The next day, Lionel Academy's Hero Class gathered once more.
Yesterday's lesson had shaken them—Abyss Crater, the origin of Nexas, and the forbidden metal born from a fallen star.
Today felt different.
Quieter.
Heavier.
Raze entered with Roger and Rain, taking his seat calmly.
Astra sat with her composed confidence, Gray beside her like a silent fortress.
Everyone sensed something was coming.
The door opened.
Professor Celeste Ardyn stepped inside.
But today, her expression was unusual—distant, weighed down by something that had nothing to do with academics.
She walked to the center of the room, clasped her hands behind her back, and spoke softly:
"Hero Candidates… today, I will share something not written in any textbook."
The entire class straightened.
Celeste took a slow breath.
"This is the story of why I stopped being a hero."
---
Celeste Ardyn's Past
"When I was younger… I believed power made me untouchable."
Her silver hair glimmered faintly in the morning light.
"My Nexas—telekinesis—made me a prodigy. And because of that, I was arrogant."
No one dared move.
"I was assigned to a hero team of four. And one of them… was like Raze."
Her eyes drifted toward the white-haired boy.
"He had no Nexas. None at all."
Gasps rippled across the room.
Even Astra looked surprised.
Celeste's voice softened.
"Many mocked him. Called him useless, dead weight, a liability."
Her fists tightened.
"But he wasn't. He was the bravest among us."
Her eyes unfocused—lost in memory.
"One day, we responded to a disaster. A Nexas user mutated after abusing an illegal enhancement drug."
Her voice darkened.
"Vines burst through asphalt… entire buildings were uprooted… civilians trapped everywhere. A monster with no sanity left."
She continued:
"We tried to save people, but we were being overwhelmed."
Her next words trembled.
"And then… he said it."
Celeste swallowed hard.
'I want you to use your telekinesis to throw me at him.
I'll end it—even if I don't return.'"
Raze felt chills run through him.
"I refused. Over and over. But he smiled and said…"
Her voice dropped to a whisper:
'A hero without power… has to give more than anyone else.'"
Silence swallowed the room.
"I lifted him with my telekinesis," she whispered.
"He armed an incendiary grenade."
"And he crashed straight into the villain's chest."
Her breath shook.
"The explosion ended everything… including him."
Every student felt the weight of the moment.
Astra lowered her gaze.
Bam exhaled slowly.
Even Zack looked shaken.
"I was praised as the one who saved the city," Celeste said bitterly.
"But the true hero died without his name recorded anywhere."
She looked at the class—truly looked at them.
"So remember this: Nexas does not make you worthy."
Her gaze sharpened.
"Your will… your heart… decides that."
And finally, she looked directly at Raze.
"And never underestimate someone born Nexasless."
---
Raze's Secret — The Astral Edges
Class ended early.
Most students remained behind, whispering about Celeste's past.
Raze returned home, expression unreadable.
Inside his room, he locked the door and knelt beside a reinforced storage case.
He opened it.
Inside lay the true blades—
**The Astral Edges.**
Forged from a fallen star fragment his father received from a hooded stranger who whispered:
"Your son will need this."
Roland Arcwell had spent a fortune filing the metal under special registration, hiding the true origin.
Real Abyss Alloy was priceless—
and these blades were carved from it.
But now…
Raze kept them sealed.
Wrapped in dark cloth.
Encased in Arcsteel plating.
Dormant, their true radiation smothered.
"I can't use you yet," he whispered.
(Still in their sealed state.)
(Covered to prevent Abyss radiation.)
(Raze hadn't unlocked even a fraction of their potential.)
What He Uses at School
Raze did **not** bring the Astral Edges to Lionel Academy.
Not even the Arcsteel replicas.
Weapons that resembled swords were strictly controlled.
Instead—
He used **Arcsteel batons** at school.
Perfectly balanced.
Durable.
Legal.
Safe enough for training—yet strong enough to match lower-tier ability users.
The batons were the only weapons he allowed himself to bring.
He glanced at his blades once more.
"When the time comes… I'll need your true edge."
He closed the case quietly.
Sleep didn't come easily that night.
Celeste's story echoed through his mind—a powerless man who died a hero.
Raze clenched his fist under the blanket.
"…My story won't end like his."
He wouldn't die forgotten.
He wouldn't be a nameless sacrifice.
He would rise.
He would stand.
He would survive.
And one day—
He would prove that even someone born without a Nexas…
could surpass fate itself.