"Aww, so tired."
A young man staggered towards the rooftop, yawning.
"Finally, I'm done with the last volume of that vexing webnovel. I can finally let go" He muttered, opening the door.
His face looked haggard and unkempt. Heavy eyebags drooping beneath bloodshot eyes betrayed his severe exhaustion and lack of sleep.
Walking to the edge of the high rise apartment where he lived, he looked down.
"So beautiful." He whispered.
He had always loved the wonder and intrigue of life. He craved the thrill of uncertainty, the high of possibility. But sadly, life was built on inequality and he had been handed the short end of it.
That was probably why he got addicted to those webnovels.
"Haa... I can finally end it all." He said again.
He breathed a sigh of relief... And jumped.
As his body cut through the air, violent winds tearing across his face, he finally felt free... Alive.
Memories flickered through his mind. His parents. The mysterious neurodisease he had been born with that made his life completely miserable. At fourteen, he had taken some money from his parents and left home.
Ever since then, he had lived without purpose having given up on everything. He only found escape drowning in the countless worlds of webnovels trying to forget his own.
But now, he decided it was useless to keep holding on.
Before he hit the ground a random thought flashed through his mind.
'if only I had another chance at life, I'd live it to the fullest.'
***
"Not enough," a boy muttered, frowning.
He was practicing his spearmanship, and while there wasn't a lot of strength behind his swings any seasoned spearman would exclaim in appreciation of his precise moves. Still he wasn't satisfied with that. His goal was more... So much more.
His face, fixed in focus, could already be considered good looking. His features currently transitioning from their chubby roundness to a chiseled, manly handsomeness. He had piercing red eyes, a common factor for all members of the Phlego family's main branch. His neatly cut black hair framed his features with disciplined elegance.
"Big brother Luke!" A thin voice called to him. Looking towards the voice, Luke's frown melted into a smile.
"Hello Arya, good evening. How was your nap? Did you sleep well?" Luke said as he scooped the running Arya into his arms.
Arya was his little sister and his only sibling. He had often been accused of being an overprotective brother, but he paid that no mind. What big brother wouldn't adore and protect a sweet little sister like Arya?
"Mm, I dreamt about big brother coming to save me from big bad men." Arya said, wrapping her hands around his neck with a bright smile.
'so cute.' Luke thought, his smile widening into a grin.
"Don't worry, Big brother will always protect you." He said.
"Okay! I trust you big bro." Arya said with a resolute expression that turned out to just be cuter. Luke couldn't help but think that this wasn't so bad.
"Also, Mom said to call you for dinner."
Hearing that, Luke's smile faded slightly. It had being nearly a month since the Seeding ceremony but he still felt lingering guilt towards his parents.
That day was burned into his memory.
The Seeding Ceremony. An event that marked the turning point in the life of every latiaran twelve year old. The day of destiny. Where they would either take flight as geniuses or be cast down as failures.
The people of Latiara were born connected to their world through seeds. This allowed them to manipulate the aether from the world using it in all aspects of life.
Most latiarans were born with mundane seeds which allowed for the sensing and rudimentary usage of aether. The few who were lucky enough to be born with awakened seeds could soar to the sky becoming Awakened seeded.
During the ceremony, their seeds were activated and distinguished.
The activated seed determined a person's life path.
Luke Phlego, the once-in-a-century's genius and the next flame of the Phlego clan had awakened... a dud seed.
A rare dead seed signifying a mark of wasted potential.
That day, his life broke down before his eyes. He didn't remember much, he couldn't care for the gazes of those who pitied him or rejoiced in his misfortune. All he felt was despair.
Since that day, he'd felt ashamed of facing his parents despite their repeated assurances. But it wasn't just about them...
"Luke! If you don't come over with your sister. We'll eat everything up!" His father's voice boomed from the dining room.
"We're coming!" Luke called out smiling again, he moved Arya to sit on his shoulders holding her legs as they went to the dining room.
"What took you so long?" His mom asked on their arrival. She was setting the table, her long ice blue hair tied into a bun. Hair colour was a sign of bloodline potency in Latiara, and Leona, known as the ice empress now had few strands of her original auburn hair left.
"I was practicing my spear." Luke said, setting Arya down to take his seat.
A brief look of concern flashed through his parents face. He knew they were worried about him. And they likely knew what he was up to.
"Luke... You're obviously very talented in the spear. I myself don't dare compare my potential with yours, and people say I'm a monster," said Dio, Luke's father with a half-smile. "Still, trying to awaken a Spear Seed..."
His mother said nothing but her silence affirmed that she shared his thoughts.
Luke lowered his gaze, clenching his fists. He knew it was uncertain. No, even more than that—There was no known way to obtain a weapon seed. He had researched. Gone through every account, every rumor. Those who succeeded always spoke of feeling the weapon's essence, but that description was maddeningly vague.
No one had explained it clearly. Throughout history, only a handful of people had gotten weapon seeds and all of them had become legends.
Many had pursued that power, skipping the awakening ceremony entirely in hopes of drawing out a weapon seed later. Most who followed that path faded into obscurity.
Still... This was the only path he could see now.
"Dad, Mom. This is my choice, this is my path. I'll awaken the Spear Seed. If not now, a few months later, or a few years later. I'll keep going until I do it." Luke said, looking at his parents with resolve in his eyes.
He expected them to get angry, maybe scold him, but they just smiled at him.
"We just wanted to be sure that you were aware of what you're getting into. It seems you are and we're content with that." Leona, Luke's mother said.
"Yes, Luke," Dio added with a hearty laugh. "if anyone can do the impossible it's my son. You've got our full support."
"Big bro can definitely do whatsoever he puts his mind to. He's the best!" Arya joined in, not entirely sure what was being discussed but supporting her brother nonetheless.
Hearing them, Luke blinked, stunned.
He knew his family loved him, but a part of him had doubted; aware of how much expectations laid on his shoulders.
But now, hearing their support so clearly, he struggled to hold back tears.
"Don't think too much my boy," Dio said warmly. "We know how you feel about all this, but trust us, even if you couldn't amount to anything, we'd still love you the same. Yes, we had expectations, but you're first our son before any of those other things. No matter what you choose to do or how you chose to live your life, we've got you."
Luke was just twelve. Suffering such a massive setback, He had been holding himself together. But tonight his family's words finally broke down the dam.
That night, after dinner, he slept more peacefully than he had in a month, hopeful about the future.
... If only he knew, that was the calm before the storm.