I've always felt invisible. Unlucky, even.
Sometimes I look outside and see happy families eating dinner together, smiling like they don't know what pain feels like. And I realize… I've never lived that kind of life.
My life has no real purpose.
Every day's the same—wake up, still tired, even after ten hours of sleep. I rise from my filthy bed—the kind of mattress that wouldn't even sell for a meal. I eat the same stale food every morning—usually bread. On my birthday, if I'm lucky, I get a single egg.
After I eat—if you can call it a meal—I step outside and take a deep breath.
The air isn't refreshing. It reeks of cigarettes, cheap booze, and… other things I probably shouldn't mention.
Outside, broken windows hang over crumbling houses. Doorknobs dangle off rusted hinges. People stagger down the street like skeletons—like they haven't eaten in days.
This is the bad part of the city.
But honestly, I don't look any better than them—pale white skin, messy white hair, black eyes, dirty clothes.
Not the most attractive face, either.
But I don't care about my face. There are better things to care about.
I'm not into dating. And even if I were, I couldn't afford a girlfriend.
⸻
The world I live in would confuse most people.
Most citizens live average lives. Not rich, not poor. Not happy, not miserable. Just… average.
Average jobs. Average homes. Average dreams.
But me? I'm not average. I'm at the bottom.
I'm poor. I'm unwanted. And maybe—just maybe—I'm broken.
The world itself is broken, too. Every six months, it shifts.
Realigns into a different realm—or "layer," as some call it.
It's been happening for over five years now.
But it doesn't affect normal people—only the Awakened.
These Awakened… they're different. Special.
Treated like gold. Revered. Used. Feared.
Why?
Because when the world shifts, it only drags the Awakened into the new realm. No one knows why.
No one knows what would happen if all the Awakened died.
Would regular citizens be taken next? Would Earth collapse entirely?
That's why people fear awakening.
They fear losing what they love—their families, their pets, their homes, their lives.
But me?
I don't care about any of that.
I don't care about life.
Because I'm not living—I'm surviving.
⸻
That's why, when the voice finally echoed in my mind—cold, mechanical, absolute—I didn't panic.
[You have become Unbound.]
[Traveling to Trial…]
But I'll get to that. First, let me tell you how I got there.
⸻
The school I go to isn't normal—it's an academy for the Awakened.
Or more accurately, the Unbound. That's what we're called before we pass the Trial.
I got in for free. Makes sense. I'm basically worthless.
No special ability.
No flaw.
No Inner Name.
That last one's rare. An Inner Name means the Realignment chose you.
It's proof the world sees something in you—something you haven't seen in yourself.
Special abilities are always unique. No two people have the same one.
They're born from the soul. From your instincts. They are you.
Flaws, though—they're different.
Every Unbound has one. It reflects the darkest part of themselves.
A coward might get a flaw like Thou Shalt Not Flee—a binding force that prevents them from running away.
Since I don't have a flaw, I guess I'm lucky.
But I also don't have a power… which makes me the weakest person here.
My teacher once told me:
"Every Unbound gets a power. You might not have awakened it yet. Maybe the universe is testing you."
I hold onto those words like a lifeline.
Because if I don't awaken something before the Trial…
I'll die.
⸻
"Come on, class is starting," my teacher says with a cheerful voice.
"Alis, wake up," she calls again, firmer this time.
"Two more minutes…" I mumble, face-down on my desk.
WHAM!
She slaps the desk hard, and I bolt upright.
"I'm up!"
She isn't mean. Not really. She's just done with my crap.
You might think I'm just some lazy asshole who sleeps through class.
But this is the only place I can actually rest.
The chairs are hard plastic—but still better than the pile of trash I call a bed.
⸻
"Okay, class," she begins softly—though I only hear it because I wasn't listening.
"We've already talked about what it means to be Unbound. Powers. Flaws. And maybe… Inner Names. We haven't covered that one in depth."
She pauses.
"These names aren't given. They're revealed. Rare. Marks of fate. If you have one, it means the Realignment didn't just accept you. It chose you."
Now everyone's paying attention. Even me.
"But today, we're talking about something else," she says. "Something more important."
"The Trial."
The room goes dead silent.
This is it. The wall between us and real awakening.
If we pass, we move on. If we fail—we die.
"This trial is what separates survivors from corpses," she says bluntly.
"It's not about power. It's about adaptation."
⸻
At my school, there are 10,000 students.
Each one is sorted into a class based on their Flux Score—a number that measures your potential, energy output, and connection to the realms:
• Unbound Tier: 1–49
• Awakened Tier: 50–149
• Dormant Tier: 150–299
Only around five people are actually Awakened in this school. But the top students—two twins—are sitting around 130 Flux.
No one else comes close. They're almost touching Dormant tier.
There are more tiers after that. But honestly, that's useless info for me right now.
Me?
My score is 5.
The lowest in the entire school.
I'm the only student with no power, no flaw, and no future.
⸻
At lunch, I'm the second to last to leave the classroom.
The cafeteria is massive. Clean. Elegant. Nothing like the world I came from.
But like everything here, it's ranked.
E-Class—the bottom—eats last. And we get the scraps.
My tray has one strip of bacon, a slice of toast, and a piece of fruit.
That's it.
Meanwhile, the B and A Classes sit with trays piled high—eggs, pancakes, meat, drinks, pastries. Everything.
They don't appreciate it. They treat it like it's normal.
For them, it is.
⸻
After lunch, I walk down a long, sterile hallway to my elective: Survival Class.
I'm the only student in it.
Everyone else picked sword training, spellcasting, or something flashy.
But I don't have powers. So what's the point?
⸻
"Hey, Alis," my teacher says as I enter.
"Hey, teach," I mumble.
"How many times do I have to tell you—it's Mr. Phill."
He sighs.
"You've been in this class a week, but you haven't taken it seriously. You were smart enough to choose this path. Start acting like it."
I don't respond.
My thoughts are still spinning. The Trial. The fact I might die. The fear I won't even get a chance to fight.
Mr. Phill narrows his eyes, then steps closer.
"Today we're talking about the unpredictability of Trials," he says. "Each one is different. Custom-built to test you."
That gets my attention.
"In your Trial, you'll be teleported to an unfamiliar world. No friends. No family. No help. No food. No water."
He leans in.
"Sword skills won't save you there. Brute strength won't either. Only one thing will."
He taps his temple.
"Adaptation."
⸻
For the first time, I listen.
Because for the first time… someone's saying something I understand.
"You'll need to ask the right questions," Mr. Phill continues.
Where am I?
What's the terrain?
Where's the food? The water?
Will I freeze? Burn? Starve?
"Most students think about how to kill monsters or gather shards. But you—you're going to think about how to survive."
That hits me.
Because I've always had to survive.
I've adapted to hunger. To loneliness. To rejection.
To being invisible.
And maybe… that means I'm not as weak as I thought.
I look up and meet Mr. Phill's eyes.
"Tell me more," I say.
Mr. Phill laughs. "Hah! That's more like it."
"Alis, let me ask you a question."
"Yes?" I say, curiosity rising.
"What do you actually know about this world?" Mr. Phill asks.
"Well… I guess as much as everyone else? The basics. The world shifts every six months. After each shift, there's like a two-month break on Earth before it happens again, right?"
"That's correct," he says. "But do you know where the Awakened are right now? The celebrities? The most famous ones?"
"They're in another realm—with endless possibilities. These Awakened… they could kill millions if they wanted to."
I try to act like I know things. But the truth is—I don't.
I don't know the important stuff. Not like the rich kids.
They've been training for years, just in case they became Unbound.
Even with only a 10% chance of being chosen by the Realignment, they've practiced swordplay, combat, strategy—anything that could help them survive.
But me?
I got none of that. Most students have four, maybe five years of training over me.
"Alis, I believe you'll become a strong leader," Mr. Phill says. "You may not see it in yourself—but I do. I may just be a teacher, and you might think I say this to everyone… but the reason I haven't given up on these lessons is because I believe in you."
He holds my gaze.
"Why would I waste my time on someone I think will die? You may have the lowest score in this entire school—but maybe, one day, you'll pass up even the twins."
I don't know what comes over me.
But I feel it.
A mix of happiness and sadness. A kind of… grateful ache.
For the first time in my life, someone believes in me.
My first teacher said something similar once—but she didn't mean it.
Mr. Phill does.
And it's the exact push I didn't know I needed.
He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a piece of chalk.
I watch as he walks to the board and writes:
How to Keep Cool in a Stressful Situation
Underneath it, he adds:
• Do not show fear
• Do not show emotion
• Do not show anything
"Huh?" I murmur.
"Shh," he says.
Then, in all caps:
DO NOT SHOW FEAR
"You already wrote that," I say.
"I was emphasizing it, idiot," Mr. Phill replies.
Idiot? Who does this guy think he is?
To think I was actually glad he had faith in me…
"I'll explain," he says. "Let's put you in a hypothetical."
"Alis… close your eyes."
"Huh? Why?" I ask, confused.
"Do it," he says, his voice firm.
I slowly close my eyes. The light behind my lids dims.
"Imagine you're crossing paths with a monster of some sort. Eight feet tall. Black fur. Multiple eyes. A long, black tail. It looks like a werewolf—but twisted. And it stands upright like a man."
I start to feel uneasy—even though it's just a scenario.
"This thing opens its mouth… slowly. And inside is blood. Old, dark blood. The scent hits you. It's a predator—it feeds on fear. It enjoys it. Its mouth tells a story—of animals, of people, of things it's killed. Maybe dozens. Maybe just today."
My chest tightens as I picture it.
"You're thirty yards away. You can see it clearly. And it sees you even clearer. Now tell me, Alis—what do you do?"
I think. One long minute passes in silence.
"…I fight it?"
Mr. Phill chuckles. "Not the worst answer. Most trained fighters would say the same. What other option do you have, right?"
"But you can't fight, Alis. You're weak. What would a real strategist do?"
Eyes still closed, mind flickering with light and fear, I answer:
"A strategist would… run? Or maybe try to befriend it? No—wait. Maybe they'd study its reactions…"
Mr. Phill smiles.
"Not bad. Except the befriending part—that's just stupid. And if you run, nine times out of ten, it'll catch you. Who says you have time to study it?"
He steps closer.
"If you ever face something stronger than you, don't fight it—outsmart it. Use the terrain. Bait it. Trick it. Trap it. Anything but a head-on fight."
He taps the board.
"A real strategist doesn't win with strength. They win with timing, misdirection, and control of the environment. If you can't kill it—make it chase something else. Or make it fall before it ever reaches you."
I listen carefully.
This… this might be my only shot at surviving.
I'm not strong. Not physically. Not visually.
But I'm not dumb.
And that might be enough.
⸻
After class, I head to the hallway to grab my things—but everyone's huddled around the same board.
The Ranking Board.
It updates daily. Tracks Flux power.
The stronger you get, the more your score rises. Some climb fast. Others fall behind.
But the only two names that have never moved are the twins: Sola and Sora.
Sola is ranked #1. Flux: 133.
Sora is #2. Flux: 129.
The rest shuffle around beneath them.
Today, I see a third-ranked student at 90 Flux.
Still impressive. Still Awakened.
They've passed the Trial already.
But the gap between them and the twins? It's enormous. It might take a year just to close it—and by then, the twins would already be far ahead.
Not that I can say much.
The third-ranked student has 85 more Flux than me.
When I spot my name, all the way at the bottom, I just think:
"Well… I'm not surprised."
Someone without any powers shouldn't be surprised.
⸻
I actually tried to talk to one of the twins once. Sora—the top-ranked at the time.
Though back then, I didn't even know what the rankings meant.
It was a few weeks ago. My first day.
I saw her on campus—and honestly, anyone would've had a crush on her.
Long black hair. Grayish-black eyes. A perfect figure.
But emotionally cold. Shut off.
She didn't look like someone who'd want a conversation.
But I finally worked up the nerve to approach her.
I'm skinny. Short. Not good-looking. And I definitely don't have confidence.
But I knew one thing: I wasn't going to let fear stop me.
I coughed lightly to clear my throat.
It was like the world itself was telling me not to talk to her.
"Hey, excuse me."
She noticed me. But didn't turn around.
"Um… I'm new here."
Still nothing.
"Do you know where I could find Class E Realignment Learning?"
She finally turned her head—just slightly.
And then she rolled her eyes.
And walked away.
At that moment, everything in me—my courage, my hope—just shattered.
That was my first interaction at this school.
And one of the last.
Even now, I still think: Did that seriously just happen?
But I brushed it off. Maybe she had a bad experience with guys. Whatever.
⸻
I've seen Sola around school, too. And I was shocked she was ranked #1
She just looked… soft. Cute, even.
Not the kind of girl you'd expect to be stronger than monsters.
She looks nothing like her sister, really.
Sora is cold, elegant. Sola has pink hair. Not dyed—natural.
And a warmer, more outgoing aura.
Their bodies are similar, but the way they carry themselves is night and day.
Sora is beautiful. But emotionally shut off
Sola is adorable. Friendly, even.
But I've never heard what their powers are.
All I know is… they're the only two students in this school with Inner Names.
And I've always wondered—
Why are they even here?
This isn't the best academy in the country.
They could be off joining elite guilds.
Living with fame, fortune, luxury.
Sometimes, I wonder…
"Maybe they just like being stronger than everyone else."