The walk from the athletic grounds to the locker rooms was a quiet symphony of agony. Every student moved with the stiff, pained gait of someone who had discovered muscles they never knew they had, only to have them summarily punished. The cool spray of the sonic cleanser in the showers did little to wash away the bone-deep ache.
"I can't feel my arms," Tarin grumbled, slumping onto a bench and wincing as he stretched his shoulders. He was trying to project an aura of tough satisfaction, but the frustration in his eyes was clear. "All that for 'perfect form.' We could've done twice the reps if she wasn't watching every little twitch."
"I think that was the point," Selene said, leaning against a locker. She moved with a deliberate slowness, but her voice was as sharp as ever. "She wasn't trying to make us strong. She was trying to make us unbreakable. There's a difference."
"She's trying to make us into Imperial-approved cogs," Kaelen muttered from across the room, his cynicism laced with genuine exhaustion. "Beaten into shape with brute force. How... creative."
Lian, who looked paler than ever, just shook his head. "I barely finished three sets. Three! How am I supposed to survive ten weeks of this?"
"You did three sets perfectly," Zaina said, her voice firm but not unkind as she secured her uniform. "That's what the instructor was looking for. Consistency, not just numbers."
As they made their way to the cafeteria, the mood was a strange mix of shared misery and grudging respect. The grueling session had been a leveler; Tarin's bravado, Ria's intellect, and Kaelen's cynicism had all failed against the simple, crushing reality of the workout. Kael felt a surprising sense of accomplishment just from having finished. It was a miserable, painful victory, but it was his.
The cafeteria's nutrient paste, usually a bland affair, tasted like the finest meal he'd ever had. The protein- and carbohydrate-rich formula was specifically designed for post-exercise recovery, and he could almost feel the energy seeping back into his aching limbs.
"Great," Tarin groaned, pushing his tray away. "First, she breaks our bodies, now it's time to break our brains with Awakening Theory. I bet it's a three-hour lecture on historical documents."
"I wouldn't be so sure," Selene said, her gaze distant. "I have a feeling nothing this semester is going to be what we expect."
She was right. When they returned to the classroom that afternoon, moving stiffly into their seats, Instructor Seliora was waiting. The sharp-eyed taskmaster from the athletic grounds was gone, replaced by the calm, insightful academic. The contrast was unsettling.
"I trust you are all feeling the morning's efforts," she began, a faint smile on her lips. "That is your body adapting. It is the first step. Now, we address the mind. The 'why' behind the 'what'."
The wall behind her flickered to life, displaying a beautifully complex, rotating double helix. But intertwined with the familiar DNA structure were shimmering, secondary strands of light.
"This is you," Seliora said softly. "Every sentient being in the Imperium carries this in their genetic code. These secondary strands are what we call the Meta-gene chain. For most of your life, they lie dormant, a library of untapped potential."
She paced before the image. "The Awakening, in its simplest terms, is the process of these genes activating. The reagent you will receive on March 17th is not a source of power. It is a catalyst. A complex bio-chemical key designed to unlock the Meta-gene chain that is unique to you."
A new diagram appeared, showing a human silhouette with a blinding starburst of energy erupting from its chest.
"When that Meta-gene chain is unlocked," Seliora continued, her voice steady, "your body is flooded with a torrent of Bio-Energy. It is the most violent biological event you will ever experience. Your morning exercises are designed to forge a body that can withstand that flood without burning out or being torn apart. Your physical resilience is the dam that will hold back the tidal wave, allowing you to control the flow."
The class was silent, captivated. This wasn't a history lesson; this was the blueprint of a miracle.
"Once the energy stabilizes, you will experience a physical and mental enhancement of more than one hundred percent. Your baseline biological functions will double in efficiency. Along with this, your personal measure of Bio-Energy Units, or BEU, will be established. An unawakened human operates at roughly 1 BEU. Upon a successful Awakening, you will jump to a baseline of 10 BEU."
Ria's hand shot up. "Instructor, how do we monitor our BEU levels?"
"You will be able to do it yourself," Seliora said. "Normal citizens use their ComSphere for day-to-day activities, but its range is restricted to our star system. Awakeners, however, are granted access to StarNet. On March 17th, all who Awaken successfully will receive a StarNet device—a smart bracelet registered specifically to you."
"Many of you don't know this, but every human is implanted at birth with a biological device called a 'Seed.' Its purpose is to act as an interface for a neural link, but it remains inaccessible due to the weak mental strength of an unawakened person. Once Awakened, you will instinctively be able to use the Seed to connect to your StarNet device. This link allows you to access the vast, Imperium-wide network and, more importantly, to monitor your own detailed biometrics, from injuries to your current BEU level."
She paused, letting that sink in before continuing. "BEU is consumable. Strenuous physical work consumes it, and rest allows it to recover. But everyone has a fixed capacity. For a newly Awakened person, that capacity is 10 BEU. The strengthening training we began this morning is how you increase that capacity. To grow stronger, the intensity must always be higher."
"So, getting stronger is just about getting a higher BEU number?" Tarin asked, leaning forward.
"That is only the first step, Mr. Veyor," Seliora corrected him gently. "Grinding your BEU has a limit. At some point, you will hit a wall. For your first threshold, that wall is 1000 BEU. At that moment, no matter how hard you train, you cannot increase your capacity. To progress further, you must unlock a Genetic Lock from your Meta-gene chain."
She gestured to the shimmering diagram of the Meta-gene chain. "Everyone's chain has nine of these locks. Opening the first lock makes you a Level 1 Evolutionary and grants you your first supernatural ability. Each person's ability is different, and no one knows what it will be until it is unlocked."
"How do we unlock it?" Zaina asked, her voice sharp with focus.
"To open a genetic lock, you need two things: the required BEU threshold and a dose of corresponding Genetic Medicine. These medicines are not free. They must be purchased or earned through service to the Imperium. Once you unlock your first lock, your BEU capacity is raised, allowing you to train up to 5000 BEU. At that point, you will require Level 2 Genetic Medicine to unlock your second lock, which will grant you a second, new ability."
A chart appeared on the wall, simplifying the structure.
Evolutionary Levels & BEU Thresholds:
Level 0 (Unawakened): 1 BEULevel 0 (Awakened Baseline): 10 BEU CapacityLevel 1 (1st Lock Opened): Trainable up to 1000 BEU CapacityLevel 2 (2nd Lock Opened): Trainable up to 5000 BEU CapacityLevel 3 (3rd Lock Opened): Trainable up to 25,000 BEU Capacity
Tarin's focus was, as always, direct. "So, to get to Level 4 or 5, we just have to train hard enough to raise our BEU and get the medicine?"
"In essence, yes, Mr. Veyor," Seliora said patiently. "Training and resources are the keys to advancement."
The gravity of her words hung in the air. The path forward was clear, but it was paved with immense effort and expense. It was Kael who broke the silence, his question reflecting his own personality.
"Instructor," he began, his voice hesitant. "Is there any medicine to help increase our BEU capacity faster?"
Seliora stopped pacing and turned to face him directly. Her gaze was intense, but not unkind.
"That is an important question, Mr. Novar," she said, her voice softening slightly. "Because the answer is no. There are no shortcuts to building your foundation. The only path forward is relentless, consistent, hard work."
She looked out at all of them, her gaze encompassing every hope and fear in the room. "A powerful Evolutionary can be a hero who defends a colony or an arsonist who destroys a city. An Evolutionary can be a doctor who heals the sick or an interrogator who breaks the innocent. The power does not choose. You do."
The bell chimed, signaling the end of the day.
"Read the first three modules on Meta-gene theory for tomorrow," Seliora said as the students began to stir. "Dismissed."
The walk to the transit hub was a slow, painful procession. Every student was a portrait of exhaustion, their bodies still screaming from the morning's ordeal, their minds now reeling from the afternoon's dense lecture. The initial shock and awe had given way to a dawning, and for many, daunting, understanding.
"So, it's like a game!" Tarin said, somehow managing to sound excited despite his pained limp. "You just have to grind your BEU, save up for the next level's item—the Genetic Medicine—and then you can unlock new skills! It's all laid out. A clear path to Level 9!"
"You're overlooking a key variable," Ria Solara interjected, her voice its usual, analytical monotone. "The requirement of Genetic Medicine introduces a significant socio-economic factor. Access to resources will be as critical to advancement as physical diligence."
Kaelen Demos let out a short, cynical laugh. "Give the scholar a prize. The Imperium mandates that we Awaken and then sells us the keys to unlock the power they forced on us? It's a brilliant business model. They control the supply, they control the price, they control us."
Lian, who had been silent, finally spoke, his voice trembling slightly. "But what if you can't even get to 1000 BEU? What if you train and train and you're just… stuck?"
The group fell silent, each of them confronting the system from their own perspective. Tarin saw a ladder to be climbed. Ria saw a complex equation. Kaelen saw a cage. And Lian saw a series of walls he was terrified he wouldn't be able to scale.
"It's not as simple as just being gifted, is it?" Selene said softly, summing it all up. She looked at Kael. "It's part training, part money, and part politics."
Kael didn't respond. Seliora's firm "no" to his question about a shortcut echoed in his head. The only path forward was "relentless, consistent, hard work." The words felt like a direct assault on his entire personality. His dream of sleeping on a quiet, distant beach seemed to be drifting further and further away with every aching step.
That evening, Kael sat in his room, staring at the reading assignment on his holo-slate. Every muscle in his body protested as he shifted in his chair. He reluctantly opened the first module on Meta-gene theory. To his surprise, it came to life with animated diagrams, historical notes on the chaotic Awakenings, and testimonials from Evolutionaries across the Imperium.
He leaned back, the ache in his body a constant reminder of the morning. He thought of his parents, both Level 4 Evolutionaries. He had always seen their powers as an innate part of them. He had never truly considered the sheer, brutal effort it must have taken to get there. They had endured this same pain, this same grind, day after day, year after year. A new, grudging respect took root in him.
His desire to slack off, to find an easy path, suddenly felt even more difficult to achieve. Maybe, he thought, true freedom wasn't that easy to get. Maybe it was about having the power to choose your own life. And the system Seliora had laid out—a relentless grind of pain, practice, and resources—was, for all its flaws, the only path to that power.
The next morning was worse. The dull ache from the day before had sharpened into a concrete soreness that seized every muscle. Kael felt like his entire body had been tenderized and left to set overnight. Getting out of bed was an ordeal. Walking was a shuffle.
He wasn't alone. On the athletic grounds, the atmosphere was grim. The nervous energy of the first day was gone, replaced by the quiet dread of those who knew exactly what hell awaited them. Every student was stretching gingerly, their faces etched with pain.
"I think my arms are going to fall off," Tarin grumbled, his usual bravado completely absent. He tried to rotate his shoulder and winced.
Instructor Seliora walked onto the platform, her expression as impassive as ever. She surveyed their sorry state, a sea of pained faces and stiff limbs.
"Your bodies are in pain," she stated, her voice cutting through the morning air. There was no sympathy in it. "This is your muscular system recovering and rebuilding. It is called adaptation. Today, we will teach it to adapt faster."
A collective groan, quickly suppressed, went through the class.
"The regimen is the same," Seliora announced, her words a death sentence. "Ten sets of thirty, twenty, and ten. Followed by the two-mile run at 1.2G. Your soreness is not an excuse; it is merely another obstacle for your mind to overcome. Begin."
The first squat felt like his leg muscles were being torn apart. The composite floor seemed impossibly far away. Kael pushed back up with a pained grunt, his entire body screaming in protest. This was infinitely worse than yesterday. The first day, his muscles had been fresh. Today, he was starting from a state of pure agony.
He looked around and saw the same struggle everywhere. Tarin was moving with a stiff, angry rhythm, his face a mask of fury directed at his own protesting body. Lian was openly weeping as he tried to lower himself into a pushup, his arms shaking violently. Even Selene, for all her mental fortitude, had her eyes squeezed shut, her lips a thin white line of pain.
By the third set, Kael's world had shrunk to the simple, agonizing task of the next movement. The burn was so intense it felt cold, a fire that was freezing his limbs. His mind begged him to stop, to lie down, to quit. He saw Lian stumble away from the pull-up bar and collapse onto his hands and knees, utterly spent.
Just one more rep, Kael told himself, the thought a tiny flickering light in a storm of pain. He remembered the feeling of finishing yesterday, the small, miserable victory. He clung to it. He pushed through the eighth pushup, the ninth. His arms gave out on the tenth, and he fell to the floor, his cheek pressed against the cool, unyielding composite. He had failed the set.
"On your feet, Mr. Novar," Seliora's voice came from right beside him. He hadn't even seen her approach.
"I can't," he gasped, his lungs on fire.
"You are mistaken," she said calmly. "Your muscles have not reached absolute failure. Your will has. They are not the same thing. Get up and finish the set."
Something in her voice—not anger, but an unshakable certainty—pulled him up. He stumbled to his feet. He didn't know how, but he finished the last pushup, and then the pullups, his arms feeling like frayed ropes.
The rest of the workout was a blur of pure survival. The run was a nightmare. The increased gravity felt like a physical manifestation of his own despair, crushing him into the track. But he kept moving. He saw others shuffling along, their faces blank with exhaustion. They were all in the same hell together.
He crossed the finish line and simply fell, his body giving out completely. He lay on his back, gasping at the sky, every inch of him a universe of pain. He had survived. That was all.
Instructor Seliora stood over the field of collapsed students.
"You survived," she said, as if reading his mind. "That is all that was required of you today. Your bodies will recover. They will become stronger. And tomorrow, we will do it again."
She turned and walked off the platform, leaving them in a heap of their own misery. Kael closed his eyes, the instructor's final words echoing in his head. Tomorrow. How could he possibly do this again tomorrow? The path to power was paved with a pain he had never imagined, and he had only taken the first two steps.