The muscular man whipped his head towards the speaker with a savage look in his eyes.

“Mind saying that again?”

He growled threateningly through clenched teeth. Shadows painted his masculine jawline as the muscles underneath his shirt rippled and flexed.

The speaker, who was of course Jun, unflinchingly stared right back into the tall man’s piercing gaze.

Jun was balanced on one foot while leaning his back against the wall. Fully relaxed, his hands stuck into the huge pockets of his comfortably oversized hoodie.

Jun’s blue eyes didn’t blink a single time as he maintained the smirk on his face.

Seconds passed by, before suddenly…

Both of them broke into laughter and came in for a wide hug.

Naturally the blond-haired man completely enveloped Jun’s much smaller frame, but nonetheless, the sentiment was shared.

“Wow, I didn’t see you at the senior orientation. I thought you might have abandoned school altogether.”

“Nonsense. How would the great Amon survive his final year with everyone picking on him for being a fatty.”

They both laughed at the remark before walking side by side down the empty hall.

Jun eyed his friend for a brief inspection. He had grown larger since the last time they saw each other—maybe even more confident.

Amon Alzair was his full name.

They met three years ago during their first year of high school. At that time, Amon was oversized, and not in a good way.

Being in an academy full of elites had its benefits, but it also had its drawbacks.

The upper echelons of society always placed a huge emphasis on their outward public image. This resulted into an endless spiral of bullying for the kind-natured Amon.

Jun thought back to their first real interaction.

He was eating food alone in a secluded room, which was rarely used by administration for making large announcements. Of course, he wasn’t supposed to be in there.

Amon barged into the room with his massive frame. His chubby cheeks were flushed red out of shame and embarrassment while his eyes played a game of waterworks.

In his hands was a massive and hearty meal, full of proteins and balanced nutrition. In addition to the main course, there was also a bag full of snacks that was slung over his shoulder.

“Are you going to eat all of that?”

Jun called out to the overweight child, who didn’t even realize he had intruded into someone else’s space.

“Uh…”

Amon could only sheepishly look away as if he were being called out for doing something bad.

“I mean, I don’t care, but why do you eat so much anyway?”

Jun was seated at the only table in the room. He rested his cheek on his hand with a bored expression. He demeanor didn’t portray a twelve-year-old at all.

“I eat a lot because it makes me feel better when they pick on me for... well, my size.”

Amon self-consciously shifted the bag slung over his shoulder.

“So you’re saying you feel bad when you’re bullied for being fat. Then you eat more food because they called you fat. Aren’t you just feeding into what they want? Also, don’t just stand there, let’s talk about this.”

Jun pointed to the empty chair across the table from him, there was no room for discussion.

Amon walked over with a stupefied expression, as if his brain were being overworked by some cruel taskmaster.

“Look, Piggy. Do you hate it when people call you names? Do you hate it when people look down on you?”

Amon nodded his head.

“Well, I’ll tell you what. I’m going to keep calling you Piggy, but I’ll also help you out. What do you think?”

Jun reached out with a tiny hand that was hidden within an oversized sleeve. By this time, he was already wearing sweaters that were much too large for him.

Amon stared at the extended hand, deep in thought.

What’s the worst that happens, this kid keeps calling me a pig?

He then covered the loose sleeve with his massive hand and gently shook it, giving a confirming nod at the same time.

“Alright, listen up. Come here each day for lunch, and I’ll keep advising you. I guarantee that in three months no one will pick on you again.”

Jun declared with absolute confidence, and it was this same authoritative tone that gave Amon a sense of ease.

“First off, we’re done eating whatever is in that bag. Look at what you have in your hands. My goodness that looks delicious.”

Jun’s eyes glowed as he inspected the perfectly curated meal that Amon claimed for lunch.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“I don’t care how much you eat, but I do care about what you eat. So, Piggy, drop that bag off into the trash, and never look at it again.”

Amon grimaced as he slowly got up from the chair. It was a short walk to the nearby trashcan, but for some reason it felt like the longest mile. Still, he did it and returned to his chair, and for some reason his complexion looked visibly lighter.

“Great, now eat up. You’re going to start training in this room after you eat. Don’t worry, you won’t die. Probably.”

Amon had just taken his first bite as the words filtered in through his brain, causing him to look around the cramped room.

“I know what you’re thinking. There’s nothing here to train with right? Well that’s because you only need your body, at least for now. Anyway, don’t worry about it because the next thing we need to do is work on your mentality.”

Amon began the art of devouring his meal as he stared intently at the small boy in front of him.

“They call you fat, they call you names, they pick on you. You feel bad about this, but you need to see things from a different view. Why do they call you fat? Why do they call you names? Why do they pick on you?”

Jun didn’t wait for a response. After all, if Amon were able to reply with the right answer then he wouldn’t have these self-esteem issues in the first place.

“It’s because they need to do that to feel empowered. This is a place where elites across the entire world have gathered. It’s engrained into their small brains that they must compare themselves to the student next to them. Friends are no longer about maintaining friendship, but instead about benefits. Enemies are created because they feel threatened.”

Amon’s eyes glazed over as if all of this went over his head, but he still continued to shovel in his delicious meal.

“Let me simplify it down for you. Those people that bully you? Your potential scares them. They have nothing going for them. It’s instinctual for them to put others down, because if they don’t then their own inferiority will begin to shine.”

At this point, Jun’s face spread into a wicked grin.

“Let’s crush these insects at their own game. We’re going to create an absolute unit out of you. We won’t retaliate in any way or form, and yet just from this you’ll soon witness how fragile their superiority truly is.”

When Amon first saw that insidious smile on Jun’s face, he didn’t know what to think.

Did he just make a deal with the devil? He would only find out later that everything Jun spoke of was doomed to become true, including the hellish training he had to undertake.

Three years later; Amon was now massive, toned, handsome, and close to having the most perfect visage a man could have.

The bullying ended well before the three-month deadline, and that lonely room became their hideout throughout their entire first year—at least until a certain mishap occurred involving a song and musical keyboard.

Amon grinned as he elbowed Jun while turning a corner in the hallway.

“Hey, remember when I walked in on you singing that song those years ago?”

Jun frowned before glaring at his oversized companion.

“Yes, I remember. I still hold that you shouldn’t have done what you did.”

Amon sheepishly scratched his head and looked away.

“Come on, the whole school deserved to hear it. I couldn’t let that opportunity pass by, and besides it worked out in the end anyway. It’s a shame we can’t use that room anymore though.”

Toward the end of their first year, Amon once came to their meeting spot much earlier than normal. To his surprise, he saw Jun playing a tune on a holographic keyboard in front of him while looking out a window.

Amon sneakily switched on the school intercom just as the song was getting good.

Before Jun was aware of what happened, he had already played and sung over half of the song. He couldn’t get too angry at the time because it was mostly his fault for practicing in public.

Unfortunately, they had to flee that room with posthaste.

Days later, the academy underwent a massive investigation to find the perpetrators of the incident. On the surface, it seemed like they were searching for troublemakers, but it in reality it was an investigation conducted by some of the most successful entertainment companies in the world to find the talented artist.

“It’s whatever. What are you doing today Amon? Want to go down to the surface?”

Jun shrugged off Amon’s massive arm that somehow found its way around his shoulders.

“You really do like to party. No, I have to go register for PSI World today. I’ll be joining the senior class for the tutorial at the end of the week.”

Jun clicked his tongue in annoyance before offhandedly commenting.

“Why bother with PSI World. Nothing good comes out of that industry. Don’t waste your time with that garbage.”

Usually Amon listened to Jun’s every word.

In his eyes, Jun was like a miniature god, akin to an almighty shepherd, while Amon was just a little sheep. However, in this matter he was receiving lot of pressure from his family.

“This is just something I have to do. The Alzair family is heavily invested in PSI World. I really have no choice as one of its potential successors.”

Jun let out a sigh before mumbling under his breath.

“What if I gave you the choice…”

Of course his tone was inaudible even for Amon beside him. Jun’s basis for his current mindset came from one of his blood related grandfathers.

Although he rarely saw them, they would never refuse a request from him as long as it was within their ability. In this case, the grandfather in question was Grandpa Einstoldt.

Most people wouldn’t know, but Sien Einstoldt wasn’t born into the Einstoldt bloodline. Instead, he was married in.

It was a public secret, but those of the Einstoldt bloodline very rarely had more than one child. No one knew why, but most just decreed it as the heavens performing a balancing act. This is because those born within the Einstoldt line were all exceptional without question.

Grandpa Einstoldt’s original name was Sien Alzair, but he took on the Einstoldt name when he married his wife, who has been long deceased.

As such, he became the acting head of the Einstoldt family and would remain so, unless a suitable successor happened to be found within the family tree somewhere.

The Alzair family was publicly known for producing bloodthirsty warriors who did not know the meaning of fear. While they weren’t servile to the Einstoldt family, it was common knowledge that they advanced and retreated together in almost all matters.

If the Einstoldt family were the exclusive royalty within that region of the world, then the Alzair family could be considered the governing body.

Additionally, this also meant that Amon Alzair was something like a distant cousin to Jun, but Amon wasn’t aware of that.

Amon noticed Jun’s silence, mistakenly thinking it was due to the mention of PSI World. Feeling unnerved, Amon approached the subject with more sincerity.

“Jun, I know you have no aspirations to join PSI World, but couldn’t you at least join me for the tutorial? I’ll be honest, I’d feel a lot better if you were there with me.”

Jun could tell that Amon was speaking from the heart. After all, Jun was practically Amon’s pillar in life. It would be scary without his source of support.

“Amon, I hate the whole concept of PSI World with a passion. Don’t get any funny ideas.”

Jun didn’t spare the possibility another thought and instantly rejected it.

“I just want to live a free life and not stress about these things. I’m perfectly content with my head remaining here in the Ancestral Plane.”

Amon let out a dejected sigh. Even though he knew what the answer would be, who could blame him for trying to ask?

“It’s pretty surprising since Mr. Candor is one of the leading figures of PSI World. How is it that he hasn’t forced you to enter that place already?”

Amon remarked offhandedly as they exited the final hallway that led to the outdoors.

Because Sahves won’t force me into anything, ever. He feels too much guilt for that.

Jun thought to himself as the pair walked out toward the area where personal cloudsplitters were stored.

It was another beautiful day. Docile clouds lazily stretched across the sky, while the swaying grass tickled their feet.

“Don’t bring that old man into this. Anyway, where is…”

Jun lagged behind Amon slowly as his voice trailed off.

Thump.

“Where is what?”

“…”

“Jun?”

Amon turned around and his eyes widened in panic.

“Hey! Jun!?”

He rushed to his only friend who was out cold on the ground.

Birds chirped in the sky and the grass continued to flow with the wind, creating a serene atmosphere. If none were wiser, then it would have been the perfect place for a sound nap.