Paradox Saga: Rising Sun

I Start My Training

A few days after the workers removed all the enchantments around the house, I stayed in my room alone and started to read a certain book in my library titled Figures: Basics and Facts. I spent my time trying to grasp some information about my Metaphors, though I gained nothing. However, I started to understand more about Figures. Nobody is still sure where Figures originated or where their powers came from. Yet, many theories have been made surrounding the fact that Figures were still human individuals, even with their superhuman abilities. One theory states that the Figures' powers were created due to a mutation that occurred to them. For some reason, I think that's the most unbelievable theory. 

School was still not around with the reconstruction of the whole academy. It was not the worst part, though. The most annoying thing that happened was I was stuck with the girls in the house. Every day was hell.

The third floor, which I saw a day ago, was the most magnificent part of the house. A floating ball of light was gliding in the air above and acted as the lightbulb. The third floor could shift, and when I say shift, I mean to transform to any room that you want. You can make it rain, snow, or even create a beach using the screenpad glued to the wall. the bad thing was the girls can come in anytime and I can't be by myself again. The good thing was I can chill around the house. A lot of books, my new personal computer and unlimited snacks? Dude, I was in heaven, well, if not for the girls.

“Hey,” someone, I think it’s Nami, said behind the door as she knocked.

“You can come in,” I said as I closed the book I was reading and sat up on my bed.

Nami (I guessed right) went inside carrying a plate of chocolate-filled sandwiches and a tetra-pack chilled milk. “What were you doing?”

“Nothing. I was just reading this book,” I said and showed her the book I was reading.

She put the plate on my study table and sat beside me. “Let me see” I gave her the book. “Hmm…Huckleberry Finn seems quite a good read. As long as you don’t do what he did, this book’s fine,” she said.

She handed the book back to me. “Thanks. It’s not like I would do what Huckleberry Finn did, though. I can’t go in an island and pretend that I’m dead, right?”

Nami looked at me with an approved look. “That’s true, Shiro. Good talk for defense,” she said and winked. “Well, I prepared some chocolate-filled sandwiches and brought you some chilled milk, that just came from the fridge, by the way. After you finish that, come to the third floor, okay?”

"Okay," I said, trying not to look at her. 

Nami patted my head before going out. I stared at the sandwiches. On a normal day, and before I knew they were my fake family members, I would’ve ate these sandwiches at the second Nami put these beside me. Now that they’ve revealed the truth about their identities, even taking a bite from these sandwiches flusters me. Honestly, being in a house alone with five girls really is a pain, not only to the reason that I was the only boy, but also because I hate interacting with people. Don’t misunderstand me, okay? It’s just I’m a little bit chubby, loves to read books about uncommon stuff, and I wear glasses – the typical nerd that everyone would not talk to. It’s not that I’m ashamed that I’m a nerd, though. Having a few people around you feels comfortable and relaxing.

I plucked up enough courage to eat a sandwich. “Mmm-hmm,” I uttered. 

It was still the same sandwich Nami has prepared for me every single time she gave me some snack. The chocolate filling’s sweetness seemed to melt in my mouth as I took a bite of the sandwich. The cold milk made the snack taste a lot better. I finished the whole thing before I knew it.

I looked at the time. It was still 3:00 in the afternoon. I would’ve played some video games or listened to the teacher in the school today but school’s out and the video discs disappeared suddenly two days ago (I didn’t go out my room that day since I played my favorite game [God of War] even when the five girls called me to go out).

“Well, I’m not going to lose anything if I go to the third floor, hmm?” I talked to myself.

I went out the door and went to the third floor. In case you haven’t known (which you really haven’t), the stairs to the third floor is longer than the second floor’s – probably ten or eleven steps more. The third floor is also the only one without other rooms. It just looks a little bit like the living room except that besides the sofas and the 18” screen TV, there were no tables or stuff. Just plainly some place to hang out on your own or with your friends, if you have one.

The girls greeted me with a smile. They were talking about something on the couch before they looked at me, which was something that was sort of a warning to me.

“So, you came,” Midorima said.

“Yeah,” I replied. “Why did you five want me here, though?”

“Because of this,” Saiko said and went to the screen stuck on the wall. She pressed it on and swiped and clicked on some buttons and options. A few seconds after that, the room started to shift and from the normal hangout room, the whole place became a plain one with blinding white walls and some stuff I don’t recognize on the left portion of the room. Seriously, I need to know how to change this room.

“What is this?” I asked.

“We’ll start your training today, Shiro,” Saiko said confidently.

“Huh?” I uttered.

“Since you’re the chosen one…”

“And you’ve been staying too much inside your room,” Thyme reminded.

“You should try to prepare your body. Remember, you were almost combusted to death by your Metaphors, how much more with a single Metaphor, right?” Saiko asked.

I nodded. “But, why so sudden?”

“Sudden?” Nami asked like I was asking something impossible. “You’ve had your time in the Anaphora days ago, Shiro. You had a good time killing those monsters that day and you even managed to upgrade your skills and spells that day. That is not a normal thing, even for us, Shiro.”

“So we prepared some special training for you, Shiro-kun,” Fritz said. “To start it off, you have to summon your weapon,” she said as she went to the left portion of the room and got a hand-length axe.

“Okay,” I said and started to walk to the weapons that were lying on the floor.

Midorima stopped me. “Fritz said to summon your weapon, right?”

“But I can’t,” I said.

“Yes, you will,” Fritz said before advancing to my direction, his axe preparing to strike me.