Crippled...

Aranis Heroic City was one of the few colonies orbiting the earth. With technological advancements having gone a long way, humans were able to make the living environment for colonies as comfortable as possible. The projected skyline was as realistic as possible to distract from the depressing atmosphere staring into space had incited within the citizens.

Midas weaved through the bustling crowd as he fought his way into the bullet train heading toward the western sector of the district. All around him were men and women going to work and kids of all ages on their way to school. He listened in the conversations going on around him in boredom.

"I heard that a four-star general was killed yesterday on a neutral planet during a fight with the Otherworlders."

"Yeah, I heard about it too…. But in exchange, we got control of an important city, that's a strategic resource on its own. I'd say it was a fair trade."

"I don't think so. Those fucking aliens must feel so good because they killed a powerhouse of humanity. But I shudder at the thought, an ascendant died just like that, it's so scary."

The war with the Delphinians was reaching a new high. In recent years, there had been relative peace but frequent clashes had begun once more as fights for resources caused conflict between the two species. As a result, the popularity of all heroic academies was flourishing once more, as the government and the great families nurtured any promising talent in hopes of raising powerhouses for the war.

The value of martial strength was once more a universal currency. Midas' mind flew to dreams of grandeur, imagining himself as a powerhouse of humanity, playing a vital role in finally winning the war. As his mind wandered far away, it didn't take long for the bullet train to stop in front of a street filled with students who were similarly walking towards the looming gates of the academy with a few stragglers flying toward the checkpoint on their sleek hoverboards.

The Academy stood like a mini citadel against the skyline, its walls shone with a dazzling mix of white gold and crimson red- the colours of the school. The entirety of the academy was built with an alloy that mimicked marble in terms of appearance and texture, but its durability was ahead by thousands of times. It was after all the third ranked academy on the Stellaris colony and so, its face was sometimes even more important than its students. The top of the main building was graced by a spire in the design of the very spear emblazoned on the student's uniform, doubling as a work of art and as a relay station where data was passed to all relevant sectors of the academy.

Midas walked absentmindedly as he passed through the familiar archway beside the gate where a scanner emitted a faint hum and his body was enveloped in an azure blue light that verified his identity as a student of the prestigious Aranis Academy. Within the central courtyard of the school, a holographic image of the Academy's founder- Dr. Isabella Nova, was displayed as she welcomed students in a short video that looped endlessly. Ignoring the sights around the campus which he usually indulged himself in, Midas walked through the hallways before stopping in front of a door with the tag: "3A", placed above it.

Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and walked in to see that about half the class was already present. Walking towards his seat in the backrow, he took note of the gazes he had gotten from his classmates since the day he started schooling here, they ranged from- pity to amusement, then disdain and finally indifference. He couldn't blame them really, he would have the same looks of pity if someone else was as talented as him and yet so useless. That's right, Midas had ranked within the top ten of applicants during his entrance examination and yet a metaphorical bucket of cold water doused all his happiness and killed his dreams. The very talent that had granted him the spotlight was being hindered by his human limitations. He was essentially a cripple. Talented, but a cripple nonetheless.

He walked dejectedly and settled himself in his seat, it wasn't even up to thirty seconds before the usual clamour started.

"Hey cripple! You wanna spar for fifty credits."

"Fuck off. Don't try to show off with your meagre money, I'll pay you a hundred. How about it?"

"All these paupers, I'll pay five hundred credits. I need to relieve some stress; my old man's being hounding me about getting a good placement on the upcoming assessments."

Midas drowned out the noise as he usually did by staring at the white ceiling while awaiting the homeroom teacher. It took about half an hour before Sir Davis strolled into the room. He was a middle-aged man with wavy brown hair that he tied in a neat ponytail, his handsome face was accentuated by gold-rimmed glasses that sat on the bridge of his nose, letting the class see his eyes beneath them.

"All right; that's about enough you waste of space. Stop hounding Midas and settle down." The chatter seized instantly. The class knew that while Sir Davis had an amiable personality, it went out the window once he began lectures.

"There'll be no class today. I'm sure you're all aware of the assessment for the military academies coming up in two days. We are going to focus on squeezing whatever potential you have left so you can make the academy proud, our resource allocation depends on it.

When he was done talking, a hand shot into the air from the middle of the class.

"Yes Rowan?"

"Why do we have to do anything though. It'll all still fall to class 1 and 2."

Sir Davis sighed as he saw the other students nod in agreement with Rowan's statement. "Because while they are the very best batch we have this year; it doesn't make them infallible. There are still plenty of talented students in other classes, like this one."

"Now everyone, to the training grounds. And don't wait for me to inform you before changing into your gears."

The class all sauntered out of the classroom and headed toward the training grounds before picking the largest free room that was available. The training room was empty as usual, with a vast whiteness that made Midas feel uncomfortable. He thought the blank slate was very unnatural. While his classmates discussed among themselves, Midas pulled up his system interface and selected his training suit.

The uniform morphed once more into a grey bodysuit that stuck close to his skin. The suit could allow him freedom to exhibit movements that would be restricted in his uniform, and also monitored his vitals throughout the training exercise.