The road to Lionel Academy had been anything but smooth.
For years, Raze begged his parents to let him attend. Roland and Rose Arcwell never doubted his heart—but they feared the world he wanted to enter.
Lionel Academy was unforgiving.Students without Nexas weren't just outmatched…they were targets.
"Raze," his mother once whispered while stroking his hair, "you're brilliant. But brilliance isn't enough in a place where power rules."
His father added quietly:
"You don't have to prove anything to anyone."
But Raze did.
Every morning he trained until his knuckles bled.Every night he studied until his vision blurred.He argued, pushed, and proved himself—until even his parents saw something they couldn't deny.
A fire that refused to go out.
They finally agreed to let him choose his path.
But the hardest person to convince was not his mother…nor his father…
It was Luna Arcwell.
. . .
Luna's Warning
When Raze announced he would take the entrance exam, Luna didn't shout.
She simply looked at him for a long, heavy moment.
"Raze… that place isn't kind."
Her voice trembled—not with anger, but fear.
"I've seen students break. Humiliated. Pushed past their limits. If they treated me harshly for being too strong…"She swallowed hard."What do you think they'll do to someone with no Nexas?"
Raze met her gaze without flinching.
"I know. But I won't run from it."
Luna clenched her fists. "Why? Why choose the hardest road?"
"Because it's the only road that leads me forward."
That single sentence silenced her.
And though Luna hated it…she stepped aside.
"Fine… but if anyone hurts you, I'll—"
Raze smiled."I'll be fine, sis."
Entrance Exam Day
Lionel Academy tested everything—combat ability, endurance, intelligence. But the entrance exam to enter only had theory exam. (Every other abilities are tested after entering) He had no Nexas to showcase, no flashy skill to perform.
But the written exam?
That was his battlefield.
He answered each question with razor-sharp clarity.History, strategy, ethics, combat theory—he dominated every subject.
A week later, the results came.
Score: 100%Rank: 1st Place
Shock rippled through the campus.
"Is this a joke?""A powerless kid took first?""Did the Arcwells rig the exam?""No way he got a perfect score naturally—right?"
Whispers slithered through the halls.
But no one dared say it loudly.
Because everyone knew who walked the academy halls:
Luna Arcwell.Hero prodigy.Terrifyingly protective big sister.
The Valedictorian Steps Forward
At the opening ceremony, Raze was called to the stage as the new valedictorian of the first-year class.
Thousands of eyes followed him.
Some mocking.Some curious.Some waiting for him to embarrass himself.
They expected a stutter.A timid apology.A powerless boy shrinking under pressure.
Instead—
Raze stood straight, shoulders firm, gaze unshaken.
"I know many of you doubt me," he said, voice echoing across the hall."Some of you think power determines worth. That without Nexas, I should not be here."
A murmur rippled through the crowd.
"But remember this."
Raze placed a hand over his heart.
"Power does not make a hero.""Heart does.""Will does.""And I will prove that—with or without Nexas."
Gasps broke out. Some laughed, but their voices wavered. Even the instructors exchanged glances.
For the first time, the academy saw the fire inside the powerless boy.
A fire brighter than most abilities.
And so, on his very first day—
Raze Arcwell declared war on fate.
His name, once dismissed and pitied, began to spread like a spark through dry wood.
A spark that would one day ignite an inferno