The bell rang.
Sharp. Metallic. Final.
Lumen flinched slightly and closed his notebook.
Around him, the classroom exploded into motion—chairs scraping back, bags slung over shoulders, voices rising all at once. The noise should have been comforting. Familiar. Ordinary.
Yet it wasn't.
Something felt… off.
He stood up slowly, slipping his pen into his bag, fingers moving with unnecessary care, as if speed itself might attract attention.
Too late.
When he turned toward the aisle, he felt it immediately.
Eyes.
They weren't staring outright—yet—but they lingered just a fraction too long. When he moved, several students paused mid-conversation. When he passed, whispers bloomed behind him like cracks spreading through ice.
"—That's him."
"The one Sophia talked to."
"No way, he's from our grade?"
"He doesn't look special at all."
Lumen kept his head down.
Each step toward the door felt heavier than the last, as though the floor itself resisted him.
Just leave. Get out. Go home.
He pushed the door open.
The corridor was worse.
Sunlight poured in through the windows, reflecting off lockers and tiled floors—but it felt cold. Exposing.
Students leaned casually against walls, laughing, chatting—yet their eyes followed him openly now.
No shame.
No subtlety.
"Is that really him?"
"She said his name out loud."
"I thought she only talked to elites."
"Do you think he's some secret heir?"
Lumen's chest tightened.
He could feel his heartbeat in his throat.
He turned a corner—
And stopped.
Sophia Aurelia stood near the stairwell.
She wasn't alone. She never was.
Girls hovered nearby, pretending not to stare while doing exactly that.
Boys lingered awkwardly, postures stiff, expressions carefully neutral—and failing.
Then her gaze met his.
Her eyes softened.
She smiled.
"Lumen."
The corridor froze.
It was subtle—but unmistakable.
Voices died mid-sentence. Laughter faltered.
Dozens of eyes snapped toward him at once.
Sophia walked toward him, unhurried, confident, as if the space around her naturally parted.
"How was your class?" she asked casually.
Casually.
As if the air wasn't vibrating with tension.
Lumen's mouth went dry.
"F..F-fine," he managed.
Her brows knit slightly. "You don't sound fine."
The crowd closed in.
Not physically—but psychologically.
Every glance felt sharper now. He could feel jealousy bleeding into curiosity, curiosity curdling into hostility.
Someone scoffed.
Another muttered, "Unbelievable."
Sophia didn't notice—or didn't care.
"You disappeared quickly yesterday," she continued. "I thought you might've collapsed again."
Again.
The word rippled outward.
"Collapsed?"
"Is he sick?"
"She's worried about him?!"
Lumen's vision blurred.
His breath came shallow.
Too many people.
Why are they all watching me?
Sophia stepped closer.
Her presence filled his senses—light perfume, warmth, calm authority.
"You're shaking," she said quietly. "Are you okay?"
She lifted her hand.
Slowly.
Gently.
The world tilted.
Something deep inside Lumen recoiled violently.
A surge of panic slammed into him, raw and instinctive.
"No—!"
He shoved her.
Not hard.
But enough.
Enough to break the moment.
Enough to make time stop.
Sophia staggered back half a step, eyes wide.
Silence crashed down like a guillotine.
Every face froze.
Every breath caught.
"He pushed her…"
"Did you see that?"
"He just shoved Sophia."
Lumen's heart pounded so violently it hurt.
What did I do…?
Sophia stared at him, shock and confusion flickering across her composed face.
"Lumen…?"
Fear consumed him.
Pure. Crippling.
"I—I'm sorry—I didn't mean—"
He turned and ran.
He didn't think.
He didn't plan.
He ran.
Through the corridor. Down the stairs. Past startled teachers and shouting voices.
Out of the school gates.
Into the streets.
His lungs burned. His legs screamed.
"Why did I do that!?" He thought while trying to run.
"She was just trying to help...Why can't I handle anything?!."
Shame and regret tangled inside him, choking his thoughts.
He slowed as he turned into a quieter street
And slammed into something solid.
Pain shot through his shoulder.
He stumbled back.
A shadow loomed.
Slowly, he looked up.
Broad chest. Muscular arms crossed lazily.A familiar, cruel grin.
"…Well, look who finally decided to show up."
Rex Calder.
The school's bully.
Behind him,There were Ten boys,Leaning against walls. Sitting on bikes. Cracking knuckles.
Blocking every path.
Rex stepped closer, eyes gleaming.
"We've been waiting for you, Lumen."
Lumen's stomach dropped.
The street was empty.
The sky felt too wide.
And suddenly—
Running wasn't an option anymore.
Rex tilted his head, cracking his neck slowly.
"So," he said, voice dripping with mock curiosity, "how does it feel?"
Lumen didn't answer.
His back brushed against the cold wall behind him. Rough concrete scraped through his uniform.
Rex chuckled.
"Look at him," he said, glancing back at the others. "Still pretending he doesn't know."
One of the boys snorted. Another laughed outright.
A hand shoved Lumen's shoulder hard.
He stumbled sideways but didn't fall.
Rex stepped closer, invading his space. He was taller. Broader.
The kind of build that came from confidence and cruelty mixed together.
"You think you're funny, huh?" Rex continued. "Standing there. Letting her talk to you like that."
Lumen swallowed.
"I didn't do anything," he said quietly.
That was a mistake.
Rex's fist slammed into the wall beside Lumen's head.
Bang.
Dust shook loose.
"Don't lie to me."
His voice dropped.
"You don't do anything," Rex sneered. "That's the problem."
He leaned in close, breath hot with irritation.
"You're nobody. No money. No friends. No backbone."
Rex straightened and laughed loudly, exaggerated.
"And yet—" he spread his arms, "—Sophia Aurelia knows your name."
One of the boys whistled.
"Man, I still can't believe it."
"Did you see her face? She looked concerned."
"Yeah, concerned about him."
Their laughter stabbed deeper than fists.
Rex's smile twisted.
"I've liked her for two years," he said casually. "Two."
His eyes hardened.
"And then you show up."
Lumen shook his head.
"I didn't ask for it," he said. "I didn't even wanted to talk to sophia!"
A fist slammed into his stomach.
All the air left his lungs.
He doubled over, gagging, knees buckling.
"Don't say her name like that," Rex snapped.
Another boy grabbed Lumen by the collar and yanked him upright.
His feet barely touched the ground.
Rex looked him over with open disgust.
"You know what pisses me off the most?" he said. "You don't even look happy."
He slapped Lumen's face.
Crack.
The sound echoed.
"You should be smiling," Rex continued. "You should be thanking whatever god you pray to."
Another shove sent Lumen crashing to the ground.
Gravel bit into his palms. His bag spilled open—books scattering, pages fluttering uselessly.
Someone kicked his notebook away.
Another stepped on his hand.
Pain flared.
"Get up," Rex ordered.
Lumen tried.
A foot slammed into his ribs.
He groaned, curling instinctively.
Laughter followed.
"Wow, he's really weak."
"No wonder she felt sorry for him."
"That's probably it—pity."
The word hurt more than the blows.
Rex crouched down, grabbing Lumen's hair and forcing his head up.
"Listen carefully," he whispered. "You don't belong near people like her."
His grip tightened.
"Stay invisible. That's what you're good at."
He shoved Lumen's head down again.
Lumen lay there, chest heaving, vision swimming.
"Why does this keep happening....Why...Why every place I go.....Why am I always....Useless!."
His fingers brushed against something familiar in his spilled bag.
Paper.
Old.
Cold.
The purple book.The book which he brought home that night.
He thought "This book....I think i mistakenly packed it along with the books...."
He didn't open it.
He didn't look at it.
But for the first time—
He felt something stir.
Not power.
Not rage.
Something darker.
Something that wanted itself to be remembered.To be Revived.
Then rex gave an punch.
The impact sent Lumen skidding across the ground.
His shoulder slammed into the pavement, pain exploding through his arm.
His bag slipped from his grasp and spilled open beside him, notebooks scattering uselessly across the street.
Rex straightened up, rolling his neck once.
"Tch."
He looked down at Lumen as if inspecting something broken.
"…Boring."
Lumen barely managed to push himself up on one elbow.
Rex turned his back.
"Finish it," he said casually, waving a hand. "I'm done.".
He then sat in the bike and went away.
The others grinned.
They moved in.
A circle closed around Lumen—shoes scraping, shadows overlapping.
Someone kicked his notebook aside.
Another stepped on his hand, grinding down just enough to make him gasp.
"Look at him shake."
"You really thought talking to her would end well?"
A fist came down against his ribs.
Then another.
Lumen curled inward instinctively, arms over his head, teeth clenched.
Why…
Why did I run…
His vision blurred.
That was when—
The air shifted.
It wasn't sudden.
It was like the moment before a storm, when the world grows quiet without anyone realizing why.
A breeze slipped between the bullies.
Light.
Cool.
Wrong.
"—Huh?"
One of them staggered back a step, frowning.
"Did you feel that?"
Before anyone could answer—
Someone dropped into the circle.
No.
Descended.
Sophia.
It was her.
Sophia's gaze shifted to Lumen.
He was on the ground, bruised, breathing shallowly, one arm curled protectively around his ribs.
Her eyes darkened.
"Let him go," she said calmly.
One of the boys laughed nervously.
"Ah—haha…President, this is just a misunderstanding."
Another scratched his head.
"Yeah, we were just… talking."
Sophia didn't move.
She reached into her bag and pulled out her phone.
"I'll pay," she said.
The words landed heavily.
Silence.
Then a sharp laugh broke out.
"Money?" one of them scoffed. "You think this is about money?"
Sophia looked up slowly.
"How much?" she asked.
The boy grinned.
"Doesn't matter. We don't want it."
Another stepped forward, eyes roaming over her openly now.
"If you really want him free…"
He smiled wider.
"Why don't you become Rex's girlfriend?"
The words hung in the air.
Lumen's breath hitched.
Sophia's fingers tightened around her phone.
"…What?"
"You heard us," the boy said. "Rex likes you. Make it official, and this ends."
Something shifted.
The temperature dropped.
Sophia exhaled slowly.
Then—
She smiled.
Not warmly.
Not kindly.
A thin, furious curve of the lips.
"I see," she said.
She took one step forward.
Her heel did not touch the ground.
It stopped—
just a few centimeters above it.Her heels did not touch the ground it was floating just a few centimetres above the ground.
No one noticed.
Except Lumen.
His eyes widened.
He thought "Impossible...She is floating!."
She didn't step down.
A boy swung at her.
Fast.
His fist never reached her face.
The air twisted.
His punch veered sideways violently, sending him stumbling forward in confusion.
"What the—?!"
Another charged.
Sophia leaned back slightly, feet gliding—not stepping—over the pavement.
A second punch came.
It slid past her shoulder, redirected by something unseen.
The boy spun and crashed into his friend.
"What's happening?!"
Lumen thought "Strange...Those punches are getting diverted by an force...an invisible force like...Wind!."
Sophia moved.
She didn't rush.
She flowed.
Her feet never fully landed—hovering, light, precise—barely brushing the world.
A kick came toward her ribs.
The wind folded inward.
The attacker was thrown backward as if shoved by an invisible wall.
They froze.
Fear finally surfaced.
"Sh—she didn't even touch him!" Thought lumen.
"Is this some trick?!" one of the boys shouted.
Sophia's eyes burned.
"You crossed a line," she said quietly.
One of the boys screamed and lunged blindly.
Sophia spun.
Her body lifted—just slightly—rotating midair.
To everyone else, it looked like luck.
To Lumen—
The air beneath her hardened.
Her fist cut forward.
No contact.her fist did not even touched the boy.
But,A blast of compressed wind,released from her fist struck the boy square in the chest, hurling him across the ground.
The rest panicked.
"Run!"
They scattered.
Shoes scraped.
Breathing shattered.
Sophia landed—this time properly,touching the ground.
The boys ran away.
The wind vanished.
She turned toward Lumen.
He was staring.
Not at her.
At the space around her.
The absence of something that shouldn't be absent.
Sophia came near him "Are you okay?."
But lumen did not reply.He could not believe what he saw around her.
"…Did you see that?" she asked softly.
Lumen swallowed.
He nodded.
That was when the pressure hit him.
His chest tightened.
Fear surged—raw, instinctive.
He pushed himself back and shoved her away.
"Don't—don't come near me!"
Sophia stumbled.
Her eyes widened—not in anger.
In realization.
"…I see."
Lumen scrambled to his feet.
"I'm sorry—I didn't mean—"
He ran.
Sophia stood still as he disappeared down the street.
The wind brushed against her ankle, uncertain.
"…He noticed," she whispered.
The wind did not deny it.
Lumen was already gone.
His footsteps faded into the distance, uneven and panicked, until even the echoes disappeared into the city's noise.
Sophia remained behind.
The alley was a mess.
Scattered trash. Cracked concrete. Faint scuff marks from shoes—and darker stains where Lumen had hit the ground.
She stood still, letting the silence settle.
Then—
The wind stirred.
Not naturally.
A soft emerald glow bloomed beside her, threads of air converging into a hovering sphere of green light.
The emrald sphere emerged, its presence subtle yet undeniable, the currents around it moving with deliberate restraint.
Sophia spoke without turning.
"He saw it."
The sphere pulsed once.
Yes...
Her fingers tightened slightly at her side.
"Even In the middle of being beaten… Even in the middle of that chaos… he noticed your wind..."
She exhaled.
"That's not normal."
The emerald sphere rotated slowly.
His perception is refined...His observation is unusually to precise... it said.
"Far sharper than that of ordinary mortals."
Sophia finally looked at it.
Even as a Wind spirit...I cannot fully comprehend that strange divinity...
"Is it still coming from it?" she asked. "That strange divinity."
The wind stilled.
I feel it now...
Sophia frowned.
"…Now?"
The sphere drifted downward.
Its glow dimmed, then sharpened—pulling Sophia's gaze to the ground.
There—
Near the place where Lumen had fallen.
A book lay half-open on the cracked pavement.
Dustless.
Unscathed.
As if the filth of the alley refused to touch it.
Sophia's breath slowed.
"That fell from him," she murmured. "When they kicked him… it must have slipped out from his bag."
She took a cautious step closer.
The air around the book felt wrong.
Not violent.
Not hostile.
But dense—as if space itself carried weight.
The emerald sphere hovered directly above it.
The divinity I sensed within theboy....
The Wind Spirit said, its voice no longer calm,
was never his alone...
Sophia's eyes narrowed.
"So this is it."
Yes...
The wind around them trembled faintly.
This object is the source...
The purple book.
Sophia stared at the book.
"What a creepy book" Said sophia with all her instincts warning her.
She got near to the book.
Proceed with caution...
The Wind Spirit warned.
This object does not obey natural law...
I'm just going to check," Sophia said quietly.
"I won't force anything."
She extended her hand.
Carefully.
Slowly.
Her fingers moved closer.
Five centimeters.
Three.
Two.
One—
Flash.
A brilliant purple light erupted without warning, swallowing the book entirely.
The glow was sharp, absolute, violent enough to force Sophia to recoil.
She gasped and pulled her hand back.
The light twisted, folding inward like space itself had been grabbed and crushed.
Then—
Nothing.
The light vanished.
The book was gone.
No sound. No residue. No trace.
Just empty ground where it had been a second ago.
Sophia froze, staring at the spot.
"…It disappeared," she said, voice low.
"Just What was that purple light!?," Sophia said,disbelief creeping into her voice. "Did it get destroyed!?"
No...
the Wind Spirit interrupted.
Its voice was tense now.
"It returned."
Sophia's heart skipped.
"…Returned to where?"
To it's owner...
Her breath caught.
"Lumen?" she said.
Yes...
Sophia slowly lowered her hand.
"So it's bound to him," she muttered. "Not by ownership… but by selection."
The air around them grew heavier.
"That object does not tolerate interference," the spirit continued.
"It allows itself to be seen—but not taken."
Sophia clenched her fist.
"And the moment I tried to touch it…It dissapeared!"
That object is bound to him...
"He doesn't even know what it is," she said.
"And yet," the she added, "it already recognizes him as its owner."
He does not realize what has chosen him...
"We can't leave him alone anymore," she said firmly.
We have to approach him...Before anyone else...