The sunlight in the garden always felt warmer than inside the house. Maybe it was the way it slipped through the leaves, scattering across the ground in soft golden patches, or maybe it was because this was the one place where my mind didn't feel like a storm.
A month had passed since I woke from the coma. Three days lost in darkness. Thirty days of recovery. And now, for the first time since arriving in this world, my body didn't shake every time I stood.
I could breathe without pain.Walk a few steps without collapsing.And think clearly.
But I still didn't understand the world I was in.
Mana.Cores.Affinities.Hunter Association.Guilds.Academies.Awakening.Aura.
Even the words felt heavy.
Arin sat beside me on the garden bench, knees drawn up, fingers brushing through the mint leaves. She seemed relaxed, but I knew she was paying attention to me—even when she pretended not to.
She always did.
I watched the way sunlight caught her green eyes, the way the wind played with her hair. She was the closest to my age—my twin by birth, even if I didn't remember anything about our childhood—and even saying "Arin" still felt strange, like I was borrowing a name from a stranger.
She didn't mind.
She never pushed, never demanded, never asked me to remember things I couldn't.
Instead, she answered everything I asked.And today… I had questions.
"So…" I started carefully, "I am awakened, right?"
She looked up at me slowly. "Yes."
"And… people usually… awaken later than this?"
"Between seven and twelve, usually," she said. "Some earlier. Some later. But you…" she hesitated, glancing at my hands, "…you awakened a long time ago. Before you were taken."
That made something tight curl in my stomach.
"And no one checked my affinity yet because…"
"Your body was too weak," she said gently. "Affinities flare. Testing them when you're unstable can harm your core."
I swallowed.
Core.That word again.
"Arin," I said quietly, "what is a core exactly?"
She exhaled softly and leaned back, thinking. "It's like… a seed of your mana. Everyone has mana inside them, but the core decides if that mana wakes up. Awakening means the seed sprouted."
"And affinities?" I asked.
"That's the type of mana you have. Fire, earth, wind, ice… those are common. Shadow, lightning, time—those are rarer."She paused. "Dad used to say affinities are like… the voice of your mana. The way it speaks."
Shadow. The word stuck in me. I didn't know why.
"And aura?" I pressed.
"That's different," she said. "Aura isn't magic. It's your body's strength turned into energy. People who can't awaken mana sometimes awaken aura instead."
"And Dad… has aura?" I asked quietly.
She nodded. "Very strong aura."
I wanted to ask more, but something in her expression told me she wasn't saying everything.
So I asked something else instead.
"Arin… what happened to Dad's arm and eye?"
She froze.
The breeze shifted, brushing loose hair across her face. Her eyes lowered.
"A raid," she whispered. "An A-rank gate overflow. A long time ago."
"And no one could heal him?"
"Only S-rank healers can heal injuries like that," she said. "And there wasn't one there. Or maybe…"She swallowed."Maybe he didn't want to be healed."
I frowned. "Why wouldn't he?"
She shook her head. "I don't know. He never told us."
Silence settled between us.Heavy, but not uncomfortable.
And then—
Footsteps.
Slow, steady, familiar.
My father walked into the garden, the shadows almost bending around him. His black coat brushed the grass, his red eye reflecting light like a gemstone. Even with one arm, he radiated a presence that made the whole garden feel smaller.
He looked at us and stopped a few steps away.
"Tomorrow morning," he said calmly, "we're going to the branch office of the Hunter Association."
My heart jumped.
"The… Hunter Association?" I repeated.
He nodded. "The second most powerful force in Thryon after the nation's army. They regulate hunters, guilds, awakenings, and gates."
"And why are we going there?"
"To register you."His gaze softened. "You've been awakened for years, Liam. If you hadn't awakened mana when you were taken… you wouldn't have survived."
My breath caught.
I hadn't known that.I wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"I… already awakened?" I whispered.
"Yes," he said. "But your body was too damaged to test your affinity. The moment I touched you the day I found you… your core stirred. Strongly."
Arin smiled a little at that.
Dad continued, "Tomorrow they'll check your body, your stability, and your mana levels. No affinity testing yet. You need more recovery for that."
I nodded slowly.
He sat beside us, his gaze sweeping across the garden.
"Liam," he said, voice low, "most people awaken the same affinity as their parents, or something close. Your mother's ice, Arin's ice, Rin's wind and fire. I'm air. But affinity isn't what makes a hunter great."
"What does?" I asked.
"Control," he said. "Will. Stability."Then quieter: "And survival."
He looked at me like he knew exactly what survival meant to me.
Maybe he did.
"Your brother Rin has two affinities," Dad continued. "It's rare, not legendary. And his affinities—wind and fire—are compatible, which makes him special."
Arin snorted. "Don't tell him that, he'll explode."
"He will learn humility," Dad murmured.
I stayed quiet, absorbing everything.
"And me?" I finally whispered. "What if my affinity is weak?"
Dad shook his head. "There is no 'weak' affinity. Only weak use."
He leaned forward slightly.
"You don't need to worry. Whatever your affinity is, it will be good."
I didn't know how he could say that with such certainty.But his voice made it feel true anyway.
Then he added:
"And even if you had not awakened mana, you still had another path. Knight training. Aura awakening. That path is brutal, but real."
"You awakened aura too?" I asked.
"Yes."A short answer, but heavy.
Arin chimed in softly, "It's rare for someone with mana to also awaken aura. But Dad did."
That explained some things.His strength.His presence.His reputation.
Dad stood.
"There is something else I should tell you," he added.
Both Arin and I looked up.
"You will attend Seraphine Crest Academy next year."
I froze.
The Hunter Academy?The academy people talk about like a dream?The place only talented youths enter?
"Me?" I asked quietly. "But… I'm not stable yet. I don't even know my affinity. I—"
He raised a hand gently to stop me.
"You will attend because you are awakened. And because the Headmaster is an old friend of mine."His expression turned softer."He owes me. And he respects me."
Arin grinned. "You'll be with me."
Something warm curled in my chest.
Dad continued, "My influence can open that door for the two of you. After that, everything is up to your own efforts."
"And Swyren World Academy?" Arin asked.
Dad's gaze sharpened.
"Swyren World Academy accepts no recommendations. No influence. No favors. If you want to enter, you must earn it alone."He looked at both of us."That academy is the peak. The place where geniuses and monsters are born."
I swallowed.
"And if we fail?"
"Then," Dad said gently, "you may join any other academy. Or enter a guild directly. Or walk another path. Your choices will not be closed."
Arin nodded firmly. "But we'll try."
Dad's gaze softened and he placed his hand briefly on my shoulder.
"Do not fear tomorrow. They will only check your condition. Whatever your affinity is… you will bear it well."
He turned and walked back into the house, leaving the scent of wind and something sharp in the air.
Arin leaned back on the bench.
"Liam," she said quietly, "you'll do fine."
I stared at my hands.
Weak hands.Healing hands.Hands that once dug through trash.Hands that now shook slightly, not from fear, but from something frighteningly close to hope.
"Arin," I whispered, "I… want to try."
She smiled softly. "Then you're already doing better than most."
The garden swayed gently around us, the leaves whispering secrets to the wind.
For the first time in three lifetimes, I didn't feel like I was staring at a world too big for me.
I felt like I was standing at its entrance.
And this time—I wasn't alone.