Luna stood still, flanked by Aiden and Emilia as they entered the Academy's grand atrium. Marble floors reflected the morning sunlight pouring in from tall crystal windows, and every eye in the room was on them—on her. A week ago, she had been facing death. Now, she was walking through the gates of one of the world's most elite institutions as a new student.
Professor Julian waited near the front with a clipboard in hand. His smile was warm, his posture stiff with the pride of someone introducing a rare gem.
"Everyone, please welcome Luna Lightbringer. She's joining us from the Eastern Territories and will be part of Class A."
There was a murmur of surprise. A few students exchanged glances—her name wasn't unknown. After all, her name had been trending in some circles after many Red Gates were cleared by a white haired foreigner in recent weeks. But the rumors hadn't prepared them for the white haired girl with cold blue eyes and a quiet intensity that radiated power.
Luna gave a small nod, unsure how to respond to the polite claps. Then she felt a gentle squeeze on her hand.
"Don't let them get to you," Emilia whispered with a smile. "Just be yourself. Or, you know, be slightly terrifying. Either works."
Luna blinked, then smiled.
Aiden stood silently at the edge of the room, watching the interaction. Emilia and Luna had clicked faster than he expected. Maybe Emilia's bright, teasing energy was exactly what Luna needed after years of living as a weapon.
He turned and walked toward the inner gates, his mind drifting. He had work to do.
It was time to move to the next phase of his plan—unlocking the Gifts of his closest allies.
In this world, elemental affinity determined how far you could go. But Gifts? Gifts rewrote the rules entirely.
Luna's Gift, Absolute Freeze, could shatter time and motion itself in a controlled area. Arthur's Gift could restore life itself—complete healing once a day, a divine miracle disguised as a support skill. And Emilia…
Emilia's Gift was perhaps the most terrifying of them all.
She could target a person's soul.
With a glance, she could sense lies, surface emotions, or destabilize someone spiritually. At higher levels, it could let her erase or tear through soul layers entirely. It was why, in his last life, people called her "The Soul Reaper."
Even at Level 7, she and Arthur had saved thousands during the Category 6 gate incident.
While Luna had injured the Sovereign himself before being overwhelmed. And Aiden… he was the variable that tied them all together.
He had no Gift. But he had something else: knowledge.
He reached the forge lab where Gideon worked. The door slid open with a soft hiss, and the scent of hot metal and ozone filled the air.
Gideon looked up from his workbench, goggles still glowing.
"Ah, my favorite madman. You're early."
"I finished the gate. Got the monster core."
Aiden dropped the crystal, still pulsing with cold light, onto the table.
Gideon's eyebrows rose. "A Level 4 Fire
Serpent? You soloed it?"
Aiden shrugged. "It tried to bite me. I bit back."
Gideon chuckled. "Your Chaos Core might make you invincible at your level, but I still don't get how your brain works. You're giving away Gift detecting tech. That's insane even for you."
"I'm not giving it away. Just to the people I trust."
"Same difference." Gideon wiped his hands and gestured to the orb-like device behind him. "It's ready. Just press the resonance core to the subject's chest. It should interact with their soul layer and coax the Gift forward. Might not trigger it immediately, but it'll make it easier.it will help identify the gift and help them to activate it"
Aiden nodded. "Thanks, Gideon."
"Don't thank me. I'll be cursing your name if the Sovereign ever gets his hands on this blueprint."
Aiden laughed quietly.
He called Emilia an hour later. She skipped into the lab, her red hair swaying behind her.
"Took you long enough. I was getting bored."
Aiden held up the device.
"Ready to get even more dangerous?"
She smirked. "You mean more awesome? Always."
He tapped the device gently against her chest. It hummed, lights flickering. Emilia closed her eyes as tendrils of faint blue light wrapped around her.
"I feel… something. Like a voice whispering. It's not clear though."
Her eyes snapped open, glowing faintly for a second. Aiden tensed.
"Stop," he said quickly.
She blinked. "Relax, Aiden. I wasn't going to use it on you silly."
He exhaled, tension easing from his shoulders.
"I just—" He hesitated. "I'm not scared of you. I just… I don't think you know how powerful your gift is."
She touched his hand. "I get it. But I will try my best to use it properly ."
He nodded, quietly grateful.
Arthur arrived later, his expression calm as always.
"So this is the device you told me about?Did Emilia unlock hers?"
"She's on the path," Aiden replied. "It's your turn."
Arthur nodded and let the device work. After a few minutes, he looked stunned.
"I can feel… warmth. Like something holy inside me."
"Your Gift is restoration," Aiden explained. "You can heal someone completely once a day. Even yourself, if you're conscious."
Arthur was silent for a moment, eyes wide. "That's… more than I deserve."
"It's exactly what the world needs," Aiden replied.
Then, he handed Arthur a crystal shard.
"This is a chaos-fragmented elemental core I made it with this you will able to cultivate elemental affinity faster. With this, I can enhance your elemental growth rate too. If we work together, I estimate you'll reach 5 stars in about 9 years."
Arthur stared at it, then looked up.
"And you're trusting me with this?"
"Of course. I trust you have the will to save the world with me ofcourse"
Arthur smiled. "Then I'll follow you to the end."
Later that night, Aiden sat alone on the roof of the Academy dorms, gazing up at the stars.
he had chosen to prioritise emilia and luna over arthur to reach level 5 faster even though he had more talent one reason was he wanted to keep them safe so he wanted them stronger.
He always just wanted to save his loved ones Saving the world was a bonus and their was also a practical reason behind it.
Luna,s and emilia,s gift were much more lethal than arthurs, while his gift gave him essential a extra life they can kill him in one hit with their power at higher levels,luna could cut his head off ,while emilia could burn his soul.
Aiden shook his head thinking what he was imagining about poor arthur but thing remained luna and emilia gift will surpass him in the future as although he was stronger now because of his past life skills and chaos core it might not last long.
That's when it struck him"what if?" And used the device on himself.