About a week later, I finally got the house tour. It wasn't a small house, but it wasn't as big as I'd expected it to be either. I finally got to see the library, too. It was one of the biggest rooms in the house, and the shelves were covered with books. Our maid, Lilith, took great care in making sure they were organized both alphabetically and by genre.

My mom and dad were both prominent adventurers, though technically nobles by name. Rynard Magnus, my father, was the second of three sons of a prominent lord in the area, Varoth Magnus. According to my dad, his brothers are both pompous playboys, whereas he preferred to do more "manly" things. Apparently this meant punching trees indiscriminately and training with the sword. My mother, on the other hand, was from the Victis family.

Eleanor Victis was the only daughter of Johnathan Victis. While they weren't nobles by blood, Johnathan was a prominent merchant who frequently did business with Varoth. This led to my father and mother meeting each other at a young age. At first, she thought my father was a rude and excessively loud oaf, but my father was stricken with her. When she was kidnapped and held for ransom by a group of bandits, my father swooped in and fought them off, rescuing her in the process. From that point on she started to hang around their house a lot more, often asking to come by even when her father had no business coming there.

Johnathan, seeing this as an excellent opportunity to gain even more trust from the Magnus family, enthusiastically encouraged his daughter, and they married at 18. Five years later they had me.

Lilith was from a peasant family, but she was good friends with my mother, and so, when her father became ill, she asked my mother to hire her as a live-in maid so she could make money to send her family so they could take care of him. Lilith would teach me how to read and write, and often read me stories from the many books in our library. She also cooked and cleaned, and her meals tasted excellent.

Eventually, I was able to enter the library all by myself and there I learned all I could about this world. There were 3 types of people in this world, Mechs, Biotics, and Augmenters.

Mechs fought with, well, Mechs. They controlled their Mech using a psychic link with a Mech Core. Most people born as mechs eventually have an orb form from their skull. Around the age of 5-6, the orb falls out, and this orb becomes the Mech Core. With it, they can use their psychic link to the core to control the Mech, allowing them to a pilot the mech without actually being inside of it, which allows for a lot more versatility in combat. A Mech Orb is virtually indestructible, but if it does get destroyed while a Mech user is linked with it, it can cause irreparable brain damage. Additionally, using Biotic Circles, they can make it so that their mech can cast spells, albeit slower than a Biotic.

Biotics were essentially sorcerers. Their genetics allowed them to use a strange form of energy manipulation to be able to cast spells at will. These spells ranged from elemental manipulation to even healing. This versatility and destructive power along with their high-speed casting abilities make them a lethal encounter for those who aren't careful.

Finally, there were Augmenters. Augmenters could change their genetic code to enhance their physical capabilities exponentially. Some are even able to change the makeup of their bodies into that of other creatures, making them a deadly threat at melee range.

Generally speaking, as a power system, it was pretty well balanced. Biotics beat Mechs, Mechs beat Augmenters, and Augmenters beat Biotics.

A Biotics' raw destructive power is the natural enemy of a Mech. Mechs are the pinnacle of a balanced defense and offense, but most were quite large, making it difficult for them to dodge the spells Biotic flings at them, especially since the Mech user has to make sure not to expose themselves to danger as well. This coupled with the fact that its defense is balanced, but not unmanageable, makes them sitting ducks against the high speed of a Biotic. However, the Mech's balance makes them strong against the Augmenters.

Augmenters come in many different forms, but this flexibility is ultimately their downfall against a mech user. With no real way to breach the Mech's Biotic shield without wearing themselves out, an Augmenter finds itself at the mercy of the Mech user.

However, not all hope is lost for Augmenters. Due to mostly being melee-range fighters, they have the advantage against Biotics in combat. While Biotics can fire off spells rapidly, they require a certain level of concentration. This concentration is extremely difficult to maintain when trying to dodge an Augmenter's explosive melee barrage, this gives them complete control of the pace of the fight. Because Biotics also can't manipulate their genetics the way Augmenters do, they lack the stamina required to hold out against the Augmenter's nonstop onslaught.

There was, of course, variation to this. A bad matchup isn't necessarily the be-all-end-all for a fighter, it just requires you to think of a less obvious strategy to counter your opponent. On the other hand, given the circumstances, you could just overpower your opponent. An expert Augmenter's attacks could easily shred a beginner Mech's biotic barrier, An expert Mech could tank a beginner biotic spell with ease, and completely wall out the Biotic till they ran out of energy. An expert Biotic could keep their distance from a beginner Augmenter and volley spells at them with accurate aim.

I wondered which one I would become. My mother is a Biotic and my father is an Augmenter, so it's likely I'll be one of those two. With this thought, I got down from the table I'd been reading at, returning the book to Lilith, who watched me with obvious curiosity.

When my dad heard about my research, he was elated. "My son is already thirsty for the heat of battle! Look at him trying to discover his powers! Bahaha, not to worry. I'm sure you'll be a fine augmenter after I'm done training you!"

Meanwhile, my mother was more concerned with my safety than my power. "Having powers you can't control is very dangerous, you know. I'm good with healing magic, but that doesn't mean I want you going out and hurting yourself."

My parents were pretty powerful in their rights. In the years before they had me, they were adventurers, going out and exploring the dungeons around the area, searching for treasure and honing their abilities against the most powerful of enemies. My father was an expert Augmenter, and my mother was an ascendant Biotic, the next level above expert. They were both S-Rank adventurers before they decided to settle down and give birth to me.

A few months later on my 3rd birthday, a shocking revelation came. I had formed a solid lump on my forehead, and my parents were left bamboozled.

My mother tried healing magic, thinking it had maybe just been a bump from a bad fall but to no avail. After being checked out by a doctor, we came to find out that I was a Mech. This led to a lot of confusion among my parents and Lilith. Lilith was also a Mech, and usually, your powers are determined by your genetics. A child could be born with a different power than their parents through mutation, but these cases were few and far between.

It was a long day and my mother was almost certain my father had cheated on her with Lilith. She shut herself in their room and cried all day, refusing to listen to Lilith and dad's protests.

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An even more shocking revelation came the next day, that blew all suspicions my mom had before out of the water. In my sleep, I began hovering in my crib, a telltale sign of a biotic user. My mother apologized profusely to my father, who in turn apologized back, saying he should never have led her to doubt his loyalty. She apologized to Lilith as well, giving her a pay raise despite Lilith's protests.

They were elated to learn I was a hybrid. Being a Mech with an Augmenter father and a Biotic mother was a rare thing in and of itself, but it was even more miraculous to be a hybrid of the two. Hybrids weren't all that uncommon but still somewhat rare. As generations went on mutations led to hybrids eventually, and with the population increase, they've only become more and more probable.

But what happened the next morning caused my mother to faint, and my father to jump with joy. While messing around outside I challenged my dad to a race. He didn't use his abilities and was going to hold back but I ended up covering our whole field in a matter of seconds. When I explained to him what happened, that I just thought to myself "go faster" his eyes welled up with tears. I also had the abilities of an Augmenter.

Thank you, oh beautiful Ariel! I praised. My family was all just astonished at this point. In recorded history, there were only two other known users of all three skills. One was a king from ages ago, and the other was of the 4 Gods. Viewed as the absolute pinnacle of their respective styles, the 4 Gods were: God of Mechs Myriel, God of Augmenters Hanabi, and God of Biotics Astel. Last but not least, and the only living triskilled fighter, God of Destruction Onslo.

He was also the most powerful of the four, and the most feared. The stories said he was always in a bad mood, and treated everything around him with disdain. It's said that he is incapable of feeling anything but hate for living beings.

What a rough guy to deal with, glad he's not my problem! I thought to myself eagerly. I began to train hard in all my skills, except for Mech. It was hard to train my Mech skills when I wouldn't even get the namesake ability till I was around 5. But training the other two helped just as much, as it gave me a headstart against other mech users since I will already know how to use them, and therefore counter the other styles.

This was easier said than done, however. Training them individually was not a problem, I seemed to excel at them all, but using them together cohesively proved challenging. The best way I could describe it is it's like trying to use one eye to focus on one direction, and your other eye to focus in a different direction. It's possible to focus both of them in one direction, but trying to operate them to focus on two different directions at once will just get you a headache and a weird nauseous feeling.

I should stay away from mixing the skills for now I thought to myself. It was already a huge advantage to be able to swap between skills depending on my matchup, so for now, I focused on each skill individually. Luckily, my mother was a powerful Biotic and my father was a powerful Augmenter, so they were perfect teachers for me. My father eagerly accepted when I asked him to train me, but my mother was more hesitant.

Eventually, she caved and told me she would train me, but only on two conditions. One, that I dont use my powers against helpless people, and two, that I continue to focus on my learning with Lilith. I begrudgingly accepted this offer, even though much of what Lilith was teaching me, I already learned in school in my previous life. The only thing useful she could teach me at this point was the language, and even that I was beginning to excel in. Before long Lilith let my mother know that she had taught me all I could and that I was just a brilliant genius. This led them to discuss sending me to school early.

With my training progressing smoothly, I was able to cast Intermediate level spells with ease, however, I was still at the beginner level for an Augmenter. Most Augmenters choose a few martial arts and train themselves rigorously in those schools. Unfortunately, all the martial arts my father learned were the ones that only really worked because of his impressive physique. Because I was still only 4 years old, my body had yet to mature enough to be able to use his martial arts, so we mostly stuck to the basics and focused more on control.

Most Augmenters below the expert level could only manage partial transformations. This is due to the bond that one share with their body through rigorous training referred to as Ki. The more you hone your body the more you grow in tune with it. In turn, the more Ki your body is caoable of releasing. This Ki is at the forefront of all Augmenter's powers. It's the energy that allows them to manipulate their genetic code and the more of it you have available, the more of your body yoy can Augment.

Unlike the enrgy of a Biotic, Ki never leaves your body. It constantly flows through it, and by manipulating the Ki in different areas you can then transform and strengthen those areas. Ki forms from the center of your body, the Anima, as they call it here. It's just your soul. Because of your Anima's location at the center of your body, the arms are the easiest for an Augmenter to change, due to their proximity.

Needless to say, me and my body were not at all in sync. It was hard to focus my Ki with all the biotic energy flowing into my body as well. This was something I could not control. All biotics naturally absorb energy from their environment, and controlling this input was all but impossible. It was good for practicing my Biotic abilities but only proved to be a distraction for my Augmenter abilities. Despite this, at the age of five, I was a beginner Augmenter and an intermediate Biotic, which was still well ahead of the other kids my age.

On my 6th birthday, my Mech Core finally popped out. With some help from Lilith, I formed my bond with the Mech Core, and my family immediately got to work on producing my Mech. Because they wanted it to be special to me, they decided they would take time on it, and thus told me it was likely it would not be ready for a few years. In the meantime, I could train with Lilith to strengthen my bond with my Mech Core.

Also with me finally being of normal age for a kid to start school, my parents once again debated the matter. They knew I would be far ahead of my classmates academically, but that wasn't their issue with sending me off to school. Their plight came because I was a lot more powerful than any of the other kids my age. They feared that I might lose control and accidentally hurt the other kids, so they all but resolved to homeschool me for now.

Im fine with that though. I'd rather not go to a school full of a bunch of noble kids. They were all probably spoiled and obnoxious children. Certainly more trouble than it's worth. That was when Lilith brought up an idea that shook me to my core.

"Pardon my intrusion, but is it not possible that we could place him with the older students?" she asked as my jaw dropped. Nonono shut up Lilith stop I don't wanna go to school, please!

"It would eliminate the power issue since most of the kids there would be around his level and his academics are certainly advanced enough to score well." Don't listen to her mom, or dad, she doesn't know what she's talking about!

Despite my silent cries and the outlandish idea, my parents seemed to be considering the idea! You can't be serious! I'm not ready for a school arc yet! I don't want to be the prodigy that strolls into school and makes all the older kids jealous! Don't you see it? This is suicide for my reputation!

At last, my mother replied "I still think he should be homeschooled for now. Older kids are pretty vicious with the younger ones, and his being below their age might draw unnecessary jealousy. Im sure they'd bully him mercilessly."

Yessss! Saved! Leave it to mom to be the voice of reason! Ah thank you, thank you!

"Nonsense, honey!" my father bellowed. "my son would knock any bully right on his arse! Bahahaha!" Shut up, you oaf! Mom's trying to save me here! Wait. Now's my chance!

"I'd actually rather not go to school at all if I could help it. Older kids sound scary, and I much prefer home to any school. Can't I just stay with you and momma forever?" I asked, making sure to put all my childish cuteness behind my request.

I could see my mom's eyes soften as she looked at me and even my father seemed at a loss for words. My mom picked me up into her arms and hugged me tightly.

"Don't worry, my dear Alex, I would never put you in harm's way like that! Youre too precious to me, little Alex," she said while she stroked my head gently.

It worked! Alexander-1 school-0! Sure, I had to sacrifice some of my pride, but I made it out alright!

"Well, I guess it would suck to lose my training buddy! We'll keep ya around a little longer, squirt!" my dad said with a wide grin on his face.

"As the young master wishes," Lilith said with her head bowed.

Ahh I could get used to this life... I thought to myself, satisfied.