The freezing temperature bit into his bones while water dripped from the corroded fire escape sending cold droplets down his back in a painfully slow descent. He shuddered, his muscles trembling uncontrollably.
Within the alley's filth his body bent forward while he endured another dry heave that left him with very little strength remaining. All that remained inside him was the bitter taste of bile and the persistent flavor of regret.
Powerless One. Useless. Nothing.
These words slithered through his mind, uninvited and venomous, as old as fate itself. Years had passed, yet the words remained, blood-red scars etched into his consciousness, a judgment that neither man nor time could erase. [Powerless One], the same phrase that had once glowed in cold holographic letters before the elite of the Federation.
When he was born, Delta Stratos City had been bathed in violet light, an omen that sent shivers through the great families. The Chase estate had been filled with guests, all eager to witness the birth of another legend. The air had been thick with reverence until the machines delivered their final verdict.
"Congenitally blocked meridians?"
The words fell into the silence like a guillotine, a moment of stunned disbelief followed by whispers that started low, like a tide pulling back before the inevitable crash.
"The Violet Emperor reborn?" someone murmured hesitantly. Then laughter erupted—harsh and relentless, drowning him before he could even understand why.
Even Leo Zhao, barely more than a boy himself, stood smirking at the edge of the ceremony hall, one hand raised lazily, crackling with nascent power.
"Hey! Tell your mother to try again. Oh wait, she's dead."
Leon had been eight. And he had never been permitted to forget.
The years had ground him down to this—a man in the dirt, rain blurring his sight, the past pressing heavily. Above him, a tavern owner sneered, the iron grip of his boot pressing Leon's hand into the muck.
"Die elsewhere, gutter trash."
The tavern owner barely glanced at him. Just another body in the gutter. He wiped his hands on his apron, then spat into the mud.
"Not here!"
Leon Chase lay motionless, the taste of rain and rot thick on his tongue. His fingers curled weakly in the muck, trying to find purchase.
Somewhere above, a billboard flickered. The neon glare cut through the storm like a pulse—erratic, failing.
"Celestial Omen! Chase Clan Infant Triggers Cosmic Resonance!"
The light from the billboard flickered. A shape moved in the rain. He stood beneath that cold, violet glow, whispers clawing at his skin like unseen hands.
"Powerless Ones Exempt"
He had laughed then a hollow, shuddering sound that held neither mirth nor defiance.
Whoosh—
Air rushed past him. Leon barely noticed the floating car approaching before a sudden force struck his knees, sending him crashing to the pavement.
Inside the car, Evelyn Lin watched coldly, black hair flowing straight down over an expressionless face. She had come tonight, despite everything, just to see Leon—though she revealed no warmth, no sign of her inner turmoil.
Beside her, Leo Zhao lowered his hand quietly, unnoticed.
Leon gritted his teeth against the pain. Beneath the agony, he sensed something new—fragile, uncertain, stirring to life.
Reality momentarily sharpened. Raindrops slowed midair, refracting neon light, before fading back into darkness.
Above, Evelyn spoke coldly through the open window, "Do you need a ride?"
Leon struggled to his feet, forcing himself upright despite trembling limbs. He refused to let Evelyn see his weakness.
"Get out of my sight," he said, voice low and rough.
Evelyn hesitated briefly, her eyes revealing a fleeting inner conflict, then silently guided the floating car upward, disappearing into the rain.
Just before they vanished, Leo flicked a Shadowcore into the darkness and snapped his fingers.
A sudden burst of violet light slammed Leon back onto the ground, pain overwhelming and fierce. Darkness closed in rapidly.
Yet something snapped free within him, breaking long-forgotten chains. Power surged fiercely through his veins, resonating with the toxin meant to kill him.
Leon drew in heavy breaths, each one a desperate fight for survival. Something shifted.
There was no sound or thought only silent knowledge flowing into his mind as smoke passes through a door that's cracked open. This understanding emerged incrementally as it accumulated behind his eyes.
Leon planted a hand against the ground. His pain persisted yet diminished in intensity while his perception sharpened into clearer awareness.
He looked down at his hands. They trembled. Despite his pain, an unseen force began to move deep inside his flesh.
A smile of bitterness and breathlessness pulled softly at his mouth's edge.
Powerless no longer.
Footsteps splashed against wet stone, rapid and uneven. A familiar voice broke through the storm.
"Leon! What's wrong?"
Maxin hurried into view, still stuffing a worn wallet into his coat pocket, rain dripping from his hair. Concern tightened his features as he quickly knelt beside Leon.
Leon studied him in silence. Maxin, the only one who had never turned away.
Something inside him pressed outward, tightening like a fist clenched too long. He steadied himself, legs unsteady beneath him but unyielding. He had to test it. He had to see.
The arcane knowledge imprinted in his mind unfurled, intricate and undeniable. Closing his eyes, He reached for the swirling energy, as if an invisible key was turning in the lock of reality.
He suddenly opened his eyes, feeling a deep, resonant vibration in his chest that reminded him of a distant bell ringing. The world around him began to shift in subtle ways, making everything feel slightly out of sync.
Twin hexagrams flared to life in his eyes, sharpening his awareness; every crack and flaw in the pavement became vividly apparent.
Raindrops fell in frozen arcs, their paths mapped out before they hit the ground. The grime of the city streets transformed into intricate patterns, each speck of decay a testament to the relentless march of entropy.
[Keen Sight]—His first gift.
A glint from a discarded bottle shard caught his eye. Beyond it lay a pile of timber, rotted and weathered. To anyone else, it was just debris. But he could see the fragile stress points, like delicate threads of silk waiting to snap.
He tightened his grip on the shard and struck.
Crack.
The timber split cleanly along its weakest point.
Leon gasped, his lungs burning. It was real—he had finally awakened. The years of humiliation and exile faded into clarity.
A decade of scorn, isolation, and insignificance crumbled under this newfound truth. The question that had haunted him for years finally had a chance for resolution.
Since the night the meteor fell, it had whispered to him, invading his dreams and unsettling him without mercy.
Tonight, fueled by alcohol and newfound resolve, he would face it.
Maxin stood frozen nearby, speechless. After ten long years, the infamous "Powerless One" had awakened. Maxin's shock likely surpassed even Leon's.
It wasn't just his birthday. If anything, it felt like the universe owed him a three-day parade.Maxin hadn't even opened his mouth before Leon was already moving, jaw set, eyes hard.
Time was not on his side.
To attend Novastra Academy, he needed to reach Fifth-Stage before turning twenty. Evelyn and Maxin were already nearing Fourth-Stage, leaving him lagging behind.
Without a moment's hesitation, Leon smashed his fist through a window, ignoring the sharp sting of glass slicing into his skin. He seized a rusted fire axe.
Maxin hesitated, then sighed softly.
"An unranked Shadowbeast won't kill him," he murmured. "Maybe he'll learn something."
The tavern owner nearby scowled at the broken wood and shattered glass.
"You're gonna to pay for that wood, right?"
Leon steadied himself, gripping the axe as rain mingled with blood dripping from his fingers. Faces flashed through his mind—the laughter of the past, Evelyn's once-warm eyes, and the final breaths of his clan. The weight of survivor's guilt pushed him onward, crystallizing into a resolve stronger than fear.
He navigated the streets, with passersby quickly stepping aside from the drunken figure clutching a bloody axe. Mist enveloped him, thick and suffocating.
The city wall had been off-limits for nearly two decades.
Beep-boop!
A patrol drone zipped by, its voice cold and mechanical, "Warning: Disarm immediately."
Leon dismissed it, already at the gate. Tonight, nothing would stop him.
Then he heard familiar footsteps approaching from behind.
Leon turned instinctively, locking eyes with Evelyn Lin, her expression as cold and indifferent as ever.
She remained motionless under the rainfall while her armor reflected light as if it had transformed into ice. She briefly glanced at his neck which exposed a small trace of emotion beneath her controlled exterior.
"You've come back...?"
She remembered their decade-old promise to study together at Novastra Academy. Her present-day eyes reflect a cold reality while her smile from the past was filled with warmth.
"Stand down," she ordered. "Surveillance has already flagged you."
Leon growled, "Move aside," while he clutched the axe more firmly."Or make sure to bring some drinks when you come to collect my body."
"Leon!" Evelyn's voice trembled slightly. "You can't go there."
Leon paused, glancing back with bitter irony. "Now you care?"
Without another word, he turned toward the darkness.
The Federation was indifferent to who departed, just as childhood promises faded away.
Fueled by fire and alcohol, he pushed through the wind and rain toward the Dead Zone.
The world hadn't always been this way. The Stellar Ascension Continent once flourished under the blessings of the heavens. Meteors had brought both power and progress—until a century ago.
Then the Shadowbeasts came.
They emerged like living nightmares, unstoppable and unfathomable, devouring entire cities.
The Shadowbeasts were meticulously categorized, their strength ranked from the weakest F-Class to the devastating S-Class. Each rank represented a terrifying increase in power. Even small, unranked Shadowbeasts, though individually weak, became a deadly threat in numbers, easily overwhelming the defenseless.
In response, humanity awakened as Espers, tapping into incredible powers and transforming into warriors, healers, specialists, and elementals. Those who pushed beyond their limits became legends, the ultimate defense against the Shadowbeasts.
Yet even legends have their limits. Even the strongest walls can crumble.
Ten years ago, the Purple Star meteor breached the defenses of Delta Stratos City.
Shadowbeasts poured in, met only by the Chase Clan, abandoned by envious rivals.
Thirty warriors stood against hundreds. The city watched in silence as the Chase Clan was overwhelmed, leaving only one powerless boy alive.
Leon Chase—The last of his family.
Afterward, the city sealed the ruins, calling it the Dead Zone.
Tonight, Leon was determined to enter.
Ice erupted in front of him, blocking his way.
"Are you out of your mind?" Evelyn snapped. "You know it's a death wish. Even Fifth-Stage hunters steer clear of it. Who do you think you are?"
"Who am I?" Leon lifted his gaze, defiant.
"I'm the punchline everyone has already laughed at," he said, his voice low. "But I'm done being the joke."
Evelyn's breath caught in her throat. Her gaze met the shadow of that ten-year-old event in his eyes—the morning light illuminating the ruins and the Chase Clan's final moments while a powerless boy remained abandoned by all.
The Dead Zone had taken countless lives.
She cursed softly. Ice formed beneath her feet, cold and unyielding. Her fists clenched tightly, frost swirling around her like armor. But beneath that icy exterior, another kind of fire burned fiercely.
She couldn't let him go.