The Grand Hall hummed with nerves and borrowed confidence.
Rows of students stood shoulder to shoulder beneath banners that caught the morning light: Onward. Upward. Unbroken.
Someone laughed too loudly. Someone prayed too quietly. Everyone waited to be told what their lives were worth.
The Awakening Spire rose at the center—a column of crystal shot through with veins of pale lightning. It pulsed once every few seconds, like the world breathing in data. I took my place at the back, beside the window, where the light couldn't decide if it wanted me.
"Candidates will step forward when called," said the instructor, voice echoing against stone. "The Spire will reveal your Talent, Bloodline, Physique, and Stats. Do not touch it until instructed."
Names came and went. One by one, futures bloomed.
Candidate: Nolan Rivers
Talent: A — Sword Intent
Bloodline: Steelborn (B)
Physique: Iron Skin (C)
STR 43 | AGI 38 | VIT 31 | INT 22
Profession: Knight
The crowd applauded. Nolan basked in it, the light making his armor gleam.
He was already smiling when he turned, the kind of grin you save for mirrors.
At the front, Elira Moonveil—the elven transfer with hair like silver water—clapped once, polite. She didn't need to say anything; her presence did the work.
The ceremony rolled on. Each name was a drumbeat. Each flash of light, another line in the academy's hierarchy.
I waited until the room had grown confident enough to forget I existed.
Then my turn came.
"Ash Renfield."
The hall quieted. My shoes clicked on stone, loud in the stillness. Nolan smirked as I passed. "Good luck, Dust Boy."
I placed my palm against the Spire. The surface was cool, like river water moments before a storm. Then the light came—brilliant, precise, final.
Candidate: Ash Renfield
Talent: F — Dust Spark
Bloodline: —
Physique: —
STR 7 | AGI 8 | VIT 8 | INT 9
Profession: Dust Collector (F)
For a heartbeat, no one spoke.
Then laughter rolled through the hall—small at first, then confident, like everyone had just been waiting for permission.
"Dust Collector?"
"Is that real?"
"Guess someone's gotta clean the dorms."
The instructor's tone didn't change. "Unfortunate," he said, and that was worse than cruelty.
Nolan clapped slowly, savoring it. "At least he'll keep the Spire shining."
I didn't look at him. You can't feed a fire by staring at it.
Elira didn't laugh. Her eyes met mine—steady, unreadable. Not pity. Just… measurement.
Then the moment passed. The crowd moved on. I walked back to my spot, the room already forgetting me again.
By the time I reached the dorms, the sky had gone pale gold. The stone steps still held the morning's chill.
My room was small, but quiet—the kind of space the world gives to people it doesn't plan to remember.
I dropped my bag on the desk, sat on the edge of the bed, and opened my System window.
[Status]
Name: Ash Renfield
Level: 1
Talent: Dust Spark (F) — Emits minor static. Can ignite dust.
Bloodline: —
Physique: —
Stats: STR 7 | AGI 8 | VIT 8 | INT 9
Profession: Dust Collector (F) — Maintenance tree unlocked.
"Maintenance," I muttered. "How poetic."
The word tasted like the joke it was supposed to be.
A knock came at the door—light, measured.
"Renfield," said a calm voice. "May I?"
Elira stood in the hall when I opened it. The torches painted soft light across her face, cool and distant, the way moonlight prefers to be admired from far away.
"The Spire," she said, "is a mirror at noon."
"What about at midnight?" I asked.
"That depends on who's still awake."
She tilted her head. "North yard. Dawn. There's room for one more."
I nodded. She left without waiting for a reply. The sound of her footsteps disappeared into the corridor like a spell unspoken.
Midnight came without ceremony.
I lay staring at the ceiling until the shadows shifted wrong. The air thickened, and a pale panel of light opened above the bed—white text on nothing.
[System initializing…]
[Discrepancy detected. Public record diverges from core designation.]
[Initiating corrective protocol.]
Letters redrew themselves, neat and final.
STATUS — ASH RENFIELD
Level: 1
Talent: Exponential Pulse (EX, Hidden) — Doubles all stats whenever Origin (ORI) increases.
Bloodline: Omni-Seer (EX, 99% sealed) — Witness a skill once to learn it; gain upgrade points to rank it.
Physique: Eversurge Vessel (EX, Lv.1) — Prevents collapse from exponential growth; enables stat compression.
Stats (visible): STR 200 | AGI 200 | VIT 200 | INT 200
Hidden Virtues: WIS 1.0 | CHA 1.0 | LUCK 0.2 (private; nightly variance)
Profession: Paradox Architect (EX) — Authority to restructure parameters within System-sanctioned limits.
Origin (ORI): 0 (Locked)
Mask: Public appraisal returns prior F-profile.
I read it twice before breathing again.
Doubles all stats whenever Origin increases.
Origin. Whatever that was. The System didn't bother to explain.
"Definition?" I asked quietly.
[Unavailable.]
Of course.
The air felt different—lighter, like gravity had reconsidered. I flexed a hand; veins glowed faintly under the skin, silver and blue. My reflection in the window looked older, steadier, less human in the way confidence never is.
[Assign free points?]
Ten small numbers blinked, waiting.
"Later," I said.
[Acknowledged. MARK-I interface online.]
The window dimmed. The silence settled again, almost kind.
I stood, feeling strength that didn't belong to this body but fit it anyway.
"Vector Step," I whispered—just to see.
The world blurred, then corrected itself. I was suddenly at the window, breath fogging the glass. The System murmured at the edge of thought.
[Skill assimilated: Vector Step (E).]
I smiled. "Unfair."
[The world is not fair.]
"I'll keep that in mind."
Outside, the academy slept. The statue of the Founder watched the horizon, sword raised to the same nothing.
Far below, Elira crossed the courtyard, cloak drawn close, her steps soft as rain. She looked up once, though she couldn't possibly see me. Then she kept walking.
I let the curtain fall. Tomorrow, I'd show up at dawn.
Not because I owed anyone proof, but because I wanted to know how far the Spire's mirror reached after midnight.
End of Chapter 1.