MARKED BY DRACONIC OVERLORD

Chapter 2

Chapter 2: Rift Break

Talents were divided into nine ranks, ordered from lowest to highest: F, E, D, C, B, A, S, SS and SSS-rank. F-rank sat at the very bottom. SSS-rank was the cream of the crop.

Talent determined how far an awakened individual could go, how supreme their power could eventually become, and how quickly they'd grow through training and levels. Talent mattered. And Kael had just awakened the worst one there was.

Talent also determined what kind of attribute grade you got.

He stood frozen, still in shock, the silence around him so complete you could have heard a pin drop.

"This... can't be. This shouldn't... happen," Kael stammered, unable to accept what he'd just awakened.

"You may leave now. There are others waiting," the examiner said flatly, no trace of emotion in his voice.

Kael turned without a word, his head down, unable to face the crowd. Each step felt heavier than the last as he made his way back toward Bradon and Laura.

Bradon ran to meet him, placing both hands on his shoulders. "Kael, just breathe. Calm down."

"How... how could this happen to me?" Kael felt tears building, though he forced them back.

"I know it's hard, bro, but just breathe," Bradon said, trying to steady him. "Laura, a little help here?" he called out, assuming she'd know exactly what to say.

"What kind of help are you expecting?" Laura's voice cut through the air, cold, sharp, nothing like the warmth either boy was used to.

Both of them froze. Kael lifted his head. Bradon spun around.

Laura stood there, a mocking smile curling her lips as she looked at Kael. Both boys stared at her, stunned.

"What do you mean by that, Laura?" Bradon asked, confusion written across his face.

"Heh. Who would've thought you'd actually turn out to be a failure, Kael?" she said, laughing, pure mockery in every syllable.

"Laura, what is the meaning of this?" Kael asked, shaken by her sudden shift.

"How the hell can words like that leave your mouth?" Bradon snapped at her.

Her usual sweet smile was gone, replaced by something twisted.

"A failure, asking what I mean? Who would've guessed the guy I put up with would turn out to be trash," she said, disdain dripping from every word. Kael could hardly believe this was the same girl.

"Laura, what in God's name are you saying?" Bradon demanded, and by now they'd drawn a small crowd.

"Nonsense, you say?" She laughed as she stepped closer. "It's not nonsense. It's the truth."

"Laura, what's gotten into you?" Kael managed, emotion cracking his voice.

"Nothing. I'm just doing what needs to be done, cutting ties with a failure who won't be able to protect me, or take care of me, in the future," Laura said with a grin.

Kael felt like he'd been stabbed straight through the chest. The girl he'd thought would stand beside him through anything had just become the weight dragging him under.

"Unlike a failure who awakened trash," Laura continued, turning her seductive smile on Bradon, "someone here awakened a talent worth remembering." She stepped closer, pressing herself against his arm. Bradon could only stare, still in shock at the whiplash of her attitude.

"Aren't I right, dear? Someone with a talent like yours shouldn't be stuck with someone like him." She looked up at him, her voice syrup-sweet. "You're handsome, strong, talented. I don't even know how I ended up with someone like him. And you know... this body could be all yours, if you make me yours."

Bradon's expression twisted into disgust.

"Get the hell away from me," he snapped, shoving her off.

Laura stumbled back, stunned. She'd expected him to fall over himself the way most boys did the second she turned on the charm. But there was nothing in his eyes except anger and resolve.

"Fine, then," she said, recovering her composure. "Suit yourself, stick with trash if that's what you want. There are plenty of other guys out there who won't be able to resist this." She shot Kael a look of disgust before turning to leave. "The offer stands if you change your mind, Bradon."

Kael was shattered. He'd never imagined Laura had this side to her, a wolf dressed in sheep's clothing, and he'd never seen it coming.

"That girl was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off," Bradon said, fists clenched in anger.

"I never expected this from her," Kael said quietly.

"She'll turn out exactly like this the moment she finds out you're worthless!" a voice cut in, rude and sharp, drawing both their attention.

Standing there with his arm around Laura's waist was a boy with blonde hair and purple eyes, sharply handsome, his lackeys trailing behind him. Laura was already running her fingers along his cheek.

Both boys stared, stunned.

"Laura, so this is who you really are. Not even two goddamn minutes, and you're already in another guy's arms," Bradon said, fury in his voice.

"I gave you a chance, Bradon. You turned it down," Laura said with a smirk, planting a kiss on the boy's cheek.

"See, Kael, this is how the world works," the boy said, turning his attention to Kael with open disdain. "Once you're trash, nobody cares about you anymore. In this world, it's talent and wealth that matter. Without them, you're nobody.

You were always top of the class, mana absorption, sparring, general knowledge, all of it. And now reality's finally woken you up to the truth: you're nothing but trash."

"Owen, shut the hell up," Bradon snapped.

"Who would've thought someone with real talent would keep company with trash like him," Owen said, ignoring him entirely.

"I said shut up!" Bradon's fists clenched, his aura flaring with barely contained anger.

"A fight's about to break out," students nearby murmured, giving them space as they felt Bradon's aura pressing outward.

Bradon had already taken a step forward when a hand landed on his shoulder. He turned to find it was Kael.

"Bradon, it's fine. Let it go, there's no need to fight. I'm lucky enough as it is to have someone willing to stand up for me," Kael said, forcing a smile as he held him back.

"How can I just stand here and let them talk like that about you?" Bradon protested.

"I know. But let them say what they want, eventually they'll run out of things to say. It doesn't change what happened, though," Kael said, the emotion in his eyes carefully held back.

BANG.

Something slammed down near them, kicking up a cloud of dust that sent both boys coughing.

"What the hell was that?" Bradon sputtered.

"Apologies for the entrance, Bradon, I need a word with you," a voice said as the dust cleared.

Standing before them was a man built like a blade, straight-backed, intimidating, with black shoulder-length hair, deep brown eyes, a pointed nose, and a neatly trimmed mustache. He wore what looked like high-tech armor, and strapped to his back was an enormous blade sheathed in black leather, radiating a cold, dangerous aura. His muscles spoke of years of relentless training.

Bradon's jaw dropped, and so did everyone else's nearby.

"Isn't that Charles Valborg, the Sword King of the Val family?" someone whispered.

"That's really him? He's a legend, especially back in the capital," another added.

"I heard he wiped out an entire horde of Rank 5 Obsidian Core demon beasts by himself," a girl said to the boy beside her.

"I can't believe the Sword King is actually here," Bradon said, still stunned.

"I am, and I'm here to take on a student. That's what I'd like to discuss with you," Charles said with a small smile.

Kael glanced at the time on his smartwatch, a mix of emotions crossing his face before he looked over at Bradon, deep in conversation with Charles Valborg.

"Bradon, I've got to head out, I need to pick up Elisa," Kael said, forcing a smile.

"Why don't you stick around a bit? We can go together," Bradon offered.

"Nah, not with your guest here," Kael said, already turning to leave.

"Your friend's right," Charles chimed in.

"Alright, I'll catch up with you later then," Bradon said as Kael walked off, clearly needing to get away from the crowd.

Owen, Laura, and his lackeys watched Kael leave, then turned back to Bradon in conversation with the Sword King, a shock that hit Laura hardest, biting her lip in frustration at having lost her shot with him.

"Whatever. Kael's a lost cause anyway. Let's go," Owen said, dismissing him entirely as they walked off.

Watching quietly from within the crowd, unnoticed, was the white-haired, green-eyed girl named Selene. Her gaze lingered on Kael as he walked away.

Once he reached the academy gates, Kael finally broke down, unable to hold it in any longer.

Tears streamed down his face as the events of the day played on a loop in his mind, Laura's sudden cruelty, the mockery in her smile, Owen's taunts. All of it replayed over and over.

Accepting that he'd awakened an F-rank talent was hard enough. But no amount of denial would change the fact.

"God... why me? Why does it have to be me?" Kael whispered through tears, the weight of it all crashing down at once.

"After everything Mom sacrificed, after all my effort, still, I end up a failure. God, why?" he sobbed.

After several minutes, he finally stopped, wiping his face clean.

"There's no use crying over this. But You know what I'm capable of, God, I know my story isn't over yet. They say ask, and it'll be given; seek, and you'll find; knock, and the door will open. So, all I ask, God, is for a change," Kael said, managing a small smile as he looked up at the sky, clutching the red crystal pendant at his neck.

"I should get going. Elisa's waiting," he said, checking the time before heading out of the academy.

****

Outside the school gates stood a girl clearly tired of waiting. Her hair, black as night, was tied back in a ponytail with a flowered pink hairpin. She had an oval face, a small pointed nose, and striking purple eyes, the kind that made it hard to look away. Her lips were a soft pink, her skin fair, her figure the kind that seemed carefully, deliberately perfect.

She wore her school uniform crisply, a long-sleeved white shirt, a blue skirt falling below her knees, a red tie, and white knee socks as students streamed past her through the gates.

She drew attention wherever she went, boys stealing glances, girls admiring her from a distance. Two girls approached.

"Hey, Elisa," one called out.

"Hi, Zoe," Elisa greeted her. Zoe had short blonde hair reaching her shoulders, light blue eyes, and a small nose framed by a swipe of red lipstick. Her figure was striking, a sweater tied around her waist, her skirt riding shorter than regulation allowed, black knee socks completing the look. Her beauty was undeniable, though it paled next to Elisa's and her pointed ears marked her clearly as an elf.

"Looks like you're waiting for a taxi. Why not hitch a ride with us in Kelvin's truck?" Zoe asked, gesturing toward two boys in uniform waiting by a sleek off-road jeep.

"I appreciate it, but I'm waiting for someone," Elisa replied with a polite smile.

"Come on, a ride in Kelvin's truck would be nice, don't you think?" the other girl chimed in.

"You'd get home right on time," Zoe added.

Elisa hesitated, weighing her options. Her brother might not make it in time, not with today being his awakening day but a ride meant getting home sooner. "I guess... I could use a lift," she said finally.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zoe grabbed her arm, pulling her toward the boys.

"Well, well, if it isn't the angel from the heavens," one of the boys said, his hair a curly blonde, his eyes amber. "Elisa."

"You flatter me, Kelvin. I'm no angel, just an ordinary girl," Elisa said with a smile.

"Ordinary? You're a goddess," Kelvin grinned.

"Kelvin, cut it out, we need to go," Zoe said, cutting him off.

"Alright, everyone hop in," Kelvin said, pressing a button on his key that popped the jeep's doors open automatically.

Elisa's eyes widened at the sight, this kind of tech vehicle was something only the wealthy could afford, and Kelvin's family clearly had money to spare. The jeep looked like something pulled straight from a sci-fi film.

"Nice, right?" Zoe said, watching Elisa's reaction.

"First time in a car like this?" the other girl asked.

"Yeah," Elisa admitted, a little embarrassed.

Before climbing in, she pulled out her phone and sent Kael a quick text.

Meters from the school, Kael caught sight of Elisa climbing into a black jeep with her friends.

"ELISA!" he called out, breaking into a run, but she didn't hear him, and the jeep pulled away before he could reach it.

"Damn it," he muttered, hands on his head as he watched it disappear into traffic. His phone buzzed a text from her. He read it quickly.

"Guess she couldn't wait," he said, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "Well. Looks like I'm walking home alone." He glanced up at the clear blue sky, clouds drifting lazily overhead.

Meanwhile, a mile away in a busy commercial district of *Black Ridge City*, the streets buzzed with normal life shoppers, traffic, people snapping photos of the architecture. Peace, for now. That was about to change.

Above the road, a distortion rippled through the air, unnoticed at first. Then a crack appeared, spreading outward with a sound like shattering glass.

Drivers slammed their brakes, tires screeching as vehicles ground to a halt before the widening tear in the sky.

The crack kept growing. Onlookers stared in disbelief as it expanded, and then, with a violent burst of energy, it tore open fully, shattering the road beneath it, hurling cars and debris through the air, some crashing into buildings and shattering windows.

People screamed and ducked as the shockwave rolled outward.

The crack now glowed a deep, ominous red an unsettling sight that sent dread through everyone watching.

"It's a rift break!" someone screamed, and the warning spread through the crowd like wildfire. Chaos erupted as people scattered in every direction.

Some were trampled underfoot. Children were separated from their parents. Cars collided as drivers panicked, trying to flee.

From within the crack came a war cry, guttural, inhuman and stepping through were rows of goblins and orcs, their eyes locked with menace on the fleeing crowd. These weren't the crude creatures of old stories; they moved like soldiers, clad head to toe in iron armor.

At their head rode an orc warlord atop a wolf-like beast, gripping an ornate iron blade. His gaze swept the fleeing crowd with pure malice, and he raised his weapon the signal to attack.

With a thunderous war cry, his army surged forward. Goblin shamans, orcs mounted on wolves, winged beasts that looked like a fusion of drake and a wyvern, wave after wave poured out of the rift, tearing through the district and cutting down anyone too slow to escape.

It was complete and total mayhem