Axiom didn't answer right away.
He sat in the chair, staring at his hands, flexing his fingers slowly.
They still felt different.
Stronger.
Like something inside his muscles was awake now.
The professor didn't rush him.
Didn't speak.
Just waited.
Finally, Axiom exhaled.
"…If I say no… nothing changes, right?"
The professor shook his head.
"You go home confused."
"You lose control eventually."
"You hurt yourself… or someone else."
Axiom nodded slowly.
"…And if I say yes?"
"You learn what you awakened."
"You learn how to control it."
"You learn what kind of world you just stepped into."
Silence.
Axiom leaned back, staring at the ceiling for a second.
His mind replayed the fight.
The feeling in his chest.
The moment everything sharpened.
The moment something inside him opened.
"…I don't even know what this is…"
He laughed quietly.
"…So yeah."
He looked back at the professor.
"I accept."
The professor nodded once.
"Good."
He walked back to the desk, but instead of sitting, he leaned against it.
"If you're going to learn, then you need to understand what Dama really is."
Axiom straightened slightly.
"…I'm listening."
The professor crossed his arms.
"Dama is the manifestation of the soul."
Axiom blinked.
"…The soul?"
"Yes."
"Your will."
"Your emotions."
"Your instincts."
"Your identity."
"All of that becomes energy."
"That energy is called Dama."
The room felt quieter as he spoke.
"Everyone has it."
"Very few awaken it."
Axiom frowned.
"…So how does it awaken?"
"There are several ways."
The professor raised a finger.
"Extreme training."
"Emotional shock."
"Near-death experience."
"Deep meditation."
"Or natural awakening."
Axiom's eyes narrowed.
Natural.
"…Natural?"
The professor nodded.
"Some people use Dama without knowing."
"They're called Naturals."
"They move better."
"React faster."
"Stronger than normal people."
Axiom's mind flashed back to the gym.
Callie jumping.
Cammy moving like the air bent around her.
"…So those people…"
"Yes," the professor said.
"They don't know what they have."
"But the Authority watches them."
Axiom looked down.
"…Then mine…"
The professor continued.
"When Dama activates, the body reacts."
"Pressure in the chest."
"Heat in the body."
"Senses sharpen."
"And the feeling like something inside opens."
Axiom froze.
Every word hit perfectly.
His chest tightened again just remembering it.
"…Yeah…"
He whispered.
"…That's exactly what happened…"
The professor nodded.
"That moment is called a Dama Break."
The words felt heavy.
Dama Break.
"So that's what today was," Axiom said quietly.
"Yes."
The professor straightened.
"Now the important part."
"There are six types of Dama."
He walked to the board on the wall and picked up a marker.
He wrote as he spoke.
ForgeFlowMindFormBindOrigin
"These are the categories."
"Every awakened user has an affinity."
"Most people can only master one."
"Rare people master two."
"Very rare people reach three."
Axiom looked at the board.
"…And more than that?"
The professor shook his head.
"Almost impossible."
He tapped the board.
"Each type has stages."
"Most users never fully master even one stage."
Axiom frowned.
"…Then what stage am I?"
The professor looked at him for a long moment.
"First stage."
"Forge type."
Axiom nodded slowly.
"…Makes sense."
"Body enhancement."
"Speed."
"Durability."
"Senses."
The professor gave a small approving nod.
"You figured it out fast."
Axiom smirked faintly.
"…Anime helps."
The professor chuckled.
"It might."
He leaned back slightly.
"Even among Ascendants, reaching Stage Four is rare."
Axiom looked up.
"…You said you're Stage Four."
"Yes."
"But not in everything."
He tapped the board again.
"I am strongest in Flow Type."
"Energy control."
"Dama manipulation."
"That is the only type I have fully mastered."
Axiom blinked.
"…Only?"
The professor smiled slightly.
"You'll understand later."
He erased part of the board, then looked back at Axiom.
"Right now, you are at the beginning."
"You just had your Dama Break."
"You have Forge instinct."
"But your real ability…"
He paused.
His eyes sharpened slightly.
"…is not normal."
Axiom felt his chest tighten again.
"…What do you mean?"
The professor folded his arms.
"When you fought…"
"You didn't move like a Forge user."
"You moved like you were sensing everything."
A short pause.
"…Tell me the truth."
His gaze locked onto Axiom.
"Did you know what to do…"
"…or did your body decide for you?"
The professor's eyes stayed locked on Axiom.
"…Did you know what to do…"
"…or did your body decide for you?"
Axiom thought about it for a moment.
He replayed the fight in his head again.
The punches.
The pressure.
The moment everything sharpened.
"…I don't know," he said honestly.
The professor didn't interrupt.
Axiom leaned forward slightly, elbows on his knees.
"In that moment… I just knew my body got stronger."
He looked at his hands again.
"So I trusted that feeling."
A short pause.
"My senses got sharper… really sharp."
"I could hear everything."
"Footsteps… breathing… even the sound of their muscles moving when they were about to hit me."
The professor's expression changed slightly.
"…Go on."
Axiom nodded slowly.
"I didn't want to hurt them."
"I didn't know how strong I was."
"So instead of attacking… I just moved."
He closed his eyes for a second, remembering.
"I closed my eyes… and felt everything around me."
"My skin felt the air moving."
"My hearing picked up their steps."
"I could tell when they were about to swing just from the sound of their breathing."
The professor's eyes narrowed.
"…You sensed their intent."
"…Yeah," Axiom said quietly.
"And when I blocked… I didn't hit them back."
"I pushed their arms away."
"But I didn't touch them fully."
The professor leaned forward slightly.
"…You didn't touch them?"
Axiom shook his head.
"It felt like… something came out of my arm."
"Like my energy pushed against their hands before my body did."
A long silence filled the room.
The professor stared at him.
Really stared.
"…You used aura shaping."
Axiom blinked.
"…Aura?"
The professor exhaled slowly.
"That was Flow Type."
He stood up and started pacing.
"You enhanced your body with Forge."
"You sensed movement with Mind."
"You shaped energy with Flow."
He stopped.
Turned.
Looked straight at Axiom.
"And you did all of that… on your first awakening."
Axiom frowned.
"…Is that bad?"
The professor laughed once.
"…No."
A short pause.
"It's rare."
Another pause.
"…Very rare."
He walked back to the desk slowly.
"There are people who can use more than one type."
"But not like that."
"Not on instinct."
He crossed his arms.
"…Most people who do what you just described…"
He hesitated slightly.
"…Are Origin types."
The word felt heavier than the others.
Axiom looked up.
"…Origin?"
The professor nodded.
"Origin type users are extremely rare."
"One in thousands."
"They are not limited to one category."
"They can learn multiple types."
"They can create abilities."
"They can shape Dama in ways that shouldn't be possible."
Axiom's chest tightened again.
"…Create abilities…?"
"Yes."
"Unique abilities."
"Reality-like effects."
"System-type powers."
"Fate-type abilities."
The room felt smaller.
"…But we don't know yet," the professor added.
"You just awakened."
"We need training first."
He pointed at Axiom.
"Right now, your Dama is out of control."
Axiom blinked.
"…Out of control?"
"Yes."
"Your energy is flowing through your entire body."
"Bones, muscles, nerves, skin."
"That's why you feel stronger."
"But it's inefficient."
He walked closer.
"You need to control it."
"Dama is part of you."
"It comes from your soul."
"If you can't control it…"
"You will waste it."
He stood in front of Axiom.
"Stand up."
Axiom stood.
The professor raised one hand.
"Close your eyes."
Axiom did.
"Feel your body."
"Feel the energy inside you."
Axiom focused.
The feeling was there.
Warm.
Heavy.
Moving everywhere.
"…I feel it."
"Good."
The professor spoke calmly.
"Now imagine pulling it closer to your skin."
"Not forcing."
"Guiding."
"Like breathing."
Axiom tried.
The energy shifted slightly.
Not much.
But enough.
"…It's moving…"
The professor nodded.
"That technique is called Veil."
"Always keep a thin layer of Dama around your body."
"It increases defense."
"It stabilizes your energy."
"It keeps you from hurting yourself."
Axiom focused again.
The energy settled around his skin.
Like a faint outline.
The professor's eyes widened slightly.
"…Already…?"
Axiom opened his eyes.
"…Was that right?"
The professor stared at him for a second.
"…You're learning too fast."
Axiom scratched his head.
"…Sorry?"
The professor shook his head.
"No."
"…That's good."
He raised a finger.
"Next."
"Pulse."
He stepped back.
"Release your energy outward."
"Don't push with your muscles."
"Push with your Dama."
Axiom focused.
He felt the energy.
Guided it forward.
A small ripple moved through the air.
The papers on the desk shifted slightly.
The professor smiled faintly.
"Good."
"Pulse can intimidate."
"Push enemies away."
"Break balance."
He raised another finger.
"Sense."
"You already have this."
"You felt those girls earlier today."
Axiom nodded slowly.
"…Yeah…"
"Good."
Another finger.
"Focus."
"Move your Dama to one spot."
Axiom concentrated.
He felt the energy gather in his arm.
His muscles tightened instantly.
"…Whoa…"
The professor nodded.
"That's how you increase strength."
"Or defense."
"Or speed."
Final finger.
"Hide."
Axiom blinked.
"…Hide?"
The professor's voice became serious.
"You must learn to suppress your Dama."
"If your energy leaks…"
"Other users will feel you."
"They may attack you."
"Your presence can even harm normal people."
Axiom's eyes widened slightly.
"…Harm…?"
"Yes."
"Dama reacts to emotion."
"If you lose control…"
"It fluctuates."
He looked straight at him.
"Never show your full aura unless you mean to fight."
Silence filled the room.
Axiom exhaled slowly.
So much information.
So fast.
But somehow…
It all made sense.
He looked at the professor.
"…So what now?"
The professor smiled slightly.
"Now…"
"We train."
The professor stepped back and crossed his arms again, watching Axiom carefully.
"For your first day… that's enough."
Axiom exhaled slowly, his body still feeling warm from moving his Dama.
"…Yeah… my head feels like it's full."
The professor nodded.
"That's normal."
He walked to the door, unlocking it but not opening it yet.
"From now on, whenever you have free time at school, you come here."
Axiom looked up.
"…Every time?"
"Yes."
"We train whenever you have a break."
A short pause.
"If needed, I will speak to your teachers."
Axiom blinked.
"…About what?"
"That you are assisting me."
"You may skip one or two classes when necessary."
Axiom raised an eyebrow.
"…You can do that?"
The professor smirked slightly.
"I told you."
"I'm an Ascendant."
Axiom laughed quietly.
"…Right."
The professor opened the door.
"Go home."
"Rest."
"Keep your Veil active."
"Try to suppress your Dama while you walk."
"We continue tomorrow."
Axiom nodded.
"…Got it."
He stepped out into the hallway, the door closing behind him with a soft click.
For a moment, he just stood there.
Everything felt different.
Not just inside.
Outside too.
He took a slow breath.
"…So this is real…"
He started walking toward the exit.
Every step felt lighter.
More balanced.
More controlled.
The moment he stepped outside the building, the night air hit his skin.
And he felt it.
Everything.
Not just the cold.
The movement of the wind.
The sound of distant traffic.
Footsteps behind him.
Voices across the street.
He stopped walking for a second.
"…Whoa…"
His senses were still sharp.
Sharper than they had ever been.
He could hear two people talking half a block away.
Could feel the vibration of a car passing on the road.
Could even sense movement without looking.
Someone walking on the opposite side of the street.
He turned his head slightly.
A man in a hoodie was walking past a lamppost.
Axiom frowned.
"…I didn't even see him… but I knew he was there…"
He focused.
He could hear the man's footsteps.
Hear the fabric of his jacket moving.
Hear his breathing.
Even feel the faint shift in the air when he changed direction.
Axiom swallowed.
"…This is insane…"
He forced himself to calm down.
Veil.
Hide.
Control.
Just like the professor said.
He imagined the energy around his body settling.
Closing in.
Getting quieter.
The world felt a little more normal again.
"…Okay… that helps…"
He kept walking.
Every step home, his mind replayed everything from today.
The game.
The feeling.
The fight.
The awakening.
The professor.
The Authority.
Dama.
Ascendants.
Origin type.
His life had changed in one day.
And there was no going back.
—
By the time he reached home, the night was quiet.
He unlocked the door, stepped inside, and dropped his bag near the wall.
No one else was home yet.
Good.
He walked to his room and sat on the edge of the bed.
For a long moment, he just stared at his hands again.
"…I really did that…"
He remembered the fight.
The moment the first punch landed.
The moment he stood back up.
The moment he stopped being scared.
His fingers tightened slightly.
"…I didn't run…"
That was new.
His whole life, he avoided fights.
Avoided trouble.
Ignored people like those guys.
But today…
He stood up.
And he didn't feel weak.
He leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling.
"…I liked that…"
Not the pain.
Not the fight.
The feeling.
The moment he realized he didn't have to be afraid anymore.
He closed his eyes slowly.
Tomorrow.
Training.
More answers.
More power.
More control.
A small smile appeared on his face.
"…Yeah…"
"I'm definitely going tomorrow."
For the first time in a long time—
He was actually looking forward to the next day.