I never considered myself an orphan. I had my annoying uncle, after all.
There is a strange weight in the word orphan. It implies emptiness. A missing piece. A clean absence.
My life has never been clean. But it has always been empty.
I know I have family. I know someone who burned dinner more often than he cooked it. Someone who shouted too loudly and cared too much. That counts for something.
And yet here I am.
Sitting in a civic office in Eden City, listening to the soft scratch of a pen as a woman with a warm voice writes my name into a record.
The building hums gently. Not the strained hum of overworked conduits. Not the grinding tremor of mines. This hum is steady. Healthy. The entire city feels like it is breathing.
Name: Samael
Last Name: Unknown
Age: 16
Date of Birth: October 18th
Known Relatives: Apparent Uncle
"You're not in trouble," the woman says gently with a low sigh.
I hadn't asked.
"We received a report from a citizen who was concerned. You were alone for quite some time, and with your condition…"
Condition? There was nothing wrong with me, right?
Translation. Blindfolded boy with hair too dark, skin too pale, and eyes that unsettle people when they accidentally see them.
The report apparently said I was neglected. Malnourished. Unsupervised.
The mine manager would disagree. I almost let out a snicker at my own cruel joke.
"I'm fine," I say, indifferent to my current condition.
"I'm sure you are," she replies, and she sounds like she means it. "But Eden City doesn't leave children unattended. Even capable ones."
Capable.
That is better than neglected.
"You'll stay at the North Garden Residence for now," she continues. "It's an orphanage in name only. Think of it as a shared home. And you'll be enrolled in the Appe Attunement Academy."
Academy.
Not rationing.
Not regulation.
Attunement.
Here, everyone learns Wave.
Freely.
Weird name though...
The North Garden Residence smells like citrus and clean stone.
There are actual gardens. I can feel the soft tremble of leaves in the wind through the courtyard floor. Children run. Laugh. Their footsteps are chaotic but joyful, not desperate.
Someone grabs my hand.
"Are you new?"
Her voice is bright. Too bright.
It almost reminded me of Eda, just without the undertone of mockery.
"Yes."
"I'm Liora," she says. "Don't worry. Everyone's weird here at first."
Weird.
That is closer to the truth.
No one recoils from me. No one whispers loud enough for me to hear. There is curiosity, yes. But not fear.
They ask before touching my blindfold.
They ask before guiding me.
It is…unsettling.
Appe Attunement Academy stands at the center of Eden City like a beacon.
I cannot see it, but I can feel it.
The entire structure vibrates with layered Wave. Controlled. Harmonized. Hundreds of students practicing at once, their energies weaving together instead of clashing.
I can tell this school is the epitome of prestigie in this era. In my time, this would be nothing more than a myth that was only factual to the wealthy of Length.
But here…it's for all to visit…
Inside, the classrooms are open and feel bright. Not dull and lifeless, but an area for comfort and learning. I sat down at my desk, feeling its smoothness; it was almost surreal and unnerving.
In the pocket under the desk was a book. A real book. Fully complete in all its pages, with a front and a back. I have never touched one of these things in my life. Honestly, I wasn't even sure they really existed.
Some stare at my blindfold.
I blink twice behind it, feeling their stares of curiosity.
One boy speaks up. "Is that a focus technique? Or a Wave medium?"
What the hell were those? They sounded like foreign concepts to me, so I only responded with what sounded sensible in my head.
"No," I say.
"Oh...That's still cool."
Cool.
I am not sure what that is supposed to mean. These people are weird.
The instructor enters.
He does not radiate authority through pressure. His Wave hum is relaxed, expansive, like a tide resting against the shore.
"Welcome, everyone," he says with enthusiasm. "What is Wave?"
The question was sudden, as it was simple. But, I could not answer. How could I answer such a question in an era like this?
"Energy."
"Light."
"Life."
Some students answer with either vigor or a sureness in their answer.
Weapon. Currency. Hierarchy.
That's what I thought it was. No, that is what I knew it was, and what it was going to be.
He writes across the board with some type of pen. It leaves not only a physical trace but also traces of wave. Forming letters and shapes.
Maybe this was also a form of Wave sense training?
"All matter is Wave. All life is resonance. In Eden City, we study Wave not to control one another, but to understand ourselves and the world around us."
The class hums in agreement. Some students absentmindedly glow faintly as they listen.
"We will begin with identification. You will find yourselves aligned with a primary spectrum. Whether that be Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, or Violet. Everyone is born with a wavelength they are instinctually attuned with. This will decide your Wave."
The words of the charismatic teacher hover in the air.
Some students already knew their alignment, some will discover it first here today.
"Wave is something of abundance...but is not something that is limitless. We, as humans, all have a ceiling. It can be as high as the heavens itself, or as tall as a blade of grass."
Students listened intuitively. I did as well. I did not know how long I was going to be here, or if I was going to be here forever. But, I needed to take this time to learn as much as I can just in case of the worse.
The teacher's voice shifted a bit. It got lower. More serious and darker than before.
"Within our human shells, when our capacity is met and you have loss control of you Wave, there can and will be dire consequences."
The students tensed at their teacher's sudden seriousness.
"There are 5 tiers of Wave attunement."
I lean in forward a bit. This was a crucial moment to learn more not only about myself but also about those of The Length District.
The rest of the class did as well, wondering what tier they would be.
1. Tier 5 – Basic Light Manipulation (Lowest Rank)
"Users can manipulate their respective light wavelength but cannot affect physical matter. Light bending for minor illusions or visibility control. This is the most basic and simplest form of Wave where mostly everyone starts."
Example:
"A red Wave user can generate faint red light but not fire. A Blue Wave user can create a weak glow of blue light but cannot affect water."
2. Tier 4 – Elemental Control (Pre-Manifestation Stage)
"Users in this tier can manipulate elements. However, they cannot generate them on their own."
Example:
"A Tier 5 blue Wave user can manipulate rainwater or existing ice but cannot create it themselves. This is the transitional stage before full manifestation."
I stiffen a bit in realization.
This was definitely the tier of the mine manager. I grit my teeth just thinking about him. The sound of the flicking lighter. The fire. The feeling. Eda. The burning and the smell. The death.
The sound of the teachers continued explanation snaps me back to reality.
3. Tier 3 – Elemental Manifestation (Intermediate Users)
"Users can manifest physical elements related to their wavelength (water, fire, wind, etc.). Stronger control over the density and intensity of light. Requires training and a deep connection to their Wave."
Example:
"A Blue Wave user can generate lightning. A Green Wave user can manipulate winds and plant growth at this stage."
4. Tier 2 – Advanced Wavelength Manipulation (Elite Users)
"Users can bend their wavelength to influence both energy and matter. Can create constructs, barriers, or enhance their bodies using Wave. Control extends beyond their element, but also their products and byproducts."
Example:
"A Violet Wave user can distort space or use short-range teleportation. An Orange Wave user can produce intense heat waves beyond just fire. A Blue Wave user could manipulate ice and liquid states of water all at once or in rapid succession."
5. Tier 1 – World Shapers (Masters of Wave)
"Mastery over their Wave, affecting matter at an atomic or molecular level. Can influence the environment on a grand scale (e.g., summon massive storms, shift landscapes). Can overwrite weaker Waves, altering reality in localized areas."
He paused before chuckling a bit and continuing.
"Although this is simply a theoretical level. There has been no one to show such power and control yet in the world, so don't get your hopes up yet."
Some kids sigh or groan, definitely taking a hit to their imaginations.
But I knew something they didn't. This level of power sounded like The Seven. The bastards who are the main reason for the way my future.
My present?
Who knows anymore, but they were the reason the world works how it does.
The reason the slums live in darkness, and the reason we starve while they thrive.
Example:
"A powerful Indigo Wave user can warp gravity or create void-like distortions. A Green Wave master can terraform landscapes, bending the world to their will."
With that long explanation, and how honed in I was on the lesson. I realize some kids were taking notes.
"Dammit," I silently curse to myself. But before I could ask for anything to write with, the teachers spoke up again. This time with an almost solemn tone.
"With how powerful Wave is. We have limits, and that is where Spectral Drifting comes into play. Or simply The Drifting."
My breath hitched a bit. It sounded ominous. Like something that would consume you just from uttering its name.
'The Drifting is what happens when a person's Wave destabilizes. Whether that be from over using it completely, or not having control over it at all. The Drifting comes in many phases...and depending on the person, it will come in many forms of destruction."
The teacher seemed almost reluctant to continue on. Probably not wanting to scare the kids he was teaching too much.
Stage 1. (Emotional Drift) - Color is known to affect the psyche, and most users, as Tier 6 and 5 experience this drawback the most. Their emotions often reflecting their Wave color because of the lack of control and experience. Simply training and gaining an understanding of your abilities will stabilize the resonance between Body, Mind, and Wave.
Example:
"A Red Wave user may experience a feeling of intense rage and is more prone to angry outbursts. Or they may feel intense love, or lust for someone, depending on the type of person they are."
That didn't seem so bad. At least not to me. But also maybe that is why people say I am so gloomy? Nah, that can't be.
Stage 2. (Palette Drift) - "Color from their body is now fading, the world around them is now slowly becoming the color of their Weave. Slowly losing the ability to see any color outside of their own Wave. Their vision slowly taken over by their very own power. At this level, only Tier 4 and above users can save you and stabilize your Wave before you reach the final stage. Anchoring your form and Wave with their own can keep you human. However, you will no longer be able to see any color but your own Wave. Your body will gain color but that of your Wave, and at this point your emotional mindset may be affected too much and is possibly permanent."
I raise an eyebrow at this. It almost sounded like my own predicament, only a little less severe. They still saw color, and they still saw the correct shapes in their own respective color.
However, I could not see the colors of the world, and I could only see blurs of what people would call shapes. Settling for only outlines of the surrounding people.
"The last and final stage is rare and barely happens, so do not worry too much about ever finding yourself in this situation." The teacher said, trying to uplift the mood even if slightly.
However, his next words definitely made that attempt for nothing.
Stage 3. (The Shape) - "You are nothing. A husk of what you would once call a human being. Your own Wave consumes you fully, destabilizing you on an atomic level. Being nothing but a shape, only carrying two circles where your eyes once were. They are the color of your Wave and have reached a state of critical mass. There is only three fates for you now."
If the class did not shrink back before, they definitely are now. Unsure if they want to keep hearing the explanation.
1. (Death) - "Someone puts your nonexistence to an end, leaving everything around you intact."
Most of the students shudder.
They have not experienced death before. The screams of agony, or the smell of burnt flesh.
2. (Wave Storm) - "The Shape has fully given up on being what was once human. Their bodies expanding and no longer representing the shape of a human. At that point, they become a Wave Storm. Their power expands and explodes in the vicinity. However, depending on who this Shape once was...relinquish all hope, do not plan on escaping, and pray. You will not make it far enough in time."
Example:
"An entire area may be affected almost permanently. A land could be doused in red forever. Or an entire city could be frozen over by a blue Wave Shape. A yellow Shape could potentially fry the nervous system of those around them. Which may lead to permanent paralysis or death."
A student had built the courage to speak up, raising their hand.
"Has anything like that ever happened here?" An almost pale boy asked. Most likely from fear.
The teacher gave it a thought before smiling.
"No, nothing has happened like that here."
The class sighed in relief, but it was stopped by the teacher continuing.
"However, it has happened in other regions and areas surrounding here. For example, in the northern mountains. It was said that the reason that those icy peaks exist today is the result of a blue Shape exploding in a flurry of blue Wave."
Everyone, including me. Did not know how to react to this information. If it could happen there, what is stopping it from happening here? What if someone got too curious? Decided they could do more than what they really could.
How devastating that would be in a populated area.
The teacher allowed everyone to calm themselves down and regain their focus on the lesson.
3. (Wave Beast) - "The Shape tries to hold on to the human being they once were. Unable to return, their forms distort, trying to explode and maintain shape. They become a Wave Beast. A grotesque beastly form varying from Shape to Shape. They run rampant, no longer resembling a human and no longer becoming a formless storm. The Wave Beast runs on insanity. Multiple lower Wave Users need to band together to defeat it. Or, one on the same caliber or higher needs to defeat it, and/or hold it off till its final bit of Wave fully depletes and they fade from reality."
"And that's all for today's lessons. Questions?" He asked with a closed-eye smile on his face.
We were all quiet. Now knowing the grim fate of ever suffering from The Drifting lingering in the air. There was only one brave student who spoke up. He didn't even raise his hand. He was a true mad lad, and then he said these simple words.
"I want to go home."