Jekal Han sat on the edge of his bed, he was wearing a dirty light grey sweater and his black shirt, he wore upwards-baggy black pants and slippers with socks, his room was a mess, empty noodle cups and snacks and fast food littered the place, the room was dirty with dust all over and a bunch of clothes littwring the ground, staring into the darkness of his room as his landlord yelled at him for being behind on rent through his apartment door.

"KID HOW MANY TIMES DO I HAVE TO TELL YOU?! YOU'RE ALREADY BEHIND ENOUGH ON RENT?! WHEN DO YOU PLA~"

He knew he was in a bad place, but he just couldn't seem to shake off the feeling of hopelessness that weighed on him like a heavy blanket.

He looked down at his left wrist and saw the scars from past cuts that he had made there. It was a reminder of the pain he had been through and the struggles he was still facing. Jekal slowly got up and walked over to the calendar on the wall. He marked 26th march with the words "suicide" and let out a deep sigh. It was a numbfull thought, but he had lost count of how many times he had tried to end his life, he looked at the calendar again seeing how many marks he made just in that month.

"Too much red.. Maybe i should use a new marker."

As he turned away from the calendar, his eyes fell on a picture frame on the wall with shattered glass. It was a photo of his family before the accident that took them away from him. His parents and older brother smiled back at him, and Jekal felt a pang of sadness in his chest. He missed them so much, and it was hard to imagine how he could go on without them.

Jekal lied down on his dirty mattress and tried to get some sleep, but the memories of his family's accident haunted him. He saw fragmented flashbacks of the sound of metal crushing against metal, the smell of burning rubber, and the sight of his family's lifeless bodies. Tears streamed down his face as he relived the pain and trauma of that day.

The next morning, Jekal woke up feeling drained and helpless. He stumbled over to his computer and began searching for jobs. As he scrolled through the listings, an advertisement caught his eye. It was for filers, mercenaries that hunted shifters and regained CTOS sectors. Jekal was scared by the idea of taking on a dangerous job that would put his life on the line. It was a chance he would either die working or come back with his life turned around for the better. He clicked on the ad and began reading more about the job requirements and the pay. Maybe this was the opportunity he had been waiting for. Maybe this was his chance to turn his life around and find some meaning in his existence.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

[At the filer's work resume interview]

- "Do you need a cup of water?" Said a man with blonde hair and a black suit with a cybernetic left arm he aswell has a data pad in his hands.

"Huh?" Said jekal

- "You just seem a little out of it, so i was asking if you need any water? You didn't answer my question."

"..Oh no I'm okay."

A few seconds of silence

"C- Can you repeat your question?"

- "Yes. Yes. Do you have Any relatives or family members?"

"...No i don't."

- "Then final question, What was your reasoning to apply for this job?"

"...I need money."

- "alright then gloomy, give me a minute to finish your report and you will be sent to the A E R then you can get your license."

"I- I am sorry what's an.. A D R?"

- "An A E R is an Ability Evaluation Room, if you have any natural or inherit abilities that lie dormant within then we can with your consent activate them with our A-Stem Cell by Boosting the artifical evolution time to unlock it, The process may hurt a bit but it will ease off almost instantly."

"I.. See."

- "You can take your leave then, the break room is the first thing to the hallway to your left."

Jekal gets up from his seat and walks out of the room Now that he looks at this interior clearly, the halls are wide and clean to the point where you can see the reflection, he starts walking towards the room with a door and a holographic sign on it saying Ability Evaluation Room so he walks in.

- "Oh my! Are you a new filer here?" Said a woman who is clearly above the average weight, she has short curly ginger hair, and seem to have some cybernetic modifications done to her neck and left hand

"Yeah."

- "Oh excuse my manners we haven't gotten alot recently!" She waits on jekal like shes waiting for him to say why

"....Why?"

- "Well you know most just either are not motivated enough to do it and would rsther like a white collar job, Or they look at one of the filer greats and they get self conscious and decide they wont amount to them."

"she's talkative" jekal thought to himself

"I... see."

- "Not much of a talker? No matter just lay on this machine and let the workers do their work!"

This machine is like a long thin bed with rings surrounding it. That have a bring cyan light directing towards the bed

"Okay." he scoots into the machine and under the rings.

- "This will only take a minute honey just sot tig~"

His head got light

"what's.. going on.. i am so dizzy." Jekal thought to himself

- "You're doing great honey! Just hold on."

Sounds of screeching and fire sparks and cries play in his head as he sweats profusely and then suddenly.

"It stopped?... finally." Jekal mumbled to himself

- "Great Job! How are you feeling?"

"..Not great."

- "Do you need some time before the check up?"

"No..No I'm okay let's do the check up."

- "Ookay, Sit on this chair this'll only take a second."

He sits on the chair, He was clearly sweating bullets as he wipes his forehead a couple of times.

The woman looks at a holographic screen to see jekal's results.

- "Hmmmmm."

"W- what is it?"

- "Maybe it's an error but it's saying you have no ability."