Caren took a seat, waiting for his turn.
“All of these people are Upside Downers?”
He yawned.
He was going to have a long day.
Caren looked around.
His eyes stopped on a girl sitting next to him.
Her hair was as dark as night and tied in a low ponytail.
Her red eyes were glowing.
She was wearing a black T-shirt and baggy pants.
Her face was serious and emotionless, as if she were ready to kill someone at any moment.
The girl noticed his gaze and turned to face him.
“Why are you staring at me?”
Her voice was cold and unfriendly.
It made Caren shiver slightly, and he barely managed a smile.
“Well, you have great eyes.”
The girl’s eyes widened in surprise for a moment, but quickly turned cold again.
“That’s because I’m a Demran.”
Caren nodded.
“Is it your last name?”
The girl stared at him, then looked away.
“Yes, that’s my last name.”
Caren felt the tension, so he didn’t say anything more.
He looked at the people waiting for their turn and noticed something.
They were all staring at her, but not out of admiration for her beauty.
Their gazes were filled with hatred and contempt.
The girl didn’t seem to care, so Caren sighed and left her alone.
After a while, everyone went inside, and Caren’s turn came.
He stood up.
No one was around except him.
What was behind the door?
What would happen there?
Caren opened the door and entered.
He found himself in a small room with white walls.
There was nothing except a man who was waiting for him.
The man’s brown hair fell like a waterfall, reaching down to his waist.
His black eyes reflected the light from the ceiling lamps, and he had a muscular build covered by a tight-fitting brown T-shirt.
“Welcome, boy.”
He looked at Caren playfully, then added,
“Ready to learn how to use your aura?”
Caren stared at him and cleared his throat.
“Yeah, yeah…
can I know what aura is?”
The man laughed.
“Seems like you’re the kind of person who wasn’t interested in Upside Downers.”
Caren paused.
He just nodded.
“Yes, I wasn’t interested.
But now that I’m one of them, I thought I had to know.”
The man smiled.
He was full of energy.
“Okay, let’s explain it as simply as I can.
All you need to know for now is that your aura helps you shape your Chosen Abilities.
Each person’s aura has its own unique color, and it’s related to their soul.”
He smiled.
“Do you believe in souls?”
Caren shrugged.
“Actually, I don’t.”
The man licked his lips.
“Then from now on, you have to believe.”
Caren nodded.
Soul?
That sounded dumb.
But everything in this new world was something that didn’t exist in his own world, so the man was right.
He had to believe.
“But how can I make my aura appear?”
The man smiled happily.
“That’s the hard part.
No one can explain it to you.
For example, my Chosen Name is Kindest Murder.
My soul is red.
I have to focus on the meaning of my Chosen Name, and then my aura will appear.”
Caren’s smile faded for a moment when he heard the man’s Chosen Name.
He let out a soft sigh.
“Focus on my Chosen Name?”
Caren closed his eyes.
What was the meaning of his Chosen Name?
He could manipulate matter and atoms.
But how could he make his aura appear just by knowing that?
Caren focused.
Suddenly, he felt his body becoming lighter.
He seemed to have almost no fixed shape, appearing as nothing more than tiny particles floating in the air.
He was matter.
“Nice job.”
Kindest Murder’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
Caren looked around and felt something different.
His body had a new strength.
He was lighter, more agile, faster, and stronger.
He looked down at himself, and his eyes widened.
A black aura surrounded his body.
“Is…
Kindest Murder nodded slowly.
“Yep.
Now you’re ready to learn how to use your Chosen Abilities.”
“How?”
Kindest Murder shrugged.
“I don’t know.
Figure it out by yourself.
And leave here.”
Caren frowned, but didn’t argue.
He just walked out and placed his hands over his face.
“I need to sleep.”
His mind was overwhelmed with thoughts.
There was so much for him to process.
Water dripped from his wet hair onto the floor.
He walked out of the bathroom and sat on his bed.
He had changed into a brown T-shirt and baggy pants.
He turned his head and looked around.
His room was small, but it was enough.
He had a bed, a private bathroom, a desk, and a chair.
There was also a mirror.
That was all he needed.
He could also go to the academy’s cafeteria and get food.
He could also gather some information.
Most of it was about Grades.
There were nine Grades: Belittled, Changeable, Trooper, Evolved, Leader, Minister, Emperor, Decider, and Unknown.
But there should be ten.
He was a Drop Grade.
Unfortunately, when he asked others about it, everyone told him that such a Grade didn’t exist.
So, was he kind of special?
The voice had told him that Drops were the weakest, but they also created something.
Something that the voice didn’t want to tell him.
That was bad too.
If there was no one in his Grade, he couldn’t find any information about it.
Another thing he had learned was that the voice’s name was Upside Down.
Levels were related to the amount of aura.
He was a Beginner, with Incomplete and Complete ahead of him.
But he still didn’t know how to use his Chosen Abilities.
He tried to do the same thing he had done to make his aura appear, but nothing happened.
It was confusing, but he had to figure it out because there was a Water Core ahead.
He didn’t ask about the Water Core because he didn’t want to seem suspicious.
Caren lay down on the bed and closed his eyes.
Three hours were left until dinner, and he was still tired.
Soon, his eyes grew heavy, and he let himself drift into sleep.