Chains Of Pride

"So that's basically what you guys are in a nutshell; however, you three are...a bit different, hence this situation, but we'll get to that in a bit, for now, any questions?" Shepherd Hide was using his own…technique to break the news to the three young men about their origins.

Kia, Lanzo and Gero stared back at the Shepherd with doubt, disbelief and confusion running amok on their faces. If they were to hear this from someone else, they'd get up and leave while wondering what they did wrong in the morning. However, this was Shepherd Hide they heard this from.

This is a man that abhors human interaction to an abnormal extreme. Even if they would somewhat limit the number of interactions, they have with others to a certain amount. Based on what they heard, they knew they couldn't hold a candle to the man in front of them.

Still, barring the possibility of a massive character change, does this mean that there was some truth to what he was saying? But then, how do you respond to that in the first place? After a moment of silence for this metaphorical meal to be digested, Gero uncharacteristically took the initiative to pose the first question.

"So, what now? You're gonna train us or something and take us out of Cendo Academy? I have no intention of joining any organisation, I don't see the need to uproot my life to accede to the whims of an overlord that only seeks control. Kia and Lanzo felt the same way, after all, who would want to delve straight into the unknown that granted no immediate benefit.

Shepherd Hide rubbed the bridge of his nose where his glasses sat while thinking of his response. Usually, he would use force and either threaten, beat, drag and sometimes a combination of all three to get what he wanted. But this situation required a bit more finesse, and though he had none within a single bone in his body, he had to try.

"Alright let's try it this way then, what do you all know about frequencies? Shepherd Hide played on their curiosity to lead them to where he wanted.

"Frequencies?" This time it was Lanzo who spoke next, "you mean the rate per second of vibration that's emitted in the form of a wave?"

A look of shock flashed across all three men in the room. "Well look at green lantern over here, so not like the other green muscle head I see. That's right, the very same, you've always wondered why you feel annoyed just by being around other people, and yet in this room where I've been taking shots at you like there's no tomorrow, that same feeling isn't as strong as it normally is. The answer is simple, it's all due to frequency."

Kia realised something when he heard this, "Everyone emits different frequencies, I think I get it, but then how do most people have the tolerance for being with others?"

Shepherd Hide nodded at this, "Looks like you're partly seeking your origin, that's good, makes this a lot easier. Alright now listen up, while every single human emits a different frequency that can only slightly change for whatever reasons. The majority of human frequencies only lie within a certain range. So they're not overly-s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to it like we are, and they're not that far from each other unlike us. Of course, our frequencies don't change that much either under normal circ.u.mstances, but we'll touch that subject another time."

Hearing this Kia interrupted, feeling as if he could understand himself better if he knew, "Wait that doesn't make sense if they are that close to each other, and if their frequencies can change, then by that logic some would then match. So they can't be different all the time, what happens then?"

"First of all, never interrupt me again, second of all, never interrupt me again." Apparently, Takeshi wasn't too keen on being cut off, especially since it was something he was preparing to explain.

"Now, when frequencies match this is a phenomenon known as synchronicity. When this happens for, however, how long it does, humans feel the innate need to form bonds or relationsh.i.p.s, feeling a sort of kinship if you will. They usually end up becoming friends, best friends, some even end up in romantic relationsh.i.p.s, even unrequited feelings are typically owed to a person who just seems to be a lot more s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e to the frequencies approaching synchronicity than the other.

At this time, all three young men now understood what was going on.

"Oh …"

While they were deep in rumination, a soft voice was suddenly heard behind them. They all turned their heads to find there standing, a young woman holding a tray with a glass of iced tea, clearly surprised that there were guests in the mansion. However, this was no ordinary person.

This Digium was Minayatsu Ayuki, known for both her otherworldly beauty and intelligence. She was the number one Digium within the medical community, at only 18 years of age, and already her medical breakthroughs had contributed significantly to the advancement of medicine on a global scale.

Her beauty only served to further propel her popularity, she had pink hair, a unique style that seemed to work for her, her figure was impeccable, and she exuded a fairy-like temperament that rendered her untouchable and unapproachable. Because of her medical expertise, she was known as the Life Fairy.

Her life outside of the medical department was shrouded in complete mystery, something that now made sense as it seems her time outside was mostly spent here.

She recovered from the shock fairly quickly and continued on her way with the tray, placing it on the table beside Shepherd Hide. He only slightly nodded in acknowledgement, and as if that was enough, she turned around to quickly leave, eyeing the three young men, with her eyes lingering on Kia only a moment longer with no change in expression as she did so.

"So …"

"You have no worth to speak of for me to explain a single thing to you regarding her. Level up from something I hate to something I kind of dislike, and I might even consider letting you survive for taking a guess." Lanzo hearing this from the Shepherd didn't even bother to finish the question he was about to ask.

"Now I was never known for beating around the bush, so I'm not gonna start now. I want you guys to join me so I can allow for the safe awakening of your abilities. It's as simple as that, I don't intend to hand you over to the association completely. You'd be my responsibility, I think you'll be able to go much further than any other before you." He took a sip of his iced tea when he finished speaking, waiting for their reply.

Gero narrowed his eyes before asking, "Why? Before anything else, what's this difference you see in us, that you talked about before?"

Takeshi paused his enjoyment of his drink at that, "Huh, so you caught that, huh? Very good, well here it is, under normal circ.u.mstances when you start to awaken, a trigger is normally required. You would go through a process known as returning to the origin, this is you fully awakening by the way."

"It is during this time that your power starts to manifest. You're then able to exude the pressure and aura of a Talium when you're done. Provided that you're able to go far enough, you'll even be able to call forth your construct."

But you three seem to be, as small as it is, giving off the pressure and aura of a Talium even before returning to the origin. It begs the question as to how powerful you'll be when you finally do return, draw from your Blood Origin, and then, when all is said and done, begin to awaken. Even I'm a bit curious as to what your constructs will be like."