prologue 1

Location: | ????? Universe, Milky Way galaxy, Solar system, Earth, African continent |

Date: May 9, 2002, 10:00 PM

(Third-person point of view)

In an endless forest, today at this place, an event was about to occur that would reverberate throughout the multiverse. Suddenly, an invisible energy wave spread from the forest, engulfing the entire world, and then it stopped spreading as if nothing had happened. Normal humans couldn't perceive the energy wave, but animals looked towards the direction where something seemed to have happened, and then continued with their activities.

In an open area where the energy wave started spreading, a newborn baby lay naked, peacefully sleeping. Suddenly, a feminine silhouette appeared beside the baby and gently picked him up. She delicately caressed their cheek and placed a finger on their forehead. Her hand began to glow, and a runic symbol appeared on the child's forehead. The woman murmured something, and then they both vanished.

Half an hour later, a transport helicopter appeared near the vicinity of that area, and a dozen soldiers descended from it using ropes to secure the area. Then, one of the soldiers communicated with someone through a radio.

Bzzt "The area is secure, sir. You may land." bzzt

The helicopter descended slowly, and a man and a woman stepped out of it. The man wore a military uniform with the American flag on his shoulder. He appeared to be around 60 years old and The surrounding soldiers were looking at him with respect, this is indicating his high position. The woman appeared to be in her late twenties and had long blonde hair and beautiful blue eyes. She wore a form-fitting suit that accentuated her figure.

The soldier who communicated through the radio approached them and spoke with a respectful tone to the man:

"General, we have located the point where the energy wave originated and secure the surrounding area."

The general glanced over the secured area for a moment and said:

"Before the special operations teams from other countries arrive, I want the researchers to thoroughly and quickly investigate the entire area."

"Understood, sir," replied the soldier, quickly leaving there.

The general looked at the woman beside him and asked:

"What are your thoughts on this incident, Agent Gale?"

"Why are you curious about the thoughts of an agent like me, General Magnus?" responded Agent Gale.

"I'm just asking out of curiosity, Agent Gale."

Agent Gale gazed into the general's eyes for a few seconds and then spoke:

"When I first heard the news, I thought there had been a massive nuclear explosion, but considering the absence of any signs of destruction, it seems that something incredibly interesting has occurred here, and I'm curious about what it could be."

"What about you, General Magnus? What do you think?" asked Agent Gale.

"I share the same thoughts as you, but I'm particularly interested in what caused this event," replied the general.

They conversed for a few minutes, and then they boarded the helicopter.

Half an hour later, a soldier entered the helicopter and handed a document to the general. As the general read the document, he furrowed his brows.

Agent Gale, sitting near the general, noticed his furrowed brows and asked:

"Is something wrong, General?"

The general looked at Agent Gale for a moment and said:

"A human trace has been discovered in the area."

"Is it the person responsible for the incident?" asked Agent Gale.

"No, it seems he or she appeared after the event and took away whatever caused it. It's as if he or she suddenly appeared and then disappeared, leaving no trace behind," explained the general.

The general turned to the soldier who brought the document and instructed:

"Tell those outside to get prepared and erase all traces in the area. We're leaving here"

The soldier quickly left the helicopter.

"Aren't we going to pursue that person, General?" inquired Agent Gale.

"No, he or she must have left away by now, and I don't want to deal with the men coming from other countries," replied the general.

After the general's response, she fell silent, and she didn't ask any further questions.

The helicopter slowly ascended and departed from the area

...

The woman and baby appeared in front of an orphanage. The baby was sleeping, wrapped in a blanket, in the woman's arms. The woman placed the baby in front of the orphanage door and nodded a few times as if she were talking to someone. Then, a piece of paper appeared in her hand, and she wrote something on it and stuck it to the baby's blanket.

The woman rang the orphanage bell and disappeared. A woman in her thirties came out of the orphanage and looked at the baby. Then, she looked around and, finding no one, gently picked up the baby. The baby, as if sensing something, opened its eyes, revealing deep blue eyes. The child looked curiously at the woman. The woman squeezed his cheeks and said:

"Who would leave such a sweet baby at an orphanage? What's your name, little one?"

The woman took the paper attached to the baby's blanket, read it aloud, and then said:

"His name is Cassian please take care of him"

"Let's go inside Cassian it's cold outside"

...

| Seven years later |

In an ordinary orphanage in the state of Kansas, USA, a cute child with short black hair and blue eyes was watching television. He looked very sweet and adorable. As he attentively watched the television, the opening theme of a cartoon started:

"It started when an alien device did what it did

It stuck itself upon his wrist with secrets that it hid

Now he's got superpowers, he's no ordinary kid

He's Ben 10…"

After 20 minutes, the cartoon ended, and the child sighed, saying:

"Ah, I wish I could be a superhero like Ben 10 and Spiderman."

At that moment, the door of the room opened, and another child walked in:

"Cassian, the director is calling you to his office."

"Okay, I'm coming," Cassian replied in a monotone voice. He left the room and started walking down the corridor.

As he walked down the corridor, the other children tried to stay away from him. He overheard them talking about him:

"Did you hear? Cassian broke the garden wall the other day."

"How did that happen?"

"While playing alone with a ball, Cassian kicked it, and it hit the garden wall, turning it into rubble."

"Monster!"

"Freak!"

Cassian heard what they were saying but continued walking without saying anything. He arrived at the front of the principal's office and gently knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

"Who is it?"

"It's me, Mrs. Miranda. Cassian. May I come in?"

"Of course, come in, Cassian."

Cassian opened the door and entered the room slowly. Inside, there was a working desk, two chairs, two cabinets, and a bookshelf. It was decorated in a minimalist style. There were two people in the room. A beautiful woman with blonde hair and green eyes sitting at the desk and a very handsome man with medium-length silver hair and red eyes sitting in front of the desk. When Cassian entered, the man and woman looked at him, and the woman started speaking:

"How are you, Cassian?"

"I'm fine, Mrs. Madison. How are you?"

"I'm fine too. Cassian, let me introduce you to this person, Mr. Alexander.

Cassian approached and extended his hand.

"Hello, Mr. Alexander, I'm Cassian. Nice to meet you," he said.

Mr. Alexander stood up slowly and shook Cassian's hand. He replied:

"Hello, Cassian, nice to meet you too."

While they were getting acquainted, Ms. Madison spoke softly:

"Cassian, Mr. Alexander has adopted you. You'll be leaving here soon, so get ready."

Cassian responded in a monotonous voice, "Okay, Ms. Madison," and left the room.

Only Mr. Alexander and Ms. Madison remained in the room. Mr. Alexander spoke first:

"Cassian is a sweet child, but why hasn't anyone adopted him until now?"

"Well, he has been adopted a few times, but he was brought back after a few weeks," Ms. Madison answered.

"Why?" asked Mr. Alexander.

"Cassian is physically strong but also clumsy. So, he had a few mishaps, and the adopting families had to bring him back because he accidentally broke things. He caused some damage here as well. He accidentally injured a few of his friends, and the other children started to distance themselves from him."

"Is that why he speaks so monotonously?" Mr. Alexander asked.

"Yes, he used to have a cheerful personality, but as you can see, that has completely changed. Please try to make him as happy as possible," Ms. Madison requested.

"Of course, Ms. Madison. I will love him as if he were my own son," Mr. Alexander said.

Fifteen minutes later, Cassian entered with a backpack on his back.

"I'm ready, Ms. Madison. I've packed everything," he said.

"Okay, let me see you off," Ms. Madison said.

Then, they all went to the parking lot outside the orphanage. They stopped in front of a Chevrolet Camaro, and Ms. Madison started to pet Cassian's head as she spoke:

"Cassian, be a good child and try not to upset Mr. Alexander, okay? Don't forget to visit us here often."

"Mr. Alexander, please take good care of Cassian," she said, looking at him.

"Don't worry, Ms. Madison. I will take good care of him," Mr. Alexander replied.

After bidding farewell, Mr. Alexander and Cassian got into the car and started their journey.

The car was silent, and Mr. Alexander tried to break the ice by initiating a conversation:

"Cassian, do you have any hobbies or activities you enjoy doing?"

Cassian looked at him for a moment.

"Why did you adopt me, Mr. Alexander? You must have heard things about me from Mrs. Madison. I thought no one would ever adopt a child like me," he asked, his eyes welling up with tears as he continued to speak softly.

"Do you know, Mr. Alexander, the kids at the orphanage call me a freak. At first, I was upset about what they said and tried to prove that I wasn't a freak, but things only got worse. After a while, I slowly started to believe that I really was a freak."

"So, why would someone like you adopt a freak like me?"

Mr. Alexander pulled the car over and took the child in his arms, holding him tightly.

"To me, you're a very adorable child, and I couldn't care less about what others say. Everyone would want to adopt a sweet child like you."

The child began to cry in Mr. Alexander's arms, and he continued to cry for about five minutes. After he stopped crying, Mr. Alexander started talking again.

"You know, Cassian, I know several martial arts, and martial arts are the best solution for your problem. I can teach you martial arts, but you have to fully commit to it, and once you start, there's no turning back."

"What do you think? Do you want to learn?"

The child thought for a few seconds and replied with determination:

"Yes, I want to learn, Mr. Alexander."

Mr. Alexander saw the determination in the child's eyes and gently smiled, stroking his head.

"From now on, you won't call me 'Mr. Alexander.' During martial arts training, you will call me 'master,' and in regular times, you can call me 'dad' or 'Alex'."

"Okay, Alex."

"What activities did you enjoy doing at the orphanage?"

"Most of the time, I would watch cartoons, movies, and anime, and besides that, I played football..."

The tension between the child and Mr. Alexander slowly dissipated, and a cheerful atmosphere began to fill the car. The car turned around and resumed its journey.