Mr. Arcturus.

The load was heavy.

The little girl tried to hide it, but Arcturus was perceptive enough to notice. He wasn't the most talented Launcher, his Nexo energy had a purity of only 28%, which prevented him from using his ability to the fullest.

Even using the Mercer family's resources, the most he could achieve with elixirs was 38%.

This was his burden.

When one thinks of Launchers, the first image that comes to mind is that of humans firing large beams of energy and rays at their enemies. But Arcturus wasn't like that.

When he found out that his ability was one of the exclusive abilities of one of the four great clans, he was incredibly happy, imagining himself as a lost son. However, reality hit him when he realized that his ability was a mere variation, not having the unlimited power of the Mindgate clan's telekinesis.

This was something he spent most of his youth trying to overcome. After almost dying dozens of times, he became a renowned Launcher in the world and, for his achievement with so little talent, was recognized by the Mercer family.

Since then, Arcturus has been tasked with guiding the awakening of the new generation of the Dark Reverse Group.

"I failed. I couldn't inherit the ancestral ability..." Darya, the third daughter of the Mercer clan, looked down in shame. "How am I supposed to fight for the chief position!?"

Arcturus clenched his fist. He knew what it was like to have no talent. People are born with a limit they cannot surpass. He may never have the chance to see the peak of what his ability can do, but he would give everything for his students.

"Don't feel pressured. They may have better abilities than you, but none of them have dual affinity like you do."

Since becoming responsible for awakening the third in line of the DRG clan, Arcturus realized that Darya had many burdens to bear. He had to help her, as in his opinion, despite being young, she was the only direct daughter with common sense.

He couldn't let this talent wither.

"In the most important aspect, you're better than all of them. If dual affinity is already rare, imagine a second affinity of the transmitter type!?"

But his words didn't seem to have an effect on her.

"Transmitters are the most hated awakened of all. I read in a news article that most of the Dark Nexuses are transmitters." Her voice started to falter. "I can't be hated, I have to get people's support or I'll end up dead, you know how the succession war is."

"Nonsense. Transmitters without support may be hated, but that changes when they're born into an important family. You'll have difficulties, but if you can overcome them, you'll be stronger than all your siblings." Arcturus said with a confident smile.

In fact, it depends on which ability her part as a transmitter will awaken. But being in this category, even an ability with low potential can be fatal. In addition, she'll always have my support.

He remembered the looks his teachers sent him in his youth. Once of expectation, and then of disappointment when they saw that he had low purity.

His students will never suffer like that!

Arcturus, a professional awakened, knew that those with privileged descent were often purer in Nexos energy. "We haven't tested your Nexos energy purity yet, but being a descendant of the White Demon, it's unlikely to be less than 50%," he affirmed.

While we were in constant war, Arcturus hated the idea of humans killing each other while our enemies plotted against our race.

To him, the new generation was the future, talented or not, each individual was precious in their own way.

"Stay calm, take deep breaths, and don't show weakness in front of so many spectators," he advised.

'All of the children of the White Demon inherited a part of his personality. So what did you inherit, little Darya? Your intelligence? Your kindness? Or your malice? Whatever it is, it can't be worse than your brothers'.

As Arcturus pondered, he closed his eyes, trying to visualize the figure of the crazy heirs of the Mercer family. 'Certainly insane-'

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a strange sensation. As a professional, Arcturus had a sharp sense, and as usual, he permeated the oval hall with nexus energy.

He raised his hands, ready to squeeze the signatures of unknown energies.

"Darya, invaders. Hide-"

BOOM!!!

An explosion erupted in the hall, throwing the door in Arcturus's direction.

He pushed Darya to the side and raised his hands, which glowed with white energy.

"Psychic Fluctuation!"

He fired his special ability at the door, stopping it in mid-air while some bodies that were being carried with it fell to the ground.

As he lifted the door, Arcturus caught sight of two people standing at the door, covered in blood, carrying heads in their hands.

Black Nexuses!

Despite the situation not being good, Arcturus was more concerned about his students. They were all screaming and running away, some of them using their abilities to protect themselves, and others even dared to attack.

"I have to protect them. I am old already, but these kids have a future ahead of them!"

The black figure holding a head dropped it when he saw the floating door. He ran towards Arcturus at an impressive speed.

"Psychic Fluctuation!"

Arcturus threw the door at the masked man and began looking around for objects to help him, finding nothing but small debris.

The masked man raised his fist and, with a quick movement, turned it into a bright gray metal. He charged towards the door at high speed, delivering a powerful punch that sent it flying through the air and shattering into pieces on the ground.

Observing his opponent's ability, Arcturus's expression softened. "This is strengthening!" He smiled with a hint of hope.

As he launched his ability towards the masked man, he did not bother to dodge. A white energy covered the man's metallic fist, which remained silent, staring at him.

"You shouldn't have done that," Arcturus declared before clenching his hand tightly and saying, "Smash!"

The man's metallic hand contracted, leaving only a small, thin stake in its place. Arcturus watched as the man fell to his knees, screaming in pain from his arm.

Arcturus's heart raced as he realized the man could still get up and attack him again. But before he could react, he used his ability again and drove the stake into the man's chest, killing him instantly.

He then turned his eyes to the other intruder, who had made a gun with her fingers and pointed it at him with determination.

"Explosion," Arcturus heard the female voice of the second invader. He watched as red energy compressed at the tips of the masked woman's fingers before disappearing.

He tried to look for the attack but lost the sensation of his own body as he continued falling downwards. Time seemed to slow down as his vision fell headfirst towards the ground, towards his other half.

As his consciousness faded, Arcturus struggled to take one last look around him. Darya, whom he had advised all the time, stared at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, looking lost.

He managed to see one more person, a dark-skinned boy with white hair who ran towards him during the fight. The boy repeated incessantly: "Survive, survive, survive", with a terrified expression.

"Sorry to disappoint you," Arcturus muttered.

As he watched the terror on the boy's face change to indifference and he began to walk calmly in one direction.

That was the last thing Arcturus could see before completely losing consciousness.

****

[Auto-suggestion has been activated.]

"Thank God!" I swallowed nervously. The being that brought me here made changes to my talent, so I wasn't sure if it would work as I had written.

Suddenly, a phrase appeared in my mind. It wasn't a sound, but more like someone warning me.

[Suggestion accepted: "Survive"]

After that, I lost consciousness and control of my body.

In my old life, I was just a writer. I had only fought once in school and lost, and after that, I never tried again. More than anyone, I knew that my biggest weakness was my mentality. Would I have the courage to kill someone? No.

But I knew I had to change that or I would easily die. So, I chose the only ability that could cover my weaknesses.

[Talent Name: Auto-Suggestion]

[Description: Rare ability to influence one's own mind, controlling thoughts and emotions to manifest the desired reality. Auto-suggestion can transform an ordinary individual into an extraordinary being, allowing them to achieve things that seem impossible to most.]

If there was anything that could save me, it was this.