His name had been something different, he hadn't been Liam Thompson before, and his former last name had been something else, why?

Because he had been an orphan, they didn't have last names, not really. Of course, on paper, there was a name on his file, but it changed as easily as they moved him from a new house to the orphanage again.

His last name before this had been Smith, then Jonson, and he had been Martinez for a few days, till that family noticed he didn't speak Spanish at least, then he got sent back. He was now a Thompson, because that had been the last family he was sent to.

And he stuck there, not because he finally found [The one] as the orphanage director liked to say, but because this one had been the family he found his sister once more.

She was two years older than him, and she had been adopted alone, as that family didn't want him at the time, so when they adopted him he was overjoyed.

Adopting a kid who was twelve years old wasn't common after all, so he was happy to reunite with his sister, and yet...It hadn't been all fun and joy.

He found that his sister was being exploited, she was forced to work two shifts in different parts of the city and all her money was stolen by their new parents. And he had been adopted not because his sister couldn't work, but because his new parents found out that she was saving money to run away...

And she had been planning to go for him...

She could have escaped ages ago, but she wanted more money so they both could live happily. He had been adopted to turn into a chain to stop his sister from running away.

And his sister didn't hate him, didn't regret seeing him again, she was happy!

That crushed him more than anything, so he sucked it up, the beatings, the berating, the long days asking for money on the streets (As far away from the orphanage as he could get), and when social services came to ask?

He was happy!

Happier than he ever had been before!

That hadn't been hard to pull out, since he was genuinely happy to be with his sister again, he only needed to think about that, so he endured.

He saved his money and hid it away on the streets, it could be stolen? Yes, but so could it be stolen in the house, so he and his sister decided to try and hide on the streets as far away from home as possible, it was easier to hide his earnings since they were from the street money people gave him.

Unlike with his sister who only earned some extras from tips, it was easier to hide the money people give to a homeless kid, not that he was homeless. But with the amount of love he got at home?

Yeah, he would wish for that a hundred times over.

So they saved money, it took them almost four years to get enough money in different parts of the city, but they did it, they lost a few stashes here and there, from people finding it, but they did it!

When he turned seventeen they managed to save enough to run away, his sister was already over the legal age, so she could run away, but he couldn't.

Not legally anyway, so they waited till he was half a year from his 18th birthday to escape, they would be on the run for half a year and then when he was of age they would settle.

And so, they did just that.

They settled on the other side of the state, he got work as a cashier at a bookstore, he could read in his free time, and his sister was working as a receptionist at a law firm.

Their current plan was to try and find cases similar to theirs and see if they could be in danger, so far their family hadn't tried to go after them, nor had there been any report of missing people, perhaps they had done this before.

He didn't know, and honestly, so long he could live with his sister and be happy he didn't care either. His sister may be busy working and finding [A better life] for them, but he was just happy to be with her again.

So when the skies got filled with stars in the middle of the day and a voice spoke in his head, he didn't panic as much as everyone else.

He was just wondering what his sister would prepare for dinner today.

Notice!

Your plane has been integrated into the StarStream, welcome!

As a way to prepare for an integration with the universe at large, your world will experiment a [Cataclysm], randomly selecting...

Your [Cataclysm] has been selected. Congratulations!

Your world will experiment [Rift invasion]!

Monsters from other planes will use [Rifts] to invade your plane, fight them off!

Make a [Contract] with a [Constellation] awaken your potential and fight for your life and that of your loved ones!

And when that one showed up, the only thing he could think was that he should go back home to make sure his sister was safe.

Arriving at home while everyone was going crazy, screaming to the heavens and making a ruckus because [They Got Selected], he didn't care, he didn't need that. So long his sister was okay they would be fine.

The streets were filled with people running around, some already showcasing some degree of special powers, from one guy lifting a car to a girl doing a whole transformation into a Magical Girl.

That was weird, but nothing to it.

Arriving at home was harder than expected because of it, since they had to live on the more dangerous side of the city the pandemonium here was harder, but it was doable.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

At least he wasn't getting mugged as much as before, since most already knew that he didn't carry money on him, and even when he did it was a pittance at best.

"Are you okay? Did you have problems coming home? Did you hear voices in your head?" His sister asked as soon as he crossed the door into the apartment they rented.

Her face was full of worry, and her clothes were wrinkled all over the place, had she come running home?

"I'm okay sis, everyone on the streets are raving about those constellations that showed in the sky." He answered while placing his backpack on a chair.

The apartment was small enough so they didn't have a closet to guard stuff like in their former home, but the good side?

"Okay, you tell me if a [Constellation] speaks to you okay?" He could spent extra time with sister.

No wait, she said something weird, "Did you get one?" He used a weird way to speak about those things on the sky.

"Yes, I got a [Contract] with a constellation. She is called [The Mother of the Damned], and she offered a set of skills for [Healing], apparently our [History] interested her. She isn't a [Evil] aligned one, but likes to contract people in bad situations like us." Sister said, but that was weird.

That explanation didn't match up, they weren't in a bad situation, they would live happily ever after, and they had escaped the bad situation. Was it enough that they lived in a bad situation before?

"But we aren't Damned...Why was she interested in you?" So he asked.

Were they in danger?

"She wouldn't tell me, but if we are in danger better to have the extra power right? She told me that I got selected because you were already wanted by someone else." Answered his sister.

He was already wanted by someone?

Of course he was, his sister loved him. Why wouldn't he be wanted?

No wait, in this phrasing that constellation probably referred to one of their ilk.

"But no one asked me about it?" He said, some people on the streets seemed to concentrate and focus while looking to the sky.

Trying to attract something, but he hadn't felt that inclination, nor wanted it really.

But...perhaps...He could be more useful to his sister if he made a contract?

How would one go about that though?

"How did you make your contract?" He asked his sister.

She had already done it, so perhaps she had an inkling?

"Heh, I knew you boys would love this." His sister laughed, but this was serious! "I didn't do anything, the blue screen showed itself offering the [Contract]. It was similar enough to the leasing contract we got for this place, just read the letter and sing if the [Skill] interests you."

So like a leasing?

They were leasing them the powers they offered? That was weird, why would they do so?

Congratulations!

You have been picked as a possible [Contractor] by a [Low-Class Constellation]!

As a rule of thumb, you are able to refuse this and move through the [Cataclysm - Rifts] without the [Contract], depending only on your own [Abilities]. This way you may make yourself more valuable to another [Constellation] and maybe get a better deal.

Be warned your current [Rank] as [Newly initiated] is [Rank - F], the [Cataclysm - Rifts] will spawn up to two ranks above your plane's rank.

[Current plane rank: D]

The closest [Rift]'s rank is: D

It is possible to defeat a [Rift] so long it isn't above [One] rank of your current rank by using the [Weaponry] that has been created on your plane. Be advised that such strategies only work till rank C.

Please read all the information we provide about the [Constellation] before making your choice.

Interesting, so in a nutshell this planet (Why did it refer as a plane?) was ranked D, and the rifts that could appear here (What is a rift?) were from rank D, C, and B.

So long the rift wasn't above C it was possible to clear(How does one clear a rift?) it with weapons. So since the plane(?) was high they could only defeat the low-end rifts.

And my rank being F...

"What rank are you by the way?" He asked his sister, maybe they all were low rank?

"I was deemed Rank C." Nope, it was only him. "[Mother] said that the one they give you at the start is a metric for what you could achieve without help, not a standard of what you will achieve."

Oh, that was good to know, "But the higher the better, and it will help you call other [Constellations], usually they don't look at the rank E and Below, so you should be high enough too."

That was weird, then why did he get a [Contract] offering?

"How do I see the contract?" He asked his sister, not even for a second did he doubted her words.

"It didn't show? Focus on the words [Contract] it should pop up on its own, maybe the [Constellation] wanted to save on [Causality] and didn't use enough to manifest itself the [Contract]...?" He of course focused on all the words his sister said.

And sure enough, when going through the words [Contract] something clicked right and a new blue screen showed itself...

Only, this one was more...simple.

[The Collector]:

Good afternoon.

My [Name] is [The Collector]. I'm a [Low-Grade Constellation], your plane has been integrated into the StarStream system, and as such your world is about to enter what we call a [Cataclysm].

I'm sure the StarStream System has already given you a warning about it, but chances are, they didn't preface it with the gravity it has. Let me be clear about this, even if you do not contract with me, this is, what I must warn you about beyond doubt.

You are in danger.

Your loved ones are in danger.

Your world is in danger.

Your lifestyle is in danger.

Now, this does not mean I'm your only chance, you may refuse my [Contract] if that is your desire. Your [Plane] will have its own local [Constellations] that will have a vested interest in your populace, you may try and contract one of them. Most if not all of them will probably be [Mid-Grade Constellations] with the most popular of your local gods becoming a [High-Grade Constellation].

Yeah no, no god had ever turned its sight to us, so they wouldn't try and contract me. Or maybe the [Mother] that contracted sister was one of the local gods?

[The Collector]:

But while I would like to [Contract] you, should you refuse my offer I will move to try and get a new contractor. Should you attempt to reach me I will of course accept you, so long I haven't gotten a confirmation from another [Human] from your plane.

As for what I can offer you...

I can grant you the basic kit for [Contractors], this includes:

-Access to the [Status] screen.

-Access to [Rifts] map.

-Access to [Skill] tree.

-Guarantee participation on my [StarStream LiveStream Channel].

And as an explanation to these points, the [Status] screens allow you to earn [Points] and add them to your basic attributes, this allows you to grow from [Human] to [Super-Human] witouth training. You can of course train and see your [Points] grow from said effort, and having trained does get you extra points, but that is a moot point with the fast growth from the [Level Up] granted by the [Status] screen.

The [Rift] Map will let you know what grade and where the closest rift is located, some [Constellations] do not grant this access to all their contractees, and this is a [Privilege] from my [Skill].

That moves us to the next one, the [Skill]Tree. This section of your [Status] will allow you to manage and see your current [Skills], for now, it will only show [My] skill at the top, that is...

My [Skill] as [The Collector] is called [Collector], it allows you to [Collect] anything and everything from what you defeat or find without an owner, if you kill a monster you can [Collect] part of its attributes if the skill is of a high level. At this point in its bare form, it's random, you may collect a monster [Skill], attributes, or meat from it.

But should you level it high enough you should be able to target a specific part to [Collect], at this level it does not work on living targets unless they grant you permission, and even then it is a gamble since living things have many things to collect.

If your target is stronger than you, you will not be able to [Collect] anything that they earned without the [StarStream System] help. So care is advised.

As for the last perk...

We [Constellation] use something similar to [Channels] to [Stream] mortals, depending on what the [Content] is, you [Mortal] will get sponsored by other [Constellations] or they may [Sponsor] me, and in turn I will be able to grant you better [Skills] or [Status points].

Of course, if a [Constellation] has several [Contractors] they will need to divide the attention they give to multiple people, In my case I can only support one contractor, should you sign with me, you will get a priority slot.

Should I get a second contractor you will be prioritized over the new one so long that is your wish.

So...

Do you wish for [Power]?

Do you wish for [Fame]?

Do you wish for [Glory]?

Do you... want to make a [Contract]?

Y/N

Did I want power? Fame? Glory? Money?

No.

I had everything I could ever need with my sister at my side...

My rank was (Honestly) crap, but my sister had a higher one, and if what [The collector] said was true, we were in danger...

I would need Power if I wanted to make sure Sister was safe...

And...I didn't think other [Constellations] would call to me, everyone on the streets had received their contracts already, and here I was getting the first one.

Besides, [The Collector] seemed nice enough, giving me way more information than I thought I would get, it was somewhat suspicious since his skill seemed more versatile than what I would deserve with my F ranking grade.

But...Yeah, I could make it work, so long sister was okay it didn't matter to me what [Skill] I got, besides, if it was a bad skill, I should still be able to use it to get her flowers or something.

So "Yes, I will sign the [Contract]." I said and the Yes on the blue screen shone in azure light.

Soon afterward I felt the information flood my brain, the knowledge about how to use the skill, its current limits...And what my [Constellation] wanted for me to do on its [Channel].

Notice:

You have signed a contract with a [Constellation].

[Status] screen unlocked.

[Skill Tree] unlocked.

Joining Channel #278008135

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