The First Step

"The Golden Civilization has breached the Canadian coast defense line. Canada's government asks for the citizens to head south and seek refuge in the United States."

"The United States has declared the loss of the State of Alaska after a week of clashes. Every surviving civilian in the region is to hide until the next order."

"Russia has called all their forces to defend Siberia from the advancement of the Golden Civilization's army."

"Denmark announces the loss of Greenland. The island was being used as a fortress for the Earth Alliance in case the Golden Civilization wanted to reach the American's continent."

"The United Kingdom has deployed the British Royal Navy to intercept the enemy forces besieging Iceland. The European Navy is at standby."

"The Golden Civilization is reported using modified warships from the Earth Alliance, presumably captured in the North Pole. The modifications made them faster and stronger than our current warships. Experts suspect that they replaced the materials with elements from their own world."

Ethan White was hearing the news while being astray in his thoughts.

A few months have already passed since he talked with his master, the Sovereign of Light. He still felt his life turned unreal. A powerful being from far, far away actually wanted him to be his disciple!

There were days Ethan White thought what happened to him was a dream. Other days, he felt like the most powerful person in the world. Nevertheless, he still was aware that he was just a weak Apprentice.

"Alexe, turn off the TV." said an authoritative feminine voice. A woman dressed in a formal gray jacket suit with a pair of blue eyes greeted Ethan White's sight. She held a black suitcase in her hand. It was Loren White, his mother. She just entered the house, coming from work, and came into the living room.

The TV was turned off immediately after hearing the order. Alexe, a star product of Amazing, became a daily-used item in every house. In the technology era, everyone had electronic devices like a TV or a glass-ceramic which could be controlled by the voice alone. The riches also had available a variety of robots who could do all the needed chores. Further, there were rumors about a company developing security robots to deal with thieves.

"Hello mum, any good luck getting it?" replied Ethan White with a surprised tone. He did not even notice his mother opening the main house door or getting into the room. However, when he saw her, Ethan White could see the exhausted expression on his mother's face.

"I have not come back home since two weeks ago, and the first question of my son is about if I brought a Heart Core..." sighed Loren White. "Yes, I brought what you asked me. It is inside the suitcase. Now leave me alone. I need to take a bath." Loren White placed the suitcase above the wooden table in the middle of the room and went to wash herself up.

Ethan White became excited after hearing his mother's words. Not waiting for her to leave, he pounced on her suitcase. Getting a hold of the suitcase's padlock, he inserted the numeric key '0001', and the lock got unlocked instantly.

After opening the suitcase, a transparent bottle made of crystal greeted his sight. The bottle was bigger than his hand, and in its interior, Ethan White found an irregular sphere with tiny feathers decorating the ball. The orb was enveloped in a mixed yellowish-brownish liquid, which could extend the lifespan of the Heart Core for a few years.

Ethan White did not expect a Heart Core to be like this. He actually expected a meat's ball or a kind of transparent shield around the heart. The color of the shield would vary based on the awakened ability. He did not think about the Heart Core being a plain sphere. How could a heart turn into a completely solid and tough orb without feeling any pain? Ethan White did not want to inquire further into this. He grabbed the bottle and headed into his room.

In his room, Ethan White made sure to lock the door before proceeding to do what he desperately was wishing for during these last months. He wanted to absorb the Heart Core to nurture his body. It was the only way for him to improve his body quickly and be an Ascended. He did not want to wait for a dozen years to be able to get an ability, even worse now that he was not sure if he had available that much time. Maybe Earth would not live up for another year.

Ethan White was thinking, reminding himself of the absorption process explained by his master, while lying down on his bed, the bottle in his hands. The process was divided into several parts, but the crucial point was to not lose his focus. He could die if someone interrupted the method, making the Stellar Energy forming the Heart Core to go into his body, with no restraint from his consciousness. The result of this was a puddle of blood and flesh.

'Here we go.' thought Ethan White. He laid on his bed completely, his hands opening the transparent bottle resting on his tummy. It was closed a little too strong, but he could open the glass container easily since he was stronger than his previous self.

Ethan White opened the glass, getting his body soaked from the strange liquid inside the bottle. 'I completely forgot about the liquid.' said Ethan White, grumbling. He decided to ignore the powerful stench emanating from the soaked bed and to take a shower after he finished with the Heart Core.

After moving his hand into the bottle, Ethan White grabbed the Heart Core and took it out. He proceeded to grasp the Heart Core with his two hands and closed his eyes. Ethan White could feel a slight burning sensation on his fingertips, crossing throughout the hand to his whole body.

The burning sensation turned into heat, his body's temperature rising. Ethan White was focused on his breathing, feeling how the air goes inside and out of his lungs. In the time of a couple of minutes, his whole body was wet from sweat. The irregular brownish sphere on his palms losing a bit of its glow.

Ethan White struggled to stay focused on his breathing when someone knocked on his room door.

"Ethan White, can I come inside?" asked the familiar feminine voice belonging to his mother, Loren White.

Ethan White recognized her voice during a focus slip. The slip cost him an indescribable sense of pain in his hands, almost dropping the Heart Core into his tummy. But he knew that if the Heart Core touched his body, the Stellar Energy would be more concentrated, and he would probably die. Therefore, Ethan White grabbed the Heart Core hard to make sure it did not fall.

"Ethan White, dear, unlock the door." said Loren White, this time with a more amicable tone, after trying to open the door to the room.

This time, Ethan White did not even hear her. The pain was so unbearable that it was taking all his focus away from his mother. He was not even feeling the high temperature of his body, his hands pressing harshly against the Heart Core, to the point where his tendons were aching.

"Ethan White? Are you doing these things teenagers do?"

Ethan White was finally calming his rapid breath when he heard his mother. His face turned red, veins appearing on his forehead. 'How does she have this kind of mind?' complained internally. He felt indignant for his mother to ask him such things, but he could only complain for a few seconds. A barrage of pain just emerged from his fingers, dropping the Heart Core into his tummy.

He could not move his fingers, but fortunately for him, the pain stopped after he released the Heart Core. Just when he was feeling lucky, a blow assaulted his belly. A warm sensation went throughout his bowels, turning more intense for the second.

Ethan White could hear some noise outside, but he was too focused on his body to care about what was happening. He even forgot about his mother.

His abdomen was burning in the insides, his whole body aching. He tried to stay focused, wanting to move his hands to the Heart Core. Ethan White knew that he could not use his fingers to grab the sphere, but he wanted to spread the Stellar Energy between the different parts of his body.

Only by doing this, his pain would subside. Unfortunately, Ethan White's mind was beginning to be clouded, the agony making it difficult for him to think.

A loud scream filled his room.