Authority: Awakening

Falcon wasn't like the other students. He got into Los Angeles High School No. 18 by rummaging through trash and selling gadgets he managed to fix—or even improve. His annual income barely reached 6,000 Cancerian dollars[^1].

His classmates, on the other hand, were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Their parents earned at least a million Cancerian dollars a year, giving them every reason to act arrogantly.

In this world, the greatest power was known as Authority. As the name suggests, it granted its wielder control over the very rules of reality—allowing them to fly, turn invisible, and perform other feats that defied logic. The paths to gaining Authority were many, but most fell into two main categories:

First, by holding positions of power—like princes, kings, governors, or anyone with influence over at least a hundred people. These individuals were called Rulers.

Second, through personal cultivation of the body—a path known as martial mastery. By relentlessly training and pushing the limits of the human body, one could perform miraculous feats like tearing through space or soaring through the skies. However, this path did not grant control over the elemental rules. These individuals were called Builders.

As for Falcon, he was neither. He hadn't begun his journey yet. Sixteen was the golden age for one to begin the process of Authorizing, and he still had a few months to go.

Lost in thought, Falcon bumped into someone—a tall, muscular yet lean figure with golden hair tied into braids.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there. I was lost in thought," Falcon said as he tried to gather himself. Then he realized who it was—Maxwell, one of his usual tormentors.

Maxwell looked at him with a smirk and mocked, "'Sorry, I didn't see you there'... Trash, you can do better than that. Looks like you're in need of another reminder."

Falcon's heart sank. He had heard those words before, and he knew what came next.

Maxwell snapped his fingers, and his lackeys appeared like vultures. They quickly surrounded Falcon and began beating him mercilessly. When they were done, they even took his pocket money—just three Cancerian dollars.

He honestly didn't give a fuck. He was used to the daily beatings—but come on, stealing from a broke kid? That had to be against some kind of bully code, right?

Enraged, Falcon grabbed a nearby potted plant and swung it at Maxwell's head. The pot shattered into pieces… but Maxwell barely flinched.

Although physically fine, Maxwell was clearly pissed. He picked up a shard of the broken pot and slashed Falcon across the right eye—not just a cut, but more like he artistically redesigned it into a one-way traffic lane for pain.

At that moment, a school drone flew over them. A red light blinked as it scanned the scene.

"Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Falcon are engaging in unsanctioned physical activity. If continued, this may result in serious injury, death, or disciplinary complications. You are advised to cease immediately or risk expulsion—or Pit Time."

As soon as Maxwell heard that, he backed off. He shot Falcon a cold glare and said, "Stay out of my way, unless you're begging for an extra round next time."

With that, he left.

Falcon lay on the ground, staring up at the artificial sky, replaying every moment of his interaction with Maxwell. He kept wondering where exactly he went wrong… Was it bumping into him? Was it existing?

Then everything started spinning. His vision blurred. He felt dizzy—and just before he blacked out, a girl ran toward him. She was pretty, though her face was a blur. She mumbled something, her words soft and inaudible—except for one thing he could make out:

"Hold on…"

And then… darkness.

Beep. Beep.

Falcon looked up to see what looked like a floating crystal encased in crystalline glass. Trying to understand what the fuck that was, he looked around and noticed he was lying on a bed. Then he looked up and saw the logo: Renin Family.

After seeing it, he was reminded of the No. 1 Family in the world.

The Renin Family. Their turning point was when they invented the first Rejection Equipment… this is what allowed Authoritizers to exist among humans and not cause Cerebral Dysplaysy.

This is the medical term given to those who are ordinary yet experience high amounts of Authority—or were present when an Authoritizer was exercising theirs.

The symptoms are blood coming out of the nose, severe headaches, and death.

After inventing this, they also developed other medical and health tech, earning them the title of the No. 1 Family in the world.

"Patient No. 1456 is awake…" A brown-haired woman with a little cybernetic modification to her eye and head entered the room.

"Ehmm… doctor, who sent me to the hospital and why?" Falcon asked.

"Well… a Renin lad came and claimed that you are her boyfriend and that I should help you. And you know this hospital is owned by the Renin, so we had to accept you even though you are a lower-trash filled son of a gun human being," the nurse said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Falcon heard the unhidden sarcasm in her voice but didn't say anything. He just kept his head down.

Then he raised his head, looked at her, and said, "Well, that's what your mom said to your father."

After that, he jumped out of the window, leaving the nurse in shock.

Back at his dump, he changed his clothes while looking at the time—preparing for the greatest job of all time: Trash diving.

He then discovered a one-eyed monocle that looked worn out. After that, he found Marco and his gang—and a black, necklace-like pearl. He became instantly attracted to it.

So, he did the best thing he could: he appeared behind Marco and stole the necklace, then disappeared.

To Marco, one second he was holding the necklace—the next, it had disappeared.

Falcon wasn't like the other students. He got into Los Angeles High School No. 18 by rummaging through trash and selling gadgets he managed to fix—or even improve. His annual income barely reached 6,000 Cancerian dollars[^1].

His classmates, on the other hand, were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Their parents earned at least a million Cancerian dollars a year, giving them every reason to act arrogantly.

In this world, the greatest power was known as Authority. As the name suggests, it granted its wielder control over the very rules of reality—allowing them to fly, turn invisible, and perform other feats that defied logic. The paths to gaining Authority were many, but most fell into two main categories:

First, by holding positions of power—like princes, kings, governors, or anyone with influence over at least a hundred people. These individuals were called Rulers.

Second, through personal cultivation of the body—a path known as martial mastery. By relentlessly training and pushing the limits of the human body, one could perform miraculous feats like tearing through space or soaring through the skies. However, this path did not grant control over the elemental rules. These individuals were called Builders.

As for Falcon, he was neither. He hadn't begun his journey yet. Sixteen was the golden age for one to begin the process of Authorizing, and he still had a few months to go.

Lost in thought, Falcon bumped into someone—a tall, muscular yet lean figure with golden hair tied into braids.

"Sorry, I didn't see you there. I was lost in thought," Falcon said as he tried to gather himself. Then he realized who it was—Maxwell, one of his usual tormentors.

Maxwell looked at him with a smirk and mocked, "'Sorry, I didn't see you there'... Trash, you can do better than that. Looks like you're in need of another reminder."

Falcon's heart sank. He had heard those words before, and he knew what came next.

Maxwell snapped his fingers, and his lackeys appeared like vultures. They quickly surrounded Falcon and began beating him mercilessly. When they were done, they even took his pocket money—just three Cancerian dollars.

He honestly didn't give a fuck. He was used to the daily beatings—but come on, stealing from a broke kid? That had to be against some kind of bully code, right?

Enraged, Falcon grabbed a nearby potted plant and swung it at Maxwell's head. The pot shattered into pieces… but Maxwell barely flinched.

Although physically fine, Maxwell was clearly pissed. He picked up a shard of the broken pot and slashed Falcon across the right eye—not just a cut, but more like he artistically redesigned it into a one-way traffic lane for pain.

At that moment, a school drone flew over them. A red light blinked as it scanned the scene.

"Mr. Maxwell and Mr. Falcon are engaging in unsanctioned physical activity. If continued, this may result in serious injury, death, or disciplinary complications. You are advised to cease immediately or risk expulsion—or Pit Time."

As soon as Maxwell heard that, he backed off. He shot Falcon a cold glare and said, "Stay out of my way, unless you're begging for an extra round next time."

With that, he left.

Falcon lay on the ground, staring up at the artificial sky, replaying every moment of his interaction with Maxwell. He kept wondering where exactly he went wrong… Was it bumping into him? Was it existing?

Then everything started spinning. His vision blurred. He felt dizzy—and just before he blacked out, a girl ran toward him. She was pretty, though her face was a blur. She mumbled something, her words soft and inaudible—except for one thing he could make out:

"Hold on…"

And then… darkness.

Beep. Beep.

Falcon looked up to see what looked like a floating crystal encased in crystalline glass. Trying to understand what the fuck that was, he looked around and noticed he was lying on a bed. Then he looked up and saw the logo: Renin Family.

After seeing it, he was reminded of the No. 1 Family in the world.

The Renin Family. Their turning point was when they invented the first Rejection Equipment… this is what allowed Authoritizers to exist among humans and not cause Cerebral Dysplaysy.

This is the medical term given to those who are ordinary yet experience high amounts of Authority—or were present when an Authoritizer was exercising theirs.

The symptoms are blood coming out of the nose, severe headaches, and death.

After inventing this, they also developed other medical and health tech, earning them the title of the No. 1 Family in the world.

"Patient No. 1456 is awake…" A brown-haired woman with a little cybernetic modification to her eye and head entered the room.

"Ehmm… doctor, who sent me to the hospital and why?" Falcon asked.

"Well… a Renin lad came and claimed that you are her boyfriend and that I should help you. And you know this hospital is owned by the Renin, so we had to accept you even though you are a lower-trash filled son of a gun human being," the nurse said, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

Falcon heard the unhidden sarcasm in her voice but didn't say anything. He just kept his head down.

Then he raised his head, looked at her, and said, "Well, that's what your mom said to your father."

After that, he jumped out of the window, leaving the nurse in shock.

Back at his dump, he changed his clothes while looking at the time—preparing for the greatest job of all time: Trash diving.

He then discovered a one-eyed monocle that looked worn out. After that, he found Marco and his gang—and a black, necklace-like pearl. He became instantly attracted to it.

So, he did the best thing he could: he appeared behind Marco and stole the necklace, then disappeared.

To Marco, one second he was holding the necklace—the next, it had disappeared.

And then he said, "Hmmm… this seems highly SUS "

[1]Cancerian Dollar is the book currency formed after the major clans gathered together and formed the Cancerian Alliance