Prologue

‘Huh? But why do I have my eyes closed?’

‘And everything around me seems... different.’

Everything looked strange, as if he wasn't on Earth anymore.

‘In fact, I can feel this kind of thing; people say I'm a genius, although I think geniuses don't exist.’ he thought before adding.

‘But what is this feeling? I remember there was Mrs. Aiko, the HOUMs, and that I...’

He suddenly stopped as if everything had come back to him, and after a few seconds, he added with a sigh.

"Oh yeah."

"I am dead, aren't I?"

chapter 1

‘Nothing to report, as usual, no HOUMs in sight. Oh yeah, the HOUMs. Since I was born, these creatures exist, and my father always tells me that the world was better before.’

*Sigh*

‘That we lived without fear of encountering these creatures that kill without hesitation. It's true that they kill without hesitation, but...’

It was impossible for him to imagine a world without CREDHOS, those super-strong and famous guys no matter their level.

They were capable of defeating multiple HOUMs at once, creatures that, according to history, reduced the world's population to 4.5 billion. And then:

"Hey Jaden, what are you thinking about again? You spend most of your time thinking, you know, you might prematurely get old."

Said a young man with Asian features, the type who couldn't go through high school without a girlfriend.

He had black eyes and a Japanese-style haircut with hair covering his entire forehead. His mouth matched his eyes, not as small as they seemed, but still small.

If you were to describe him based solely on his appearance, you could say he was happy and content.

He stood at about 160 cm (64 inches), an average height. He wore blue jeans and a white T-shirt. On his right arm, he had a bracelet that seemed quite ordinary, but because of its "gold" color, it stood out a bit.

"Hi, Sai!" Jaden greeted with a slight smile, happy to see his friend. And before any of them could say something, a beautiful voice said:

"You know, Sai, I like him as he is. It gives him a mature look, and that's probably what makes him so intelligent, right, Jaden?" A girl with an enchanting smile said.

She had sky-blue hair, the same color as the pupils of her eyes, but her hair wasn't entirely blue; there were pink strands. From her pink hair, some strands started at the center of her forehead and descended to her left cheek, reaching her neck, while others went to her right cheek, as if her face were framed by two locks.

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She stood a little over 61 inches (155 cm).

She's the girl who always supports. I'm sure you have one too: Rose, a beautiful and pretty girl.

"I think my life pleases me. Great parents, great friends, not too much work. What more do I need?"

A beautiful life, everyone has their own way of defining it. Some think of absolute happiness by living a "healthy" life, while others believe that wealth obtained at any cost makes a happy life.

Everyone will present their arguments, and the subject could be open for a lifetime. There will always be contradictions because everyone's living conditions influence their perspectives.

A man positioned to the left of an object cannot see the same thing as the one positioned to the right of that same object.

"I think." Jaden responded to Rose's question, and she simply answered by putting more emphasis on her smile, a smile that could already convince a god.

"I don't think that's what makes him smart. He's a genius; he doesn't need that. He thinks about ordinary things, like how to become a CREDHOS." Sai said.

‘What? He can guess things like that, and he's the one calling me a genius, even though it's not entirely true.’

But if we consider that all teenagers are thinking about CREDHOS right now, what Sai did was probably just some random choice of what a teenager might be thinking.

"I've already told you, Sai, geniuses don't exist."

"Yeah, right! How do you explain being so good both at school and sports?" Sai responded, making a grimace while shaking his head with an air of sarcastic "I believe you."

"I've been doing sports since I was little, and at school, you just have to work regularly," he answered, and he truly meant it, with no sarcasm whatsoever.

For Jaden, everything can be achieved by working with a goal, by working persistently.

Rose, on the other hand, only moved her head from left to right or up and down, respectively denying Sai's arguments and agreeing with Jaden's.

At some point, she even threatened Sai with her gaze as if to say, "Stop contradicting him, will you?"

While they were in their debate, they arrived at a place that could be called a wealthy neighborhood. It was calm, and there was no one outside.

There were big and beautiful houses on the left and right, and in the middle, there was an asphalt road. The houses were mostly white, with colors all in harmony, as if the neighbors had agreed on a specific style.

Some of these houses had small wooden fences, while others had lawns or small trees, creating a beautiful atmosphere.

Jaden and his friends arrived at a spot where one path led to the left and the other continued straight. They stopped for a moment before Rose said:

"See you soon, Jaden!"

Then they took the path to the left, leaving Jaden alone for the rest of the journey.

‘I wonder how he does it? She's always angry at him; I'm sure she's yelling at him right now.’ Jaden thought, then added: ‘But well, what was I thinking about? Oh yes.’

"CREDHOS."

And just then, a voice that sounded a little old rang.

"Jaden, always lost in your thoughts.

"This time you were thinking about CREDHOS." she added with a smile as if to say, "Oh, teenagers."

‘Oops, I thought out loud again.’

"Yes, Madame Aïko, I was wondering what the world would be like without them." Jaden replied with an interested look, as always, but with a touch of embarrassment.

Madame Aïko was a woman in her late forties, with almost entirely black hair, touched with some white here and there.

Her face was peaceful, with small wrinkles on both sides, from the top of her eyes to her mouth. She had black pupils and a smiling mouth.

She couldn't measure more than 152 cm (59 inches).

"Rather, you were thinking about how to become one." she replied with a smile that said, ‘I already know what you're thinking, young man. Do you really think you can lie to me?’

"No, not at all. They have too much work." his response contained much more embarrassment but also confusion.

‘I really think so. I love living comfortably.’ he thought before asking to himself. ‘Besides, I wonder why everyone thinks I want to become a CREDHOS?’

It's rare, if not impossible, to see teenagers saying they don't want to become CREDHOS. Everyone wants to be a star, especially when they're young. People tend to believe that if there are many famous people in a certain field, it will be easy for them to become one too in that field.

If only life were that easy; there would be no class distinctions or anything that comes with it.

"You should give it a try. I'm sure you'll find your place among the best." she said with a much more serious tone, although that gentle smile remained on her face.

But just after she finished her sentence...

Jaden widened his eyes and shouted loudly, tears in his eyes.

"MADAME AIKO!"