Aria Vale woke up feeling… surprisingly exhausted.
Not because she had trained physically—she hadn't—but because her heart, mind, and every ounce of her being seemed to have run a marathon across dimensions overnight.
The note from Kael still burned in her thoughts:
Meet me at midnight. I'll explain everything. —K
She groaned, burying her face in her pillow. Milo Spark, however, had already arrived, bouncing in place outside her dorm room door with the energy of someone who had clearly slept far less than he should have.
"Morning, disaster magnet," Milo called cheerfully. "Ready for Day Three of absolute chaos?"
Aria groaned again. "I did not sign up for this life."
"You didn't?" Milo tilted his head. "Because somehow, you're the center of multiverse attention, people are breaking physics around you, and there's a mysterious man who remembers you in every reality. Sounds like a solid start to me."
"Thanks for the pep talk," Aria muttered, swinging her legs off the bed.
Zee Lunara appeared as if on cue, arms crossed and smirking. "He's not wrong. You are literally breaking the rules of physics and every student in this academy is… watching."
Aria winced. "I just want to go back to normal."
Zee laughed. "Normal is boring, sweetie. You're way past normal."
Later that day, Aria was led to a secret training room under the academy—a place she hadn't seen before.
The doors opened, revealing a vast hall with energy fields projected from the walls. Floating platforms hovered above a reflective surface, mirrors lining the walls to track movements.
Kael stood at the center, his silver eyes scanning her intently. His presence alone made the room feel heavier, as if reality itself was paying attention.
"Welcome," he said softly, "to your first real lesson."
Aria hesitated. "Lesson?"
"You nearly destroyed the arena yesterday,"
Kael said bluntly. "This isn't punishment. It's control."
Milo whispered, "Control, he says. Meanwhile, he watched barrels spin for ten minutes like it was art."
Zee nudged him. "Shush."
Aria focused on Kael. "Okay… teach me."
Kael nodded. "First, you must understand that your emotions are your power. Anger, fear, happiness, grief—they all shape the energy you radiate. You feel deeply. That's why reality responds."
Aria blinked. "So… I'm… dangerous?"
"Not dangerous," Kael said, stepping closer. "Unique. And right now, uncontrolled. That is what we fix."
Kael raised his hand, and the floating platforms in the room began moving in patterns.
"You will attempt to manipulate them," he instructed. "Nothing more. Do not panic. Do not overthink. Let your feelings guide you."
Aria took a deep breath, trying to calm her racing heart. Milo hovered behind her, sparks fizzing nervously. Zee stood to the side, leaning casually, smirking.
She reached out, focusing on the platforms.
At first, nothing happened.
Then, one platform shivered. Then another. Her pulse quickened. Fear tightened her chest.
Suddenly, all platforms launched into chaotic spins. Mirrors shattered, energy fields flared, and Milo ducked.
Aria screamed. "I CAN'T CONTROL IT!"
Kael stepped forward, calm and commanding. "Breathe. Feel, don't fight. Focus on one emotion—choose one."
Aria's eyes filled with tears. Frustration, panic, embarrassment… a swirl of chaos.
Her vision blurred. She expected destruction.
Instead, the platforms gently rotated in synchronized circles, hovering perfectly, reflecting the soft light across the room.
She gasped. Milo cheered. Zee clapped.
Kael's eyes softened. "Better. Much better."
Aria collapsed to her knees, exhausted. "That… wasn't easy."
"You're not supposed to get it immediately," Kael said quietly. "You're supposed to feel it. And you did."
Just then, a loud crash echoed from the other side of the room.
Milo had tried to help by zapping one of the platforms.
Instead, he shot sparks into the ceiling, which rained tiny energy fragments that stuck to the walls. One fragment hit Zee, causing her hair to stand on end like a static-charged halo.
"Are you kidding me?" Aria groaned, wiping her face.
Zee's hair fizzed and sparkled. "Nope. Totally me."
Milo sheepishly grinned. "Did I mention I'm a professional?"
Kael pinched the bridge of his nose. "I said do not overthink it. You also need to stop breaking everything in the process."
Aria muttered, "I didn't break anything!"
Zee laughed so hard she fell onto a floating platform.
The training room had now fully descended into what could only be described as organized chaos.
Kael observed, expression unreadable but calm. "You learn best in chaos," he muttered.
Aria narrowed her eyes. "I think you mean you enjoy watching me suffer."
Kael's faint smirk betrayed him. "Maybe a little."
Mid-laughter and chaos, the air suddenly thickened. A ripple passed through the room, almost imperceptible, but enough to make Aria shiver.
"Did you feel that?" she whispered.
Kael's eyes sharpened. "Yes."
The platforms wobbled slightly, energy flickering. Milo's sparks went haywire.
"This isn't good," Kael murmured. "Someone—or something—is testing the boundaries again. Your powers are resonating outside this universe."
Aria's chest tightened. "Outside… the universe?"
"Yes," Kael said softly. "And it will only get stronger."
A voice echoed in the chamber. Smooth. Confident. Teasing.
"Well, well… if it isn't the multiverse's newest anomaly."
Lior Ashen stepped forward, his eyes gleaming. "I thought you might like some competition."
Aria groaned. "I did not."
Kael's gaze narrowed. "Stay focused."
Lior smirked. "Oh, don't worry. I won't interfere… much."
The platforms reacted. For the first time, Aria felt them move without her intention.
"Great," she muttered. "Now he's doing something."
"You can handle him," Kael said quietly. "Focus on yourself."
Aria clenched her fists. "Yes… I can. I will."
The ripple returned, stronger this time. Shadows flickered along the walls.
Something—or someone—was coming from another reality.
Aria's heart hammered. Her power surged instinctively, glowing softly around her hands.
Kael's silver eyes met hers. "Not yet. Control it."
Milo whispered nervously: "I think she's glowing… like a light bulb of doom."
Zee groaned. "And I love it."
Aria exhaled, concentrating. The glow dimmed. For a moment, the world seemed to stabilize.
Then, quietly, a small tear in reality appeared above the ceiling.
Kael's expression hardened. "They've found us."
Aria swallowed. "Who?"
Kael's gaze softened again. "Someone who wants your power. Someone who wants you."
She felt her chest tighten—not with fear, exactly, but anticipation. And strangely… excitement.
The multiverse had begun to pull at her. And for the first time, she realized she was not just a girl with strange feelings.
She was a girl the universe itself was watching.
The training room was quiet… for all of three seconds.
Aria Vale's chest throbbed with anticipation and anxiety. She had barely regained control of her powers when the ripple from the multiverse appeared—a small tear in the ceiling, shimmering like liquid violet light.
Milo's hair stood on end. "That doesn't look healthy."
Zee leaned against a floating platform, smirking. "Define healthy. For her? That's a very relative term."
Aria swallowed, her hands trembling. Her emotions buzzed through her veins, reaching out like invisible tendrils. That familiar tug in her chest—the one Kael had mentioned yesterday—was back, stronger, insistent, demanding.
Aria's fingers twitched.
The floating platforms reacted before she even thought. They spun faster, rising into a chaotic orbit around her. Milo yelped as one barrel-sized platform nearly struck his head. Zee ducked, laughing too loudly to be called helpful.
"Stop!" Aria shouted, panic flaring. "I—can't!"
Her voice cracked. The platforms stilled… briefly… and then surged outward violently, crashing into walls, shattering observation mirrors, and sending sparks raining across the room.
Kael leapt forward, landing gracefully between her and the nearest spinning platform. His silver eyes glimmered, calm but piercing.
"Breathe," he commanded. "Focus on one thought. One emotion. You are not the chaos—you control it."
Aria's chest heaved. She tried, really tried. Slowly, the platforms rotated in synchronicity once more, hovering gently as if obeying her emotions instead of rebelling against them.
Milo let out a whistle. "She's… she's… not a disaster. She's like a… cosmic event."
Zee snorted. "A sparkling, emotional cosmic event."
Aria glared. "I hate both of you."
From the observation window, Lior Ashen appeared, floating casually in midair with his usual smug grin.
"Well, well," he said, voice dripping with amusement. "It seems your little cosmic event is awake."
Aria groaned. "Not now!"
Lior tilted his head, eyes glinting. "Oh, I think now is perfect. Let's see how you handle… competition."
Before Aria could respond, Lior's mind-control energy pushed one of the spinning platforms toward her at full force.
She screamed, trying to stop it, but the platform collided with another, creating a chain reaction. Milo ran forward, zapping one with a quick spark—but that only multiplied the chaos.
Zee floated upward, throwing a hand out. "Guys… I got this… maybe."
The arena erupted into full-blown chaos. Students watching from above ducked and shouted. Alarms blared. The multiverse ripple shimmered, responding to Aria's powers, as if the universe itself was watching and judging.
Kael didn't move like everyone else panicked. He stepped forward calmly, holding out a hand. "Aria," he said, voice low, "feel, don't fight. Trust yourself."
Aria's hands glowed. She closed her eyes, thinking of Milo and Zee and the warmth of the rooftop yesterday, the ridiculous laughter, the comfort of small moments that made the chaos bearable.
Slowly, the spinning platforms obeyed. They floated gently, forming a circle around her.
Milo clapped his hands. "She did it! She really did it!"
Zee gave a dramatic bow. "Bravo. Cosmic disaster averted."
Aria exhaled, exhausted. "I'm never touching another platform again."
Outside the academy, in a reality slightly displaced from Elaris, a shadow stirred.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "They've noticed her."
Seraphine Void, elegant and cruel, stepped forward from the shadows. "Of course they have. She is too powerful, too emotional, too… essential. And he can't keep her hidden forever."
Kael's jaw tightened. "Then we prepare."
After the arena chaos settled, Kael led Aria to a quiet rooftop garden, floating above the academy, illuminated by soft energy lights.
"You nearly lost control," he said quietly, watching her with silver eyes that made her chest tighten.
"I'm not ready," she admitted, hugging herself. "I feel like… like I'm going to explode any second."
Kael stepped closer. "You are ready. You just don't believe it yet."
Aria's heart raced. His presence was overwhelming, calming, and terrifying all at once. "How do you know?"
"I've seen it before," he murmured. "And I've seen you before. In other timelines. Other realities. You always find a way to grow… to survive… to fight. You just need to trust yourself."
Aria swallowed. The words hit deeper than she expected. His calm certainty, his gaze, the subtle warmth in his voice—it felt like he knew her better than she knew herself.
Her heart thumped painfully in her chest. She had never felt anything like this before.
"You're… scary," she whispered.
Kael smirked faintly. "And yet you're smiling."
She flushed. "I'm not! I'm exhausted!"
Milo and Zee's voices carried faintly from the dorms below, shouting something about snacks and laughter. The absurd normalcy was grounding, even in the chaos.
Kael's expression softened. "You'll need balance. Strength without control is dangerous. Control without emotion is empty. You will learn both. Together."
Aria nodded slowly, absorbing his words. Her chest still thumped, not from fear—but from something she couldn't name. Something new, strange, and terrifyingly exhilarating.
No sooner had she taken a deep breath than another presence arrived.
A flicker. A shimmer. Someone stepping out of a partially opened rift.
A girl, tall and elegant, with ice-blue hair and an aura of cold authority. Her eyes scanned the rooftop and locked on Aria instantly.
"You are the anomaly," she said, voice low but sharp. "And I have been sent to correct you."
Aria's eyes widened. "Correct me?"
Kael stepped protectively in front of her. "Who are you?"
The girl smiled faintly. "Call me Iris Moonfall. And I suggest you listen carefully, Vale. Your uncontrolled emotions… threaten everything.
Aria's stomach sank. I thought today was just training…
The multiverse ripple shimmered, more violently this time.
"You see?" Iris said, voice cutting through the air. "You cannot hide. You cannot ignore it. And soon, you will pay the price for what you are."
Aria swallowed hard, her powers flaring slightly, lighting the rooftop in soft violet. Milo muttered something about "she really is a walking disaster," and Zee facepalmed so hard it echoed.
Kael's eyes hardened. "Then we make sure she's ready."
Aria took a shaky breath, looking at her hands. She was tired, scared, and overwhelmed—but for the first time, she felt something else too.
Power.
And maybe… just maybe… she was ready to embrace it.
By the time they returned to the dorm, the academy was buzzing. Rumors of the rooftop incident spread like wildfire. Students whispered about the girl with violet energy, the mysterious boy who appeared out of nowhere, and the icy stranger who had arrived from… somewhere else.
Milo and Zee collapsed beside Aria. Milo groaned, rubbing his arms. "Okay, officially exhausted. That was—wow. I'm too old for this."
Zee laughed softly, still exhilarated. "Old? You're twenty-three. Relax. Today was legendary."
Aria stared at the ceiling, thoughts swirling. Kael, Iris, Lior… the ripple… her power… the multiverse…
It was all too much.
Yet, somewhere deep inside, a thrill pulsed with her heartbeat. A thrill she couldn't deny.
She was no longer just a girl who felt too much.
She was a girl the multiverse feared, wanted, and needed.
And the adventure—her adventure—was only beginning.