Heir of the Lost Wish

In a misty darkness, Lucian stood atop an endless expanse of water. The surface was eerily still, reflecting the surrounding void like an unfathomable mirror. Yet, his feet found solid ground, as if this infinite ocean was nothing more than an illusion.

He furrowed his brows, his mind clouded.

*Another dream… Where am I?*

Silence answered him. Only the unsettling sensation of being watched lingered in the air.

He took a step forward, his movements sending faint ripples across the water. The fog wrapped around him, dense and impenetrable, making each step uncertain. But then, as if swept away by an unseen force, the spectral veil parted.

A few meters ahead, a lone figure stood still.

It was a man, clad in a long black coat, his silver-white hair cascading down his back. He faced the horizon, gazing at a celestial sight both mesmerizing and ominous.

Above them, a colossal eclipse loomed, an overwhelming ring of light swallowed by an all-consuming shadow.

Then, a voice echoed.

Deep, calm, yet heavy with unfathomable wisdom.

"Shadow always precedes death… and those who ignore it merely delay the inevitable."

As the words faded, the man dissolved into the mist… or rather, he became the mist. His body unraveled into swirling tendrils of shadow before vanishing into nothingness.

Lucian opened his mouth, but before he could utter a word, a blinding light pierced through his vision. A golden beam brushed against his face, shattering the remnants of the dream. He jolted awake.

His heartbeat gradually steadied as he realized he was in his room. Dawn crept through the curtains, casting a soft glow on the walls.

He sat up slowly, his gaze distant.

*What's happening to me lately?* he thought, staring at his hands.

A chill ran down his spine. This dream… it wasn't like the others. And yet, like every time, it would fade into the blur of a busy day.

His eyes drifted to the clock on the wall.

"It's already time!"

He jumped out of bed, hurriedly dressed, and left his room, pushing aside the strange unease that had lingered from the night before.

This wasn't the first unsettling dream he'd had… and it wouldn't be the last.

Lucian was surprised. Not only had he awakened to supernatural abilities, but his body itself had grown stronger. The formation of his Nexus had elevated him to a higher state. As he examined his hands, he felt a newfound power coursing through him. A faint, exhilarated smile played on his lips as he murmured:

"So this is… the path to Ascension."

Yet his excitement was short-lived.

Upon arriving at the academy, he was met with a mountain of paperwork. Becoming an Awakened came with new rules—strict regulations, numerous restrictions, and, of course, a firm prohibition on using his Aspect ability outside official training grounds. Hours of reading through rules and obligations drained him, and he let out a weary sigh.

But despite it all, a flicker of pride burned within him. He had been the third-fastest student in the academy to form his Nexus—and that was without the limitless resources or private tutors that noble families enjoyed.

At least, that's what he believed.

Because he wasn't the only one. Two others had awakened their Nexus on the same day. And one of them… he knew all too well.

Jin, the Fiery Fist, had awakened as well. Lucian could already picture his smug grin and relentless teasing.

The second, however, was someone he had never met personally, but his name echoed throughout the academy: Elyas of House Valmont. A formidable talent.

Intrigued yet slightly uneasy, Lucian straightened, his gaze flickering with anticipation.

"What are their abilities?" he murmured, a mix of excitement and curiosity in his voice.

Afternoon came faster than expected.

Lost in thought, Lucian mulled over how to best use his power in combat. He had a few ideas, but nothing concrete yet.

A familiar voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"Hey, brother!"

Lucian turned, already knowing who it was.

"Hey, Jin," he said with a slight smile.

Then, glancing around, he added:

"Karen's not with you?"

Jin shrugged.

"Nah, she's skipping class to meditate. Practical training isn't all that useful for an archer."

A smug chuckle escaped his lips, his playful grin ever-present.

"I think she took it pretty hard when she found out I'd already completed my core formation."

Lucian sighed.

"That sounds like her, alright…"

They entered the stadium, and as Jin strapped on his gauntlets, Lucian asked the question that had been burning in his mind:

"So, what's your Awakening ability?"

Jin cracked his knuckles. A metallic clang echoed, followed by faint sparks.

"Explosion."

Lucian blinked.

"Explosion?" he repeated, incredulous.

Jin smirked confidently.

"I can make my mana explode, basically."

To demonstrate, a bluish glow flickered at his elbow before erupting in a violent burst. The force propelled his arm forward, slicing through the air with terrifying speed.

Lucian felt a shiver run down his spine.

How insanely lucky can he get… Explosion? That ability takes his fighting style to an entirely new level…

Lucian grabbed a sword and took his stance. Jin, smirking, threw the question back at him:

"And you? What's your power?"

Lucian hesitated before answering plainly:

"I can make myself lighter or heavier… I think."

Jin burst into laughter.

"Ahahaha! Brother, I think our rivalry ends today!"

Lucian smirked.

"We'll see about that."

By the end of the day, Lucian walked through the academy halls, his impassive expression masking his frustration. But inside, he was seething.

"A crushing defeat…" he muttered.

He had imagined his power as a perfect balance between agility and brute force. He thought he could move effortlessly by becoming lighter, then strike with overwhelming strength by increasing his mass at the last moment.

But reality had been far less kind.

Every time he made his arm heavier to land a blow, his balance crumbled, leaving him open. Against Jin, that had cost him match after match. And more than anything, he had realized one crucial flaw:

His ability didn't make his body denser. He wasn't any more durable when he increased his weight. A sharp blade would still cut through him just as easily.

However, he hadn't lost everything. Far from it.

He had grasped a vital mechanic of his power:

When an opponent struck him, the force of impact was equal to the force his body absorbed.

If he was extremely light, his body would be sent flying, absorbing much of the impact's energy.

If he was extremely heavy, he would barely move, forcing the shock to rebound onto his attacker.

"The law of inertia," he murmured.

During their fight, Jin had felt it firsthand. When he struck Lucian while he was at his heaviest, the impact reverberated back through his own body. It was like punching solid steel—the shock rippled through his gauntlets, numbing his arm.

For someone like Jin, who was used to punching through pain, it was just a minor inconvenience. But the effect was undeniable: striking something that dense came at a cost.

Lucian had lost more than usual today. He had scraped together a few wins, mostly due to Jin's inexperience with his new power. But round after round, things shifted. Jin adapted. His technique refined.

His strategy was becoming clear—using controlled explosions to propel his strikes with devastating speed and power.

Lucian knew the fights ahead would only grow harder. And his current understanding of his ability wasn't enough to keep up.

Lucian knew exactly what he had to do.

He was in the academy's library, frantically absorbing every book he could find on human anatomy. His goal was clear: to solve his balance problem. To do that, he had to learn how to subtly and precisely distribute his weight across tiny portions of muscle. That was the idea he had come up with.

At first glance, such an approach might have seemed absurd. For an ordinary person, mastering every part of the body at such a detailed level—adjusting minuscule amounts of weight with absolute precision—was unthinkable. In the heat of battle, where every movement could mean life or death, such focus seemed impossible. And yet, for someone of Lucian's caliber, it wasn't as far-fetched as it appeared.

He buried himself in books, absorbing information at a staggering speed, determined to master his body down to the smallest muscle. He knew that every detail mattered, and he was ready to exploit that to turn his weakness into strength.

Night had fallen over the academy, shrouding the buildings in a thin veil of mist. Lucian slipped into his room, as silent as a shadow, his mind still haunted by the failures of the day. He sat on his bed, staring at the starry sky through the window. A relentless thirst for new sensations, an insatiable desire to push the limits of his power, burned within him.

Suddenly, he sprang to his feet, driven by an inner urgency. He grabbed a long black hooded coat. Standing in the center of the room, he focused, feeling his energy vibrate through every fiber of his being. With a smooth motion, he shifted his weight—a strange, lighter sensation. Then, he leapt toward the window.

The ground vanished beneath his feet in an instant. He soared into the air like a bird taking flight, his body dissolving into the vastness of the night. The moon, luminous and immense, loomed before him, so close he almost felt he could touch it. Higher and higher he climbed, his ascent as effortless as a dance in the void. The sensation was indescribable—an intoxicating weightlessness, a surrender to the heavens. He let himself drift, suspended, his body in perfect harmony with the night.

Far away, in a solitary manor, a figure stood motionless on a balcony, deep in meditation. Her long, deep blue hair—almost otherworldly—cascaded around her face, softly illuminated by the moon's silver glow. Every movement of her body, light as a feather, carried the serenity of the moment, and the air around her seemed to still, drawn in by her tranquility.

Her eyes suddenly lifted to the sky. A shiver ran through her as she caught sight of the ethereal figure floating among the stars. A fleeting breath of wonder unsettled her calm. She watched, mesmerized, as this apparition defied the very laws of nature.

"Who… is that?" she murmured, almost to herself.

A deep, authoritative voice shattered the silence.

"Elsa, what are you doing? Hurry up!"

She startled, snapped back to reality. Turning toward the familiar voice, she maintained her composure.

"I'm coming, Father," she answered softly, her voice as fluid as the night breeze.

Before stepping inside, she cast one last glance toward the sky. There was nothing. The figure had vanished, swallowed by the darkness. Only the stars, eternal and silent, and the moon shone above her—a quiet promise of infinity.

Lucian hovered for a moment, suspended in the sky. The wind whipped against his face, and adrenaline surged through him. He had jumped farther than expected. Wasting no time, he increased his weight, beginning his descent. The ground rushed toward him at a terrifying speed.

*Dammit*, he thought, gritting his teeth. *I didn't plan for this. I hope no one saw me…*

The city stretched out beneath him, its towering spires and massive walls forming a breathtaking sight. From this height, the streets had an undeniable elegance—every alley, every building carved into the landscape with almost unreal precision. But despite the beauty, Lucian knew he had little time before someone noticed a silhouette drifting through the sky.

Adjusting his posture to slow his fall, he scanned the city below. The streets were empty, save for the usual guards at their posts. Strange. The silence of the winter night was palpable. Yet, as his eyes swept over the roads, a sudden movement caught his attention.

There, in a dark alley, a hooded figure lunged forward and, in a flash, grabbed a passerby. In one swift, surgical motion, they clamped a hand over the victim's mouth, silencing any scream, and dragged them into the shadows, vanishing in an instant.

Lucian didn't even have time to react. But he had seen everything—every detail, every fluid motion of the attacker.

He let himself descend, adjusting his trajectory with an almost artistic precision. The wind obeyed his every whim, and with his weight reduced, he moved with an almost supernatural grace. But keeping this light form drained an enormous amount of mana. He had only maintained it for a few seconds, yet each one was an effort. As he neared the rooftop, exhaustion crept in. He landed silently, his feet touching down as softly as a feather, and peered into the alley below.

It was empty.

Lucian had no trouble piecing together what had just happened. He knew the capital had an extensive underground network of tunnels—a labyrinth beneath the city. The sewer grate had just been closed, and his mind connected the dots instantly.

He took a moment to scan the surroundings, his sharp gaze searching the shadows. Nothing. But he knew this was no coincidence.

*Was the attacker alone?* The thought lingered in his mind.

If he had been more cautious, he might have alerted the guards. But he also knew the situation was too complex to wait. The tunnels were vast—a true underground maze. If the attacker had even a slight head start, they could already be far gone before help arrived.

Lucian sighed, brushing a hand through the air. He thought of all the improbable situations that always seemed to find him.

*Why does this only ever happen to me?*

Then, he realized—he was no longer so innocent in all of this.

*I'm not even supposed to be out here at this hour…* he mused, rolling his shoulders. A slight shiver ran down his spine. *Since when did I become an outlaw?*

He shook his head. This situation was spiraling out of control, but he knew what he had to do. His mind was already made up.

A thrill of adrenaline ran down his neck as he slipped into the alley, his coat billowing behind him. Pulling up his hood, he melted into the darkness, determination burning in his eyes. Slowly, he approached the sewer grate. The cold metal pressed against his fingers as he carefully lifted it, every movement calculated to make no sound.

The alley was quiet.

Too quiet.