Terane! She and I were roommates on Star''s Xolk campus. My first impression of her was pretty good. Despite being the first daughter of the Night Family, she didn''t act like a spoiled rich girl; rather, she was the most humble person I had ever met. I remember her leaving the dorms with me every weekend to volunteer at refugee camps. She was incredible when handing out water bottles, spending long hours caring for residents, and taking pictures to raise awareness. I could talk about her for days!"

    "She must''ve been incredible," Drew responded in admiration.

    "An angel with a heart of pure gold! But that stupid incident killed her and your father. Their Families believed that your power could make either one of them the strongest in the Orion Alliance. What fools they were. It''s not like being mixed-blood was rare! Seriously, you were a frickin'' infant who just opened his eyes!"

    "Everyone had been saying the same thing." Drew laughed, although it was not the appropriate time.

    "Of course! It''s ludicrous!" Auntie shouted, slamming a spatula on the marble counter.

    "Anyways,"  she continued, "Have you met Elias yet?"

    Drew nodded, "But he shut me out. Is that normal?"

    "No," she said, her voice lowering two octaves as she grabbed some plates from the cupboard, "he wasn''t like this until a few months ago. He just shut himself in there and wouldn''t talk to us afterward. He''ll come out for meals and speak before holing back up but won''t say anything else."

    "What happened?"

    "I''m not sure. He never told Mathis or me what happened, but I have a hunch that it might have been something that happened after he graduated from Compulsory Education."

    "Bullying?"

    "Perhaps," she replied with uncertainty, "come on, dinner is almost ready."

    "Should I call Elias?" Drew offered. He was eager to meet Elias face to face.

    "Sure." She nodded, placing a plate of piping hot food on each bamboo placemat on the table, "I''ll get Mathis. He should be closing up the shop right about now."

    Taking off her kitchen apron, Auntie scurried down the stairs to fetch Uncle Ryhard while Drew ran up to tell Elias that dinner was ready. Knocking on the door, Drew was faced with the same hostile greeting.

    "What do you want now?"

    "Um, your mom told me to tell you that dinner is ready," Drew told him.

    Silence.

    "I''ll come down," Elias sighed, "give me a minute."

    "Alright, I''ll see you down there."

    Silence, once again.

    What happened to him? Drew thought as he hurried down the stairs. Whatever it is, I''m going to find out.

    Arriving at the dining table, Drew was greeted by Uncle and Auntie Ryhard with warm smiles and hot food. The fragrance from the juicy chicken could be smelled from upstairs, while the musty aroma from the white wine in the risotto hiding within the strong chicken fragrance tickled his nose a bit. Taking a seat on the left side of the table, the three of them waited as their guest of honor was about to arrive. Loud footsteps came down the stairs, and Drew saw two pale, plump legs. More of the figure began to appear one loud step at a time. His large fatty arms, his round belly that could be seen falling out of his red tee-shirt, his dark eye bags that could be seen behind his medium-rimmed glasses that showed signs of sleep deprivation, his unkempt orange hair and faded blue eyes it was him.

    "Elias," Uncle Ryhard welcomed, "so nice of you to join us for a meal."

    Silence. The figure, Elias, slowly dragged the chair, causing it to scrape against the wooden floor. The sharp sound caused Drew to jerk his body a little. Elias sat down, grabbed his fork and knife, and ate��more silence.

    Uncle Ryhard continued, trying to set a cheerful mood, "This is Drew. He is going to be under our care for some time. I hope you two can get along well, you guys are the same age too!"

    Silence. Awkward silence.

    "Well," Auntie began holding up her mug filled with tea, "since we''ve gained a new member to this family, I propose a toast."

    "What a wonderful idea," Uncle Ryhard said, raising his voice to the point where it sounded artificial. Holding up his mug filled with coffee.

    Hesitating a little, Elias held up a glass filled with water.

    "I guess I''ll join."

    "That''s the spirit!" Uncle Ryhard rejoiced. "Come on, Drew, this is our welcome to you."

    Like the rest of the ''family,'' he held his glass up, letting the light from the chandelier reflect off its rim. He stared at himself in the reflection. This was the start of his new life.

    "I''ll be in your care."

 Chapter 9: Weight

    The next day, Drew woke up around eight.

    Looking around at his surroundings, he''d nearly forgotten that he had moved into Uncle Ryhard''s place the day before. Removing the sheets, Drew rolled out of bed, put on some slippers, and went downstairs.

    There, Drew found Uncle and Auntie Ryhard rushing to prepare for work. Uncle Ryhard was running up and down the stairs with boxes to get the shop ready for opening hours while Auntie was frantically cooking breakfast, which consisted of sunny-side-up eggs, thick-cut bacon, toast, and an assortment of local fruits in season, while answering a call from the medical facility.

    "Morning," Drew yawned while scratching his head.

    "Morning," they both replied while frantically running around the house.

    Drew offered to finish cooking breakfast for Auntie Richard as both needed to get to work. After all, it''s not like he was in a hurry. Grabbing a plate, Drew removed the sizzling bacon strips from the pan. Meanwhile, Auntie puts on her coat, makeup, and purse simultaneously, and Drew is amazed at how she can do that. Noticing that Auntie hadn''t eaten anything and was in a rush, Drew quickly assembled a breakfast wrap with white toast, an egg with a broken yolk, a slice of bacon, and a few pieces of avocado. As she was about to leave, Drew stopped her at the door and shoved the wrap into her hands, which she greatly appreciated.

    Unlike other Avians, Nightengales were omnivores, so Drew wasn''t picky with what he ate, unlike others who remained conscious of their diet.

    Thank you. She mouthed to him before she stormed out of the building.

    Smiling, he returned to the kitchen and assembled a similar second wrap for Uncle Ryhard. As he gathered the wrap, a corpulent figure appeared at the dining table. His eyes looked even more colorless than the day before.

    "Morning Elias!" Drew greeted, placing down the plates of food.

    "Morning." Elias nonchalantly greeted the Avian. He was still wearing the same clothes as the day before, but now, he heavily reeked of body odor.

    "Oh, Elias, what a rare sight to see you here so early!" Uncle Ryhard exclaimed as he was about to go downstairs with another box.

    "I guess." He muttered, looking down at his plate with a mouthful of toast before asking, "So, what are your plans today?"

    Drew turned around and grabbed a glass of milk. He did not expect Elias to be the one to initiate the conversation. Then again, even though Elias was a shut-in, Amina did mention that Elias still conversed, though not as much as he used to.

    "Just going to some thrift shops to sell and buy some things. Why do you ask?"

    "I haven''t left the house in a few weeks. I''m suffering from a severe Vitamin D deficiency." He mumbled as he bit into a piece of toast.

    Now that he''d mentioned it, Elias did look pale. Almost all the pigment from his skin was gone, and he looked like a ghost. That wasn''t a healthy complexion to have. It would be a good idea to bring him along.

    "Are you saying that you want to come?"

    He nodded.

    "Why didn''t you say that from the start?" Drew laughed with a mouthful of egg.

    Silence. Placing his piece of toast down, Elias left the table. He had barely eaten anything. Drew let out a troubled expression.

    "Thanks for the food. I''ll see you in an hour." He said, then marched back upstairs to his room.

    "Sure," Drew replied, looking at the mostly full plate.

    As he disappeared, Uncle Ryhard popped into the kitchen. He sighed, then rubbed his beard.

    "It seems your presence has motivated Elias to leave his room."

    "Does he not leave too often?"

    "Nowadays, once or twice a month. He used to always be out and about until the day he graduated from Compulsory Education. He was a smart kid and a social one, too, but on the day he graduated, he looked as though he had lost all purpose in his life. I don''t know what happened that day; he wouldn''t even tell me or Amina. We''ve done everything we could to help him-we''ve failed him."

    The Avian was at a complete loss for words.

    "I don''t know what to say..."

    "You and Elias are the same age. I presume he feels more comfortable around you because of that. After all, he hasn''t interacted with anyone his age in a long time."

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Drew stared at him intently, trying to understand. What was Elias hiding? Why did he hide it? If so, how bad was it to make him hole up in his room for the past few months?

    "You should get ready. I don''t want to burden you more than you already have."

    "It''s fine."

    "I''ll see you later. I''ve got to prep the shop. Also, after work, I''ll tell you more about what you need to know."

    With that, Uncle Ryhard disappeared onto the shop floor while Drew cleaned up the dishes, placing Elias''s leftovers in the fridge in case he wanted to finish them later. An hour passed, and Elias was waiting in the living room for Drew. He didn''t do much except throw on a gray sweatshirt and brush his hair, which made him look somewhat presentable.

    "You ready?" He asked in near whispers.

    "Yup," Drew smirked, putting on his father''s hat. "Let''s go."

    Leaving the building, the duo was greeted by the unpaved, dusty road that divided Glass Road from the Slums. The crumbling cement buildings that lined the street looked as though they were going to collapse any minute while the trash on the ground rolled like tumbleweeds, kicking up more dust as they passed.

    Across the street, the same thugs as yesterday were hanging out in a dark alleyway, leaning against one of the building''s walls, holding smoking cigarettes between their fingers. They glared at Elias and Drew like wolves, patiently waiting for their prey to fall into their claws. Walking across the silent street, Drew noticed the thugs emerging from the depths of the alley, stamping their feet on the cigarettes to put them out. They were going to tail them. Drew turned to Elias.

    "Is this normal?" He asked.

    Elias gave him a full reply for the first time since his arrival.

    "Yes, they will follow you as they have nothing better to do. They''re lowlifes who flunked out of Star."

    "I see." Drew nodded as they continued to walk, "What about you? Have they ever picked on you before?"

    Elias shook his head, the fat surrounding his cheeks bouncing up and down.

    "No, my father would beat them."

    "What about you?"

    "I can defend myself."

    "Those thugs over there are Low F-Rank Warriors." Drew continued, pointing behind them. "Speaking of which, what Rank are you in right now?"

    "Mid-F-Rank"

    The Avian''s eyes widened.

    "Mid-F-Rank!"

    He nodded, then looked down at the ground as if trying to recall something, "I would have been High F-Rank about now if circumstances didn''t happen."

    "Circumstances..."

    He paused, stopping dead in the middle of the road. Luckily, no cars or people were watching. His face twisted into one of pain and sorrow, one of loss. His muscles scrunched up underneath the layer of fat. His face was the same. The same as Drew''s when Uncle Winter died.

    Full of regret.

    Regret that he couldn''t save someone because he was too powerless. His hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into his skin, creating small indentations. He bit his lip to the point where it was about to bleed. His eyes welled up, and small streams of tears began to fall. Drew understood this feeling quite well. He was shocked. Everything went silent. The world stopped moving. Time stops, and it feels as though you are all alone. Drew''s emotions were brief, but Elias was a different case.

    It was clear that Elias had bottled his emotions for a long time, and Drew had accidentally, with his curiosity, pulled that trigger.

    "I''ll show you," Elias spoke, his breath staggering, making a mad dash down the street. He was running from his past. The past that he couldn''t tell his parents, the past that traumatized him to the bone, the past that forced him to hide in his room alone.

    Drew chased after Elias.

    He followed the footprints left in the dust, each one leaving a part of his story behind.

    The corpulent teen picked up his pace, sweat drenching his clothing, the heat from his face fogging his glasses. His face turned a tomato red. Drew was even surprised at how fast he could run. He could barely keep up despite his enhanced stamina and speed.

    They kept running. Occasionally, Drew looked back. The thugs tailing them earlier had fallen too far behind to keep up. Next thing he knew, they were no longer in sight, but Elias was still running at the same pace.

    They were reaching the end of Glass Road. The clear division between the poverty-stricken road and the bustling metropolis was growing clear with every stride they took. The paved cement roads and the high rises were now in their line of sight.

    Then, they came to a stop.

    It had been fifteen minutes, and they finally stopped before a small, crumbling, brick, three-story inn on the edge of Glass Road, right across from a gas station. Elias turned towards the entrance of the inn and crouched against the wall of the entrance, which was covered in smudged graffiti, the paint dyeing the ground in a myriad of colors nearly indistinguishable from one another.

    Drew had finally caught up with Elias, whose face became a complete mess. Tears rolled down the sides of his burning sides. The faint sound of sobbing escapes his lips. He crouched down for a moment. Arms were folded around his knees, and the sobbing grew louder. Drew crouched down at Elias''s level and stared at him.

    His mind shattered.

    It was sudden, and Drew found himself at a complete loss.

    "What happened?" Drew asked calmly.

    Elias looked up. His eyes were starting to get red and puffy. Rubbing them, he looked up at Drew.

    "I need to confront it. I need to confront it. I NEED TO CONFRONT IT! DAMN IT ELIAS!"

    "Does it have anything to do with this inn?" Drew asked.

    Elias nodded. Suddenly, the inn door opened. The little silver bells hanging off the doorknob chimed.

    "Mother of Kraus, he''s here again." The voice of a young girl emerged from the inn.

    Drew looked up.

    The voice came from a girl around their age. She had aquamarine hair fixed by golden clips into two ponytails. One short that came up to her chin on her left side and one on the right that went down to her abdomen. Her eyes were darker towards the top and lighter towards the bottom, with segmented heterochromia. Her skin was fair, but what stood out was her ears. They were sharper than a Human but less than a Llelf. Aside from her physical traits, she was dressed simply in a black windbreaker with a green tee underneath, which paired well with her brown khakis and generic white high-top sneakers.

    "I was just walking with him earlier. We chatted a bit before he darted in this direction." Drew said, unsure of what to do.

    He noticed the girl was about 160 centimeters, 15 centimeters shorter than himself. The girl glanced at Elias, who was in a pitiful state.

    "He does this every single time he comes." She said, wedging the doorstopper into the gap between the door and the sidewalk. She scurried over to Elias''s side, crouched down, and wrapped one of Elias''s heavy arms around her neck. "Help me out here and get him inside!"

    Drew nodded in agreement, helping the girl by taking Elias''s other arm.

    "Thanks."

    With their little strength, they helped the Human, who had lost all of his strength, up to his feet and into the dilapidated inn.

 Chapter 10: Someone To Speak With

    It took three minutes to get Elias inside.

    The interior of the inn was run down. The walls were cracking, and water was dripping from the ceiling. Wooden beams nailed to the concrete supported the crumbling building, and one could hear the sounds of some of the people in the other room. Sitting at a wooden table in the corner of what seemed to be a miniature lobby, Drew waited with Elias as the girl brought some paper cups of water over on a tray.

    "Sorry about the building; we''re about to undergo renovations in a couple days."  She apologized, placing the tray on the table and then taking a seat.

    "It''s okay," Elias muttered, "I''m sorry for breaking down in front of the inn again."

    "It''s fine," the girl replied, folding her hands over a paper cup, "I''m used to it now."

    Drew looked at the girl, "Thanks for doing that-"

    "Wannowa Haliya Louis," the girl answered as if reading Drew''s mind. "Just call me Wan. I''m the innkeeper''s daughter."

    "Thank you, Wan." Drew thanked Wan and then remarked as he observed Wan''s appearance. "You''re a Siren."

    She clicked her tongue and pointed a finger at Drew.

    "You''re are the second person to get that right. Everyone thinks I''m a Water Spirit."

    Sirens were a humanoid Race from the planet of Sierra. They were known for their beautiful appearances and melodious singing voice that Elves. Hence, they were known as the Elves of the Seas. However, Wan did not look like your typical Siren, being much more petite and baby-faced than the ones Drew had seen.

    "You have a slight accent when you speak. It doesn''t sound like it''s from Kraus."

    She grinned, almost proud to disprove Drew''s words, "I just happened to pick up my parent''s speaking style. They''re the ones from Sierra. And where are you  from? I haven''t seen you on Glass Road at all."

    I''m originally from the City Center but moved here yesterday into this guy''s place." Drew replied, then pointed to Elias, coughing his innards out and clearly couldn''t speak now, "Nice to make your acquaintance, Wan."

    "Nice to meet you too!"

    Drew then turned to Elias, "You said something happened here a few months ago. What happened?"

    Elias was silent. He took a sharp inhale and began to speak.

    "I think you guys know." He started, but the words stopped.

    "Let me explain." Wan continued for him, understanding what Elias was insinuating. "Nothing usually happens on Glass Road but a few months ago, a kid from the Slums committed suicide on the third floor of this Inn. It was a huge incident that played on the news for days. Pink-haired Platian guy who looked around our age."

    Drew glanced over at Elias, who acknowledged things with a simple nod. "That guy was my friend. It happened on the day I graduated from Compulsory Education. Since then, I fell into a slump and holed myself up in my room for the past few months. I couldn''t bear to even step outside until three months ago. I thought I could solve the issue alone; I didn''t want my parents to get involved with my troubles as their responsibilities already burdened them. I should''ve communicated with them sooner-��

    Wan gasped, dropping her cup, "So you were that guy who ran past me! That was you!"

    "Yes," he replied, recalling Wan''s appearance at the scene.

    Wan lowered her head, crushing the cup in her hands. She silently cursed before speaking, "I remember the incident vividly. The authorities didn''t take his body away..."

    "Because he was from the Slums," Drew interrupted, finishing her sentence.

    "Correct," Elias said, biting his lip. His cup of water was still full as ripples formed, his hands trembling with each one made. "They let him rot in the street until his family picked him up."

    >>>

    In Ozwarth, Slum residents are not recognized as official citizens. Because of this, they are often discriminated against when trying to apply for or receive some service from the government. In this world, they are classified as the lowest class, even lower than the Untouchables. If one dies, no one will care. At least, that''s what everyone else in the city thinks. After all, it''s considered taboo in Ozwarth to be associated with someone from the Slums. In Ozwarth''s glory, some hidden flaws remain underneath their so-called perfect society.

    >>>

    "I witnessed his fall, his death." Elias cried, then slammed the cup on the table. "His bloody body crumpled on the cold cement. But you know what frustrates me? The police just stood there. Laughing. Laughing." The Human chuckled bitterly. "I remember one saying: ''Finally, another street rat is dead. He deserved it after all the trouble he has caused us.'' Then he spat on the ground next to him. It was beyond despicable. But what could I do? I was powerless. I couldn''t prevent his death, which I know was caused by those officers. Ozwarth''s protectors? Don''t make me laugh. They''re all just twisted monsters who abuse their power!"

    Wan inhaled, then leaned back in her chair.

    "I won''t deny you on that part. I mean," Wan paused for a moment. "I went through something similar. My older brother was charged with sexual assault some time ago. We found out later that he didn''t do it and was used as the scapegoat for the crimes of a Parliament member who had most of Ozwarth��s police force under his thumb."

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    "What happened to him after that?" Drew asked.

    "He was eventually released once his name was cleared. Once he came back, he ran away. Everyone he knew turned their backs on him despite his name being cleared." The Siren scoffed, "I haven''t seen him in two years."

    Both the Avian and the Human were taken aback.

    "THIS SUCKS!" Elias fumed, slamming the table hard with his fist. "DO WE MEAN NOTHING TO THESE PEOPLE?! ARE WE PLAYTHINGS? ARE WE A JOKE? THEY''VE TRAMPLED ON US FOR SO LONG AND EXPECT OUR OBIDENCE?!"

    The Avian exhaled, "We live on a sixth-rate planet. Of course, this place is as backward as it gets. Who do you think runs this circus? Who do you think suffers the consequences? As long as the people remain powerless, their voices will never be heard."

    "Well, that system can go disintegrate into a black hole for all I care about." Elias turned to Drew and replied. His eyes, despite being swollen, were no longer cloudy.

    "So what will you do from here?" Wan asked, picking up her crumpled cup from the ground. "Can''t keep moping around and whining about a dastardly system."

    The Avian folded his arms, "That''s precisely the root of the problem."

    "Drew, Wan. Hear me out." The Human spoke in a calmer tone. "I''ve been screaming that I must overcome this, and I can''t see any other way to gain closure." Elias then pointed out the window to the towering Parliament building in the heart of the City Center. "I need to go there. I need to reach there!"

    "Have you lost your marbles?!" Wan shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth.

    "No, they''re all here. Thank you very much."

    "Mother of Kraus, how do you expect yourself to get into Parliament?!"

    In that moment, Drew sensed something. Something he saw in Elias that gave him a feeling of deja vu.

    Elias smirked, "There''s one place where the future leaders of Kraus are cultivated."

    "Star Military Academy," Drew said, his thoughts aligning with Elias. "But you would need to get in first. The bar is already high as is to get in solo."

    The Human tapped the table with one stubby finger.

    "Well, that''s where I have a proposition. I don''t plan on doing this solo." Elias smirked, seeming to have gotten some newfound motivation. "I would like to invite you both to join me in the Team Exam."

    >>>

    The Team Exam is different from the Standard Entrance Exam.

    As implied, a team of three to five examinees can take the Team Exam, while the Standard Entrance Exam is a solo exam. The Standard Entrance Exam has requirements that are different from those of the Team Exam. While the Entrance Exam was split into three parts, the Team Exam was divided into two; however, both exams share the same first part, the Written Exam. This Exam tested the individual on the main subjects taught in Kraus''s education system up to the graduate level of Compulsory Education, including History, Literature, Mathematics, and Sciences.

    The second part of the Team Exam is the Practical Exam. A team will enter an arena, and robots that imitate Warriors of different Classes will be sent out. The goal is to wipe out as many robots as possible before time runs out or the team surrenders. The minimum to pass was twenty robots, which was not easy. However, even if a team passes this round, all team members must pass the Written Exam to be accepted into Star. Despite this being the quote-on-quote easier exam, the Written Exam tends to end the Team Exam more so than the practical exam. That''s why not many people take the Team Exam unless they are confident their members can pass both portions.

    >>>

    Drew was aware of this, so he decided to speak up.

    "I''ll agree to your proposition. Getting into Star has always been on the agenda. But are you sure we can pass?"

    Wan propped her hand against her cheek.

    "I''ll also accept your proposal. We have about five months. What Rank are you guys right now?"

    "We''re both Mid F-Rank," Elias responded, pointing to Drew.

    Wan flicked her hair back, "Same here. If we want to guarantee a pass, we''ll need to reach High F-Class; at least, that''s what the forums said."

    Drew placed a hand under his chin.

    "It''s feasible. Getting to Mid-F Rank should only take three months if we set our minds to it."

    "Since we''re all on the same page here. I might as well ask. What are your Abilities?" Elias asked. "If we want to pass, we need to know each other like the back of our hands."

    Wan opened her hand, and a small golden sigil with a lightning bolt symbol hovered above it.

    "[Panel], a D-Ranked Support Ability. I can create Panels with different effects and change their size. The only ones I can make are [Sleep] and [Paralysis]. However, I need a clear mark on my target for the Panels to work.��

    Elias stared at the floating panel.

    ��How long does each panel last?��

    ��It can last for however long I need it to. Once cast, it won��t disappear unless I��m dead or my Otrio runs out. But the price for that is the Otrio cost. Each cast requires 30 Krasos, no matter how big or small."

    "How about you, Elias?�� Drew inquired, placing his elbows on the table.

    Elias responded, ��I have two. The first is the one you saw earlier: [Speed] an E-Ranked Ability. I can double my base speed, which is why I was able to run here quickly.��

    ��That makes so much sense!�� Drew exclaimed, wondering how Elias was able to do so earlier.

    He continued, ��The second one is [Weapons Swap]. It��s a C-Rank Ability, but it works best when I��m in a team. As it implies, I can swap weapons with anyone and use the Skills stored in that weapon. I could potentially get the Skill as well. Of course, there are some drawbacks. The first one is that I can only swap weapons that have been used by someone else, as there are Skills embedded in them. The second is, if I wanted to take a Skill permanently, that would require me to take the weapon and practice with that weapon ten thousand times for a guaranteed take. If I were to take a Skill in battle, it would only come down to luck; the chances of me taking a Skill are so slim that it��s not worth mentioning. Third, I can only use the Skills in the weapon if I��m holding the weapon. Finally, my body has to handle the strain of the Skill.��

    ��The conditions for your Ability to work are stringent. No wonder why you suggested we do the Team Exam.�� Drew nodded.

    ��Guilty as charged. Drew?��

    ��My Ability is [Aegis].�� Drew activated a disk-sized [Aegis] and let it float on his palm. There was no need for him to explain its notoriety. "I can move [Aegis] around 50 kilometers per hour within a ten-meter radius. I can also change its size, but it��s limited. Furthermore, I can use it as a platform.��

    ��Can you attack with it?�� Wan asked, tossing Elias''s empty cup at him.

    Drew flicked the disc-sized Aegis at the cup at top speed. To his surprise, it cut it cleanly in half like a knife cutting butter.

    ��I didn��t know [Aegis] could be used offensively. I��ve only seen it used defensively,�� Elias said in awe.

    Drew stared at the severed cup.

    ��It appears so.��

    ��Are there any flaws?��

    ��Aside from casting time and the amount of power it can absorb. I don��t think so.��

    ��Bull,�� Elias cursed. ��This ranking system is rigged! From what I��ve seen, it seems more useful than a D-Rank Ability! Heck, C-Rank!��

    ��Eh, Rank means nothing in the face of utility.�� Wan said, picking up the tray from the table.

    Drew chuckled. ��I like your thinking, Wan.��

    Elias applauded in agreement.

    "We have just under five months before the Team Exam takes place. Any second thoughts?"

    ��None here.�� Wan shrugged, giving a thumbs-up.

    ��Same,�� Elias said, rubbing his bulging stomach, "Though, I need to get back in shape.��

    With a shared goal in mind, the formation of this impromptu team inside the rundown inn at the edge of Glass Road would be the beginning of a story immortalized in the records of the Cerber System.

    ��Let��s do this.��

 Chapter 11: Happy Day

    Saying their goodbyes, Drew and Elias left the inn. Starting next week, they will begin to prep seriously for the Team Exam. It was two in the afternoon, and the heat from the two suns shining over Kraus began to fade. Walking back from the inn, Drew and Elias encountered the thugs from earlier. They were standing in another alleyway like lowlifes with nothing better to do than smoking their weed and taking large amounts of cocaine. It seems like they recovered quickly from all that running earlier. Ignoring the duo, the thugs retreated farther into the alleyway, a couple of them shuddering.

    ��They have nothing better to do,�� Drew remarked as he watched their backs fade into the darkness.

    ��After my father gave them a good beating, they just walk around Glass Road aimlessly.��

    ��You mentioned earlier that they flunked out of Star. Do you know why?��

    Elias nodded, ��Everyone on Glass Road knows.��

    ��The guy with the red shirt and bleached blond hair is Price, the leader. He��s a year older than us, and so are his buddies. The one wearing the sunglasses is Kenneth, and the one with the skull-patterned bandanna is Riush. They used to be part of Star��s Genius Class. ��

    Drew��s eyes widened.

    ��The Genius Class! How? They��re Low F-Rank.��

    ��That��s because they weren��t Low F-Rank. Price used to be Mid-E Rank while Kenneth and Riush were Low E-Rank."

    ��Even so,�� Drew began furrowing his brows, ��they still couldn��t have gotten into the Genius Class with their current Class.��

    ��You''re right!�� Elias continues, his expression turned dark. ��They were the only team in their year to get a full score on the Team Exam two years ago.��

    ��The only team?��

    ��Yeah, a hundred teams took part in that Team Exam,  but only fifteen passed while one got a full score. That team was Price��s. They may be stoners, but they used to be up there.��

    ��Were they from Glass Road?��

    ��No.�� Elias replied, ��Price was from a family of politicians that lived in Highland Hills. Kenneth is from a family of Alchemists who are directors at Ozwarth��s Medical Facility, while Riush is from a family of movie stars. You may know one of them, Albert Francisco. He''s Riush��s older brother.��

    >>>

    Highland Hills is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods in Ozwarth, with estates ranging from 10 million Kalas up to 25 million Kalas. Many prominent figures in Ozwarth live there, including some Royals. Ozwarth��s Medical Facility is the best medical facility in Kraus and is ranked in the top 50 in the Orion Alliance. And who in the Orion Alliance doesn��t know Albert Francisco? He��s played the male lead in many of the Orion Alliance''s top films. Not only that, but he''s also a military superstar ranked 449 in the Orion Alliance. He was basically a household name on Kraus.

    >>>

    ��To think they were all from prominent families,�� Drew said in awe, rubbing his chin.

    "Yeah," Elias nodded, looking up at the sky. "But they were exiled from their families after they were crippled in the battle for a spot at the Intergalactic Meet last year."

    "Crippled? By who?"

    "Nicholas Goujian and his team. They destroyed their Otrio cores, causing their Abilities to regress back to Low F-Class. Due to this, they were placed in Star''s Low Class for a couple of months before dropping out. Next thing you know, they''re wasting their lives out here in this dump."

    This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    "Everyone here seems to have it rough."

    "That''s why it''s called Glass Road."

    "Huh?"

    Elias smiled.

    "It''s because we have all been shattered at one point. All the residents of Glass Road are haunted by their pasts, and we keep looking back at them through some lens. It shatters us over and over again. No matter how many times we try to escape from it, it comes back to haunt us. We are broken a hundred, no, a thousand times till our mentality snaps, but eventually, we keep going. We are resilient. We try to break the ''glass'' that prevents us from moving on no matter how long it takes, but now I know. To shatter the glass, you need people you can rely on.  You don''t realize it, but you and Wan have shattered mine. Now, I can focus on what I have to do."

    Drew looked at Elias. He began to understand that both of them shared more in common than he initially thought they would.

    "I didn''t do much." The Avian admitted. "However, when I saw you, I saw myself. Both of us clinging tightly to what has been, wallowing in our sorrow, wondering how we could''ve changed the past." Drew then held out his fist. "But that''s not possible. It''s not like we have a time machine on hand. Instead, we should live on. Live on and make the people who''ve passed through our lives proud that we remembered them and have grown stronger from their influence."

    Elias grinned, though straining to through the stiffness of his face from breaking down earlier, and fist-bumped Drew. "I like your thinking."

    >>>

    The duo arrived back home with large smiles curling on their faces. Uncle Ryhard looked at the duo and cried. Tears began to well up in his eyes, but he wiped them away with the back of his greasy sleeve to ensure he wasn''t just imagining things. For the first time since he shut himself in, Elias smiled. It wasn''t some forced smile but a real, genuine smile. He had tried so hard to help his son out of his slump, but all his efforts were in vain.

    But something happened today. Something on their outing must''ve caused this change. It was very astonishing! Too abnormal! What happened to make him change this quickly? Then he saw the duo. A wave of nostalgia overtook his mind. The events before him made it seem like history was repeating itself. Seeing Drew''s back, he saw him, Drew''s father��a spitting image of him. Ryhard felt grateful.

    <i>Gareth, your son has grown up to become a fine young man.</i>

    Drew turned to Uncle Ryhard, who was rubbing his eyes in disbelief.

    "We''re back, Uncle Ryhard." He called,d waving to him.

    Then, Elias turned to his father and grinned.

    "I''m home, father."

    Those three words. At that moment, just three words made Uncle Ryhard feel as if he were the happiest man alive. His son had rebounded from whatever event traumatized him, and he was back to being better than ever. He couldn''t hold it back anymore. He was going to cry. Not tears of sorrow but tears of happiness. Auntie would be ecstatic to know that her son, no, their son, had returned.

    "Welcome home," he sniffed, "Son."

    >>>

    Hours passed, and Auntie had just arrived back from work, but her son was with them instead of being greeted by just her husband and Drew. For the first time in months, Elias had come out of his room and greeted her in person. He even helped make dinner, just like the good old days. She could not help but be ecstatic. She tossed off her heels and jumped on top of her son. She could finally embrace him after so long, and he embraced her.

    "I''m sorry," she sniffled as the makeup on her face began to smudge, the mascara painting her face with a nasty blue. "I''m so sorry, Elias."

    Elias, a head taller, patted his mother on the back.

    "You did nothing wrong. It''s my fault. I''m sorry I never told you or Father what happened. I should have said something earlier."

    Drew remained silent and leaned against the wall, watching the scene play out.

    She broke away from his embrace and patted his flabby shoulders. She stammered, "Why? How?"

    "It''s all thanks to Drew and Wan." He said, pointing to Drew.

    Drew nodded in acknowledgment.

    Auntie smiled.

    "Thank you," she said, hugging Drew in gratitude. "You also mentioned Wan. The innkeeper''s daughter?"

    "Yeah." Drew nodded. "She deserves most of the credit."

    Uncle Ryhard chuckled, "The Louis''s are known for their kindness."

    "Yeah," Elias beamed.

    Suddenly, a mischievous smirk materialized on Auntie''s and Uncle''s faces.

    "I feel our son may have fallen for that Wan girl. Don''t cha think, honey?" Auntie said, stroking her chin.

    "What?" Elias screamed, his face flushing red, "No, that''s not it! I''m just thankful for what she has done for me. It''s simply gratitude!"

    "Hmm." Uncle Ryhard nodded. "You should bring her over."

    Elias backed away.

    "You both are blowing this out of proportion! Drew, help me!"

    "Sorry," Drew snickered. "You''re on your own for this one."

    "Oh, Sonny," Auntie said as an evil smile formed. "You''re going to answer all our questions over dinner."

    A shrill scream escaped the Human''s mouth. His glasses fogged till his eyes were no longer visible.

    "MOTHER OF KRAUS! HELP ME!"