Central Hero Academy — Morning
The day began like any other at Central Hero Academy — students bustling, voices overlapping, sunlight glinting off the training domes — until Ryu Nox raised his head and froze.
"Dude… she's coming our way," he whispered, eyes widening. "Annie's coming this way."
Ethan Stormbreak looked up lazily from his seat by the fountain. "You mean that Annie?" he asked, even though he already knew.
Ryu nodded, half-panicked. "The one and only."
Annie approached with a confidence that turned heads wherever she went. Her golden hair caught the morning light, her presence effortlessly magnetic. The crowd seemed to part as she walked. She stopped right in front of them, smiling warmly.
"Hey, Ryu. Hey, Ethan. Have you seen Ryan?"
Ethan pointed with his thumb toward the restroom hallway. "He'll be out any second now. You look kinda serious — everything okay?"
"Yeah," she said, her tone soft but slightly impatient. "I just need to talk to him."
A few seconds later, Ryan emerged — hair a bit messy, uniform slightly untucked, eyes still calm but curious. When he saw Annie waiting for him, he blinked, confused.
"You got home and didn't answer my messages!" Annie said, her arms crossed in mock annoyance. "I was worried, you know?"
Ryan froze for half a beat. "Ah— sorry. I passed out as soon as I got home. I was exhausted after… well, everything yesterday."
Ryu elbowed Ethan with a smirk. "Oh, he's got her bad."
Ethan just smiled faintly. "Don't tease him."
But before Ryan could respond, the air shifted.
The hallway fell silent. Dozens of students turned toward the academy's main entrance.
"Inavy Stormbreak?!" someone whispered.
A wave of murmurs spread through the crowd as the Number One Hero walked calmly through the corridor. Every step carried quiet authority; every movement, effortless strength. His coat fluttered slightly with the wind of his own aura.
In his hand, he carried… a lunchbox.
Ethan groaned. "No way…"
Inavy stopped in front of them, holding up the lunchbox like it was a sacred relic. "Ethan. You forgot your lunch again," he said, voice deep but teasing. "Your mom nearly killed me for it. Said if you eat cafeteria food one more time, I'm sleeping on the couch."
Laughter rippled through the students. Inavy grinned, then turned to Ryu.
"Ryu Nox. You're looking sharp these days. Outshining Kelvin, huh? Must've learned that from your uncle Lorien."
Ryu puffed his chest. "Of course! The Nox family's best genes right here — with a dash of Valtier flair."
But then — Inavy stopped. His expression shifted.
Something unseen brushed against him, like an invisible current. His gaze slowly turned toward Ryan Valeborn.
Inside him, a voice whispered — the ancient presence of Nion, his inner spirit.
Impossible… that energy… coming from this boy?
Inavy's eyes narrowed, scanning Ryan like a predator sensing another alpha in disguise.
Ryan froze. Wait… Inavy Stormbreak is staring at me?! What do I do? Smile? Bow? Breathe?!
Inavy stepped closer, the crowd parting instinctively.
"You there," he said. "What's your name?"
"R–Ryan Valeborn, sir," Ryan replied quickly, standing straight.
For a tense second, silence.
Then Inavy smiled — genuine, powerful.
"I like you, kid." He gripped Ryan's hand firmly. "Glad Ethan has friends like you."
He turned to his son. "Ethan! Daddy loves you, okay? I'm out!"
The students erupted in laughter as the Number One Hero waved dramatically on his way out — leaving as quickly as he had appeared.
Ethan covered his face in pure embarrassment. "Dumb old man…"
The Buzz
Within minutes, the academy halls were alive with whispers.
"Did you see that?"
"The Number One actually shook hands with the aura-less guy!"
"Stormbreak's dad likes him?!"
Ryan could feel the stares burning holes into his back as he sat at his desk later that morning. Every time he looked up, someone turned away hastily. Even the teachers seemed a little more curious than usual.
Annie leaned close, smiling. "Looks like you're kind of famous now."
Ryan groaned. "Please don't remind me."
From the back of the room, Kane Jayson watched. His expression was unreadable — except for the subtle tremor in his jaw, the tightening of his fists.
He shook hands with the Number One?
That nobody? That trash?
A spark of jealousy burned quietly in his chest.
Between Friends
During the break, Ethan leaned against his desk and muttered to Ryan, "Man… the whole vibe changed the second my dad said he liked you. It's actually kind of terrifying."
Ryu laughed. "Bro, I've never seen people look at someone with equal parts envy and confusion."
"I didn't do anything!" Ryan protested.
"That's what makes it worse," Ethan said, smirking. "You didn't even try."
They laughed — briefly — until the atmosphere shifted again.
The President Arrives
The classroom doors swung open. Hard.
A heavy wave of authority swept through the air like gravity itself. The sound of boots echoed — calm, deliberate, impossibly composed.
Two figures entered: Lorien Valtier, President of the Hero Association, and at his side, Darius Valtier, his right hand. The room fell completely silent.
Even Ethan straightened. Ryu swallowed hard. Annie stood instinctively. Ryan felt something deep inside him stir again — the same pull he'd felt from Inavy.
"Good morning, young heroes," Lorien said, his voice deep and commanding. His presence filled the entire space, his eyes radiating light like tempered gold. "Today, we will discuss the most important Draft of the decade — one that will define the next generation of protectors."
A low murmur spread through the room. The Draft. The event that determined which students would earn their Provisional Hero License — and which would vanish into obscurity.
Lorien raised a hand, and silence returned instantly.
"This year's Draft will not be ordinary," he continued. "Something — or rather, someone — has changed the balance."
His gaze drifted over the class… then stopped. On Ryan.
For a moment, Lorien's expression softened — a mixture of curiosity and recognition, almost imperceptible.
Darius, beside him, noticed. "Something wrong, President?" he whispered.
Lorien didn't answer. His aura pulsed faintly, like a heartbeat.
Then, in a low tone only he could hear, he murmured, "So… it begins again."
After Class
When Lorien and Darius finally left, the room exploded with questions and speculation. But Ryan wasn't listening. He was staring down at his hands — the same hands Inavy had shaken, the same ones that now trembled faintly.
Something inside him felt different.
Ethan clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Hey. You okay?"
Ryan nodded slowly. "Yeah… just a weird day."
Ryu laughed. "Weird? Dude, the Number One Hero likes you, the President just stared at you like you're some divine prophecy, and the prettiest girl in school is clearly into you."
"Yeah," Ethan added dryly, "that's totally 'just another day'."
Ryan smiled faintly, trying to brush it off. But deep inside, he could feel it — a quiet storm awakening.
An aura that wasn't supposed to exist.
A destiny that refused to stay hidden.
And somewhere beyond the academy walls, unseen forces stirred — for the boy without aura had just caught the attention of the world's strongest heroes.