Chapter 1: The Falling Meteor

A teenager trudged wearily across the street.

He looked tired; his dead eyes gave away the depression he felt. The setting sun exposed a slim, weak frame, highlighting his lonely profile.

A small city, not much bigger than a town, Victoria City was known to contain a couple of famous people.

This boy was one of the residents of Victoria City. He had fame, but it wasn’t welcome at all.

“It’s Fang!”

“Today was the last examination for the spring, and just as usual, he failed it.”

“If this continues, he probably can’t even qualify for the worst college, what a piece of waste without any prospects.”

“I’m just a baker, but my son passed the exam without any trouble, better than him who came from a famous family.”

Fang came from a distinguished family where his great grand parents, grandparents, and parents were locally renowned for their contributions to the city. As expected, he did inherit the talent of his lineage, with excellent reflexes and a strong body – as he grew up, there was just one problem. His ability to practice martial arts didn’t exist.

Misfortune never comes alone; Fang was only ten when his parents were killed in a war protecting the city from invaders. The casualties were numerous, and with part of the city in ruins, there was simply no time to worry about the situation the bereaved were in. Fang’s circumstances took a turn for the worse.

Although the sacrifice that Fang’s parents made prevented the destruction of the city, their contributions were forgotten as time flowed on. Six years went by in a blur, and the majority of the people in Victoria City forgot the work that laid the foundations to the city’s success. All that remained for the majority of the residents was that Fang, the son of a talented family, was crippled and weak.

Hearing these mocking voices, Fang tightly clenched his fist, his veins popping across the pale skin.

These damned people, my parents contributed so much to this city, even sacrificing their lives for the city. And yet, you show no gratitude, going to the extent that you’d insult them?

Really…!

Full of helpless anger, he came home. At the door, he saw a beautiful girl, with blue eyes, snow white skin, coupled with a slim figure.

When she saw him, her eyes lit up and shouted, “Master, you’re back?”

From how intimate she sounded, people would mistake Mii to be his lover. However, she was simply his maid – their relationship was a bit atypical though, as they grew up together. In these times where not everyone had enough to eke out a living, being a servant was a profession that saved children from the clutches of death. Through the orphanage, the wealthy would adopt abandoned children to serve their own children, a companion that would last until the end of life.

Mii’s parents were heartless; in the mountains outside the city, a hunter came across a baby, left out for the wolves to feast on. She was picked up and sent to the orphanage, but her fragile body led to no willing adopters. Fang’s parents, upon visiting the orphanage, took pity on her and seeing how she was the same age as Fang, brought Mii home as a maid.

With the gentle care she received from Fang’s parents, she became healthier and prettier as time passed by, and when the time came for the test of physical aptitude, she was found to have very good talent. Other families, filled with regret, tried to entice her to leave Fang’s family, but being grateful to Fang’s parents and Fang being a good master, she refused and set on staying. With the deaths of Fang’s parents, Mii was the only family Fang had left.

Seeing Mii, Fang calmed down a bit and nodded, “Hi, Mii.”

“Master, your test results…” as she spoke, Fang’s face slightly became dark, and she stopped. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t be asking.”

Fang sighed. “It doesn’t matter anyways, I got used to it.”

Mii tried to cheer him up. “Master, you shouldn’t be discouraged from these results, in half a year, maybe your skill will improve and get admitted to a good college.”

He bitterly laughed. “Oh, I hope so.”

Two people walked into the empty mansion. It wasn’t particularly small, after all, his ancestors were quite rich, but an eerie silence filled the air. There was no sign of lively activity. Most of the family wealth was spent on Fang, his parents striving to make a better life for their son. But with their deaths, there was no more income, and to conserve the scarce remnants of the treasury, all the servants were dismissed. It was just Mii and Fang left out of the tens that used to live here.

“Master, you must be tired. I prepared hot water already, would you like to take a bath?”

“Yes!”

Heavy mist covered the bathroom, and while Fang sat on a small wooden stool, Mii started to softly rub his back with a towel.

Due to the tragedy during his childhood, as well as the constant barrage of insults that came his way every day, Fang’s heart was callous. Yet Mii, although he said that like all the other servants that she could leave, didn’t leave and stuck with him. He didn’t think he had any hope, with the lack of talent he had, but she insisted on staying as his maid. The amount of faith that she had in him touched his heart.

Frequently, he wanted to give up. But because of Mii, he kept going, trying his hardest every day so that she could live a better life.

Unfortunately, reality was cruel.

After he finished the bath and ate dinner, Fang climbed to the top of the mansion.

Lying on the roof, he reached his hands towards the shining stars in the sky. It felt like the whole world was embracing the people below.

However, Fang, he felt abandoned by this world.

Why is it like this? I put in blood, toil, tears, and sweat, more effort than anyone else, yet, I still can’t gain any martial arts?

Damn! Is this world playing games with me? I should be able to use some martial arts, my entire life was spent practicing!

It was a helpless plea, he knew that.

But suddenly, a white light appeared in the sky. The luminous streak illuminated the dark sky as it headed down towards the city. His eyes widened.

Isn’t that… a meteorite?

Small meteorites were still destructive, and large meteorites could level cities into dust. The capital important cities had a magic barrier erected to shield against these rare phenomena, but this, this city was just one of many like it. He could only watch in horror as the light fell, changing directions, accelerating towards him. In a mere matter of seconds, his eyes were blinded.

Unable to react at all, Fang crumpled as the white light shot through his body.

The world went to black.