The world hadn't changed yet.
That was the strangest part.
Outside Aiden's window, traffic flowed as usual. Cars honked. People argued. Vendors shouted about discounts and limited-time offers. Students complained about homework, and office workers cursed their bosses like they did every other day.
Nothing looked different.
But Aiden knew better.
The world was standing on the edge of a cliff, and most people were still arguing about what shoes to wear.
He opened the window slightly and let the morning air in. It was warm, ordinary, and completely unaware of what was coming. In seventy-two days, this same sky would crack open. Light would pour down, and reality itself would acknowledge humanity for the first time.
Universe Awakening Day.
A day that had been written into history books long before it actually arrived.
Everyone knew about it.
No one truly understood it.
Aiden turned back to his laptop and refreshed the news feed. A familiar headline appeared at the top.
GLOBAL AWAKENING APPROACHES: EXPERTS ADVISE CALM AND PREPARATION
He almost smiled.
Governments had been preparing for Awakening Day for decades. Shelters, emergency plans, public announcements, education programs—everything designed to maintain order when the sky inevitably broke.
What they couldn't prepare for was inequality.
Because Awakening Day didn't treat people equally.
It ranked them.
Aiden clicked into an article and skimmed past the fluff. He already knew all of this.
On Awakening Day, every human would be pulled into a subconscious selection state. Time would freeze. The body would be untouched. Only the mind would move.
Each person would be shown a selection of universes.
Some would be bright, overflowing with power and potential.Some would be dark, unstable, and incomplete.
The universe you chose determined everything.
Your class.Your growth speed.Your ceiling.
It wasn't fair.
And it was never meant to be.
Aiden scrolled further down until he reached the section he was looking for.
PRE-AWAKENING RANKING ESTIMATES
That was where things got ugly.
High-tier fantasy worlds sat at the top, glowing with confidence. Mythological universes. Divine systems. Magic-heavy realms where power scaled aggressively and favored those who could fight.
Below them were tech-enhanced worlds, psychic systems, and hybrid universes.
And near the bottom—
Minecraft.
Aiden stopped scrolling.
The article didn't even bother to be polite.
"A survival sandbox universe with rigid rules, limited combat depth, and heavy reliance on manual labor. Experts agree it offers low early power and poor scalability."
Comments flooded the page.
"Imagine choosing Minecraft on Awakening Day 💀""That's not a universe, that's a tutorial.""Respawn mechanics won't save you forever. Trash pick."
Aiden closed the tab.
In his previous life, he had felt anger reading things like that. Embarrassment. Doubt.
This time, he felt nothing.
People always judged power by how loud it was.
They didn't understand systems.They didn't understand control.
And they definitely didn't understand what happened when rules stacked on top of each other without limits.
A knock sounded at his door.
"Aiden," his mother called, voice tired but gentle. "Breakfast is ready. Don't be late for school."
"I'm coming," he replied.
He stood, grabbed his bag, and stepped out into the narrow hallway. His mother was already busy, moving between the stove and the table. She looked exactly the same as he remembered—older than she should have been, worn down by work, but still trying her best.
In his previous life, he hadn't been able to protect her.
This time…
Aiden's eyes lowered slightly.
He wouldn't make the same mistakes again.
At school, the atmosphere was tense in a way most people didn't consciously notice. Posters about Awakening safety lined the walls. Teachers reminded students to stay calm. Counselors handed out pamphlets about "healthy expectations."
Nobody wanted to say it out loud.
But everyone was afraid.
In the classroom, conversations buzzed nonstop.
"My cousin's family already hired a private Awakening consultant.""I heard if you sign early with a guild, they give you protection.""My dad says combat classes are the only ones that matter."
Aiden sat at his desk near the window, listening without participating.
Every name mentioned.Every rumor.Every future "genius."
He remembered who would rise fast—and who would burn out just as quickly.
He also remembered the ones who would smile at him in a few weeks, pretending to be friends.
The betrayers.
They sat only a few rows away, laughing, relaxed, already imagining their glorious futures.
Aiden looked at them calmly.
So nothing's changed, he thought. Good.
Change would have made things complicated.
The bell rang, snapping the class to order.
As the teacher began another meaningless lecture, Aiden rested his chin on his hand and stared out the window.
The sky was clear.
Too clear.
"Seventy-two days," he murmured under his breath.
In his previous life, he had stepped into Awakening Day blind, afraid, and unsure.
This time, he knew exactly what the world would offer him.
And exactly what he would take.