Kane woke up after a few hours of sleep and he was welcomed by the bittersweet aroma of coffee. He opened his eyes and saw the girl named Erin seated on the couch near the bed—drinking coffee while reading a book.
“You’re awake now?” Erin smiled and stood up. She opened a lunchbox and gave it to Kane. “You should eat first.”
“I still don’t remember you.” Kane took the lunchbox and tear open the plastic that held the disposable spoon and fork. “You are my friend, right?”
Erin smiled and nodded. “It’s okay if you don’t remember. Xander and I will help you recover.”
“Who is Xander?” Kane asked as he took a spoonful of rice and a bite of meat.
“He is one your friends. The three of us were close enough to spend time and eat at your place after classes.” Erin took a sip of her coffee as she continued to watch him eat.
While munching on
“What do I want to do from now on?” Kane mumbled to himself as he dropped himself on the bed. It was past midnight but his mind was still active and he could not sleep.He looked outside the window and sighed. He had no family that would look for him. He was a test subject. He only had two friends. There might be a heavy reason why his mind decided to shut down and bury all his memories. Would it be worthy to continue to live how he lived before?He sighed. He was not sure if losing his memories was a sign for him to not pursue his old life. Mr. Romero explained to him that his memory loss was caused by a psychological phenomenon and not because of physical trauma. It meant that his mind was caused to shut down by a certain experience.Would giving up his old life be the right answer? He was not sure, but he wanted to know the answer soon. He needed to tread carefully since his life would change exponentially depending on his decision.Kane wo
“Kane!” Mr. Romero called out to him with his eyes wide open. It was already his second time witnessing the bloodthirsty side of Kane. He only read about such phenomenon in journals since he had no opportunity to witness it, but it seemed like Kane was in the process of devouring.“Mr. Romero…” Kane trembled as if he was just realizing what he had been doing. He looked at the people on the ground, swimming in their own blood. “I swear… I didn’t intend to end up this way.”Kane was afraid. It was as if there was a monster inside him that took over. He indulged himself with the pleasure of bringing pain to others without really thinking of the consequences. One thing was sure—he was not in his right mind while he did that.“It’s good that you still have your rational self,” Mr. Romero said as he called Abner to clean up Kane’s mess again. “Can you tell me what happened on t
Erin looked at the clock and sighed. She still had two hours until they were dismissed. Her mind was already on AC and she just wanted the time to pass so that she could go there and visit Kane.“Have you heard the news?” Xander sat beside her. It was their last class and it happened to be a joint class with Erin’s class.“News about? If it was something unnecessary, you don’t have to share it with me.” Erin docked her head on the table.“It’s about AC. I heard that they have a valuable test subject in their research department and that the subject had been assassinated last night.” Xander pulled his lollipop out of his mouth before he faced Erin. “Don’t you think it was a waste? That was a valuable test subject that would help deepen AC’s understanding of awakeners, but now it’s dead.”Erin looked at Xander with wide-open eyes. “What did you say?”&ldqu
The sun was about to rise when the plane landed. Kane took his bag and went out of the plane with an expectant heart. He knew that he was still two hours away from his destination but he was already in the capital city of the southwest region.“Mr. Kane Silva?” A man in a suit was holding a cardboard with his new name on it. “I am Clay Ronaldo and I was the one sent by Mr. Romero to bring you to your apartment.”Kane nodded his head and followed him. He held the strap of his bag tighter as he entered the car. The moment that the car stopped, he was sure that his life would have a great turn.Kane Silva.Mr. Romero told him that he would pose as his nephew who lived abroad. He would live in an apartment owned by him and there he would start his training.B-Class. He just had to tell them that he was a B-Class awakener so that not much attention would be given to him.The old man made sure to provide him the documents t
“Are you ready to shop for today, Kane?” Clay asked as he started driving the car. They were headed to the capital city to buy some of his daily necessities since he had nothing except for the bag that contains his important documents and wallet.He only got 50,000 Php as an advance payment from Mr. Romero and he would be taking the rent from his monthly wage. Would that be enough? Since he forgot the value of money, he was not sure if what he had would even last him a week. However, Mr. Romero messaged him and told him that he could apply as a hunter there to get an additional income.“You’re still a student, right?” Clay asked him. “Are you thinking of enrolling in a university here? Though you could have just asked your uncle to enroll you in the best university that is located there.”“Do I have to? Since it was already the middle of the semester, I still have a few months to think about whether I’d resum
“Excuse me, can I sit here?” The woman smiled when she asked the man who saved her using a sweet and polite tone. The man seemed familiar and she had the feeling that it was the same man who rescued her last night when she was almost kidnapped.“No can do,” Kane blurted without even looking at her. “You already have a spot so please just stay there and let us eat peacefully.”Clay almost choked when he heard Kane’s reply. Just what the heck was wrong with that man? He saved her but now he was being totally rude toward her!He looked at the woman expecting her to have a hurt or offended expression but the woman just smiled and sat on the seat beside Kane. Did she not hear what he said or did she just choose to ignore him?“Thank you.”Kane did not even try to hide it when he rolled his eyes. He continued eating while ignoring the woman while the woman ate while glancing at him from time to time.<
Kane woke up early and went for a jog. Fortunately, there were parks near him where he could go jogging even when he was in the countryside. He thought that living in the countryside would mean that he would live somewhere near the sea or near the farms. He was actually relieved that the place where Mr. Romero sent him was a civilized one.He took his phone and plugged his earphone before he started jogging. The first reason was to keep him from being bored and the second reason was to block the noise around him. He savored the wind blowing past him as he ran.That was the peace that he had been looking for. Though he could not remember, Kane seemed to be yearning for that kind of serenity. Even just for a day, he planned to set aside everything and just let himself do the things he wanted to do. He was sure that after that day, he would be busy training his ability and suppressing the monster within him.As the sun started rising, Kane tried to make his senses
After that talk, Kane messaged Mr. Romero and asked if he had details on people who were awakened with polymorphic abilities. He received the message the next morning so he asked Clay to give him a bit of time before they go to the hunter’s guild.He scanned the information that Mr. Romero sent him and grinned. He was not sure about the extent of his abilities and he wanted to try the process that was started in the documents. If he succeeded, then he might provide the researchers with additional information about his S-Class ability.He read the instructions once more before he went to his room and locked himself inside. He recalled what he just read and started thinking about the parts of his face that he wanted to change. First, the color of his hair. Then, his eye shape and color. Lastly, his complexion. He wanted his white skin to be a little tanner since it did not suit the place.He took a deep breath as he visualized his mana channels within
Dio decided to spend his last day in Arnea City in a very productive way-- to stay inside his room and sleep for a day. He was set to do it though Blur had been whining to go around the city before they leave.He had no choice but to go with Blur or else, he would keep chanting on his head. His hands were inside his pocket while blur was on to of his head as they strode along the market streets.‘Are you having fun?’ He asked his bond through telepathy.‘I think it would be more fun if I could eat some meat.’Dio could imagine his bond grinning from ear to ear when he entered a tavern. “Please give me 4 sets of meat dishes. Just pick the best selling ones.”‘Dio, are you rich?’ Blur’s voice sounded excited as he looked around.‘Maybe? My grandfather left me a lot of money.’He rested his head on the table and closed his eyes. He just wanted a peaceful sleep but he was being push around by a pet. Since when did he become a pushover?‘I’m not your pet.’“Yeah. Whatever,” he mumbled agai
“Dio. . .”The voice that he knew so much called out to him. He smiled as he held his mother’s hand and gently tugged her dress. “Mother, I saw a very beautiful flower over there!”His mother let out a soft laugh before following his lead. They stopped at the corner of the garden then the he pointed at the budding flower.“Look at how small it is, mother!” He was delighted to show it to her and he was happier when her mother tousled his hair.“It’s a beautiful budding flower, just like Dio.” His mother gave him a gentle smile.His brows furrowed in curiosity. “Like me?”His mother nodded. “Just like Dio, this flower will grow to be amazing.”“Will I be someone amazing when I grow up, Mother?”“Of course. Dio was born to be someone strong and amazing, after all.” His mother gently touched his cheek. “Will you promise me that you’ll be someone whom the weak can depend on?”He smiled cheerfully. “Of course, Mother. I’ll grow strong to be someone who will take the side of the weak and not
“Uhmm.” The lady fidgeted before she took the courage to hold the hem of Dio’s shirt. “Can I at least know your name? I am Cassandra, the youngest daughter of Duke Riva.”The sun was already up and they were nearing the entrance where the gates were located. Cassandra wanted to know the name of her savior before they depart. She wanted to make sure that she would be able to repay him if ever they would meet again.“My name is Dio, my lady.” Dio looked towards the direction of the western gates where knights were coming back and forth. “Perhaps, did you run away from your knights?”Cassandra blushed as she looked down in embarrassment. “Will you keep it a secret?”Dio nodded. “I guess this is where we depart.” He turned towards the gate to Arnea and started walking but he stopped when Cassandra tugged on his shirt.“T-thank you for saving and protecting me.”Dio looked back and stared at her for a while. “You are quite timid for a noble.”“Do you need a reward? I could arrange for it.”
After the topic of his light-colored hair, an awkward silence ensued between the two of them as they walked towards the entrance not knowing that a disaster was waiting to fall upon them. Unfortunately, even though the lady basilisk let them go; another one was waiting right around corner. Without making a noise, the smaller basilisk which happened to be the younger brother of the lady basilisk that guarded the mountain bit Dio on his shoulder.“Argh!” Dio groaned in pain when he failed to dodge the surprise attack. He immediately pulled her to the other side to evade the serpent-like beast.Dio held his bleeding shoulder and the lady’s hand trembled in fear as she panicked not knowing what to do. Dio gritted his teeth, the pain coming from the clash between the basilisk’s venom and his healing abilities made him feel wobbly.“W-what should I do?” The lady exclaimed as she tried to wipe Dio’s blood as they ran.“Calm down,” Dio said in a hushed voice as he pulled her to hide behind a
After jumping off the tree, Dio followed the direction of the voice until she saw a lady who seemed to be the same age as him. She was slowly dragging herself backwards as the basilisk in front of her slowly moved forward.“Help me… Help me… Help me…” The girl continued to mumble.Dio stared at the girl who was no more less than a noble. Her ripped dress looked like something that was used to be on display at the capital’s boutiques, her fair white skin which was touched with shallow cuts probably caused by the branches when she ran, and her red hair with a gray hue signified that she was indeed a noble lady.He shook his head when she saw how the lady’s body trembled in fear but still managed to contain it in front of an S-class beast before he stepped out to show himself.“Excuse me,” he said to catch the attention of the lady as well as the basilisk.The lady probably noticed him since his voice was loud enough to resonate in the area. Her eyes grew wide as she lifted her hands to
It took Dio a few more days to collect himself. Knowing fully well that he wouldn’t die easily unless he commit suicide, he decided to just continue what he had been doing-- walking without moving forward. Besides, it wasn’t that bad to comply with his grandfather’s last request: live on.Dio found himself staring at his grandfather’s grave once again. This time, he was neat-looking and well prepped. Unlike the past days when his body hasn’t been washed and covered with sweat, dirt and tears.“Should I go on an adventure?” He stood up and put his hands on his pocket. It was more of a question for himself than to Archie. Dio lost motivation to continue living but he remembered his grandfather’s words.“I need to get moving, Gramps. Please rest in peace.” He bowed in a ninety-degree posture before leaving. As he turned his back on his grave, he felt a pang in his chest. Just the mere thought of leaving the place where he spent his days with his grandfather tore his heart into pieces.He
Dio opened his eyes and he saw the dark sky above him. He looked around and realized that he was still at the alley where the boys left him. He touched his side and felt disappointed when he felt the dried blood but the stab wound was completely healed.His restoration ability was something that he inherited from his mother. It would be hard to kill him unless his heart or brain was crushed or he suffered from too much blood loss that his restoration wouldn’t be able to keep up. Though they can heal and regenerate, they could still feel the pain.“What a lousy bunch. They couldn’t even do a good job of killing me,” he mumbled as he stood up. His stomach grumbled when he smelled the aroma of grilled meat just right outside the alley. He sighed before moving his feet and walked towards the store.“2 chicken skewers, please.” He took out 4 copper coins from his space ring and gave it to the vendor. The vendor gave him his order and he went on his way. Once again, he let his feet walk aim
Dio threw the shovel to the side after he finished burying his grandfather’s remains. He sat on the ground with his legs crossed as he stared at his grandfather’s tomb. He played with the ring on his finger, the last thing that his grandfather gave him, as he sighed repeatedly.“Heir apparent.” He sighed after reading the letters carved into the ring. If it was the reason why his grandfather wanted him to live on, then it would be useless. He threw everything away that day and nothing was left for him to live for.He poured mana onto the ring and a magic circle appeared in front of him. He already expected that it would be a space ring, yet his lips curved upwards when he realized that he was right. He peeked at the contents of the dimension storage and he shook his head in disbelief. In the end, his grandfather prepared everything for him to live a good life. It was obvious with the stack of gold and jewelries that he found inside as well as the amount of high-quality potions that he
While Dio was on an adventure with Matt, Archie was preparing something. He was putting the gold bars he collected for more than eight years to a spatial bag. Then he moved to the medicine cabinet and moved the highest quality magic and health potions as well. After putting a couple more items necessary for survival he then entered his room and opened a hidden door under his bed. He opened a chest full of magic crystals and lastly, he took a twin dagger hidden in the chest and moved them all to the bag. He opened his space ring and put the bag in there with a sigh.“This should be enough,” he mumbled as he put the ring on his pinky finger.He went back to the store when he heard a sudden knock.“I hope you’re ready.”“I’ve been waiting for you.” Archie let out a dark smile.“Dio!” Matt called out to the kid who was suddenly attack by a canis. They were just a few meters away from the heart of the forest when a pack of canis attacked them.Matt kicked a small canis who stood on his way