Silverwinter City was a world trapped in ice. The sun rose, but warmth never came. Frost clung to rooftops like a second skin, and the wind scraped the streets hard enough to make even the rich flinch. At night, the temperature dropped so brutally that the poor either shared blankets… or didn't wake up.
Xavian sprinted across the cracked pavement of the government housing block, breath steaming as he clutched his half-torn schoolbag. His hands were numb. His face stung. But none of that mattered today.
Today was his first day at the wealthiest private school in the city.
A full scholarship. First rank. A once-in-a-lifetime chance for a boy who had nothing.
He burst through the school gates, panting. The moment he stepped inside, the bitter cold disappeared. Warm air flooded around him. The hallways were lined with heaters, chandeliers, and polished floors so shiny he could see his reflection… and the cheap, second-hand uniform that made him stand out instantly.
Students turned. Whispered. Smirked.
Some of their coats cost more than everything Xavian owned.
He kept his head down and walked into his classroom.
The laughter started immediately.
"Who let the charity case in?"
"Look at his shoes. Are those even shoes?"
Xavian swallowed the sting in his chest. He didn't care what they thought. He was here to study, to change his life—At least, that's what he told himself.
But humiliation was loud. And cruel.And it followed him all day.
By the time school ended, he thought the day couldn't get worse.
He was wrong.
At the gates, a bigger student shoved a smaller boy against the wall. "Hand it over. Money. Now."
The smaller boy whimpered.
Something inside Xavian snapped.
"Leave him," Xavian said, stepping forward.
The bully turned. "Or what?"
Xavian didn't wait.
His fist crashed into the bully's face. A sickening crack echoed, and blood spilled from the bully's nose.
Teachers rushed in. Both boys were dragged to the principal's office.
Fifteen minutes later, Xavian walked out with a suspension letter.Three days. First day of school, and he'd already ruined everything.
The bully walked out too, nose stuffed with tissues, glaring murderously.
Xavian sighed and shoved the suspension note into his pocket. "Great," he muttered. "Just great."
He headed home through the icy streets, wishing the ground would swallow him. The city's cold was bad, but the cold inside his chest was worse.
He turned a corner—
And froze.
A voice drifted from the shadows. "Suspended on your first day? Not bad. I kinda like your style."
Xavian spun around.
A man leaned casually against a lamppost. Late thirties. Messy coat. A grin that felt way too amused for a freezing evening.
"Who… who are you?" Xavian asked.
The man held up a small metal tag with a symbol engraved into it—ten circles connected at the center.
"My name's Arlo Vensh," he said. "Leader of the Silverwinter branch of the Tenfold Order."
The tag glowed faintly in his hand.Like it wasn't just metal.
Xavian didn't know what the Tenfold Order was.He didn't know why this man was watching him.He didn't know why his day was about to take a turn into the impossible.
But he felt it—something had just begun.
And it was much bigger than a school suspension.
Much bigger.