Theo sat submerged in the bathtub filled with ice water, a faint frown tugging at his lips as he let himself sink deeper. The cold wrapped around him with an almost tender comfort, as if the chill alone could smother the fire raging in his head. Whenever his thoughts grew too loud, whenever reason threatened to slip away, this had always been his cure.
A comforting ice bath.
He had woken only minutes ago. Fifteen whole days lost to unconsciousness, eleven after the banquet, and four more consumed by that… frenzy.
The memory made his jaw tighten. Control had always been his pride. measured thoughts, measured emotions, measured actions. Yet that night, he had been reduced to a raving fool, slamming his head with his fists, tearing at his own hair, laughing through pain like a lunatic savoring madness. That laughter still rang in his ears, raw and unbidden. Something was wrong with him. Deeply, unnervingly wrong.
And then, there was the dream.
A strange dream where he had stood as a powerful awakener, lightning and metal swirling at his command. Normally, he might have dismissed such a vision as a desperate fantasy born of his subconscious. But it felt too real to just dismiss it? His body now carried the very affinities he had seen within the dream.
However. There are a few differences in his life and the Theo in that vision.
Theo, in the vision, had awakened at twelve and became a seeker in just two years, but in reality, he had awakened only days ago.
Because of that, he found many differences from the few memories of Theo, he had seen in the dream.
And just as in the dream, he had awakened as a dual-elemental user.
But there is a difference.
Theo from the dream - he had wielded lightning and metal. But here, reality had shifted. His status screen had revealed Golden Lightning, a term entirely unfamiliar, shimmering with mystery. Metal at least seemed unchanged, though uncertainty still gnawed at him.
"Golden Lightning," He muttered with a bit of anticipation to see what it was and a sense of quiet belief that this would be stronger than a regular lightning element.
The truth would come later. To understand what Golden Lightning truly was, or to uncover whether his Metal affinity carried some deeper evolution, he would have to climb. Advance. Progress to Adept rank.
Only then could one truly connect with their affinities.
Only then could he summon the lightning. Until then, everything remained speculation.
There is one more thing that caught his attention.
In the dream, he was sure he had borne no aspect.
Here, he did.
Aspect: The Sovereign.
The screen had no explanation, no guidance. Only silence, as though daring him to discover its meaning for himself. Yet the name did not feel hollow. Something within him refused to doubt it. Perhaps instinct. Perhaps destiny. He remembered his family's creed, whispering in the recesses of his mind.
Strength is Sovereign.
Perhaps that was why he had gained this aspect. Or perhaps not. Yet he could not deny its weight.
Questions that had haunted him since childhood now took form. His physical strength had always been unusual, beyond normal measure. He had been able to contend with early-stage awakeners and even win. To others, he had been a freak, an aberration. To him, it had been a mystery. Now the answer had revealed itself.
Boundless Physique.
That was the innate trait he carried. In essence, it meant his body could adapt to almost anything. Days, months, even years, it did not matter. The only limits were his perseverance and understanding. The revelation swelled his confidence. Affinities alone marked a prodigy. Aspects were rarer. Physiques rarer still. And he carried all three.
Prodigy. That was what the world would call him. With lightning and metal at his command, with a boundless physique, with a mysterious aspect named Sovereign, his path was already carved toward greatness. His potential is undeniable.
But one question lingered.
If he had such potential, why had he not awakened sooner? Why had it not happened right after his birthday, as it had in that strange dream?
Perhaps that dream had been how his life was meant to unfold, but fate had twisted the course.
To save the planet? To become a savior? The thought almost made him laugh. A war against the beasts? Against aliens? Absurd.
Maybe the dream was nothing more than fragments of precognition, visions of his affinities. Nothing more. And yet… the figures still clung to him.
William Ardent and the strange woman covered in blood. In that dream, they had stood as saviors.
But they had utterly failed. If there was even a sliver of truth to it, then doom loomed over everyone.
'Who is that woman? I don't remember hearing about anyone who could wield a blood affinity like her,' he thought, trying to figure out the identity of the woman who danced in blood.
Theo hoped that the dream was just a coincidence, but he couldn't bring himself to believe that it was just a fruit of coincidence.
Deep inside, something is telling him not to think lightly of the dream.
To take it seriously and grow stronger and stronger.
He dismissed the thought and turned his focus back to the cold bath.
He exhaled beneath the water, bubbles breaking the surface as his lungs burned. Eleven minutes passed before he finally rose, gasping. Even as an awakener, he was still only human. Too much cold would do him no good.
Water trailed down his skin as he stood, the towel soft against flesh that now felt unnervingly smooth. The bath had steadied him, though the storm of his thoughts still gnawed in silence. His reflection in the mirror caught his gaze. Long raven hair clung to sharp cheekbones, dark eyes staring back, calm, yet restless, as though daring the reflection to yield answers.
Awakening had changed him more than he wished to admit. The scars, the calluses, the proof of years etched into his body, gone. Erased. His skin was smooth, unmarked, as though he had never swung a blade. The sight unsettled him even as it satisfied. He had never despised his scars. They had been his anchors. Proof of endurance. Proof of defiance. Proof that he had chosen to fight again and again. Now, though invisible, they remained etched deeper than flesh, carved into memory, into bone. Awakening meant walking forward, and those unseen scars were his foundation. No one else could claim stronger roots before taking their first step into power.
At last, he properly summoned his status screen.
A cold shimmer unfolded in the air.
Name: Thalen Varkheil
Rank: Initiate
Phase: Dissonant
Aspect: The Sovereign
Trait: Boundless Physique
Affinity: Golden Lightning (Unclaimed), Metal (Unclaimed)
Charm: F–
"??"
His eyes narrowed. He dismissed the panel. Summoned it again. Dismissed. Summoned. Again and again, as if sheer repetition might force the world to correct itself. But the words refused to change.
His lips pressed into a hard line. He leaned forward, staring at the faint glow as though sheer will might bend it to his desire."How is this even possible?" he muttered.
His reflection glimmered in the mirror behind the panel. Raven hair framed sharp, flawless features. Dark eyes were commanding, severe, sculpted with ruthless precision. A face destined to draw gazes, whispers, and envy.
And yet…
"F–?" His voice broke with disbelief.
His hand pressed against his jaw, nails biting faintly into skin as if to test whether the panel mocked him. A hollow laugh slipped past his lips.
"HAHAHA."
"With this divine face… this flawless, strikingly handsome face, and my inevitable overpowered potential, how in the hell is my charm F(-)?"
The more he stared, the more it burned inside him.