*Hiatus - Went on a trip about a month ago and re-read a bunch of the chapters before realizing that I didn't like where the story was going.  I spent the last month trying to figure out where I went wrong while writing other stories and for now I'm going to leave Storm Caller alone while I think about it.*

The year is 2028, and the next era is coming. Signs are everywhere, hail the size of basketballs pelt Denver, Colorado.  The Washington Monument topples over, people are going missing in record numbers all around the globe.  Ancient powers awaken from their long slumbers. They are coming!  

In the middle of all this, a prestigious academy hiding incredible secrets decides that something has to change.  Mistakes of the past shouldn't be repeated.  Our hero is a 17 year boy carrying an incredible legacy who just wants to live a normal(ish) life.

*Intellectual property of CDB*

"Why didn't you guys ever tell me?!?" I ask with teary eyes.

"It's not what it is Kim, we love you-" 

"Filth! That's all I ever was to you people! No atom of love ever escaped your actions nor your words. "

"No-"

"But I know. And I don't give two shits what you think or thought about me. You can continue to live your sick lives and rot in hell for all I care, 'cause I've tried everything to make you love me in the past." I pause and throw them an evil smirk, "But who's the beggar now?" 

"Kim dont leave us! We're sorry! KIIIIIMMM!!!!" I hear their cries as I walk away in the distance. 


*********

I just want love. Nothing more. I've been taken as a reject for as long as I can remember. Young children throwing their toys in your face, adults insulting you with abusive words, your mates trampling you on their feet, I've been through all these and even worse. But I'm too scared, too fragile to take them on and show them I'm worth something. But who's going to remind me I even have a worth?


*********

Kimberley West is the most hated girl around. It seems like no matter what she does she never gets payed back with love. Various occasions show her what life really means. Is she going to grab onto them? Or is she going to face her fate as a reject of the world?

Lu Mingshu flipped through the books while waiting for Brother Six.
Not long later, circles of airflow appeared, stirring up the leaves.
"Sister, sorry for the wait, I got delayed by some matter."
Lu Mingshu quickly walked over. "I just arrived, too! Brother six, I have also brought the books you wanted."
"Okay, move over for a bit."
Through a function of the Heavenly Wheel, he made an item fly out from a circle of airflow that then fell onto the floor with a loud thud.
Lu Mingshu discovered it to be a bundle of books.
She followed a set pattern according to the method Brother Six taught her yesterday, tossing the pile of books on her side over.
"I've received it! I have something going on, so I'll see you next time, little sister seven!"
"Okay, thank you, brother six."
The circle of airflow gradually stabilized, before finally dispersing.
Lu Mingshu sat down and untied the bundle of books, browsing through them one by one.
This one perusal broadened her horizons greatly.
Brother Six indeed did what he said when he said he would give Lu Mingshu all the basic techniques for the line of Martial practitioners—these few books were teeming with all sorts of content.
To Martial Practitioners from a similar world, awakening the meridians were merely one of the roads one could take upon embarking on one's martial journey. There were other practices of Martial Arts that took different paths. Some started by training their blood and vital breath, while some soaked in medicine to forge their body. On the other hand, some would also first cultivate their constitution.
However, Lu Mingshu discovered that albeit these lines of martial practitioners had different paths, they shared many similarities, generally speaking.
There was no telling which way was better, for they all had their good points.
Having gained these dozens of technique manuals, Lu Mingshu immersed herself in them for half a month. During that period, when Ah Sheng had sent medication over, Lu Mingshu finally felt reassured when she saw him fully healed and filled with vigor while wearing new shoes.
Naturally smart, Lu Mingshu possessed a mind quite unlike a child's and that especially after she went through the cleansing of the Heavenly Wheel's streamers. In this half a month, she had altered the general method for awakening the meridians into something decent.
But unlocking the meridians was a matter of utmost importance, and Liu Jizhen had made it clear he had no intention of meddling. Despite her success, she wasn't feeling entirely confident in doing it alone in this manner.
At the thought of the Heavenly Wheel, Lu Mingshu clasped her hands. There were so many experts there, that it would be a shame to not ask them.
Hence, she copied that newbie from last time and left a message on the tree, posting the meridians-awakening technique that she had altered on it.
In this mix of people, the majority were warm-hearted and idle, as not long later her topic had garnered the attention of some people who began discussing the details of the revised technique. 
What made Lu Mingshu happy was that a majority felt her altering was very well done. However, she was, after all, using only theory without any practical experience, so it was inevitable that she had overlooked some details. Through the effort of countless Wheel experts from various worlds, the meridians-awakening secret recipe was fresh out of the oven as simple as that.
This specific variation of the meridians-awakening technique comprised knowledge from various worlds. Lu Mingshu believed it would not be any worse compared to the best technique in her current world.
Once she busied past this matter, the year was already coming to an end.
After she informed Fu Shangqing of their ill-treatment back then, the supplies provided to Heavenly Ascension Pavilion were all changed to the top grade. No one dared to cut corners with their provisions anymore. Vegetables and fruits were sent once every three days, and rice and noodles arrived in bulk every half a month. At year-end, a holiday gift was sent over as well.
There was also the New Year's goods sent over by Hui Niang and Ah Sheng, although they did not stay for New Year's in fear of becoming a bother to Liu Jizhen.
Lu Mingshu busied herself with cleaning, pasting the red rhyming couplets, and sorting out the New Year's goods…
After a month plus of practice, she was now doing chores in a decent manner. Although she had nobody to teach her cooking skills, she had actually improved a lot by reading through books.
Liu Jizhen sat in front of the hut and gazed at the sunset, a hand-carved wooden sword placed on his knee.
At this moment, Lu Mingshu ran over while holding new clothes in her hands. "Master, time to wear new clothes for New Year's!"
Liu Jizhen shifted his gaze to her, only to see her wearing new winter clothes. Nine Jade Palace was located on snow peaks, with white as a clothing theme. The winter clothing was made with beast hide so fluffy that it was quite cute, and, because it was New Year's on top of that, they added on a vermilion overcoat, giving it a vibe that was full of joy.
He secretly sighed.
It was really a pity for such a lively child to be stuck here with me.
"Master?"
Faced with her expectant gaze, Liu Jizhen could only stand up and receive the new clothes in her hands, going inside to change.
A short while later, Liu Jizhen walked out.
Lu Mingshu turned around, clapping, "Master looks really good in your new clothes!"
Even though Liu Jizhen was akin to being banished, he still had a rank, hence the clothes they had sent over were meant to fit his status as a courtyard leader. The same beast hide overcoat had an even more delicate standard, and the new clothes made him look even taller than the usual.
Lu Mingshu frowned again after her laughter. "I think your beard is too messy, so why not shave off your beard, Master? It's already New Year's…"
Liu Jizhen wanted to refuse, but her expectant gaze rendered him unable to say it. Hence, he went back into the house.
When he came back out, Lu Mingshu's eyes went wide.
Where did this handsome uncle come from!?
Liu Jizhen's shaved beard revealed a face with deep facial features, an eminent pair of eyes, and tall nose bridge with a defined jawline, making him look very masculine. Although his casually combed hair still cascaded down his shoulders, it had unrestrained confidence and ease.
Living together for more than a month, Lu Mingshu had never known that her Master was so good-looking!
With such a face, don't you feel shame being sloppy all day?
She had made up her mind—to always urge her Master to shave from now on!
These features of Master were in no way inferior to that pretentious father of hers!
Lu Mingshu busied herself with setting up a table of food for New Year's Eve; with her current cooking skills, she could only make something that passed as food, something you couldn't really consider a delicacy. Fortunately, Liu Jizhen was not a picky person, given that he could even eat uncooked rice, and Lu Mingshu was in a good mood, eating while beaming with joy.
Fireworks exploded magnificently from the direction of the Main Palace, the mountains behind providing a setting sun as night fell as the backdrop.
Liu Jizhen sat there in silence as usual. Lu Mingshu sat beside him, admiring the fireworks.
She remembered last year's New Year's, where Grandfather took her to paste the couplets while Mother made new clothes for her, and the whole family was bustling with noise and excitement. Who could've known that the whole family would split up within the year?
"Master, I miss Mother and Grandfather…"
"Do they celebrate New Year's in Heaven, too?"
"Grandfather said, 'a day in Heaven is like a year on Earth', so do they celebrate New Year's every day?"
"Would I still be able to see them?"
"Master, I promised Grandfather before to practice Martial Arts diligently, and not to allow anyone to bully me anymore in the future."
"Hmm, I won't let anyone bully you either…"
Feeling a weight on his arm, Liu Jizhen looked down to see Lu Mingshu already asleep on his arm, tightly hugging it.
Seeing her unguarded appearance while sleeping, his heart softened. He could not remember the last time someone had trusted him this much. He had always been a genius at practicing Martial Arts since young that others sought after. All up until his Meridians were severed had he not realized that none of them were genuine. Once his genius halo had dispersed, he was only an ordinary person and nothing more.
This child's trust made him feel fear helplessly. Just what about a crippled person like me deserved the trust of others? Just because of that bowl of medicine?
It was most likely that she had been feeling extremely helpless in her heart back then, to a point where even a bowl of medicine made her trust and become dependant on him to this degree. Thinking of it, her father was still alive, yet she was still thrown away to this place. This child was more pitiful than him…


Lu Mingshu had never believed in fate.
She hadn’t believed in it when her father had remarried and caused her family to break into pieces, nor had she believed in it when she’d been thrown into a valley to perish.
She hadn’t believed in it when she didn’t have any resources to cultivate with, nor had she believed in it when she’d been condemned by everyone.
She climbed up little by little from dust, while her reign soared into the sky, which caused the world to look on in fear!
If justice doesn’t come, I’ll personally obtain it.
If fate disregards me, I‘ll open up a way to survive.
No matter what fate throws at me, I will surely become a phoenix!
“What a ruthless woman. I’m willing to risk my life and limbs for you, willing to be calculative for you – I’m even willing to be an enemy of the entire world for you. Aren’t you moved even a little?”
“That’s right, since I‘m such a ruthless woman, what exactly is it that you like about me?"

The commotion of the new semester turned into a ruckus after a few days, which had then turned into chaos in the span of the first month. That is to say, nothing had changed at all during this entire month. Being in charge of first graders on her third year as a teacher proved to be a challenge for Hee Yeon Kim, but for reasons she could only describe as &quot;complicated,&quot; she had been forced into this difficult task. To say that her experience was lacking was a gross understatement, and it was near impossible for her to manage the ruckus that the first graders were creating. As such, it became somewhat of a routine for the teachers of adjacent classrooms to intervene and suppress(?)* the children of Class 1-3. Perhaps it was thanks to that, or perhaps the children had simply grown accustomed to school after a month, but they had reached the point where they would calm down just enough for class to start. Hee Yeon had to settle for that. Nonetheless, as soon as breaktime started, the children would resume their chaotic commotion, filling the halls with their voices as Hee Yeon sat next to the window, her head in her hands in an attempt to withstand it all.

'If only they had gym class all morning long…'

But if that were the case, then she would have to be on guard, looking out for potential injuries, which would then cause even more of a psychological strain on her. In her current state of mind, however, she wished for nothing more than to escape from all the noise. When she looked up towards the classroom again, she realized that she had to say something.
&quot;Jihoon, you can't stand on the desk. You'll get hurt!&quot; She warned in her strictest tone. &quot;Heejin, don't get so close to the window! Get down from there! There, in the back! Stop running! What if you fall over?!&quot;
Even in the midst of all the chaos, she couldn't help but notice one of her students sitting quietly, in the middle of the row next to the windows. He had become the talk of the school due to his good looks, and he was the one exception in this classroom of constant cacophony. The boy was always reading. He mainly read textbooks, but sometimes would bring in children's tales from somewhere and read those. During class he would always look at her with bright eyes, listening so intently to what she said that she felt almost awkward under the pressure, but it was thanks to him that she felt proud and satisfied to be a teacher. After all, there wasn't a teacher alive who disliked diligent students.

The boy paid no mind to his teacher's rather open observation of him and just kept on reading. He was quite happy with his current lifestyle. The classes taught him new things every day, satisfying his intellectual curiosity, and every day, the knowledge he gained from his textbooks surprised him. Reading and reaching an understanding of the material in the textbooks, regardless of the curriculum, filled the boy with an almost euphoric kind of joy. This was especially true for afterschool math class, which made him feel jittery. He derived an immense sort of satisfaction with every problem he solved correctly, and as his knowledge increased, he almost felt as if he could organize his thoughts concerning his confusing circumstances.

Just as the boy was about to immerse himself in the joy of studying, someone tapped his shoulders. When he turned around, he saw that it was Jihoon. Though only a month had passed since the start of the new semester, Jihoon already stood out from the rest of the class. To put it nicely, he was a very lively child, but in reality, he was closer to a menace. He could not bring himself to sit quietly during lessons, sprinting out of the classroom to go to the restroom (and if the teacher chased after him, he would always run away with a huge smile on his face, as if he was enjoying a game of tag), and during break time, he would jump from desk to desk, like an action maniac who delighted in the thrill and excitement of dangerous activities. He was also very creative, always coming up with new ways to make the girl who sat next to him cry. All this caused the other kids to practically line up to join Jihoon in his &quot;games,&quot; and he had become infamous within the parents' SNS chatrooms. However, being the only son of a prominent family, no one could really touch him, only increasing the frustration of the victims'(?) parents and homeroom teacher.
This same Jihoon had just approached the boy, apparently nominating(?) him as the next victim, but the boy simply looked at him wide-eyed as if he didn't know what was happening. Jihoon had his back to the group of students who followed him and looked down at him. &quot;They say you look like a plaster cast,&quot; he declared arrogantly. What did that even mean? &quot;My mom saw my sister's drawing and she said it looked like you. That's what a plaster cast is. You're plaster.&quot;

The boy went blank at Jihoon's words, confused at the utter lack of context.

Jihoon was actually referring to a bit of a hot topic among parents for a brief period of time. During the entrance ceremony, the parents had discussed the boy's outstanding looks, and someone had mentioned that he looked &quot;statuesque.&quot; Following this comment, the parents of a student preparing for art school had brought up &quot;Julian,&quot; one of the plaster cast busts used as a drawing model. Of course, parents quickly fell into a typical SNS conversation, adding that their own children were just as pretty, or whose children had better looks, but it appeared that their talks of plaster casts had reached Jihoon's ears. However, being completely unaware of this whole situation, the boy sat there dumbfounded.

&quot;He's plaster face now.&quot; Said Jihoon again, almost triumphantly. At these short, nonsensical words, the students began to clap and laugh uncontrollably. Perhaps the boy's blank expression and reaction had somehow struck them as funny. Following this relatively small incident, the boy had gained the nickname &quot;plaster face,&quot; and when Myeong-su, who was in the classroom next door, found out about this, it became his nickname at the institute as well. When the teacher heard of this, she thought it was rather cute, but she was also concerned that the boy's feelings were hurt by the nickname. It wasn't uncommon for children to feel upset at nicknames they did not like and lose their spirits.

However, the boy paid no mind to it, partly because he wasn't sure whether &quot;plaster face&quot; had enough of a negative connotation to feel upset over it, and partly because he thought it was better than what they had called him back at the peasant town. They had taken to calling him &quot;scrofa**&quot; due to the fact that he scavenged in the forest all day, or just &quot;boar.&quot; Rather than being compared to a pig, covered in mud and oinking all around the place, he preferred being compared to plaster.

****

With the approach of summer, the weather had reached the point where the impatient few had already begun to wear short sleeves outside. Volunteer workers still visited the institute every so often, now that the tough weeds sprouting through the lawn of the yard had grown enough to injure to the children. Though they were promptly eradicated by the volunteers, the teachers still had to warn the children to not go into the grass.

&quot;We'll be off!&quot;

The elementary schoolers shouted out as they got off the institute's van, cheerfully waving to the teacher sitting in the driver's seat. Among the children walking to the gates of the elementary school were the two first graders, Myeong-su and the boy, one third grader, one fifth grader, and two sixth graders. The sixth graders were very composed within and without the boundaries of the institute, and the third and fifth graders followed their every step. True to his status as a carefree, energetic first grader, however, Myeong-su ran into the school grounds, dragging the boy by the hand. The older children did nothing to stop them. Rather, they looked wholly uninterested, their steps seemingly much heavier than those of other students. But Myeong-su was too excited to pay attention to such things, and he just kept on running with the boy, who ran along like a leashed puppy. Though it looked like the boy was forcing himself to go along with Myeong-su, he was actually having just as much fun. He had recently discovered the existence of the school library and was ecstatic at the thought of feasting upon the mighty(?) collections of books within. The fact that all the children from the institute took the van to get to school meant that the boy always arrived before his classmates. Once in the classroom, he left his bag at his seat and headed straight to the library.

&quot;You're first again.&quot; The librarian had just started to open the library, and the boy greeted her, a gleeful smile on his face. &quot;You can go right ahead.&quot;

Having been granted permission, the boy bowed once again to the librarian, who was making her way towards her desk, and ran into the library. The musty scent of the books that had collected overnight filled his nose, and it almost felt sweet to him. He chose three books to read for that day, all relatively thin. His knowledge and comprehension were still not advanced enough for him tackle thicker books, causing him to always reach for the thinner books, meant for the younger students, without caring for their content. Such books mainly came out in series, so he had made it a habit to just go through the books series by series. Though the boy might have been unaware, children's books were not necessarily limited to just biographies and fairy tales, but also included illustrated classical literature and economics, which were enough to satisfy the boy's thirst for knowledge. Thanks to this, he had been able to catch up on his past seven years of no education and quickly learned about the systems of this world, as well as the social environment he was in.

He was also able to fully concentrate on books because they provided an escape from all the sadness and despair that came from being thrown into a completely new society and lifestyle. Or rather, he had no choice but to fully concentrate on books. His memories of the past still haunted him, no matter how much time passed.

****

Once the teachers' morning meeting ended, Hee Yeon went back into her classroom. Her students, who once seemed like water in hot oil, now felt like powder filling up a lidless blender. Though she had no way of knowing when the blender would turn on and scatter the powder everywhere, things were under control as long as she kept a watchful eye on the switch.
Because classes had not started yet, the switch seemed to be half pressed already, though the students attempted, if only a little, to quiet down when the teacher had walked in. Only Jihoon, apparently still in hot oil rather than the blender, spoke loudly to his friend, while the rest of the students remained in their seats and murmured to each other. The children had no way of knowing that their collective murmurs let to a very loud ruckus. Only one student, called 'plaster face' by the other kids even though he looked more like a 'Julian,' paid no mind to the noise and silently read his book. After almost a full semester of knowing him, Hee Yeon thought that he was possibly in the school's top ranks when it came to concentration and attitude towards learning, and though he hadn't stood out that much at the beginning of the semester, he had started to show great improvement in writing composition and math. When the teacher in charge of the afterschool classes spoke to her about the boy, complimenting him greatly in his skills, Hee Yeon's expectations of him had grown even more. Looking at him now, reading his book, it was hard to imagine that he was from an institute.

Just then, the bell rang out, signaling the start of classes.
&quot;Well then!&quot; Announced Hee Yeon. &quot;We'll begin class. Do you know what's for first period?&quot;
&quot;Family learning!&quot;

Hee Yeon smiled despite herself. The students seemed like small birds all singing together. Then she met eyes with 'Julian.' Though she was unsure when it had started, she definitely felt that family learning classes drained her the most, especially when looking at those eyes, filled with such sorrow. The teacher of three years couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt whenever she met those eyes, and she didn't even know why.

&lt;The New Semester (1)&gt; End

*(?) – this is often used when the word used before it conveys the connotation the author wants, but is not fully accurate. For example, teachers likely helped calm the kids down and maybe reprimand them, but they didn't actually physically suppress the students.
**scrofa – from Latin &quot;scrofa,&quot; it literally means &quot;sow.&quot; Typically used to refer to female pigs used for breeding.

A boy who was living an ordinary life in another world suddenly came to the present world.

Social systems, way of life and morals... They have all changed.

How will the boy try to survive?

What kind of life will the boy live?

Null Tower, New York City
Noriko Null steps out of the elevator, closely followed by Max Black a.k.a. Quantum. She's surrounded by a dozen holographic screens displaying a variety of equations, programs, chemical formulas and blueprints, all digitalized by the N-watch she's wearing. Interfacing directly with her brain, the N-watch leaves her hands free to grab the espresso cup handed over by one of her humanoid robots, a Nullbot.
<…and before that I need to finish engineering new Godstones using only materials I can find on Earth, which I'll need for the Mark IV Genius Gun as well. But supervising the new reactors and assembling the anti-Oracle satellite network takes precedence, I need them for when I'll have the spaceship prototype ready for launch. Oh, and tonight I had an idea on how to use the adaptive properties of the Many genome to cure cancer, I'd like to have something for when I testify before Congress next month, because I know that when I'll be at the economic summit the press won't understand anything about the new economic system I'm going to propose, and that's assuming that any of the finance ministers there understand it in the first place.>
Noriko drinks her coffee, giving Max the first chance to utter a single word he's had for a long time.
<What was my question again?> he asks, lost in her endless flow of words.
<"How's it going?"> she reminds him.
<Seemed innocuous enough at the time.>
<Look Max, I'm really busy right now. My deal with Artemis bought us some time, but we don't know how long it will last: we need to be ready to defend Earth. I understand you want to know what happened to your sister and I do find the fact that I know nothing about Project Silver immensely frustrating, but right now...>
<No I know, don't worry, Kari and I can handle it. I just wanted to know if you want to hang out.
Noriko gives the cup back to the Nullbots, and looks at Max like he just landed from Mars.>
<"Hang out"> she repeats.
<Yeah, y'know, as friends. We never see each other unless someone's trying to kill somebody. Kari and Vesta have come over to my place a couple of times. Heck, even Torn's shared a beer with me. >

The evening before
Torn is sitting at the bar, hunched over his beer. He didn't say a word coming in that didn't involve ordering alcohol. You'd think more people would notice a guy with red skin, but it takes a long time before an attractive woman approaches him saying:
<Hey, nice tattoos!>
 he answers.

<No.>



<You can't get it here. They live on Rathicor.>
<I…think I'm going to leave now> are the last words she says to him, almost bumping into Max who rapidly takes his place next to the red-skinned alien.
<Well, look who finally decided to step out of the Tower. What are you drinking?>
<Beer.>
Waiting for Torn to say something, anything else, Max tries to break the ice.
<Any particular kind of beer?>
<Cold.>
<You don't talk much, do you?>
<No.>
<Yeah I figured. Enjoying Earth so far?>
<Yes. Lousy drinks though.>
<You know I just can't figure you out, man. You leave your planet to join the Vanguard and risk your life for us, and we hardly ever talk. We're the only two guys on the team, we should stick together right?>
Torn finally turns his head to look Max in the eye, without moving a muscle on his stony face.
<Are you suggesting an allegiance against Null?>
<What!? No!!! I just mean we should be nice to each other, that kind of stuff.>
 Torn nods, turning his eyes back to the glass of beer.
<I'm just saying you're not an easy person to read. I'm not even sure we're friends.>
 Torn says, drinking his beer.
<Is that good or bad? With that voice coming out of a movie trailer it's difficult to tell.>
<What's a movie?>
<Nevermind. I need a beer every time we talk, Torn.>
<Me too. Good times.>

Now
The door to Noriko's lab opens automatically as she passes by.

<You're too busy. You need to relax or you'll crash and burn.>
<Max, you do remember that I'm directly responsible for thousands of employees, that I recently bought one of the largest technological empires in the world, and that my work is the best and possibly only line of defense this planet has against an entire galaxy filled with mentally unstable gods that want to enslave us all, right? I can't just drop everything to "hang out".>
<And yet, your father has asked me to keep an eye on you. What does that tell you, Nori?>
<That I am smarter than my father.>
Max throws his hands in the air: who would've thought that talking to Torn would easy by comparison? But he owes everything to Noriko…his powers, the chance to make a difference, to witness impossible things up close and kick them in the face. No matter what, he will find a way to repay her.
<You want me to say it? Fine: you're smarter than me, than all the Vanguard put together. WE KNOW. But you were imprisoned by the Oracles, almost had a mental breakdown TWICE, discovered how horrible your mother is, and you haven't had a single day off since you got that Nexus thing stuck inside your brain. Don't tell me your ego is so big you can't see that you MIGHT need some time off.>
Noriko doesn't answer immediately. She just stares back at him with her silver eyes, with that death stare that has literally made gods take a step back.
<Fine> she says with exasperation. 
<So. Ready to have fun?> Max asks, crossing his arms triumphantly.
<Only if I get to choose the method.>
<It can't involve reverse engineering or people trying to kill us.>
<You're making it difficult on purpose, aren't you?>
<Yep.>
<Of course you are...>

Queen Hotel, New York
Kari and Vesta are standing before the five-star hotel. Kari is gathering the most attention thanks to her purple hair, but Vesta is unrecognizable since her hair is currently short and black instead of shoulder-length and bright red as usual. She goes as unnoticed as possible for a woman with the body of a goddess and an orange tube top.
<You're sure this is the right place?> Vesta asks.
<I.R.I.S. says so. Noriko thinks her computer is almost as smart as she is, and I believe her.>
<Fine, but why go to all this trouble to investigate the girlfriend of Max's sister? I mean, we barely know her, why do we care where she lives?>
<Because being paranoid sometimes pays off. Why so trusting all of a sudden, aren't you the one who's always afraid to be discovered as a goddess?>
<Not so loud> Vesta tells her with a lower tone, looking around to make sure nobody's listening. It took her a long time to gather the courage to use her powers in the open, but she still prefers people thinking she's only a woman with super-powers.
<Anyway, I found out that Erika Rhys has lived in the penthouse for the last month> Kari says.
<That's odd. It probably costs something like 500$ a night. She makes that much money?>

<What?>
<The penthouse is up there, we're down here, and you can fly> Kari explains.

<Fine, just get me on the balcony, I'll break in by myself.>
<Can't Max do this? He can get inside completely invisible and intangible.>
<Oh so you're fine with someone else invading privacy? Get real Vesta, we need to get to the bottom of this.>
<This better be worth if...>

The penthouse
As soon as the lock's been picked, Kari creates four duplicates to search more efficiently. Vesta follows her, floating barefoot a few inches off the ground. She was never into luxury, but she has to admit the place is pretty impressive.

<Are you kidding me!? Just look at this closet!> Kari exclaims, opening a closet much bigger than several places where Vesta has lived.

<Where are her clothes? Even on Myridia I owned more than one set of clothes. I bet even you do!>
<Well actually...I don't sweat or get dirty or hot or cold so...> Vesta admits, causing the immortal goddess who can split mountains with her bare hands to blush.
<Found something!> one of the duplicates shouts from the other side of the penthouse.
<You don't get off that easily, I'm taking you shopping when we're done> Kari tells Vesta, before joining her duplicates.
What they find is a pile of books, newspapers and magazines. Kari concentrates on the magazines, while Vesta immediately notices two books that don't seem to belong to the collection.
<Everything looks brand new except these: they're much older.>
 Kari says after a quick glance at the covers: they're not in English.
<This one is in German. "Four billion years of solitude, the geological history of Greenland", written by... Heinrich Null?>
<Boy does that ring a bell. Can you read the other one too?>
<It's Japanese. "Historiography of Greek mythology" by Noriko Wakahisa. The grandmother of our Noriko, except nobody's supposed to know that she's related to Leiko's mother. This isn't making any sense.>
<At least she wasn't lying when she said she was a fan> Kari adds, holding a handful of books and magazines: Noriko, her inventions and her impact on society are on each cover.
While her duplicates are busy cataloguing what they found, the original summarizes:
<So to recap: she's inexplicably rich, doesn't own more than one set of clothes, and is obsessed by Noriko to the point of reading a book about rocks written by her great-grandfather. What else? >
<All the other books are about civil wars and riots. Gods, you really had a lot of those on Earth> one of the duplicates answers. Vesta adds:
<Don't remind me. As much as I find all of this suspicious, however, none of it is illegal. We should leave before she returns.>
<Good idea. Maybe Noriko can figure of what...>
<Not today. Max's party, remember?>
<Oh, right. I keep forgetting that Earth people do one thing at a time.>
<Which makes me wonder if Erika is from Earth> Vesta suggests, looking once again at the odd combination of subjects in the books they found.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Want to see more? There are hundreds of additional chapters here: 
beyondtheimpossible.org/web

Noriko Null was a seemingly ordinary Asian-American teen, until the goddess Athena decided to make her Earth's first line of defense against the impossible.
Now armed only with superhuman intelligence and instant access to all of humanity's knowledge, Noriko will have to solve the world's problems, face the secrets behind her transformation, and fight Greek gods in space in her spare time.
Will the world's smartest girl be able to defeat the all-powerful gods?

Close to a month has passed and few days left until the second year in Hogwarts begins.
During this month, my life became much more interesting and entertaining. I was working less, had weekends, grind as much as I want and chill with Grangers on weekends. Overall, this month finally feels like a vacation.
Another awesome thing, that I found out a piece of very interesting information about books, knowledge gaining, and system. That was a few days after we went to Diagon Alley. While I was inspecting books, I wanted to discuss how the analysis of the books works but was interrupted midway. So, after I had some free time, I decided to discuss this topic with the system more thoroughly.
*Talk with the system*
'Say, if I read a book, that can't be used, will I get a raise in any of my skills?'
[There is a possibility for that, but it's minuscule.]
'Interesting. So basically, that Lockhart's book was garbage?'
[Story wise, it was entertaining. However, essentially it contains little to no knowledge, that may be useful to current you.]
'Wait a second. Are you saying that it might have been useful in the past?'
[Yes. Roughly speaking, your knowledge is higher than the book's knowledge.]
'So, are you saying that upon reaching some level books will become useless to me?'
[Depends on the book and its content plus mastery of an author. But probably yes.]
'Hmm… Then how the heck 'Use' option works? You increase my skill by one, but I don't receive any knowledge myself, right? At least, personally I don't feel any new knowledge appearing in my mind.'
[You don't. The system does.]
'Hmm? What do you mean? I thought that skills are a representation of my knowledge.'
[Indeed, they are, but skills usage depends on its numerical representation. But to calculate that number system takes the system's knowledge because the system helps in the process of using those skills. Moreover, some abilities take your skill level into consideration while calculating its own effect.]
'Eh…? What? Explanation please.'
[For example, your enchanting skill level normally responsible for how successful you are at enchanting things. However, after you took ability 'Scaling Enchantment', the level is also used to empower those enchantments if used personally. The skill level is a numerical representation of the user's knowledge, or to be precise system's knowledge.]
'What's the difference between the system's and user's knowledge?'
[User's knowledge is what you manually learn. On the other hand, the system's knowledge is user's knowledge plus other sources that were gathered autonomously by the system. Example of that is using books to raise skill. The system cannot provide you with knowledge. However, the system is part of the user, so even if your brain doesn't have the memories of knowledge, you do have the knowledge.]
'You are capable of so many things, but you are incapable of providing knowledge directly to my brain.'
[It is forbidden. It crosses a defensive mechanism placed upon the system.]
'Huh? There is a mechanism? And why it crosses it?'
[Memory is the foundation upon which your personality is built. Giving knowledge is borders memory manipulations, so to ensure freedom of choice, such types of manipulations were banned.]
'Wow.'
I was sitting there thinking over what the system told me. This gave me a lot of food for thought. After being like this for who knows how long, I started talking with the system once more.
'System's knowledge is not part of my own knowledge, but more of a knowledge I own. Then how can it affect me? How can help me in my skills?'
[System will lead the user towards what it thinks is a correct decision.]
'I used a lot of books, but I never once noticed you leading me.'
[You didn't, because the majority of skills you improved through books 'Use' were either practical or those that you don't use. In case of practical skills system will make your movements faster, more accurate and confident. E.g. magic chanting - the system will make chanting faster and more accurate. It will be hard to notice the difference between the system's help and natural skill because both come from inside the body. As for theoretical skills, you didn't use them.]
'What about magic theory? It had increased by at least 10 levels and I used magic constantly during the first year!'
[Magic theory is not responsible for using magic, but for creating and modifying it.]
'Oh… Well, then that makes sense. Heck… simple talk about books opened so much information. Why didn't you tell me that before?'
[Did you ever ask?]
'Well… no…'
[So?]
'Whatever. I am close to level 15 once more, right?'
[Indeed. How did you know?]
'You became too talkative. Although, I admit that I like these banters we have.'
[I'm glad you do.]
'In conclusion, based on information I assume that getting knowledge personally is better than raise it purely through books.'
[Well, in short, yes.]
'Short path to greatness is out of the window. But if I use the book after fully reading it, it will still be good.'
[That depends on the book. If you will fully understand the book, then there will be no knowledge to 'Use' left in it.]
'Okay. Got it. From now on, I will 'Use' book right after reading it. If I still can, that is.'
*Back to present*
I continued speaking with the system until I fell asleep that day and discussed many other system-related things. 
In my free time, I started visiting the local library. I was focusing on books on skills that I already had because improving higher-level skills brings me more experience.
Even then, I was able to get a few new skills. 
One of them I got when I found 'Kamasutra'. I never read it in my previous life, so I decided to read it now and was instantly consumed by the content of the book. 
'I am 11, so… you know.'
After finishing it, I got a skill 'Physical Activities'. I was surprised and asked the system about this skill and what was the difference between it and 'Training'.
['Training' responsible for activities that are done to improve health and body conditions. Cleaning your room is a physical activity, but it does not help with training muscles.]
The explanation was pretty clear.
Another skill I gained was 'Programming' and this skill was the first one, that started at level 25. The system mentioned previously, what skills I have absolutely 0 knowledge about, start at 0, so the opposite should apply as well.
The last skill I got was 'dancing'. Although, I must admit I got this skill outside of the library. One evening Grangers took me to some friends and there they insisted on me having fun. They encouraged me, but I knew I danced like a drugged crab because my skill started at 0.
That was so embarrassing but heck I am 11 years old, so whatever.
In the library, I was able to raise my cooking, speech and astronomy skills after finding corresponding books. Also, I did not expect that muggles' astronomy books will be effective for raising that skill. 
The best news is that I was finally able to get a level up today. So, after coming home and having supper I am going to lie down and get my new level. Thanks to system's mystifying this level up, I expect some new stuff to happen.
*Later that day*
'Oh my god. I expected some new stuff. But did I get a freaking jackpot? The system can you repeat all that, please?'
[Of course. Repeating.]
[Congratulations to host for reaching level 15.]
[System will be upgraded to tier 2.]
[All positives brought by attributes will be increased.]
[Improvement to magical talent brought by Magicka attribute will be increased from 1% to 5%]
[Increase in Health attribute will now increase lifespan by 6 months and increase healing factor by 5%]
[Improvements brought by Stamina increase will be tripled]  
[System's upgrade tree is unlocked.]
[System's upgrade point was provided.]
[Tier one upgrades were unlocked.]
[Quest menu has been unlocked.]
[Journal has been unlocked.]
'Wow… just wow.'
The first thing that caught my eye was about attributes effects increase. 
'System, can you explain to me that thing about attributes.'
[Improvement provided after increasing Magicka, Health, and Stamina, have been increased.]
'So, you mean from now on, I have a 5 percent increase rather than one, if I raise Magicka?'
[No. Not from now on. This upgrade is applied to all previously upgraded attributes as well.]
'Wow. Then now my magical talent has increased by 5 times?'
[Not exactly. Your initial talent was average. So, it is 1. With 1% on level 14, your talent was 1.1380. With 5% on level 15, it is 1.8856. Both cases Magicka attribute is level 13.]
'Oh my god. My talent nearly doubled compared to what I had initially.'
[Indeed.]
'Okay. Now, what is that upgrade tree?'
[System can be upgraded with upgrade points. Upgrade points must be spent after getting them. You can't save them like skill points. Every 15 levels next tier of upgrades will be provided, and one upgrade point will be given.]
'What are the quest menu and journal?'
[Quest menu is a function that gives out and keeps track of quests. Rewards will be provided for successful completion of quests. Journal keeps track of all dialogues and system interactions.]
'Interesting.'
'So, I assume I have to spend the upgrade point, now?'
[Indeed. Would you like to see the upgrade tree?]
'I do.'
As soon, as I thought so, a small sapling without any branches appeared before me. It looked like a spear that grew into earth.
'I do not see possible upgrades, system.'
[Look to left, right and up.]
I looked left and information about possible upgrade appeared.
『 Magical branch 』
〖First tier – Only fools hope for luck〗
〖All quest will provide rewards of magical nature. These rewards will be better than the original rewards. How much better the reward depends on the quest.〗
Then I looked right.
『 Stamina branch 』
〖First tier – My mind knows no rest〗
〖Fatigue does not affect your thinking process. However, stress will build, so resting is still required.〗
And finally, above the tree.
『 Health branch 』
〖First tier – Food? I eat life!〗
〖Can drain life from any representative of Plantae, Fungi, Protista, Archaebacteria, and Bacteria kingdoms. This draining can be used to heal the body and reverse aging.〗
'Wow! Doesn't it make me immortal?'
[It doesn't.]
'What I meant is that I won't die from aging.'
[You still can.]
'Huh? How? It's said it reverses aging.'
[Indeed. But reversing aging does not mean longer lifespan. When you drain plants and other beings, you consume nutrients that help by safely adding new stem cells into your body. However, this process does not remove senescent cells and does not improve cell replication mechanism. Your body still dies inside.]
'Hmm… Complicated.'
[Indeed.]
*30 minutes later*
I picked an upgrade from the magical branch because apparently, it forces the system to give rewards for all quests. Even those that shouldn't provide rewards. Plus, rewards quality will improve as well. Other upgrades are not useful. 
After the upgrade, left half of the tree has grown thin branches with blue leaves, that were shining with white light. It was quite a sight.
Then, as usual, I increased Magicka.
I also looked at new skills and possible new abilities. Abilities were quite interesting.
『 Physical Activities 』
〖Unmatched vigor 0/2〗
〖In the process of physical activity, you tire slower〗
『 Programming 』
〖Fast typing〗
〖You type faster. With an increase in programming level, speed will increase as well〗
Programming had one more tier 2 ability, but I had only one skill point, so I didn't even look at it. Those 2 abilities were very good but quite useless to the current me. 
I checked training for tier 2 ability, but there was no ability available. Seems like not all skills give tier 2 ability at level 20.
At first, I wanted to upgrade speech ability, but then I discovered that my studying skill was 29. My studying ability can be upgraded at level 30. Currently, studying skill is more important than speech. 
Overall, I spend around 30 minutes on picking upgrade, looking at new skills and abilities.
I exited the skills menu and checked journal. It was empty. So, there was not much to check. Next was the quest menu. It was also empty.
'How do I get quests?'
[System will provide the user with quests, depending on external circumstances.]
'Well, okay. Have a nice sleep, system.'
[I am artificial …]
I didn't hear the rest, because I was very tired that day, so I instantly fell asleep.
*Full Progress by the end of volume 2*
*Free saves slots: 4*
*Stats*
『 Level 15 ➣ Not enough experience 』
『 Health ➣ Improvement : 0 』
『 Magicka ➣ Improvement : 14 (talent = 1.9799) 』
『 Stamina ➣ Improvement : 0 』
『 Number of skill points: 1 』
*Skills*
『 Alchemy 27 | Sneak 25 | Speech 26 ➔ 28 』
『 Studying 29 | Wand Making 26 』
『 Herbology 24 | Magic Channeling 27 』
『 Magic Chanting 24 ➔ 25 | Magic Gesturing 25 』
『 Magic Theory 32 | Astronomy 22 ➔ 24 』
『 Riding Expertise 21 | Crafting 21 』
『 Playing Games 17 | Enchanting 17 』
『 Cooking 25 ➔ 27 | Training 22 』
『 ❃Physical Activities 17 | ❃Programming 28 』
『 ❃Dancing 1 』
*Abilities*
〖
➤ Strong argument 1/4 (25)
➤ Remarkable Comprehension 1/3 (30)
➤ Fast Reading 1/2 (65)
➤ Better memory 1/3 (45)
➤ Better concentration 1/2 (45)
➤ Less Gestures 1/2 (50)
➤ Empowering
➤ Concentration
➤ Less Chants 1/2 (50)
➤ Dual Channeling
➤ Crafts Connection
➤ Scaling Enchanting
➤ Good metabolism 1/4 (40)
 〗

Seems like the time has come for another party to begin. Let's hope this one will be a success. World - Potterian. Person - random.
***
Met truck-kun. Obviously died. Nobody survives after fateful meeting with him.
Afterwards, I was reborn in the different world with the system from my favorite game! However, there was a catch - I had negligible amount of knowledge about this universe. 
***
I open my eyes and see [You were caught during unauthorized entrance into a magic academy!] 
"Oh cmon... System, do you really need do this every time? Now... what will I do?" 
[Pick a race]
"..."

"I doubt it. Maybe they are just too shy to come out and say it." Jason continues to play his PS2. 

Morgan growls. "I don't care! It's been two weeks and they still haven't told us." 

"Babe, maybe they need more time." He winks at her.

She kicks him in the back, while she sits on the bed behind him. 

"HEY!" He yells. "I didn't invite you over so you can beat me!"

She rolls her eyes. 

"Hey guys." Victoria walks in. Sitting next to Morgan. "So want game did you decide to play?" 

Morgan studies her.

"Oh nothing big. Just Ratchet and Clank." He presses some buttons. 

She nods. "Cool." She sees Morgan staring at her in the corner of her eye. "Something wrong?" 

"Oh nothing." Morgan shakes her head.

"Oh good. I thought for a moment-" Victoria goes to say when Morgan snatches her arm. Pulling her outside the room. 

"Hey guys?" Gabe says as he walks past Morgan pulling on Victoria's arm. 

"Don't mind them. Just girl stuff." Jason answers to him. Not taking his eyes off the TV.

"Ahh. Okay." Gabe sits next to him. 

"Tell me." Morgan crosses her arms. 

Victoria looks at her confused. "Huh?" 

"Don't play dumb. I know you two have been going out." Morgan sighs. "Look I'm not judging. I get it. Gabes cute." 

Victoria's face turns red. Her mouth open but no words come out. 

"Hello girls." Jason's mother walks by them with some laundry in her hands. 

Morgan smiles at her. 

"Something wrong dear?" Jason's mom looks at Victoria confused. 

"Period. She bleed through." Morgan grabs Victoria's arm. "We'll be right back!" She walks off.

"Oh okay!" Jason's mom nods.

*Stacy's house*

"All I'm saying is that she shouldn't have expected to work here if she didn't know English!" Stacy's mom yells in the other room.

"Ugh!" Stacy slams her door shut. "I hate parents." 

"Oh tell me about it! My dad last week told me that I won't be getting my $2,000 every month! Instead I'm only getting $1,050! The nerve of that man!" Serena complains as she paints her nails.

Stacy falls on her bed. "Yeah, whatever." She flips through her magazine. 

Sofia stares out the window. Not saying a word.

"What's with you?" Serena asks curious. 

Sofia smiles. "Oh nothing!" 

"Who cares! My life is awful! So who cares if she doesn't feel well" Stacy rolls her eyes. "She's probably pregnant again. Maybe this time daddy will let you keep it." She winks at Sofia.

Sofia stands. Tears forming in her eyes. "I'm going to go home. Bye" She grabs her purse before heading out. 

"Such a drag. Oh! Look at these shoes!" Stacy points at some high heels. 

"Damn! So pretty!" Serena looks at them too. 

*Outside*

Sofia walks down the sidewalk. Holding her arms. "Bitches!" She whispers under her breath. "AHH!" She trips and falls on her chest. "Ow!" 

"Hey. Are you okay?" 

Sofia looks up to see a girl standing there. "Oh yeah." 

The girl holds out her hand. "Here." Her hair was in a ponytail. Strands of her light brown hair in her face. Her camel skin sparkled in the sun, since sweat was running down it. 

Sofia takes her hand. "Thanks." 

"No problem." She notices Sofia's swollen eyes. "Hey, do you need-"

"I'm fine. Thank you for helping me up. Bye." Sofia walks off before the girl could ask any more questions.

"Weird." The girl sighs as she watches Sofia walk off. 

"Hey you coming in?!" Mr. Ham(Deck) stands in the doorway. 

"Yeah!" She looks back at Sofia. "Coming dad!" She runs to him. 

*Outside Jason's and Gabe's house*

"I'm telling you. Nothing happened." Victoria tries to convince Morgan. 

Morgan shakes her head. "I saw you kiss his cheek." 

"Ugh! I did it to be nice. It meant nothing!" Victoria sighs. "Why do you care all of a sudden?" 

Morgan sighs. "I guess I just am worried about you. I mean after all we are sis-" She stops. Looking away. "Look, if you honestly don't want me to ask anymore just tell me right now to leave it alone and I..." She takes a deep breath as she looks at her. "I promise to drop it. Okay?" 

"Okay." Victoria hugs her. "Sister!" 

Morgan laughs. "Oh shut it!" 

"Hey les-" 

"Finish that and I will hurt you." Morgan glares at Jason as he walks through the backdoor. 

"Sorry!" He puts his hands up.

Gabe shakes his head. "Hey my mom asked if you needed a tampon?" 

"Ahh. Woman hood. The joys of it." Jason smiles. 

Victoria laughs. "Yeah. I'll go see her." She walks in.

Morgan goes to walk inside but stops next to Jason. "Just so you know. Us "woman" only have to suffer once a month while you "men" also have balls that can get hurt any moment." She winks at him. "So good luck." She walks inside.

"Can you not piss her off today?" Gabe shakes his head. 

Jason shrugs. "She loves the challenges I give her. That's why our love is strong." 

"Sure. Keep believing that." Gabe walks past him. 

*Monday*

"Okay class. I know you guys have to take a test right now but I have to introduce our new student." Mr. Ham puts his marker down. "Miss Hams?" 

"Dad.." She rubs her face. She stands. "Hello. I'm Brianna Ham. But you can call me Bri for short." She looks at her father. "May I sit down?"

He nods. "Yes." 

She sits down. A little angry.

*At the lockers*

"So new girl huh? Got a new crush now?" Gabe asks Jason.

He shakes his head. "Nah. I'm taken." He shuts his locker. "Hey babe." He says to Morgan as she passes by.

"Idiot." She rolls her eyes.

Victoria laughs as she walks beside Morgan.

"Yeah. I can feel the love coming off you two." Gabe chuckles. 

Morgan and Victoria walk by Bri, who was having trouble with her locker. 

"Should we help her?" Morgan whispers. 

Victoria stops. "Need help?"

"Yeah." Bri laughs. "I always hated these things." She steps back.

"What's your number?" Victoria asks.

"Oh um. 444. 58. 79." Bri answers.

Victoria gets the locker open. "There."

"Thanks." Bri puts her heavy books inside. "Bri." She smiles at Victoria.

"Victoria. Vic for short." Victoria smiles back.

Morgan stands back. Staring at the other kids. 

"That's Morgan. She doesn't like people." Victoria whispers.

Morgan laughs. "I can hear you."

"What? You don't" Victoria smiled. 

"True." Morgan nods at Bri. "Don't worry. I had trouble with my locker as well on my first day."

"Which was about a month ago?" Victoria thinks for a moment. 

"Yep." Morgan nods. 

Sofia walks past them. 

"Hey I know her." Bri tells them.

"Sofia? How?" Victoria looks at her confused.

"So that's her name. I met her last weekend. She fell in front of my house. I hope shes okay." Bri stares at her worried.

Sofia walks up to Stacy and Serena. "Hey."

"What happen to you? Did you forget your knee pads?" Stacy laughs as she points to Sofia's bruised knees. 

Sofia covers her knees with her books. 

Serena giggles. "What a slut!" 

"God I hate when they pick on her." Victoria sighs.

Morgan nods. "Honestly she could leave."

They both notice Bri walking up to Stacy.

"Oh no.." Victoria walks behind Bri. 

Morgan rushes to them. "What the hell are you doing?" 

Bri ignores them. "Hey. Are you okay?" She asks turning Sofia around.

Sofia looks surprised at the three girls standing there. "Um.." 

"Excuse me but who the hell are-" Stacy begins to say when Bri cuts her off. 

"Hey if you want you can join me at my locker. I don't mind." Bri smiles at Sofia.

Sofia looks at Morgan and Victoria. 

Victoria notices Sofia's swollen eyes. "Morgan.." She whispers.

"I see.." Morgan whispers back.

Stacy goes to say something but this time Morgan grabs Sofia. "You know. Shes right. We have like the perfect spot for you in our group." She walks off with her. 

Bri and Victoria follow her. 

"What the hell just happened?" Stacy slams her locker door.

Serena shakes her head. "Oh she has the worst coming to her." She crosses her arms. "That bitch.."

Morgan being the new girl, Victoria being the quirky step/best sister, Jason being aloof/handsome love interest and Gabe being small/adorable know it all, all have to survive high school while dealing with a enemy by the name of Stacy Birch and her little minions.

"Are we clear, Ms. Rose!" Headmaster said glaring down at me and I rolled my eyes.

"No, we're not," I said standing up grabbing my bag, "you the one that brought me here after what I did, so why do I have to play the nice guy."

My name is Noelia Rose, I'm seventeen years old and I go to Vender Academy. My life has been a strange crazy ride, my parents adopted me when I was five years old after someone killed my parents. The police said that they couldn't find nothing to whoever murder my parents, so the case went cold. My adopted parents was a friend of my birth parents so they told me stories about them and told me that my parents loved me. I was a strange child growing, I was secretly fond of blood, but grew out of it, but anyway I was quite, but mean to everyone and everything except my parents and eventually to my only friend, Sydney. 

I was sent to Vender Academy three years ago after a terrible accident cause by me, that I will not speak about because it's in the past. Headmaster Seth knows what happened and he agreed to let me join the school, but I mustn't tell anyone who I am and why I came to this school. Which made me the most hated girl in school because everyone thought I was bougie and stuck up, but I really don't care. All I need was Sydney by my side and that it. 

Every week I have to meet up with the Headmaster during lunch and do a check up with him, make sure I haven't done anything suspicious or reckless. I was actually in his office now in front of him and he just told me that if I get in trouble with any of my teachers again, I will get suspended.

"You really going to suspend me?" I smirked placing my elbows on his desk and placed my chin in my hands, "have you told my mother that?"

"Even if I did, this is my school, I could do whatever I want," he said and I rolled my eyes.

"Whatever, but tell your employees to stop fucking with me," I said getting up and walking out his office, I pulled out my phone to see that Sydney text me and told me that she was waiting at the stairs for me. I quickly went to my locker to get my books before going down the stairs to meet Sydney.

"What's going on?" I asked coming down the stairs where my best friend was waiting. There was a huge crowd in front of the entrance way of the Academy.

"There's a couple of new kids transfer from Belmont Academy," Sydney said glancing up at me before back to the crowd, "and you know the rumors, Belmont have some of the hottest student there and people is ready to put there mack game on."

"Wow, isn't that desperate," I snickered switching my books in my hand as we begin to walk down the hall towards our first class, "beside, what made them want to transfer here?"

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out if Belmont do have the hottest students because if not that means we take that title," Sydney smirked confidently and I rolled my eyes.

"Social status is something else."

"Looks who talking, Ms. Social Status Queen, you're most of the reason this school is up there with Belmont."

"Whatever!" I said looking away from her when I heard a girl screamed. I turned to see the crowd making a path as six people looking like they just stepped out of Vogue magazine coming into the school. There was three girls and three boys, all literally gorgeous as hell, but the one that seems to be the leader of the group was...damn. I could see is eyes from where I was standing which was a reddish brown that stood out with his jet black hair. He was tall with pale skin but all those unique flaws that I would usually find creepy looks good on him. I never really had a crush on anyone before but I think he actually flipped the script on that.

"Damn, if all of them look like that at Belmont then we must be a far second, not even close," Sydney said grabbing my hand making me look away from the new group, "Come on!"

"Yeah!" I said following her the rest of the way to our first hour.


—————-

"Are you ok?" Sydney asked me at lunch breaking me from my thoughts.

"Yeah, why?" I said turning to her.

"I don't know, you just seem weird today," she said tapping my hand and I smiled.

"Maybe today isn't my day," I said tapping the table as a weird feeling traveled up my spine then the cafeteria doors open and the new kids came rowing in.

"Damn, I wish I look that cool when I'm walking," Sydney said eating her carrot and I smiled.

"As of right now, I have at least two of them in each of my classes," I said lazily drawing in my sketchbook, "they're very quiet."

"Intimating really, but I think the red head is really cute," Sydney said and I turned to look to see she was talking about the hot short girl.

"You like girls?" I asked her shock and my friend blushed.

"I'm just....attractive to everyone," she mumbled.

"No hate here..."

"I think there coming over here?" Sydney whispered yelled grabbing my arm and start squeezing it.

"Why?" I mumbled leaning in to her as she looked over my shoulder.

"How should I know, the tall one in the front can't stop looking at you," Sydney said wiggling her eyebrows and I scoffed.

"Enough with the jokes..."

"May we sit with you two?" I deep soothing voice said cutting me off. I looked up to see all of them standing in front of our table. My eyes traveled up to his dark red eyes to see him looking straight at me.

"Uhm!" I said feelings super weird like I actually know this person.

"Sure, we always sit by ourselves anyway," Sydney said taking her bag and stuff off the table. She hissed my name to do the same and I slowly did.

"Don't you two smells delicious," A blonde boy from the group moved first to sit down next to me.

"What?" Sydney and I said confused by what he said.

"Don't listen to Jarmee, he doesn't know what he's saying half the time," the short red head said walking around to sit next to Sydney which made her blush hard, "I'm Meraki by the way."

"Sydney!"

"Cool," Meraki smirked before looking at me, "Noelia, right?"

"That's me," I said wanting to disappear, they all was making me feel unease about something and I don't like it.

"Well to introduce everyone, we have Jarmee, Violet, Zero, Zora, me, and Lord Ascelin." Meraki said as the rest of them took a seat at the table. Why she called him Lord? I looked around the cafeteria to see everyone looking at us and I just want to hide, why did they have to come seat by us. Girls already hate me at this school, I don't need another reason.

"Why do y'all lovely ladies sit by yourself?" Jarmee asked leaning towards me.

"I'm not well liked here," I mumbled looking at the table.

"Hmm," Jarmee said looking around the cafeteria.

"Everyone is just jealous that she's my best friend," Sydney said wrapping her arm around my shoulder and I laughed. That's not really why they hate me but I love that excuse better than the real reason.

"Thanks," I said to Sydney and she smiled.

"So, why you guys transfer here from Belmont?" Sydney asked looking at them. I pulled out my cell phone so I wouldn't have to talk anymore and see that my mother called and texted me.

Mom: I know you're probably in class, but I just wanted to tell you that Dylan and I will be heading up there to visit you this weekend!

Perfect timing. Since the Academy is so far from my home, my mom and brother only can come visit me once a month because of the expense. This month has been hard for me and the month really just started, so seeing and hugging my mom will be awesome.

Me: Great can't wait to see you! 

I send back before standing up, "hey Sydney, I need to go speak to the headmaster real quick before class." 

"Ok, do you want me to come with?" 

"No, I'm fine," I said grabbing my stuff then head out the cafeteria. I walked down to where our headmaster office was and knocked on the door.

"Come in!" He said and I opened the door popping my head in.

"Hello, Headmaster, I just want to tell you that my mother and brother is visiting this weekend," I said taking a few steps in his office.

"Your father not coming?"

"My father never comes and I don't aspect him to come too, he doesn't like this school," I said and I swear I heard under the headmaster breath say that, "I don't like him either", but I'm not for sure or I'm really just tripping.

"I was just giving you a heads up because of what happened last time," I said turning around to leave the office.

"Then let me give you a heads up on something," the headmaster said and I slowly turned to look at him, "watch your back, Ms. Rose, those new kids isn't what they seem out to be."

"Already one step ahead of you," I said before leaving his office.

"What did you have to tell the headmaster?" Jarmee said leaning against the wall with Zero next to him. Zero was a red head hottie but looks like if you say the wrong thing he will break you in half.

"Jarmee right?" I said pointing at him and he smiled looking away from me, I rolled my eyes before I start walking down the hall towards my class.

"You remember?" He said coming to stand on my left side as Zero stood on my right.

"Really?" I breathe out ducking my head down so I wouldn't make eye contact with no one, why are these kids around me, I don't know them and they don't know me, so why bother me, "I have good memory."

"So what was you saying to the headmaster?" Jarmee asked.

"That's none of your business and will you guys stop following me," I said stopping in front of my class.

"We're not following you, sweetheart!" Zero deep voice said which was sexy if anyone wants to know, but that's beside the point here.

"We're in this class too," Jarmee said as they both walked pass me and walked into Chem 2.

"Fuck!" I mumbled realizing that I will be stuck with at least one of them all day during school. 

"Hey, there you are," Sydney said behind me, I turned around to see that she was with Meraki and I quickly raised my eyebrow at her.

"I was just waiting on you," I said looking between her and Meraki, "where you been?"

"Don't do that, come on," Sydney said grabbing my arm pulling me in the classroom as I laughed. We took our seats in the back of the room where we usually sit. My eyes glazed to Meraki as she walked into the classroom as well walking towards her crew which surprisedly all in this class together. My eyes roamed the beautiful group until landing on Ascelin who was looking at me. Why he keeps staring at me? I thought turning to Sydney.

"So did you talk to her?" I asked.

"Only for a little bit, but I think she's cool," Sydney said tapping her pencil on her notebook with a small smile, "I don't know, we'll shall see where it goes."

"I guess so, but anyways my mom and brother coming to visit this weekend," I said placing my elbow on the table, "I'm excited to see them."

"Well I'm excited to see your brother because....whoa! He is fine!" Sydney said holding the table and my eyes widen.

"No Sydney!" I said holding her arm as she nod her head laughing, "you fell for my brother charm." I can admit that my brother is pretty yummy to look at and the only reason why I'm admitting it is because we're not blood related.

"I might have, but I'm not going to let it turn me into one of those girls," Sydney said then our teacher came in carrying a stack of papers.

"What girls?" I asked but she didn't answer my question and class started.

"Since it's the middle of the semester we're going to switch lab partners..." Mrs. Bowman said pulling out a sheet of paper as the class groan. Sydney and I gave each other sad face at the mention of new lab partners, "so you guy wouldn't have to be stuck with your boring lab partner all year."

"But what if we're use to our boring partners?" Someone said and we all agreed.

"Well than get used to another one!" She said clapping her hand, "ok table number one..." she start reading off pair of names for each table as I watch her put the transfer kids with one of us. When she got to Sydney name to sit at the table in front of us, Ms. Bowman called Meraki name as well.

"Fuck me!" Sydney blushed glancing up at me grabbing her stuff as I gave her a big smile.

"Have fun," I whispered waving goodbye to her and she flipped me off. 

"Noelia and.....Ascelin, next to them," The teacher said and my heart dropped. Shit!

"Have fun!" Sydney mocked me and I rolled my eyes.

"Shut up!" I mumbled grabbing my stuff and slowly walked over to him since he was already sitting at our assigned table. My eyes study him walking over as I observe that the man was cocky in a scents that everyone should obey him. I mean it seems he does lead his little group and one of them did call him Lord for some reason. Their group is weird and somehow these weird people is interested in Sydney and I, and I must find out what it is. 

"Hello, partner," Ascelin mumbled when I took a seat next to him.

"Hmm," I breathe out placing my books on the desk. Don't worry about it, Noelia, he's hot, so what. Don't let the face distract you from finding out why he keeps looking at you. I then felt something cold on my leg and I look down to see his hand on my leg, my eyes widen in shocked because I never had a boy touch me intimately before, I did have to kick some boys ass one time, but that's all the boy contact I got. My breathing became even, my heartbeat slowed down, and my mind stopped running a mile per minute the second he touch me and I'm wondering how that happened.

"Don't even try it," he mumbled when I tried to take his hand off of me, I quickly met his eyes to see something flash between them and my mind told me to let his hand stay on my leg. I look back towards the front trying to listen to the teacher lesson but all I could think about was Ascelin hand is on my thigh and that I somehow really like it.



(That night....)

"Hey, are you ok?" Sydney asked that night in our room.

"I don't know, I just have a bad feeling when it comes to those new kids," I said looking up at the ceiling.

"You have a bad feeling when it comes to everyone, Noelia," Sydney yawning shutting off both our lamps before hopping in the bed, "beside I think they're cool."

"Of course you do," I mumbled throwing the covers over my head and went to sleep.

Hong Zhao put the ring on his other hand. He was starting to get quite the collection. If he were to put any within one storage ring, it would in his own opinion be disrespectful to those who had given him the rings in the first place.

"You wish to go to Yuan Academy?" Elder Ji looked expectantly at Hong Zhao. 

"Yes your lordship." He bowed slightly. "I wish to become strong. To see the top of this cultivation latter." 

"You have much more spunk than I did when I was your age." Elder Ji nodded while looking at his own grandson. "You are third star student rank, are you not Little Yi?" 

Huang Yi turned a shade red while looking at the floor. "Yes grandfather. I just obtained rank three a week ago."

Elder Ji nodded. "A week ago and you are still at the beginning stage of rank three. You are seven now. You only have three more years before you turn ten. Do not fail to bring honor to this family." He said simply and looked at Hong Zhao. "You are second star student rank in the middle stage, how old are you?"

"This humble one is five years old, your lordship." Hong Zhao said quickly. 

"Only five years old!" The old man guffawed. "You speak as if you were my son, not some five year old."

"Times have taught me to grow quickly." Hong Zhao said with a sympathetic look. "I didn't have parents to rely on, and I was raised in the forest. I gained much of my knowledge from the few interactions I've had with the Li family. They helped me past my language gap and even showed me proper courtesy when talking to someone of a higher authority." Hong Zhao bowed his head and smiled slightly. He was of course speaking the truth in a way. Li Wuhan did try to instill some respect in him before entering the city. He could still see the older boy's face when he turned on his charm.

Hong Zhao had been a master spy. Etiquette was second nature to him. Regardless of where he ended up, a slight bow and a smile seemed to be all that was necessary to make friends.

"Truly, that Li Wuhan is a model child. He always looks after those less fortunate." Elder Ji's gaze somewhat clouded over for a moment before looking back at Hong Zhao with a curious expression. "Maybe you can learn from him as well."

Hong Zhao didn't need to look at Huang Yi to know that his grandfather just made a mistake. From this day forth, he knew that he would have to dodge this grandson, that is unless he could do something about him. Hong Zhao made another mental note of the secret passageway. One thing he had always known since the moment he had signed on to be a special forces operative, if he left a loose end, it would end up coming back and biting him in the ass.

"Honored Elder," Hong Zhao said in a silky sweet five year old voice. "I would like to get a head start on the books you have given me. Would you mind if I take my leave?"

Elder Ji blinked once as he thought. "A young man who understands the importance of studying. Yes, you may take your leave." He waved away Hong Zhao. "Little Yi, stay here for now. The guards will take Hong Zhao back to the Li estate."

Hong Zhao inwardly let out a sigh of relief. If Huang Yi were to escort him back, he would have the time necessary to enact his revenge for his loss of face. He needed to get back to the Li estate and start cultivating. Taking a deep bow, Hong Zhao followed the guard escort back out of the estate.

When he arrived back at the Li estate, Li Wuhan was sitting outside the gate waiting for him to come back. "So, do we have to pack your things?"

Hong Zhao gave the boy a smile while he showed him the storage ring he had received from the village elder. "I actually escaped in tact with a new friend. He gave me many books to read with the promise of more."

Li Wuhan's eyes narrowed slightly. "I have never heard of the village elder doing that for anyone." Hong Zhao could see his skepticism.

"When you meet with the elder, where do you look?" 

"Usually to the floor in a bow." 

"Have you ever looked at the books?"

"That would be disrespectful."

Hong Zhao took an exasperated sigh. "That's the point. The reason why you don't get any books or favors from the elder is simply because you don't see him as a man. You worship the ground instead of looking up at his achievements."

A knowing look came across the older child and he felt foolish. He could obviously see all of the times he had missed out on the opportunity to improve, only because of his own self doubt. 

"I will let you read some of them too," Hong Zhao took one of the books out of his new storage ring. "As long as you give them back right away. I am going to be done with the others he has given me in a few months time. Just give back the one you complete and I'll trade it out for one I've already read."

Li Wuhan smiled and gratefully took the book. His eyes shined as he took the book and put it in his own ring. "Thank you, little brother Zhao. I will return the favor one day."

As Li Wuhan left, Hong Zhao mentally added a tally to the favors he had obtained.

Without pause, Hong Zhao went into his own courtyard and to the upstairs balcony. He sat in the lotus position and took one of the three qi grasping pills he had gotten from Lan. Swallowing the pill, he began to cultivate once more. 

He knew his limits. Though he was a five year old with a cultivation of a second star student, he knew it was a world away from a third star. 

The day progressed smoothly. He cultivated for most of the day on the balcony, and when the sun set, he went to the back yard of his courtyard and trained his vortex thrust and devouring qi claws.

For the next month, Hong Zhao had the following routine. He would wake up at dawn, cultivate for two hours, then join the Li family for breakfast. He then trained in his abilities until noon. By then, his qi would need to be replenished, so he would eat lunch, talk with Li Wuhan about the books they were reading, then cultivate once more for two more hours. 

By the time a month had passed, he was at the bottleneck once more and could do no more with his cultivation. After having been in the Li estate for a month and not roaming outside, Hong Zhao began to feel slightly claustrophobic. He needed to get back out to the wild and kill some fierce beasts. He could feel his blood boil as he thought of the hunt and knew he had to go if he wanted to progress. He looked at his best friend Shadow who was curled up in the corner. He could tell that the shadow panther was feeling much the same. "Are you ready to hunt?" 

Shadow stood and stretched out his muscles, yawning, Hong Zhao could see how the feline's claws kneaded the wood floor, splinters showing when he walked away. His shadow panther had grown once more. Now he was close to Hong Zhao's thigh.

Hong Zhao himself had grown a few inches since the last time he set foot outside. He was hoping that maybe Huang Yi had enough time to cool down within the month before he left, though he knew that he would not be so lucky. If he knew the young man's actions well enough, he'd bet that someone out of the Li estate had been posted so that the young lord might be informed when Hong Zhao left. If he did, Huang Yi would bring a few of his friends with to rough him up a little, and get him to leave the village.

Keeping this in mind, Hong Zhao waited until long after night passed. The moon was not visible in the sky this night, which was why he waited until this moment to leave. Putting on his midnight black robe, even with the gold embroidery it was hard to see against the night sky. He headed out to the balcony of the second floor and jumped onto the railing. As he did this, Shadow prowled in the darkness below. If he didn't want anyone to see him, people rarely did.

Using vortex thrust, Hong Zhao propelled himself upward onto the roof of his home and took a running start. Before he hit the edge of the building, he built up a huge gust of wind at his feet, pushing him upward to the Li elder estate. He then scaled the building to the top where he would have a good aerial view of the village. 

As far as he could tell, the other buildings were almost level with the walls. If he could use the buildings as stepping stones, he would be able to make it out of the village without being noticed.

"It's easy to come up with a plan, let's see if it's as easy to enact it!" He used his vortex thrust and launched himself off of the building. Before he landed or broke through the first roof, he used vortex thrust again to stop his descent. Instead of breaking through, to his amazement he actually landed without a sound. Running to the edge of the home, he kept vortex thrust activated, giving him a layer of wind between his feet and the roof. If he used the ability right, no one would even hear him running on the roof.

Jumping from rooftop to rooftop, he easily made it past the oblivious guards and citizens of the village. Even if someone were to look up, unless they had a torch directed at him, they wouldn't even see a reflection of the gold on his robes.

Hong Zhao made the one last vortex thrust infused leap and cleared the wall in one fell swoop. Landing on his feet outside of the village, Hong Zhao kept vortex thrust activated as he disappeared back into the forest. Right behind him, he heard the rhythmic beating of Shadow catching up to him. "Let's go." He sprinted deep within the forest at a speed that last month would have seemed impossible. He went further into the forest than he had started out at with Lan. He knew that the further in he went, the stronger his opponent might be, and he was looking for a match to his own strength.

Jason Slate was your ordinary spy, if you could say such things about spies. High marksmanship, battle tested, and expert infiltrator. Never has he lost a battle, and never has his mark escaped. Though while finishing up his latest assignment, the unexpected happened. 

Now Jason has been thrust into a world of martial arts and cultivation in a body of a five year old and given a new name and purpose. Into a land where the strong rule over the weak and corruption reins free.

The only way to return home is to become the strongest in the land. He must attain the cultivation rank of God within his lifetime. Can he survive? How exactly will this master infiltrator adapt into this strange world?

new books coming out this month

Storm Caller - The New Era

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Coming Out

Phoenix Destiny

Remember The Name

Beyond The Impossible

Stories of Progeny, traveling through worlds

Teens Without Direction

He’s Rose

Red Talon Piercing The Darkness

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