GODFALL ORDER:
The wind never felt natural near the Ruin Border.
It didn't carry warmth.
It didn't carry life.
It carried ash.
Kael Dravion stood at the edge of the training courtyard, staring beyond the massive iron walls of the academy.
Beyond those walls… the world was broken.
A battlefield that never ended.
A war no one remembered starting.
And a peace no one believed would ever come.
"Hey."
A foot struck the back of his leg.
Kael didn't fall. He barely shifted.
Behind him, three trainees laughed.
"Still standing there like an idiot?" one of them sneered. "Thinking about becoming strong?"
Kael tilted his head slightly.
His expression was calm—almost lazy.
"Thinking is tiring," he replied. "I prefer not doing it."
The group burst into louder laughter.
"Of course you don't. That's why you're still Tier 1."
Kael scratched his head and looked up at the cracked sky.
Tier 1.
Faint Awakener.
The lowest classification in the Veyra system.
Even the weakest soldiers on the frontlines were above him.
Yet Kael didn't look angry.
He looked… uninterested.
RUIN BORDER ACADEMY — ANNOUNCEMENT HALL
A deep horn echoed through the entire academy.
The atmosphere shifted instantly.
A massive floating screen lit up above the courtyard.
FIELD TRAINING MISSION — OUTER RUIN ZONE 12
OBJECTIVE: ELIMINATE CORRUPTED BEASTS
SURVIVAL RATE: 89%
Excitement spread like fire.
"Finally…"
"A real mission!"
"This is our chance to rank up!"
Kael yawned.
A hand suddenly grabbed his shoulder.
Instructor Marek.
Tall. Scarred. Silent.
"You're going too," he said.
Silence followed.
Then laughter from nearby trainees.
"He's going? Won't the monsters die of boredom first?"
Kael raised a hand slightly.
"I feel honored," he said. "I think."
Marek ignored him.
"Stay alive. That is your only job."
Kael smiled faintly.
"That sounds easy."
OUTER RUIN ZONE 12
The forest outside the wall was wrong.
Not dead.
Not alive.
Something in between.
The trees stood twisted, like broken bones reaching into the sky.
The ground cracked with faint glowing lines—remnants of ancient Veyra battles.
Kael walked at the back of the formation.
No one stayed near him.
Not because he was dangerous.
Because he wasn't.
At least… that's what they believed.
"Stay alert," the squad leader called out. "Corrupted beasts appear in clusters here."
Silence.
Then—
A sound.
Dragging.
Like something heavy scraping through stone.
Kael stopped.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That's new."
"Shut up, Kael," someone muttered. "You can't even sense Veyra properly."
But Kael wasn't listening.
His body had already reacted.
A faint pressure built in his chest.
Not fear.
Not excitement.
Recognition.
FIRST CONTACT
The ground exploded.
A massive figure burst from beneath the forest floor.
A corrupted beast.
Its body was a distortion of flesh and stone, multiple limbs moving in unnatural directions, its chest glowing with a cracked Veyra core.
The squad froze.
"That's not a minor beast…"
"It's Tier 3… no—higher!"
Panic spread instantly.
Then the beast moved.
One strike.
A trainee was thrown through the air, crashing into a tree.
Another swing.
Blood hit the ground.
Screams followed.
Kael stood still.
For the first time… his expression changed.
Not fear.
Focus.
"…Oh."
The beast turned toward him.
It stopped.
For a brief moment.
Like it was confused.
Like something about him didn't match reality.
Kael tilted his head.
"Why are you looking at me?"
The air shifted.
Very slightly.
Almost nothing.
But the ground beneath his feet cracked.
Not from pressure.
From response.
Something inside him… reacted.
UNKNOWN SIGNAL
Far away, Instructor Marek's eyes narrowed.
"…That reaction…"
He stepped forward slightly.
"That shouldn't happen at Tier 1."
The beast took a step back.
It hesitated.
For the first time.
Kael exhaled slowly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"Well," he said quietly.
"I guess I'll try not to die."
He took one step forward.
And the air bent slightly around him
End Of Chapter 1