Kabanata 18
Three years ago, Keenan just recently awakened his power through forceful awakening. Forceful Awakening is a government program, it is a project where an ordinary person could awaken his power. Usually, a person would undergo different exams and the administrations would decide what category should he fit. Is his body compatible to Arma or Bestia? Then after confirming the best for him, he put in the procedure to awaken that power. And that procedure was painful, so much that you would lose your conscience only to woke up because of pain.
Keenan overcame that project just to become a Nightbreaker. His body is compatible with Katana-type Arma.
Keenan was enrolled in the North Bridge-N-Academy, he was a first-year student and he was oblivious about the school. He was sweating hard because he ran just to reach the training holographic room. He was a new Arma, he may have practiced his power alone but he still needed a partner to fully flesh out his ability. All he could do was to transform his left arm and that was not enough to save a life, he must become stronger to fulfill his promise. And to do that he needed to have a Handler, but this was the real problem.
Keenan didn't want to have a contract with a bastard or a lazy person. He wanted to be a weapon of a talented Handler who could unleash his potential. However, because of his standing, an average Katana that didn't have any uniqueness and could only reach Class-B, his option was abysmal and bleak. No one would want him even if he begged, his limitation was the main problem.
"I hope I'm not late."
While he entered the training holographic hall that was assigned to first years, he saw a pair of students fighting. He saw that someone was in a fistfight with a large man. He narrowed his eyes and scanned the surroundings, he was confused why no one was stopping the fight. The bigger guy was pummeling his opponent, it was obvious that he was in a higher grade, perhaps second or third year. They were fighting each other but it was one-sided, it was different from fighting holographic Nightmares. The young man would be hurt if he continued fighting the bigger guy.
Keenan looked around and realized that the students around him were averting their gazes. They treat that no one was getting bullied before them. Keenan couldn't believe that this was happening right in front of him, injustice was happening but no one was helping.
But Keenan wasn't to talk about, he looked at the brawny man and gulped. He understood that he would be beaten if he tried to stop the fight, he gritted his teeth and looked away. He decided to go far away from the fight. But as he walked, he started hearing the fists that were colliding against the face of the young man. He knew that the guy was in grave condition if he don't do something.
"Ah fuck it!"
Keenan clenched his fists and turned back. The students around him were surprised when they saw him approaching the one-sided fistfight, Keenan didn't stop his walk. He hated injustice, he saw how the big guy hit the face of the poor first-year. He jumped. Keenan lifted his foot and gave the man an ax kick to his head. The big guy froze and bit his tongue, but Keenan didn't stop there. He kicked his cheek and the guy fell to the floor groaning.
Everybody gasped, their eyes widened as they watched how Keenan started thrashing the bully. Keenan understood that he must teach this guy a lesson. If he acted weak and soft this time, he knew that this man would take revenge. So Keenan decided to imprint in his mind what it means to be mistreated. Keenan started kicking him, he targeted his face and broke his nose. Keenan didn't stop, he must show that he was not easy to deal with.
"H- hey, that's too much."
"Y- yeah stop that!"
The students around started yelling, but Keenan continued his pounding. He only stopped when he saw that the first-year guy who was bullied earlier grabbed his foot. The man was bleeding but he still stopped him from attacking the big guy.
"Stop that, he will die if you continue."
"Hah? This man just hurt you and now you're helping him?"
"I don't care, just stop."
"Tch, okay fine."
Keenan flung his foot and started walking away, blood was embedded on the floor while he was walking.
This was the first time meeting between Keenan and Carson. Keenan showed his ferocity while Carson showed his sympathy, they both left a great impression on each other.
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However, Keenan would realize that his best friend, his partner, perished. Carson didn't survive the monsters. When Keenan was snatched by a Zviera crow, Carson and the others were assaulted by another group of crows. They lost their control of the Mobileship and crashed into the ground. Most of them survived the crash but they were injured, worst of that, the crows continued attacking them.
They lost their lives in the wasteland.
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Keenan was strolling, he was looking ahead and thought that he saw something. His golden eyes narrowed trying to identify it.
"Is that a part of the ship? The propeller!"
He was shocked and immediately ran, he approached the propeller without hesitation. Although he activated the invisible Hands to protect him in case something happened. He reached the big chunk of metal. He saw the serialization number and confirmed that it was the propeller of their ship.
"What happened?"
He realized that the propeller was filled with scratches, the marks of claws were written. Keenan started sweating while looking at it, he knew that the ship was attacked but not this massive.
"The claw marks are different from ordinary Zviera, the marks are deeper ingrain…"
Keenan touched the metal, the propeller was destroyed and he saw a long slice.
"The creature who did this is not normal."
Keenan gulped and looked around, if the propeller was here then this means that the mobileship was close. Despite knowing the possibility, he was still afraid to believe it. A greater part of him believed that they were alive, his friends were alive.
However, as he started looking around the place, he started seeing a silhouette of a ship. The mobileship was on the ground, destroyed and dismembered, some crows were flying around the ship. He felt like someone showered him with cold water. But Keenan didn't linger in dismay, he inhaled deep and swallowed the saliva that was stuck in his throat. He moved his foot.