Eight years ago, the night the EVA raided…
Jayden followed closely behind the captain, his heart pounding with anxiety as they entered the area filled with houses that were now burnt and demolished, dead beastmen lying around the place.
They navigated through the ruins of the settlement and Jayden's anxiety grew with each step. He couldn't shake off the dread that had settled in his stomach. The captain's words kept echoing in his mind.
Jayden's eyes scanned the area, taking in the destruction and chaos surrounding them. The once-thriving settlement was now a scene of utter devastation. The smell of smoke and char hung heavy in the air, making his stomach churn with nausea.
As they turned a corner, towards where his house was, he was met with a sight that made his blood run cold. A swarm of agents, clad in black, surrounded his house. They seemed to have finished their mission, as they stood idly by, their faces expressionless.
Jayden's eyes scanned the area, his heart racing with fear. That was when he saw her - his mother, lying on the ground, a pool of blood spreading from the side of her gut.
His heart skipped a beat as he rushed towards her, his legs pumping with a mix of fear and adrenaline.
"Mum!" he cried out, dropping to his knees beside her.
His mother's eyes flickered open, and she gazed up at Jayden with a weak smile. "Hey, darling," she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Jayden's eyes welled up with tears as he took in the sight of his mother's battered and bruised body. He felt a wave of anger wash over him, and he clenched his fists, determined to exact his revenge on those who were responsible, but right now he was only filled with sorrow.
"Mum, are you going to be okay?" he asked with tears already streaming down his face. He was knowledgeable enough to know that with the kind of blood she had lost, it would be a miracle if she lived. He only asked out of hope.
She smiled and placed her hand on his face, caressing it lovingly. "Oh my sweet child, you've grown so much... Take care of your sister for me, okay,"
Hearing those words made Jayden tear up even more, his worst fear had been confirmed. And she didn't seem to be healing.
"Mum, they took Jasmine, I failed... I couldn't protect her," he cried out
His mother sighed and patted his head. "There, there. Don't worry, your sister will be okay. I guess fate has decided that you won't be together. But don't worry, the moon would watch over you both," she said with a smile, trying to cheer Jayden up even though she was slowly dying.
Jayden didn't understand her words at all, he was too sad to even think, he hugged his mother who also reciprocated the embrace. The agents just stood there, watching while the captain scolded them.
"What the fuck happened? I thought I made it clear that she must be kept alive!" he yelled at the cadet who was in charge of the squad that raided Jayden's house.
"Sir, it wasn't my fault, she had killed almost everyone on my team before Alpha squad arrived with backup. And even when they did, she was just too formidable, but that's not all sir..." the leader explained, his head hung low.
"Hm? Well," the captain retorted, urging the cadet to speak.
"I think I should speak, sir. The cadets are a bit scared after what they witnessed," a feminine voice said from behind the captain. It was a tall, mature woman in her late 30s and also the most high-ranking agent in the area after the captain.
The captain turned back to face her and nodded. "Alright, what happened? This is exactly why I said we shouldn't bring second-year cadets on a serious mission, but of course, the board didn't think this wipeout was serious enough," he complained before signalling for the woman to continue.
"Sir, the woman developed features which confirmed her as a oneiri, but later on she wasn't just a beastman anymore. It was like she had become an actual animal," she stated.
"Well, we all know that the beastmen have those that have complete animal features, don't we?" the captain said dismissively.
"No sir, this was different. She wasn't just an anthropomorph, she was a humanoid beast. And after a while, there were no human features visible anymore…" the woman replied, fear visible in her voice.
"Sir... she became an actual wolf."
The captain's eyes widened, he hadn't heard of it before, a beastman... or a human turning into an animal, it was impossible.
"Are you sure about this?" the captain asked
"Positive sir, a large four-legged wolf. And none of our abilities or weapons could harm her," she replied
"So how were you able to neutralise her?" he asked curiously
"Sir, a cadet used a personally made energy pistol whose energy bullet seemed to be made of another element," she explained
"Hmm, I see. Wait! What element was that?" the captain asked once again, his thoughts hinting towards multiple things.
"Sir, it was mercury," the woman replied and left
The captain's eye widened in shock. "Large humanoid wolf becoming full wolf... Vulnerable to Quicksilver... Could it be?" he pondered, his mind racing with different thoughts. But he only had one plausible one, one that could only be found in the myths.
"It can't be, are they back?" he thought as his gaze shifted to the little boy who was hugging his dying mother. "I have to inform the higher-ups,"
Meanwhile, Jayden was sobbing quietly in his mother's embrace. "Mum please, you can't leave me as well," he pleaded
"It's okay my little cub, I'm not going anywhere. Anytime you look at the moon, I'll be there with you," she smiled and rubbed her hands on his back
"You will grow to become a strong man, I promise you," she added, releasing Jayden from her embrace and smiling at him
"I can't mum... I won't," Jayden said while crying profusely
His mother stared at him for a while and tears began to stream down her face as well, she kissed his forehead
"You will, I know you will. All remember your training Jayden, you are the child of the moon. And don't forget to always speak the mantra when you get angry. My presence will always be with you, I promise," she replied and looked into Jayden's eyes.
She smiled. "I love you Jayden, and if you ever see Jasmine again, tell her I love her as well..."
His mother said and closed her eyes, her chest wasn't moving anymore and she didn't seem to be breathing. She was dead.
Jayden clenched his fist, he looked at her lifeless body and stood up. "Mum I promise you, I will avenge you! And I will find Jasmine, no matter what it takes!" he resolved in his mind
The captain walked forward and tried to console Jayden, but he couldn't speak. The expression he was carrying was too deadly, he looked like he could kill everyone in that area, including himself. Like a suicidal psychopath.
"We were just living peacefully," he whispered. "We didn't pose any threat or even reveal ourselves, it's not fair," Jayden muttered to himself and looked at the Captain, who was standing beside him.
The captain's face was filled with regret as well, he didn't want to do any of these, but an order was an order.
"I'm sorry kid, we didn't mean for her to die. This is all my fault," he said
Jayden gritted his teeth. "You didn't mean to? Then what about the other beastmen, did you plan on sparing them as well?"
The captain remained silent, he knew that Jayden was right, they were guilty of that charge as they had zero intentions of leaving anyone alive.
"That was inevitable kid. In this world, only those with power call the shots," he muttered
"I can't say I'm a good person, and I can't tell you sorry. But I knew your mother," he continued
Jayden wasn't surprised, after all these were the EVA, the same people his mother worked for. He never knew why his mother chose to work with them but he figured since it made her happy, he had no right to object.
His mother would spend the weekdays on the island with him and his sister. Then go to the outside world on weekends, to the city and pose as a worker for the EVA. She managed to hide where she was from throughout the years and would even bring different kinds of technology to the island, while at the same time making sure the EVA never located it.
Which is why how they discovered the island was very mysterious and shocking to her and she thought about it before she died, because she was very sure they didn't find out through her. It was a mystery she wouldn't get to unravel.
"She was a very smart person, and very very strong. But we never knew she was... Living here," the captain continued
Jayden didn't respond, he was thinking about how he could get back to his sister and how he would get his revenge on everyone here, he was thinking of how to destroy the EVA in general.
"Don't worry, since she was an employee, you'll receive all the appropriate compensations, that is of course if you're not like your sister," the captain explained
Jayden nodded but he knew that was impossible, the test they had put him and his sister through had said it all. He wasn't like his mother or sister, and he had accepted this already.
"I just need to find another way, it might take years but I promise, I will have my revenge and I will find you Jasmine," he thought
Later his mother's body was carried away probably for experiments but it wasn't like he had a say on it, he was taken back to one of the cities, one where the EVA headquarters was located.
He went through a series of tests and was found to be human. But that didn't bug him much as he had expected it already. But ever since that night, he never saw Jasmine again. And on the day he was to be taken to an orphanage home, Jacob showed up and claimed him.
On the day Jayden left with Jacob, which was only a day after his mother died. Inside a large office, a man sat on a chair wearing a black suit. He had long white hair and seemed to be in his late 40s, he was going through a piece of information on the holographic screen in front of him.
"Is all the information accurate?" he asked, shifting his gaze to a man who sat opposite him
"Yes sir, it's all correct. She was a staff member here, working with the planetary research division," the second man replied. He was wearing an army green shirt and camo pants. It was the captain who led the operation on the beastmen island.
"Good work Davis. You shall be rewarded for your efforts. But what about her kids?" the man asked
"Cyllene Starrk had two children, sir, twins," the captain replied. "One seemed to be able to switch forms between human and beastman, while the other is a total human," he explained
"Hmm, that's strange. And you're sure about this?" the man asked
"It's confirmed sir, the boy has even been taken in by one of our officials as well," the captain replied
"That's good, make sure to keep an eye on him. And as for the other one, send her to Geneva for proper assessment," the man ordered
"Alright sir, we'll do that immediately. But sir I think there's something else you should know," the captain said
The man raised his eyebrow and his interest piqued. "Hmm, do tell."
********
Back to the present, in Jayden's room…
"Uhm... Okay," Jayden replied to what Jacob had just told him.
Jacob was confused. "Didn't he hear what I said?" he thought.
"Aren't you excited? This is what you have always wanted right?" he asked, confirming if Jayden was in the right state of mind.
"Yeah... I guess," Jayden replied calmly in his usual indifferent expression.
Jacob sighed. "I really thought that near-death experience could change his behaviour... But at least it changed something," he said inwardly.
Jacob had told Jayden about what he had discussed with the doctors. They said Jayden seemed to have developed an ability after recovering from the lightning strike. They believed it must have been due to an Evolution serum he had taken a long time ago as that was the only possible explanation.
They also didn't know what the ability was, but Jayden didn't seem to be fazed. After all, the system already told him he possessed an unknown ability. He was simply just relieved that the doctors couldn't detect the system.
"You know this changes things," Jacob continued. "You can now participate in the global tournament and get into the EVA like you've always wanted," he said with excitement. He was truly happy for Jayden, because being an ordinary human in this world couldn't get you far.
Jayden clenched his fist at the mention of the EVA. "I'm not interested in joining the EVA anymore," he said
Jacob was surprised to hear this, but he didn't question Jayden's decision. "Oh... Okay, kiddo. If that's what you want," he said with a smile. "But first you have to find out what your ability is, so you can get assessed and be given a level."
Jayden simply nodded and stood up from the chair, he was already thinking about how his life would be now that he had an ability and a mysterious system.
"Now that I have this power, I no longer need to join the EVA before I can bring them down," he stated inwardly. "I will destroy them directly."
Then a sudden realisation dawned on him.
"Wait, how sure are those doctors that I took an Evolution serum years ago?" he pondered. "I don't remember taking any serum as a kid. After all, I was incompatible with it. And the system didn't say I was an Evolved human which means I'm not. But if the ability wasn't from an Evolution serum and neither was it from the system then... Where did it come from?"
Jacob, who Jayden had long forgotten finally stood up to leave. "Okay, kid. Let me leave you to your thoughts," he said. "I'll let the girls know about your current situation. Just make sure to get some rest. We'll continue our discussion later,"
But Jayden didn't even pay him any attention, he was too busy with his many thoughts. Jacob shook his head with a wry smile before exiting the room.
Jayden remained on a spot for a long while before suddenly coming to a realisation. "Wait a minute! Did lightning give me abilities?"