Bright Future

'It can't be... I'm sure my punch was powerful enough to knock back a White Threat Level monster... There wouldn't have been enough momentum for more, but isn't he a rookie?' Layla inwardly muttered with a puzzled look at Adam.

Adam swung his hand, causing Layla to bounce away, then he serenely headed towards the exit as if she wasn't there.

"Where are you going?!" Layla exclaimed belligerently, ready to fight.

"To the hospital. I have those I need to keep an eye on. I don't have time for these games." Adam said seriously, "Find someone willing to fight, I'm sure among the Phantoms, you'll find one easily."

Layla bit her lip until it bled, she was both humiliated and hurt by the situation, so she decided to use a last resort to make Adam get back into the fight.

The motors on her gauntlets flashed brightly as on each gauntlet three cells of electric darts opened. As if from a crossbow, they flew out, approaching Adam at great speed.

He heard a distinct click, but he didn't turn around, because even something that fast couldn't hurt him.

Whooooooooooooosh.

Adam jerked his head a few times, darts flying close to his neck, but none reached their target.

"Bye." Adam waved his hand slightly with a final glance at the man.

The man only nodded a bit, adjusting his hat, which cast a shadow over his face.

"What the fuck was that...?" Layla muttered confused, not believing what was happening.

The man shrugged.

"Even though he's a young man, he seems to have principles. He said he doesn't fight humans, so we can't force him to do it. Don't worry, you'll be able to experience that gear again soon, though with a different Phantom."

Layla sighed heavily.

"Shit... I definitely wouldn't go to a party with him, otherwise it would be too boring one."

...

Orin and Silvana were hurt at the same time, so they were put in the same hospital and the same room.

Adam was a bit worried, after all, he was the cause of what happened. Orin and Silvana had a right to be angry with him, Adam knew that.

"Hey. How are you?" Adam said awkwardly, entering the room with a bag filled with fruit and sweets.

To his surprise, Orin and Silvana were perfectly fine. Orin was playing something on her tablet while Silvana was reading some articles.

"Adam! Hah, I knew you'd come!" Orin exclaimed happily, tossing the tablet aside.

"Unexpected, I thought you'd spend this time practicing." Silvana glanced at Adam.

Adam smiled slightly.

"I'm sorry about what happened, I don't know what came over me." Adam picked up the bag, "Who'll have the chocolates?"

"Here! I'm ready to eat them all!" Orin exclaimed vigorously.

Silvana stared at the bag.

"One apple will be enough for me. We've been told not to eat much anytime soon, though we're fine."

"Are you sure?" Adam asked worriedly, handing her the apple.

Silvana nodded.

"Sure, your Nexus's ability turned out the way you wanted it to, it's a mass attack. The pain is strong and piercing, but it's not powerful enough to kill, though, for a few seconds, all the enemies around you will be stunned, that's for sure."

Adam smiled bitterly.

"Even in a situation like this, you're making a serious assessment. You know, sometimes you just have to forget about everything and enjoy your apple with a rest."

Silvana didn't answer anything, she just took a bite of the apple.

"Well, she's right." Orin pronounced, shoving the candy into herself, " I watched your fight against Prime Stone Goliath like many people. You have no problems with speed and firepower, perhaps lacking in defense, but the reflexes from the artifact fix that. However, if you were surrounded by ten or twenty monsters at once, you wouldn't be able to do anything."

"Yeah, I know. After all, it's my Nexus and my idea." Adam nodded.

Orin's eyes went wide as if Adam had said something unusual.

"Really? All Phantoms think about their Nexus, but more often than not they choose their Operators' ideas or consult the Blacksmith."

"Well... I just wanted something similar to my needle and something I could use in any situation." Adam scratched the back of his head.

Orin smirked as she continued to eat.

After a while, Adam sat down next to Silvana with a slightly sad but deep look in his eyes.

"Thinking about something?" Silvana asked.

Adam nodded.

"When I lived in the slums, I thought the only chance for a better life was to become a Phantom, and you can't say I was wrong. Harvesters, Operators, Military, Blacksmiths, there are so many different options, but they're only available to those who live in the Third Ring and above."

Silvana and Orin glanced over at each other. They were not originally from the slums, so it was hard for them to understand how Adam felt. After all, there were hardly any Phantoms from the slums, the chances were too slim, especially Naturalborn Ones.

"Well, unfortunately, that's how our world works." Silvana said calmly, "The main goal of our Citadel is to survive, which means morality takes a back seat. It's easier to train people from the Rings, as well as the greater chance that Phantoms will be born there."

Adam bit his lip until it bled. He wasn't stupid and realized that from the government's point of view and cold calculation, that was true, but not for someone from the slums, not for his family!

"However, things are gradually improving. You probably don't know this, but in the last 10 years, slums have decreased by 3.5%, and average wages have increased by 7.3%. Sure, that's not enough for global change, but progress is not standing still. At this rate, there may be nothing left of slums in a few decades, but that's too positive a prediction." Silvana explained in her typical manner.

Adam sighed heavily, looking up at the ceiling.

"By the way, you have a little sister, right?" Orin asked.

Adam nodded.

"Yeah, Trici, she's seven years old."

"Oh, then she can go to any of the academies next year. Maybe she'll make a good Operator, a cool Military, or a creative Blacksmith. The options are many." Orin offered, in a way as if it was something obvious.

Adam looked at Silvana, "What do you think?"

"Sure, Orin is completely right. Trici can become anything she wants from a store worker to a personal Operator or Blacksmith. However, it's all quite difficult and pretty expensive. Moreover, there's always the chance that she'll become a Phantom, and then she'll have to rebuild." Silvana nodded deeply.

Adam wanted to say something, but Silvana interrupted him, which was not like her at all.

"I'm not too familiar with her, but from what I've seen she has the set-ups to become a Blacksmith. It's more important to her that the project she's spent time and effort on be intact than herself. She's also a pretty active kid."

Silvana glanced at Orin.

"Am I saying that right?"

"Yeah. Adam, the Blacksmiths don't just build Nexuses, those are special orders, we mostly work with weapons, technology, and robots. Anything that can help the military." Orin explained.

Adam had a dark look in his eyes at first, but now his eyes were wide open, shining brightly. 

He realized that unlike him, his sister had a chance at a future without violent experiments and deadly fights for life.

Trici could become a Blacksmith like Orin, creating things that would help ordinary people survive in this cruel world!