Halsper Institute
"Welcome to Halsper Institute," a smooth, almost rehearsed voice greeted them the moment their boots touched the landing pad.
Abunar stepped out of the chopper, his gaze lifting to the colossal entrance before him. The institute's insignia gleamed overhead—otherworldly, imposing, exuding an aura of absolute dominance.
The air hummed with activity. Freshborns, barely stable on their feet, wobbled comically as their caretakers guided them. Others had given up entirely and were being carried. Supercars, hoverboards, and a myriad of advanced transport vehicles streamed in, delivering young initiates to their new lives.
His mind flickered with data. The information wasn't innate—it functioned like a search bar in his head. Anything he hadn't fully processed, he could summon in an instant. A screen formed in his mind's eye:
Halsper Institute
→ Training until age 10.
→ Graduation leads to advanced military academies.
→ Eventual deployment to the frontlines of the long, bloody war.
The thought made his small fingers curl slightly. A war so vast and endless that even childhood was a mere preparation for battle.
"Okay, take him," Harry said absentmindedly, his focus elsewhere. His neural link was likely connected to the central server, downloading real-time updates.
Abunar, however, had no such luxury—his data feed was offline-only for now. At age ten, he would receive a Djinn implant, a spinal-cord device that granted real-time access to the planetary network, granting unrestricted information flow. For now, he could only rely on external devices.
The voice that greeted them belonged to a woman—tall, sharply dressed, with long blue hair cascading like a river at dusk.
"Right away, sir," she said with a light smile.
Harry looked at Abunar one last time. "Don't worry. This isn't goodbye. We'll meet again in training soon... and believe me, that won't be a walk in the park like today." He gave a knowing wink before striding away.
The woman turned to Abunar and took stock of his belongings: a single traveler's bag, a trunk of supplies, and an ice box. All pre-prepared.
"Let's get you registered."
She signaled a robotic assistant to gather his things.
The courtyard of legends opened before him.
Towering statues stood like silent sentinels, their eyes hollow yet piercing. Shadows stretched long beneath their feet, as though measuring the worth of those who passed.
His internal database activated, flooding him with knowledge:
Morgin the Great – Cloaked in flowing robes, his gaze stern. The father of strategy, inventor of Peravo—a breakthrough that turned the tide of war. His advancements in weapons, machinery, and tactics reshaped human survival.
Yaasnter, the Iron Heart – One foot on a massive cannon, a rifle in one hand, keys in the other. She had died in the war, sacrificing herself to save thousands.
There were countless others—heroes, scholars, warriors. Ghosts of the past, watching the freshborns step forward.
Yet amidst the statues, the gardens flourished. Trees swayed, flowers bloomed. The world here seemed... untouched by war. A manufactured serenity.
They reached the registration office, a sleek metallic structure with holographic screens flashing endless data.
"Place your finger here," the clerk muttered, barely glancing up.
A scan pulsed over Abunar's body—biometric analysis, genetic matching, and identity confirmation. The screen updated instantly.
Then the clerk saw the name.
His breath hitched. His fingers froze mid-swipe. A bead of sweat rolled down his temple, yet he remained utterly still, as though moving might invoke something unseen.
"Abunar... Baaur..." His voice faltered. Then again, firmer—"Baaur."
The casual disinterest evaporated. The man straightened, hands suddenly moving faster than the eye could follow.
"Sir, please—one moment!"
The finalization process took mere seconds. No extra verification. No waiting.
"Done!" The clerk practically shoved the card into Abunar's hands.
He looked down at the ink shifting across the surface, morphing into clear text:
Name: Abunar Baaur
Point: Visceral
Room: #Re54
Identity: Plkvue0295677r5%
Three dots pulsed at the bottom—clicking them would reveal additional classified data.
"You're all set!" the man said hastily, still pale.
The woman—his guide—smiled. "Let's get you to your room."
As they left, the clerk wiped his brow, his hands trembling slightly. The Baaur bloodline, he felt that he had just gone through a huge point in history.
"I feel like I just started a grand quest, " he muttered. "What kind of monster will that boy become?"
The elevator took them down, deep into the underground floors of Halsper. They weren't at the lowest level, but they were far from the surface.
At the entrance of his room, she handed him a small silver card.
"This has my contact. If anything goes wrong, call me."
Abunar glanced down at the card, reading the name.
"Thank you, Corney," he said sincerely.
She chuckled, a bit embarrassed. "It's Carnai."
"Oh... sorry, I didn't mean—"
_"No problem, dear." She ruffled his hair. "Just dive into this world."**
"Alright."
He turned to the door, pressing his palm against the sensor. With a soft chime, it slid open.
Beyond lay the unknown.
A new life.
A new destiny.
And for the first time, he stepped forward.