Prologue

   Anger, hatred...

   Sadness, loneliness... 

   Loneliness not so much on the one hand.

   I had no place in this world, I had no one to show me something that I was capable of doing...

   Now, an opportunity arises before my eyes. No, not only before my eyes. The shiver I feel in every hair on my body, the ecstasy I feel in every layer of my skin

   But why this doubt? It was what I had always wanted.

   Even more, with the price I just paid...

   No, with the price I was made to pay.

   -Do you accept?

   I stand up, and using the sleeves of my jacket, I wipe my face before answering with a mischievous smile:

   -Yes. I count on you to make me the worst kind of monster possible.

   Thus, a journey towards hell itself on earth has just begun.

...----------------...

   Chapter 01: Sword and Gun

   The last two years have been a tremendous failure.

   In a world where the manipulation of technology is a basic activity for any human being, I am a failure in this world. Even my body is relatively weaker than anyone my age.

   It is probably some disease from birth, even though no doctor has diagnosed anything abnormal in the various tests I have had.

   -Keyner, a-

   I can't even do research or mechanics, although I have no problem spending my life in a laboratory handling reagents. I'm actually pretty good at chemistry.

   -Keyner, lev-

   But still, I would like to understand how we manage to deal with monsters and even mages for so long, given the greatness of the world.

   In that instant, my thoughts were interrupted by an immense need to catch my breath, as someone landed a kick on my chest while I was still in bed.

   -UUF...

   -When someone is talking to you, answer them. I know you were awake, annoying boy.

   Catching my breath, I leap onto my own bed to try to stand up, but forget that I am tall enough to hit my head on the ceiling of my room in doing so.

   -AII.

   -That must have been enough to oxygenate the brain, I imagine.

   Jack, you bastard!

   My complaints are interrupted by Jack, who tosses me a bun wrapped in a paper towel.

   -It's your favorite, isn't it?

   The person who woke me up in such a delicate way was Jack Eldryn, a great childhood friend. We are the same age, 17. He is a little taller than me, at 6'2", besides having beige skin and normal body stature, subtly more built than mine for some reasons. As well as an inverted triangular face, accompanied by a mildly cheeky look.

   He sits down on a chair that was next to the closet in my room, adjusting his dark blue pants with zigzagging lines that start from the front left pocket and run down the entire pant leg.

   -You came earlier than usual...

   -Don't talk with such a depressed tone. Today is a day you should be a little more eccentric. 

    He says this tossing back his silver hair, almost shoulder length.

   -It's just that I wasn't ready to get out of bed yet. We'll talk in a few minutes, I'm going to take a shower.

   I spend about 15 minutes in my shower, thinking about several things. The main one, no doubt, was the entrance exam for the AWA, the anti-wizards army, a force with the objective of protecting the citizens of Tecmetriun from Wizards, beasts, and terrorists.

   As I take my shower, I look at my reflection in a nearby mirror. I see that I had a good night's sleep, as there were no dark circles under my dark skin, which looked like the result of a tan. My brown eyes also arrived, washing away while I am in the shower. 

   Although I have already failed twice in the very first phase of the entrance exam, the combat exam, I suppose things will be different now. The time that I have spent training - the time that I have spent training.

   -How long is the little flower going to spend in this shower? 

   I hear Jack's voice from my room, with an impatient tone.

   Five minutes later I emerge from the bathroom in a bathrobe and begin to change for the exam.

   It was a similar outfit to the one Jack was wearing at the time, except that my gray blouse had no zig zag stripes that went from the sleeves to meet a symbol on my chest, which was three circles, with one below the other two, where there was a downward triangle inscribed inside each circle, which represented a rank within the AWA. Not to mention that my size doesn't match Jack's, who, being a military man, is a bit more built. 

   -Keyner.

   -HELLO? Go ahead.

   I answer as I open my closet. 

   -Why do you want to join the AWA?

-In fact, I don't think I really have any reason to go in there. I can't even control my own cell phone, my physical conditioning is different than other people's, and I don't take that much pleasure in fighting.

   -Ok ok, calm down. Everything you've told me so far is true, even the part about not having any pleasure in fighting. That's already pushing it.

   I finish putting on my shoes and head for a closet near my bed. 

   What do you mean by that?

   Jack catches me off guard and holds my head with one arm, rubbing his right fist hard against my head. 

   -As ridiculous as you try to look because of these limitations, it doesn't fool me. In sword and pistol combat techniques, you can overcome even the monster that is Commander Ketley.

   -Are you talking about Naila? 

   I get out of the uncomfortable position I was in and apply an elbow to Jack's abdomen, making him back up and sit on the bed.

   -She's the one. Did you train together? Because I remember that your style is similar somehow.

   -No. Have you forgotten that my master doesn't like an audience at training sessions? So much so that I never took any of you.

   For some reason, the guy who trained me in pistol handling asked me not to comment or to comment as little as possible about my training with anyone. Strange as it was, there was no problem, because he was a friend of my parents, so I trusted him a lot. 

   -Well, do you already know who will be your examiner this year? 

   Jack asks me as he places my pillow on a chair and then sits down.

   -No. Should I have any idea? 

   I say this, as I put on a jacket that catches Jack's eye.

   -My dear Keyner Blake and his black coat... I was wondering if it was really you, it took so long to put it on.

   -My dear Jack Eldryn, you know how special this coat is for me.

   Jack Eldryn, my best friend. I met him at school 8 years ago, when I was isolated in a class while the class was manipulating the systems of some toys, while I ate a snack, since even today I can't manipulate technology. He came up to me drooling over some cookies he had made, which were really all he talked about.

   My bad morning mood ends, and I give Jack a smile, adjusting my coat. It was a simple jacket, black in color, with thin horizontal white stripes all over the jacket. Simple as it was, it was the jacket my friends gave me for my birthday three years ago.

   -So, while we go to the training room, explain to me why I should know who is going to be my examiner.

 My house was a normal, medium-sized model with 1 floor, where my bedroom, the study room, the library and my parents' personal laboratory were. It was crafted in the colors dark gray and white.

Houses today are made of crapole, an artificial resin that could take the form and function of any building material, from mortar to finishes. Its original coloring is an icy white, but it was altered as needed. 

   We went downstairs, and turned in the corridor to the right of the living room, entering a place that looked like a garden, but had some refrigerators, a swimming pool, a barbecue grill and a mini training arena.

   -Good, it's going to be Caius.

   Caius Fort, one of my friends and an AWA first class officer, which meant that he had the capacity to be an examiner for the first phase of admission.

   Jack uses his hands to comb his hair that covered his forehead, keeping a hairstyle that threw his hair to the left side, being in harmony with his oval face. He commented that he thought the brown of my eyes was beautiful, but I envied the combination of his silver hair and green eyes.

   -I didn't expect that one.

   Before I could finish my speech, a figure quickly appears before me and attacks me with a sword. If I hadn't had mine, I probably would have lost both my eyes in that instant.

   When I realized, the figure in front of me was carrying a scarlet cutlass sword and a white pistol with a triple but very short barrel. I could also see a purple triangle inside a red circle. The symbol that only the AWA arsenal could carry.

   I immediately take off my jacket and next to that, three circular devices a little smaller than the palm of my hand, One of them I throw into the air, while I squeeze the other two, causing them to alter and expand into two gray-bladed swords.

   With the two swords, I strike an X-shaped blow at the person who attacked me, which causes him to retreat. This gave me time to couple one sword to the other, forming a kind of two-bladed rectangular sword separated by the handle. As I finished attaching the swords, the last device I had thrown into the air dropped into my hand, becoming a pistol.

   The fact that I cannot manipulate technology ends up making me use less practical equipment. But I can defend myself, so I have to spend my energy on fighting instead of complaining.

   I throw my pistol into the air after taking a shot. The shot was blocked by the AWA member's sword, distraction enough for me to rotate my body separating my swords and deliver a blow aimed at my enemy's head.

   As if expecting this blow, I was thrown backwards by a shot that collided with my sword. I had to use a similar move to block an attack that was aimed at my chest, causing me to step back and take my pistol back and throw one of my swords.

   The blow was completely useless, as my sword was thrown upwards. Or at least that's what everyone but me there thought. Using one of my gloves that I had, I remotely controlled my sword so that it swung at the soldier.

   Although blocked, my attack was effective in gaining me a small advantage. I fired a shot into the ground, raising a smoke screen over the entire ground.

   -But what is it-

   I fired a sequence of shots that were easily intercepted. The soldier fires a shot into the ground, creating an air current ending my smoke screen, which was too late, as my sword was already towards the soldier's helmet.

   It would be a perfect strike, but I am a person with a weaker body and I was facing someone who manipulated technology. It was not impossible for my attack to be avoided, but the soldier's helmet was already gone.

   -I thought you were really going to die before the test. 

   With the helmet broken, it is revealed that it was a girl.

   -And I thought Jack would be the only one coming to the house today, naja.

   -Call me a naja again and I'll shoot your head off.

The girl spoke with an irritated tone. No wonder, since it was a convenient pun on the girl's name.

   She was a girl about my age, about 1.60 meters tall. But given her outfit, she was not someone to be underestimated.

   Wearing an outfit with the same design as Jack's, only differing in the amount of circles and triangles on her chest, which were 4 of each, indicating her position as a captain of the AWA.

   Possessing wavy dark brown hair, a round and somewhat cute face, and a somewhat sharp eye, the person who attacked me was Naila Ketley, my best friend.

   As hostile as the attack seemed to be, it was only about training. She was not the only one to help me in combat training, but she was certainly my best help. Along with Jack, of course.

   I head towards the refrigerator, to get ingredients to start preparing breakfast. My parents were out for work, apparently, so I was on my own.

   Going through the refrigerator, I found vegetable stock, potatoes, vegetables and juices, but I knew something was missing.

   -If you're looking for chocolate, I ate it all before you arrived.

   -I'm surprised you didn't contract diabetes during this time.

   -You're in no condition to say that, I'm sure.

   The last comment was made by Jack, who, given his face, was hungry, waiting for me and Naila to stop attacking each other for something to eat.

   An hour later, Naila and I left the house. Jack was so disappointed to see that I was making potato and tomato soup for breakfast that he decided to go early to the AWA headquarters where my exam was to be done, where he would buy something there.

   I don't live near the commercial and activity center, requiring at least a forty minute walk to get to the AWA cadet base. The residential area was made up of houses with structures similar to mine, differing in color and external ornaments.

   After a twenty minute walk we arrived in the central area of the city. Even though I am in the central area at least six times a week, I never tire of being impressed by the grandiosity that was Tecmetriun.

   From where I stood, there were large buildings that I could not even estimate how many stories. Holographic projections at strategic points on the news, products and services were booming, so there was no visual or noise pollution. People moved around on foot, by bicycles, or on hover boards, so that nobody bumped into anybody. 

   There were also cars, these powered by fuels formed from biomass. Oil was no longer used as a source to obtain fuels, as a result of the construction of engines that did better with biomass.

   All this was the result of the mysterious ability that humanity acquired to manipulate technology. This ability was considered normal nowadays, even though the cause of its emergence is unknown. That said, I intend to become a member of the AWA to better understand the manipulation of technology, and to unravel this mystery.  

   -By the way Keyner...

   The silence is broken by Naila's voice, making me wake up from my thoughts and remember that I was with her.

   -Say it.

   -Why do you really want to join the AWA? Do you really want to patrol outside of Tecmetriun, kill monsters and wizards if necessary?

   -Actually, I don't have the slightest interest in that.

   At 16, which is the age I am now, you either join the AWA to be a patrol and security officer in and around Tecmetriun or you go into research and service, working in areas like medicine, industry, or even administration.

   -Because I can't manipulate technology like all the rest of the population, I am dead weight in anything within the city. I just aim for the AWA hoping that somehow I could manipulate technology and then move on to the research sector.

-I'm sorry if I seem rude, but I imagine there are better ways for you to move into the research sector. But I'm surprised you don't want to be a soldier, you have good moves.

   Our conversation was briefly interrupted by Naila herself, who made me stop at a store to buy more chocolate for her. This girl must have some kind of undiagnosed hypoglycemia, because it is not possible.

   -I know that the second part of the test is to contact a code core. If I am not mistaken, it is a master circuit that can release dormant abilities to manipulate technology, among other things. Am I wrong?

   -Not at all.

   Naila puts her arm around my neck, giving me a smile with a touch of seriousness.

   -Don't do all the training we've had for nothing, you idiot.

   -You'll have to pay me back for all the chocolate I bought you last year, naja.

   She takes her arm from around my neck, slapping my head and moving in the other direction.

   -I have work, so I wish you good luck here. You know your opponent is going to be Caius, but he's not going to go easy on you just because you're friends.

   This time, she looks at me with a serious gaze, maintaining a sharp gaze that for a second took my breath away. Jack used to tell me that in the AWA service, Naila had a ruthless look in her eyes that she had no pity for using on midshipmen and officers. I'm sure that was a good little demonstration of what he meant.

   -Be calm. I know you hold back from killing me when we train, but it should be noticeable that I don't plan to fail this year.

   I give this answer with a serious look, which was enough for Naila to give me a smile that showed she had confidence in me.

   This is a future where humanity almost went into extinction, and by some miracle, managed to get back on its feet. Now humanity manages to manipulate technology to its advantage, and faces the wizards, a race that uses something called magic to control the laws of the world.

   It is not clear what year it is, but we count 2300 years since the separation of humans and wizards around the globe, so the two races do not mix. I have no idea where the wizards actually meet, but it is somewhere in the vicinity of the borders of our city, Tecmetriun.

   As a person who cannot manipulate technology, I don't have a place in the world. But I decided that today that would change.

   I stop walking, until I find myself in front of a large, apparently military installation. Present in the west of the city, this facility was immense, with aircraft and battle chariots going out. From the outside, it was already possible to see the design worked in navy blue, with several pillars that stood in the courtyard in front of the main entrance, where it was possible to see some soldiers practicing their morning exercises.

   -Time for a test.

   I shake my fist, and enter the facility, already taking from my pockets the devices that were nothing more than my swords and pistols. 

   But the icing on the cake was still to come.

   AWA. The military organization's goals are to make patrols inside and outside Tecmetriun to ensure peace inside and outside the city. Inside, it acts as a proper police force, while outside the city it was a force that protected those within the borders from monsters and worse, such as the wizards.

   The wizards are a humanoid race like us, but with the ability to manipulate laws and the world itself using something called magic. Year zero in our calendar is marked as the year when the humans and wizards split into independent nations, and to this day there are no relations between the two races, other than one attacking the other.

   It is not known for sure how humans or wizards acquired their abilities to manipulate technology and magic, but it is known that this is one of the 3 miracles of this world. The other two are the fact that humanity has survived a near extinction and that somehow the planet has plenty of resources and conditions for life to exist, since it is not known for how long the years have stopped being counted.

   I remain sitting in a chair near the entrance to some sort of arena, with these thoughts in mind and the frustration of the exam administrator remembering who I am given that I have failed this exam for two years in a row. I never imagined that I would experience this kind of embarrassment, but I have more to worry about.

   The first phase was a battle in which I had to strike a fatal blow at the examiner. Of course this would not kill him, since the examiner is wearing a special suit with damage protection, the same goes for me. It is a vest, armbands, anklets, and a helmet made of light, short white materials with damage sensors. I would pass if none of the sensors were triggered for 10 minutes or if I triggered the examiner's sensor.

   -Keyner Blake, your exam starts in 5 minutes. Go to the practical exam room.

   A voice from the intercom in the waiting room I was in interrupted my thoughts, and in less than a minute I was in the first phase room.

   It was a room made of bractiun, a material normally used in places with the need for intermediate shielding. In the case of the room I was in, it was doubly reinforced.

   There was nothing special about it. Given the size of the room, I could assume that it was used for small units to conduct their training. It was an empty room, hexagonal in shape, with several windows and a roof that could be opened. Next to the entrance to the room there were windows for outside observation of what was going on inside the room.

   A minute after I enter the room, I see a person with the same clothes as Jack, except that he has two triangles within the circles of the symbol on his chest, indicating his rank of officer first class.

   He was a boy about my age. He had a triangular face, with curly black hair and an intimidating appearance, a result of his red eyes, his height of 1.85 and his well built body.

   -"You are most welcome, Keyner.

   -Please, Caius, don't take it lightly. 

     Caius Fort, a good friend of mine. The day I met him was not so great. Five years ago, I had punched out some kids who had come to bother me early in the morning, just when I don't have much patience for anything, Naila had said she would not go to school, and Jack was injured and unable to walk. He came to ask why all this was happening, I explained everything to him, and we ended up skipping school together and became friends.

   It had been two years since he had joined the AWA, already an officer first class. Jack was an officer second class, having been there less than a year. Naila, on the other hand, was a captain, and it had been four years since she had joined. Given that we are all 17, she joined very early.

But it didn't matter now. If Jack knew he would be my examiner, then he should have told Caius not to hold back. They would both know that I would not be happy about it at all.

   -I like the hairdo.

   -Sometimes I forget that you rarely visit me or come to class.

   I usually keep my hair to the right side. But today I threw it back, so that it was subtly spiky, and parted both ways. A hair as black as mica. Three years ago, Naila, Jack and Caius bought my black coat with the intention of matching my hair.

   I immediately put my swords down and materialize my two pistols, but leave one at my waist. Caius materializes through technology manipulation two long swords, which were attached to elbow pads, covering his forearms and extending about 45 centimeters. I cannot hide my fascination, as it was the first time I had seen technology control coming from a military man.

   An alarm sounds, indicating the start of the examination.

   I immediately move to my left, taking a few shots, but they are easily intercepted. Taking advantage of Caius' vision being somewhat blocked thanks to the size of his weapon, I move up, placing the weapon that was in my hand at my waist and separating my two rectangular bladed swords, delivering an X-shaped blow.

   -Nothing bad!

   -Disposal!

   We exchanged smiles, until Caius' blades emitted a pixelated glow, and his blades divided into six daggers each, for a total of twelve. Then he stepped away, throwing eight daggers in my direction.

   I am a weaker human than most, and if I already felt pressure with Naila's attacks without her using manipulation, now the situation was more complicated. Blocking the first two daggers with both swords caused me to fall back, which naturally caused me to dodge another four. However, Caius had enough reaction to change the trajectory of the last two.

   I immediately let go of my swords and drew my pistols and fired off shots. Knowing that it was impossible for my shots to completely deflect the daggers' trajectory, since my pistols were of an older model, I rolled to the side. Next thing I knew, some blood was pouring out of my left shoulder.

   Caius throws the remaining daggers and gives a command for the ones that had passed me to come back. I throw my pistols up in a parabola so that they will fall next to Caius in a few moments, then I unite my swords again by the handle and use spinning blows as I advance.

   Caius gives up trying to stab me from behind and returns more quickly than before his daggers, joining them now as a shield, blocking my attack with my double sword. However, the instant my attack was blocked, I separate my swords, where one stays nailed to the ground and the other I keep in my left hand, while with my right I draw one of the pistols that was in the air.

   I fire a shot into the ground, gaining momentum in the air, using special bullets that provoke pressure against my body, and I kick Caius in the head with my heel, but it is blocked by a mini-shield formed by 3 daggers that separate from the main shield. With another 3, he forms a normal sword and strikes a hooked blow.

   With another snap shot, I gain some height and avoid the last attack. I manage to reach for the other pistol I had thrown earlier and start firing several times, but all intercepted by those pesky daggers.

   Caius leaps, and catches up to me in the air, forging the shield again, but adding 2 extra daggers, checking a vertex on the end, which he used to hit my stomach.

   I am thrown to the ground with incredible breathlessness, and use one of my swords to get up. Caius wastes no time and hurls all 12 daggers in his arsenal in my direction.

Forced into it, I use my last round of momentum, being thrown to the side but receiving the last dagger in my left arm. I don't have much time to react to the pain, as Caius arrives in front of me with two kicks that throw me backwards.

   I use my gloves that control my weapons to grab my pistol that remained in the place it was thrown, but two daggers that Caius apparently planted in the place I stopped when thrown appeared and damaged my gloves. Lucky for me my hands came out unscathed, but I had to remove the gloves afterwards.

   He uses another four daggers, two to stab both gloves into the ground and another two to stab my pistol. Apparently he knows that even in combat I could fix them. Disadvantages of having a friend checking you out is that he knows all the tactics you would use to get along.

   Or almost all.

   I pull out of my pocket a sphere and squeeze it hard. Caius sees where I am, and using the last 6 daggers, he creates two swords, which makes this fight from now on a two-blade fencing fight.

   I throw the sphere I had in my hands at Caius, who quickly aims one of the swords at the sphere still in the air, separating a dagger and piercing the sphere. Exactly what I wanted.

   A black smoke covers about a quarter of the entire testing arena.

   -Since when do you use sneak attacks, Keyner?

   Caius asked, but I ended up answering while laughing:

   -Since you started attending classes last year.

   -But I never did.

   -That's right, just as I've never been a stealth fighter. 

   And it wasn't just a joke, because he really didn't attend classes at the regular school anymore since he became an officer in the AWA, only Jack and Naila, since military teenagers choose where to attend classes. But I also don't like to attack by stealth, I just use smoke bombs to get into position or to grab one of my weapons.

   Caius knew this, blocking the frontal attack I made on him. After that, we started exchanging lunges and blocks. I knew that he could very well dematerialize his sword into daggers at the moment of the first block and slice me, but he was as excited about the fight as I was. Two idiots.

   About a minute later, my strength was already draining, until I get a cut on my knee, the result of Caius separating a dagger from one of the swords to hit me in another way. I immediately fall, but keep my swords in an X shape, blocking Caius' swords, which are now in a contest of strength, with me trying to get rid of them, and him trying to stick at me.

   -Don't you have anything to say at this point?

   I understood what he meant. He wanted me to surrender.

   -You're hurt. You have no strength, and your body is weaker than that of a normal person. Besides, you don't have your pistols. Are you sure you don't have anything to say about this situation?

   All the odds at this point were against me. It was really plausible that I would surrender now.

   But only if everything he had said was correct.

   -Actually, I do.

   -...

   -I'm not without my pistols.

   -But what the-

BANG.

   -Attention, exam completed. The contestant Keyner Blake has passed.

   Caius is at a loss to understand what is going on, only that somehow I made a shot that hit his helmet at close range, being marked by the system as a mortal blow.

   -What do you mean? I was careful to damage your gloves and your pistol.

   -You did well, but you would have done better if you hadn't forgotten that I had two pistols.

   He was still perplexed, and became even more so when he looked at my hands, more precisely at one of my swords.

   The Handguard on my sword, the little horizontal bar that separates the handle from the blade of every sword, was different.

It was bigger and thicker. In addition, there was a small ellipse of the same material as my pistol with a kind of lever on it. Not only that, but on the side there was a hole from which smoke was coming out.

   It took a few seconds to put the pieces together, in several ways, since that was done in the smoke screen I used.

   -Gunblade. My masters made me think outside the box a bit, and when I showed it to them, they recommended that I keep it a secret. And weren't those two fools right?

   Caius could not control himself and burst out laughing. Me, soon after.

   It didn't take long for the AWA doctors to arrive and heal what injuries we had. In this case, me. Caius just rubbed some ointment over the scratches I had made on him.

   -It was impressive. How are you feeling?

   -I feel like killing you. You damaged my pistols. But I know you'll pay for the repairs. They're a rather old model, so they'll cost a bit more, you can imagine.

   -Of course, the repair. Hahaha.

I look at Caius with a contemptuous look.

-Don't tell me you damaged my weaponry without thinking about repairing it afterwards?

Caius turns his face away, giving a not-so-subtle hiss and turning away from me.

-****!

I start running after him, opening the wound I have on my leg, just to make the doctors wonder what kind of problems they will have to deal with in the future.

I leave the military base with my wounds healed. The only things that needed to be healed were my gloves and my stomach. I should have followed Jack's advice and eaten something besides sweet bread and soup for breakfast.

Walking through the residential area, I spot a person leaning against the wall. He was a grown man who appeared to be in his mid-sixties, with red hair that fell down to his cheeks, relatively pale skin, and eyes flattened horizontally, which were highlighted by the golden yellow color of his irises.

-I hear you've been approved, brat.

-Master Cless.

Cless Xion, he was a friend of my parents, and the guy who taught me how to fight with pistols.

-I told you to stop with this "master" stuff. You can call me uncle.

He says this while squeezing my neck with one of his arms, and only lets go when I slap his arm and surrender.

-Did you get to use your signature weapon?

-Yes, it was really a surprise for the examiner.

-I told you, didn't I?

He says this with a big smile and bounces his elbow on my arm. As we walked towards my house, I told him how the fight had gone.

-Mest... I mean, uncle.

-Speak up, brat.

 I looked at him with a straight face, which at first surprised him. He was even more surprised when I bowed my head.

-I, Keyner Blake, thank you for every second that you have guided and supported me. Every cell in my body is in your debt.

He gives me a smile, and then a light slap on my still lowered head,

-Idiot. This was all an accomplishment of yours, all credit to you.

I quickly nod my head, and as if he already knew what I was going to say, he continues speaking:

-You were a person who thought you were dead weight wherever you went. You wanted a place in the world to claim yours and tell everyone "I am useful". I know you have no interest in becoming a patrolman, but you went down a path that wasn't bringing you regrets, because you knew that you would be sorry if you did nothing.

He was right. There was nothing holding me back in that world. I couldn't do anything, I couldn't help anyone, I couldn't protect anyone. In the end, my life was going to end with my existence lost in oblivion.

It was not something that was going to take long to happen. Humanity has evolved. It has a much greater strength than the humans of many years ago. Even the life expectancy was longer: a healthy human being would live to be 150 years old.

   My case was different, even though nothing diagnosed my body as sick, I did not have the same attributes as a normal human. An example of this is my life expectancy, which was only up to 75.

   But I had people who didn't let go and gave me reasons to become someone who had the ability to take a place in the world for themselves.

   Jack, Naila, Caius and Cless. My parents too. My older brother would also help me, but I haven't seen him since I was 8 years old, which is when he left home and never came back. There came a time when my parents didn't want to talk about him anymore.

   -Don't forget the only thing that I really taught you, brat: real monsters are not those who can hurt you, but those who really do. And the worst ones are those who take what's important from you.

   I end up not being able to hold on and hug Cless, while I start to cry.

   -I... did it *snif*

   -Yes... you did it.

   Cless says goodbye to me saying that my parents will be back tomorrow afternoon, at a time that I will probably have already taken the exam with code core. He still asks if I don't want to drink with him, but I tell him that my parents would probably kill him if I drank on his account.

   It doesn't take long before I get home. To my surprise, Jack and Caius are waiting for me at the door.

   -Look at this.

   -Welcome back.

   I can't hold back a tear that was begging to come down from my eye, even though I had already cried on Cless' chest.

   Just then Caius points back, I turn around and see Naila, with a smile on her face, coming towards us. 

   -Captain Ketley!

   The two of them get into a standing position in front of the girl. Which was quite funny, because she was eating a chocolate bar and for some reason didn't expect this treatment.

   If I didn't know her, I would have no idea what happened, but when I saw the two idiots on the floor complaining about some chest pain, and Naila dematerializing her swords, I had understood that she hit them with the handle of her swords.

   -I already said that off duty, I'm just a friend. Besides...

   She turns to me and casts a proud look:

   -...let's start our first meeting.

   Already inside the house, I start to serve Jack, Caius and Naila a barbecue with beans, potatoes and juices. Although I don't think Naila will touch meat anytime soon, since I saw her throwing into the trash can 4 papers of chocolate bars that she probably ate on the way and couldn't find a trash can. 

   The kitchen utensils were not made of metal, but of a kind of polymer called gaxion. The grill and the stove were powered by small compartments with a considerable amount of biomass, enough for a family of 5 to prepare their meals for 2 months. The dining table was rectangular, made of marble, supported by 4 pillars also made of marble. 

   -I don't know why you don't like meat so much. You have a very strange palate for preferring soup.

   The one who said this while I finished serving the juices was Jack, who, by the look on his face, was barely waiting for the meat to get to the point.

   -Don't you dare insult my soups again. What I had for breakfast was enough.

   -Ok, but it wasn't Jack who left the first round of the exam with his belly making more noise than a blacksmith's workroom.

   -Shut the **** up, Caius. Just because you've already paid for my broken weapons doesn't mean you're in a position to be a pain in the ***.

   The three of them can't help themselves and laugh. If there were a mirror nearby, I am sure that my face at that moment would be one of defeat.

   We stop the conversation in the first five minutes when we start eating. Everyone was eating barbecue with potatoes, while I preferred to roast a white meat for myself. I don't like very heavy foods like red meat or bread, preferring foods like soups, white meat and vegetables.

   Caius, as intimidating as he seemed, was a quiet person who joked around less frequently than Jack. But he was someone who was good with a fork. And I don't want to brag, but I'm good in the kitchen.

   Jack ate with the desire to make the most of every sensation his palate gave him, making him a slow eater. Naila was only eating potatoes for the time being. Apparently she was still a little full from eating so much chocolate, which was rare.

   -I am sorry to break the silence and the party mood itself, but I am not here just to offer my congratulations. 

   Naila broke the attention of everyone who had been focused on the meal, and was now focused on her. Keeping a serious look on her face and a piece of potato on a fork, she continues to speak:

   -Keyner, you know that just by completing the first phase of the exam, the candidate becomes a member of the AWA, and I am very happy about that. But I'm afraid to report small unforeseen events that will delay your official transfer from aspirant to AWA research board.

   Caius and Jack had serious looks on their faces. The two of them even dropped their silverware, keeping their gazes on Naila. I think that in this instant, they are no longer treating her as a friend, but as the captain that she is. After looking at the two of them, I retort:

   -What kind of unforeseen events are we talking about these days?

   -Keyner, do you know how exactly the soldiers use their technology manipulation?

   -I started to have a vague idea in the fight against Caius, even though it was a fight in which he was containing. Were these assignments given to the examiner?

   -Exactly, an examiner could easily kill a candidate, even if he didn't have a body limited to his own. What you saw was his ArcanaTech.

   -ArcanaTech?

   It was the first time I had heard this name, which was probably a result of some rule imposed by the AWA about not making comments about the combat skills of the military. 

   Naila must have understood what I was thinking, nodded her head in agreement and continued:

-ArcanaTech's are a mysterious and unique form of technology manipulation, with those of soldiers like Caius geared toward combat, and those of researchers geared toward support or search.

   I look at Caius and he was as apprehensive about Naila's words as I was moments ago. In fact, those finishes that could take the form of any weapon were a problem for those he held as enemies.

   -Unfortunately, we cannot understand why one person can only control his own ArcanaTech, since the ability to manipulate technology should be something common to all humans. The captains of the research sector suspect that this is linked to the-

   -the 3 secrets of the world, isn't it?

   Speaking before Nailla, she just agrees. The 3 secrets of the world, which consist of how humans with technology manipulation and the wizards came into existence, how the planet was still habitable given the amount of years that have not been counted, and how humanity survived extinction. My goal was to find the answer to these 3 mysteries, as utopian as that would be.

   -It is thanks to ArcanaTech's that we are able to defend ourselves against monsters and the calamities we know as wizards.

   The wizards are beings that manipulate the laws of this world using an unknown mechanism called magic. Wizards and humans used to live together, but this scenario changed 2300 years ago, when it was said that the wizards are calamities that would bring doom and misfortune to mankind, causing ok the races to separate. Another thing I would like to understand is what that really meant, of course, in the best possible way. 

   -I want you from now on to remain calm, since this kind of information is withheld precisely to avoid panic. 

   Naila looks at me with an increasingly sharp look, and I knew it was no wonder, since we were talking about the wizards. Now I cannot imagine why the focus of the conversation was on them. Imagining the worst case scenario, I began to imagine that she was going to tell me that we are at war, or that one had just been declared. 

   *Tec*

   She gives a snap of her fingers, bringing my attention back to her face. Letting out a sigh, she continues:

   -We have discovered that there are 2 wizards infiltrating Tecmetriun. Not only that, but for the past nine years, wizards have been coming in and out of the city freely... 

   -Wait, what the hell are you talking about?

   I raise my voice, causing Jack who was standing next to me to put his hand on my shoulder, signaling with his face for me to calm down.

   -Naila, do you think this has something to do with your brother?

   She bites her lower lip, while Jack and Caius look at me in surprise. Not surprisingly, since it was a sensitive subject that we had agreed not to touch.

   One similarity between Naila and me is that we have older brothers. However, the same year that my brother left home, Naila's brother was captured by wizards in an attack on the borders of Tecmetriun. Since that day, neither of us has seen them, which became a very delicate matter, even more delicate for her.

   -Maybe. It is possible that they are using him to get in, get out and get the information that would be useful to them. Given the circumstances, you can already imagine what will be attributed to you that will delay your transfer to the research sector.

   She says this, smoothing the hair that has fallen a little from her forehead, while with her unoccupied hand she puts a piece of potato on a fork. Of course, letting slip an expression of uneasiness.

   -I'm going to be assigned to the border to do rear guard patrol, right?

   Even though I joined the AWA, I had no battlefield experience, especially when it came to wizards. So I was hoping they would put me in a ranged observation unit.

   -Right.

   Naila says this, eating a piece of meat for the first time during lunch. 

   -In that case, is it confirmed yet?

-Not necessarily, because you don't know which of the 8 units you will belong to. 

   The AWA was formed by 8 units, Naila being the captain of the first unit. Each unit was made up of a captain, 5 sergeants, 10 first class officers, 10 second class officers and 10 third class officers, seeing this the descending order of the military hierarchy.

   When the main course was finished, I served dessert, which was a lemon cake that I had made. In this case, for the boys, since Naila brazenly went to the pantry and came back to the living room with at least half of the chocolate I had hidden.

   -Keyner, something I haven't had a chance to ask you...

   Who was talking now was Caius, while he was on the second piece of cake.

   -Who was it that encouraged you to join the AWA? And who trained you?

   -I had two masters, one for fencing and another for pistol combat. The one for pistol combat you don't know, and the old man doesn't seem to want to be known, but he is an acquaintance of my parents and my other teacher, so he can be trusted. As for fencing, Mari is the one who trained me.

   -Who is Mari?

   Who was asking now was Jack, who surprised me by not having eaten even half the cake. But one thing I did notice was Naila with a very unfriendly face when I mentioned her name.

   -Really, you don't know her by that name, since it is a nickname. I'm talking about Marino Sasaki.

   -Call her?

   I hear this answer out of nowhere, which makes me fall off the couch I was on. Not only was it surprising to me, but the other three were also wondering where the girl came from.

   She was a girl about my age, with a triangular face and beautiful blue eyes. She had long, straight hair with a coloring that looked like caramel, but was two fingers short of black. She was wearing an outfit similar to Naila's, but that it was not possible to notice at first glance that there was a small octagon on the right sleeve of her blazer. Each of the four had this octagon, and each octagon had a star on one of the ends, but the position of the girl's star was different from the other three. 

   -How did you get in?

   -Through the front door. Your parents gave me the key, remember?

   -Captain Sasaki!

   Jack and Caius made the same reference they made to Naila before we entered, confirming that this was Marino Sasaki, captain of the sixth unit of the AWA, my friend and fencing master.

   -Hey guys. Do you still have cake for me?

   -Of course Mari, I'll get it for you. 

   -It's amazing how you like to tease me, isn't it Sasaki?

   The last to speak was Naila, who continued talking with a face of few friends, as Marino greeted everyone but her.

   -Hey Jack. One thing I don't understand. Why don't these two get along?

   -Apparently because Captain Sasaki was Captain Ketley's brother's unit, so the two of them spent a lot of time together. The captain must have been jealous, thinking that Sasaki was stealing her little brother away from her.

   -I can hear clearly, Jack.

   Naila looks with an intimidating look at Jack, who immediately hides behind me as if I'm capable of doing something. It was easier for me to die along with him.

   -I wasn't ignoring you, Ketley. At least not completely yet.

   -Keyner, excuse me a moment. My arm is itching to hit this girl.

   I immediately grab some chocolate bonbons that I keep wrapped inside my jacket pockets, and head toward a garbage disposal in the living room.

   Naila simply puts away her scarlet-bladed swords, which immediately elicits laughter from everyone in the room, including mine. Needless to say, apart from Marino, we all get hit in the stomach by the handles of Naila's swords.

   -I don't understand why you defend this bitch so much.

In response, Marino shows his tongue to Naila. It took me and the guys to stop Naila from going after the other. I didn't know which was worse: one of the girls getting hurt in this prank, or me losing part of the house in a clash between two AWA captains.

   Apparently, Marino was at the request of some researcher from Naila's unit to pass on information about some change in the patrol formation, because apparently the amount of monsters from yesterday to today has increased.

   -Jack, why doesn't Keyner look straight into Captain Sasaki's eyes? To be more specific: why even though she comes here, they hardly exchange a word, since he is her only friend here?

   -I have no idea, my dear.

   Caius and Jack were the ones gossiping in the room. Very badly, by the way, because it was possible to know that everyone was listening to what they said.

   As if there was nothing more to do or say there, Naila approaches the door.

   -Jack, Caius. We need to go.

   -Understood!

   The two respond to Naila's signal, getting ready to leave, washing their faces and the cutlery they had used. Before they leave, I stop them at the door:

   -Naila, Jack, Caius!

   The three of them looked at me from the doorway, where I was standing in the hallway with Marino at my side. I move closer to them, and make a reference.

   -Thank you... for everything!

   I speak in a high tone of voice, realizing that tears are coming out of my eyes. These three are people who have changed my life, people who without a second thought I would be giving my life for them as many times as necessary, since I only find myself where I am thanks to them.

   Naila had a sharp look in her eyes, and even when she was smiling, she couldn't take the seriousness out of her eyes. Jack was playful and always joking around with me or anyone else around him. Caius was always protective, a little more reclusive, but a great guy who was always willing to help me.

   They were invaluable people to me, and even though I wanted to be someone who didn't depend on others, I couldn't imagine what I would do if something happened to these three. 

   I feel a hand on my shoulder. It was Jack, who stood right in front of me and must have guessed what I was thinking just by the look on my face.

   -Relax. We are strong. And something you might not know: Naila is not only the person who broke the age record for promotion to AWA unit captain, she is also the only one among the five of us who has ever killed a wizard.

   This one took me by surprise. I was aware that she was absurdly strong just because she was a captain, but that she had already killed a wizard was amazing. I look at Marino, and with a defeated face, she nods in agreement. 

   -See you after the code core test, Private Blake.

   Naila was the one who said goodbye. I couldn't imagine the urgency of the matter, but as soon as within a few seconds they disappeared from my view of the high-speed residential area, I began to get a sense of it. 

   I am beginning to get a brief sense of combat, what the AWA and the wizards are. Should I really not worry?

   Marino stayed at home, helping me with the cleaning and talking to me, wanting to know if the results of her training were effective. Besides, of course, having lunch a little off schedule. 

   -Two units are asking the administration to apply you in them, instead of making an allocation prioritizing the demand for new soldiers in one unit.

   -I suppose that one of the requests was made by you. Who made the other request?

   I had answered while cleaning the grill, while she cleaned the stove. When the other three left, Marino and I took a shower (separately, of course) and changed clothes. I took off my AWA blazer and pants, and got a pair of dark blue sweatpants and a black blouse. Marino, who was wearing the same uniform as Naila, except for the identification of the units in the octagon, put on green sweatpants and a yellow long-sleeved shirt.

   -Naila. I thought it would be obvious.

-She said she didn't know which unit I was going to. And how do you know this when she can't stand to be around you?

   -Uya. Jack told me while you were under medical treatment after the first round of the exam.

   -If she finds out, Jack will be in trouble.

   -Any opportunity to stress her out is valid.

   She says this with a sort of evil laugh, which prevents me from not laughing.

   After we finished cleaning up, we sat down on the couches in the living room, which were wine-colored. She asked for something to read, and I handed her some books that I knew she had not finished reading the last time she had come here.

   Even though I was more intimate with Marino because she was more open with me, Naila was still my best friend, since I have known her since I was 5 years old, while I have known Marino since I was 8, months before my brother left home. Not that I am more open with Naila, but rather because given some circumstances, my friendship with Naila was stronger.

   We were quiet for about 20 minutes reading, when I get a book straight in my face.

   -May I know what this idea was?

   -I'm waiting for you to find out which unit you are most interested in. 

   -Isn't it too soon?

   -I don't think so.

   I simply ignore her. Losing my will to read, I lay back on the sofa, staring at the ceiling. But it was only for a short while, as Marino sat with his legs under his thighs in front of me, using his face to block my view. 

   -You... still can't give me an answer?

   An answer. That's why, when it comes to friendship, mine with Naila was stronger.

   A month before the first time I was going to take the AWA entrance examination, two years ago, Marino told me that he liked me. We already knew each other well, and I had been training fencing with her since I was 8 years old, already forming a good relationship. 

   I said that it would be better to discuss this after the exam. Not that I was trying to fool her, but because I was so focused on training that I was finding it trivial. She quietly agreed, until we started training again.

   I failed my first test, and Marino thought it was her fault, for putting a psychological burden on me. I told her that it was none of her business, but the way I told her at the time, it made it seem like I really didn't care if she liked me or not. 

   A weak person with no capacity for anything and no place in the world. That's what I was, and I made it a priority to change that before I wanted to take any responsibility for someone's feelings. I don't think that someone who can't make himself or herself happy is fit to be the reason for someone else's smile.

   But now, the exam has passed, and I am a soldier. There was nothing to stop me from giving an answer.

   -You... like Ketley, don't you?

   Marino asks me in a slightly hoarse voice, and it was noticeable that those words were difficult to say.

   -No. I see her only as a friend. All I feel for Naila is gratitude for having helped me as much as she has helped me.

   -If that's it, what differentiates her from me? Or is there nothing?

   she asks me looking straight into my eyes, creating a bit of tension. 

   Who am I kidding? I could feel her breathing, and I knew that if someone put their hand on my chest, they would feel that my heart was racing. 

   -It's because... well...

   -Why what?

   she inquires in a slightly lower voice. The mood was not very interesting for me, but there was also nothing for me not to talk about. 

   I turn my face away, and say with a slight catch in my throat:

   -I have feelings for you too...

   -...

   -...

   Silence. 

   Strangely enough, I turn my head back to look into her eyes.

   -Uya. Hahahahaja.

   She was looking like she had had an absolute victory, while she had a mischievous smile on her face.

   -You... bastard!

I try to punch her, but she is quicker and moves away from the couch. 

   -I already knew you had no feelings for Ketley, you have good taste. And I... I don't intend to speed things up, rest assured.

   -Really? Too bad, I won't be barbecuing for dinner.

   -You don't have to hold such a grudge!

   As if on the verge of tears, Marino gets down on his knees while asking forgiveness for the provocation. 

      Heeding my future girlfriend's cry (as strange as it is to say this), I make barbecue for her, while I prepare a soup for myself.

   -Keyner, tomorrow is the exam with code core, right?

   -Yes, is there anything you want to comment on?

   -Actually, yes. It's normal for people to pass out after this exam. I'm just telling you this so you won't be taken by surprise.

   She says as she tends to the meat on the grill, while I simultaneously prepare juices and make my soup. Once the food is finished, we set the tables and start to eat.

   -Keyner, why do you want to join the AWA? Since Ketley has already explained to you what we are up against, what is still holding you back? I'm sure there are other ways for you to get into the research sector, without having to go through the infant sector first.

   -I... I want to have a place in the world to call my own, and the ability to do something for someone when they need it.

   She was cutting the meat on her plate, but apparently wondered why I had stopped talking out of the blue. As she turned to me, her face flushed slightly, as I was pointing my spoon at her with my fingertips.

    -D- then I'm the one who keeps teasing you...

   -Hahahaha. I thought that would be a good one.

   She looks at me with a look of superiority and frustration. When I realize, her left hand is holding a sword that who knows where she got it from.

   -Not today, I've had my fill of fighting for today.

   -I imagined.

    After we were silent again, I remembered what we had talked about before dinner. Code core, a mechanism directly connected to Tecmetriun's power generator, capable of awakening and improving one's technology manipulation abilities. Tomorrow would be my contact with it, as the second phase of the exam.

   I prepare two mattresses to sleep on in the living room, one on the left side only of the sofa, and another on the right side, since she was going to spend the night at my place. We stay reading for a while, until Marino breaks the ice:

   -Keyner...

   -Yes?

   -Can I sleep with you?

   -A little bit of fun and I'll throw you out of the house.

   We laugh, so that we stop at the same time, with both of us showing signs of sleep.

  -Morrow is an important day, so you should sleep. A good night... Private Blake. 

   With a smile on my face, I imagined a single way to answer that:

   -A good night, my dear Mari.

   -Really, and you complain that I tease you too much.

   After speaking in a somewhat irritated voice, the silence in the room begins. Our breaths can be heard, and coming into sync, we both fall asleep.