Ashvale Academy – Awakening Hall
One by one, the students kept stepping up to the crystal.
Abilities flashed across the display.
Ranks rolled in—C, B, even a rare A.
Some cheered, some cried, some walked away broken. The Awakening Hall was built like a stage for gods to be born and dreams to be crushed.
And Lucian... was just waiting.
Still in his seat. Still calm.
That pull in his chest. The pressure in the air. His name was coming. It was close.
He took a slow breath—then heard it.
Lucian’s heart froze.
Evelyn blinked beside him. She looked like someone had just knocked the wind out of her.
She stood slowly, clutching her hands together.
Lucian gave a small nod. "Go on."
She laughed nervously. "Don’t laugh if I explode or pass out."
"I’ll only laugh a little."
She rolled her eyes, took a breath, and walked forward, her steps stiff and light.
Lucian leaned forward now, eyes narrowing just slightly.
He already knew what she was going to awaken.
A trash-tier skill. Low mana usage, barely enhanced agility. She was going to touch the crystal, get the results, sit back down, and the world would go back to normal.
He was even planning to comfort her after. Say something cheesy like "It’s not about the ability, it’s how you use it."
She placed her hand on the crystal.
And everything broke.
The crystal screamed.
A high-pitched, spiraling sound echoed through the chamber like steel grinding against glass. The entire platform flashed black and silver, lines of corrupted light running like veins through the glowing stone.
The instructors stood immediately, guards flinching toward their weapons.
But not because of the light.
Not because of the reaction.
He knew this feeling.
The twisting of mana in the air. The backlash in the soul. The cold weight in the stomach.
His mouth slowly opened as his eyes locked onto the glowing screen above the crystal.
Ability: Infinite Replication
Classification: System-Level – Undefined
"Wait, isn’t that—?!"
Even Dean Garos stood from his seat now, eyes sharp, mouth drawn into a tight line.
His body had gone still.
Evelyn stood on the platform, her hair floating slightly from the pulsing energy around her. Symbols swirled around her arms, thousands of them—blinking in and out of existence like data being written into her very soul.
She stumbled slightly, blinking in confusion. "I... I feel weird—like something’s opening inside me—"
One of the instructors ran to her side and caught her gently before she collapsed.
Lucian kept watching.
’No... that’s... that’s my ability.’
Faster than it ever had.
That was his ability.
Infinite Replication.
The same energy. The same system-level structure. The same system signature.
He had lived with it for years. Had mastered it. Had died with it.
Lucian swallowed, his throat tight.
He sat back down, slowly, like the floor beneath him had become unstable.
His thoughts came in fast, wild bursts.
Was this part of coming back?
Did I split the system by returning?
Is this some kind of paradox?
If she has it... then what will I get?
He clenched his fists.
He didn’t notice he was shaking until his nails dug into his palm.
Evelyn was helped back to her seat, still glowing faintly. The other students stared at her like she was made of myth now.
Even Garrick was watching with narrowed eyes, lips slightly parted. He looked... annoyed. Like someone just stepped into a spotlight he thought belonged to him.
Lucian’s heart pounded harder.
’I’m not supposed to be the one surprised.’
’I’m the one who knows everything.’
’I’m the one with the plan.’
His future was blurred.
His steps weren’t his anymore.
He’d been certain this would be the moment.
That he would walk up, place his hand on the crystal, and the world would remember the name Lucian Black.
He didn’t know what would happen.
He glanced at Evelyn.
She looked confused, overwhelmed, and maybe a little scared. She kept glancing at her hands like something was about to fall out of her palms.
He didn’t know what to feel.
Then came the next name.
The hall grew quiet again.
Just seconds ago, it was full of gasps and whispers over Evelyn’s awakening—XXX-Rank, System-Level, Infinite Replication. A legend born from someone no one expected.
The name Black brought new weight.
Eyes locked onto the boy sitting near the back.
His legs moved on instinct, but inside—his mind was chaos.
He didn’t look at anyone. Not Evelyn, not Garrick, not the instructors. Not even Dean Garos, who had folded his arms now, watching closely.
The only thing Lucian looked at—
Still pulsing. Still glowing with remnants of Evelyn’s awakening.
His steps echoed louder than they should have.
The hall didn’t move.
No one whispered anymore.
Because he wasn’t just anyone.
He was Lucy Black’s brother.
The younger sibling of the Hellflame Goddess. The son of two dead legends. A Black wasn’t just a name—it was a legacy.
So even after Evelyn’s surprise, they expected something from him.
And Lucian... didn’t even know what he was walking into.
He stepped onto the platform.
The crystal hovered in front of him now. Massive. Alive. Watching.
For the first time in a long while—Lucian felt it.
What if there was only one seat?
What if this time... he was nothing?
He clenched his jaw and reached out.
His hand hovered inches from the crystal.
He could feel it in the air—the pull, the breath of mana curling around his fingers like smoke.
Lucian’s heart thudded against his ribs.
He had done this before.
It had been chaos. Flames. Lights. Glitching symbols. Screaming mana.
Now he didn’t know if there would be anything at all.
’Let’s get this over with.’
His hand touched the crystal.
A low hum grew into a vibration, deep in the floor and inside the air. A thrum of something trying to connect. Like gears grinding out of sync.
The display above flickered.
Then flickered again.
The entire hall leaned forward.
The instructors frowned.
Even Dean Garos took a slow step toward the platform, confused now.
Lucian opened one eye.
The display didn’t say Unknown. It didn’t say Failure.
Not a single word appeared in the ability slot.
Just long, flickering lines like data corrupted.
The crystal glowed again—brighter, frantic—almost panicked.
A harsh screech burst out of it like radio static and the entire screen shut down.
The floating display turned black.
A warning rune blinked faintly in red at the bottom corner: