Chapter 1: The Awakening
The Academy of the Gifted.
A place where legends were forged. Where the chosen few, born with talents kissed by the gods, honed their power to one day protect—or rule—the world.
For Malik, it was a cage.
The other students called him useless. A failure who couldn't even awaken the smallest spark of gift or aura. He had been admitted only as a pity case, granted temporary access to the outer classes, though everyone knew it was because of Nabila. The idol of the academy had vouched for him once, and so he lingered, tolerated, despised.
Tonight, he had paid for it.
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"Look at him. Pathetic."
Dick's voice cut through the cold night air, dripping with disdain.
Malik's ribs ached with every breath. His arms were pinned by two of Dick's lackeys, both grinning as if holding down prey for slaughter. His lip was split, his blood dripping onto the dirt.
"Still chasing after Nabila? You, of all people?" Dick sneered, towering over him. His golden hair caught the moonlight, his academy uniform pristine even after the beating. He was the king's son, the strongest of the academy, and he carried himself like the world was his throne.
"She doesn't even see you, insect. She belongs to me."
Malik's breath came ragged. His vision swam. He wanted to speak, to tell him he was wrong, that Nabila's kindness was real—but no words came out. Only a weak cough of blood.
Dick's boot slammed into his stomach, forcing another gasp of agony. The gang's laughter rose.
"Do us all a favor and stay in the dirt where you belong," Dick whispered, leaning close. His eyes gleamed with cruelty. "Trash like you stains this academy."
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From the shadows of the courtyard, unseen, a pair of eyes narrowed.
Nabila Aderenle.
Her long silver hair shimmered as she stood silently in the dark, fists clenched. She had followed Malik, as she often did, watching over him in secret. Her heart burned at the sight—yet she remained still, her pride and her family name binding her. If she acted openly, she would only make things worse for him.
Still… she felt her control slipping as Dick's assault grew crueler.
Malik… hold on. Just a little longer.
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The final blow came suddenly. Dick's fist crashed into Malik's jaw with such force that his body flew back, smashing against the academy's outer wall before crumpling to the ground like a discarded doll.
"Enough," Dick said, brushing his hands as though he had dirtied them. "He'll live… maybe. But he'll wish he hadn't."
The gang laughed again, their footsteps fading as they left Malik broken and alone.
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Silence.
Malik lay motionless. The world around him blurred, the stars above smearing into streaks of silver. Each breath was agony. His heartbeat grew faint, slower, weaker.
"Not again… not like this…" his thoughts rasped. He remembered another world. Another life. His family's screams as they were slaughtered. The cold gaze of the so-called Child of Destiny. His reincarnation had promised him another chance—but what had he found? Weakness. Failure. Mockery.
Hot tears slipped from his eyes, sliding into the dirt.
Why am I always the one to suffer? Why does destiny hunt me?
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Then—
Something stirred.
A violent pulse tore through his chest. His blood ignited, burning violet. The night around him froze, every falling leaf suspended in the air, every sound muffled. At the same time, his broken flesh writhed as black tendrils burst from his wounds, weaving across his skin before sinking back into his body.
Pain vanished. Replaced by power.
Overwhelming, terrifying power.
Malik's body reconstructed itself in moments. His bones realigned, his wounds sealed. His hair, once dark, now shone white under the moonlight, radiant and unnatural. His scrawny frame stretched and reshaped, sculpted with divine precision, lean muscle wrapping his body like living armor.
When his eyes opened, they glowed with amethyst light—cold, merciless, predatory.
"…What am I?" Malik whispered, staring at his trembling hands. Violet lightning crackled between his fingers, interlaced with black viral tendrils writhing beneath his skin. His voice trembled, not with fear, but awe.
The world crawled. Insects froze mid-flight, their wings suspended in the air. He could hear every heartbeat within the academy, every whisper of the wind, every distant footstep.
For the first time, Malik was no longer powerless.
For the first time… he was free.
Memories of his family's murder burned in his chest. The cruel laughter of the Child of Destiny's faction. Dick's sneer as he left him to die.
Tears no longer fell. His face hardened, no longer weak, no longer afraid.
"If I rise again…" Malik's voice was low, steady, cold. "I will end them all."
A gust of wind exploded outward as his speed surged uncontrollably, cracks spiderwebbing across the courtyard floor. The air itself trembled at his awakening.
From the shadows, Nabila's eyes widened, her breath catching in her throat.
Malik…?
And in that moment, beneath the indifferent stars, the Child of Chaos was born.
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