~Eleven Years Later~

The sun’s rays pierced through the lush branches above the forest floor. Yellow light filled the entire expanse near a large pond which had a small waterfall spilling into it. A stream extended from the left side of the pond and led down for a mile before connecting with a river. It was winter during that time; a faint layer of frost covered the grass on the forest floor which would crunch under the paws of animals that wandered about, intent on searching for the uncommon berries that were capable of surviving the colder temperatures. Bigger creatures silently stalked their smaller prey as they participated in the hunt for food.

A small, one-room, wood house stood proudly next to the pond’s outside perimeter. The triangular roof held a soft layer of frozen glaze that shimmered in the cool morning rays. It had a single square window that allowed the entire pond to be visible from within the building. To keep insects out during summer, a window that was capable of being pulled up to allow air inside was constructed inside the window.

The chimney that was placed in the back of the small house signified that a fire was burning within as smoke silently billowed out from it. The inside was rather warm compared to the chilly forest. There was a single bed and table placed inside; other than that, there was a secret trapdoor hidden underneath a hologram which displayed the same wooden floor around it. That type of technology was never-before-seen in the world of Eonus. It was entirely unique to the owner of the small house, which actually originated from his father's secret research.

Beyond the entrance of the trapdoor was a ladder that led down about one hundred meters. The space around the ladder was quite large and there was another ladder on the opposite side just in case something unexpected occurred. Placed at the bottom underneath the ladders was a thick, white padding that had small imprints. Those prints were naturally from the person who frequented the hidden chamber that branched out underneath the pond.

Beyond the padding was a large opening that expanded into an even bigger area. The ceiling seemed to be a bit too high, as if the one who constructed it had exaggerated the measurements. Large chandelier hung from the high ceiling, giving light to every corner of the underground room. On three sides of the ceiling were vents that connected to the rocks which created the natural waterfall. They were placed near the edges of the rocks so water wasn't able to intrude, however, the filtration system installed inside the vents would accurately expel water or other items that had the chance of falling through the holes drilled into the rocks. Those vents allowed clean air to flow into the underground chamber, as well as to filter out the bad air within it.

Within the room itself were several different stations. A couple were complex while the others were simple in design. Near the left-most wall was a raised circular platform that had strange symbols etched into it. Wires connected to the sides of the platform led to two large cylinders that housed a dark purple energy. Contrary to its rather dark appearance, the energy was silently still within the two cylinders. Situated to the right of the platform area was a wide, stainless-steel table that was covered with papers. There was a whiteboard placed on the wall above it; formulas were spread across the entire board and small sketches were placed next to each formula in a tidy fashion. Whether those formulas were correct in their solutions, only the man who created it would know.

On that subject, a tall, thin, young man stood with a marker in his right hand. He was busily marking down his mathematical steps to complete the formula in-front of his eyes. White hair hung down just above his eyes and the back barely reached lower part of his neck. He wore a tight white gown, white boots, white gloves, and a single white cloth that was tied around his neck. He would always wrap the cloth around the lower half of his face when he left his small home, however, that was only within the forest. Depending on his purpose for entering society during the day, he would wear a different outfit appropriate for the situation.

He suddenly stopped after he circled a number. He tossed the marker on the table in-front of him and took a couple steps back to admire his completed formula.

"Finally...So it was a Light Cell that was the solution. No wonder the excited electrons weren't capable of passing through the energy collector. Now I just need to replace the Plasma Cell with a Light cell. Hopefully the entire prototype doesn't explode this time."

Jura Hyde wiped a drop of sweat from his brow and reached for a small remote. He pressed his thumb against one of the many buttons, causing a small whirring sound to manifest. After a few seconds, a stronger current of cool air flowed in his surroundings. He calibrated it carefully enough so it wouldn't blow his papers everywhere. However, just in case, he placed small paper weights on top of the most important papers. If some blew to the ground, so be it.

He moved toward a different station which housed a strange machine. Actually, it was more correct to use the plural form of machine. That was because there were several different rotating spheres within a large rectangular box. The front of the box was clear glass that allowed Jura to observe the inside and the rest of it was built from a metal Jura created himself, which he called Oclian.

The spheres within the box were endlessly spinning, as if they had unlimited energy. Different colored mist surrounded each individual sphere as small vortexes that were slowly compressed down into a small stone upon a platform placed in the middle of each sphere. There were different colored stones that glistened with an abnormal light which sat within the different spheres. They ranged from red, deep blue, purple, black, yellow, neon blue, and more. In total there were ten spheres that were rotating in the box; the different colors that emanated out from within them formed a spectacular rainbow-effect inside the box.

Jura knelt down and opened up a section below the box that held the spheres. In the space beneath the box was a storage bin for the stones that dropped below once they reached a certain quality. The pedestals that the stones rested on within the spheres would split apart once the stone reached a certain energy quality, which caused the stones to fall into their own sorted storage bins.

Jura reached for a specific section in storage which held a few yellow stones. Each storage bin was about 7x7x5 feet; the stones weren't that big either, measuring a diameter of about four inches. Also, the stones were basically weightless. Jura grabbed one of the yellow stones in his hand before he closed the storage section and moved to a different machine.

The machine had three different circular metal pieces; two were placed on the left side of a long platform while the third rested on the other end. To the left of the two circular pieces of metal was a small box upon a pedestal. The box was about 1x1 foot so it was definitely large enough to hold an Elemental Cell, which were the energy stones produced by the spheres, inside it. There were several wires connecting the box to the two circular metal pieces.

On the back side of the box were two small thick rectangular chunks of metal. One of the chunks acted as an external energy source while the other acted as an energy conductor which allowed the energy from the storage chunk to flow into the Elemental Cell. Inside the box, surrounding the Elemental Cell, is an energy compactor which focuses the energy from the storage battery into the Cell. The Cell takes the energy and, because the energy is foreign and the stone itself is filled to the limit of its energy capacity, it releases the energy as a small blast. On the front of the small box is an energy collector, which gathers the expelled energy and shoots it into the first circular metal piece as a laser.

The metal pieces hold a special focusing-type glass that pinpoints the energy. This allows the laser to travel with increased precision. Before Jura had installed the glass, the laser would always shoot out randomly after a few inches.

Jura carefully unscrewed the top of the small box and lifted it. He observed the neon-blue stone within the box, examining it. He waited several seconds before using Oclian pliers to take the stone out of the box. Small sparks of energy drifted off the stone as Jura pulled it out; he slowly placed it on a half-sphere pedestal where it silently rested.

He took the yellow stone from where he placed it before and carefully transferred it into the small box. He heard a click which signified that the stone was in its proper place. He then attached the top back onto the box and stepped away.

“Whew, done. Now I just need-”

A ringing suddenly echoed out from Jura’s main desk, which was located within the middle of the chamber. The ringing originated from a small, black device that resembles a phone. However, there were only two buttons and two speakers on it. The idea to add an electronic screen hadn’t come to Jura’s mind, mostly because he never had any use for one, as far as he knew. Besides, it was impossible to take his research above ground anyway so he honestly didn’t have the need for one. Also, his accomplishments with quantum physics had not progressed far enough to allow him to create such ideas.

Jura quickly walked over to the communication device, which, ironically, he called a radio, and pressed the top of the two buttons. Instantly, a voice emerged from the top speaker:

“Jura, I know today is supposed to be your day off, but I have to call you in. An unexpected situation has emerged.”

Jura sighed as he lightly facepalmed. He rubbed his brow before replying:

“Vilis, why are you calling me in when you can do it yourself? I’m in the middle of something.”

“Is that any way to talk to your captain?”

“Don’t get sassy on me. You’re the one who called.”

“Sassy, you say? Don’t even get me started. Look, you can finish your little ‘science project’ later. I still have to assassinate this one guy which I was supposed to last week…You know me, right? The deadline for my mission is today so I’m quite busy. Plus, you’re the only one capable of dissolving the situation. And, before you ask the same question again, the answer is no. The difficulty doesn’t require you to unseal it.”

“Why do you always procrastinate till the last day? You know that’s an important noble that’s supposed to be escorted by a squadron of Kard Knights today, right? The mission would’ve been so much easier if you just completed it the day you received it.”

“Yea, yea, you tell me that every time! Besides, it’s not like those Knights are strong, right? I’m capable of tussling around with a few of ‘em.”

“A Squadron is twenty Knights, Vilis..”

“So?”

“...Anyway, are you going to divulge the location of the problem? I’m assuming it has something to do with the trading caravan that’s being escorted across the plains into Kard.”

“Hahaha, you’re as smart as ever. That’s the one. Originally, only four of the Destruction Squad were dispatched to the caravan. However, the caravan unexpectedly had a Spirit Master among the guards. This guy is contracted with a black wyvern so he’s able to fly and create large spears of darkness. All he does is fly and shoot. What a coward.”

“Haaah, a Spirit Master? How could you miss such important information?...Alright, I understand the situation. Besides, those are my direct subordinates so it is technically my job. Talk to you later.”

“Cya.”

Jura pressed the bottom button, dissolving the connection. He closed his eyes for a few seconds before quickly moving toward the right-most side of the chamber. Placed against that wall was a large wardrobe; it was about eight feet high and seven feet wide. Jura opened the doors to the wardrobe and peered inside.

There were rows of different clothing, which ranged from casual to formal. There was one section placed the right which held two different sets of clothing. The first set was Jura’s academy uniform which he was required to wear on campus during a school day. The second was an all-black uniform which was extremely similar to the white outfit he wore. He pulled the black uniform out and quickly changed out from his white outfit into the black. He also switched the white cloth around his neck into a black cloth, which he immediately wrapped around the lower half of his face.

The only difference between the two outfits was that the black version had a thick hood. However, it was only there to keep the cloth wrapped tightly enough. There was a small magnetic connecter which kept the back of the cloth tied. The hood hid the connecter as a just-in-case scenario. The connector itself was black in color so it was already extremely difficult to discover it. Of course, Jura didn’t actually wear the hood. He preferred to keep his hair clear to the outside world. In reality, he just didn’t like anything covering his head. Hair excluded.

He looked back at the prototype laser and sighed before walking toward the ladder to exit the underground chamber.

This is the start of my new story so I would appreciate comments detailing any mistakes that are present within the post. I would also appreciate if any of you readers comment about yoru thoughts on the prologue and/or first chapter. This is a story that will not entirely focus on action (except when it's necessary). I will also detail the MC's discoveries and research into his weapons and other inventions.

Hope you enjoyed.