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Arcane Drifters – Chapter 98: "Luke – Level Up from Fear"
Luke was a coward.
He admitted it.
He hated the sound of thunder.
He never raised his hand in class.
He avoided fights.
He was afraid… of everything.
But the world didn't care.
The Arcane invasion had started.
And fear?
It didn't protect anyone anymore.
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Luke lived in the quiet city of Ravix — far from the Arcane battle zones. But even here, rumors spread. Glowing warriors in the sky. Cities destroyed overnight. People vanishing.
> "Those are just stories," he told himself.
> "That will never happen here."
But deep down…
He was terrified.
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And then it came.
Dark clouds. Sirens. Screams.
A flying Arcane beast crashed through the skyline.
Glowing wolves with crimson eyes tore through the streets.
Everything was falling.
Luke ran.
He ran faster than he ever had.
Until—
He saw a child in the middle of the road.
Alone.
Crying.
A wolf charged straight toward her.
Luke froze.
His legs shook.
> "Run, Luke… RUN!"
His mind screamed.
But his heart whispered something else:
> "Not this time."
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He moved.
Not like a hero. Not fast.
But he moved.
He stood in front of the girl. Arms shaking. Teeth clenched.
The wolf leapt.
Luke screamed—
Swung a broken chair leg—
WHAM!
The wolf landed hard. Not dead… but stopped.
The girl cried.
Luke couldn't breathe.
But he didn't run.
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Something warm lit up in his chest.
Not fire.
Not magic.
Will.
A faint circle glowed under his feet.
The Arcane beast in the sky slowed down, watching him.
And Luke…
Stood straighter.
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> "I'm scared," he whispered.
"But I'm still here."
> "So maybe that's what courage really is."
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And in that moment…
Luke didn't awaken a flashy form.
He didn't shoot lasers or summon dragons.
But something inside him leveled up.
Fear was still there — but behind courage.
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Far away, in a floating observatory, a mysterious figure watched through a crystal.
> "That boy…"
"He is not a Drifter. Not an Arcane. Not a king."
"But one day, he will stand where gods fall."
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Chapter End
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