First Blood

The next morning, Henry woke up feeling refreshed and excited for his exploration of the city with Xavier. He quickly took his bath, got dressed, and had breakfast.

Few moments after he ate, Xavier arrived at the door step and they soon left the hotel on foot, deciding it was much fun that way.

Flying cars zoomed by, their soft hum filling the air as they navigated through the city's bustling streets.

"Honestly I see this city everyday and I'm still amazed by it's beauty!" Henry exclaimed, his eyes wide with wonder glancing through the towering skyscrapers and colourful digital billboards

Xavier chuckled "Looks like you have a thing for unique architecture, but wait till you should see Arcadia or Aurora city,"

"Yeah i think i admired them, but no precise way to really know," Henry replied, still holding on to his loss of memories act

"Hm, you look more of a financial type to me," Xavier said, laughing a little

Henry froze at his words "Shit, i completely forgot. That brat loves accounting!" he exclaimed in his head oblivious to Miley

"You right, I've also kinda developed a thing or two for maths," Henry said staring into Xavier's eye

"Alright that's great, you should let Felicity know. She can help you with if you have career choices there," Xavier assured

Henry nodded as they slowly approached where they were talking

They walked towards the city's central hub, where a massive arcade complex stood. The building's exterior was a kaleidoscope of colors, with holographic advertisements dancing across its surface.

"Let's start with some old-school fun, i come here often with Jane's daughter, to relax and have fun a bit," Xavier said, leading Henry into the arcade.

Henry was surprised, he loved playing games and was quite good at it, but Xavier didn't strike him as the gamer type.

Inside, they spent hours playing classic games and trying out new, cutting-edge VR experiences. After a few hours of gaming, they decided to grab a bite to eat at a nearby restaurant.

The restaurant, aptly named "Taste of the Future," was a marvel of culinary innovation. The menu featured dishes from all over the world, each one crafted with precision and care using advanced cooking technologies.

As they enjoyed their meal, Henry couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the city's sheer technological prowess. "This is amazing, Xavier. I feel like I'm living in a utopia."

Xavier smiled. "Well that is true, sometimes the techs of the world amaze me to the extent that sometimes I wonder if it's real," he voiced out

After lunch, they strolled through the city's central park, which was filled with lush greenery and vibrant flowers. The air was clean and fresh, thanks to the city's advanced atmospheric filtration systems.

As the sun began to set, they made their way to the city's futuristic museum, the "Institute of Science and Technology." The building's exterior was a stunning example of modern architecture, with sleek lines and curved surfaces that radiated an ethereal glow.

Inside, they explored exhibits featuring advanced technological artifacts, including holographic displays, artificial intelligence systems, and even a functional quantum computer.

As they delved deeper into the museum, they came across a section dedicated to mythological artifacts from ancient civilizations. Henry's eyes widened as he gazed upon a display case containing a perfectly preserved suit of armor from the legendary Knights Templar.

He was most intrigued with this section, as it seemed to display information about the gods of the world, their history, titles and accomplishments

Henry and Xavier exchanged a determined glance. They knew they couldn't let these thieves desecrate the museum and steal its precious artifacts.

But suddenly, a loud blast coupled with the smashing of glass echoed through the museum. Xavier and Henry quickly left the myths section, heading towards the area where the sound came from.

They arrived at a large spacious area which seemed to be the museum's general lobby.

The windows were broken, there were scorch marks on the floors and walls, and a group of strange figures who seemed to be the perpetrators, were standing gallantly, with an aura of danger and bloodlust. And a man who seemed to be the security guard of the museum was passed out on the ground beside them.

The people in the museum about 30 of them, were terrified, fear visible in their eyes, there was no doubt that they were ordinary humans

The attackers were six in number, five men and a woman, each wearing beast gears on their chest, arms or legs, but not a complete set, which made them less terrifying to Xavier who had just arrived at the scene with Henry

But before Xavier could do anything, multiple energy guns appeared out of the walls of the lobby, aiming at the group

Before the guns could attack. the woman among the group took out a round disc like device and latched it on a pillar close to her, the disc sent out a wave of energy that shut down all mechanical and electrical devices in the museum, the guns included

A large man who seemed to be the leader of the group walked forward and spoke

"Alright, now that we have your attention, you may all leave," he said to the civilians in the museum pointing out the door

The civilians were confused at first, but sensing no malicious motives from the man, quickly began dashing out of the museum except for Xavier and Henry.

The man nodded in satisfaction and signed to one of the members of the group, who immediately nodded and dashed into the main part of the museum with super human speed

The leader was about giving more orders when he noticed Xavier and Henry still standing in the lobby, waiting for lord knows what

"Hey, i told you to get lost. If you cherish your lives, you will do so immediately," he said before his hands started to glow, getting filled with energy

"Hmm, they are either from the villain league or just fools, playing dressup," Xavier muttered "Hey kid, stay put and out of harms way, this will be over quick," he said as he started walking towards the group

Henry just stood there with a bored expression, he wasn't motivated at all by the people in front of him

The leader smiled as Xavier approached  "Hm, a mage i see, you think because you are a bit of power and exclusive training, that you rule the world? Well that would change soon," he said, signaling for his team to attack

The man who seemed to be even more huge than Xavier, charged in, running at full speed towards Xavier who kept walking slowly

The huge guy launched his fist at Xavier, who dodged with impressive speed, allowing the man's fist to land on a pillar, cracking it slightly. The man definitely had super strength like Xavier

But Xavier wasn't fazed, he allowed the man to continue swinging his arms at him, as he dodged with precision before finally ackling and slamming him on the ground

The leader was suprised not at Xavier's feat, but rather at his identity which was now clearly visible to the group

"You, i know you. You're Xavier marshall, husband of the late Roseline griffin, we've been keeping an eye on you since the day she died, waiting for when you would rebel, but you haven't," the leader said with a sadistic smile

Xavier was confused  "How did he recognize me, and what did he mean by that?" he thought, but didn't have the time to linger around as the huge man he had supposedly defeated suddenly stood up and charged at him, along with the rest of the group.

Xavier began to fight back, holding quite well against the four of them, but was suddenly struck with a beam of energy from the leader, which sent him skidding on the ground for a bit, before standing tall and mighty once again.

He grunted but smiled "Your little hand pistol isn't going to hurt me,"

"Oh no, i wasn't planning on hurting you, i only wanted to exhaust your mana," the leader replied with a mischievous grin

Xavier was confused, he didn't understand what the man was talking about, he was about to continue his fight when he immediately felt a part of his energy get drained, and it only continued to worsen by the second

Xavier had a look of horror on his face "This man, who are this people," he thought as his energy kept reducing. His mana cells were being depleted.

When the humans evolved with the mana cells that suddenly appeared in their body, they were powered up and even gained abilities enabling them feats that wasn't possible for a normal human

But there was a limitation, it wasn't infinite. The mana cells would occasionally get used up and would need time to be refilled. That was a problem because if a person were to use up all his mana cells, his abilities would stop working and he would be vulnerable

This was why people with a high mana cell count were considered the strongest and given higher ranks during the examination, they were also the only ones who develop a potential for two or more abilities.

Although mana recovery syrups had been created, it could only do so little in recovering the mana cells quickly. It was another reason, mana recovery time was also a criteria during the ranking examination

Xavier felt his formidable strength leave him completely, but he still stood strong looking at the group fiercely, not wanting to just give up without a fight

The group charged in again, and the battle continued, with Xavier using every last ounce of strength he could summon.

He refused to back down, charging forward with a fierce cry. He fought with all his might, but the group were too powerful, now that he was weak. They ganged up on him, their abilities overwhelming him.

As they pinned him to the ground, their leader walked forward, removing a small dagger from his storage space

"Honestly we would have left you alive, as you might have been useful to us in the future. But all the same you might be a huge threat to our plans. At least you would be joining her in the light, as darkness is the only way towards light," he said, his tone remorseful

"Hail the shadow!" he said, raising the dagger, about to slit Xavier's throat

But Xavier was in peril and confusion "The shadow... fuck! I was wrong, they are not villains at all, they're from dark dawn. But how and why do they posses abilities now,  they hate ability users," he thought as his death was fast approaching

But before the leader could bring down his dagger, the young teenager that they had  completely ignored spoke

"Let him go," Henry said in a rather calm voice

The group turned to face him looking suprised, their leader sneering. "Or what? You'll try to stop us?"

Henry summoned his sword from the storage ring and drew it from it's sheath, its blade glinting in the light.

"I won't just try. I'll succeed." he replied in a bored tone

The leader began laughing, as he mocked Henry's stupidity "Leave now kid, before I change my mind," he said in a stern voice

Xavier immediately added "Listen to him kid, it's going to be okay, just go," he said with a solemn expression

Henry frowned "So you're just willing to accept death huh?" he asked Xavier, but without waiting for him to reply continued

"Well, I'm not accepting it for you," he said before staring into the leader's eyes

"Hey, i won't ask again. Let! Him! Go." Henry said slowly in a calm and cold voice

The leader wasn't pleased with Henry's behavior at all, he hated the way Henry spoke like he owned the place. He felt insulted

"I think this kid needs to be taught a lesson," he said signaling to the huge man Xavier had fought first.

The man immediately charged forward, his eyes blazing with fury. But Henry was unfazed, he remained on the spot and waited for the man to approach him

And when he did, Henry activated his time perception, slowing down the world around him. He did his signature sidestep, avoiding the man's clumsy attack, his movements fluid and precise, but he wasn't done yet

As the man stumbled past him, his body fully vulnerable, Henry immediately raised his sword and striked horizontally at his neck, beheading the man on the spot.

There was a sudden sullen silence, everyone including Xavier and Miley were dumbfounded, they hadn't expected that outcome at all.

Henry on the other hand was filled with joy, a huge grin drawn on his face like a psychopath, but he was elated because of the system's notification

[You have gained 50 exp]

*Random Quest

[Eliminate the enemies(1/5)]

*Hidden Quest complete

[Kill a human]

*Reward: One event key

[Congratulations you have received one event key]