These Heroes were divided into three strict categories:

Talent Heroes

Special Talent Heroes

Unique Talent Heroes

But there was a pattern. One that no one ever really seemed to notice or talk about.

None of the Heroes across the three Empires became Heroes simply because they wanted to be. They only earned that title because they made the fatal mistake of being discovered while showing off their Talents.

There were undoubtedly others out there—prodigies who realized how rigged the game was from a young age and chose to run, hiding their abilities entirely.

But once you were branded a Hero, your fate was no longer your own. You became a political pawn, a high-value puppet dancing on strings pulled by the Emperor. From that point on, you only had two choices: accept your role in the system, or live the rest of your life being ground into dust by it.

The corrupted, power-hungry atmosphere of this world was so blinding that even a noble’s own bloodline wasn’t safe. If a son or daughter dared to go against their family’s wishes, they were violently forced into submission. Those who eventually broke and agreed were allowed to live. Those who refused... were either quietly assassinated or bound in literal chains and branded as Slaves for the rest of their lives.

Some desperate souls actually tried to run from it all. But there was nowhere to run. The only place outside the Empires’ control was the Forbidden Forest—and running in there was just a more gruesome form of suicide.

Looking down at the courtyard below, Lucian’s gaze drifted over a commoner servant hauling a heavy wooden crate for a noble student. Burned deeply into the servant’s neck was a thick, black Slave Seal.

Congratulations, Lucian thought cynically. You showed Hero potential. That means you are now an investment. Worth feeding. Never worth freeing.

For those born into poverty, the people who crawled out of the dirt in the slums... they didn’t even have the right to dream. Their entire existence boiled down to two absolute choices: quietly accept the collar and become someone else’s property forever, or embrace instant death.

Because almost everyone fears death, seventy percent of the people chose slavery.

And yet, even in that miserable swamp, there was a twisted caveat. If an ordinary slave suddenly awakened or showed symptoms of a Heroic Talent later in life... their reality flipped upside down. The very Noble family that owned them would suddenly shower them with the best treatment imaginable. They would be handed power, wealth, and a lifestyle they never could have dreamed of.

Because for these greedy Nobles, there was no better ’investment’ in the world than a powerful, loyal Hero.

Lucian knew perfectly well that if he had failed the entrance exam and been kicked out of this academy, becoming a slave was the only fate waiting for him. That was exactly why he had clawed his way up, risking everything to break that destiny... and he had actually succeeded.

Lost in these dark, cynical thoughts, Lucian navigated through the crumbling, restricted corridors of the academy’s old building. He finally came to a halt outside a dusty, disused classroom where Elira and Sera were already waiting.

He didn’t say a single word.

Instead, he simply raised his index finger and smoothly traced a pattern in the empty air...

Did you find him?

The words glowed in the air for a few seconds before fading. Sera and Elira both nodded silently. Raising her own hand, Elira traced her finger through the air:

Cassian. I tracked him exactly as you asked. He is inside this room.

Sera immediately lifted her finger and wrote right beneath Elira’s fading text:

What exactly are you planning to do? He’s about to be given the official title of ’Hero’ soon. What is going on in that head of yours?

A few seconds later, all the glowing words dissolved into nothingness like smoke. Without his expression shifting even a fraction, Lucian traced again:

Do you both trust me?

Both girls nodded instantly like they were secretly racing each other to see who could agree first.

A cold, calculating smirk curled on Lucian’s lips.

He traced in the air one more time: If I told you I have my suspicions about Cassian... and that I intend to confront him, exactly like I did with Marcus... will you two back me up?

though, It was complete bullshit. He wasn’t doing this for justice or suspicions. It was just a filthy, underhanded scheme to complete his mission to increase affection of Aria, and he was using them as his accomplices.

well he did not have a choice wither. He had exactly three days on the timer. If he failed, a death curse would lock onto the fates of the two girls standing right beside him. He couldn’t risk that.

Once again, they nodded without a single second of hesitation.

Satisfied, Lucian reached into the pocket of his academy blazer and pulled out his newly acquired special item—the Broken Watch of Brenos. He kept the cracked main casing resting securely in his palm, detached the two worn leather straps, and handed one to each of the girls.

He wrote one final, strict message in the air:

Trust me. No matter what happens next, do not react, and stay right by my side. No screaming, no gasping, no sounds at all. Understood?

They both nodded once more, taking the worn leather straps and sliding them carefully into their pockets. The exact second the straps were secured, a bizarre distortion rippled across all three of their bodies. In the blink of an eye, their physical forms, their clothes, their shadows — everything completely vanished into thin air.

Next Lucian didn’t choose to go through door. Instead, he directly activated his skill.

’Gate.’

the same silent, swirling portal tore open right through the center of the solid wooden door. Without making a single sound, they stepped through the portal.

But the second they stepped through the portal, all three of them froze dead. Their tense battle-readiness instantly vanished, replaced by pure, mind-numbing disbelief as they stared at the absurdity unfolding in front of them.

What the fuckk!!

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[AUTHOR’S NOTE: STOP HERE — THE Chapter ENDS AT THIS POINT. THE DRAFT BELOW IS A REPEATED VERSION CAUSED BY A SYSTEM GLITCH AND ISN’T GETTING DELETED, SO THERE’S NO NEED TO READ IT AGAIN — JUST SKIP IT!!]

well he did not have a choice wither. He had exactly three days on the timer. If he failed, a death curse would lock onto the fates of the two girls standing right beside him. He couldn’t risk that.

Once again, they nodded without a single second of hesitation.

Satisfied, Lucian reached into the pocket of his academy blazer and pulled out his newly acquired special item—the Broken Watch of Brenos. He kept the cracked main casing resting securely in his palm, detached the two worn leather straps, and handed one to each of the girls.

He wrote one final, strict message in the air:

Trust me. No matter what happens next, do not react, and stay right by my side. No screaming, no gasping, no sounds at all. Understood?

They both nodded once more, taking the worn leather straps and sliding them carefully into their pockets. The exact second the straps were secured, a bizarre distortion rippled across all three of their bodies. In the blink of an eye, their physical forms, their clothes, their shadows—everything completely vanished into thin air.

Next Lucian didn’t choose to go through door. Instead, he directly activated his skill.

’Gate.’

the same silent, swirling portal tore open right through the center of the solid wooden door. Without making a single sound, they stepped through the portal.

But the second they entered the dorm room, they froze. It took several long seconds for their minds to comprehend what they were actually looking at. As the reality of the completely unexpected scene clicked into place, the tense battle-readiness in their bodies vanished, replaced instantly by absolute, speechless bewilderment.

What the fuckk!!