Outside the school, the final bell rang—loud, sharp, and freeing.
For a split second, everything was still.
Then chaos erupted.
Students poured out of the building in a wave of noise—laughing, shouting, some even sprinting like prisoners finally released. Bags were thrown over shoulders, papers scattered, and voices overlapped in celebration of their long-awaited freedom.
Among the crowd, one person stood out.
He wasn't loud. He wasn't celebrating.
Euris Gear.
About 5'8", thin to the point of looking almost fragile, with messy hair that never seemed to sit right and sharp green eyes that quietly observed everything around him. While everyone else was caught up in the excitement, he looked around, taking it all in.
Thank god I never have to see these people again.
No smile. Just relief.
The walk home felt lighter than usual.
There was a small spring in his step—something close to excitement, or maybe just the absence of dread. For once, there were no assignments waiting, no classes to drag himself through.
Freedom.
…Even if it was temporary.
Because deep down, Euris knew it wouldn't last.
The moment he stepped inside his house, the feeling started to fade.
The place was quiet—too quiet. The kind of silence that lingered.
He tossed his bag aside and turned on the TV, more out of habit than interest.
As expected, it didn't take long.
"…—final reminders for tomorrow's military academy draft—"
Euris groaned under his breath and dropped onto the couch.
Of course.
Every channel. Every day. The same thing.
Most people his age were excited. Some even dreamed about it their whole lives—getting drafted, going to an academy, becoming something greater.
Not him.
"What's the point of me even going…" he muttered, staring blankly at the screen. "I don't have any talents. No elements. Nothing."
A heavy sigh escaped him as he leaned back, rubbing his face.
"Well… might as well make the most of it," he added quietly. "Even if I'm just gonna spend three years getting my ass kicked by people stronger than me."
As much as he wanted to feel something—excitement, fear, anything—there just wasn't much there.
Tomorrow, he'd leave this house.
The only place that ever really felt like home.
The place his grandfather raised him in.
And after that… who knew?
Probably pain. Probably humiliation. Probably nothing worth remembering.
"…Tch."
Euris pushed himself up from the couch.
If he kept thinking like this, he'd just spiral.
So instead, he did what he always did when things got too heavy.
He went to the garage.
The moment he stepped inside, the air changed.
It smelled like oil, dust, and something oddly comforting. Old tools lined the walls, half-finished projects sat on tables, and boxes filled with things only his grandfather could understand were stacked in every corner.
Memories hit him all at once.
Fixing things together. Getting yelled at for touching the wrong tools. Laughing over stupid mistakes.
"…Heh."
For the first time all day, Euris smiled—just a little.
He wandered deeper inside, running his fingers along old surfaces, taking everything in.
Then something caught his eye.
Something… out of place.
"…What is this?"
Sitting half-buried under a pile of scrap was a small object—clean, untouched, almost like it didn't belong there at all.
Euris picked it up.
It was shaped like some kind of geometric puzzle, its surface made of dark metal panels that shifted slightly under his grip. Faint blue lines traced along its edges, pulsing softly like it was… alive.
"…Weird…"
He turned it over in his hands, curiosity building.
There were grooves—like it was meant to be twisted.
"Guess I'll just—"
He twisted it.
POP.
A sharp sound cracked through the garage.
"—!"
Before he could react, something inside the device snapped open and shot forward, piercing deep into his hand like an IV from hell.
"Ow—! What the hell?!"
Euris stumbled back, dropping the device—but it didn't fall cleanly. It hung in the air, a thin tube barely perceptible, connected him to that stupid device.
His breath caught.
A faint blue glow pulsed beneath his skin.
Moving.
Slowly.
Crawling up his veins.
"What—what is that—?!"
Panic surged through him as he clawed at his arm, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. His heart pounded, his thoughts racing faster than he could keep up.
No. No, no, no—
He spun around, frantically searching the garage until his eyes locked onto something—
A rope.
He grabbed it, hands shaking, and quickly tied it tight around his upper arm.
Hard.
Too hard.
But he didn't care.
"Stop—just stop—!"
The glow slowed.
Then… stopped.
Right below the rope.
Euris let out a shaky breath.
*Huff* "finally you stupid..." he paused before he could finish that, though something wasn't right.
His body felt… off.
Heavy.
Weak.
"…Why do I feel…"
His grip loosened.
The rope slipped.
His vision blurred as his legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed onto the cold garage floor.
The world started to fade.
The last thing he saw was that faint blue glow… still pulsing beneath his skin. He felt the strangest cold coming from the glow in his veins, like ice was cleansing his blood vessels; it was almost soothing.
The last thing he said, barely above a whisper—
"…What the hell was that… gramps…?"