Born Different

"I'm sorry miss…this is very rare but your child was born without a spirit beast egg. Normally it forms from heavenly energy when a child is born but we didn't find one at all. Your child will just need to tame a beast himself if he desires in the future." The unexpected rare occurrence for Clark was one of many.

When Clark first opened his eyes he wasn't sure what to think. His mind was a mess. He had bits and pieces of his memory from a world that didn't seem to match what he was seeing now. He could comprehend the way people spoke and understood that the woman that had just helped bring him in to this world had done so without the necessary medical equipment.

Things got even weirder when he began to hear the terms, spirit beast, beast taming, and even beast slaying. These things were foreign to him yet seemed to be out of a video game. What was, even more, was when he caught a glimpse of the little brown lizard on the tall man's shoulder. Of course, the tall man was his father, Clark hadn't learned his name but could see the ruffled brown hair and brown scraggly beard. Muscles were a family trait apparently along with the tall stature. Something that made Clark excited to grow before he noticed the strange phenomenon occurring before his eyes.

'Congratulations. The user has been randomly selected for rebirth. The luck of your soul is higher than others giving you the advantage of a new life after death. Become the one you desired to be all your life. The spirit taming system will activate within fifteen years. Please be patient and nourish your body well host. This will be the second to last communication before the lord of creation activates the system.'

That single bubble of semi- invisible words floated before they turned in to a little letter floating in the corner of Clark's eyes. In seconds he began to remember most of his life and how he used to develop video games with friends before an unlucky accident where his lab caught on fire. He and a group of students had been trapped by the electrical fire passing away that very day. It was not a rare occurrence. Out of billions of people on the planet, many died. It was natural. However, being reborn was as the message said, a lucky occurrence.

Clark made up his mind right there. He would do as the bubble of words said. He would train his young body hard and become ready to gain his system. So what if he just heard that he didn't have a spirit beast. Who cared, he didn't even understand what that meant anyways. He would learn, train, and become the best he could be until he turned fifteen and gained the system he had been blessed with.

"It doesn't matter that he doesn't have a spirit beast. If it was like mine or yours he would end up with a brown lizard or a pink turtle. They are weak and help us out at our work but not that big a deal in the wide world. He might have a chance to tame one another day. We can save up. Who knows what he will be when he grows up." Clark's father only had soft and soothing words. The tall man that he was showed an unexpected gentleness that calmed any fear his recovering wife had.

"I know you are right, but I can feel it. He will try and become a beast tamer like my father was before he retired. It's weird though, I feel like he isn't alone. I had the same feeling when I was around Mary and her newborn. Her daughter had a spirit egg that looked like a pearl. Just by being in the room, I could feel it…" The wife chalked it up to being tired after childbirth but she swore she saw a strange shape out of the corner of her eye floating near her child.

These thoughts were soon forgotten. The next few years were full of craziness. Beast tides came toward their kingdom of Aerial but none could break their defenses. Their spirit tamers were powerful and could defend them. The basics in school proved to be nothing to Clark. Sooner than expected he was teaching others. Whether it was speaking, writing, or even mathematics, Clark was at the top of the class. Even in science where many children struggled he was doing better. It was a very new topic that not many studied since the beast wars took precedence. Becoming a proper spirit tamer was the goal of every child. Not studies and academics. It all explained the reasoning that the entire world Clark saw was so medieval.

In this fantasy world with little to no technology, Clark was building a base for the people to grow. He was also ensuring that he would be at the top of his game when the system finished gathering energy to activate. He eagerly watched the timer count down every day. Sometimes he found himself listlessly watching it while his classmates had their spirit beasts hatch and grow around him.

The bodies of his classmates grew and became stronger to reflect the growth of their spirit beasts. Clark barely managed to keep up with physical training during his growth spurts. It made everyone look at him in awe when they found out he had no spirit beast upon birth. That alone made him a magnet for attention. Some good and some bad. Those with jealousy in their hearts felt that Clark should be kicked away from school since he nonstop talked about wanting to be a beast tamer in the army. Others idolized him for the tough work he put in every single day that set him apart from others.

"Remember, you have all made it to the end of basic education. The tests to move in to your desired profession oriented education must be taken over your week long break. If you do not do so you will not be able to enter the last years of education before the real world." The aged professor ended Clark's last class of the day.

Clark had grown well over the years and had decent features. He may not have gotten his father's stature but boasted defined muscles, fluffy brown hair, and the same blue eyes his father had. He seemed to have gotten his mother's quick wits and determined attitude. Or at least that's what he told everyone. It was really the fact that today just happened to be his fifteenth birthday and he was watching the system he had been waiting to open for years come to be.

The moment Clark got home he barricaded himself in his bedroom. Both of his parents were at work and would not be home for a few hours yet. Not that they would miss his birthday but their family didn't celebrate much. They were too level headed to stress over a single day to the extreme. Instead, they would spend a nice family meal together and bond.

The last second ticked away on the timer and the little envelope shook before opening in to a bubble again.

'The system has gained enough energy to be activated. Congratulations to the new host; Clark Stormwood. The system has analyzed the past life and fitted itself in to a proper format. There will be multiple functions for the host to utilize. The tutorial will now begin.'