The sun rose behind the silver towers of Valeria, casting long beams across the marble courtyards of Cether Academy. Flags bearing elemental sigils danced in the morning breeze—blue for water, red for fire, green for earth, white for wind, gold for light, black for shadow, and a dozen more for rarer gifts.
Today was Awakening Day—the day when every sixteen-year-old stood beneath the Threadstone, to unveil their innate ability, their birthright from the Source.
Everyone was born with power.
Some could bend the elements. Others healed with a touch. A few even claimed divine whispers or demonic echoes.
Power shaped careers, determined status, and defined destiny.
The plaza buzzed with excitement. Parents, teachers, and even scouts from noble houses had gathered, whispering names with interest.
But in the far back, under the archway's shadow, stood a boy whose name was never whispered.
Kael Draevyn.
Sixteen. Ordinary. Forgotten.
He wore the same academy uniform as everyone else—a navy tunic with a silver trim—but unlike the others, his sleeve bore no family crest. His eyes were dull gray, not because of age or fatigue, but from years of watching others shine while he was left in the dark.
He wasn't nervous. He wasn't hopeful.
He was just… waiting for it to be over.
One by one, students stepped into the light, touched the core, and were declared.
"Kira Maelle: Affinity—Wind Talent—Galeweaver. Rank—C."
"Jalen Thorren: Affinity—Earth Talent—Stonecall. Rank—B."
"Veyna Alcrest: Affinity—Blood Talent—Sanguine Binding. Rank—A."
Each name was followed by cheers, bursts of elemental displays, and applause from noble families watching from floating balconies.
Then, at last—
"Kael Draevyn," called Headmaster Vellian from the platform. "Step forward."
A hush fell.
Everyone turned.
Kael walked down the aisle, past rows of students glowing faintly with their already stirring powers—flames flickering behind fingers, crystals forming on skin, winds curling around boots. Even the weakest among them had a flicker of power.
Kael had none.
His footsteps echoed louder than they should have.
Whispers followed.
"Why is he even here?"
"No crest, no aura… a Nullborn."
He stepped into the circle—an ancient rune etched into the academy Threadstone, humming with stored magic.
(The Ritual Stone responded instantly to those with gifts. When young minds touched the circle, it drew forth their sleeping affinity and marked them with their Elemental Thread.)
Kael pressed his palm against the core.
Nothing.
The wind paused. The stone dimmed.
The rune flickered… then died.
[ THREAD CONNECTION ATTEMPTING... ]
[ ... ... ... ]
[ NO AFFINITY DETECTED ]
[ THREAD CONNECTION: BROKEN ]
A red shimmer of rejection pulsed and vanished.
The silence that followed was louder than thunder.
He heard laughter.
He didn't flinch. He just stepped off the circle quietly, his hand slightly trembling—not from fear, but from déjà vu. This had happened before. Every year since he was ten, they had tested him. Every year: null, null, null.
But now it was final. Public. Official.
He had failed.
The crowd whispered:
"Not even a Spark?"
"How does that happen?"
"He's not just powerless… he's not connected to the Source at all."
Kael turned to leave.
"Wait," said the Headmaster, voice low but clear. "You will not continue in the Academy. Cether accepts only those bound to the Source. You… have none."
The final cut. Expected, but it still stung.
He nodded once, bowed politely to the masters and students, and walked down the stairs alone.
No pity. No anger. No tears.
Just silence.
He didn't go home right away.
Instead, Kael wandered the backstreets of Valeria, where flickering lanterns cast long shadows against alley walls, and the wind carried the scent of sulfur and rain.
He passed by children shaping water into birds for fun.
Old men lighting pipes with their fingers.
A street painter floating brushes in the air while his hands remained folded.
To them, power was breathing.
To Kael, it was a language he was never taught.
Eventually, he climbed to his hidden rooftop—an abandoned clocktower half-swallowed by ivy and mist. He often came here to read, tinker, and just… exist.
He sat against the cold gear shaft, the sky dimming above. A low rumble rolled across the heavens.
"Why me?" he whispered to no one.
No answer.
He tilted his head back against the rusted pillar, staring at the darkening sky. Then—he saw it. Not a star. Not a bird. Not a cloud.
A crack.
A seam in the sky, glowing faintly blue.
His breath caught.
The air became heavy, charged.
Then—
CRACK-BOOM!
A blinding bolt of white-blue lightning ripped from the sky and struck the clocktower directly. Kael didn't even have time to scream. The world shattered into searing light and sound. Kael screamed without sound as electricity surged through him. His body lifted off the ground, suspended midair. Every nerve lit up. Every thought vanished.
His body lifted from the floor, jolted in midair, every nerve in his body set aflame—
And then... darkness.
Somewhere in the void between moments…
[ SYSTEM INITIALIZATION... COMPLETE ]
[ THREAD OVERRIDE ENGAGED ]
[ HOST: KAEL DRAEVYN | SOULTYPE: NULL | STATUS: AWAKENED ]
[ YOU HAVE BEEN CHOSEN. THE SYSTEM IS NOW YOURS ALONE. ]
[ WARNING: UNIQUE HOST DETECTED. POWER OUTSIDE GLOBAL ORDER. ]
[... ]
[ WELCOME TO THE VOID ENGINE SYSTEM ]
Kael's breath returned, ragged.
His fingers twitched.
His breath returned.
He lay among broken stone and glowing embers, the sky still cracking with far-off lightning.
Floating in front of him, burning softly in blue and silver light, glowing like a star born from the void, was something no one else in this world had ever seen:
A system screen.
End of Chapter