Thorne woke up in a jolt, his body shaking and drenched in sweat, lying on a soft surface. His mind recalling the former events, ‘Did I lose consciousness? Did that thing take control of me?’
“Yes, it did.” A drawling voice entered Thorne’s ears.
Upon hearing the response, Thorne looked around franticly, trying to locate the sound of the voice and gain his bearings.
He stood up and realized he was in an ornate room, decorated with framed images of warriors and battles. The walls were pure mahogany, and upon further sight, he saw tiny etching in an unknown language covering the wall.
He had previously laid on a plush red carpet covering the entire room. While looking at the incredible room, he got lost in two particular framed pictures. His eyes were inexplicably drawn to the two figures in the paintings.
One depicted a burly man who was relatively short, standing alone in front of a towering futuristic city. In the illustration, clouds covered the sun, and only a sliver of light shone through. He knelt on one knee, his eyes shining and determined while the sliver of light reflected off the massive amber crystal situated on his forehead. While kneeling, he held both hands up, projecting an amber shield covering hundreds of meters. The shield defending the city from hundreds of separate attacks; destructive energy raining like hellfire onto the shield. Yet it held fast, as did the man; his face now immortalized in a picture of stoicism and stability.
The second picture contrasted with the first, as instead of showing an active battle, it depicted the scene just before the action began. Sanding on a rocky ledge at least ten feet high, a tall, wiry man stood proud and disdainfully looked down upon hundreds of enemies. The man wore nothing but a red robe and held two black sabers at his side. His red hair flowed past his shoulder, and a red glow emanated menacingly from the crystal on his forehead.
The enemies were diverse, all of them carrying different weapons, and each with a crystal on their forehead, just like the red swordsman. They looked up in fear at the man and his fierce expression f anger and battle lust. Despite being outnumbered, the red swordsman was the only one who lacked fear. While the horde of enemies beneath him displayed apprehension and worry, the red swordsman only had anger and excitement for battle.
“They’re interesting, aren’t they.”
Upon hearing the voice, Thorne looked in the direction of the sound. He had been entranced by those two mighty warriors and had wholly forgotten the other person in the room.
Upon looking up, he saw the voice’s origin and realized it was the same voice that had been spoken earlier. It was a lanky man who stood in perfect posture at the back of the room. Thorne also noticed his pale complexion and long ears and realized he wasn’t human! The man wore a simple yet stylish black suit and had a pair of glistening round-rimmed glasses. More than that, he also possessed one of the mysterious crystals; for him, it was a deep teal crystal that glowed softly in the barely lit room.
Thorne looked levelly at the man as they were about equal height and spoke.
“You have a crystal just like them.”
Thorne motioned toward the images he was previously looking at.
The man chuckled lightly upon hearing that and then spoke in a conversational tone, “Well, mine is not exactly like theirs, but yes, I do have one.”
Then suddenly, before Thorne could ask any more questions, a loud cough emerged behind him, and then a gruff voice sounded.
“Administrator Soter, stop indulging in the boy’s curiosities; that is not your job.”
The lanky man-Administrator Soter looked to the source while forcing a placating smile on his face while speaking to the man.
“Of course, teacher Graald, my apologies.”
He then continued speaking, this time looking at Thorne and smiling soothingly.
“Well, Thorne Kramer, it is my duty as an administrator working for the Valtear Galaxy cluster association to inform you of your current situation.”
While this Soter had previously spoken in a conversational and relaxed tone, his speech now reflected that of authority and formality.
“Earth has been destroyed, and only three-thousand-two-hundred-fifty-two people have been spared as everyone else had no talent for Spectrum cultivation. The Association apologizes for the destruction of the planet formerly known as “Earth” and any subsequent deaths that followed with the destruction.”
Thorne’s heart froze, and he stood rooted in place, and goosebumps spread over his body. He thought of his colleagues who had been in the truck with him.
‘they’re probably dead, just like that.’
He thought of all the people he had known; some were bad and made his life a genuinely desolate one. Yet most were neutral; they simply lived their life; they worked, loved, played, and lived.
Yet now they were dead. Thorne had never loved, or even really liked, or befriended anyone for years. However, he managed to feel sympathy as well, especially towards the earthlings still alive who realized that all their family and friends were likely dead.
Life is unfair, yet it is what it is; we have no power or control. Hence, our lives were forfeit.’
Thorne’s multicolored eyes hardened upon this thought, and he realized that although his life would change, he still had the same goal.
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‘I will survive, and I will become free.’
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Soter looked at Thorne and remained silent, allowing him to think about the situation thoroughly. He could read and understand weaker minds as a mid-level administrator and a grade two teal spectrum cultivator.
‘This boy is truly something; either he is uncaring of everyone’s death, or he is shielding his consciousness by focusing on himself. Truly, this Thorne boy has a great talent for the amber spectrum.’
Soter had no knowledge of the exact talent. The Association quickly shut down the auction and forced every participant to take a confidentiality oath in front of a white spectrum cultivator.
Upon thinking of the white spectrum cultivators, Soter sneered internally, ‘the spectrum of purity and light, two-faced bastards.’
It was common knowledge that many white spectrum cultivators were morally ambiguous, to say the least, and thought of themselves as superior. Yet they did their job and ensured that no one would ever say a word of Thorne’s talent; even Soter had no clue of his talent. All he did know was that this boy had seriously outstanding talent.
“As you possess a talent for Spectrum cultivation, you were sold to the highest bidder. I have already imparted the origin language of the universe to you while you were unconscious. The remaining information will be explained to you by the buyer. Thank you for listening. That will be all from me.”
With a genteel nod, administrator Soter stepped onto an indigo platform in the corner of the room and disappeared.
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Thorne was not shocked, though. He had already reasoned it to be teleportation. ‘if they can teleport me against my will, they can certainly teleport an employee as well.’
Thorne then turned around to view the buyer. Soter had called the man Graald earlier, and this Graald was a genuinely mountainous man. He towered over Thorne, who was usually the one towering over others.
When Thorne heard that this man was his buyer, he presumed that he was to be some sort of slave who would be treated with disdain and with the same care as property. This presumption made Graalds’ following action make Thorne rethink his initial thought of the man.
Graald stepped forward, held out his hand, and spoke in a gruff, informal voice.
“I’m not too clear on your planet’s customs, but I remember having heard that a handshake is a common greeting; is that correct?”
Thorne was startled by his actions but played along, “Uhh, yes, it’s a pretty common greeting, sir.”
Graald’s eyes crinkled in aversion, clearly disliking something Thorne had just said. He then looked down at Thorne and smiled in realization; “You know, if you truly were a slave like you think you are, most slave owners would punish you for your use of honorific.”
Thorne looked up, confusion evident in his eyes; “Am I not a slave or a servant of some sort? Didn’t that Administrator person call you, my buyer?” Thorne asked, hoping to quench his confusion and get a bearing on the situation and his status in his new life.
Upon hearing this, the towering Graald let out a hearty laugh, amused by Thorne’s tentative response. “I will explain everything, though I will tell you in advance that it is not befitting of our spectrum to display yourself in such a cowering manner.”
Graald then motioned his arm towards the image of the man holding the amber shield. He spoke jokingly, “This man here was attacked by hundreds of powerful spectrum cultivators simultaneously, yet he did not falter or cower, yet here you are cowering and scared when no one is even threatening you. And don’t call me sir.”
Before Thorne could rebuke or ask anything, Graald continued, still smiling.
“Ah, whatever. I’ll explain now so you aren’t so confused. Yes, I am your buyer; no, you are not a slave. I am a teacher at the illustrious Zupu Academy. I was sent to the auction by the academy to find new potential students. I did not expect to find anyone worthy of being a student until you showed up, but I digress. To answer your question, I bought you, but you are free, just a student at the Zupu Academy.
Thorne thought about what Graald said and then asked suspiciously, “Why would an illustrious academy pay to have students; wouldn’t students have to pay to join instead?”
Graald once again laughed heartily upon hearing this and then answered, his voice still full of mirth, “Yes, usually that is the case; many students from all over the outer universe join us while paying. The only times in which we enroll students for free is when they possess extraordinary talent, and we very rarely resort to buying people for them to enroll.
Graald paused momentarily, leaned forward slightly, and peered in interest at Thorne; “You, however, possess truly extraordinary talent.”
“Talent in what?” Thorne asked, confused.
Graald paused for a second before facepalming at extreme speed. Thorne’s eyes could barely track the movement of Graald, and when the hand and face collided, a mini shockwave sounded, and the resulting air was brushed up against Thorne’s face. Graald, however, seemed unharmed despite hitting himself with a force that could easily pulverize any earthling.
“Ahh, how could I be so stupid? I haven’t even explained the basics yet. All right, let me explain. In the universe, there are twenty-six arcane spectrums. These spectrums represent energy and power in the universe, and some beings are attuned to some spectrums.”
Gerald then paused and pointed to the amber crystal in his forehead; “Upon awakening your spectrum energy and reaching grade one power, your spectrum crystal manifests. It is the manifestation of your attunement to the arcane spectrum, and its size is determined by one’s talent.”
Thorne then interjected excitedly, “I will also gain the power of a spectrum.”
The notion made him giddy as he could ultimately gain freedom and control in his life with more power.
Graald chuckled in self-derision and light jealousy and spoke in a light, excited tone, “You are one of the ultra-rare beings who can possess two spectrums and even more than that, you have an equal 50% talent in each of the two spectrums.”
As Thorne prepared to interrupt again, Graald stopped him by facing his massive palm out and spoke with an expression of understanding plastered on his face.
“Slow down, let me explain everything first, and then you can be excited and ask questions.” Gerald then took a deep breath and continued, “As I said, there are twenty five, well actually twenty six total arcane spectrums though you will never see the twenty sixth; some are rarer than others, but they all have their applications. I am attuned to the amber spectrum of endurance and stability; I actually possess a talent of ninety three, which is quite high.” Upon speaking this, Graald’s face morphed into one of pride.
Thorne interjected, speaking his question quickly so as not to be shut down by Graald; “You said earlier I have two spectrums each at fifty percent. Does that mean I technically have one hundred percent talent?”
Graald’s expression of pride was instantly destroyed and was replaced by a mask of indifference, “You may ask questions at the end,” He spoke in a firm tone, “but yes, you technically possess one-hundred percent talent, but it is somewhat different in your case. Talent only represents three things: one’s ability to absorb, manipulate, and cultivate energy. With enough hard work, a less talented individual can overtake a lazy prodigy.”
Gerald then pointed to Thorne and spoke grimly, “While you may technically have one-hundred percent talent, you really just have fifty percent talent twice; one is amber, the other red. These spectrums complement each other greatly; resilience and stability coupled with destruction and chaos are dangerous in battle. In order to capitalize on your unusual situation, you must work harder than everyone.” Graald’s eyes pierced Thorne’s with intensity, no longer in a joking mood, “do you understand, little earthling.”
Thorne met Graald’s gaze evenly, spoke firmly to the mighty amber spectrum cultivator, and lightly smiled, “Yes, I certainly do.”