Night had finally arrived.
Planet Diamond shone brighter than ever.
The entire city looked like a sea of stars.
Crystal towers reflected countless lights into the heavens. Airships drifted between skyscrapers. Roads sparkled like rivers of gemstones.
Tonight was special.
It was the Initiate Ball.
A celebration held once every year for those who survived their First Trial.
New initiates from different planets gathered beneath one roof.
For many families, tonight marked the beginning of greatness.
For others...
It was proof that their children had survived hell.
A sleek black cab stopped before an enormous building.
Aaron stepped out first.
Jade followed behind him.
The moment Jade looked up, he almost stopped walking.
The building was magnificent.
The entire structure appeared to be carved from white crystal.
Golden lights illuminated enormous pillars.
A grand staircase stretched toward gigantic silver doors.
Above the entrance floated dozens of glowing spheres that resembled miniature moons.
Jade whistled.
"Rich people really enjoy showing off."
Aaron smirked.
"Welcome to Planet Diamond."
They entered.
The sight inside was even more unbelievable.
A massive chandelier made entirely of floating crystals hung from the ceiling.
Thousands of lights danced inside it like trapped stars.
The ballroom itself was enormous.
Polished crystal floors reflected every light.
Elegant tables surrounded the hall.
Large windows stretched from floor to ceiling, revealing the glittering city outside.
Music drifted softly through the room.
Initiates from different planets mingled together.
Some wore elegant suits.
Others wore military uniforms.
Some even wore relic armor as formal clothing.
Everywhere Jade looked, powerful people could be seen.
Awakened.
Masters
Even a few Ascendants
The atmosphere felt both luxurious and intimidating.
Jade immediately felt out of place.
"Why do I feel like everyone here owns at least three planets?"
Aaron laughed.
"Because some of them probably do."
Far across the ballroom...
Nora entered through another entrance.
Sophia followed beside her.
John looked as though he had just entered paradise.
Mark looked bored.
Lady Aria had practically forced them to attend.
According to her, opportunities were hidden everywhere.
Nora didn't like parties.
Sophia liked them too much.
John wanted to meet powerful people.
Mark wanted free food.
Each had their own reasons.
Yet none of them noticed Jade.
And Jade didn't notice them.
Fate continued playing its strange game.
Meanwhile...
Henry, Ella, and Blake had already arrived.
Yet the ballroom was so large that Jade couldn't find them.
Thousands of people filled the hall.
It would have been easier to find a needle inside an ocean.
Eventually Aaron wandered away after spotting someone he knew.
Jade found himself alone.
Not wanting to awkwardly stand around, he walked toward a drink counter positioned near the side of the ballroom.
A young receptionist stood behind it.
His smile appeared professional.
Almost too professional.
His name was Mason.
Jade sat down.
The receptionist smiled.
"Good evening, Initiate."
Jade nodded.
"Good evening."
"Would you like a drink?"
Jade glanced at the bottles.
His eyes narrowed.
"Is that alcohol?"
"Mostly."
"No."
Mason looked surprised.
"You don't drink?"
Jade shook his head.
"My mother would kill me."
Mason laughed.
"Not even a little?"
"No."
"It's relaxing."
"No."
"It helps with stress."
"No."
"It helps people make friends."
"No."
Mason blinked.
"Your answers are very short."
"I'm trying to protect my future."
Mason laughed again.
For some reason...
The young man looked familiar.
Very familiar.
A resemblance that bothered him.
Rylan.
The Sovereign.
Nora's father.
This initiate looked surprisingly similar.
Not identical.
But enough to remind Mason of someone he hated.
The thought made his smile colder.
"Then perhaps water?"
Jade immediately nodded.
"Water sounds perfect."
Mason prepared the drink.
As he turned around, a tiny amount of alcohol slipped into the glass.
So little that most people wouldn't notice.
Then he handed it over.
Jade accepted it thankfully.
After spending more than a year fighting monsters, simple water felt like luxury.
He drank.
Immediately.
His eyebrows twitched.
Alcohol.
A tiny amount.
But definitely alcohol.
Jade lowered the glass.
"You put alcohol inside this."
Mason looked shocked.
"I did?"
"You did."
"Maybe the glass wasn't cleaned properly."
Jade stared at him.
Mason smiled innocently.
Jade sighed.
"It's fine."
The amount was small.
Almost insignificant.
Besides...
The speech would begin soon.
He wasn't interested in causing trouble.
Unfortunately.
The moment he finished drinking...
Something felt wrong.
A strange heat spread through his body.
Starting from his stomach.
Then his chest.
Then his head.
Jade frowned.
That wasn't normal.
His body temperature continued rising.
A cool sensation raced down his spine.
Exactly as Mason had described.
Jade blinked several times.
The room suddenly felt brighter.
Far brighter.
The lights looked like miniature suns.
The music sounded louder.
His senses became strangely distorted.
"What..."
Jade muttered.
Meanwhile...
Mason had vanished.
Completely vanished.
Jade couldn't even find him.
The heat continued increasing.
His heartbeat accelerated.
His vision blurred slightly.
He stood up.
The ballroom tilted.
Not enough to make him fall.
But enough to make walking difficult.
Far above the crowd...
A stage slowly illuminated.
Everyone began gathering.
The speech was about to begin.
A figure appeared.
Lady Aria.
The Transcendent of Outcome.
The room immediately fell silent.
Her silver hair seemed to glow beneath the lights.
Her calm eyes swept across the crowd.
Every conversation stopped.
Every movement ceased.
Even powerful Awakened unconsciously straightened their backs.
Aria smiled gently.
Then she began speaking.
"Tonight is not a celebration of power."
Her voice effortlessly filled the enormous ballroom.
"It is a celebration of courage."
Silence filled the room.
"You entered your Trials as ordinary people."
"You returned as Initiates."
"But that title alone does not impress me."
Many looked confused.
Aria continued.
"What impresses me is that each of you faced fear."
"You faced despair."
"You faced death."
"And yet you chose to continue walking."
Her gaze swept across the crowd.
Some initiates lowered their heads.
They remembered.
The blood.
The monsters.
The screams.
The loneliness.
"You were broken."
"You suffered."
"You lost companions."
"You made sacrifices."
"But you endured."
Her voice softened.
"And because you endured..."
"You stand here tonight."
The audience listened quietly.
Some even became emotional.
"Humanity does not survive because we are stronger than our enemies."
"It survives because we refuse to surrender."
The hall erupted into applause.
Meanwhile...
Jade barely heard half the speech.
His head felt like it was splitting apart.
The heat inside his body kept growing.
His vision blurred.
Sweat rolled down his forehead.
Without realizing it, he loosened two buttons of his shirt.
Fresh air touched his chest.
It barely helped.
Then Aaron finally found him.
One glance.
And Aaron frowned.
"You look terrible."
Jade blinked.
"I think..."
"What?"
"I think someone gave me something stronger than alcohol."
Aaron immediately became serious.
"What do you mean?"
"My body feels strange."
Aaron cursed under his breath.
"I'll get lemon juice."
Jade nodded weakly.
"Thanks."
Aaron disappeared into the crowd.
Jade leaned against a pillar.
The world spun around him.
The speech continued.
The applause continued.
The celebration continued.
Yet the strange heat only grew stronger.
Something was happening.
Something very wrong.
A few minutes later...
Aaron returned carrying a drink.
Except—
Jade was gone.
Completely gone.
Aaron stopped.
His eyes narrowed.
The glass nearly slipped from his hand.
"...Jade?"
There was no answer.
For the first time that night...
A feeling of danger crept into Aaron's heart.