The world didn't give me time to breathe.
The day after my so-called "awakening," the academy moved like a storm—fast, loud, unpredictable. And I… I was thrown straight into the middle of it whether I wanted to be or not.
Pressure.
It was the first thing I felt when I opened my eyes that morning. Not from training. Not from aura.
From eyes.
Stares.
Judgment.
Fear.
Expectation.
All of it pressing into my skin like invisible weights.
I wasn't used to it. I didn't like it. And I didn't ask for any of it.
But apparently none of that mattered anymore. Not after the arena incident. Not after earning an unwanted title that didn't even feel like it belonged to me.
Boy of Promise.
If I had the strength, I'd throw whoever came up with that into the nearest lake.
I stepped into the hallway, and instantly the whispers hit me like arrows.
"That's him—"
"Move, move—don't get close—"
"He looks normal… I expected horns."
"Is he dangerous?"
"Shut up! What if he hears you?"
I did hear them.
I heard all of it.
And the worst part?
It wasn't even anger I felt.
It was… embarrassment. And exhaustion. And something tight in my chest I couldn't name.
I hated being looked at like some beast kept barely under control.
As I passed, a group of Class 1-A students parted like I carried a plague.
One muttered under his breath, "Freak show…"
I stopped walking.
He froze.
His friends froze.
The hallway froze.
I didn't turn around. I didn't glare. I didn't say anything.
I just… stood there.
Long enough for the air to feel cold.
Long enough for him to sweat.
Long enough for him to understand I wasn't deaf.
Then I walked on.
Not because I was merciful.
Because I didn't have the energy to deal with idiots before breakfast.
Instructor Aldred didn't waste time. The moment he saw me he tossed something at my face.
A pebble.
It hit me in the forehead.
"Ow—WHAT was that for?!"
"To see if your reaction time returned," he said, as if launching rocks at recovering students was a normal medical test.
I glared at him. He didn't care.
"Sit," Aldred ordered.
I did.
"Breathe."
I tried.
Aura thrummed faintly inside me, like a sleeping beast shifting in its den. Unstable. Unpredictable. Still too wild. Still too raw.
Aldred watched me in silence for several minutes before sighing.
"You're suppressing it too much."
"No I'm not."
"Yes, you are."
"I'm literally doing nothing—"
"That is suppression."
I scowled. He ignored it.
"Again."
I breathed in. Out. In again. Aura flickered around my core, sharp and cold, threatening to spike at the slightest shift.
Then—
BOOM.
A flare burst out of my chest, blew back my hair, and knocked Aldred's chair over.
He didn't even blink.
"…Better," he said calmly.
I wanted to cry.
Just when I thought the morning couldn't get worse—
the training room doors slammed open so hard they nearly broke off the hinges.
"RAIN MY BRO!!!"
I closed my eyes.
"Why… why is he calling me that…"
Theon rushed across the room like a golden tornado, skidding to a stop in front of me.
He had glittering eyes. Literal glitter. I don't know how.
"You're alive!! I mean—you were alive yesterday too but you were sitting and looking depressed so I thought maybe your soul was half-dead still but NOW you're upright and I brought breakfast!!"
He shoved a box into my hands.
I stared at it.
"…Are these… meat buns?"
"Yes!! I stole—borrowed—acquired them through legal means!"
That meant he definitely stole them.
Aldred pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Theon. He's training."
"I can train too!! We can train together!! As friends—bonded by battle, strengthened by adversity, united by destiny—"
"Theon," Aldred said flatly, "shut up."
Theon shut up.
For exactly three seconds.
Then he started bouncing in place.
"We should spar again! Rain! Fight me! Right now! I wanna see how strong you got!"
I wanted to melt into the floor.
It wasn't just Theon
The longer the day went on, the more people showed up around the courtyard.
Not close.
Not daring to interrupt Aldred.
But watching.
Students from Class 1-S.
Students from Class 1-A.
All sorts of first years from all classes.
Liam stood under a tree, arms crossed, with an unreadable expression.
Kai leaned against a pillar, eyes sharp, jaw clenched—already imagining our future duel.
Arion looked like a traumatized squirrel who'd wandered into a wolf den.
Aelira's eyes tracked every movement I made, calm but calculating.
Liraeth gave me a solemn nod when I caught her gaze.
And Seraphyne…
She watched from the roof.
Silent.
Pink hair drifting in the wind.
Eyes narrowed like she was studying every fluctuation in my aura.
I didn't know whether to feel flattered or threatened.
Probably both.
By noon, my core felt like it was on fire.
Every time I drew in aura—even a sliver—the whispers grew.
"He's too strong—"
"He can't even control it—"
"What if he explodes again?"
"Is the #1 really going to widen the gap even further?"
"They say his sword transformed—"
"He might be dangerous—"
"Do you think the royal family will personally recruit him—?"
Pressure.
Pressure.
Pressure.
I wasn't drowning in aura.
I was drowning in expectations.
And I didn't even know who I was supposed to be yet.
When training finally paused, Aldred stepped in front of me. His arms crossed, expression firm.
"Rain. Look at me."
I did.
"You're overwhelmed."
"…No I'm not."
"You're overwhelmed," he repeated.
I looked away. "…Maybe."
Aldred exhaled through his nose.
"You need to accept something. This is not going away. The rumors, the stares, the fear, the expectations—all of it will grow. Because you awakened publicly. Because your aura manifested violently. Because you showed potential most first-years never touch."
My hands tightened around my sword hilt.
Aldred continued:
"Pressure is part of being a knight. But right now, you are letting it crush you instead of using it."
"…I don't know how."
Aldred placed a hand on my shoulder.
"You'll learn. Not because you want to… but because you must."
His eyes hardened.
"Promise has a price, Rain. Potential has a cost. You must decide if you will carry it—or break underneath it."
The words sank into me like cold water.
I didn't want to be the Boy of Promise.
But I didn't want to break either.
When training was finally over, I walked to my dorm room slowly, feeling like my bones were made of lead.
But the pressure didn't stop.
More whispers.
More stares.
More fear.
More expectation.
By the time I shut my door, my hands were still trembling.
Not from exhaustion.
From everything else.
Everything I didn't ask for.
Everything that wouldn't stop.
I sat on my bed, sword resting beside me, faint blue light pulsing softly like it was breathing.
"Promise, huh…?"
I ran my fingers along the blade.
"I don't feel like it."
The sword hummed gently in response.
Warm.
Steady.
As if telling me:
You don't have to feel like it.
Just keep going.
I exhaled, leaning back against the wall, letting my eyes fall shut.
Pressure crushed down on me from every direction.
But for the first time today…
I didn't feel alone.