Zack was rolling on the ground in pain, beside him there were other students who were also on the ground, some were unconscious while some like Zack were fidgeting in pain.
As it turned out, the instructor was terribly misguided, there was no limit to the insidious ability of the brown haired kid.
Not only that, but the young regular, was also a skilled fighter, brutual in his blows and cunning in every aspect. To say the least, he was essentially more stronger, more unique and more talented when it came to other students, which was not surprising since he was an awakened.
Rolling on the ground, Zack couldn't help but grumble inwardly,
'This is why I hate combat class'
The other students were drowning in shame, the thought of being single handedly defeated by a regular student who had no armored exoskeleton powering him was simply embarrassing.
Unlike Zack they didnt knew that the young fellow was an awakened, for if they did they wouldn't be so embarrassed.
After the miserable display of fighting skills, the combat class was eventually dismissed, gradually signaling the end of school.
The moment the class was dismissed, Zack did not wait on the ceremony, with a sudden thought he turned his exoskeleton back into its previous form of a silver metal briefcase.
After that he left the academy in silence, heading back home.
Since Zack was sort of antisocial, he didn't wait for anyone nor did he converse with other kids like how his fellow peers often did.
Once he was outside the academy, the cold weather assaulted him once again, the sky was still dark and gloomy, the ground still wet and muddy.
A taxi soon halted in front of the young Mason.
And he boarded swiftly without hesitation.
The drive from the academy to his household was not that far, it only took him thirty minutes to reach his destination.
Entering the house, Zack noticed that no one was present. His mother had probably went shopping at the grocery store. His brother, a military soldier was probably at work and then his sister, well Zack would be lying if he said he knew were she was, her work was actually confidential, making it a mystery to all the family members of the house.
Entering the kitchen, the dark haired boy retrieved a hand made meal from the fridge that was packed inside a small rectangular tupperware lunch box of purple color.
Opening the lunch box, Zack devoured the food inside to relieve his hunger and when he was done eating he headed straight to his personal laboratory to focus on his experiments.
Just before he entered the laboratory, Zack first passed by the sitting room, where he found the TV still on.
"Who left the TV on, mmm probably Jake, that lazy guy, what's so hard about turning off the TV when you are done watching it"
Reaching out for the remote, Zack was about to turn off the TV, that was until he saw what was being displayed on the large plasma TV.
The TV had been left on the information channel, where there was some breaking and shocking news that was currently being displayed.
The news was about a press conference that was being held by the World United government.
The World governmental ruler, president Marlin Auther Williams, was currently addressing the press conference in person.
Zack's attention was immediately drawn to the news, after seeing who was addressing the conference. President Marlin A. Williams being the ruler of the entire nations, rarely made public appearances due to various political reasons. In fact to Zack this was the first time that he was actually seeing the man's face, showing how important this conference was to make him address it personally.
The world's leader was not how Zack had imagined him all these years. He had thought that someone with a heavy responsibility like that had to be some old wise veteran who survived and participated in the Terrangarian war, forty years ago.
But no the president was no old fellow who survived the war, nor did he appear to be a wise old man, instead the president was a young man who looked to be in his early twenties or close to reach the mid twenties.
The young leader had a manly charm, a composed look and fierce expression on his face.
He had chest nut hair, bright golden eyes that would make one loose themselves when staring at them and his facial features were both sharp and diginified at the same time.
Looking at the man, Zack deduced that he was barley older than his own brother, which didn't make sense, since it was said that this man had been the world ruler ever since the nations united into one governmental organization, which was thirty three years ago, seven years after the Terrangian war.
"Good evening dear fellow citizens.
Most of you might not know who I am, so I will just introduce myself.
l am the president of the World United Governments, president Marlin Author Williams.
As for why l am holding this conference, l am afraid that its not good news.
As all of you know, the Union army has been bravely defending the dimension border ever since the beginning of the Anomaly, that began thirty three years ago. Our greatest soldier, general Reverend Joe Williams, a brother of mine had been at the fore front of the border leading our forces against the evil spirits and ensuring our safety with his awakened powers.
Another hero, the great genius Dr. Sol Admarnt Mason, had been using his unique awakened powers of seals at the background, by sealing off the dimensional border from interacting with our world. These two men and a army of five hundred Union soldiers have been performing their duties in protecting humanity all in their glory.
At this moment the president was silent for a while, with a dispirited and resigned expression on his face he continued his speech,
"And yet it saddens me to inform you that the grim day that we have dreaden for our entire lives has finally arrived, our heroes after years of triumph, have finally lost the battle.
According to our oracle departments,
General Williams was reported to have perished in battle, along with a platoon of four hundred and thirty three thousand men. Dr. Sol, has allegedly been reported missing along with the remaining sixty seven thousand men.
After inquiry from our diviners, the oracle department has speculated that the chances of survival for the missing soldiers are extremely low that the most likely outcome is that they are already dead.
The details of how the soldiers perished, are still unknown and our diviners are trying their best to give us an answer.
Now without the soldiers, guarding the border and without Dr. Sol reinforcing the seals, l am afraid that the barrier has been left in a vulnerable state and its only a matter of time before it breaks.
Once the barrier breaks, the Anomaly will finally break free from its restrictions, possibly affecting the entire world.
Various falls will descent on the land in just fifteen days from now, and along them devastating changes will take place forever changing our peaceful world.
Although our governments are currently unable to prevent this disaster from taking place, especially with the absence of Dr. Sol, it still will place protective measures to mitigate the deaths to its most minimal levels.
Ladies and gentleman, children and adults, we are on desperate times, were we will need to impore desperate measures.
But before all of that is implored, first I would like to hold a three day memorial for our fallen comrades, to remember them for their bravery.
Lets all cherish their fallen lives and stay strong against the horrors to come.
Thank you"
With those words the World United Government's president, president Marlin Author Williams, finished his speech.
The young man was then escorted off the stadium by several guards armored in thick exoskeleton suits.
Zack stared at the television with an absent minded expression.
He couldn't quite believed it, the world was coming to an end and it was going to happen on his birthday, the irony of the fate.
Zack was currently turning sixteen in just fifteen days from now, the same day that when the falls would descend.
Thinking about this, Zack couldn't help but ponder if any of this was tied to his birthday and his family's secret, after all it couldn't be just a coincidence for all of the anomalies, both the world's anomaly and his family's anomaly to unfold on the same day.
Also his father had just mysteriously disappeared out of nowhere, leaving the world in chaos, the young Mason couldn't help but suspect that his father had something to do with the mysterious fall of the Union army and its mysterious disappearance.
Shaking his head, the dark haired boy silently muttered under his teeth.
"Honestly, what in the seven worlds is that old man up to?
While others might have thought that Dr. Sol had probably died, Zack would say otherwise,knowing his father full well there was no way that man was dead, it was just impossible.
Sol the world greatest scientist and sorcerer in the entire world, was the most cunning and the most insidious man that Zack had ever encountered in his entire short life.
To tell the truth Zack would be thrilled, to actually hear the official news of the man's death.
This was so because despite being his father, Dr. Sol Admarnt Mason had never treated Zack like a son, instead he handled Zack as if he was a experimental toy of his.
Most of Zack's personal troubles were actually tied around the man's insidious experiments.
This was one of the reasons why he was no longer living with his family.