The bestowed

"Ace, honey hurry up or you're gonna be late for the entrance examination" Ace's mom said from downstairs in the kitchen.

"Don't worry mum, I've been waiting for this day my whole life, I'm not gonna be late"

Ace thought to himself while looking into the mirror.

'It's been 15 years since I've transmigrated into this parallel earth, Astrael, where terrifying monsters called disasters started appearing after the intersection of parallel worlds, but I do not feel unlucky getting transmigrated to a dangerous world like this, because in this world there are a group of people called 'Bestowed' that have the capability of wielding supernatural powers that do not conform to the rules of reality,'

Ace gave himself a wide grin in the mirror at the mere thought that he might soon become a bestowed.

"Finally after fifteen years of long wait,

today is the day I open the door to the supernatural"Ace said to himself 

"Honey, come downstairs for breakfast"

"Okay mom, I'm coming"

Ace walked down the stairs and into the living room where his dad was sitting sipping some coffee.

Noticing Ace coming down the stairs he stopped drinking coffee and asked Ace in an enthusiastic tone.

"Ace, are you ready for the big day today?"

"Yes dad I'm as mentally prepared as I need to be"

Ace's mom hearing the chatter from the kitchen, brought the cookies she baked to the living room,

"Honey, don't worry about today, okay, I know you always wanted to be a bestowed since you were little but even if you don't have the talent for it, we will love you either way" Ace's mom said in a tone full of motherly love.

Taking a cookie from the tray she was carrying, Ace raised a brow,

"As I told you before, I am as mentally prepared as I need to be, so stop worrying and ruining the joyful mood, please"

Ace sat down on the couch that his dad was sitting previously, drinking the coffee that was lying about on the table.

Grimacing at the taste he put the coffee down.

"Hah . . . this might be the last meal I ever eat with you guys" Ace disregarding his earlier advice, ruining the joyful mood

Wearing a serious expression he said,

"I know my obsession of becoming a bestowed, has deprived you of having the common joys a parent should have,

You might never have a grandchild, I'm deeply sorry for denying you that,"

"Honey it's okay, you can chase your dreams, we won't stop you. If you ever want to come back, you can, we will always welcome you, because you're our son" Ace's mother said with tears welling up in her eyes.

'But that's the tragedy I'm not your son, your son died fifteen years ago in the womb when I replaced him'

Looking into his mother's eyes full of motherly worry, Ace didn't dare to say that thought out loud.

With the taste of the cookie now unpleasant, we spent breakfast in bitter silence.

…..

At the supersonic train station, Ace's mom and dad said their goodbyes, as the train was about to take off.

"Make sure to always call home honey"

"Your mom packed your lunch and dinner in your bag, make sure to eat it"

Looking through automatically closing windows, Ace smiled as he lip read what they were saying.

'I'm gonna miss them' Ace thought to himself.

The noise from the bustling train station grew silent, as the sound proof doors and windows screwed shut.

Shutting any sensation of the outside world except from sight.

The picture of the outside world started to change, getting more blurry as the speed of the train got faster.

Ace suddenly felt a deep sense of loss, as if he was leaving a great treasure important to him behind, but he instantly dismissed that feeling. After all, what could be more important than becoming a bestowed and mastering fantasy-like powers. 

'I have already experienced a lifetime of Joy, sadness and human relations, It would be greedy to ask for more in this second life, My only wish as Ace virvitanima in this life is to explore and push the limits of the extraordinary'

The lights of the train flickered slightly as the train hit supersonic speed.

After looking at the blurred city passing by for a few minutes, Ace soon grew tired of watching it.

"Even at supersonic speed the train is still gonna take three hours to get to the Culmen Bestowed Academy, I better just sleep the whole train ride"

Ace lay down on one of the azure blue seats in the supersonic train, which had an adjustable lever which allowed for the passengers to sit comfortably without any back pain.

'Ahh, the luxury of the supersonic train.'

Ace groaned softly in pleasure as he slowly drifted off into sleep.

..... 

Hoooooooonk!

"Just one more minute, mom I'm tired" Ace said, still in the misty embrace of his dreams.

Hoooooooonk!

"I said one more minute," Ace said with a hint of annoyance growing,

«Dear passengers you have arrived at your destination; Culmen Bestowed Academy»

The reverberation of the mechanical voice snapped my out of my groggy state,

Making me realise where I was,

I was in the academic city of Culmen, a city named after one of the strongest bestowed in the country, an academic city that was rumoured to have culmen as its headmaster.

Realising where I was, I quickly got off the train.

Looking at the futuristic looking city with flying cars and about everything You'd think a futuristic city would look like,

I was briefly stunned, mesmerised by the futuristic beauty of it all.

'Its technology is a century ahead compared to other cities'

Snapping out if it, I picked up an information brochure from the piles of them lying at the train station,

Hanging the strap of my laptop bag above my shoulder and by the side of my waist, I used my now free left hand to spread open the brochure.

Inside the brochure lay a map to the academy and a basic introduction to Culmen city.