1 Caedes

A young man floated in the middle of the ocean, his eyes closed.

As if banished from heaven itself, water descended the skies, threatening to drown the mortal world. 

He had long since given in to this searing wind that raged the ocean itself. His long, damp hair transformed into a shade of scarlet as the salt ocean ate him up.

Drowning, he eventually made contact with the seabed as the entire ocean lit up.

"Caedes…"

Engravings started to appear on the man's body, and a pleasant, musical voice could be heard over the seas. The sea creatures all panicked and swam away out of concern that this man might murder them.

He sat up, his fingers digging deep into the soft, damp sand.

"My memories are back. It's been 7 years since everything started—since I met her? This is not what I wanted. The problem is not with me but with this era itself." The man muttered broken sentences, taking the load of information in.

His face contorted in despair and agony as tears streamed down, letting his long-suppressed feelings finally come to the surface.

Even the mighty ocean screamed for help as innumerable tentacles erupted from behind the man's back, slamming onto everything it came in contact with.

This was not what he wanted!

And what's worse? This was not something he would accept!

"I shall end this era!"

*** 

Year 0024- Present timeline

"Caedes? Caedes! Wake up- Are you still sleeping? Wake up or we will be late, for gods' sake!" With shouts of worry and annoyance, a young boy continuously knocked on the door.

Unable to remain in his unconscious state, the boy opened his eyes with some effort.

Without having a moment to gather his thoughts, he felt an incoming headache due to the continuous banging on his door.

tak tak tak!

Forcing his body to move, Caedes turned the knob of the door open.

"Arghh, where am I? What..just happened? Was that a dream?" As Caedes organized himself, the huge figure of Zayn startled him.

"Dude, for god's sake, hurry up and get dressed! We're getting late for the orientation!"

Unable to keep a stable composure, Caedes gently pushed Zayn towards the door- asking him to wait outside.

For the orientation was of utmost importance, it not only marked the start of one's journey to fight for the supremacy of humans against the demons but also gives an important overview of the world.

Changing into the designated white uniform with red stripes on it, they rushed into an extravagant looking hall inside one of the largest academies in the domain of Egypt.

There, a platform could be seen raised at the very center of it, a man with long, black hair stood with a tight black suit donning his figure.

A strong scent of chocolate surrounded the man, he gazed indifferently at the hundreds of kids the age of 17 sitting around him in a circular pattern.

"My name is Silva. The dean of Mark academy." The man's blue eyes were calm, his body stoic.

Everyone in the hall felt themselves being completely seen through. It was like the man could read their thoughts.

Adjusting his black tie, Silva's sharp eyes flickered with profoundness,

"Year 103, Demons invaded Gaia, we realised we weren't alone. That humans were not the only race that existed in this universe! When new age weapons stopped working against the Asur's? Portals appeared around the world, leading to a place known as 'The grave of Gods'.

Humans finally found the way to extract a god's bloodline after various experimentations and started resisting against the demons for supremacy.

For all we know, Asur's could attack us anytime. We have, therefore, no use of the weak! A world where age is just a number, where a child could be called lucky to be born with power while the rest are just cannon fodder. 

On this auspicious day, I would like to ask you all of your dreams."

"I want to travel the ancient god's realm and get stronger!"

While it was one kid who said this, many heads nodded in agreement, who wouldn't want to gain the power to destroy mountains with a single punch or split the skies in two?

Upon being blinded by the light of excitement in everyone's eyes, Silva glanced at the only boy who seemed to be distracted, as if he was not part of the conversation they were having. Pointing at the boy, he asked the kid's name.

Seeing that everyone was looking at him, the boy raised his neck, looking at Silva with his dead, grey eyes, 

"My name is Caedes."

"So then Caedes, what is your dream?"

"…"

"I…I want to live a peaceful life, a life where I could be happy and not be ridiculed for my weakness… "

"Hahaha…" A boy dressed in black trousers and a white shirt laughed, his fat stomach threatening to break free from the clutches of his dress, "A happy life, you say?

Don't be misguided, you pig… This world is for the strong, you. Who is just a piece of trash, someone who cannot even tame a beast is not meant to have dreams, just shut up and be the servant you are!"

"Hahaha"

Everyone around him started laughing before the guide interrupted,

'A pity indeed… With handsomeness that could rival even mine and still not have evolved…"

"Now, now everyone, calm down, please…" Silva said while thinking thoughtfully, completely oblivious to how biased his views were…

After all, it wasn't as if the god's had forsaken the lesser beings, a title given to the people unable to awaken their ancestral god's genes or integrate with a god's essence.

As if that kids utter presence would sully the environment, Silva glanced at the staff at the back while signaling them,

"Please note that you will be having a welcome party at the beachside tomorrow. A bus will take you there. Your rooms in the guest dorm have been assigned, I request everyone to follow the attendant over there" Silva said, pointing at a woman.

Everyone walked towards her, completely ignoring the boy who was trembling with shame and anger.

The silence of not only the kids but of everyone around Just proved that there is no use for weaklings in this world. Taking a deep breath, Caedes ran towards the children to not be left behind.

A few minutes later everybody went inside their rooms.

Caedes submerged himself inside a bathtub as water overflowed from the sides. His eyes looked lost, his face pale with his arms hugging his body. Lifting his head, the boy took deep breaths as his body trembled severely.

"Everything is fine, Everything is fine, everything is fine…" He murmured repeatedly. Tears streamed down his face, his hands clutching into his head. The boy shut his eyes close, not wanting to see the mess he was. He could not tolerate the behavior he was getting.

How could he? He was born into a wealthy family! Having been born with a silver spoon, he was given love, respect and everything a person could ask for and he still never became arrogant.

He helped everyone, talked nice to them, respected them and even tried his best to help them only to get disowned?!?

Why? Just because he couldn't tame a beast? Why did he have to be the one? What wrong did he do to deserve it, he just wanted to live a happy and peaceful life for god's sake!

Taking long, deep breaths, Caedes walked out of the bathroom. He dried his wet hair with a towel and looked at himself in the mirror, at how different he was. His black hair, eyes as grey as ash, this pale skin…

 Changing his clothes, the boy glanced at the pamphlet that was placed beside the lavish bed on a table.

"Games, pool, spa, food court… Everything is boring… I'll just buy some food and go to sleep…"

Knowing that he had to wake up tomorrow morning, Caedes quickly ate his food and went to sleep. 

***

"Good morning! Is everyone ready to go to the beach?" Silva asked as he looked at the students energetically as they boarded the bus.

"Yes!"

For the next two hours, all the children did was swim and run around the beach, as they drank juices and talked about stuff.

Beside one of the stone boulders, a few boys wearing lavish summer clothes could be seen grouped in a circle together.

"Is it true?" One of the boys named Samuel asked, his expression eager.

"Yes, Julius, the guardian of the boy died while in the Ancient God's realm! This means that there is no one left to protect him… We can easily kill Caedes without facing any consequences!" Another boy exclaimed in glee

'I can finally get my revenge.'

The one who seemed to be the leader of the group glanced at a boy with malice,

"It's final then! Caedes will die tonight…"

***