The door creaked open, displaying a screen of light within the room, shielding a portion of it from the rest of the world. Standing within the screen of light was an old man wearing a loose green robe. Held in his hands was a crystal lens, its edges shaped in the form of a square.

The crystal lens faced the body of Jyorta, the light emitted from the old man entering it on one side and emerging from the other, falling onto his body. A pale blue projection lit up behind him, forming the figure of a slightly mature version of Jyorta.

Many facial features, body language, and expression were slightly off from the usual Jyorta, looking like something foreign was mixed into them. The mature projection of Jyorta was crying, parts of it were feeling sad while the rest looked terrified.

Noticing the appearance of the old man, Heima instinctively kneeled on the floor, bowing to him. The old man raised his hand, beckoning for her to enter.

With a nod, Heima stood up, taking a hesitant step forward, her body passing through the screen of light. The moment she entered, the sounds of crying filled her ears.

"Sorry, I still have a lot of work to do," The old man nodded at her, "So, I came early. I have been talking with him for the past hour and have already learnt everything I need to know."

"He's…" Heima trailed off, her expression puzzled. Numerous thoughts clashed in her head, unearthing the multitude of memories she had inherited. "Why is he in that state?"

"Well, you see," The old man muttered, a disappointed expression on his face, "He had committed an act that went against his principles. He had bottled up that memory to a corner but, my interrogation brought it out. Now, he's affected by it."

"Anyway, he's just a child, so his mind isn't that strong." The old man said, gazing at Heima, "If you have anything you need to ask, then do it now. In his present state, he can never lie."

Heima nodded, expressing her understanding. She turned to look at the projection hovering above Jyorta's head, shedding tears, "What is your impression of me, mother, and father?"

Hearing the question, the old man scoffed. The projection gazed at her, opening its mouth despite the cries, the intensity of light falling on it intensified a little, suppressing its struggles, "…family."

"He is Jyorta Bone in the truest essence." The old man said, observing the projection's actions. The moment the light he emitted intensified, the cries of the projection dissipated, looking blank.

"Do you have an objective?" Heima iterated her second question, her expression softening.

"Survival," The projection replied, its voice mechanical.

"When you become strong in the future, what are you planning to do?" Heima spoke, her expression becoming bright.

"First," The projection pointed a finger at the old man, "Beat him senseless until he cries."

Following its hand, a faint black mark appeared on the old man's clothes, a couple of strands had snapped. The projection then raised its hands, pointing at its face, "Then, if possible, I will try to defeat the Mother Parasite…if possible. I don't even know what that even is. The creepy-haired man just brought me here with that sole objective to fulfil. If it is beyond my capabilities, I wouldn't even look in that direction."

"Then, what do you want to do in life?" Heima asked, unable to stop her face from twitching. A trace amount of sweat had formed on her forehead; his first objective was quite a bold declaration.

Rhachis Ancestor Light snickered, dusting the small black mark on his clothes, his face filled interest, "Hope you become strong enough for that."

"I want to stay healthy and slack off, read books, play games, and eat good food." The projection replied; a change occurred on its face as Rhachis Ancestor Light stopped emitting the light, enclosing the crystal lens in his palm.

The projection still existed, brimming with anger, suppressed under the action of its willpower. It then looked at Heima, a wary gaze flashing on its face, "So, whatever you were planning to observe, is it done?"

Heima stood transfixed, her expression warping. She took a deep breath, heaving a sigh, "Do you know that there is another existence in this world similar to you? I had become a subsoul of her; a subsoul is…"

"I know," The projection nodded, intending for her to continue, having not noticed a beam of light still falling on its back.

"The actions were done by her. The fusion was yet to be finished by then, so it led to many discrepancies in my actions. Thanks to Ancestor Light here, I have become free. Do you know why that had been the case?" Heima said, noticing the beam of light from the corner of her eye.

"I have no idea." The projection shook its head, its eyes showing puzzlement. It then craned its head to the back, failing to notice anything amiss.

The projection then looked at Rhachis Ancestor Light, opening its mouth to speak, "Are you someone who stands at the peak of this world?"

"Yes," Rhachis Ancestor Light nodded. "What do you want to ask? Despite your unwillingness, you have cooperated with me for an hour. I'll give you an honest answer."

"For this world…" Its voice trailed off, taking a moment to reconsider, "What is the optimal mentality?"

"Well…" A look of surprise flashed across his face, his expression one of thought, "Selfless at all times but, selfish when necessary; desperate for knowledge and strength but, never cross your mental blocks to achieve them; cherish your bonds but, never despair when they are severed."

"I see," The projection nodded, turning transparent.

Noticing the time displayed on his watch, Rhachis Ancestor Light looked at Heima. "The ashes of your mother have been mixed into the brook that flows at the depth of your family mansion, right?"

"Yes, including my father who jumped into it with my mother's ashes." Heima nodded, her brows twitched a little, showing no other reaction other than that.

"Then, if you make sufficient contributions, you can put forth a request to Strongest and meet them." Without explaining further, Rhachis Ancestor Light threw the crystal lens towards the sleeping body of Jyorta, "Consider this as a gift from me. I won't be interfering in your lives any further; I have many things to do."

With a flash of light, Rhachis Ancestor Light disappeared, passing through the window. A moment after his disappearance, the projection collapsed as Jyorta woke up with a start, his face ashen. He gazed at Heima, his expression crumbling, "Father…and mother…are dead?"

Many thoughts flashed through her mind, her emotions in a flurry. She walked towards him, pulling him into her embrace, her expression turning soft, gazing at his crumbling expression, "A couple of months ago, it would have been impossible for me to accept your existence. But, after becoming something similar for the past few months, it has become easy to accept you. At the end of the day, you are still my brother."

At the terrace of the skyscraper, a figure flashed into existence; the beam of light transformed into an old man. Rhachis Ancestor Light looked at the sprawling cityscape below him, his gaze mixed with a multitude of emotions.

He opened his mouth, closing it after a momentary hesitation, repeating the action a couple of times. A sound appeared, reverberating around him, audible only to his extraordinary senses. "He's just a child, don't expect too much from him. Also, I just checked his history. He's impressive for his age but, his mentality is unsuitable for this era."

"Just monitor and occasionally guide, steering him on the correct path." Rhachis Ancestor Light sighed.

"I beg to differ. There must have been a reason he was picked. Let us take a wait-and-see approach." The voice replied, vanishing without a trace.

Rhachis Ancestor Light stood in silence, gazing at the people walking on the road below, seeing the flurry of activities. Despite the massive commotion that had occurred in the afternoon, people had already returned to their busy lives by evening.

The sky was dark, the stars shining on the blanket of darkness, like gems embedded into it, emitting light. A pale crescent moon occupied a spot, the biggest in the blanket of darkness, possessing the greatest splendour.

"What is displayed may not be absolute. Only time will tell," With a flash, he disappeared, his departure unnoticed.

…

"Lanprita, once Laila finishes her 10th standard, we shall move back to the 7th Ring." Laila's father, Mavelin said.

"Did something happen?" Laila's mother, Lanprita inquired, her expression filled with concern.

"Just some official reasons; ever since I became a Transformer, I have been tasked to take up positions with real authority. Since I grew up in the 7th Ring, they want me to take control of Sector 1 there. At present, I will be serving there as a Deputy under a higher-up. But, in a matter of years, I will be in command of the entire Sector." Mavelin replied; his actions restricted, showing a lack of control of his tremendous strength.

"That is wonderful news!" Lanprita exclaimed, "As long as you are not sent on dangerous expeditions like the Flying Signature Raid, this is for the better."

"There probably won't be a Raid of such scale for at least two decades. So, my risks out in the Wilds will be lower. After all, I am a true powerhouse." He smiled, flexing his muscles that were thinner than years ago. Though, the tremendous power hidden within them spoke otherwise.

At the corner of the room sat Laila, combing the hair of her little sister who had recently celebrated her fourth birthday. Just when she was about to run away, Laila caught hold of her, "Sight tight, or Rear Face will catch you."

"No!" Her sister shouted, her shrill scream making her ear tingle, "I don't want Rear Face to catch me!"

Holding her struggling sister, Laila continued to comb her hair, her mind adrift, 'If those two survive the Induction Ceremony, then we would meet in the military academy. Well, it would be pretty comical if George died in the ceremony considering his advantages.'

She let out a chuckle, tickling her sister, 'It would be interesting to see his growth and the path he chooses.'

Volume 1: Foothold—The End!