1 Avon

CRASH

"You trash! What do you think you're doing?!" exclaimed a young woman who appeared to be in her mid-twenties as she angrily glared at Avon.

"I'm sorry. I-I didn't mean to trip over your stuff," replied a frail-looking boy who seemed younger than 15, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Avon!" The boy turned around and saw an old man rushing over with a hammer in his hand.

"I apologize for his mistake, miss. I will compensate you for anything that's damaged," said the old man, Wilson, as he approached the scene.

"Grandpa Wilson, it was me who knocked that stuff over. You don't have to take responsibility for it," the boy Avon said weakly.

"Gahhh!! Just get lost, you filth, and stay away from my beast materials! Scum like you would just ruin their efficacy just by being near them," the young woman said before storming off with her beast materials.

Wilson gently placed a hand on Avon's shoulder. "Now Avon, I told you to be careful around awakeners, didn't I?"

Avon hung his head low, his voice barely audible as he spoke. "You did, b-but she was just running fast and I-I couldn't get out of the way in time, a-and it just fell down a-a-and..."

"It's okay, Avon. Just be careful next time," Wilson said in a reassuring tone, before turning to leave.

As Wilson walked away, Avon couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt. He knew his grandfather didn't have much, and he didn't want to be the reason for him losing more.

Avon was an orphan who had been abandoned by his parents after his birth when it was determined that he had no mana core and could not awaken. The old man Wilson, who was a blacksmith and technician, found Avon near the dumps and took care of him ever since, feeling pity for him.

They lived in the slums of a major city, Strata City. After calming down, Avon noticed that it was getting dark and went to the workshop to prepare dinner for himself and his grandfather. Dinner was quite simple, just some roasted meat and mashed potatoes, but it was enough for the duo to live off.

"Now Avon, go to your room and sleep. I still have to repair this mana absorption unit, so I will be up late tonight."

"Sure, grandfather."

After bidding his grandfather goodnight, Avon walked to his room, which was a small corner in the workshop. He lay down on the makeshift bed and stared at the ceiling, lost in thought. The incident from earlier kept replaying in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel guilty for causing trouble for his grandfather.

Avon's thoughts were interrupted by a loud noise coming from the workshop. He sat up and listened carefully, trying to figure out what was happening. There was a sudden explosion, and the workshop shook violently, causing Avon to fall off his bed.

He quickly got up and ran towards the workshop, fearing the worst. As he reached the entrance, he saw that the door had been blown off its hinges, and smoke was billowing out of the workshop. He could hear his grandfather coughing and groaning from inside.

Without a second thought, Avon rushed inside, trying to find his grandfather. The workshop was in shambles, with tools and equipment scattered everywhere. It was almost impossible to navigate through the debris, but Avon managed to find his grandfather lying on the floor, barely conscious.

"Grandpa Wilson! Are you okay? What happened?" Avon exclaimed as he helped his grandfather sit up.

"Now now, what do we have here?" Avon head a sinister voice coming from the blazing flames in front of him.

"It seems to be a little boy, huh?"

Out of the smoke came a man clad in violet armor with his head exposed.

"Now then, it's quite surprising to find the great Scorching Metal Blacksmith in these desolate slums."

Avon stood there with a frightened face as he was paralyzed due to the aura emitted by the man.

"What do you want, Dragon Fiend?" asked his grandfather calmly.

"Just give me the Corporeal Engine and I will be on my way."

As the name Corporeal Engine was mentioned, the look on Wilson's face turned ugly, and he secretly whispered to Avon.

"Run, Avon! Get out of here as fast as you can."

Avon hesitated for a moment, not wanting to leave his grandfather behind, but he knew that he had to follow his instructions. He quickly nodded and ran towards the entrance, hoping to find a way out of the burning workshop.

The Dragon Fiend noticed Avon trying to escape but did not try to stop him. Instead, he turned his attention back to Wilson.

"So, will you give me what I want or not?" he asked impatiently.

Wilson glared at the Dragon Fiend, his eyes filled with anger.

"You know I can't do that," he said firmly.

The Dragon Fiend sighed and shook his head.

"Then I guess we'll have to do this the hard way," he said, pulling out a sword from his sheath.

"You know, although I am old I can still hold off against the likes of you." spoke Wilson domineeringly.

"I would very much like to see how and old fart like you can fight against an SS-Rank awakener like me."

Immediately the Dragon Fiend shot at Wilson and a fierce battle took place which could be heard for miles.

Avon ran as fast as he could, but the thick smoke made it difficult for him to see where he was going. He stumbled over debris and coughed uncontrollably. He could hear the clash of swords and the sound of metal hitting metal from behind him, making him realize that the battle between his grandfather and the Dragon Fiend was still ongoing.

'I didn't know that grandfather was that strong!' thought Avon mentally as he ran towards the old warehouse that belongs to his grandfather.

As Avon reached the warehouse, he hid inside and waited for the sound of the battle to fade away. Hours passed, and he could no longer hear anything from the outside. He grew restless and decided to peek outside to see what had happened.

What he saw was a gruesome sight. The once-thriving workshop of his grandfather was now in ruins, and there was no sign of his grandfather. Avon knew that he should have tried to help his grandfather, but fear had paralyzed him. It was now too late.

As Avon stepped outside, the first thing he noticed was the pouring rain. It was as if the skies were mourning the loss of his grandfather. Avon cautiously made his way through the debris towards the center of the workshop, where the battle had taken place.

And then he saw it. The lifeless body of his grandfather lay in a pool of blood. The sight was too much for Avon, and he collapsed to his knees in grief. The only family he had was now gone, and he had been too afraid to save him.

Avon sat there in the rain, tears mixing with the raindrops. He felt a sense of guilt and regret wash over him. If only he had been brave enough to help his grandfather, maybe he would still be alive.

"AAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

The young boy roared to the skies.

Ding!

Then the boy heard a sound and looked up, only to see a holographic screen in front of him with some words on it.

[DO YOU WANT POWER?]

[YES / NO]

"HAHAHAHA, now I am even going crazy seeing things," Avon thought. "Oh well." He raised his hand and tapped YES.

Then a thunderbolt from the sky struck him. As he was losing consciousness, the last thing he saw was a barrage of floating screens.

[SYSTEM BINDING IN PROGRESS]

[1...5...18...25...39...68...87...99...100]

[SYSTEM SUCCESSFULLY BOUND]

[WELCOME HOST TO THE CYBORG SYSTEM]