Her brother had always been the quiet type. At least when he was around other people.
Of course, he'd be a bit different when he was at home, but even then, it was obvious there was always something keeping him from completely letting loose.
Odette had always found him to be a bit curious. As someone that had grown up around him, not even she was fully aware of how he truly felt most of the time.
He definitely didn't wear his heart on his sleeve, that was for certain.
When he was around 10, their mother had told him about their father's death. Odette had been old enough to remember at the time their dad died, but Soren had barely been a year old.
Instead of the expected reaction, it seemed to ignite a fire in Soren's eyes. It was at that very moment that he had told the both of them that he'd become strong enough to beat the Dwellers.
Ever since that moment, no matter what happened to him, Odette could see that same resolve hidden deep in his eyes.
And when he had returned from wherever he was, when he finally came back from goodness knows where, she had seen that conviction, that resolve, take on an even brighter hue.
Even now, as he stood before them, setting the table back on the floor, she could see how sincerely he wanted this. How much he needed to become strong.
She couldn't help but let out a smile.
….
Now, it wasn't like he was able to drop out right away. The process was going to take some time. And that it did.
It took nearly a month to get a response from the local government after sending in a request to send him to Washington, D.C. with a scholarship.
The request had included all the information they needed to assess him. With a rank 3 {Telekinesis} ability, Soren was nearly certain that they'd accept him, maybe even give him a full scholarship, depending on how desperate they were to boost their reputations.
The thing that had been the most surprising was the fact that Claudia had also decided to apply for a scholarship alongside him.
Being a mixed species person, she had instantly unlocked her system with two abilities the moment she was born, so she had always been at an advantage.
The only thing she really lacked was conviction. Most people looked up to Saviors, but even more only saw the bad in them.
To be fair, if what was shown on the internet was anything to go by, a lot of the new age Saviors seemed to be quite entitled, and more in it for the fame than anything else.
Regardless of that, she had still decided to apply. He had no doubt that she'd be accepted, seeing as her two abilities were fairly decent in their own right.
She had {Water Manipulation} and {Earth Manipulation}. Any ability that had manipulation in its title was already guaranteed to be at least somewhat decent, and depending on its max potential rank, it could very well be equivalent to a B or A-tier ability.
Regardless, the last month had been near torture for Soren. He couldn't stand having to conform to the same mindless routine every day again.
Nearly every moment was spent wanting to train his abilities, but he knew he had to resist. He'd have plenty of time to do that once he was accepted for a scholarship.
…
"{Telekinesis}? Quite a powerful ability, I must say."
"Yes, but the maximum rank is what really matters."
"Well, yes, of course, but even so, this Ravenheart is certainly better than most of the applicants we get."
"How is that fair? My daught-!"
"Daniels, I thought I told you to stop talking about that around me…"
"... My apologies, sir. It won't happen again."
After a few moments of silence, the well dressed men in the room stared at each other for a moment, before another one of them spoke.
"I think we should accept the request. Our district is among the lowest percentile for producing individuals born with powerful abilities. It's much harder for an ability to drop from a dungeon boss, and {Telekinesis} is especially powerful, even amongst the other manipulation abilities."
"I find this second awakening story a bit hard to believe. I mean, the boy just randomly showed up after having been reported missing for over two months, suddenly gets a powerful ability, and then instantly applies for a scholarship? Something is definitely afoot…"
"Oh shut up you old bat, regardless of anything, the boy is an asset, so I don't see why not. We can always… get rid of him, if he proves to be difficult."
"I believe this month's meeting has come to its close. Until the next, gentlemen." Said the man sat at the far end of the table, his face sharp and angular, not reflecting his actual age in any way.
The man was well into his 50's, yet he didn't look a day over 24.
This man was the acting President for the entirety of Washington state. Today had been another of the meetings that was held amongst the head district overseers of Washington state, a majority of the discussion being held around the acceptance of two new promising applicants.
The first application had been put under review the moment it was received, until now at least. The second had been accepted nearly right away. Claudia Apsu.
As the others left the room, discussing amongst each other, Stain stayed seated, mulling over the documents left on the wide table.
The more he thought about it, the less sense it made. After all, where had the boy gone for all that time? Not only that, but to nearly instantly request for a scholarship?
As much as he didn't want to admit it, there was definitely something up with this 'Ravenheart' boy…
"As they say, keep your friends close," He said as he stacked the documents into one pile, "and your enemies closer…"
Setting the papers back onto the table, he called for his assistant to take care of the room as he went about the rest of his day.
One thing was for certain, that half breed would be a valuable asset…
…
Power. Such an elusive concept. Afterall, it came in many forms, and more often than not that form wasn't even something tangible, or quantifiable.
And yet, it seemed to be a universal desire to crave and dedicate one's entire being to gaining power.
It would likely forever remain to be so mysterious…
Despite its lucidity, Soren couldn't ignore the deafening cry from within himself to gain power.
Well, it wasn't like he hadn't desired power before, but the feeling was entirely different this time.
At times, it even felt like it wasn't even his own desire…
With a shake of his head, Soren looked up from his phone as he looked around the airport.
The flight hadn't really been that long. If anything, he could've just gone by car, but he wasn't going to pass up on a free expense from the government.
The scholarship they gave him came with all travel expenses paid for, at least the necessary ones needed to get to the academy.
Now, there were plenty of academies within D.C., but there was only one that was referred to as the academy.
Dedrow Lotor.
It was named after what many considered to be the most powerful prime savior.
He was still alive, but he wasn't much of a fan of being in the spotlight.
It was a wonder how he allowed a school to be named after him.
Regardless, at the time of the Aitherian invasion, people like Dedrow were who gave hope to humanity.
Even amongst the Prime Saviors, he stood out.
Although, not much of his abilities were released. Most just recognized him as someone who possessed a unique ability that mixed between light and dark.
Not many of the 1st generation of Prime Saviors seemed to enjoy being in the media.
'I honestly forgot they were separated by generations…'
Like most people, Soren had forgotten how Prime Saviors were divided in class by when they had become known to the public.
There were 3 generations, with an unofficial 4th that wasn't recognized by most governments.
The 1st and 2nd generation of Prime Saviors were the people that had actually been there at the beginning of the Aitherian invasion.
The 2nd generation was only dubbed as such simply because the 1st generation was so powerful that they were able to hold back the Aitherian race for far longer than humanity had thought possible at the time.
Regardless, the 2nd generation was nearly just as powerful, but the difference was still apparent.
The 3rd generation of Prime Saviors were given their title due to an exceedingly difficult moment in time that was just 5 years ago.
A particularly powerful Aitherian had descended somewhere in Asia, Soren wasn't completely sure where, and it had wreaked havoc across several of the major cities that had managed to survive the initial invasion.
Anyway, some powerful people had showed up, and they managed to "destroy" the threat. Destroy was the word that was used, and from the few pictures he had seen online, Soren would say that was an understatement.
The combined efforts of those people had left a crater the depth comparable to the height of Mount Everest.
The area was still deemed a hazard zone to this day, as the air itself seemed to be infused with one of the 3rd Gen's skills.
Regardless, the U.D. recognized them as a 3rd generation of Prime Saviors, as well as most governments across the Asian continent.
The 4th generation w- "Sir? Your last name, please." Said a now annoyed lady seated at a desk.
"Oh, uh, sorry! I was- ah, whatever. It's Ravenheart." He forced out a smile, more than a bit embarrassed at being caught in the middle of his rambling thoughts.
"Uh huh. One moment," she looked to be typing his name on a keyboard he couldn't see, before seeming to forget his presence entirely as she went about whatever it was she was doing.
He had seemed to completely space out when he was making his way to this hotel.
He was joining in the middle of the school year, so it would take a day or two before his dorm was fully set up.
This hotel would have to come out of his own pocket money, as housing didn't come with the scholarship. Well, the dorm did, but that's all they were willing to do.
He had no clue where Claudia was though…
It was possible that she had come along with her family. Although, that would depend on the scholarship that she was offered.
He was only given the one that covered his travel cost.
A moment later, the desk lady handed him a key with room number tagged on it.
"208..", he said absentmindedly, giving the lady a silent thanks, before picking up his meager luggage.
He didn't pack much, as he more wanted this to feel like he was moving on in life. And taking too much of what used to be his old life made him feel like he might end up clinging to the past.
He didn't want that. He couldn't begin to understand why anyone would.
Anyway, as he made his way to the second floor, it didn't take him very long to find his room.
Not wanting to waste much more time, he entered quickly, shutting the door behind him before taking in the compact room.
It looked like your typical hotel room, and that's all he expected.
Tossing his few cases of luggage onto a nearby chair, Soren just hopped into the bed, not bothering to take off anything, including his shoes.
He wasn't particularly tired, but he knew he could benefit from some rest. Tomorrow would be his first day, after all.
He honestly didn't know what to expect, seeing as he was joining in the middle of the year. He was going to try his best not to stand out too much. He was simply going there to learn, nothing else.
Although, he felt that he wasn't exactly going to get what he wanted…