In a world not of the mortal realm nor the divine, a child's cries pierced through that plane's silence.
The child wept as though something irreplaceable had been lost.
He cried and cried, but no one was there to console him—just himself. His cries echoed across the void, calling for no one in particular, fading only when despair grew tired.
Then a presence appeared.
A human figure, calm, deliberate, approached—but the boy felt no comfort, only unease. Its lips parted as if to speak—
Yawn!
The illusion shattered.
Before the figure could say anything, the boy woke up—not the child in the dream, but the one who was dreaming of being a child.
"Looks like I can't have peace even in my sleep," the boy muttered, his voice hoarse and tinged with exhaustion.
"Anyways, but what does that shitty dream even mean? Why am I weeping as my younger self in those dreams, and why does a strange humanoid figure appear but doesn't do a damn thing? Well, I think that's my bad timing's fault that the figure couldn't bsay anything." he muttered, resting his chin on his hand.
"Well, I couldn't care less about it. What can a dream even mean—or do—to me? Besides, I already have more important stuff to do than whining about my dreams."
Knock! Knock!
"Are you there, sir?" a young man's voice came from the other side of the door, concern present in his tone. "Sir—"
"Got it, got it. I heard you, no need to repeat," the boy answered, cutting him off.
"It's good that you heard, sir," the voice replied, carrying a hint of sarcasm. "So, if you did, please come to the meeting office."
After saying that, the young man disappeared.
Fooh!
The man in the room let out a sigh of relief.
"Better hurry, or I'm getting myself a scolding of a lifetime," he murmured.
With a swift movement, the young boy entered the bathroom, stripped off his clothes, and began to bathe.
In the bathtub, although the water wasn't cold, the boy's mind was. It looked as if he was lost in thought.
"Damn it! Why does that dream disturb me time and time again?! What will people think when they hear that the great Aaryan loses his temper just because of a childish dream?!" he murmured through gritted teeth.
"Right! I can't be whining about something this trivial. After all, I'm the one… the one and only Aaryan—the best to ever exist."
"Well, calling myself by my nickname sounds edgy as hell."
After his brief self-talk, he stood up and left the bathtub.
He covered himself in a bathrobe, tossed his clothes into the washing machine, and walked out of the bathroom. Then, he wandered through his large apartment and entered his bedroom.
As soon as he entered, the first thing he saw was his reflection in the mirror.
He was, by any means, not normal. His deep blue eyes, combined with the sharpness of a hunter's gaze, looked astonishing—like an endless sky filled with eternal stars. His long blonde hair with blue tips shimmered like golden strands dipped in azure. His face wasn't just handsome—it was beautiful, flawless, almost otherworldly.
As if that wasn't enough, his physique resembled a carefully carved sculpture—not bulky, not skinny, just perfect. Combined with his tall figure, Aaryan was impossible to overlook.
As he admired his reflection, a bead of water escaped his hair and fell to the floor, snapping him back to reality.
"I hope the mirror doesn't lie," he mumbled.
After saying that, he opened his wardrobe, took out a white suit with blue patterns and black pants, dressed up, and left his apartment.
On the way to the invited location, he saw a person standing in the hall of the palace they were summoned to.
"Sorry, sir, but can you tell me where the meeting is?" the boy Aaryan was looking at appeared before him in a flash and asked gently.
Aaryan was shocked for a moment. "Damn, he is fast." Aaryan thought.
"It's very close to here. If you don't mind, you can come with me—I'm going there too," Aaryan said, quickly regaining his composure. His voce held a gentle yet commanding tone.
"Sure," the boy replied, a spark lighting in his eyes.
As they walked, Aaryan asked, "So, what are you here for?"
The boy replied, "I'm a new admission here, but somehow the higher-ups commanded me to come to this meeting. Though... I've no idea why." His tone sounded genuine, with a flicker of fear in it.
Aaryan, though not the best at comforting others, tried his best. "Hey!" Aaryan said. "relax... everything will go smoothly. It's not like they would invite you to scold you or something, right? I bet they invited you because they saw potential in you—I guess."
The boy chuckled softly.
"Hey?! What are you giggling?" Aaryan asked, his cheeks slightly red from embarrassment.
The boy answered holding his laughter: "Nothing, sir. It's just that you're very bad at comforting. Why would you say 'I guess'? You don't even sound sure."
After laughing, he quickly apologized upon seeing Aaryan's flushed face.
"Ah! I'm very sorry. I haven't even introduced myself yet," the boy said.
"It's fine, it's fine. Besides, I haven't introduced myself either," Aaryan replied.
"Tell me you're joking, right?" the boy said sarcastically.
"No, I'm not," Aaryan said, confusion clear on his face.
"You say you're not joking, but it sounds like one. Who in this world doesn't know you?" the boy said, disbelief in his tone.
"Whoa! I think you're exaggerating. I'm not that big of a deal," Aaryan replied.
Just as he spoke, they arrived at the meeting room's gate.
"Well then, let's enter, shall we?" Aaryan said, pushing open the door.
The meeting room was massive—calling it a "room" would be wrong. It was a grand hall with a stage and six main seats at the front.
Aaryan sat down on one of those seats. The one he chose had a carving of a closed eye shedding a tear. Soon, the others arrived too.
"Long time no see, young man, Aaryan," an elderly voice came from behind.
"Yeah, it has been..." Aaryan replied, already recognizing the voice. "Mr. Keesing—or should I say, Lord Wisdom."
"Whatever you like," Mr. Keesing said with a small smile, shaking Aaryan's hand.
After that, the other four came too. Each sat in their respective carved seats.
Aaryan's had a closed crying eye.
Mr. Keesing's was the opposite—an open eye glowing with light.
One seat had an infinity sign, where Ms. Aureya Uma sat.
Ms. Aureya wasn't the only one there. There were three others:
Mr. Michael Karl, sat on the chair with an infinity sign crossed by a line.
Ms. Krul Katarzyna, sat on a chair carved with ice surrounded by flames.
And lastly, Mr. Kaiser Kai, also known as the Lord's Reincarnation or The God's Chosen Emperor, sat on the chair carved with a tattoo of flame encased inside an igloo.
Suddenly, the lights turned off, and many seats erupted from the ground behind the six at the front. Each of these new seats bore a carving that matched one of the main six.
Then, the grand gates of the room opened, and many students entered, taking their respective seats.
As they entered, the sound of their chatter filled the room. Amidst the noise, when Aaryan tried asking Mr. Keesing something, the hall suddenly fell silent.
"Huh? Why did it get so quiet?" Aaryan muttered. "Well, not that I care. Besides, I want to know why I was called here."
"Sorry, sir, but can you tell me why I was called here?" Aaryan asked, his brows furrowed.
"Oh my~ It's rare to see you being polite," Mr. Keesing said, smirking.
"Yeah, yeah. So, tell me why I was called here," Aaryan said, annoyance visible on his face.
"Who knows?" Mr. Keesing said, feigning ignorance.
"You, old man!" Aaryan roared, gritting his teeth. "Guess I'll have to wait to find out. Only If that old bastard had just told me something, I wouldn't be this anxious," he thought, sighing inwardly.
"Mind you, I'm not that old," Mr. Keesing replied, pulling Aaryan out of his thoughts.
"Yeah, yeah. Like people in their forties aren't considered old now," Aaryan teased.
"Other than that, I've heard a very brilliant student stepped foot here this year. Do you know who he is?" Aaryan asked, his chin resting on his palm.
"Yes, I've heard that too," Mr. Keesing replied.
"So, do you know his name or anything about him?"
"I do, but let's keep it a secret for now," Mr. Keesing said teasingly.
"Why are you like this?!" Aaryan said, clenching his fist.
Mr. Keesing chuckled. "Well, I don't know why either."
"Come on, can't you at least tell me something?" Aaryan pleaded.
"Oh! A rare sight—you, interested in something," Mr. Keesing teased again.
"Just cut to the chase," Aaryan snapped.
"Alright, alright!" Mr. Keesing said, barely holding his laughter. "Do you know he's classified as Enlightened Level?"
"Yeah, I heard that too," Aaryan replied. "If that's true, then he's exceptional—no, one of a kind."
"Eh, quite ironic hearing that from you, Aaryan. After all, you were a Mirror Level yourself," Mr. Keesing said.
"Sure, I was. But that aside, I really want to see this 'Enlightened' guy," Aaryan said, still resting his chin on his hand.
Suddenly, the spotlight in the hall turned on.
"Looks like your supposed 'meeting' is starting, Keesing," Aaryan said.
"This isn't the meeting... but sure, something is starting," Mr. Keesing replied, a faint smile on his face.
"Whatever," Aaryan muttered.
Then, the spotlight fell on a familiar figure—someone Aaryan knew.
His eyes widened, though he quickly regained composure.
"Is this the supposed 'Enlightened' student you mentioned?" Aaryan asked.
"Yes, he is," Mr. Keesing said, his smile widening.
"Well, I guess everyone around me is gifted," Aaryan mumbled to himself.