Seed of Titan

At the waiting area for the participants' family and friends, Lina and Daro were waiting for Drai. They were two of the last few people who were still there. Almost all of the guests have gone home and most of the remaining ones were already united with their respective evolvers.

"Drai isn't lost, is he?" Daro questioned anxiously. "He can be a dolt sometimes, you know?"

"Hush! What are you even saying? Drai isn't a dolt. He's just an innocent boy. Let's see if you dare badmouth my boy again…" Lina glared. Her right hand was raised as her fingers were twirling with mana threateningly.

Seeing this, Daro gulped nervously and scratched his head.

"Hehehe… I was just joking, okay? Now, can you please put away your mana, dear? It's making me nervous…"

Unconvinced, Lina stared at her husband menacingly. It's one thing for other people to badmouth Drai, but she couldn't let her husband get away with it so easily.

When Daro realized Lina wasn't relenting, he hurriedly apologized. 

"Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Damn, this mouth! Why did you badmouth my son, huh!?"

Daro started slapping his own mouth as if it wasn't him who badmouthed Drai.

Lina finally chuckled when she saw her husband's antics. However, she suddenly noticed a figure entering the building.

"Drai!" Lina shouted as she got up and hurriedly walked toward Drai.

"Mom!" Drai smiled as he walked to Lina.

Lina hugged her son tightly before letting him go and examining his new looks.

"Oh my, you've become so handsome!"

"Hahaha, now you're almost as handsome as your dad!" Daro added as he finally caught up. He tried to pat Drai but winced when he felt like he was slapping an iron pole.

"I'm sorry, Dad. My muscles are rather dense now," Drai chuckled as he saw his dad withdrawing his hand and blowing it.

Drai then turned to his mom. "I'm glad you think that way, Mom. But I really don't like being this thin," he said wryly. "By the way, how did instantly you recognize me? I thought it would take several seconds at least."

"I'm your mother, Dear. Even if you grow horns or fur, I'll still recognize you," Lina warmly said as she caressed her son's cheek.

"So, why did you take so long, Son? You didn't get lost, did you?" Daro asked curiously but then he realized his mistake and quickly slapped his mouth.

Drai sighed and then said, "I'm sorry, Mom and Dad. I didn't get admitted so I tried waiting for an opportunity but it never came. But don't worry. I'll apply for the academies later at home."

Lina and Daro saw the change in Drai's expression and realized something must have happened.

"It's okay, Dear. Let's just go home now. You must be tired," Lina said.

"Yeah, those scouts are blind, I'm telling you, Son. Your dad also didn't get admitted to any academy. But thanks to that, I met your mom at the company. Only your mom could see my greatness, hahaha!" Daro boasted as he held Lina who just shook her head helplessly.

"Okay, let's go home," Drai said in relief. He was getting fed up by these high ceilings and wide spaces and wanted to lie down in his bed, planning what to do next.

The three of them exited the building and walked toward the entrance while talking merrily. They decided to have lunch somewhere before going home since none of them had eaten after arriving at the central district.

Upon exiting, they were still discussing where to eat when suddenly they were stopped by a man.

This man was wearing a fancy robe, but his disposition seemed to be in contrast to his clothes, giving an incongruous impression.

The man was thin and was sporting a messy stubble. He had dark circles under his eyes as if sleep deprived. Streaks of dark green could be seen on his skin and hair.

"Good afternoon, dear Varz family!" the man greeted ecstatically. "My name is Ravismus Ondor, but you may call me Ravi."

The three Varz were stunned because of this sudden development. They looked at each other but no one seemed to recognize this Ravi guy.

"Hello, I'm Daro and this is Lina, my wife, and my son, Drai," Daro finally greeted back after a moment of awkwardness.

Lina and Drai followed up with their greetings, seemingly wondering what business Ravi had with them.

"Thank you for your time, my friends. I'd like to invite you to lunch, if you may?"

"Oh, we would love to since we were already planning to have lunch, but before that, may I know why this sudden invitation?" Lina asked carefully.

"Ah, right. Well, for starters, this is my name card," Ravi offered to connect his comm.

Seeing this, Daro accepted Ravi's connection. Then he checked out his comm.

"Soluna Academy!?" Daro exclaimed in shock.

Lina and Drai were startled. Lina immediately urged Daro to send them Ravi's name card. After looking at it, both of them looked at each other before turning back to Ravi.

"So, you are Professor Ravi. How can we help you, Professor?" Lina asked while suppressing her excitement.

"As you may have suspected, I have come for my friend Drai here," Ravi chuckled. "Although the academy has its own scouts, we professors have our personal recommendation for admission should we find someone worthy for our academy."

The Varz family was stupefied. It was only a moment ago that they heard Drai wasn't accepted anywhere during the scouting event. But now, out of nowhere, a professor from the best academy in Rivideria said he was personally recommending Drai!

'Please don't be a dream,' Lina thought as she pinched herself.

Feeling the pain on her cheeks, Lina finally accepted reality. She now felt like pouncing and hugging the professor. Thankfully, she hadn't lost her mind and suppressed her sudden euphoria. However, Ravi's unhealthy complexion now seemed charming rather than off-putting.

"But why me, Professor?" Drai asked calmly. He had witnessed how his peculiarity did not bode well with the scouts, so he didn't want to rush to an unlikely conclusion.

"How about we talk while having lunch? Truthfully, I've been waiting here for hours," Ravi said wryly. "It's my fault for not preparing the required papers to enter the scouting venue so I couldn't complain. But now I'm famished and I hope you are too!"

"I'm sure are, hahaha!" Daro laughed happily. He did mock the scouts for not accepting Drai. But even the boastful Daro still respected the number one academy in this nation.

"Well, let's go then. I hope you don't mind if we use my car since it'll be faster that way. It's also parked nearby."

"We don't mind," Lina said. "We came here by magtrain anyway, so we had expected to walk for our lunch."

"Great!" Ravi exclaimed as he contacted someone through his comm.

Soon, with a woosh, a flying car arrived and hovered in the sky above the four people.

"By car you mean hovercar?" Daro said as he looked up at the sky. The crowding people outside the gate also turned their heads in fascination. Hovercars were luxuries rarely seen by the public since they were very expensive.

"Yes. I was in a hurry since I only headed here from Rivida this morning. Luckily, Jack is a good driver," Ravi chuckled.

"But how do we get to the car?" Drai asked. "I don't think the car can park down here since it's still so crowded."

"We fly. Now, if you let me…" Ravi said while twirling his hands.

With a sweep, the Varz family were gripped by an invisible hand. Then the four of them started hovering before flying toward the car in the sky.

The Varz family felt dizzy. This was their first time flying "without" any external aid. Even Lina who could make dirt float had only flown close to the ground since it took a lot of mana to do so. Yet, now they were more than 20 meters high.

The car was an oval shape with a transparent upper side which was now open. Ravi put the three into the wide backseat before coming down to the front seat beside the driver.

"Jack, this is the Varz family: Daro, Lina, and Drai. My friends, this is Jack, my close friend and butler."

Jack and the Varz family greeted each other. Following which, the car's top closed and they sped toward their destination.

***

At the rooftop area of The Evergreen, a pair of father and son were continuously munching in an effort to finish the last pieces of the mountain of meat which was now in shambles.

Ravi was silently enjoying his post-meal wine whereas Lina was looking at the duo with slight embarrassment.

"Professor, please don't mind these two. They are quite lacking in the table manner department," Lina apologetically said.

"Just call me Ravi, Lina," Ravi chuckled as he waved his hand. "I'm not one for formalities. So, no need to apologize either. I rather appreciate Drai's lifestyle since it's the reason he turned out as he is, which is directly related to the personal recommendation I mentioned before."

Hearing the words "personal recommendation", Daro and Drai rushed to finish the last pieces of meat before paying close attention to the conversation.

"As I have said before, I will recommend Drai so that he can enroll in Soluna Academy," Ravi continued. "However, the reason for this is not altruistic. Drai just happens to fit the criteria that I've been searching for. So, I plan to mentor him while he participates in my research later during the academy."

Hearing these words, the family turned silent. They were contemplating what Ravi said. Lina particularly frowned upon hearing the word "research".

Seeing this, Ravi hurriedly added, "I understand your concern, but I guarantee that my research will be beneficial for Drai. Although parts of the process may be painful, the benefits it provides will be worth it, even without including the academy in the equation."

Daro couldn't help but blurt, "So, my son will be a rat lab?"

"Of course, not! Please rest assured that my research is already at its final stage for years. The experimentational stages have been completed thoroughly, leaving the final step of human application," Ravi explained. "And this is why Drai is critical for this research, as he is the only one who fulfills the requirement for my solution."

"May I know how Drai fits in your requirements, Ravi?" Lina asked dubiously.

"To be exact, the estimation is that the solution used for human application requires a combination of very high strength and constitution stat to survive it. Of course, many third stage evolvers have the required stats. However, this solution is only effective on new evolvers, since it basically enhances one's potential. So, even if I could've used it on third stage evolvers, the results wouldn't be apparent which wouldn't contribute to my research at all."

Hearing how this solution is basically deadly, Lina and Daro paled. They imagined how painful it would be for Drai, and how a slight mistake could end up with their child's death. However, the enrollment in Soluna Academy was a precious opportunity. Not to mention how Ravi said he would mentor Drai.

Both parents looked toward Drai to see what he was thinking. Drai was in contemplation before finally asking, "How do you know that I fit your requirements, Professor? I believe we've never met each other before this."

"Well, I actually have access to the data of most new evolvers. But in your case, a friend of mine told me about you."

"A friend? Is it someone I know?" Drai asked.

"You most probably know him but not in the way you think," Ravi chuckled. "The one who told me about you was Quincy, as in Key Quincy. He has a special relationship with Vee, so he easily found out about you due to his knowledge of my circumstances."

"Key Quincy!?"

Lina and Daro were stunned. This was one of the leading scientists in the whole Gaia! It seemed like Ravi wasn't just a simple professor. This revelation somewhat increased Lina and Daro's trust toward Ravi.

"Uhm, yeah. I know that Quincy guy from the briefing earlier. He seems smart since he invented this Revelation machine thing," Drai said nonchalantly. "So, he knows I have high strength and constitution?"

"Since Quincy got his information from Vee, who I presume supervised your Revelation, he was ninety percent sure. But let us clarify it here since we don't want to rely on mere assumptions. Don't worry, even if you happen to be unfit, I will still recommend you since I've already traveled here and taken your time," Ravi reassured.

"Okay."

"Now, the requirements are at least 30 points in strength and 35 points in constitution. Do you happen to fulfill this?" Ravi asked expectantly.

"Yes, I do." Drai answered.

"What!? That's already close to my stats!" Daro blurted in shock.

"Mine don't even come close to that," Lina smiled wryly. "You're really gifted, Drai."

"That is true, Lina," Ravi agreed. "Drai has not only been working hard prior to evolving, but he is also blessed with a class that has particularly high strength and constitution."

Drai just scratched his head shyly. He didn't realize his stats were that high. Earlier, he was just happy that the two stats were far higher than his other stats, but he didn't try to compare it to other people's.

"So, we can conclude that you definitely fit the bill," Ravi said elatedly. If he still had his doubts before, now he could finally relish this discovery. "So, do you agree to work with me and in return, receive my guidance and enrollment in Soluna Academy?"

Drai thought about it for a moment, before deciding, "Yes, I agree."

"Great! The entrance ceremony is in two weeks. Will you be fine if Jack picks you up on the day before it? That's usually when the new students enter their dorms."

Drai looked at his parents, seeing them nod. Then he replied, "Yes, that would be fine, Professor. Thank you for this opportunity. I'll do my best to help you with your research."

"Hahaha, don't mention it, Drai. We're just helping each other here. I'll rendezvous with you after you've settled down. And if you run into any problems, just contact me," Ravi said merrily while swapping contacts with Drai.

"Now that all is settled, it's time for me to return. There's a lot to prepare for the new academic calendar and also my research. Lina, Daro, it's been a pleasure. Once again, thank you for trusting me with Drai."

"We're the ones thankful for noticing Drai, Ravi," Lina said. "Please do take care."

"Yeah, I thought academy professors were all stuck up assholes. But you're cool, Ravi, hahaha!" Daro shook Ravi's hand while patting him in the back. Then he suddenly got closer to Ravi's ear and whispered, "By the way, if Drai gets close to some gal, tell me, okay? Especially if she's big and burly."

Hearing this strange request, Ravi laughed before agreeing. He shook his head at the family's antics.

'Maybe this is why Drai was able to grow this strong,' Ravi thought amusedly.

After getting back to the car, Jack dropped off the Varz family at the magtrain station before departing to Rivida. The Varz family then headed back toward their district in a festive mood. Especially for Drai, the day's events had been a series of surprises. He looked outside the window and stared at the cloudy sky, seemingly lost in his thoughts.

***