[The Ceremony]
The Awakening Grounds were chaos.
Three hundred candidates packed the amphitheater, a spiral of silversteel platforms rising around a crystalline spire at the center. Threads of Omni-light drifted lazily overhead, bathing the chamber in cold blue glow.
Every few seconds, a name was called.
A candidate stepped onto the scanner. The crystal hummed, OmniNet glyphs flared, and results flashed above the crowd:
[Result: C-Rank]
Tier-2 Evolution Path Unlocked]
Cheers erupted instantly. Friends screamed, hugging, already dreaming of guild invitations and city contracts.
Kai Veyren sat at Station 47, silent.
His OmniBand still displayed the same blinking message it had for the last hour:
[Processing… Please Wait.]
Sweat slid down his neck. He clenched and unclenched his hands.
He didn't care about guild contracts, he didn't care about ranks — he just needed to awaken.
Then his name appeared on the main display.
[Public Execution]
Kai stepped onto the scanning platform, placing his palm against the crystal plate.
The moment his skin touched the surface, cold shot up his arm, crawling beneath his ribs like liquid ice. Glyphs spiraled overhead, analyzing his bloodline.
[Analyzing Genetic Resonance…]
[Verifying Branch Eligibility…]
A sharp chime cut through the noise.
[Candidate Kai Veyren — Awakening Failed.]
Assigned Tier: NULL
Recommendation: Candidate rejected from Evolution Program.
The amphitheater went silent.
Then came the laughter.
"NULL?" someone shouted from above.
"OmniNet doesn't even list Nulls!"
A ripple of mockery spread through the tiers.
Joren Lask, freshly branded B-Rank, stepped forward into the spotlight, golden badge glowing like a trophy.
"Congrats, Veyren," he called out, voice dripping venom.
"You didn't just fail — you're officially worthless."
Laughter erupted. Dozens of eyes pinned Kai like arrows.
His hands curled into fists. Heat crawled up his neck.
Don't look at them. Don't give them what they want.
[System Override Detected]
The crystalline spire at the center of the chamber pulsed violently.
The lights cut out. Every OmniBand blinked dark. A deep vibration rolled through the floor, rattling teeth, making the crowd fall silent mid-laughter.
Kai's HUD glitched violently, filling his vision with static.
[Omni-God Protocol Detected… Initializing Boot Sequence.]
Candidate ID: Kai Veyren
Classification: Tier-Zero Anomaly
Status: Rejection Overridden.
[Infinite Evolution Path Unlocked.]
Kai staggered backward, grabbing the scanner frame for balance.
Nobody else moved.
Nobody reacted.
Only he could see it.
"…What the hell is this?"
[The Impossible Choice]
Golden glyphs spiraled across his vision, forming a constellation of shifting paths.
[Available Evolutions: 3]
• Adaptive Luck [Tier-β] — Bend probability to favor survival.
• Neural Overclock [Tier-β] — Accelerate cognition and reaction speed.
• Exo-Spatial Blink [Tier-β] — Teleport short distances instantly.
Warning: Selecting an evolution will permanently erase one anchor memory.
Kai froze. His throat was dry.
A memory?
Before he could process, another notification slammed across his HUD:
[Variant Detected: Catalyst Kai — ID 017.]
Synchronization Level: 12%.
Recommendation: Evolve Immediately.
Another Kai? Another… him?
The thought clawed at the edges of his mind.
[Lyra's Echo]
Kai's fingertips hovered over Adaptive Luck — and that's when he heard it.
A faint voice. Broken. Familiar.
"…Don't… forget me…"
His breath hitched. His chest seized painfully.
He turned sharply, scanning the platform, but no one was near enough to speak.
Recognition stabbed through him like static.
Lyra.
His sister.
Except… he didn't have a sister. Did he?
[Catalyst Interference Detected]
Suddenly, Kai's HUD fractured into violent static.
[Catalyst Override Detected.]
Threat Level: Tier-Sigma.
Synchronization Surge: 12% → 18% → 23%.
For a fraction of a second, he saw him.
Catalyst Kai — standing on a shattered battlefield, Origin Bloom spiraling violently around him, silver-blue eyes glowing like burning frost.
Catalyst smirked faintly.
"Catch up, Divergent."
Then the vision shattered like glass.
[Lock Σ Engaged]
Kai's HUD locked mid-command, golden glyphs flaring violently.
[Lock Σ Activated.]
Protocol Arbitration Priority: Catalyst Kai.
Candidate Kai Veyren flagged: Unstable Anomaly.
Termination Sequence Pending.
His pulse spiked, muscles locking. Instinct screamed.
He slammed his palm onto Adaptive Luck, forcing the system through.
[Adaptive Luck Installed]
[Evolution Complete.]
Skill: Adaptive Luck [Tier-β]
Probability Manipulation Active.
Memory Bleed: 4%
Anchor Memory Lost: Lyra.Veyren.01
Warning: Candidate has forgotten something critical.
Kai dropped to one knee, chest heaving, confusion swallowing his thoughts.
A name slipped from his lips — and vanished the moment he said it.
"Lyra…"
He blinked, hollow inside.
"…Who?"
[Branch Instability Detected]
The crystalline spire cracked violently. The Omni-God Protocol roared in his skull:
[Branch Instability Detected.]
Remaining Branches: 43.
"Survive, Candidate… or vanish."
The platform beneath Kai split apart, violet light consuming the chamber. Gravity inverted, and he was dragged down into nothingness — falling endlessly between shattering realities.