In the grand living room, several people had their eyes fixed on the badge in Jaden's hand, each with a look of astonishment. The badge had an elegant and modern design that reflected the hierarchy and prestige of the organization.
On this badge were electric blue lines that danced like lightning across its surface. These bluish flashes contrasted beautifully with the deep black of the badge.
"Wow!!! This is a real CREDHOS card!" Richy exclaimed after a moment of shock. His face was drawn to the CREDHOS logo in the middle of the badge, which looked more real than the one on his T-shirt... of course.
The logo was sculpted in such a way that it appeared to float on the badge. The card was rectangular with slightly rounded edges to soften its appearance.
Suddenly, the badge found its way into Richy's hand. He stared at it incredulously before passing it to Suzanne because he wasn't sure if he could trust his own eyes. Perhaps his young eyes were playing tricks on him, and it needed to be seen by older eyes that might be more reliable.
"This material, this card..." Suzanne said very softly, not showing just how shocked she was; she kept her composure.
Often, all it took was to look at the material of the badge to determine if it was real or not, and the badge she held was indeed what it was supposed to be—a material that no one knew.
Evelyne, Jaden's mother, then took the badge and examined it calmly. Her face changed even more, and her voice echoed afterward.
"You won't have much free time left, Jaden." She truly believed it, and her face showed it. She saw a reduction in the time she would spend with her son.
"You didn't want to become a CREDHOS, did you, Jaden?" She asked, putting Jaden in a slightly awkward position. He had always claimed that the CREDHOS was too much work for him.
In her voice, there was some confusion, but it wasn't the only feeling one could detect. There was also a sense of, "So it was really impossible for him not to become one."
"You've never even trained at the academy. Going straight into their ranks, wouldn't that be too abrupt and inappropriate?" Kyle, Jaden's older brother, asked.
His face did not reflect his words at all. He wasn't worried; he was simply indifferent. But he was still perplexed in his thoughts. Why would such a large and professional organization do such a thing? What was the logic behind all of this? Even though his younger brother had talent, it didn't justify sending him into the field without specific training.
He didn't expect an answer to his question, so he simply turned his gaze to something else.
'I also wonder why they accepted me when I didn't attend the academy. Could it be because of my elemental affinity, or maybe because of Rei and Rush?' Jaden wondered after hearing his older brother's question.
"Woah, big brother, you're the best!" While everyone was searching for words, someone had already finished analyzing everything. This seven-year-old jumped and embraced his big brother.
However, there was something Jaden found strange, so he asked. "Why were you all listening to my conversation with Richy?"
It was true; they weren't invited. Jaden had only noticed them after he had recounted the part about joining the CREDHOS, but they must have been there from the beginning. What was odd was that they weren't supposed to be there.
"Huh? But it's obvious." Evelyne said with a very surprised look, as if she couldn't understand why Jaden found it strange that she was there when he was talking with his little brother.
'Obvious?' Jaden didn't say the word, but his facial expression said it all. What was obvious about it? What could explain people coming to listen to a conversation that had nothing to do with them?
"It's one of the rare moments when you, my dear, are very passionate. I love seeing you in that state." she said, smiling, just before joining the hug that Richy had started.
'Oh... really?' Jaden wasn't entirely sure what to think. So, he didn't say anything and just returned the hug, a bit embarrassed nonetheless.
"I was passing by." was his older brother's brief response, as usual, a response that couldn't be contradicted.
"Okay." That's all Jaden could say after this little spectacle.
Suzanne didn't want to answer; she was there because she wanted to.
While the others went back to their activities, Jaden and Richy continued their conversation late into the night, filling the house with laughter and smiles.
In the end, Jaden realized how much the house was a haven of peace and inspiration, that his relationship with Richy was precious, and that every shared moment strengthened their sibling bond.
Jaden also realized that beyond the unknown and adventure, there was always a place where he truly felt at home. But he remembered something much more serious—the potential disaster if he were killed by HOUMs. Would it be a family member or a friend first? Jaden could only hope he never had to find out the answer to that question.
Before going to sleep, he called his sister, with whom he had a one-sided conversation. Jaden barely had time to tell her that he had joined the CREDHOS, and unsurprisingly, all she wanted was a snap of a mission or ''something like that.''
The next day, Jaden went to see Sai and Rose to give them a summary of the past two days. He told them everything he had told his family.
"Liar!" Sai exclaimed after a long silence, but he didn't believe his own words. The story was too long and coherent to be a lie; he was just too shocked to accept it.
"Ja... Jaden." was all Rose said, with a mix of emotions on her face.
Once these reactions were done, Jaden performed the coup de grace, "The Revelation of Truth."
"It's unfair! Why does such a genius exist!?" Sai exclaimed after seeing the CREDHOS badge on his friend's hand.
"It's unfair, it's unfair, the world is unfair..." He continued his display with some dramatic gestures here and there.
While Sai murmured about unfairness, Rose, with a somewhat pale and flushed face, asked timidly, but with her eyes locked onto Jaden's. It seemed to take a lot of determination for her to do so.
"Jaden, does this mean you won't be around anymore?" she asked.
"Not at all, I'll always be here." Jaden replied, a bit confused at first, but then he understood Rose's reaction. He would have a lot to do as a CREDHOS, and time... well, time was one of the most complex things in the world.
"Don't worry, I'll always be here." Jaden said more seriously this time, and he seemed very convincing.
This response seemed to calm Rose's heart because right after that, a beautiful smile appeared on her lovely face, giving Jaden a kind of shiver.
'She's... beautiful, Rose.' Jaden thought. The image of Sera faded away after this interaction. However, something pulled him out of his thoughts.
'Oh, what's this aura?' Jaden wondered as he turned around.
"Hey Jaden! I challenge you, if I beat you, I take your place in the CREDHOS!" It was a fiery Sai.
"No." Jaden replied abruptly, without a moment's hesitation.
"You don't have a choice!" Sai yelled, trying to sound intimidating.
"I said no." His response, however, showed no signs of changing his mind.
"IT'S UNFAIR, JADEEEEEEEEEN!" Sai cried before returning to his dejected state.
After a few moments, once everyone had calmed down.
"Hey Jaden, you're not planning to leave us when you become famous, right?" Sai asked seriously.
"No, as I just-" But before he could finish his sentence, Sai continued, as if he were monologuing. "Besides, I don't plan to let you abandon us."
Jaden just smiled at that moment.
"Your fame will make me famous too, they'll all come to me!"
This guy just didn't know when to be serious; he had blood in his nostrils, something strange must be going on in his head.
"Mwaaaa hahaha!!!" He still wasn't done.
After this show, the three of them set off to have some fun in a cooler place.
Jaden was lost in thought, still wondering if he could ask for a better life. He had welcomed death with open arms without thinking about others, a mistake he would never make again.
Before, he only had one life, and his life wasn't worth much to him. Now that he had an infinite number of lives, this one asked to be lived as if he had only one, to cherish it.
Jaden told himself that he would never accept death again, no matter the circumstances.
Then he looked at the sky before thinking.
'For now, I'm Jaden Lavender, the aspiring CREDHOS.'