I'm shocked.

Cobly is...

He's my childhood friend. I still remember the times we'd fought against Reid. Reid made our lives miserable, and we returned the favor. A few memories flash to mind.

Like that time we set up an ambush, with Colby as the bait (I used to ignore my body way too much back then to be of any use), and used some industrial dye I found in a junkyard to turn them green. Quite literally. It lasted for weeks. We had this warning we used to shout out to each other after that, to rub it in his face. 'Goblin Raid!'.

Colby was the one who came up with that too. Goblins are these nasty looking green humanoids that Colby found out about. He played a fantasy VMMORPG called 'Rivers Of Red'. It was one of the more popular VMMMORPGS. Still is. Something about fantasy has people attracted to it like flies.

I force down a chuckle from the memory but then am hit with the reality in front of me.

This person could very well be another Colby. That isn't a particularly rare name, and he isn't even rich enough to enroll himself here. Also, he might not a very social person, but he sure as hell isn't a shut-in. And definitely isn't a builder.

I decide to treat him like I do other people. 

I smile politely and raise my hand in a small wave.

"Hi. I'm... Daniel Zyron, and a Builder."

He hesitates, before nodding.

"I'm... Colby, and I'm a Builder too." He says, his voice small.

"Your sub?" I ask.

Of course, each path had their own variants. You couldn't just master the entire path. That would take centuries. So, eventually, no matter how smart you were, you had to specialize. I myself haven't reached that point yet. But... if it comes down to it, I think I would choose ships.

For more than one reason.

Ships have others variants as well. Most people usually decide to choose one of those variants, or maybe two. But limiting myself to ships already felt like a sacrifice on my part.

Well, that is if I actually limited myself. For now, I'm fine as I am.

"Um... it-it's traps. Yours?" He says.

My intuition tries to tell me something, but I ignore it. Whatever feeling I get's too vague to discern.

I'm pleasantly surprised. Hardly a few ever go down the less... popular variants. They just go with the flow. As such, you had to have something special with those paths. Otherwise, I doubt that they would be chosen.

And people who had a good connection to their paths are always talented. I think it'd be worth it to befriend him. Not because he's talented. Because it would be nice to share ideas.

I smile.

"Haven't chosen yet, in all honesty," I say.

He blinks and furrows his brows.

"You... haven't chosen yet?"

I nod.

"Yup. I haven't run into a wall when it comes to my progress, so no."

"...Really?"

I nod.

"Huh." He says.

He stays silent the rest of the way. Dyne keeps subtlety trying to get me to tell him what I built, yesterday. I respond by just as subtlety diverting the topics. It turns into banter, at some point.

Finally, we reach the doors to the meet. They are large disks, that slide into the walls. Dyne and I have wide grins on our faces. Colby seems to prefer being left out.

Well, I know one way to get to an anti-social builder. Just talk about building. Not really an ingenious plan, but when it comes to Builders, it works well.

I also take stock of the girl Colby keeps looking at. She's a beautiful, tall girl, with red bangs. Her eyes are tinted gold. Overall, I see why he would like her. On the other hand, what I don't get are the glances she gave him as well.

In the end, I decide it's not all that surprising. Romance can pop up anywhere, in the weirdest of ways. I've seen my sister's stock of heavy romance holo movies, so that is one thing I know for sure.

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There's even a movie about a Builder girl and this gigantic Warrior. Gigantic, as in tall as a building. 

I shudder.

It seems like they want to be together. It could be something else altogether, though that seemed unlikely. Colby might want her for reassurance, or comfort, while she might want to be near him to provide that very reassurance. Or comfort. But the girls around her seems to be the barrier between them.

I can feel a headache building up already. Drama. Just like my sister's holo movies. Except this is real life.

I don't hate the idea of romance. I don't love it either. To me, it isn't really something I consider important. I can live alone, and die alone. It might seem like a lonely life to most. Hell, it probably is a lonely life. But, I don't want to hurt anyone when I die. Or be hurt by anyone when they die.

I've lost enough as it is. There's no need to add to that. If I fall in love, then I'd fall in love. But I'm not seeking it out.

Maybe I should. Probably what most people would've done in my situation.

But I have work to do. There was a very slim chance of humanity making it past the event, but the blueprint in my head...

I don't want to admit it, but it gives me some hope. Maybe we can survive after all.

I push those thoughts down. That's just wishful thinking.

The doors open, allowing me, and Colby inside. Dyne's forced to wave us goodbye with an encouraging smile on his face.

The meet's a large oval room. In the center, is a circle where builders show off their latest inventions. Or simply show off what they'd built specifically for the meet. Nonetheless, today it's mostly empty, a courtesy of it being the start of the semester. There are a few, though, that stand there anyway. They're probably passionate about their creations.

I check their devices out first thing as I enter. There are seven, with three being drones, and the rest a mixture of other types of small-scale projects. Like, for example, a particle beam turret. That's interesting.

A few mental calculations later, I decide it isn't. It's actually very simple. Still, I make sure to smile admiringly at the creators. Builders can always use the little love sent their way. Especially from fellow Builders.

The rest of the oval is filled with tables, with holo panels in their centers. The holo panels are outfitted with what I recognize to be amazing software. Various groups discuss away their projects, filling the atmosphere with lively chatter.

Food is served automatically by androids.

I feel a little giddy on the inside. This is my first builders meet.

Colby, on the other hand, is more than a bit nervous. I pat him on the shoulder and grin at him.

"Come on! There's so much I wanna talk about!" I say.

I end up dragging him to one of the tables near the windows. For a moment, I can't help but admire the view.

Millions of stars-barely pinpricks here, shower the canvas of black. Colorful patches are spotted irregularly, marking various nebulae. I find myself encompassed with the vastness, the beautifulness of it all. I feel a calm serenity, that simply cannot be explained to others.

For a moment, I am in my own world. One moment. But it remains lodged in my heart, and I doubt if I would ever forget it.

Then I break away, turning back to Colby. I know I have this goofy smile on my face but I don't care.

I load one of my projects onto the holo. Colby blinks, looks at it, and then squints. A moment later he has an astonished look on his face.

I feel a small surge of pride. A bit of me marvels at the fact.

We spend some time discussing various mechanisms I had implemented in the project. After that, he pulls up one of his own projects. I'm astonished at the level of detail he put in it. It isn't complicated but rather, it's intricate. It looks like something that old me might've built, had he been three times smarter. Current me would've gotten bored and would've decided to find another alternative.

He then implements some of my tricks. We both are astonished when we see the number of problems that pop up during the simulation. We do a little brainstorming and find the crux of the issue lies in a piece that acts as more of a liability than an asset. We reroute some channels and add in some crystals that replace the old piece. Then, we both are satisfied with the outcome of the simulation.

I feel awe. Wait- I feel Grace's awe.

The girl I saw earlier walks over.  Colby, no longer the nervous guy he was earlier, hugs her. She squeaks in embarrassment.

"I'd like to thank you." She says.

I blink.

"What for?"

"For helping my boyfriend, that is. I suppose you already know how... nervous he is." She says as Colby scratches his head. She smiles and continues on. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for sticking around. I wasn't sure if most people would've done the same."

I shrugged, slightly embarrassed.

"Just being myself. Nothing there you have to thank me for."

"It doesn't matter. I couldn't help but see that you two were having a very animated discussion earlier..."

And so, she is pulled into our discussion. I find out about a lot of new things as well and am itching to go try them out. It reaches a point where we are almost shouting at each other, trying to get out the words as fast as we can. We find the situation funny, and yet the thrill of it all makes us so lively.

That's just the first half an hour. More people join the table, as I eat some meat. Somehow, our table ends up being the center of attention, with most of the Builders gathered around us. We chat happily, sometimes talking about embarrassing old projects, that make us laugh, or ambitious projects that stir us up.

I find myself explaining away one of my ongoing projects, a ship engine that works by amplifying gravity several times inside and then using the pressure to create a mini star with some unique components. The star is slowly sucked dry, used to fuel the thrusters and the rest of the ship.

The builders around my table are completely silent.

I feel invincible. 

There are some fights, that had everybody feeling awkward. But those little moments don't last, the fire within us destroying the tension easily.

In the end, me, Colby and his girlfriend, and a couple other builders were the last to leave. And yet, we're still talking. Even though each of our throats are hoarse, we talk.

I don't think I've felt this good in years.

Eventually, and reluctantly, we part. We know we would be just as excited the next time we meet. 

The school had been set on its night cycle. I feel exhausted. But at the same time, satisfied. The melody that lurks within the background of the atmosphere, sets me in a daze.

As such, when I run into a familiar suit, I barely register it. But when I do, I can't help but smile.

I send a private message over.

What does tomorrow, 7 sharp feel like for a race?

I ignore the message I receive just moments later and amble over to my dorm. I stumble in and collapse onto the bed. Within minutes I'm dreamlessly sleeping.

An angel appears in the very same room. She leans over the bed, tilting her head at John's sleeping form. She runs her hand over his cheekbone and then leans in to plant a kiss on his forehead. She sits down.