Chapter 1 : The Boy Without Power
The neon skyline of Ocean Blue City shimmered in the distance, casting fractured reflections across the crashing tides. Built beside the vast Eastern Sea, the city rose like a crystalline fortress—towers of chrome and glass etched with ancient runes, humming with the pulse of bio-tech and artificial intelligence. It was a city where the sea met the stars. And where power meant everything.
In a modest coastal district on the city's edge, nestled between algae farms and seawater research towers, lived the Noctis family.
"Dev, breakfast!" Sam Noctis called, his voice deep but warm.
Dev shuffled out of his room, towel around his neck, his black hair still damp from a cold shower. He had the kind of face that looked like it always knew a joke you didn't. Calm eyes. Quiet smile.
"Smells good," he said, flopping into his seat.
Clestia Noctis set a plate in front of him. "You didn't sleep well."
"I slept fine. Just… felt like the ocean was calling again." He paused. "Weird dream. That same ring glowing again."
She gave him a look but said nothing. That ring—etched with the ancient oceanic symbol—had been around his neck since they found him as a toddler, washed up on a rocky shore. Wrapped in the grip of a strange, dead octopus. No other explanation. No records. No blood ties. Just… Dev.
Today was supposed to be different.
Today was his Awakening Day.
---
Outside the Gene Aptitude Center, dozens of teens lined up, excited, cocky, nervous—each eager to learn what elemental force pulsed in their DNA. Fire. Air. Lightning. Gravity. Void. The future itself unfolded at 18.
Dev sat in the back of the testing room, still chewing gum.
"Next: Dev Noctis," the technician called.
He stood. Walked in. Sat in the pod. Inserted his hand.
Silence.
Then flashing red text.
> GENETIC AFFINITY: UNDETECTED
ERROR: ANOMALY. NULL-TIER.
The room went silent.
Even the technician blinked twice. "That… can't be right."
---
Word spread fast. It always did in Ocean Blue.
By the time Dev stepped out into the light, he was already being stared at. Pointed at. Whispered about.
And waiting for him, like a snake basking in sun, stood Dian Len—the smug, sharp-jawed heir to the Len Conglomerate, one of the top ten ruling families in the city. His designer coat shimmered like sharkskin.
"Well, well," Dian smirked. "The ocean orphan's broken after all."
Dev kept walking.
"Wait," Dian called, stepping in front of him. "Forgot something." He swung. A fist slammed into Dev's gut.
Dev crumpled to his knees, gasping.
"Oops. No affinity means no protection. No rights. No rank." Dian's friends laughed. One kicked Dev in the side. Another punched his back.
They dragged him through the street, kicking him as the rain started to fall. Sam and Clestia weren't home—out on a research dive, unreachable.
Dev was tossed over the railing of the skybridge. He hit the water below with a splash and didn't come up.
---
Beneath the surface, something stirred.
His body floated in silence, bleeding. Fish circled.
But none came close.
The sea itself held its breath.
And then—the wind screamed.
Clouds turned black. Waves surged. Lightning crackled over the sea.
Dev's body twitched. His fists clenched.
> "I don't want to be weak anymore…"
A pulse exploded from his chest—deep blue and alive. The ring around his neck ignited, glowing like a lighthouse.
> GENE AFFINITY DETECTED: ELEMENT – WATER.
WARNING: SECONDARY PRESENCE DETECTED. UNKNOWN ENTITY…
Inside his soul, something vast and eternal opened its eyes. It didn't blink. It watched.
Dev fell unconscious as the storm calmed, drifting into black