The world had regained its color.
It was almost insulting.
The morning light slid across the kitchen table, tracing the edges of plates, mugs, and his mother's hands with a softness Aren hadn't seen in eleven years. The sizzle of oil in the pan, the rhythmic clink of silverware, the aroma of fresh coffee… it was all too normal.
He sat in silence. His mother placed a plate in front of him.
"Eat while it's hot."
Her voice was exactly as he remembered. Warm, slightly rushed, carrying that subtle fatigue she always tried to hide. In Timeline 1, he had eventually forgotten the exact cadence of that voice. Hearing it again made him feel almost nauseous with emotion.
He picked up his fork. His hand trembled slightly. He forced it to steady.
This was no time to be overwhelmed.
"Finally awake, I see."
Elena walked into the kitchen, pulling her hair back into a ponytail. She grabbed a mug and poured herself coffee with the confidence of someone who paid the mortgage single-handedly.
"You look like you lost a fight with your pillow."
Aren looked up at her. His older sister. Alive. Insolent. Exactly as she used to be.
"Just tired," he replied.
She stared at him for a moment, narrowing her eyes.
"No. It's something else."
She had always been too perceptive for her own good.
Before he could answer, a small figure burst into the kitchen.
"AREN!"
Lily threw herself at him, nearly knocking his chair over.
"You promised to help me with my homework yesterday! You forgot!"
He placed a hand on her head. Her hair was softer than he recalled. Or perhaps he had simply forgotten what it felt like to touch a family member without it being a ghost of a memory.
"I'll help you tonight," he said calmly. "I promise."
She eyed him suspiciously.
"You say that, but then you'll just—"
"I promise," he repeated, more firmly.
She hesitated, then beamed a satisfied smile before running off.
Their mother watched them, her expression softening.
"It's good to see you in a better mood, Aren. Lately, you've been… elsewhere."
In Timeline 1, he had spent years being "elsewhere." Surviving, fleeing, regretting. Here, he hadn't yet begun to fail.
He took a bite. The eggs were a bit too salty. He hadn't tasted anything so delicious in a long, long time.
Elena set her mug down.
"Alright, what's the catch?"
Aren arched an eyebrow.
"Who said there's a catch?"
"Your face," she countered. "And the fact that you haven't complained once since you came downstairs. It's suspicious."
He hesitated. He could lie. Say it was a nightmare. Say he was sick.
But he didn't intend to waste time.
"I've awakened."
Silence fell.
His mother froze, spatula mid-air. Elena stopped breathing. Even Lily, out in the hallway, seemed to sense the shift in the atmosphere.
"…What?" his mother asked, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Aren set his fork down calmly.
"I awakened this morning. A Soul chose me."
He didn't mention the Status Window. Or VOID. Or the fact that he had already witnessed the end of the world. He stuck to the minimum truth.
His mother pressed a hand to her mouth.
"My god… Aren… are you sure?"
"Yes."
Elena straightened up, her eyes gleaming with a mixture of excitement and disbelief.
"Are you messing with us?"
"No."
She stared at him for a few more seconds, then a slow grin spread across her lips.
"About damn time."
Their mother sat across from him, her hands clasped.
"What did it feel like? Did you see something? Did you—"
"Mom," Aren interrupted gently. "I'll explain everything later. Right now, I need to go to the Academy."
Elena nodded immediately.
"Right. They need to evaluate your Soul. You can't just walk around without being registered."
His mother frowned.
"But… the Academy is hard to get into, isn't it? And the year has already started."
"Exactly," Elena replied. "They still accept Awakened candidates mid-year, but it's rare. They only take the best."
She turned to Aren.
"Do you know the procedure?"
"Physical evaluation and a written test," he answered without thinking.
She looked at him, surprised.
"Since when have you been researching this?"
Since another lifetime. "I've read things," he said simply.
His mother sighed.
"Washington is far. It'll take you a while to get there."
"We'll take the train," Elena said. "I'm going with him."
"Don't you have class?"
"I can miss a day. It's not every day my little brother becomes an Ascendant."
She smiled, but Aren noticed the tension in her shoulders. The Academy wasn't just a school. It was a gateway to high society—and a meat grinder for those who didn't measure up.
His mother placed a hand over Aren's.
"Are you sure you want this? It's dangerous."
He met her gaze.
In Timeline 1, he hadn't had a choice. Danger had found him whether he wanted it or not. Here, he could at least choose how he would face it.
"I'm sure."
She watched him for a moment longer, then nodded.
"Then go. But promise me one thing."
"What?"
"Come back alive."
He wanted to tell her that he couldn't promise anything. That the world wasn't that simple. That even the strongest died.
But he didn't have to tell her everything.
"I will," he replied.
It wasn't a promise. It was an objective.
Back in his room, he closed the door and leaned against it for a moment.
The stillness of the house contrasted violently with the chaos of his thoughts. He took a deep breath and summoned the Status Window.
It appeared instantly.
[Status: Aren Tallcrag] > Age: 18
Status: Awakened Ascendant
Strength: 4
Agility: 9
Magic: 0
Willpower: 16
Perception: 8
Authority: VOID (Slot 1/5)
Progression: 0%
He studied the numbers carefully.
Strength 4. Weak.
Agility 9. Decent.
Magic 0. Logical.
Willpower 16. High.
Perception 8. Above average.
Nothing impressive. Nothing that would justify special attention. Except for that one line.
VOID. He didn't know exactly what it was. He only knew this power hadn't existed in Timeline 1. No Ascendant, not even among the Mythics, had ever mentioned an Authority by that name.
He felt a cold wave of satisfaction.
An advantage.
An unknown.
A risk.
He didn't intend to trust it blindly. But he wasn't going to reject it either.
"Let's see what you're worth," he whispered.
The journey to Washington D.C. was by train. The landscape blurred past the window: roads, forests, buildings—everything that had been reduced to ash in Timeline 1.
Elena chatted occasionally, filling the silence with remarks about classes, teachers, and gossip. Aren responded just enough to keep from appearing distant, but his mind was elsewhere.
He was calculating.
The Gate that had killed his family would appear in a few months. He remembered the date, the location, the rank. He had to be ready before then. Not necessarily powerful… but prepared enough to get them out of harm's way.
The SSS-rank incident was eleven years away. He had time. But not enough to waste any of it.
The Academy was a tool. Nothing more. A place to gain training, resources, and contacts. And also a place where he would be watched.
He would have to be careful.
"What are you thinking about?" Elena asked, leaning her head against the window.
"The Academy."
"Nervous?"
"No."
She looked at him, amused.
"You could at least pretend to be."
He shrugged slightly.
"It won't change the outcome."
She burst out laughing.
"You talk like an old man."
He didn't reply. She wasn't wrong.
The Washington D.C. Ascendant Academy loomed like a modern fortress, surrounded by barriers, cameras, and uniformed guards. The main building of glass and steel reflected the sky.
Aren watched the entrance. People his age were coming and going, some in uniform, others in civilian clothes. Some were laughing; others looked grim.
"Looks like a cross between a university and a prison," Elena commented.
"That's exactly what it is," Aren replied.
They headed for the main hall. A receptionist greeted them with a professional smile.
"Good morning."
"My brother awakened this morning," Elena said. "He's here for evaluation."
The woman typed on her keyboard.
"Name?"
"Aren Tallcrag."
She nodded.
"Very well. You're arriving mid-year, but the Academy is still accepting a few candidates. The procedure is as follows: registration, written test, physical evaluation, then Soul analysis. If you pass, you'll be integrated into the current class."
She handed over a form.
"Fill this out. Then, go to Waiting Room C. We will call candidates by group for the written test."
Aren took the form. Name, age, address, date of awakening, medical history… nothing complicated. He wrote quickly and neatly.
Elena watched him.
"You write like a civil servant."
"I'm adapting."
They handed the form back. The receptionist pointed toward the right corridor.
"Waiting Room C, at the end."
The room was already occupied by a few young people. Some spoke in hushed tones; others stared at the floor; others were reviewing notes.
Aren took a free chair. Elena sat next to him.
"You realize this is one of the best academies in the country?" she said. "The Ascendant Association built it to train the elite. Those who graduate end up in the top guilds, the military, major corporations…"
"I know."
"And you're coming in halfway through the year." She exhaled. "You're going to have to catch up to everyone."
"That won't be a problem."
She looked at him, part amused, part worried.
"You really have changed."
Her phone vibrated. She glanced at the screen.
"It's work. I have to take this. Can you survive five minutes without me?"
"I'll try."
She stood up and left the room, phone to her ear.
Aren was alone.
Well… not quite.
In the corner of the room, a girl sat with her hands clenched over a folder, gaze fixed on the floor. Her brown hair was tied in a low ponytail, and she wore simple but high-quality clothes. She looked tense, but not fragile. More like someone who had learned how to take a hit.
She occasionally glanced toward the door, then the ceiling, then the crystal mounted on the wall, as if searching for an exit.
Aren watched her for a few seconds.
Visible stress. Rigid posture. Rapid breathing. Not used to this kind of pressure, but not entirely a stranger to it either. He stood up and sat in the empty chair next to her.
She startled slightly.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's fine," she replied, her voice a bit too fast.
He looked at her.
"First time here?"
She nodded. "Yes."
"Me too."
She turned her head toward him, surprised.
"You're not from the Academy?"
"No. Just awakened."
She seemed to hesitate, then introduced herself.
"Raly. Raly Vales."
"Aren."
Silence settled between them. He let it last just long enough to become uncomfortable before breaking it.
"You look nervous."
She gave a small, joyless laugh.
"It's hard not to be. The Academy doesn't just take anyone. And my family…"
She trailed off.
"Your family?"
She gripped her folder tighter.
"They expect a lot from me. They say if I don't get in here, it'll be… a disappointment."
Family pressure. Good family. Likely wealthy. Likely unreasonable expectations. "Are you from an Ascendant family?" he asked.
"Not really," she replied. "My father works with the Association. He isn't awakened, but he's… influential. For him, getting in here is… mandatory."
She looked down.
"And you?"
"My family is normal," Aren said. "They're just happy I awakened."
It wasn't entirely true. His mother was worried. Elena was excited. Lily was naive. But it was enough.
"Do you know how the exam works?" he asked, as if out of curiosity.
She nodded. "A little. I looked into it. The Academy was created to train competent combatants. Those who graduate are almost guaranteed a place in high society."
She took a breath.
"But it's very difficult. Many drop out. Many are expelled. Even this year, though classes only started a month ago, there have already been several expulsions."
Aren nodded inwardly. He remembered rumors from Timeline 1 about the Academy's brutality. He'd never had the chance to verify them back then.
"Is that why they're still accepting students?" he asked.
"Yes," she replied. "They're filling empty seats. But they only take those with real potential."
"And the Headmistress?"
Raly looked up, a bit surprised by the specificity of the question.
"Lavine White. She possesses a Legendary Soul—the Queen of the North. They say she held off an entire army alone for a whole winter."
A Legendary Soul heading the Academy. Makes sense. "Do you know how long the training lasts?"
"You enter at eighteen, graduate at twenty-one," she replied. "Three years of training. After that, you're considered a full adult in the world of Ascendants."
Three years.
Three years to grow stronger, prepare, and position himself.
"And the exams?" he continued. "You mentioned a written test and physical evaluation."
"Yes," she said. "The written test covers the basics: Gate theory, monster classification, Association rules, recent history. The physical evaluation measures baseline capabilities. And then…"
She glanced at the crystal on the wall.
"Then, they analyze the Soul. They judge whether it's worth training you here."
Aren followed her gaze.
"And if it isn't worth it?"
She gave a bitter smile.
"Then they thank you for coming."
He nodded.
The information was useful. He could have found it elsewhere, but hearing it from someone who had researched it gave him a sense of the general perception.
"You're well-informed," he said.
"When your family spends years telling you that you have to get in here, you end up doing your homework," she replied.
He watched her for a moment.
"Are you afraid of failing?"
She pressed her lips together. "Yes."
"You should be afraid of something else."
She stared at him, caught off guard.
"What?"
"Succeeding," he replied calmly. "And finding out it wasn't what you actually wanted."
She went silent. Her fingers loosened their grip slightly.
"I… I hadn't thought about that."
"It's normal," he said. "When you're pushed in one direction for long enough, you start to believe it's your own."
He had no intention of saving her from her problems. That wasn't his role. But a person under pressure was easier to read. And easier to use.
"Thank you," she finally said, her voice steadier. "You talk like someone who's already lived through all of this."
"You grow up fast sometimes."
The door swung open abruptly.
"Oho?"
Elena walked in, a predatory smile on her face.
"I leave for five minutes and you've already found a girl? Impressive, little brother."
Raly jumped, blushing slightly. "It's not—"
"We're just talking," Aren cut in, his expression unchanged.
"Sure, sure," Elena replied, sitting on his other side. "That's how it always starts."
She leaned toward Raly.
"I'm Elena, the big sister. He's annoying, but he's reliable. Well, sometimes."
"Nice to meet you," Raly replied, visibly embarrassed.
Aren sighed internally. Elena never knew when to dial it back.
Before she could continue, a loudspeaker crackled.
"Candidates for the written test, Group C, please report to Room 4. I repeat: Group C, Room 4." Conversations ceased. Chairs scraped against the floor. Candidates stood.
"That's us," Aren said.
Raly stood as well, clutching her folder.
"Good luck," Elena said. "Don't embarrass the family."
"I'll do my best," he replied.
They followed the group to Room 4. Sixteen candidates in total. Some had determined looks; others were nervous; some looked blank.
The room was simple: rows of tables, a desk at the back, and an examiner already seated.
"Come in, take a seat," the examiner said. "The written test will begin shortly. After that, we will proceed with the evaluation of your Souls."
Aren sat down. Raly took a seat two rows in front of him.
He placed his hands on the table.
Written test.
Physical evaluation.
Soul judgment.
Just one step among many.
He looked at the ceiling for a moment, then brought his attention back to the examiner.
The world had decided to play the game again.
This time, he intended to win.