19 years earlier

The cry of a newborn marked the first moments of a new life.

An old woman, attending the birth in a cramped, untidy room, gently wrapped the baby and brought him closer to his mother.

The mother, watching her, refused to hold the child, forcing herself to look away.

"I don’t want to see him. I don’t care." She fought against her most primal instincts, convincing herself it was best for both of them.

Without a word, the gray-haired, weary woman left the room and made her way toward a vast precipice on the outskirts of Etheria, the great city.

"Sorry, kid. You just had the bad luck to be born on this side of the city." Her hands released the baby, who slipped from the cloth, falling into the abyss.

From a distance, two figures watched: a small boy, no older than four, with blue eyes and black hair, and a muscular man with white hair, dark skin, and a black suit.

"Mr. Declan, why did they throw the baby?" the boy asked, his voice full of innocence as the old woman collapsed, weeping.

"Because it was of no use to anyone," Mr. Declan replied firmly. "Angelo, in this city, those who offer no value are always discarded."

Those words would haunt the boy's subconscious, shaping his view of himself as just another piece in a system, a tool to be discarded when broken or no longer useful.

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Present Angelo's office

Angelo's office was shrouded in dust, casting a grayish filter over the room. The black-haired man clung tightly to the hand that pinned him against the wall.

The desk in the center was split in half, along with the chair Angelo had been sitting in moments before.

"Gluck..." Blood trickled from his lips, staining the arm holding him. "Bastard... what do you think you're doing?" he spat, his voice laced with pain and fury.

"He just wanted to spend his last years exploring the world." Nova’s face radiated nothing but anger.

"He was a good man. He always did his job well... so why..." Nova’s grip tightened, making Angelo wince. "Why was he murdered!?"

"Why?" Angelo’s blue eyes gleamed with annoyance. "Does it take a reason to get rid of someone who’s outlived their usefulness?"

Angelo took advantage of Nova's surprise, swiftly drawing a dagger from his coat and plunging it into his forearm.

"Ahhhh!" Pain shot through Nova's arm, forcing him to release Angelo and stumble back. "You son of a bitch!" he snarled, watching Angelo collapse against the wall.

"And yes, I am. Want a prize for figuring that out?" Angelo quipped, struggling to sit upright.

"Nathaniel lost control, and one of my men overdid it. I don’t like losing good people, but I’m not about to cry over it," Angelo said coldly as he stood up.

Nova’s anger deepened. He couldn’t comprehend how someone could speak so callously about a man who had served him for years.

"Stop glaring. The only reason you're not dead is because you're useful. Got it? I spared your life." Angelo flashed a sinister grin, sending a shiver through Nova as he glanced at his bleeding arm.

"You're a bastard!" Nova shouted, charging at Angelo with a punch fueled by rage.

But Angelo dodged effortlessly, spinning around Nova with unexpected agility. Nova's fist smashed into the wall instead, leaving his hand embedded in the rubble.

"All that speed, all that strength... wasted in such a pitiful way," Angelo mocked, stepping beside him, pressing a dagger to Nova’s neck.

The cold steel froze Nova in place, terror seizing his body as he felt the edge of death.

"Your technique is laughable. I bet you've never fought a real fight in your life. You’re full of openings," Angelo sneered.

"You're probably from downtown, aren’t you? Those filthy swine have never had to face a real battle," he taunted, pressing the dagger harder against Nova's neck, drawing blood.

"I'm going to die..." Nova thought, his fear visible in his expression.

"That look suits you better," Angelo remarked. "But don’t worry, I’m not going to kill you. You're useful. Keep doing your job well, and you might even get promoted, maybe meet the boss."

Since Nova joined the group, stone production had surged, and his strength and stamina made him the ideal workhorse.

"Besides, I’m doing this for you." Angelo's smile was hollow, confusing Nova.

"Etheria has marked you as a wanted criminal. Step outside, and the police will arrest you. You'll rot in a cell for the rest of your life," Angelo said. "To them, you’re just a criminal, trash from the other side. Here, you have a future. Do you get it? We're the good guys."

The author's tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Angelo's words left Nova dismayed. The revelation erased any hope of a future in this world. Outside the city, there were monsters, but inside, the humans seemed far more terrifying.

A storm of emotions swirled within him. With his forearm pierced and bleeding, he stood frozen, realizing that his only escape was to stay with the people who had murdered his friend.

"Sir!" Security guards burst into the office, six in total.

"Are you all right?" one of them asked, squinting through the smoke.

"Yes, I'm fine. Just having a chat with our employee," Angelo replied with a serious face.

The guard, seeing the blood on his boss's lips and his torn clothes, hesitated. "Sir, it doesn't look like..." He tried to step closer, but a sharp look from Angelo made it clear he wasn’t to interfere.

The guards held back, waiting. Meanwhile, Nova was lost in his thoughts, oblivious to the world around him.

"Nathaniel, I'm so sorry. I couldn’t even avenge you. You wanted me to escape, but now... I have no choice."

Anger tightened in his chest in union with fear, and the weight of his helplessness brought tears of frustration. He wanted to strike Angelo, to unleash his fury, but his body felt weak. Slowly, he withdrew his fist from the wall, torn between rage and the grim acceptance of Angelo's offer.

"I wasted my time instead of living a great story."

The memory of Nathaniel's words resurfaced in Nova's mind. The resignation in the old man's voice had made it painfully clear how much he had wanted to live, yet he was robbed of his freedom and his life for someone who so easily surrendered to death.

"I'm just a pathetic man in an unknown world," Nova finally said, breaking the silence and meeting Angelo’s gaze. His voice wavered as he continued, "Nathaniel thought the same thing. He always dreamed of adventure, of seeing the world. But instead, they killed him."

Angelo said nothing, his expression showing faint discomfort.

"Nathaniel was like me," Nova continued. "But he didn’t wait until the last moment to escape his cage. He chased his dream."

The room fell into an uneasy silence.

"I’ve made up my mind. I'm getting out of here. I'm done wasting time."

Nova's body trembled, fear of death seeping into his bones. He knew that if he betrayed Nathaniel’s memory by staying and selling his soul to the organization, he’d never be able to face him in the afterlife.

"What? I don’t think you understand your situation. Even if, by some miracle, you escaped, they’d just throw you in jail." Angelo couldn’t comprehend the shift in Nova’s expression; he assumed the man had lost his mind.

"I understand perfectly," Nova replied, locking eyes with Angelo. "But I'd rather be dead or in prison than serving someone as vile as you."

"I always clung to what was familiar and abandoned my ideals when I felt safe," he thought. "Maybe we're all like that in the end—afraid to confront a new reality, terrified of facing the unknown alone." His thoughts spiraled.

"I hope that in the next life, I can live with the same strength Nathaniel showed on his last day."

He closed his eyes, prepared for what seemed inevitable.

"How absurd..." Angelo sighed, irritated. "But if that’s your choice, better luck next time." With that, he aimed to drive the dagger in deep.

Suddenly, a brilliant flash filled the room. Angelo’s blade cut through empty air—Nova’s body had vanished.

"What?" Angelo muttered, scanning the room. His shock deepened as he spotted five of the security guards unconscious, with the last guard hoisting Nova over his shoulder.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Angelo shouted, fury rising.

image [https://i.imgur.com/sr1Z2Qj.jpeg]

"As a great man once said, 'I’m making the most of my time.'"

Nova blinked in astonishment as he found himself across the room, held by the shoulder of a security guard. The guard swiftly removed a latex mask, revealing a man of exceptional beauty with red eyes and blond hair. The stranger greeted him with a confident smile.

"Boy, if you end it all now, you'll never have the chance to face Nathaniel in the afterlife," the blond man said, surprising Nova.

"If he didn’t get to live a great story, then it’s up to you to live one and tell it to him when you die."

Tears welled up in Nova’s eyes, spilling down his cheeks at the unexpected revelation.

"Hey! You’re going to ruin my suit," the rescuer said, setting Nova down. Though not much taller, the red-eyed man still loomed over him.

"You... You’re Adan Dray? What the hell is a five-star agent doing here?" Angelo’s expression was a mix of shock and disbelief, mirroring Nova’s earlier terror.

"I was searching for a man named Declan, but..." Adan noticed Nova’s tears and remembered his earlier words about ending his life. "I’m so bored waiting," he said, turning his attention back to Angelo.

"I think you're the only one close to him, so you'll have to do. You're under arrest in the name of Terra Nexus, so don't make this difficult..." Before Adan could respond, Angelo hurled a pair of daggers in his direction, then quickly moved to a corner of the office and threw himself down the garbage chute.

The daggers were deflected almost effortlessly. "Wow... He may be a killer, but he’s clever!" Adan exclaimed, watching as Angelo fled.

"I should have knocked him out first," Adan mused, seeming unfazed.

"Hey, would you keep a secret for me?" Adan said.

Nova nodded repeatedly, too overwhelmed to respond verbally.

"If anyone ever asks you about this moment, don't tell them I used 0.5% of my power."

At the end of his statement, a translucent white aura enveloped his body, shimmering with hundreds of diamond-like sparkles. "Agreed?"

Nova nodded, awestruck by the display.

"Well, it's an agreement between men," Adan said before vanishing in a gust of wind that violently shook the room. Nova's hair was swept back, and everything on the shelves crashed to the floor.

"What... What just happened?" The chaos made him momentarily forget the pain from the blade in his arm.

Moments later, a new gust signaled Adan's return, carrying the unconscious Angelo on his shoulder.

"Job done, well, I guess... I hope the boss doesn't get mad," Adan said nonchalantly.

Nova was stunned. The man's strength, speed, and skill were beyond superhuman. "That was really 0.5% of his strength?" The image of a terrifying monster crossed his mind as he looked at the worried blond.

"Boy," Adan said, approaching.

"Lift your injured arm," he instructed, pointing at Angelo's dagger.

Without hesitation, Nova lifted his arm. In an instant, Adan removed the dagger and held it in his hand.

Nova first saw the bloody dagger, then his forearm, and finally felt the pain.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh"

He screamed through tears of pain, clutching his arm in agony.

“There, there, I did it so quickly it’ll heal soon. Just disinfect it and bandage it, and you’ll be fine.” Adan smiled, tossing the dagger aside and giving a thumbs-up.

Then, Adan seemed to realize something. “By the way, aren’t you the one in the video who threw the officer?” he asked, a bit surprised.

“Yes, that was me. It was an accident.” Nova looked down, worried that if Adan was a cop, he might be taken away with Angelo.

“I see. There are a lot of memes about that online, haha. That cop really had it coming.” Adan grinned, showing his perfect teeth.

Nova looked up, puzzled. “What? Aren’t you a police officer? Shouldn’t you arrest me for that?”

“Etheria police officer? Haha, now that’s a good one.” Adan laughed heartily.

“No, I’m one of the good guys. I’m an elite Terra Nexus agent. Haven’t you seen any of my commercials?” He flashed an iconic smile that Nova quickly recognized.

“You’re the cereal guy!” Nova said, surprised and momentarily forgetting his pain.

“Yeah, though I’m surprised you didn’t recognize me right away. Did you live your whole life in a hole?” Adan joked.

“Something like that...” Nova looked away, unable to explain his ignorance. He was curious about the terms “Terra Nexus” and “Elite Agent.”

“What is a Terra Nexus Elite Agent?” Nova asked.

Adan paused thoughtfully, scratched his head, and sighed. “You really did live in a hole. I don’t know how long this factory has been around,” he said with a hint of pity.

“Terra Nexus is the organization that regulates everything related to the B-Synchros and the use of Synchrony on the two continents,” he explained briefly.

“And the agents are people with the strength to explore this world and fight the B-Synchros.” Adan seemed proud, like a hero enjoying his job.

“The strength to explore this world... Nathaniel mentioned something like that. He calls it... Synchrony?” Nova recalled their conversation from his first day.

“Exactly, that’s the strength that lets you see this world.”

Adan’s words brought a look of sadness to Nova’s face, so much that he lowered his gaze to the ground.

“Do you think someone weak can have Synchrony?”

Nova thought it unlikely, believing that, like in the games from his world, it was only for a select few. He expected a negative answer.

“I don’t know; I’ve never met anyone weak who had it,” Adan said seriously.

Nova felt a pang of frustration. Although he accepted the answer, it felt like another way fate was mocking him.

“Boy, what’s your name?” Adan asked.

“Nova,” he replied.

“Nova, if you truly want to live an extraordinary story, you don’t have the luxury of being weak. You're meant to be strong, aren’t you?

Nova looked up, surprised by the simplicity of the statement. He realized he didn’t have the option not to pursue this path, or else he would disappoint Nathaniel, who had given him a new reason to live until the end.

“Yes, it’s true.” Nova’s determination returned, making Adan smile.

“That’s the look, Nova. Don’t forget it.” Adan started walking towards the exit. “It was a pleasure. If you ever awaken your Synchrony, take the test to become a TN agent. I think you’d make a good one.” Adan waved goodbye as he left.

“Oh, and I need to report this place to the police in two hours. They’ll probably dismantle it, so I recommend you leave before then. If you’re serious about living a good story, get out of town.” Adan finally departed.

“Nathaniel, I’ll explore this world, and I promise I’ll tell you all about it the next time I see you.”

Nova finally had a purpose: to live a life without regrets.