The academy gates had grown taller in my mind over the years. By sixteen, they were no longer gates—they were thresholds. Every corridor, every lecture hall, every practice field pulsed with the weight of future wars.
I had spent eight years preparing quietly. The System had logged me since birth, tracking every suppressed movement, every silent observation, every moment of calculated inaction. By sixteen, I was no longer invisible. I was a variable, a node the story had begun to monitor seriously.
---
System Interference — Status Update (MC)
> Name: Lucien Valenrowe
Age: 16
Status: Extra Outside the Script
Affiliation: House Valenrowe
Story Alignment: Peripheral (Variable)
Deviation Index: Moderate
Attributes:
> Strength: C+
Agility: B-
Endurance: B
Mana Capacity: B+
Mana Control: A-
Mental Resistance: S
Perception: S
Skills:
> Passive Skills:
• Accelerated Comprehension
• Observer's Focus
• Mana Suppression
• Future Knowledge (Restricted)
> Active Skills:
• Mana Burst (Basic)
• Combat Awareness (Intermediate)
Hidden Traits:
> • Reincarnated Consciousness
• Script Manipulation Potential
---
I reviewed the System's notes silently.
> Threat Level: Medium
Survival Probability: 92%
Fate Sensitivity: High
Proximity to Core Narrative (Protagonist): Medium
All these numbers told me something important: I was still not allowed to interfere too much, but I could act strategically. Eight years of careful observation had finally brought me here: able to respond instead of merely hiding.
---
The Rival Emerges
Academy life was no longer theoretical. Students had grown, powers had awakened, and politics had matured. Among them, one name stood out.
> Name: Kael Draven
Age: 16
Status: Canonical Rival (Elite)
Affiliation: House Draven
Story Alignment: Core Narrative Support (Rival to MC's House)
Deviation Index: None
Attributes:
> Strength: A
Agility: B+
Endurance: B+
Mana Capacity: S
Mana Control: A
Mental Resistance: B
Perception: B+
Skills:
> Passive Skills:
• Noble Command Aura
• Battle Intuition
> Active Skills:
• Flame Strike
• Sword Technique: Silver Gale
Kael's presence alone was enough to trigger a ripple in the System's observation logs. Unlike me, he was canonically allowed to grow strong. The story's narrative favored him. Every action he took aligned with expectations.
---
System Observation
> [Primary Variable Detected: Lucien Valenrowe]
[Secondary Variable Detected: Kael Draven]
[Interaction Potential: High]
[Deviation Threshold Approaching]
The System watched us both. It noted every glance, every calculated movement, every unspoken interaction. It did not intervene—yet.
But I knew what this meant:
> If I acted too aggressively against Kael…
The story would push back.
If I waited too long…
The story might crush House Valenrowe's future before I could act.
Balance was everything.
---
Comparing Progress
At sixteen, the gap was physical and magical, but not absolute.
Lucien:
Strength: C+ (trainable, tactical growth potential)
Mana Capacity: B+ (stable, controlled)
Combat Awareness: Intermediate
Mental Resistance: S
Perception: S
Kael (Rival):
Strength: A (canonically advanced)
Mana Capacity: S (canonically elite)
Combat Awareness: Advanced
Mental Resistance: B
Perception: B+
The difference was clear: Kael was stronger in raw power, expected to dominate physical duels.
But I had knowledge, perception, and System awareness.
I knew the timing of his attacks, the canonical order of events, and even his favored techniques before he attempted them.
Power was his. Strategy was mine.
And in this world, strategy could bend outcomes.
---
The first practical test of the year was announced: a rank-based duel simulation.
> [System Interference Triggered: Status Update Required]
Before I could step onto the field, the System logged me automatically:
> [Lucien Valenrowe — Status Check]
• Rank Projection: Top 20%
• Rival Status: Kael Draven — Top 1% (Canonical)
• Suggested Strategy: Observation + Deferred Engagement
• Risk Assessment: Medium-High
The System did not tell me how to win.
It only outlined risk, potential interference, and narrative alignment.
That was enough.
---
Mental Preparation
I allowed my mana to circulate, controlled but potent, measuring my own endurance. I mentally ran through Kael's likely movements, the story's preferred outcomes, and every variable I had logged over the past eight years.
> Observation > Reaction > Action
The mantra had guided me since I first began.
For the first time, I felt the thrill of being visible but not expendable.
The System's last message lingered:
> [Deviation Threshold Approaching]
[Protagonist Alignment: Monitored]
Not a warning.
Not a command.
A reminder.
Every decision now carried weight—not only for me but for the future of House Valenrowe.
---
The Stage Is Set
Sixteen.
Kael Draven.
Two variables the System now watched closely.
One canonically favored.
One rewriting the script quietly.
And as I stepped onto the training field, I knew:
This was the moment the story would begin testing me in earnest.
Not with words.
Not with morality.
But with status, strength, and calculated survival.
The System observed.
The story watched.
And I—Lucien Valenrowe—would begin to turn the pages myself.
---