Darkness.
Not the kind you see at night,but the kind you feel. Heavy. Endless. Suffocating.
Cold wrapped around my body like chains. There was no sound. No light. Just… nothing.
I tried to speak.
"Mhh… mmph"
Something elastic covered my mouth. A strange, bouncy barrier… like a bubble.
Then I saw her.
A woman stood not far away.
Motionless.
Covered in blood.
Her body was broken,her left arm missing, her skin torn apart. But what made my stomach twist…
Her eyes were gone.
Empty sockets stared into nothing.
Around her… bubbles floated.
"Mhhshue… mfheir…" I tried again, forcing words through the barrier.
Nothing.
No response.
I stepped forward.
One step.
Then another.
But the closer I got… the heavier my body became.
My legs trembled.
My chest tightened.
And then...
THUD.
I collapsed.
"…What… is this…?"
I forced my head up.
And froze.
Bodies.
Countless bodies.
Stacked. Melted. Torn apart.
Some were split in half. Others… unrecognizable. Flesh scattered like discarded trash.
Blood everywhere.
My stomach turned.
"I'm going to-"
Before I could finish, a voice cut through the silence.
"You know… even if you kill me right here… you'll still have to face Baltazar."
The woman.
She was smiling.
A twisted, knowing smile.
My mind spiraled.
Was she talking to me?
Who is Baltazar?
Why am I here?
Why am I covered in blood?
"Doesn't matter."
A new voice.
Male.
Cold.
"You are all murderers."
Everything went black for a second.
Then------
Pressure.
A crushing, overwhelming force slammed into me.
It felt like drowning… in something invisible.
"…Zen…this is Zen power"
My body trembled violently.
"Zen People. Time Vendors. Oretsa monsters… it doesn't matter."
Each word pierced me.
"I will kill all of you."
Blood burst from my eyes.
"I will make you atone."
From my nose.
"For your cursed sins-"
My ears rang.
"that stained the veil of this universe."
I couldn't breathe.
My throat closed.
My vision blurred.
"Your illusion of superiority… will drag you into despair."
I vomited blood.
Fear spread inside me like poison.
"Hahahaha!" the woman laughed, broken and insane.
"I never imagined… a survivor of the Final Day incident would reach such Zen powers and understanding....go on, kil-"
She never finished.
The man raised a single finger.
And suddenly...
Her upper body lifted into the air.
Upside down.
Wait…
Why is she upside down?
No.
Not her.
Me.
I looked down.
And saw it.
My body.
Standing.
Headless.
"…Ah…"
So that's what happened.
I died.
And I didn't even realize it.
For three whole seconds.
Time slowed as my head fell.
Closer.
Closer.
Closer to the ground.
Who was that wom-
---
"ORINNNN! DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS?!"
I shot up from my bed.
Breathing heavily.
Sweat dripping down my face.
"…A dream…"
But it felt real.
Too real.
"Orin Madel." My mom stood in the doorway, arms crossed, holding a spoon like a weapon.
"Do you know what day it is?"
"…Yeeeah… of course…" I said.
I did not.
SMACK.
The spoon connected with my head.
Next thing I knew, I was flying straight into the wardrobe.
"Sigh… you're just like your father," she said. "Always forgetting. It's March 27."
She paused.
"The day you discover your Zen attribute."
My eyes widened.
"…WAIT????TODAY?!"
I jumped up instantly, grabbing clothes.
"YES, TODAY, DUMBASS," she snapped. "I swear, I take care of a 48-year-old child AND his 19-year-old clone"
"BYEEEE MOMMMM!"
I was already out the door.
Running.
Heart racing.
"Finally… today's the day," I muttered. "My Zen power… it has to be something OP. If I want to get into a Combat Facility run by the Ten Swords…"
But
That dream.
That man.
That power.
I stopped.
My chest tightened.
My hand clutched my shirt.
"I died…"
My breathing became erratic.
"I didn't even notice…"
Sweat rolled down my face.
"What if I meet someone like that?"
My vision shook.
"Will I even react…?"
I gasped.
"Breathe… breathe…"
A hand suddenly grabbed my shoulder.
"Man, what's wrong with you?" a voice laughed. "You look like you just saw death."
Kneil.
My best friend.
Same age. Same idiot energy.
"…It's nothing," I said. "Just nervous about the ceremony."
"Heh. Don't worry," he grinned. "If I get a cool Zen power, I won't pretend I don't know you."
I smirked.
"Please. Your power's gonna be flipping burgers."
"Shut up!"
We both laughed.
"Come on," I said. "It's starting."
---
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!"
The arena roared with energy.
"Welcome to the 267th Zen Awakening Ceremony!"
People everywhere.
Crowded.
Loud.
"Why are there so many people…" Kneil whispered. "I'm gonna throw up if I get a trash attribute"
"OH MY GOD—!"
The announcer's voice cracked from sheer excitement.
"FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THIS ACADEMY'S HISTORY… A LIGHT ZEN ATTRIBUTE HAS BEEN AWAKENED!"
The entire arena erupted.
Cheers, screams, disbelief—everything blended into chaos.
At the center of it all stood Chester.
Calm.
Untouched by the noise.
A radiant, golden-white aura flowed around his body, illuminating the stage like a second sun. The orb in front of him shined intensely, almost as if it couldn't contain the power it had just revealed.
"Light… that's insane…"
"No way… that's a top-tier attribute…"
"Of course it's him…"
I clicked my tongue.
Figures.
Even without talent, someone like him would still be at the top. But now… with this?
He was untouchable.
Chester slowly removed his hand from the orb, his expression unchanged, as if what just happened was completely normal. The crowd kept roaring as he stepped down from the stage.
The announcer took a deep breath, trying to regain control.
"Ahem…! What an incredible start! Next~~Miss Cory!"
Cory walked up, calm as always.
No hesitation.
She placed her hand on the orb.
A soft glow appeared--
Then suddenly--
CRACK.
A chilling wave spread across the stage.
Blue light burst out, sharp and cold, freezing the air itself. Frost began forming on the surface of the orb, creeping outward in thin crystalline patterns.
The crowd gasped again.
"Ice attribute!"
"Another high-tier?!"
"Are you kidding me?!"
Cory stood there, composed, as cold mist swirled around her. Her expression didn't change-like she expected nothing less.
"THIS YEAR IS TRULY EXCEPTIONAL!" the announcer shouted.
I narrowed my eyes.
First light… now ice…
"…This is getting ridiculous."
"Yo, Orin," Kneil nudged me, forcing a grin. "Guess I'm up."
"Don't embarrass yourself."
"Shut up."
He walked onto the stage, trying to act confident.
I could tell he was nervous.
He stood in front of the orb, took a deep breath—
"Alright… let's do this."
He grabbed it.
A faint glow appeared.
It flickered… struggled… then stabilized into a soft, transparent shimmer.
Silence.
"…Telekinesis," the announcer said after a short pause.
The reaction wasn't explosive.
Just a few claps. Some murmurs.
Basic.
Useful,but basic.
Kneil scratched the back of his head, forcing a laugh as he walked down.
"…At least it's something," he muttered.
I couldn't help it.
A smirk slipped onto my face.
"Pfft-"
"Don't start."
Too late.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"
"Shut up, man…"
I wiped a tear from my eye.
"Alright, alright…"
The announcer raised his hand again.
"Next-Orin Madel!"
My turn.
The laughter faded instantly.
My heart started pounding.
I stepped forward.
Each step felt heavier than the last, but I didn't stop.
The stage.
The orb.
Right in front of me.
This is it.
No hesitation.
I grabbed it.
For a split second
Nothing.
Then-
Light exploded.
A violent surge of colors burst out from the orb, engulfing my entire body. Red, blue, green, gold,countless colors spiraled around me like a storm.
The crowd fell silent.
"…What is that…?"
"Multiple attributes?!"
"No… that's not normal…"
The light intensified, growing brighter and brighter, as if it was building up to something insane.
My heart raced.
A grin slowly formed on my face.
I knew it.
There's no way I'd be normal.
The colors clashed, merged, separated—unstable, chaotic, overwhelming.
Even the announcer didn't speak.
Everyone was watching.
Waiting.
Then-
The light flickered.
Once.
Twice.
And suddenly-
It collapsed.
All the colors were sucked back into the orb in an instant.
Silence.
Complete silence.
I blinked.
"…Huh?"
The orb dimmed.
A soft, almost pathetic glow remained.
The announcer leaned in, staring at it, confused.
"…Attribute confirmed…"
A pause.
"…Bubble Manipulation."
…
…
Silence.
Someone in the crowd coughed.
"You gotta be kidding me ....Bubbles?"