1 Fate

—There are people who are born with a destiny. They are born one way, contrary to their ideals. They have abilities they don't want, but they envy the abilities of others. They were born into a family they don't want and want to change it. Who was born with a physique he doesn't want and curses his parents for being born that way. These people are destined to have a cruel life, full of injustice and in which they will not be able to do anything but endure the blows that life gives them.

—But what defines people is not what you look like when you are born, or what you inherit from your parents and family. It's your actions, and that's the secret, that's the power we people have to change ourselves and destiny.

A child listened attentively to his parents in what he did not know was going to be their last meeting.

______________

8 years later in the capital of the Interstellar Organization of Humanity (IOH)

Today was the last day of teaching in compulsory schools. As of today all children living under the influence of the IOH have two months of vacation before starting the IOH Academy.

In the corridors of one of the centers there was, as usual, a boy with short brown hair and light skin, walking alone. The problem with the boy was not that he was ugly, or that he had a bad personality, but that he had not awakened his bloodline and had no ability. That's the problem fate had played on him, and it was no small problem in this day and age.

Now your bloodline can mark the value of your life or the social rank you can achieve, and although ability can make it vary, the bloodline you inherit means power, and that was the reason for the division of mankind. When humanity reached a great technological level and began to discover new worlds, new solar systems, invented teleporters and holograms, someone came up with the following question: what happens if with today's technology we put the blood of an animal in a person?

It is not known if the one who asked that question expected these results, but what was at first called a modified human is the normal human now. In fact, those who have not awakened their bloodline and are normal humans are considered the lowest rank of society. Some do not even think they are worthy of being called human, if not an inferior race.

That was the suffering Arlen has had for several years now. Many times he had wanted to give up, once he had even cursed his family and then regretted it. During the last years of compulsory school it had been a continuous horror, beatings, discrimination and threats. But today he had a smile on his face, today this hell was over, he didn't know how the Academy was going to be, but that didn't matter to him now.

*Ding

At the sound of his watch a message appeared before him from the principal asking him to come to his office. Arlen didn't mind, in fact, he was happy. The principal was an older man who had known Arlen's parents and the only one who had ever treated him well. The principal is a busy man so he was not always in the capital, but whenever he came they spent a lot of time together. When Arlen arrived at the office he knocked three times on the door.

—Come in Arlen, I've been waiting for you.

A deep, gravelly voice greeted him. Arlen had no idea how old the director was, but he guessed he must be quite old from the white hair in his beard and the wrinkles in his skin.

—Good morning, headmaster.

—Good, good, but I've told you a thousand times, when it's just the two of us, to call me Brand. Come here, make some tea for this poor old man.

Arlen was happy to help him, put his backpack on the floor and made the tea he asked for. Brand was from one of the 5 branches into which humanity split, he had in his veins the bloodline of the Lions, known also for the high grade fire ability of his family.

When Arlen brought him a glass of cold water with the tea bag old Brand only had to make a little heat to bring the tea to its perfect temperature.

—Sit down, son. I have something to give you.

Arlen took heed and sat across the table from the headmaster unable to hide his nervousness and excitement.

'What will he give me, will he invite me to his family? He's never given me a gift, I'm nervous.'

Then from one of the drawers he pulled out a square box not too big and black in color. Arlen didn't know what to say, he didn't know what the old director was giving him, but he had never seen anything like it.

—What is it?

—I don't know.

Arlen froze in place before looking up from the box and looking at the director. He couldn't figure out why the director had given him that.

—So?

—As you know your parents were supporters of humanity, and instead of joining one of the 5 great families they joined IOH, unlike me, who was forced to join.

Arlen nodded his head in agreement. He knew that story from the many times Brand had told it to him.

—The day your parents died was one of the last of the war against the Reddaj. Your parents made me promise to take care of you, even if I had to use my family to protect you, and that when you finished your compulsory education I would give you that box —he said, pointing to the object in Arlen's hands—. I'm not going to lie to you, I've tried to open it several times, but I've never succeeded, and when I gave it to you I expected some kind of reaction, but neither. Now it's up to you to figure out how to open it.

Arlen looked at the box with big eyes full of joy before hugging it.

—Thank you, director.

—Don't worry, and I told you my name is Brand.

Arlen and the director laughed.

A while later he had no choice but to say goodbye to Brand, and Arlen held onto the book tightly until he got home, he didn't want his parents' gift to be stolen.

As he sat down in a chair with the book in front of him he examined it all over without being able to discover anything, not a single mark with which to differentiate top from bottom, or right from left. Setting the book down on the table Arlen crossed his arms to look at the box.

—I have two months before the Academy starts, that's how long I have to open you.

And that's how he spent two months, he tried to burn it, he plugged it into the current in case it ran on electricity, he ran it through water, he threw it hard against the floor and the wall. Arlen spent two whole months looking for information about puzzles or enigmas that his parents had done in the box, but nothing could open it.

When the last day came before the Academy started, Arlen was desperate. He had tried everything not once, not twice, not three times, he had repeated it a lot of times and he could not figure out how to open the box. When it was already dark Arlen knelt down with the box on his legs.

—Mom, Dad, why did you give me this, what am I supposed to do?

A tear slipped down Arlen's face and fell into the box, and that's when the box lit up.

"Master found. Beginning synchronization with new master."

When Arlen heard those words come out of the box he was surprised, but he couldn't do anything as he began to feel very tired, as if something was forcing him to sleep.

"Synchronization 0%"

"5%"

Arlen was still listening to the voice in the background, but he had no strength.

"15%"

"20%"

Arlen felt the cold ground on his face. He couldn't quite understand the voice or what was going on. What had his parents left him? What was the box?

"80%"

"85%"

'Are you saying numbers?'

"95%"

"100%"

"Synchronization complete. Morning, master."

What surprised Arlen before he fell asleep is that the last sentence echoed in his head.