Ashvale Academy – Awakening Hall
Waiting Area
The air inside the hall was tense.
Students sat in orderly rows, some whispering excitedly, others sweating bullets. The Awakening Crystal hovered in the center, pulsing slow like a giant heartbeat.
Lucian sat near the back, arms crossed, back leaning into the cold wall. His legs stretched slightly, one foot tapping rhythmically against the floor. His eyes were half-lidded, his expression blank.
'Come on, just get it over with.'
He was bored.
He was a grown man in a sixteen-year-old body. Surrounded by teenagers. Surrounded by nerves and dumb jokes and people trying to size each other up like this was a social battlefield.
He'd already fought real ones.
Lucian sighed and shut his eyes, trying to block out the pointless chatter. All he wanted was for the Dean to come, say his dramatic little speech, let them touch the crystal, and leave. Then the headlines would spread like wildfire.
"New Awakener Disrupts Ceremony—XXX-Rank Ability Confirmed."
Blah blah blah.
The world would flip. He'd be famous again. Feared. Studied. Obsessed over. He already knew the pattern.
Still… he felt tired.
He didn't want the attention. Not this time.
He just wanted to get stronger—fast—and protect the only person that ever mattered before the same tragedy repeated itself.
His fingers clenched into a fist.
"Hey."
Lucian's eyes opened slowly.
A girl stood in front of him, uniform neat, hair tied behind in a loose braid. Her face was soft, young, unsure—but there was something familiar in her eyes. Something that pulled at his memory like a thread unraveling.
"Is this seat free?" she asked.
Lucian nodded.
She sat beside him, smoothing her skirt and clasping her hands on her lap. For a moment, she didn't say anything. Just stared straight ahead, like she was trying to calm her own heart.
Lucian tilted his head slightly, looking at her out of the corner of his eye.
'No way… Evelyn?'
She looked the same. A bit more innocent, maybe. Back straighter. Still trying too hard to look composed. He remembered her. Vaguely. She had awakened a trash-tier ability—Petal Step, a movement skill that made her run slightly lighter on her feet. Barely good for scouting, completely useless in real combat.
Her family—House Merrin—had cast her out a week later.
She never recovered. Tried to keep training. Tried to prove herself. He lost contact with her after his sister died. After everything changed.
He never saw what became of her.
'Just like before…' Lucian sighed in his head. 'I couldn't help her then. Maybe this time… I can.'
The girl finally turned toward him, offering a small, polite smile.
"I'm Evelyn. Evelyn Merrin."
Lucian gave a short nod. "Lucian Black."
Evelyn blinked.
Then blinked again.
Her mouth parted slightly. "Black? As in… Lucy Black?"
Lucian looked sideways at her. "Yeah. She's my sister."
Evelyn's eyes went wide. Her whole posture straightened like someone had lit a fire under her.
"Oh my god. You mean the Lucy Black? The Hellflame Goddess? The one who burned a whole dungeon field when she was seventeen? You're related to her?"
Lucian gave a small, exhausted smile. "Yeah."
Evelyn leaned in closer, eyes practically sparkling now. "That's insane! She's like, one of the strongest SSS-rankers under thirty! I saw a video where she fought off three spectral drakes and didn't even blink. Is it true her flames can melt steel walls like butter?"
Lucian rubbed his temple. "She's strong. That's for sure."
Evelyn grinned, completely unfazed by his flat tone. "I can't believe I'm sitting next to her brother. That's wild. What about your parents? Weren't they famous too?"
Lucian's smile dimmed.
"They were. My dad was a weapon caster. Created the Void Reaver blade line. Mom specialized in combat enchantments. Both of them were top-level Awakeners."
Evelyn nodded, slowly realizing the weight behind his voice. "Were?"
Lucian looked forward. "Yeah. They're gone."
"Oh…" she said softly, shrinking a bit. "I'm… sorry."
He shrugged. "It was a long time ago."
There was a short silence.
Evelyn looked down at her hands. "You must have such high expectations. Your whole family's like… legendary."
Lucian didn't respond.
She sighed. "I don't think I'm gonna get anything good. My older brother awakened Storm Binders. He can summon chains of lightning from the sky. My parents are both core-level mages. But me?"
She let out a weak laugh.
"I'm probably gonna get something like… Petal Step."
Lucian's eyes twitched slightly.
'Well… at least she's consistent.'
He looked at her again—really looked.
Still trying to laugh off her own fear. Still pretending it wouldn't matter. Still preparing herself for rejection before it happened.
Still alone.
Lucian looked away and sighed.
"You never know," he said quietly.
Evelyn turned toward him. "Huh?"
"You might awaken something great."
She smiled softly, appreciating it—but not believing it.
Just like before.
Far ahead, the crystal pulsed louder now. Instructors were beginning to take attendance. The crowd shifted as names were called forward.
Lucian leaned back in his chair.
Same world.
Same people.
But this time, he wasn't walking blind.
He'd seen who lived. Who died. Who got crushed under the weight of expectations. And who had the potential to be more—if only someone reached out first.
Lucian looked sideways at Evelyn.
Maybe this time… he wouldn't sit on the sidelines.
Maybe this time… she wouldn't have to face it alone.
"Attention Students,"