In a massive futuristic world, where the modern cities with towering skyscrapers and flying vehicles were plentiful, there was a particular city that was not far from one of the great magical academies in the entire universe.
Flying away from this great magical academy was a large transport ship, occupying at least a hundred people who wore uniforms belonging to the school.
While a few of the hundred were middle-aged or older adults, the rest were young men and women, particularly students who attended the academy.
One of the students was a young man with raven-black hair and crystal-blue eyes. He had androgynous features that made it hard to tell if he was a man or a woman, and oftentimes, he gets picked on for it.
Despite this, the young man chose to ignore it as he couldn't do anything about it even if he tried. His body became stuck like this for as long as he can remember, and no matter how much he works out or how many special medicines he takes, his appearance would never change.
This young man was Finn, a twenty-one-year-old student at the great magical academy, Luminara.
Finn was minding his own business with a book placed in front of him on a table. He had been studying ever since he stepped onto the transport ship. However, when they were nearing the landing pad that would allow people to go their separate ways, three young men walked over to him with snickers and sneers.
"Hey, Finn. Are you and your girlfriends going for pedicures later?"
"Haha, I bet they're going to talk about their boyfriends while doing their makeup."
Two men were standing behind a tall young man with dyed blonde hair. He was rather muscular and looked as if he could knock someone out effortlessly with one punch.
He looked down on Finn, who was trembling as these people liked to pick on him the most. The only time he could be thankful for his androgynous features was that they never hit him, most likely because he resembled too much of a girl for them to do so.
"Hey." The blonde-haired man said simply, startling Finn, who was stuck in his terrified stupor.
"Y-Yes?" Finn immediately responded without the slightest hesitation.
"You... Are you just going to let them pick on you? Why don't you stand up for yourself, huh?" The blonde-haired man looked down on Finn, making the latter feel uncertain what the former was thinking.
"I, uh... Please... stop picking on me..." Finn meekly said, hoping that the bullying would stop. It sounded more like a plea than a demand, making the two snicker once again while the blonde-haired man lost interest.
"Why don't you grow a pair and really stand up for yourself? If you're lucky, you'll grow it before you come back to the academy." The blonde-haired man said before leaving while bringing the two young men, who were somewhat confused over how their leader was acting toward Finn, who they usually pick on.
Even Finn was confused, as even though some of his words were a bit hurtful, it was good advice. Finn couldn't remember the last time this guy was ever nice to him, so Finn was unsure what brought this on.
Sighing in relief that it was over, Finn saw that the transport was landing from the nearby window, so he placed his book in the bookbag that was leaning against the table.
Swinging the bookbag over his shoulders, the young man waited for the transport ship to fully land. He and the rest of the students then walked out of the transport ships and walked in the same direction until they reached a gate.
There, over a hundred black hovering vehicles were waiting for them to drive them back to their homes. Each student walked to their assigned car, and when Finn reached his, he could see a middle-aged man with short brown hair and hazel eyes waiting in the front seat. He dressed in a black suit with black glasses resting on his nose.
"You're the student Finn? Please hop in; I'll take you back to your home." The middle-aged driver spoke as he pressed a button in the car, having one of the back doors open a second later.
After stepping into the car, Finn sat down and drove off, as well as the other people. Leaving the airport, Finn was brought to a bustling city that the middle class lived in.
'After being in the academy for so long, it's really surprising how bleak the city appears to be. I remember being impressed by the architecture back then, but after going to the academy...' Finn spoke in his thoughts without excitement or disappointment.
It was as if he was just stating a fact, and a very truthful one at that. In any case, the middle-aged driver drove Finn to an apartment building that stood several floors high.
Stepping out of the vehicle, the driver reminded Finn that he would be bringing him back to the academy in three months time, so he needed to be ready then.
Nodding, Finn left while the middle-aged driver drove off. Standing in front of the apartment building, Finn sighed with a smile on his face.
Walking inside the apartment building, Finn could see a wide range of doors on his left and right. These belonged to the other tenants who lived in the building.
A few feet away from him were two elevators that had people going on and off as they went to or had reached their desired floor. Walking toward the elevator, Finn waited for the elevator to come back down, and once it did, he stepped on.
'Looks like it's just going to be me,' Finn said in his thoughts, thinking that he'll get to enjoy some peace and quiet for once. Having been in the academy for almost a year, he never stopped talking to people since it required him to do so.
And yet, when the elevator started to close, a graceful, feminine hand stopped the doors from closing. The elevator's doors reopened, revealing an impossibly beautiful woman with long white hair and pink eyes. She wore a revealing outfit that made Finn suck in a cold gasp.
He tried his very best to look away and be respectful toward the woman. But even so, Finn was still a man who had his natural urges. He made sure to berate himself whenever he took a quick peek, but surprisingly, the woman showed a pleasant expression, as if she wasn't bothered at all.
When the elevator's doors finally closed, she stood shoulder to shoulder with Finn, sometimes having their shoulders touch for a brief moment.
'Too close!' Finn spoke as he took a step to the left while she did the same. This made him frown in confusion. "U-Um, may I ask who you are? And if you know who I am?"
Finn wanted to ask this since he didn't remember there being such a beautiful woman who was ever this nice to him, well, aside from his mother, that is.
But his gut told him that this woman was very friendly, but he didn't know why that was the case. 'Do I know this person?' he asked in thought while waiting for her reply.
The woman smiled and shook her head. "No... no, you don't know me. However, you can if you'd like to."
Finn tilted his head for a second, asking out loud, "What do you mean? Are you asking to be my friend?"
The woman laughed, saying, "Fufufu~ You can think of it like that, yes. I'd say that I'd rather be partners~ than friends."
Giving a suggestive look, Finn gasped, 'How forward!' before giving an awkward smile. "Ahaha, I don't even know who you are, and I'm not sure if I'm ready for that quite yet."
"You aren't?" The woman's expression showed confusion, as if she had thought something innocent while he thought something naughty.
Yet, before he even had the chance to reply, trying to ask her what she meant by 'partners,' he saw the woman look at him with a gaze that sent him into a trance.
She giggled softly before asking, "Tell me, Finn. Do you want power?"
'How does she know my name?!' Finn said in his thoughts with shock, but his mouth had a mind of its own and immediately responded with, "...Yes."
'How...? Wait, her eyes!' Finn saw her eyes that were glowing in their pink color. They were staring at him as if all his secrets were laid bare. This shocked him incredibly, 'Charm Magic!' he thought.
Although he couldn't sense any mana coming from this person, he could tell that she was using something like charm magic, which only a few people who lived in the city had. Hell, there weren't that many charm magic users who studied in the academy, so it was really shocking that he ran into someone this powerful with charm magic.
A moment later, the woman nodded when she heard his response. "Good. It's great to have ambitions. Tell me, are you willing to sacrifice anything for power? Say, your friends or your family?"
Even though Finn couldn't consciously respond, even he could respond to this question without hesitation. "...No."
A smile crept on the woman's face before she nodded again. "Great. It's nice for a person to have limits. Otherwise, they'd go crazy by using any means necessary to gain even the slightest inch in power."
Although Finn wanted power so that he could stand up for himself, there were some things he wasn't willing to do, and sacrificing his friends and family was one of them.
Finally, the woman made him awake from his stupor. He looked confused before looking at the woman with mixed feelings. However, he put them aside when he heard her ask seriously, "Finn. I can give you power, but it does require immense sacrifice. And before you ask, no, it has nothing to do with anyone else but yourself. Have you ever wondered why you are the way you are?"
"Why you have these features? Why you're so weak? Why no matter how hard you try, you will always remain meekly? Finn, I can give you the power needed to overcome all obstacles."
"However, they do come at a cost, even though they'll probably be benefits in your eyes later if you decide to accept."
"So, tell me, Finn. Do you want power, or do you wish to remain in this pitiful, meek shell of yours that you've grown accustomed to?"
When Finn heard this, he really did have mixed feelings. On the one hand, Finn didn't know what the woman wanted him to sacrifice. It obviously had to do with him and no one else. And yet, there wasn't much more that he could give.
The woman was too vague, and almost no one would blindly take such an offer without at least knowing what the sacrifice was. But when Finn wanted to know what such a sacrifice was, she didn't respond, leaving it up to chance that it wasn't something so terrible.
On the other hand, however, Finn really did want to break free from this empty shell of his. To have power, to find meaning, to be free.
So while this offer was very ominous and vague, Finn ultimately nodded his head. "Yes... I'd like—"
Before he could even finish his words, the woman suddenly kissed him, startling Finn. And then, a blinding pink light flashed through the elevator, and when the seemingly long elevator ride had reached its conclusion by reaching Finn's desired floor, the doors opened and revealed Finn standing alone with his lips puckered.
Thankfully, no one saw this embarrassing display, and he had time to awake from his daze. He looked around, puzzled. "Huh, where is she?" Finn whispered aloud, confused where the woman had just gone.
It was as if everything that just happened was simply a dream. A dream that ended both happily and disappointingly.
Shaking his head, Finn thought he probably went crazy and had gone to his family's apartment unit. When he reached door 602, he unlocked it with his key and opened the door.
Upon opening the door, he saw that it was dark, and no one was home. "They're probably out, and won't be back until later. I should probably surprise them tomorrow, since they think I'll be home by then."
Finn said before locking the door and trying his very best to make sure that everything was how it was before he got here. He then went to his room, which was dark, and by knowing where everything was just from sheer memory, Finn dropped his things and sat down on his bed before falling asleep.
Whether it was the long ride on the transport ship or the strange dream he had earlier, Finn found himself really tired, so he went to bed without worry.
However, when he woke up the next morning, he'll be surprised to find that his body had changed mysteriously.