Riven jumped up, looking around in confusion.
He was in a white room—sterile, quiet, almost too calm. Then it hit him. He remembered everything: the attack, the chaos, the pain—and the strange prompt that had flashed before his eyes right before he blacked out.
Welcome, user, to the Forced Evolution System.
"What was that? What did it even mean?" he muttered. "Do all Force-Evolved people get that kind of message? No way. The internet would've said something—or Jordan would've told me when he awakened…"
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps echoed from outside the room. Riven turned toward the door, and his eyes widened. Two people walked in: a man with bright red hair and piercing blue eyes—taller than the doorframe itself—and a red-haired woman with the same blue eyes. Both wore black uniforms trimmed in gold and by the The clothes riven knew Who this group was
"The Ascension…" Riven whispered.
The Ascension was an elite organization tasked with subduing rogue Evolvers—those who used their powers for crime or awoke while already incarcerated. Many officers joined the Ascension after their evolution, lured by higher pay and better benefits that they give
"What the heck are the Ascension doing here?" Riven thought. "Actually—screw that. Where's Jordan?!"
"What happened to my brother?!" the boy asked in a panic
The red-haired girl shrugged. "Chill. Your brother's fine. He's asleep on the other side—check for yourself"
Riven rushed to the curtain beside his bed and flung it open. Jordan lay peacefully, breathing slow and steady. Riven pulled the curtain closed again, relieved.
"My name's Mack Grey," the man said. "And this is my pupil, Nico Grey. As you've figured out, we're from the Ascension. After you passed out, we got a call from someone who witnessed the whole thing. We showed up, beat the guys, and brought you here."
"Short and to the point. I like that," Riven said.
"Thanks for saving us, but why are you here?"
Mack crossed his arms.
"Well, kid, given what you went through, there's a real chance you've Force-Evolved. Do you… feel different?"
Riven closed his eyes.
In the darkness, he saw a grey flame flicker to life. Then another prompt appeared:
Welcome, user, to the Forced Evolution System.
His eyes opened with a bright, hopeful gleam—but when he looked at Mack and Nico, their expressions told him all he needed to know.
They hadn't seen the message.
"So… they can't see it", Riven realized. That means I can't just talk about it yet. I need to figure it out first!
"You don't have one, do you?" Nico said flatly, her expression soured. "Tch. I got my hopes up. What'd I even expect from a pi—"
"Nico," Mack interrupted firmly.
Mack gave Riven a sympathetic nod. "I'm sorry you haven't awakened. It might still happen later. Rest up. I hope you and your twin recover quickly."
As they left, Nico glanced back, her red hair catching the light.
"Twins, huh…?" she thought to herself.
Moments later, the curtain drew open again—this time by Jordan, who stared at Riven with a mix of disappointment and curiosity.
"Riven… after all that? Some people evolve from getting mugged. You got attacked by a full-on Evolver and still didn't awaken?"
Riven smiled slyly. "I did. I'll explain later."
"Harkel," a man with dark blue hair and with bulky Appearance that would make anyone just stop in ah to look at, was walking through an empty hallway. Every time someone passed him, they bowed, showing respect to the man.
"Yes, Father," a young man with long, light blue hair said as he appeared in front of the older man and bowed.
"How has your training been going?"
"Excellent, Father. I feel like I could probably be scouted by one of the camps now."
"Oh, little Harkel… it's far too late for that. Maybe a month or two earlier, then yes—but it's too late now. Luckily, you'll be with your brother. There's a bright side to that." That was all the man said before walking away.
Even though he mentioned a bright side, Harkel knew that not being scouted made his father feel embarrassed. His children weren't exactly the strongest in the clan.
"Axel, Spencer, and the rest of my older siblings—I promise you, I will surpass you all. I will not fail you, Father."
By a convenience store, a young boy with green hair was walking out alongside a girl with the same colored hair. Both had blue eyes, yet the girl's hair was long and straight, while the boy's was short and scruffy.
"Good work today, Luka and Kira!" the man inside the store called out. "Tell your mom and dad I said hello."
"Will do, sir!" the boy called back as the number 30 lit up on a card. The girl's card showed the same number.
"This should be enough to pay off Mom and Dad's taxes for the month—let them focus on the bills instead," the boy commented as they started walking toward what seemed to be a bus stop.
"Are you sure, Luka? It's way less than what they paid us last time. Don't you think we should demand more?" Kira asked.
"Of course not. We need to hope that whatever they made from your job, combined with what we earned, can help them out. If we start demanding more, who knows if they'll actually do it—or just fire us." Luka started to think aloud. "But… since this is our last month before going to the academy, it wouldn't hurt to ask tomorrow," he said as he saw a bus arriving.
Within the same walls as the two green-haired siblings, Riven and Jordan were also living. Outside, in a dirty field covered with blackened leaves and scattered trash, a blonde-haired boy stared up at the sky.
"In a month, can I really do this? Or will I just get myself killed? It's not like I can refuse them—or Mom will get in trouble. But there are rumors that some students actually die on their first day at the academy. Luckily, there's no hierarchy, so I won't be bullied… but there are no people like me—Wallborns—while everyone out there is either forced out for not paying taxes or they're adventurers. But… do we have the spirit to become adventurers?"
Those were the thoughts running through the golden-haired boy's head as he lay in the field, the wind flowing gently around him.
"Joey!" a woman called out.
"Yes?" the boy yelled back.
"I'm off to work. There are TV dinners in the freezer if you get hungry."
"Okay. Be safe. Love you!"
"Love you too!"
"I hate TV dinners…" Joey muttered.
A girl with short, dark purple hair seemed to be walking toward a certain room.
"You called for me, Mother?" she asked.
Inside the room sat a woman at a desk facing a large window overlooking rows of houses—but unlike the others, there were no walls surrounding them.
"Yes, I did, Wren," the woman said, turning her chair to face her daughter. "I know you must feel disheartened that none of the camps scouted you. But I want you to know—it wasn't because of your skill. It was because I didn't allow it. You know our family has a deep connection to the academy, and I want you to continue that legacy after you graduate. I have high hopes for you, Wren. Will you meet them?"
"Yes, Mother," the girl replied, her eyes dull and empty. "I will meet your standards. I always will."
A girl with brown hair tied into two twin ponytails was looking at herself in the mirror.
"A month, huh?" she murmured.
"Yes, a month," an older woman said, suddenly appearing out of nowhere and startling the girl.
"Mom! Don't scare me like that—you almost gave me a heart attack!"
"Relax, Skye. I just wanted to check on you, to see if you're prepared."
"No… I'm not, I guess," Skye said, looking back at the mirror.
"Why not?" her mother asked.
"Almost everyone who joins the academy has a goal in mind. My goals have nothing to do with the academy, so I keep questioning—what do I even do when I get there?"
"Your goals could still align with it. You just need to find the right path." The woman smiled softly. "Now, one last thing—to make sure you truly know who you are. What is your name?"
"Skye. Skye Vank."
"Exactly." The woman embraced her daughter tightly in her arms.
⸻
"Sir," a man in a suit of armor—reminiscent of those from the Middle Ages—spoke up.
"Yes?" a crimson-haired man replied.
"Are you alone?" the guard asked.
"Leave me, Claggor."
The red-haired man stood—a tall, well-built figure whose bright red hair moved like a flickering flame whenever he shifted. His expression carried a constant air of disgust as he brushed past the guard without another word.
⸻
"So, what is it?" another man with crimson hair said as he sat at a round table, clearly annoyed that his meeting was being interrupted. The guard closed the door behind him.
"Sir, you wanted me to come to you privately whenever the Harlow family made a major move or had an event."
"Is this about the two twins going to the academy? I already accounted for that. They should be leaving in about a month."
"Yes, sir—that, and something else." The man's expression shifted. "One of the two kids was attacked in the alleyway—or at least one of them was—but the other came to his rescue."
"And you didn't help out?" the crimson-haired man's tone rose with fury.
"We couldn't, sir. Not without raising questions. The Ascension was in the area—if they found out that someone directly tied to the Dawn family was there helping two random kids, suspicions would have been raised."
"You're right…" the man muttered, calming slightly. "Are the two boys fine?"
"Yes, sir."
"Good. If that's all, you're dismissed."
"No, sir, that's not all." The man hesitated. "I don't know why you have such a strong interest in this Harlow family. Hopefully, one day I'll understand. But—with me having a child soon, I—"
"Just get to the point," the red-haired man snapped, not wanting to hear his whole life story.
"The woman is pregnant. Looking at the hospital records, the child seems to be a girl—but it's too early to confirm."
The crimson-haired man stood from his seat. "A child… that's great. Her name should be Sofia, and she should be pampered by—" He stopped himself, realizing the other man was still in the room. "I'll pay you double if you don't tell anyone what you just heard."
"Yes, sir. Thank you, sir."
A total of one hundred thousand credits appeared before the man's eyes.
"You are dismissed."
"Yes, sir. But if you don't mind me asking—what is so important about this family? You've had me and my men watching over them, even helping out the man of the house, Kaden. You let him find one of our bases, learn some of our techniques, and live to tell the tale. Why, sir?"
"For now, that's none of your concern. But you'll understand soon enough. Now go—before I take back your bonus."
The man bowed and immediately walked out of the room.
"I know you've been listening, Claggor," the crimson-haired man said.
The same armored man from before stepped back into the room, his face pale.
"Father…" he said quietly, shock in his voice. "What have you done?"