Optimistic Slum Dweller

"Looks like we will both die here today."

The words of a teenage boy echoed within an enclosed space surrounded by glowing rocky walls.

He had short black hair with a blend of silver streaks and a beetle-shaped birthmark on the left side of his chin.

Up ahead was a stack of rocks that blocked access to the exit of the cavernous area, and behind was a dead end.

"Grruuh!" The woes of a beast trapped underneath fallen debris within the same space rang out.

More than half of its body was crushed by the weight, and a small pool of blood had already formed. Although Atrixus wasn't in imminent danger from the half-dead creature, he was running out of time.

It wouldn't be long before he lost his life there as well.

Atrixus slumped to the floor in defeat as he felt the weight of his final moments pressing down upon him. The passage of time in the alien tomb seemed to mock his fading hopes, each tick echoing the failures and regrets of his short life.

Anger and sorrow warred within him as he replayed the choices that led him to his end, his thoughts inevitably circling back to his father.

"If you had never left us, this wouldn't have happened," he muttered, the bitterness of his fate tasting like ash in his mouth.

The memory of a box, a last memento from his father, sparked within his weary mind. With resignation heavy in his heart, he retrieved the small container from his bag.

'Do Not Open Until Your 17th Birthday.'

He stared at the writing on the box, recalling that the day indeed marked the beginning of his 17th year in life.

It was quite ironic that he would be dying on his birthday.

"Might as well see what you left me," he spoke to the silence, the words meant for the father who had set him on this path.

The attempt to open the box was half-hearted, a final gesture in the face of impending death. But as his thumb brushed against a sharp edge, a drop of blood welled up, falling onto the box's surface.

The reaction was instantaneous and unexpected; the blood seeped into the carved lines, causing them to glow with an ethereal light.

Atrixus watched, transfixed, as the box opened, revealing its contents—

His eyes widened in disbelief the moment he set them on what lay within the box.

■■■

[ One Month Ago ]

In the dimly lit classroom of Sacred Heights High School, rows of students sat with rapt attention as Mr. Helix, a seasoned System Bearer turned instructor, paced the front of the room.

The walls, adorned with holographic images of Shunri Paradise's most dangerous EVOS, seemed to close in as Helix's voice filled the space.

"It is called a paradise, but in truth, it is surrounded by dangers. The EVOS will try to slaughter you, and the lands are perilous within there. You could lose your life to a creature as tiny as an ant." he cautioned, his voice a somber echo of the countless warnings that had preceded it.

Atrixus Timothy sat at the back of the classroom, his gaze fixed on Mr. Helix, but his mind adrift. The warnings were not new to him; he had grown up on tales of Shunri Paradise's beauty and brutality, tales that now seemed like echoes from another life.

As Mr. Helix continued, speaking of the upcoming evaluation and the preparation it necessitated, Atrixus couldn't help but mirror the teacher's words in his mind. He was painfully aware of the dangers, having been fed a steady diet of them since he could remember.

Yet, the mention of the evaluation sent a jolt of anxiety through him. It was a reminder of the chasm that lay between him and his dreams, a chasm widened by circumstance and society's disdain.

The bell rang, its shrill tone signaling the end of the school day. Atrixus gathered his worn-out textbooks, the names of donors still visible on their covers, and made his way out of the classroom.

As he walked, a bubble of emptiness formed around him, students veering away with practiced indifference. Whispers, sharp as knives, sliced through the air behind his back. "It's a surprise that he still has the will to attend after all that has happened. Dirty slum dweller," one voice hissed, laced with a mix of curiosity and contempt.

Another chimed in, its owner, Liora Hastings, flipping her glossy blonde hair with a sneer as her scarlet and silver uniform stuck to her beautiful form.

"He won't make the evaluation. People like him... they're just not cut out to be System Bearers."

Her entourage, a collection of Sacred Heights' most affluent progeny, laughed, their voices a discordant symphony of privilege and presumption.

Atrixus pressed on, his footsteps echoing in the emptying hallway.

He could barely recall his life before six years of age. All he knew was that his family used to be well-to-do and his father bore a certain influence as a top scientist in Aigon Evolutionary Corporation.

That was... until he and his crew vanished within Shunri Paradise on an exploration mission. That was when everything started to fall apart.

His father's disappearance had been a scarlet letter he and his mother were forced to wear, a constant reminder of their fall from grace.

They now lived in the shadows of Paricus City, in a slum where the sun's light seemed hesitant to tread. His mother, once vibrant and full of stories of her scientific endeavors, had wilted like a flower deprived of sunlight, her brilliance dimmed by hardship and loss.

Despite the adversity, Atrixus clung to a sliver of hope. The government's sponsorship of his education at Sacred Heights was his lifeline, a fragile bridge to a future he longed to seize. But as the days inched closer to the evaluation, doubt, like a persistent weed, crept into the corners of his resolve.

The schoolyard, usually abuzz with students eagerly discussing their potential as the next generation of System Bearers, felt alien to Atrixus.

He spotted Liora and her clique, basking in the admiration of their peers.

Among them stood Julian Caspar, a prodigy whose brother's exploits in Shunri Paradise were the stuff of legend.

Julian, with his easy charm and undeniable talent, was the epitome of what a System Bearer should be. He was everything Atrixus was not.

"Remember, it's not just about physical strength," Julian spoke, his voice cutting across the yard.

"It's about understanding Shunri Paradise, about connecting with the essence of the EVOS. That's the key to true power."

The crowd around him nodded, hanging on every word. Atrixus felt a pang of envy; Julian's words were a reminder of the vast gulf that lay between him and those born to that destiny.

Yet, it wasn't Julian's assured future as a System Bearer that stung the most. It was the underlying truth that in that world, lineage, and legacy often predetermined one's path, a truth that left little room for outliers like himself.

As Atrixus made his way through the gates of Sacred Heights, the sun began its descent, casting long shadows that seemed to echo his journey from light into darkness. 

Paricus City, a sprawling metropolis of the future, stood as a testament to humanity's resilience and ingenuity in the face of Earth's environmental collapse. 

The streets were lined with trees genetically engineered to thrive in urban environments, their leaves filtering pollutants, and their roots breaking down toxins in the soil. 

Public spaces were abundant and designed to foster a sense of community and well-being. Parks floated above the city, suspended by the same anti-gravity technology that made personal vehicles glide silently through the air.

The people of those sectors lived in a bubble of technological comfort. Their homes were equipped with AI systems that catered to every need, from adjusting the ambient temperature to preparing meals.

Education and healthcare were of the highest quality, accessible to all who lived within the gleaming towers of prosperity.

Fwwoph~ Fwooph~ Fwooph~

The sound of wings flapping caused Atrixus to gaze upwards. A humanoid figure with a massive pair of yellow wings cut across the afternoon sky with astonishing speed.

"A System Bearer..." Atrixus voiced in reverence.

It wasn't such a rare occurrence around there. After all, the strongest System Bearers were said to be residents of Paricus City.

Atrixus gazed in the direction the flying figure was headed and noticed that it was an access zone from the multiple Aigon-owned buildings in the distance.

No regular person was allowed to head in that direction since it bore access points to Shunri Paradise. Only System Bearers were allowed to enter Shunri Paradise.

They could only see views of the other world through footage and pictures.

Atrixus continued on his path home.

The city was a dichotomy of progress and neglect, its architecture a mirror to the divide between the affluent and the impoverished.

While the heart of Paricus City was a marvel of modern architecture, where the affluent lived amidst skyscrapers that pierced the skies, the slums which were a stark contrast in comparison still existed as a result of the huge crisis humanity faced in the past.

The further Atrixus went, the more the scenery changed.

Buildings were cobbled together from salvaged materials, and their shapes were dictated more by necessity than design. Metal sheets and reclaimed wood formed the walls of homes that were stacked atop one another.

There, the air was thicker, laden with the scent of desperation and decay. The streets were a maze of dilapidated buildings and narrow alleys, each turn taking him deeper into the heart of the slum where he and his mother had made their home.

Their dwelling, a modest structure cobbled together from scraps of metal and remnants of a brighter past, stood at the edge of the slum. The slums were a very dangerous place to live in, so Atrixus had long taken off his school uniform and changed into something tattered so as not to call attention to himself.

Sacred Heights High School was a learning center for the rich, after all. It was impossible to see any child of wealth roaming about those parts unless they were looking to get robbed or, worse, abducted.

Atrixus paused at the door, taking a moment to steel himself for the shift in worlds. Inside, his mother, Mara, sat at a small table, her eyes weary but her smile warm.

"How was school today?" she asked, her voice a soft melody amidst the disturbing racket in their surroundings.

Atrixus forced a smile, not wanting to burden her further.

"It was fine, Mom. Just the usual," he replied, setting his books down with care. 

They spoke little of his father these days; the wound was still too raw, the loss too great despite his disappearance being a decade long.

Instead, they found solace in the routine of their daily lives, a routine that was as much about survival as it was about maintaining a semblance of normalcy.

But as night fell and Atrixus lay in his bed, staring at the ceiling that barely kept the rain out, he couldn't escape the reality of his situation.

The upcoming evaluation was more than just a test; it was his last chance to change the course of his life, to escape the shadows and reclaim the legacy his father had left behind.

The whispers of his classmates, the disdain of the privileged, the expectations of society – they all weighed heavily on him.

Yet, in the depths of despair, a flame of determination flickered. Atrixus Timothy might have been the backwater of his class, a remnant of a fallen legacy, but within him burned the heart of a System Bearer. And as the night deepened, so did his resolve.

He would face the evaluation, not as the son of a vanished scientist explorer or the pariah of Sacred Heights, but as himself, Atrixus Timothy, a name that would one day be synonymous with strength and resilience.

The road ahead was fraught with challenges, but it was a road he was determined to travel, not just for himself, but for his mother, and the memory of the father he hoped to one day understand and surpass.