The wind that swept through the academy carried the faint scent of ozone and metal. Morning light fractured through the barrier domes that enclosed the training district, scattering rainbow streaks across the ground.
For most students, it was an ordinary day—classes, calibrations, endless system evaluations.
For Rian, it felt like walking on a fault line.
He could still feel the Director's words echoing in his mind: "You'll either save this world or destroy it again."
Again.
That word lingered like a scar.
He stood by the balcony overlooking the lower districts. The world stretched far beyond the academy's barriers—towering spires, sky trams gliding through the clouds, and at the horizon, a faint shimmer of what looked like a second sun. Except it wasn't.
He could feel its pulse, faint but rhythmic, like the heartbeat of something slumbering beneath the earth.
"The Nexus Seed…" he murmured.
It wasn't just a device. It was a fragment—an echo—from his old world. The resonance was unmistakable.
"Thinking too loud again?"
Rian turned. Lyra stood behind him, her expression calm but curious. Today she wore a black uniform, a faint silver insignia on her shoulder marking her as an elite observer.
"I didn't realize I was that obvious," Rian said.
"You're always obvious," Lyra replied. "You stare at the world like it's a puzzle you've already seen once before."
Her words made him pause. "Maybe I have."
She tilted her head slightly, studying him. "The Director's been quiet since yesterday. That's never a good thing. You've drawn his attention—and others, too."
Rian frowned. "Others?"
Before she could answer, the air shimmered. A holographic window opened beside them, displaying a notification from the internal system.
[Notice: Cross-Academy Combat Evaluation – Hosted by Helion Nexus Institute. Participants: Selected first-years.]
[Nominee from Starlight Academy: Ren Alden.]
Rian's eyes narrowed. "That was fast."
Lyra's tone was half-amused, half-worried. "You broke one calibration unit and defeated a ranked fighter on your first day. Of course they'll throw you into the spotlight."
"Or a trap," Rian muttered.
"Same thing," Lyra said softly. "Just make sure you come back alive."
Later that day, he made his way to the subterranean archives. Most students avoided this area—it was cold, dark, and filled with ancient machinery that predated the current age of the Nexus.
But Rian was drawn here by instinct.
He trailed his fingers along the walls. Beneath layers of dust, he could feel faint energy patterns—old runes, half-erased but not forgotten. They pulsed weakly, echoing the same rhythm as his core.
"Star language…" he whispered.
A soft, artificial voice answered from behind.
"How do you know that tongue?"
Rian turned sharply. A girl stood there, holding a dim lantern orb. She had pale hair with streaks of indigo and eyes that shimmered like fractured glass. Her uniform bore the mark of the Archive Division.
"You're not supposed to be here," she said. "This sector's sealed."
"Then why are you here?" Rian asked.
"Because I am the one who sealed it," she said, stepping closer. "Name's Selene. Data archeologist. And you just triggered one of my wards."
The walls glowed faintly around them—patterns awakening as if recognizing him.
Selene's expression shifted from suspicion to wonder. "Wait… that reaction—no, that's impossible. Only a spirit from the pre-collapse age could—"
Rian's voice was calm but firm. "Tell me what you know about the collapse."
Selene hesitated. "You really don't know?"
When he didn't answer, she sighed and tapped her wristband. A holographic projection appeared—images of a fractured sky, colossal beasts made of light, and cities burning beneath falling stars.
"A thousand years ago, before the Nexus System unified the world, there was something else. They called it the Age of Beasts. Civilization nearly ended when the astral entities turned on their creators. The survivors built the Nexus to stabilize spiritual flow and prevent another catastrophe."
Rian stared at the images, his chest tightening. Those weren't beasts—they were his kin.
"What happened to them?"
"No one knows," Selene said quietly. "Only that their energy signatures vanished. Some say they ascended. Others say they were erased."
Rian clenched his fists. He remembered the truth. They hadn't ascended. They had sacrificed everything to seal the Star Core—his core—when the balance broke.
Selene studied him again, a spark of curiosity in her voice.
"Your energy reading… it matches one of the lost patterns in the archives. Who are you, really?"
Rian met her gaze, eyes steady. "Someone who wants to make sure history doesn't repeat itself."
Before she could reply, a loud chime echoed through the hall.
[Combat shuttle departing in 30 minutes. All Cross-Academy participants report to Dock Sector 3.]
Selene's expression softened. "Looks like you're heading straight into trouble."
Rian smirked faintly. "Wouldn't be the first time."
He left the archives with a quiet resolve.
The world might have forgotten the old realms—but he hadn't.
The beasts, the stars, the promise he once made beneath that collapsing sky—all of it still lived within him.
And this time, he wouldn't let the light fade.
The combat shuttle sliced through the air like a blade of light.
Inside, the atmosphere was thick with tension.
Students from Starlight Academy sat in disciplined silence, their expressions sharp and unreadable. Everyone knew this wasn't a simple training match — it was a stage. A test wrapped in politics, reputation, and control.
Rian sat near the window, watching clouds ripple past. Across from him, Kael leaned back with a smirk.
"Never thought I'd see the prodigy of Starlight sit among the rest of us," Kael drawled. "What's wrong, Starboy? Miss your throne?"
Rian didn't respond. His eyes remained on the horizon — but Kael's words lingered.
He wasn't wrong. Rian wasn't supposed to be here. He wasn't meant to exist in this age at all.
Lyra sat a few seats away, pretending to review her data tablet. Yet her gaze flicked toward Rian every few seconds — searching, gauging. She didn't speak, but the air between them was taut with unspoken history.
The shuttle trembled as it pierced the clouds and descended.
Through the reinforced glass, the Helion Nexus Arena came into view — a colossal platform of glass and steel suspended over a sea of luminescent mist. Thousands of spectators filled the rings above, their voices a low roar.
[System Notice: Combat Protocol Engaged. Power Limiters Active. Fatal Damage Prevented.]
[Primary Rule: Victory is achieved by depleting opponent's Nexus Core Integrity or System Energy.]
A cold, mechanical voice guided the setup, while shimmering barriers rose around the central platform.
Lyra's voice broke the silence.
"This isn't a normal evaluation. They're collecting resonance data."
Rian glanced at her. "You mean they're measuring anomalies."
"Yes. And you're the biggest anomaly here."
Before he could reply, Kael stood up, stretching lazily. "Let's make this interesting, shall we?"
He tossed a small orb into the air — it burst into blue flame, forming a holographic sigil.
"Class D versus Class X. One-on-one exhibition. Winner takes the ranking."
Rian raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want that?"
Kael's grin widened. "Oh, I want it. The Director's eyes are on us. And I'll make sure he sees the difference between a real student and a relic."
Arena Protocol Activated
The crowd's noise dimmed as the dome sealed. Blue circuits spread beneath their feet, forming intricate runes. Energy density spiked, warping the air.
Kael's form shimmered. The Nexus nodes along his spine ignited, releasing spectral wings shaped from pure plasma. His aura pulsed — sharp, volatile, and beautifully controlled.
"Nexus Art: Storm Genesis."
Lightning arced through the arena, wrapping around him like a storm given form.
In contrast, Rian stood still, his energy dormant — yet the ground beneath him vibrated faintly, as though something vast was stirring below.
The announcer's voice echoed:
"Begin!"
Kael moved first — a blur of motion, energy slicing through the air. His plasma blades carved through the stage, leaving molten trails.
Rian dodged, barely shifting his stance, his movements unnervingly precise.
Kael's attacks grew faster, wilder. Sparks erupted every time he struck, but Rian remained calm — his eyes cold, calculating the rhythm of the storm.
"You're holding back," Kael spat.
"So are you," Rian replied evenly.
Then, without warning, Rian stepped forward — one step, and the entire arena reacted.
The lights flickered. The barrier walls trembled. The Nexus system stuttered.
[Error: Energy signature mismatch detected.]
[Warning: Unauthorized frequency detected – "Star Origin" resonance.]
A collective murmur rippled through the audience. Even the Director's expression shifted from boredom to alarm.
Kael froze mid-strike. "What the—"
Rian's aura ignited — not in flame, not in lightning, but in starlight.
Tiny motes of light floated around him, orbiting in perfect harmony.
Each pulse matched the rhythm of the world's core, as if the universe itself answered his call.
"Nexus Art?" Kael gasped.
"No," Rian said quietly. "Pre-Nexus."
He raised his hand. Energy flowed from the ground upward, shaping itself into a spectral blade — elegant, ancient, alive.
"Astral Command: Fate Severance."
The blade descended in a single, graceful arc — not toward Kael, but toward the air itself.
And the arena split.
Space distorted, sound fractured, and the Nexus system screamed with distortion.
[Warning! System instability—containment breach imminent!]
Lyra leapt from the spectator's edge, activating her override badge. Her voice cut through the chaos.
"Rian! Stop! You'll collapse the whole array!"
But Rian's eyes were glowing now — twin stars, wild and unbound. For a heartbeat, he wasn't Rian of Starlight Academy. He was the Beast Sovereign, reborn through the fragments of forgotten constellations.
Then — he exhaled.
The light dimmed. The blade dissolved. The arena steadied.
Silence fell, broken only by the hum of cooling circuits.
Kael collapsed to his knees, coughing, his energy completely drained.
The system registered the result:
[Winner: Rian Alden.]
[Nexus evaluation: Inconclusive.]
[Anomaly recorded – Level Omega.]
Rian looked up at the holographic display. The data wasn't victory—it was evidence. Every reading from his resonance would now be analyzed, dissected, weaponized.
He turned toward Lyra. "They'll come for me after this."
Lyra's jaw tightened. "Then don't give them the chance."
That night, the academy buzzed with rumors.
Some said Rian hacked the Nexus system. Others claimed he was a prototype experiment gone wrong.
But for those who saw what happened, one word echoed through the halls:
Sovereign.
Lyra found him later on the rooftop, the moonlight brushing against his pale hair.
"You shouldn't have used that power," she said softly.
"If I hadn't, Kael would've triggered the containment field and killed half the audience."
"And now they know what you are."
Rian's gaze was distant. "They always would've found out. This world doesn't like anything that doesn't fit its design."
Lyra hesitated, then reached into her coat and handed him a small data chip. "Selene sent this. She found something in the archives — a map leading to a sealed chamber beneath the old city. She says it's connected to your energy signature."
"A relic," Rian murmured. "Or a grave."
"Either way," Lyra said, "you're not done yet."
He took the chip, staring at the faint starlight reflecting in its surface. Somewhere deep inside, he felt it again — that pulse, steady and ancient.
The heartbeat of a forgotten realm… calling him home.