Revelation
The orb flared.
Not violently. Not like Avelyn's wind-halo or Lio's fireburst.
It simply pulsed — slow and soundless, like a breath drawn by something ancient and watching.
Glyphs began forming above Kaiden's head, one deliberate stroke at a time.
[ Ascension Attendant Maelin ]
"HEART Status... confirmed."
"Display initializing."
The first line shimmered into the air:
[ HEART STATUS ]
Name: Kaiden Stagin
[ Applicant Karen ]
"That's the quiet one."
"I heard he is from Cardinal Peaks."
[ Applicant Mirkos ]
"Heh..."
"Didn't even come with a guardian."
"An orphan, perhaps."
Level: 1
Standard.
Health: 200/200
Energy: 200/200
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"Hm..."
'Not low."
"Higher than baseline."
Attributes: [ STR: 5 | AGI: 5 | INT: 5 ]
[ Applicant Rell ]
"Flat fives?"
"Is that supposed to be exciting?"
[ Applicant Neena ]
"I was expecting fireworks or something..."
"That orb took its sweet time."
But then...
Resistance: Poison 15%
The buzz of whispers died, cut clean, like a snapped wire.
[ Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"Poison resistance... fifteen percent?!"
"That's not an error?"
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"No child gets Resistance readings at Level One, unless..."
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"That's from direct venom exposure..."
"Monster-grade."
Gasps rolled through the students, hushed and sharp.
Then, another...
Resistance: Acid 5%
Even louder now.
[ Applicant Vonn ]
"What?"
"Acid, too?"
"What the hell's he been bathing in?!"
[ Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"He survived both."
"Poison... and acid."
"That's rare even among second-years."
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"He didn't just survive."
"The system recorded it."
"That means he resisted it."
Kaiden kept his eyes on the orb.
The next line bloomed.
Trait: Void of Aena
[ Applicant Rell ]
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"I've never heard of it."
[ Applicant Claire ]
"Aena?"
"The world itself?..."
"Does our world have a Void?"
[ Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"Void of Aena…"
"That's not on the known Trait registers."
"Hmm..."
Skill: Identify • Tier I
Murmurs returned — more analytical this time.
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"Standard skill."
"Tier One's common."
The glow thickened into a new symbol.
❖❖❖
[ Ascension Bonus ]
Nill
[ Bonus Stat Points ]
Stat allocation nullified (Void of Aena)
The mood turned cold.
[ Applicant Vonn ]
"Oof..."
"No stats at all?"
"That's a bummer..."
[ Applicant Karen ]
"That's brutal."
[ Applicant Rell ]
"So much for all that dramatic buildup."
"Looks like another filler applicant."
[ Applicant Claire ]
"It's not a Trait..."
"It's..."
"A curse!"
[ Applicant Vonn ]
"Doubt he will even graduate."
"Minimum total stats for graduation is 30, right?"
"Does he expect to hard train till sixth grade?"
[ Applicant Karen ]
"But sometimes the bar is raised."
"Even 30 is not enough if that happens."
But the orb pulsed again, brighter.
And the readout continued.
[ Skill Acquired ]
Awareness • Tier I
Cooking • Tier I
Dagger Mastery • Tier I
First Aid • Tier I
Foraging • Tier I
Grappling • Tier I
Herbal Lore • Tier I
Kindling • Tier I
Silent Step • Tier I
Survival • Tier I
Slime Handling • Tier I
Tracking • Tier I
Twelve new skills.
Clean.
Centered.
No fluff.
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"...That's not normal."
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"He's trained in every core path."
"Survivalist."
"Hunter."
"Field medic."
[ Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"And no weapon class besides dagger."
"He wasn't training to fight…"
"He was training to survive."
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"Still..."
"No stat gains."
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"Yeah, he didn't gain any today."
"Which means..."
"He has to train hard."
"Train..."
"Really, really hard."
[ Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"Hmm..."
"Maybe."
"He didn't need to."
"We'll see."
Even among the scouts — those who had rolled eyes or scribbled Kaiden's name into the forget-me pile — pens stopped.
Voices quieted.
The boy with no stat gain…
He was the only one among them who already looked like he'd survived something far worse.
Kaiden stepped down from the Ascension Circle. The crowd parted for him.
Not from fear. Not from reverence.
Not reverence — just something quieter.
Maybe respect.
Or the echo of it.
The orb dimmed, its duty complete. Yet the silence held.
Kaiden took one step back from the Ascension Circle, heart still pacing like it hadn't decided between flight or fight. He wasn't sure if what he heard was awe or tension… but it filled the square like mist before a storm.
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"…Void of Aena."
He muttered, adjusting his monocle.
"That boy's stats were nullified, but he picked up twelve skills?"
[ Seraphin Blade Scout Doma ]
"Hmph..."
"I've seen plenty of skill-stuffed children."
"Jack of all trades."
"Most burn out before their second year."
But her eyes didn't leave Kaiden.
[ Skyward Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"Did you see the Resistances?"
"Two..."
"Two of them!"
"Poison and Acid."
"At Level One!"
Whispers flowed faster now, trailing from scout to student and back again like wild æsther seeking an anchor.
[ Applicant Derin ]
"He didn't even flinch during the orb delay."
"I thought it rejected him!"
[ Applicant Nari ]
"He's cursed, right?"
"That Trait — Void of Aena — it killed his stat gain…"
[ Applicant Claire ]
"Yeah, but — did you see how many skills he got?"
"No one else even got more than two or three."
Kaiden's gaze drifted toward the crowd, catching snippets. No one approached, but their distance felt tight, drawn in like air just before lightning struck.
He stepped down fully, and the runes faded beneath his feet.
[ Applicant Temrin ]
"Think he's a mutant?"
Temrin whispered too loud to be subtle.
"Or touched by something worse?"
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"He's got First Aid, Tracking, Foraging, Awareness, Dagger Mastery..."
"Basic survival set."
"But Grappling?"
"Slime Handling?"
"Do you know how dangerous slimes are for untrained kids?"
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"…Someone taught him hard."
"I'd bet my badge this isn't our generic city-born brat."
"Backwoods training."
"For sure."
That earned a few stiff nods from the Ironroot crowd.
Kaiden kept his expression blank. He recognized that tone — appraisal coated in dismissal. He was used to being misunderstood.
But then, someone stepped forward.
[ Applicant Rio ]
"Hey."
Kaiden turned. It was the boy with golden eyes — the one who hadn't looked surprised when the orb glowed for him.
[ Applicant Rio ]
"You're from Cardinal Peaks, right?"
Kaiden nodded.
Rio gave a short smirk — not mocking, just… impressed.
"Well..."
"I'm Rio."
Extending his hand.
"Rio Brent from Canford Port."
"Guess it's not just the city kids that can show results, right?"
He turned away just as quickly after shaking Kaiden's hand, folding back into his circle of friends.
Kaiden stood for a moment longer, then walked back to the waiting crowd of newly ascended hopefuls. Some parted to let him through. Others didn't, forcing him to shoulder past.
[ Ironroot Instructor Halder ]
"Maybe he's built for hardship."
[ Dawnseeker Scout Arnold ]
"He's a gamble."
[ Skyward Arcanum Scribe Laedra ]
"He is..."
"Just another variable."
But they all watched.
Not with pity. Not with admiration, either.
It was something else.
Unease. Curiosity. A question none of them could answer yet.
Kaiden exhaled slowly, felt the weight of the orb's judgment still in his chest.
[ * Kaiden (internally) * ]
"So it's true..."
"The system sees me, but it won't lift me."
Void of Aena.
The world itself had marked him.
And now, the world was beginning to stare back.