The ruckus ws already begun to draw attention. Around them, conversations faltered acrissed the room and more heads turned towards their direction. Everyone knew what this scene meant. Zack clicked his tongue. “Unbelievable. This trash is ignoring us.” Beside him stood Noah, sharp-eyed and cruel, and Jordan, whose fists did most of his thinking “Hey. Scholarship boy. You forgot your place?” Noah leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. “You really think you can eat before we do?” Miles swallowed, wiped his mouth, and calmly took another bite. The murmurs started. The surrounding tables began to quiet. Students slowed their movements, pretending not to stare while doing exactly that. “You know the deal,” Noah said coldly. “Your job is to bring us our lunch. Every day. Do you realize how long we have been waiting for you to do that.” Miles ignored him. Finally, Noah’s patience snapped. He slammed his palm onto the table. “Are you ignoring us on purpose?” The sound cracked thro

Miles waited for thirty minutes before it finally reached his turn as there were several other individuals who had come before him to their mana reading as well in order to become a registered hunter. Miles was escorted by a staff member to the lab room.In the room they were sent several technicians analyzing data on the computers and at the center of the room was a huge vacuum tube. Upon walking into the room, a man dressed in a lab coat walked towards Chris and greeted “Welcome, Miles Reed. I'm going to be in charge of taking your mana reading today to determine your Awakened rank.” he gestured Miles towards the vacuum tube. “All you need to do is enter this tube and release your Mana and the machine will read your mana pool capacity to help us judge your rank.” The examination hall fell into a hushed stillness as Miles stepped onto the circular platform at its center. Smooth white tiles stretched outward in perfect symmetry, engraved with ancient runes that slowly awaken

Wood splintered. Hinges screamed. The force of the kick sent the door crashing against the wall as a figure stepped through the dust and debris. Miles Reed walked into the room. Silence. Then— “…I told you,” Cole whispered hoarsely. Ryan’s tension eased almost instantly. Lena blinked, surprise flashing across her face before she scoffed lightly. “So it really is you.You really made it out alive - but how?” Miles’ gaze swept over them calmly, unhurried, as though he’d just entered a café instead of the home of people who had tried to kill him. “ I was expecting a warm welcome but you guys don't look happy to see me.” He remarked in a sarcastic tone. Cole let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and looked at Ryan and Lena. “I wasn’t mistaken.”You guys didn't want to believe me.” Lena turned to Miles. “How did you find this place?” Miles tilted his head slightly. “It wasn’t difficult.” His eyes slid to Cole. “I just followed him.” Ryan’s gaze snapped to Cole, disap

Ryan’s foot slammed into the floor, cracking tiles as he launched forward, sword slashing horizontally with terrifying speed. The blade screamed through the air, aimed straight for Miles’ torso. It was too fast. Anyone else would have been split in two. Miles twisted his body at the last moment, the blade grazing past his clothes, slicing fabric but missing flesh by a hair’s breadth. The force of the swing alone sent a violent gust crashing into the wall behind him. Ryan didn’t stop. He pivoted smoothly, chaining his attack into an upward slash, then a downward cleave, then a thrust aimed directly at Miles’ heart. Miles moved sideways as the blade cleaved past his neck, slicing a deep groove into the wall behind him. Ryan growled, shocked that he missed but that didn't stop him from making another attempt. Instantly, spinning into a brutal backhand slash aimed at Miles’ ribs. The room echoed with the sound of violent impacts as Miles dodged again and again—sometimes by inche

He didn’t slow until several blocks had swallowed him. The city streets were a maze of dim streetlights and shadows. Miles moved like a predator, silent, alert. His heartbeat was steady, not from fear but from focus. Even now, after everything, his mind was sharp. Every sense, every thought, calibrated for survival, for home. Home. That was the only place he needed to reach tonight. When his apartment building finally came into view, Miles allowed himself a small breath of relief. The old, worn structure stood quietly under the dim streetlights, its cracked walls and flickering bulbs painfully familiar. He entered the building, climbing the old stairways until he reached the entrance of his apartment. And then the voice came. “Well, well. Look who finally decided to crawl back home.” Miles froze and silently sighed out of frustration. It was his old, grumpy and lousy landlord, The landlord leaned against the doorway, cigarette dangling lazily from a yellowed lip, eyes shar