Chapter 1 – When the Sky Opens Again
Planet: Elliar Prime
City: Valtross Sector
Year: 9924 Post-Migration Calendar
Subject: Final Year Student – Kairo Velen, Age 16
A pale sun rose over a blue-silver city of towers and suspended transit rings, bathing the skyline of Valtross in molten light.
Kairo Velen sat quietly at the breakfast table, steam rising from a chipped ceramic bowl of nutrient grain. His uniform blazer hung on the chair beside him, half-buttoned, patched in places. He wasn't in a hurry.
Across from him, his father, clad in a dusty work vest with the logo of StellarLine Resource Transport, scrolled through his shift roster. Opposite him, his mother adjusted her service uniform for a part-time sanitation circuit post
Also is sister. Eating on the table
This apartment was nothing extraordinary. Ninth floor. Two-room. Government-certified safe. The kind of place you earned with decades of quiet, law-abiding labor.
No one at this table—not even Kairo himself—looked like the kind of person who once fought gods to the death.
But that memory slept, sealed within him. It was not time yet.
"Today is Evolution Week," his father muttered, voice neutral. "That teacher of yours—Dr. Fenn—he still handling the injections?"
Kairo nodded once. "Yeah. School nurse administers. We're scheduled after the noon lecture. Medical drones supervise."
His mother reached over, brushing imaginary dust from his shoulder. "Be calm. You'll do well."
Kairo smiled quietly. "You sound nervous, Mom."
"I am," she said truthfully. "It's not every day your child mutates into a new species."
The Evolution Protocol
By law, every citizen on Elliar Prime undergoes evolution at age 16. The ritual is government-regulated, public, and medically overseen to ensure stability and fairness.
Each final-year student must report to school during Evolution Week, where they receive:
A final body scan
A Prime Core resonance test
Injection of the Evolution Serum
Serums come in three standard grades:
Low Grade: Free, government-issued. Often results in unstable mutations, delayed awakenings.
Mid Grade: Commercially purchased. Balanced, safe, and with a high mutation compatibility rate.
High Grade: Rare, auctioned, or reserved for elite families. Provides instant neural alignment and advanced Prime Core evolution.
Each student is required to bring documentation of their serum grade by Monday of Evolution Week.
Those without private serum receive the standard low-grade.
How Kairo Got the Mid Grade Serum
Two years ago, Kairo's mother took a third night shift. His father picked up double freight hauls and sold his old sky-bike.
All for a single item.
They never told Kairo directly.
He found the receipt in a drawer labeled "Old Bills."
Item: GenCure Evolution Serum – Mid Grade
Cost: 38,700 Union Credits
Transaction Type: Deferred Clearance Loan – 24 Months
They weren't rich. But they wanted him to have a chance.
He never told them he knew.
Valkross High – Evolution Briefing
"Final-year students," said Dr. Fenn, voice stern and measured, "today is not about dreams or talent. It is about your body. And how it reacts under pressure."
He walked down the steps of the outdoor amphitheater. Behind him stood a row of medical drones and cold storage units. Every unit held vials of evolution serum, glowing in faint hues.
"Evolution," he continued, "is not guaranteed. Some of you may awaken quickly. Some may take weeks. Some may experience hallucinations, neural discharges, or Prime Core instability."
The crowd shifted uncomfortably.
"Let me be clear," he said, voice sharp. "No student is permitted to activate their Core without clearance. If I catch you attempting to cultivate without post-injection clearance... you will be expelled and referred to Control Services."
Silence followed.
"Now then," he tapped his tablet, "when your name is called, approach Nurse Vaya, submit your grade certification, and receive your serum. After injection, you will remain under supervision for two hours."
He looked over the rows of students with a narrowed gaze.
"And lastly—never compare yourselves to others. Evolution is personal. It is not a race. It is a doorway."
When Kairo's Turn Came
He stood slowly when his name echoed through the courtyard.
"Kairo Velen. Mid Grade. Verified."
He walked with steady steps to the nurse station, handed over the small metal card his father gave him before work.
"Be brave, son," his father had whispered. "Whatever happens, you're still you. And we love you."
The nurse nodded, inserted the code, and pulled out a silvery-blue vial from the refrigeration unit.
"Administering GenCure Mid Grade Serum."
Kairo's left arm was sterilized. A cold hiss. The serum entered.
It was like swallowing a storm.
He didn't scream. He didn't faint.
He gripped the edge of the med-table and stared forward as the world bent around him.
Bones creaked. Blood vessels burned.
His heart slowed. Then beat once—twice—so hard the sound echoed in his ears.
And in the space between seconds… the voice returned.
"You are my guardian reborn. You hold my ashes, my sword, and my will. Rise again, Kairo Velen."
At that moment, the world changed.
His Prime Core didn't just awaken—it roared into life.
The Creation Tower pulsed far away in a realm no one else could see.
And somewhere in the structure of space-time itself… the universe watched.