The flight to the Phoenix Guild Headquarters didn't take long — a few minutes suspended between clouds and glass towers, the hum of the flying taxi fading beneath the pulse of his thoughts. Ael sat by the window, eyes half-focused on the streaks of gold that the morning sun painted across the city. Everything below him looked strangely distant, as if the world itself was trying to adjust to the new weight he carried — the rookie who had slain a Guardian.
When the taxi touched down on the guild's landing platform, he stepped out into the crisp morning air. The Phoenix Guild's HQ stood like a monument of fire and light — all white marble and molten gold veins that seemed to pulse faintly with mana. Ael walked through the main atrium, his footsteps echoing against the high ceilings. Wherever he passed, eyes followed.
Some looks were curious, some sharp with envy, others unreadable — the silent recognition reserved for those who had done something impossible. Rumors had already spread like wildfire: a rookie, fresh from awakening, had delivered the final blow to an E-Rank Guardian. Not just survived — ended it. No one had done that before.
He didn't bask in the attention, but he didn't shrink from it either. It was strange to walk through a crowd that looked at him like a legend in the making when he still felt like a boy pretending to know what he was doing.
Across the lobby, Amanda's team was gearing up. She stood surrounded by her squad, checking weapons and mana calibrators, the faint glow of runes tracing along their armor. When she spotted him, her stern demeanor softened, and she excused herself from the group, striding toward him with long, confident steps.
"Hello Ael," she greeted, the corners of her mouth lifting into a rare smile. "Nice to see you here. Had a good rest?"
He nodded, his own grin lazy and teasing. "Hey Amanda. Yeah, slept like a rock — scared my family half to death when I told them about the rift and my small cough accomplishments."
The twitch at the corner of Amanda's mouth betrayed her amusement. Small, huh? she thought, suppressing an eye roll. If those were small, then what the hell did the rest of us do — babysit?
She cleared her throat and adjusted her gloves. "No need to belittle yourself. You were great in there, Ael. But don't let it go to your head — tougher rifts mean higher chances of dying, remember that. Humanity needs people like you alive, not reckless."
"Understood," he said with a mock salute.
Amanda smirked. "Good. We're heading out again soon — try not to outshine us too much while we're gone." She winked and turned back to her team, leaving him in the corridor.
He chuckled softly. "She's such a softy. Looked like she could break someone's spine before the raid, now she's all warm and caring."
"Careful," came a familiar voice behind him, soft but carrying a spark of laughter. "If she hears you, she'll make sure you wish you were still in that rift."
He turned to see Lyra standing there — radiant as ever. Her red hair shimmered under the sunlight streaming through the guild's stained-glass windows, and the faint warmth that always followed her presence made the air feel alive.
"Ahem," he muttered, pretending to look innocent. "Guild Master, I was merely making an observation. Let's keep that between us, yeah? No need for me to end up as target practice."
Her lips curved into a knowing smile. "You're learning. Good. Now come — we need to talk. About the raid… and about you."
Her tone shifted slightly on the last word. Not stern, not threatening — but serious enough that he fell into step behind her without another word.
Her office was quiet, the walls lined with crystalized embers and floating glyphs that illuminated the space in shades of orange and gold. The faint crackle of mana gave the room a heartbeat of its own.
Lyra took her seat behind the desk, gesturing for him to sit across from her. For a few moments, neither spoke. The silence wasn't uncomfortable — it was thoughtful, heavy with questions neither was sure how to start asking.
"So…" Lyra began at last, leaning back slightly. "Fourteen kills, including the boss. Not bad for your first raid."
Ael smiled. "Better than expected, honestly. Though to be fair, it was a team effort. Without the mages keeping the Guardian's movement sealed and Amanda opening that first wound, my spears wouldn't have done much."
She tilted her head, watching him carefully. "You fail to see something, Ael. Even if I'd been the one holding that Guardian down, a freshly awakened wouldn't have pierced its core — not like that. Not in two throws."
He hesitated, then gave a half-shrug. "My stats are… higher than average. Around level ten, give or take. So it makes sense that my strength would—"
"Even then," she interrupted gently, "it shouldn't have been possible. Not that fast." Her gaze sharpened. "Tell me, did you figure out how to refine your core while in the rift?"
His grin widened. "Maybe. But before that — what about my payment?"
Her expression went flat. "Oh, you really enjoy testing your luck, don't you?"
He chuckled, leaning back slightly as if bracing for the inevitable scolding.
Lyra sighed, running a hand through her hair. "Fine. Eleven stones, including the Guardian's core. The team agreed you earned it since you dealt the final blow. Do you want credits or stones?"
"Well," he began with mock seriousness, "I found out I don't exactly need stones to refine my core. When I kill monsters, something in me refines it automatically. I felt it twice in that rift. So I'll take the Guardian stone and five others, then convert the rest into credits."
Lyra blinked. For a second, she didn't breathe. Then the words hit her all at once. "Wait… you refined your core just by killing monsters? Without using stones?"
He nodded casually, as if he hadn't just said something that defied every known law of awakening.
Lyra's mind raced. "That's… impossible," she whispered. "No one — no one — can refine without absorbing mana stones. And you refined twice? With only fourteen kills?"
Her eyes flicked up to him, searching his expression for deceit. There was none. Only quiet certainty.
Lyra exhaled, pressing a hand to her forehead. "Listen to me carefully, Ael. You cannot tell anyone about this. Not a soul. If the government or the researchers hear of this, you'll become an experiment, not a person. They'll try to reproduce whatever you are. You'll lose your freedom before you even realize it."
He nodded, serious now. "Understood."
She reached into her desk drawer, retrieving a sleek, rune-lined scanner. "Let's confirm something. Place your hand here."
He did. The device pulsed with blue light, emitting a soft chime as it processed his data. A readout appeared above it in shimmering text.
─────────────────
Awakened Name: Ael Valen
Strength: 24
Agility: 24
Vitality: 24
Stamina: 24
Intelligence: 26
─────────────────
Lyra's eyes widened. "What the hell, Ael? These numbers… they're absurd!" She stood, pacing slightly. "Each of your stats increased by four, except for intelligence — which increased by six. You said you refined twice? That means you gained two points per stat and three in intelligence per refinement. That shouldn't even be possible!"
Ael couldn't help the small smirk tugging at his lips. Watching her, the most composed Guild Master in the city, on the verge of short-circuiting, was oddly entertaining.
Lyra stopped pacing and looked at him again — half amazement, half exasperation. "If my theory's right, you started with double the stats of a normal awakener. Which means your growth might also be doubled. Ael… if that's true, by the time you reach level sixty, you could rival A-Rank awakeners. You'd be—"
"Broken?" he offered with a grin.
Her eyes narrowed. "Insufferable."
He laughed softly. "Guild Master, I think you should calm down. I'm special, sure, but not enough to give you a headache."
"PAH!" The sound of her palm connecting with the back of his head echoed through the office.
He winced, rubbing the spot. "Ow. I probably deserved that."
"Definitely," she said dryly, though a smile tugged at her lips. "You are a walking anomaly, Ael. I don't know whether to be terrified or proud."
"Why not both?"
Lyra shook her head, suppressing a laugh. Then, her expression softened again, all traces of humor fading into something more serious. "I'm scheduling another rift for the day after tomorrow. Hopefully with the same team — Amanda seems fond of you now, which is rare enough to document."
Ael grinned. "Yeah, she's surprisingly nice once she stops glaring."
Lyra ignored the comment. "Listen, your future depends on staying quiet about this. No one can know — not your sister, not Isla, not your mother. If someone slips, it'll put them in danger too. Understand?"
His expression turned somber. He nodded. "Understood, Guild Master."
"Good."
As he turned to leave, she looked at him one last time. The morning light framed him through the office window — a boy still smiling like the world wasn't watching, unaware that fate itself had already begun to orbit him.
When the door closed behind him, Lyra exhaled and whispered to the empty room,
"Whatever you are, Ael… please don't stray from the path."