Gabriel Stone had perfected the art of invisibility.At fifteen he'd spend three years at Heroic Dawn Academy mastered only one skill: how to walk through the hallway without drawing attention, how to sit in class without being called upon,how to exist without really existing at all. This wasn't magic in fact he had noneEvery student at the academy wore a special collar that displayed their rank through different lights , blue for the top hundred heroes in waiting, white for the decent ones, yellow for the managing student and red for failures. Gabriel's collar had glowed red for so long he had forgotten what hope looked like while it was still on.He ranked 847 out of 850 “ There he is… the ghost boy” someone whispered as he hurried down the hallway towards breakfast. He kept his head down throughout clutching his book tightly if only he could make it to the dining hall without.“Stone!!”Gabriel's heart sank. That voice belonged to Thane Morrison, a third year student with perfe

The world became chaos Gabriel felt something pour into him before his last breath, something like liquid fire, ice, and razor blades all at once. His consciousness shattered and reformed in the space between heartbeats. For a ferrying moment, he wasn't Gabriel stone anymore he was everyone and no one, ancient and young, powerful and empty.BREATH, commanded a voice that was his but wasn't. FOCUS, ordered another SURVIVE, demanded a third Gabriel’s eyes snapped open. The laboratory was in ruins around him. Where the three crystals had stood, only twisted metal and melted stone remained. Magical energy crackled through the air like miniature lighting. And three security guards…. All unconscious, thrown against the wall by the explosion. But they were breathing. Alive“We could have killed them”, said a voice in Gabriel’s head soulrender hungry and sharp. It would have been easier.“Easier isn't always better”, replied Umbrix voice cold yet present. The boy chose mercy; we should

Three days remained until the ranking battles, and Gabriel was beginning to understand why most people couldn't survive history, even one ancient entity, let alone three. It wasn't the power that was the problem. It was the dream.Every night, he lives through memories that weren't his. Umbrix’s centuries guarding the spaces between worlds, watching civilization rise and fall in the void between dimensions, Echo showed him flashes of ruling from the throne made of crystalized starlight, commanding armies that spanned multiple realities. And Soulrender’s fragment… Those dreams were the worst. Endless cutting, slicing through everything matter, energy, souls, the very concept of existence itself.Gabriel woke each morning feeling like he'd lived a thousand lifetimes, his fifteen years old mind struggling to contain tons of experience.You’re adapting faster than expected, Umbi observed as Gabriel sat in the back row of combat theory class, trying to stay awake. Most hosts would break w

One day until the ranking battles, and Gabriel Stone was losing his mind.He sat in the Academy’s library, surrounded by the dusty books on basic combat theory, while the three entities argued about the strategy. Other students gave his comer a wide berth partly because he was still the failure they knew, but mostly because the temperature had dropped ten degrees and shadows kept moving whenever he didn't pay attention.We should end this quickly, Soulrender urged for the hundredth time. One cut through his defenses, sliced him from his shoulder to hip.We want to win the wager, not start a war with the federation. A simple strike enough to prove our point would be enough. Umbrix countered. You're both thinking too small, Echo said with cold amusement. This is about one arrogant boy. This is a message to the others.Gabriel pressed his palms against his temples, trying to quiet the voices. The dream has been getting worse. Last night he found himself sleepwalking, standing in the Aca

The silence that followed Gabriel's transformation stretched for three heartbeats that felt like eternity. Rain drummed against the arena's protective dome, and in that crystalline moment, fifteen hundred people tried to process what they'd just witnessed.Then chaos erupted.“IMPOSSIBLE!” Someone shouted from the stands.“He was tested! Three years of testing!” "What the hell is he ?” Thane stumbled backward, his face a mask of shock and growing fear. The confident predator who had entered the arena was gone, replaced by a boy who suddenly understood he'd concerned something far more dangerous than he'd ever imagined. Now they see, Echo purred with satisfaction. Now they understand what real power looks like. Careful, Umbrix warned. We've revealed ourselves. Every move from here will be watched and analyzed. Gabriel felt the power flowing through him like liquid night controlled, focused, but cast as an ocean. His void sight showed him everything: Thane's hammering heartbeat, th