The next day arrived in the blink of an eye, and Ethan stood right in front of the academy's gate. He stared at it with a sigh, not in fear of what was to come, but handling it was too much of a hassle.
The school bell rang somewhere within the academy, and Ethan knew he had to go otherwise he'd face the wrath of being late to class.
He walked into the academy and as expected, no matter how hard he tried to avoid it, he could sense the piercing gaze of the students from the upper sector. Most especially the boys.
The news about him peeking spread like wildfire, and before he knew it, even the seniors heard about it.
"Hey, it's him, that filthy bastard from the lower sector.."
"Tsk, that bastard, I wanna kill him so bad."
Ethan heard it all, the curses, the insults of the over jealous boys that worshipped Naomi. But instead of feeling anxious and scared, a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
'That's right you little shit heads, you might be more privileged than me, but that scenery is the one thing you can never have.'
As Ethan pushed the classroom's doors open, all eyes laid on him.
'This is... Awkward.' He thought as he closed the door behind him.
"Mr Kaiser. You're late, for the third time this week."
Thomas Brightman.
The homeroom teacher and the professor assigned to class 1A. His origins is with the Upper sector, but he was nothing like the kids from the upper sector. High and mighty? Privileges? He didn't care about any of that, to him he was just lucky to be born here, and he considered those born in the lower sector unlucky. That's just how it was.
"I'm sorry Mr Thomas, getting here was more brutal than usual."
"It can't be helped, take your seat so that we can begin today's lesson."
Ethan walked over to his seat, but as he passed his classmates, he couldn't shake off the piercing gazes, especially from one of the four boys that beat him up the previous day.
"Ahem." Thomas cleared his throat as Ethan took his seat, and the tension in the air dropped almost immediately.
"Now that we're all here, we can move on to the topic of today. As you all know, our prestigious school has finally been listed amongst the academies in Nova City as the top three institutions, as such we have a very special guest with us today."
Thomas glanced over at the door, and with the signal already given, the door was pushed open.
A tall 6'3 man walked into the classroom, dressed in the sleek half black-and-white uniform with a crossed out star badge on his chest. His trimmed beard and strong, steady demeanor was unavoidable, and it made the whole room fall quiet as he stepped inside.
"Class, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant St-"
A single hand gesture from the tall man silenced Thomas, and murmurs rose swiftly in the classroom.
The tall man stepped forward, then his eyes carefully examined every corner of the classroom, analyzing each student one by one. Then he let out a scoff.
"This is the class that was given a special exception in joining us?" He said, his deep voice laced with disappointment rather than amusement.
"I am Lieutenant Steve Carter of Starcore Delta."
"What!?" The entire class stood to their feet, and they had their mouths hanging in disbelief.
Starcore Delta, the cosmic enforcement from earth were regarded as legendary heroes who saved the earth. Meeting them in person was like digging for platinum, and now, a lieutenant was standing right in front of them.
Not an agent, not even a corporal officer, a goddamn Lieutenant.
"Thanks to this class's performance in the previous semester exam, it boosted the academy's total evaluation, and granted us the first place position in the top three academies this year. As a reward, it was decided that this class would be amongst the eligible candidates for the S.T.A.R program."
The whole class erupted in a frenzy, it was unbelievable. Not only did they gain the top spot, but their efforts were rewarded with a spot in the S.T.A.R program.
Lieutenant Steve studied the room carefully, then he gave his opinion.. "This class? Eligible? You all are shit, you don't deserve to be in Starcore Delta."
His words were direct, uncensored, and it sent an uproar in the class.
"Hey! That's not fair!"
One of the boys shot up from his seat.
They just met one of their heroes, and his response was not what they expected at all.
"What gives you the right to decide if we don't qualify when you don't even know anything about us!?"
The rants went on and on, and Lieutenant Steve Carter sighed, almost as if this reaction was exactly what he expected.
'It's just as I thought, what was head commander thinking when he decided to enlist this class filled with spoiled brats. They aren't soldiers who are willing to sacrifice themselves to save their world, they are just entitled brats who thinks the world will be given to them on a silver platter.'
Just then, a particular student caught his eyes. He wasn't shouting like the others, he wasn't even throwing a tantrum like the others. He just sat there with his jaw resting on his palm, and he looked bored out of his mind.
He was different from the rest.
"You." His voice silenced the classroom, and they all turned around to face the boy the lieutenant had his attention on.
It was Ethan.
"Him?" His classmates all said in sync, out of every possible person in the class, the lieutenant decided to put his interest in the kid from the lower sector?
"Hm?" Ethan raised his head, he zoned out a long time ago, having no interests in the S.T.A.R program.
"What makes you think that you are eligible for the S.T.A.R program?"
"He's not." One of his classmates said in haste.
"He's not even from the upper sector, he has neither the specifications or requirements lieutenant." One of the boys that beat him up the previous day said.
But Steve couldn't careless, if being from the upper sector was a requirement to join Starcore Delta, then him coming here was for nothing. He remained silent, awaiting Ethan's answer.
"I don't." Ethan said simply.
"And why do you think so?"
"Because I'm just a first year student, what 16 year old has the capability to divert and stop outer worldly threats? Besides, fighting aliens isn't my dream occupation."
His answer left the lieutenant and professor Thomas shocked, and the rest of the students infuriated.
'He's an interesting kid.' Steve thought, from his standpoint, his answer wasn't just straightforward, it was clear and sensible, and it put a smile on his face.
"That's right. You can never be ready for the dangers that lurks in the galaxy, and that is why the S.T.A.R program exists." Lieutenant Steve tapped the lens of his smart watch, and the electronic board mounted on the front wall of the class glitched to life, revealing a detailed description of the S.T.A.R program and the steps to registering.
"To train young candidates and prepare them to defend our galaxy and make the world a safer place. That is the goal of S.T.A.R, to produce heroes who will one day save the world."
Murmurs flew around swiftly in response to the sudden shift in the Lieutenant's demeanor.
They understood. Right now, they were in an unfavorable condition after their reaction to the Lieutenant's words. It became clear that it was just merely a test which they obviously failed.
Steve tapped the panel of his smartwatch again, and several notifications popped up on each student's smartwatch, including Ethan's.
"Registration closes in five minutes."
"Five minutes!?"
It was so sudden. They didn't even know about the recruitment program, and now he's saying registration is only in five minutes?
Steve didn't say anything. He stood there silently and observed them. There was nothing to explain, for a program as important as crucial like this, time was of the essence. It wasn't everyone who had the opportunity to even see Starcore Delta in action, let alone register.
They all tapped the panels of their smartwatch. Model XIX, it was the advanced form of learning adopted by the academies after receiving aid from Starforce Nebula. It replaced notebooks, digital pens and even tablets.
All the lecture materials, recommended textbooks and courses were automatically downloaded according to the class in question.
They quickly accessed the code Steve put up on the digital board, and in a matter of minutes, most of the student in class 1A had already registered for a spot in the S.T.A.R program.
But just like before, Steve fixed his gaze on one student — Ethan. He made no attempts to register, he didn't even look at his smartwatch.
The time limit elapsed, and the registration site shutdown immediately like it was attacked by a virus.
"That is all for today, you may leave ahead of time for your next class."
The students left the class one by one in an orderly fashion, and when it reached Ethan's turn, Steve stopped him.
"Hey kid, why didn't you register?"
Ethan stared at him with a blank expression, he tried his best to mask the anger he harbored at these so-called galactic enforcers. But each time he saw the badge of Starcore Delta on Steve's chest, he was one step closer to losing control.
"Like I said earlier, I have no interests in playing galactic agents." His reply was short, but it was enough to startle Steve.
"Playing?" Steve's voice dropped. "Is that what you think we're doing? We risk our lives day by day to save the planet and protect humanity, and you think we're playing?"
"Protect humanity? Is that right."
At the same time, the academy's automatic bell rang somewhere and the course for the given time limit was over.
"I have a class now." Ethan said coldly, then left the classroom.
Steve didn't know what to think, initially he assumed that Ethan was just being logical with the answer he provided earlier, but his actions proved otherwise.
"Mr Thomas." Steve called out to the homeroom teacher.
"Yes Lieutenant."
"Who is that kid?"
"A kid from the lower sector, Ethan Kaiser."
"From the lower sector?" Steve had heard a lot about the two divisions, especially their current state. So for a kid from the lower sector to be admitted into the top school in Nova City, it had to be something exceptional.
"I want to see all the information you have on him, academic results, place of residence."
..
In the blink of an eye, school was over for the day. The hallways were filled with the laughters of several kids, and Ethan left earlier than before. Usually this was the time he'd develop a fool proof strategy to discover the color of panties Naomi wore for the day, but the arrival of the Lieutenant killed his mood.
"What a day." Unlike the rest of the students who either waited for their parents or drivers to picked them up, Ethan walked home alone.
He had no friends, or at least no friends from Edenford, after all, no one wanted to be friends with the filthy lower sector kid.
It didn't take much time before he arrived at the lower sector, and the moment he did, his phone vibrated in his pocket, then he immediately reached into his pocket and took out his phone.
As he raised his phone to his line of vision, he sighed softly, a little disappointed at his expectations before picking the call.
It was Michael, one of his friends from the lower sector.
[Ethan: Hey man, what's good?]
[Michael: DUDEEEEEE! HAVE YOU SEEN THE NEWS!?]
[Ethan: No, and I'm not sure I want to.]
[Michael: YOU HAVE TO SEE IT NOW!]
[Ethan: If it's going to be something about Starcore Delta or the S.T.A.R program, I rather get hit by a bus.]
[Ethan: It's nothing like that! Just check the news!]
Ethan sighed heavily before swiping his screen up and typing in the URL for the Nova City News.
The page loaded instantly, and at the top of the feed was a live clip.
"BREAKING: METEOR SIGHTED—ON COLLISION COURSE WITH NOVA CITY."
His eyes widened as he tapped on the live feed. A shaky aerial shot from a news drone came into view, capturing a fiery object tearing through the upper atmosphere, trailing fire and smoke behind it like a comet from hell.
"Authorities have confirmed an unidentified meteor is descending rapidly toward Nova City." The reporter's voice was shaky, most likely from the fear of staying in that vicinity where the meteor was.
"Authorities suggest impact within the next three minutes unless intercepted. The United Nations Federation are yet to respond to this looming threat, leaving the greater question, where is Starcore Delta?"
Onscreen, people could be seen gathering in panic, looking up at the streak in the sky growing brighter with each passing second.
[Ethan: Now that's something you don't see everyday, a meteor? That's wild.]
[Michael: DUDEEE DYG!? NOVA CITY IS MOVING CRAZY THESE DAYS!
"Hm?" Ethan stuttered, noticing something in the distance up in the air. It appeared like a streak of light, approaching him rapidly at a great speed.
"Huh, that's funny, it looks a lot similar to the meteor in the news." Ethan stared at his phone, his eyes locked on the burning meteor streaking across the sky in the news feed. At first, it felt distant, just another disaster report, just another day in Nova City.
But then something clicked.
Then his eyes widened.
"Wait..."
He lowered his phone, and in that instant, the world around him lit up.
A blinding glow engulfed the street as the sky above cracked open with light. The meteor wasn't coming.
It was already here, and it was right above him.
"Shit!!"
His instinct took over.
The ground trembled under Ethan's feet as a deafening roar filled the air. Without thinking, he hurled himself to the side, just as the fiery blur tore through the sky and slammed into the streets with a thunderous impact.
The shockwave hit a split second later. Glass shattered from nearby buildings, and a burst of heat swept over him as he hit the ground hard, rolling across the pavement. Behind him, the meteor collided with explosive force, sending little debris and flames into the air like a volcanic eruption.
Dust and smoke billowed all around, but Ethan stayed low, heart pounding, lungs burning. He was lucky, he just barely escaped being obliterated.
[Michael: Ethan! What was that!? Ethan! Are you alright!?]
Ethan coughed violently, the excess dust and smoke filling his lungs with each breath he took.
"I'm fine, nearly got hit by that shit, I need to go before any more surprises happens." He cut the line, slipping his phone back into his pockets and dusting his clothes immediately.
"Damn it all, so much for those "galactic agents", ignoring something as important as a freaking meteor crashing into the city. I gotta get out of here before the press gets here."
Before Ethan could leave, a bright light from within the crater created by the Meteor caught his attention. "Hm? What is that?"
He closed his nose, slowly approaching the crater carefully and vigilantly, after all this meteor came from outer space, who knew what kind of danger or even virus it could bring.
As Ethan got to the edge of the crater and the dust cleared, his eyes widened in disbelief as a bright light reflected off his eyeballs.
"W-what is that?"
What he gazed at wasn't the meteor or at least a fragment of it, infact it was nothing related to it at all.
What he stared at, was a metallic, but not just any worm. It looked a little too futuristic, like it was created in a laboratory.
It laid in the center of the smoldering crater, untouched by flame or debris. It was sleek and metallic, it pulsed faintly with a soft blue glow with a touch panel.
It looked decades, maybe centuries beyond anything Ethan had ever seen in his life.
Ethan let out a soft, disbelieving chuckle, the sound shaky and hollow.
"Nah I'm not doing this." He turned around immediately and left, but just as he was leaving, the worm vibrated, almost as if it was affected by some magnetic force.
The next second, it flew off the ground in a flash and it flew into the panel of Ethan's watch like it was passing through a portal.
"AAARHGHH!" Ethan let out a sharp, frustrated groan as his watch became even tighter.
It shifted erratically, almost like it was reconfiguring itself. Ethan yanked hard his watch now clamped tightly around his wrist. The reconfigured watch had latched on tightly, locking into place like it belonged there.
"Fuck!" He hissed, pulling at it with all his might.
But then.
CLICK!
A hidden mechanism activated, and a small, needle-like spike extended from the underside of the watch and drove itself into his wrist with surgical precision.
"Agh!" Ethan cried out, staggering backward as pain shot up his left arm. Blood trickled briefly along his skin before the device absorbed it, the interface lighting up instantly with a new pulse of energy.
[Testing blood sample...]
[Blood sample successfully tested!]
[Comparability rate - 99.9%]
[Beginning binding process...]
[Successfully binded!]
An interface shot up from the panel of the watch, displaying strange holographic panels with several inscriptions on it.
"What the hell is this!?"
[Ding! You have unlocked the Harem Cosmic System!]
[The Harem Cosmic System is now fully operational.]