Steve and I walked along the sidewalk toward his home, my mind consumed with thoughts of the elite units.
I wanted in.
Making it into an elite unit, performing well during probation, and most importantly, staying alive would give me a direct ticket to apply for the Empire's special forces.
And I knew I was going to be part of one of the elite units. I had spent the past four years giving my all, shattering every academy record in the process.
If I couldn't make it into an elite unit, then no one could.
The only question was: which one?
There were a hundred elite units, each consisting of a hundred graduates, ranked from Elite Unit 01 to Elite Unit 100. And, of course, I wanted the best. Elite Unit 01, where the strongest of the empire graduates were gathered.
Steve's voice pulled me out of my thoughts.
"What do you think are the chances of us ending up in the same unit?"
I stretched a little before answering.
"Pretty high. They try to keep people with bonds together. And considering I ranked first and you placed fourth, our chances are solid."
Steve nodded.
"You know, my mom told me that the top ten graduates from our academy usually have a shot at one of the top five elite units."
That caught my attention.
I turned to him.
"What about Elite Unit 01?"
Steve sighed.
"That's going to be tough. You know how it is, most of the spots go to graduates from the capital."
I threw my hands up in exasperation.
I hated the capital brats.
I had met plenty of them throughout my academy years, whether in sports, training, or competitions. And let me tell you, they were absolute scumbags. You could smell their arrogance from a mile away. Just because they were from the capital, they acted like they were better than everyone else.
Sure, the capital gathered the strongest from all over the empire. But what gave these kids the right to act high and mighty when they hadn't achieved anything on their own yet?
Steve shrugged.
"Outside the capital, Astra, our city, Cairo, is one of the biggest in the empire. Avenue Academy is ranked fifth or sixth overall. So, we might not make it into Elite Unit 01, but we have a good shot at 02 or 03."
He had a point. Cairo was one of the major cities of our world.
I thought about the predicament our world was facing.
Our world, Vaythos, was ruled by a single royal family—the House of Rayleigh. Because of them, our empire was known as the Rayleigh Empire.
Here, awakening wasn't just a milestone, it was an obligation.
The moment you awakened, you were bound to serve.
Whether in the army or another military branch depended on your performance during the probation period.
Our entire empire was in war mode, and it needed all the fresh blood it could get.
But three hundred years ago, our world wasn't in such a dire state. People awakened at random times while doing ordinary things, some as late as thirty or forty years old. They lived their lives as they pleased. Back then, there was no empire.
Instead, our world was divided into various kingdoms and federations, each governing its own territories.
But then, everything changed.
Our universe was attacked by another universe—an invasion led by an ancient race that called themselves the Eternals. They sought to conquer and subjugate entire worlds, claiming dominion over the cosmos.
Countless worlds in our universe were swallowed by the war.
At first, our world was spared. We weren't on the frontlines, and for a time, we remained untouched.
But that changed when a more advanced world took notice of us. They bestowed upon us new technologies and gave us a strict timeline, fifty years to prepare for war. After that, we would have no choice but to join the frontlines.
Thus began the Throne War. The kingdoms and federations, instead of uniting, turned on each other in a brutal struggle for dominance. Every ruler sought to claim power, hoping to secure the greatest benefits from the higher-level worlds.
After millions of deaths and endless destruction, one faction emerged victorious—the Rayleigh family. With their triumph, the Rayleigh Empire was born, and for the past two hundred years, they had ruled our world.
The first hundred years were nothing short of a nightmare. We were nothing more than cannon fodder, thrown into the meat grinder by the more powerful worlds. We lost millions.
But then, the war came to a sudden halt. No more battles raged on the frontlines, no more soldiers fell. Just as people began to relax, believing the worst was over, the Eternals unleashed the Phantoms.
All the deaths across our universe during the first hundred years of war had not been in vain—at least, not for the Eternals. They had harvested every fallen soul, forging them into living, emotionless armors with a singular purpose: to kill and destroy.
Then came the Abominations—beasts corrupted and twisted by the restless souls of the dead. They attacked in endless hordes, their monstrous forms merging flesh and spirit, spreading chaos across every world.
There were no more frontlines. Every world became a battlefield.
For the past hundred years, our universe had been locked in an endless struggle against the Phantoms and Abominations. But it was a losing battle. Every soldier who died only swelled their numbers. The more we fought, the more we fed the enemy.
***
Finally, we reached Steve's home. He unlocked the door, and we both stepped inside. He was living alone at the moment, both his parents were in the army.
We headed straight for the living room and flopped onto the couch.
I looked at him, a smirk forming on my lips.
"So?"
He blinked at me and asked back.
"So?"
I coughed and leaned forward.
"How did your awakening go? Did you awaken a talent?"
"Talent? No, I didn't," he answered.
Then, suddenly, his eyes widened. He stared at me for a moment before blurting out.
"Don't tell me—you awakened a talent?"
I grinned.
"Yes, I did."
He blinked a few times, took a deep breath and then lunged at me. I barely dodged, jumping off the couch and rolling onto the floor.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I shouted.
He scrambled over the couch, charging straight for me.
"This is bullshit! Why you, of all people?"
I bolted toward the kitchen, grabbing a chair and putting it between us.
"What do you mean 'why me'? Are you saying I don't deserve a talent?"
Steve circled the chair, eyes locked onto me like a predator.
"I mean exactly that! Of all the people in the world, it had to be you? The guy who was already beating us in everything?"
I smirked.
"Sounds like jealousy to me."
"Oh, I'm way past jealousy," he growled, suddenly kicking the chair aside and lunging again.
I laughed and dashed around the kitchen island.
"I mean, come on, Steve, don't act like this changes anything! You weren't going to catch up to me even before I had a talent."
"You—!" He grabbed an apple from the counter and hurled it at me.
I ducked just in time. The apple slammed into the wall with a dull thud.
I laughed.
"Missed!"
He grabbed the kitchen knife.
"Stand still and find out if I miss again!"
I bolted back toward the living room, leaping over the couch.
"No thanks! I'm not about to get murdered by my best friend just because I got lucky."
He followed.
"You didn't just get lucky! You just had to be the guy who's already good at everything, and now you get a talent too?"
"That's life, buddy," I teased, dodging around.
He groaned, finally collapsing onto the couch, panting.
"Fine. Whatever. I don't care anymore"
I grinned, sitting on the armrest.
He turned to me with that same lazy expression he was known for and asked,
"So… what kind of talent did you awaken?"
I let the anticipation build for a moment before answering.
"My talent's name is Generator."