The first punch was always the worst. It wasn't the pain—Ash(Asher) had a pain tolerance honed by years of advanced, secret martial arts training. It was the sheer, mind-numbing pointlessness of it all.
"Think you're smart, Cross?" sneered Jason, his knuckles digging into Ash's sternum as he pinned him against the cold brick wall of the alley behind Oak Creek High. "Mr. Davison's physics test? A hundred percent? Nobody gets a hundred percent."
Ash's gaze was placid, a deep, calm pool that gave away nothing. Inside, a part of him was simultaneously running a quantum encryption algorithm for his company's new satellite network and calculating the seventeen different ways he could dislocate Jason's shoulder using pressure points from the ancient martial art of Malla-yuddha.
"I studied," Ash said, his voice even. It was the truth, in a way. He'd studied the fundamental laws of the universe at the age of twelve. High school physics was a quaint refresher.
"Studied?" Jason's friend, Kyle, chimed in, flicking Ash's forehead. "You probably cheated. A nerd like you, with your cheap clothes and your loser family."
A flicker of genuine emotion, cold and sharp, went through Ash. They could insult him. He was playing a part, the simple, generous son of middle-class immigrants—a carefully constructed facade maintained by a global network of shell companies and digital ghosts. But they mentioned his family.
Cheap clothes. The plain grey hoodie he wore was woven with a proprietary nano-fiber that could stop a .50 caliber round and regulate his body temperature in extreme environments. It cost more than Jason's house.
Loser family. His father, Sam, was currently finalizing a merger that would create the largest sustainable energy grid on the planet. His mother, Sarah, was in Geneva, brokering a treaty on deep-sea resource rights. They were his anchors, his greatest secret, and the only people for whom he would willingly endure this charade. They believed a normal life was a gift. He was trying to receive it.
"Just give him your lunch money, Ash," Kyle said, reaching for his backpack.
That was the line. The backpack contained a prototype quantum processing core the size of a chocolate bar. Letting them have it was not an option.
Ash's hand moved, a blur so fast it was almost imperceptible. He didn't strike. He simply adjusted the strap, causing Kyle's grasping hand to slip off. It was a movement so minimal, so effortless, that it seemed like an accident.
"Don't," Ash said, and for a fraction of a second, his eyes met Jason's.
It was there. The thing he usually kept locked away deep behind layers of code and corporate strategy. The absolute, unshakable authority of a boy who owned the world. It was a look that had made billionaires and generals falter.
Jason flinched, his grip loosening. He blinked, confused by his own reaction. "Whatever," he muttered, shoving Ash one last time before backing away. "Freak."
They left, their bravado slightly deflated. Ash adjusted his hoodie, his internal systems already running a diagnostic. Heart rate: elevated by 8%. Adrenaline: minimal. Threat level: null. He pulled out his phone—a device that looked like a three-year-old model but housed an AI more advanced than any government's.
A holographic screen only he could see flickered to life.
<< Priority Message from 'Kai' >>
Status report on the 'Elysium' acquisition? The board is getting antsy. Also, Silas says the new railgun prototypes are ready for your virtual inspection. Ping me when you're free from... what is it you call it? "Character research"?
Ash typed a neural response, the words forming in his mind and transmitting instantly.
<< Acquisition is green. Standard hostile takeover protocol. Tell Silas I'll run simulations tonight. And it's not 'research.' It's maintaining operational security.>>
He slipped the phone back into his pocket. The weight of his dual lives was a constant pressure. CEO of Aethelgard Tech. Head of Omnipotence.Net. And here, a punching bag for insecure teenagers. Sometimes, the absurdity of it was enough to make him want to scream.
He didn't go home immediately. His "home" was a modest, four-bedroom house in a nice but unremarkable suburb—a stage set, meticulously designed. His real home was the subterranean levels below it, a complex rivaling NORAD.
But today, he needed something else. A directive from his mother had come in last week. "Sweetheart, your grandfather Arjun's old things are in the attic. Can you sort through them? There might be something of sentimental value." He'd been putting it off. The memory of his grandfather was a warm one, filled with stories of gods and demons, of great wars fought with celestial weapons. Stories he now, as a man of science and logic, had filed away as beautiful fiction.
The attic was dusty and smelled of old paper and sandalwood. Light filtered through a single circular window, illuminating dancing dust motes. In the corner sat a single, ornate chest made of dark rosewood, carved with patterns that seemed to shift in the low light.
He opened it. Inside were a few old photographs, a beautifully crafted ceremonial kurta, and at the bottom, a book.
It was unlike any book he'd ever seen. The cover wasn't leather or paper, but a warm, golden metal that felt like living light under his fingertips. There were no words on the cover, only an intricate, embossed symbol that resembled a lotus intertwined with a raging storm. It was the Vaimanika Shastra.
Ash's breath caught. His grandfather had spoken of this. He'd called it his "book of impossible things." Ash had always assumed it was a metaphor.
He lifted it. It was heavier than it looked. As he carried it down to his bedroom, he felt a strange hum, a resonance that seemed to vibrate in his very bones.
Sitting at his desk, the mundane world of high school and bullies forgotten, he opened the book.
The pages were the same strange metal, and instead of ink, lines of light swirled and danced, forming shifting patterns, Sanskrit mantras, and intricate diagrams of the human body with glowing nodes along the spine. Chakras.
His enhanced intellect, capable of processing information at teraflops, was overwhelmed. This wasn't data. This was knowledge. It was alive.
He turned to a page depicting a warrior holding a discus of blazing light. The Sudarshana Chakra. As his fingers traced the image, the light from the page flared, flowing up his arm. The book grew warm, then hot.
A cascade of images flooded his mind—a vast, star-filled dimension of floating temples, the roar of thunder contained within a single weapon, the fluid, deadly movements of a martial art designed to fight demons.
The metal of the book began to dissolve, not into liquid, but into pure, golden light. It swirled around him, pouring into his chest, his eyes, his mind. The world vanished in a blaze of radiance.
And then, a voice. It was ancient and eternal, yet as clear and modern as his own AI's. It was the voice of the system.
[DING!]
Lineage confirmed: Scion of Arjun Patel.
Soul wavelength compatible.
Cognitive capacity: Exceptional.
Mana core: Dormant.
Initiating fusion with the Vaimanika Shastra...
[WELCOME, ASHER CROSS, TO THE DEVA-ASURA NEXUS.]
A translucent, holographic interface, far more elegant and organic than his tech, materialized before him. It was not blue, but gold and deep violet.
---
[STATUS]
NAME: Ash Cross
RANK: E (Unofficial) | POTENTIAL: ???
LEVEL: 1
TITLE: The Unawakened Scion
HP: 150/150 | CHAKRA: 50/50
STR: 8 | VIT: 9 | AGI: 12 | INT: 999* | WIS: 15 | PER: 20
*[Cognitive stat superseded by System parameters. Recalibrating...]
AFFINITY: Deva Path (Locked), Asura Path (Locked)
[ << Primary Quest: "The First Step on the Divine Path" >> ]
---
[QUEST: The First Step on the Divine Path]
• Objective 1: Unlock the Muladhara (Root) Chakra.
• Objective 2: Master the basic form of 'Vajra Fist' (I).
• Objective 3: Survive the First Trial in the 'Sanctum of Eternity'.
• Reward: Title [Novice of the Nexus], Unlocking of the Sanctum of Eternity (Dimensional Rift).
[ACCEPT?] [Y/N]
Ash stared, his mind, for the first time in years, utterly silent. This wasn't technology. This was magic. This was the truth behind his grandfather's stories. The bullies, the company, the global surveillance—it all faded into insignificance. This was real power. This was his heritage.
With a thought that was equal parts wonder and determination, he selected [Y].
A surge of energy, warm and electrifying, flooded his body. He felt a knot of power at the base of his spine, the Muladhara chakra, begin to pulse like a dormant star waking up.
The voice of the Nexus spoke once more, its tone now carrying a hint of anticipation.
[The Path is Open. Your Training Begins Now.]
The world shimmered, and his bedroom dissolved around him, replaced by the silent, majestic expanse of the floating Sanctum of Eternity.
The weakest E-Rank had just taken his first step onto a path that would make the world's richest men and most powerful Awakeners look like children playing in a sandbox.