Ayden woke up from the sound of the knocking on the door

*Knock* *Knock* *Knock*

"Sure," Ayden answered with a sigh. He sluggishly lifted the blanket off him, lazily walked out of the room and to the door in his bare pajamas. He opened the door and said with a sigh, he was constantly praying that it wasn't who he thought it was. Even tho the humans, and the matricher's with their Netheriqal allied forces were in a peaceful period, everyone knew it wouldn't last forever.

There had been cases where spyware had been discovered from them and other races antagonizing each other. A Free-for-all battle between races could be wage anytime and could be worse than the previous war. War felt like it could break any moment, it required everyone to go to military school for 2 years when they turn 16-years old.

And unluckily for Ayden, he had just turned sixteen a week ago "Hello, I'm busy please le-"

But soon noticed that it wasn't anybody that was standing in front of him. The two men in front of him were tall, with military-style hair that covered one of their eyes. They wore black suits that matched their cold, lifeless black and blue eyes.

"Good Day Young Sir, Are You Perhaps Ayden Wayne?" one of them spoke in an authoritative, Ayden glared at him in a threating way but the man just gave the same eye back, before he smiled mockingly "So?"

"Yes, I'm Ayden" he answered as bluntly and disrespectfully as he could. They took the hint and dint ask him if he was a "Wayne"

"You have one week, we'll be back by then. Do you have a Quinx Power?" The blue-eyed one asked "No" Ayden answered as bluntly as he could even tho he knew they had data of him he still answered, "Do you do any activity or have previously been doing an activity"

Ayden wanted to lie if it could help him from not going to military school. He had heard nasty rumors about how quinx-fewer people got bullied and beaten badly, and the adults, teachers, and staff did nothing about it, it was a kill or killed you be, onslaught.

"Yes, running and parkour,'" he murmured through gritted teeth. Few knew this, but Ayden had supernatural reflexes. Since he was in school,often people with abilities would ofter want to pick-upon him at first, they thought they had the advantage. If it wasn't for the martial art experience the government and military had provided him and his superhuman reflexes, he wouldn't be ale to fight back.

"If you were to be in a hand-to-hand fight, what would be your primary advantage," The black eyed-one who smirked at Ayden Asked

"My speed, nimbleness and acrobaticness"

The two looked at each other, but in that split moment, their two fists arced towards me. I swayed back right in time to dodge the Swift and powerful blow. I felt the vibration and whistling in the air.

Cold sweat trilled down my face. These two were no joke," What Kind Of Arts Did You Learn as a kid?" They Asked simultaneously.

After the war, the government would pay for Boxing, Karate etcetera to prepare the kids for military school and develop their senses to a maximum at an early age, rich people could pay the government to let their children go to school for some years more than others and actually get trained with their ability at a young age.

Only a few kids like Ayden took the two years they had as kids to learn to fight seriously, even with the little knowledge of martial arts Ayden had. He honed them and thought them to his younger sister.

He had already lost his dad because of the damned war, and he had a hell of a mental breakdown, as he loved his father greatly. He felt he could lose his sanity anytime. It obsessed Ayden with protecting his family as His mom and sister were all he had now. The military school would separate him from them and he couldn't lose them, no matter what.

They slowly retracted their fists, the blue-eyed  one remained dead-pan while the black-eyed one had a broad grin on his face "One week, you don't need to pack things like food or toys" the blue-eyed scoffed

Don't think of me as a kid, you bastard Ayden thought icily, "You said you didn't have an ability?"

"Yes, can you stop wasting my time" I started to get impatient "Well that's it let's leave Reiner"

I banged the door and slammed my head as hard as I could at it, f*cking hell not a military school. My genes aren't supernatural and cant contain a quinx and considering the mighty families and nobles with extra experience and greater control over their powers I was as good as dead. My agility and reflexes could only get me so far.

"Brother are you okay!" my sister said running towards me, I quickly put on a fake big smile and with a cool tone answered "Yeah Lilia, Im fine" I was lying through my teeth to my sister, but I didn't have any plans of making her sad.

*****

A: WEEK LATER

Ayden took a deep breath and knocked on my sister's door "Lilia?"  no answer "Please, can I come on"

I decided to give up as she was mad at me, and I didn't want to waste the pick-up agent's time, as I picked up my two bags with my belongings. I swiftly ran towards the door where my mom was waiting for me, she was smiling but her eyes were teary. I walked towards her step-by-step, if it wasn't for my major mental breakdown I would've been crying like her.

My mom quickly walked towards me and hugged me tightly, "Survive Ayden, survive I know you can" she whispered. Her tears trickled down my shoulder "I promise" I said with a slight shake in my voice.

As Ayden was about to open the door, he heard loud footsteps coming from behind him and he soon felt the arms of his sister "Lilia" around him "Ayde-" she cried, I felt shame and guilt, my family where here shedding tears for me while I couldn't return the love.

I circled my hand through her long, silky brown hair "Im sorry" I whispered "No!"

she screamed, "Don't say you're sorry!" I looked at her slightly surprised by the outburst "What if you die in battle like dad, what if you die in the school, what if you die!" she shouted her eyes filled with tears. I felt something break in my heart, I was hellbent on protecting them but I was letting the military and government drive me away from my only family so easily "You Idiot," "Heartless bastard,"

"How could you," "Naive retard"

I heard voices in my head, for the first time in years, I felt tears trickle down my emotionless face. "Sorry Lilia!" I couldn't say anything but sorry, my sister once again buried her face in my chest.

"I can't stop you, the government might be less kind if they were to ask you to come twice," she said her voice quivering "Just please don't die, dad died you cant die too. Just stay alive and promise to come back"

As something broke inside me, I felt something awaken inside me. Courage, Determination, Resolve to protect my loved ones, but what Lilia said echoed in my mind "Just please don't die"

The ugly truth was, we all would one day die.