Kayden went back home.
Not to a grand estate.
Not to a powerful clan residence filled with guards and spiritual barriers.
Just a quiet, modest apartment tucked between two aging buildings near the center of Starcrest City—the place he had lived ever since his parents disappeared.
The door clicked shut behind him, and the noise of the city faded away.
For the first time since the Awakening Test, Kayden let out a slow breath.
"…I'm back," he muttered, more out of habit than expectation.
The apartment, as always, didn't respond.
But somehow, that silence felt comforting.
The space was small—two rooms, a narrow kitchen, and a living area that doubled as a study. The furniture was old but sturdy, bearing the marks of time rather than neglect. Shelves lined the walls, packed tightly with books, scrolls, strange tools, and handwritten notes in messy but deliberate handwriting.
The air smelled faintly of herbal tea, ink, and old paper.
Kayden slipped off his shoes and set his academy bag by the door. His eyes drifted instinctively toward the window, where the warm glow of Starcrest City filtered through thin curtains. From here, he could see the distant academy towers rising above the rooftops, proud and untouchable.
A place of power.
A place he had always felt out of place in.
Until now.
The pendant beneath his uniform gave off a faint warmth.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
HOST LOCATION CONFIRMED: SAFE ZONE.
Kayden snorted softly. "Even you feel relaxed here, huh?"
The system, for once, didn't reply.
---
"Back earlier than usual."
The voice came from the living room.
Kayden stiffened for half a second before relaxing.
"Evening, Master Leonhart," he said.
An old man sat in a worn armchair near the low table, a cup of steaming tea resting in his hand. His hair was silver and unkempt, his beard trimmed short but uneven, as if he'd stopped caring about appearances long ago. His simple robes were clean but patched in places, carrying no insignia of rank or sect.
To most people, Master Leonhart looked like nothing more than a retired scholar.
But Kayden knew better.
Leonhart lifted his gaze from the book in his lap and studied Kayden carefully, sharp eyes missing nothing.
"You survived the Awakening Test," Leonhart said calmly.
Kayden paused.
"…You already know?"
Leonhart snorted. "The academy almost tore itself apart with rumors. Of course I know."
He took a slow sip of tea.
"But rumors are unreliable," Leonhart continued. "So tell me. Are you injured?"
Kayden shook his head. "No."
"Good."
Leonhart set the cup down and leaned back.
"And the artifact?" he asked casually.
Kayden hesitated for only a moment.
"It… didn't awaken me," he said. "Apparently, I was sealed."
Leonhart's fingers stilled.
Just for a fraction of a second.
Then he nodded.
"So that's how they chose to handle it," he murmured.
Kayden frowned. "You're not surprised."
Leonhart chuckled softly. "Boy, I watched your parents argue about that seal for weeks. I'd be shocked if it didn't cause trouble later."
Kayden's chest tightened.
"You really did know them well," he said quietly.
Leonhart looked at him for a long moment.
"Yes," he said. "I did."
---
When Elias Arin and Selene Arin vanished, Starcrest City barely noticed.
Researchers disappeared all the time. Ruins were dangerous. Expeditions failed.
But one thing did not go unnoticed.
They left a child behind.
Kayden had been seven years old.
Too young to understand why his parents hadn't returned.
Too young to understand why a man he barely remembered suddenly became the one cooking his meals, checking his homework, and walking him to school.
Leonhart had never sugarcoated the truth.
"They had to leave," he had said back then. "And they made sure you'd be safe."
Safe.
It had taken Kayden years to understand what that word really meant.
Leonhart was a retired cultivator—not weak, but far from the peak. He held no official position, belonged to no powerful family, and lived quietly in the city's center.
Which was exactly why Elias and Selene had trusted him.
Leonhart had watched Kayden grow up from a distance at first.
Never doting.
Never overprotective.
He let Kayden live like an ordinary child.
He let him fail.
Let him be average.
Let him believe he was normal.
And all the while, Leonhart watched.
---
Kayden walked past Leonhart and entered his room.
It was small, barely large enough for a bed, desk, and wardrobe. The walls were plain, the floor worn smooth by years of use.
But one thing didn't belong.
Kayden knelt beside his bed and reached underneath it, pulling out a thin wooden board. Beneath it lay a hidden drawer, reinforced with subtle seals only a scholar would notice.
Inside were only three things.
The pendant.
A folded letter sealed with complex runes.
And a thin notebook filled with his parents' handwriting.
Kayden stared at them for a long moment.
The letter was still sealed.
It always had been.
Leonhart had warned him never to force it open.
"It will open when it's meant to," he had said.
Now, after everything Aria had told him, Kayden understood why.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
SEALED OBJECT DETECTED. ACCESS REQUIREMENT: LEVEL 5.
Kayden closed the drawer carefully.
"Soon," he whispered.
---
Back in the living room, Leonhart was watching him again.
"You spoke with Principal Aria Nightfall," Leonhart said.
Kayden blinked. "How did you—?"
"She has that look," Leonhart replied. "The one people get after learning something they weren't meant to."
Kayden hesitated, then nodded. "She knows… about my parents. About the system."
Leonhart exhaled slowly.
"That woman is dangerous," he said. "But she is not foolish."
"She told me not to reveal my power," Kayden said.
Leonhart nodded. "Good."
Kayden frowned. "You don't seem worried at all."
Leonhart chuckled. "Because this was always going to happen."
Kayden stared at him. "You knew?"
Leonhart's gaze softened.
"I didn't know when," he said. "But I knew who."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.
"Your parents didn't leave you with me by chance," Leonhart continued. "They asked me to do three things."
Kayden listened carefully.
"First," Leonhart said, "keep you alive."
Kayden swallowed.
"Second," Leonhart continued, "let you live a normal life for as long as possible."
"And third?"
Leonhart smiled faintly.
"Make sure you didn't walk into your destiny blind."
---
Hints, Not Answers
Leonhart had never told Kayden everything.
Only hints.
Stories about ancient ruins.
Casual mentions of systems in history.
Warnings about factions that preferred shadows to sunlight.
Kayden had always thought Leonhart was just an old scholar with strange interests.
Now he knew better.
"You never told me the truth," Kayden said quietly.
Leonhart met his gaze. "Because it wasn't my truth to tell."
Silence stretched between them.
Then Kayden asked the question he'd been holding back.
"…Are my parents alive?"
Leonhart didn't answer immediately.
"I don't know," he said at last. "And anyone who claims they do is lying."
Kayden clenched his fists.
"But I do know this," Leonhart continued. "If they're alive, they're moving carefully. And if they're gone—"
He paused.
"Then they made sure their work lived on."
Leonhart's eyes drifted briefly to Kayden's chest.
---
Nightfall in Starcrest City
Later that night, Kayden stood by the window in his room, watching the city lights flicker below.
Starcrest City looked peaceful.
But he knew better now.
Beneath its streets lay ancient ruins.
Hidden factions moved in silence.
And his very existence could disrupt everything.
Behind him, Leonhart spoke quietly.
"You don't need to rush," he said. "Power grows best when the roots are deep."
Kayden nodded.
"I'll stay hidden," he said. "Like you taught me."
Leonhart smiled.
"That's my boy."
The pendant pulsed faintly.
SYSTEM NOTICE:
HOST MENTAL STATE STABLE. GROWTH CONDITIONS OPTIMAL.
Kayden exhaled slowly.
This small apartment.
This quiet life.
This man who had guarded him from the shadows.
It wasn't much.
But it had been enough to get him this far.
And now—
It would be the foundation for everything to come.