Rain fell over Arden City, turning the streets into mirrors of pale light and shadow. People rushed through the storm, umbrellas raised, faces tired from another ordinary day.
At the edge of a crowded train station stood a quiet boy.
Lucien Vale.
Seventeen years old. Average grades. No clubs. No reputation.
To everyone else, he was the definition of forgettable.
Lucien leaned against a wall, calmly watching the crowd.
A businessman argued loudly into his phone.
Two students whispered nervously about a test tomorrow.
A security guard yawned while checking his watch.
Lucien's eyes slowly moved from person to person.
"Fear… impatience… greed… insecurity."
Humans were simple.
Every person had a button.
You just needed to know which one to press.
A loud crash suddenly echoed through the station.
A young man had slammed another student into a locker.
Give it back! the victim shouted. That's my wallet!
The attacker laughed. Then try taking it.
Most people ignored it.
Not Lucien.
He calmly walked past them and quietly said to the bully:
"Your girlfriend is watching."
The bully froze.
What.
Lucien pointed toward the escalator.
A girl stood there, staring with a shocked expression.
The bully's face turned pale.
Without another word, he threw the wallet back and quickly walked away.
The crowd returned to normal as if nothing had happened.
Lucien continued walking.
He didn't even look back.
"Step one," he thought.
"Observe the weakness."
A few minutes later he sat down inside the train.
Across from him were three students whispering.
Did you hear. one said nervously. Two of the top families are fighting again.
The Ravenhart and the Solis family.
Yeah. Someone leaked secret information. They're about to start a massive conflict.
Lucien quietly looked out the window.
City lights blurred across the glass.
The boy smiled faintly.
Because the secret information those families received…
Came from an anonymous email.
An email sent three days ago.
By him.
Two powerful families were about to destroy each other.
Hundreds of powerful people would get involved.
Markets would collapse.
Influential leaders would fall.
And the one who started it all…
Was just a quiet student sitting on a train.
Lucien closed his eyes.
Strength controls people.
Money controls people.
Power controls people.
But all of those things were temporary.
There was only one true power.
Control over the human mind.
The train stopped.
Lucien stood and stepped onto the platform.
Above the city, storm clouds slowly rolled across the night sky.
To the world, chaos was beginning.
But to Lucien Vale…
The game had just started.
And every king, hero, and villain in this world…
Were simply pieces on his board.