A tall, broad-shouldered man sat at the edge of a beautiful island, dominated by a great ivory palace rising from its surface. His beautiful white hair swayed in the strong wandering winds that came from some distant galaxy, eager to visit the man.
He smiled as he listened to his young son speak excitedly.
"It must be amazing to be a bear, Father, believe me!"
"Oh? You think so? Don't you like being human?" the father asked in a playful tone.
"Of course not! Humans are small and weak!" the boy said passionately.
"Weak? Of course not, my son. Humans are small, perhaps. They are naive. But weak?" the father said as he glanced at the massive scar carved across his abdomen. "No. Never."
"Then why is Mom weaker than you, Dad?"
"You're mistaken, my son." The man lifted his gaze to the star-filled sky beneath the floating island. "Your mother is not weak."
Both of them stared at the vast universe, the boy swinging his legs freely over the emptiness of space.
"Son, can you promise me something?"
"Anything, Father!"
"Find your mother when I'm gone. Will you do that for me?"
"I will, Dad!"
"Be a good boy."
"…What?"
The man placed both hands on the boy's head, and a warm light—similar to the glow of a star—flooded the area. Seconds later, the child gently collapsed onto the grass of the floating island, unconscious.
***
"…Mr. Rodrick? M-Mr. Rodrick?!"
Rodrick jolted upright, realizing he had fallen asleep at his desk. All of his classmates stared at him in confusion, and he could even hear faint laughter from the back of the classroom.
When he lifted his head, the first thing he saw was the furious face of Teacher Mariana, standing right in front of his desk with a deep frown.
"Is something wrong, ma'am?" Rodrick asked, forcing an innocent smile.
"Something wrong?! You've been asleep the entire class, Rodrick!" The teacher massaged her temple before continuing. "Go to the principal's office. I'll be there shortly."
Rodrick packed his things into his backpack and left the classroom, feeling the stares of his classmates burning into his back. Outside, the entire school was silent. It made sense—most of the students were close to turning eighteen and awakening their systems. Everyone longed for that moment. Turning eighteen and becoming a Tower Aspirant, gaining wealth and glory—wasn't that spectacular?
Rodrick sighed tiredly and ignored the oppressive silence as he walked toward the principal's office. Upon arriving, he sat down on one of the chairs outside to wait for the teacher.
While waiting, Rodrick pulled out his phone and opened social media.
"High-Class Tower Aspirant achieves the impossible!"
"A new Imperial-Class Aspirant is born!"
"Six months left until the World Aspirant Tournament!"
Rodrick snorted and turned off his phone. Social media was always filled with the same things—aspirants, towers, battles, blah blah blah.
None of it appealed to him. Towers and glory meant nothing to Rodrick.
A minute later, Teacher Mariana arrived. The young woman knocked on the office door and entered along with the principal.
An old, tall man with brown hair greeted them with a stern expression.
"Again, Rodrick?"
Rodrick clicked his tongue irritably. His father looked the same as always—annoyed, tired… and strong.
"He fell asleep in class again, sir," Teacher Mariana said, disappointed.
"I'm sorry. I couldn't sleep well last night. It won't happen again," Rodrick said quickly, already turning to leave.
"Rodrick, if you're having trouble sleeping, you can just—" the principal stopped mid-sentence when his phone rang.
As he answered and saw who was calling, his expression softened. Rodrick clicked his tongue again.
That was his father—stern at work, gentle at home. Rodrick hated that. He hated people who carried everything alone. He hated heroes.
After ending the call, the principal looked at Rodrick more gently.
"Don't let it happen again. Go home now—your uncles will be visiting tonight."
Rodrick turned around and left the office without asking for details.
His footsteps echoed through the halls. As he passed a classroom full of students, he noticed all attention shift to him for a brief moment.
"That's the principal's son…"
"They let him leave again?"
"They should expel him!"
They truly believed Rodrick wouldn't hear them. Unfortunately for them, he did—but this was nothing new. He was well known in the school for always leaving early.
"Mind your own business… idiots."
As he stepped outside, the rain soaked him almost instantly. The city was eerily quiet, just like the school.
This was Noumber—a small city located on the border between Mexico and the United States. It was lonely. Few people chose to live here, since the towers were far away. With no presence from the Eagle Tower Association, why would anyone live here?
Rodrick walked through the rain and pulled an old gray umbrella from his backpack. When he saw how worn it was, sadness crept into his chest. It had been a gift from his sister on his fifteenth birthday. It meant a lot to him.
His sister was far away. She was eight years older than him, and unlike Rodrick, she had chosen the path of an aspirant. She was currently climbing the Tower of America.
When his parents learned she would become an aspirant, they were so happy that they even paid for her enrollment in a newly founded aspirant academy in Asia. She had graduated a year ago and was now climbing the tower.
Rodrick was proud of her. Even if this world didn't attract him, he cherished his sister deeply—the only person who truly understood how he felt about the world.
Since he was thirteen, Rodrick had felt detached, distant from everyone. Nothing interested him, and few things stirred his passion. His sister was the only one who could get him out of the house. When she left, Rodrick's quiet tragedy began.
As he walked through the city, the bakery where they usually bought bread was closed, but beside it, his mother's pastry shop was still open. Rodrick smiled and decided to go inside.
The moment he entered, his eyes widened in surprise. His mother was sitting at one of the tables, eating with a young woman who had deep navy-blue hair. A smile spread across Rodrick's face.
"Emily?" he asked softly, approaching.
The blue-haired young woman recognized his voice and stood up instantly. Emily smiled and ran to embrace her brother.
"Rodrick…" she whispered as she hugged him.
Rodrick held his sister tightly.
***
The family was having dinner in the large dining room. Aunt Claudia chatted about celebrity gossip with Rodrick's mother. His father spoke with Uncle Lucas and Cousin Dany, who had recently become a mid-rank aspirant—the main topic of the table. Emily talked with Cousin Marley.
Rodrick frowned as he ate, trying to ignore the irritating presence of his talented cousin, John.
"And then I slashed the creature's thigh so it couldn't escape! Do you understand how incredible my intelligence is, Rodrick? Everyone at the academy says I'm the most talented student of my generation! I'm sure they're right…"
Rodrick ignored John's "amazing" tales of glory. John was only a year older than him and had already entered an Aspirant Academy before turning eighteen. His father wanted him to become someone great.
As Rodrick tuned him out, his sister, mother, and aunt stood up and headed to the kitchen together.
"Oh, great… here it comes."
They returned carrying a large cake, singing the traditional happy birthday song. Rodrick wanted to bury his head underground—he hated this. He didn't like being celebrated. But he accepted it, just because his sister was here.
Rodrick smiled. For the first time in a long while, he felt the warmth of his family. The food, the gathering—it had all been prepared for his eighteenth birthday.
"Happy birthday to you…"
Suddenly, the celebration came to a complete halt. Every phone in the room rang at the same time—except Rodrick's. Everyone checked their screens, their expressions turning pale.
Emily was the fastest to react. Without hesitation, she grabbed her jacket and rushed outside. Rodrick followed her, panic rising.
"Emily! Where are you going?"
"I'm sorry, Rodrick. They need me at the tower. There's been an overflow."
Rodrick didn't understand what she meant—those terms were beyond his knowledge. Then, his sister's feet lit up with energy.
"Aura!"
The energy used globally by aspirants—Aura.
In the next instant, Emily shot into the sky, leaving behind nothing but a trail of aura.
Rodrick rushed back inside.
"Emily went to the tower," he said bluntly, his voice heavy with sorrow.
When he looked up, he was even more shocked. His father and uncle were already preparing to leave. Even Cousin Marley was ready. After all, most of them had been aspirants at some point in their lives, and the government had just issued a distress signal to all aspirants in the American continent.
Rodrick couldn't understand it.
"Is it really that important?" he asked desperately, trying to stop them. "I don't think it's that serious, is it? There are plenty of strong aspirants out there. They don't need you."
Uncle Dany looked straight at him.
"It's the least we can do, Rodrick. We're not going to sit here while the world we live in goes to hell."
"But why?!"
His father, now clearly angry, answered:
"Because that's what humans do, Rodrick!"
The room fell into a suffocating silence. It felt like a truth that was never meant to be spoken had just been revealed. Rodrick didn't fully understand what his father meant—but he was still angry. He ran to his room and slammed the door shut.
Rodrick placed an old record on the turntable. A soft piano melody filled the room. He collapsed onto his bed and closed his eyes in frustration.
"Why can't I understand them?"
The dark, rainy night accompanied Rodrick's sobs until morning.
***
The next day, Rodrick woke up normally and went to the bathroom. He stared at himself in the mirror. His blond hair was messy, and the dark circles from days without proper sleep were still there. He sighed and took a quick shower.
When he left his room and went down to the living room, ready to be scolded and apologize, he was met with absolute silence. Again… silence.
No one was home.
Rodrick picked up the house phone and called his mother.
"Mom? What happened? Where is everyone?"
She took a moment to respond. When she finally spoke, her broken voice barely managed to form the words.
"I'm sorry, Rodrick… Emily… Emily was lost in the tower."
A tight knot formed in Rodrick's throat—one that crushed even his shattered soul. He knew it. He had warned them. Why the hell didn't they listen?!
"Are they looking for her?" Rodrick asked, forcing himself to stay calm.
"They've been searching for her and her group all night. There's no trace. Don't worry, son—they'll find her. Your sister isn't weak. She probably made it back to the second floor. Everything will be fine…"
"Yeah… everything's fine."
Rodrick hung up and sat down on the couch. He didn't know what to think or do. He was scared. He wanted to cry, scream, break down—but none of those emotions surfaced.
Instead, one emotion rose above all others. Stronger than anything Rodrick had ever felt before.
Determination.
Rodrick pulled out his phone and checked the time.
7:06 AM.
The exact time he was born.
He had just turned eighteen.
A white panel—like something out of a video game—appeared in front of him.
"You have reached the required age to become an Aspirant. Do you wish to accept?"
[Accept] [Decline]
Rodrick thought.
He hated this. He hated heroes. He hated those who chased glory and hid behind phrases like "I do it because I want to" or "I want to make the world better." He was sure those words were nothing but ambition—the desire to be worshipped.
But what did that matter now?
"If I have to become a hero to save her… then I will."
Rodrick extended his arm and pressed the first button.
To save his sister—and his family—he would do anything.
Even… give his life.