Currently the Year 2122
Seoul, South Korea
A kid with brown and green hair, green eyes, lean and about 6'1'' tall was walking around.
But suddenly came to a stop.
Looking up at the huge screen attached to a buidling, that was showing a popular talk show.
'Oh! It's Kang Seojun.'
"...basically how I managed to acquire the abberant soul I'm assimilated with."
"There we have it folks. You heard it from the man himself! Would ya look at the time, we'll be right back after this short break!"
After 2012
The world had undergone a huge change.
Without any signs, no warnings at all.
Super typhoons erased coastlines. Earthquakes split cities apart. Hurricanes, wildfires, and tsunamis struck across the globe at the same time.
Nowhere was safe.
Then, just as suddenly as it began—
it abruptly came to a stop.
Peace finally returned...
But the world became unrecognizable.
The desctruction brought down cities. Maps no longer matched the current reality. New mountains rose where oceans once were. Ancient caverns opened beneath modern streets.
Till this day the accurate number of casualities are still not confirmed. However, the approximate number was 1.2 billion people.
Really, the world's greatest disaster. The Singularity.
A decade later, civilizations finally rose once again. Then scientists finally confirmed the truth.
The planet had grown to nearly twice its original size.
The reason? An intangible force that wasn't present in Earth's atmosphere before suddenly came to being, which scientists called Vyr.
And the world enlarging wasn't the end of it, it was still changing.
Due to the influence of Vyr, animals and plants alike evolved.
From small plants to big plants.
And from big plants to even bigger plants.
Some animals became more docile, ideal for farming and labor.
Others became something else entirely.
Larger. Smarter. Far more violent.
These ferocious beasts were called Aberrants.
But animals weren't the only ones who changed.
Humans evolved too.
The babies conceived after the Singularity were born with supernatural abilities and were called Awakeners.
A few years after, some Awakeners went even further—by storing the essence of a powerful Abberant inside their bodies. Over time, they assimilated with it, gaining new ability.
They were called Warriors.
However, we further learned that the human body could only house one essence in their lifetime.
"This commercial has gotten so old…"
'Everyone in the world already knew all this. And yet they still continue to air it.'
"...well I guess they want to show everyone, that indomitable human spirit."
'My name is Jean Louis Vernon. Sixteen years old. Tomorrow I'm going to be in my first year of senior high.'
'If I had to say what's special about me, it's probably the fact that I—'
"Gehk—!"
Stumbling forward.
"Watch where you're going!"
The man Jean bumped into was huge. At least 6'5". Veins popping through his arms, and despite his baggy shirt, his muscular build could not be concealed.
"Aha~ I'm sorry about that~"
Jean bowed quickly.
'Please don't turn this into a big deal.'
"Hm? You don't look Korean."
"A foreigner, huh? "
The two women beside the man stared at Jean.
Jean responded by nodding politely.
"Izzat so? Forget it then."
And just like that—they lost interest and walked off.
"Phew…"
'Okay. Where was I?'
'Right.'
'I'm Korean–French.'
'My dad's French and my mom's Korean. They met when he came here on vacation, they hit it off, they stayed in contact, and… yeah. One thing led to another. So here I am.'
'I've spent my life bouncing between France and Korea. I spent most of my childhood as well as elementary in France, then I transferred to Korea duuring my junior high, and now we're here'
'And my Korean name is Vernon Ji‑hoon (버논 지훈). Wait who am I even explaining this to...'
He finally stopped in front of a modern clinic, it was a 3-story tall building, about 30x15m in terms of size.
The Green Serpent Toxicology Center
"Mom, I'm home~"
No answer.
"Mom? …Ah. She must be in the Lab."
'My mom's a toxicologist. She treats poisonings. Drugs. Chemicals. Venoms. Environmental toxins. Basically, if its something that kills you slowly, she can probably fix it.'
'Our family's been doing this since the Han Dynasty era. Doctors who heal using poison. '
'We were almost wiped out after the Singularity, but thankfully we, the main family survived and has continued the business.'
'But business isn't really booming anymore. But still, every now and then we get awakeners who are poisoned and needs an antidote. Anyways, I'll be the one to inherit the clinic, since I'm an only child.'
'Honestly?'
'I don't really mind. I'm good with poison. Like… really good. It's kind of like my calling. That's because— '
"Ji‑hoon? Come here. Let's get you checked."
My mom, Dr. Vernon Yura (버논 유라), called from the lab.
Laying down on the examination table while Yura checked Jean's vitals and scribbled on her clipboard.
"So, Jiji" she said, "ready for school?"
"So~ so~. And didn't we agree to drop the Jiji? I'm not a baby anymore..."
"Sure, sure~"
She smiled. "Let's see how your poison ability's doing."
Jean closed his eyes.
Inhaled.
Then exhaled.
No air.
Just green smog.
It poured out of his mouth and drifted across the room.
Yura pulled out a vial and swept it through the mist.
Her eyes lit up.
"I'll check the lethality now~"
'I'm good with poison because I'm an Awakener. My ability's called Rotroot: Toxin Synthesis.'
'The survivor of our family, specifically his son had the same ability. He became a famous doctor in the world as he used his ability to cure people to the point people called him a saint despite using poison.'
'So am I following his footsteps? Nah~ It's not really my dream to be a doctor.'
'I want to be a warrior.'
'Like my dad and grandfather. But I'm sure my mom will be against it, I still haven't found the chance to tell her...'
'Both my parents are Awakeners. Mom's an 8th‑grade Awakener. Her ability, Toxokinesis, while versatile as she's able to manipulate most poison to a certain degree, she cannot produce poison at her own will. It is simply unsuitable for combat—but perfect for medicine.'
'Dad's a 6th‑grade Warrior. His ability's called One with the Sword. He fused with the essence of a Gigaphant. A 5th‑grade Titan‑class Aberrant.'
"12% lethality...Hah..." Dr. Yura was a bit solemn
"Ji‑hoon, for some reason, your poison became even more potent. It's near the threshold for becoming a toxicologist..."
She was a bit worried, because if his son's poison became even more potent, reaching the 20% threshold. Then the path to becoming a doctor would be exponentially harder.
"I'll go back to my room now then…"
"Okay~ I'll prepare dinner later."
The 1st floor of the building was the clinic, then the 2nd and 3rd floors were where they lived.
Going straight into the 3rd floor, Jean entered his room and dropped onto his bed.
'Sorry mom, but I'm set on becoming a warrior!'
He started meditating.
Inhaling through the nose.
Exhaling green smog through the mouth.
Three hours passed.
The room was filled with emerald green mist.
*Knock knock.
"Ji-hoon, dinner's ready~"
"Okay! I'll be there in a minute."
*Vrmmm!!
Turning on the machine beside his bed that looked like a humidifier, it started absorbing the smog bit by bit.
Going down the stairs and eating dinner started quietly.
The only sounds were chopsticks against porcelain and the faint hum of the house's air conditioner.
Jean kept sneaking glances at his mom.
She noticed.
"…What is it?" Yura asked.
He hesitated.
Then spoke.
"Mom. Can we postpone me becoming a doctor?"
Her chopsticks stopped midair.
"…What?"
"I want to be a warrior," Jean said. "Like Dad and Grandfather."
"-But I'll still learn our ways at the same tim-"
"Surely, you're joking," she said flatly.
"I'm not. Mom, I'm serious!"
Her brows knit together.
"Ji-hoon, do you have any idea how dangerous that life is?"
"I do."
"And you still want to do it?"
"Yes."
Her voice sharpened.
"You have a perfect future right here. A clinic. A legacy. A safe profession."
"Mom! I know that you were also a warrior when you were a teen! Despite grandfather's oppositio-"
"Because I didn't know better! And now, I know. So stop being a brat!"
"I know I'm being a brat!" Jean replied. "But! My dream has always been to become a warrior..."
That did it.
"A warrior? An awakener that kills abberants for a living? A brute, like your father. You think strength is everything?"
"I think it's what I want."
Dr. Yura stood up.
"This is ridiculous. I'm giving you a sureway to success. A safe life, I don't want to lose a loved one anymore... why can't you understand that..."
She turned away.
"...mom."
"Go to your room."
Jean clenched his fists.
"…Yes, Mom."
Later that night, Dr. Yura paced her office.
Looking at a family photo, there were 4 people in it, she, Jean, her husband, and her deceased father.
Then grabbed her phone.
"Calling: Lucien Van Vernon."
It rang once.
Twice.
Then—
"Yuraaa~" a lazy male voice answered. "Miss me already?"
"Tsk! Go talk to your son, Lucien!" she snapped. "He says he wants to be a warrior like you!"
There was a pause.
Then laughter.
"Pfft—seriously?"
"This isn't funny!"
Lucien's tone softened.
"…Isn't that fine?"
"What?"
"Let him do what he wants for now. If it doesn't work out, he can always inherit your family business."
She pinched the bridge of her nose.
"You're taking this too lightly."
"He's our son, he has dreams of his own too," Lucien said calmly. "He deserves to choose his path in life."
"…tsk! His life is already laid out for him, it's already served on a silver platter! What if he meets the same fate as father? Then what? I don't want another mutilated corpse!"
"I know."
Yura, getting a bit emotional, started to shed tears, "...you, him, and father are so alike!"
A beat.
"Difference is, he had you who raised him strong," he added. "He'll be fine."
She sighed.
"…You always say that."
He chuckled.
"So? How's the clinic? Still poisoning people legally?"
"This geezer!" she snapped. "Act your age!"
She hung up.
Then slumped into her chair. Wiping off her tears.
"…Warrior, huh."
Reminiscing her time as a warrior, having Lucien as her partner in their missions, and her father as both their teacher.
She sighed at the thought.
The next morning.
Jean stepped into the kitchen.
Yura was already there.
"…Ji-hoon."
He froze.
"…Yes, Mom?"
"I'm sorry about last night."
He blinked, wide eyed.
"I still don't like the idea," she continued. "But… I won't stop you."
She looked away.
"Good luck at school."
Jean scratched his cheek.
"…I'll do my best."
She nodded.
"Wait! How are you going to be a warrior? Weren't you in the Academics department?"
"I transferred in the last minute~"
"This brat!"
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! I'm off to school!"
And just like that—
his warrior path had begun.
Jean grabbed his bag and stepped outside.
School awaited.