The steady hum of voices, footsteps, and clinking lockers filled the corridors of Arcadia High as students flooded in for the day. It was the kind of chaos Theo Marcellus had learned to navigate with ease, slipping through unnoticed. His morning routine was simple: keep his head down, avoid the groups of students buzzing with dungeon gossip, and survive another day as a nobody in a school where status was measured in power.

Today, the buzz seemed even louder than usual. Theo adjusted the strap of his worn backpack and glanced over his shoulder, catching snippets of conversations.

"…did you hear about the gate that opened up last night?"

"Yeah, I saw it on the news! Right in the middle of downtown. And they're saying it's a mid-tier one this time. The city had to send three teams just to stabilize it."

Theo's attention drifted from the murmurs as he continued down the hall, his mind already turning back to his own, uneventful morning. That kind of talk had become so routine that it barely registered. Gates, the portals that connected this world to the dungeon realms, were part of the new normal. When they first appeared nearly twenty years ago, they had been viewed as strange, isolated phenomena. But within a decade, they'd become an unavoidable part of life in Arcadia City — a looming threat and, for a select few, a gateway to fame.

Theo, though, had long since stopped dreaming about fame or awakenings. His "awakening" had been… underwhelming, to put it lightly. At the age of ten, a government team from the Department of Dungeon Regulation (DDR) had come to his school, like they did every few years, to test all the students for any signs of latent powers. After an hour of sitting in a room filled with gleaming monitors and buzzing equipment, Theo had left with the results he dreaded: a basic Warden class awakening, which would have been promising — if only his abilities had been even remotely usable.

His classmates had branded him a dud after that. His class hadn't developed past a faint glow, and despite a few attempts to train it, the energy would fizzle out before it could even be harnessed. Over the years, his interest faded, and he resigned himself to a quiet, invisible life at the school.

Just as Theo reached his locker, his friend Leo suddenly appeared at his side, breaking through his thoughts.

"Hey, man!" Leo clapped him on the shoulder with a grin. "You ready for another thrilling day at the wonderful Arcadia High?"

"More than ready," Theo replied dryly, turning his combination lock with practiced ease. "You wouldn't happen to be here for a reason other than bringing your… usual cheerfulness, would you?"

Leo's eyes sparkled mischievously. "Oh, you know me too well. As a matter of fact, I have some hot gossip." He leaned in closer, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Apparently, we're about to get some serious action. I heard they've locked down the science wing — it's got something to do with the dungeon gate that appeared nearby last night."

Theo raised an eyebrow. "Science wing? They're bringing that gate drama into the school?"

Leo nodded, his grin widening. "Looks like it. They've actually called in a rookie from one of the big families to handle it. Guess who?"

"Let me guess… the girl everyone talks about but no one actually sees?"

"Bingo! Aria Sinclair. The one and only."

Theo had heard the name countless times, though he'd never spoken to her himself. Aria Sinclair was somewhat of a legend among students, a senior at Arcadia High known for her impressive awakening at a young age and her recent achievements as one of the city's top rising dungeon agents. Her family held a high status in the city, with her father working in dungeon research and her mother a prominent figure in the DDR. Stories about her exploits circulated constantly, and she seemed to walk in a different world, one that Theo had never felt remotely a part of.

"Right," Theo said, masking his indifference. "So she's here to… what, clear out the science wing?"

Leo shrugged. "Who knows? But I heard that a gate opened up practically on school grounds, and the faculty's trying to keep things under control. Rumor has it that there's some kind of rare artifact inside that they're trying to retrieve, so they brought in Aria."

Theo shifted his gaze to the window, catching a faint glint of sunlight outside. The mention of artifacts wasn't surprising. Dungeons were more than just battlefields for awakeners to test their abilities; they held relics and magical items, sources of rare energies that fueled much of society's advanced technology. If the DDR had decided to involve Aria Sinclair, it meant they expected something big. For Arcadia High students, such incidents were nothing more than news highlights — for most students, anyway. But for those gifted with awakening, each new dungeon represented a potential rise in status.

As Theo turned away from the window, the clanging sound of metal and harsh voices filled the hallway behind him. He barely had time to react before he found himself facing a group of boys, with Chris Foreman at the front. Chris, a classmate known for his cocky attitude, had recently "awakened" to a mid-level Ranger class, which had only inflated his already towering ego.

"Well, well, look who's spacing out again," Chris sneered, loud enough to turn heads in the hallway. "The dud of Arcadia High himself."

Theo clenched his jaw but kept his eyes down, hoping Chris would lose interest quickly. Unfortunately, Chris seemed in the mood to make a scene.

"What's the matter, dud?" Chris continued, his voice dripping with mockery. "Didn't they call you to help with the dungeon cleanup? Oh wait, that's right. You'd probably just fizzle out."

Chris's friends chuckled, and Theo felt a familiar flush of frustration.

Leo stepped in beside him, crossing his arms and shooting Chris a disdainful look. "You really don't have anything better to do than pick on people, huh, Chris?"

Chris rolled his eyes, his smirk widening. "Just reminding him of his place, Leo. Not everyone can be a hero."

Theo's fists clenched at his sides, but he forced himself to take a deep breath. He knew better than to rise to Chris's bait. After a few more sneering comments, Chris finally sauntered off, leaving Theo and Leo alone.

"Unbelievable," Leo muttered, shaking his head. "The guy's got an awakening, and he thinks he's invincible."

Theo forced a half-smile. "It's fine. Let's just get to class."

But as they started down the hallway, Theo couldn't shake the unsettling feeling that had crept over him. For years, he had kept his head down, content to stay invisible and unnoticed. Yet, deep down, he felt a stirring, a quiet yearning he had long suppressed. As he thought about Aria and the kind of world she was part of, he couldn't help but wonder: What if he had a place in that world too?

They walked down the hall, and the morning passed in a blur. Theo couldn't focus on any of his classes, his thoughts drifting to the science wing. By lunchtime, the buzz in the school had only grown louder, and even the teachers seemed on edge, glancing toward the locked-off area every so often.

When the lunch bell rang, Theo and Leo joined the crowd drifting toward the cafeteria. But just as they reached the doors, a sudden commotion erupted near the science wing. Curious, Theo turned and caught sight of a group of teachers and a few officials in uniform, clustered around a roped-off area just beyond the glass doors.

"Hey, let's check it out," Leo whispered, nudging him.

Theo hesitated. "I don't know if we're allowed—"

"Come on, what's the worst that could happen?" Leo grinned and tugged him along before Theo could protest.

They slipped into the crowd of students gathering near the barricade, watching as the officials set up more equipment. Behind them, Theo caught a glimpse of the shimmering doorway that marked the entrance to the dungeon. The gate was faint, almost like a mirage, its edges rippling as if it were made of liquid glass. Beyond it, he could make out the faint outlines of shadowy, shifting forms.

Just then, a voice cut through the crowd, calm yet commanding. "Everyone, please step back."

The students parted as Aria Sinclair strode forward, her dark hair pulled back, her expression focused and unyielding. She wore the Arcadia High uniform, but there was something about her stance, her aura, that set her apart from everyone else. It was as if she were already part of another world, a world filled with danger and power, and she had merely stepped into this one for a brief moment.

Theo's breath caught as her gaze swept over the crowd, landing briefly on him. Her expression was unreadable, but he felt a strange jolt of recognition in her eyes. It was almost as if she saw something in him — something he had long since buried.

But just as quickly as their eyes met, she looked away, turning her attention to the gate. She raised her hand, and a soft glow enveloped her fingertips. A few murmurs rippled through the crowd as she extended her hand toward the gate, the light pulsing in time.