Terraia was part of a binary star system with two yellow dwarf stars orbiting each other. Fifteen planets tagged along on the stars' journey revolving around the black hole in the center of their host galaxy, deemed Laceton A by the inhabitants of Terraia, at speeds exceeding a million kilometers per hour. Out of the fifteen planets that constituted the star system, some were circumbinary, and some orbited just one of the two stars.
Terraia, in particular, was a circumbinary planet that revolved around both stars in a relatively huge orbital plane. It took Terraia about three-sixty-five days to complete one revolution around the two stars. Despite being a rather hefty planet with a diameter of over sixty thousand kilometers, Terraia's rotation speed was extraordinarily fierce, completing a rotation on its axis in about twenty-four hours.
Oberon City. Rachan Country. Southern Hemisphere of Terraia.
The time was approaching four in the afternoon and one of the two stars had started to set over the horizon. The setting star's comforting radiance combined with the bold glow of the star still brightly lighting up the sky brandished a beautiful warm glow over the city. Although it was a pity that the natural beauty couldn't be perceived from within Oberon because of the overabundance of large buildings, the subtle and hearty heat still enveloped the city and warmed the hearts of its residents.
A figure could be seen running through the streets while holding a backpack with torn straps in his arms. The masculine figure ducked and weaved through the crowd lining the Oberon streets. He passed intersections, broke a couple of minor traffic regulations, and made his way from the crowded luxurious streets surrounded by magnificent buildings into a web of gloomy alleyways connecting the Oberon city's underbelly.
The man ran past beggars and homeless people huddled together against the narrow alleys, jumped over garbage and dung, encountered a rather unsavory confrontational scenario between two less-than-stellar groups that made him change his route, and overall had a rough experience as he navigated his way through these dire paths while looking over his shoulder in small intervals, making sure he wasn't being followed.
Despite all of the glamorous shimmering glory associated with Oberon City and its symbolic importance to Rachan Country, a long time has passed since the war and the city's construction. Despite the administration's immense efforts to keep up the quality and splendor, the rapid increase of population and waning resources hadn't left the higher-ups with much room to maneuver, so they had no choice but to concentrate their efforts on selected areas of scrutiny rather than the whole city, leaving certain parts of the city to rot.
"Huff... Huff... Huff..."
Hunter streaked across the alleys, but even his stamina honed by years of manual labor was on the verge of running out.
"These guys..." Hunter gazed at his backpack as he continued to trudge forward at a reduced pace. "I don't think I'll be able to sew it back anymore."
Hunter wryly smiled as he looked around sporadically in search of a way to make it out of the maze he had found himself in. He had reached a crossroad and was looking for any signs that would direct him towards an area or street he was familiar with. Normally, he would just peruse his phone for navigation, but the urgent situation didn't really allow him time to haggle with his slow device.
Thump thump thump
Plop plop
Crash!
"That bastard should be close!"
"Come on!"
As the sound of footsteps and men's voices resounded in the empty harrowing alleys, Hunter felt his stomach drop and chills up his spine.
"Shit."
Hunter grabbed his bag tighter and took off in a random direction from the crossroad. He ran as if his life depended on it, and it did. Sweat covered his body, his muscles spasmed painfully, his chest heaved erratically, and veins popped across his face and neck. However, he could only evade determined pursuers to a certain extent with an exhausted body and trapped in an unfamiliar environment.
BAM!
"AGH!"
As Hunter sensed the people following him encroaching closer and closer, his expression worsened and panic clouded his face. In his desperation, Hunter took a sudden left turn to lose his pursuers but was met with a blow to his abdomen. Although his bag absorbed the impact somewhat, the force sent him sprawling across the filthy ground. And before he could regain composure and run away, Hunter found himself surrounded by five figures.
"Haa~ Haa~ Finally got him."
"Aah~ So fucking filthy."
"I think we chased too hard for this."
Hunter heaved and panted to catch his breath and recover from the sudden impact. The five men around him laughed and swore as if reveling in triumph after hunting down a prey.
"What the fuck, Echmire." Hunter felt his throat go dry and muscles throb as the effects of prolonged physical activity dawned on his emaciated frame. "What do you want now?"
Hunter placed his bag on the ground and shakily rose, alerting the group around him. The men shuffled to cover him from all sides, cutting off any escape routes. The man who was addressed stepped towards Hunter and stopped eerily close to him, the distance between the two men closing to a couple of inches.
Echmire was a tall man breaching one-ninety centimeters, with a muscularly lean physique and a handsome countenance. He sported golden hair, blue eyes, sleek cheeks, and a sharp jawline. His shoulders were wide, his chest was full, and his every movement reflected a sense of wealth and grandeur. It was clear at a glance that the man belonged to an impressive background.
"You run quite fast, Hunter. Just like a rat."
Echmire's tone dripped with ridicule and contempt. With his height and frame, he overshadowed and looked down on Hunter, like a cat did to a mouse.
"Five people suddenly jumped me, what did you expect." Hunter's tone was relatively casual and nonchalant, but his fists were clenched so hard his nails dug into his skin.
"You've grown quite a pair... Talking like that after what you did."
"What is it?" Although Hunter was surrounded and his instincts were screaming at him to flee, he stood his ground and didn't cover under Echmire's hulking frame. "I didn't even do anything this time, what are you mad about now?"
"Do you really not know, peasant?" Echmire narrowed his eyes at Hunter as he ground his teeth. "The C.I.E."
Echmire's gaze was filled with disdain, his entire visage made it clear that he didn't consider Hunter an equal.
"The exam? The results were posted last night. What of i—"
Hunter had mostly recovered from the impact and was strategizing on how to create a distraction and escape, but as he half-mindedly replied to Echmire, the situation made itself very clear, drawing a sign of exasperation from his very soul.
"No fucking way... Did you do this whole thing out of petty jealousy because I got higher marks tha-" As Hunter redirected his gaze to Echmire's condescendingly smirking face and began talking, Echmire suddenly retracted his arm and punched.
Bam!
"Agh!"
Hunter barely managed to react in time and raise his arms in defense, but the sheer disparity in prowess was clear as he was thrown back and crashed against the nearby moss and dirt-covered wall, staining his pristine uniform further.
"How dare you! You poor little slum crawler son of a bitch!" Echmire's face contorted into one of intense rage as he approached Hunter and grabbed his neck, lifting him from the ground so that their eyes were on the same level. "The only reason you are even allowed to bring your filthy little paws into our school is because your shitstain of a father died in a convenient place."
Echmire practically spat his words at Hunter, his eyes burning with hatred.
"You do not belong with us, you are not our equal. Run back to the countryside barn you crawled out of and don't show yourself to me."
Echmire's words pricked at Hunter's conscience and made him grit his teeth in frustration. However, he had heard much worse in the four years since his father's untimely demise, so while anger bubbled inside of him, he merely narrowed his eyes and smirked at Echmire.
"Really? Slinging insults? If only the heir to the great Mortainier household spent some time studying instead of frolicking around with his goons..." Hunter scoffed and prattled on despite literally being held by the neck. He craned his head forward and spoke in a low voice, one only Echmire would hear. "Your family wouldn't use my example to discipline you."
His words made Echmire eyes redden and veins appeared on his neck and forehead. The grip on Hunter's neck tightened. He grabbed and dug his nails into Echmire's hands in hopes of escaping but even asphyxiation couldn't wipe the slight smirk from Hunter's face.
"What was... it... this time?" Hunter was losing breath but managed to string a couple of words to incite Echmire further. "Allowance... cut? Vehicle... privileges? More classes? Whipping? You... illiterate son... of a—"
Echmire's face contorted in wrath. His hands around Hunter's neck constricted further, to the extent that Hunter's face went pale and he began to spasm erratically.
"Dude, don't kill him."
One of the men placed his hand on Echmire's shoulder and said worriedly.
Bam!
"FUCK!"
Echmire slammed Hunter against the wall and roared, making the four people around step back in fear. Echmire wiped his forehead and turned to the rest of his group.
"Beat him up."
Echmire lightly said as he retrieved a cigarette box from his pants and walked away to a cleaner area of the alleyway. Behind him, his friends jumped Hunter and pummeled him to the ground.
x—X—x
"Oi, smartass. You got some nerve, don'tcha?"
Bam!
"He sure does, Big Brother! The boss was quite feisty today, wasn't she? It's probably cause of 'im..."
Whack!
"So you think just cause you got some brain cells on us lot, you some hot shit?"
Thud!
"Didn't like the kid from the start, always got that look on his face, like he better than us or something."
Slam!
"I like his sister though~ Ooh she something~!"
Smack!
"Hahaha~"
Crack!
"Hahahaha~"
Pop!
"That time she brought this fucker lunch made me sooo jealous~ Made me wanna take her right there!"
Boom!
"Ack! Haa~ Haa~"
'Can't believe it. Two times in one day.'
The time was approaching 11 and darkness had shrouded the city of hopes and dreams. Oberon had transformed into a futuristic utopia with bright neon lights, merry crowds, huge parties, and everything in between.
The two stars that supported life on the planet had set a long time ago and the sky was decorated with a plethora of celestial objects. Terraia was a huge planet with a rather far-reaching gravitational influence, so much so that eighteen celestial bodies revolved around the planet, five of which lit up the Oberon sky like beautiful chandeliers.
While the city livened up and the rich and powerful reveled in hedonism and debauchery, those less fortunate worked till late hours to sustain the city. Several specific territories in the city were designated for buildings associated with work facilities and nothing else, segregating them from the residential and luxury districts quite strictly.
One of these areas was Verna, a small section of Oberon filled to the brim with factories, plants, manufacturing sites, and a myriad of establishments that operated for the good of the business owners and their associates while suppressing and exploiting the poor people who worked for meager wages.
Chesher Industries was based in Millinan, the economic capital of Rachan and a city infamous for its brutal work culture and cutthroat competition. The Oberon branch of this company was located in Verna. Chesher was a condiment company and the Oberon branch was responsible for predominantly public relations, advertisements, local distribution, and a little research and development.
Hunter had begun employment at Chesher Industries about two years ago when he was seventeen. He was recruited as a grunt worker with a low wage and close to zero benifits. However, over the years his intellect and personality had distinguished him from his peers and had allowed him to climb the hierarchical ladder. He was now one of the logistic managers at the distribution center where he was once a mere loader.
Hunter worked two jobs to contribute to his family and allow his mother to have an easier time. As such, he couldn't speak up against the injustice inflicted on him at school or his workplace, for at the end of the day, despite his intellectual acumens, he was a weak kid who meant little when considering the overarching scenario of the world. Hunter could lose everything that he held dear with a single wrong move. And even if his family screamed and sobbed at the world, nobody would care, nobody would help them.
As such, even though his previous loader colleagues were taking out their anger and grievances on him for their similar or worse circumstances, he could do nothing but endure. Hunter couldn't even pass some snide remarks like he did during the conflict with Echmire's gang. These people weren't mere jealous classmates who wouldn't go far due to their immaturity or the fear of their reputations being ruined, no, these were the kind of people who had already lost their will to live, and with a little provocation, they could do something drastic.
'What the hell... My luck is seriously the worst.'
Hunter cursed his rotten luck for the billionth time in his life as he flailed on the floor in the designated work attire of Chesher Industries. He had his arms wrapped around his head and his legs tucked into his waist, just wishing the six people smoking and cursing around him would have their fill and leave.
Ohm~
Suddenly, just as he defended a kick aimed at his face with his arms, a sudden chill enveloped him.
'What's happening?'
Hunter looked around haphazardly, his pupils constricting to a fraction of their size in terror. He wondered if one of the guys had pulled out a lethal weapon that had triggered his instincts so, but his assailants were also in a state of disarray and surveying their surroundings.
Ohm~
A fear unlike anything Hunter had ever experienced took hold of his body. Words would fail to describe the sensation he was feeling. It was as if something dangerous and primal was looking at him, calling him, enticing him to enter its jaws and bathe in the honor of turning into its sustenance.
Ohm~
"W-what's happening!? I feel cold!"
One of the guys surrounding Hunter dropped his cigarette and crouched with his arms covering his head.
"Something's happening." One of them said in a low voice and rubbed his arms to settle the goosebumps.
Hunter stood up shakily, leaning against an empty container nearby. The numerous injuries and starvation had taken a toll on his body. He scanned his surroundings, and as far he could tell, there was nothing particularly threatening about his surroundings. However, the unsettling sensation was getting stronger and more fierce as seconds passed.
Ohm~
Out of nowhere, a sudden weightlessness enveloped Hunter. Before he could even process what was happening to him, his feet left the ground and he found himself floating a couple inches above the ground.
"AAAH!"
Hunter's scream attracted the attention of the other employees. All six of the assailant's faces were covered in complete shock, they couldn't believe what they were witnessing.
"W-WHAT IS HAPPENING BIG BROTHER!?"
"THE BRAT IS BEING EATEN!"
Amidst the horrifyingly loud screams of the six workers, Hunter felt his consciousness slipping away as he thought he was being absorbed into something akin to a shredder.
'Am I going to die? What will happen to Anaya? To Mom?'
Hunter fainted as the energy enveloping him increased in intensity.
Ohm~
The six goons watched as Hunter's body was engulfed by a bright piercing light. The very space around his body distorted strongly, creating a sort of resonance that made the group cover their ears in discomfort. One of them reached out to pull Hunter, but he was pushed back by the sheer energy the boy was wrapped in.
The group couldn't do anything but gawk as a nineteen-year-old boy suddenly vanished in front of their very eyes.
"W-what just happened, Big Bro?" One of the men tremblingly asked.
"I don't know..." The leader of this ragtag group of workers, the big brother, replied similarly in terror.
"We can't tell anybody..." A third voice said in a somber tone.
"I don't think anybody would believe even if we did." The big brother responded as he retrieved a cigarette from his shirt pocket.
Ohm~