In the outskirts of the Solaris City, a young boy named Cain walked around on the pedestrian street with no other soul in sight, buildings raised like a silent reminder, their windows lit by a lamp, casting a soft glow of sign of life within the place.
The sky was pitch black, vast and stretched endlessly while being painted by myriad glitter dots of stars and a full moon that shone a way for those who lost.
However, despite its beauty, the boy felt heavy and crestfallen, wallowing in a desolate whimper that weighed his mind.
"...Is my life already predestined?".
The black-haired boy of average height is lamenting about his fifteen years of life, which will soon turn sixteen in just a few hours.
He wears a plain black T-shirt with long sleeves that cover his pale skin. His lower part is covered with black trousers and a pair of black shoes.
Cain is on his way from part-time work. At least, he needs some money to provide for his daily expenses.
A year ago, Cain lost his last remaining family member, his Grandpa, who passed away calmly without any regret in his life. As for his parents, he knows nothing about their existence, only about how amazing they were when they were still alive, from his Grandpa's story.
At first, he despaired, but his Grandpa taught him to always stay strong in any situation and to not lose himself, for it was the most humiliating thing as a human being, especially since he was also a boy and soon would be a man, later on, hopefully.
He tucked his hand inside the pocket and took out a watch. With a press of his thumbs, the hatch opened up and showed the current time.
"Twenty, huh. Another four hours and my life will be doomed. Man, why did it have to be like this? Grandpa, why does my life always end up like this?".
"Opps, watch out Kid!".
"Woah!?".
From behind him, a man in his mid-twenties ran off like a wind, completely free from any obstacle. His body was cloaked with a green aura that felt calm around him and also gave him a sense of freedom.
The man parted his lips while intensifying his run, and slightly from his side emerged beautiful green feathers that fluttered across the air, dropping down like a leaf in autumn.
It was a lovely green bird that followed the man and chirped energetically as the man leapt before disappearing from the scene, leaving the boy in an absentminded state. A slight envy appeared along with a frown.
"Wow, a Resonator, huh. I never expected there to be someone out here in the outskirts. Besides that, the Guardian beast was really pretty. Such good fortune he had!".
The term "Resonator" has been used by the world for someone who succeeded in awakening the amazing power that lay dormant deep within an individual. The dormant power within humans itself was none other than a Guardian Beast.
Like the name suggested, it was like an individual protector and partner in life, willing to face every trial their masters faced and ascend to greatness together. Of course, it was not only a beast that emerged; there were also other beings such as Angels, Demons, Spirits and many more, but all of those were considered rare.
Most humans in this world have the power to manifest it, but, of course, not every human has a chance to awaken. If someone luckily can manifest it, they will have two options in life: fight and reclaim the land that had fallen to the enemy's hand or provide support for those who stand on the front lines.
All of the options were related to war or subjugation. This happened because the world was in crisis, and more than seventy percent of it had already fallen.
Then, why did the invaders not use this chance to wipe out civilization completely? There are two reasons for that. First, the main enemy force was having an issue with being wreaked havoc by a single person from centuries ago.
The Great Hero single-handedly breached out toward the enemy's line of defence and succeeded in destroying half of its fleet, like a God of War, before pushing back the enemy toward the far end of the galaxy.
However, his attempt had to come with his life on the line, and once every year at the new year, every living being in the empire and another will come to celebrate his bravado and sing his achievement.
"...Great Hero…".
Cain, who lived and was born as a commoner on the outskirts, holds at least a bit of a wishful dream. He wished to be a Resonator and become someone as great as The Great Hero.
However, deep down, he knew too well that the dream was nothing more than a fleeting illusion that wouldn't be grasped no matter what he did. The reason he gave up on his dream was because of the condition of becoming a Resonator. One must awaken their dormant power before they pass their sixteenth birthday.
Then, with a bit of remaining time on his plate, Cain was already giving up. He probably lived as a regular commoner and worked in a mundane everyday life.
Feeling a bit sentimental and pleased, for the least, he could still have the freedom to imagine something that was enough for him.
"Well, I better go home and cook something, have some self studying, then prepare for school tomorrow".
Feeling resigned to his fate, Cain resumed his walk. Earlier, he had stopped under the flickered golden lamp that seemed old and soon malfunctioned as he walked away from it.
Once he placed the watch back while humming some pleasing instrument. Cain's feet began to skip in joy.
"Hm,, Hmm, hm, hmmm…!? Hm".
Cain stopped in his tracks as his vision caught the figure of a boy running from the dark alley in front of him, clearly not in normal condition. The boy's flustered and frightened face was etched deep into Cain's mind while his body tensed naturally.
Probably because of his consciousness that kept alternating his gaze to the back, the boy with short blonde hair stumbled upon his feet and dropped to the ground, dropping a black crystal that touched Cain's shoes.
With distressed gestures, the boy, with ragged breath, glanced at his back and found no one there. Soon, his face paled after he saw Cain, who took out the black crystal that lay on his front.
The surface of the crystal was rough like a polished diamond, and different from its material, it was light, which was not something a crystal would have. Cain tightly grasped the crystal in his hand before crouching down and facing the boy, who soon opened his eyes in terror.
Cain stupefied, looking at the boy's appearance; he was probably still ten. However, his sharp and intelligent eyes give him an unfathomable wisdom rarely seen here. The clothes he wears are made from high-quality materials that put his own to shame.
'Is he a young master or something?'. Cain muttered those words in his heart, fearing his guess was wrong.
Silence hung between the two as time kept ticking, urging the boy to leave the place hurriedly. The boy abruptly clicked his tongue and snatched the crystal from Cain's hand in a ferocious manner, making Cain flinch.
'Yep, the boy is a young master. I am certain of it!'. Nodded internally, Cain saw the boy stop one step beside him, turned stiffened like a statue while looking at the several figures of an adult man wearing a skimpy outfit like a burglar.
'Is he involved in something?'. From the corner of his eyes, Cain could see the boy's face contorted while trying to hide the black crystal in his hand. 'Is that the cause?'.
"Give up, kid! There is no other place for you to run anymore!" One of the burglars stepped forward, trying to intimidate the boy.
"...Kuh, is this my punishment for acting brave when I'm powerless?'. The blonde-haired boy tightly clenched both fists, grumbling faintly; only he and Cain could catch his lament.
'This Kid!?'. Cain looked toward the small back of the kid, trembling as he gradually surrendered himself to the fear that gripped his heart.
However, the kid kept his posture straight, unwilling to submit to the situation, and this drew something deep within Cain's consciousness.
(*Bathump!)
A loud beat of his heart resonated within him, pushing away the hesitation and limiter that he had placed upon himself. Cain's body moved on its own. He stood in front of the boy with a determined face and composed attitude.
"You!?".
The blond-haired boy's face stiffened upon realizing a shadow that blocked his vision, and that was the boy he had accidentally met earlier.
"Huh, who are you, Kid! Leave before you experience pain".
A sudden threat that pointed its cold edge to Cain's throat made him suffocate. His instinct kept blaring an alarm since earlier, telling him to stay put aside and not act stupid because he did not have any countermeasures in fighting the enemy in front of him.
Silenced was Cain's answer, not because he is composed anymore, but because his lips froze stiff to open up as he was petrified by fear. However, he squeezed every last power he could and was forced to open his lips.
"Let's run".
"Huh!?".
The boy was baffled by the instruction of the one before him before he nodded himself to realize the situation they were in.
"...I know a way around here, so, on three! Ready, one, two,,,".
"Oi, don't do anything stupid!".
"Three!".
Cain threw the plastic bag in his hand high up in the air, attracting the men's attention for a second. He took the boy's hands and dragged him toward the dark alley beside him, different from where the boy came from.
"Shit, chase them!".
The four men began to move. From one of their bodies emerged a conspicuous yellowish-brown aura that felt eerie and awoke a sense of unease, for the hoarders of carcasses had entered the stage.
It was a beast with yellowish-brown fur and black spots all around their body, its face was hideous, and it almost seemed to snicker at everything it saw in sight. It began to creep out in snickering laughter and chase the two boys that ran to the alley.
"Let's go, Hyena!".
With the boy in his hand, Cain ran through the narrow alley. It was dark and humid, and the unpleasant smell kept stinging their noses, giving their stomachs a churn and contorting their faces, but they had to keep holding on and pushing through to save themselves.
"Big brother, why?".
The boy asked obliviously why the boy in front of him was endangering himself by trying to save him despite their first meeting.
"Quit the small details, first, we need to run! This way!".
Cain himself didn't know what force pushed him into doing these dangerous things, but somewhere along the lines, his body was moved before his mind could keep up.
Deep in the darkness, which enveloped the surrounding environment with an eerie atmosphere, Cain's lips broke into a fearless grin without him noticing.
[Something Dormant inside you began to stir]