The world fell into chaos, continents ripped apart, and creatures evolved.
[Records of the Golden Dawn]
***
Vin walked out of her class, clutching her notebooks in front of her chest. A troubled look was visible over her face as she pondered about something. A voice said from beside her, “Have you decided the type of monster companion you want?”
Lifting her head, Vin eyed the boy. He stood a head taller than her. Had dark eyes and thin lips, and a slight smirk hung at the corner of his lip. She frowned and said, “It’s none of your business, Gren.”
“Don’t be like that, Vin,” said Gren, smiling. “You know your brother cannot provide the resources you need to develop. Why don't you consider— ”
Vin’s eyes turned cold. She peered into Gren's eyes and said, “Fuck off!”
And then strolled away, leaving shell-shocked Gren behind.
How dare he ask her to sign a slave contract?
And he dared to belittle her brother's efforts? What did he know about him? The sacrifices he made for her. The hardship he’d gone through. What was she without him? Nothing.
As Vin walked away with her fuming anger, Gren continued to stand there with a cold face, glaring at her departing figure. His face turned red in rage and his knuckles crackled. He heard whispering students around him and swore, I’ll make you pay for insulting me.
Vin didn't give a flick about Gren, though. His snobbish and condescending attitude was known to everyone. Vin could tolerate anything but someone insulting her brother.
***
Vin worked part-time inside the school library, that's why when she left, it was already seven o’clock in the evening.
She strolled on the pavement under the shadows of looming buildings. The street lights illuminated the path, and the surroundings bustled with activity.
Vendors pitched by the roadside, trying to sell clothes, shoes, and other things. Though the quality wasn't the best, they were pretty affordable. Vin herself had purchased from there quite a few times.
As she shifted through the crowded walkway, she spotted a lady carrying an unusual but cute-looking cat in her arms. A Common rank mutated beast, Whispering Cat. The cat did not have a fighting skill, though it could learn a few words and speak them.
Whispering Cat was popular among ladies due to its cute appearance. A lot of them bonded with the monster knowing it had no Evolution Path beyond Common rank.
However, even this monster was not something that Vin could afford to buy. But if she could afford one, she’d not waste hundreds of gold coins on a useless monster. A monster without useful skill or Evolution Path.
She wanted a monster with at least an Uncommon rank Evolution Path. For a Common rank beast and the awakener bonded with it could not advance beyond level 10. And to form a second bond one needed to be at least level 11.
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Vin shook her head and removed all the distracting thoughts out of her head as she stood underneath a streetlight, looking at a house on the other side of the street. Smile emerged at the corner of her lip as she spotted light in his brother's room.
***
Nick's mouth left agape as he stared at his status window.
Name: [Nicklas Werfel]
Level: [Level 1]
Talent: Arcane Vision(Mythical) - Pierce through the secrets of the world, create the paths of evolution.
Contracted Beasts: [None]
For fifteen minutes Nick closed and opened the status window before he could believe what he was seeing. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
He did not know any other word that could describe his feelings better. Though there was only a single line to describe the Talent, it was fucking mythical rank. Who cares if there was a single line or a single word?
“Brother.”
Nick was distracted briefly when he heard Vin. Then a huge smile appeared across his face. He climbed down from his bed, grimaced due to his injury, and limped to open the door.
“How was your hunt—” Vin froze halfway through when she spotted dressing over Nick's head. She also noticed the unusual way he was standing. Most of his weight was on a single leg. Her eyes turned red.
Nick grinned and said, “What are you standing there for? Come inside.”
He stretched his hand and pulled her inside. He settled silent Vin over his bed and said, “Why are you worrying so much? These wounds are nothing. You know how strong—”
Nick froze when Vin raised her head—her red eyes were filled with tears. Whatever he wanted to say stuck in his throat. He did everything to make her happy. She was his everything, and now he had made her cry. Such a bastard.
“Don't be like that, Vin—”
“I'm so useless,” she said, looking crestfallen. “You're doing everything for me, but I-I—”
“Shhh,” Nick gestured with his finger and patted her head. He sighed and said, “You know, sometimes I think about what I would have turned into if you weren't in my life. Trust me, you don't want to hear the answer. You are not useless. You are my strength.”
Vin hesitated, bit her lip, and said, “What if I join the army—”
“No!” Nick sprang to his feet as he stared at his sister in shock. Though, he could understand why she'd suggested something like that. After all, every recruit received a [White Falcon] that had an Evolution Path of Epic rank.
However… only ten percent of those recruits survived at the end of their training. A sheltered girl like Vin… he dared not imagine the consequences.
He eyed her and uttered, “Do not ever consider joining the army. And if it comes to that we'd sell our house.”
“But… house… our parents built it,” Vin said, looking at her brother. She knew he was very attached to this house. Otherwise, he'd have sold it a long time ago. Numerous people had tried to persuade him to sell it, but he never considered it.
“No house is more important than my sister,” he said.
After Vin calmed down. The siblings went downstairs and had dinner. Nick shared about his adventure. How he wasted chicken meat worth seventy bronze coins without any return. And the escape. A few parts he left unsaid where he almost found his way into the spirit world.
***
Nick eyed the rising sun and walked towards the Town Plaza. Due to his condition, he could not do labor work, or go out to hunt. He was going to act as an appraiser.
A couple of years ago, he’d tried to earn this way, as his Talent favored him in that regard. However, he barely got any customers. After that, he decided to work in a construction building. Being the only bread earner in his family, he had no luxury to waste his precious time without any fruitful return.
But now, left with no option, he could try his luck once more. And, he also wanted to study his upgraded Talent.
Too crowded, Nick thought as he reached the plaza. He pushed through the throng of people and arrived at the area where most of their antique shops were situated.
He observed the people sitting by the street. In front of them lay all kinds of weird-looking objects. Even with his previous ability, he could tell that most of them were fake.
Nonetheless, they did it to look authentic and mysterious. Without these weird shenanigans most people would not even consider them for appraising their treasure. For Nick, it was bizzare as fuck.
Anyway, the demand of the profession was as such, so he removed the bag from his back and settled it on the ground. Then, he rummaged through it and pulled out a mattress and his own collection of strange objects: a broken lantern, corrosive rings, and dirty stones.
With his ability activated, he could see a single word hanging above them: [Junk].