They said Earth would never be the same.
Not after the first gate.
It tore open above the skies of northern Vasari, a spiraling black wound in reality. From it came creatures the world had never imagined — beasts of the void, creatures of bone, crystal, and hunger. They didn't invade with armies. They fell like storms. Each gate brought more destruction. Each beast left behind chaos... and something else.
Energy.
Invisible. Unexplainable. Alive.
It infected the world, soaked into its oceans, its skies — and its people. Within months, a new generation emerged. Stronger. Stranger. Dangerous. The world called them the Gifted. And by the end of the first year, over 60% of the population had awakened powers.
The other 40%?
Left behind.
Kael leaned against the cold wall of the departure terminal, his hands clenched in his sleeves. Around him, the other cadets buzzed with excitement, hurling bags, laughter, and sparks of power at one another. One boy had a trail of flickering embers dancing from his fingertips. Another floated half a meter off the ground, practicing slow turns in midair. A girl nearby sharpened the edge of a metal coin with nothing but her stare.
None of them noticed Kael.
He was used to it.
No power. No family. Just another Blank.
In a world where children summoned lightning by the age of ten, Kael had nothing but a government-issued ID and a packed bag. His parents — both elite hunters from the Calvane Power House — were killed five years ago during a Rift mission on a remote moon called Drekal-4. There'd been no body. Just a datachip with their death logs, and a note of transfer for their only child.
No relatives. No choice.
By law, all orphans were automatically placed in the Unified Cadet System — a global military initiative preparing young Gifted for combat. Whether you had powers or not didn't matter.
Especially not during wartime.
A voice buzzed over the terminal intercom.
"Transport Alpha-Seven is now boarding. All cadets bound for Stellan Military Academy, report to Dock C. Repeat: Stellan Academy, Dock C."
Kael exhaled and slung his duffel over his shoulder. He didn't bother rushing. No one waited for him.
As he walked, he passed a large holo-screen mounted above the walkway. It played an old recruitment reel: flashing shots of heroic cadets wielding brilliant powers, charging into battle against void beasts the size of buildings. The narrator's voice echoed from every speaker.
"You are the next generation.
You are humanity's answer.
You are the blade that will cut through the dark."
Kael looked away.
He'd never even held a blade.
Dock C buzzed with movement. Rows of students — some wearing official uniforms, others in patched-up travel gear — filed into the massive black transport ship. Kael stayed at the back, like always. Better that way.
He stepped into the shuttle and took a seat near the rear, alone. The Gifted filled the front rows, loud and electric. One was practicing short-range teleports, blinking across the aisle with a burst of violet light. Another controlled wind currents to keep a ball floating midair. They were young, cocky, powerful.
Kael slumped deeper into his seat.
He could feel them staring. Whispering.
"Why'd they even send a Blank?"
"Deadweight."
"Maybe they just needed someone to clean the dorms."
Kael didn't flinch.
He'd learned long ago that silence hurt less than pretending to fit in.
The engines rumbled beneath his feet. The interior lights flickered red. A low hum vibrated through the hull as the ship began to lift from the dock.
Through the side viewport, Earth shrank a blue and green orb dotted with void scars. He wondered if he'd ever see it again. He wondered if it even mattered.
For a moment, Kael closed his eyes.
He remembered his parents. Their quiet strength. The way they smiled through exhaustion. The stories they used to tell him about the stars. His mother had once said, "Out there, Kael, the dark isn't empty. It's waiting."
He hadn't understood it then.
He wasn't sure he wanted to understand it now.
The shuttle broke through the upper atmosphere. Kael sat alone in the darkened rear cabin, just one powerless orphan surrounded by rising titans.
He leaned against the window, watching the shrinking curve of Earth through the frost-rimmed glass. The world he had known — broken as it was — drifted farther and farther away.
He didn't know what waited for him on the other side of the stars.
But whatever it was… he'd face it alone.