The universe is vast and limitless. Who would've thought that it was only as small as a dot when it came to be. Similarly, all organisms; from bacteria to animals, humans and plants, all came from a single origin. A single cell if you will.

After the dot burst, nature was born. Composing of laws to govern its domain, the universe. It is like a human baby gaining intelligence as it grows. Meaning the universe is a lifeform itself!

As the branches of life spread out, it gave birth to the first generation of all types of lifeform.

However, that is not the most important. The most important is that some of those organisms evolved faster than the others due to their ability to gather the energy that came from the universe's birth and gradually grasped the laws.

An elite breed of lifeform emerged, a breed that used the energy as a catalyst for evolution, they are the pioneers!

They are called Guardians!

Thinking that it was for the best to let the Guardians govern their own worlds, the universe made them part of 'The Great Cycle.' The universe made them act as lamps to guide the next generation of Guardians efficiently rather than letting them fumble like the pioneers did before realizing a technique or system to gather and use the energy. This is done as to not break the cycle by leaving a gap in between.

Guardians can use the laws into their advantage, giving them god-like powers! They can 'work as they wish' within the laws but can't break through it as it is nature itself. Thus despite being the bearers of such powers, all will come to an end and eventually new Guardians will emerge. In some cases, they are chosen or even weeded out among the hundreds of thousands of organism.

But one thing is for sure -

The universe is fair and all are given the chance to become Guardians!

...

Chapter 1: Power!

"The manhwa of 'Leveling in Solitude' was really good! I hope they'll release season 3 soon...

Though I've read ahead with the novel, the manhwa has its own charm. It's so bad*ss! Yoo, I bet the part when he died will shock those nerds. LOL. Should I spoil them in the group chat?"

Lee was walking down the street buried in his thoughts. He was on his way to his father's workplace. Since it was on the same route towards their home, he would always walk there first to meet up with his dad so that they could go home together.

Walking would save him some fare, after all they are not well off. His mother died during his birth so only his father is supporting their family. This is also the reason why he's very close to his father.

Speaking of, he's now close to his father's workplace. It was a tall building of about 50 floors. So even in the distance it's quite eye catching. What's more is that the building is only a branch! Imagine how big would the main HQ of the company be...

As his mind was wandering, he saw figures in the distance, just right outside of the building. Upon closer inspection and peering until his eyes squinted into two horizontal slits, he confirmed that one of them was his dad!

...

"Mr. Brown, We've already escorted you here. We are already showing great respect for you-

I know that you've been working in our company for 40 years now. You've worked your way up from scratch and made it into the middle level. We truly appreciate your loyalty to the company. But, I can't really do anything about this... You've offended someone you shouldn't. This month's pay will be sent to your account later. That should be enough to sustain your family while you look for a new job."

The middle-level manager said while sighing. He knew Mr. Brown and quite frankly, admired him. He was a good man! But what could he do? He was just a measly manager. Yes, it was a high position for ordinary people, but what did he amount to compared to the son of the company's owner?

"Is there really no other way Manager Flux?"

Manager Flux only shook his head in response.

Sigh*

"Then I should get going now... Thank you manager."

Mr. Brown is a tough man, he is dignified! He won't lower himself just to beg knowing that it will lead to nothing! He's already been in the company for 40 years so he knows how the upper echelons work. So he resigned himself to faith and accepted that he got fired. What he should do now, is to find a new job instead of moping.

When he was about to leave, he suddenly remembered his son. He always comes here after school before going home together with him. He took a look at the time thinking, 'he should be here soon, I should just wait a bit more.'

One can tell just by looking at his wristwatch that it was old. The vestiges of time was apparent as the previously golden color was wiped clean/had faded leaving behind a ragged silver surface. It was a cheap watch to begin with, so it was already good enough for it to last this long.

The doors of the building suddenly opened wide. What came after was men in black suits forming a circle. They seemed to be protecting someone. They marched uniformly towards the outside as an anti-gravity limousine stopped and parked right in front of the building.

When the group was about to enter the car, the person in the middle exclaimed, "Wait!"

With that, the men stopped and gave way to the person in the center.

Upon seeing the youth, Manager Flux who was already nervous at the first instance he saw the group, immediately greeted the youth albeit cautiously.

"Greetings Young Master, do you perhaps have something I can help you with?"

It turned out that the person was the 'Young Master!'

"Hmmmm, I thought I've told you already to not let me see your face ever again?!"

Instead of replying to Manager Flux, the Young Master turned his attention towards Mr. Brown who was idle on the side of the building.

Realizing that this Young Master was being overly unreasonable, Manager Flux had no choice but to step in and tried to alleviate the situation. He knew what had happened and why Mr. Brown got fired. It was just petty and unreasonable.

"Young Master, this-"

But before he could reply, Mr. Brown already spoke for himself.

"Replying to Young Master, I'm waiting for my son..."

"And what does it have to do with me?! I've told you to scram and never appear before me again! Do you take my words as a joke?"

"Dad, what's going on?"

It was at this time, when Lee arrived. Mr. Brown, relieved that he won't have to endure anymore, immediately excused himself.

"Young Master, I don't dare to treat your words lightly. I really am just waiting for this son of mine. Since, he's here now, I beg your pardon and we'll take our leave."

After saying so, Mr. Brown bowed. He then took Lee by the arm and turned to leave. But before he could step any further, one of the men in black, stood right in front of them. He acted like a barricade, not allowing them to leave.

"And who do you think you are to leave just like that? Did I give you permission? Perhaps it's already been forgotten by that rusty brain of yours what happened this noon?!

How dare you be tardy in greeting me? Did you think you are special? Didn't you see the other employees greeting me upon sight? Oh Gosh, I can't believe that with that meagre status of yours, you dare to act high!

Let me make it clear.

Do you see that car? That's the newest model from Gravity. The most prestigious car company in this country. The price of the car alone is enough to buy your life! Oh, pardon me, I didn't mean to disrespect the car- And by that I mean, just a third of the price of that car would suffice to buy your life.

In my eyes, you and that son of yours are only ants!"

Manager Flux was sweating beyond belief as if he had just taken a shower. This Young Master was really unreasonable. But at this point, he could no longer do anything. The Young Master was already agitated. He can't add salt to the wound, otherwise he'll also get fired.

Mr. Brown tried his hardest to endure and held himself back. Just as he was preparing to reply, Lee, who was silent on the sidelines, suddenly turned red. The veins on his neck bulged and his eyes glared at the Young Master like a mad bull. He just realised what had happened. Anyone would see that his father did nothing wrong. The problem lies in the Young Master!

Without thinking, he rushed towards the young master screaming. Unfortunately though, even before he could get within a meter from the Young Master, another man in black appeared behind him and was in the process of hand-chopping towards his neck.

But who would've thought that a figure suddenly appeared behind Lee, between him and the man!

Chapter 2: Cliché.

Proofread by: @lynn

Who would've thought that a figure suddenly appeared behind Lee, between him and the man.

As a result, the figure 'tanked' the hand-chop for Lee and immediately blacked out! The figure instantaneously fell against Lee's back, stopping his advances.

All were stunned!

Even the man only realized what had happened. The Young Master's mouth twitched. He couldn't help but exclaim, "What the hell?"

Upon closer inspection, the figure was a young man around the same age as Lee, 15-20 years old. He was carrying a backpack and was dressed in a school uniform. There was also a phone and an earphone that the youth dropped when he blacked out. It turned out that he was just a passerby!

The youth was clearly listening to music and was very busy scrolling on his phone. He didn't see nor hear what was happening so he just witlessly barged in between the chaos. He ended up getting hit and blacked out.

But things aren't so simple as everyone thought.

...

Ugh*

Titus moaned as he wobbly got up. He didn't know what had happened. All he remembered was that he was just walking back to his apartment from school, when he suddenly blacked out.

When he opened his eyes, he found that it was already night-time, and it wasn't the sun that illuminated the room, but rather a weirdly shaped light bulb. It was shaped like a prism.

He then turned his attention to the room. It was just an ordinary city-style apartment's room. Of course, this wasn't something of a surprise. What puzzled him was, why was he here in the first place?

He did remember blacking out while walking, but the most logical place he thought he would wake up to was the hospital or a clinic, and not some strangers' apartment. He shivered at the thought.

He quickly looked for his phone and found that it was on a table that was made into a make-shift desk. His bag was there too. He also realized that apart from that and a computer (?) there was nothing else. No paintings or frames were hung on the walls.

He carefully stood up and tiptoed towards his bag securing his belongings. He turned on his phone and was about to locate where he was through GPS, when he found that it couldn't track him at all. There was also no signal. He couldn't call someone even if he wanted to, much less call the authorities.

Weirded out, he took a step back and started thinking about the situation. However, before he could delve deeper into his thoughts, the door suddenly opened! He was surprised and then became tense. He felt insecure, after all this was a stranger's house and who would know what was the other party's intention... To actually bring him here.

"Oh, brother you finally woke up!"

Lee exclaimed as he saw the youth who 'tanked' the hand-chop for him already awake. He was relieved at the thought that there was no serious injury done otherwise they really couldn't afford it. Especially now that his dad just got fired. It was also his rashness that led to this...

"Who are you and why am I here?"

Titus blurted out, he didn't feel comfortable at all. Even after knowing that it was a youth of the same age as him. He couldn't let his guard down so easily. Not after what had happened to him.

"Ahh.. Brother this is..."

Lee blushed from embarrassment. He understood Titus' hostility. After all, he got knocked out while walking and then he suddenly woke up in a stranger's place. If that happened to him, he too would respond the same.

...

"So, you're saying that I just got caught in the crossfire?"

"Basically, that's what had happened. After you got knocked out, that 'Young Master' simply tossed you to us. It seems that the leader of the men in black was also sort of an adviser. When he saw your uniform, he probably thought it would implicate things as you're a student probably going home from school, a simple passerby. Since, he is a son of a big shot, he couldn't ruin their company's image. So with that, they left in the limousine under the pretext that he had forgiven my father and my rash action for the time being."

"But why didn't you take me to the hospital and brought me here instead?"

"Brother must be kidding... Ha-ha-sigh*. As I've said before, my father apparently offended that 'Young Master' and got unreasonably fired so we aren't really financially stable right now. Also, the hospital's fees are sky high. As a matter of fact, the prices of commodities here in Gold City is high. It is a second-class city after all. Even if my father didn't get fired. We could still barely afford it."

"... "

Titus was silent. He was really confused. What Gold City?

"Brother, please don't be offended- Can I ask you a question?"

"What?"

"Are you from 'that' place?"

Titus frowned upon hearing Lee's way of talking, "Speak clearly. What do you mean by 'that' place?"

This time, it was Lee's turn to be confused. He didn't know what 'that' place is?

"Eherm, brother I'm referring to the slums... I thought you came from there since - how can I say this? The phone you are using is an antique (?). Likewise, the earphones are of the same quality."

Suddenly, it dawned upon him. Titus felt something click inside his mind. He finally put the puzzle pieces together. It turned out that he time-skipped into the future. It felt surreal!

No, this was not him weebing out and being crazy. But this was the only possible explanation. He was no green-horn when it comes to stuff like this. He had his fair share of reading novels, manga and anime.

For now, this can only be a claim and it has not been confirmed yet. Despite all the pieces pointing to that, he still didn't fully believe it. He probably just got kidnapped and while he was unconscious, they transported him to this Gold City.

The problem with that though was that he hasn't heard of a 'Gold City' near his place, but it was possible that it was just him being ignorant. Let's ignore the weird tech for now.

"Ahhh about that... It's a gift from my deceased parents. They gave it to me on my last birthday as a safekeeping. It is indeed antique compared to now. It is still usable so I didn't buy a new one. I couldn't afford one even if I wanted to since I only strive through the meager inheritance my parents left me.

I am not from the slums, but with my current situation where my funds are almost depleted, I might as well move there. Hahaha.

Wow, that got off in a tangent there... Anyways, the name is Titus. And you are? "

Titus steered the conversation and introduced himself first as he held out his hand.

"Excuse my rudeness brother Titus, I'm Lee."

Lee replied as he reached out a hand of his own and shook hands with Titus.

What they didn't know was that this awkward handshake of theirs marked a beginning of a brotherhood for life!

"So Lee, can... I use your 'computer'?"

Author's Note:

Brother here is used as a respectful call to someone of similar age and does not mean that they are actually 'brothers.'

Weird tech refers to the light bulb and the 'computer.'

Read it @ https://www.scribblehub.com/series/109097/a\-drastic\-step/

Chapter 3: A True Man!

"So Lee, can... I use your 'computer'?"

Stunned by his sudden request, Lee could not help but ask back in confusion.

"Brother, what are you going to do?"

"*Cough* Since we are on the topic of money, I urgently need to check my account...

My phone also has no signal. I guess it's showing its antique-ness now. Ha ha ha."

While Titus was saying that, he took out his phone and handed it over to Lee for him to check.

Why did he do that? It was to reassure Lee and not raise anymore questions nor suspicions. Checking his account was only a facade, as he couldn't actually tell Lee that he was going to check if he was in the future or not, could he? Plus, if his guess was indeed correct, then this excuse would come in handy.

"Brother you should really buy a new one if you have spare change. Look at this, you couldn't even make an emergency call."

"I will but not now. I don't even know if there's money left in my account. Ah, brother Lee, this may be rude of me but do you have some food? Even if it's leftovers... I haven't eaten the whole afternoon."

*Stomach grumbling*

It was a good thing that Titus was actually hungry otherwise, he couldn't think of a much better excuse to make Lee leave.

"*Heuk* Ah, I'm very sorry brother. I totally forgot about that. My dad even reminded me before he went out! Please excuse me, I'll go get some."

It suddenly dawned on him,

'Ugh... How can I treat my benefactor like this.' He thought as he hurriedly scurried out.

But before he could open the door Titus called out.

"Lee! Wait a moment..."

"Yes brother? Do you need something else?"

"I don't know how to turn on the computer."

Titus embarrassingly blushed as he asked for help.

Lee: "..."

...

"Now for the moment of truth..."

Titus mumbled as he vigorously typed on the holographic keyboard. It was weird at first but he got used to it fast. He wasn't a boomer to begin with. [1]

He first searched for his home which was located in XX town.

No search results found*

Next was the time and date.

8:00 pm, Tuesday, October 1, 30XX*

Of course he could've just looked at the computer and didn't have to search it on the net, but he has to be sure on all of this.

After a few more searches; Gold City, Current Currency, Nearest Hospital Fees, Money Collectors Near Me, etc. , he finally typed, '2020 events history.'

What showed up made Titus sigh.

"My guess was correct, I confirmed it myself over and over. There is no choice but to accept it!"

Sigh*

The computer screen showed exactly what he searched. The events history of 2020 was displayed in all its glory (?).

Results Found*

Global Pandemic Shocks the World! (Article by CBB News)

'OK Boomer,' Hate Speech? (Article by The Socials)

Internet Boils with the Possible Occurrence of WWIII! Government Claims... (Article by News Now)

And with that he closed the incognito tab before closing the software for good measure. He knew he was being paranoid, so what?

Though he was raised in an orphanage and had no family, he was still able to support himself by working part time. He was able to move out of the orphanage when he reached high school and lived independently. Though he couldn't socialize and have no particular friends, at least he could stand at his own two feet. He could always meet them later if his situation became stable.

It was just that who would've thought that he actually stepped in a mine [2] while walking on the streets and ended up getting knocked out as soon as he got sent to the future!

Despite his solitude in the past and having not much attachment to that timeline, he could still not readily accept the truth bared in front of him. It was like buying ice cream and dropping it and he had to buy a new one instead! The hard work he did was rendered useless and he was now back to zero. Homeless and in a stranger's house. Fortunately, lady luck didn't abandon him.

Him getting knocked out wasn't for naught as he was now treated as a benefactor and a brother of Lee. This would help him in getting himself running. Also, a side note, he felt weird about Lee calling him brother. It was foreign yet warm. They've literally met moments ago yet, he was feeling like this. Was it because Lee was being sincere when he called him? Whatever it may be, one thing was for sure.

He was too much of a loner in the past...

It was at this time when the door opened. It was Lee.

"Brother, are you done? Let's go outside. You can eat on the table. Treat this as your home. Hehehe. Also my father just got back and wanted to thank you.

Right, brother, let me give you some info, my dad's a 'man' and doesn't like owing anyone and is a bit tough so don't worry if he comes at you directly."

Lee cheekily said as he helped Titus turn off the computer. He then guided him to the kitchen and then sat at the table.

It was a four-person rectangular table. Lee's dad was in front of Titus while Lee was on his left. He ate dinner fast. Not because he was too hungry and forgot manners, but because it was too uncomfortable having two people watching you eat in silence.

"Thank you for the food! Uncle, thank you."

Titus stood up and bowed.

"Good lad, there's no need to be so formal. Go back to your seat.

It's good that you've liked it, it's the only thing within our budget at the moment. You may have already heard it from Lee. I got fired just because I was late in greeting 'that' Young Master. Alas, reality is cruel."

Lee who was listening on the side. Slammed the table and started gnashing his teeth. When he remembered the arrogant look of that Young Master when he looked at his dad and that hand-chop meant for him, his blood boiled.

Smack*

Unfortunately though he was smacked on the head by his father before he could curse that f*cker.

"Forgive my son's rudeness, ugh..."

"Ah, forgive my rudeness. Uncle, I am called Titus. Surnamed Heart."

"*Eherm* Lad, my name's Arthur Brown. You can call me Uncle Brown. By the way, looking at your clothes, you only seem to be a student. Where do you live? It's late now, you probably have school tomorrow. Let us take you home. After all, if not for you, this brash son of mine probably worsened the situation."

And then looking at Lee, he asked, "You just couldn't endure, could you?

Alas, you're still young and ignorant. You still don't know how the world works. Listen, a man should endure and be strong depending on the situation. But remember, no petty pleading if you know it just leads to nothing. Don't ever kneel to someone because of it. That is a true man!"

Proofread by: @lynn

Author's Note:

[1]To those who did not get this... Boomer like the OK boomer meme. The generation before gen z which typically have hard times using technology.

[2]Not a literal mine, more like bad luck.