The next day, Raze's eyes snapped open the moment the alarm began to blare.
"I'm up, I'm up," he groaned, sitting up in bed and clapping his hands three times to silence the alarm.
The room fell quiet.
"That alarm is such a buzzkill... can't it understand that I was having such a great dream?" he sighed heavily, rubbing his face.
"Well, time for school."
Raze stood up with surprising energy. His body felt light—too light. He paused for a second, flexing his hands.
"Oh right… I almost forgot I'm not fully human anymore," he chuckled, shaking his head as he headed to the bathroom.
He brushed his teeth, splashed cold water on his face, and stared at his reflection for a moment. Same black hair, same blue eyes, but… there was a subtle change. His features looked a bit sharper, more defined, like his body was fine-tuning itself.
He narrowed his eyes.
"Or maybe I'm just overthinking."
After a few more minutes, he stepped out and made his way to the closet. He scanned through his wardrobe.
"Lets pick something basic...hmm..."
He finally pulled out a plain black hoodie, dark jeans, and clean sneakers. Simple and forgettable. Just the way he wanted it.
Slipping the hoodie over his head, he glanced at himself in the mirror one last time.
"Let's try not to stand out too much."
Raze exited his room, the door sliding shut and locking behind him. He made his way down the stairs and toward the kitchen, his footsteps light and smooth.
"I'm usually starving in the morning… but today, I'm just full of energy," he muttered to himself, frowning slightly.
He opened the pantry and grabbed a granola bar. Tearing off the wrapper, he took a bite, his eyes already drifting toward the door.
"Time to test this body. Let's see how long I can run to school."
A smirk formed on his face as he headed toward the front door, already feeling the adrenaline pumping through his veins.
Suddenly, Raze remembered, he wasn't supposed to get noticed.
With a quiet sigh, he pushed open the front door and stepped outside. The door automatically locked behind him with a soft click as he began walking to school, pulling his hood over his head.
The walk to school was a blur.
His mind raced just as fast as his body wanted to. Thoughts of the system, the broadcast, and his new identity swirled in his head, but on the outside, he looked just like any other student on their way to clas
As Raze arrived at school, the entire atmosphere felt completely different. Nearly every teacher and student was talking about the emergency broadcast.
A group of students nearby grinned excitedly.
"We'll finally be able to actually improve our abilities to their best!" one of them said with barely-contained excitement.
Another boy followed up, "Did you hear? That emergency broadcast was aired all over the world. Millions are concerned, people are terrified about what's going to happen."
Raze walked past the group without saying a word, his hood still covering most of his face. He made his way through the halls, his eyes scanning the students around him.
There they were. The famous bloodlines.
A tall girl with bright crimson hair stood near the lockers, her presence alone commanding attention. The Emberfall bloodline. They were known for their terrifying fire manipulation that could melt steel like butter. Her hands casually sparked with embers as she laughed with her friends.
Off to the side, leaning against the wall, was a boy with pale blue eyes with a few silver streaks in his hair. The Arclight bloodline. They were masters of lightning-speed reflexes and shocking bursts of energy. Every movement he made felt sharp and calculated.
Another one, bulky and towering, stomped down the hallway like he owned the place. The Dreadhorn bloodline. They were known for their monstrous strength and hardened skin that made them almost unkillable. His mere footsteps were enough to make lockers rattle.
Raze's eyes narrowed slightly under his hood. He wasn't intimidated. Not anymore.
"I remember reading about them… years ago," he thought. "Now they're right here, walking the same halls as me. But I wonder will they still be standing by the time all of this is over?"
Raze continued on his way to class. He entered the classroom, all eyes were now on him, many looking at him with disdain as they realized it's the same boring, weak Raze with no ability, no special bloodline. Raze ignored their stares and headed towards his desk which was at in the corner of the class, near the window. As he sat on his desk, their teacher walked into the class.
The teacher strode toward the smart board that was at the front of the class and clapped his hands sharply, the sound snapping through the room and catching all of the students attention.
"Alright!" He said. Has everyone seen the emergency broadcast from yesterday?" he asked.
Nearly every student nodded, Raze included—though a few remained still.
The teacher's eyes narrowed slightly as he spotted them. "You three," he said, pointing directly in their direction.
One of them, a boy from the Lilac bloodline, shifted slightly in his seat. The Lilac were known for their unique ability to control beasts, as long as they could place a hand on the creature's head.
The boy finally spoke up. "Broadcast? I heard about it, sure, but I didn't see it. I was taking a nap when it happened.
The teacher paused for a moment, then gave a small nod of understanding.
"What about you two?" he asked, pointing to the other students.
"I heard it started at eleven p.m., but I was asleep when that happened!" a girl blurted out. She wasn't from any original bloodline, but she had awakened a powerful ability that allowed her to control various elements, as long as she understood their nature.
"Uh… I was up playing video games with the homies last night, dude— I mean, sir!" the last boy said, scratching the back of his neck in embarrassment. He, too, had no original bloodline, but his parents were technicians, and he often helped them out and experiment with their latest designs.
The teacher nodded, understanding that the emergency broadcast had come out of nowhere at that hour, anyone could have been doing anything, including sleeping. He shifted his attention back to the class and cleared his throat.
"Alright! As some of you may already know, everyone sixteen and older will be placed into Military School to prepare, in case this threat ever reaches our planet."
He paused, his gaze settling on Raze for a brief moment before moving on.
"Today, we'll be having combat training and yes abilities will be allowed, and everyone will be participating in today's combat training."
As Raze heard this, his eyes widened slightly.
The class's reaction was almost instant. Many students were grinning, whispering to each other, or boldly declaring they'd be the top performers. But beneath all that noise, there were also a few who looked nervous.
Looks like I'll be participating ...Why would he announce that everyone's participating when he knows I don't have an ability? Raze thought.
The teacher clapped his hands again. "Also, there will be more classes joining us for combat training today. So I expect you all to be on your best behavior. We'll be training until the end of the school day, taking notes to hand over to the military so they can gauge and understand your abilities." He then gestured toward the door. "As usual, you all will follow me to the training grounds."
The teacher walked calmly and exited the classroom, signaling the class to follow him. All of the students immediately got up from their desks, beaming with anticipation. Meanwhile, Raze slowly got up, thinking about how he could hide his newfound strength. He exited the classroom along with the other students, who were making their way down the hallway, following their teacher.
As the teacher led them toward the training grounds, Raze was lost in thought. What if I use too much strength… He recalled the memory from last night, when he had placed his hand against the wall to test his strength. He hadn't even used his full strength, yet the wall had cracked. I have to be careful about how much strength I use… If the teacher or someone else notices, they'll assume I have an ability.
Raze pushed past his thoughts and looked around, noticing they were heading behind the school to the training grounds. Upon arriving, the training grounds were huge, filled with numerous pieces of combat equipment and sparring arenas.
The place looked like it could fit hundreds of people, maybe even more. As Raze continued to look around, he saw other students who weren't part of their class. Many were already sparring in the arenas while their respective teachers watched and took notes of the battles on tablets.
"Alright, class! For today's combat training, there will be no use of combat equipment—we only want to assess and take notes on your abilities," the teacher said.
"For the first round..." He paused, scanning each student carefully before making his decision.
Raze noticed the teacher's gaze lingered on him longer than necessary. He knew he was about to be chosen.
"Lexi Cromwell vs. Raze Zaden!"