Pan Osbourne was optimistic today. He was eighteen, and it was his first day at Cloyster Academy of Technology. Even though he was poor and likely to be mistreated, he was still excited to learn and get ahead in life.
The boy had been looking forward to this day after graduating from high school. The latter had been a nightmare. Pan’s wealthy classmates enjoyed torturing and humiliating him. They would burn his books, spill water on his homework, throw his lunch to the dogs, fill his desk with cat turds, and so on.He could not complain to authorities because nobody cared about helping a poor kid. The rich bullies always got away.Pan’s treatment was not so different at home. His parents died in a car crash when he was a baby and since then his uncle’s family adopted him. However, they treated him like a servant.His elder cousin brother, two older sisters, and one younger sister, were all given special treatment while Pan was considered a humiliation to the family. They made him sleep in the garage and fed him only leftovers of meals. His sisters slaved him around when they could. He did most of the housework, including cleaning, washing, and shopping with the other servants, while everyone else in the family lived the classy life. Pan had always wondered why everybody bullied and mistreated him at home. He had above-average looks, was smart, and meticulous. What was it about him that triggered bullying? Even his elder brother, Leo, who Pan looked up to, ignored him.Lilia, his eldest sister, twenty-three, took the initiative once to read him his rights.“Ick! How come you don’t know why everyone hates you? Leo is the star of our family and makes us proud. Didn’t you hear he is the Student President of Cloyster Academy already? On the other hand, you are the runt of the family with no achievements. I wish you’d just disappear!”Pan had come to terms with bullying in school. He believed that high school students were immature and that college would be different. Hard work and discipline would definitely help him rise in the world. The boy dreamed of making a career out of Engineering. The first six months at the Academy would determine if he was fit to be an Apprentice. Pan was also excited about the Academy for another reason. He was a hopeless virgin whom girls mainly ignored for his poverty. College girls would be full-bodied and ripe for the taking. Pan had never been a pervert, but something had happened to him over the holidays. His desire had become multi-fold. The boy wanted to bring his fantasies to life somehow. His nerd-introvert days were over.***“Which ore causes explosions in coal mines?” the Professor asked his class. The third period was chemistry, and Prof. Gergich was testing the IQ level of students.Pan had already memorized the entire book, and hence knew the answer.‘This is my time to shine,’ he told himself and raised his hand. There were audible gasps from the students.“Who is that guy?”“What’s wrong with him?”“Why is he trying to act smart?”The class was divided into two columns, with an aisle between them. Wealthy students were on the right in cushy, premium seats, while poor and sponsored students were on the left. This distinction reflected the city’s social classes. Those from the high-classes were given elite positions in the industry and government. The lower classes were pushed into the unskilled labor workforce.Usually, the right-column students raised their hands to answer, while there were no responses from the left. The latter would not risk attention from their superiors.Therefore, Prof. Gergich, who was a wealthy man himself, was surprised when a random kid from the sponsored rows expressed his wish to answer.“You, boy!” he hollered sternly. “Seems we have a smarty among the poor.”The wealthy students sniggered.“Stand up and tell us which ore causes explosions in coal mines,” Gergich instructed.Pan stood in place with confidence. “Thanks for the opportunity, Professor. The common misunderstanding is that ores cause explosions in mines,” he said with assertion. “However, flammable gasses like Methane cause spontaneous combustion, and resultant explosion.”“Hmm,” Professor Gergich murmured and walked over to Pan’s desk. “Are you sure?”“Yes, Professor,” Pan replied with a smile.Swat! Gergich smashed his straight against the boy’s face. Pan fell to the floor, clutching his face, groaning and writhing. His right cheek had split, and blood was smeared all over. “The answer is Methane indeed,” the Professor announced to the class, returning to his table. “This is a useful lesson to everyone about why sponsored students should not try to accomplish anything. They are here only to observe, like the monkeys they are. If they act smart, they’ll get hurt.”Prof. Gergich was a known elitist, and he hated poor students. The right columns broke out in laughter. Even a fair section of the left sniggered. It was always funny to see a disadvantaged kid ridiculed.*****Pan was sent to the medical wing, where Nurse Jane patched him up. “You shouldn’t try to stand out, little guy,” she advised him. “Government regulations give us the right to go to schools and colleges, but we must keep our mouths shut until we graduate.” Pan figured she had been a sponsored student as well. But he wasn’t paying much attention to her. Part of him wanted to kill Gergich, while the other part was staring down the nurse’s huge cleavage. He felt guilty for both actions but couldn’t help himself.‘What’s wrong with me these days?’ he wondered. ‘I’m not able to focus on studies. Something seems to be calling to me.’“Everybody knows that ultimately we will join the menial labor force,” Jane concluded. “Trying to act smart or attempting to mix with blue bloods will only get you hurt.”“What about cheek?” he asked, wincing. Jane smiled and gave him a peck on his injured cheek. “You’re a handsome, healthy boy. The injury will heal soon.”***When Pan returned to class, it was already lunchtime. The classroom was almost empty. Someone had thrown his tiffin box into the garbage can. He recovered it and opened the box. Pan sighed. His lunch was just stale leftovers from last night’s dinner. His cheek stung, and his head throbbed. But he had to eat somehow. Getting bullied on an empty stomach was the worst.Cloyster was the most prosperous city globally to produce a quality workforce. There were top-tier schools, colleges, universities, training institutes, industrial units, and so on, which churned out hundreds of thousands of human resources per year.Cloyster Academy Technology was one of the five elite technology colleges in the world. Because of recent non-discrimination legislation, all students had to attend the same schools regardless of social class. It was a nightmare for poor students, who were treated like scum by teachers and upper-class students. Most of them got kicked out of the Academy if they could not secure an apprenticeship, to be accomplished by the end of the first semester.Pan gobbled up the stale bread and curry and wondered what others were doing during the break. Students often hung out as couples during lunchtime, making out and fooling around. A few bold couples did not shy away from sex in secrecy. Tap! Tap! Tap!Someone approached him from behind. The sound of heels? Who was it?“Hey, what is your name?” an alluring voice asked.Pan got to his feet and turned around. The first thing he noticed was the expensive uniform. It was the first time a wealthy girl spoke to him in a kind way. Usually, they came to hurt or humiliate.The voice belonged to a slim, blonde girl with perky breasts poking through the white uniform. Pan was transfixed on her bust for more than a few seconds.‘I am a gentleman usually…’ he told himself. ‘But I can’t help it today…’Pan recognized the stranger. She was Jessica, the undisputed diva of the class. She was the hottest, prettiest girl, whose shadow Pan would be lucky to touch. But why was she speaking to him?“Hello?” the girl posed. “Are you okay?”Pan was uprooted from his fantasy and his prolonged observation of her breasts. “I- I am Pan…” he blurted out.“Pan… Hi, I am Jessica.” “I- I- know….”The girl smiled. “I was sorry to see what happened to you earlier. Gergich is a monster, isn’t he? I’ll file a complaint with the Headmaster about this.”Pan waved a dismissive hand. “Oh, no, it’s fine. Teachers punished me all the time in high school for being a know-it-all. Here, it was my fault for trying to show off what I knew. I guess I was too excited on my first day at the Academy.”Jessica frowned. “I am still so sorry. You are smart, and that needs to be appreciated. I hope you get an apprenticeship in Engineering.” She touched his shoulder affectionately.Pan almost got a partial erection. ‘What’s wrong with me?’ He took a deep breath, calming his nerves, and said, “Thank you. That means a lot.”Jessica smiled at him again, and his heart fluttered. ‘Ah, she is so pretty!’ Pan thought. ‘I could look at this face forever!’“Come with me,” Jessica said, walking towards the hall door. “I have something to show you.”“Pan Osbourne, right?” Jessica asked cheerfully, walking ahead of him in the corridor. It was a windowed passage that led to the college gymnasium. Ample sunlight lit the entire length of the gallery.“That’s correct.”“Ah, then Leo Osbourne is your brother?”Leo was twenty-two and in his third year at Cloyster Academy. He was the Student President of the academy, and a popular figure for his good looks and grades.Compared to his brother, Pan was a nobody.“Yeah… He is…”Did Jessica want to use him to get to Leo? “Your parents are elite suppliers of construction equipment, aren’t they?”Pan nodded. His parents started the business when they were alive. It was taken over by his uncle shortly after their untimely deaths.“Yeah, but I am not a part of the main Osbourne family. I work there as a servant.”“I see…”“Can I say something, Jessica?” Pan posed.“Go ahead.”“Umm, you are quite popular. I hate to say it… but you should not be seen with me. Since I’m from the lower society.”“Sh
Pan was underwater and did not know how to swim. He was almost out of breath and started guzzling water. The lake water was clear, sweet, and cold. It was almost welcoming.'What sort of trap is this?' he thought in panic. 'Did my bullies set this up?'But the magic he was experiencing was too advanced to be carried out by a first year. Did he fall into one of the academy's ponds?Initially, his instincts acted up, and his fingers reached for the surface, wiggling as a signal for help. However, as his body flailed helplessly, he saw the surface retreating. Pan was sinking. Nobody saw the boy drowning, and hence nobody came to his rescue.Every insult that he had ever been subjected to flashed across his mind. The words resonated in his head and hurt him like fatal slaps. 'Why do I let myself be treated like shit?' he wondered.Pan was convinced he was dying, but part of him gasped for air, trying to break to the water's surface. 'Why am I struggling to live?''The world out there hat
Pan almost died underwater. If what he was currently experiencing was one last dream of fantasy, then it was pretty entertaining. If it was fake, then he had nothing to lose.If it was real, then his life was about to change forever. But first, he needed to win the successor contest.He nodded to the talking frog, finally having wrapped his head around the situation. "I agree. Please begin."Jewel hopped down from the leaf pedestal and said, "Excellent! Let's proceed. Currently, we are on a lower slope of Mount Filo, which has four rungs. You must pass three of them successfully to get to the top. The fourth rung is the summit, where you can meet your divine parents." Pan nodded."Let me open a portal to the first rung," Jewel said.The talking frog croaked in a musical rhythm. Water from the pond rose and formed a large, swirling circle in front of them. "Follow me!" he instructed before hopping into the magic ring. He did not come out the other way but vanished.Pan took gradual and
Felix the hedgehog let out a resounding grunt, and a portal opened behind him. A bunch of people walked out of it. They were grown-ups, seven couples, to be exact. Meanwhile, the other liaisons used magic to bring seven tables and chairs to the garden. Each of the seven couples was asked to occupy a table. They seemed to be under some spell, so they followed the general commands of the liaisons.The adults all wore swimsuits as well. 'What's with the swimsuits?' Pan wondered. 'Is everyone expecting to go to the beach? Why am I the only one left out?' He was about to ask Jewel when the hedgehog spoke up."As Managing Liaison, I will take this opportunity to explain the rules of the first test," Felix began. "The purpose of the God of Love is not only to create new matches but also to mend broken matches. It will be easy for the successor of Eros to do so once they have received the divine powers. But can they fix painful love through human abilities? Let's find out." "Each couple in
The Liaisons Council sat in a closed circle. Nobody spoke a word for several minutes. They had provided the candidates with refreshments for the time being while the liaisons excused themselves to evaluate performances.Felix, the hedgehog, was in deep thought, tapping his tiny claws on the sandy ground."I had no idea he had the flame," Jewel croaked. "I swear in the name of the gods!"Felix glared at the frog and said sternly," You have landed us in a lot of trouble, my friend. Such an incident had not happened over centuries!"Jewel sighed and hung his head."Umm… What is the flame?" Coco the parrot asked. She was a fresher liaison and unfamiliar with ancient history and godlore.Felix wrung his hands and spoke up. "Fine. I will explain everything for the benefit of everyone who does not know. I'm getting old, so I'll depend on Jewel and Fluffy to fill in the gaps in information if I leave anything out. They are the only other seniors who have been to the assembly of gods."Jewel an
"Hey, wake up, sleepy head," a velvety voice said. A warm hand touched Pan's cheek. He stirred with his eyes closed and held the hand against his face. "It's so warm… Mom…" he murmured and smiled."Wake up, Pan..." the voice repeated. "I'm not your mom."The boy opened his eyes. A beautiful girl's face loomed over him. Ash-blonde hair cascaded down like dunes in the sand. Her blue eyes were so serene that they made Pan drowsy again. The boy lowered his eyes and saw a tight bust pressed against spandex. "Penelope?" he mumbled."Yes, it's me. Penny. You were talking in your sleep. What happened to you? Why did you pass out?""I… uh… I don't know. I don't remember. Did you guys see anything?"She shook her head gracefully. "Felix had magically censored everything happening at other tables. We were told you scored high on the test but passed out, probably due to exhaustion. But what actually happened at your couples table, nobody knows." Penny brought forth a tissue and wiped his upper l
“Alright,” Felix the hedgehog began. All the candidates seem to have arrived through the portals. I’ll explain how this rung works shortly.”The liaisons had transported the boys and girls into what appeared to be inside a cave. They stood in a narrow, winding tunnel with dingy stone walls surrounding them. It was dark, but Felix had conjured an orb of light with magic.“Do not be alarmed,” the hedgehog insisted. “We are in the heart of Filo mountain and closer to the summit than earlier. If any candidate feels uncomfortable or has trouble breathing, let me know. We will portal you right back. However, remember that would be considered a forfeit from the contest.”The candidates nodded. The contests were getting weirder.“What sort of test will you conduct here?” Blaze asked. He was so tall that his head almost touched the tunnel’s roof.“In the last rung, we tested whether you could re-ignite love through your words. In this one, we’ll test if you can resist love.” The candidates lo
The boys walked silently down the tunnel allotted to them. Initially, they could hear the girls' voices through the separating wall. However, as the passages diverged, their sounds faded and eventually disappeared. "We will appear at your side once the test is over," Felix the hedgehog had reassured them. "Good luck!" he had added before disappearing with his colleagues.And thus, the boys were by themselves, walking down the spooky tunnel. The liaisons had left each of them with a light orb that levitated above their heads like miner lamps."Should we take off our clothes already?" Cory asked. "I don't want to be burned alive by the freaks. That's not the way I want to go.""Yes, let's do that right away!" Blaze announced with enthusiasm.The other boys stripped down to nothing. Pan hesitated and wished he could do it in the darkness. However, a gnarled light orb floated above him, casting him into the spotlight. Pan felt a wave of intimidation overwhelm him as he stared at the guy