“Mom! Dad! I awakened my Astral Spirit! Look! It’s a balloon!” Little Ariel tightly gripped the string of the pink balloon floating above her.
Her parents exchanged a glance, trying to mask their surprise with smiles. She was only five, far younger than the usual awakening age of eighteen. While early awakenings weren’t unheard of, this was exceptionally rare and potentially problematic.
“Wow, sweetie, that’s... amazing!” her mother said, kneeling to Ariel’s level. “Why don’t we take a trip to the Contractor’s Association, to get you registered?”
Ariel’s father ruffled her hair, his smile a little too wide. “Yeah, kiddo, it’s a big deal! Let’s see what they say.”
Ariel’s parents were not as excited as their one and only daughter. She was merely five years old and already awakened her astral spirit! Most awakened theirs at the age of 18 after preparing to become a contractor in high school for 4 years. Although it wasn’t unheard of for individuals to awaken their astral spirits early, this early might pose a problem… Thankfully, it seems Ariel’s astral spirit was as harmless as it looked. The Mother and Father of Ariel took her to the Contractor’s Association to ensure that her astral spirit wouldn’t negatively affect her growing development. Ariel went through several tests. Physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual, and some would say the most important test, the battling test.
“Oblivion! Come and destroy our enemies!” Ariel chanted as she summoned her astral spirit to the battlefield.
Ariel’s Mother and Father turned red after hearing their daughter’s words. The employees at the Contractor’s Association turned to them with some concern. Ariel’s father had no choice but to speak up and explain. “Lately, she’s been watching those early morning cartoon shows. And unlike other kids who cheer for the good guys… she cheers for the bad guys…” He rubbed the back of his balding head.
“She feels sad for the bad guys when they lose instead of happy for the good guys when they win.” Ariel’s mother added.
“This behavior was not noticed or mentioned during the other tests…” One of the researchers mentioned.
“If she could have passed without it coming up, we would’ve been fine…” Ariel’s father couldn’t help but say.
Several researchers began jotting down notes as Ariel’s first astral battle began. Both of Ariel’s parents sighed. Worst case scenario, they would be seen as unfit parents for a potential prodigy contractor and Ariel would be taken from them and raised by the Contractor’s Association to become a contractor for the betterment of humanity. Best case scenario, they would receive significant government benefits from the CA for raising Ariel into a model citizen.
Ariel’s pink balloon, Oblivion, materialized in the air with a gentle bounce, its glossy surface gleaming under the fluorescent lights of the Contractor’s Association testing chamber. The spirit floated effortlessly, seemingly harmless as it bobbed up and down. The opposing astral spirit was anything but cute. It was a segmented millipede, long and armored, with pincers clicking menacingly at the front of its body. Its dark exoskeleton shimmered with a metallic sheen, each joint plated like a suit of armor. It slithered forward with a deadly grace, its many legs moving in perfect coordination. The researcher controlling the creature clenched her fists, her voice calm but firm as she barked orders.
“Strix, prepare to strike. The test will begin now.”
Oblivion, with its gentle, buoyant form, looked comically outmatched next to the predatory millipede. The audience—Ariel’s parents, the researchers, and a few curious onlookers—held their breath, waiting for the inevitable clash. Ariel, unphased by the difference in appearance, raised a small fist, her voice ringing out with glee. “Oblivion! Use Airburst and crush that weakling into paste!”
Immediately, the pink balloon shifted. Its bottom edge opened like the mouth of some hidden beast, and with a whoosh, a gust of wind erupted from its core. The air shivered as an invisible force shot forward. The researcher’s eyes widened in surprise. “Dodge! Strix, move!” The millipede responded, its body undulating in a blur as it attempted to evade the incoming attack. But it was too late.
Oblivion's Airburst was faster than any expected, not the weak puff of wind typical of a low-ranked astral spirit. No, this was something else entirely. The gust struck Strix head-on with an audible thud, the force sending the millipede soaring across the room like a rag doll. It smashed into the far wall with a resounding crash, embedding itself deep within the stone, a crater forming around its limp body. The air stilled. For a moment, there was only silence.
The researcher, stunned, looked at her motionless spirit in disbelief. Strix twitched weakly, its legs spasming as it tried to regain its bearings, but the damage was already done. The once formidable millipede now lay crumpled, defeated by a single attack. Gasps filled the room. Ariel’s parents exchanged uneasy glances, their faces flushed with a mixture of pride and embarrassment. Meanwhile, Ariel beamed with joy, utterly oblivious to the astonishment her astral spirit had caused.
This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.
“Good job, Oblivion.” Ariel happily petted the pink balloon snuggling into her body.
Unknown to everybody, Oblivion wasn’t just a simple astral spirit. No. It was a creature a bit more than the average astral spirit. Simply due to the fact that it had a talent that no other astral spirit had. And that was Automatic Training.
(Oblivion)
(Rank: Bronze)
(Talent: Reinflate)
(Element: Wind/Rubber)
(Moves: Inflate F, Airburst D, Float F, Pop F)
(Characteristics: Levitation, Elasticity, Light, Buoyant)
The researchers were baffled to see that this newborn astral spirit had a skill already at the D rank. There was no wonder why it defeated its opponent which was around the same rank as itself. The higher proficiency an astral spirit had in a move, the more it was capable of. While the difference between a F rank move and a D rank move wasn’t all that much in the grand scheme of things, to young or weak astral spirits it was far more significant.
But what really confused the researchers was how this newborn astral spirit achieved this D rank astral move. Was it born with it at rank D? One of the head researchers began chastising the others for not scanning the astral spirit before starting the tests. Now they didn’t know whether there was something special about this astral spirit or whether it was just genetically gifted in using Airburst or wind-type moves. As the researchers continued their tests, they were unable to find out anything special about Oblivion. It was no different from any other Astral Spirit. Ariel was a slightly strange child but nothing particularly special about her except her talent in battling. So, Ariel and her parents were sent home more than a bit richer along with several other benefits for being lucky enough to have a daughter awaken an astral spirit at the young age of five.
(Automatic Training)
(Inflate F 99%)
(Airburst D 10%)
(Float F 99%)
(Pop F 99%)
…
Sometime later, Ariel could be seen shouting goodbye to her parents as she summoned Oblivion and gripped her by the string. The two parents watched their daughter float off far into the sky as she made her way to school on her own. After all, with how talented their daughter was at battling and how strong her astral spirit was, it's not like them taking her to school would make her any safer or anything. Plus, she memorized the way to school already. Ariel climbed on top of Oblivion with a smile on her face. First sitting, then standing with her hands on her hips. Nothing keeping her from potentially falling to her death thousands of miles up from the ground as the wind blew around her. However she wasn't worried in the slightest as she began to laugh while looking at the city she was raised and born in. Manically laughing, in fact.
“Oblivion! It's finally time we take over Harbor City! What do you say after school we go takeover the Mayor's Office and become the new ruler of Harbor City?”
“Kuun!” Oblivion happily responded, eager to cause chaos and destruction!
Oblivion took to its trainer’s personality as a baby bird would take to the first thing it imprinted on. As far as Oblivion knew, villainy was all it knew since birth. Molded and sculpted by it, thanks to Ariel’s ‘teachings’. After all, she wouldn't get anywhere in accomplishing her dreams by herself.
She needed Oblivion. This was a world where Astral Spirits were everything. She realized that very early on. Anyone who had power, had a powerful astral spirit or knew someone that did. It was why the good guys always won in the cartoons. Her parents tried to convince her that it was because of the power of friendship or the good guys had love and compassion or the good guys were smarter. And while these things did play a hand in why the good guys won all the time. Ariel knew the true reason why the bad guys always lost. They weren't strong enough and they never finished the job!!!
It always drew Ariel crazy when the villains would talk about taking over the world or destroying someone but never actually taking the steps to do it. Or they would literally have the good guys at their mercy but freaking spend the whole time talking about how they won and their plans instead of freaking destroying them! She's screamed at her TV so many times, Ariel can't even get mad anymore. But she will not be a failure. She will not be a loser. Ariel will be a proper bad guy who wins without making any stupid mistakes. So, with her spine straight and mind ready, Ariel landed at her school ready to get the day over with and start her world domination plans.
“Hey, Ariel!”
“Hey Oblivion!”
“Ariel, you wanna play at recess today?!”
“Yo, Ariel! My big brother says he can beat your Astral Spirit! Wanna come over to my house and prove him wrong?”
Ariel briefly wondered how her classmates would treat her after she's taken over the Mayor's Office. Would they still like her for being the only Contractor in the city their age? Or would they hate her because she was a bad guy? All in all, Ariel didn't care too much about the opinions of her classmates. Well, except for one.
“Lord Chaos! Your faithful henchman is ready to serve!” The Menace saluted as he arrived in front of Ariel.
He wore oversized black pants, the kind that swallow his ankles, are paired with a mysteriously tight black turtleneck that seems to have shrunk in the wash. To top it off, a shiny black windbreaker with the word "MENACE" boldly emblazoned across the back screams "supervillain," or at least it does in Gary's mind. His footwear of choice is a mismatched pair of clunky black sneakers that make every step a mini-earthquake. He had thick, round glasses, held together with a piece of tape, a black beanie, and he's armed himself with a pair of oversized gloves and a toy ray gun that looks more like a glorified water pistol.
Ariel was simply in her school uniform, seeing no need for costumes. “Henchman, grab on and don't let go.” The two held on to Oblivion’s string and floated off toward the Mayor’s Office. “Whoa! We're really flying!!!” Gary exclaimed in excitement and nervousness.