Once upon time...
Yeah, no. That's not how this story starts.There were no dragons soaring through golden skies, no heroes saving princesses, and definitely no sparkly happily-ever-afters.
There was The Refraction — the day the sky cracked open like a shattered mirror and spilled colors the world had never seen. Gravity, sanity, and physics all called in sick. Cities folded, mountains hummed, and people started whispering that the world had gone… conscious.
That was twenty years ago.I wasn't alive to see it, but everyone who was still twitches when they see a rainbow.
Fast-forward to now — 2080, the Age of Armored Beasts.
And me? I'm standing in a line of nervous eighteen-year-olds, wearing a too-tight academy uniform that smells like fear, deodorant, and destiny.Today's the big day: my Awakening.
The air hums with energy — the kind that makes your bones itch and your stomach flip like bad noodles. Around me, students whisper prayers, mantras, and the occasional curse word. Somewhere ahead, the massive obsidian doors of the Awakening Hall creak open, exhaling a mist of pale light.
Every year, the city's brightest come here — to Jinlong Academy, in Jincheng, the Golden City — to summon their first Armored Beast.It's supposed to be this sacred moment, a fusion of soul and spirit, the point where your emotions, desires, and life path manifest into a creature bonded with you for life.
Most people call it beautiful.I call it nerve-wracking with extra steps.
"Hey! Dreaming already, huh?"
The voice yanked me back to reality. I turned to see Chen Bo, my personal chaos engine, trotting up with that cocky grin of his. His black hair, cut in a boxy fade, gleamed under the hall lights.
"Come on, man," he said, thumping me on the shoulder. "You're gonna drool before you even touch the stone."
"Just visualizing success," I said.
"Visualize harder, Han Yue. Maybe you'll get a dragon instead of a dust bunny."
"Or maybe I'll summon something small and deadly. Like your sense of style."
"Funny," he said. "Let's see who laughs when I walk out of here riding a flaming lion."
I rolled my eyes. "If that lion has your brain, it's going to trip on its own mane."
The line shuffled forward. Ahead of us, the stone chamber flickered with golden light every time a student awakened.Whispers spread fast — one girl got a Wind Tiger, three-star class; another kid fainted after summoning a Copper Serpent that apparently tried to eat his shoe.
Each awakening is rated by the academy's crystal monolith — a towering slab called the Resonance Stone.It doesn't just measure your power; it feels you — your fears, your desires, your spirit. It then responds by giving you a beast that mirrors your heart… and ranks it from one to five initial stars.
The number doesn't define you, they say. But everyone knows it kind of does.
When our turn finally came, I stepped into the Awakening Hall.The temperature dropped instantly, breath fogging in front of my face.The Resonance Stone stood at the center, pulsing with light like a heartbeat.
"Step forward," said an instructor, voice echoing. His robes shimmered faintly — woven with metallic thread, a sign of his bond with a high-tier Armored Beast.
I obeyed, palms slick.
"State your name," he said.
"Han Yue," I managed.
He nodded toward the stone. "Place your hand and focus."
I pressed my palm against the smooth, cold surface. The moment I did, my mind filled with a strange resonance — memories, flashes of light, sensations of wind, fur, and thunder.My chest tightened, as if the world were trying to read me inside out.
Show us who you are, a voice seemed to whisper. Show us your truth.
Then came the colors — blinding, swirling, refracting like liquid glass.And from the center of that chaos, something began to form.
The hall shook.Cracks of light rippled through the floor.Students gasped, instructors exchanged looks.Even Chen Bo, standing outside the barrier, had his jaw halfway to the ground.
When the light faded, something… rolled out of the stone.
Not strode, not flew. Rolled.
A small, perfectly round boulder sat at my feet — smooth, glossy, and faintly glowing.It made a soft bloop sound when it landed.
The instructor blinked. "That's… new."
I stared. "Is it broken?"
The stone wobbled. Then, a pair of rocky nubs poked out — tiny legs, a snout, and what looked suspiciously like fur made of mineral threads.It sneezed, sending a puff of dust into the air.
Chen Bo lost it."Pfft—HAHA! You got a rock hamster!"
I sighed. "Of course I did. The universe saw my potential and said, 'Yeah, let's give this guy a pebble.'"
But then the creature looked up at me — eyes like molten amber — and gave a low rumble that shook the floor.
The Resonance Stone glowed again, brighter this time. The air trembled as glowing runes spiraled around my small, rocky companion.
The instructor leaned forward. His voice dropped."Four initial stars," he whispered.Then louder, almost disbelieving — "Four-Star Armored Beast!"
The entire hall erupted.
Chen Bo's grin vanished. "Wait—WHAT?"
The boulder-beast gave a smug little chuff, as if it understood perfectly.
And just like that, the day that was supposed to be ordinary… wasn't.
My name was Han Yue, first-year cadet at Jinlong Academy.The boy who summoned a rock.A four-star rock.
And this was how it all began.