Chapter 1 – The Academy?
The last light of the setting sun filtered through the cracked windowpane, casting golden slashes across the dusty wooden floor. In the middle of the room, sprawled across a mess of tangled sheets, lay a boy—barely sixteen, with unkempt hair and a stubborn scowl even in sleep.
His chest rose and fell in a slow rhythm, a faint sigh escaping his lips as if even in dreams, he carried burdens far too heavy for his age.
The door slammed open.
"KAI!! Are you planning to sleep through the end of the world!?"
The shrill voice pierced the quiet like a dagger, jolting the boy awake. He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.
"Ma, just five more minutes..." he muttered, flopping back into the pillow.
"You've already had six hours!" his mother snapped. She was a woman weathered by time and sorrow, her greying hair tied into a tight bun, eyes sharp yet worn. "What have you even done today?"
Kai paused.
"...Nothing," he admitted flatly.
He sat up slowly, the last rays of the sun outlining the lean muscle in his arms and shoulders. Despite the bitterness in his voice, his body was honed—not bulky, but sharp, defined. A result of quiet, relentless training done away from judging eyes.
"Mom," he said quietly, not meeting her gaze, "we both know the truth. Ever since the Awakening, people without bloodlines are just... left behind. Forgotten. Big brother Ray can shine. He's got power. Legacy. Me? I'm just a shadow. The world doesn't care if I live or rot away in this room."
His mother sighed—tired, pained. She stepped forward, placing a hand gently on his cheek.
"No one ever said you were useless, Kai. Not me. Not your brother. Not your father—"
"You guys don't count," Kai cut her off, voice barely a whisper.
Silence stretched between them, heavy and thick.
Then she straightened, wiping her hands on her apron with forced cheer. "Enough. Go wash up. The academy results are being announced tonight, and I don't want my son looking like a corpse if they come knocking."
Kai blinked. "The academy?"
His mom smirked. "You might want to check your inbox."
That got him moving.
He leapt out of bed, body fluid and flexible like a dancer's—each motion practiced and precise. Even without a bloodline, even without powers, he trained. Not for the world. Not for glory.
Just so he could stand tall, even if no one else believed he belonged.
Kai landed softly on the wooden floor and thought, *"I doubt the academy would pick someone like me over someone with a bloodline."*
He washed up quickly, then sat near the front door, legs crossed, waiting.
An hour passed.
Nothing.
His hopes, already fragile, began to fade. He stood, brushing the dust from his pants, planning to head back to his room—when a knock echoed on the reinforced wooden door.
Kai was on his feet in a heartbeat.
He opened the door, barely hiding the rush of nerves in his chest. A tall man in a dark cloak stood on the other side, Tablet in hand.
"Hello," the man said, voice official and distant. "Is Ray Gremory here?"
Kai's chest sank.
He forced a thin smile. "I'll go get him."
He turned, shoulders drooping, his steps heavier now. He called out, loud enough to echo through the small house, "Ray! The academy is here for you."
A door creaked open. Out stepped a young man with damp hair, sweat glistening on his skin clearly in the middle of a workout.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming, Kai," he replied, wiping his brow.
Ray Gremory. Older. Taller. Stronger.
Ray approached the man at the door with casual confidence. "So? Am I in?"
The man nodded. "Yes. You've been accepted. You're expected to arrive at the designated location in three days. Congratulations on making it in."
Ray smirked. "Of course. Was there ever a doubt?"
Kai was already gone.
Back in his room. Door shut. Lights off.
He sat alone in the dark, leaning against the wall, staring into nothing.
"And again… I was less than air. Just a ghost standing in front of that same damn arrogant smile."
He clenched his fists, knuckles white. No bloodline.
His heart felt cold. And he had lost hope.