"…huh?"
That was Lucas' only reaction to the strange message before him. However it didn't take him too long to process what exactly the system had just informed him of.
"Oi oi oi! Hold on a minute!" yelled Lucas in protest, "What the hell do you mean you've altered my race according to your liking?! And what the heck is a 'Havoc Halfling?'"
Although Lucas complained, there was no changing something that the system had already changed. Besides it wasn't like it could listen to his needs even if he did complain.
However there was one phrase in the system's notification that made him rethink that line of thought.
'It said that it changed my race according to it's liking' thought Lucas with furrowed brows 'Could the system be something sentient?'
He read the message once again to see if he had missed anything and that's when he noticed it. There was a difference with this particular message compared to all the others that he had ever received before.
"Chaos system…?" muttered Lucas in confusion. He had never heard of the term before.
Although most people never addressed it by it's name, every living being knew that the system's true name was the Rector Princeps.
It was the only system known to govern the living beings of the universe and if what Aria had told him back in the dungeon was true, the system was something that had been around for the longest time.
'Maybe it's a hidden feature that only I managed to achieve somehow' Lucas seemed to come to that conclusion. He got off his bed and walked over to his bathroom.
"At least my appearance didn't seem to change at all", said Lucas as he examined his reflection in the mirror. Lucas sighed in relief as he didn't think he could have found a way to explain himself to his brother if he had grown an extra limb or if his skin had turned green or something.
"Is there any way for me to get more information about myself then…?" Lucas wondered, rubbing his chin in thought.
DING!
[Chaos System: Havoc Halflings are a gifted and feared species that are near extinct in this day and age. They are the offspring of a Chaosborne and any other humanoid species. Havoc Halflings are known to have superb physical abilities and a high affinity to the fire and chaos elements. However, they are easily irritated when their loved ones are threatened and they get stronger with the more powerful foes they face.]
"Oh! The system reacted!" Lucas exclaimed in surprise, "At least now I know a little bit about myself. Everything looks alright except for that last part"
Although Lucas was confident of his own self control, he was acutely aware to keep in mind the he was not the same Lucas as he used to be. If at any point in the future something happened to Tyler or anyone else he cared about, he had to make sure he would be level headed enough to help and not cause trouble.
"I'll have to test my own capabilities tomorrow after training or something", Lucas murmured as he stifled a long yawn, "I think I'll just call it a night for now"
°°°
The next morning, Lucas woke up early and took a long shower before he headed to the dining room for breakfast. Tyler was already waiting for him when he got there, wearing a ridiculous looking apron around his waist that read 'Hey there, Cereal Killer!'
"Morning Lu!", Tyler greeted him with a smile, "Sleep well?"
"Yeah, I slept pretty good, thanks", answered Lucas, "What's for breakfast?"
"Bacon, eggs and some waffles with orange juice", said Tyler as he slid a plate towards Lucas, "I also made some hash browns if you want any. Bonne appetit!"
Lucas couldn't help but smile at his big brother. Ever since their parents had passed away, Tyler had made it his mission to make sure that Lucas was well fed for each and every meal. At some point despite Lucas' protests, Tyler had even spent a three-week cooking course just to learn how to make proper meals.
'Well, I can't say that I don't appreciate his efforts' Lucas thought to himself as he greedily scarfed down his food.
Tyler nodded in satisfaction seeing Lucas enjoying the food. He took off his apron and went off to hang it somewhere before he joined Lucas at the table.
"Oh by the way-", said Tyler as he bit into a piece of bacon, "Caitlin called a few minutes ago. She was asking if you wanted to meet up and go together for training or if you would rather just go alone"
"Oh, really?" said Lucas as he got up from his chair, "Can you call her back for me while I go change? Tell her to meet me by that cool coffee place in 20 minutes"
Tyler blinked in surprise at his response, "Wait, are you serious? You usually want Rose to go with you or something"
Lucas inwardly grimaced when he heard the name of his current girlfriend and supposed future fiancee. In the past, Lucas always tried to make sure Rose accompanied him to his training sessions in order to impress her or show off. The funny thing was, Rose rarely ever answered his calls and whenever she did attend his training sessions, she would barely show any sign of interest at all!
"Yeah, I'm sure", said Lucas with a nod, "Rose probably won't answer anyway"
"Good, I'll call Caitlin right away", said Tyler quite enthusiastically. He had never liked Rose very much to begin with, so seeing his brother's change of attitude towards her was quite refreshing for him.
Ten minutes later, Lucas was running out of the house all dressed and with a black duffel bag under his arm. As he ran through the streets, Lucas couldn't help but admire how normal everything around him looked. In the future, the awakening had changed a lot of things and disrupted the peace that brought humanity together.
Dungeons opened up all over the world, allowing monsters to run rampant and reek havoc. And as if that wasn't enough, there were a certain few amongst the people who got drunk on their power once they awakened and chose to do what they wanted in the midst of confusion.
Arson, Mass destruction of property, Rape and even killing innocents…Lucas had seen all of it happen with his own eyes. And it all would have continued if not for the intervention from the Five Chosen Families.
The Five Chosen Families were the people that had been chosen by the system to lead humanity after the awakening. Only the system itself knew the criteria needed to become a chosen family as nobody knew what exactly the system wanted. Nevertheless, on the day that the system had descended upon earth, it had sent out a message to every single living being on earth, declaring to everyone who would be the leaders of humanity. These families would undergo personal training from the system itself in order for them to lead the rest of the world properly once they awakened.
Lucas' family, the Wilson Family, for whatever reason had been chosen as one of the five despite it being just Tyler and himself. Maybe the system had chosen them because it had sensed the innate potential that Tyler held? Lucas couldn't be a 100% sure but it was the most plausible case.
Reaching the coffee shop, Lucas immediately spotted Caitlin standing right outside by the entrance. She had her hair tied back in a neat ponytail and she wore a light blue tracksuit with white trainers.
"Hey, Lucas!" Caitlin greeted him with a warm smile on her beautiful face.
"Cait…", Lucas stared at her for a moment, wondering for the umpteenth time if this was all real and if she was really in front of him.
"Hm? What was that?" asked Caitlin, tilting her head to one side.
'Cute...' Lucas thought to himself before he cleared his throat and said, "Nothing nothing, I just zoned out for a second there. I hope I didn't make you wait too long"
Caitlin shook her head and said, "Not at all. I only just got here a few minutes ago"
"Cool", said Lucas before he walked past her and opened the door to the coffee shop. He then looked back at her and waved his hand, "After you"
"What?" asked Caitlin in surprise, "B-But, we have training-"
"Which only starts like half an hour from now", Lucas interjected, "Come on, spare me a few minutes to buy you some coffee. Please?"
Caitlin didn't immediately answer, still surprised at Lucas' strange actions before her cheeks took on a slightly rosy tint.
"Alright…but I want hot chocolate instead", she said in a small voice, a happy smile plastered on her face.
"No problem", said Lucas.
"With mini-marshmallows!", Caitlin added as she quickly walked past him and entered the shop. Lucas shook his head with a helpless smile, wondering to himself if Caitlin had always had this cute side to her.
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A/N: Cute ><