If there was a single idea that united all things, that would be the idea of an end.
Everything would eventually have to end.
That was an undeniable truth, one which many have sought to oppose and many more have learned to accept, but amidst those who learn there were always those who refuse to budge.
Such an individual was Nirko Yogg Exianos. A young man with a simple life or at least it was for most of it.
He lived in a world where everyone had special abilities known as particularities and these abilities could be anything from creating a small flame to controlling all of reality, the possibilities were infinite.
This led to such powers being graded depending on how powerful they were and people with higher ranking particularities were the top of society, so everyone wanted theirs to be at the top, but very few actually were.
The ranking went from I to ES, with ES being the highest grade for the top of he world and I the lowest grade for those near the bottom of the gutter.
That was because there was an even lower standing in their world where all those who have a particularity are known as Adapts, there were an extremely rare minority that only existed one at a time, those known as Inepts.
So far in the history of this world only 68 inepts ever existed, and they were the bottom of the bottom not just considered lowly, but actually seen as an abomination to life and existence itself.
All inepts were hunted down and then publicly executed once they were caught. None of them ever survived and such a sourge to the world should and would never be allowed to live.
However one's particularity only awakens once they become 18 years old, and as part of a rather high end family with his father having a grade A particularity and his mother a grade B particularity, not to mention his four sisters two of which had respectively had grade C, and B, while the other two hadn't become 18 yet as they were younger than Nirko.
There was no doubt that he would become a force to be reckoned with.
For 18 years of his life, things were normal. He grew up, had nice loving family, went to school, made a friend or two, but still ended up a nerd who spent most of his time on media like novels, anime, manga, movies and such.
Then the day finally came, the day Nirko would awaken his particularity and become an Adapt.
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In place with nothing, no space, no time, no concepts or such things, two beings were having a conversation while another one lay there on what would have been the floor if there was such a thing.
"It seems we have reached our limit, we can't keep doing this…. Those ignorant celestials, and their greed, they have no idea what their actions are causing, I feel sorry for them." One of the beings with wings and a halo, wearing white and golden robes spoke.
An expression of pure pity would have been present on its face were it not featureless.
"One last try! That's all we have! He will be the last Exianos… Of course it had to end up as a human male, how unpleasant. If it were not for those pesky celestials and their empty minds foiled by mortal ideals! Maybe things would have not gotten so dire and "The End" would not be so near!!!" A being with horns wearing black and silver robes spoke with hatred filling it, and its every word full of killing intent.
"Calm down, to be mad or even eliminate the celestials would do nothing and it's not worth the cost. What's left for us to do now is put our all into the last Exianos and hope for the best." The being with the halo smiled cheerfully suggesting not seeming worried at all.
"I really hate you and that attitude! Damn it! React properly to dire situations! Whatever, you're not wrong, this is our only real option right now. If it was not for those traitors, we wouldn't be backed to a corner like this." The horned being complained but nodded as it agreed to do the necessary for the Last Exianos to succeed.
From there both the horned being, the being with a halo worked together to do something for the last Exianos.
"This better work!" The horned being yelled clearly frustrated at the prospect of failure.
"Don't worry, so long as we believe in our efforts things will work out." The being with a halo smiled through it seemingly fully convinced of success.
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Waking up on a day like any other day, Nirko who was laying in bed set up and began stretching.
The room around him had anime, and comic figures, posters, video games among other things in his rather spacious room.
In this room a black haired and brown eye young man with an average physical with no muscles or anything special was finishing his morning stretches.
"I feel like I had a weird dream… But I don't remember it, so it was probably not all that cool." Nirko shrugs and goes to the bathroom starting his morning routine.
After all that was done, and he was fully dressed, Nirko went to the kitchen to grab his breakfast before school.
"Would you look at that? Out of your room without me sending someone to wake you up? This must be a miracle sent by the Lord above." His mother said a smile across her face as she saw him fully ready for the day.
A woman with long black hair and brown eyes, wearing a typical office lady uniform under an apron.
That was followed by her focusing on making breakfast just like she was doing just before her son came in.
"Morning, Mom. Morning, Dad." Nirko greeted them both and joined his father who was seated at the table watching something on his phone. "I wake up early, I just don't leave my room until I have to."
"Morning, kid. Don't make excuses, your Mom got you. Own up, woman don't like man who whine." His dad responded not looking up from his phone apparently reading news articles.
This man had auburn hair, a beard to match a rather muscular frame. As he wore a suit ready for a busy day.
This made his mother giggle as she said. "Listen to your dad, he's being a bit crude about it, but he's not wrong."
"… Jeez, you're making it sound like I'm some whining baby, I get it. Fortunately today nothing can destroy my mood." Nirko smiled widely thinking of how amazing his particularity would be, maybe an S grade, or SS or even an SSS grade?
Though that was probably too much of a stretch, realistically he would be somewhere between D grade and A grade, but it was never too late to dream.
"It is your big day! So don't worry, I'll be making your favorites the whole day. Now you can't complain about having a stingy mom." His mother commented with a giggle.
Though if Nirko had to say it, his parents were both pretty stingy, but that was not something he planned to actually bring up.
"Thanks, Mom. It's already a pretty good day." Nirko was happy to see the day was already starting great and it could only get better from here.
"Ohhh, it seems things are getting heated, maybe the World union really will break apart this time with so many of the world nations at each other's throats ever since the new world leader, that Goddess…
"was it? Her rise to power is making things complicated, then again, I'm pretty sure she's the first female World leader in half a century." His dad said after finishing reading the article.
This caused his mom to roll her eyes, and Nirko to raise an eyebrow.
"I don't know Dad, they are always talking about it breaking apart but it never really does, at this point it's probably just a stunt to get people's attention off what matters. Like how they wanted to pass a law to make Grade I Adapts legally second class citizens." Nirko said with a straight face of disinterest in the World union breaking.
"Awww, look at my little man talking all grown up. You should learn a thing or two from your son. Believing news articles in the cyber web in this day and age, you're so old fashioned, and honestly, I can't get enough of it!" His mother was done making breakfast and served it then kissed Nirko's forehead and gave her husband a kiss.
"Learn from this pup? Hahaha, I guess knowledge can come from the most unexpected places." His father responded and kissed his wife again.
"This should count as a violation of my human rights." Nirko complained as he watched his parents kiss.
"Hahaha. Get yourself a girlfriend and you'll understand, kid. Plus I'm surprised you haven't yet, but to each their own pace, I guess." His father laughed at him.
"Hehehehe! If we didn't love each other so much you wouldn't be here, so show some respect for it! Now go call your sisters for breakfast." His mother ordered.
Doing as he's told, Nirko got up from the table and went upstairs where corridor with 7 rooms could be found, his room, his parents room, the upstairs bathroom, and his 4 sisters rooms, though only 2 out of the 4 were occupied.
Two of his sisters had already moved out, one was already married while the other was in university, a path he would soon follow after his awakening.
Thus he knocked on the door to his two sisters rooms, and soon they came out. One of his sisters had short black hair, while the other had long auburn hair. Both of them resembling their mother.
"How the hell did you wake up before us?!" The black haired sister asked genuinely confused on how such a thing was possible.
She was wearing a dress that elegantly fit her body.
"I think we were transported to an alternate reality and this isn't our usual brother, that would explain everything." The auburn haired sister added looking at him suspiciously.
While she was wearing a crop top and jeans.
"I just got out of my room earlier than usual! It's not the end of the world!" Nirko narrows his eyes feeling as if today the family woke up hell bend on ruining his mood.
The girls looked at each other and burst out laughing at his reaction.
"I love his reactions, they are too perfect."The black haired sister commented as she laughed.
"If you don't want to be teased, don't have such good reactions. They make it impossible not to." The auburn haired sister says with a smirk.
After rolling his eyes, Nirko goes to the breakfast table with both of them.
"Nirko, don't worry, we'll be there with all your sisters at the time of the awakening ceremony." His dad says with a smile as they all eat breakfast together.
"It's going to be such a great moment! We're going to have to get as many photos as we can!" His mother was excited at the prospect.
"I bet he's gonna get some super lame particularity!" The black haired sister said.
"True, probably something boring like always having perfect timing or perfect emotional control." The auburn haired sister added.
"Stop it, girls! Respect your brother, I'm sure he'll do an amazing job whatever particularity he gets." His mother repremends them.
The breakfast went smoothly from there, and they enjoyed their time together until they had to go their separate ways.
Later, Nirko goes to school and it was a pretty average school day, and since his one friend having moved to another country, he just spents most of the day doing his own thing as he waits for the ceremony to come.
Eventually as expected the ceremony comes, and Nirko is there with the other recently turned 18 years old people.
"Look at you kids! Good luck up there." A guard smiled at them.
"Don't let the pressure get you, it's never easy for anyone to be up there." Another guard pat Nirko on the back while laughing.
Then he and the others were taken to the podium where the announcement of their particularities would be made together with their awakening.
All of his family is watching and cheering him on from the sidelines, seated among the other families, and friends, so with a pounding heart, Nirko finally steps forward and takes his future by the reigns, as the group were called to the podium.
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Standing there in front of the particularity specialist conducting the ceremony, he could only watch with anticipation.
"We are all here gathered for a very important moment in the lives of our youth, the moment they step out of being mere humans and step into the realm of Adapts.
"There no words to describe such a precious moment in an adequate way, but regardless of what happens today, we are all one and even the simplest Grade I Adapt can make difference in the world if they just try." The specialist said with a smile and everyone cheered ready as well as excited for what was to come.
Ultimately though, the moment of the truth would dictate everything. After 18 years of life a singular point in his life would decide everything going forward, and there was nothing he could do about it, that was simply how things worked.
"First, please come forward and be ready to live as an Adapt and full member of society, no longer a mere human child." The specialist called up the first person and they went to him.
The specialist worked with a machine that used a scanner and complex calculations as he grabbed the head of the guy in question, and a surge of energy built up before it was released like a wave, that didn't cause any real damage as the facility was build for this, so there was no problem.
"You have an F grade particularity, not bad. A future quite bright is right ahead of you." The specialist let go of the guy as he announced. "Ok, your particularity is psychic constructs of insects."
A cheer came from the people watching as was standard for anyone regardless of their grade.
However what defined the grade was not the particularity itself, as any particularity could be of higher ranking if it showed the power of a high grade particularity and that's what the particularity speacialist did, he would be there to help awaken the particularity while using his knowledge and tech to determine the grade of a particularity.
Many other people went up there, most of which were grade I Adapts as per usual, and in time it was Nirko's turn.
"Come forward as you too will take a step into the realm of the Adapts, young man." The specialist called him, and he walked to him. Then just like with the others, a scanner and the specialist's hand were used to get the job done.
The surge of energy was much, much stronger than any other, it was in fact so strong that it actually damage the facility and send some of the people around flying, though the specialist and the guards who were pretty used to this were able to defend themselves and stand their ground.
Even so, this was still very impressive for everyone in there.
"Unbelievable! In my 15 years as a particularity specialist, I've never seen anything like this! You might be a grade SSS Or maybe even a mythical ES grade!… Hahaha… this could be the birth of a new Goddess or Harem Emperor!" The specialist smiled all excited and everyone on the crowd after getting up began cheering and clapping.
All that though, happened before the specialist even looked at the scanner, cause when he did, the smile he had immediately turned into a deep frown.
"You! You!… You digusting filthy creature! I can't believe I touched you! You sc*m of the earth, you're a lowly… a mere lowly… YOU'RE…" The specialist was shocked and overwhelmed by digust at his horrid discovery.
So, Nirko was revealed to be…
"AN INEPT!" The specialist pointed his finger at the abomination in front of him.
It's not that he had a low grade particularity or anything like that, it was much much worse, he had no particularity at all.
"This… is just a bad joke, right?" Nirko was still trying to process what just happened because it could not actually be possible, right? That made no sense.
However what came after was far from a joke.
"As the law of the world union declares, Nirko Yogg Exianos, you are now an Inept! The 69th Inept in ever! The worst abomination of this world! And as such, you will be publicly executed, surrender now or face the consequences of resistance." The specialist announced, spewing with hatred and disgust.
This reaction was not unique to him, no, the people there all had similar reactions to this reveal and a few of them seemed even worse than the rest.
However, amidst those people were his family, and when Nirko tried to look, he couldn't see their eyes as they seemed to be consumed by disappointment.
(I'm not the worse, right? I can't be… I'm an abomination… I'm not! I'm not! I've lived all my life like everyone else! I'm not an inept! This has to be a mistake! This can't be real!) Nirko could not accept such a thing as a reality, after all, he was just like everyone else, there was no way someone like him would be a inept.
As the specialist made his declaration, guard came in and easily restrained a shell shocked Nirko, taking him away in cuffs as if he were a criminal, and even a muzzle as if he were a beast.
Things didn't stop there, as the people around began chanting "Down with the abomination" as cheers and applauses resounded as he was being taken.
They took him, to an inside cell they had for cases like this, and throw him in there as they waited for the police to come.
One of the guards spit on Nirko's face before saying. "Trash like you is the worst! Polluting our world with your unnatural existence! If it were up to me I would torture you to death right here, right now!"
"Yeah! Tell this disgusting freak! I can't even believe we had to touch this thing, I'll have to take so many baths later." Another guard tried to contain his disgust but could not and vomited, but did not waste this chance to degrade Nirko further aiming his vomit at him.
The vomit was projected at him, and while Nirko was able to avoid some of it, it still hit him and his school uniform, the nauseating smell causing to contort his nose, as his expression became one of confusion and sadness that soon turned to anger.
Walking up to the bars of the cell, Nirko looked at the guards furious as his face wrinkled into a deep frown.
(What do you two think you're doing?! I'm still the same person from before! I'm not some abomination!) Nirko attempted to speak but the muzzle didn't allow him no matter how hard he tried only sounds escaped.
"Hhnmhgnfjbfg!!" That was all the guards heard.
"Shut up! Abomination!" The first of the guards pushed him against the wall without touching him at all, simply moving his hand to use his particularity it seemed.
"F*cking vicious parasite! He's trying to convince us he's actually still a person, hahahaha!" The second guard somehow seemed to know exactly what Nirko tried to say.
This caused both guards to burst out laughing at him, before they went back to looking at him with disgust and anger.
"Don't you dare try to trick us! We know what you are!" The first guard aimed his hand at him again and hit Nirko onto the walls multiple before slamming him onto the vomit and rubbing him on it, all from outside the cell without touching him at all.
While the guards were laughing at the poor state of Nirko and insulting him, they were called through their holo-phones.
"Get here now, you two! There's some big commotion outside! The abomination can't do anything! Leave that piece of trash there and come!" The specialist ordered with a sense of urgency as his hologram was projected by the phones.
"Damn it, man! Just when we were having fun showing this piece of sh*t his place…. Oh well." The first guard turned to Nirko and spit on him again before leaving.
"We have a job to do and he's right, this repulsive mound of flesh can't do sh*t, just leave it there." The second guard followed suit and also spit on him before leaving.
There he was left, covered in vomit, spat on, and beat up, Nirko didn't even bother getting up as tears flowed out of his eyes. A sense of emptiness filled him as in a single moment he had gone from believing he could be at the top of the world to being below the gutter.
What could he possibly do? He was going to get executed whatever happens, and no matter what he says.
Then again, if it was all happening, maybe he did deserve this.
(I'm a disgusting inept! Me?! Damn it! Why?!) As the tears kept flowing from his eyes he hit the ground confused, mad, desperate, and weak.
Nothing he did would change this fact, he was the worse type of abomination to have ever existed and he had to face it.
(It's over…) Nirko gave up facing the reality of things and accepting his fate.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing, giving up like that? I thought I taught you better than that." Nirko heard the voice of his father and this caused him to look up only to see him there.
(Dad?! What are you doing here?! If they find you you'll be in big trouble!) Nirko was shocked as he thought his family had already given up on him. However as he tried to speak the muzzle stopped he, and he had a hard time getting up due to his cuffed hands.
"Don't try to speak like that, I'm getting my kid out of here. It seems the family is going to be on the run from now on. Your mom and your younger sisters are outside distracting everyone, I wanted to do it, but they insisted and I was out voted.
"Even your older sisters would not take no as an answer even though I did my best to try and make it so it's just us on the run, they won't listen at all, so if everyone's gonna do crazy stuff, it's best if we do it together." His father walked up to the and with a single touch it the bars began decaying away.
(No! You guys can't be involved with me! I'm an inept! Stay away from me! I don't want you guys to get hurt because of me! It's not fair. So don't touch-) Nirko backed away to the wall of the cell as he yelled at his father in his mind.
"Relax, I'm your father, Nirko. Never forget that, me and all our family, we're here for you. So please remember to always live strong for us." His father hugged him tight as he spoke.
This weakened Nirko's resolve to fight as he just his tears out, while his dad conforted him. Soon then, his dad used his particularity to get rid of the muzzle and the cuffs.
After a bit, his father put him in his shoulders and left through a hole he made on the wall, then he headed to where the others were after getting in his car.
They made their way to an abandoned warehouse house where they had decided to meet.
Once they were there, his mother and sister all hugged him despite his dirty state.
"Don't hug me, I need a bath." Nirko half joked as that was the least of his worries at the moment.
"Don't be silly… Those bastards though! How dare they threat my baby like this?!" His mother was furious at his state despite refusing to stop hugging him, though eventually she had to.
"You smell like vomit and sh*t!" The black haired sister commented letting go of him immediately, her swollen eyes blinked multiple times as she covered her nose.
"Yeah, it's pretty disgusting… But at least you're here. Don't mind her, she was crying crazy as soon as your execution was declared." The auburn sister commented petting his head with adoring eyes, clearly happy he's ok.
"No, I wasn't!" The black haired sister protested.
"Yeah you were!" The auburn haired sister insisted and they both began arguing with each other.
While that was going another sister came fourth.
"Ohhh! My little dumbass! I was so worried about you! You can't just go and worry your sister like that!" The eldest sister said as she suffocated him in her tight embrace.
She was a young woman with short auburn hair, and a busty thick body. Aside from that she was wearing a blouse and a long skirt.
"Ok! I get it!… Let… Me breath!" Nirko pleaded as he was losing consciousness
"I think you're going too far, it… He, he seems to be struggling to breathe." The brother in law said as he stopped his wife from suffocating her brother. "I need to breathe some fresh air myself, if you need me, I'll be out."
"Owww, come on, we're all reunited." The eldest sister insisted to her husband.
"I'll be having a smoke break, that's all." He responded and she nodded letting him go.
After that the last sister came up to Nirko.
"Hey little guy, look at you. You said the next time I saw you, you would be super muscular and have a girlfriend who's prettier than me, where's all that?" The second oldest sister asked after she hugged him.
Having long black hair, she was the closest to their mother in looks with a medium muscular body. She was wearing a sports bra with shorts, and running shoes.
"I'm… I got sidetracked ok!" Nirko blushed as he had forgotten he said all those things.
This caused everyone to laugh.
(Even after I became an Inept, the worst of the worst… My family still loved me… They are truly the best I could ever ask for, and nothing in this world would ever be worth more…) Nirko smiled as the conclusion hit him and while their lives would now be that of fugitives, they would get through it, together.
That was until in a singular instant everything changed, blood was everywhere as the members of his family were all dismembered and killed by bullets right in front of him, each and everyone of their bodies falls to the ground unceremoniously as the life left them before they could even understand what was going on.
It seemed that even in spite of everything they all lost in the end, as their relation to an inept was the end for them.
Before more bullets could be shot, Nirko was pulled outside through a portal that opened behind him, it was his brother in law.
He was now in some sort of park in an open area next to him was a crying man, his brother in law.
"I couldn't save her! When I heard it, it was already too late! You were the only one left! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! If I wasn't so disgusted by you and stayed inside maybe I could have done something!" He was speaking but his logic made no sense as he was overwhelmed by emotions, as regardless of why, the fact he was outside was what saved his life.
On the other hand, Nirko was silent as the tears left his eyes and soon turned from sadness to pure rage as he was fuming at the thought of everything he had just lost because of these bastards and because of his existence as an inept
"AAAAAAAAGHHHDRGRHRHEHEFF!!!!" Nirko let out a scream like never before in his life, one that encapsulated all his sorrow and anger in a singular moment of pure emotion, as tears streamed down his face nonstop.
From that day on, they became fugitives together thanks to his brother in law's ability to create portals they could get around a lot and most of the time managed to escape unscathed though there were times when things got messy.
Such a life eventually forced them to work with criminals and low lives to get by as nobody else would even dare offer them a hand without selling them out right after.
Even the criminals would do so once they found out Nirko was an inept, cause giving him up could even fully clean their criminal record no matter how vile and full it was, it would be completely erased and forgiven, so even the worse criminal organizations would eventually sell them out, so they were forced to live on the run.
Their nomadic life was tough and there was even a time when brother in law wanted to give Nirko up, but there was no point in doing so as knowingly helping an inept would classify you as inept sympathizer and give you the same punishment, hence why Nirko's family was killed without a second thought.
No mercy to Inepts or inept sympathizers.
So despite being an Adapt, brother in law was now seen as an Inept and also wanted alive for public execution like Nirko.
This left them no choice but to work together and time passed as they grew used to such a lifestyle, and even managed to get some revenge as they found tortured to death all the cops involved in killing Nirko's family.
From then on they were nomadic wanderers doing whatever they could to survive and mostly just having each other, nothing else.
In time though, brother in law grew old and passed away of old age at 138.
Laying on a makeshift bed old and wrinkly, there he was talking to Nirko.
"Hey, N… You know throughout all our 100 years together, I can't say I regret anything, be the horrible things we did to stay alive, the constant running away or being unable to trust anybody… Having you was always a grace, so to know I'm leaving you all alone…
"I'm sorry! It's the second time I'm failing you since that day in the warehouse. I won't tell you what to do with your life, but don't give up for me or for anyone else, you decide how you want to go, and I don't know how long inepts can live, but you still look the same, so maybe you'll get to see a world that doesn't hate you to the core. I-" Those were his last words as his body was giving in just before he could finish speaking.
"Thank you for everything! My sister choose the best husband she could have in you. A lot happened but I will forever be thankful to you, Sino." Nirko spoke hurriedly wanting to at least say that much before it ended.
Just that, after hearing those words and giving his last smile Sino, passed away.
Later, Nirko buried him and poured the last bottle of alcohol they had into his grave. Then he put on his disguise and left, a wanted nomad like him could never stay just stay in one place too long.
Things become tougher with the loss of Sino and his C grade portal particularity, and this forced Nirko to learn martial arts and weaponry usage to be able to defend himself in any situation. He already knew these things from his 100 years as a fugitive with his brother in law, but this forced him to master all of those skills.
Over the years it all evolved into his personal martial arts he named 'Inept Arts', which was a brutal style specializing in incapacitating and crippling the opponent so you can kill them before they can retaliate, and similar to mixed martial arts it incorporates all types of martial arts in it, but it goes further as it's about survival and has no regulations so aside from the techniques it was unruly and highly lethal.
The best case scenario for a victim of this style is to end up in the hospital with bear minimum multiple fractured bones if not crippled.
Things got a bit more stable after that and he could more effectively take care of himself, and it heavily helped him that for some reason despite killing his family on the spot and trying to kill Sino on the spot multiple times, they insisted that Nirko himself could only be publicly executed, which is why he didn't get shot down with the rest of his family that day.
Time never stopped passing and Nirko's list of crimes increased. He was a mass murderer, an arsonist, a terrorist, and many other things as his acts to survive pilled up over the many, and many years.
Eventually at the age of 420 years of age, as the 69th Inept, he grew tired of living as an Inept, tired of all his crimes, tired of running away. He even forbade himself from using his 'Inept arts' after he accidentally orphaned a child whose parents were just bystanders uninvolved with anything he was doing.
So, he started allowing himself to be taken in by people he knew would eventually snictch on him, and then maybe, just maybe he could feel something again.