《Bystander effect(dropped)》 Chapter one/prologue Footsteps sound as a man dashes down a narrow hallway. " Damnnit! Fuck! Charles!" *Pants* " Oh god why..." The man, middle aged, balding, grabs a door handle. He tries to pull the door open, but failed to do so. The door was not locked. One could see that the lock was disengaged, if you were to look in between the doors. Yet, it would not give an inch The man, in his lab coat, with is spectacles, turns around and leans on the door before sliding down onto the ground. " Before you kill me, at least tell me your name...", the man, now pale, with a face of resignation squeezes out. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. Who? Who was he talking to? Why, none other than the, black cloak wearing, masked man who killed his colleagues of course. The masked man, an unknown entity, his face, mask, was but centimeters away from the other partys face. " Saath." As the middle aged, balding, lab coat and spectacle wearing man whose pale and resigned face opens his eyes wide open. Nothing. _____ I messed up, this wasnt supposed to be chapter one Chapter Two Why thank you edward, for your input. Tbh im not too good at all this, plus i have lots of things to juggle. So chapters can be daily but short depending on my days schedule. Ps the way i write is to reflect certain quirks of how i imagined the mc to be. _____ Within a well kept school. Within a classroom. " In order to find the value of x we would need to use factor theorem, this...." A math teacher is trying to fill young minds with the glory factor theorem. The teacher, Mr. Faust, is a reasonably young teacher. He is a great teacher, smarter than most, a cut above the rest. But he teaches instead of being a mathematician, a researcher, a lawyer. Reason being that he simply ADORES engaging children in long lessons which, he himself, knows have no life application whatsoever. While Mr. Faust rattles on about the greatness of factor theorem, his students are, oh so diligently, sleeping. Except one Lyra Houst. A good girl, really, many like her, and even more are in love. Cheerful personality, kind, humble, smart, and above all, beautiful. Lyra, taking notes with a vengeance, nothing, not a single thing, can distract her. Or so it seemed until someone accidentally let their pen fly onto her desk. *High pitched scream* " Aha... Sorry... Umm... Ill just take my pen back... Aha...", a charming boy, Luce Fend, awkwardly said, whilst retrieving his pen Luce Fend, he must''ve been the ''loose end'' in his family. A cheerful lad, albeit too cheerful. He is well liked by many in class, he helps those in need, stands up for the weak. A traditional ''good guy'', wouldve made for a great protagonist. *barely audible sigh* " Stop causing trouble Lucy, waking me up from my, oh so sweet nap, is one thing. Disturbing someone who is, oh so diligent, is another." " Yes... Mom... You are right... Mom.", Luce replies with a hint of sarcasm, great banter. " Yes... Daughter. Now be a good girl and sit still, or take a nap like everyone else." *loud cough* " Arthur, may I have a word with you after school?", requested an ever so slightly annoyed Voren Faust. _____ " Though you may be alot more advanced than the class, you still need to pay attention. Yes, many students are sleeping, however, those students at least have rich families to back them up. More over, you very well know who Luce is and why you should not be too... Friendly with him." " Luce was the one who accidentally let his pen take flight. All I did was kindly yet firmly ask him to stop playing around so much." Arthur knew the real reason why he was called out. A commoner, in the most prestigious school in all of Raskan. A commoner in most prestigious class in all of Selfar academy. Obviously there would be people who are unhappy with how this all turned out. Furthermore, Arthur himself does not take any exams and tests, he gets to sit out class activities and can ignore homework. If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. In fact, all he needs to do is attain 90% attendance every year until graduation. *sigh* " I guess you''re not a special student for nothing. I take it that you understand the real reason I had to call you out... Fine, you may take your leave." _____ " Arthur!" " God damnnit Luce, you got me in trouble again." " Isnt that what friends are for? Besides, you didn''t get into any real trouble right? All''s well ends well." " With friends like these, who needs enemies? Anyways, I assume you''re coming over to my place regardless of my opinion." " Yep! You cook the best food in all of Raskan!" " I wish I didn''t." Luce Fend and Arthur, a peculiar friendship. One is a crown Prince, last in line to be long. While the other is a mysterious commoner who managed to get to the top of Selfar academy''s hierarchy. In fact, the entire reason Arthur doesnt get death threats is entirely due to Luce. Little did the two friends know. Little did Lyra Houst and Voren Faust know. Little did anyone know. _____ Now for a quick verbal tour of Raskan. Raskan, the largest continent in the world of Nodregam, has three major kingdoms. The kingdom of Nelomretaw, an old kingdom, the least advanced. Nelomretaw is a crafting kingdom. They have many resources for statues, carts, weapons and the like. Though they lack much technology. The kingdom of Elppa, a modern kingdom, considered the most advanced of the three, they have strict religious beliefs but have the brightest minds and the fullest pockets. The kingdom of Ognam, a farming kingdom, they are surprisingly more advanced than Nelomretaw. Many citizens from Ognam end up becoming scholars and researchers who will then be snatched up by shady deals of Elppa nobles. Ognam is the only kingdom ruled by democracy. What kind of world is this? The world of Nodregam is alot more advanced in some places than others, this is due to class distinction and corruption. Nodregam is large, with most of it being water, many a adventurer have sailed the seas. Though once they pass into a dense fog, they are never seen again. Electricity is a little known concept, but language biology chemistry and math are extremely well researched. Raskan has a cool climate but no winter. Little is know about space, but it has been hypothesized that the space doesnt really exist, that if you go high enough, you will never come down. The kingdoms are male dominant(due to the author wanting a accurate semi medieval setting) There are many animals in Raskan, a number of them reproduce extremely quickly and can be a threat to the human race if not kept in check. There are many mercenary companies all over Raskan to deal with these threats. I guess thats all, if you have any questions please ask away. Btw im writing everything on my phone. Chapter Three The days that followed, the weeks that passed. Uneventful. To the students that is. Deep underground, past the entire height of the Elppa underworld. There exists a underground complex, well, as much as a complex can be underground. Within this mega sized complex, giant pillars tens of meters in radius stand, holding the city up. The pillars themselves, are made of pure enchanted obsidian. Obsidian? Obsidian. Though obsidian itself is weak, unsuitable for building. Obsidian is one of the few materials that can be enchanted with ancient magic. If one were to look up the relevant history, you would find that flying obsidian cities used to be commonplace in the skies of Raskan. How does magic work? Well thats for another time. The underground city, filled to the brim with cultists, mercenaries, thieves and outlaws. They congregate so as to be a part of the promised "new world". A few months prior to this congregation, nine beings of great power appeared, they had the ability to draw intricate circles of light all over the place. Magic. Though it may seem pretty normal for a story of this type, the continent of Raskan never had anyone capable of using magic. Anyways, the nine great beings gave promise of even greater power. They promised riches and all the pleasures one might wish for. Hooked and high on empty promise, drunk on baseless guarantees. If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. "The rich, the poor, shrewd, the desperate and the truly desperate all have a place in the new world me and my subordinates are going to create! And YOU! Can be a part of it!", claimed the leader of the ''great'' beings. Why, why would anyone ever refuse? Great beings of immense power who want to change the world for the better, great beings who would willingly let you, anyone, be a part of it and to top it all off, give you power akin to theirs. Nothing to lose, everything to gain. _____ " We need to hurry up with the plan, else we lose the chance to cripple our greatest adversaries!" " No, we need to slow down, no good will come from rushing headlong into enemy territory unprepared. We may have power, but a stray arrow would be the end of us," " Nezar is correct, we are not gods. After all this, we wont even be above average... Especially after the lords awaken..." *multiple sighs* " But Houst! If we let this chance slip, we may never be rid of the academy. No matter how many agents you have in there, it is a fact that the academy has the highest aural density! If may be one BIG problem or thousands of little ones! We would not be able to go against either, even if we raise an army!" " Shut it Blair! The decision is final!" _____ This chapter may be abit short(i cant really tell), its due to me being a lil sick the past few days. Sorry guys! Ill upload another chapter by/on sunday!