Whooooosh!
The sound of wind howling could be heard.
In a dark alley, a young boy lay on the ground, surrounded by snow. His face was bruised- he had a black eye, and blood trickled from his broken lip. As he looked up to the sky, he took a deep breath and said, "Life's a bitch"
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Helplessness. That was the emotion 15 year old Ethan Miller felt as he opened his eyes. He stared at the ceiling of his room as he thought about the day ahead. There were days like this. Days when he could not help but scream at the frustration of it all. It felt like the universe hated him, and the sheer unfairness of it all hurt. He took a deep breath. Then another. The only thing he could do was calm himself as he prepared for the day ahead.
Tap....tap....tap. The sound of Ethan's footsteps could be heard as he climbed down the granite steps of his house. He put on a confident smile. "Hey dad," he said to a 45 year old man who stood cooking something. He had a thick moustache underneath a sharp nose. His hair was black and he had a military cut. His thick, burly arms showed that he was used to doing heavy physical work.
"Morning Ethan," he smiled. "Good morning," said Ethan. "Estelle up yet?" "Nope", said his father as he rolled up his sleeves, exposing his well-built arms. "She doesn't have school today. Something about a holiday after her potential measuring tests." Ethan's sister was 12 years old, and had her Gatekeeping Potential measured yesterday. As expected, her potential was D rank, just like her parents. Unlike a certain older brother.
Ethan Miller- A 15 year old boy living in Centin, a city established by the Stella corporation, near a C ranked Gate. He had short black hair and black eyes- a pair of features indicative of the lack of mana in his body. As he walked down the cemented footpath, he thought about the day ahead. He'd walk to his school, attend a few classes, get his ass whooped by some bullies, and then somehow make his way back home, to study, sleep and then go through it all again.
Ethan was an unlucky boy. Even before he was born, he wasn't destined for greatness. That was certain. His potential wouldn't be higher than D rank, just like his parents. Additionally, he was neither a genius, nor someone who could work really hard, so his chances of becoming a world famous Gatekeeper were low. But when he turned 12, his potential was measured as F rank.
F rank potential meant that you weren't exceptional. On the contrary, you were below average. Trash. Shit. Garbage. Call it whatever you want. Ethan had heard it all. This was a world full of monsters and gates, where literally every profession relied on gates and gatekeepers- awakened individuals who made a living by hunting monsters. Killing monsters spawned from these gates ensured people's safety, and the huge reserves of magic stones and mana pools were the main sources of energy that powered nearly everything.
Splat! Drip....drip. Water dripped down Ethan's neck as somebody threw a water balloon at him. "Yeah bitch, I'm wet for you now," he shouted as he saw a boy grinning at him. His face contorted in rage. "What did you say, runt?" "Oi fatass, get your ears checked." Ethan smirked. A terrible choice. He started running towards his school. The wind whistled past his face. "Get over here, you coward," shouted the boy as he gave chase.
Ethan picked up the pace as he dashed into his school. "No running in the corridor," said a teacher sternly, as he rushed through the narrow hallway into his class. He plopped onto his seat.....and immediately felt something wet underneath. "Oh no! Not again," he thought. He looked at the clock. 7:59 a.m. One minute until class started.
"Oi Douglas! My ass is wet. Wanna check it out? I heard you like this kinda stuff. Even James was trying to get me wet, you know? You guys think I'm a girl or something," he said. A couple of kids started laughing.
Slam! Douglas slammed his hand against his desk. "You're dead asshole," he growled as he walked menacingly towards him. Briiiiiing! Suddenly a bell rang. Ethan sighed in relief. He was safe. Douglas wouldn't try to beat him up in front of a teacher.
Ethan didn't know why he always said this kind of stuff to bullies. It was like a knee-jerk reaction for him. He'd always end up getting beaten up even more, but he couldn't resist making a snide comment. That was just how he coped with them.
Ever since he turned 12, when his gatekeeping potential was measured, he'd been treated like this. He could tell the teachers, but who would stick out their neck for a future F rank boy? He sighed in anticipation of the beating he'd have to endure today.
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Bam! Thump! Ethan curled into the fetal position as he was beaten up mercilessly. "Where's your smart mouth now,huh?" smirked Douglas. "I think you broke it when you punched his face," grinned James. "I can....urk....still speak....cough...you assholes." Ethan put up a desperate resistance.
"You hear that guys? He's still got some spunk in him. Beat him up!" They continued to hit him. "You...goddamn H rank piece of trash. You've got no mana yet you're trying to act smart?" Douglas put some mana into his kick . Ethan was sent flying. Whoosh! Bam! He crashed into the floor. He could feel the warm pavement against his face.
A boy conjured some ice crystals and sent them flying towards Ethan's face. Clunk! He could feel the blood dripping onto his cheek as a gash opened on his forehead. "You.....you won't get away with this," he croaked. Douglas suddenly jumped high into the air and brought down a fist on Ethan's face.
"Oh yeah?" he smiled. "Who's gonna punish me? You? Are you gonna get some dumb inspiration and train yourself to get stronger? Ha!" He laughed. "I'm a a future B rank gatekeeper! My rank is G-7! After I get out of this city, I'm gonna join Keystone Gatekeepers School and ascend to glory!" He spread his arms wide.
"You, on the other hand, are a pathetic H rank awakened. You've got trash potential, and you haven't even reached G rank! You can't even be called an awakener," Douglas screeched, as if he enjoyed putting Ethan down. "My parents are big shots in Stella G-corp, so if you even try to hurt me, your family is dead," he smirked.
"Face reality! You're never gonna be anything special. You were always destined to be a disposable idiot. So....." He started kicking Ethan violently ".....just shut up and get beaten up like the good old pawn you are!" Boof! Thwack! Kick! "Hey bro! Isn't he gonna die," asked a boy. "Nah don't worry about it," said James. "Even if he does die, it's not like anything's gonna happen to us." They all laughed.
Douglas was right. Ethan could never catch up to him. He had the backing of one of the best companies in the world, and was a useful individual who'd eventually become rich. Ethan, however would never have that. He'd never have what Douglas did. As he lay in the street, wallowing in his own sense of inferiority, he thought about his life until now.
He had wanted to get into a decent Gatekeeper School and become a gatekeeper. He'd always assumed that he would eventually make it. He knew that working hard was the only thing he could do. Yet he never worked hard. What was the point? If all of his efforts would amount to F rank, what was the point of resisting? What good would come out of wasting his time working hard?
Ethan started breathing heavily. Huff...huff...huff. There it was again. The same feeling he had when he woke up. This was reality. He'd never be able to become something else, something more. He wasn't free. He was bound in this cage called society ever since he was born. Huff...huff...huff. Why couldn't he become strong? Why did Douglas deserve his powers? Why not him? Why was he unworthy? Huff..huff..huff.
He slowly calmed himself. His breathing slowed. The moment had passed. Yet, the lingering feelings remained. Then, he took a deep breath.....and uttered the words that summed up his situation perfectly. "Life's a bitch"
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Life's a bitch
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Life's a bitch
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Life's a bitch
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Life's a bitch
The same words that a young bruised boy, surrounded by snow had uttered. Such a simple yet profound phrase. It was a phrase that connected and represented both of their lives. Resonance. That was a word that could describe this phenomenon. Their thoughts and beliefs resonated to such a great degree. It was like a symphony of sounds.
These two people, who'd never meet, yet so alike in their thoughts. Perhaps this was what triggered the change. Ethan's head shook violently as a surge of information was transferred into his head. He had a splitting headache. As he lost consciousness, he could hear the same phrase being repeated in his head.
"Life's a bitch."