A boy with short, blonde hair and cerulean blue eyes of Asian descent wearing glasses sat on the rooftop on a high-rise building that overlooked the sprawling school grounds of Mantichorus Academy, the primary high school located on the main planet of the Bree Family, Animus, his legs swinging lazily over the edge. Despite being sixteen, the size of the boy could easily mistake him for being fourteen or younger. The top of his head was covered by a black hood. He wore a black and blue hoodie with a 3-D printed design that covered both the front and back. The hoodie was modeled after a trench coat, with the bottom of the hoodie reaching down to his knees.
The hoodie's design was that of a computer circuit board, with the computer chip in the dead-center, perfectly split between the two halves of the hoodie. Underneath, he wore a green short-sleeved shirt. Like the hoodie, it also had a 3-D printed design; this one depicting a computer motherboard, including all of its components. Around his neck, he wore a silver dog tag, like those used for identification in the military, attached to a bead necklace. Going down the tag vertically, it had strange symbols carved into it. In order, the symbols were "引", "き", and "こ".
These "symbols" were Japanese kanji, the form of written language that was used in Japan, a country that no longer existed on earth, being completely obliterated in the Dalki war, essentially their version of the English alphabet. Combined together, these symbols read "引きこ", which translated to "Hikiko". Around his right wrist, there was a sleek, digital wristwatch with a square face. On the upper right-hand side it displayed the time in a digital clock. A digital "1" could be seen taking up a majority of the watch's screen. In his hands, he held an archaic gaming console that LONG predated the Dalki War, having been manufactured during the early 21st century, which was WELL OVER 600 years ago. The console's artificial light illuminated his face and the game produced electronic noises as he played.
Below him, the school pulsed with life, people laughing and conversing with old acquaintances. Today was a turning point for the final year students below. It marked the beginning of their journey to one of the prestigious military bases, where they would be forged into warriors, humanity's last defense against the Dalki. Due to the strenuous-at-best ceasefire the humans and the Dalki have had for the last five years, after a grueling 25 years of war that had decimated both the planet and the populace, every teenager was required to take a mandatory two years of military training at one of the Military Bases, to prepare them for when the war inevitably broke out again.
The air buzzed with excitement and the students prepared for the monumental occasion. Yet among all the chatter and excitement, one boy, the same blonde-haired boy overlooking the academy from atop its highest building, felt nothing. No pride, no purpose. Devoid of any excitement like the other students below him. His name was Hikiko Tsukuru, the weakest and loneliest kid in the school. Not even his juniors could be compared to his pathetic self. Normally, someone as weak as him would be the target of bullying and harassment, but Tsukuru was a special case. The students knew he was off-limits.
Tsukuru's older sister, Hikiko Shizuka, was a high-ranking military figure serving under the Supreme Commander, Oscar White, himself, at Military Base 1. Tsukuru was also the surrogate son of Laura Green, one of the most influential women in the world, being the head of the illustrious Green Family, having been taken in by her when his own mother, Hikiko Reiju, died in the previous Dalki War, died when he was eight. But despite the fact that they knew they couldn't confront him directly, that didn't stop them from shooting him hateful looks and whispering snide remarks under their breath.
Tsukuru simply ignored them, however. As a man in a previous era had once said "Your boos mean nothing when I've seen what makes you cheer". Because of this, Tsukuru tended to spend his free time of high buildings, to avoid people entirely. Tsukuru's attention shifted from his game to the sound of a commotion below. There, directly below the building whose roof he was sitting on, he saw three boys beating up a weaker one, who was pressed against the wall. Tsukuru's eyebrow twitched in annoyance. "It's the LAST…FUCKING…DAY," He muttered, as he pressed the button to put his handheld in "sleep mode", causing the screen to go out, and deposited it in his pocket. "Can't they at least PRETEND to be civil?" He let out an annoyed sigh.
Even just a 100 years ago, a teacher would have stepped in. Sure both the aggressors AND the victim would be punished equally, as the school system had ALWAYS been trash, but at least the aggressors WOULD face consequences. Now, though? That was all a thing of the past. Unfortunately, this was the way the world was now. During the Dalki War, when it seemed as though humanity would have been wiped out, a group of individuals stepped forward, possessing supernatural abilities. These people would go on to be called "Originals" in the annals of history. They taught others how to use their Abilities, and thus, the turning point of the war had begun.
However, the emergence of these "Abilities" would have far-reaching ramifications. For as soon as peace had re-emerged, so did the worst aspects of humanity. Specifically, greed. The concept of "all men being created equally" went flying out the fucking window, as the world devolved into a caste system where strength ranked supreme, with those with high "Ability Levels" at the top, as the upper-crusts of society. While those with low "Ability Levels", commonly referred to as "Level 1 trash" became the dregs of society. Even worse, learning an Ability wasn't cheap. Unless you were lucky enough to be born into an Original family, you had to pay a small fortune to purchase an Ability Book. And then, even that might not be good enough.
The amount of Mutant Cells, the source of all Abilities, varied from individual to individual. So having a high Ability Level was simply impossible for everyone. To top it off, due to the catastrophic amount of fatalities in the Dalki War, many children were left as orphans, being too poor to purchase an Ability Book, and thus being forced into the role of being Level 1s. Even TSUKURU, with all his backing, was a Level 1. For some strange reason, every time he had asked his surrogate mom, one of the richest women in the world who could purchase an Ability Book like it was chump change, for an Ability, she had always refused.
Something about "he would get his Ability when the time was right". The strangest part was, she always seemed…conflicted when she said it. As if it wasn't her decision that he wasn't allowed to learn an Ability. Tsukuru took one last look down at the boy being assaulted by three other students, before turning around. He walked towards the door leading down from the roof, and turned to door handle, causing an audible chunk. Tsukuru's blonde hair caught the sunlight as he moved down the hallway. As he walked, people around him would stop talking, and glare at him; as if Tsukuru's existence was some person slight to them.
His blue eyes were devoid of the enthusiasm that radiated from those around him. As Tsukuru walked out of the school's entrance, he saw a sleek sportscar parked out front, painted with a sliver and black paintjob. In front of the car, a man in his early twenties was waiting. He had short, brown hair with the top of his head covered by a black and gold cap. He wore a freshly-pressed black business suit with gold trim and black sneakers with gold laces and soles. When he and Tsukuru's eyes met, the man tilted his cap in a sign of greeting. Tsukuru nodded, and approached him. When Tsukuru reached the vehicle, the man opened the back passenger-side door.
The car made an electric whirl as the door slid upwards on a hinge on its upper-left corner. Without a word, Tsukuru stepped into the car and took a seat. He reached over and latched the seat-belt. As soon as the click of the seatbelt was heard, the door closed itself automatically. The man then walked around to the driver's seat door, which opened on a similar hinge, only this one was on the door's upper-right corner. The man took his seat in the car. He looked back at Tsukuru through the rear-view mirror.
"Where to, Master Tsukuru?" He asked. Tsukuru looked up at him. His face still bore the emotionless look.
"Take me to the Green Estate." Tsukuru muttered. The man tipped his cap in acknowledgement, and the car exited from the school's parking lot. As they traveled down roads, Tsukuru watched out the window, as building after building passed by them. Soon, a large structure came into view. It looked like a sprawling industrial complex, covered in numerous labs, although a good portion of them looked like they were halted mid-construction, while others looked as though the construction had just been started recently. Oddly enough, every building, regardless of level of completion, had the same exact floor plan. The car stopped right outside the complex, and Tsukuru stepped out. He looked up at the "mansion".
A large wall surrounded the whole complex, the wall's top having several turrets that would shoot out energy crystals at anyone who got too close. Tsukuru sighed, as he walked towards the gate. When he reached the door, he pressed his hand against it. His watch lit up bright. On its screen a small animation of an old-fashioned key opening a lock. Normally, a member of the Green Family would use their Ability to unlock the door. However, seeing as Tsukuru wasn't a Green by birth, his surrogate mother had to create a substitute as a work-around. A back-door program was uploaded to his wristwatch that would automatically activate whenever the watch got within a certain range of the gate.
[Welcome, Master Tsukuru]
As he entered, the lights to the whole place started to turn on. Most of the place was covered in a white color. The room was as silent. Most people would assume that this place was abandoned. Most people would be wrong. Mr. and Mrs. Green were rarely around, meaning that Tsukuru, as well as the Green Family's biological son, Logan, essentially had the run of the place. However, Logan rarely left his room, unless he wanted a sandwich. Tsukuru walked to a room near the end of the hall on the first floor. As he reached it, he put his arm up towards the door, his watch directly next to it. The same unlocking animation appeared again, and the door slid open.
Inside, the room looked like a time capsule. While it still had the same white coloring as the rest of the house and had a modern bed, the rest of the room was filled with technology long since outdated. A blocky, CRT TV with a large screen built into a large cupboard with multiple shelves lined with retro gaming systems and game cases was pressed against the middle of the far wall. To its right was a shelf littered with figurines and replica weapons from a long-since dead form of media called "anime". To the right of the TV was various plastic toys modeled after various robots and mechs. And pressed against the far wall on the right side of the room, was a full-sized bed.
On his bed, there was a wooden box with a lock, similar to a jewelry box. Laying on top of it, was a thumb-drive. Tsukuru looked at it, eyebrow quirked in confusion. He pressed his thumb against the top, north-facing side of his watch, and a section flipped downwards, revealing a slot. He inserted the thumbdrive into the slot, and it clicked into place. The unlocking animation appeared once more. Static appeared on the face of his watch, as a video booted up to start playing. It showed a woman sitting at a desk in a computer lab with a white background. The woman had long, brown hair and wore a white labcoat. This woman was Laura Green, or as the rest of the world knew her, Mrs. Green.
Mrs. Green looked back at Tsukuru through the video, her eyes full of regret. "Tsukuru." Mrs. Green replied in the recording. "If you are seeing this, it means that the time for you to begin your military training has come. For years, you have asked me for an Ability Book, and I have always refused you. This was not out of my own volition." She explained, causing Tsukuru to quirk an eyebrow. He had a feeling this was the case. "Contained with this thumbdrive is…something." She said, looking away. "A few days after you came into my custody, a man who I had thought I would never see again appeared, Richard Eno." Tsukuru's eyes widened.
The name "Richard Eno" was well-known throughout the world. He was the greatest scientist of the current age. He was the one who introduced the technology of Portals and Beast Gear to the world. Without him, humanity would not have survived. But it seemed as quickly as Richard Eno had appeared, he had vanished, as Richard Eno had reportedly disappeared without a trace years ago.
"However, he was not alone." Mrs. Green continued. "He was joined by another. A girl was a striking shade of blue, and she wore robes that made her look reminiscent of Mona Bree herself. The woman handed me this very box. Richard Eno told me to hold onto it until you were ready, and prohibited me from letting you learn any Ability." Mrs. Green looked away, almost ashamed. "Due to a…prior agreement, I am duty-bound as a Green to comply with any order given by an Eno. So I had no choice but to agree." Mrs. Green in the video cleared her throat. "I have attempted to open that box numerous times, using just about every method and solution possible. Nothing worked." Tsukuru's gaze drifted towards the box.
"Richard Eno told me that you…and ONLY you…could open it. The choice is up to you." The video then faded to black. Tsukuru yanked the thumb drive out from his watch, and crushed it in his hand. He then looked down at the box. He picked it up, and held it in his flat, open hand. In the center, there was a keyhole, as if a key could be inserted to unlock it. Curious, he rubbed his thumb against the hole. As he did so, a spring-loaded needle within the box shot out from the hole at high speeds, puncturing his thumb.
"YEOW!" Tsukuru yelled in pain, dropping the box on reflex. It clattered onto the floor. Tsukuru looked at his thumb. There was a noticeable pin-prick hole on it, dripping blood. However, as a single drop of blood dripped down to the ground, it fell onto the center of the lid of the box. As soon, as the blood touched it, strange symbols began to appear all over the box, covering it. The symbols then shattered like glass, and the box began to shake erratically, as if something was trying to escape. The locking mechanism opened itself forcefully, the lid flying back.
Tsukuru looked down at the now-open box. The inside contained luxurious cloth, with something laid in the center of the cloth. Tsukuru kneeled down and picked it up, holding it between his thumb and index finger. It was an almost transparent, diamond-shaped computer chip, covered in intricate gold-colored circuits, with a large slot on the top, going all the way down to the center of the chip.
As Tsukuru held the chip up in the light, the light showed off every circuit on the chip. As he did, a cone of translucent, light-blue light shot out of the center of the chip. The cone of life traveled up and down Tsukuru's body, starting at the tip of his hair, then going down to the soles of his feet, before then going back up to the tip of his hair. The light then abruptly stopped, as if it were a flashlight that had suddenly been turned off. A feminine, computerized voice then emitted from the chip.
[DNA match confirmed.]
The chip then violently ripped itself out of Tsukuru's grip. The chip floated in the air in front of Tsukuru. As Tsukuru stared at it, the chip began to fly around like an insect, shooting off in random directions.Tsukuru reached out his arm, trying to snatch it out of the air. But it was like trying to catch a fly. This repeated itself several more times, with the chip flying out of Tsukuru's grip just before he reached it. Tsukuru grit his teeth as he looked at the chip in frustration. The chip then flew backwards at high speed, colliding with his bare chest under his shirt.
Tsukuru then felt electricity running through his body, as if the chip was trying to electrocute him. "Gha!" Tsukuru screamed in pain, as the electricity coursed through him. Tsukuru, feeling completely fried, swayed for a moment before crashing into the floor, his glasses slipping off his face when his head hit the floor. Right before he passed out, he heard more words in that feminine, computerized voice.
[Congratulations, you have been granted the Video System.]