THE LATE AWAKENER: NEVER MEANT TO RISE

Chapter 6: No Escape from Destiny

Alexander Kane sprinted through the dense forest at the edge of the forbidden zone, his newly strengthened legs carrying him faster than he had ever moved in his life. Branches whipped past his face, but he barely felt them. The power from the Supreme Late Bloomer System still hummed in his veins like liquid fire.

[Warning: Multiple pursuers closing in from the north and east. Estimated contact in ninety seconds.]

Alexander glanced over his shoulder. “Already? They really don’t want to let me live.”

He pushed harder, dodging between trees. The ground felt different under his feet now, lighter, more responsive. Every step ate up distance that would have taken him minutes before.

A voice shouted from behind him. “There he is! The demonic trash!”

Victor Lang’s shout carried clearly through the trees. “Don’t let him escape! The elder wants his head!”

Alexander kept running, but he could hear the footsteps getting closer. Three outer sect disciples and Victor were gaining on him. The inner sect elder he had knocked down earlier must have recovered enough to join the chase.

He skidded to a stop in a small clearing and turned to face them. No point running forever. Better to test his new power properly.

Victor burst into the clearing first, sword drawn and face twisted with rage. “You should have stayed at the bottom of that abyss where you belong, Alexander!”

The three outer sect disciples spread out around him, forming a loose circle.

Alexander stood still, breathing steady. “You pushed me in yourself, Victor. Now you’re angry I didn’t die? That’s rich.”

One of the disciples laughed nervously. “He’s still wearing the same torn robe. How strong can he really be?”

Victor raised his sword. “Strong enough to trick us once. It won’t happen again. Attack together!”

All four charged at once.

Alexander didn’t move until the last second. As Victor’s sword came down, he reached out with his palm.

[System prompt: Incoming sword technique detected. Absorb and evolve?]

“Yes,” Alexander said calmly.

The technique dissolved mid-strike. Energy flowed into Alexander, then surged back out stronger and sharper. Victor’s own attack slammed into his chest with double the force. He flew backward and crashed into a tree, spitting blood.

The other three disciples hesitated for half a second... long enough for Alexander to close the gap.

He struck the first one with an open palm. The system absorbed the defensive Qi the disciple tried to raise and evolved it instantly. The man crumpled like a sack of grain.

“You… you monster!” the second disciple shouted, throwing a fist wrapped in flame Qi.

Alexander caught the fist. “Monster? I was the one you all laughed at for ten years.”

He twisted and sent the evolved flame technique straight back into the disciple’s face. The man screamed and dropped, rolling on the ground to put out the flames.

The last disciple turned to run.

Alexander called after him. “Tell the sect what you saw here. Tell them the trash they discarded is coming back.”

He let the man escape. No need to kill everyone. Fear would spread faster than bodies.

Victor pushed himself up from the tree, wiping blood from his mouth. “This power… where did you get it? That fall should have killed you!”

Alexander walked toward him slowly. “It did kill the old me. The one who took your insults and stayed quiet. The new me doesn’t plan to stay quiet anymore.”

Victor raised his sword again, but his hand was shaking. “You think this changes anything? The entire Azure Cloud Sect will hunt you down. You’re finished!”

[Alert: Larger group of inner sect disciples approaching. Hidden realm war fragment resonance increasing. Escape route closing.]

Alexander tilted his head. “You hear that, Victor? Something bigger is waking up. And whether you like it or not, I’m part of it now.”

Before Victor could reply, the air around them shimmered. A crack appeared in space itself... a jagged rift glowing with purple and black energy. Wind howled out of it, pulling leaves and small branches into the void.

Alexander felt the pull in his chest. The system voice spoke again.

[Hidden realm war fragment activated. Host has been marked. Teleportation to nearest safe zone initiating in ten seconds. Resistance not recommended.]

Victor’s eyes widened in terror. “What is that? What did you do?!”Alexander looked at the rift, then back at Victor. “I didn’t do anything. But it looks like the heavens finally decided I’ve waited long enough.”

The pull grew stronger. Alexander’s feet started sliding across the ground toward the rift.

Victor tried to run, but the same force dragged him forward too. “No! Let me go! This isn’t fair!”

Alexander gave a short, bitter laugh. “Fair? You pushed me off a cliff today and laughed while I fell. Nothing about today has been fair, Victor. Welcome to the other side.”

The rift swallowed them both.

Alexander felt his body stretch and compress at the same time. Colors blurred. Sounds warped. Then everything went dark for a heartbeat.

When the light returned, he stood on a rocky plateau surrounded by ancient ruins. Broken pillars covered in unfamiliar runes stretched into the distance. The air felt thick with old power, much stronger than anything in the outer sect.

Victor lay a few meters away, groaning as he pushed himself up.

Alexander looked around slowly. “Where are we?”

[System update: Host has entered a fragment of the Hidden Realm War zone. Escape to the Azure Cloud Sect is currently impossible. Survival and growth within this zone is now priority one.]

Alexander clenched his fists. The power inside him felt stable now, waiting to be used.

He walked over to Victor, who was scrambling backward on the ground.

“You… you brought us here!” Victor stammered. “Send us back!”

Alexander shook his head. “I didn’t bring us anywhere. But since we’re both here, listen carefully.”

He crouched down so he was eye level with his former rival.

“Ten years of being called trash. One shove off a cliff. And now this. The game has changed, Victor. From this moment on, there is no going back to the old sect life. We’re both stuck in whatever this war is.”

Victor’s face paled. “What do you want from me?”

Alexander stood up and looked out over the ruined landscape.

“I want you to remember this feeling. The same fear you made me feel every day for ten years. Because when I return to the Azure Cloud Sect... and I will return... I’m bringing everything I absorb in this place with me.”

He turned and started walking deeper into the ruins, leaving Victor sitting in the dust.

Behind him, the system spoke one final line.

[Host is now fully locked into the larger conflict. No escape from destiny.]

Alexander didn’t look back.

For the first time since he could remember, the future didn’t feel like a dead end.

It felt wide open.