Essence is sacred. That's what I was taught from a young age. My friends call me Ron. My family calls me Mischa. But to the rest of the essence-using world, I'm known as an Essence-Blessed—an individual born with a higher essence count than normal, requiring training from adolescence to master its use. And I did just that.
I was great at everything—achieving high grades in school and excelling in my clan's training. I did my best to prove I was a clear frontrunner to take my mom's place as the next Fortune Keeper, head of the Fortune Clan, and the person responsible for keeping both this world and the normal world spinning. But everything changed when I finally made it to the academy.
Although it seems like a normal college on the outside, it's secretly a training ground for the Organization, the main group of essence users fighting in the ongoing war against …
"Mr. Fortune, although we'd all love to marvel at the latest Fortune prodigy, class must continue. Maybe you'd like to introduce yourself?" Professor Lucid's voice cutting through the murmurs of the classroom, his words accompanied by a subtle but sharp push of bloodlust that made my spine tingle.
"Uh, sorry, Professor. First-day jitters, I guess." I stood up and cleared my throat, looking around the lecture hall. "My name is Laron Fortune. I'm of the Fortune Clan." My voice steadied as I added some essence to the large playing card tattooed on my shoulder and continued, "I look forward to protecting this world with all of you."
"Thank you, Mr. Fortune," the professor replied, his tone carrying a trace of amusement. "Now, if you don't mind, please tackle a prompt from the board and answer it to the best of your abilities."
I scanned the board, picked a question, and spoke with confidence. "I'll take question five. In battle, essence can be used in two primary ways: first, through the manipulation of one's own essence into weapons, and second, through the use of domains, which harness the world's natural essence."
"Perfect.Amd Mr. Adams, would you care to introduce yourself next and expand on the topic of weapons?" Professor Lucid asked
A figure sighed next to me and stood up lazily. "My name is Zach Adams. I'm from the Breaker Clan. The use of essence in weapons varies depending on the type of weapon," he began before trailing off.
"And we'd be honored if you could go into a little more detail," the professor prompted sarcastically.
Zach rolled his eyes. "You should've just said that from the start. I don't get why the Fortune brat got to choose his prompt, but whatever. Weapons used to be rare and exclusive to the elite, but these days they're categorized into three levels.
"Level one includes basic weapons pre-infused with essence or made from corpse parts. A toddler could use one if they got their hands on it. Level two requires at least a semi-proficient user who can channel their own essence into the weapon. And level three… Well, those weapons are on par with, if not superior to, Awakened Domain users." Zach finished with a smirk, his tone dripping with sarcasm as he returned the professor's earlier jab.
"Well, I thought you'd want to piggyback off your friend," Professor Lucid responded matter-of-factly. "Now let's let the last member of your trio finish us off."
On my other side, a smaller figure rose to his feet. He looked around briefly, then began to speak. "My name is Amir Robinson. I'm not from any recognized clan, so I won't bore you with their name. To answer the professor's question, the other use of essence in battle is through domains.Wait Ron said that already well anyways
Domains have remained fundamentally the same throughout recorded history. There are big milestones when reaching the pinnacle of a domain, but the smaller steps along the way differ for everyone. Within the Organization, domains are classified into three levels:
Level 1: The body reaches its physical limits, and users can perceive 360 degrees around them. Advanced users at this level can slightly manipulate the essence within their domain, but it's more of a layer of essence on one's body.
Level 2: Enemies find it harder to control their domains, while allies find their essence flow easier to manage. Non-domain users caught in the area are rendered almost useless—though there are rare exceptions.
Level 3: At this level, users gain the ability to alter the essence within their domain itself, changing its very properties."
"Textbook answer, Mr. Robinson," the professor remarked with a nod, his tone neutral but carrying a hint of approval."And if everyone has gone I'll…"
"No, everyone hasn't," a short red-haired figure said from the front of the class. Before the professor could respond, she continued, "My name is Deyanis Solaris, but you can call me Deya. I'll take question one since everyone else skipped it."
"Be my guest, Ms. Solaris," Professor Lucid said, still slightly embarrassed .
Deya stood confidently and answered, "Agency teams are usually made up of five members: one senior officer and four academy students." She exclaimed excitedly
"Yes, Ms. Solaris, but it's a little more complex than that. Among the four students, one is designated the team leader. I'm sure you already knew that," the professor replied, regaining his composure.
"Yeah, of course," Deya nodded, though her pale skin flushed bright red.
"And since this is your first day," Professor Lucid continued, gesturing to the board, "I'll announce the team leaders based on your academy entrance rankings."
The professor wrote the rankings on the board as the class murmured in anticipation:
Team Leaders and Rankings
• S. Fortune – Rank 3
• H. Spectre – Rank 1
• J. Musket – Rank 4
• E. Evermore – Rank 2
• K. Obsidian – Rank 5
"Any questions?" the professor asked.
"Yes," I said, my voice tight with irritation and slight confusion . "I was told I had the best entrance exam scores. So how am I only ranked third?"
"Welcome to the real world, Mischa," Hayden Spectre smirked from across the room.
I felt my blood boil. "Who gave you permission to use that name?" I demanded, my hand gripping the hilt of my sword.
"What, only your dear mother can—" Hayden began, but his words were cut short as I appeared in front of him, sword drawn and aimed at his neck.For a moment, I was ready to strike—but then, I couldn't move. My eyes darted back to the professor, who stood calmly, his hand slightly raised.
"As much as we'd all love to see a battle between two members of top-tier clans," the professor said evenly, "this isn't the time. Class, what you are experiencing now is within my Level 2 domain. While most of you might not feel any negative effects, these two are completely immobilized. Right now, even a normal human could take them down."
Before he could finish, he stumbled slightly, his domain flickering.
"Sorry to interrupt, Professor," Zach Adams said, manipulating his essence to disrupt the domain, "but that's my future team leader you've got there."
"Also we'd appreciate it if you kept your bloodlust in check," Amir Robinson added, his hand lowering a weapon he'd subtly drawn behind the professor.
"Well," Professor Lucid said, his gaze shifting to our trio with newfound curiosity. "This is going to be an interesting year."
"It's fine guys"I exhaled deeply, sheathing my sword as I walked back to my seat.
On the way, a small figure stopped me."Hi," she said in a bright voice. "I don't know if you caught my introduction earlier—I'm Jenny Musket. Can I see your swords? They look like ones my great-uncle made a few years ago."
"Well that's because they are," I replied, still slightly agitated. "But you'll have to wait until later." I nodded toward the door. "They're here."