THE VOID BEAST

CHAPTER 3: THE AWAKENING

The torn page haunted me all night.

The Taming of Void Beasts. I kept turning the words over in my mind as I scrubbed the library floor. A Void Beast. The greatest beast. If I could tame it tomorrow, everything would change. I wouldn't be a victim anymore. I wouldn't be trapped.

I'd have power. I'd have a way home.

Through the window, I watched the sun sink below the spires of the Academy. The sky turned orange, then red, then purple. Then darkness.

And still, I cleaned.

The teacher had left me a list of destroyed books. Thirty-seven titles. All expensive. All beyond my means. Darian's memories told me that House Vex would never pay for them. They'd make me work off the debt—if they didn't just use it as an excuse to expel me.

"Classic," I muttered, scrubbing at a particularly stubborn ink stain. "Walk into a room, get framed for vandalism. This world's just like my old one—except here, people have magic to make my life worse."

The door creaked open.

I looked up, expecting the teacher. Instead, I saw Sebastian's smug face, Seraphina's cold eyes behind him.

"Still cleaning, bastard?" Sebastian leaned against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "You've been at it all day. How pathetic."

"Get out," I said flatly, not looking up. "I've had enough of your faces for one lifetime."

"Oh, we will." Sebastian stepped into the room, Seraphina trailing behind him. "But we wanted to let you know—we're going to tell Father about your little stunt. The vandalism. The lies. The embarrassment you've brought on House Vex."

Seraphina smiled. It was the smile of someone who enjoyed watching others suffer. "He's going to be so disappointed in you. Not that he expects much from a bastard anyway."

I said nothing. I just kept scrubbing.

"Don't bother coming home tonight," Sebastian added. "Father won't want to see your face. Sleep here. Sleep in the gutter. We don't care."

They left, their laughter echoing down the hallway.

I stopped scrubbing and stared at the floor.

"You have to be kidding me," I said aloud. "I've been cleaning for hours. I didn't do anything. And now I'm not even allowed to sleep in my own bed?"

But there was no point arguing. No one would listen.

I cleaned until my fingers bled. I organized the books until my eyes crossed. I swept the floor until every speck of dust was gone.

By the time I was finished, it was well past midnight. The Academy was silent. The halls were empty.

I found a bench in a quiet corridor and lay down. It was uncomfortable. Cold. The opposite of Darian's luxurious bed.

But I was too exhausted to care.

"Tomorrow," I whispered to myself. "Tomorrow, I'll find a Void Beast. Tomorrow, everything changes."

---

I woke to the sound of bells.

The Academy was alive with activity. Students rushed through the halls, their faces a mix of excitement and terror. I could hear their voices, their nervous chatter.

"Can you believe it's finally here?"

"What if I don't bond with anything?"

"I heard someone last year bonded with a rock. A literal rock."

"Stop it! You're making me more nervous."

I sat up, my body aching from sleeping on the bench. I stretched, wincing at the stiffness in my shoulders. My hands were still raw from cleaning.

But I didn't have time to worry about that.

Today was the Awakening.

I made my way to the bathhouse, following Darian's memory. The hot water was a relief, washing away the grime and exhaustion. I scrubbed myself clean, trying to prepare myself mentally.

This is it, I thought. This is the moment that determines everything.

But it wasn't just about me. It was about Darian too. His future. His fate. Everything rested on this.

I dressed in the gray robe I'd been given. It was simple, unadorned—the same robe every student wore for the ceremony. In the mirror, I looked like a ghost.

"Let's go," I said to my reflection. "Not today. Not ever. I didn't survive my brother's knife just to roll over in this world."

---

The Great Hall was massive.

It took my breath away when I first stepped inside. The ceiling arched high above us, painted with constellations I didn't recognize. Chandeliers hung from the rafters, their candles flickering with blue flame. At the far end of the hall, a raised podium stood beneath a massive stone archway carved with beasts of every kind.

And everywhere, there were people.

Students, hundreds of them, all dressed in gray robes like mine. Their parents lined the walls, dressed in finery, their faces beaming with pride. Nobles. Merchants. Soldiers. Everyone who was anyone had come to watch their children Awaken.

I spotted the Vex family immediately. Lord Valerius sat in the front row, his expression as cold as ice. Sebastian and Seraphina stood with the other students, their robes tailored to fit perfectly, their chins held high.

And then there was me. In the back. Alone. No one to cheer for me. No one to celebrate.

Just like always, Darian's voice whispered in my mind.

"Not today," I replied quietly. "Today, everything changes."

Once you Awakened, Apex Spire was finished with you. What came next depended entirely on what you'd bonded with, and who was willing to pay for where you went.

---

The ceremony began.

A figure stepped onto the podium—a tall man with silver hair and eyes that seemed to glow. He was dressed in ornate robes, his voice carrying across the hall without any effort.

"Welcome, students, to the Awakening. Today, you will take the first step on your journey. Today, you will bond with a beast that will be your companion, your protector, your partner for the rest of your lives."

He paused, letting the words sink in.

"Beasts are not tools. They are not weapons. They are living creatures who choose their partners. And they are rarely wrong."

They choose, I thought. The beasts choose. Not the other way around.

That was different from the novels I'd read. In most of them, the hero chose his beast—tamed it, earned its loyalty. But here, the beast had the final say.

What if the beast didn't choose me?

What if I was left with nothing?

I shook my head, forcing the thought away.

"Let the Awakening begin," the silver-haired man announced. "We will proceed in alphabetical order. First—Alder."

---

One by one, the students stepped forward.

"Aldric, bonded with a Shadow Wolf. Rank: B."

The crowd applauded. The student grinned, his wolf standing beside him, its fur dark as midnight.

"Sylphie, bonded with a Great Serpent. Rank: B."

More applause.

"Arlen, bonded with a Thunder Bear. Rank: A."

Gasps of admiration. The bear was massive, its fur crackling with static electricity. Arlen's parents wept with joy.

The parade continued. Students stepped forward, placed their hands on the pedestal, and waited. Some walked away with powerful beasts. Others got something more modest. But no one got nothing.

"Bryce, bonded with a Warhorse. Rank: C."

Relief on his face. At least he got something.

"Corinne, bonded with a Viper. Rank: B."

A proud smile.

"Darren..." Silence. The boy stood at the pedestal, hand trembling, but nothing emerged. His face crumpled. He was escorted out, head bowed, his family's shame palpable.

I swallowed hard. It could be worse, I told myself. At least I could bond with something.

And then—

"Sebastian Vex."

The crowd went quiet. Sebastian strode to the podium, his confidence radiating from every step. He placed his hand on the pedestal.

The pedestal glowed. Magic reached into his chest.

And out emerged a massive creature—three heads, each one hissing, each pair of eyes burning with intelligence. The Hydra coiled around Sebastian, its scales gleaming like polished steel.

"Sebastian Vex, bonded with a Hydra. Rank: S."

The crowd erupted. S-rank. The highest possible. Lord Valerius actually smiled—I'd never seen him smile before. He looked... satisfied. Proud.

Sebastian grinned, basking in the applause. He shot me a look as he walked off the stage. A look that said: You'll never be me.

"Seraphina Vex."

Seraphina glided to the podium, her beauty almost painful to look at. She placed her hand on the pedestal.

The pedestal glowed. Magic reached into her chest.

And out emerged a bird of pure flame, its wings spreading wide, its cry echoing through the hall. The Phoenix circled above her, leaving trails of fire in its wake.

"Seraphina Vex, bonded with a Phoenix. Rank: A."

The crowd applauded. Not S-rank, but close. Seraphina's smile faltered for just a fraction of a second—she'd wanted the top spot—but she recovered quickly. A-rank was still incredible.

Lord Valerius nodded approvingly. Not the smile Sebastian got, but close.

And then—

"Darian Vex."

The name echoed through the hall.

I felt every single eye turn to me. The whispers started immediately, a low hum of contempt.

"The bastard."

"He's going to get nothing."

"Did you see the way Sebastian looked at him?"

"I heard he tried to kill himself."

"Probably failed at that too."

I walked to the podium with my head held high. My heart was pounding. My palms were sweating. But I didn't let them see my fear.

I placed my hand on the pedestal.

The pedestal glowed. Magic reached into my chest.

It was cold—colder than anything I'd ever felt. It searched inside me, probing, digging. I felt exposed. Vulnerable. Like it was looking for something I didn't have.

And then it pulled.

I gasped as something emerged from me—small, trembling, barely there. I looked down at my hands and saw it.

A rabbit.