Chapter 1 Lloyd Elrod

A boy's gaze lingered upon a holographic screen that floated in front of a skyrise building. His parents stood right behind him with loving gazes.

The cities were bustling with activity, men, and women walking beside each other in sync and harmony. Different sounds could be heard coming from every section of the bustling city ranging from screams of excitement to roars of laughter.

Cars could be seen flying above the city in an orderly fashion while floating islands in the distance cast a shadow down upon the lower grounds, yet despite it obstructing the path of the moon's lunar light, the city did not see a change in the intensity of light.

Billboards could be seen in almost every corner of the city, but for a moment, every single one of them flickered, an event that sent a wave of darkness through the city and quieted down its residents.

This was Friday, the 13th of March 2093, the day when Earth fell, and Solaris ascended. Mana descended upon Earth for the very first time in millions of years, and because of it, several spacial tears erupted out of thin air and created the thing we now know as dungeons.

Humans began to receive unique abilities, classifications, affinities, and prowess' that could only be compared to ancient fiction books.

Earth, now more well known as Solaris, began to expand its territory after a few hundred years. The spacial tears, better known as gates or dungeons, had become ordinary occurrences. At the same time, humanity's prowess reached a level where an average gate would no longer have the ability to threaten people's lives if the monsters inside were to break out.

Humanity began to communicate with different species. On the 21st of August, 2298, they united with the Elven Empire, the Dwarven United Front, and the Undead Union to fight off the Void Walker who rose up against these factions.

Billions died in the war against a single man, yet the universe learned a lesson that day. A lesson that would be engraved into the rule books for millennias to come.

*Zim*

The hologram at the front of the lecture hall vanished into a projector before the lights that had been built into the ceiling brightened up.

Seeing that the lights were coming on again, a black-haired boy instinctively squinted his eyes as several grunts sounded in the room, but he was not one of the people who did so.

Pushing his chair back, he stood up and extended his hand towards his table, and when his palm finally hovered the items on his table, his wrist watch lit up with a radiant blue that had become all too familiar to those of this era.

*Zoop*

In an instant, all the items that had previously been placed on the table vanished from sight before a blue hologramic light shone from the wristwatch once again, this time informing Lloyd of his use of the wristwatch's inventory feature.

Lloyd was a boy, barely 16 years old, who would have been considered of low birth if it were not for his parent's brave deeds in the army. While his mother was mostly a stay-at-home mom, she was, in reality, a retired 3-star general. His father was also a man of honor who ascended through the army ranks against all odds and had become a 4-star general, something not even Lloyd's mother could achieve despite her accomplishments.

This was the only reason Lloyd could come to such a prestigious academy, not that it mattered all that much in the first place. The academy's only goal was to condition the students for the future, whether that would be by teaching them history, science, mathematics, or martial arts.

As Lloyd started to walk away from his desk, he felt a sudden yet familiar nudge to his side.

"Lloyd! Are you going to the training studio after this? Wanna spar?!" A boy with medium-lengthed blond hair and glistening blue eyes looked asked, his voice laced with excitement, causing him to raise his voice unintentionally.

"Yes, but what's the point of you going? The awakening ceremony is tomorrow, and with all honesty, no matter how much you train now, the result won't change." Lloyd replied his face as expressionless and aloof as always, not at all affected by the arm that had suddenly wrapped itself over his shoulders.

pAn,D a-n0ve1,c-o-m "Then why are you going if it doesn't matter?!" Asked the blonde boy despite knowing the answer due to having heard it over a thousand times.

"Zack... I've been giving you the same answer for the last nine months..."

"Still, I want you to tell me again!" Zack grinned, his voice grabbing the attention of many of the popular girls who were still in their seats chatting to each other.

Lloyd narrowed his eyes before finally sighing out in defeat.

"Because It's thrilling"

"You really are a battle maniac!" Zack chortled before slapping Lloyd's back, which resulted in Lloyd arching his back and grimacing at the tingly sensation that spread out from the point of contact.

While Lloyd knew that he could have dodged the attack, counter-attacked, or even broken his arm quite easily, Zack was a friend, so he allowed Zack to hit him.

"Zack? What are you doing with the likes of him?" A feminine voice entered their ears, and when they looked back, they saw a girl looking at them, her face scrunching up in disgust.

'This again?' Lloyd sighed in annoyance.

'Well, this is the least I expect from a high school girl who classifies herself as an elite.'

Zack slowly turned around, his eyes landing on the girl that had appeared behind him. His gaze automatically turned cold, a scene that sent a shiver down her spine.

Without skipping a beat, the girl slowly began to retreat under Zack's icy gaze while the rest of her friends laughed at the scene of her quivering in fear.

'She is pretty new to the academy, but isn't it a little too late for students to transfer? I mean, some people transfer to this academy on the day before the ceremony, but I still think their reasons are stupid.''

As Zack's icy expression faded, he looked back at Lloyd, who raised an eyebrow while his gaze remained on the retreating girl.

After a few seconds, both boys descended the lecture hall's stairs before quickly thanking their teacher for the history lesson, leaving through the hall's doors, and strolling their way to the martial arts studio.

The academy was a place for almost everyone. While people of low birth were an exception, anyone with high enough status could enter, and they would be accommodated warmly by the teachers and staff no matter what path they chose.

However, this did not mean that the academy was equal to its spending since they leaned toward spending more on martial arts studios and things that would enhance the battle prowess of their students, something that was painfully obvious after a glance at the sizes of different facilities.

As Lloyd and Zack entered the area with fighting facilities that took up half the school, they walked into one of the larger studios using Zack's ID.

The atmosphere inside was bustling with sounds of weapons clashing, skin hitting skin, and crowds cheering entering their ears; however, after another moment, the studio became silent and lost its energy.

Fierce gazes flickered with several emotions ranging from irritation to awe, yet there was one emotion that all of them felt when looking at the two figures. Each and every one of those students felt immense respect towards the two in front of them, as no matter their background or battle prowess, they knew that the two before them had worked harder than anyone else.

Lloyd and Zack grabbed their respective weapons and stood in front of each other in the middle of a stadium. Turning around and taking exactly sixteen steps away from one another, they both began to unsheathe their weapons as battle intent surged out of the duo.

Zack held two wooden short swords while Lloyd brandished a wooden katana. The faint sounds of the crowd around them cheering entered their ears, yet to them, it was nothing but muffled sound.

Before they knew it, they had already shot toward each other at speeds that should not have been possible for normal human beings, and as they grew closer to one another, they swung out their weapons and let out battle cries that echoed throughout the hall.

*Boom*

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Thank you for reading the first chapter of my first novel. I hope you enjoyed it, and if you did, please do me a favor by giving this novel a power stone or two. It will be greatly appreciated. One more thing, please inform me of any mistakes you come by, it would allow me to make this experience better for you and other readers.