FRIEND, PHILOSOPHER AND GUIDE

The Alarm was sounded. The entrances were sealed within moments. All the guards kept rushing towards the research room. They were armed with semi-automatic rifles and shock guns. Unlike drills, they have switched it to live rounds in place of rubber bullets. The order was - shoot to kill. There was no need for apprehension. The Nullifier has been stolen.

The EVOs above EQ level 20 gain a special ability. They could to some extent use their environment to their advantage. The higher the level, the greater the range. This is referred to as EQ Domain. In a fight between 2 high-ranked EVOs, the one with a better grasp on the domain has an absolute advantage.

The Corps were researching the domains and found a way to neutralize it. If one can neutralize an opponent's domain in battle, the chances of winning increase significantly. Primus Corp had invested considerable time and resources into the prototype, The Nullifier. It was scheduled for a demo in the next 3 days, but the incident occurred.

It was a massacre. All personnel was killed and the research facility was burned to ashes. The local servers got destroyed in the fire and the data was not fully backed in remote servers to replicate the process again. In a rage, Primus Corp ordered a manhunt for the thief and the stolen prototype. The thief was none other than one of Primus Corps' decorated commanding officers, Kane Calderon.

That is what is written in pages of history, which at certain times tend to trim certain facts pre and post-story. Time Journal as processed by ORCO highlights certain facts.

Kane Calderon was a hero among most EVOs. A figure of inspiration and awe to almost all citizens. He was a master swordsman and a brilliant strategist. He single-handedly stopped several insurgent outbreaks, pirate attacks and even protected an unknown town from evolved beast attacks. But why the theft then?

Following the death of one of his close associates, he started investigating some shady people who would resort to human trafficking, smuggling and other illegal activities. On deeper investigation, he was shocked to find that these shady people had dealings with the Primus Corp. He continued his investigation further and found that Primus Corp was planning an invasion of the other Corps with their new technological invention, the Nullifier. The only way to stop the war was to destroy all related information regarding the Nullifier.

Hence he stole it and destroyed the research facility. He was able to destroy the knowledge of the device partly as some information was still in remote servers. However, it would take years to rebuild it and the war would be on hold for the time being.

The Primus Corp declared that he killed all personnel in that facility, stole the device for personal gain and fled the area for a better life. Otherwise, it was hard for people to believe that their hero had done something without cause. Kane Calderon was a wanted criminal now.

Kane however, did not kill anyone, only immobilized them while escaping. He left the populace and entered the wilderness to avoid tracking and discovery.

Let's head back to the current situation.

"Where is this?" groaned a half-conscious Noah as he was trying to open his eyes. Light reflected on his eyes from the window on his right side. He covered his eyes with his hand to find the ceiling was wooden. He was lying on a small bed all patched up, wondering what happened when he heard someone near the door.

"Dumb dad. Can't even make a proper soup. Burned all the medicine." An angry young voice was heard speaking. She entered the room to find an awakened Noah with no clue as to where he was.

"Took you long enough. How are you feeling now?" asked the little girl who seemed around 10 or 12 years of age.

"It hurts everywhere especially…"

"The ribs right! You broke it. My father patched it. So you should be fine in a few days."

"Dad, come here. He's awake!" shouted the little girl.

"But, where am I? How did I?" Noah couldn't finish his words.

"You have a lot of questions right." The reply came from a pleasant but firm voice as a man entered the room.

The man was tall enough. He had long hair ponytailed in a hurry and a scruffy beard. But his build and strength could be noticed in one glance.

"This little angel of mine found you by the river." He messed with the girl's hair.

"Don't do that, I am not a child anymore!" replied the girl.

"You were wounded, broken some ribs. So we patched you up and fed you some medicines. You were sleeping for almost 3 days straight. Try to stand up and see how it feels."

"Dumb dad. Can't you see he is injured? Please have the medicine first."

"Oh, I totally forgot to introduce myself. I am Lucy and this is my dumb daddy Kane."

"Do you remember your name?"

"It's Noah", replied Noah after a pause, gathering his thoughts.

"Thank you for taking care of me."

"It's nothing. Take rest. I will be outside if you need me." Kane left the room.

Lucy watched as Noah gulped the medicine though it was not a good taste. He tried to assess the situation and figured these were trustworthy people as they saved him from his dire condition. As Lucy left the room, Noah tried to stand on his feet. It hurt a lot but after a couple of tries, he could stand with some support. He walked outside the door and was amazed.

The sun was about to set. It was displaying a vibrant reddish-orange glow. There were hills on all but one side, that is the hill they were on. It was like a hill was carved out to make a plain land. Lush green area with a small house made of wooden logs and stone. There was a garden at one side and a field with some crops. Noah could deduce the crops as he had some knowledge of agricultural crops and plants from his studies.

There was a bit of chill in the air as the altitude was high. Noah started shivering.

Lucy saw Noah and approached him. "Why are you outside? You should be resting." She covered Noah with a blanket she had by the cottage.

"I have fully scouted Zone C but I never saw such a nice place. It's amazing," said Noah.

"Well, that is true. Zone C does not have such a place coz it's not Zone C..." laughed Kane.

"Not Zone C?" enquired Noah in disbelief.

"Nope, you are in the middle of Zone B..." replied Kane.

Noah's eyes got wide as he heard the word Zone B.

"What do you remember last?"

"I fell into the waterfall and hit something. This is the last I remember before waking up now."

"You must have fallen in the river and flown to Zone B where we found you. But what were you doing near the waterfall?" asked Lucy.

"I think I slipped," said Noah as he did not want to reveal that he was being attacked by assassins. If they knew they might throw him out. It's better to heal and leave in a few days than being a bother, he thought.

Kane could understand that he was hiding something, but he calmly responded. "Well, whatever. Lucy, take him inside. It's a bit chilly during this time of sunset. He might catch a cold as he is still healing. Let us talk more during dinner. I will make the soup tonight."

"Who wants to eat your soup? Noah will faint again if he tastes your cooking. I will make dinner..." said Lucy as he trolled Kane.

"How can you say that little Lucy? What would he think about me?" Kane made an adorable babyface.

"Not even close to my cuteness. Dumb Baby Dad", Lucy left with Noah.

At dinner, Lucy and Kane kept pulling each other's legs. Noah wondered whether every family had such laughter and banter at dinner, something he never had a chance to feel properly. He was a bit envious and at the same time enjoying their company.

"So what makes you come out all the way here in the wilderness to live?" reluctantly asked Noah while gulping his stew.

"We are banished…" uttered Kane gulping the wine.

A deep silence filled the room. A sudden contrast from the laughter and banter. The mood changed altogether. Noah felt like a sudden serious atmosphere had engulfed them.

"Banished? Only high-level criminals are banished." Noah thought to himself as his face was getting pale. If that is true and they are criminals, he is in some serious trouble.

"Ahh..haha...look at his face..I can't control anymore...ahh..haha..." Lucy kept on laughing.

"You are no fun. He was starting to feel tense. Could have pretended for a few more minutes. But anyways. We were just messing with you. Why so serious? Hahaha", laughed Kane.

Noah was still clueless.

Controlling her laughter Lucy said, "Don't worry we are not some criminals. You are safe. It's that after mom died, we roamed about here and there. We have been here for around a year or so. Maybe we will move to your place next. You will return the favor right."

Noah quickly composed himself and replied, "Of course. I dunno how I will repay your favor. That's the least I can do."

"But you didn't tell us about yourself", sighed Lucy.

"I am a freshman year student at RedRock Academy. I was on a Field Trip Assignment."

"So you were looking for this near the waterfall then", Kane handed him the medicinal herb.

"I could salvage a few of your equipment from the river. But this one you were firmly gripping on to as if your life depended on it."

"Yes, this is the retrieval task I was assigned."

"Let's talk more tomorrow. I am feeling sleepy." yawned Lucy.

The house was a small one with only 2 rooms. Kane left his room for the injured Noah and slept on the couch outside. Noah could not sleep that night. He started recollecting every detail since he entered the wilderness.

"What they are saying seems believable, but there is something amiss." Noah woke up from his bed and started to search his salvaged equipment. He found his X-device which can scan a particular area and create a construct in his Holo Device. He started scanning the area quietly. Everything was normal at first look. 2 heat signatures were detected for Kane and Lucy who were sleeping. Other things were mostly furniture and equipment.

After a while of scanning, he found an entrance from the room he was staying in. An underground cellar. "Why is there a cellar?" The thought itself made Noah scared. He turned off the device and approached the hidden latch to open the door. It was dark, so he lit his neon torch until he found the light switch.

The room was filled with equipment parts. Someone uses this room for research and assembly. Also, there are maps of different places on the wall. Some markers to plot a course. But the thing that caught his eyes was a cylindrical glass tube. Not the tube but the thing that was inside it. A katana was inside it. It was being charged with some sort of energy crystal.

Noah tried to touch the katana but suddenly the air became heavy. It was as if Noah could no longer breathe. There was a huge pressure coming from his back. Noah slowly turned his head but before anything, he could understand he was hit hard in the neck to lose consciousness.

Noah opened his eyes to see the river flowing. "What happened? Where is this?" After a moment he finally understood that he was hanging upside down from a tree trunk on a cliff.

"If I cut the rope, you will fall in the river and from this height, there won't be much of your remains." A voice uttered with serious intentions.

"So tell me what exactly are you doing here in this wilderness. Please remember I won't repeat twice and cut the rope. Remember not to test my patience."

"My name is Noah. I am from RedRock Academy. I am on a field trip assignment to gather the flowers of a medicinal plant. That is it. I am just a student." Noah hurriedly answered.

"So you want me to cut the rope. No student is given an assignment to the wilderness. That is an unspoken rule in all academies."

"No, no. Please don't do it. I am telling you the truth. If you still have doubts, come with me to my Academy. Professor Hicks...no Principal Beck can confirm my assignment."

The man seemed angrier this time as he cut the rope. Noah screamed like hell. When he opened his eyes he saw him on the floor of the cliff. The mysterious man had caught him before falling.

"Beck, you said. Is it by any chance Rufus Beck?" As the mysterious man came out of the shadows Noah could see it to be Kane.

"Kane?" Noah's eyes widened. "I didn't mean to snoop around your cellar. I was just curious when I found it. I mean no harm to you or Lucy. I truly apologize."

"Though you are still not telling me the whole truth, I can see the conviction in your eyes about the assignment. So I will give you one last chance. Tell me the whole story…"

...