CROSS ANGE:

THE GLITCH IN THE SYSTEM

ARC 1: SOLE MALE NORMA

The World of Mana is one that is perfect in almost every way. There is no conflict, no crime, and no poverty. And the key to its prosperity is the Light of Mana, a unique energy with the power to interact with physical phenomena, allowing every man, woman, and child to manifest their very will into physical reality. With the Light of Mana empowering and connecting their world, humanity enjoys a period of peace and prosperity unlike any time in its remembered history.

But in this seemingly perfect world there exists a flaw, a minority here are born not only with the inability to use Mana, they destroy it on touch. These Norma as they are called, who are always girls, have been rejected by the world. Branded as monsters and cast away by society, the Norma are taken to an Island called Arzanel where they are kept to battle the only thing that threatens the World of Mana, massive reptilian beasts called DRAGONS. Using robotic machines called Para-mail, the Norma have no choice but to endure this harsh life until the day they die. As a result, the seven Nations who rule mankind: The Empire of Misurugi, The Enderant Union, The Galia Empire, The Kingdom of Rosenblum, The Marmeria Republic, and The Velda Dynasty; work together to keep the Norma in their place and the DRAGONs at bay to ensure no problems in this world will surface.

However even in this seemingly perfect world another problem surfaces, a child unlike any other, including the Norma. Some would call this as a small mistake in this world, but sometimes the smallest thing can make the greatest changes of all.

CHAPTER 1

CAL

Spring was coming to an end and summer would soon begin. Grass that once stood emerald, green had begun to yellow and trees that beamed with life as the new leaves and plants were now sprouting signs of withering from the lack of rain. It was the time of year where in civilized places, people would be watering their cars or enjoying a picnic in the park. In wild places like the forest, the animals were more likely to be seen this time of year. Mostly rabbits, red squirrels and if you were lucky even the occasional deer.

In one of these wild places, an island far from the mainland, a teenage boy crouched in the bush. He was average height for his age with room still to grow and the slim athletic build one would expect from one who spent most of his time outdoors. His grey pants were old and worn as was his favorite t-shirt which had faded from dark blue to nearly the same sky blue as his eyes. The one item of clothing that seemed to be fresh condition were his boots. There were a lot of poisonous snakes in the scrub, so Gramps always insisted he wear good foot protection. Other than that, so long as Cal wasn't running around nude the state of his clothes didn't really bother him. Not it would matter either way since the two of them were the only ones living on the whole island.

Wiping the sweat out of his short spiky black hair, Cal peeked over the edge of the scrub and saw that he was near one of the major game trails. No sign of movement so he ducked back down and crept along. No trace of scat or any other marking scents so he doubted anything had come through recently. The shadows were getting long and the air seemed a little chillier. It was going to be dark soon but before he turned to head back in the opposite direction, he came across the game trail and finally saw the dents in the soft mud.

As he examined the tracks, he realized it was the Stag he had been tracking for the past two days. He followed the tracks over the top of a hill that he knew led to a low precipice. Upon reaching the summit, he peered over and finally spotted the buck drinking at a small lake. Cal was currently downwind, so he knew he had better act fast before the wind shifted. From off his back, he unhooked the black crossbow and loaded one of the bolts clipped to the underside of the crossbar. Hunkering down for stability, the crossbow was brought up to take aim as Cal took in a light breath and held it. As if sensing itself in danger, the Stag lifted its head to look in his direction just as Cal squeezed the trigger to plant the bolt right into its throat and sending it crashing into the shallows of the lake's end.

With a sigh of relief, Cal dropped down the cliff edge. After fishing his catch out of the water, Cal dragged it into the woods to field dress it.

That was another benefit of doing this in worn clothes. Nicer ones would be ruined from all the blood and viscera and time was of the essence when hunting fresh meat. After gutting and drainage were complete, Cal slung the now empty carcass over his shoulders and whistled as he made his way home. Finally, bright yellow lights appeared through the trees and a cabin came into view. It was the place he had called home for as long as he could remember. Up onto the porch he climbed and through the open door he went to find his Grandfather Gaz sitting in the living room. Gaz was a tall muscular man with long greying brown hair tied in a ponytail. At the moment, Gramps was watching the Women's semi-finals Iaria on a Mana screen. Iaria was a sport that involved a team of players who rode two person flying sleds. One used the Light of Mana to control the sled while the other used a net on a long stick to catch the ball which they would then try to throw into the other team's goal. From what he could see, it was the Crimson Swallows vs The Silver Doe's and from the looks of things the Silver Doe's had won 11-7. It wasn't Cal's favorite sport by far, but he did like to watch the Women's division. Cal had never had any interaction with anyone apart from Gramps but for the last few years he had developed an increasing fascination with women's sports. It intrigued him how different they were from him and how they looked when they moved. Gramps liked to kid him how he had something called a "fetish" for strong women. Cal still wasn't quite sure what a "fetish" was but since Gramps had given him 'THE TALK' he always liked to watch a lot of women's sports and movies where the lead was a brave and fearless heroine. Finally, Gramps looked up from the Mana screen.

"Bout time you got in," he said as he nodded to the deer carcass over Cal's shoulders. "You bagged a nice one."

"It took me two days, but it was worth it," Cal beamed.

"Two days?" Gaz smirked. "You could have caught about ten rabbits and maybe a few pigs in that amount of time."

"Hey, you're the one who always says never do anything half assed."

"Point taken. Go ahead and put it in storage. We'll skin it and butcher it tomorrow."

Cal nodded his head and made his way to the garage at the back of the cabin where Gramps had installed a walk-in cooler for preserving fresh kills and a freezer for butchered meat. After hanging the stag in the cooler, Cal went to his attic bedroom for a clean change of clothes before returning to the living room to join Gramps on the couch, moving carefully so as not to touch the Mana screen and short it out.

"You missed the Soccer match," Gramps told him. "'Misurugi United' to 'Rosenblum F.C, 3-0." Cal groaned in annoyance. Soccer was his favorite sport to watch and play and Misurugi was HIS team.

"Well that sucks. I didn't think they would lose to Rosenblum of all teams."

"I still don't know why you support those pompous pricks. They're so full of themselves they underestimate the other teams. It's no wonder they're in last place this year."

"Like that time when you betted on the last chocolate éclair that you could beat me in a game, and I booted the ball so hard I broke your nose?"

They both broke into laughter though when Gaz looked at Cal, he couldn't help but feel sorry for the boy. All his life he had been stuck on this island with no friends or other people his age to talk to. And being a Norma, the only male as far as Gaz knew, he couldn't even watch TV without Gaz opening a screen for him. It was a good thing his "friends" from back in the day had helped him find a way to transfer Mana files onto physical storage mediums or Cal would probably go out of his mind with boredom. Teaching him to hunt had helped give Cal an outlet but Gaz knew it was a temporary fix. At 17 years old, Gaz could tell the young man his adopted grandson was growing into was starting to get a little stir crazy despite Gaz's warnings about how dangerous it was for him out there. He often wondered from time to time if it would have been better for Cal's sake if he had taken him to Arzenal. Place was a hellhole but at least he'd have people his own age. And he certainly wouldn't lack for company. But his sense of obligation had changed to genuine love for the boy who had been entrusted to his care and he couldn't bring himself to leave him in a place where the only life he'd be guaranteed was one of violent death. It wasn't what she had asked of him. He could still see her when he closed his eyes; a young woman with shoulder length black hair, skin with exhaustion huge bags under her sky-blue eyes, and the last words she spoke to him.

"Please… please Gavin… don't let them kill him…"

When Cal noticed that Gramps hadn't spoken for a while, he looked to him and saw that the elder man seemed strangely sad.

"Gramps...is everything okay?" Gaz jolted upright and shook his head.

"Yeah I'm okay. I must be getting tired."

"Maybe you should go lie down. I can go watch one of the copies you made in my room."

"Maybe you're right," Gaz sighed as he shut off the screen and stood up. "Just keep the volume down okay. Good night Cal."

"Night Gramps." As Gramps disappeared into his room, Cal climbed up to his attic loft and popped a data disk into the player. Gramps wouldn't say where he got it, but Cal was grateful for the device since it allowed him to watch his favorite movies and tv shows on his own. The one he had selected was a series titled 'Elite Space', and it had been his favorite since he was little. The hero was a pilot named Dom the Bomb who piloted a robot called a Dagnum in a war to save Earth from alien monsters. Cal always admired Dom not just for his courage and skill, but for how dedicated he was to protect his friends who in turn were always there for him. He always wondered if maybe someday, he could have friends like that. Gramps had told him there were others like him out there, Norma who couldn't use the Light of Mana. Were they in hiding like he was? If he could only meet them, maybe they could do something to help each other? Maybe one of them even knew his mother. Gramps had never liked talking about her. Whenever Cal asked, he always said the same thing.

"Your mother loved you and I promised her I'd protect you." He always looked sad when he told him that. "I know I don't talk about her much, but I think about her every day."

After a few episodes, Cal shut off the player and leaned back on his bed. The hunt had left him exhausted, and the bed was just too soft to resist.

Once he was certain Cal was asleep, Gaz reached under his bed and pulled out a laptop. He hated lying to Cal like that but their other matters he had to consider. And right now, he had an important message to deliver. Opening the video chat app, Gaz waited for an answer and was finally greeted to the sight of a woman sitting at a desk. She was tall and slim with long black hair done up in a ponytail and wearing a white military uniform. And while she was certainly beautiful, there was a sharpness in her fierce violet eyes that warned anyone who spoke to her that wasting her time was a huge mistake.

"Hello Jill. It's been a while."

"It has," Jill replied. "I assume you have a reason for bothering me." Gaz uploaded a file and began to transmit it.

"I've found something I think you may be interested in. There's this girl, 15 years old. Her name is Angelise Ikaruga Misurugi, the First Princess of the Misurugi Imperial family." Pulling a cigarette from a case on her desk, Jill lit the tip. Unlike her left, her right was a cybernetic prosthetic from the elbow down.

"And you think she's a Norma?"

"I don't have any definite proof, but I've been studying footage of her. Not once has she ever used the Light of Mana in public. Instead her maid seems to do everything for her. I don't know if she's aware of it or not, but I think she bears watching. Sooner or later someone's going to out her. I just wanted to let you know first so you can prepare her for when it happens."

"I appreciate it. By the way, how's the kid? Is he coming along?" Her sudden interest in Cal set off Gaz's alarms. Long ago, he and Jill had been allies but, in the years, following Libertus, she had become harder, more pragmatic. If she had an interest in Cal that could only mean she had intentions to make use of him.

"Yeah he's fine," Gaz said with a smile. "Cal's getting stronger every day. Gonna be a better fighter than I was once he's fully grown."

"How much have you told him?"

"Nothing specific. That's actually one of the reasons I wanted to call you. Have you had any contact with Istvan's kid?" Like Jill, Tusk had survived Libertus but had disappeared among the dozens of islands in the surrounding sea. And flying around Arzenal waters without care would lead the wrong people right to them. He had trained Cal how to use a Skyhook so perhaps if he has someone his own age to associate with would do him some good.

"Unfortunately, no," Jill answered. "After Istvan and Vanessa died he lost all will to fight. And I don't have time or patience to go out looking for him." "Well it was worth a shot,' Gaz thought. He'd just have to keep trying radio contact and hope he got lucky. "In any case, how long do you think you can coddle him? He's what, 16 now?"

"Going on 18 tomorrow actually."

"You can't keep him locked up forever. Sooner or later he's going to have to make a choice or it will be made for him. That's just how it is when you're a Norma."

"I know that." Gaz grumbled. "But Jill I won't allow anyone to use him as a tool. Not even you." Jill grunted and snubbed out her cigarette.

"We are all tools for the sake of Libertus," she countered. "You, him, the girls under my command, even me. Like it or not we all have a part to play. Otherwise, the only thing that boy has to look forward to is death." As much as he hated to admit it, Jill was right. It was his own people's fear and ignorance that had made the world this way. And as long as THAT man continued to pull humanity's strings nothing would change. "If you're right about this girl," she continued. "Then Libertus might just have a second chance."

"Fine but will you do me one favor Jill?" Jill raised an eyebrow, but she didn't cut the transmission.

"I'm listening." Gaz sighed and leaned into his hand.

"I'm getting old Jill. I'm not the soldier I was 10 years ago. If something happens before Libertus begins, I want you to look after Cal. He's strong and he knows how to handle himself, but he doesn't really know just how dangerous the world is or how bad some people can be. You're the only one I think I can trust him with."

"I'm not a babysitter." she grumbled. "He's old enough to take care of himself. But I would have died if you hadn't saved my life." She looked down at her mechanical arm and clenched its fist. "Alright. If something were to happen then he has a home here, with his own people."

"Thanks Jill." He paused for a few seconds then chuckled. "I always knew you had a soft spot. Just like the former commander." Jill rolled her eyes in disgust.

"How on earth Jasmine tolerated you much less even liked you I'll never know."

"How is she? Hope she's doing well."

"She is, and before you ask, she doesn't miss you in the slightest. She was sick of your face."

Before Gaz could counter, Jill had turned her screen off. She had always detested Gaz's amorous side when it came to Jasmine, but she always respected him as both a man and an ally. And if the information he had sent her was worth her time, then keeping in touch with him would have made it all worth it. Leaning back in her chair, Jill wondered what Cal looked like or if he still remembered her. She doubted it since he was only 8 years old the first and only time they ever met. She didn't like thinking about the past anyway as it only brought back memories of loss, pain and death of the people she cared about.

'Well hopefully nothing will happen,' she mused. 'Honestly, a man here on Arzenal? I can't even imagine the kind of headaches that would cause me."

AUTHOR'S NOTES

Well, that's my first chapter of my Cross Ange Fic, I hope you're all enjoying it as I'm really looking forward to getting to the next chapters when the story really begins. Here's some date regarding my OC. Also give a big shout out to Eric Michael Kline who has helping me out tremendously with this story.

Cal

Height: 5' 8", 173 cm

Age: 17 (will be 18 by the next chapter)

Eyes: Sky Blue

Hair: Black (short and spiked up)

Weight: 65kgs

Build: Athletic (will become more muscular as the story progresses)

Voice Actor: Josh Grelle (Issei Hyoudou, Highschool DxD)

Backstory: All his life Cal has lived on an island with only his Grandfather Gaz. As the world's only male Norma, Cal is unable to use the Light of Mana but can destroy it on contact. Instead of being shipped to Arzanel like other Norma, his Gramps escaped with him to where he could live in safety. As a former soldier, Gaz has taught Cal how to survive from hand-to-hand combat training to hunting and skinning wild animals. An innocent and kind-hearted person, Cal is somewhat naïve from not being around other people and always takes others at their word and doesn't fully understand the concept of how other people may lie or try to use him. However, he is a hard worker and will get things done if told to without question. Cal has never been bothered by how different he is and has always wondered is there more to what his Gramps has told him.