"RAZE, GET BACK HERE, YOU AWAKENLESS FREAK!" a boy shouted, shoving past the crowd of students.
Raze sprinted through the sea of students, twisting and weaving with all the agility he could muster. "Damn, damn, damn! All I said was that his bloodline wasn't impressive! How did that set him off this much?!"
He muttered between breaths, legs burning as he pushed forward. 'Not having an awakening is such a death penalty. If he catches me, I'm done for!'
The boy on his heels was Jack Arclight, heir of the Arclight bloodline, renowned for lightning reflexes and bursts of shocking energy. Jack had taken offense when Raze, without thinking, dismissed his bloodline as "unimpressive" right after he'd shown it off.
Jack forced his way through the crowd, his eyes locked on Raze. Dozens of students had already turned their heads, watching the chase.
"Did Raze piss off Jack again?" one student whispered.
"Yeah. He called his bloodline unimpressive."
"Funny coming from the awakenless kid," another snickered. A ripple of laughter followed.
As Jack finally pushed through the crowd, he quickly caught up to Raze, the distance between them closing quickly. Raze looked behind him and before his mind could even process anything, Jack unleashed a burst of energy. It slammed into him, sending his body crashing into a nearby wall. Dust exploded into the air, swallowing Raze in the process, hiding him from the crowd's view.
"Maybe this time, you'll keep your worthless mouth shut! You awakenless boy!" Jack spat, before walking away from the scene.
Inside the dustcloud, a sharp pain shot through Raze's chest and arms where he'd slammed into the wall. Groaning, he pushed himself up, his eyes locked and staring at the floor. He drew in a shaky breath… memories began resurfacing.
He remembered when his parents cared about him. Loved him. But that was years ago. But that was years ago. At twelve, his parents left to hunt beasts across other planets.
At first, they visited twice a week, smiling like nothing had changed.
Then it became once a week. Then once a month.
Then… nothing.
All they left him with was a functional high-end house packed with advanced-technology.
Raze remembered a gift that his parents had promised to give him on his 13th birthday: a level 5 Awakening Book. On the market awakening books ranged from level 1 to 7. The higher the level, the rarer and more expensive they became. And the stronger the ability inside. But that promise was never fulfilled.
All around, the students who had witnessed the scene whispered among themselves. But not a single one stepped forward.. Who would help someone with no awakening? Of course no one would. In this world, only bloodlines and power had value.
As the dust settled, Raze stood with his fists clenched. 'If only I had an Awakening Book… If only I'd been born into a bloodline.'
The school day was over, so he made his way home. Down the corridors, students laughed and snickered; he could picture their cocky, arrogant smirks. Perfect rage bait for someone as weak as he was.
'This world… After the Xin war, when humanity almost died, people used to help anyone. But now? Only power matters.'
Groups clustered around the hallways; everyone had friends. He had none.
Outside, the evening sun caught his messy black hair. Blue eyes, black hair, an average build. Yup, that was him.
The walk home took no time. He dropped onto the couch in the living room and stared at the ceiling, replaying how his life had gone so far. 'Sometimes I wish I could end it all.'
Suddenly a knock at the front door snapped him from the dark loop. No one ever knocked.
He rose and peered through the peephole. A pale, blonde man stood outside. He looked like he was in his mid-twenties, maybe. He was dressed in clothing that looked like it belonged out of the planet.
"Who are you?" Raze asked.
From behind the door came a calm voice. "I am Theodore Clockwork. May I have a word with you?"
'Should I open it?' His body wanted him to step back, but curiosity nudged harder. He unlocked the door and opened it.
Theodore Clockwork waited there, a few inches taller than Raze, looking down at him.
His eyes didn't blaze or narrow; they were unnervingly calm… too calm.
And when the sunlight caught them, for just a second his iris seemed to shift like clock hands moving.