Solgaret

In the room, a bed stood mounted on the wooden floor. Two boys, dressed in faded blue t-shirts and dark blue shorts, sat side by side. One boy had spiky red hair and golden eyes, his face contorted in frustration and anger as he gritted his teeth. Beside him, his brother had white hair and identical golden eyes.

"What the...! Why did that voidborn get 99%?!" the red-haired boy exploded in anger. "It's not fair! I got a pathetic 74%! Why couldn't I be the one with 99%?!"

"Brother! Please try to calm down!" The white haired boy beside him tried to comfort him, looking into his eyes with a gentle and worried expression.

Yet the boy still couldn't let go of his anger.

Ever since he had turned 8 years old, he had dreamed of joining the Awakened, to climb the tower, and to become a well-known and popular figure who everybody admired and bowed down to. He would be known as the most famous and strongest Awakened of all of time and girls would swarm all over him. This was all that he wanted.

Yet, he still couldn't get it. Instead of him, a voidborn who was supposed to have only a very measly chance of just 0.99% had gotten 99%, a star number!

He could awaken just about any moment now! He's a child prodigy! After awakening and becoming a superstar Awakened, he could have any number of girls that he wanted!

The boy couldn't help but to grab a white blanket and chew and grind on it, he was just too jealous to think rationally.

"Why wasn't it me! WHY!!" The boy stood up and screamed in anger, infuriated at Aster, turning into an indignant beast.

His brother, the white-haired boy too stood up. Trying to grab his big brothers shoulders to try and calm him down.

But the boy just wouldn't listen.

KNOCK KNOCK

Somebody banged loudly at the wooden door.

The two brothers stopped and looked at it. The white-haired one stepped forward to open the door. In the doorway, stood one of the nexus officers that had previously judged them. He had short, spiky blonde hair along with pastel pink eyes that looked to be fierce.

He was clad in a long, black overcoat that covered him entirely. His arms emerged from the coat, his hands encased in white cotton gloves. After walking in, he looked left and right to judge his surroundings.

This was a surprise for both the boys.

The white haired one then asked the nexus officer,

"Mr. nexus officer? Why are you here?"

"I'm here to talk to your brother. Could you please kindly move out of the way?" The nexus officer smiled down at the white haired, before turning front to the red haired one.

"Hello, Daryl-kun~~. As you know, I'm a nexus officer. Oh, my apologies. Since I know your name already, I'm supposed to introduce myself right? I'm sorry. The name is Lyraeus. Lyraeus Argavem." The man said.

"What do you want with me, Lyraeus?" Daryl replied.

"Brother! You shouldn't be calling him by his name like that!" Kias warned, standing beside Lito.

"Shut up, Kias. I can do whatever I want." Daryl said sternly, his intense gaze making Kias avert his eyes and fall silent.

Though Daryl was the eldest child in the orphanage, he was still just about 16 years old. Against Lyraeus, who was 23 years old, Daryl wouldn't just casually talk like this. But, during the awakening tests, Daryl had become quite acquainted with Lyraeus.

"Oho, I admire your spirit, Daryl-kun, standing up to someone like me and addressing me so informally. Very well, I'll let it slide." Lyraeus chuckled, his smile sending a shiver down Daryl's spine.

"What do you want, Lyraeus?" Daryl repeated, his tone unwavering.

"Ah, Daryl-kun, I... want to help you," Lyraeus said, his pastel pink eyes glinting with an unsettling intensity.

"What? How? What kind of help are you talking about?" Daryl pressed, his skepticism evident.

Lyraeus reached into the inside pocket of his black overcoat and pulled out an apple. But it was no ordinary apple - its skin was a deep, hollow black.

"Here," Lyraeus said, extending the apple towards Daryl, his pink eyes gleaming with an unnerving light.

"What is this?" Daryl said, carefully examining it. Though it was black, it looked like just any other ordinary apple.

"It is called…. a khaos fruit." Lyraeus replied, his eyes showing the khaos fruit's reflection in them.

"What do you want me do with it? Eat it? I'm not an idiot. There's obviously something that could control me in it or must be poisoned. I won't serve you."

"Oh no no, you're greatly mistaken. I'm not doing this for myself but for you, Daryl-kun. I know what you want. You want to….take down that voidborn, don't you~~?" A terrifying smile spread across Lyraeus's face.

Hearing him, Daryl too smiled, with an intention that seemed all but good.

"Haaahh…Yeah, I do. So how are you gonna help me do it?" Daryl asked as Lyraeus smiled creepily once again as he spun around.

"Eat it~~." Lyraeus extended the khaos fruit again, his arm stretching until the fruit hovered mere inches from Daryl's lips.

Daryl took a step back and asked Lyraeus,

"What will that do for me?"

Lyraeus spun around once again, and then looked deep into Daryl's eyes, with an expression that made him seem like psychopath being pleasured.

"This will give you….power. The power to awaken the seed of awakening. inside. you~." Lyraeus leaned in, his face inches from Daryl's, and bowed his head in a mocking gesture. A sly smile spread across his face as he tilted his head, his finger tracing a slow, deliberate path to Daryl's chest, where it came to rest with an unsettling intimacy.

"What? You must be joking. There's no way that's possible." Daryl scoffed.

Daryl's eyes widened in shock as he stumbled backward, his mind reeling with the implications. A 100% potential meant that he could awaken at any moment, unlocking unimaginable power and possibilities.

'So….with this, I can finally get rid of that disgusting voidborn….' Daryl thought to himself as a terrifying and gruesome smile spread across his face.