The year was 2052. In a world that had moved beyond fossil fuels and old-world physics, the currency of a human life was measured by a single number: Mana Output.
Xavier Reyes tasted copper as his face slammed into the cold, textured polymer of the locker room floor. His glasses skidded across the tiles, one lens popping out and rattling into a drain.
"Look at that," a voice sneered from above. "He doesn't even bounce. It's like hitting a sack of flour."
Xavier pushed himself up, his thin arms trembling. He squinted through his lopsided frames, trying to bring the towering figure of Asher Williams into focus. Asher was the golden boy of the sophomore class—tall, broad-shouldered, and radiating the kind of casual confidence that only came with a confirmed 24% mana output. At seventeen, Asher was already a prodigy, a lock for greatness while most people were lucky to hit 10% in their entire lives.
Around Asher stood his usual group of buddies. They all had outputs ranging from 12% to 15%, enough to make them feel like gods compared to the kid on the floor.
"Give it back, Ash," Xavier croaked, reaching for the small, worn pendant that had been ripped from his neck.
Asher dangled the pendant between two fingers, laughing. "What, this? It's junk, Reyes. Just like you. A big, fat zero." He looked at his friends. "Can you believe this kid? St. Jude's Academy is for the future of humanity, and we're sharing a locker room with a glitch in the system."
Asher stepped forward and planted a heavy sneaker squarely on Xavier's shoulder, shoving him back down. "You're an embarrassment. You shouldn't even be allowed to breathe the same filtered air as us."
Xavier gritted his teeth. He was skinny, short for his age, and his status menu—the simple holographic display that everyone could pull up with a thought—permanently showed a big, fat 0.0% in the output column. It wasn't just rare; in a school like this, it was a target.
"At least I don't need a high number to keep from being a prick," Xavier spat.
The laughter died. Asher's eyes narrowed. He pressed his foot harder into Xavier's shoulder, making the bone groan. "You've got a big mouth for a Zero. I'd watch it if I were you. Or maybe I'll just let the world do its job and filter you out."
The bell for second period rang. Asher kicked Xavier one last time, a casual blow to the ribs that left the boy gasping, before walking out with his crew.
History class was a blur of pain. Xavier sat in the very back row, hunched over his desk to hide the dirt on his uniform and the swelling on his jaw.
His eyes drifted across the room, landing involuntarily on Maya. She was the prettiest girl in the grade, sitting near the front. She was everything Xavier wasn't—graceful, brilliant, and possessed of a staggering 26% output. He wasn't even thinking about her; he was just staring into space, lost in the throes of his own misery.
"Ugh, gross."
The whisper came from a girl sitting next to Maya. She glared back at Xavier with unmasked disgust. "Look at him. The Zero is staring at Maya again. What a total pervert."
Maya turned slightly, her eyes meeting Xavier's for a split second. She didn't look angry—just pitying. That was worse. She looked at him the way someone looks at a stray dog with a broken leg.
"I wasn't—" Xavier started, his face flushing deep red.
"Is there a problem, Mr. Reyes?" the teacher, Mr. Sterling, asked. He didn't even look up from his holographic terminal. "Aside from your lack of participation and your... general presence?"
The class erupted in snickers.
"I realize that with an output of zero, you don't feel the need to prepare for a future," Sterling continued, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "But try to keep your eyes on the board and off your betters. It's embarrassing for everyone involved."
Xavier felt like he was shrinking. He stared down at his desk, the words on his digital textbook blurring. He just had to persist. He had to get through this school so he could get a job, any job, that paid enough to get his mom out of the lower sectors. That was the only thing that mattered.
The final bell was the signal for the hunt to begin.
Xavier tried to slip out the side exit, but Asher was waiting. He was always waiting. He intercepted Xavier in the main hallway, right where the most people could see.
"Hey, Pervert," Asher called out, his voice echoing.
The crowd of students stopped. Phones were pulled out instantly.
"I heard you were making Maya uncomfortable in class," Asher said, walking toward him. "A Zero like you staring at a girl like her? That's a violation of the natural order, don't you think?"
"I wasn't staring at her, Asher. Leave me alone," Xavier said, trying to push past.
Asher grabbed Xavier's bag and swung him around, slamming him against the trophy case. Xavier's glasses flew off his face, skidding across the floor.
"You don't tell me what to do," Asher sneered. He grabbed Xavier by the collar, lifting him until his toes barely touched the linoleum. "You're a parasite. Your mom is a nurse, right? I heard she barely makes enough to keep the lights on. She probably sold her body to the school board just to get a charity case like you into this building."
Something inside Xavier snapped. The fire that he kept buried deep, the one that kept him coming back every day despite the bruises, roared into a blaze.
"Don't you talk about my mother!"
Xavier swung. It was a weak, desperate punch. It connected with Asher's jaw with a soft thud.
The hallway went silent.
Asher didn't even flinch. He slowly turned his head back to Xavier, a terrifying, slow grin spreading across his face. He didn't even look angry; he looked delighted. He finally had a reason to go all out.
"You actually did it," Asher whispered.
The retaliation was a blur of violence. Asher threw Xavier into the floor and then the kicks started. Heavy, relentless blows to the stomach and ribs. Xavier curled into a ball, his vision swimming. He could hear the laughter of the students, the sound of the videos being recorded, and the taunts of the boys he had to see every single day.
Finally, Asher put his foot on Xavier's head, grinding his face into the floor. "Remember this feeling, Zero. This is as high as you'll ever get."
The principal's office was quiet.
Xavier sat in a hard chair, an ice pack pressed to his face. His mother, Elena, sat beside him. She was still in her blue nursing scrubs, her face pale and her eyes red-rimmed. She looked exhausted, her hands trembling as she clutched her purse.
Across from them sat Asher's parents. They looked like they had stepped off the cover of a luxury magazine.
"The footage is clear, Ms. Reyes," the Principal said, sliding a tablet across the desk. It showed Xavier throwing the first punch. "Your son initiated a physical altercation. At St. Jude's, we have a zero-tolerance policy."
"He insulted me!" Xavier shouted, his voice cracking. "He's been beating me up for months! He said things about my mom!"
"Asher says he was merely discussing the tuition," Asher's father said smoothly. "My son is a top-tier student. Yours is... well, he's a Zero. If you don't want us to press charges for assault, I suggest an apology is in order."
Xavier looked at his mother. He saw her pride break in real-time. She looked at the floor, her voice a whisper. "I'm sorry. My son was out of line. Please... don't press charges."
Xavier felt a hole open up in his chest. Seeing his mother bow to people like them was more painful than any kick Asher had delivered.
The ride home was silent. They walked into their small, cramped apartment, and Elena immediately sat at the kitchen table and began to cry.
"Mom, I'm sorry," Xavier said, reaching out.
"I just wanted you to have a chance, Xavier," she sobbed, not looking at him. "Why can't you just stay under the radar? We can't afford to lose this scholarship. I can't keep doing this if you're going to fight them."
Xavier didn't answer. He went to his room and shut the door. He punched the wall in frustration, the pain in his knuckles matching the pain in his heart. He threw himself onto his bed and let the tears fall, hating his weakness, hating his 0% output, hating the world.
He eventually fell into a dark, heavy sleep.
The nightmare came quickly.
He was standing in the middle of a city on fire. The sky was black, and the ground was covered in rubble. In his arms was his mother. She was limp, her scrubs stained red.
"Mom? Mom, wake up!" Xavier screamed, shaking her. "I'm sorry! I'll be better! I'll get rich, I'll protect you! Just wake up!"
A giant shadow loomed over him, a massive, metallic foot descending from the smoke, ready to crush everything he had left.
"MOM!"
Xavier bolted upright in bed, gasping for air. His heart was hammering against his ribs, and sweat soaked his hair. He panted, staring into the dark of his room, the terror of the dream still clinging to him.
Then, out of nowhere, a blue light flickered in the center of his vision.
It wasn't a projector. It wasn't a screen on the wall. It was floating in the air, glowing with an ethereal, crystalline hum.
[SYSTEM UPDATE INITIATED]
Xavier froze, his breath catching.
[SCANNING HOST... XAVIER REYES]
[MANA OUTPUT: 0.0%]
[CRITICAL ANOMALY DETECTED]
[RECALIBRATING...]
[WELCOME, PLAYER]