Prologue
In the Year 3157 humanity survived it's first intergalactic war. Earth and Mars suffered countless nuclear attacks and would take years to recover even under the best of conditions. Unfortunately, Earth and Mars didn't have the best of conditions. Before the war they were both overpopulated. Everyone had to live on top of one another. Natural resources were depleting at alarming rates and farmers couldn't meet public demand. When the war ended everyone thought things would get better, but they were wrong. The planets were far from recovery. Many of their natural resources and farming industries were destroyed leaving behind wastelands and shells of once great cities. Scientists predicted that millions would die if we didn't locate another habitable planet.
So, the greatest minds of their time were brought together to fight for humanity's survival. With months of research and worsening conditions they discovered Colony 1. Finding Colony 1 was a miracle in the making. It was two times the size of earth and overflowing with natural resources. No sophisticated life forms were found. Colony 1 would be more than capable to sustain the populations of earth and mars for thousands of years.
The only problem with Colony 1 was traveling there. It was so far away that it would take seven generations for one shuttle to successfully arrive. Humanity didn't have the time or the resources to get one shuttle there, let alone thousands. After countless tests and trials humanity had only one option left to get them to Colony 1. The scientific team would need to create a portal that a man could use to safely step through from one end (being earth or mars) to the other (Colony 1).
At this point humanity's technology was primitive only able to accomplish the bare basics. Portal Transportation Technology (PTT) was only beginning to be discovered. But whether it be luck or pure genius the world will never know. But the PTT didn't connect humanity to Colony 1. Instead, it connected them to a world that they never knew existed, which is formally known as (world name). The leaders of (worlds name) also known as (leadership name) were instantly alerted of the PTT connection. Without hesitation the (leadership name) and their armies conquered the dying worlds and humanity. With a combination of magic and advance technology they were able to save earth and mars. And even expand to the far ends of the universe. tiorsent's conquest helped bring countless worlds together under one government known as the alliance. The alliance has ruled for over 1500 years surviving countless wars defending herself against creatures of absolute destruction.
Chapter 1
Nathan lied in bed staring at the ceiling of his small shack. The shack was an old abandoned tool shed that had fallen into disrepair on the outside of the clan borders. When the alliance dumbed him here over to the clan of the hidden sabbers they figured the best place to put him was here since he had such a weak soul no one would have to look at him. His shack wasn't much but it had the basic necessities. The bed and the desk sat parallel to one another practically touching, so Nathan's bed doubled as a desk chair. The box in the corner by the door held all of his belongings which weren't much, some clothes, a few trinkets.
Nathan knew it was time to go to school because gray predawn light began to poke through the holes in the shack walls. Nathan rushed to throw on some clothes and grab his book bag for school. On his way to school Nathan ran to the hash house to do his morning chores and to grab some breakfast before he had to make the long trek to school.
After having cleaning all the tables and putting bags in the trash bins he was on his way. His commute to school was long but Nathan had gotten used to it over the years. He preferred to travel away from the road with the cover the trees offered. The main road always seem to bring trouble especially for a week soul like him. All he wanted was to make it to school without being mugged. He had traveled this route so much that he had his own little trail to follow.
Nathan kept his head down as he entered the main city as the sun was rising. He knew it was best not to attract attention to himself in a place like this. Nathan managed to arrive just as the bell was ringing for everyone to go to class. He did this on purpose of course, the earlier you showed up the higher the chance you had of getting beat up by a higher advancement at school.
He managed to slip into his first class right as the second bell was ringing. Nathan made his way into the back of the class where he usually sat. Mr. nelson taught Common Tongues. Mr. nelson was a fairly simple man. He wore his same white button up shirt, jeans and classes. Mr. nelson focused on general studies and he was one of the few teachers that actually cared about the students. He did his best to help Nathan understand the lessons but even with Mr. Nelson's help Nathan fell behind.
Mr. Nelson started to pass out last week's quiz results. When he reached Nathan he had a big smile on his face. He whispered quickly to Nathan "good job kid! " Nathan was astonished, looking at the sheet before him he discovered that he managed to get a C on his goblin wars test. This rare occurrence made Nathan think that today was going to be one of his better days.
Nathan's next class was with Miss daves. For someone considered to be one of the highest advancements in the city she had a small and fragile frame. Her thin hair was pulled back in a tight bun and she wore the school's mandated workout apparel which consisted of a close fitting V-neck and loose fitting pants that come together at the ankles. Miss (teachers name) taught the school's Energy Cycling class. Every student enrolled in public school was required to take this class. But since Nathan was the lowest on the totem pole being a advancement zero miss mis daves didn't even bother with him.
Nathan was just too weak to practice the Sacred Arts. So instead she had Nathan run errands for her or clean the gym while the rest of the class practiced. Nathan spent the duration of the class cleaning the locker room bathrooms Towards the end of the class as Nathan was putting away his supplies He could hear Miss daves yelling at the students, "weaking move faster. "The class consisted of Advancement One students that could barely practice the sacred arts. They were some of the weakest individuals of society not only spiritually but physically as well. After a long pause of everyone staring at their bare feet avoiding eye contact Miss (teachers name) curtly sent them to the locker rooms to change.
Upon everyone's return the bell rang signaling everyone that 5 minutes remained of class before lunch began. Immediately Adam and his higher advancement goons walked into the gym. Nathan glanced at Miss daves wondering if she was going to do anything. Instead she merely just walked out leaving them to their own devices. Nathan shook his head and sighed, He was wrong to think that he could avoid being bullied. Two of the gang members blocked the main exit and the other two cleared out the locker rooms. When all of the advancement ones were lined up adam barked out, "all right weaklings you know the drill, cough up your credits." adam walked down the line collecting everyone's credits.
When he made it to Nathan he scowled and asked, "Where are my credits Zero?" Nathan grinning responded, "I don't have any credits." Of course, Nathan left his credits at home on purpose. adam and two of his buddies formed a tight circle around Nathan while Adam growled, "Where are my credits?" Nathan looked into their eyes and he could instantly see they were all just a couple of cowards. Nathan responded with a smug smirk on his face, "Maybe you should check your sister's nightstand. I think I left…" Before Nathan could finish the brute on his left blindsided Nathan with a reinforced punch of mana sending him sprawling on his back clutching his shattered face. Nathan tried to drag himself onto his feet but his body wouldn't obey. The only reason why he didn't fight back was because he lacked the power and he wasn't willing to engage in a hopeless fight.
adam punched the brute sending him to the floor. Kneeling down and clutching him by the shirt the Adam yelled, "What the hell are you doing? You idiot! You could've killed him." The brute grunted back, "I took it easy on him." Spitting out some blood he continued, "No one cares about Zero. Even if something did happen to him all they would make us do is write a letter to his pathetic clan saying we are sorry." The rest of the brutes grunted in agreement. Gang leader agreeing nodded then barked, "Bruce, pat him down and make sure he doesn't have any credits on him." Then pointing at the nearest students he ordered, "You too will be taking him to the infirmary." Smiling down at Nathan he then said, "Tell the nurse it was a sparing accident." Then Nathan slipped into unconsciousness.
When Nathan awoke he was in the infirmary. He was stretched out on the bed with a blanket pulled up to his chest. Someone had removed his boots and left them by his bed side along with his belongings. Only thin curtains separated him from the other unoccupied beds. Nathan gasped as the pain come in one engulfing wave. Then the nurse stepped in giving Nathan an annoyed look. She was clearly unpleased that she had to expend her valuable talent on someone so weak. But if she didn't help him her honor would be at stake and she would never allow herself to be dishonored in such a way. She took a quick look at Nathan's face and gave a sigh of contempt and Nathan by the wrist in a handhold. Then closing her eyes she forced her Mana into Nathan's body forcefully mending bones and tissue. The process was long and agonizing. Nathan knew she didn't even bother to help manage his pain during the process. By the end of it Nathan spirit was overwhelmingly exhausted. She stood up and leaning into him and whispered harshly, "If I see you again in here I'll kill you myself. I've already expended enough resources and time on you. Now get out of here." The sound of approaching footsteps caused her to lean back and force an exquisite smile. As the head doctor stepped into the room the nurse said, "Now look at that you are as good as new. Now get on your way and remember what I told you." The doctor smiled pleased by her performance as he passed by.
By the time Nathan left the pharmacy the school day was coming to a close so he decided to go home early. As he walked home his anger grew. He was infuriated. He knew there had to be more and he wanted it. Some day he would find power and become the strongest there is. He would make them pay and show that everyone that the weak can become strong.
It took him almost two hours to reach the shack he called home. The door hung open and the inside looked like a tornado tore throw his belongings. Clearly someone tried to steal from him. But this didn't surprise Nathan. It happened frequently and he learned how to conceal his belongings. After cleaning up his strewn belongings he pulled out his old jammer that he had repaired. The jammer helped conceal him from unwanted eyes. After the jammer was up and running Nathan lifted his mattress and his baseboard exposing the floor boards. After removing several floor boards Nathan exposed his homemade vault. Which consisted of a square hole with dried clay siding with Nathan's computer and monitor inside. The technology was several centuries out of date but Nathan found it dumpster diving in the city and after months of work he got it up and running. His computer was the most valuable thing he owned and he kept it carefully hidden away. Gingerly Nathan removed his computer and set it up on the desk.
Since the clan didn't do much for Nathan he had to learn to take care of himself at an early age. He had taught himself how to enter into virtual networks of other realities within the alliance. The web was the easiest way for Nathan to make his money and he particularly favored gambling. Once his computer was up and running he navigated through the security protocols and gained access to the goblin net. Once acquiring access to the goblin gambling group he decided to enter a game of black jack. This was his favorite game because it was easy to cheat. The site randomly assigned its participants to a game.
The instant the game began Nathan knew the individuals he was playing with were filthy rich and Nathan was determined to take every penny from them. The goblin would steal or kill before trading farely. Nathan allowed the game to go on for a while as he patiently waited as the goblins slowly forsook their common sense for greed. Then to Nathan's surprise the highest bidder put down his last bid of over 3 million credits. Then Nathan took his chance. While entering in a few complex codes he turned the game to be in his favor winning at the last possible moment. 2 minutes later Nathan watched to his amazement as 3.7 million credits were deposited into his account after passing through several fake accounts.
If anyone found out about this there would be hell to pay. In order to gamble with in the (name of reality) you had to be at least 21 and he was only 14. On top of that it was absolutely forbidden for residence to a reality to cross over to another without the proper forms and clearances. In doing this Nathan had broken countless codes of law not only in his own reality but also in the goblin reality.
Now that Nathan had the money he needed he knew exactly what he needed to do. /over the years scientists had found a way to help and individual with a weak spirit become stronger by taking an elixir that would enhance their advancement helping them become stronger spiritually and physically. Over the years countless different elixirs have been made. But the most potent elixirs had extensive screening and prequalification protocols. The Alliance Code also mandated that the recipient had to be at least 19 years of age.
Nathan didn't want to settle he wanted the best elixir the Alliance had to offer. This elixir came from the Holy Tree in the reality of court of elders.
Nathan worked in a frenzy to forge the needed paperwork and documents to receive the Holy Tree Elixir. After several hours of intensive work Nathan navigated to the Holy Tree Elixir website and submitted his application and paid the hefty price of 3 million. After the application submitted it was nearly three in the morning. Nathan bowed his head rubbing his eyes in exhaustion then looking to the ceiling of his shack he prayed to every god out there in hope that the Holy Tree Foundation would accept his request.
One month later
A swift smack to the back of head jolted Nathan awake. The class was laughing as Mrs. robin scolded him, "What gave you the impression that my class is your nap time?" Nathan looked down and mumbled, "Sorry Mrs. robin, it won't happen again." She curtly responded, "I wish that were the truth Mr. (Nathan's last name). But you and I both know that you being here is a waste of time and energy. A Advancement Zero will never amount to anything of real importance. But unfortunately the Alliance requires you to be here and awake." Nathan had been sincerely trying to focus on his school work but the last month had been agonizing. The Holy Tree Elixir is all he could think about. He had been desperately looking for answers but all he gets is a short reminder that his request is pending. They took his money and left him with nothing, no indication of approval or denial. For all he knew they may have stolen all his money.
Mrs. robin had returned to the front of the room and continued lecturing about in her squeaky voice glaring at Nathan with her beady eyes from behind her narrow glasses. Nathan hated people like history of sacred arts her who would mark him as scum from birth just because he was a low advancement. They were so judgmental and absorbed in the higher advancements that nothing would change their mind.
The instant the bell rang signaling the end of the day Nathan rushed out the door before Mrs. rodin could lecture him more about how worthless he is. As Nathan walked home he yearned for the chance to leave and start a new life far from there. Maybe he would steal a car and go to a new city or if he could make it he could try sneaking through a PTT to another reality. But deep inside of him he knew that no matter where he went no one would care about him because of his weak soul. If only he could get the Holy Tree Elixir, it would help beyond his wildest dreams.
Nathan finally made it to his humble shack and sighed with relief. Even though he loathed school and hidden sabbers and everyone in them his shack was home. It was one of the only places where he could be safe. If he ever did get the chance to leave this place he would miss his shack.
He walked into his shack carefully closing the door and mildly surprised that no one broke in that day. Turning on his Jammer he removed his computer from its hiding place. Once the old thing booted up he was alerted to a new email. He clicked on the notification to open it and instead of reading a simple message a lightning bolt flashed from the computer slamming him in the chest causing him to hit his end on the wall of the shack behind him causing everything to go black.
When he came too he started breathing in weak gasps due to the pain. In his chest. "What happened?" he thought. Sitting himself up, he looked down at his brunt chest. Nathan carefully removed his shirt wincing in pain revealing a large brand carved on to this chest. He instantly recognized it from Mr. nelson's Common Tongues' lesson on Goblin Dialect. It was the Goblin's mark of death. "Great." Nathan muttered under his breath.
Looking back to his desk Nathan took in the chard remnants of his computer. With just one look he knew the damage was far beyond repair. Then Nathan noticed the faint blue pulse of his PTT mailbox signaling that he had an item waiting for reception. He approached his PTT mailbox grumbling under his breath, "I hope this doesn't blow up in my face too." After tapping the thin disk Nathan selected yes causing the package to appear.
Nathan stared in disbelief at the small wooden package. Engraved on the top was the insignia for the Holy Tree. As the shock of his good fortune wore off, Nathan gingerly took the box placing it on his lap and opened it. Inside were seven vials of silverly white liquid. The liquid itself seemed to glow painting the walls in a silver light. The joy that leaped in Nathan's soul was indescribable. He would no longer have to be inferior to anyone else. With these vials Nathan final had a fighting chance to become something more and to defend himself from the goblins that branded him.
Reaching into the box Nathan drank all of the vials swiftly disregarding the slip of paper containing the instructions. After drinking the last vial Nathan clutched his stomach in pain. Something had gone seriously wrong. He closed his eyes focusing on his spiritual senses. Because his spiritual strength is so low, he could only see his body and the rest of the world was hidden from him. He could see himself curled in a ball clutching his midsection where his core lied. His core was only the size of a baseball and translucent with a swirling white mist. This was the mark of a weak soul, your core lacked visual substance and color.
As Nathan was watching his core quivering in pain, he noticed it was beginning to expand. His core grew until the size of a volleyball then it was as if another force was trying to suppress its growth causing it to shrink in ever so slightly. But Nathan's core continued pushing against its invisible binds. With one lash push Nathan's core broke its binds causing an immense wave of power and pain roll through his body. His core continued to grow and it became brighter until it was too bright to look at directly. Then with one immense flash of light Nathan's soul shattered into (# of pieces) causing him to yell out in pain.
Weak and exhausted Nathan slipped out of his spiritual senses. He was covered in sweat and shaking from the experience. He could feel himself losing consciousness, but he had to see what happened to his soul. Willing himself to use his spiritual senses he looked at his core. He could see the shattered pieces of his core. He thought to himself, "this can't be happening, there must be a way to fix this." Focusing on the shattered pieces he willed the pieces to come closer, reconnecting where they broke apart. For a moment he thought it may have worked but as he let go the pieces pushed away from one another like they were opposite ends of a magnet. With the last ounces of strength, he possessed he willed the pieces together again. But like the first time they pushed away from one another. Nathan could feel his energy slipping away, his spiritual senses were giving way to the darkness of unconsciousness. He didn't understand what happened to his soul or why it seemed to fight invisible binds. All he knew was the darkness creeping in and he welcomed it with open arms.