The Open Market was a place where extraterrestrial creatures can visit without any strict guidelines. It was a place confined in a small portion of planet Aecha that was situated far from the main cities that were created underground.

Being a clean planet yet open to visitors, the Hesein, who was the divine leader of Aecha suggested an Open Market. He wanted to maintain the cleanliness of our planet yet at the same time welcome foreign creatures but the recent pollution of the now closed-off city Zhekson led him to the decision to ban extraterrestrials from entering the cities Iomarbus and Fracos. The visitors can only enter the Open Market and the Underground Arena where the Kia Brawl competitions were held.

Basically, almost all activities and structures of the Aecheans excluding the Open Market were held underground. The surface was preserved for the creatures that had nothing to do with our technological advancements. This was the implemented plan of our Hesein to maintain the tranquility and neatness of our world.

Since the visitors were only confined in the Open Market, it was already expected that this portion of the planet was severely dirty because of extraterrestrials that had a lifestyle of filth. The Mocks were gray, tall, fiendish looking creatures from planet Smut. They were aggressive, short-tempered, hypersexual and extremely dangerous. It was for this reason why the vendors of the Open Market recently reached out to our Hesein to ban the Mocks from Aecha.

"Aecha-mu, take care of the goods, I trust you," Dekmuth-ssu told me while he attached the magnetic ring-binds around my wrists.

I was sent to pick up the Vivere potions from the manufacturer since we were running out of said potions.

A vivere potion was a slimy substance made from the gooey blood of a dead Medusozoa, the floating soft-bodied creatures with gelatinous-like cupped shaped heads and trailing tentacles we see at the skies. This potion can connect and heal broken tissues and organs and at the same time revive a newly dead organism.

Only Dekmuth-ssu knew how to create this potion thus he needed to be hidden away in the most secluded place of the Open Market. His face was never seen by anyone and he was always covered in a black cloak. His pod house was surrounded by hired Paragons for maximum security.

With the ring-binds around my wrists, I attempted to walk and the huge metallic box that was the same height as me floated and trailed behind me.

"Is there anything else you need?" I asked him.

Even with his existence completely covered with the dark cloak which blocked my scanning vision, I can still somehow see how strained Dekmuth-ssu was and how high his anxiety was.

Everyone perceived him as an Artisan but my system interpreted his threat as Highly Severe. Every Artisan I meet only had a threat of Low and every Aechean who were born from Combatant trees had a danger level ranging from Moderate to Highly Severe.

"That is all," he replied.

"You seem tensed, would you like a massage? I can arrange a bath buffet for you. It is very therapeutic," I suggested.

Dekmuth-ssu heaved a sigh and crossed his legs on his chair. "Again, you are way too accommodating. I do appreciate your enthusiasm to help others but please deliver those goods safely first. Your mission is of utmost importance Aecha-mu. One potion costs 50 million creds. Do not fail me again," he emphasized.

I crossed my arms over my chest that was then followed by my legs before bowing. 

It was a mistake. A group of mercenaries asked for my help for directions and instead of telling them the instructions, I have escorted them to the place where they desired to go only for them to loot me of ten potions. They did not use any harmful force to obtain the potions. The potions were sealed in a cube wherein only the owner of the shop, Dekmuth-ssu, and I can open and when they did attempt to hurt me, they only ended up having destroyed bones because their fists could not take the impact of their own strength against my body.

"You seem to be in pain, would you like to talk about it?" I politely asked.

"AHHH! My fists!"

"Yes, I can see how much pain you have. What intervention do you think is necessary to heal the agony that you feel?

They only convinced me to give the potions when they confessed that they needed the potions to revive their dead son, daughter, nephew, niece, father, mother, husband, wife, co-worker and mistress.

I pitied them for they seem so sincere.

Therefore, I gave the potions in order to help them.

Needlessly to say, Dekmuth-ssu was not pleased with my sympathy and the owner of the shop was about to fire me because of my carelessness but Dekmuth-ssu paid for the bankruptcy of the shop for my sake.

This was the reason why I must repay his kindness and do whatever it took to please Dekmuth-ssu.

"Go now and deliver those goods safely, after that, you can come back and we can talk about that bath buffet you suggested," he told me. My lips curled a little and I turned around and exited the pod.

"Aecha-mow, do your best!" Xiu-mow, a trainee Paragon called out from the doors of the pod.

He was assigned to be one of the security personnel for Dekmuth-ssu. Both he and Hunse-mow were guarding the pod. They were wearing their tight-fitting leather suits that indicated the color of their  class: White.

Hunse-mow still had his scowling face as usual but I could never understand his glare towards me.

"Hunse-mow, you seem upset, would you like to talk about it?" I asked him politely.

Xiu-mow smiled at his partner and draped an arm over his shoulder before attempting to push up Hunse-mow's narrowed eyebrows.

"Don't mind Hunse-mow, he's just bothered that your threat is Highly Severe when you're a certified Artisan," Xiu-mow explained.

Hunsen-mow pushed Xiu-mow off of him and crossed his arms over my chest. "Don't pretend like your scan tells a different threat level. You see that too," he seethed.

Xiu-mow jabbed his elbow against Hunse-mow's ribcage and then walked towards me and reached up to pat my head since I was taller than him.

"Don't be mean to Aecha-mow. He is an adorable felis-puff!"

Animalia Profile:

Animalia name: Felis-puff

Life span: 9 years

Appearance: Felis-puffs are small creatures with a furry head and pointed ears. The rest of their bodies are made up of clouds and their bodies materialized to their complete form if stimulated with a strong emotion.

Behavior: Rarely do they approach for petting if without food but they are friendly if one possesses food of their liking.

End of Profile

Hunse-mow further narrowed his eyebrows at me. "I'm watching you."

Xiu-mow scoffed at his warning and gave my back light blows. "Don't mind him. I'll get his system checked later," he whispered in my ears. "Bye Aecha-mow!" he cheerfully bid and shoved me forward.

I didn't get to wave back because of the huge box behind me. I will have to thank Xiu-mow for his warm personality and Hunse-mow for trying to associate himself with me even if he disliked me.

I began to walk to the more crowded area of the market with every store owner that I have helped and with every customer who I assisted greeting me.

"Aecha-mu, why don't you lend me a hand and I will treat you some Pepo zap!" Loss-ssu, a store owner for cheap yet  nice quality of weaponry called me.

A waved back and crossed my two index fingers to reject his offer before pointing at the big wooden box following me. Loss-ssu gave me his thumb of approval.

"Okay then, but be sure that after that you'll drop by!"

"A-yo (Good morning) Aecha-mow!"

"Aecha-mu, howzit?! (How are you?!)"

"Hu! Wotcha (Alright! Good work), Aecha-mu!"

"Kaisen be with you today Aecha-mow!"

Once I have arrived in front of the store that employed me, the pod door slid open and I entered. Bish-ssu was standing behind the counter entertaining a customer who was a Mocksian and when he saw me, his strict gaze lightened a bit.

"Good, you delivered them safely," he complemented. The stench of the Mocksian spread throughout the store but Bish-ssu managed to maintain a poker face.

But later on once the Mocksian leaves, he will complain about how grubby this particular race was and how sluggish I was when it came to delivering goods.

Bish-ssu resented me the day I gave away ten potions and because of this reason I worked extra hard to regain his trust. He was only keeping me under his care because Dekmuth-ssu asked him to. He really respected Dekmuth-ssu a lot.

The Mocksian's long and gray tail swept the floor back and forth. My eyes followed the way it slid on the carpeted floor before rising up and slamming back down.

Bish-ssu cleared his throat catching my attention. He was getting impatient. I released the locks of the wooden box and then removed the silver cube that housed the potions by walking and making the cube follow my figure. I faced the tall cube-like space carved in the wall of the store and then slowly turned around before walking back which made the cube enter the reserved space for it. I placed my hand over the circular flat red gem at the center of the cube and watched as white light was released from the gem and flowed through the linings of the cube.

I let my hand fall to my side as the silver cube turned into small particles of ash and formed the liquefied black barrier in which no vision can pass through even my scanning system.

I heard the door of the store slide open and Bish-ssu greeted the customers. When the protective barrier was done, I turned to see the new customers finding them to be Mocksians who seemed pretty close to our first purchaser.

There were a total of six Mocksians. They were armored and equipped. Their threat level was: Moderate to High.

I observed their mannerisms and watched their constant gazes to the barrier behind me. It must be their first time to see such kind of security. It might seem like the barrier was frail because of its watery yet gooey consistency but if an unauthorized individual push his or her hand inside, the substance will perceive this as a burglar and keep the arm inside until the authorities come and its seizing mode gets deactivated.

The Mocksians continued to inquire about the vivere potions and Bish-ssu entertained their questions. In the end, the Mocksians left without buying and I was left with Bish-ssu's complaints of wasting precious time with them.

"Uggh...Go home Aecha-mu, this is such an unproductive day," he groaned.

"Bish-ssu, you seem stressed, would you like to talk about it?" I asked him.

Bish-ssu grunted and brushed his hand away. "I don't want to talk, I want creds...lots of them," he sighed. He brought out his wallet and then gave me my pay. "Here, good work today but next time, move faster!" he scolded.

I bowed at his generosity. "Thank you Bish-ssu but I believe that you gave me more than usual."

He was never this generous before. Maybe he had some problems. 

"You don't want it? I only did it because Dekmuth-ssu told me so, if you don't want it I can always say that you are ungrateful of the double," he drawled. With my hand still holding the creds, Bish-ssu attempted to take them but with the knowledge that Dekmuth-ssu was generous enough to give me more than my worth, my posture straightened and Bish-ssu cussed when his hand missed.

"Thank you Bish-ssu, I must go now. Please do not be shy to call me if you need anything," I told him.

"Haah? Why would I be shy? I'm your employer I can call you whenever I want!"

Before Bish-ssu's language become even more vulgar, I left the pod in order to give my aid to other store owners for their productivity to increase. I politely declined payments and explained to them that I only work for Dekmuth-ssu and Bish-ssu.

"Hey Aecha-mu, what do you think about that missing newborn? You know, the one born from Ecgtheow," a store owner who I was close to asked. "I remembered that you were born at the same time  as him, " he told me.

Pooch-puffs and felis-puffs gathered around me. Usually these two animalias do not get along but in this store, they lived in harmony.

Animalia Profile

Animalia name: Pooch-Puff

Life span: 15 years

Appearance: Pooch-puffs are small creatures with a furry head. The shape of their ears varied with breed. The rest of their bodies are made up of clouds and their bodies materialized to their complete form if stimulated with a strong emotion. They are also known as Aechean's best friend.

Behavior: Most Pooch-puffs are playful. They are protective of their territories and unlike felis-puffs, they follow their owners around. Pooch-puffs approach you even if you do not have food.

End of Profile

"I do not have knowledge of him," I lied.

As I studied more of my birth tree I discovered the history of its previous children. The last child to be born from it was named Laechia. Laechia was a hero to all. After saving the world from the Necron which was a creature that swallowed planets, Laechia was said to regress into his newborn behavior. He became aggressive and was a high threat to Aecheans therefore, he was executed. One thousand Paragons were sent to slay him and nine-hundred ninety nine of them died doing so. The one who survived during the battle between Laechia and the Paragons committed suicide. The reason for such action was never found but he was known to be Laechia's comrade during the battle against Necron.

Ecgtheow was known to be a birth tree that created hundreds of heroes. Heroes who were born blood-thirsty yet developed altruism only to end up being the same Aecheans they were when they were born. They were born as killing machines, lived as heroes, and died as convicts.

I desired to be of assistance to others but I do not want to end up as my siblings who in the end hurt their fellow Aecheans for an unknown motive.

That was the reason why I have decided to live as an Artisan and help others in the Artisan's way and not as a Paragon.

"Ahh, I wonder where he is? I am curious. You know, they say that whenever Ecgtheow gives birth it meant that Necron will once again come to Aecha. I really don't know but it's like Ecgtheow can sense whenever Necron will come. Could it be that it was once a part of it?"

Ecgtheow...my birth tree was a part of that creature?

Ah...How interesting.

"Who knows Noci-ssu...You might be correct..." I stated and rubbed the head of the Pooch-Puff on my lap.

I only work eight hours a day but a day consisted of 36 hours and so it was for that reason why I had more time to help those who were in need of assistance. After helping the last store in the open market, I went home to my small pod that was situated at the outer part of the open market. By law, it was illegal to build any other structure at the surface but Dekmuth-ssu helped me get my documents done. I lay on my cradle and stared at the white ceiling of my pod.

Ever since I was born I lived as the child of Eggtho. I would visit Eggtho, the smallest tree to have ever grown and never have I once dropped by to Ecgtheow's territory.

With my constant visits, Eggtho looked healthier with each passing month. It even grew taller. When I asked one of the caretakers of the birth trees about Ecgtheow's condition, he said that Ecgtheow didn't seem to be as vibrant as before.

The truth was I was ashamed to visit my birth tree. I have claimed that I was the child of Eggtho and it had bothered my conscience. I fear that I was hurting Ecgtheow but I was also afraid of ending up like Laechia. I did not want to kill. I did not want to hurt anyone. I just want to help more. It was the only prime purpose of my life.

After soaking my body in food and removing the dusts and dirt of work, I lay back in bed and attempted to rest in order to reboot my system. My vision was developing glitches and my system warned me throughout the day of my risk of overheating.

I closed my eyes and my body began to cool down.

System Loading...

Initiating recuperation...

Initiating hibernation...

Turning on programmed lullaby...

Sleep is now ongoing...

ZzzzzZZzzzzzZZzzzzzZzzzzzzzZzzzzzzZzzzzzzZzzzzzzZzzzzz

An explosion turned on all system functions inside my body and I hurried outside of my pod. Green smoke can be seen at the Open Market from where I stood. The glowing medusozoas illuminated the skies and the blue moon was hidden behind the dark clouds. Various screams from the existing crowd inside the Open Market can be heard even from afar. I scampered to the Open Market as my system calculated the numbers of damages inside.

System Calculating...

Number of casualties: 156

Deceased: 69

The numbers continued to increase and once I have entered, I have discovered the root cause of this catastrophe.

The Mocksians from earlier were now robbing each store in the Open Market and they were using brute force.

I must evacuate everyone.

"Osre, osre! Heickre suni fis vi cus! (Hurry, hurry! Leave this place at once!)"

While the Mocksians were busy robbing what they can, I continued to evacuate everyone out of the Open Market. I checked on every corpse to see if they have pulse and promised those who were severely injured and those who were still breathing that I will come back for them.

Where were the Paragons?

My hearing caught the scream of plea of a child. I removed a rock that was crushing the legs of a visitor and I received the gratitude of his wife.

"Aisa! Mu Uma! Mu Uma! " The child repeated.

My body automatically searched for the source of the voice and once my system located the exact spot, I scurried towards it. My eyes met with two Mocksians pinning down a female visitor from the planet Eumia. Her daughter was being restrained by another Mocksian and had no other option but to watch the horror in front of her.

A flat line of sound drew blankness in my system when another loud explosion occurred.  My system began to initiate functions in which I never knew I had when the gray creatures tore her clothes off in front of the child Eumia.

Configuration of Scion Mode...

"Mu Uma! Mu Uma!" 

Launching birth weapons...

The tissues in my arms changed into glimmering cube like shapes and began to alter into a long, sharp, and needle-like figure. My needle-like limbs touch the edge of each other and light swirled at its edges which grew bigger and brighter.

Commencing Annihilation...

3...

2...

1...

The orb of light stretched into a long beam and penetrated through the Mocksian's head completely beheading him. His friends's eyes grew wide in fear even the one Mocksian who was supposed to charge against me when he saw me. His friends scampered away and he was left with shaky knees when my beam faced him.

"I surrende-"

"I do not forgive," I cut him off.

I sealed his fate and the others who attempted to escape because their acts were unforgivable. 

Targets annihilated...

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A/N: How's the first chapter?

Here are the answers to the questions that you might ask: 

Ssu- an honorific used to a person who is of higher status than you.

Mu- an honorific used to a person of lower status.

Mow- an honorific used to a person who is of equal status.

There are two divisions of Aecheans:

Artisans- those with no capabilities to fight but are highly creative and inventive.

Combatant- those equipped with lethal weapons even at birth.

Paragons- combatants who are trained to be high class soldiers. They were formed during the first invasion of the Necron.