[CLOCKED: 2105] The Wisterian Monarchy
It was a bright, busy afternoon in Wisteria State, with the whir of metro trains, taxis, and traffic filling the air. At the Wisterian Mage Monastic School, a 16 year old named Riku Kokuchi sat alone at the back of a classroom. His messy blond curls caught the sunlight, almost like wheat fields in summer, and his blue eyes had that tropical ocean vibe.
Riku wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, a black vest over it, long pants, and clean white shoes. A small badge with a crown and a bold "W" was pinned to his vest, marking him as one of the academy's students.
He sighed, leaning back in his chair, his gaze drifting out the window with a look of weary indifference toward whatever was coming next.
Riku sat in the middle of a lesson on Ether energy, bored out of his mind. He had already studied and mastered the mage arts behind Ether, so he figured a nap wouldn't hurt.
Moments later, a sharp slap on his desk jolted him awake. "Riku, don't sleep in my class!" a female voice scolded him, it was the teacher.
"Okay…" he mumbled, opening his tired eyes and staring ahead.
"Look at Riku, what a loser!" someone from the other side of the room jeered, and the rest of the class erupted in laughter.
"He's probably dozing off because he knows he won't get an android agent like the rest of us!"
In this era, bio-androids, engineered at birth and developed by scientists, had become a societal norm. These bio-androids, often called "Agents," are an advanced evolution of humans, possessing free will and functioning just like anyone else. They attend schools, hold jobs, and integrate seamlessly into daily life, assisting humans, whom they regard as their superiors.
Riku, however, hasn't yet connected with or acquired an android to work alongside him. Bio-androids are prohibitively expensive, costing around 500,000 WST (equivalent to 1.5 million USD), making them accessible to only a select few.
Riku doesn't have the means to purchase or even finance a bio-android. Living alone while his parents are overseas for years to come, he's set on earning qualifications and mastering the mage arts to become a Wizard.
Sadly, Riku's biggest hurdle at school is the Duo-Partner System, where humans and bio-androids team up to pass mage exams and assignments. As the only student without a bio-android partner, he's often targeted for bullying and ridicule. Despite his skill and expertise in conjuring Ether, the energy used for magic-based attacks, his classmates still label him a failure.
The bully who had been mocking Riku swaggered over to his desk. "Hey, Riku, how about this? If you just listen and become my pet, maybe I'll let you borrow my bio-android. That is, if she's up for it! Right, Dina?" He shot a grin at the bio-android standing beside him.
Dina gave no response, her expression neutral. With short black hair framing her face and a faint swirl marking her left pupil, her dark eyes held a quiet focus. She wore the school's white-collared shirt layered under a red blouse and black sweater vest. On her wrist, a small digital code, "56-51", served as a clear marker of her status as a bio-android, setting her apart from her human peers.
"Listen here, you little mohawk brat," Riku said coldly, standing up to face him. "Get you and your ugly android out of my face before I beat the heck out of you."
"I've been enduring you, John. I don't care what you say."
John, taken aback, fell silent for a moment, his anger flaring. "Dina! I command you to attack him!" he shouted. But Dina remained still, her voice calm as she replied, "John, I don't condone unnecessary violence."
Riku smirked. "Pathetic, John. Didn't you know? Bio-androids have free will. Just because she's your agent doesn't mean she's bound to obey a scumbag like you."
"Why you-!" John lunged, ready to throw a punch, when the school bell rang, interrupting him.
"Alright, everybodyyy! School dismissed. And no more fighting, especially you two, Riku and John," the teacher called out, glancing pointedly at them as the class filed out quietly.
...
The sun was setting, and night was closing in as Riku walked through the city, lost in thought. Man… I really wish I had an android. This sucks… really bad, he thought, imagining what it would be like as he walked along, hoping for better chances.
As Riku walked, lost in thought, he noticed a pile of junk in a nearby scrapyard and had an idea. Hey… what if I check out the junkyard? Maybe they've tossed some android parts… or even something I can use to build one. But androids are engineered humans, they're living beings. I doubt they'd throw any out, he hesitated, but curiosity won him over.
Nope, I have to see for myself! Determined, he jogged to the junkyard and began searching, sifting through discarded tools, old phones, computers, and other random junk, nothing remotely humanlike.
This is gonna take forever, he thought, sighing as the blue moon began to light up the yard. Still rummaging, he muttered in disappointment, "Dammit! There's nothing here…"
With junk scattered everywhere, Riku was about ready to give up. Yeah, there's no way a bio-android would be here, he thought, smirking at his own wishful thinking.
"Well, guess it's time to head back, it's already night…" he mumbled to himself in disbelief.
As Riku was about to leave, he accepted that getting a bio-android was unlikely, and if it ever happened, it wouldn't be anytime soon. Resigned, he turned to go but accidentally tripped over a piece of junk, stumbling to the ground.
"What the heck…" he muttered, pushing himself up. He glanced at what had tripped him, and froze. Is that… a girl?! He stared in shock, then instinctively checked the figure's wrist, where the digits "22-11" were printed.
It was a bio-android. Riku's disbelief turned to astonishment as he realized what he had found.
He could see that the bio-android was unconscious, or, more accurately, shut down. Carefully, he lifted her out of the pile of junk and placed her in an open area of the yard.
Although dusty, she showed no signs of damage; bio-androids were essentially engineered humans, designed to be as resilient as they were advanced.
Riku finally took a clear look at her: she had flowing blonde hair and light-blue eyes, though her left pupil featured a distinct swirl, like a miniature vortex, almost like a magical eye. Her attire was neat despite the dust, a white-collared, long-sleeved shirt with a red blouse and black sweater vest, paired with a short black pleated skirt, white stockings, and polished white shoes.
It was unmistakable: she was a bio-android.
"What the heck… am I dreaming?" Riku mumbled in shock, struggling to believe he'd actually found a bio-android discarded in a junkyard.
Now… how do I turn her on? he wondered, his mind racing as he sat on the ground beside her, staring at her still form.
After a few minutes, Riku felt hopeless, clueless about what to try next. So, he went with his gut and pinched her cheeks. "Wake up… already…" he murmured softly, half-expecting a miracle. Riku wasn't exactly clueless, but he was more focused on getting things done than figuring out every detail.
"Okay, well… this isn't working," he muttered, pulling back with a sigh. "Hmm…"
"Now that I think about it, she might be my height… or even taller," Riku thought, distractedly.
At 165 cm and barely 52 kg, he was on the lean side, something that made him a bit insecure.
In the next moment, the bio-android's eyes flicked open, her face blank and emotionless.
"Oh, what the heck, she's awake?" Riku mumbled, waving his hand in front of her. "Hello? Uh… are you awake?"
A split second later, she suddenly sat up, moving from lying down to sitting in one swift motion. "Woah!" Riku scrambled back, startled by her abrupt movements. The bio-android didn't speak but wore an expression of confusion. Her tired look shifted to one of shock as she gazed ahead, taking in her surroundings.
"Uh… hey?" Riku approached her slowly, cautious of any sudden moves, unsure if he might be putting himself in danger.
He had finally found a bio-android, his one chance to have an agent of his own.
But Riku decided to hold back for a moment, sensing that she might need space.
Then, the bio-android finally spoke. "Where am I…?" she asked, looking at him with confusion.
"We're in Wisteria," Riku replied, a little uncertainly. "This is Wisteria."
"What...?" Her reaction was immediate, and she looked at him in shock. "This can't be Wisteria, I was just there a moment ago!"
"Okay, calm down… You're a bio-android, a sort of advanced, engineered human," Riku explained gently.
"Bio..? I'm no such thing," she retorted, her voice filled with indignation. "I am Titania, one of the Chief Justiciars overseeing Wis-" She halted mid-sentence, her eyes widening.
Yes, this was Titania. Somehow, she had transmigrated 805 years into the future, during her mission to resolve the riot.