Ashvale Academy – Awakening Hall
One by one, the students kept stepping up to the crystal.
Abilities flashed across the display.
Ranks rolled in—C, B, even a rare A.
Some cheered, some cried, some walked away broken. The Awakening Hall was built like a stage for gods to be born and dreams to be crushed.
And Lucian… was just waiting.
Still in his seat. Still calm.
But he felt it now.
That pull in his chest. The pressure in the air. His name was coming. It was close.
He took a slow breath—then heard it.
"Evelyn Merrin."
Lucian's heart froze.
Evelyn blinked beside him. She looked like someone had just knocked the wind out of her.
"Oh. That's me."
She stood slowly, clutching her hands together.
Lucian gave a small nod. "Go on."
She laughed nervously. "Don't laugh if I explode or pass out."
"I'll only laugh a little."
She rolled her eyes, took a breath, and walked forward, her steps stiff and light.
Lucian leaned forward now, eyes narrowing just slightly.
He wasn't worried.
Not really.
He already knew what she was going to awaken.
Petal Step.
A trash-tier skill. Low mana usage, barely enhanced agility. She was going to touch the crystal, get the results, sit back down, and the world would go back to normal.
He was even planning to comfort her after. Say something cheesy like "It's not about the ability, it's how you use it."
But then…
She placed her hand on the crystal.
And everything broke.
The crystal screamed.
Not figuratively.
It screamed.
A high-pitched, spiraling sound echoed through the chamber like steel grinding against glass. The entire platform flashed black and silver, lines of corrupted light running like veins through the glowing stone.
Students gasped.
The instructors stood immediately, guards flinching toward their weapons.
Lucian stood too.
But not because of the light.
Not because of the reaction.
He knew this feeling.
This exact moment.
The twisting of mana in the air. The backlash in the soul. The cold weight in the stomach.
His mouth slowly opened as his eyes locked onto the glowing screen above the crystal.
It flashed.
Glitched.
Then stabilized.
Name: Evelyn Merrin
Ability: Infinite Replication
Classification: System-Level – Undefined
Rank: XXX
The room exploded.
"WHAT—?!"
"Wait, isn't that—?!"
Even Dean Garos stood from his seat now, eyes sharp, mouth drawn into a tight line.
Lucian didn't speak.
His body had gone still.
Too still.
Evelyn stood on the platform, her hair floating slightly from the pulsing energy around her. Symbols swirled around her arms, thousands of them—blinking in and out of existence like data being written into her very soul.
She stumbled slightly, blinking in confusion. "I… I feel weird—like something's opening inside me—"
One of the instructors ran to her side and caught her gently before she collapsed.
Lucian kept watching.
Eyes wide.
Mouth dry.
'No… that's… that's my ability.'
His mind was racing.
Faster than it ever had.
That was his ability.
Infinite Replication.
The same energy. The same system-level structure. The same system signature.
He had lived with it for years. Had mastered it. Had died with it.
And now…
She had it?
Why?
How?
Lucian swallowed, his throat tight.
He sat back down, slowly, like the floor beneath him had become unstable.
'This isn't right.'
His thoughts came in fast, wild bursts.
Was this part of coming back?
Did I split the system by returning?
Is this some kind of paradox?
If she has it… then what will I get?
He clenched his fists.
He didn't notice he was shaking until his nails dug into his palm.
Evelyn was helped back to her seat, still glowing faintly. The other students stared at her like she was made of myth now.
Even Garrick was watching with narrowed eyes, lips slightly parted. He looked… annoyed. Like someone just stepped into a spotlight he thought belonged to him.
Lucian's heart pounded harder.
'I'm not supposed to be the one surprised.'
'I'm the one who knows everything.'
'I'm the one with the plan.'
But now?
His future was blurred.
His steps weren't his anymore.
He could feel it.
He'd been certain this would be the moment.
That he would walk up, place his hand on the crystal, and the world would remember the name Lucian Black.
But now?
He didn't know what would happen.
And that—
Terrified him.
He glanced at Evelyn.
She looked confused, overwhelmed, and maybe a little scared. She kept glancing at her hands like something was about to fall out of her palms.
Lucian looked away.
He didn't know what to feel.
Pride?
Relief?
Jealousy?
Fear?
All of it.
Then came the next name.
"Lucian Black."
The hall grew quiet again.
Just seconds ago, it was full of gasps and whispers over Evelyn's awakening—XXX-Rank, System-Level, Infinite Replication. A legend born from someone no one expected.
But now?
The name Black brought new weight.
Heads turned.
Voices lowered.
Eyes locked onto the boy sitting near the back.
Lucian stood slowly.
His legs moved on instinct, but inside—his mind was chaos.
He didn't look at anyone. Not Evelyn, not Garrick, not the instructors. Not even Dean Garos, who had folded his arms now, watching closely.
The only thing Lucian looked at—
Was the crystal.
Still pulsing. Still glowing with remnants of Evelyn's awakening.
Still hungry.
His steps echoed louder than they should have.
The hall didn't move.
No one whispered anymore.
Because he wasn't just anyone.
He was Lucy Black's brother.
The younger sibling of the Hellflame Goddess. The son of two dead legends. A Black wasn't just a name—it was a legacy.
So even after Evelyn's surprise, they expected something from him.
They waited.
And Lucian… didn't even know what he was walking into.
He stepped onto the platform.
The crystal hovered in front of him now. Massive. Alive. Watching.
For the first time in a long while—Lucian felt it.
Doubt.
What if there was only one seat?
What if this time… he was nothing?
He clenched his jaw and reached out.
His hand hovered inches from the crystal.
He could feel it in the air—the pull, the breath of mana curling around his fingers like smoke.
Lucian's heart thudded against his ribs.
He had done this before.
In another life.
It had been chaos. Flames. Lights. Glitching symbols. Screaming mana.
But now?
Now he didn't know if there would be anything at all.
He closed his eyes.
'Let's get this over with.'
His hand touched the crystal.
Nothing.
No blast.
No scream.
Just silence.
Then a small pulse.
Soft.
Like a heartbeat.
Then another.
Then—
The crystal shook.
A low hum grew into a vibration, deep in the floor and inside the air. A thrum of something trying to connect. Like gears grinding out of sync.
The display above flickered.
Then flickered again.
It struggled.
Then…
Name: Lucian Black
Ability: —
Classification: —
Rank: —
The entire hall leaned forward.
The instructors frowned.
Even Dean Garos took a slow step toward the platform, confused now.
Lucian opened one eye.
The display didn't say Unknown. It didn't say Failure.
It said… nothing.
Not a single word appeared in the ability slot.
Just long, flickering lines like data corrupted.
The crystal glowed again—brighter, frantic—almost panicked.
Then…
A harsh screech burst out of it like radio static and the entire screen shut down.
The floating display turned black.
A warning rune blinked faintly in red at the bottom corner:
[INDEFINITE.]