Chapter 2: Dreams Are Lies Your Brain Tells You
"Sir Zin... would you prefer the Fire and Ice Association, the DyriX Badge, or perhaps something else?" The professional leaned forward, hands clasped with utmost respect. His suit was crisp, his smile polished.
"Hmm..." Zin adjusted his black hair, trying to look casual. "Where are the best... ladies? I mean—Awakeners. Female Awakeners."
"Sir, you have exquisite taste." The professional slid closer, flipping through glossy photos on his tablet. "Based on your S-Rank status, you can go anywhere you want. For instance—this is Nafi Crustain. S-Rank Awakener, same as you. She's an elf, so..." He waggled his eyebrows.
Zin's eyes lit up like fireworks. "I want to join DyriX Badge!" He jabbed the tablet screen. "I know DyriX gives the most income and fame, so—"
∆ "That's too simple. Even for you, single-brain-cell."
∆ Holy Monkey's voice echoed from nowhere. The suited figure materialized in the corner of the room, leaning against reality itself. "It's a flashback, but who's gonna stop me?" They faded like smoke, grinning.
---
'Zin... Zin... Zin...'
Zin's eyes snapped open. His mom's voice drifted up from downstairs, muffled through the floorboards. He groaned, shifting his weight on the cold floor where he'd somehow rolled off his bed during the night.
The mirror across from him reflected his pathetic frame—skinny arms, messy hair, dark circles under his eyes.
"If only that was REAL..." he muttered, rubbing his face.
"I'm coming, Mom!" He grabbed a towel, wrapped it around his waist, and shuffled toward the bathroom.
---
~My name is Zin. I'm 5'6", seventeen years old, and I'll turn eighteen in a few months—not that I'm excited about it.
~What can you expect from an E-Rank student at Vast Fire and Ice Academy? Hell, I don't even know how I got an invitation from them in the first place.
---
"Husshh... cold!" The icy water hit his lean frame like a slap, washing away the last fragments of sleep. He shivered, scrubbing quickly.
"No matter what happens," he muttered, staring at his blurry reflection in the fogged mirror, "today's a new day. New session."
He raised a hand, summoning a weak gust of wind magic to dry his hair. The strands fluttered pathetically. "I'm gonna get laid, make money, and help Mom retire. GREAT PLAN."
He pulled on his new uniform—crisp, dark blue with silver trim—and headed for the door.
Then he heard it.
HOOOONK.
The bus.
"Shit—hell no!" He bolted from his room, taking the stairs two at a time—
—and his foot caught the edge of the top step.
CRASH!!
He tumbled down, slamming onto the floor at the base of the stairs with a bone-rattling thud.
"Zin, are you alright?!" His mom poked her head out from the kitchen, flour dusting her hands.
"I'm... fine," Zin groaned, clutching his back. His knees screamed in protest as he stood. "I'm gonna visit Diva first, okay?"
His mom's eyes sparkled. She stepped toward the stairs, grinning up at him. "Ohhh... what's going on in that head of yours, huh?" She wiped her hands on her apron. "Are you finally gonna make her my daughter-in-law? I can call the marriage bureau right now!"
"Mom! Not again!" Heat flooded Zin's face. "It's just my new uniform!" He scrambled down the last few steps, snatching a sandwich off the counter. "Though... your taste is pretty great..." he mumbled, barely audible, before darting out the door toward his bicycle.
His mom chuckled, shaking her head.
---
Tink-Tink-Tink.
Outside his medium-sized home, the world sprawled out in chaotic beauty.
Skyscrapers pierced the clouds, their glass surfaces reflecting morning light. House colonies stretched in neat rows. Parks dotted the streets, their gardens bursting with color. Massive billboards advertised heroes—S-Rank legends with perfect smiles and flawless hair. Companies with names like 'Lucid Corp' flashed neon signs, and a beastwoman in a suit walked past, talking on her phone.
---
~I used to think, "If only I was S-Rank." But damn, God is shit at his job. Writing my fate like I'm some kind of joke.
---
∆ "I'm not a god, blud," Holy Monkey's voice drifted through the air, lazy and amused. "And your fate was on you. I don't intervene in anyone's destiny—except yours. And that's only in the time ahead."
The voice faded as Zin pedaled past a billboard featuring a cruel-looking Awakener mid-battle, flames erupting from his fists.
---
~Still, I'm doing alright. I'm not a Commoner, at least. And most importantly...
~Today, I'm finally gonna make out with Diva Pynk. No matter what.
~It's a miracle her mom and my mom are friends.
---
Ding dong~
The door creaked open. A beautiful girl stood there, rubbing her eyes. Grey hair cascaded past her shoulders, with a single streak of crimson cutting through the middle. She wore an oversized shirt—probably slept in it—and looked half-asleep.
"Umm... hey, Zin?" Diva blinked at him, confused.
"Yeah! I figured—why not head to the Academy together?" Zin leaned against the doorframe, trying to look smooth. His elbow slipped. He stumbled, barely catching himself. "I mean, we both got abandoned by the bus, right?"
Diva hesitated. Her expression shifted—awkward, guilty. "Umm... sorry, Zin. I'm not going to that Academy anymore."
Zin froze.
"I got invited to Global MG. In Unawa." She bit her lip, looking anywhere but at him. "So..."
The words hit Zin like truck-kun.
His excitement shattered. The fantasy he'd been building—walking to class together, sitting next to her, finally confessing—dissolved into the void. His future children evaporated before they were even conceived.
"S-Sure! That's... that's great!" Zin forced a smile, his voice too loud, too bright. "GMG is huge. Congrats!" His hands clenched at his sides. "So... when will we see each other again?"
"At least a year..." Diva's voice softened. She looked pained, like every word was a needle.
"A year... sure." Zin swallowed hard, nodding too fast. "You're C-Rank now, right? You'll probably hit A-Rank. Maybe even S-Rank by then!"
He turned toward his bicycle, gripping the handlebars.
"That's not how power progression works, dummy!" Diva called after him, a small smile breaking through her guilt.
"I GOT IT!" Zin threw up a thumbs-up without looking back, trying to pedal away with flair—
—and immediately lost control.
"Whoa—whoa—!"
The bicycle swerved wildly. He careened straight into the glass door of a clinic across the street.
CRASH.
Diva pressed her palm to her forehead, shaking her head in disbelief as Zin tumbled into the clinic in a heap of limbs and spinning wheels.
"Why do I even worry about him..." she muttered, half-smiling despite herself.
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[End of Chapter 2]