Ray

Ray was groggy. A fog filled his mind, making it hard for him to think. And worse, his body wasn’t responding either, he could barely feel his arms, and his eyes were blurry.

“Are you sure this is wise?” A voice said, close to Roy’s ear, as he was picked up and hoisted into the air. A weak protest left his lips, his mind waking at the movement.

“Yes, the Academy won’t touch him now, and we won’t get a chance like this again.” another voice said, but this one sounded more…familiar? Roy’s mind shifted, trying to place it. Ma? Yes, Ma! The voice was his Mother’s!

“Yes, but to move to the Commoner’s district? And during a time like this. Is it not possible to buy something here in the Merchant’s district? I thought you were saving up for that.” the first voice said, sounding annoyed. Ma was moving to the commoner’s district? What…what was happening?

“I know you worry, Doctor, and I thank you for the help you have given us all these years. But I fear I do not have the money to stay here anymore. Please look for someone else to continue your experiments.” Ma replied.

The experiments. A flash of memory went through Ray’s mind, as a scene of him on a table as the doctor tested him, confused as to what the experiments were.

“After helping you for so many years! I wish you the best, Matilda, but I must leave. I have done what I can. The wounds are fixed, and your darling boy should be awake and moving about by the time you arrive at the commoner’s district.” the doctor replied, rushing away.

Ray’s groggy mind could barely make sense of what was going on. Why could the doctor not treat him? The Academy ensured…right, he wasn’t a part of the Academy program anymore.

Ray tried to sit up, to show that he was awake, but his body would not obey. As soon as he tried, a wave of dizziness hit him, and he fainted.

----------------------------------------

The next time Ray awoke, he could think better, and his vision was clearer, albeit still blurry. Looking around him, he was on some kind of cart, the mana-driven kind from the looks of it. Ma’s bakery cart.

“Are you sure about this?” Ray heard his Ma say to another woman. Was that Aunty Ariana? Had she discovered that he’d convinced Anita to give him a license?

“Yes.” Ray could practically feel the eye roll in Ariana's voice. “I distinctly remember signing the adoption papers with you, so once in a while, I get to do something nice for Ray. But I will have you know that I did this before he went off and pulled that stunt. Do you know how hard it was to get the guard to not arrest Ray?”

“Not very hard, the guard reports to your husband after all. And Ray didn’t do anything illegal, just foolish. After all, your daughter was the one who found a genuine license and put Ray’s name on it.” Ma replied. Ray cursed internally. Ma had, once again, figured his plan out. Anita would never talk to him again.

“Well, Anita is grounded, so you can rest assured there. Now, can you tell me the real reason you’re moving down to the commoner district?” Aunty Ariana asked, her tone serious.

“The System. Do you know how many people are moving out in panic now that the curfew is over? A lot! I got a decent house for five hundred mana coins. And I have enough mo” Ma said. Raw was shocked to hear that, five hundred coins was practically stealing it!

“Five hundred coins! But that's…that's less than what I spend in a week.” Aunty Ariana said, sending shivers of laughter through Ray’s fog filled brain.

“Not all of us rich Marchionesses that live in a literal palace, have dozens of residences, or own an archipelago. The price is cheap, but the Commoner’s district has always been cheap. The nobles and anyone with money will never step into it. And how you treat everyone that is associated with it, everyone with money moves to the Merchant's district.”

“And the Commoner’s district remains poor, until now. The System could very well change that, and I want in. Now that Ray’s been rejected, I don’t have any reason to remain in this overpriced district anyway.” Ma replied.

“I will have you know that all of my residences are self-supporting and the archipelago brings a massive income instead. And are you sure that anyone that gets money won’t just move into the Merchant’s district like before?” Aunty Ariana asked. Ray felt his brain begin to awaken as he tried to move himself to an upright position.

“No, I don’t think so. And we have less of a choice than you think. The lease on this place is up, and I can’t afford the rent on the new one. On the other hand, we have a house in the Commoner’s district that I can own…”

“I could give you money-” Aunty Ariana began, causing Ray to sigh and Ma to interrupt her.

“Ariana, for the last time, no. I am not taking money, that old man would never let me live it down if I did. And don’t tell me he won’t find out, he will find out.” Ma replied. Ray knew who she was talking about, her Master. The person who had raised her and tried to fix her into an arranged marriage. Ma had sworn that she would never take money from anyone again. And she had stuck to that promise.

“The only reason I am even taking this thing is that you are giving it to Ray, not me. Now, if you will excuse me, Ray has been awake for a while and I have a deal to finalize.” Ma said, the sound of her footsteps getting closer to Ray.

“So you’re still going to keep the grudge? Ok fine. Master wants to know what you think of this System. And is willing to offer ten thousand magic crystals.” Aunty Ariana said, giving Ray’s groggy mind a shot of adrenaline. The fee was enough to buy a house in the Merchant’s district.

“The price is fifty thousand magic crystals. And next time, don’t bother adding to the numbers, Ariana, I know how much that stingy old man would offer for my opinion on things, if he wanted it in the first place that is. Now I must get going.” Ma replied.

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

Ray tried to rise up, once again feeling dizzy. But at least this time he didn’t faint.

“No, lay down and eat something from the sack next to you. The doctor must not have replenished all your nutrients.” Ma said. “And after you’re done, we are going to have a long talk about your behavior.”

Ray paled at the thought, shifting to open the sack. A pair of pastries sat inside, fresh and ready to be eaten. Ray devoured them with great ecstasy as Ma started driving the cart.

“So, why are you so sure that people won’t move out of the Commoner’s district?” Ray asked, hoping that this would distract Ma long enough that she wouldn’t care about the other things.

“I will tell you after we get to our new home and I have cast a safety ward. But first, since you’re well enough to be asking questions, what made you think that going into the forest was a good idea?” Ma said. Ray could feel the edge in her voice, knowing that he was in for a scolding.

“I, uh, thought that if I could prove that I could kill beasts, I could maybe still remain in the Academy. Torin said that he would get me a retest…” Ray replied, gulping as he waited nervously for the answer.

“Torin? Torin said he would get you a retest? Are we talking about the same Torin that bullied you? What, did he come to you and tell you very sweetly about how he thought of you as a fellow classmate and only wished you well?” Ma began, her tone scathing.

Ray felt heat rise up his cheeks. Ma was right, he had been stupid to trust Torin. But it had been his only chance. And Torin hadn’t even been one of the major bullies, more of a lackey really.

“Um, actually, I was the one who approached him. Sorry?.” Ray said. The more he argued, the angrier Ma would get. But apologizing now may cool her anger.

“Well, this just gets better and better. At least you learned something. But you are still grounded for life, young man. Or until you demonstrate that you can make mature decisions. And you won’t be meeting Anita for quite some time.” Ma said. Ray just nodded along. Not seeing Anita would hurt, but hopefully it would only be for some time.

“And do tell me what happened. I am very curious. The hunter that found you only saw a roasted horned rabbit and little else. Did you encounter someone that helped you?” Ma asked, throwing Ray back into his memory.

“I dunno Ma, the memory is pretty blurry…but I am pretty sure that my glitter turned into fire.” Ray said, hesitantly. The memory was blurry. But he was certain that it happened. And that some System had conquered the world.

Ma’s hands paused for a second, but then went back to driving the cart.

“I will be needing more information.” Ma stated. “But any testing will have to wait until we get back home. Did you get that blue screen thingy yet?”

“The System? Yeah, it came a few seconds after the glitter turned to fire. The mana oscillated for a moment before it burst.” Ray said.

“Hmm, the System did declare that it changed the nature of mana. I suppose that could be responsible for this. But enough about that. I need to get you caught up on what's been happening till now,, and then you can unlock your class. I expect that will clear things up a bit.” Ma said.

“The day that the System conquered the planet, the Emperor declared curfew across both the continents. The only reason you even got in is that it took time for the order to get here.” Ma said.

“After the curfew ended, there were, and still are, waves of people leaving for the countryside to escape the aftermath. A foolish decision, Afreial is a Ducal capital. The Empire will ensure that it survives. A private holding on the other hand will be up to you to defend. But oh well, I can understand them not trusting the Empire to protect them.”

“But anyway, the System has something called a status that tells you about a person. Just think status to open it. After that, we can talk.” Ma finished.

Ray nodded, thinking status.

Name

Eritrae Rosenmund

Class

[To be chosen]

Element

Glitter

Parent/Guardian

Matilda Rosenwood (Human); Marchioness Ariana Salazar (Human)

Affiliation

Empire of Humanity

Species

High Fae

Mana

15/100

Age 

15

Tier

Tier 0

Stats

Strength[The amount of brute force one can use]

7

Endurance[The amount of time one can work continuously]

9

Flexibility[The range of movement of the body]

11

Precision[The accuracy of one’s movements]

13

Perception[The ability to notice nuances and advanced concepts]

13

Intelligence[The ability to comprehend the advanced concepts]

11

Wisdom[The ability to effectively use the concepts]

13

Aura Force[The ability to force your will on your surroundings]

15

Combat[The speed of one’s reactions, ability to process situations and other general combat abilities]

5

Ray was pale, his lip quivering in fear at the revelation.

“What is it?” Ma asked from the front.

“The Species thing, it says High Fae” Ray said, his voice lowering into a barely audible whisper. Ma stiffened, nearly crashing the cart as she froze. Ray knew that his life was over. The crime for being a subhuman in the Empire was death.