Aurel's eyes blinked open, the groggy haze of sleep giving way to a single, unshakable thought.

Today's the day.

His heart thudded in his chest, quickening as the realization hit him fully. He had waited for this moment for years—ever since the Mana Vaccine had been rolled out to the world's population two years ago. But now, at eighteen, it was finally his turn. Today, Aurel would join the ranks of those who could cultivate mana and unlock their genetic potential. Today, his life would change forever.

He tossed the blanket off and sat up in bed, staring out of the narrow window of his one-room apartment. Citico City sprawled beneath him, a mess of steel towers and concrete streets, buzzing with flying vehicles crisscrossing the skyline. It was a world transformed by the awakening of mana, a force that had reshaped humanity and its future.

He had never known anything extraordinary in his first fifteen years of life—just school, boredom, and the quiet absence of his parents, who had left him behind in search of power. His mother and father had quit their jobs, dived headfirst into cultivation, and abandoned him with just enough money to scrape by. They had found their purpose in mana. Aurel? He was still looking for his.

He swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood, shaking off his thoughts. They didn't matter now. He was about to change, to evolve into something more.

No time to waste.

He quickly got dressed and grabbed his backpack, slinging it over his shoulder as he rushed out of his apartment. The airbus was already hovering at the corner of the street, a sleek, silver machine suspended on nothing but streams of concentrated mana. Technology had surged forward in the wake of mana's return, and now things like flying buses were common in cities like Citico. In the past, this sort of thing would have blown people's minds. Now it was just normal.

The doors hissed open as he approached, and Aurel jumped in, finding a seat near the front. The bus was nearly empty, but it moved fast, its mana core humming as it sped toward the nearest vaccination clinic. Three minutes later, the sleek vehicle hovered to a stop outside a towering glass building with "Mana Health Clinic" in glowing letters above the door.

Aurel stepped out, the buzz of anticipation settling in his chest. But as he approached the entrance, his excitement quickly turned into dread. The line stretched from the clinic's doors to the street, snaking its way down the block and beyond. Easily over a kilometer long.

He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. This was going to take forever.

As he joined the back of the line, Aurel began noticing something strange. Everyone else in line looked... different. People with bright green hair, unnaturally tall figures, or even glowing eyes stood in clusters, chatting among themselves. They were pre-awakened—individuals whose bodies had already begun adapting to mana before the vaccine. It was rare, but those who showed signs of pre-awakening were considered more talented, more likely to achieve greater power.

Aurel glanced at his reflection in the clinic's glass. Black hair, black eyes, average height. There was nothing remarkable about him, no hint of any pre-awakening traits. His parents had both undergone significant changes since they left, unlocking genetic traits that made them faster, stronger, and more... well, superhuman. Aurel had inherited none of that. He was still completely ordinary.

And apparently, in this line, that made him stand out more than he thought.

As he shuffled forward, he could feel the eyes on him. The stares, the judgment. People whispered, casting sideways glances at him.

"Look at him. No signs at all?" one girl muttered, her eyes narrowing as she inspected him.

"How's he gonna survive? Probably barely break a single lock," another guy scoffed.

Aurel clenched his fists in his pockets, trying to ignore them. He didn't need anyone's approval. This was his moment. He had been waiting for this. As long as he could break his genetic locks, he'd figure the rest out.

But of course, nothing was ever that simple.

A hulking figure appeared in his path, blocking him from moving any further. Aurel looked up into the sneering face of a guy who easily stood over seven feet tall. His skin was pale, his eyes an unnatural shade of crimson, and his hair burned red like fire. He had the kind of build that screamed muscle and menace.

"Oy, runt," the guy growled, his voice a deep rumble that carried over the chatter of the line. "You're standing in my spot."

Aurel felt the guy's massive hand clamp onto his shoulder, squeezing just hard enough to send a message. The people around them immediately shifted, giving the red-haired bastard a wide berth.

"That's Yujiro Lang," someone whispered behind him. "From the Lang family."

Aurel's heart sank. The Lang family was powerful—one of the top families in the city. They controlled dungeons, raided towers, and practically ran Citico. People like Yujiro didn't have to follow the rules. They were the rules.

"I said move," Yujiro growled again, leaning in closer. His breath was hot against Aurel's face, and his hand tightened painfully on his shoulder.

Aurel should've backed down. That's what anyone else would've done. But something inside him snapped—years of being left behind, ignored, abandoned. No. He wasn't going to take this.

Without a word, he slammed his knee upward, catching Yujiro right between the legs. The big guy's eyes widened in shock, a low grunt of pain escaping his throat as he staggered backward, his hands instinctively flying to his groin.

Aurel stepped back, heart racing, watching as Yujiro crumpled slightly, gasping for breath. His face twisted with anger, but he didn't attack. Instead, he straightened up slowly, his eyes burning with hatred as he muttered, "You'll pay for that, you trash."

With a final, seething glare, Yujiro turned and stormed off, leaving Aurel standing alone.

The people in line gave him a wide berth after that. He could still feel their eyes on him, their whispers, but no one dared say a word. Aurel's heart was still pounding in his chest, but he forced himself to calm down. He had made his choice. No one was going to stop him from getting that vaccine. Not even a Lang.

After what felt like hours, Aurel finally reached the front of the line. The nurse behind the registration desk looked him up and down with a raised brow, clearly unimpressed, but she handed him the necessary documents without a word.

"Room 27," she said flatly, pointing him down the hall.

Aurel followed the long corridor, passing closed doors where the muffled sounds of screams echoed from inside. He ignored them, chalking it up to people being scared of needles. But when he reached Room 27, he hesitated for just a second.

This was it. Once he stepped inside, everything would change.

Taking a deep breath, Aurel pushed open the door and stepped into the room that would change his life forever.