Zion Stone stood in the cold, steady rain, staring down at the freshly dug graves of his parents. The cemetery smelled faintly of wet earth and flowers, the scent heavy in the humid Miami air. He could hear the distant sound of cars passing by, muffled by the gray drizzle. His eyes lingered on the simple caskets, closed and unyielding, and for the first time all day, he felt the strange, hollow weight of emptiness in his chest.
Around him, family members shuffled quietly, their umbrellas clashing and brushing against one another as they moved closer to the graves.
Not all of them had come, but the ones who did tried to maintain a respectful distance. Zion could recognize their grief in the tight lines of their faces, the quivering hands, and the occasional whispered words of comfort to one another. But Zion himself did not feel the sharp pain of loss that he thought he might. He had barely known these people whose lives had ended abruptly in a car accident on the way to a meeting.
His parents had owned two successful companies, one in high end furniture and the other in advanced technology. They had been pushing the limits of innovation, researching things like robotic prosthetic arms and biotech eyes. Now all of that was gone, and their fortune had fallen squarely into Zion's lap, money that had been carefully saved and tucked away from the businesses. He did not even know where to begin with it.
Zion had only reincarnated into this world that very morning. He had awoken to find himself eighteen years old, living in Miami, and gradually realized he was in the same universe he had read about in the manhwa Ordeal, a world full of Kimyo and talents, filled with racial tension and battles he had only seen on pages before. As he was processing all of this, a phone call had arrived with the news of his parents' sudden deaths.
Now, standing at their funeral, Zion felt a curious emptiness in his heart. He could not pinpoint the source of it, but it was undeniable.
"You good, neph?" Malik Stone, Zion's uncle, stepped up behind him, his eyes lingering on the closed caskets of his sister and brother in law. A single tear slid down his cheek, blending almost seamlessly with the rain.
Zion turned slowly to face him, his expression distant. "Yeah, I just feel… empty," he admitted, the word tasting heavier than he expected.
Malik placed a hand gently on his nephew's shoulder, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "Mmm, well, like I always told you, if you feel like you don't have anything to do, find something to do, and make sure you love what you do while you're at it," he said.
His voice was steady, but there was a hint of sadness hidden beneath the calm tone. He started walking toward his car, motioning for Zion to follow. The rain dripped off his coat, and every step seemed deliberate, measured. Zion could feel that if he stayed any longer, he might break down, so he fell into step beside him.
When Zion slid into the passenger seat, Malik got behind the wheel and started the engine. The hum of the car filled the small space as water splashed faintly against the tires on the wet pavement.
"So, what are you going to do with your parents' businesses? And the inheritance?" Malik asked, glancing sideways at Zion while maneuvering out of the cemetery gate.
Zion shrugged lightly, his fingers drumming against the edge of the door. "The businesses… can't you just keep running them like you've been doing?" His tone was casual, but there was a trace of genuine curiosity in his voice.
Malik chuckled softly, shaking his head. "Of course I can, nephew. I just wasn't sure if you wanted to take over, that's all," he said, letting a small smile curl at the corners of his lips.
Zion shook his head decisively. "It's better for you to keep doing it. You've been managing things since you were young anyway. Why would I take that away from you?"
"And the inheritance?" Malik asked with raised eyebrows, curious now.
Zion leaned back, staring out the window at the slick streets passing by. "I might buy a small dojo and start from the bottom, raise some students. I've always wanted to teach, to create strong warriors," he admitted quietly, but there was a faint spark of excitement in his tone.
Malik laughed, the sound loud and teasing, breaking the somber mood slightly. "Pfff, how is your weak ass going to raise someone like that?" he said, shaking his head and letting out another chuckle. "Hahaha, just kidding, neph. You'll figure it out."
"Tch, just watch me," Zion said, a small smirk tugging at his lips as he glanced toward his uncle, his eyes glinting with determination.
Soon, Malik drove into the driveway of Zion's modest house. For people who had inherited so much wealth, the house was surprisingly simple, almost understated. Before Zion could get out, Malik reached over, placing a firm hand on his nephew's shoulder.
"Neph, your mother and father didn't want to tell you this while they were alive, but I feel like I should, since they can't anymore," Malik said, his face tightening, his expression serious for the first time all day.
Zion tilted his head, listening closely, feeling a flicker of curiosity and caution at the change in tone.
"Your mother and father were Kimyo, which means you are most likely a Kimyo too," Malik continued. "I don't know what type of talent you have because we couldn't figure it out when you were born, but we do know you have Chi in you. You just need to be careful. Do not do anything dangerous, and when you find out your talent, do not tell anyone. The government is cracking down on Kimyo again."
Zion sat quietly for a moment, letting the words settle over him. Then, a small, confident smile formed on his face, his gaze steady. "Come on, unc, I'll be okay. Just get home safe and watch the road," he said calmly, opening the car door and stepping out onto the wet driveway.
Malik stayed for a moment, watching him go, his expression complicated, a mixture of worry and pride. Once he was sure Zion had entered the house safely, he started the car and drove off, leaving Zion alone in the quiet house.
Zion sat heavily on the couch, the cushions dipping beneath his weight as he grabbed the remote and turned on the television. The screen flickered for a moment before settling on the local news channel. A reporter in a suit stood in front of the White House, speaking in a clear, practiced voice about the most recent government decision.
The anchor's words made Zion sit up a little straighter. The president had just passed a new law allowing Kimyo to roam freely in society, treated under the same rules as ordinary humans.
Zion leaned back, resting both of his arms across the top of the couch with a skeptical look on his face. "I thought unc said they were cracking down on the Kimyo," he muttered to himself, confused at the contradiction. His brow furrowed as he tried to process it.
Before he could think any harder, a translucent screen suddenly materialized right in front of his face, bright and unexpected. Zion flinched in surprise, his body jerking slightly backward, his eyes blinking rapidly.
The glowing words hovering in the air made his jaw tighten, but after just a second of reading them, he understood exactly what this was supposed to be. It was a system. At least, that was what the message claimed.
[Welcome to the master system, teach students and gain experience in return, you can also finish missions to get rewards, enjoy!]
[Starter Mission: Take in your first student
Reward: Find out]
Zion tilted his head and frowned. "The hell? What's up with the attitude, system?" he asked out loud, raising his voice slightly as if it could hear him. He waited a beat, hoping for a response, but the screen remained quiet and unmoving.
He let out a small scoff and shook his head. "Tuh, whatever. Anyway, it seems like I can gain experience from teaching, but what the hell am I even supposed to teach? Damn, I didn't think that far ahead," he admitted, scratching his chin with slow, thoughtful strokes.
Curious, Zion tapped the back button on the hovering screen. The glowing panel shifted smoothly until it revealed a status window. His eyes scanned it carefully, taking in all the details as his hand hovered in the air like he could scroll it with his fingertips.
[Name: Zion Stone]
[Race: Kimyo]
[Chi Limit: E]
[Chi Output: E]
[Chi Control: E]
[Talent mastery: F]
[Experience Points: 0]
Zion let out a short breath, shaking his head. "Looks like my luck isn't that great in the Chi department. Everything's at E or worse. Well… at least I know for sure I'm actually a Kimyo now." He scrolled further, his curiosity guiding him down toward the section labeled talent information.
[Talent: Expand/Compress]
[Type: Kinesis]
[Description: The user can expand and compress matter, space, or energy within a controlled distance.]
His eyes widened slightly, and a slow grin tugged at his lips. "Wait a second… this is actually kinda good. If I can raise my talent mastery, this could be dangerous. But of course I had to get stuck with an F rank in talent mastery," he muttered, rubbing his chin again, frustration mixing with cautious optimism.
Determined to test it, Zion straightened his posture and focused. He imagined a sphere about the size of his palm forming above his hand. Nothing appeared visually, but he could feel it, an invisible shape hovering there like pressure in the air.
With narrowed eyes, he moved the sphere a few feet away from himself. His hand clenched suddenly and with force, closing fast as if crushing the air itself. The reaction was immediate. A sharp pop rang out, echoing through the living room as the air inside the circle violently compressed and released.
Zion's eyes widened, and he instinctively stepped back, his pulse quickening from the sudden burst. "Woah… okay, that was something. I'll have to study this a lot more later." He looked at the faint wisp of displaced air where the sphere had been, the sound still ringing faintly in his ears. The explosion had not been large, but it carried the same sharp crack and fiery energy as a bullet leaving a gun barrel.
He spent the next couple of hours experimenting cautiously, forming spheres of different sizes, moving them around the room, and testing his control while the news played faintly in the background. Each trial left him with new questions but also a growing sense of excitement.
Eventually, exhaustion caught up to him. He turned off the TV, stretched his arms with a long yawn, and walked slowly into his bedroom. Collapsing onto the bed, he let his thoughts wander to what came next.
His plan settled in his mind with quiet determination. First, he would buy the dojo. Then he would move forward from there, starting tomorrow.