[Disclaimer: Those who came from my first book of this Grimverse Trilogy, please note that the male lead of this book is NOT Almond Crowshade. However, he is intricately related to Almond, and I shall not say more, or else it would spoil things :)]
******
In the heart of a sprawling cyber metropolis, radiant, floating platforms and sleek housing structures cast a neon glow over the skyline.
Lavish buildings pulsated with the rhythm of extravagant parties while drones projected massive holograms against the night and exotic flying vehicles crisscrossed the sky at every altitude.
In stark contrast, a vast dump yard sprawled for kilometers on the city's edge—a chaotic landscape of hills and mountains built from discarded scraps.
Aircraft and trucks roamed the area relentlessly, hauling waste to add to the ever-growing pile or retrieving it for recycling or dismantling.
For those in poor conditions, this grim wasteland was a mysterious sea hiding treasures.
At one corner, a fresh heap of trash had just tumbled, forming a modest hill.
Two fourteen-year-old kids in rags and tatters immediately jumped on the trash hill and started scavenging.
Lots of scraps, metal, broken devices, and, well, all kinds of trash.
"All the usual trash, man…tsk, why can't there be some bio-chips or some cool devices."
"Speaking of that, have you heard about that new bio-implant? It directly upgrades your central nervous system and cells. That destruction in the downtown area? Yeah, it was because someone with that implant was there. Bro, that thing gives crazy supernatural powers!"
"Bullcrap."
"Na, man. I am serious. I was there. I saw him before he lit up in crazy violet flames, and destroyed several shops, killing some unfortunate downtown sods."
"Wait, really? Damn. If I can get that bio-implant, I'll become rich and eat full every day, hehe."
*Clank*
"This radio is working, I think."
"Damn, I also think I found something. But our bags aren't that big, so choose wisely. Don't pick up trash."
"Heh, you pick worthless shit more than me."
As the two kids were talking and scavenging for something valuable, they suddenly heard a startling sound a couple of meters away and saw a hand plunging out.
"Woah, what the fuck?"
"Someone's hand!"
*Clankak…*
Moving away from the trash, the hand pushed down as the owner of the hand slowly emerged, starting with his second hand.
Both arms were bleeding and appeared to be burned but also dimly shining within.
"Get him out?"
"Uh…yeah, let's get him out."
The two kids quickly helped move away the trash and pulled out the person who only had tattered trousers.
His bare upper body and face had wounds and scars, some strangely sizzling and shining while some were dried. He had white hair covered with dirt and trash, and his eyes were closed. It appeared he was struggling to get out but wasn't fully conscious at all.
"How is this guy still alive?"
"Hello, can you open your eyes?"
"Maybe we should give him water."
One of the kids took out a small water bottle from the side pocket of his backpack and splashed some water on the man's face.
"He was moving around and still didn't wake up. Do you think splashing water will wake him up? I'll open his mouth, you drop water."
"Alright."
The kid tried to open the man's jaw, but it didn't budge at all.
"Jeez, I can't open it."
Suddenly, the man opened his eyes, and they glowed with golden-blue micropatterns in the pupils. The kids were startled and fell backward.
"H-Help…"
The man spoke with the straightest expression and strange glowing eyes before falling and fainting again.
The two kids looked at each other.
"What do we do?"
"What else? Let's bring him to our hideout."
"What if he hurts us later after waking up?"
"And what if he helps us like sister Kira did?"
"Sister Kira…"
"Come on, let's bring him. Did you see his eyes? I think he has some superpowers."
"Wait, this ain't the same guy with bio-implant you saw burning up in the downtown area, right? I don't want to die by burning, man!"
"Nah, this guy is completely different. The people of Torch Corporation took away that other guy."
"Oh, then good. Fine, let's take him. Hope you are right."
"Can't help but hope, man."
"Yeah…Maybe we can make this guy owe us if we help him."
"Sounds good, just like in those movies, hehe."
"Speaking of movies, let's watch one after returning. I got a new movie chip."
"Awesome! We need to spend some hours before we eat anyway."
…
An hour later, the kids left, and a group of seven men in black combat uniforms with fancy plasma rifles arrived and began scavenging the same hill of trash.
"Damn it! Where is he?"
"The last energy reading we got was from here, and he shouldn't be able to move or disappear again in his current condition, according to the information I received."
The atmosphere turned heavy.
"Jason, call Mr. Tim and tell him we lost Subject X and keep him on the radar in case we get a reading again."
"You're the captain, Mike! You call!"
Everyone looked at each other before staring at Mike, who suddenly kicked a broken washing machine, shooting it tens of meters away before turning around and calling his boss.
Meanwhile, the two jolly perpetrators who took their prize were watching a movie together in an abandoned metal container at the far end of the dumpyard.
This particular place had rusted metal containers and other rusted metal stuff, and it was just a few hundred meters away from the long river that acted as Starviris city's border in the south and stretched to the north by going around the western city wall.
This far end of the city was a safe place for these two kids as no one came to this end of the dumpyard. Out of three metal containers, one was open, and the kids had taken it as their hideout three months ago.
And now, there also lay a man covered in tatters inside the container while they watched a movie.
Movies were free. Any barely working radio, TV, and other devices could directly connect to the satellite for free internet and channels for entertainment. The screen devices also had slots to insert chips containing various media, and the kids could find those chips in this huge scrapyard.
Moreover, movies helped with hunger. If they were busy watching a movie, they wouldn't get hungry, right?
Well, this was the logic of these kids, and it worked for them.
*Grrr….*
A stomach-growling sound rang as the movie came to an end. Rubbing it, the red-haired kid said, "Tom, it's eight in the evening now."
"Hold it for one more hour, Jack. We'll get our food today soon, and we'll get good. Once we sell the stuff we got today, we'll have a feast."
"Bread and egg!"
"Hehe, yep."
"But the movie is over. It was short."
"Let's watch Mr. Rabbit and his Mafia House episodes."
*Clank*
Suddenly, Jack and Tom turned to the man and saw him shaking before turning to them, his eyes glowing and open like before.
The two kids were startled and backed away.
"Yo, are you okay? Don't hurt us, alright? We saved you."
"Yeah, we even gave you clean water."
The man stretched one of his arms and barely uttered, "Hel…"
The moment those words came out, his entire body sparkled dimly, showing his skin with a translucent glow as lines and patterns colored black and blue rapidly traveled all around inside him. All wounds were healed, and his skin turned sleek, even growing small hair on burned parts.
The kids looked at each other, dumbfounded.
Suddenly, the man's eyes closed again before he fell forward on his face.
"Jack, this guy is scary."
"Yeah, Tom. But let's turn him around. Can't let him sleep with his face plastered on the dirty floor."
The two kids went to the man's side and grabbed his arms near the shoulders to pull him.
But the moment they touched him this time, a glowing pulse discharged from the man and went into Jack and Tom, abruptly pushing both of them away.
Tom felt a bit dizzy, but he was fine and got up before asking his friend, "Are you okay, Jack?"
However, when he looked at where Jack fell, his eyes widened, and a terrified scream left his mouth, "Jack!"
The red-haired boy, Jack, was puddled on the floor like slime, his eyes moving around on its surface, while his nose was at another place, and his mouth at someplace else trying to open and speak.
"The f-fuck is going on?" Jack uttered, not understanding what was happening to him.
Suddenly, both kids heard a slightly deep and calm voice in their heads.
'Kids, don't panic and calm down.'
The man had woken up again and was looking at them with an unchanging, frozen expression.
"Can you make John the same as before, please?" Tom worriedly pleaded.
The man's eyes dimly glowed before Jack gradually started returning to his normal appearance. 'It looks like I can use their first Life Spark code. Is it because they awakened it because of me? Fuck, what did those Torch Corp bastards do me?!'
'It looks like only my mind is working right now, and I can somehow communicate with these kids telepathically.'
"Woah, what just happened to me?!" Jack said as he finally returned to normal, looking at his own body with shock. "Did we get superpowers?!"
"I didn't get anything." Tom blinked and looked at his body. Suddenly, the container began to turn cold as whiteish-blue sparks were released from his body.
"Woah, Tom! You got them too!"
'Stop, you two, and calm down.'
The man controlled Tom's power and deactivated it before it could freeze the whole container.
Both of them looked at him with excited eyes.
"Mister, what is your name?" Jack curiously asked.
"And what happened to us?" Tom added another question.
'My name is…wait, what is my name?'
Tom and Jack looked at each other before turning back to the man.
"You were in a very bad shape when we found you, but now you look good, mister. You must have superpowers."
"True, true."
'I am trying to remember, but I can't recall a damn thing about myself. Fuck. But I remember the people who did this to me.'
"Torch Corporation?" Jack asked.
"Definitely them." Tom nodded. "They control the entire city."
'Yes, Torch Corporation. It looks like I'll have to get answers from them, and I'll need your help to get there because something is happening in my body because of those bastards, and that process is taking all of my control. I can't move a muscle or even blink.'
Tom and Jack looked at each other, their eyes welling with excitement.
"We can help!"
"We have superpowers now!"
'Is that so? Then what if Torch Corporation people see your powers?'
Jack and Tom shrank their necks, fear appearing in their eyes.
"We have to make sure they don't catch us," Jack said with bright eyes. "Right, mister?"
'Let me get a name first. Hmm…'
"We have to train our powers!" Tom clenched his fist. "In the movie, people with superpowers have to train before they use their powers properly! Mister, you will train us, right?"
"Tom!" Jack suddenly shouted as if he remembered something. "We can catch fish in the river if we train our superpowers!"
"Fuck!" Tom shouted, trembling with excitement before he suddenly rubbed his stomach in confusion. "Wait, why am I no longer hungry?"
"Ehhh! You are right…"
'Alright, kids. Listen to me. First, I've decided to name myself Riven since it's apt for my current torn-apart and fractured situation. Now…I don't know about myself, but I know myself. I don't think I am a good guy because I am going to fucking kill people of Torch Corporation and anyone who tries to stop me from getting answers.'
'Through your hands.'
Riven's eyes faintly glimmered as Jack and Tom looked at him.
'And for that, I am going to teach you about yourself and the powers you got by awakening your Life Spark.'
'If you don't want to do that, run away from me.'
Jack suddenly grinned and said, "Mister Riven, if you were a bad guy, you wouldn't have told us to run."
Tom nodded and said with determination, his fist heavily clenched. "We will help you. Don't underestimate us because we are young. Sister Kira raised us well but also taught us how to protect ourselves before she was killed by Torch Corporation's people in front of us. Those damn assholes!"
"We will fight those Torch Corporation bastards." Jack gritted his teeth, his eyes flooding with anger as he recalled what had happened to Sister Kira. "We have superpowers now, so we can!"