School meant different things to different people. For some, it was a way to become stronger, while for others, it felt like being sent away by their parents. But for Max, it was something else entirely. He knew he wasn't going to get physically stronger at school, and he doubted that his mother put in so much effort just to get rid of him for a few hours every day. Instead, for Max, school represented an opportunity and a new hope.l represented an opportunity and a new hope.
New individuals who didn't despise him. Educators who would attempt to assist him. Palatable food. Lastly, a place to stay away from his family for five days.
It was a fresh start. Or was it?
As Max stepped onto the school grounds, he was struck by the imposing size of the building. Its semi-circular shape and countless windows gave it an almost majestic appearance. It even seemed to echo with the familiar sounds of birds that Max used to listen to when he sought comfort in sleep. For him, it was truly an amazing sight. As he stepped into the towering building with its intricate corridors and maze-like layout, he found himself unable to avoid getting lost. I mean, who wouldn't in such a complex environment?
After arriving at the start for the eighteen time he heard a familiar voice.
'Hey Max, I didn't expect to see you here! I didn't think your mother would send you to school. Did she get so tired of you that she paid for you to come to school to stay away from the house? That's so funny!'
The mysterious person engaged in conversation with him was a girl with long, flowing blonde hair and eyes the color of amethyst. She happened to be one of Max's few childhood friends, a bond that had endured the test of time. Notably, she was two years his senior, a fact that had always added an air of maturity and wisdom to her presence.
"ouch. Do you have to be that mean all the time, your looks are wasted with your personality"
'I couldn't care less about what my nine-year-old childhood friend thinks of me. The only opinions that matter to me are those of nobles and royalty, as that is crucial for a princess.'
Indeed, she was the princess of the Alter kingdom, Elizabeth. The royal family and the Rose family maintained a close friendship, leading to frequent interactions between Max, his sister, and the royal family's children. Over time, they had become almost family. In informal settings, they would use their nicknames, however, it was deemed inappropriate for a princess to give a nickname to "the Rat of the Rose family."
'I notice you're a bit disoriented. It's completely normal, as I also felt a bit disoriented during my first visit here. However, you can be confident that Princess Elizabeth will guide you to your destination with elegance!'
At this point, Max wondered how they were friends because he lacked her level of energy. He was more like a... A lonesome person, indeed. He was reticent to socialize, this was a holdover from his time with the maids.
As Max got to his class, guided by his friend, he couldn't help but feel people looking at him, and this didn't change when he entered his class. He sat down and got ready for his first class. His teacher was a woman around her mid-twenties, she had a raven color he hadn't seen before, it was truly beautiful, and her eyes were blue like the ocean, well, actually, how he thought the ocean looked. He only read about it, never seen it with his own eyes, not even a drawing. Her eyes were covered by some glasses that Max didn't like, he liked looking at the woman's eyes, and those damn glasses made it hard for him.
'All right, class, for your first day, you will go over all of the drives again and how you manifest a different one than the one you were born with.'
...
As Max left for class, he recalled a few details. There are three different kinds of drives:
The Primary drives- earth, wind, water, and fire. The majority of people had one of them, perhaps even more than 70%, making them the most prevalent.
The Mutated drives came next. Two groups of them were formed.
These are the ones that undergo a complete transformation; they include drives such as copper, acid, metal, and so on. This group is called Mutatio.
And those that were merely a more powerful variant of the primary drives. For example, the Pink Fire drive. It's interesting to note that the Rose family is renowned for creating a large number of its users. This group is called Fortior.
Then there are the two Ancient Drives, which were the first drives ever to be established. However, the ancient differs from the others in that it is more difficult to obtain. The two forces are light and darkness. The light drive is a power passed down, whereas the darkness drive is said to be impossible to obtain naturally.
However drives aren't the only powers someone can get, these are called outlawed powers. Few people own them because they are illegal. It's important to remember that they differ greatly from drives. Though I'm sure we'll find someone with them eventually, mind control and life energy are two examples of outlawed abilities.
I also mentioned that the darkness drive cannot be obtained naturally, as you may recall. Why did I say natural, though? There is an artificial darkness drive, also known as the masterpiece of outlawed powers: darkness.
You must make a deal with a demon in order to obtain an outlawed power. Regretfully, some families are experts in these abilities. Hopefully, Max will not come across as a member of one of these families.
The last thing Max remembered was that his teacher's chest had to be at least 97cm. This last fact isn't that important tho.
At the end of the day, while was was walking to the exit of the school, well trying to get to it actually because he got lost again, some groups of kids approached him.
'Well if it isn't the Rat of the Rose family. At first, I thought it was my imagination, man are we going to have some fun?
Max immediately fled and hid since he could see their intentions. Fortunately, he was skilled at hiding and managed to escape. The problem was that this would most likely occur daily. He had not hoped for this.
Arriving home fatigued and late, he walked straight to his room and slept down on his bed. "Bed" was an exaggeration. It was just a pillow and blanket on the floor. Then he entered the dream realm.
But he woke up suddenly. He thought he heard his father arguing with someone and decided to investigate.