Chapter 11 — Ignis Prime
Two months passed in the blink of an eye.
Two months since Lin Xuan trained Vaibhav personally.
Two months since Anika put Alicia through brutal, elegant, terrifying drills that looked like ballet but felt like torture.
Two months since the duo stopped being ordinary teenagers… and became something sharper.
And finally—
The day had come.
The morning sun spilled across the marble driveway as Lin Xuan's black, obsidian-lined car rolled out of the mansion garage.
Prabhat was at the wheel, straight-backed, calm as ever.
Vaibhav sat in the front passenger seat, fidgeting with the seatbelt despite having done nothing wrong.
The back seat held three very different energies:
Alicia — nervous but trying not to show it.
Lin Xuan — unreadable as always.
Anika — leaning on Lin Xuan's shoulder like she owned that spot.
Alicia glanced at Anika once.
Her thoughts were very visible:
She's doing it again…
Prabhat adjusted the rearview mirror and cleared his throat.
"Master, we will reach the Evolver Registration Authority in ten minutes."
Lin Xuan only hummed.
Anika immediately leaned closer.
"Brother Lin~ Are you excited?" she asked in a sing-song voice.
„No," Lin Xuan said, face straight.
Alicia tried not to laugh.
Vaibhav tried not to turn around and stare.
But Anika was relentless.
She poked Lin Xuan's cheek.
"Come on~ At least pretend you are."
Lin Xuan caught her finger mid-poke.
"I am not pretending anything."
Anika gasped dramatically.
"Wow. So cold. So heartless. I should've gone to watch the movie with someone else."
Vaibhav nearly cracked his neck trying not to laugh.
Lin Xuan ignored all of it.
But Anika leaned even closer, resting her chin lightly on his shoulder.
"You promised me yesterday you'd do whatever I say today… don't forget."
A small twitch went through Lin Xuan's brow.
Vaibhav turned forward quickly.
Thank god he didn't see me smiling.
Prabhat muttered under his breath, "Master… you bring suffering on yourself."
Lin Xuan glared.
Prabhat went silent instantly.
Alicia tapped Vaibhav's arm.
"You okay?"
Vaibhav nodded slowly.
"Yeah… just nervous."
"Me too."
They exchanged a small smile — a quiet, soft one.
Anika immediately smirked.
"Ohhh? How cute."
"BIG SISTER!" the two shouted at the same time.
Lin Xuan exhaled, staring out the window as the city passed by — hover-lanes glowing, buildings towering, pedestrians floating across sky-walk bridges.
The Evolver Registration Authority — ERA — rose ahead like a mountain of futuristic glass.
A ten-story structure wrapped in holographic sigils and blue-white energy rings.
People lined outside like it was a pilgrimage.
When the car stopped, the crowd turned.
Lin Xuan stepped out first — not releasing aura, not doing anything — but silence rippled across the entrance.
Alicia stepped out next.
Vaibhav followed.
Anika stretched her arms lazily.
Prabhat adjusted his coat.
And then—
From the front entrance, a man waved lazily.
Tall.
Sharp eyes.
Black hair tied low.
Clothes too casual for someone of his status.
"Yo, Lin."
Zhao Kenjiro.
The leader of Dragonfang Consortium.
'The strongest' 'human' in United Earth.
He strode over with a grin.
"You're late."
Lin Xuan: "No."
Kenjiro: "You are."
"No."
"YES."
"No."
Anika clapped happily.
"Ah~ They're starting again."
Vaibhav whispered, "Is this… normal?"
Alicia whispered back, "As normal as Brother Lin can be…"
Kenjiro glanced at the two teens.
"So, these are the two kids you've been talking about."
Lin Xuan's eyebrow twitched.
"I don't talk."
Kenjiro smirked.
"Your silence talks."
Prabhat covered his mouth to hide a laugh.
Anika stepped forward proudly, hands on her hips.
"They trained hard. I tortured Alicia nicely too."
Alicia flinched.
Vaibhav whispered, "You what??"
Kenjiro laughed, amused.
"Good. They'll need that."
He gestured toward the interior of the building.
"Come. Register them."
Inside the ERA lobby, everything gleamed with cybernetic light.
Blue holograms floated like drifting petals.
Machines hummed softly.
Robots glided by with tablets.
A long line of new Nexus Evolvers stood waiting.
Until they saw Lin Xuan.
The line split open instantly.
Without anyone being told.
People stepped aside, whispering.
"That's… Lin Xuan—!"
"That monster…"
"Who are those kids with him…?"
Kenjiro ignored all of it as he led the group to a metallic chamber with a large cylindrical machine at its center.
The Strength Evaluation Pod.
Kenjiro tapped the screen next to it.
"Alright. Kids," he said with a small grin.
"Show me what your training gave you."
Vaibhav inhaled deeply.
Alicia's fingers shook slightly.
But before they stepped forward—
Lin Xuan spoke.
"Forty percent."
Vaibhav blinked.
"Only?"
Alicia whispered, "Brother Lin… Can we pass with that…?"
Kenjiro raised an eyebrow.
"Forty percent? You're being generous today."
Lin Xuan: "Their Hundred percent would break the machine."
The technician nearby froze.
"…uh… excuse me?"
No one answered him.
Vaibhav stepped into the pod first.
A metallic aura wrapped around him, scanning his body.
"Ready," the machine announced.
He threw a clean, sharp punch.
BOOM!
The shockwave rattled the walls.
Numbers flashed violently.
43 Strength Points
The technician screamed.
Kenjiro chuckled.
Anika clapped.
Alicia's jaw dropped.
Vaibhav stepped out, eyes wide.
"I… I wasn't expecting—"
Lin Xuan didn't react.
"Next."
Alicia stepped in.
She looked nervous.
"Use forty percent," Lin Xuan repeated.
Alicia nodded.
She raised her fist, inhaled—
BOOOOM!
The screen burst with golden light.
38 Strength Points
Alicia gasped.
Vaibhav shouted, "YOU ALMOST BEAT ME!?"
Anika hugged her proudly.
Kenjiro whistled.
"Not bad. As expected from Lin Xuan's family."
Lin Xuan glared.
Kenjiro grinned.
The two teens stepped back, hearts pounding, adrenaline high, the weight of reality sinking in—
They were officially registered.
The gateway to Ignis Prime hummed like a living thing.
A swirling vortex of crimson-gold light expanded outward with a low, resonant thrum, forming a stable oval of shimmering energy. Cold air gusted outward from the other side, chilling the marble platform beneath Vaibhav and Alicia's feet.
They both stepped through—
and the world changed in an instant.
The temperature crashed.
Their breaths crystallized.
The sky above was a swirl of auroras—emerald green bleeding into icy blue—and beneath their feet stretched a vast frozen lake, its surface smooth as glass and glowing faint reflections of the swirling heavens above.
Cracks of spirit energy glimmered beneath the frozen surface like veins of light.
And standing tall in the middle of this frozen expanse, hands in pockets, breath fogging the air—
Was Shinosuke Nohara.
His red hair—with natural black streaks—fluttered in the cold wind. His posture was casual, borderline lazy, as if the icy hellscape around him was merely an air-conditioned room.
He glanced at the two newcomers and smirked.
"Took you long enough, kids."
Vaibhav clicked his tongue. "Kids? You bastard, we are the same age."
Shin didn't blink.
"No. I'm two months older than you."
Alicia giggled softly. "He's technically not wrong."
Vaibhav: "…I regret talking."
Shin waved him off dramatically. "Regret is temporary. My superiority is eternal."
Alicia whispered to Vaibhav, "he hasn't changed at all."
Shin, from twenty meters away:
"Yes. Ofcourse!"
The frozen wind howled.
The three stood on the glistening lake, their breaths frosting the air.
Shin stretched, cracking his knuckles. "Welcome to Ignis Prime. Cold, right?"
Vaibhav stared around. "Isn't Ignis… supposed to be fire-themed?"
"Yeah," Shin shrugged. "This is the icy and snow zone, there are several other zones, like, one with bloody water, hot water, cold water, Lava lakes, mountains, volcanos, all kinds of forests."
Alicia wrapped her arms around herself. "It's freezing…"
Shin immediately pointed. "See? Kids."
"SHIN!" Vaibhav roared.
Alicia hid a smile.
The cold wind swept across the frozen lake again, lifting tiny crystals of frost into the air as the trio began walking across the shimmering ice—toward the distant crimson mountains.
But their true journey hadn't even begun.
Meanwhile on Earth — Lin Xuan's Car.
A soft hum filled the luxurious interior of Lin Xuan's obsidian-lined car as it glided smoothly across the sky-route highway.
Prabhat drove with the calm precision of a seasoned tactician.
The city lights streamed past the glass windows in a neon blur.
In the back seat:
Lin Xuan sat by the window, eyes half-lidded, posture relaxed—though his presence alone filled the space like a quiet storm.
Next to him…
Anika.
And Anika was, as usual, being Anika.
She leaned into Lin Xuan's side, chin resting lightly on his shoulder, dark eyelashes fluttering dramatically. "Brother Lin~ It feels so empty now that Alicia and Vaibhav are gone. You'll have to comfort me."
Lin Xuan didn't even look at her.
"No."
Anika pouted, crossing her arms. "Cold. Heartless."
She leaned closer, whispering, "I'll melt you one day."
Prabhat nearly swerved.
Lin Xuan opened one eye. "Focus on driving."
Prabhat straightened immediately. "Yes, Master."
Anika hummed, poking Lin Xuan's arm. "You know, Brother Lin~ I'm very sad. Very lonely. Very single."
Lin Xuan: "I wonder why."
Anika gasped. "Are you implying something?"
"Yes."
"Brother Lin!"
Lin Xuan sighed through his nose. "Do not start."
Anika smirked triumphantly.
"You like it."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"Yes."
"No."
"BROTHER LIN, STOP LYING TO YOURSELF—"
Prabhat loudly cleared his throat.
"Master… why did you take Shin as your disciple?"
Anika instantly froze.
Then she dramatically rolled her eyes.
"Oh, don't remind me! That brat is a menace! A pervert! He always teases me! And Yan'er too! He stares at my chest like it owes him money!"
Lin Xuan turned his head slightly.
"…Does he?"
Anika grimaced. "Okay, maybe not stare. But he—he—HE SMIRKS. That's worse!"
Prabhat: "A smirk is worse?"
"Yes!" Anika cried. "Because he knows I can't hurt him! That makes him smug!"
She turned to Lin Xuan again.
"And you! You chose him! Why!? He's annoying, loud, stupid, and—"
Lin Xuan lifted a hand and pinched her cheek.
"—mmfhh! Brmmddrr Lmm!"
Prabhat's eyes widened in the rearview mirror.
"Master… what are you doing…?"
"Punishing her."
"Ah."
Anika flailed weakly.
"Lethh ghooo!"
Lin Xuan released her.
She puffed up like an angry cat, rubbing her cheek.
"You're so mean…"
Lin Xuan looked away, eyes closing.
"That's good," he said quietly.
"Someone is at your level."
Anika stared.
"…What did you say?"
"You heard."
Anika's face turned crimson.
"I—I—Brother Lin—!!!"
Prabhat adjusted the rearview mirror slowly—
to hide the smile threatening to break out.
But he wasn't done.
He looked at Lin Xuan again.
"Master… why did you take Shin as your disciple?"
Lin Xuan did not answer immediately.
The hum of the engine filled the silence.
City lights painted soft reflections across his sharp, calm eyes.
Anika leaned forward, curious.
Even though she knew the answer. She still wanted to hear it.
Prabhat waited patiently.
And finally—
Lin Xuan opened his eyes.
A faint, almost unnoticeable warmth flickered in them.
He looked out the window…
toward the distant, glowing horizon.
And he said, in a quiet voice full of memory—
"Well… that's because…"
*Next Chapter: Shinosuke Nohara — 01*