""Your life or his? Choose." Zack said as he pressed the pocket knife, harder on Kyle's throat.
"No, please don't hurt him. Please!" She screeched, as she raced forward to grab Zack's legs.
"No, no... that's not how it works. You can only pick, woman." Zack said, untangling his legs from her grip.
"Let me go! Let me go!" Kyle cried as soon as he found space to breath.
"Choose... or I'll kill you both. You know how this works Laura."
"Take me, take me.. don't touch my mo-"
"Shut up whimp!" Zack roared as he tightened his grip on Kyle's neck, cutting him off abruptly.
"...Take me, just take me. Let him go please!" She said sorrowfully, as tears flowed uncontrollably in joint streams with the thin streaks of blood on her face.
"Now you're talking," Zack said as he let go of Kyle, "it'll all be over very soon." He added as he brought the dagger he had on his left hand closer to her neck.
Laura embracing her fate, knelt upright and stared directly at Zack's scared face, not paying attention to the dagger on his hand. "At least not in front of him."
"You don't get to choose, wom-" Zack barely finished his statement before he felt something sharp piercing his flesh, "Ahh..!!" He cried out.
"Let my mother go!!" Kyle screamed, his eyes lusting for blood.
Zack grabbed Kyle's hands, knocked him out and then threw him to the side. Laura went wild, but could only do little as there was significant difference in strength. Zack grabbed her by the hair, then sent the dagger through her chest.
Laura gasped for breath several times as she lay on the cold alley floor, staring at her unconscious son. "He didn't deserve any of this." She thought.
"This is how the world is, my son. The strong use their powers to oppress the weak and helpless. I do hope you find peace at some point." She uttered as life slowly left her body.
***
200 years ago was the beginning of a new change. Portals leading to alternate dimensions, appeared simultaneously all over the globe and from these Portals emerged monsters of different categories. These monsters came unexpectedly, bringing a war that humans were not equipped to face and perhaps never would have been as they rendered human weapons completely useless.
Their guns, missiles, and planes could really only slow down the inevitable—mankind's annihilation. And they did not even slow it down enough to make a difference. Their numbers just dwindled. Their military fought in a futile war… just sacrifices so that the others could live to see the next day.
But just when all seemed lost, one third of the remaining human population started awakening special gifts. Gifts which provided them with special powers–powers that enabled them to fight against the monsters from these portals. Where this Gifts came from, no one could accurately explain. But they were soon traced back to appearance of the portals.
This awakened gifts had significant efffects on any monster which they were used upon and this leveled the fighting field, as humans were now able to turn the tide and soon gained the upper hand.
The portals from which this monsters appeared from, disappeared whenever a monster with high fortitude was eliminated.
However, with clearance of these portals, more portals appeared and monsters–two times stronger than the previous ones, emerged from them.
With the help of science technologies, equipments and weapons were soon invented to help combat this new sets of monsters.
Over time, these monsters became referred to as Beasts and were ranked into different groups and categories for better reference.
Each Portal contained an unspecified number of low level Beasts–this were lower classed beasts with fortitude ranging from 1.0 to 4.9, some high ranked Beasts–Fortitude ranging from 5.0 to 8.9, an intermediate leveled beasts–with fortitude of about 9.0 to 11.9, and rarely, an advanced class beast with a fortitude ranging from 12.0 upwards–such readings were termed as X.
Humans who had awakened, became known as Gifteds, while those who failed to awaken during the age range, Commoners. Kyle Anders failed this test several times and turned out to be just a Commoner.
Gifteds were found to be of different categories called Ranks and to possess different abilities called Skills. These ranks were:
Level 1.
Level 2.
Level 3.
Level 4.
Level 5.
And Level X.
For skills, the skills were of four categories. These were Tanking, Shifting, Shaping, and Healing.
How powerful a Gifted was, was determined by his rank and skill. For instance, a Level 5 Tanker was three times stronger than a Level 2 ranker with any of the four categories of skills.
Also, a Level 5 Gifted could take on beasts with fortitudes ranging from 1.0 to 8.9 with ease, but would, most definitely, experience difficulties eliminating intermediate beasts with fortitudes of 9.0 to 11.9.
Infact the chances of a Level 5 eliminating an intermediate level beast, all by himself would be 1 out of 10. Only specially trained and skilled Gifteds of the same level could, and would only move the success percentage to 3 out of 10. This also apply to Gifteds of lower ranks.
With this, subjugating teams were made mandatory by the authorities of different nations, this then led to the creation of Guilds.
***
"No, please don't hurt him. Please!"
"Master Anders!"
"I'll do anything you ask, but don't just hurt him please.."
"Kyle!"
"...Take me, just take me. Let him-"
"Kyle fuckin' Anderson!!" Yelled a middle aged man in his late 30s.
Kyle looked up to see the entire class looking in his direction.
"Christ! What is wrong with you?" The man, still provoked asked.
"I'm so sorry Mr. Lawrence." Kyle reluctantly replied.
"You always are." The man retorted.
He took one long look at the poor boy's face before continuing, "Don't tell me you were having another episode right here in class?"
"I think I was, Sir." Kyle breathed out; the tone of his voice, was slightly slow but had clearness in it.
"The school has to do something about this, and fast. I can't have you disrupting lectures continuously." Mr. Lawrence said and was about to resume his lecture when Kyle interrupted.
"If it's okay, may I use the restroom Sir?
Lawrence who was fed up with this mysterious kid already and would have requested for him to leave the class earlier, but didn't due to professional reasons. Knodded in approval.
"Please do, young man... Also, you can stay for as long as you wish."
Kyle understood what he meant, but replied with a "Thank you, Sir."
On his way out, a kid of about the same age as Kyle with glasses on, was busy making silly gestures towards Kyle. All to get his attention, but Kyle knowing who this person was paid none.
Determined to get Kyle's attention, he chose a different approach. Immediately Kyle walked past his row. He got up and demonstrated.
"No, please don't hurt her." He mimicked.
This caused the entire class to erupt into rounds of laughter. Mr. Lawrence however, managed to bring the entire class to a halt. But then Kyle spoke.
"Haha, very funny." Kyle said, then raised his middle finger towards him, "I bet you can't even tell how many fingers I'm holding up right now." and with that, he left the class.