The planet I live on is called Earth. A blue world, covered by about 70% water, home to humanity — and, until a few decades ago, an ordinary, predictable... normal place.
But everything changed even before I was born.
A mysterious event shook the very fabric of reality: a wave of unknown energy enveloped Earth. They called it Mana — an invisible, powerful, and untamable substance. With it, portals appeared, cracks between worlds, connecting our planet to dimensions that defy human comprehension.
And from those portals... they came.
Indescribable creatures, monsters of various forms and intentions, invaded our world with a single purpose: domination.
Humanity was on the brink of collapse.
But then, as if the universe itself offered us a chance to fight back, the Akashic System emerged — an enigmatic, almost divine entity that granted special abilities to those who reached the age of 20.
It was a universal ritual: by touching the so-called Awakening Stone, each young person received a gift, a unique ability that defied all laws of physics, logic, and human science. From that moment on, they officially became Awakened — warriors with powers capable of shaping reality.
The abilities were ranked, from E to SS. The higher the rank, the more powerful the talent granted. For example, my aunt Sophia was an SS-rank Awakened.
Yeah... my aunt was simply badass.
My mother had also been an SS-rank Awakened before she passed away...
Yeah, she was one of those legendary people. A "goddess among mortals."
But... if she was a goddess...
How could she die?
...I don't want to get into that right now.
Back to what matters.
At this very moment, I was in a place that, just a few minutes ago, was an ordinary park. I was walking with Ana. We were laughing, drinking coffee, enjoying a peaceful moment.
But then... everything changed.
People disappeared. The sound vanished. The world became... strange.
And now, right in front of me, a translucent screen was glowing, with purple letters floating in the air.
[Congratulations!!!]
[The Host has just awakened their Power!]
But there was a problem. A detail that made absolutely no sense.
"This... this isn't possible..."
"I'm only 19... there are still a few months left before Awakening... and I've never touched any Stone..."
But the system didn't seem to care about my confusion.
[Starting data reading...]
[Synchronization: 43%...]
The screen changed. Arcane symbols began spinning around the message, like the gears of a cosmic clock. A high-pitched sound filled the air, as if space itself was being rewritten.
[Error Detected.]
[Age incompatible with activation protocol.]
[Awakening Stone: missing.]
[Cross-checking data...]
[...]
[Anomaly confirmed.]
[Classification: ???]
[Starting restoration of primary access to the Akashic Core...]
"Akashic... Core...?" — I repeated softly, not understanding half of what was happening.
My chest began to burn. Not like physical pain — it was as if something ancient, buried deep within me, had been unlocked. Like a key turning in the lock of my very being.
I fell to my knees, gasping. The ground trembled beneath my feet. The screen flickered uncontrollably.
[Access to Akashic Core: AUTHORIZED.]
[Unlocking Hidden Authority...]
And then...
Time stopped.
Literally. The leaves on the trees froze in midair. The sound ceased completely. Even my own heartbeat seemed to suspend.
And amid the absolute silence, a new voice echoed — not coming from the screen, but from inside my mind.
"Finally... you've awakened."
My body trembled. My eyes widened.
"It's been years... years waiting for this moment, Noah."
The voice was both familiar and strange. It carried a calm, almost elegant tone, but with a presence that pressed against my mind as if the sky itself were collapsing onto it.
"W-who... are you...?" — I asked, panting, my throat dry.
"I am what has always been here. Your essence. Your origin. Your true strength."
The words echoed like eternal whispers.
"You were born with something that shouldn't exist in this universe. A power that even the Akashic System cannot fully comprehend. That's why... I was sealed. To protect you from me. To protect your body... from yourself."
Suddenly, a sharp pain exploded in the center of my chest.
"Aghh...!!"
"But now... the seal is broken. And even though your body is still weak, the awakening has been forced."
The screen in front of me flickered one last time before disappearing, replaced by a new message:
[Synchronization with Inner Entity: 100%]
[WARNING: The Host's body does not currently have the capacity to contain the released power.]
[Risk of total collapse: 99%]
The pain intensified. My bones cracked. My blood felt like it was boiling.
"If you survive this... you'll become something this world has never seen."
"If not... you'll be just one more among the many who burned trying to touch the impossible."
And then everything turned white.
A Few Minutes Later...
My eyes opened slowly, as if each eyelid weighed a ton. The soft light from the ceiling blinded me for a moment, and my mind was still foggy... But then, the first shape that formed in front of me was Ana's eyes — red and watery, full of concern.
"Noah!!!"
She threw herself onto me, burying her face in my chest, her sobs soaking into my clothes.
"You idiot... you idiot..." — she murmured between sobs, squeezing my body as if afraid I might disappear again.
Confused, still groggy and in pain all over, I simply... hugged her. Gently, as if that moment was too fragile to break. My arm wrapped around her waist, and my hand reached up to her pink hair, trying to comfort her.
"It's okay... I'm here... everything's fine..." — I whispered, even though I didn't understand anything.
After a few minutes, when her crying finally subsided, Ana pulled away slightly and began explaining what had happened.
In the park, just seconds after my collapse, my body fell without warning, as if struck by an invisible force. Ana, who was right beside me, didn't even have time to react. Panic consumed her instantly when she saw my eyes roll back and my body convulse on the ground.
Without knowing what was happening and without thinking twice, she activated her teleportation ability, a rare and powerful gift she gained when awakening as an SS-Rank Awakened. In a flash, the world around us changed.
In seconds, she appeared inside the city's central hospital, carrying me in her arms. Doctors and nurses were startled by the sudden appearance, but before they could protest, Ana shouted orders with an authority that left no room for questions. Her reputation as an SS-Rank was well-earned — and when she spoke, everyone obeyed.
I was immediately placed in one of the emergency wards. The strange thing was that, despite my collapse, all the tests showed I was fine. No physical anomalies, no apparent damage. But my body seemed exhausted, as if it had fought a silent battle from within. As if I was... trying to survive something no one else could see.
During all that time, Ana didn't leave my side for even a second. Sitting next to the bed, holding my hand, she stayed there... crying silently, praying for an explanation and for me to wake up.
"I'm sorry... for scaring you." — I said, feeling a crushing weight of guilt. Ana was an important person to me, someone who'd been with me since childhood.
She simply shook her head and held my hand tightly, her eyes now calmer as she hugged me gently, while I ran my hand over her back, comforting her.
"I'm sorry... for scaring you." — Noah murmured, his voice heavy with guilt. A crushing weight pressed on his chest. Ana was more than a friend — she was someone who had been by his side since the most innocent days of childhood. Always there. Always close.
She didn't respond immediately. She just shook her head in silence, as if to say "it's enough that you're okay." Her eyes, once red and teary, were now calmer. Ana then leaned in, wrapping Noah in a gentle, caring hug.
He returned it delicately, running his hand over her back in a comforting gesture. The warmth of that moment was serene, quiet... as if the world outside no longer existed. Just the two of them, wrapped in something intimate and familiar.
Then... a screen popped up in front of him.
[Affection: 1000%]
[Target found, make her yours]
[Rewards: She's yours, therefore everything she has is yours]
'What the hell is this...'