United States. New York City.
Year 2800.
☆☆☆
"Change..." Jayden Logan whispered, eyes closed as he reflected on the mutated history of the United States. "It all changed."
Back in the year 2030, the United States was like any other nation. Ordinary. Predictable. Nothing out of the usual.
Until one day—everything changed. Or so history proclaimed.
It was a normal day. Clear skies. Calm air. Then, without warning, deep blue rain fell from above—unnatural and silent, without a single signal from the clouds. Strangely, it affected only one place on Earth:
The United States.
Panic was the first response. But it turned to horror when four dragons—massive and ancient—plummeted from the skies, crashing into the earth like a fallen god. The beast was enormous, its body stretching as long as a one-story building. Dead.
Unbelievable—yet undeniable. People screamed. Scientists assembled. The government took action. What some feared as apocalypse, the leaders saw as opportunity: a coincidence that could bring either the nation's rise... or its ruin.
But before any true experiment could begin, more changes unfolded.
It started in the wild.
Beasts in the forests, birds in the skies, fish in the rivers—creatures of all shapes and forms began mutating. The deep blue rain had fused mana into the very fabric of existence: the air, the oceans, even the crust of the earth. Plants. Insects. Living things breathed mana into their blood, and with it, a core—a nucleus that allowed them to evolve, grow, and mutate beyond their natural limits.
But there were consequences.
The entire United States became saturated with mana—so concentrated it poisoned the land itself. Humans began dying by the millions.
Only 45% of the population survived the mana poisoning. And of that, a strange miracle: 15% were immune—completely untouched by the deadly effects of mana. Scientists would later discover why.
They were the poor. The desperate. Those who had walked directly under the blue rain—no shelter, no protection—driven only by the need to survive their brutal, everyday lives. They hadn't run. They hadn't hid. They had endured.
And so, that 15% became known as the First Generation of Beast Tamers—humans capable of taming mana-infused beasts without fear mana poisoning.
Years passed.
And with time, experiments continued under a rising organization:
MAGEO — Mana Adaptation & Genetic Evolution Organization.
They studied the fallen dragon's body, mapping the flow of mana through its veins. To their astonishment, it matched the patterns of blood in humans. Mana wasn't magic—it was biology. It moved through the body as naturally as breath or blood.
Generations passed. Evolution accelerated. Mammalian biology adapted.
Humans learned to control mana—not just wield it, but bond with it. They formed contracts with mana-infused beasts, fusing body and soul into one. A new era had begun.
This marked the rise of the Second Generation Tamers. Those who could form contract. Though all descendants of the original 45% could contract with beasts, only the lineage of the 15% remained fully immune to mana poisoning—an advantage that made them elite.
Then came the greatest breakthrough.
Scientists discovered a way to extract and reconfigure the genes of dead dragons. Using patches of original dragon flesh—kept alive by impossibly dense mana—they bioengineered smaller dragons. Once the gene sequences were complete, they jolted the tissue with high-frequency electric currents... and the dragons awoke.
Life returned.
There were twenty-five in total—only twenty-five successful rebirths. Countless failures had claimed the rest, so the scientists made the masses believe. And because of this rarity, only the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in the nation could afford one.
Each dragon carried a unique legacy—a legendary technique drawn from one of the four primal forces: Earth, Water, Wind, or Fire. Masters of these elements, the dragons wielded them with terrifying precision—flawless grace that no other beast could match.
From this, a new breed of warrior emerged.
The Third Generation Tamers.
Tamers bound to dragons. Tamers who could reach the highest evolutionary tier: SSS Rank.
No other creature—be it bird, beast, plant, or insect—could match them.
Insects reached their peak between D-Rank Tier 3 to Tier 1, or at best C-Rank Tier 3 to Tier 1 at maturity.
Other beasts had their own classifications, but even among species, their potential varied wildly depending on lineage and mana compatibility.
Studies were still ongoing. But one thing was certain:
The United States had been transformed forever.
All because of a single, cursed or blessed day.
Studies had been made, and ultimately, the entire United States was reshaped by the invent of a single day.
Especially the educational sector.
While basic education remained intact, the university level had evolved into something far different—it now revolved solely around beast training, the only future the government deemed worthy for its citizens.
Students grew impatient with time, aching for the moment they could finally bond with a beast. Many even read beyond their level out of sheer interest. But there was one problem with that...
The SATs—Scholastic Assessment Tests—would determine everything.
The higher your score, the stronger the beast granted to you by the government. The lower... well, let's just say not everyone walked out smiling.
It was all to ensure proper cultivation of young minds before they chose which beast path to pursue.
The SAT results were revealed during the graduation ceremony of 12th grade students. And today... was that day. The day dreams would rise—or shatter.
☆☆☆
Jayden sank into his seat. Uncertainty was always etched into his gaze, but today, it was far worse—almost painfully visible.
'What did I even write in those exams? How did it all play out?' he asked himself, pressing a trembling hand over his chest. His heartbeat throbbed against his palm, tight and fast with tension. 'English is unpredictable, and maths—who knows if I didn't write two instead of one.'
Around him, the atmosphere buzzed—alive, hot, and strained—despite the mounted AC units humming across the marble walls of Silvercliff Academy.
Hundreds filled the hall, yet not one person sat without some emotional weight—joy, despair, or the unbearable anxiety of the unknown.
The graduating Year 12 students, only thirty of them, sat in the two front rows.
"Berry Stone..." the Managing Director called out from the stage, standing confidently at the front of the hall with a stack of sealed certificates. Behind him stood several armored soldiers, each holding a chained beast—waiting to be bonded.
A boy stepped forward from among the graduates. Even the sound of his name stirred the air, charging it with pride and envy. Applause erupted.
The Managing Director tore open the envelope, scanned the certificate, and gave a slight nod.
"Total points: 1450 out of 1600. Expedient."
The crowd gasped, followed by a roar of cheers. That was an extraordinary score—one of the highest ever recorded.
"Massive score. Massive reward. You receive... a Black Leopard."
Berry tried to suppress a grin, but the excitement radiated from him.
'Black Leopards… mana-fused beasts with the potential to rank up to A¹ At maturity—surpassing rank D, C, B, A,' Jayden thought, sinking deeper into his seat.
A soldier stepped forward—spiked armor clinging to his frame—and presented the Black Leopard, its eyes glowing faintly with primal power. The beast snarled quietly, held back by chains inscribed with mana control patterns.
Berry lowered himself. Of course, studying wasn't all he had done. He'd also trained—honed his mana, disciplined his veins, and learned control. He extended a hand to the leopard's snout.
A single moment of darkness blanketed the hall.
When the light returned, Berry stood transformed—no longer just a boy, but a hybrid creature with deep black eyes, longer wild hair, and a sleek tail curling from his lower back.
'Wish I get something like that,' Jayden thought, eyes fixed in awe. 'Not just the aesthetic... a 40% boost in speed, 30% in strength, and sensory precision. Even if it was still at D-Rank, Tier 3.'
The ceremony continued.
More names. More beasts—some powerful, some pitiful. Some were assigned plants, others insects, and a lucky few received what were considered Proper Beasts.
Then came the moment.
"Jayden Logan."
Jayden froze. Only in prayer did he move before standing. The crowd went still—not out of admiration or anticipation, but unfamiliarity. He was a shadow to most. To the few who knew him, he was the quiet one.
He stepped forward under the weight of every eye.
The Managing Director opened his envelope. His brows raised slightly, unreadable.
"Hmm…" the man muttered.
Then he looked up, eyes narrowing curiously. "So you're the one."
Murmurs rippled through the crowd all uncertain to the the MD might have ment.
"Total points: 800 out of 1600... just—no direction."
Jayden's heart skipped.
The ceremony was broadcast nationally, beamed through a United states private satellite. Never before had he seen someone with a score like his. Not neutral. Not good. Not bad. Just... lost.
The audience didn't know what to feel.
"You know the system," the MD continued. "Your result, your reward. Your reward will be just as... uncertain as you are."
He turned. "Stone Egg."
A low hum filled the air.
People glanced around. A stone egg? No such beast had ever been documented.
A soldier stepped forward, carrying a plain, white, egg-shaped object. Heavy, though it looked weightless. Cold. Lifeless.
Jayden bent low, heart racing, veins surging with mana. He stretched out his arm to make contact—
And the mana bounced back.
Like water poured on smooth rock.
"Come on... respond," Jayden whispered, pouring more mana. Still, the egg didn't flinch.
He dropped to his knees in desperation, trying again and again. Nothing.
Laughter began to bubble through the crowd—first one voice, then many. Even those who bonded with insects started to grin. At least they got something. He became hope to the hopeless.
"Pathetic," the MD rasped, shaking his head. He knew the truth—nothing had ever awakened that egg. Not hammer, not heat. Not time. It had been harvested from a dead dragon decades ago and eventually discarded. Scientists declared it useless—like the appendix in the human body.
"We have better things to do with our time," the MD said coldly. "Go home. Try again next year. Or enroll into the higher institution and use it as a shield to hide behind. With that toughness I'm sure it would work perfectly well!"
More laughter. Louder now.
Jayden said nothing. He returned to his seat, egg in hand, shame in his spine, his thoughts blank but burning.
He sat there, emotionless, staring at the thing that had humiliated him. Even knocking it lightly with his knuckles felt like tapping divine steel.
The ceremony ended minutes after.
More silence.
More shame.
Jayden slipped out quietly, unnoticed.
Even insects, he now admired.
'Now for the real challenge', he thought. 'Facing Mom and mostly—Dad.'
Both his parents were military. They wouldn't understand. They wouldn't show mercy. Maybe his mother but not his father.
"Hey, Egg Man!" someone called behind him.
Jayden didn't stop. The nickname, though cruel, was clearly meant for him.
"Don't feel so bad," the voice continued, a mix of pity and mockery. "If it doesn't hatches, you could always fry the egg. Eat your own destiny."
Laughter erupted. Again.
Jayden clenched his jaw. He was used to ignoring people. But this?
This was worse than insult.
It was pity.
And worst of all—he felt like they were right.
He walked faster, the egg still in his arms. It was heavy, metaphorically and physically.
'Sixteen years of schooling for this?' he thought bitterly.
He needed to do something. Anything.
He couldn't go home like this.
"Go to hell, Silvercliff Academy," he whispered, gripping the egg tighter. Rage and shame poured from his body into the cold shell.
"I'll go down the tunnel myself... I'll find a beast stronger than anything they've ever seen. They'll regret laughing."
And with that, Jayden turned—vanishing into the twilight. He wasn't the best, nor the worst, but in that moment, he was nothing. Still, each deliberate step he took pressed against fate, stripping the "no" from "nothing" and replacing it with a "some."
He was becoming something. Not for now but with that determination and push, it was for certain.
"They'll see…" he whispered at last, his voice low and bitter as he treaded the lively streets of the United States, destiny or maybe his badge of mockery cradled in his arms.