Zane couldn't afford a textbook, but he still got perfect scores. He had a sharp eye and a photographic memory that made up for everything he lacked. He didn't need to study like the others—he only needed to see something once, and it stuck with him. He was quiet, always watching, always thinking. His sharp mind and keen sense of observation made him extremely perceptive, able to notice the tiniest details others missed.
Even back in school, he could see a hundred ways to get back at the bullies who made his life difficult without lifting a finger. But he never acted on them. In a world where money reigned supreme, someone like him—abandoned by his family—couldn't afford to get into trouble. It just wasn't worth the risk. Besides, he had promised Ariel he wouldn't fight or cause problems. If things went wrong, he had no one to stand behind him.
"The second time the messenger came back," Zane said, his voice calm and clear, "you gave him just one word—'come.' No tricks, no threats, no fancy speeches. Just that. Which meant the test was already over. You weren't trying to intimidate us anymore. You were waiting to see if we'd figured it out. That made it clear… you're not just some instructor. You were sent by the Master to test our intelligence."
Gasps broke out among the trainees. A few jaws dropped. The same people who had called Zane a joke were now staring at him like he had become a completely different person.
"Wait… what?"
"You mean this was a test all along?"
"Man, I just followed orders and almost peed my pants for nothing…"
Even Nenis looked stunned, blinking as if trying to rewind everything in her head. The wind rustled through the training ground, brushing over the nervous crowd like a whisper of realization.
The instructor—who everyone now knew wasn't just any instructor—smirked and nodded. "Right on point. Looks like you're not a complete idiot after all."
Then he turned to Onilia, his eyes sharp and unreadable. "Now, another question. This one's for you, Onilia."
She stiffened, her back straightening slightly. The pressure in his gaze was like a weight on her chest.
"It was obvious you had no idea what Zane was doing," he said. "But you chose to follow him anyway. Why?"
Onilia hesitated, her lips parting slightly as her gaze dropped to the floor. She couldn't just say, "Because I trusted him." It sounded too soft… too exposed. But the truth was, she'd seen him push himself to the brink of death—over and over again. He wasn't reckless, and he wasn't stupid. Zane would never throw away all that suffering for nothing. That's why, even with her nerves fraying, she followed his lead without question.
Zane saw the struggle in her eyes and stepped forward.
"It's simple really. When you're as charming as me, people follow without thinking."
For a moment, silence hung in the air. Then—
"Is this guy serious?" someone muttered from the back.
A few trainees burst out laughing, while others looked like they wanted to throw rocks at him.
"Tch. Arrogant bastard," one sneered.
Nenis looked like she was going to explode. "Charming? More like delusional!"
But even she couldn't deny the shift in the air. The once-dismissed fool was now the center of attention—and somehow, he wore it like a crown.
Zane didn't say it out loud, but honestly, he hadn't expected her to go through with it. It was an all-or-nothing bet. He just wanted to see how far her trust would go. And the fact that she'd stayed by his side… that meant more to him than he could ever explain. Now, he was able to dismiss any doubt he had about her.
The instructor glanced briefly at Zane, then turned back to Onilia, but didn't push her further. It seemed he had his answer.
He then looked Zane dead in the eyes. "What about you, Zane? What if you were wrong?"
Zane didn't flinch. His expression didn't change.
"When I decide on something," he said, his voice firm and steady, "I don't include the possibility of failure."
Then the instructor smiled.
It was the kind of smile that said this one's different.
"You will both receive a reward from the Master," the instructor announced, his voice calm but steady. "Though… I don't know when that'll happen."
The moment those words left his mouth, a wave of murmurs rippled through the group. Every trainee's expression twisted—some with envy, others with disbelief. The guy they had all looked down on… was now about to be recognized by the Master himself?
"That can't be real…"
"The Master… giving him a reward?"
"Seriously? That clown?"
Nenis clenched her fists tightly, her jaw tightening. Jealousy crept into the eyes of several others. The very idea that Zane—the latecomer, the one everyone thought would be eliminated first—was getting special treatment gnawed at their pride.
The instructor raised his hand, silencing the growing noise. "Your training is actually quite simple," he continued.
Zane's eye twitched.
'Simple, huh? Yesterday, you said a lot of us would die with a straight face.' he thought bitterly, trying not to roll his eyes.
"You'll go through three main stages," Marius explained, pacing slowly in front of the group like a general before battle. His cloak swayed lightly with each step, the morning breeze stirring the dust at his feet.
"The first is muscle adjustment—we'll be tearing down the unnecessary, rebuilding the useful. Your bodies will change. Some of you will scream. Some will actually die."
A few of the trainees gulped.
"The second is blind spot correction—you'll learn to see what you normally don't. Your weaknesses will be exposed and burned into your minds until they no longer exist."
Zane's grip tightened at his sides, his heart racing slightly.
"And finally… you'll be helped to discover and shape your fighting style—not just what suits you, but what lets you kill your enemy the fastest."
The instructor's eyes swept over them all.
"You want to live? Then train like your life depends on it. Because it does."
Zane's lips curled into a small grin. Finally, he thought, it's beginning.
He looked up at the sky as sunlight broke through the drifting clouds.
'Wait for me, Ariel,' he thought, his heart pounding with determination. 'I'm coming.' All of this happened before anyone on Earth awakened
*****
Blake's proposal to form an Awakened Association had been accepted by the board. But even with the approval, more pressing matters demanded their attention. Forming an association could wait—they had to survive the tutorials first.
They were currently on the second day.
The first wave had hit the world hard. No one was ready.
Weapons and gears were handed out in a frenzy. There was barely enough time to sort through supplies, let alone organize them. Zones S and A across the globe—those with access to a lot of resources—had worked nonstop through the night, doing their best to arm the strongest Awakened.
Cities buzzed with movement. Awakeners scrambled across rooftops. Factories blazed through the night. Emergency lights never stopped flashing. Everyone was too busy fighting to sleep.
Then... the world took a breath. Just one.
And the Geminis struck again.
This time, they came from multiple locations. Coordinated. Precise. Brutal.
Humanity reacted instantly. Fighter jets roared through the skies, shuttling elite Awakeners from one zone to the next. Cargo planes dropped support teams. Emergency transfers were arranged within minutes. It looked like a war scene from a movie—except this was real, and the enemy wasn't human.
That was when they noticed it.
All seven Elite-rank Geminis had appeared in one place. At once.
The location? Ravenloch, a run-down, crime-infested part of a city in America. Once, it had been a lively community—but now it looked like a war-torn slum. Most people there were poor, forgotten, or just unlucky. It was the kind of place no one really paid attention to.
Jason stepped into the room, limping slightly. His coat was torn, his shirt half-burned, and one side of his face was bruised from his sparring match with Ariel. But another part of him was even more wounded.
"Father," he said, catching his breath. "Looks like things just got serious."
Ariel entered a second later, her golden hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her eyes locked on the large digital map flickering on the screen.
"Father," she said urgently, "we need to go there." She pointed to the red marker—Ravenloch, where the seven Elite Geminis had gathered.
Jason frowned, eyeing the map with disinterest. "Ravenloch?" he muttered. "That area's barely functional. Infrastructure's collapsing, no major assets, no military presence… it's a black hole. Sending forces there would be a waste."
Annoyed he turned away, brushing a hand through his hair. "We should focus on zones with strategic value. Places that can actually hold a defense. Pouring resources into a slum full of vagrants and low-level Awakened won't win us the war—it'll just slow us down."
"And let's not forget—all seven Elite-ranked Geminis are there. We still don't know the extent of their abilities, but I'm willing to bet they rival, or even surpass, our Primordials."
He turned away from the screen as if disgusted by the idea of wasting time on the poor.
After their intense sparring match, the family had started involving Ariel more in their planning. Her potential couldn't be denied—she was strong, sharp, and reliable.
Ariel bit her lip.
She couldn't tell them the real reason. She was the only one in the entire family who knew where Zane lived.
And he lived in Ravenloch.
She knew—without a doubt—that the family would never lift a finger to help Zane. Ariel couldn't bear the thought of something happening to the big brother she admired so much.
Her heart ached just thinking about it.
She'd only brought it up in a moment of panic.
"Yeah… you're right," she said quietly, forcing a small nod. "We should go to the places that actually need our help."
Her voice cracked just slightly at the end. No one seemed to notice.
Jason scoffed and turned to check a report.
Blake, seated behind his desk, simply observed. His sharp eyes didn't miss the flicker of worry in Ariel's gaze.
Something was off.
But he said nothing—for now.