The House Fire

Every year, around 358,500 house fires occur, even though there are approximately 140 million homes. It's easy to think that it could never happen to you. However, Jacob found himself watching as his house was consumed by infused blue flames, with his parents and sister still inside. He was the only survivor, saved by the heroic firefighters. 

Some may say that Jacob was lucky to have survived, but he questioned whether he truly was fortunate to be orphaned and scarred for life. In this world, Jacob had to fend for himself. There was nobody to protect him in the shadows, no childhood friend or love interest to shield him from the harsh reality. This wasn't fantasy; if he had to resort to committing crimes or becoming the scum of the earth, he would do so to survive. Jacob knew he had to look out for himself in a world where the empowered could slaughter people like him without a second thought.

10 YEARS LATER

In the Basanite Empire's capital, one of the significant empires of the three continents. Two of them were ravaged by foul creatures, leaving only one under human control. Among the five empires, Basanite and San Berillium were significant, while Calcite, Ellium, and Solestine were minor. The empires declared that battles would only occur among vassal states to preserve humanity. The world's technology was comparable to that of the 21st century, the only difference being that Fuse, the world's mana, powered every device. A school for the disowned was built in the slums of the capital. Although many were unhappy about it, considering it a political move by the emperor to gain popularity, Jacob and others without education were thrilled to hear about it. 

A young man was standing at the entrance of the school who was quite tall for his age, standing around 6 ft. Despite his height, he appeared to be malnourished, with his dirty brown hair and light green eyes appearing tired and worn out. His face was heavily scarred from a fire incident, leaving only his eyes as a prominent feature. Despite his tough circumstances, he seemed to possess some degree of strength, perhaps from constant running and fighting. This boy was jacob

As Jacob felt the scars on his face, he couldn't help but think that he was only chosen for this opportunity because of his disfigurement. However, he was grateful that his scars finally had some use. He walked towards the enormous gates of his new home. The school provided housing, food, and other necessities for the students as long as they maintained a passing score. "This is probably just another political stunt," Jacob muttered to himself. 

A high-pitched voice interrupted his thoughts. "Well, at least this stunt helps us," said Nathan, another disowned individual living in the slums. "We never turn down charity, do we?" Jacob retorted. Nathan chuckled, remembering all the similar stunts politicians had pulled before. Jacob was right, they never turned them down. 

Nathan was a burn victim like Jacob, but his scars weren't as severe. They had met multiple times before and could be considered acquaintances. As they entered the school, the staff looked at them with disdain. They hurriedly found Jacob and Nathan as bunkmates and instructed them to head to the showers before orientation. The rooms were basic, with a bed, wardrobe, bed stand, and a desk for each student. Two sets of self-adjusting uniforms were neatly placed on each bed.

Jacob thought to himself, "How fancy." He realized he needed to take a shower and attend orientation, but Nathan interrupted him. He patiently waited for Nathan to finish while he began unpacking. Jacob hung up his only "nice" outfit on the hangers, which he typically wore to sneak into events. He also placed jars containing dirt and larger-than-average bugs, such as ants, flies, and rhinoceros beetles. Pets were common in this world, and some could even be infused to protect their owners if they could afford it. Most people had pets because one of the most extraordinary empowered individuals had raised a beast strong enough to help found the Bassanite empire. Although most pets did not become significant, having a pet was a cultural norm.

Although one might assume Jacob's pet was one of the insects in his collection, they would be mistaken. Anyone who knew Jacob well would have met Nosirin, a giant centipede about 8 feet long. Nosirin spent most of his time crawling under Jacob's clothing. Jacob met Nosirin the year after the fire and sympathized with the giant centipede, whom an empowered individual had burned for being considered ugly. After approximately an hour, both boys finished unpacking and wore their uniforms. Sadly, Nathan's pet fish had to stay in the dorm.

The boys were dressed in a uniform resembling a private school, with its logo embroidered onto the chest of their brown sweater vests. The emblem was that of the Bassanite empire's flag, with an eagle clutching the flag added to it. The pants they wore were black jeans that fit loosely, much like their shirts. If anyone were to ask, the staff would explain that it was to allow for greater flexibility. Still, in reality, the auto-fitting equipment they used was the most affordable option available in the area.