1 BEGININGS

As interesting as the world may already appear with grandiose topics such as 'why are we here?' and 'how are we here?' one must venture either far or close to find something that they would be content with pursuing.

Whether that be in the arts or the field of science one must have reason for their continual attempts at existing, as such are their ideals or dreams.

That being the case, is one inclined to give up their ideals when they're opposed by a 'greater being?'

"I want to create a human being!"

Such were the ideals of young Ivan

"Don't be a fool Ivan, you're too young to be considering stuff like that, hurry and go to bed. Your first day of school starts tomorrow."

"M-Mom, I didn't mean it that way!" Embarrassed by the notion of his mother, Ivan shyly slithered upstairs towards his bedroom, all the while proclaiming his displeasure "and besides, there is more work to be done, I can feel it Mom. This time for sure my research will bear fruit!"

Hearing the door of Ivan's bedroom slam shut, his mother muttered to herself "...'This time for sure huh'… When is that kid going to grow up?"

If you asked Ivan's mother how big his room was, then she'd tell you that it was the size of their living room. And yet if that were the case, then you wouldn't think so looking at his bedroom right now.

Books scattered, some open others not, covered the room's floor making stifling towers that brushed the ceiling. If not for the straight path empty of any obstacles one would not notice the lone desk at the other end of the room. Then again it was this very desk that was buried in a sea of crumpled up papers and empty water bottles.

On this desk lay some basic amenities like Ivan's monitor, his keyboard, mouse ,pen, pencil eraser and notebook. But his most prized possession would be the pc that stood beneath his desk. It was after all his most useful resource to conduct his research and find information.

All these things together formed what Ivan liked to call the "Alchemist's Secret Society" also known as A.S.S for short. To him his bedroom was to be regarded as more like a lab than anything.

As for what kind of research was to be conducted, then that would be his aforementioned goal of creating human life. Well, even he believed himself to be far away from completing that goal, so for now he was content with finding a way to create sentient life.

From there he supposed that he could raise it to be human, kind of like a Frankenstein situation. Of course he could do without his creation going on a rampage and terrorizing a community.

Ivan himself found a certain beauty in rebelling against the forces of nature, in a way it made him excited just thinking about it.

Wiping the drool from his mouth, Ivan slapped his cheeks and steeled himself for another long studying session.

His admiration for alchemists are what stirred his desire to be one, their abilities to be precise. Creating life, prolonging one's vitality, transforming copper to gold, and curing all diseases, in short Ivan admired the ability to defy what was considered to be far from humanity's reach in ability.

As an aspiring alchemist he of course pursued the very things former alchemists spent their life searching for, that of course being an elixir of immortality, the panacea (a remedy to cure any disease and prolong life) and the perfection of the human body and soul.

To him, his reason for existing was to recreate the same mythological feats as his predecessors once did. As for why out of all the things alchemist sought he decided to recreate life itself, it was his personal belief that so long as he creates a being capable of carrying on his will then he'd live forever. And in living forever then it would be inevitable that he'd be able to accomplish the feats of every other alchemist.

He is someone who didn't seek immortality as while he'd have tons of time to perform his research he believed that he'd grow lazy with all that time, he was someone who worked better knowing either he completed his work or died full of regret. Things like the elixir of life and the panacea were just something he wanted to recreate, as for whether or not he'd use them on himself, he'd have to decide when the time comes.

"Ahhhh, it's no use! No matter which method I use, my results never yield anything worth of value!" After hours of trial and error, he was not a single step closer to replicating life as he was when he took up alchemy 6 years ago.

Ivan considered every option; science, the occult, magic, none of these things brought the answers he sought.

"Well, it's time to hit the hay. Ugh, my first day at another school huh? Sounds like a pain in the ass. Why can't mom understand that I'm on the brink of greatness! She wouldn't be so worried about my future if that bastard was still alive."

Nervousness? Loneliness? Ivan didn't feel the prospect of any of those things when he was told by his mother that they'd be moving. For he who put all of his time into research and studying never bothered himself into making relationships, as such he assumed his mother only saw him as a friendless neet.

To Ivan the last thing he needed was to manage relationships while he could be spending his valuable time doing other things.

Changing into his pajamas after taking care of his hygiene, Ivan brushed off the papers and books cluttering his bed and huddled himself into his blankets. At this point he was desensitized by the lack of data received from his research. As someone open to exploring multiple options he only thought that it would be inevitable for a breakthrough. He only had to explore even further.

Gossip, drama, and getting stabbed in the back, these were all things Ivan abhorred. So in his mind he thought how kind god must be to create a breeding ground for all these things in one place.

Keeping these exaggerated thoughts to himself, Ivan adorned his polo-blue blazer and slithered his way to the front door.

"'This time for sure' huh… where have I heard that before?" Of course he was unable to reach his destination without his mother who mocked him for his remarks the other day. All the while adorning a smirk on her face as if she was looking at something pathetic.

"Hooooh, is that a challenge I hear? Fine, how about this if I'm unable to provide proof of my accomplishments by the time I return home, I'll go get a job. How's that?" Ivan grimaced in shame and did his best to hide his embarrassment. However, in that shame he proposed something even he knew he couldn't back up.

"Deal!" Grinning from ear to ear his mother quickly accepted the proposal before he had time to retract it 'If he were to get a job maybe he'd awaken from his delusions and finally grow up' She thought to herself.

Hiding his expression of despair Ivan took a step out the house and made his way to school.

"Ahhhh, this is bad? I cannot conduct my research if i'm gonna be stuck working, school is enough of a time waste as is!"

Panic set in, his mind began racing as he sought ways to evade his doom. And before he knew it he arrived at his destination.

'I have a couple hours to come up with a plan, you got this me!' Dumping all the hard work on future Ivan he made his way in.

He arrived just on time right before his first class, outside his classroom awaited his teacher who'd be introducing him to the rest of the class.

"....."

"....."

It was only a short meeting yet it was one accompanied by such awkward silence.

"...Huh?" Rubbing his eyes to make sure he was seeing things straight, Ivan once more beheld the sight in front of him. Standing at a not so impressive 143cm (4'8ft) was a woman who had just introduced herself as his teacher. With dark brown hair that stopped at her shoulders and green eyes that showed disapproval, suggesting she knew what he was thinking, Ivan avoided his gaze and introduced himself.

All the while doing his best not to let his emotions show on his face.

"Nice to meet ya' Hatayama-sensei. My name is Ivan Korei, I'm new to this school but I hope you'll be willing to advise me!" Finishing his introduction with a bow, Ivan remarked at how well his ass-kissing skills were.

"Umu umu, great to meet you, Ivan-kun! It'd be a pleasure to welcome you to my class." Clearly pleased by the respect he showed towards her, she gleefully welcomed him to her class.

As much as Ivan dislikes having to maintain relations with other people he knew it'd be better to have many allies rather than enemies, as such his philosophy in life was that 'everyone is a friend of mine until they aren't'

"Alright, please wait here while I get the class ready, when I call for you please enter and present yourself. From there I shall point you to your seat and you may sit down."

Nodding at his teacher's explanation Ivan leaned against the door waiting for his introduction.

Although the time for his first appearance was coming up, his thoughts were only occupied with potential ways to progress his skills as an alchemist.

It probably wasn't very helpful but Ivan had read many books and stories of alchemists as well as watched films involving them, that was how desperate he was to find any sort of inspiration for his work.

And then…

"Please come in and introduce yourself!"

Ivan heard a shout from the other side of the door and dusted off his blazer.

'It's showtime' he thought to himself.

CREAK

Walking in with a confident stride and a half-smile adorned on his face, Ivan turned to face his future classmates.

Curiosity and some points disappointment is what he observed from the class. The disappointment being mainly from the guys in the class hoping for some cute new girl and a few girls who became disinterested, not seeing him to be their type

Not minding any of this Ivan made it a point to speak courteously towards his class

"Nice to meet you everyone! My name is Ivan Korei, and I look forward to spending the rest of my years with you all! I enjoy reading and chemistry, please take care of me!" Finishing off his introduction with a neat bow, Ivan listened closely to the murmuring in the classroom.

"Oi, you're telling me we got another nerd in our class?"

"Jeez, and here I thought Hajime was enough to deal with as it is."

"Haahhhh, why couldn't it be some cute girl instead?"

It took a minute before the teacher, Hatayama Aiko, intervened and settled down the class "Alright alright settle down everyone, class shall begin in a minute, Ivan-kun why don't you go ahead and take a seat next to Hajime-kun."

Ivan made his move towards his seat compliantly, for now he'd have to observe the atmosphere in his class before he can see where he'd place himself.

It happened after lunch, after being dogpiled by a bunch of curious classmates, Ivan finally had a moment for himself to relax. Half the day was gone and instead of finding a solution to his problem he spent that time familiarizing himself with his classroom's hierarchy and asking his classmates a few questions.

Now he was observing the hierarchy of the class in act right next to him. It seems that his neighbor, Hajime Nagumo, has quite a few people displeased with him. He often slept through class, during breaks he'd either read or play games on his phone, generally this Hajime Nagumo was a quiet person.

So how did he become the ire of the class even though he hardly interacts with anyone in it, well one factor Ivan discerned from a classmate of his is that Hajime has a fondness for otaku culture, that very culture is not publicly accepted so his classmates discriminated against him for it.

Another factor that most certainly painted a target on his back is that he has caught the eye of the most popular girl in school, if everyone had a positive opinion of him then they probably wouldn't resist much, and yet it's because they look down on him so much that they can't accept that he has earned the eye of the school's number one beauty.

'But anime and games huh…' Ivan had used otaku culture before as a reference for his work and was quite impressed by the imaginativeness. As such it got him thinking, the situations in many works in which one attains great power from a higher being

'Is it possible to learn this power?'

And then suddenly, as if a 'God' had heard his plea, a bright array appeared on the floor of the classroom. Symbols and patterns were revealed as a blue light threatened to engulf the students, Hatayama Aiko's screams to evacuate the classroom were useless as only seconds later her and the rest of the students were completely engulfed.

The light faded away and no one was left, the once full classroom became completely empty in the blink of an eye…