The holographic message blinked in Aiden's hand as he stared at it, dumbfounded.
> **"You have been accepted into Class A. Report to Central Academy within 48 hours."**
"Class A?" he muttered, reading it again just to be sure. "Is this a mistake?"
Emilia peeked over his shoulder, barely hiding her grin. "Nope. Got the same message. Guess we're classmates again, Partner."
Aiden blinked. "I mean, I get you making it. Darkness, 4-star. Fire, 3-star. You're a walking headline. But me?"
"Double 3-star. One of them *Chaos*," Emilia said, nudging him. "Even the academy can't ignore that. Besides—don't act like you're not strong. You earned this."
Aiden didn't reply. His mind drifted back to his past life.
Back then, he'd awakened Lightning, 3-star. That alone had secured him a seat in **Class B**, the second-highest tier. But he'd grown complacent. Jealous of Emilia's rise. Insecure about his own stagnation. He'd dropped to Class C within a year—and then faded into irrelevance.
Emilia, meanwhile, had soared.
Class A was the academy's pride. Only six students, all with 4-star potential. The best of the best. Humanity's hope. Aiden remembered each of them vividly:
**Cecilia Ravencourt**—blonde hair, piercing blue eyes. The princess of India, daughter of the country's Level 9 ruler. As cold as she was brilliant.
**Nolan Verma**—son of the strongest guild master in India. His firepower matched his arrogance. A known prodigy and one of the youngest 8-stars in the country.
**Arthur Gray**—auburn-haired, quiet, with a talent that made even adults feel small. Two 4-star affinities: Water and Earth. A once-in-a-millennium genius. His background was unknown, but his potential was unmatched.
**Emilia Heartwell**—dual affinities. Darkness and Fire. She had no noble lineage, no powerful backing—only raw, relentless talent. She'd been No. 2 in the entire academy. The fastest to reach Level 7 in recorded history, after Arthur.
And yet, both had died.
Aiden clenched his fists.
*Not this time. This time, I'll grow beside them. Not behind.*
—
The next day, Aiden and Emilia boarded the lev-train to Central City. It was their first step toward a new beginning.
The windows flickered as scenery rushed past: gleaming towers, floating vehicles, mana-powered drones patrolling the sky. Central City was unlike anywhere else—born from the fusion of technology and mana, it made present-day Earth look like ancient ruins.
Mana screens stretched across buildings, showing headlines of recent gate attacks and awakenings. Artificial clouds floated in a precisely controlled sky. The train passed through manashields, security drones scanning them in real time.
It was overwhelming.
"Still get goosebumps," Emilia whispered, pressing her face to the window. "This place is like magic and science had a baby and gave it rocket boots."
Aiden chuckled. "That's a very Emilia way to describe it."
"You love it."
"I do."
She leaned back into her seat, brushing a hand through her hair. "So... Class A, huh? Think we'll survive?"
"We better," he replied. "We're going to school with monsters."
—
The academy was a massive dome-like structure, white and silver with glowing runes embedded across its surface. Defense towers lined its perimeter, and at the center, a spire reached toward the sky—an antenna of mana that powered the entire facility.
Students gathered in the main hall—a wide, circular chamber with a transparent ceiling that displayed the starry sky, even though it was midday. Thousands of Awakened teenagers stood in uniform rows, each group labeled by class.
At the front stood the faculty, and at the center—a man in long black robes with silver trim.
Principal **Viraat Raj**, Level 8. One of only 300 such individuals in India. 1000 in the world. A titan among mortals.
His presence was suffocating, even though he hadn't unleashed a shred of mana.
When he spoke, the hall went silent.
"Welcome, students. Today marks your first step into a world that does not forgive weakness. A world torn by gates, beasts, and power struggles."
His gaze swept the room.
"You are the brightest of your generation. But do not let that delude you. Potential is a promise—not a guarantee. Only those who grasp power, shape it, and wield it without hesitation will survive."
He raised a hand.
"Level 9s lead nations. They are demigods. But remember this—150 years ago, a gate opened in Antarctica. Category 6. Something beyond Level 9 emerged. A Sovereign."
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
"That land became a grave. Six of our strongest fell. Only six Level 9s remain. We are at war with the unknown."
His voice dropped.
"So rise, children of mana. Surpass your limits. Or perish."
The hall erupted in thunderous silence as the speech ended. The weight of reality pressed down on them.
Aiden stood tall beside Emilia, heart pounding.
*Class A. A new chance. A new beginning.*
He glanced sideways at her.
She grinned. "Race you to the dorms?"
"You'll lose."
"In your dreams."
And just like that, they were off—laughing, running, diving into a future that neither of them would let slip away