Peter ran like he had never run before, anxiously hoping to get home as he sped past moving cars and buses.
Unknown to him, he began to draw shocked glances from people, until he got home.
On seeing his mother in front of the house, with worry written all over her face, Peter drew in a deep breath as he slowed down his steps.
He was already racking his brain for excuses to give his mother that would ease her worry. Obviously, he was not willing to tell her that he was involved in an accident.
That might give her a heart attack!
Before he got close to the lawn, she turned her head towards his direction as her eyes widened in surprise when she saw him.
_"I can tell her that I went to visit a friend"_
Peter was already finalizing his excuse, when his mother threw her interrogation from a distance, before they even got close enough for a hug.
"Peter, where in God's name have you been?!"
"I went to---"
"And what happened to your clothes?!"
His mother did a double take as her eyes and hands scanned through his clothes.
Peter subconsciously glanced at his clothes as he silently cursed;
_"Damn it"_
The accident had obviously taken a toll on his clothes as torn areas were visible all over his shirt and trouser.
At this point, Peter instantly knew that his previously cooked up excuse would be pointless.
"Peter, tell me what happened"
His mother's tone of voice changed as she stared him straight in the eyes and demanded his explanation.
Peter was always quite uncomfortable with this side of his mother, whom was always jumpy and quite scared by unexpected events.
As he tried to avoid her gaze but couldn't, an excuse came to his mind, though not true, but acceptable and applicable to the current situation.
"I....." He began;
"I got into a fight"
"What?" His mother stared at him in shock.
"Why would you get into a fight?"
"I went skateboarding with my friends, but then some bullies came and well....."
"And they did this to you?!"
His mother spun him around as her agitation intensified.
"First thing tomorrow am coming to your school!"
_"Here we go"_
"Mom please that won't be necessary, besides those bullies are not from my school"
Peter knew that it would come to this, because his mother was prone to overreact unreasonably in most situations.
"What are their names? Do you remember their faces? We could use that to hunt them down!"
His mother was still persistent as she pressed on.
"No mom we won't!"
Sigh
"Please mom all I want to do right now is to eat and rest"
He looked into her eyes and feigned resignation and tiredness.
As if this was all it took, his mother also sighed as she saw the tired look in her son's eyes.
"Okay son, I guess you're right, but I will still get to the bottom of this"
She finally said as she ushered him into the house.
"Go freshen up, while I set the dinner table okay?"
"Yes mom"
Peter hastily ran up the stairs and into his room as he closed the door and sat on his bed in reminiscent thoughts.
He was still shocked by the weird and terrifying experience that he had in the bus as he recalled the incident with the golden staff and also the part of the passengers flying off the bus screaming.
He remembered the look of terror on their faces as they died, which made him tremble greatly. He couldn't believe that he was able to survive such an ordeal.
While his mind was being clouded by such thoughts, he noticed a strange glow from the corner of his eye.
"Heok!"
Turning his head towards the direction of the glow, he gasped in great shock and almost fell off the bed as he stared straight at his window with wide open eyes.
A golden staff was seen floating just outside his window, as it gave off a soft pulsating glow.
As Peter stared at it in shock, he couldn't help but remember the strange voices that he heard when he earlier touched the staff in the bus.
The staff just stayed afloat outside his window, as if waiting for him patiently.
At that point, Peter came to a realization.
The staff was outside his window!
He heard the loud honking of vehicles down below and the chatter of various people.
He knew that it would be very easy for anyone to see the glowing staff from out the street!
He couldn't allow that!
Quickly, he rushed to the window and took up the glass as he nervously stretched out his hand towards the staff.
~Boom~
As soon as his hand came in contact with the staff for the second time today, a low shockwave erupted, which spread all over the house and across the street.
~Wham~
Peter was sent flying as he crashed on the wall with his hands tightly enclosed around the staff.
While he was still nursing the pain of the crash, a group of glowing words appeared before his eyes;
Name ~~~ (Peter Watson)
Origin ~~~ (Otherworld)
Legacy ~~~ (Beast mage)
Hidden Legacy ~~~ Yukon(Locked) [0/1000]
Class ~~~ (Level) [0]
Talent ~~~ (Monkey)
Peter shook in surprise as he remembered seeing something similar when he was in the bus.
_"What the heck is this?"_
As confused as he was in the bus, so was he now, as he couldn't yet decipher what the whole thing meant.
Though, he played a lot of video games and had basic understanding of what the player stats was and looked like.
But he just couldn't relate what he was experiencing now, with that of a video game, after all, this was real life and he was sure that he was no video game character.
But then, while he was perusing his thoughts for an answer to this phenomenon before him,
he tried to remember what the strange voice that he encountered in the bus said.
He recalled that the voice mentioned something about a legacy of...
Of what?
He racked his brain for recollection as his eyes moved to the floating group of words before him.
On seeing the row on which the word 'legacy' was written, he paused.
_"Beast mage?"_
He frowned as he stayed at those words.
The word mage had to do with anything magical, that he knew quite well.
But then if 'mage' meant magic, then the word 'beast' very much refers to an animalistic creature.
So 'beast mage' could very much refer to the magic that controls or harmonizes with an animal.
His eyes widened as his thoughts came to this point.
Does that mean he could control animals?!
But that would be absurd wouldn't it?
Peter tried to calm himself down and be rational about this as he then studied the next row of words.
_''Hidden legacy?''_
_''Yukon?''_
Then it hit him.
Yes that right!
The voice from earlier, told him that he had received the legacy of something or someone called Yukon.
But what or who the heck is Yukon?
And moreover why are there two legacies?
Though the second one carries the word 'hidden' but aren't they basically the same thing?
His eyes moved to the word 'Class' as he began to wonder if he'd actually be able to level up.
Well this is beginning to look like a video game isn't it?
When his eyes fell on the word 'Talent' he froze.
_''Monkey?''_
_"If my speculations are right, does this mean that I'll be able to control monkeys?"_
But why monkeys?
Why not Lions or Tigers or something more mighty and ferocious?
What's the use of a f**king monkey?!
He felt like his thoughts were beginning to spiral out of control as he tried to calm himself down.
_"Moreover this can't be real"_
_Am just imagining things right?_
But curiously, his eyes moved down to a group of words that was silently flashing, as if urging him to pay attention to it.
_"Additional info?"_
As soon as his thoughts pondered on this group of words, another panel carrying a set of words suddenly emerged beside the first one.
_"OK you've got to be kidding me"_
Peter stared in exasperation at the next set of words;
Attack ~~~ [0]
Strength ~~~ [0]
Agility ~~~ [0]
Perception ~~~ [0]
Mana ~~~ [0]
Skill (1) ~~~
Soul Tribute ~~~ [0/100]
Soul Rebuke ~~~ [0/100]
{You have received the legacy of Yukon and you're now a participant in the contest of might and magic}
{You'll be shortly summoned for training when the given time elapses}
[15:48:22]
Peter was actually not paying attention to the set of information written below, because his eyes stared in annoyance at the stat values that was being displayed at the top.
_"How can you give me zero stats from the beginning?!"_
During his time playing video games, he had never come across a game that gave zero stats from the onset.
How would he even be able to do anything with zero abilities?
While he shook his head in disbelief, he heard rapid knocks on the door as the voice of his mother called out;
"Peter are you okay?"
"I heard strange sounds; what going on?"
When he heard her voice, he flinched as he waved his hands frantically, trying to close the floating panels.
"Ye--yeah mom, am okay....just doing my homework!"
His reply was unusually loud due to his nervousness.
"Huh? Homework? Why are you doing that now?"
"It's time for dinner, you can do your homework after you eat"
Peter was about to protest, when;
~Grurp~
His stomach began growling and grumbling due to the fact that he had not eaten anything substantial since he left for school in the morning.
"Ok mum, I'll be right there"