[The next day]
Oliver struggled to open his eyes as a bright ray of sunlight hit his eyelids. His mother was chewing on a toothpick as she tied the window curtains. She had bright blue eyes just like her husband, but her hair was a lighter shade of black, almost grey, unlike her husband's.
"Time to greet the day, Olive"
"What time is it..."
"About nine and you have judo class in the next hour."
"Damn..."
Oliver groaned as he arose from his warm bedsheets. His body responded sluggishly as he groaned all the way to the bathroom. A quick trip to the bathroom later, and he walked into the kitchen with a much fresher appearance.
To Oliver's surprise, his father stood above the stove humming a melody and making breakfast. For the first time in weeks, he wasn't wearing his suit.
"Hey there champ! you have a surprised look on your face. Is my cooking just that good looking?"
"Not now, dad. Why are you here? I thought you would be at the gate by now."
"Nope, not today. I requested to have the month off so I can spend time with you guys. Thankfully boss was reasonable, so you won't be seeing me disappear for a while, Hehe."
Oliver's dad grinned childishly as he set the pancakes he was making on a nearby plate. He walked all around the kitchen, taking his time, and Oliver smiled to himself. It was unlike the repetitive scene of seeing his dad rush all over the kitchen.
After sometime everybody had gathered round the table and were enjoying a heavy breakfast. While they were eating, Oliver's mother seemed to remember something.
"Hey Oliver... last night you said you had something to share with both of us."
"I didn't say it?"
"Nope, you just ate and went off to bed."
Oliver scratched his head awkwardly. Last night, he felt that speaking to his parents about his ambitions would be easy, but now he felt shy. He avoided his parents' stares and tried to speak as calmly as he could.
"Well... you see... it's like this. I was wondering if I could go for my gene test early..."
What followed was silence, and Oliver's dad looked towards his wife to see if she was taking it better than him. Her face was simply blank and her fork was already reaching for the next pancake. Oliver was the only one in their small family without an ability.
His father had the ability of telekinesis, while his mother had the ability of regeneration. They both had undergone their gene test when they were younger and even then, it was a slight chance of success.
Oliver's dad was the first to respond, seeing his wife's blankness.
"Son... the gene test isn't something to look forward to. If it fails, you can never possess an ability again. There's also the thing that you could end up paralyzed for life."
"But you and mom took it and look at you. You guys are two of the most talented evolved I've seen."
"During our time, it was compulsory. These times you don't have to fear losing yourself and you can just take the test when your best comfortable. IT ISN'T SOME SORT OF HEAVEN GIVEN REVELATION!!!"
Oliver's dad grew agitated at the fact his son wasn't understanding what the gene test did. It was a method to awaken one's ability prematurely to allow more time for development. However, there was a heavy price. If the test failed to awaken the ability properly, it could lead to destruction of the person's body from the inside out. There was also the chance where one didn't have any ability and, in such cases, nothing would happen to the person.
Unfortunately, the only safer method to awaken one's ability was to wait. But what help would that be if you waited till your death bed for your ability to awaken?.
Oliver simply stared back at his dad. He held no thoughts of losing himself to the test. That plus, he knew the benefits of succeeding in the test. You were eligible to join a Ranker's college. Special training institutes to help in the controlling and development of abilities. And it was because of these institutes that Oliver wanted to awaken his ability.
"I understand what's bothering you, dad. But I still want to take the test early and last I checked, they left the choice to the person themselves, regardless of age."
What followed was silence as Oliver's dad grit his teeth in frustration. He still wished to stop his son from taking such a risk, but if he tried doing so, it could cause a court case of him violating his son's rights. The government permits people over 15 to take the test by choice because by then they should comprehend the impact.
If influenced, they were allowed by the law to take the culprit to court. Oliver's dad looked towards his wife to see her expression and he nearly lost it as he watched her stab yet another pancake with her fork. She didn't appear concerned.
"When... do you plan to take the test?..."
"Tomorrow. I'm going together with a friend of mine."
Oliver's dad nodded his head as he contemplated something for a while. Eventually, he looked back at his son and a sad smile was on his face.
"If that's what you want... I won't stop you, but I do hope you will allow me to at least be there when you do it."
The suggestion surprised Oliver, but a smile soon replaced the shock. He agreed and returned to his breakfast as if everything had resolved itself. What followed was a peaceful family breakfast and eventually Oliver had to go pack up his stuff for Judo class.
Once he left, his dad began cleaning up the table while his wife pulled out her phone and read an online news article. At some point, Oliver's dad stopped and turned to face his wife.
"Why didn't you help me..."
His wife simply stared back at him quizzically, like the answer was already obvious.
"I have no reason to stop the boy. He already asked me last week and believe me, I reacted just as well as you did right now."
She returned her gaze to her phone and calmly swiped between pages and read at a relaxed pace.
"But I saw how determined he is. Turns out he wants to be just like his father... a hero that people can look up to."
Oliver's dad was silent as he turned to look somewhere else. He felt several emotions well up, but one materialised to a whisper that escaped his mouth.
"Dumbass..."
******************
Oliver had taken with him an apple from the kitchen and was biting into it as he started up his phone once again. He had let it charge and as soon as it had booted up, an unfamiliar notification popped up on the screen.
*****************
Assimilation: [0.001% complete]
Project: new humanity has begun
*************
He frowned at the text and studied it closely, only to see nothing further happen. He simply sighed and pressed the home button to do something else, like playing his game. However, whatever the notification was, it simply changed its appearance but remained.
****************
[Status screen]
Name; Brigand.
Strength: 14
Intelligence: 15
Agility: 7
Stamina: 10
Will: 10
Power level: 10.4
[Attributes]
1.{Ultrahuman}-?!?@#?- Assmiliation(0.001%)
2.----
3----
*********************
"What the heck is this..."