Fortunately, my parents took the news well—if you ignored their bulging eyes and dropped jaws, that is.
I was neither hit nor shouted at—not that I could remember my parents ever doing one or the other. They’d suffocate me with love before they would ever think of shouting at me.
One way or another, Mom and Dad saw the Zerogs’ cruiser and bombarded me with questions the moment I stepped out of the shower. To say my parents were shocked was an understatement. They were flabbergasted and seemed unable to trust their ears, which resulted in countless repetitive questions. Although I was tired and my thigh was still hurting from the Shadowing’s elemental attack, Peter Zerog had tended to it in the Oridon Mountains. It was already healing and shouldn’t trouble me anymore by tomorrow.
My parents had to digest everything I said, yet the same applied to me. Only now did the reality of the situation settle: I would join the Camp and become a cadet!
As long as I work hard enough.
There was a chance I’d grow too slowly, which would force Daniel’s parents to revoke their invitation. It looked like they no longer viewed me with suspicion, fearing I’d extort Daniel, but that didn’t mean they would vouch for me to become part of Daniel’s retinue if I couldn’t keep up with the other cadets.
It was hard to tell why or how my mind came to that conclusion, but I didn’t think I would be angry at Daniel’s parents if they were to pull out of the deal. The information drive Daniel had sent me quite some time ago was filled with useful files, techniques, and records. Those were already invaluable and part of the reason I’d managed to kill ten 3-Star Wilds today. Then there was Aureus and our bond. Aureus could freeze two 3-Star Wilds in quick succession, long enough for me to kill them, and I could wield the same power to freeze an Awakened beast for a fraction of a second.
Sure, the ether consumption nearly killed me, but knowing we could paralyze Awakened beasts as long as we grew stronger was enough motivational fuel to push me to work even harder. And as long as Peter and Chloe Zerog would train me, I would become stronger—whether I ended up in the Camp or not.
The family debts and bills would no longer be an issue, and it shouldn’t be a problem to find suitable Wild beasts for my parents either. With Aureus’ trait and enough time to prepare for it, I’d be able to find the perfect beasts for their Worlds.
The thought of awakening my parents—making them Blessed—was almost as exciting as the opportunity to enter the Camp. Almost.
“To think such a little beast is capable of something this great,” Dad muttered, eyes trained on Aureus. The little glutton was curled up on my shoulder, his head resting against my neck.
After telling my parents all about today’s events, my father regarded Aureus in a new way. He looked satisfied and proud. Of himself, Aureus, and of everything I had achieved in the last few months. The look in his eyes made me tear up, and I jerked up and put my father into a tight embrace before I realized it. It… overcame me.
Aureus jerked up and yipped in displeasure, but neither I nor Dad cared. My father pulled me into a firm hug, only for Mom to join the fray, bawling her eyes out.
“Thank you,” I muttered, wiping the tears trickling down my cheeks. “For everything.”
Dad waved dismissively, but the glistening in his eyes exposed him. He was fighting tears as well. In the meantime, Mom was still crying bitterly. Although she scrunched her nose after a moment and let out an awkward chuckle.
“I think you’ll have to take another shower. Or two.” She snickered, tears still streaking down her face.
“Maybe three or four would be best.” Dad laughed, carefully reaching out to pat Aureus. The little glutton was still angry at the rude awakening, but the Soulkin was too exhausted to stay awake for long. I tried to return him to the World, but Aureus wanted to stay close to me. He clawed me for waking him up in such an uncivilized manner before coiling up and falling back asleep.
“Your training doesn’t start right away… right?” Mom asked hesitantly but continued, encouraged when I nodded. “Since you’re resting tomorrow, how about we spend some quality time together?”
She looked at me and then at Dad. “Together, as a family?”
That sounded great. It had been a while since the three of us had done something together. My parents were always busy, struggling to pay our bills. They’d worked overtime for the last year or two to pay the interest fees for our loans, which made it near impossible to gather the time, energy, and Credits needed to do something out of the ordinary—like visiting a café, let alone eating out at a proper restaurant.
Fortunately, that was no longer an issue, which my mother seemed to understand very well as she pointed at the last remnants of my best clothes, torn and caked in dried blood, peeking out from the trash can.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on NovelFire. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Since the Zerog household decided to sponsor you, we will have to upgrade your… everything.”
Mom threw a brilliant smile in my direction, her eyes glistening in a new light. It was something I saw in my mother’s eyes for the first time: an overwhelming feeling of excitement.
“You don’t want to embarrass them, do you?” I shook my head, which seemed to excite Mom even more. “In that case, we have to upgrade your wardrobe.”
“Let’s go shopping together tomorrow!”
***
The shopping spree was… interesting, to say the least. I had never seen my parents so relaxed and excited, and it was a great feeling. I was a bit surprised to see my parents run through the clothing shops, trying to get me to buy as much clothing as possible, which was something that seemed to flabbergast the shop attendants at least as much as me, but it was also fun.
We ended up buying a few sets of fancy clothing and went out to eat, while Aureus rested on my head, ruffling through my hair as he turned left and right in his sleep. Aureus jerked up, well-rested and starving by the time we arrived at a small food vendor. We feasted on the Wagur burgers and other delicacies we wouldn’t normally eat.
I paid for everything, which seemed to annoy my mother more than my father, but their complaints died the moment I showed them my finances.
“Are you sure you want to join the Camp?” Mom asked mid-way into our meal. She wiped the burger sauce from the corner of her lips, trying to look nonchalant but failing miserably. Her body was tense, and her eyes quivered. “I researched the Camps a little and…I don’t like what I’m seeing. It is your decision, and I want to support you…but I’m your mother. I know that’s not a nice thing to say, but the Camp is too dangerous. You will be more often outside the Bastion, far away from the protection dome… Powerful beasts will be everywhere, and…people will die. You might–...”
Mom stopped herself before she lost full control of her emotions. My father patted her back with a wry smile.
“The Camp will make you stronger. If you manage to prevail, you will become an elite. However, that puts you in an even more dangerous position than others. You will always be at the frontlines, putting your life on the line.” Dad sighed deeply. “We won’t stop you, and we will support you whatever you decide to do, but I hope you can understand why we’re worried. Culling the overpopulating beasts in the Windbloom Forest is one thing; it is not a place for unBlessed. I have learned my lesson, yet I am sure you will be relatively safe as long as you stay close to the Bastion. However, the same cannot be said about the Oridon Mountains and the threats beyond.”
I tried to fathom their intentions, but it was hard to tell whether they wanted me to stay or if they were merely sharing their doubts.
“I researched the Camp as well, and I do know how dangerous it is,” I started, and hesitation threatened to stop me right there. “But I also researched the last Collapse, the Beast Population protocol, which is constantly being updated by the thirteen Bastion networks, and ethmetric maps that show the ether-density levels around the Bastions and markers. All that, combined with the threads in several forums and the news channels Daniel introduced me to, were more than enough to convince me.”
I raised my hand when my mother’s lips parted for a retort.
“I am scared too. I don’t want to die either. But who would want to be killed by a beast, really? I don’t think Daniel, or even his parents, are fearless. Maybe they have gotten used to it, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t scared. However, they leave the Bastion and fight the beasts, knowing what would happen if they and everyone else were to hide behind the dome. Stronger beasts would attack, the dome would break, and countless innocent people would die. Why? Because they are too weak to protect themselves. People like you and me.”
I took a deep breath, unsure where I was going with this. However, as uncertain as I was, I knew I was doing the right thing; I followed my instincts and said what felt right.
“I was a burden all my life. No, Mom, don’t even try to deny it. I’ve been fragile all my life. A cripple who couldn’t even join PE classes. It was embarrassing, frustrating even. No matter how hard I tried, no matter how hard I worked on my physique or World, it was to no avail. But that changed. I have a Soulkin, my World is growing faster than ever, and it looks like my physique was actually something extraordinary!” I smiled awkwardly as people turned to me, but I was not embarrassed enough to stop right there. “What I have is actually a blessing in disguise; an opportunity to become a person others can rely on. I can help others and protect them, protect you, instead of being the person in need of protection. And I need to grow stronger to achieve that.”
I needed power to ensure my parents would be safe and sound if another Collapse were to occur. It wouldn’t happen anytime soon, if the ethmetric maps and the other records could be trusted, but there were signs; several factors hinted at a steady increase of the zones’ ether-density, which would inevitably result in a surge of changes in the zone’s flora and fauna. The residing beasts and plants would change. They would evolve and become a threat to the Bastion. The likelihood of stampedes and the probability of mutants being born would both increase. Calamities, beasts possessing power unlike any creature in the zone – the power needed to destroy Bastions.
I trusted the Rulers, and I was certain others would stand up to fight in times of need, but I was done relying on others.
“It looks like you did your research. That’s good.” Dad nodded, looking relieved. “We were worried you’d be rushing things. That you’d accept Mr. and Mrs. Zerog’s invitation without understanding what it truly means.”
“It looks like we were worried for no reason,” Mom added, though the worry never left her eyes. She took a long sip from her water and swallowed hard, although it looked like she swallowed a lot more than water – like all the things she’d love to say to convince me to stay away from the Camp. Instead, she took her time to say, “Joining the Camp is a great opportunity, and I am sure it will be the perfect place for you.”
“Thank you, Mom. Dad,” I looked at them, feeling eternally grateful for having such a great family. No matter how worried they were, and how much they wanted me to be safe, they would always support me. They’d always be there for me, and I loved them for that.
“You are the best parents in the world.”
Mom snickered, while Dad put on his best smile.
“Of course, we are,” he laughed, “And we have the best son in the world!”