Back at Kael's house…
After a hundred push-ups, Kael stood up and stretched.
"Yup, that's it for the morning."
He walked into the bathroom, his body lightly glistening with sweat. The cold water rushed down his pale skin as he washed off the morning effort. After drying off, he grabbed a towel and began wiping his damp hair. As he passed the mirror, he paused.
Long, wet, snow-white hair framed his sharp face. His hunter-red eyes pierced through his own reflection with quiet intensity. His skin unblemished, pale, smooth like polished marble radiated an unnatural allure. His jawline wasn't the sharpest, but it was model-tier, well-balanced and regal.
"Damn…" he muttered. "If this was my previous world, I would've easily been some sort of supermodel. Maybe even better than Francisco Lachowski's near-perfect face."
He smirked slightly and tossed the towel over his shoulder.
Throwing on a black T-shirt and loose black sweatpants, he brushed his teeth, ran his fingers through his hair, and headed to the kitchen.
There, he brewed a strong cup of black coffee and toasted a bagel plain, no sugar.
"This body really doesn't like sugar," he thought, placing the bagel on a small plate. "So I've been cutting sugar out."
He sighed and sat at the table, sipping the bitter coffee. The morning sunlight crept into the room through the blinds, golden and quiet.
"Damn…" he whispered again, taking another sip. "For now… I need to find a way to use Vanta without him eating up my life force."
He looked up at the ceiling, eyes narrowing.
"System."
A transparent blue screen blinked into view.
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE - KAEL VERNIER]
Name: Kael Vernier
Age: 16
Level: 7
Sword Art: Shadow Arts
Core: Unawakened
Class: Swordsman
Title: The Shadow Prince
HP: 550 / 550
Stamina: 400 / 400
Exp: 432 / 700
Strength: C+
Agility: B
Endurance: C
Intelligence: B
Perception: C+
Willpower: B
Mana: 2% Unlocked (Locked)
Skills ↓
Story ↓
Mission:
• Summon or create a Meta Being
---
Kael tapped the edge of the screen thoughtfully.
"My stats are looking pretty good… hopefully I can finish that mission before going back to school."
He leaned back, sipping his coffee slowly, savoring the quiet.
---
At the Eldraven Household
Inside a grand chamber surrounded by elegant gold-etched bookshelves and tapestries of long-dead ancestors, Jin sat shirtless on a meditation rug, wearing nothing but grey sweatpants. His body was honed.
Around him swirled visible white mana flowing like morning mist across his skin. The room pulsed faintly with light core energy.
A knock came from the thick oak door.
"Who is it?" Jin said, eyes still shut.
"It's Vaen."
A moment of silence.
"Thought you'd be doing swordsmanship training by now," Vaen added casually.
"I need to recover," Jin replied. "For the fight with my father tomorrow."
"…Fair," Vaen said. "I'll leave you to it."
Jin reopened his eyes after a few moments. Deep sea blue eyes sharp yet calm pierced the air. He rose slowly and walked toward the tall open window. The breeze caught his jet-black hair, fluttering the ends softly as he closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
"System."
The familiar flicker of blue light lit up his vision.
---
[SYSTEM INTERFACE - JIN ELDRAVEN]
Name: Jin Eldraven
Bloodline: Eldraven
Cores: All
Level: 52
Exp: 623 / 1286
Class: None
Strength: 86
Speed: 102
Stamina: 78
Durability: 82
Mana: 117
Perception: 70
Skills ↓
---
"Guess I've got a long way to go before I reach 100 on all stats," Jin said to himself with a smirk. He then returned to his meditation rug, sitting cross-legged once again as the breeze flowed through the room, cooling him in quiet comfort.
---
Back at the Sylvenmire Mansion
Elsa Sylvenmire was hidden under her enormous blanket, bundled up like a frightened rabbit. Her face flushed red as she clutched her knees and rocked gently.
"OMG OMG OMG," she whispered repeatedly, heart racing. "He kissed me… Kael kissed me… Wait… does that mean we're dating?! No no no no no…"
Outside her door, a familiar voice knocked.
"Hello, Madam Elsa?" said Sarah, her head maid. "Are you okay? I heard you scream."
Elsa froze.
"U-Uhm… no! I mean yes! I'm okay!"
There was a pause.
"I saw you on the TV with that handsome boy. The white-haired one… Is he a Morvayne? His skin was perfect like a vampires," Sarah teased.
Elsa, still red-faced, shouted, "We're not dating!"
Sarah chuckled from the hallway.
"I never said you were," she said as she walked away with a knowing smile.