Morning crept into the world with a softness that felt unreal to Lucian.
No cracks in the sky.
No screams.
No shadows boiling through rifts.
Just sunlight.
For a moment he simply stood in the small apartment bathroom, hand resting against the mirror, watching the reflection of a boy he had once been.
Seventeen.
Alive.
Untouched by war.
His dark hair fell over eyes that had no right to look this young. There were no scars on his jaw. No burn marks on his ribs. No cold exhaustion carved into his gaze.
He looked… soft.
Breakable.
How did I ever survive like this?
But behind that fragile face, he could feel it.
A pulse.
A slow thrum of something ancient coiled beneath his ribs.
[SHADOW SOVEREIGN SYSTEM — ACTIVE]
[Synchronization: 3%]
[Corruption: Stable]
The notification slid through his mind like a whisper dragged across glass.
Lucian exhaled. The air wasn't metal or smoke—it tasted like the cheap incense his old neighbor burned every morning. A memory he had forgotten.
He turned away from the mirror.
Today was Awakening Day.
The day students across the city entered the Academy to discover their abilities.
The day that used to haunt him.
But this time… I choose the outcome.
The Streets of Dawnvale
The sun washed the streets in warm gold as Lucian stepped outside. Hover-trams glided overhead, drones hummed past rooftops, and vendors shouted the same prices as they had a decade ago. Life buzzed—loud, carefree, oblivious.
Kids were running, laughing, wearing the cheap silver badges that marked them as Awakening candidates. They looked proud. Excited. Unafraid.
Lucian envied them.
He walked past a bakery that no longer existed in his original timeline—it had been swallowed by a Rift on Day 3. The warmth of bread drifted over him, and for the first time in a long while, he felt his chest tighten.
I can stop that.
This time, I can stop everything.
But as hope settled in, another voice stirred beneath it.
Low.
Cold.
Amused.
"Save them if you want, little hunter. In the end… everything falls to shadow."
Lucian froze.
The Monarch's voice.
But not from outside.
From inside.
His hand clenched into a fist, nails digging into his palm.
"No," he whispered. "Not again."
[SYSTEM NOTICE: Monarch Echo Detected]
[Corruption stabilizing… 3% → 2%]
The echo faded, swallowed by the System's interference.
Lucian inhaled slowly, calming his heartbeat.
Academy Gates
Dawnvale Awakened Academy towered above him—white stone mixed with glimmering alloy, a building shaped like a spear aimed at the clouds. Students were gathering at the entrance, buzzing with anticipation.
Lucian spotted groups he remembered well.
There was Aiden Pierce, golden-haired, smiling like the world already belonged to him. Son of the Hero Guild Master. Future S-Class. Future traitor.
You killed half our squad in the first timeline…
This time I'll be ready for you.
Next to him stood Mira Hale.
Lucian's breath caught.
Alive.
Her brown hair tied back, her expression bright with determination, wearing the same blue jacket she'd worn on this very day in the old timeline. But her eyes… her eyes were soft, curious, full of warmth she never had the chance to keep.
She glanced at Lucian.
He froze.
Recognition flickered in her gaze—just a spark, as if something deep inside her remembered him.
She tilted her head slightly. "Hey, are you… new?"
Lucian opened his mouth.
Before he could speak—
[SYSTEM ALERT]
[WARNING: Emotional attachment detected]
[Corruption Risk: Elevated]
[Adjusting Vessel Response]
He forced his expression to remain neutral.
"Transfer student," he said. "Lucian Gray."
Mira's smile widened. "Welcome. Today's big for all of us."
Her voice was exactly as he remembered it on the day she died in his arms.
Lucian looked away first.
I won't let your fate repeat.
Inside the Academy
The vast hall echoed with nervous whispers. Giant screens flashed with announcements. Instructors in black uniforms lined the walls.
A stern woman stepped forward.
"Awakening examinations will begin shortly," she said. "Please proceed to your designated pods."
Pods—sleek, capsule-like devices connected to the System—they recorded the talents of each student.
Lucian had stood here once.
He had awakened Shadow Step, a low-tier mobility skill.
And yet he rose to S-Class through nothing but violence, blood, and obsession.
But this time…
[SYSTEM READY TO INTERFERE]
[Do you wish to reveal Monarch Authority in Awakening?]
Y / N
Lucian didn't hesitate.
N.
The world wasn't ready to see what lived beneath his skin.
He stepped into his pod.
The door slid shut, sealing him in darkness.
A cold gel-like substance flowed around him, and the System synced with the Academy hardware.
[AWAKENING PROTOCOL INITIATED]
Scanning…
Analyzing…
Talent Detected: ERROR]
[Classification: UNREADABLE]
[FORCING OUTPUT…]
Lucian tensed.
Then—
A ding sounded.
[AWAKENED TALENT: SHADOW VEIL (D-Rank)]
Perfectly mediocre.
Just as he intended.
The pod opened. Students stared as his result displayed on the giant board.
L U C I A N G R A Y — D-RANK TALENT
A few snickered.
Aiden smirked.
Mira frowned as if the result didn't match the person she had just seen.
Lucian stepped down calmly.
A nobody.
A weakling.
Exactly the cover he needed.
But then… the world trembled.
A ripple of darkness flowed through Lucian's shadow, invisible to all except the System.
[SHADOW SOVEREIGN SYSTEM — PASSIVE UNLOCKED]
[Passive Skill: Talent Devour]
[Description: Consume the abilities of others through shadow contact.]
[Status: Instinctively Active]
Lucian blinked.
Active…? Instinctively?
Before he could react, a passing student's shadow brushed against his.
The student jolted.
A line of text flickered in the corner of Lucian's vision.
[D-Rank Talent acquired: Night Vision]
Lucian's eyes widened.
He hadn't touched the student.
Their shadows had.
A slow, cold realization burned through him.
The Monarch's power…
was evolving.
On its own.
Lucian tightened his jaw.
"I have ten years before the world ends," he whispered.
His shadow moved behind him—soft, hungry, patient.
"And this time… I decide how the world survives."