The midnight air in the boys' dormitory was thick with silence, broken only by the rhythmic hum of the ventilation system. Aren slipped out of his room, his footsteps muffled as he moved through the darkened corridor.
The shadows seemed to stretch and twist around him until a sudden flicker of light caught his eye. A mechanical whirring sound approached from the gloom.
A sleek, metallic Inspection Bot glided toward him, its optical sensor pulsing a rhythmic red. It paused in front of Aren, a blue laser scanning his smartwatch.
"Student No. 170... Aren Vox," the bot stated in a flat, synthesized voice. "Curfew began exactly three hours ago. Explain your presence in this corridor."
Aren froze, his heart hammering against his ribs. These bots were the eyes and ears of the campus, designed to enforce discipline where teachers couldn't be everywhere at once.
"I... I was just..." Aren stammered, his mind racing for a plausible lie. "I was heading out to test something. For my training."
The robot tilted its head, its sensor unblinking. What a terrible excuse, Aren thought, sweating. There's no way it buys that. I'm going to get reported on my first night.
"Oh! So you are heading out for extra training?" the robot responded, its voice surprisingly upbeat. A black screen on its chest flickered, and a large, blue weeping face emoji appeared. "How diligent! It warms my central processors to see the youth of today working so hard."
Aren blinked, completely baffled. "Wait... are you crying?"
"You children are so hardworking!" the bot sobbed, its metallic voice cracking with simulated emotion. Aren stared in confusion. Does this thing have a glitch in its emotional sub-routines? It's a robot, why is it so sentimental?
"I shall grant you a temporary Midnight Training Pass," the bot said, sniffled mechanically, and began typing on its internal interface. A sharp ping echoed from Aren's watch. "I've updated your clearance.
You may now use the Group D training gym. Show this to the sentinel at the entrance. Now go, young warrior! Forge your future!"
The bot glided away into the darkness, still making faint sobbing noises. Aren stood there, staring at his glowing watch in disbelief. "Well, that was weird... but at least I have a place to go now."
Leaving the dorm behind, Aren made his way to the Main Hall. He presented his new digital pass to the heavy-duty Incharge Bot stationed at the gym entrance. The massive doors hissed open, revealing a vast, high-tech cavern of cold steel and glowing blue light.
At first glance, the gym appeared empty. "Perfect. I'm alone," Aren whispered to himself.
But he was wrong. Tucked away in the far corner, hidden behind a cluster of heavy-gravity treadmills, a girl was mid-workout. She had frozen the moment the doors opened, her sharp eyes tracking the intruder.
Aren Vox? The Null? Evy Ross wondered, narrowing her eyes. What is a powerless boy doing here at three in the morning?
Intrigued, she stepped deeper into the shadows, watching him in silence.
Aren approached a reinforced strength-testing wall . He took a deep breath, trying to recall the feeling of the power he had felt in the jungle.
"Think, Aren. Think," he muttered. "The power only manifested when Archer was beating me. It was triggered by pain. By desperation."
He hesitated for a second, then gritted his teeth and drove a sharp punch directly into his own stomach. The air left his lungs in a pained wheeze, and he doubled over, retching.
Behind the machines, Evy's jaw dropped. Is he insane? Why is he attacking himself?
Aren straightened up, panting, his face pale. "No... that's not it. Pain isn't the key; it's the bridge." He sat on the floor, crossing his legs in a meditative pose. He closed his eyes, reaching out into the dark void of his mind. Varkas! I know you can hear me. Answer me! I need to know how to use this strength!
Silence met his plea. He waited for minutes, but the God of Strength remained silent. Frustrated, Aren stood up and began throwing standard, powerless punches at the wall. Thud. Thud. Thud. The sensor remained dark, registering almost nothing.
Evy watched, her initial curiosity turning into pity. I thought he was hiding something, but he's just a lost boy chasing a ghost. She began to turn away, preparing to leave the gym, when the air in the room suddenly turned heavy.
Aren stopped. His eyes were closed, his breathing slow and rhythmic. He realized he couldn't "force" the ocean of Varkas's power out all at once his body was too small a vessel. He needed to funnel it. He focused every ounce of his mental energy, not into his fist, but into the very tip of his right index finger.
He drew a sharp, deep breath, and his eyes snapped open. They were no longer brown, but a terrifying, glowing crimson.
He flicked his finger against the wall.
BOOM!
A sound like a localized missile strike rocked the gym. A visible sonic boom rippled outward, the force of the displacement shoving nearby heavy equipment several inches across the floor. The strength-testing wall didn't just register a hit it groaned as a deep, jagged dent appeared exactly where his finger had made contact.
The gym fell into a ringing silence. The crimson light faded from Aren's eyes, and he collapsed to his knees, his right arm shaking violently.
"So... that's the secret," Aren gasped, clutching his trembling hand. "Concentrated focus. One point."
Behind the equipment, Evy was paralyzed with shock. A Null? No... that's impossible. That was the power of a monster. Her heart was racing as she watched him struggle to his feet.
"I have to learn more about how divine vessels manifest," Aren muttered to himself, his voice hoarse. "If I can't control this, I'm a danger to myself." He slowly stood up and limped out of the gym, leaving the heavy doors to hiss shut behind him.
The moment he was gone, Evy scrambled out of hiding. She ran to the wall, her fingers trembling as she touched the dent. She looked up at the digital score flashing on the overhead monitor.
Score: 500
"500... with a finger?" Evy whispered, a thrill of excitement running down her spine. "Aren Vox... you're the biggest mystery in this entire academy."
The next morning, the sun felt far too bright for Aren's liking. He walked toward his first class alongside Theo and Duke.
"First day of classes! I just hope the lectures aren't as boring as the orientation," Theo said, practically vibrating with excitement. Duke, as usual, walked with his head down, looking like he hadn't slept in a week.
Aren nodded distractedly. His arm was still stiff from the night before. I need to go back to the gym after class. I have to master that focus.
They entered the lecture hall, a grand amphitheater with holographic podiums and tiered seating. Theo tossed his bag onto a desk in the middle row, and Duke slumped into the seat next to him. Just as Aren was about to join them, a soft, melodic voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Excuse me, Aren? Why don't you sit here with me?"
Aren turned, his eyes widening. Evy Ross was standing there, a sweet, radiant smile on her face that didn't quite match the intensity in her eyes. Before he could even form an excuse, she reached out, grabbed his hand, and pulled him toward a seat in the row behind his friends.
Theo turned around, his eyebrows nearly hitting his hairline. He gave Aren a slow, exaggerated "thumbs-up" and a knowing wink. Aren looked back at him with a face of pure panic that screamed: Help me!
"What are you doing, Evy?" Aren hissed once they were seated. "Why are you dragging me over here?"
Evy leaned in close, her shoulder pressing against his. She moved her lips to his ear, her breath warm against his skin..
"I saw you last night, Aren," she whispered, her voice like velvet. "I saw the wall. I saw the score. And I definitely saw those crimson eyes."
Aren's blood turned to ice. He sat perfectly still, unable to even breathe.