Chapter 4: A New Opportunity!

That baptism incident was from three months ago. Aamon laid on the streets with a wounded face, gazing at the falling sun as he remembered past events. He couldn't help but curse his own fortune.

"Shit! Why is it always like this? Why am I always the one that gets the short end?" he muttered as he slowly got up and gazed upon the idle onlookers. They all were startled like a little lamb, as they can see the resentment and mockery in Aamon's eyes. It was as if he was calling them a coward on their face.

The passersby were displeased. They never wanted to offend a future Elementalist, but when the little boy looked at them with contempt, they didn't like that either. But as they were really in the wrong this time, they didn't say anything as they went on their way.

Aamon looked at the dispersing crowd and sighed. He doesn't even care about these anymore. When he was bullied by Matthew before, people didn't intervene because of his father's identity. And now he himself is an aspiring Elementalist, what can the civilians like them do? They can at most offer sympathy.

Aamon's concern was somewhere else. His parents don't know about his 'friendship' with Matthew. He needs to do something to cover up the beating. Otherwise, it's gonna get messy. He looked in the surroundings and saw a staircase going down.

It wasn't too high, just a single floor. Aamon took a deep breath, gritted his teeth and jumped down. He rolled down the stairs like a football. But as he was prepared and the height wasn't that high, he got away with a few scratches.

He wasn't hurt that much, but his uniform and bag pack were torn. He looked at the scratches and patches on his body and breathed out in relief. This is the result he wanted after all. Now he can convince his parents that he really fell from the stairs and got hurt.

 *****

Evening,

Aamon's house.

Helen just sorted out all the housework and was waiting for her husband. After Anon returns, she will set off to the super shop for her shift. She was just relaxing on the sofa as the doorbell suddenly rang. She thought her husband came home and got off to open the door. But she was greeted with a messy looking Aamon instead.

Before her eyes stood her son, his face swollen here and there. The left lens of his glasses was broken, his clothes were torn and soaked in mud. Blood was dripping from his forehead and left knee. For a moment she stood there, dazed. But the next moment she woke up from her reverie.

She felt her heart is going to come out off her mouth as she brought him inside. Her son is in this state, what if he got hurt some more and couldn't walk home? She nursed his wounds as she asked in a trembling voice, "Aamon, who did this to you? Is it someone from your academy? Tell me what is going on, son."

Aamon got scared for a moment. How could his mother know about his situation? 'It has to be a guess, right?' he thought. But his mind was steady and calm and he didn't show his inner thoughts. He replied in a somewhat embarrassed tone,

"I… kinda slipped from the stairs, mom. The one in front of the Asha Road, there was a banana peel on there. I didn't see it and slipped. Who throws banana peel on a bridge, seriously! I didn't get hurt that much, it's nothing serious, mom."

Helen looked at her son with some complicated emotions. She had a hunch that her son was being bullied in the academy. But she, as well as her husband, wanted Aamon to be able to solve it himself. Aamon also never mentioned anything about it. If others stand up for him all the times, then maybe he will never be able to be a self-reliant person.

She forced a smile and said, "Is that so, son? Then you have to be extra careful from now on, especially when crossing stairs and bridges." She somewhat said those words to her son. Since he didn't mention anything, she will not violate his privacy either.

Aamon didn't catch the change in emotion in his mother's tone. He only saw his mom talk to his dad before going to work. He didn't think anything as he had his dinner and went into his room.

Aamon is a smart boy since he was a child. He likes to read books, every day. Every single book available in his house has already been memorized by him. He, after his failure in the 'field' three months ago, has been searching how to earn more money without being an Elementalist. But every job that pays a decent money and matches with his qualifications have a very simple condition. You must be an adult, in other words, 18 years old to do the job. So, Aamon is just 8 years too young for those kinds of jobs. Heck, even part time jobs require the employee to be at least 16. This made him very frustrated.

Today was just another day he found nothing suitable for him on the internet. He was just about to log out from the internet as he came across a particular advertisement.

"A curator is needed to assess the Relics found in Raids. Anyone interested and with a decent knowledge about "Relics" and "Fragments" can come and participate in the interview." There was the address below the two sentences. And that's it, nothing more, nothing less.

"A curator, with knowledge about Relics and Fragments, and most of all, there is no mention about age. Hahaha… It's a tailor-made job for me. The interview is in Sunday morning, that's even more amazing, I won't have to skip classes to attend. Relics and Fragments, just the type of things I like, hehehe…" Aamon indulged in his happiness for a few more minutes as he went to bed and slept.

 *****

Relics and Fragments have a very big impact in this world ruled by the Elementalists. Every type of technology this world possesses, every new revolution in the field of science, all have been dominated by the Elementalists' society. After all, even humanity's greatest weapon, a "Nuclear Fission Bomb", its body is ultimately made of metals. The two core components of a Nuclear Fission Bomb are 'Uranium' and 'Plutonium'. And the funny thing is, they both are also metals.

This world has many powerhouses who can control the Metal Element. And if an Elementalist of Metal Element has strength over Intermediate 5-star rank, they can break the Nuclear Missile down to atoms even before it came anywhere near them. This information was actually proven during the era of the Continental War, as people fought with everything they got. But the modern weaponry didn't even hold a candle to these overlords of nature. 

There is also a reason for that, as modern scientific technology is completely incompatible with Elemental energy. All the attempts of merging Elemental power with technology can only have two possible results. One is a violent explosion, the other is a complete meltdown of the entire system. Experts deduced that Elemental energy is too overbearing for regular technologies and although reluctantly, but they finally abandoned the idea.

And here comes the matter regarding Relics. Relics, also known as "Elemental Armaments" are from a mysterious origin. They are supposedly created by some kind of ancient civilization that has long been destroyed. They seemed to have a method of imbuing objects and tools with Elemental energies. From cheap dirt to valuable gemstones and rare metals, all types of Relics are found in this world. Of course, the higher the quality of the base materials, the more compact the Elemental energy is within it and the higher it's grade is.

Scientists once wanted to break down the Relics to find out how it was made. After a long negotiation and paying a heavy price, they secured a lower grade Relic and broke it down with the help of a Metal Elementalist. But the moment it was broken, the piece of the valuable Relic lost all the Elemental properties and became scrap metal. After that incident, the Elemental Headquarters of all seven continent came together and banned any research regarding Relics and whatsoever.

The place the Relics appear are called "Fragments". A Fragment is a pocket dimension that holds a place similar to a "Dungeon" from various video games. There are "Fragmental Guardians" that also appear inside the Fragments. They are not living beings, rather Elemental creatures made out of Elements. One has to either defeat them, or search for the "Fragmental Key" to pass the area. Only then can one take the Relic out of the Fragments. Many Elementalists form Raid Teams to raid the Fragments in search of Relics.

The job of a curator is mainly to discern the grade and usage of a relic from the data gathered in a Fragment. This is why Aamon was so excited about it. Because all the knowledge about Relics and Fragments that are open to public basically have been devoured by him long ago.

*****

It was finally Sunday two days later. He got up early and got ready for the appointment. He then went to the address given on the internet. The area was just a few streets away from his house, called the "Antique Avenue". It is a place where all kinds of old and antique things are found. He never wore any formal clothes so; he didn't have a suit or tie. He wore the next best thing... yes, his academy uniform. He was in high spirit as he enjoyed the scenery while passing a few streets. And after half an hour of walking, he finally saw the signboard of the shop he came for.