Lucian did not sleep that night.
The whispers from downstairs refused to leave his mind.
His sisters.
The clans are searching.
We cannot let them find him.
Every word echoed in his thoughts like a curse.
He lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, the moonlight shifting across the cracked plaster as the hours crawled by. More than once, he considered going downstairs and confronting his parents.
But something held him back.
Fear.
Not fear of them.
Fear of the truth.
For sixteen years, he had lived believing he was the son of an ordinary couple, a boy with no affinity, no special bloodline, and no future in the mage world.
Yet one overheard conversation had shattered that life.
When dawn finally broke, he rose from his bed with heavy eyes and an even heavier heart.
The house was quiet.
Too quiet.
His mother had already left for the market.
His father's room door was closed.
Lucian stared at it for a moment before quietly leaving the house.
He could not face them yet.
Not until he understood more.
The city was beginning to wake.
Morning sunlight spilt across Astra City's cobbled streets, turning the crystal lamps and mage towers into pillars of gold. Merchants were setting up their stalls, calling out to passing customers, while academy students hurried past in neat uniforms.
Lucian kept his head down.
Today was the Awakening Ceremony.
He should have been heading straight to the academy.
Instead, his feet carried him elsewhere.
Toward the old district.
Toward the place where the city's forgotten things gathered.
The Antique Market.
It was a strange corner of Astra City, hidden behind winding alleys and leaning brick buildings. Unlike the polished main market, this place felt older, almost alive with memory.
Dusty lanterns hung from iron hooks.
Ancient coins gleamed beneath faded cloths.
Broken rings, rusted blades, cracked scroll tubes, and strange relics were displayed on wooden tables.
The air smelt of incense, old parchment, and rain-soaked stone.
Lucian had come here before.
Whenever the academy's mockery became too much, he wandered through these lanes to clear his mind.
But today, something felt different.
A strange pull.
As if something unseen was guiding him deeper into the market.
He passed several stalls.
A merchant displaying cracked beast cores.
An old woman selling faded talismans.
A man polishing an ancient dagger that hummed faintly with residual mana.
Then Lucian stopped.
At the far end of the lane stood a stall he had never seen before.
Its wooden sign was weathered and blank.
Black curtains hung behind the shelves, hiding the inside of the shop in darkness.
An old man sat behind the counter.
His hair was white as snow, his face lined with deep wrinkles, and his eyes—
His eyes were unnervingly sharp.
Almost as if they had been waiting.
The old man smiled.
"I was beginning to wonder when you'd arrive."
Lucian frowned.
"Do you know me?"
The old man chuckled softly.
"Not yet."
A strange answer.
Lucian glanced over the displayed items.
There were relics unlike anything he had seen before.
A silver ring engraved with celestial runes.
A black crystal orb that seemed to absorb light.
A cracked bronze compass whose needle spun endlessly.
And then—
He saw it.
A pendant.
It lay half-hidden beneath a dusty velvet cloth.
Simple in design.
A silver chain.
An oval pendant made of dark metal.
At its centre was a cracked gem, deep blue with faint purple veins running through it like frozen lightning.
The moment Lucian looked at it, his chest tightened.
A pulse.
Soft.
Then stronger.
His heart began to beat faster.
"What is this?" he asked.
The old man's smile deepened.
"An old thing."
Lucian reached out.
The instant his fingers touched the pendant, a cold shiver ran through his body.
For a brief moment, the world around him blurred.
He saw—
Darkness.
A hall of floating stars.
Two figures standing in shadow.
One male.
One female.
Then the vision vanished.
Lucian jerked his hand back.
His breathing quickened.
"What… was that?"
The old man leaned forward.
"That pendant has been waiting a very long time."
Lucian stared at him.
"How much?"
The old man looked at him for a moment, as if weighing something far beyond money.
Then he said quietly,
"Ten silver coins."
Lucian froze.
That was exactly all the money he had.
Every coin saved over months.
Lunch money.
Book money.
Emergency money.
His hand instinctively moved to the pouch at his waist.
Ten silver coins.
Exactly.
A chill passed through him.
"How did you know?"
The old man only smiled.
"Some things are meant to happen."
Lucian hesitated.
He should not buy it.
He knew that.
Today was the awakening.
He needed to be at the academy soon.
And yet…
The strange pull from the pendant grew stronger.
As if it were calling to him.
Without fully understanding why, Lucian placed the ten coins on the counter.
The old man pushed the pendant toward him.
"Take good care of it."
Lucian picked it up.
The cold metal felt strangely comforting in his palm.
Like something lost had finally returned.
As he turned to leave, the old man spoke once more.
"Be careful tonight."
Lucian stopped.
"Why?"
The old man's gaze darkened.
"Because once the seal breaks… nothing will ever be the same."
A strange unease settled in Lucian's chest.
Before he could ask another question, a loud bell rang across the city.
The academy bell.
The Awakening Ceremony.
Lucian's eyes widened.
He was late.
He quickly slipped the pendant into his pocket and ran through the market streets.
By the time he reached the academy gates, students were already gathering in front of the Great Hall.
Rudra stood near the entrance with several others.
The moment he saw Lucian, a cruel grin spread across his face.
"Well, look who finally showed up."
Laughter followed.
"Did the useless one oversleep?"
Lucian ignored him and moved past.
But Rudra stepped into his path.
"Careful," Rudra said mockingly. "Today decides whether trash gets thrown out."
Lucian met his gaze.
For the first time, there was something different in his eyes.
A strange calm.
Rudra frowned, sensing it.
Lucian brushed past him.
As he entered the hall, his fingers unconsciously tightened around the pendant in his pocket.
It pulsed again.
Once.
Twice.
Then fell silent.
At the centre of the hall stood the massive Awakening Crystal, glowing with shifting colours.
Students whispered excitedly.
Teachers stood in solemn rows.
Professor Elric's voice echoed across the chamber.
"Today, destiny shall be revealed."
Lucian took his place at the back of the line.
His heartbeat thundered in his ears.
The pendant felt heavier now.
Warmer.
As if something inside it had begun to stir.
Outside, dark clouds slowly gathered above Astra City.
And somewhere beyond sight, fate had already begun to move.