"I came here to find answers for myself, but now the number of questions is gradually increasing. Although everything seems to be better than I expected, it still seems partly true, as I always hoped, but that's just a wish, a child's fantasy. But this is reality, and reality is like this; it's a bit too much of a fantasy." - Nea's deep thought.
* My father is one of the people who founded this organization!
Gray looked at him, took a deep smoke, and answered:
* Correct, you heard it correctly.
* But didn't you mention that it was founded so long ago?
* Yes, for a millennial already.
* So, my father...
* Yes, that is the truth.
Nea was murmuring, trying to digest that information.
* That means I... I
* You? Relax, you were just born 16 years ago.
Nea exhaled in relief. Imagine what it would be like being a thousand- years-old entity while looking like a 16-year-old boy.
* Does my mother know this?
Gray turned around. There was a little silence between his answer:
* No, your mother doesn't know anything about this. When we work here, everyone has to keep their identity a secret, and most people don't have families. We devote everything to this job. Your father's situation with your mother is a rare exception.
Nea suddenly felt his existence in this world was like a miracle.
* If my father is immortal like that, would I be like him?
* Maybe, maybe not. Your father doesn't just live long all by himself.
Gray took out a transcended pill from his pocket. It made Nea curious:
* Is that a legendary undying elixir of immortality in mythology?
* No, but that's roughly the idea; you sure have a vivid imagination.
The pill contained an amount of concentrated blessed holy water. It allows the user to stop their ageing process—a near-immortality. But diseases, severe wounds, etc., can still kill consumers. So you are not wholly immortal. Instead, the consumers are given another thing called Miracle, also known as extraordinary abilities. It could be elemental manipulation, super agility, or psychic power. Depending on the user's DNA, the pill could give them the most suitable power. And finally, not everyone can receive magic; only those selected can drink this medicine; if an average person drinks it, they will either die or live in a vegetative state for the rest of their life.
* How to know if you are worthy? - Nea asked.
* The card that I gave you.
Nea pulled out the card and said his theory:
* So those who can see the letters and strange black inks are chosen.
* Exactly! The invitation card is made from the wood of the apple tree in Eden; it can be used to determine who can receive the pill.
Nea is very into this kind of superpowers thing. The boy is a big fan of it. He and Kurosari joined the VR programming process to experience the feeling of having a superpower, even though Nea usually chose swordsman class. But overall, Nea is highly excited.
Nea's eyes stuck to the pill while Gray put it away. Finally, the boy snapped back to reality. Gray extinguished his cigarette and said:
* But it is still time for you to take this one; the remaining amount of condensed holy water to make these pills is not much anymore. You are Finix's son. He is not like the subsequent generations like us. People like me only receive one pill, while he probably drank a large amount of pure-holy water. Finix is much more special than I am, so you may not need to take this pill.
Nea looked down at his hands. From a young age to now, he has never seen any magical abilities in himself. He was utterly normal like others, sometimes weaker even. But when Nea started focusing on martial arts training a few years ago, he felt slightly different. Despite being a new martial arts practitioner, Nea absorbed skills quickly and made it to the final round of competition, almost sending his opponents to Jesus. Yes, Nea's quick learning ability could be his talent. However, why he can't excel in Chemistry is still a mystery to him. There could be a severe mistake somewhere.
Gray observed young Nea's body because his soul had gone somewhere else; this was the third time. He shouted at Nea:
* Follow me, kid!
Nea's soul returned to reality once again. Gray took Nea near the stone gate. As Nea looks closer at the details etched onto the massive stone ring, they see primarily cryptic characters, possibly a form of an ancient language. Gray explains that this portal connects different dimensions and leads to a parallel Earth in the same time frame as the Earth you are currently at. It means it's not a time portal, not capable of travelling to the past or future, just to another present in a parallel world. Gray also said that even though they are in the same reality, the Earth we got sent to may be vastly different from the reality we know. Just a tiny change in the movement of geographical layers can change the entire map of the world. Small changes in human thoughts and decisions can also lead us down a different path. We may have already broken through and cooperated to develop together. Or in some worlds, humans are overcome by greed and self-aggrandizement, resulting in a destroyed environment and a dying planet. But no matter which version of the Earth, there is one constant thing, the Seal of the destructive force, which is being sealed in the center of the Earth. That one thing may be the source of all evil in this world; it just waits for a day when its influence weakens, and it will tear this Earth apart and destroy all life in this universe. So, the task of protecting the Seal is of utmost importance. Because if one of the versions of the curse is broken, all other curses will also be broken. That absolute nightmare must not happen.
Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author's preferred platform and support their work!
Nea with his questions again:
* The whole universe? Are there other life forms like us?
* Yes.
"Wow!!" - Excited Nea.
Gray just admitted it. Extraterrestrials are real. Overflown with this knowledge, Nea was overwhelmed. A voice echoed from behind:
* Sir. What are you doing here?
* Oh. Cain! I've got some business here. And this is Nea; he will be the new member of team four starting today.
Nea bowed to Cain, but he didn't bother to return the greeting; he just coldly glanced at Nea and walked past him.
* We have enough rookies on our team already. Send him to another team.
A significant hostility was established from here. According to what everyone called Gray, despite his slovenly dress, he is undoubtedly their big boss—never judge a book by its cover.
Nea turned back and looked at the stone gate again. The more he looked, the more he saw its grandeur; perhaps if this gate were on the ground, it would have been a lost wonder of the world. Nea observed the ancient language characters engraved on the gate, and even though he didn't understand what they meant, he still engrossed them. Yes, the gate can be considered a work of art, as it exudes a mysterious and enigmatic aura, reflecting its purpose and impact. He was engrossed in the gate, but Nea also realized another person was doing the same, admiring the space gate. What caught Nea's attention about this person was not just that; the person was dressed in clothes that looked like the janitors at the school with a black outfit, baseball cap and black hoodie, making it difficult to tell if it was a boy or a girl. In that person's hand was holding something long that looked like a sword, but it was wrapped in a black cloth, making it difficult to tell. Despite standing still and quiet, there was something very strange about this one. It was like that man named Cain; perhaps he was also a chosen. Nea was pondering about the other person when suddenly someone jumped out in front of him:
* Hello!!
A familiar yet strange voice spoke up. It was that beautiful lady who was almost sending him to heaven at first; She continued speaking while smiling brightly:
* Just now was a bit rushed, so I still needed to introduce myself. The name's Liana. Did I hear the boss mention that you'll be the new member? That's surprising.
Liana smiled brightly. Then, a voice that was both unfamiliar yet familiar spoke up:
* We don't need a new member here.
That was Cain; he spoke, but his eyes remained fixed on the book in his hand, looking rather cold. Cain wore an indigo pair of suits, which looked quite strange, and the coat he wore made Nea think of some religious figure, but it was still quite fashionable. Suddenly, Nea felt like something was tugging at his pants. He leaned down to look and saw a little girl with snow-white hair. The girl blinked her eyes and said:
* Hyun...Hyun??
Liana whispered in the little girl's ear:
* Violet! That is not Hyun. He's a new member.
Violet looked up at Nea. Her eyes were still droopy from sleep, but they were bright enough for Nea to see her white eyes. Violet rubbed her eyes and spoke to Liana:
* Not Hyun!
She sniffed around and turned away. She suddenly shouted:
* Ahh! Hyun!
Violet ran towards there, while Nea looked back and saw a tall, thin man wearing glasses with a scholarly look. He seemed weak. But looking at the bulky backpack Hyun was wearing, Nea had to reevaluate; he was probably stronger than he appeared. Cain closed the book and spoke as he looked at Hyun:
* You are too slow, Hyun. Is everything ready?
* Yes, all set.
Liana waved at Hyun, pointed at Nea, and said:
* You are a senpai now. - Liana giggled.
* Why would you even take in the new guy?
* Cain, you are truly wise, but you still don't know anything. This kid is our admirable captain Finix's son.
Suddenly all eyes seemed to focus on Nea, except for Violet. At first, they looked at him with somewhat wary eyes, but Nea could see a hint of sadness in each gaze. The most notable thing was the person, the person that Nea was still paying attention to now because that person was standing still, staring at the stone gate. But when that one heard Nea was the son of Finix, the person also turned around; though it only turned halfway and then turned away immediately, Nea could still catch the sad gaze. So that person is also a member of this group. At that moment, Gray spoke up:
* Just like Liana said, Nea is Finix's son. I happened to meet him when visiting Finix's grave. Nea also wants to find Finix again; he bravely believes a stranger like me to come this far, showing his determination is no less than anyone here.
* Sir, I get it, but there is no time for it now. The omen is here.