The morning sun spilled gold across the rooftops of Neo-Singara, casting long shadows over the towering skyline. Hover-trams zipped between floating stations. Neon glyphs shimmered along the sides of buildings, cycling between announcements, cultivation ads, and rankings of the city's top teenage cultivators. A giant screen hovered in the sky, displaying the "Top 10 Youth Elites of District A-7."
#1: Kael Vireon – Crimson Flame Body (Tier S+)
The crowd below cheered as his profile flashed across the sky, a smirking teen with red eyes and a fire-forged blade slung across his back.
Nico glanced up at it as he passed, adjusting the worn strap of his school bag. His reflection in the glass walls of the tram station looked ordinary: messy black hair, pale skin, a face you could forget in an instant. His uniform was slightly wrinkled, and he wore a threadbare jacket that belonged to someone taller and broader.
He sighed. "Another year of mediocrity."
"Nicooo~!"
A voice rang out behind him like the sun on a rainy day. He turned just in time to see her.
Lexanna Liora.
Flowing silver hair tied in a loose braid. A soft smile that could disarm gods. Her school badge glowed with the golden crest of House Liora, an ancient lineage whispered to have roots in celestial cultivation. She wore the uniform like a goddess slumming it in a mortal school.
"You're early today," she said, skipping up to his side.
"I try to show up before the humiliation starts," Nico muttered. "Small victories."
Lexanna laughed, nudging his arm. "You know, self-deprecating humor is only cute if you don't believe it."
They walked together, their steps syncing without trying. Other students stared. Not because of Lexanna—they were used to her elegance—but because of who she chose to walk with.
Nico Sol.
The nobody.
They took their usual seats in the back of Class 3-F, the "Overflow Section," a polite term for the least promising cultivators in the district. Most had barely awakened past Tier C or had erratic control over their spiritual circuits.
The teacher, Mr. Jian, cleared his throat at the front. "Today we'll begin preparations for the Awakening Festival. I don't need to remind you what's at stake. Students who rank well may receive clan invitations. Poor performances may result in reassignments."
Everyone stiffened. Reassignment meant banishment from elite academies, forced labor in the Outer Sectors, or worse—being drafted for unshielded work outside the Planetary Dome.
Nico drummed his fingers on the desk. His Awakening had always been... strange. Barely there. At Tier E, his spiritual flow was erratic and unstable. He wasn't even sure he had a core.
He glanced at Lexanna. She sat straight, pen in hand, her expression calm but unreadable.
She should've been in Class 1-A with the rest of her clan's prodigies. But she insisted on transferring here at the start of last year—for reasons she never explained.
The room dimmed as a floating screen descended from the ceiling.
"Let's review historical cases of unorthodox awakenings," Mr. Jian continued, tapping through holograms. "Rare cultivation paths—particularly those linked to ancient lineages or celestial anomalies—can sometimes remain dormant until triggered by an emotional or spiritual breakthrough. However, these are unpredictable and dangerous."
A clip played of a student screaming as silver lightning exploded from his body, destroying half a stadium.
"Such awakenings are not to be romanticized," the teacher added.
Nico swallowed hard.
Something in his bones tingled.
After class, Nico climbed the metal staircase to the rooftop. It was quiet here, above the noise of the world.
Lexanna joined him minutes later, carrying two canned coffees from the vending machine. She handed one to him and sat beside him, legs dangling over the edge.
"Big day's coming up," she said softly. "You okay?"
He opened the can. "Nope."
She smiled. "Honest. I like that."
They sat in silence for a while, watching students sparring on the sports field below. Bursts of flame and mist and light flared up, dazzling even from a distance.
"You ever feel like the world already made up its mind about you?" he asked. "Like no matter what you do, you're just a background character in everyone else's story?"
Lexanna didn't answer right away. Then she turned to him, her eyes luminous like moonlit water.
"You're not a background character to me."
That line hit him harder than he expected.
"I don't get it," he murmured. "You could have anyone. Be with someone from your rank. A bloodline cultivator. A future hero. Why… why me?"
Lexanna leaned closer, her voice barely above a whisper. "Because when you look at me, you don't see a clan. You see a girl."
Their fingers brushed.
Then curled.
And in that moment, the air shifted.
Somewhere deep inside Nico's chest, something ancient stirred.
Three days later, the Awakening Festival arrived.
The entire school gathered at the central coliseum, a gleaming structure of obsidian stone and floating platforms. Each student would step onto the stage and place their hand on the Resonance Orb, which would glow to reveal their path, tier, and cultivation affinity.
One by one, students walked forward.
Kael Vireon – Crimson Flame Body (Tier S+)
Selene Tay – Ice Thread Arts (Tier A+)
Each name drew cheers or respectful silence. Then came the lower-ranked students. Some showed no affinity. Others triggered weak glows and were swiftly forgotten.
Then:
"Nico Sol. No clan."
The silence was deafening.
He walked onto the stage, heart pounding.
He placed his hand on the orb.
Nothing happened.
Laughter began to ripple through the crowd.
Then—a crack.
Thin. Delicate.
The orb shattered.
Silver light exploded upward, forming a constellation in the sky.
Lines of stars connected into a symbol no one had seen in centuries.
[Cultivation Path: Astral Devourer | Tier: Unknown]
The elders stood in alarm.
The headmaster's voice was tight with fear. "Seal the record. Notify the Galactic Council. The Astral Path has returned."