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The Transcenders.
That was the title given to regular people who, through sheer will, determination, and perseverance, had ascended to higher realms and become gods.
However, only a few could achieve such a feat, and all who tried faced many hardships on their journey to the summit.
This is the story of a few Transcenders who lost much along their climb... pursuing power, revenge, justice, or love.
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It was the year 2220. A long time ago. The Amon guild had flourished since its inception, and 20 years had flown by. The Amon guild's headquarters - a towering skyscraper - stood in Blue City, the heart of the guild. Many aristocrats, such as the Amon family, resided there.
January 20th was Rico Amon's birthday. The 11-year-old waited for breakfast, fidgeting with his utensils. Like his mother, he had pink skin and even pinker eyes. His head was almost as round as a coin.
"Rico, please stop playing with your utensils!" said his mother, Elis Leon.
"Leave him be honey. Today's his day," Daniel Amon, his father, reminded her.
While Rico was unquestionably his son, their appearances differed greatly. Daniel had triangle-shaped ears and bushy eyebrows, while Rico and Elis lacked eyebrows altogether. Daniel's pale ivory skin contrasted with the pink tone of his wife and son. Moreover, Rico was much chubbier than his father.
As planned, the first meal of the day was a giant omelet.
"Thank you!" the family praised in unison as the old maid arrived with the food.
Her name was Rosette, and she had served the family since before Rico was born.
Daniel was the first to take a bite of the omelet. He laughed. "It sure is great to eat like this every day!"
Elis took a sip of her morning coffee. "Yes, 20 years ago, I could never have imagined any of this!"
"Being the Guild Leaders of this giant territory sure is…" Daniel couldn't finish his sentence. He felt as though something was stuck in his throat.
'I can't breathe!' he thought, panic rising. The sensation quickly spread throughout his body. It seemed like every vein in his body was about to burst!
Elis Leon couldn't help him at all. She too was overwhelmed by this strange sensation, which soon escalated into something far worse.
When Rico looked like he was about to take a bite of his omelet, he heard a faint cry for help and looked up from his plate.
"Huh? What- MOTHER! FATHER!" Rico screeched, falling out of his chair.
The Guild Leaders were covered in boiling blood. It was pouring endlessly from their blackened veins. Their skin had charred from the heat.
"ROSETTE! HELP!" Rico cried.
The maid arrived quickly after hearing her name, but it was too late.
…
At the same time, Rico's older brother, Aaron Amon, was attending the prestigious "Amon Combat School."
While Rico may have mostly inherited his appearance from their mother, Aaron resembled their father far more. Though his blue eyes and dark hair colour differed, his nose, eyebrows, facial structure, skin tone, and ears were strikingly similar to Daniel's. The only apparent trait Aaron inherited from his mother was his large frame, perfect for building hefty muscles.
In a small classroom, Aaron Amon watched the digital clock's numbers out of boredom. The teacher was recapping what they had learned last semester, as winter break had just ended.
"There are two main categories of magic: Elemental magic and Dark magic. Everyone possesses and is limited to a single type of magic, which they must learn to harness from within their veins.
"The most common magic types in our West Continent are Fire and Wind, belonging to the Elemental magic category.
"Dark magic types vary greatly, but the most common are Transformation and Telekinesis.
"Remember, magic is a very mysterious power. Even in our day and age, we know next to nothing about it."
Of course, the students didn't pay attention to her. 'We aren't nobodies; you don't need to remind us about something so simple,' one thought.
'We are prodigies destined to become the best magicians of our generation,' thought another.
Aaron was eager for the class to finish since classmates would get the chance to duel each other the next period.
"What?! Aaron, look! Quick!" muttered Aaron's best friend.
"Stop playing video games in class, Ricky." Aaron stared at his friend whose eyes were glued to his desk's digital screen.
Ricky looked straight at him as if he'd seen a ghost. "This isn't a game! It's news! Important news!"
Worried, Aaron looked down at the screen integrated into Ricky's desk. There, he saw a body wrapped in blue cloth which had been put on hurriedly, as a pair of black, bloody feet stuck out.
Aaron read the title.
"DEATH OF AMON GUILD MASTERS."
All trace of his boredom had disappeared. His head snapped up to look at Ricky, but his eyes caught on something else entirely.
A box was attached to the window from outside, and a red light on it was blinking rapidly. It was a bomb!
"Oh, they've come for me."
*BANG!*
The windows exploded. Smoke and shattered glass filled the classroom.
"Shit!" Aaron quickly slid underneath his desk and pressed a red button. The desk's four sides closed rapidly, forming a protective cage. Gunshots and screams echoed outside Aaron's small shelter, yet the thought of saving others didn't cross his mind once.
Aaron was frozen. He was scared, and he unconsciously burned this emotion into anger. "They are here to kill me, aren't they? These murderers assassinate my parents and then come for me too? If I survive this, I swear that I'll have my vengeance."
He tried to retain his tears to no avail. Aaron crouched in his cage, listening to the suffocating voices of his dying friends. All of his classmates had been killed, including Ricky. His head had been cleanly sliced from his body by a sword.
Three adult murderers stood in the classroom.
One was dressed in a black suit, with a black cape, and a black bird mask. His nickname was Crow. He was about to sheathe his blade when one of his comrades spoke.
"We killed everyone here, but where's the youngling?" It was a woman completely wrapped in a metallic pink armour.
Her face was hidden inside a helmet, and her strong arms carried three large bazooka-like weapons, each with sharp edges on one end and a big barrel on the other.
The third assassin knelt on the floor, inspecting the desks. "Oh! Don't worry, Explo. I believe I've found his hiding spot. He must be inside of this desk."
"Good job, Zomb, let me blow it up," the woman said, dropping two of her weapons on the floor. She kept the other on her shoulder and held down a button.
*Bvvvvvvv* A red chunk of magic gradually grew inside the barrel.
Out of their peripheral vision, the classroom door silently opened. Ronald Amon, the school director and Aaron's uncle, emerged from the hallway.
[Summoning: Spear] a robotic voice in Ronald's head announced. With a single thought, a green, glowing spear made from his mana appeared in his right hand. The device that allowed him to do this was a magic all-purpose watch - a popular device among Western continent magicians. Magic science had made its creation possible.
Explo's weapon had finished charging. "It's ready."
"Then kill him!" Zomb ordered impatiently.
'I have to act now!'
Ronald dashed toward the armoured woman and knocked her back with his spear.
Zomb tried to stop him but only managed to injure his hand before getting knocked into the shattered window.
Two more people entered the room. One threw metallic spikes from a device, while the other charged them with electricity magic to make them even deadlier.
To evade this, Crow revealed his dark magic ability. He turned his limbs into air currents and flew toward the window.
"Retreat!"
The three jumped out of the window. Ronald rushed over and looked around but was shocked. "They've disappeared."
A few seconds later, Aaron emerged from beneath the desk. "Uncle Ron…"
Ronald extended a hand to help him up. "You and Rico will both be staying at my house for now because-"
Aaron looked down as he spoke, "I know. My parents were killed over at the HQ. I saw the news. Now they want to kill me too."
Ronald placed a hand on his nephew's shoulder. "Don't worry. The guards and I will keep you safe."
Aaron's eyes widened as accidentally stepped on Ricky's head. He spun around dizzily. He smelt the blood, sweat, and other unpleasant odours coming from his classmates. The fire alarm rang in the back of his head. As the dust cleared up, he saw their mutilated bodies, and tears swelled up in his eyes.
"You should have also kept my teacher and classmates safe."
"I'm sorry, Aaron," Ronald sighed.
End of Chapter 1 - The Incident
Part 1: Cout d'État