The friends sat together at breakfast, their excitement so obvious that people at the surrounding tables couldn't help but stare. Whispers spread, and a few onlookers shook their heads at the rowdy group.

  Jaris, however, didn't care. He was too busy stuffing his mouth with cake, a single candle still flickering on top. His cheeks were puffed out, eyes gleaming with unfiltered joy.

  Nero, on the other hand, was fidgeting. He clenched and unclenched his fists, furrowed his brows, then let out a quiet sigh.

  After an entire month of nothingness, Jaris had finally awakened his ability. He was now officially a Rank 1—an Initiate. He had every reason to be happy. If it had been Nero, he'd be celebrating too.

  His patron was Sivir, The Veiled Trickster—God of Thieves and Deception. Looking at Jaris, it was clear that divine selection wasn't always random. His ability gave him exactly what he wanted: he could literally meld into shadows.

  A powerful skill, but like all new abilities, it came with severe limitations. For now, he could only merge with a single shadow at a time. Still, for someone like Jaris, it was an incredible advantage.

  Despite the air of celebration, something was bothering Nero. Not because he wasn't happy for his friend, he was.

  But because he had also awakened his ability.

  * * *

  The training hall was alive with the csh of weapons and muffled grunts of effort, but Nero barely heard any of it. His focus was locked on her—the red-haired spear wielder standing across from him.

  His record? 0-86.

  He still didn't know her name. So, in his mind, she had simply become the red-headed demon.

  She stood calm, spear resting lightly in her grip, eyes as unreadable as ever. But something was different. She wasn't bored, wasn't impatient. She was watching him—not with interest, not with amusement, but watching all the same.

  The duel began.

  She struck first. A sharp thrust aimed at his ribs. Nero twisted, just barely avoiding the hit. A second attack came, and he blocked, though the force made his arms tremble. A third. A fourth.

  By the fifth, he was still on his feet.

  That was new.

  Her movements didn't slow. If anything, she adjusted, her strikes sharper, faster. And yet, he was sting longer than before.

  Then, in a single fluid motion, her spear caught his ankle, and he was on the ground again.

  0-87.

  He groaned, chest heaving, but before he could push himself up, she spoke.

  "Why do you struggle so much?"

  Her tone was ft, without mockery or amusement. A simple question.

  Nero blinked up at her. He didn't know what to say, didn't even know if he had an answer.

  But she didn't wait for one. She turned and walked away, leaving him on the floor.

  That should have been the end of it.

  Instead, something shifted inside him.

  A warmth spread through his chest, like a ripple running through his entire body. His mind turned inward, and there—floating in the darkness of his thoughts—was the orb.

  Larger now. Its surface glowed with a faint sheen.

  Realization struck.

  His ability had awakened.

  Even as he lost another nine matches that day, he couldn't stop grinning. His friends noticed, throwing him confused gnces, but he just shrugged it off.

  Let them wonder.

  The moment he returned to the dorms, he tossed his things onto the bed, barely managing a quick goodbye to Zeke before slipping out for private training.

  He only had one hour a day in the private training rooms, but that was enough.

  * * *

  Nero sat cross-legged on the cold floor of the private training room, heart pounding with excitement. He closed his eyes, turning his focus inward.

  What did I get?

  The orb within him pulsed with a strange familiarity, as if it had always been there, waiting. His fingers twitched. Instinctively, he closed his hand.

  When he opened it again, something rested in his palm.

  A coin.

  Its surface gleamed under the dim light. Both sides bore the image of a face—one smiling, the other sad.

  Nero frowned.

  "What the hell is this supposed to be?"

  Before he could overthink it, instinct took over. He flicked the coin into the air. It spun rapidly before nding neatly back in his palm.

  Smiling face.

  A rush of energy exploded through him. His entire body felt lighter, faster—like he had just shed an invisible weight. His muscles, once fatigued from training, pulsed with renewed strength.

  Curious, he took off in a sprint across the room.

  He was fast.

  Faster than he had ever been.

  He turned sharply, testing his agility, but his body barely resisted. Even after dashing back and forth multiple times, his breathing was steady—no exhaustion, no strain.

  His eyes widened.

  "Holy shit… this is broken."

  He flicked the coin again, eager to test it further.

  This time, it didn't nd on a face. It stopped right in the middle, perfectly banced.

  "Huh?"

  He tried again.

  Nothing. The enhanced speed and endurance sted exactly twenty minutes before fading, leaving him back to normal.

  "Damn, that's insane. A 20-minute buff… so if I win, I get faster."

  A grin spread across his face.

  "But what if I lose?"

  ...

  Nero sat on his bed, trying to act normal. His fingers twitched slightly as he resisted the urge to summon the coin right then and there.

  I just need to get Zeke out of here.

  Simple enough.

  He gnced over at his roommate, who was sprawled across his bed, tapping zily on his tablet.

  "Hey, Zeke," Nero started casually.

  "Mm?"

  "Could you go out and grab some snacks?"

  Zeke's fingers paused over the screen. His head slowly turned. "What?"

  "Snacks," Nero repeated. "Wouldn't mind some honey sticks, maybe some chips. You know, something nice."

  Zeke squinted at him. "You never ask me for snacks."

  Nero shrugged. "First time for everything."

  Zeke hummed, staring at him a little too long before returning to his tablet. "Nah, I'm good."

  Nero frowned. Alright, Pn B.

  "…You should take a walk."

  Zeke snorted. "A walk?"

  "Yeah," Nero said, nodding sagely. "Stretch your legs, breathe some fresh air, touch some grass—"

  "Do I look like I need to touch grass?" Zeke cut in.

  "Yes."

  Zeke rolled his eyes. "No thanks."

  Damn it.

  Nero drummed his fingers on his knee, thinking.

  Pn C, then.

  He let out a long, dramatic groan and clutched his stomach. "Ugh. Man, I think I ate something bad."

  Zeke gnced at him, unimpressed. "Oh no."

  "I'm serious," Nero whined. "I feel all weird and sluggish. Maybe some sugar would help. Like, I dunno, honey sticks?"

  Zeke exhaled, rubbing his temples. "Alright, first of all, you suck at lying."

  "I'm not lying," Nero protested, trying not to look guilty.

  Zeke raised an eyebrow. "Uh-huh. And second, this is suspicious as hell. You're either up to something, or you're trying to dodge something."

  Nero feigned offense. "Me? Dodge something? Unbelievable."

  Zeke just stared at him.

  Nero sighed. "Look, just—can you go? Please?"

  Zeke let out a long, suffering sigh before standing up and stretching. "Fine. But next time, you're going twice."

  "Yeah, yeah, deal."

  Zeke muttered something under his breath, grabbed his hoodie, and finally stepped out, shutting the door behind him.

  The second he was gone, Nero grinned.

  He waited a few moments, listening to make sure Zeke didn't suddenly turn back.

  Then, with a deep breath, he focused—and materialized the coin again.

  The golden surface gleamed in his palm, twin faces staring back at him.

  One smiling.

  One sad.

  Time to gamble.

  He flicked it into the air.

  The coin spun rapidly, catching the dim dorm light, before nding squarely in his palm.

  Tails.

  A sudden, sharp pain shot through his pinky toe.

  "OW—WHAT THE HELL?!"

  Nero staggered, gripping his foot as a throbbing, merciless ache pulsed through it. The kind of pain that felt disproportionately cruel. Like smming your toe against a doorframe except… nothing was there.

  He rocked back and forth, his teeth grinding together as the pain refused to fade immediately.

  His eyes snapped to the coin in his palm, suspicion creeping in.

  Was that just… bad luck?

  He hesitated.

  Then flicked it again.

  It spun midair before nding.

  Tails.

  A phantom fist smmed into his stomach.

  His breath ripped from his lungs as an invisible force drove straight into his gut. His entire body lurched forward—knees buckling, fingers digging into the floor as he fought to stay upright.

  For a moment, he couldn't breathe.

  Then, slowly, the pain eased, leaving him hunched over and gasping.

  What. The. Hell.

  His fingers trembled as they clenched around the coin. His mind raced through every possibility—was this normal? Was this a joke? Was Orvian ughing at him right now?!

  Because if this was his first ability, then he was already screwed.

  His luck was already garbage—why did it have to be this?!

  His breathing was still uneven as he gred down at the coin.

  Without another thought, he willed it away.

  It vanished from his palm instantly, as if it had never existed.

  Nero slumped against the bed, pressing a hand to his still-aching stomach.

  Yeah. No. He wasn't messing with this anymore.

  ...

  "Nero? Nero!!"

  A voice cut through his thoughts, dragging him back to reality.

  He blinked, the memory fading like mist. The training room, the coin, the pain—it all vanished in an instant, repced by the warm, noisy atmosphere of the cafeteria. The scent of fresh food filled the air, and the distant chatter of students hummed in the background.

  Across from him, Iris was looking at him with concern, her head tilted slightly.

  "You okay?" she asked.

  Nero hesitated for half a second before forcing a small grin. "Yeah, just thinking about my duels."

  Iris and Zeke exchanged a gnce before Zeke smirked. "You'll beat her one day."

  "Yeah," Iris nodded in agreement. "It's just a matter of time."

  Nero let out a short ugh, shaking his head. If only they knew.

  At the far end of the table, Jaris was still stuffing his face with cake, completely oblivious to the conversation. He swallowed a rge bite and grinned. "Well, now only Nero's left, huh?"

  Nero looked up, confused. "Huh?"

  Jaris gestured at himself proudly. "I mean, I awakened my ability! Zeke and Iris awakened before us! That just leaves you now."

  There was no malice in his tone, just casual observation. But the words lingered in the air for a moment longer than they should have.

  They thought he was down because he hadn't awakened yet.

  But how could they know?

  How could they possibly understand?

  His ability wasn't a blessing.

  It was a double-edged sword.