A Red Star

A sore cheek and a sore stomach. It was not the first time for him to be in such a state. As he walked down the hallway with his head down and eyes wide with rage, his fellow students pointed and laughed at him.

"Woops" said someone as they pushed him to the floor. "I didn't see you there. I'm so sorry Ed...will you please forgive me?"

laughter ensued.

Ed raised his head and glared at the predator...it was the school bully, Rick.

Rick was not pleased with Ed's glare and frowned. "How dare a mere rank 1 give me such a look!". He grabbed Ed by the neck and slammed him to the wall.

Ed flailed his arms, helplessly smacking Rick's arms. He couldn't do anything as his opponent was 2 ranks above him and had a rich backing that provided him with proper training. Ed was an orphan, so no matter how hard he worked, if he wasn't talented or didn't have a capable background, then he might as well be left behind and to rot at the bottom of society.

Ed slowly lost his power in his arms and stopped his flailing around - it was getting hard to stay conscious. Rick, seeing this, threw a smirk of satisfaction and let go of him.

"This better teach you how to properly act around your seniors. You should thank me, after all, I'm teaching you manners in the stead of your parents."

After hearing this, a nerve popped in Ed's brain. Despite being in such a terrible state, Ed stood up and attempted a roundhouse kick on Rick.

"Stop talking smack you spoiled brat!" Ed said as he was being sent to the floor once again. The school hallway's floors were very well-accustomed to receiving Ed's skin and blood.

"Seems you still didn't learn your lesson, huh?"

As Rick was about to kick the already-on-the-ground-Ed, the bell rang, signaling that the school day and year was over. Rick halted in his kick and began to walk away, as did all the other students who were enjoying the scene. It seems that they were looking forward to the summer holiday, and treated Ed as a mere killing of time.

The teachers never cared for students fighting in school, as they believed that fighting helped give students experience and bullying helped motivate the weak to get stronger and become more diligent in their studies.

Ed picked himself up off the ground and brushed his clothes from all the concrete. He sighed. "At least summer break is here. I won't have to deal with these little brats treating me like some toy to play around with."

The government was kind enough to provide Ed with an apartment, as he was still a minor and an orphan simultaneously. He wasn't the only one, after all, the government did this so that they could have a higher educated population that could fight for it. Why, you ask? Well, let's just say the human race has discovered a certain enemy. It does not seem hostile at the moment, but it could very well pose a threat as it is far too numerous in its kind and its technologies are beyond comprehension. This is classified information though...please keep it a secret from Ed.

The fluorescent buzz of the lamps filled the room as he stared at the ceiling, pondering why he had been subject to experience such a life. He wondered if he'd ever be paid back for all the suffering he had to go through. He wondered who his parents were and how they died. He wondered and wondered, but came full circle and said "I can't do much about it, I guess I'll just have to join the military and work my ass off."

He stood up from his bed and walked over to his tiny fridge that contained nothing but bottled water and some leftover biscuits. He took a bottle and closed it. He then walked over to his desk and plopped the bottle on it.

The desk was a mess. Books all over the place...some were even left open. But at the centre of that lied a red metal star of some sort. The only thing that Ed's parents left behind was this lump of metal in the shape of a star. It resonated some sort of energy, so he knew it had some purpose, but he couldn't figure out what it was or how to use it. When the government handed over this "relic", it obviously meant that they couldn't figure it out either.

Ed pulled out a hammer from the desk's drawer and decided to go at it once again. He never knew why, but ever since he got this item, he'd been getting the urge to crack it open and see what was on the inside.

Ed lined up his strike with the star once, twice, three times, four times...he was nervous…This thing was hard, and if it were to ricochet and hit him, he'd be a goner. "Just why the hell am I doing this...this is so dumb...but I really want to know what's inside of this commie material!"

He took a deep breath and then struck with all of his force, closing his eyes at the point of contact.

When he opened his eyes, he found himself in an empty room. 3 dimensions of navy blue surrounded him. He checked his head and body and rubbed his eyes to check if he was dead and had been sent to the after-life. "Where the hell is this?"

"Welcome to Staryx"