Chapter 1: A busy day

28 June 2011 at 23:11

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In a small, dirty apartment near the lower part of the city, the sound of flesh being pounded echoed through the room as a fist covered in a metallic glove delivered furious blows.

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"Please... Stop."

A gaunt-looking man lay sprawled on the floor, his eyes pleading with pain as blood streamed from his nose.

Standing over him was a young man dressed in a dark green athletic outfit. A matching scarf covered his mouth and nose.

"I won't stop until you tell me who's behind what happened on the 21st."

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"I... I don't know."

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"Liar!" the boy responded furiously as he struck the man once again. The latter chuckled amidst groans of pain from his battered face. "And they call you a hero? Monster." The boy's face twisted, and he began to pummel him in the face once more.

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—THAT DOESN'T MATTER TO YOU!

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The man's face, now unconscious, was covered in blood, as was the boy's metal glove. The boy breathed heavily. His vision gradually blurred until he fell into complete darkness. A delicate voice echoed within that dense darkness, saying, "Save me, please."

July 1, 2011

Philip slowly opened his eyes. He had been sleeping on the living room couch of his apartment. He wore a stained green sports outfit, as well as a thick metal bracelet on his right wrist, also stained with blood. With a slight headache, he got up and took off the clothes, leaving them scattered on the floor. He stepped into the shower and turned on the cold water.

Upon exiting, he looked in the bathroom mirror at his body, covered in bruises and scars that he had become accustomed to seeing over the past few months. His mentor told him they were the aftermath of someone seeking to perform heroic acts, although he was certain that the worst aftermath was psychological. He dried himself off and headed to his room, where his school uniform awaited him: brown shoes, a white shirt, black pants, and a jacket.

After preparing a cup of coffee, he returned to the living room and turned on the television. The morning news was playing:

["Dozens of protests were reported throughout the city in response to the central government's lack of intervention. Every night, there are one or several incidents related to psychics and/or special abilities.

Many people doubt the ability of the Dark Energy Containment Department to curb this wave of violence and prevent another tragedy like the one that occurred on June 21.

The mayor announced that starting tonight, a supervised curfew will be in effect, jointly enforced by the Dark Energy Containment Department and the police. The mayor had requested support from the central government's armed forces, but they rejected the request, citing the Civil Protection Law for users of dark energy, which grants the city complete autonomy to accept any psychic population it wishes, but in case of emergency, it is responsible for resolving any incidents on its own. This has angered many citizens, who feel abandoned by the central government and at the mercy of extraordinary psychic powers. Many of the protests that began are advocating for the controversial "dark reform," which entails strict control over the lives of psychics, limiting their individual freedoms."]

Philip sighed, got up from the couch, and pressed the button on the metal bracelet on his right wrist. A holographic screen detached from it.

"It's 8:20, I'm going to be late," he said.

He took a sip of his coffee, grabbed his bag, and quickly left his apartment.

He jogged as fast as he could towards the school, knowing that if he arrived late, the class supervisor would punish him. He glanced at the holographic screen emanating from his bracelet and verified that he wouldn't make it on time. It was already 8:50, and he was 3 kilometers away from the school.

A motorcycle passing by slowed down next to him, and the rider gently tapped the distracted boy on the head.

"Ouch. That hurt, Clara," Philip said, turning around and rubbing the spot where he had been hit.

The rider, a girl dressed in the uniform of the same school he attends, took off her helmet and waved at him. She had a slim body, average height for a 17-year-old girl, brown eyes, a slightly wide nose, and light brown shoulder-length hair with a strand tied with a pink ribbon.

"Running late on the last day before vacation? Do you want to face George's wrath again?" Clara said in a teasing tone as she tapped the backseat of the motorcycle.

"Do you have an extra helmet?"

"Of course," she said with a small smile.

Philip got on the motorcycle after Clara handed him a helmet she kept under the seat. She drove fast, and he held onto Clara's waist to avoid falling off, causing her to make a strange noise.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his voice sleepy.

"Nothing! What about you? You look pretty rough."

"I stayed up playing video games all night."

Clara coughed, and her voice became more serious.

"If there's something bothering you, please tell me. We're all worried, ever since that day you..."

He looked sideways, the trees that made up a huge reserve passed by quickly through his emotionless eyes.

"There's nothing to worry about. I promise."

"Alright," she said before sighing. "By the way, would you accompany me tomorrow to deliver some donations to the usual place? I'll treat you to coffee afterward."

"Sounds good to me.".

July 1, 2011, 9:05 AM

Philip and Clara arrived at the school campus. It was an open area surrounded by a nature reserve. Inside, there were only three buildings: the school, the gymnasium, and an old Victorian-style church. The other two buildings had a similar facade, but were more modern on the inside.

They ran through the hallway of the school, luckily not crossing paths with any teachers or supervisors. They entered classroom 12-B, followed by a priest carrying a book.

"Philip Mrown arriving on time, what a surprise. I was thinking about the punishment you would have today. I guess it will have to wait until after the vacation," said George, the class supervisor.

"Good morning, George. I'm glad you have me so much in mind," Philip replied.

"To be honest, I'm always counting down the days until I don't have to see you anymore. These vacations will be a relief for me," George retorted.

"Come on, George, don't be shy. I know you'll miss me."

The priest sighed deeply. Philip took advantage of the man's distraction and headed to his seat. Next to him, a skinny boy with golden hair down to his shoulders and huge dark circles under his sky-blue eyes waved at him.

"Hey, Bill. You look terrible as always."

"You don't have the right to say that today. Did something happen?"

Philip made a nervous face, and Bill tilted his head.

"You already know. I'm still searching for even the tiniest clue about what happened on the 21st."

"You still haven't found anything?"

Philip bit his thumb in frustration. Bill nodded in response to his expression and spoke again.

"I understand. Regarding what you asked me, I found something."

"Really?!"

His eyes regained some brightness.

"You'll have to wait until lunch. Meet me at the cafeteria."

"Hey, at least give me a adv..."

George, who was taking attendance at that moment, stood in front of the class and spoke with a heavy voice, "Your teacher is sick, so I'll be teaching today's class. Open the textbook your teacher asked you to bring. We'll read it and then do some activities based on it."

A chorus of groans came from the students. The man didn't seem to care much, as he took the book he had brought, opened it in the middle, and started reading.

"No human achievement exists that hasn't been forged first in someone's mind, where their desire transforms into an act of realization, setting their will in motion."

As George read, sleep and accumulated fatigue started to haunt Philip's body. His eyes gradually closed, but he could still hear the priest's narration. He rested his head on his desk, hoping to fall asleep. George noticed this, but it was habitual for Philip to doze off during class, and punishing him served no purpose.

"We possess three faculties: memory, intelligence, and will, and all three play a part in the formation of human action, whose immediate antecedent is desire."

Philip's eyes shut, but George's voice continued to penetrate his consciousness.

"Man is the true king of desires. The human being is a bundle of desires, in addition to the basic desires determined by their natural instinct, like any other creature. The human mind is a factory of desires, distinct from that of any other being."

Philip gritted his teeth. He didn't want to hear any more of what George was reading. There was something about that narrative that fascinated and annoyed him at the same time.

Bill grew slightly concerned seeing his friend's contorted face, but knowing a bit about the origin of that behavior, he decided to let it go. It was something

Philip had to confront on his own.

"The aphorism says: To be is to desire. We can assert, although it may sound redundant, that the primary desire of every human being is for all their desires to be fulfilled. Man is born, lives, and dies for their desires, for the transformation of all their desires into realities."

Philip covered his ears with his hands and drifted into his subconscious.

July 1, 2011, 12:15 PM

Lunchtime had arrived. Philip headed to the cafeteria ahead of Bill, who had something to attend to in another class. As he walked down the hallway, he was caught in a wave of rushing students trying to get in line at the cafeteria. Pushed against the wall, he braced his arm to avoid being crushed. When the commotion subsided, he took a moment to catch his breath. That's when he heard a faint voice beneath his line of sight. Looking down, he instantly recognized a younger, slim boy with black hair.

"Hey, Zac," he greeted, not moving an inch.

"Um... Hi," Zac replied, lowering his head shyly.

"Leave him alone," a voice came from behind. When Philip turned to see who it was, he found a boy of nearly the same height but with a more muscular build. He grabbed Philip's arm.

He knew him all too well—it was the former bully from the school.

"Good morning, Ethan. I wasn't bothering your protégé, just saying hello," Philip said.

"Stop talking nonsense! Let's go, Zac. Nothing good comes from hanging out with this guy," Ethan replied.

"Um... Okay," Zac nervously responded. He bid Philip farewell with a small bow and started walking alongside Ethan, who was already heading down the long hallway.

"Wait, Ethan!"

Philip shouted, but the indifferent voice of the boy replied without turning.

"What?"

"Has your father told you anything about June 21st?" Philip asked, this time with a serious tone.

"They found something in the crater, but he couldn't tell me what. There's not much else I can do," Ethan replied.

"Thanks, that's enough."

Philip continued walking toward the cafeteria. As he passed the corner that separated the classrooms from the special building, he felt a gaze directed at his back. He turned around and glimpsed a girl with Asian features and very long hair standing near a classroom door several meters away. She quickly hid when she realized he had noticed her presence. Ignoring her, he continued on his way.

Upon arriving at the cafeteria, he looked for the most secluded seats. Shortly after, Bill arrived with two cups of black coffee in cardboard cups.

"I told you I wanted a cappuccino," Philip said.

"If you don't want it, you can give it to me."

Philip sighed deeply, grabbed the sugar on the table, and put an excessive amount in his coffee.

"What were you talking about before class started?" he asked while stirring his coffee with a spoon.

"Something strange is happening in the city. While patrols by containment agents have increased, there's something that worries me."

"What is it?"

"Many people are coming to the clinic due to injuries or more serious incidents and disputes in the lower part of the city. And that's just at our clinic—I can't imagine what must be happening in the hospitals."

Philip swallowed half of the overly sweetened coffee, making a strange face.

"But no one talks about it. Only cases related to Psychis are mentioned."

"Exactly, and that increases the number of people in favor of the dark reform."

The direction in which everything was heading felt very strange. Not just what Bill was telling him—it was something happening all around him, something he could perceive wherever he went.

"It's as if it's being done on purpose. What did the containment department report say about what happened on the 21st?"

"They're confident that someone did it on purpose, but not much else."

"I could come to that conclusion myself," Philip said before finishing his coffee and pausing to reflect. During that pause, something came to his mind. "Wait, didn't it mention something about an object found in the crater?"

"I don't remember seeing anything about that."

Philip scratched his cheek. Something was starting to unsettle him.

"Ethan just told me that his father, the director of operations at the department, said they found something."

"Are you suggesting that the containment department is hiding information?"

"All of this sounds very strange, but they must have the answers to what happened in the city center."

His expression started to darken. Bill, despite maintaining his usual impassive face, began to show signs of nervousness.

"Philip, calm down a little," he said.

The dark-haired boy clenched his hands tightly.

"You have to understand. I saw it; it happened right in front of my eyes. If I don't do anything, I won't be able to live in peace anymore."

Bill closed his eyes and took a sip of his coffee. After savoring the bitterness, he spoke with his usual calmness.

"And what will you do now that you know this?"

"Don't you have any way to find out what they're hiding? Check their servers, classified reports, something like that."

"I could, but it's very risky. If I get caught, I'll be accused of treason."

"Then I'll find out my own way."

Bill, quite nervous, took another sip from his cup.

"Ugh, it's already cold," he said disgustedly, raising the cup to Philip. "I wish you luck."

July 1, 2011, 10:39 PM

Along with the night came a sharp drop in temperature. The wind was very strong, but for him, that was a positive thing.

The vigilante known as "Zero" soared between the buildings. He was dressed in a dark green sports outfit, along with a scarf of the same color that covered his face, black sunglasses, and a metallic glove. His secret identity is Philip Mrown II, son of a globally prominent businessman.

He knew clearly where he was heading. Helped by the boosters beneath his white sneakers and the GPS installed in his sunglasses, he arrived at the rooftop of a building in front of the headquarters of the dark energy containment department. Due to the curfew, there was not a single civilian on the street, but there weren't many special agents from the department either.

"Getting in is going to be easy; the real challenge will be inside," Philip said, speaking to himself.

At that moment, all the agents outside started running towards the headquarters building. Philip was surprised by the situation; something didn't seem right. He approached a bit closer to get a better look, but at that moment, he was swept back by the force of an expanding shockwave.

The containment department headquarters exploded.

Philip got up and made his way towards the site of the explosion. Huge debris fell, the electricity in the area went out, and there were a lot of smoke and ashes.

"What happened here...?"

A noise coming from the pile of rubble in the center of what used to be the building made him hide behind a fallen pillar. He theorized that whoever caused the explosion was there, so he stayed to observe.

Several large pieces of concrete lifted a few meters into the air, and from the space they occupied, a girl emerged. Philip was in shock at the sight of her. She was dressed in a long red qipao with golden embroidery, the same girl who had been observing him at school during lunchtime. The girl with Asian features, long and thick hair that was now standing on end. In her left hand, she tightly gripped a black sphere, and in her right hand, she held a brilliant purple gem. The girl examined the gem intently.

"So, this is the final form of an Eyre stone," she said, laughing twisted.