Kailen was ecstatic. This was simply too broken. He stood rooted in the same spot, many thoughts running wild in his mind.
He remembered how pitiful his life had been since his parents died two years ago. He had not taken their loss well. It had really shocked him. Worst of all, he blamed himself for their death, because in his opinion, had they not gone to New York City to get groceries to celebrate his birthday with him, they would not have died. To Kailen, his parents had died because of him.
Kailen had been extremely talented in everything he had done. He used to be a model student. However, after the loss of his parents, he had slipped into severe depression, causing his grades in school to drop exponentially.
Not to mention the constant ridicule and abuse he had to experience on a daily basis. People always decided to strike when the iron was still hot.
Even his closest friends had left him when he was at the lowest point of his life. No one wanted to be associated with a depressed orphan who had gone from model student to trash.
There were two things that kept Kailen sane from ending his life and completely giving up.
The first was his fear of death. No matter how depressed he had become, committing suicide had been too much for him to attempt.
The second was the hope of becoming a powerful awakener. If he became strong, at least he would not feel so powerless and useless all the time. Perhaps life would come to mean something to him.
However, he didn't awaken on his 16th birthday. Kailen further slipped down the well of depression.
"I felt powerless and crushed. But I've been stupid."
There was one thing that Kailen had failed to realize. Being a teenager with no adult to guide him, he had been unreasonable in his thinking, and he had just realized it.
Slump
Kailen felt like he had gained clarity, as though some weight had been lifted off his mind. There was something that a near-death experience could do to a man's mind, even to that of a lost teenager without guidance. The last thing he recalled a few moments before he closed his eyes in the alleyway was how pitiful his life had been.
And the source of that pitiful life had been his own stupidity.
"Enough blaming myself for something I didn't do. My parents were murdered by diabolic beasts, not me. I have every right to hate the rest of the world, my former friends, the academy, even this city, for ridiculing me and treating me like trash—and that I hate them for. But at least, I can't hate myself. My parents died because of diabolic beasts, not because of me. Not realizing that had made me almost destroy myself. With my grades in school, there could have been ways of living a good life without even being an awakener, but I threw them away, too absorbed in guilt for thinking I had been the cause of their death."
He slumped on the floor, tears crazily flowing down his face.
A maniacal laughter erupted from the innermost parts of his heart as realization struck him.
"I've been really pathetic. For someone with an extremely high IQ, I've been really stupid. At least I know how foolish I've been concerning the matter of their death now. I will mourn Mum and Dad one last time tonight, and that will be all. The next time I visit them, I will have made them pay. Those savages that killed Mum and Dad, those diabolic beasts—they will pay. Even if I cannot completely drive those diabolic beasts from the surface of the earth, I will make sure to terrorize them to my heart's content."
Kailen kowtowed three times before the grave of his parents, then stood up. He sighed, his gaze flickering into the beautiful lights of the midnight sky.
"I need to be overwhelmingly strong." His desire for vengeance stirred. He had to avenge his parents, and to do that, he had to be overwhelmingly powerful.
With the time dilation artifact, Kailen knew that was more than possible. He would be absolute, relying on himself.
Relying on friends or family? Did he even have any? Even the unawakened in his school found ways to bully him. He knew firsthand the cruelty of human nature, awakened or unawakened.
From now on, he would tread alone and wouldn't trust easily. After all he had been through, he would be unwise to trust people again.
"Can I even trust anyone at this point?" Kailen sighed. He could not be blamed. The only memory he had of trust and love were his parents.
After his depression kicked in and his grades dropped, his two best friends, Stephen and Rio, had left him at the lowest point of his life.
They joined the crowd to call him dumb, useless, and orphaned. Everywhere he passed, people avoided him—in school or on the streets. Those who didn't avoided him looked at him with demeaning glances, judging him by how sickly, weak, and smelly he looked.
"All I see is betrayal, hypocrisy, and wickedness. People are the worst," Kailen sighed. "I can't trust anyone." He sighed again. "I can only rely on myself."
Kailen's gaze shifted from the skies, firm and resolute. He had changed. If anyone from the academy were to see him now, they would be shocked. His composure, demeanor, and everything about him had experienced an overnight transformation.
Even his looks had changed.
"I need to get new clothes. These clothes are making me uncomfortable. And I should get a new house. To do that, I should make my awakening known officially. I heard whenever someone awakens with an S-rank talent, the government will give them $100,000 in compensation. With that, I can move into a new house and have a change of clothes. I've become muscular and taller. Even a single attempt to stretch may tear these clothes apart."
[Mission received — Head to the awakening centre to register yourself as an awakened. Register yourself as Kailen Darkhaven. Don't wear some shitty mask trying to hide your identity like they do in those cliché novels.
Rewards — None. I just rewarded you with the shadow affinity and an S-rank talent. Don't be selfish.
Punishment for failure — It's a simple mission. If you fail, killing you is the best deserved punishment. You think I'm lying? Try failing the mission. Tsk.]
"This... What a shameless system. For some reason I felt something run down my spine. If I fail this mission, I just know I'm gonna die for sure. This system is not kidding." Kailen didn't take any chances. There was no way he would gamble with the time dilation artifact. Its abilities were too heavenly defying.
"Just who are you?" However, he received no response to his question, as usual.
Suddenly, a white glow shrouded him for a few seconds.
The next moment, he wore a dark hoodie with blue jeans and white sneakers that perfectly suited his lean, tall, and athletic physique. All the filth on his body had disappeared, as though he had taken a bath.
[You're welcome. No possessor of the time dilation artifact is gonna roam the streets like some beggar. Now head to the awakening centre if you don't want me to kill you.]
"Well, I suppose I can no longer worry about taking showers and choosing what to wear. Let's head to the awakening centre," Kailen mused, then left the cemetery.